Training Log Archive: TomN

West Point Day 2. My run was cleaner than yesterday's, but I didn't think the course was particularly inspired. I lost a minute on #1, by failing to see the trail right out of the start and heading diagonally through the mountain laurel up and over the summit of the hill. For #4, I crossed the line of cliffs on a ramp diagonaling up to the left, picked up the small trail, and took it just past the brook and cliff, attacking from the bare rock feature. The ground seemed wetter and less rocky than mapped, but I stuck with the terrain features and went straight in. 5 and 6 were kind of fun, the contour features gradually appearing out of the green jungle. Leaving 6, I couldn't find the little white corridor, so I bailed out straight down the hill towards the tower and ran the trail down to the junction. I took the road all the way around the hill on #10, but I think over the top was probably better.

Sunday - Brown - Splits

West Point Day 1. I loved the 1:7500 map from the minute I set out on it. The terrain features stood out like sentinels, and it was the first time I was able to navigate in this area with anything other than luck.

I went straight east leaving the start, and climbed the cliffs through the gap between the two little hills. Then squeezed past the upper cliff and went right to the control. AP has me losing a minute and a half there, but it must have been me just marveling at nature, as revealed in the map.

The only place I actually messed up was going to #3. I tried to pick up the little trail past the tip of the marsh, but never saw it, and then wandered without a plan, looking for the change in contours, when I suddenly realized I was in the open area and the taped-off bits were mapped as uncrossable. I had to backtrack a little, and the control was higher up the hill than I expected.

I made up for it on #4, climbing fast up the right edge of the cliff that extended down to the bottom of the valley, coming to the flat part where Carl M. and others were wandering with puzzled looks. The layout of the little rocky hills seemed clear to me, and the next big cliff confirmed it. I went around the right side of it, then crossed over to the left of the spur where the control was, as expected.

#8 was a bit of a head-scratcher, until I realized that it was down in the reentrant, a little hard to read on the map because of the rock markings.

This run was highly satisfying.

Saturday - Brown - Splits

Short and fast. I kept it at 2-2 breathing. Rest day tomorrow, drive to NJ.

The GSFC perimeter trail, with the antenna range this time. My legs are finally feeling better. I don't know why they got beat up so badly last week. I did a lot of walking yesterday, which I'm convinced is therapeutic. Also hopped on a bikeshare for a trip to the credit union, which is on center but a little over a mile away from my office.

Noontime run around GSFC perimeter road.