Training Log Archive: bl

BB, last of pre-meet map work. Many a chorus of peepers, a single mosquito, T in 70s. I "toggled" back & forth from 2011 & 2013 to the present. BB is indeed a large forest with varied terrain. I've known it since '78. The first map edition was printed in 1975 for the NAOC (the 1st?), in the early days of mapping. I have one dtd 9/23/78, a NEOC local meet - blue course, 10.1k, 9 controls, 1/15, first finisher PG.

C • Bear Brook 4

UNO BB local meet. Ugh, a rainy day, quite so at times, but a good turnout. Runners generally satisfied with courses/control placement etc. Tired by the time I got home, after the final foray for collecting a few of the farther points and then some closer ones. Alex Jospe was desirous of more training & retrieved the 3 furthest. Got home, took 800mg ibuprofen & a nap.

There were some nice moments at the end of the day - the work was generally done & I stopped to appreciate some of the control locations & environs. Pondered a return visit to one particular one each month of the year to document seasonal change.

Faces that surprised were Carl Underwood, Clint Morse, Marty Hawkes-Teeter (works in Boston). Nice to see two reps from the Newton/Boston contingent, Alex and David Yee. Phil came. He has a high tolerance for long drives. Then he went home to regroup before continuing on to New Haven. JJ & Nancy added to the mix.. Also fun to see new faces making their discovery - that O can be quite enticing, even in rain. Good collaboration with Steve. We go back “to the beginning”. Betsy & Beth helped with registration. Pete & Lex saved the day with the UNO West rain/shade canopy. It poured on one occasion. Faye helped all around and took the equipment off my hands.

Bear Brook, 6 more far-flung points that req'd more than 2 hours car to car.
Stiil gray & cold but no precipitation. Woods to myself.

Checking points for UNO meet 4/20. Started at 9a., done by noon. Was grey & chilly today. Left as drizzle set in. Ended up a snowy afternoon. Went to Exeter after for club meet equipment.

Inside type of day, even freezing rain.

Bear Brook, put out the 6 farthest controls & epunches. Took a bit more than 2 hrs & was a bit more than 5 mi, the distance surprised me. I had Beth’s bike (mobilized after 7 years of ceiling suspension in the basement) which made all the difference. The furthest point was a water stop. Even a gallon in a backpack is heavy these days. Gray, somber, quiet, trails & woods to myself except at the very end, there were 2 mtb’ers in Hayes and a few more in parking.

The strings of 4 flags were hopelessly tangled. Untied 2 punches from their cords to be able to pull thru and cut the ends of 2 smaller lines. Putting equipment away properly is important yet meet staff could very well be too tired to do it. Glad to be on my way home at 7pm.

Nottingcook O walk thru areas I’ve not seen in years. Interesting & tiring. Nice day. Beth dropped me off at S. Bow kiosk. Nice forest, maybe consider remapping the central, best part of it for a future A meet, 1 of 2 days type of thing. Could do better with rock features, too.