Training Log Archive: BillD

Event: NEOC: Earl's Trails
 

Up to Earl's Trails with son David. We did the Brown Course separately, my giving him a two or three minute head start figuring I would never catch up to that former Army orientation trainer who is in good shape. Well, he's out of practice and I forgot to give him my O symbol sheet to refresh his recollection. Gave him my Garmin watch, but, not unlike me, he forgot to start it. For the first 6 of 8 controls I kept catching up to him as he hunted around the red circles.

I started off pretty well and efficiently found the first 6 controls.

I really blew it on #7 at the southern, bitter end of a rivulet. I passed "it" (more on that later) as I realized I was too close to the road and the noisy traffic. I turned around and there it was 20 meters away, right at the very end of "the" rivulet.

On to #8 not far away. Topography sort of fit the map, and I found a control on top of a beautiful, open spur. But it was #116, not #118 listed on the clue sheet. I wandered around an area that seemed to have more spurs than Manhattan has potholes. I finally decided to relocate to the west, find the n-s trail and reattack. Seemed forever before I climbed up to that trail. Well, turns out it was forever. Reattacked from the pool around which the trail skirts, shouldn't be hard or far. Well, another area of plentiful spurs. Finally stumbled upon #8, headed back to the trail and south to the finish.

Upon downloading I was told I was DNF. "Really? I know I was there - at the very tip of the rivulet!". The most accommodating official said he'd make the DNF disappear but we wouldn't know the time I was at #7.

So I get home, enter my GPX file into QR, and discover that indeed I never did find #7! I found another control (must be the only time on the course I failed to check the number) - one at the southern, bitter end of a rivulet. But about 180 meters n.n.e. of the real #7. Yikes! No wonder I floundered looking for #8.

So give me the DNF. And I apologize to that accommodating official: I was mistaken.

On my way from what I mistakenly thought was #7, I found Dave wandering around looking for #7. I told him go east about 70m. He says he finally found it but could not find #8 and bailed out to the Finish. Since he did not start the Garmin, we don't know if he found the real #7 or not.

My route.

Brown - Splits

Event: WCOC Simsbury Town Forest
 

Did the Brown at Town Forest in Simsbury.

The Good: jogged a good portion of the trail segments and did not experience the dreadful hip muscle pains plaguing me for the last couple of days. Great weather. Nice course set by G & L, controls well placed, teed up some interesting route choices, pulled me into an area I had never been in before. Gave the New Balance shoes another try, lacing them up much tighter -- worked out OK but I'm likely to choose them again only when I anticipate slogging through muck, swamps and streams and not when I anticipate traversing rocky slopes or scree.

The Bad: forgot to start my watch until #2 so didn't bother marking the laps (which I often forget to do anyway). Completely befuddled between #5 and #6 as I failed to identify which bay of the swamp I was skirting around and which trail I was crossing first. I was much further south than I thought, so relocating by heading east was unfortunate. Trouble reading the mapped veg around #7.

My route (starting from Control #2).

Brown - Splits

Event: Raid the Sanctuary
 

At Westmoreland Sanctuary for the Brown course (3.1km). Arrived, thankfully, after the mass starts for the Vikings and Visigoths long races. Superb weather. Nice venue.

I've lost my split sheet and HVO hasn't posted results yet on AP, so I am posting my Apple Watch splits on my website along with my route.

I forgot to push my watch button at #2 and #7 so I have edited in those waypoints using data from QuickRoute.

Tough course. The close-in features on the first leg were disconcerting, had to take it real slow. By the time I got to #2 I vowed never again to use the new New Balance Hierro trail shoes I just bought (thankfully getting a deep discount for the unfavored color). The "average" width was way too wide for my foot, which was twisting inside the shoe when traversing slopes. That slowed me down but fortunately no bad ankle twists.

Lots of up for such a short course, and I wasn't in shape for it. Nicely placed controls, took close attention to reading inside the circles. Going for #10, had rare experience of open woods but with big boulder to right that drew me (and then two others) off to the right. Brutal climb up to the Finish.

Crossed paths with JJ and Nancy on my way to #2. On way to #9 in dense area under cliff, came upon a young Finnish (as I learned chatting her up at the Finish [no pun intended]) mother carrying a 2?-year-old and herding a 4?-year-old. Says she first carried her eldest out on a course when he was merely 5 months old. Serious orienteer!

No particular pain out on the course, but hips and legs tightened up soon after the Finish.

Event: WCOC Huntington Meet
 

Drove up to Northampton accompanied by Charlie to run a nice practice course set by Phil at Cemetery Hill. Went through heavy rain in Springfield but roads in Northampton were dry. Fields in the venue were wet and muddy and shoes sank into muck early on. Controls were set at a nice variety of features, some flags low and hidden (literally stood on top of #7 until consulting the clue sheet made me lean over the cliff and look down -- nice), others higher and visible from perhaps 30m away. Thick veg with thorns made for some interesting route choices (hindsight shows me several of mine were not good). A very nice training exercise -- well done, Phil.

After a tough workout in the morning with my physical therapist, I was wondering whether my right hip/leg would be screaming at me out on the course. Not at all! And I even tried jogging every now and then. Very encouraging.

My route.

Leaving #3 I went first to the open field but saw nothing but heavy, thorned veg at the north end of it. Had I studied the map I would have seen that the shortest ordeal lay to the n.e. toward the lake. On #8 I was enticed leftward by bolders on the slope shy of the control, and I failed to notice on the map that the correct bolder lay at the end of the rivulet. Got really confused half way to #12 and relocated due west to sight the field. Otherwise things went pretty well.

Soaked to the skin upon finishing and now I fret whether the shoes will dry in time for Sunday's event. But great fun and well worth the trip.