Training Log Archive: dlevine

NAOC Sprint (Course 3)

Tried to run hard and mostly succeeded. Left to #1, left to #2, left to #3, and right to #4. Small error on #5 by not going straight at the first intersection - got to climb and descend a small hill. Doubled back out of #5 and spiked #6 and #7. Bobbled #8 a bit and ended up at the trail junction just south of it, but recovered quickly. Spiked #9 and then had my one goof (65 seconds) when I veered left going for #10 and was lost for too long on the trail. Spiked 11-16. Almost blew #17 as I came in between two thickets, but as I didn't see the flag where I expected on the left, I looked right and recovered a lot faster than most other folks.

Ran just under 8 min/km which is fast for me even for a sprint. 34th out of 107 on the course. Only downer is that it isn't earning me the AttackPoint score that I thought I deserved - particularly by comparison to my other races.

NAOC People's Cup Finale

Legs were dead and I was beaten badly to #1. Did 2-5 cleanly before bobbling #6 and hitting the trail at the downed logs. Took the field from 7 to 8 instead of the trail around (ouch!). Lost time at #10 as the runner in front of me got tangled in the stand and carried it 5-10 meters with him, bending it all out of shape. I took it back to its original location and spent time replacing it before slogging the rest of the course.

Sprint - Course 3 - Splits

NAOC Long Course (Course 7b)

Not a good race. Bobbled first two a bit, but recovered. Decided to go the long way around to #3 (east of the big swamp on the trail), but rolled an ankle on the trail minimizing the gain; then totally punted any gain away by getting lost in the circle and finding many other competitors at the swamp 100m W of the control. Recovered for (only!) a nine minute error.

Controls 4-7 were basically fine, but a bit slow; should have gone straight to #6, but took the trail across the stream first.

Made a big mistake on the trails near #8 and cost myself another three minutes before blowing the next one by just going too slowly.

35th out of 54 (I count Mark Frank as a competitor who beat me as I saw a photo of him punching the GO control for which he was MP'ed.)

Long - Course 7B - Splits

NAOC Middle Distance (Course 7b)

Got off to a horrible start by taking the wrong trail from the start triangle. Figured out after about 250-300m and doubled back more than I should have before attacking properly and successfully. This set off a series of errors in the next three legs with me accumulating nine minutes of errors in the first four legs. After a clean #5, I botched #6 very badly (eight minute error) by crossing the stream bed then turning right instead of left and then flailing.

The rest of the race was fine, with small bobbles at 12 (left, but caught myself) and 13 (fine, but had to cross yucky stuff) and a questionable route choice to 15 and 16 (around both times instead of straight).

Not a great run, but I came in 29th out of 59 so achieved my goal of top half!

Middle - Course 7b - Splits

Redwood Dash course. Really tried to hammer hoping to actually win the Y record (after three losses totalling seven seconds - plus one by a wider margin - in my last four courses). Top 5% overall; top 10% age class. And, finally took an all-time Y record by seven seconds! P: 299; C: 57

Meant to do much less, but Annie was walk/running and she made me keep going - even running a bit.

Campus Loop course. Rode hard, but legs still feeling ever so slightly tired. Top 7% overall; top 15% age group. Missed the top all-time at our Y by four seconds - third time in last four rides that I was less than five seconds off the mark, but it's only posted online so I keep missing. P: 261; C: 55