Training Log Archive: BigWillyStyleIn the 7 days ending Apr 30, 2017:
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Saturday Apr 29, 2017 #
11 AM
Orienteering race 43:29 [4] *** 5.3 km (8:12 / km) +260m 6:35 / km
20c
RG
TT Middle. Sadly I forgot to bring my watch charger so no GPS for the Middle or Long. This was a pretty decent race overall; I had surprisingly good speed (10/20 top-three splits) but definitely was error-prone at times which cost me a possible really good result.
S-1: Straight up the hill and through the thin saddle/chute between the open hilltops, down the other side of the hill and turn right into the reentrant. Nearly overran it.
1-2: Didn't drop far enough leaving 1 and was off to the right. Got a bit lucky as I spotted the box peeking over the top of a rock before seeing the flag. 20-30s lost.
2-3: No problems; came from just below and rode the correct line of cliffs into the control.
3-4: Plan was basically to keep going up till there was no more up - except that the flag was at the foot of the highest blob of cliffs. I managed to read the description ahead of time so didn't have any trouble.
4-5: Down the hillside, then I chose to avoid the marsh, instead cutting the corner to the trail and back down to the flag on the other side of the marsh. I made this decision based on the state of the warm-up area, where basically any marsh that was mapped was now a lake, and there were marshes all over the place that weren't mapped. Annoyingly, this one turned out not to be that bad; for example, Morten went straight and took over a minute from me (though I also hesitated in the circle, as the yellow open areas weren't very apparent).
5-6: Straightforward leg; I could see the flag from a distance.
6-7: Took the low route across and up the hill, eventually attacking from a bend in the big trail. Did a little extraneous climbing out of 6 because of the steep reentrant in the way.
7-8: About halfway to 8 I noticed the cluster of boulders/knolls near on my left and could see I was a bit left of the line, but easily corrected.
8-9: Rode along the bottom of the rocky slope right into the flag, which was visible from a decent distance.
9-10: Traversing across the flat areas I tried to stay high to avoid the mud, but mostly failed. Not a lot of features in the area, but I was able to use the large reentrant in the steep hillside off to the left to locate myself. Then I hit what seemed like the darker green patch leading right into 10 and took that to the stream bend - only it turned out I was one bend to the right. Probably about a minute lost between the error and the muck.
10-11: Got a bit confused on this one as there seemed to be a lot more rock in the circle than was mapped, so I hesitated before attacking off the trail, which carried me too far down the spur and I had to double back. ~30s lost.
11-12: I started in the right direction but got pushed right and had to hook back into the depression from the west. ~25s lost.
12-13: Last of four bad legs in a row, though this one was route choice. Went straight through the green to the trail, should've gone around. Dropping into 13 I saw the Bonesaw climbing out on the way to 14, so I knew he had caught up two minutes and passed me during my shenanigans between 10 and 13.
13-14: Easy leg across flat forest; the marsh was quite visible.
14-15: Got a bit lucky on this one, as I basically headed for 15 on a bearing and wasn't really sure where I was until I hit the small open depression just before the control (which was filled with water). At 15 I acquired a speedy friend who was with me most of the rest of the course; I later learned that he is a junior named David Runde, who appears to be one of Erin's Eurochildren. They will put the rest of us to shame soon.
15-16: Another compass leg. I could see the line of rocks just below me to the left so used that to guide myself into the control.
16-17: Straight down to the ride, around the left of the small marsh across the trail, down the gully and up the other side, then rough compass. The large rocky area was visible from a distance. It might have been better to take a route farther right and thus avoid the down/up crossing the reentrant. Caught a couple glimpses of the Bonesaw maybe 30s ahead.
17-18: Basically straight, over the first hill and the second, into the saddle.
18-19: Feel like this was maybe my best leg. Rough bearing across the hillside, noted the reentrant, the trail, the rocky hilltop to the left, and the rocky area to the right, then spiked it. Also caught up to Bonesaw - he was searching among the rocks too high on the hillside before dropping into the control a second ahead of me.
19-20-F: Cream filling in an Eric/David Oreo.
TT Middle. Sadly I forgot to bring my watch charger so no GPS for the Middle or Long. This was a pretty decent race overall; I had surprisingly good speed (10/20 top-three splits) but definitely was error-prone at times which cost me a possible really good result.
S-1: Straight up the hill and through the thin saddle/chute between the open hilltops, down the other side of the hill and turn right into the reentrant. Nearly overran it.
1-2: Didn't drop far enough leaving 1 and was off to the right. Got a bit lucky as I spotted the box peeking over the top of a rock before seeing the flag. 20-30s lost.
2-3: No problems; came from just below and rode the correct line of cliffs into the control.
3-4: Plan was basically to keep going up till there was no more up - except that the flag was at the foot of the highest blob of cliffs. I managed to read the description ahead of time so didn't have any trouble.
