Training Log Archive: Nadim

Near the town of Grandtully, east of Aberfeldy, Scotland. I went up and down a hill for bathrooms and got a little late. I ended up jogging a lot of the way uphill to the start, except where too steep, for Day 6 of the Scottish 6 Days.

Scottish 6 Days: Day 6: on the Grandtully map, near the town of Grandtully. This was straightforward orienteering in grassy woods with some clearings. I had a 10:24am start time—the earliest all week. We there were some elephant trails but still it took navigation skills. The early part of the course climbed and I could hardly run. Going downhill I was much better. I missed on number 5 but only lost about a minute. I was too high and relocated on a boulder. Going to number 15 I missed the first crossing point over the fence. I wasn’t sure if I’d passed the first or second crossing point so I ran back uphill a little. I felt good running in and with this the last day, I sprinted hard to successfully beat a teenager. I fumbled the punch a little.

This was a fun week. It was sad to be saying goodbye to everyone and to be leaving this interesting land. I bought more o-gear to make up for it. Later we drove to Greenock.

Near the town of Forgandenny, near the town of Bridge of Earn and Perth, Scottland. From the car park to the Arena for the Scottish 6 Days.

Near the town of Forgandenny, near the town of Bridge of Earn and Perth, Scottland. From the Arena for the Scottish 6 Days to the start. This jog and walk to the start was just under half the climb of my whole course. Many people paused on the switchbacks of the last climb up the grassy slope. I jogged the flats and downhills with Max.

Scottish 6 Days: Day 4: on the Culteuchar and Dron map near the town of Forgandenny, near the town of Bridge of Earn and Perth, Scottland. Somewhere between legs 2 and I stubbed my left toe and strained or bruised it. The tufts of grass we’ hard to run on.

S-1 - Like others I didn’t go down to the Start Triangle and up from there. I jogged the climb initially, then walked. I wanted to go south around the green to avoid climb. The crossing point for the barbed wire fence was only on the direct route. As I tried to cross going south, I kept getting stuck on the barbs. Eventually I gave up and used the crossing point but I’d lost a couple of minutes. I climbed and went around the mapped green. I passed the west side of the fenced enclosure then ran along it on the south side. Going down, I was having a hard time matching up the contours. I angled down to the control but I was sure it was mine until I could read it.

1-2 - I ran the trail to the south to minimize transit of the marshy areas. The control was visible from far away.

2-3 - I contoured the left side of the hill, climbing just enough.

3-4 - I went fairly straight, crossing the reentrant and then going into the woods. I kept climbing in there on an elephant trail to the first cliff and then the control.

4-5 - straight.

5-6 - I contoured into the reentrant and then across the small hilltop passing some others. I spiked the control going over the mapped cliff.

6-7 - I went fairly straight to spike it. I gave it away for others.

7-8 - I used the trails at first and avoided the hilltop by running the right side of it. After passing the reentrant I drifted right. I stopped before the fenc, realizing from the bends that I was too low. I came up two bends in the fence before crossing and spiking the control.

8-9 - I followed the elephant tracks down the steep reentrant and partway up the other side. Taking the angled trail, I got to the green. Instead of cutting left, I climbed to the fence, then turned left. It was hard going up. I also stopped in the bush and relieved myself. It was easy from the end of the fence.

9-10 - I went out straight and minimized a descent that I’d have to climb out of. I ran the ridge and my bearing. Others weee going my way. I used a fence on the left for a handrail and went around the green on the right side at the end.

10-11 - down to the vehicle track, past the houses, then to the bend. I’d been running hard earlier and wasn’t thinking well. The mapping around the houses confused me. I cut right through the forest to the field and to the trail at the bottom of it. I left the trail above the control and spiked it.

https://flic.kr/p/2gMPQq1

From the event arena to the Car Park area where the food and gear vendors were. I was pretty tired after the run.

Ben A’An, Loch Lomand Ballquhidde on Loch Achray, Scottland. For our rest day from the Scottish 6 Days we went for a hike with the Campbell family and Tapio Karras. The hike started from a paid parking lot off of a loch and climbed steeply to a flatter felled area. After that it climbed an even steeper reentrant to a treeless area with excellent views of one of the lochs. The last little scamper to the top gave 360 views of The Trossachs National Park, both lochs and more. We had lunch watching a rain storm on a ridge across a valley. A little bit of rain was moving our way too so we left. Our kids did the best I’ve seen them. Max zoomed ahead and Samantha only complained a little bit. We got back dry.



https://flic.kr/p/2gMhTJG

From the event center to the Start area of the Scottish 6 Days. Peggy, Max, and I started nearly together but Max and I jogged ahead eventually to get to the start on time. Max had less than a minute before he got called up.

Scottish 6 Days Day 2 on the Edenchip map.

S-1 straight up 12 contours through the field to spike the little bit of marsh.

1-2 Straight across but I went on the underside of the spur before the control.

2-3 a little on the low side, then into the reentrant

3-4 Straight across to the high point of the clump of trees, then down.

4-5 I followed the stream by being on the right side of it. At the road I saw the big reentrant and switched to the next one to the right. Because of the leg line I didn’t see that there were 3 steaks. At the bottom, not finding the control, I went left to the next reentrant. That control wasn’t mine so I had to climb back through marsh getting to the right reentrant. Just before I did, Stephan Slutski punched.

5-6 To the stream crossing point then across the field. I could see the boulder clusters from far off so I ran to it. I made up ground on Stephan when he paused before the knoll.

