Training Log Archive: CleverSky

Pack Monadnock with Nancy. 25F and a bit slippery up top.

Just realized that the Traverse last week was my 1400th competitive orienteering course, dating back to 1978. The control total is 22228, though there are a few that should be deducted for my very occasional DNFs, so maybe 22222 on that. 2260+ hours (there are some meets prior to 1990 that I don't have times for), likewise 11300+ km.

Very likely that I'll get to 1500 courses. 2000 would be a real stretch.

Blue Hills Traverse, Earl's Trails and Mount Norwottuck, 13.5km straight line, 22nd place. Not too embarrassing. Running with a sore toe from a couple of weeks ago, and I had a few uncomfortable off-kilter steps on that foot, and one solid rock-kick on the way to #4, but the pain subsided in a few minutes and it didn't bother me too much for the rest of the race. I missed a little to the right on #6, and on #9 I was near a crowd that was drifting right, and I got pulled off that way, but when they were clearly confused and trying to decide how to recover, I went the way that I thought it was and found the control first. Saw a little of Mitch Collinsworth early on, then some of Jeff Schapiro, but he fell off the back after the road crossing. There were two guys running together who were in the crowd near #9 who disappeared up ahead when I stopped to drink at #12, and another guy who stuck with me until he got ahead on the trail approaching #17, missed the turn into the woods, and I never saw him again. I passed a confused cadet who was looking for #17, and from then on I was strictly on my own. Dropped to a pretty slow trudge near the end anytime I was going uphill, but figured there was nobody around, so it didn't matter. Just after I punched the last control, I heard a noise, and the two guys I hadn't seen since #12 were there. Couldn't have them finishing ahead of me, so I pulled an extra gear out of hammerspace and hightailed it to the finish ahead of them (fortunately not screwing up the navigation).

An excellent event, if perhaps a bit a physically challenging. Definitely the best terrain ever for the Traverse. Thanks, Phil!

East Boston Camps with Nancy, around the pond.

C • Huh? 2

Powissett, Blue, 9.0 km. Futzed around looking for #11, not the most efficient route to #13, 180 out of #14, one wrong turn en route to #16 that added some distance and climb. Not quite last place.

Voted!

Missed the Middlesex Fells meet, mostly because Nancy's plane got in just before 10 AM so we missed the mass start, but it was just as well because the hiking with all that weight while wearing my flying shoes (which don't have the extra arch support wedge) had left my right foot pretty sore.

Watatic hike with Patti. Watch didn't cooperate.

Hiking down Mt. Tom with my hang glider and harness (isn't it supposed to go the other way?) after not flying. Watch still wasn't cooperating (don't know if it's flaking out or if I was inadvertently hitting buttons), so the time isn't exact. Down the radio tower access road (with a couple of stops to get the weight off of my shoulders), then I dropped the gear when I got to Mt. Park Rd., walked to my car at the freeway overpass, came back with the cart, and mostly jogged to the car with the stuff on the cart.

Would have been much better off if I had checked the calendar and gone to Gay City instead.