Training Log Archive: JanetT

Bike ride on roads from home; same route Glen planned to take. Temp in mid 60s but partly cloudy with clouds increasing; south breeze. Dressed just right in a short sleeved shirt plus windbreaker whose sleeves I could pull up or push down as needed. Both feet got numb about 40 minutes into the ride. I walked the bike across northbound 309 near the end of the ride just to get some blood back in my legs.

South Mountain park from Alpine St parking area. I wanted an area protected from the NE winds, but didn't want to hike the rocky hills available here, so headed south on the Homestead Trail first. Stopped along the way to smoosh about a dozen or so slow pregnant lanternflies that hadn't yet deposited their eggs (and which I could reach) until I got grossed out by the yellow ooze. Ugh! Low 50s and breezy.

Possibly my final walk for October (due to rain), and I had a goal of a minimum of 52.4 mi to satisfy a challenge for the D&L Trail fundraiser. Last year I did twice this mileage on foot.

I wore an ankle brace on my left ankle because it's been bothering me the past few days.

Deanna's full moon class, on a rainy day

At West End Regional Park bike trails. This may (or may not) be our last good day for riding trails, but we wanted to get out on this nice day (70F, partly sunny) before heavy rains arrive tomorrow. I took a few wrong turns and had to walk the bike a bit in places, but mostly I was pleased with how much I was able to ride and not push.

Event: DVOA French Creek State Park Central
 

Brown course at French Creek (Central, starting from S of the big lake), 4.8 km, 75m climb nominal; designed by Vadim M. Temps were barely over 50 when we started and overcast for most of the time; sun peeked out a bit after we finished, and temp probably rose to near 60.

I'd say a full third of the controls (#3, 10, 11, 12) were white/yellow level...laziness by the designer?

That said, I didn't take the optimum routes to the first two controls and paid for it, getting caught in prickly vegetation. The veg on this map needs to be updated to reflect reality for summer/fall events. Many white woods areas are light green; light green is medium, and some a few med. green areas are actually white! I also had difficulty with a stone wall (#4) mapped in white woods at the edge of light green but actually in the midst of prickers and, from where I attacked, beyond a very large downed tree trunk. I lost several minutes in the *not* rough open north of the water treatment ponds, and several more in the "light green" vegetation between the trail and #2 (in retrospect, going all the way around to the dam would have been much faster). And a few more after not seeing the stone wall under the downed tree near #4 and going beyond the area before returning.

The series from 5-9 was much better, fun, and enough of a challenge on this map which is definitely showing its age (other parts of French Creek are being overrun with prickly vegetation, and the best area, North, is embargoed because of next spring's NRE). I hit the road high heading from 5-6 but wanted to attack from below so ran down the park road to the major trail, thinking I might see where people were crossing it to attack the following control.

Brown - Splits