Training Log Archive: maprunner

Mike designed a change of direction course for me. We went to Riverfront, which has some pockets of nice woods (it also has tall grass and crappy undergrowth in other areas). The coolest thing is that it is really, really flat, with very few contours. Good training.

I also practiced stopping when things didn't make sense. I thought I would try taking a split, to remind myself to stop, breathe, take a drink of water and think before I wandered off. I sensed that had gone too far on 11, so I took a split, and did everything right. Then I moved along to 12. I always forget that this knoll is in a depression, and think it is up on a hill (it's hard to see the depression tag line here). So I took a split, and thought things through. When I got to the control location and wanted to take another split (to see how long I had wandered) I realized that I had stopped my watch instead. Duh! This plan may not work out so well....

After I finished, I had to run back pretty fast because I was going to be late to meet MIke. I foolishly tracked it on my watch, which is full from other trainings this week, and so my first track from 1-12 was overwritten in the memory. I hate when I do that!

So the map only has my track from 12 to finish.
http://sprintseries.org/doma/show_map.php?user=map...

C • nice workout course 1

I have been taking it pretty slow and easy in the woods this week, so it was time for a relatively fast run today. I asked Mike to drop me off on campus, and I ran on some old Tour de KU maps all the way home. The second map is totally changed; the whole center is now a construction zone. After I left 3, I tried to get around a new parking garage, but that didn't work. I couldn't get any where near 4, and had to hit 5 from the wrong side of the fence. I walked a lot in this area and getting up the hill, but I ran the rest of the time. I was surprisingly tired at the end; I haven't run much lately.

Parts 1, 2 and 3:
http://sprintseries.org/doma/show_map.php?user=map...
http://sprintseries.org/doma/show_map.php?user=map...
http://sprintseries.org/doma/show_map.php?user=map...

Mike and I went out to Rockhaven. He checked the map for his event, while I ran the course from last New Year's. My goal was to keep moving and never stop. I did stop about 3 times when something in the terrain surprised me, or once when I fell.

But looking at the quick route I see how much I slow down in the woods (duh, it's really thick and crappy) or going uphill. I swear I kept moving from 8 to 13, although it was hard!

http://sprintseries.org/doma/show_map.php?user=map...

Putting out mini-markers for a Thanksgiving do-your-own-course event. I seem to orienteer differently when I'm hanging tapes or markers. I go so much slower into the control location, I also walk around a lot more (when needed) to verify the spot. Sometimes this is justified and prudent. Other times, I wonder why I'm not just running into the spot? Still, this was good fine map reading practice today.

Contours training at Lexington Lake. This is a new area, and the map is a work in progress. It was fun to explore!

I picked contour features, and took it slow and careful. Did pretty good. Just didn't go high enough on 2. And 3 is just a generic "ruin" that hasn't been precisely field checked (in fact, there are 2 ruins in that area). 4 was hard, and I doubted myself many times along the way.

I was getting tired and thirsty, and my mind was wandering, so I cut the course short.

Woods are thick and thorny, no surprise there. I did scare up lots of deer. And I forgot that there are trails here (not on my map) so I was really startled to see a mountain biker !

http://sprintseries.org/doma/show_map.php?user=map...

I'm on vacation all week, so I hope to orienteer each day. But I want to do purposeful training, not just "go orienteering". Today's exercise was direction and distance on essentially a blank piece of paper. I laid the paper over a copy of the Overlook map, and picked some locations and drew a course. Then I went out with just the blank map, which was a mistake. First off, I forgot where the start was! And second, I thought I knew where the finish was, and used that "memory" to find the start. Third, there were no markers or tapes, so if I was wrong on one location, then I would start off the next leg from the wrong spot. I tried to remember some control locations, but I was usually wrong. Next time I will ask someone to hang markers for me.

Learned that I suck at distance estimation, but that I can occasionally follow my compass. Some weird routes are due to difficult vegetation. Totally wrong on 2-3-4-5, did OK on 6 and 7. I was totally messed up on 11. I was no longer getting anything useful out of this training, so I went to "17" instead and then the finish.

http://sprintseries.org/doma/show_map.php?user=map...

Fun day working at Possum Trot XVIII at Blue and Gray. A few glitches with results (folks forgetting to clear, punching the start even though it was a mass start, etc). But it wasn’t too cold, the race was exciting and most folks had a good time.