Training Log Archive: Mr Wonderful

Event: Get Your Bearings Beginner 4 Hour AR
 

Track for Get Your Bearings with Paul S, work4justice, and Beerintheshower (Mike Li).

C • who won? 5

C • Thanks! 2

Sweet Le Mans start then three points of any order bike o. Best route choices in the race. Paul deferred to me, so I plotted a route out around the hills to #2, then #1, then #3, and then out through #4.

I am pretty sure we were first to #2. Then we charged to #1, not too many teams there yet. Cooper said teams dispersed in every direction! I thought about shortcutting by the swamp, but it might be wet and the dog leg was fast.

Then over to the Cooper trail and almost missing the Cooper two track to #4 because of the photographers.

We arrived in first at #5, woo woo. Set hopefully a good pace on the portion of yellow. There was a mowed and well-worn xc running trail connecting 7 to the paved path, so we took that for speed.

We arrived at TA1/CP 8 in first.

Tried to be quick, but Tizoc and Co. really swapped fast. I forgot the maps on the bike, but Barbara generously took my pack while I doubled back. +60 s?

Quick jog over to the boat launching site.

Transition to canoe, perhaps a shade slow for a sprint, so a little room for improvement.

Until the railroad bridge, a nice sleepy paddle. I wonder if portaging one of the corners would have been faster, but meh, all good.

Then after the train bridge, the deadfall made things tricky in a few spots. I would not be surprised to hear of tipping. Paul stayed calm and we stayed in the boat.

For one of the trees, we tried to go around on a tiny little channel, but grounded on some sand, so I jumped out and pushed around. Then Paul dropped the hammer and almost left without me. Water wasn't too bad for wading.

Arrived at TA2/10 in 2nd place.

C • Sorry I almost left you, I ... 8

Probably should have hit the lap button earlier. Took longer than 100 seconds to get the boats out and gear loaded onto the trailer.

Paul assumed control of the maps. He wisely used solid attacks generally from trails that were accurate. Insider knowledge may have been helpful knowing what most of the junctions should look like. :)

Paul also set a brisk pace. He's going to be a threat at SMOC here soon. He was cruising 8:00/mile on the trails. The AR vets were huffing along behind. "Does he ever slow? Guess not, better dig!" Good stuff.

First three were right on trail, then we got to the good stuff. Saw Tizoc leaving #14, so only a few minutes back. Nice woods to #15. To #16 yes there was green, but bearable....slow but not prickery. Impressively, Paul's bearing dropped us directly on the flag, super spike.

Then out to the Badlands. We went CCW. We could see footprints but no Tizoc. Definitely wet feet crossing the very full marsh that bisects the area.

Finished 2nd overall, first four person coed. Woo woo. Nice team chemistry.

Out to Waterloo HQ for a no flag red run.

1 - 2:40 (12) nearly overshot, didn't see the probably easier road line.
2 - 7:08 (9) also did not see the road line. Also could not tell which. Had there been a flag, having checked all of them, I would've been out faster I think. EDIT: Bugger, I see I was short of the target on the QR. :(
3 - 4:05 (8) Holy cow this is not a strong start.
4 - 2:30 (9) why am I so bad
5 - 4:58 (4) I still need to figure out the ridge after ridge contour shapes. Also I drifted a bit west, but not too bad.
6. - 3:03 (3) I should have been faster, didn't realize I knew the spot and should have hammered over
7 - 3:32 (5) Needed a flag here. I have trouble deciding what the knoll is unless it's super pronounced.
8 - 7:41 (6) I thought I did alright, until the end, hit the right ditch, thought it was the one before, caught by the green to double back.
9 - 6:41 (4) Some meandering switching routes. Probably should have toughed out the straight bit, but kept drifting for easier running. Putting a control in one of the more subtle depressions here would be an interesting leg
10 - 4:33 (6) Again with the knolls. What was it here?
11 - 6:10 (6) Just slow, I hope I went through the right one. It seemed close enough, and I was running out of time. :/ EDIT: Not the right one. I thought I was slightly west of that open area, whoops. :(
12 - 5:07 (4) Lots of switching of routes. First I thought road, then powerline looked okay, then not okay, then okay, then the marsh looked deep....
13 - 3:58 (5) Not much too it, just not fast enough
14 - 9:24 (5) Felt okay about it until I saw that I last 3! minutes to the fastest split. Maybe better to go up the road for the trail? I was slow through the light green.
F - 3:27 (1) FTMFW. Probably should have been straighter, but I got a nice bit on the road that approached 10 mph. Training Center says 10.5 mph max, woo woo. It feels like flying and I love it.

1:15:04 (4***) <--- not sure how long to fix #2 and #11.....

Event: SMOC Waterloo Rec HQ