Training Log Archive: GlenT

Event: Gay City State Park
 

Red course at NEOC event at Gay City SP. Pretty much nice open woods with some occasional ferns which made seeing the ground difficult. Navigated well for all but 3 legs. Drifted off to the right on #3 (as many seemed to) and saw the marsh off the map south of the NEOC troll. Finally bailed south to the trail and recovered. (lost ~2min). Was drawn down into the marshy area N of #5, expecting the mapped light green to look different than it did. Checked out a few unmapped rocky things in the marsh (2 min lost). Lost at least 3 minutes #9 by rotating my map 90 degrees and changing a staightforward follow-the walls leg into a relocation exercise. Getting sluggish near the end since it was warm and quite muggy. Otherwise was reading the terrain pretty well and staying in contact. Forerunner measured 8.62 km.

Red - Splits

Event: EMPO - Mohawk River State Park
 

EMPO local event at Lock 7 Park (aka Mohawk River SP and fka Schenectady Museum Nature Preserve). Score-O with 20 controls distributed throughout the park with a 90 minute time limit. There were point values assigned to the controls but I ignored them since I was pretty sure I could get them all (and did with 25 minutes to spare). Lots of vegetation to reduce speed and visibility, but very little of it is prickly, so not unpleasant. Warm and quite muggy with wet woods from earlier showers. Hit most of the controls OK. Only problem was a "bingoish" control on a vague marsh in some thicker vegetation. Apparently the site was much better defined a few weeks earlier when checked. I lost about 5 minutes wandering about, but part of that was my being sloppy with the initial approach. A good course set by a novice course-setter with no obvious "best route". Controls were hung low so with the thicker vegetation you had to be close to see them.

Control pickup. Janet drove me out to the far end and I worked my way back, picking up 7 controls on the way. I started with #31, the one which I had trouble with earlier. It took me two tries to get it although my first attack point was a bit vague. Jogged a bit on trails but mostly walked. Sweated a bunch anyway.

Started sluggishly but then started to feel pretty good. Didn't push the pace, just ran comfortably. 66N, Bacchus, Pratt, 66S - hilly in the middle (Bacchus and Pratt). Upper 70's and humid.