Training Log: JanetT

Event: DVOA Core Creek Park
 

Challenging ride on the mtb trails at Nockamixon for my second-of-the-year bike ride. Maybe I need to go do some rail trails and roads until I build up my biking-leg muscles. Mid 70s and mostly cloudy.

My favorite trail (Haycock), that includes features like S curves and bumps, has been "improved" so much in the last year that parts of it were unrideable for me today. Boo.

First Short Series events of the summer, at McKaig Nature Education Center* near Roberts School on Croton Rd, around the corner from where I grew up and where I attended elementary school (though in a since-torn-down-and-replaced building) some 50 60+/- years ago. I chose to do the longer of the two courses first, in case I didn't have the energy for a second course (which turned out not to be the case)...2.4 km, 85m climb nominally on a 1:5000 map. Temps were in the upper 60s with some breeze, so mostly ideal for orienteering.

Short course 2 did a few controls S/uphill from the school (we started from the Old Schoolhouse) then headed over to the southeastern hill (between Crow Creek feeder and King of Prussia Rd), zigging and zagging uphill for 4 controls and then heading back down for 2, before doing a control up the SW hill and back down along the creek to finish. One of the last controls was at the chimney/tower that I had seen from the school grounds when I attended, mapped as a tower. ;-) (I/We called it the witch's tower then, influenced by fairy tales we read growing up.)

Mostly happy with my navigation except for not picking the best route between 1 and 2 through the woods, and misreading the terrain to #7 and relocating off a ditch a couple contours too high. A bit sloppy 13-14 too, not noticing the trail east of #13 at first and bashing too much through woods.

* ...in whose woods I had often played as a kid

Following a short break and half a banana, I set out on Short 1, 2.1 km, 80m climb nominal. This course stayed west of the Crow Creek feeder but finished in the same area, outside the fence on the east side of the school grounds and looping around the N end of the fence.

A couple of young men seemed to be using trails a lot for navigation while I went mostly straight, and they were just behind me between 3 and 9. From 9 on in was basically trail running so they got well ahead there, but on the intermediate navigation legs they were just behind, even copying my small mistake to #7. I was pretty clean otherwise though AP gives me error time to #2 but that was just because it was an uphill slog with a large tree to cross and climb up on near the end.

Fun. And better yet, after we finished changing I noticed a couple of women in the parking lot who had come to hike trails, and one looked familiar. They went over to the Old Schoolhouse to look around, asked some questions about what was going on, and then I was able to get their attention and say, Linda? It *was* Linda Stiles who we'd both known in high school, and with whom we'd reconnected at the 50th reunion a couple years ago. So we chatted with her and her friend for awhile before going our separate ways. Nice!

Short 1 - Splits

Short 2 - Splits

Streets in Lower Saucon Twp. Mid 70s and overcast.

Also checked out new construction near the playing fields/track off Mountain Dr.

More of Deanna's expansion exploration, including modified half moons and handstands.

It's a hot one here today; I think the temp peaked near 94.

With Glen after dinner when it got down to 80; park and neighborhood.

Roads in West Orange as the weather heated up. Mid 70s but today ended up in the mid 90s!