Trail Run (Jug Bay) 24:00 [3] 2.0 mi (12:00 / mi)
shoes: Icebugs Sky Blue
Since the control placement didn't take very long, I decided to jog a bit on the trail. It was ~9 AM, and it was already quite nasty out, and my breathing wasn't great, possibly because I was pushing it. Happy to get this run done in case I decided not to go out on the course.
Orienteering race (Beer Chase) 2:02:32 [3] *** 7.5 km (16:20 / km)
shoes: Icebugs Sky Blue
Garmin says 7.5 miles.
QOC's annual meeting and Beer Chase. Mass start at noon - hot, humid, beer. I think going out earlier helped me in the sense that I wasn't feeling too worried about the conditions.
I chose the Long course (2 loops about 3.3 k each, and one .9 k to finish). Drink a beverage, my stomach was better today, so beer it was. Drink, O, drink, O, drink, O, drink, finish.
People were divided up into YZ or ZY. Since, I was helping Peggy do the dividing, I put Heidi and me together, and we quickly picked up Kim for our group on the way to #1. Darcy wisely had something else to do this year.
Kim, Heidi, and I stayed together until I remembered I hadn't changed someone in the computer from one course to the other, so I ran ahead after the 7/8 controls on the first loop. Did my beer, advised Greg on what needed changed, and waited ~4 minutes for the other two ladies. I really did not want to go back out by myself, especially since the second loop was the same as the first, except the control was on an adjacent but identical feature as the first time around - pit/pit, reentrant/reentrant, etc./etc.
And, when I got to the water stops the second time around, actually visiting the two which were within yards of each other, the first being from the first loop, I opened a jug at each and poured it over my head and into my mouth, because, at this point I knew that we were the last ones out there. ;)
Then the last little loop was just out into the heat, and I proposed adding a new class called "F the Last Loop." But, after waiting a minute for Heidi and Kim, out we went.
After two very tasty hot dogs courtesy of the Landers brothers, and a grilled Peep, I took a swim in the Bay. Well, not exactly a swim because of the 12" of mud for at least 100' out, and what with the water being an inch above the mud, it wasn't exactly good swimming conditions. But I laid back in it, and gave the spectators on the beach a good laugh as I tried to get out of the mud.
Now, the Beer Split story - timed drinking between each loop and at the end. I set it up this year so that it was clear (I thought) that you were to punch IN, get a cup and drink, and then punch OUT. I had the lowest split of anyone with 5 seconds, and won two of three splits (tied one of these), but my third one was 9 seconds - what was up with that?! Anyway, one guy tried to claim the crown, but he admitted that he was picking up his cup before he punched IN. I pointed out that he had done it wrong, he tried to claim it was OK because it was a "thinking man's sport." And, then he added our three splits up and tried to claim the crown on total beer time - his 20 total seconds to my 21 total seconds. Of course, I come up with two responses much later - 1) A thinking man's sport? So, was he thinking about the fact that he had cheated? or 2) Let's step up to the table and have a drink off. But, alas, I just got pissed, because I was probably slightly pissed, and when he continued to be argumentative, I told him that he was making me angry, and that he needed to move along, which his embarrassed spouse was trying to accomplish as well. And, yes, I was taking this Beer Split Queen thing WAY TOO seriously. Oh, that's what I should have said to him - it was Beer Split Queen - no men allowed to compete for the title. :)