Training Log Archive: anniemac

Day 2, a much better day on many levels, but still quite challenging, and I made quite a few errors - mostly small but one big parallel error that was very frustrating. WENT VERY SLOW. (On purpose.) I have decided to include what I think I did 'right' as well as what I think I did 'wrong.'

1-2 used my control #9 to navigate to #2 as it was midway between and just 20 paces or so 'out of the way.' I think this ended up being smart for me, though not the most direct route.

2-3 First sampling of 'the lung' - the strange clearcuts growing in at varying stages that look like they would be good to navigate by on the map but are hard to get used to. I took a bearing and pace counted and observed and went very slow...and voila, miracles do happen. :)

3-4 Could feel myself getting pulled to the right by a pack of people, and tried to assure myself to trust my own plan and kept on course, right to the control. Still, did go very slow trying to keep in contact with the contours.

4-5 My bearing was a off but my pace count was on and I was able to see the control from where I was. Another "thank god" moment.

5-6 MY DOOZY. A long leg I broke in smaller sections - navigating first to the marsh (successfully.) Then my bearing got a little off by having to go around trees/boulders etc and I was convinced I was where I was supposed to be, between two hillsides looking for a knoll. I was between the wrong two hillsides and the black boulders and brown contours were doing battle with my eyes but I felt that my paces were about right, so I was hesitant to leave the area and get even farther away. Finally after WAY too long I went in a different direction, only to come to a big swamp/marsh/pond thing that was really NOT on my map. Well, it was but just a very small section of intermittent marsh. Then a person ran right by and my eye followed them...up the knoll that was about 40 paces away! I wasn't too far off actually, just stuck in parallel error land. Note to self, keep moving, keep looking, find something that makes sense on the map.

6-7 Navigated to the marsh, then to the depression outside the lung.
7-8 Again, navigated to the marsh with vegetation boundary - very obvious different shrub with no leaves - and then to boulders. Lots of people looking around confused on this one, can't believe I somehow got it. Was really talking to myself like a crazy person by this point.

8-9 Long leg , went slow, broke it into chunks and went to my control #2 finally using the lung area for navigation (no longer afraid of it.) Was stopped by a young man who was very lost and I was happy that I knew exactly where I was. Then the same person who helped me at my #6 control asked ME for help here!

9-10 A trail by golly! TRail past start triangle, in at what I thought was the clearing...a little off I guess, had to crash around a bit but eventually found it.

10-11 went alongside pine tree vegetation.
11-12 knew I was close to the road but it was still hard to get through the vegetation here.

The motto of the day was "NEVER GIVE UP!" and I'm so glad I didn't give up or give in to intricacies of the lung area. We were warned that this day was going to be harder and since I had done so poorly on Day 1, I just kept saying to myself that 'today's my day,' so I think a positive mental attitude really helped. Plus I listened to my song a few times. :)

I'm so glad I had the experience of this weekend and got some new terrain under my belt. Seeing everyone else compete was also very exciting!

Day 2 - Green Y - Splits

Event: UNO Boulder Dash
 

Maybe tomorrow will be my day! More details after I decompress and try to get over this humiliation. Beautiful woods, though. Hughmac3 did great! 3rd place out of 17!! Way to go, POPS!

now, onto the Green Y. you know that pixies song "where is my mind?" --that was me today.

1-2 just fine, slow

#3 is where things started to go wrong. got pulled to the left seeing other people going to what ended up being my #10 control, went to check it out but did NOT check the number on my own clue sheet. DUH. then i had to relocated back to that same control, finally realizing it was mine, and even then didn't totally nail this reentrant control. did give the location away to Wyatt by accident, though, so at least i did some good ;)

4-7 slowgoing, trying to be careful, just compass and pace and check off any features i could see - so didn't make any huge mistakes but wasn't going fast and wasn't feeling totally confident

#9 this was my worst one. plan was to get to the trail / stone wall junction but i never found the stone wall, and ran up and down the trail trying to figure out where i was. made a guess and went in to get the knoll, found a knoll but no control, my brain stopped working and i got kind of flustered and downtrodden in here. went BACK to the frickin trail, went FARTHER north on the trail, found the wall, attacked again, got it. here it became the green WHY course.

#10 which boulder? was in a group of people swarming the area not finding this one. finally found it.

#11 good
#12 lost my bearing, ended up going to #13, not realizing it was my #13 right away, finally relocating to 12 from it. another DUH moment.
#13 / 14 / Finish - just slow and feeling like a dummy.

stomach was iffy, not enough nutrition, and i didn't listen to my lucky song. that must have been it. haha. glad i finished today, there was a moment searching for #9 when i thought maybe i wouldn't. beautiful woods, i could learn so much from them if i would just slow down and relax.

C • Tilt? 5

Day 1 - Green Y - Splits

Model event, forwards and then backwards. Nice woods, can't wait for tomorrow!

C • Good luck! 2

I could complain about work being so exhausting, but I won't. I just need to readjust my thinking to incorporate backbreaking labor into my training regimen. Ha ha, just kidding. I really do feel like whining, but I feel that it is old news. I now have a shooting pain down my right leg, which can't be good. It's been going on for the past week, but I've been reluctant to even acknowledge its presence, for fear of accepting it. I do not accept it! Today, I am arriving at work a bit late, and I do believe I will be leaving quite in the middle of the day. I need to get my body on track. No Boxwood planting is worth this! I am getting very excited about this weekend, and in typical stubborn MacMullan fashion I will definitely be going and pushing it to the max!

C • Atta Girl! 4

Intervals gradually getting faster.

Whew. The most physically laborious day at work this whole year! Really wanted to go to the DVOA board mtg tonight, but too tired.