Training Log Archive: barb

Event: SVO Memorial Day Weekend ROGAINE
 

SVO rogaine in PA put on by Eddie and friends. This was the 2nd event in my biweekly rogaine series. Eddie's hand-crafted stain-glass controls are the best prizes ever, so I was pretty psyched to find out that Katia and I were the only women's team entered in the 24-hour category, and therefore guaranteed first place if we could just manage to return under our own power and not lose our punch card, both of which were real concerns.

I knew we'd finished second, and a close second, when I heard Nadim say "sorry, Barb!" while looking at the results.

Rogaining in this terrain is a lot different than in Oregon, where it's so open and dry. Here there's a big element of dealing with unmapped features: trails, enormous enclosures surrounded by truly uncrossable fences, and laurel & thorn jungles. Eddie even threw in a bingo control to complement the natural challenges.

Our navigation was good. There were a few times when I felt we were being a little sloppy, but it turned out OK. I think I've reached a stage with rogaine navigation where what feels like instinct can be trusted, because I've been taking in enough data and pulling a lot of information from the map. There were a few places where we should have been more careful. We made relatively safe route choices. We missed the bingo control on our first pass, but nailed it on our second attack.

Katia lost her map in the first half of the rogaine. After that we passed mine back and forth to discuss route choice.

Went pretty low-key with the headlamps: Katia's was LED-only, and I had mine set to LED mode for the most part. I discovered in Oregon that spider eyes flicker weirdly blue-green in LED light, and I saw a bunch here in Pennsylvania as well. Also saw a tortoise, a black snake curled up on a branch I almost walked into, a turkey - and heard a bunch of whippoorwills (sp?) in the wee hours of the morning.

I was still a little weak from being sick on Wednesday. During the first half of the rogaine, I was experiencing the same GI pain that preceeded my illness of the previous week, and I was worried that it might develop the same way and leave me incapacitated out near some distant control. But by the tough part of the rogaine, I was physically settled into that long-haul rogaine feeling - and maybe the physical distress was good for a few extra endorphins.

I am especially grateful that we weren't bothered by mosquitos or other biting insects. The weather was great, hot in the late afternoon but otherwise cool, and not cold at night; no rain. We got our feet wet in the 2nd half in a couple of places: marsh, stream crossing and morning dew.



This was my partner Katia's first rogaine. She rocks!



David Onkst & Nadim Ahmed collected the most points. That's Mark Frank, Steve Aaronson and Mary Frank in the background (thanks Greg :-).



The DeWitts.

11:45 = 1st 12 hours - 15 minute rest stop

C • ref Photo w/ nadim & dave 1

Still feeling pretty weak from yesterday's illness.

Here's a random photo of the day, my daughter playing soccer for the Cambridge Twisters:



Heading for MD/PA tomorrow with Katia for the rogaine.

Event: CSU Pine Hill
 

Got hugely sick last night and only just now (4 pm) managed to make it out of bed to get some broth. Met my weight goal! :-) I expect to gain a few pounds back when I start keeping liquids down.

C • AWOL 2

to work, to G&P, back to work, home

I believe that I live in the highest concentration of people-who-have-rogained in the world. Living within 50 ft of my home are 5 people who have competed in 24-hour rogaines - or will have, after this coming weekend.

Today I talked to a ranger for the Boston Harbor Islands in order to arrange a field trip for 1st and 2nd graders to orienteer on an island. She told me about a project we could participate in, to survey the invertebrates on the island. A Harvard University researcher is doing this, and she is really into citizen-scientists, inviting the public and schoolchildren to participate. Very cool. And her name? Jessica Rykken!!! Another orienteering social network loop!

Walked home from meeting Markos Moulitsas Zúniga and Jerome Armstrong at a local bar. I got them to sign a copy of Crashing the Gate.



The Illuminite jacket (usually black) lights up pretty good in the flash. We got the jacket from our friend who used to work for Illuminite.

The Big Muddy rogaine results are out. Orlyn and I did finish 4th, though there was a men's open team that would have finished higher, except they were 8 minutes late back to the hash house.

I was curious about the women's team that beat us. Googling Danelle Ballengee, I found out she is an insane extreme adventure racer. She climbed all 55 Colorado 14ers in under 15 days. For example. She's 34. Reading an interview with her from this January, one thought I have is how lucky I have been with my rogaine partners. You hear about the tough dynamics on these AR teams - and I realize that is a much more intense and time-consuming relationship than the rogaine team - but I have been fortunate to have partners that are lovely and mellow and fun during the race. All of them. Orlyn, John, J-J, Sharon, Deb, Dave, Bill, Adam...

Danelle's partner was Rebecca Rusch, also an accomplished adventure racer, and also 34. I guess the rogaine was just a little bit of pleasant training for them!

So my training has become hugely lame. But still, at least I'm moving my body... Walked with Lisa. In the city, not the woods.

To JP, MIT, and home

Along the water in Nahant; from MIT home.