Race Evaluation
WCOC Trout Brook A-Event: Red
Nadim
| 1. |
Did not follow plan Disturbed by others +00:20 | S-1 I taped my ankle and just ran lightly to the start to warm-up. Mark Dominie suggested that we make a pact if he caught me to trade energy for navigating skill. It sounded okay w/me. I had an 8 minute head start. Starting off with a Blue course runner, we both left the road just as it straightened out. I planned to head for the walls. It surprised me how quickly they came up. I also had trouble making them match-up. I got on the trail for a little and somehow passed the control before coming back a short way. | |||||
| 2. |
Bad compass work Disturbed by others +03:45 | 1-2 I took the trail over the knolls then left at the bend on top. I missed wide left. Going right, I converged with the Blue runner at another control which was his. Coming back, I wandered a little before hitting it. | |||||
| 3. |
Bad map reading Lacked confidence +02:30 | 2-3 Going straight, I crossed the marsh, went up the knoll on the right side, then dropped down to cross it again where it wrapped around. Crossing the trail, I felt good about knowing where I was. I climbed the knoll a little but on a spur, I didn't see it. I turned left up the ridge. Turning right and down the ridge would hit it. At the top, I started to doubt myself so I went back down to the trail and took it to the bend. A much older man there seemed desperate and stopped me to find out where he was. I confidently told him where I thought we were and also told him it was illegal. From the bend, I attacked again staying low enough this time to hit it just as Mark Domonie was coming in from my left. | |||||
| 4. | 3-4 Mark took off at a steady pace. I gained but not by much down the rocky hill along the stream. We crossed along the junction, having kept a fairly straight line. I passed and lead up the steep hill with a slow jog. After cresting, I visited the knoll to the left befor correcting back to the right. | ||||||
| 5. |
Confused parallel features Could not relocate Disturbed by others +10:00 | 4-5 Mark took what seemed like no time to punch and was off as I was still pondering the route. We paralleled, crossing the marsh to the right of straight. Mark who was on my left, cut in behind to the right. I stopped to look at it and thought he was headed to the trail a few marshes up. He actually was getting off his intended route, probably distracted as much by me as I was by him. I got ahead and read my way okay at first. As I cut left to aim for the trails, I hit some trails but couldn't make them match-up. Wandering my way up, but very unsure of where I was, I eventually caught sight of Mark again heading into some green near some trails which I still wasn't sure about. I figured he would lead me there and seemed to after only 60 yards. When I punched, I realized that I was at #6, not #5. Mark had said something which I didn't hear well. I though he might have made the same error (however unlikely). I tentatively tried to catch-up and found myself on a trail on a ridge, I didn't think I had crossed this much distance so fast so I began to doubt my location and lost sight of Mark as I pondered. Most of the way to #7, I used the water/marsh junction to relocate, cross the reentrant and finally climb to punch #5. | |||||
| 6. |
Bad compass work Lacked confidence +00:30 | 5-6 I could have gone the way I'd come since I'd already been to #6, but it was longer. Going straight at first, I hesitated at what seemed to be an old road remnant. Eventually hitting the trail and turning right, I followed it to the bend and set off. Even though I'd been there already, I missed. Frustrated, I started to bail out back to the trail and hit it. | |||||
| 7. | 6-7 Having done most of this leg already, I dropped down the reentrant, crossing to the other ridge, then dropped again to cross the marsh. The water surprised me so I turned left to find a better crossing. Finally where I could hop rocks, I had only to turn right and straight for 100M to punch. | ||||||
| 8. |
Bad route choice | 7-8 Feeling safer to stick to trails, I back tracked down the ridge, hit the trail and set off, The rocks and still not feeling strong kept me from opening it up. I stayed with the trail all the way to where I could contour across. It was a little longer but I spiked it. | |||||
| 9. | 8-9 I dropped down through the green and stayed on the right side of the reentrant. Hitting the road, I turned right, then left it left, after passing the knoll. I spiked it though I was a little surprised to see it that low. | ||||||
| 10. |
Bad map reading +01:00 | 9-10 I thought it'd be better to go around than through so I backtracked to the road. A (Blue course?) runner was headed to where I'd just been. I left the road early, then came back to leave from the bend. I read the reentrant but not seeing anything, I went to the next. Still not seeing it, I came up, then back and found it. | |||||
| 11. | 10-11 Down the hill, I crossed the trail and hit followed the green. An animal orienteer (is there a difference?) appeared and I followed it there. | ||||||
| 12. | 11-12 Going down, the hill I hit the road and rounded the knoll, mostly at the bottom. I cut up a little, realized I was getting high and angled down right to it. | ||||||
| 13. |
Bad route choice Tired | 12-13 I set off to followed the steam somewhat. Crossing, I almost took a bad spill as the bank gave-way and my foot hooked a root. Fortunately the drop was not far and my trailing foot released. Going straight, I hit the trail near the wall and stream. I was slow on the climb but ran most of it. Instead of taking the sloping trail, I took the straighter one well to the left of straight. I had a hard time reading on the map where the top was and instead of cutting down to the marsh, I realized I passed it and kept to the trails all the way to the marsh and T-intersection. Turning right, I went to the next trail intersection instead of following the wall. Attacking, I was a little right, but didn't pass it as another guy converged at the same time. | |||||
| 14. | 13-14 The other guy at #13 was walking and jogging. Passing him I hit the trail and rounded the fence w/o incident. I passed an older guy just getting there. | ||||||
| 15. |
Bad map reading Lacked confidence +01:00 | 14-15 My brain was dead and I wasn't sure which side of the fence the control was supposed to be on. At the next gap, I crossed to the right and went down +100M past a rocky area before turning back up the hill. The older guy and guy who was walking stayed in and passed going the other way. I cut through the fence and caught them-the older guy just at #15. | |||||
| F. | 15-F The older guy had a lead since he punched first. I caught him but had to run hard. I tired with the last 50M to go. |
Total Time Lost - 00:19:05