Training Log Archive: BigWillyStyle

Ballard Street Scramble scouting.

Ballard is a confusing place! Every block looks the same. It's very difficult to navigate on a bicycle while carrying a map and a clipboard and avoiding cars, both moving and unmoving. The key: PUT STREET NAMES ON YOUR MAP, genius (talking to myself here).

Event: Ultimate Orienteer #5 - Teanaway
 

My cat just stepped on the computer and somehow erased the very witty and insightful write-up I had all ready to go. He is hungry and wants me to feed him and I swear he did that on purpose. Bad Spot! Unbelievable.

If I was a caveman (who knew English) and I was to charcoal my course recap on a wall 10,000 years ago, I would write this:

Wow! Not good. 18 minutes of mistakes = fifth place at a local meet. Worst run in year(s). Major problems 1, 3, 4, 5, 6. Good on 2 though! 9 hidden inside Xmas tree - not what I asked Santa for. Spoiled by amazing DVOA maps made by French WOC mappers.

Positive things: Better to have poor runs here - save great runs for A-meets! From 9 to F - second place, 0:07 behind Eric. Excellent training; Course 3 much cleaner than 4. No injuries. Sunny and warm out! Official beginning of Real Orienteering Runnable Terrain Summer, inc. Kamloops, Boggs, Fishtrap, Salmon La Sac, Whistler, Kamloops 2.0, Riverside (?), Catherine Creek, O' in the Oaks (?). Good times ahead!

C • #2 was an orange control. Yay? 2

Second verse, better than the first.

At the relay champs hotel I noticed Eric toss his A-meet bib number away, so I asked him about it. Turns out he doesn't keep his bibs. I keep all of mine, spanning back to 1999 or so, but then I only have about 17 total. Eric would have like a zillion by now.

What do y'all do? Keep 'em, toss 'em? Any cool ideas of what to do with them?

C • Bibs. 6

Miles:
1. 4:09
2. 2:29
3. 4:10
4. 4:55
5. 3:09
6. 3:14
7. 3:38 (0.79)

Miles:
1. 3:24
2. 2:49
3. 5:07
4. 3:29
5. 4:28
6. 4:07
7. 4:15
8. 0:58 (0.26)

An eventful ride home. I had an altercation with a wayward coat hanger, pissed off a driver, and had some minor mechanical issues, but still managed to be well under 29 minutes thanks to the fickle nature of traffic lights.

C • warning shot 5

Miles:
1. 3:49
2. 2:21
3. 3:52
4. 3:24
5. 3:33
6. 3:19 (accosted by school bus)
7. 2:59 (0.79)

C • School Bus. 2

Miles:
1. 3:33
2. 3:18
3. 4:44 ***PR***
4. 4:25
5. 4:51
6. 4:05
7. 4:00
8. 0:54 (0.26)

New PR on the climb up Wilburton Hill! The old one was from last August.

Warm down lap through Watershed plus some scouting. I found a few interesting things. Some of the interesting things I found are fields of 50% nettles and 50% blackberry bushes. This is what I imagine the Hunger Games creators would put into their arena to trick the competitors into dying a slow, agonizing death.

C • There's a big difference between... 4

Miles:
1. 3:57
2. 2:33
3. 4:04
4. 4:55
5. 3:04
6. 3:18
7. 3:07 (0.79)

Miles:
1. 3:21
2. 3:15
3. 5:05
4. 6:04
5. 3:33
6. 4:18
7. 3:54
8. 0:56

Anna has inspired me to do cool down runs after I bike home, and since her mile PR is faster than mine I figure I should do what she says!

C • PR 4