Training Log Archive: Linear IceIn the 1 days ending Mar 6, 2010:
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Saturday Mar 6, 2010 #
Orienteer race (Middle - Green) 46:26 [3] 2.8 km (16:35 / km)
shoes: Inov8 Roclite 305
I was stunned, driving into the Hawn State Park, looking at the wide open woods and the great terrain. I had tried to study Hawn on previous years' maps, but the wide open woods were much better than anything I had imagined.
I was again one of the first to head out, but had enough time to warm up and check which way was North and try to see some of the bigger features. The only things I could check out in advance, and it gave me something to do while I warmed up. Still a few nerves getting started, but I was feeling pretty good. My one very important goal this year was to finish an A meet course, and this was my first opportunity. And, I wanted to stay on the map. Yes, I did it on the Sprint... but here? I was hopeful but maybe not quite confident.
First control, located about 15 meters from the start and on the trail.... was a great way to start. One down. Yay. And my map was oriented correctly, everything ready to go for the more difficult one..
Second control, okay here too. Third control... I felt like I was right on it on the re-entrant, but it wasn't there so I kept climbing... maybe behind all the deadfall?, and it wasn't a parallel error (I checked) and so I went back to the first re-entrant, decided maybe I was too high.... and yes, I was MUCH too high, since I then spotted Ian and the control about five contour lines down, and ran down to punch. And got control of myself again.... watching Ian sprint away... tempted to follow, somewhat.... but what fun would that be? Instead, I followed my plan, tried to pick a good route, tried to follow the good route I picked (my gps will show I didn't quite do that!) but after a little re-adjustment, found 4.
My only other really big miss was at 10, when I looked at most every cliff on the previous re-entrant, even several that weren't mapped, and finally just said the heck with it and ran along the entire lower part of the bluff until the next re-entrant, hauled myself up that, saw people streaming down... a good clue (since the map and all my plan had failed me) and then down down water water home.
Very fun, very exhilarating, and I was SOOO happy to find that I had not missed any controls and actually got a time. Not super fast.... hoping that will come later once I am more solid on the mapping skills.
It was also great between events to get to hang out with all the MNOCs, socialize with the CAOC crew, meet OK and SLOC people, and everyone else.... share experiences, joke around, take photos, soak up a little sun, eat the good SLOC food, watch the others come in and find out how they did. Perfect day.
I was again one of the first to head out, but had enough time to warm up and check which way was North and try to see some of the bigger features. The only things I could check out in advance, and it gave me something to do while I warmed up. Still a few nerves getting started, but I was feeling pretty good. My one very important goal this year was to finish an A meet course, and this was my first opportunity. And, I wanted to stay on the map. Yes, I did it on the Sprint... but here? I was hopeful but maybe not quite confident.
First control, located about 15 meters from the start and on the trail.... was a great way to start. One down. Yay. And my map was oriented correctly, everything ready to go for the more difficult one..
Second control, okay here too. Third control... I felt like I was right on it on the re-entrant, but it wasn't there so I kept climbing... maybe behind all the deadfall?, and it wasn't a parallel error (I checked) and so I went back to the first re-entrant, decided maybe I was too high.... and yes, I was MUCH too high, since I then spotted Ian and the control about five contour lines down, and ran down to punch. And got control of myself again.... watching Ian sprint away... tempted to follow, somewhat.... but what fun would that be? Instead, I followed my plan, tried to pick a good route, tried to follow the good route I picked (my gps will show I didn't quite do that!) but after a little re-adjustment, found 4.
My only other really big miss was at 10, when I looked at most every cliff on the previous re-entrant, even several that weren't mapped, and finally just said the heck with it and ran along the entire lower part of the bluff until the next re-entrant, hauled myself up that, saw people streaming down... a good clue (since the map and all my plan had failed me) and then down down water water home.
Very fun, very exhilarating, and I was SOOO happy to find that I had not missed any controls and actually got a time. Not super fast.... hoping that will come later once I am more solid on the mapping skills.
It was also great between events to get to hang out with all the MNOCs, socialize with the CAOC crew, meet OK and SLOC people, and everyone else.... share experiences, joke around, take photos, soak up a little sun, eat the good SLOC food, watch the others come in and find out how they did. Perfect day.
Orienteer race (Sprint) 20:13 [3] 2.2 km (9:11 / km)
shoes: Inov8 Roclite 305
Good sprint course, which was billed as being "all downhill" --wouldn't that have been perfect?
Yes, most of it was indeed downhill. And fast, which made it easy to overshoot control 3.
Most of the rest was okay, until 9, when I didn't understand from the clue sheet that the control was IN the building... eventually decided to take a peek because it was nowhere else! and then control 10. I ran up to Control 10 (within 10 feet), figured it was maybe control 11 - and without checking the number, ran off like an idiot to look for Control 10, upstream, before realizing i was an idiot. Lesson learned: If you are within 10 feet of a control, check the number on it!! ARGGHHH and the rest was easy and fun and fast feeling.
Yes, most of it was indeed downhill. And fast, which made it easy to overshoot control 3.
Most of the rest was okay, until 9, when I didn't understand from the clue sheet that the control was IN the building... eventually decided to take a peek because it was nowhere else! and then control 10. I ran up to Control 10 (within 10 feet), figured it was maybe control 11 - and without checking the number, ran off like an idiot to look for Control 10, upstream, before realizing i was an idiot. Lesson learned: If you are within 10 feet of a control, check the number on it!! ARGGHHH and the rest was easy and fun and fast feeling.