Training Log Archive: DarthBalter

with map around assembly and finish; legs are light, despite yesterdays race effort.

Still struggling to read this map printing on high speed. It is a shame, this terrain allows and demands top running speed, and reading the map on a run, but it was not possible with this particular print and my fading eyesight. Younger age is an unfair advantage :).
Had a good plan on 2, but missed low, need to be more careful navigating down hill, did not see great trail route on right (bad printing, symbols are too small and thin). 3-4-5-6-7-8 clean, 9 when I was on top, I saw a hill, - contour line was under trail (bad drafting), could not see hill on a map - result - hesitation and 30 sec lost. 10- just fine, good speed, 11 same as 2 - not looking at my compass running down hill - 30-40 sec lost, 12 - 1 min in a circle, control was to the left and higher than expected from the map, just did not look that way :(, 13 - I was just a little low, too lazy to climb -15 sec, 14 - easy, just fine, and ... I was thinking of taking low, road route, but decided to go straight, confident in my skills, just as I was passing next to 12 a crazy 5-6 year old in the middle of the woods, off trail, starts running behind me, screaming "Challenge, challenge". I turn around and told him to stop and go back (just like to a dog:), With no parent in sight, who knows ..., he kept running and yelling, slowly falling behind,and I kept looking back time to time, instead of paying attention to the map. Result - I was higher then expected, missed and ended up next to a boulder field on a map, but in reality it was poorly drafted and printed set of cabins in the woods, Now I am totally confused, with nothing like this on my map, I guessed right, i was higher, and just went down the slope, relocated at unique long reentrant and got the control. Total 4 min or so, and now I am really pissed off. Good effort to 16, past parking lot, still pissed off, went straight to 17, it look like going around by the dam was 20 sec faster; exited from control a little to the left, another 20 sec in the circle, stone wall symbol is too thin on this print, to comprehend at full effort. And still pissed off, when finished. It was good that Bob Burg was not around, when I finished, he would have an ear full from me. I am fine now though. Let him live till next time.
Back at work we had a customer who ate bad prints, to demonstrate how frustrated he was with our quality. Shell I eat my map at the finish or just start throwing my compass at Bob Burg?

C • Why can't he just draw to standards? 4

Red Day 2 - Splits

Event: HVO/WCOC A-event "Love The Lakes"
 

nice and sunny

Great place too race, nice course, poor map printing, some areas are not readable at top speed. Pushed pace to max, paid with 2 sizable misses on 6 and 9 (total 4 min), plus 2 route choices - sub optimal (to 4 and 13 ) - another 1.5 min. Saw Niels in action for last 1.5 km - he was moving well and clean, I need motivation to run like him :)

Red Day 1 - Splits

2 easy long horse loops in Forest Park. Checking new Garmin 310XT for AlexA. My Polar is closer to being right :), sensor on a shoulder not wrist, I guess. Finally a chance for a run after 2 days on nasty Nor-Easter.