Training Log Archive: Charlie

Event: West Point A-Meet
 

Brown X at West Point. Physically very difficult. Also emotionally, off and on. A prompt 180 out of the start for about 30 seconds, until I saw Bog Meadow Pond in front of me and unfolded the map enough to see what was going on. Then fine to the control from there, despite dropping 1:15 going right back through the the start. 2 was ok, a bit careful to be in the correct reentrant. Flag was on the ground. Couldn't punch it into the ground, so I propped it up in the branches of a fallen tree.

Then up and over, checking off some theoretically useful features on top, but wandering in the wrong direction and checking a lot of rocks and doing a lot of wandering, 10 minutes worth, before going back up to the top and walking to it on compass. 4 was uneventful, around the marsh to the left, angling up the hill, a little low, but saw the big cliffs.

5 was reasonably well negotiated, out to the trail going by the yellow control, right of the big cliffs across the road, then counting to the third spur and climbing over the eastern part of the knoll for the SE foot - no flag. I was stunned. If not there, where. But I set off for a tour of other, smaller knolls in the area, before ending up at the same knoll. Darn. So I did a tour out to the N, knowing I was too far, but looking for something reliable. Found the trail and the bend, and then the boulder 100 m N of my control, walked in on compass and came to the same damned place! By now I am about ready to declare it missing and move on, but I see someone bending over on the ore side, so I go over to look. There it is on the W side of the knoll. Huh? I am just too literal-minded for success in this sport. Others seem to have found it just fine without being too dismayed by the difference from the control description. QR reveals 8 minutes lost.

Around to the right, below the big cliffs, and up the reentrant, through the small marsh and right into 6. Long leg to 7, half along or in the marshes, then picked up a trail. My back seized a bit when I got to the trail and difficult to jog from there. PG came by, a nice chat. Didn't have to worry about distracting him. He has plenty of bandwidth. Bob Lux near the control.

Fighting through a lot of laurel before picking up the trail, taking it the rest of the way to 8. Walking. Very nice cadet.

9 and 10 pretty easy, along the top, going left to 9, a bit R to 10.

PG and I both thought that #11 might have been in the wrong place, but QR makes it look ok. Difficult downhill through the rocks to 12, but no problem finding it, then trail the rest of the way, but just barely shuffling.

Back at the finish, I was spent.

Map and route (Click map for DOMA view):

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Brown X Day 1 - Splits

Rhonda's morning class, Jackie and Marj

dog loop with R & S. Cool morning, a little damp feel to it, exactly the conditions in which I seem to have the occasional ocular migraine, and I had one today, for about 5-10 minutes in the middle of the walk. Not really a problem, and doesn't hurt in any way. Just weird pinwheel flickering in the center of my vision, or my perception perhaps. And then it goes away as suddenly as it comes.

C • Maybe you should quit... 9

Not very fast, but seemed hard to me today. End of the Concept II season, going out with a whimper rather than a bang, but on to next season.

C • End of rowing season 6

Full limber set, plus some of the therapy exercises. In general, they seem a bit too hard for me, and I am very stiff.

This was hard. Stiff, sore and tired. 3 minutes slower than last week. Hmm.

Pleasant excursion with a couple of guys from DEEP, talking about a potential project to clear some land to create new england cottontail habitat - early successional forest. Bill D came along. Nice day to be out.

Kind of beat up from PT yesterday. Did a few of the exercises today, but not many, and had a lot to do, anyway, so a good day to take off

Rhonda's morning class. Remarkably stiff this morning.

Thanks to Cristina's kind intervention, got my Billygoat map posted, in two parts because it was so big. One of the few disadvantages of using the 1:10,000 version.

Part 1 and Part 2 .

pretty strenuous PT session. A lot of work to do, it would seem. Actual session was about 1:45, but there was some heating and icing involved at beginning and end.

Event: WCOC Fairfield University
 

Fairfield University, Course A. Good courses by Rick and Susie. Three courses with no overlapping controls. Very cool. Nice to see folks out, Ching-hua, Nellie, Muffatis, Pavi, Jeremy, lots of new folks. One control missing on this course, seems to have disappeared during the race, as earlier runners had found it. Lost 35 seconds hunting for it in other alcoves, just to make sure. Also one mistake, went into a courtyard without staying in contact, went to the wrong side of the courtyard first, probably 35 seconds lost, so a clean run would have been about 17 for me.

Sprint A map

C • Jeans 6

Better. More climb on this one, or so it seemed. No noticeable mistakes.


Sprint B map

Sprint C. Not sure what was going on at #4. There was a real pond a bit further downhill from the little dry fountain where the control was. A little confusing, probably about 50 seconds or so worth. Otherwise fine, but getting tired and stiffer on the third course.


Sprint C map