4-5: Down the hillside, then I chose to avoid the marsh, instead cutting the corner to the trail and back down to the flag on the other side of the marsh. I made this decision based on the state of the warm-up area, where basically any marsh that was mapped was now a lake, and there were marshes all over the place that weren't mapped. Annoyingly, this one turned out not to be that bad; for example, Morten went straight and took over a minute from me (though I also hesitated in the circle, as the yellow open areas weren't very apparent).
5-6: Straightforward leg; I could see the flag from a distance.
6-7: Took the low route across and up the hill, eventually attacking from a bend in the big trail. Did a little extraneous climbing out of 6 because of the steep reentrant in the way.
7-8: About halfway to 8 I noticed the cluster of boulders/knolls near on my left and could see I was a bit left of the line, but easily corrected.
8-9: Rode along the bottom of the rocky slope right into the flag, which was visible from a decent distance.
9-10: Traversing across the flat areas I tried to stay high to avoid the mud, but mostly failed. Not a lot of features in the area, but I was able to use the large reentrant in the steep hillside off to the left to locate myself. Then I hit what seemed like the darker green patch leading right into 10 and took that to the stream bend - only it turned out I was one bend to the right. Probably about a minute lost between the error and the muck.
10-11: Got a bit confused on this one as there seemed to be a lot more rock in the circle than was mapped, so I hesitated before attacking off the trail, which carried me too far down the spur and I had to double back. ~30s lost.
11-12: I started in the right direction but got pushed right and had to hook back into the depression from the west. ~25s lost.
12-13: Last of four bad legs in a row, though this one was route choice. Went straight through the green to the trail, should've gone around. Dropping into 13 I saw the Bonesaw climbing out on the way to 14, so I knew he had caught up two minutes and passed me during my shenanigans between 10 and 13.
13-14: Easy leg across flat forest; the marsh was quite visible.
14-15: Got a bit lucky on this one, as I basically headed for 15 on a bearing and wasn't really sure where I was until I hit the small open depression just before the control (which was filled with water). At 15 I acquired a speedy friend who was with me most of the rest of the course; I later learned that he is a junior named David Runde, who appears to be one of Erin's Eurochildren. They will put the rest of us to shame soon.
15-16: Another compass leg. I could see the line of rocks just below me to the left so used that to guide myself into the control.
16-17: Straight down to the ride, around the left of the small marsh across the trail, down the gully and up the other side, then rough compass. The large rocky area was visible from a distance. It might have been better to take a route farther right and thus avoid the down/up crossing the reentrant. Caught a couple glimpses of the Bonesaw maybe 30s ahead.
17-18: Basically straight, over the first hill and the second, into the saddle.
18-19: Feel like this was maybe my best leg. Rough bearing across the hillside, noted the reentrant, the trail, the rocky hilltop to the left, and the rocky area to the right, then spiked it. Also caught up to Bonesaw - he was searching among the rocks too high on the hillside before dropping into the control a second ahead of me.
19-20-F: Cream filling in an Eric/David Oreo.
Friday Apr 28, 2017 #
2 PM
Orienteering race 18:29 [4] ** 4.34 km (4:16 / km)
27c
RG
TT Sprint. I made a silly 12-15s mistake on the first control, thinking that the depression was actually a hilltop. Also lost a handful of seconds here and there on route choice, particularly 8, 12, and 16. The venue wasn't awesome; not much technical nav and a lot of open field running. Definitely a runner's course, which at present I don't have the fitness to perform particularly well on. I was hurting the last third of the course and couldn't run away from Wyatt, who had started a minute ahead of me.
TT Sprint. I made a silly 12-15s mistake on the first control, thinking that the depression was actually a hilltop. Also lost a handful of seconds here and there on route choice, particularly 8, 12, and 16. The venue wasn't awesome; not much technical nav and a lot of open field running. Definitely a runner's course, which at present I don't have the fitness to perform particularly well on. I was hurting the last third of the course and couldn't run away from Wyatt, who had started a minute ahead of me.
Thursday Apr 27, 2017 #
11 AM
Orienteering 45:01 [3] *** 6.26 km (7:11 / km)
Morningtime training with my associate Big W at a place called Straight Lake. The woods are quite nice, though fairly wet. Lots of lumpiness and subtle contours, lots of rock in some areas. The marshes are quite apparent and navigationally useful. Quite cold with a dusting of snow on the ground.
In other news re: Team Trials, I don't consider myself to be in very good shape at the moment, so I don't expect to do particularly well - and in any case I'm ambivalent about going to WOC even if I did make the team. Last year I was fit, focused, and motivated - not so much this time around.
In other news re: Team Trials, I don't consider myself to be in very good shape at the moment, so I don't expect to do particularly well - and in any case I'm ambivalent about going to WOC even if I did make the team. Last year I was fit, focused, and motivated - not so much this time around.
3 PM
Orienteering 51:07 [2] *** 6.04 km (8:28 / km)
Afternoontime training. This time we also met up with Young Giac and Morten of Norway. Is it smart to do two trainings the day before Team Trials? Probably not, but we kept it relaxed.