Training Log Archive: dlevine

Very painful and the walk afterwards was slow. Still not recovered from Sunday.

On campus, enjoying the day, but mostly trying to move the legs...

Event: Hudson Highlander XVIII
 

Hudson Highlander

Started out chasing the pack up the hill; felt like I did okay and there was a long line leaving #1. Got dropped like last week's fish heading to #2 and was completely alone when I turned off the marked trail above it and went in.

#3/#4 Solo, though I saw some folks near - none of them helped me in any way, though. They all seemed to be on parallel but different courses.

#5 Up the hill, past #2 and in. Got confused on the open hill top N of the control, but headed right to it, missed it by a bit (must have even been in sight, but looking wrong). Found facing cliffs NW of control and made a parallel error and headed back to top of hill. Now completely lost, I wandered and found the cliffs again, but relocated properly this time. As I approach, Sharon Crawford came in from the S. I thought it was a fifteen minute error, but WinSplits says 13.

#6/#7/#8/#9 Headed out with Sharon towards marked trail, turning in for six and then back for seven. Saw Peggy D., Nadim A., Sam L., Phil B, Charlie D, Bernie B. and another one or two on the trail run as we headed in to seven. Eight and nine were straightforward.

#10 Long, but somewhere along the trail run, it became clear that Sharon and I were together for the duration.

#11/#12 I read the map backwards and started down the road to #19, but got corrected; Sharon spotted the control from a distance. I returned the favor at twelve.

#13 We went straight to the rocky reentrant and then decided to attack the green to get to the top of the hill. That was gorgeous and we eventually spiked the control with me using the cliffs and marsh to the E as a "handrail from a distance".

#14 I fell behind on the way to #14 when my Camelback's bite valve popped off in some laurel and was unretrievable. After draining the Camelback - by a combination of drinking and spilling - I caught up with Sharon and we made parallel attacks with her spiking it.

#15 A less than optimal attack got us confused, but eventually Sharon found it.

#16 Long trail attack and then past #12 and in. The control was visible from quite a distance.

#17/#18 Slow attacks and I was able to return the favor to Sharon as I spiked each of them.

#19 I fell behind again at the map exchange as I shed the Camelback, but kept some of the food and the whistle.

#20-#24 Not much to say. I caught up with Sharon and we pushed through these easy ones.

#25 Passed Phil B. in the open field and then Peggy/Bernie/Nadim a few minutes later. Not sure where Charlie and Sam were. Took the trail to the far power lines and then went up the spur towards the control, "collecting" Sam as we (and he) approached it.

#26-#30 The three of us marched (not ran) with a small degree of urgency as we navigated Spook Swamp competently, but not speedily.

#31 Convinced Sharon to take the trail the whole way and really did not regret it when looking at the hillside (covered with deadfall) after spotting the control from the trail.

#32 Meant to take the trail from the power line junction, but missed it and went down to the road; took the road to the reentrant and then in. Control was a bit tricky as it was not only hidden by a tree, but also on the ground as the stick holding it up had broken.

Finish: Sam "retired" to allow us to run in, but we still blew the timing at the finish and Sharon "beat me" by one second.

Just happy to have finished; it was a good course and a good experience and I'll keep my bib number low for next year!

Hiking in Watkins Glen State Park

O in the Pines - Long event

1. Trail to it.
2. Trail to just before the stream and in.
3. Tried to go straight, but veered off left, eventually went south on trail to junction SW of control where I saw Peter Goodwin coming right at me as I hit the junction. Not bad from there, but...
4. More or less straight, but taking advantage of the trails when I could.
5. Drifted right and hit the trail on top of the spur; took the spur down to the control.
6. More or less straight - punched with Peter and Tom Strat
7. Took the trail past #4 and ultimately hit the major trail that runs N of #2. Took a while to relocate on that trail. Watched Phil Bricker take a very long relocate (down to #1) as I took the small trail to the top of the hill and then down to the stream and up to the crest just S of the control.
8. Took trail S (past #1) and then E and attacked from the SE.
9. Doubled back and then took trail N; as I looked to turn in, there was a crowd entering and exiting the control, so...
10. Back to trail and S to near the control. Caught Sharon C. at the control.
11. Trail to bend and in.
12. Meant to bail to road immediately, but got pulled down nice trail to a mess of barbed wire near the enclosed tree plantation. Phil had caught me again and we both bailed to the road; he went north of the pond, but I took the driveway in and spiked it.
13. Barbed wire handrail right to control; Phil caught me again.
14. Bail to road and in to control behind Phil.
15.
16. Quick water stop "off the clock".
17. Chased Phil up hill and into control.
18. Contoured around and nearly caught Phil when he almost overshot the control.
19. Crash down hill and head in...

Sunday - Long Green - Splits

Event: "O" in the Pines A meet
 

O in the Pines Middle event

1. Down the trail to it; lost time readjusting in middle of leg as I had stupidly thought we were on a 1:10000.
2. Up to it, using trail and three rootstocks.
3. Trail to above it and then in.
4. Straight at it - a true spike
5. More or less straight.
6. GAK! Turned in too soon and wandered futilely for a while before relocating.
7. Straight to the hill then, contour around and bounce off cliffs above.
8. Down hill any way it worked and then onto spur, but I was way high (SSW)
9. More or less straight, but when I got to the spur, I got suckered uphill 50m instead of down. Saw my first person (David Yee) as i was leaving #9
10. Major screwup - got into the rocks way too soon (too far S)
11. Thought about contouring but went straight and could see it from the trail.
12. Crashed downhill and overshot by 15 m left and 15 m long before turning around.
13. Trail to it.
14. Took the right fork; interesting route choice there - only mistake is to take time to choose!
->In. Cracked a board on the bridge and nearly tripped.

Brush-whacking and -hauling and ditch-digging at my mom's. Yup, this was tougher than the O course and took a lot more out of me. (But I never lost map contact!)

Saturday - Middle Green - Splits

New Zealand course on the screen - nice.

Quick trip through body weight circuit