Race Evaluation
Hudson Highlander 7:
randy
| 1. | Took the leftish route with Kenny, Joe, et al. Was navigating for myself though I realised I was not going to bet against these guys. Saw Ross running the other way at the top of the hill. | ||||||
| 2. | +00:20 | Hit a contour too high. Lost more time queuing up to punch. | |||||
| 3. | Falling begind the lead pack fast. Tried to stay with Greg. | ||||||
| 4. | With Greg and a million other people. | ||||||
| 5. | Trail to the road. Passed John F. on the trail. Not sure what happened to Greg, whether he stopped or took another route. Running pretty well on the road and catch up to Joe. Trail to left side of marsh behind Joe and Kenny and who I guess to be the leaders. See Eric at the control. | ||||||
| 6. | Low route with Joe who starts to pull away from me. Other leaders come over the top and get there about the same time. | ||||||
| 7. |
Disturbed by others +00:30 | Rockhouse next. Can't get my gatorade bottle open and spend too much time at the break. Joe heads out ahead of me. I see Eric head out to Pole Brook. Pass Joe on the trail near Askoti lake and cut in along marsh and up reentrant. Check out the boulder on the tip of the spur even though I know its wrong because someone I dont know is there and looks like they are punching. | |||||
| 8. | Pretty much straight. Guy I don't know seems to head on more of an around route. See Greg in the green. See Joe again, who along with Greg, punch ahead of me. | ||||||
| 9. | Over the top of the hill. Joe, Greg, and GIDK there. | ||||||
| 10. |
Confused parallel features +01:00 | They head out for what looks like the trail route. I don't want to follow so I try to execute the straight route. I need the practice. I confuse green knolls and miss to the left. I hear Greg go by. John F. goes by and says its back there in the reentrant. | |||||
| 11. |
Confused parallel features Not thinking clearly Disturbed by others +02:00 | Off the trail bend, thru saddle and stony reentrant. See John F. at what looks like the right rock, but no flag. Turned my brain off when I saw him there and did not remember boulder was to be in the green. Booming my own control. We go up the hill, then down and find it. | |||||
| 12. | Running with John along ridge. | ||||||
| 13. | Road. John cuts in earlier and beats me in by a few seconds. | ||||||
| 14. | Didn't see this on the way out. We hit it about a half contour too high. | ||||||
| 15. | Pole Brook. Drink about half a bottle of Gatorade at the break. John leaves before me and I catch him on the road run. Confused about where the road run is on the map. Pass John and head into control behind Valerie and someone else, who are on the second loop. | ||||||
| 16. |
Bad distance judgement +01:00 | Up hill around green then across to stony reentrant and up. All alone. Everything seems to be coming up too fast, and the knolls seem closer together than they should be and not right. Think I'm on track but am caught by the green. Turn around and see control across the way. See John heading from the east as well, who mutters somthing about blowing his control. I remember the scale is 1:10 now, and comfirm with John. | |||||
| 17. | To the right up small reentrant to avoid the green. With John along white woods on ridge, but no sight of him as I run up long stony drainage. Remember this time that boulder is in patch of green and carefully map read boulders and mountain laurel clusters. | ||||||
| 18. | Slightly to the right of line to mimimise green. Go down and up for better running. No sign of John. See what looks to be adventure racer running much faster than I into control. Wonder if they are on second or third loop. | ||||||
| 19. | Easy control. Run as fast as I can at this point. No sign of John, the adventure racer, or anyone else. | ||||||
| 20. | Indistinct trail then cut up at boulder cluster. See flag a mile away. | ||||||
| 21. | Left of first hill over spur, pick up threesome, then straight thru the green, which is patchy and easy to run thru. I'm thinking I'm very happy with my orienteering so far, and still have it, physically, though getting banged up a bit. | ||||||
| 22. | Not sure why, but I go around green to the left. | ||||||
| 23. | Around swamp to the right. Control on a clump of mountain laurel seems dicey, but I pay attention to the contours and spike it, 6 in a row, and feel the orienteering on this map was the easiest. | ||||||
| 24. |
Read map too late +00:15 | Bail to the road but didn't read the map and don't see the impassable cliffs. Have to change plans. | |||||
| 25. |
Not thinking clearly +00:30 | Into the break and finish the Gatorade and try to down a Clif bar, but it won't take. They tell me I'm in 8th place, 4 minutes behind Greg. No sign of John so I figure my place is fixed. Decide to take it easy mentally and physically on the last loop, light jog and safe route choices. Not thinking clearly and check out a boulder way too early on this control. | |||||
| 26. | Road. See Greg leaving as I approach. Don't figure to have made up 4 minutes, so I must have been closer than they said. | ||||||
| 27. | Trails to powerline junction. Pass Greg, who is walking, along side of hill. Hug the hill/straight line route picking up contour knoll 100 m before control. | ||||||
| 28. | Not running fast enough to make bailing to the road profitable. Drop down out of rocky ground and pick up big rockface cliff. See bag a mile away. | ||||||
| 29. |
Bad compass work +01:00 | Get tied up in those bramble bushes, I forget what they are called. Cannot find corrider of white woods to get out. Get further tied up in some greenbriar or rose which they say isn't there. Takes me forever to get out. Cursing the course setter. No sign of Greg. Attack off clearing with misc junk but hit southwest pit. Tell myself not to panic and calmly relocate. Brain is fading. | |||||
| 30. | Off the boxy cliffface. Thought the feature was a spur, but see the bag with no problem. | ||||||
| 31. | Road to cut across to west of marsh then in off of dual cliffs on hillside by marsh. | ||||||
| 32. |
Did not like map Could not relocate Not thinking clearly Lacked concentration +07:00 | First big error, and it costs me a place. Mind is fuzzy and I do not see the safe route choice. Attempt to micro-orienteer to the control. Confused by an unmapped stream and the trails, and cannot locate the bare rock cliff face, so my contact is gone, and I don't have another plan. Try to relocate to the pond but it is too green. Start exploring reentrants and end up too far northeast. Greg catches me and says its 200 m back. So the place I thought I gained on this loop is given back. | |||||
| 33. |
Did not like map Lacked confidence +02:00 | My sharpness is shot. One real leg to go. To the pond, campground, tennis courts, and thru the break in the green, which I either did not find or it was greener than mapped. Playing it real safe not to make another big mistake at this point in the race, I climb green hill to clearing. Up reentrant to mapped fireplace -- boulder seems bigger than mapped, see unmapped fireplace, do not see even bigger mapped boulder up on hill to the left. Go back to clearing to be absolutely sure, then head in just ignoring all the problems. Is it my brain, or the map? | |||||
| 34. | Bail to road. | ||||||
| F. | And in. 8th place. This was one of the most enjoyable races in recent memory, thanks to the organizers and volunteers! |
Total Time Lost - 00:15:35