Training Log Archive: AliC

Event: SMOC - 2013 Spring Yankee Springs
 

Setting out my 5 o-terval streamers! Whoa there, Lynn woods + its map are pretty awesome, major wake-up call!

Corridor training by Brendan. Good stuff, I was using features + compass and stayed pretty much within corridor, although I was not going quickly... well, a bit quicker at beginning where it was opener, but through the thicker zones, hard to stay in full contact and move. I think it'd be great training to do more of these, but also think more about trying to push the pace, not just being lazy and happy I'm in contact!

First o-terval. So, well, the o-tervals kinda ate me alive today and I didn't cope that well with that. Thinking about it afterwards, part was orienteering difficulty - it is just hard terrain and I could use much more practice on stuff like this - but a bunch of it was just really physical running that I didn't seem to do all that well with. And once I was upset about how I was doing, it was really hard to push that emotion away. Thanks to Ian, Brendan and Alex for putting up with upset-Ali.

1 - Looked like I could just fly away, keeping marsh on my left, swinging around until whatever the two big black linear blobs turned out to be and go between them. After crossing the trail, came quickly to a rocky little thing, for a sec, thought it might be yellow hilltop, but realized it was too close to trail, so had to be light-grey nose. So hopped from there to yellow hill to boulder.
2 - Ian and Brendan were taking away going the right direction to the next control (yeah, both had caught me by 30s and 60s, respectively, to 1), so tried to keep up with them for a bit. But I wasn't following the map well, didn't have a plan, so dropped off so I could navigate. Couldn't make awesome sense out of anything, so stayed on my bearing. Came out to the trail, realized I was about where I wanted to be, so headed in using the greys.
3 - I didn't see the route to the right on the big trail, I guess that was a good one. I used the little trail on the left, doing the same thing I had putting out the flag. Maybe could have strung together the cleared areas better at the end.

Second o-terval.

4 - Well, had also done this setting, I guess I left 3 going south for unknown reasons, but ended up just where I wanted in the reentrant, anyways, coming out insight of the low cliff to lead me in.
5 - In setting I'd gone pretty straight, which actually worked well, but I thought I'd try to the left this time. Mostly worked, until the end, when I don't remember exactly what happened now, but a marsh was where I didn't expect it, so had to readjust.
6 - Was mostly trying to go on a bearing after skirting the first marsh/green, but ended up much more right of the line (other marsh) and then still being right of the line (cliffs) after trying to readjust. Just very pushed by the thick off compass?
7 - Used the little trail to take me close, then used openings and headed to the grey nose to look below it for the boulder.

Scamper across the green marsh with the crew.

Third o-terval.

9 - Trail beginning, then cut by the smile cliff to next trail and headed in. Following the lots of rocks and a bearing and was just getting anxious about seeing my cliff, when a streamer popped out. Not necessarily confident.
10 - On a bearing across 3 trails, came out exactly where I wanted confronted with cliffs on the last one. Followed the opening around, just missed streamer by a bit and almost ended back out on trail.
11 - Pretty straight did it, although I was scared I didn't have the right big boulder on the way in.
12 - On a bearing again, which checked out straight-on by boulder sight at the first trail. Then let the reentrant shape after the second trail crossing guide me in.

Fourth o-terval.

13 - Bearing, noticing features at trail crossings, then aiming to see hill admist the green on my right, worked.
14 - Bailed to the farther trail and back up. Probably not the fastest option for most, but I wasn't running well through the woods today.
15 - Up over hill shoulder, then on right side of reentrant.
16 - Used trail at the beginning then in and along rocky edge, popping above it at some point.

Whoops, waited by my lonesome in the wrong place for the others for awhile...

Fifth o-terval.

18 - The guys said this was a delightful leg, so I was going on line through green, but then saw the trail route to the left. Eh, going for it. Think it was faster, for me, today, even if I missed out on the awesomeness of rocky-land. (That probs would have been better training though...)
19 - Up up up, saw some of Alex, nosey clearing made itself pretty clear as we slogged up.
20 - Ok, race down. R side of cliff, tople to trail, over rocky hill top, then slower, rocks, rocks everywhere, after a bit of hesitation, kept heading W to marsh edge right to the right boulder. Could have used more to guide me in perfectly, a bit lucky.
21 - N through some thick, to the trail, descending, pass one giant boulder then see one kinda on it's own, the right one. And that's that!

Guess I'm happy I at least kept myself together enough to do all of the o-tervals. They were certainly great training!

Quick stop up the firetower to see the view, then over to finish the line-o.

