Training Log Archive: dlevine

Outlaw Rock. Would have been tops on the leaderboard, but that's not saying much since I would also have been the bottom.

"Camel Country" or some such name; second from the bottom on the Challenging Series. Came in just under two minutes behind the leader, but eleven minutes clear of second.

Still sore from Sunday...

(Slowly) working out the kinks from Sunday...

Event: Raccoongaine 2013
 

Racoongaine - Team "We Lost Our Tow Rope" with Bryan Messerly

Pre-start: Plan was to cover 25 km (our best guess as to our fitness in this terrain) and get over 850 points. We had a good loop (east around the pond picking up the high-value stuff) with options on the way back.

Start->31: Down the road to the clearing and down the hill to the mob scene at 31. Bryan punched and mentioned that 31 was a "Mother" control meaning that it gave the location of one of the mystery controls (worth 20 points - twice as much as 31 itself) but that the location was back nearer the start. We went on. 6:17

31->32: Down the hill to the road to the field and straight to it. Bryan neglected to mention (or even notice) that this was also a mother control.

32->63: Across the street and straight up the hill to the trail. While climbing this hill, I ditched my gloves for the day. Finally getting warm. Lots of briars as we went in to the control from the SW. 14:33

63->73: Dogleg back to trail, down to Rte. 18, SW on 18 until the driveway on the W and then up to the control. 11:54

73->56: S to the road, stymied by an electric fence put up by a neighbor claiming more land than the park says he owns. Electric fence wins, however and we go further W to get around. Road towards 56 following a team of 3. Trail in proves useless (visible, but overgrown) and we use it as a handrail in. 18:11

56->60: Plan had been to go to 65, but map correction showed that that would later lead us through ugly stuff, so we went up and took the road to the water stop and then the trail to the field to the control, eating some on the way. 14:33

60->65: S to road to trail, crashing S to the trail just above the green area. Took trail around to the west and then in. 8:18.

65->67: Decided to take the "low road" and went down to lower stream and followed it to the control. As warned at the meet briefing there were "bonus No Trespassing" signs that we ignored. Nice 4-wheeler trail although it did make excessive creek crossings. 12:10

67->68: UP the %^*%^@! hill. Road to parking lot and then in through the gorgeous pine forest. 16:59

68->69: SE down the hill any way we could then take the trail E to the outlet of the stream and up the sucker to the flag. 11:28

69->66: Meant to go ESE and around the reentrant, but Bryan wasn't on plan and pulled us more N. Thus, we had a difficult reentrant crossing, but then took the trail straight in. 13:56

66->61: ENE to trail at bend, then down the trail and over to it with no problems. 13:19

61->79: Thought we could go down and hug the steep stuff, but the stream was right up against it. Had a real tough time in the first 150 meters. After that we were clean and got an extra bonus when a guy came right over the ridge to help clue us in as to the final location of the flag. 15:23

79->55: Plan had been to make 79 before three hours and we had eighteen minutes to spare. We were (unnecessarily afraid of the creek so we went NE to the road and then took the park road in to just N of 55. The green looked bad for only about 10m and that was the case so we had a good attack from the N. Second eating binge. 14:47

55->59: NW to road and attacked through the field N of the control. Starting to join a somewhat separated pack. 9:02

59->58: Back to road and angled up after the dam. Team of 2 guys just ahead of us. 10:01

58->75: Team of two opened up a bit on us when I fell and whacked my knee pretty badly. We were able to see them on the road to 75 as the cut right through the out-of-bounds. We cut in just before the field and did see a Grass Roots Racing team coming the other way; they made the same comments about a team they were following. Back to the road and in with no trouble, but the shortcut paid off for the other team. 13:31

75->64: Feeling tired, but picking our way along the shore line. Then up that awful hill with the knowledge that we doglegging it right back down. 12:38

64->71: Starting to watch the time as we pass the 3.5 hour mark. Back to the trail, up the hill to the junction then over. As I hit the stream, I see one guy going upstream still and I quickly spot the control. He outdistances us as we leave, but I am relieved to hear other folks coming in - so we're not the only ones still this far out. 20:50

71->72: Up hill, past house, through pine plantation, and in. 9:37.

