Training Log Archive: smittyo

Mass Start Training Course at Webster Park. We all started together on forked courses to practice not being distracted by other runners.

First control practice course at Webster Park. There were five legs and each was set up to practice it as though it was the first control. I really liked this activity. I messed up #3, so went back and did it again. I also found that I had to concentrate on measuring things, since that is a weakness of mine.

sprint course as part of training activities at Webster Park

Webster TDS #4 Sprint B - Splits

Exercises as part of coaching clinic with Bob Turbyfill.

Dusk to Dark Score-O at Mendon Ponds. Walked with Harvey. Ended up running toward the end to catch up with him after going in for an off-trail control and to finish before overtime. Also buried lots of treasure!

Event: 2011 OUSA Convention
 

Day 2 US Champs Green. Well, I actually did better yesterday than today in general, but I feel better about today. That's because yesterday I did things right but still ended up slow. Today I kept up a good pace, but had some notable errors. So I understand why my time is what it is. I really enjoyed today's course. It was very nicely technical with a good mix of legs.

#1 - Trail to wall at edge of yellow and in to control

#2 - I knew I had to be careful as soon as I saw this leg. Not any really good attackpoint so it required concentration throughout the leg. Down to the stream and then when I hit the slope I spent time making sure of where I was. Once I determined I was on the small knoll south of the rocky ground I followed the spur and then the reentrant into the control - Spike!

#3 - Took a pretty straight line, but ended up a little too far north and found control 232, then corrected back to the control. Time lost - about 2 minutes.

#4 - SE to trail/road junction, then south on road to the trail that goes in on the hilltop through the yellow. Across the tip of the marsh, over the hill, and then somehow got pulled off course in this area. More small marshes and knolls that confused me. Eventually saw the control and it was mine. Yay! Never did identify the knolls that it is supposedly between. Time lost - about 2 minutes.

#5 - slightly right of the straight line using ridge as a handrail. Spike!

#6 - Oopsies! East to the wall and then to the end of the wall. Took a bearing, but off of the wrong wall! I used the corner further east to take my bearing. Ended up down at the marsh and was quite confused as I knew I hadn't gone far enough. Tried attacking from there and found nothing. Went back to the marsh, found the knolls below the control and reattacked. Estimated time lost - 7 minutes.

#7 - Fairly straight to the road, through the south end of the marsh, used the stone walls for a clean attack - Spike!

#8 - Straight and short!

#9 - NE to the road, then took the ride down to the stream, across and up the hill to the reentrant. Also in the middle of this leg, I brushed aside a tree that took my estick off my finger. Spent about half a minute looking before I found it. Whew!

#10 - SLOW through the ferns. Hit the ride a little lower than expected and adjusted my direction. Hit the road right at the marsh. When I saw the vegetation decided to run around.

#11 - Mistook the finish circle for the last control and started running for the south end of the track until I saw the finish tent and realized my mistake. Then up the east edge of track to the control.

Total lost time today -11:30

Day 2 - Green X - Splits

Event: 2011 US Classic Championships
 

Green X Day 1 US Classic Champs. I'm frustrated by my performance. I felt like I was making decent route choices and executing them well, but my time doesn't really match up well with my competitors. I think I probably had at most five minutes of error. And a few places where I was moving hesitantly to be sure I wasn't getting off course, but I think the real problem is just that I don't get enough chances to practice running through thicker forest. I'm not used to a lot of obstacles and I'm timid with my speed as a result.

#1 - took the road all the waypast seven and then in on the little trail on the spur. This was great, as it got me moving right away and gave me a chance to get a sense of the mapping while running the trail.

#2 - SW to the stone walls, then follow the stone wall to the corner to attack. Hesitated here when I ran into some rubble before the stone walls - until I hit the actual wall and became sure of my location.

#3 - Stayed on the spur north of the stream - nice handrail, decent running

#4 - Off a little to the left, but saw the control

#5 - NNW to follow the marsh into the control. Slow here when I felt like the marshes were too far apart and I might have crossed the marsh I meant to follow. So I went carefully considering the possibility of a parallel error and looking in both directions until I determined I was on course.

#6 - NW to the yellow, follow the yellow, then N to the control

#7 - SW then trail to road to trail above the control and then SW to control

#8 - Back to the road and in on the indistinct trail

#9 - tried a pretty straight attack. Felt that I was drifting right so corrected left when I left the green, but that was wrong. I recorrected when I saw the stone wall. (Turns out this was mismapped and was actually further to the right, so that explains my problems here and on approach to 10. Course was voided)

#10 - aimed off a little bit right, but surprised to see how close to the building I ended up

Total estimated time lost today - 3 minutes, most of it at #9. Hard to estimate how much faster I might have been with less timidity.

Day 1 Green X (Course voided) - Splits