Training Log Archive: bbrooke

Event: RMOC Cheyenne Mountain State Park
 

Red course at Cheyenne Mountain State Park (new map).

I was expecting this to be like White Ranch or Devil's Thumb in Boulder, but it was much more open and not as steep -- more similar to Chatfield State Park.

That said -- the first few legs were uphill, and my calves were killing me (since I never warm up before orienteering...). Eventually they stopped hurting and I was able to run more.

My main competition today (among the women): Maiya, Gøril & Sharon.

Maiya started some time after me and caught me at #8. We leap-frogged with slightly different route choices for a few controls until she totally dropped me on the uphill to #11. But, when I finished, she told she had skipped #14. DOH! She definitely would have beaten me, if not for the MSP.

Gøril's time was around 1:40 -- but she was already gone when I finished, so I didn't have a chance to ask her what happened.

Sharon finished just as I was leaving, so I'm not sure what her time was...

It was definitely a runner's course -- mostly Orange-ish nav difficulty. The hardest part might have been deciphering the rat's nest of leg lines, control circles, and numbers on the map. But it's always fun to check out a new area.

I had to leave very quickly after finishing, to plow through all the I-25 traffic, shower, and get to a friend's 50th birthday dinner in Boulder. As I was stowing all my crap in my car, I realized I couldn't find my phone (which had been in the pocket of my hydration vest). I tore apart my car and duffel bag and still couldn't find it. F*CK!!! Ain't nobody got time for that!

The last photo I remembered taking was a rattlesnake between #7 and #8, so I headed out there to see if I could find it (the phone, not the rattlesnake; maybe I didn't fully stash it in my pocket after the photo?). No luck. I didn't have time to retrace the whole course (knowing I was already going to be late for the birthday dinner)...so I just left. :-\

But..technology is amazing!!! When I got home, Google's "find my phone" page gave me some coordinates that looked close to #13 / #14, where I roughly remember tripping, falling, and tumbling. So at least I could go to dinner with some peace of mind (although I did spend some time at dinner silently pondering how I might MacGyver a low-profile lanyard hook on my phone case...and how I'll probably wrap the case with strips of reflective & neon tape so that it's easier to spot in the grass and at night).

So...I have a very special "Easter Egg Hunt" planned for Sunday. The drive to & from Colorado Springs will be a total pain in the ass, but I'll be so ecstatic if I actually find the phone. I'm optimistic -- I used GPS Visualizer to overlay the Google lat / long with my tracks, and it's an unbelievably perfect match:



Error / off-bearing near #4; could have been more direct to #13; should have contoured to avoid unnecessary climb between #14 and #15; trail would have been faster from #19 to finish.

C • lanyard 5

C • Map 2

Red - Splits

Prep work for tomorrow's RMOC meet --

- Finalized data entry for 2019 annual waivers.

- Manually entered a few late registrations.

- Created import files for OE2010.

- Created & printed start cards.

- Created packet for Air Academy team.

- Sent final participant count to Gøril for snacks.

- Sent final info & summary to Doug / Jim / Galen / Simon.

- Loaded car (folding table, chair, tub of pretzels, etc.).

And it's not even close to midnight...!

LoCO FIT workout at the arboretum.

- Ran 0.75 miles to warm up.

- 6 x (half mile effort @ 5K race pace + quarter mile walk & jog recovery).

- Ran and walked about a mile to cool down.

I'm worried about how steep Saturday's orienteering race will be -- and I want to try to keep up with Gøril! -- so I didn't push my pace too much tonight.

- Data entry for 2019 annual waivers.

- Follow-up emails (more pre-reg clarifications, CSOL school names, duplicate courses, etc.).

- Data entry for a few membership renewals & confirmation emails.

- HTML email reminder to RMOC list.

Runners Roost group run -- from the store, up to the Hwy 36 bike path, one loop around Davidson Mesa, and then back via the bike path. Easy pace. Sunny, t-shirt weather!

I managed to skip the beer afterwards -- yay me. But I did try a few pieces of the carrot-orange cinnamon rolls from Louisville's best bakery. Need to find a recipe for that...

- Email follow-ups (CSOL trophies, ARDF inquiry, pre-reg clarifications, etc.).

- Sent out reminder emails for April membership expirations.

- Updated 2019 meet director / course setter / e-punch coordinator volunteer list in RMOC database.

I finally found a long, uninterrupted block of time to work on way-overdue RMOC projects.

- Added all remaining 2019 events, courses & details to RMOC database; set up pre-registration forms for all remaining 2019 events.

- Created volunteer sign-up sheets for the next two meets (Google Doc).

- Created Attackpoint events for all remaining 2019 meets.

- Located relevant photos and created Facebook events for all remaining 2019 meets.

- Answered zillions of overdue emails.

- Drafted HTML email update with photos & links.

- Data entry for membership renewals; email confirmations.

Walked to & from the rec center.

Vinyasa yoga class at the rec center.

Quantico Classic Day 2 -- Long / Red course at Beaver Dam Run.

I made an effort to run more today, since this was the last event of the weekend. It was humid, with some brief, light rain; my clothes were soaked by the time I finished -- yuck.

I wasn't especially fast (understatement!), but I was mostly able to navigate according to plan -- except for total brain failure in between #10 and #11. I intended to take the trail heading NNW (using the bend at the stream as my attackpoint), but somehow I ended up on the trail going ESE. WTF?!

Inefficient banana-like route to #12. Finding #16 without issue felt like a miracle. And, even though I started to worry about being OVT, I finished with ~17 minutes to spare and I wasn't even DFL on Red. :-P

A very fun weekend overall! I enjoyed getting to chat with o-friends (except for vmeyer, who seemed so busy that I didn't want to butt in and distract).

After my shower at a nearby rec center, I seriously considered laying down on the locker room bench for a nap -- I had a deeply exhausted, bone-tired feeling (maybe exacerbated by the extra-hot shower and poor sleep last night). But I rallied and made it to the airport.

C • Missed you too! 2

Day 2 - Long - Red - Splits