72->62: SW to creek, S to trail and then trail virtually the whole way to 62. Hills are brutal and we eat again. Amused at the site as Bryan makes a 345 arc looking for the flag. We're very tired and moving very slowly. Time to adjust the plan and ditch the 52/37/70 leg. 29:48

62->47: SW to clearing to bend to road and in to the park. Attack 47 from the parking lot below. Easy control, but an ugly hill. 18:34

47->43: Back down to road to head up to finish area. While walking up the road, see a flag in the woods sort of near - but obviously not - 33. Realize it is a "mystery control" and head in, crossing the stream. It's 43! Twenty points and 33 isn't too far way. One team is confused about where they are so they punch and then go back to the road... 10:04

43->33: Just walk upstream to the reentrant in question. 3:00

33->41: Back to the road, up to the power lines just W of 31. Bryan thinks the control is in the SE group of cabins, but can't remember where. We also figure (correctly) that we will see other teams in the area. We did not notice, however, the clue description on the map. Still, the flag was visible from a distance, so... 16:32

41->30: Half an hour to go, so we can definitely bag 30, which I am now betting is a "mother" control. Just hope the bonus is near by. Through second cabin area and down to the stream and across to 30. See the map - it is a mother control, but where is the child? Can we get there in time? 7:52

30->40: What luck! Child is right on the way back to the finish. About 20 meter detour. So, we get it, but it is so anti-climatic that I forget to take a split.

40->Finish: Straight in, running in honor of our lost tow rope. Alas, we didn't know that the missing Mystery control (from #32) was on a ruin about 100 m from the finish point - all through open areas with no climb. We clearly could have gotten that one and returned in 16 minutes! 5:26


Final stats: 24.7 km, 890 points. No major navigation goofs and only a few minor ones. One strategic goof with the not-attempted-even-though-it-was-essentially-in-the-parking-lot cotnrol. A very good run on which we left just about everything we had in the woods.

Slept poorly, was sore, pool was warm and I was set to quit three minutes in because I felt so bad. Decided to stick it out even if I had to go slow. Not sure if it was a good idea or bad, but it was what it was.

Missed warm-ups because I was late and had a "shower gel explosion" in my gym bag to make me later; cool down was cut short by a fire alarm. (We got back inside in about four minutes, but that was plenty of "cool down" at 7 am).

For some reason, I went to the elliptical instead of the therapy pool - though I did visit the latter for five minutes before I left...

Drifter's Peak - Second at the Y, eighteen seconds ahead of 3rd, but 78 behind first.

Completed Thunderball, the last of the "Extreme" bike rides. For the first time, I saw other folks times coming up so apparently the Y got things hooked up. I would have been second at the Y (by 78 seconds) with my time. I guess now I have to get an account...

Cleaning up - mostly as an excuse to take a break from work.

With Payne's body, but not his ability.

15-0, 15-1, 11-0 and the first two weren't as close as you might think...

Thought the pool was warm, but obviously I was doing well by my standards! (Two seconds off my PR for that workout.)

I know the pool was warm because the watercize folks were saying that it was almost "too warm" for them...

Odd class, including calisthenic dodge ball - get hit and you have to do sets of various exercises.

Funky machine next to video bike while two girls (combined age, maybe 24) tried to work the bikes.

Gutbuster. Managed to beat the pacer by about 20 seconds. Was still feeling funny from all the travel, but eventually found my rhythm a bit.

Again in Denver...Mostly the same loop, but longer through the park.

Through downtown Denver...

Pool was warm and I was sluggish

Lost Valley. Actually got ahead of the pacer and stayed there for the first time with the "Extreme" rides.

Grape Stomper course.