Training Log Archive: JanetT

To today's start, down the dirt road from where we all parked (and the finish).

Middle course on a new map called Granite Planite, 1:7500 / 5m contours. Mikell P. mapped the area, and also designed the courses. Another sunny day in the upper 60s; quite breezy, too, which I could feel when I had to head into it.

#1 was a common control for everyone, then we headed separate ways. #2 continued that line, then #3 turned left. I folded my map and almost headed off on course for #12 (longer line parallel to the 2-3 leg), but caught myself quickly.

#4 was the center of our only butterfly on the course; I saw Leslie M coming out of it as I approached. I stayed left of the line, in the open area, to #5 before cutting in when I saw the flag tucked into the woods.

#6 was between cliffs above a gigantic pile of rock. I thought it would be tricky but as I got closer and approached the NW side of it I could see where I needed to head up to find it. 7 and 8 were also straightforward; #9 was between a large boulder and a bare rock area with cliffy sides. I picked the wrong side of the boulder but looped around okay and punched at the same time Eric Bone and PeggyD were coming in from opposite directions to punch, so a bit of a traffic jam (like an in and out corridor on a sprint). A few seconds lost rounding the boulder.

#10, #11 (a return to #4) were good. I caught up to Sue Kuestner here--she had started 2 minutes ahead. She was just a bit ahead, but we were pretty much together until 15, though she stopped to check a few intermediate flags, and went farther to the right to #13 than I did. [Mikell was heading perpendicular to my line of travel as I headed to 13 and I told him how much I enjoyed the map and course. ;-) ]

Sue and I were both a bit left to 14 but I saw the flag which looked to be in a shallow reentrant so went to check. After 15 Sue took off and sprinted to 16 and the finish, but I have her by almost a minute overall.

First of three in F65. Three F55s beat me, plus Sharon, and about 7 M65-75s, putting me about 12th on Brown.

I love middle courses. This was well done.

Middle Brown - Splits

Temps yesterday when we ran were in the low 70s; this morning, in the upper 60s. Dry, dry, dry (yay!!). :-)

One cowboy relay on Rattlesnake Hill 1:10000 map. We were delayed arriving because of a crash on I 80 E which shut it down for awhile. It finally opened up about 10 minutes before original start time. They delayed the start a half hour; I got there with 5 minutes to spare.

After having a lot of trouble (looking on the wrong spur) to my fourth control, missing on the 5th, and feeling my blister again (I taped it up wrong), by the time I returned to the map exchange I was uninterested in doing two more similar loops, so did the short two-control loop then the final one. C-(B-A)-D-last loop. That was plenty. :-)

Event: 2018 Rocky Mountain Orienteering Festival
 

Mass start race on Lights of Cheyenne map in Medicine Bow Natl Forest east of Laramie. I had no intention of doing this as a race, and decided at #6 that I'd get the next close one (#13) and head back in and get 14 and 15 as well.

I took this as an acclimation excursion and O training rather than a race. Indeed, I could not run up *any* hills. And I started getting a blister after 13, so good idea to head in from there so I'm not miserable (and know what to cover/tape) all week.

Stopped to check my foot (blister) and remove an extra layer of sock, then started watch on walk back to the cars.

Interesting variety of folks at this event. ;-)

Focus: heart space, including opening up through shoulders. (Ouch)

Gring's Mill results
I was 4/5 F65-69

Warm up for the Grings Mill 5km Race this morning. Race postponed from a couple weeks ago and rerouted (new start, anyway), so we started near the Red Bridge and Berkshire Heritage Center.

Grings Mill 5km presented by Pagoda Pacers (Reading runnng group). Out and back course. There was a 10km race held concurrently that started a few minutes later and went the opposite way along the Tulpehocken Creek up to Grings Mill before doubling back and finishing with the portion we ran. I saw some of the leaders on my way back to finish. Almost entirely flat course, along an old canal tow path on the creek that empties into the Schuylkill. Temp was in the mid-upper 70s, and the path was shady, so a fine course to run on a day like today. :-) Water stop was not quite halfway so I took a few sips, going both directions.

I found a comfortable pace that was probably not really what a younger person would call race pace but felt like I could keep running. Pushing harder would have been uncomfortable (and not necessary considering I have a week of orienteering races starting later this week). I did give a final push at the end to stay ahead of a woman I'd passed in the last mile, and that felt okay.

Finished 159 / 195; 4th F65-69. Third F65 was a minute faster.

C • Nice job! 7

Went to an educational "native plant" talk at Jacobsburg State Park today with a neighbor (who is more of a gardener than I am). We had three talks by 1) a naturalist at Jacobsburg, 2) a naturalist at Lehigh Gap, and an educator from Edge of the Woods Nursery (which sells native PA plants, located in Trexlertown).

At the end we were allowed to take home two plants provided by Edge of the Woods. I selected a purple coneflower (for the front bed) and a cardinal flower (for the back which is shadier and wetter). Hope they survive!