Training Log Archive: evancuster

Tamarancho. Disastrous day. Was stumbling around, and finally getting on track. Did 9 controls (out of 13) in45 minutes, not too bad, but not very good. Was in 8th place at the time. Then did a 180 and climbed up this horrendous hillside. Got to a trail, which I mistook for a road past the control I was looking for. Ran up and down the road trying to orient myself, and finally mangaed to force the map to the terrain and started down the steep sput, expecting to find the control in about 75 meters. Kept going. Finally saw the huge cliff which was the control I left from. Still did not realize that I should have left going downhill instead of uphill (I was cursing the course setter for this impossible course), so went back up to the trail and started running down it. Finally realized where I was before 2 hairpin switchbacks. Started down the steep hillside, sliping and sliding. Was almost at the bottom of the hill at about the level of where the control was supposed to be when suddenly I feel these stings all over my body. It took me a few seconds to realize I had stepped on a ground wasps nest, and they were attacking me. I ran down the steep hillside, tripped, and decided to do several body rolls like you are supposed to do if your clothes are on fire. It was very easy to do since the hillside was so steep. It seemed like I had escaped the wasps, and was stung about 5 or 6 times, the worst on the right wrist. (It is very swollen today.) Decided to call it quits, particularly since it was now about 11:30, and I had a dance workshop in Danville at 2:00 and it would take an hour to drive home, and another half hour to get to Danville, plus getting back to the car and a shower. I was near the bottom of a huge low spot on the map, and the car was up on top, plus the parking lot was about 1 km from the start/finish. Decided I could get there faster if I went directly to the car. The only problem was that the way I was planning on going was off the map, but I figured the trails should connect on the ridge. Chugged up the steep hill, got on the ridge and started running along it, but nothing that looked like the camp. Found a couple of geocachers, who said I was abotu 2 or 3 miles away from the camp, going in the wrong direction. AAARGH!..I headed back from where I had come, met a couple of mountain bikers, who also said the same thing. So decided just to retrace my steps, and do what I should have done in the first place was to go to the finish on the map. Finally made it back on the map, but not exactly sure where I was. Asked another orienteer to show me, telling him that I had abandoned my course and just wanted to get back to the finish. He showed me where I was, a little farther than from where I had started. Slowly went up the hillside via a small trail I hadn't seen before. Got to the parking lot about 12:30, spending almost an hour since I had abandoned the course. Drove to the finish, punched in, and left.

I have never liked Tamarancho. First of all, you have to drive about 2 miles on this horrible pot-holed, partially paved, mainly dirt eroded rocky road to get there. Then the terrain is so steep, and not particularly pleasant, that it is almost impossible to set a decent course there. I don't think I will ever go back to that venue again.

SMAK workshops

SMAK workshops.

Antioch street and paved trail run. New route south and east on canal trail and then trail to park opposite Deer Valley HS, and back up Deer Valley Rd.

50 pushups--a record.
5.5 chinups.
Waist 31.75

Was going to do a run, but work went later than expected, and my daughter and granddaughter were coming to visit so decided to scratch the run and go home, particularly since I hadn't slept well the previous night. However, just as I got home, they were heading out to a movie I had already seen. Then I got involved in computer stuff, and the afternoon just disappeared.

43 pushups
5 chinups

Pleasanton hill run. 539 calories. Took it fairly easily.