Line-o - I think I messed up a bit at the beginning of this, but was kind of where I expected when I relocated, so not totally sure. Maybe I did some contour-reversing instead? Then the end was fun, just sailling, contouring across and open slope. Weee! Also helped that it had turned into a nice day by then =)

Joggeroo to fetch a streamer and my hat.

Event: NEOC: Nobscot
 

Putting out controls at Nobscot. We were clever and snuck into the water control from the North, woo! And then I did the Northern set leaving from there, returned to home base and went out to do the closer Northeastern set.

Upon return, got half changed, but then a troop of boyscouts needed some lessons, so did that. I should maybe observe someone who is actually good at teaching 12 year-olds orienteering. They were going out on a white course, so normally I'd skip the whole trying to do anything with a compass part, but the scout leader seemed keen in particular that they learn that, so attempted. One kid didn't get it at all though, got frustrated and started crying, so I guess I didn't do that well... Was slightly a frozen popsicle after that bit of standing around, so had some in-the-car time after!

The great Brown-course sprint-off. =) Ian got me though, I really missed a control because I saw the path route, but when I didn't get to it quickly, skipped that plan and just meanered, ran into a trail, thought 'finally' and booked it for a bit, but then I checked my compass- wrong trail. Not good! The correlation between which splits each of Ian and I won and which controls we vetted + set seems to be significant =)

Just wanted to say, it was great to see everyone at the meet and catch up in little bits and pieces!

This was control pickup, end of a longish day, but I did it without a compass to make it more interesting, which it kind of did. Messed up once fairly badly, but then again, that's in the section of map I'm not thrilled with. Hot cocoa from DD afterwards was pretty amazing. =)

Brown - Splits

Finally made it to Boston last night, delay, delay, delay... Then up early this morning and out to vet some controls at Nobscot for tomorrow's meet with Ian. Wet woods, but almost all of the control sites were ok, so no huge course changes required, I don't think. For folks in the Boston area, hopefully see you there tomorrow!

Tufts Uni, Brendan's CSU training from the winter. Great to get to do, but jeez was that a rainstorm! I should have cut out the control descriptions, a few times I faltered trying to read them from the map, but we'll call that relay practice. A bit hard to bring the fiesty I know I need for a sprint, but at least sort of was for the first 2/3s The end I just kinda fell apart, I wasn't reading ahead well and I wiped out because I wasn't using o-shoes...

TED talks on 1) learning some Chinese characters, which really would have benefited from actually seeing and 2) marketing in the modern age, not the biggest hit...

C • TED Talks 11

Normal running drills

Morning tempo in Wildwood, alternated sets of 3 minutes plain, 3 minutes looking at the course I planned on the Vuokatinvaara map. I wonder how distinct the distinct veg boundaries are - they might be helpful if they actually are...

Have train tickets to Jun 15-16 Training Camp at Moreau! Hope I can get some good zzzs on the train, pickup in Toledo is 3am...

Also, the Athlete's Commission for foot-o has been restablished (I didn't know it ever ceased to exist). Probably a good thing, because it seems like there has been a lot of the IOF pushing things that athletes aren't necessarily super-happy with recently. So maybe earlier communication between that group and rest of IOF will help. Maybe?

C • Athlete's Commission 2

Rollerskiing?

Yup. I woke up with some soreness on the inside of my right knee and running didn't feel great when I tried. So a day off from that. Switched footware and headed out. But then I was bored, so swung back home, dug my mapholder out of the closet and stuck in the old map of middle/relay terrain for WOC, good to start having a look at + planning routes for!

Core: 10 min abs + 2 min back

Poor neglected hammies! - did 3 x 10s

Track workout with a buddy! And it was only 75 instead of 90 and they even turned the sprinklers on at the track that sprayed us once a lap, perfect!

So Kevin and I did 12 x 400 with 200 roll-on. Kept switching the lead. Times:
82, 83, 82, 82, 79, 82, 82, 80, 81, 82, 79, 76

Running to and fro.

Late Zumba! Supposed to be Maria's class, but she's on vacation, so Johanna instead. A few new ones today, one was quite hard and I don't think any of the five of us got it at all. I liked the Mambo #5 number, and also the last chacha. Chacha is great, sort of slinky-sassy. You can do a lot pretty easily with it once you get the basic down...

Chatted with the guy who never goes the right way at the right time, he's a business PhD student. Recently passed his qual and is prepping to defend his thesis topic over the summer... didn't quite get to what that was, not many breaks!

Laaazy day. Legs are toast + it's hot out! (Hit 90.) Missing my Amherst basement already... =)

C • You mean this place? :-) 7