6-7 Straight. Stephan took off quicker than I had so I was again chasing him. As he entered the trees I lost sight of him but I saw him again as several others were converging on the control.

7-8 I went straight. At the road, Stephan came in from my left, but was still ahead. I paused. There was an elephant trail across the field. I took it and closed in on Stephan yet again. We got to the crossing point. In the open forest I went straight again. The knoll was easy to pick out.

8-9 I came out from 8 a bit to the right of straight so I was confused at the road. Turning left I eventually came to the paved area and got on the trail. Stephan went that way too as it was the obvious route. I saw him now and then. After the trails I went straight, checking off rentrants along the way. At the end I looked for a clump of trees and punched.

9-10 Stephan disappeared ahead going low in the light green trees. I decide to go around on the high side. Even that was slow. The forest seemed to continue longer than mapped. I emerged to see the mapped bracken. Cutting through that on an elephant trail, I dropped to the rough open hillside with mapped boulders. Pausing, Tapio Karras came through and offered that we needed to go further. Tapio got there first.

10-11 I went straight while Tapio climbed off to my right. This was a nearly 10 contour climb and Tapio got ahead. A big Swede who was on our course punched right behind me and he’d just recovered from a big error.

11-12 I took elephant trails at first. At a mapped trail I turned left to cross the reentrant with the big Swede right behind me. Dropping down, we converged with Tapio at the control. Tapio came in from our right.

12-13 Tapio led our trio a bit to the right, across marsh and wire fences to a trail. I had to let the Swede in the marsh. We left the trail at a bend to spike the control. I was falling behind.

13-14 crossing more marsh and fences to a trail, we turned left and went through the intersection to a trail which let us attack from the south.

14-15 Tapio and the Swede dropped back to the trail we were on earlier. I angled my way there and max up some distance. A straight attack would normally have involved a wet stream crossing but the was marked on the map as an uncrossable boundary. There were course notes about not crossing too. The Swede moved ahead of Tapio slightly but got both to pause at a point that would involve crossing the stream. I told them it was out of bounds and in the notes, then proceeded to run around. After crossing at the designated bridge I cut right to avoid another out of bounds area surrounding a house. Max was in the area and said hi. I went a bit too far and when I cut back I found unmapped green in my way. As I worked my way through I saw Tapio and the Swede going on, on the route I’d have preferred. Eventually I got where I needed to be but lost Tapio and the Swede. I was tired too.

15-16 I worked my way through more green and to a fence where I saw Kean Williams. I count right at the fence rather than run the edge or cross it twice. At the road I was lower than I wanted an I wasn’t careful about knowing exactly where I was crossing it. I followed an elephant trail in and kept a loose bearing. I wasn’t able to matchup the map so I didn’t realize I was below the control. I hit the stream and cut back to a fence benne to relocate. Attacking, I found it but I’d lost almost minutes.

16-17 I followed the elephant trail and got stuck behind and older woman. I was concerned about not seeing the pond.

17-F I started pushing about half way there.

Walking back from the finish area of the Scottish 6 Days to the event center.

Event: Scottish 6 Days 2019
 

Scottish 6 Days near Comrie, Scottland. From the car park to the event arena. Partway there, we realized that Max had left his bib number so he and I went back before starting again. This was mostly a nice but long walk. There was a dead sheep on the trail.

From the event center to the Start line. I jogged for a while but walked when we started climbing.

Scottish 6 Days 2019, Day 1, on the Auchingarrich map.

S-1 - I climbed fairly straight and through the light green forest. I stayed a little near the forest edge until above the reentrant.

1-2 - I walked and ran straight to th knolls. I took the ride and turned left into the reentrant.

2-3 - I ran down the marsh and stream to the right of straight and continued going straight after the stream bend. I drifted right and hit the green so I cut left. I was short so I wandered. Others in the area gave it away below me.

3-4 - I tried going straight but was drawn or drifted left into a clearing with a control. After punching and realizing it was not my control I went on and cut right. Pulling up I guessed well and turned right again to punch. I probably lost 90 seconds or more.

4-5 - This was my big error. I 180’d and because I was on a hillside, I didn’t realize it immediately. I passed the control that I’d punched earlier and kept going. When things didn’t match up I turned back to #4 and went straight.

5-6 - At the fence I paused a while to figure where I’d gotten. Continuing, I hit it well but I was hesitant.

6-7 - I drifted right and corrected at the fence. I was a bit hesitant again at the end.

7-8 - I ran to the road, then left and the down before the road bend. I got confused and came down too far. At the fence I ran along it but crossed the stone wall before turning back and going up to the control.

8-9 - I ran around the light green and turned left.

9-10 - I misread and thought I needed to drop a contour. I had figure this out and to climb back up.

10-11 - I realized I wasn’t going to read and match up all of the details. I ran fairly straight checking off what I could until hitting the fence. The intersection with the stone wall pinpointed where I was at so I attacked and hit the control after that.

From the event center to the car park. Lots of others were walking back too. I enjoyed the cool breeze and nice Scottish landscape.

Edinburgh, Scottland. From Infirmary St. to Southbridge to Lawnmarket to Castlehill to Edinburgh Castle, walking around the castle, then back. We figured that we could get in so we did more touring. When we started, it was raining steadily. The tourists and Scotts seemed mostly unfazed. Maybe it was because we arrived on a Friday evening, people seemed vibrant and even raucous. There was a lot of commerce going on and not all of it was for cashmere. The same vibrocity continued this day, Saturday. The Castle was nice but we didn’t see it all or linger. We were lucky enough to be near, and to be surprised by the one o’clock gun. Lunch wasn’t so nice however.