Race Evaluation
Possum Trot VIII:
Nadim
| 1. | I was slow to read and find #1 on the map. I headed off with the crowd that followed Spike through the woods and over the gully. I felt behind already and pushed to pass others while keeping Mook and Swampfox from dissapearing ahead. I was going much too fast to navigate safely but reached the field and cut right along the ridge and used it as an attack point. | ||||||
| 2. | I climbed the hill and immediately suspected being too far right when I saw the small cliffs. I corrected but Mike was already there and got ahead taking the better line. I got there a few steps behind. | ||||||
| 3. | +03:15 | I hesitated crossing the creek looking for a better crossing and watching Spike and others ahead. I crossed and thought I took a good bearing so I climbed up the ridge. Spike and a trail of people behind him were climbing to my right, apparantly hitting the trail. I thought it good that I navigate my way there and was getting comfortable. Dropping into the reentrant, Spike and the others popped out on my right a step or two behind. I didn't read the map and took off down the reentrant having thought I was supposed to pass a reentrant before climbing up the left. I got +200m away and passed a reentrant before turning up and then around upon seeing houses. Coming back, I saw Jan Ingebristen approaching the control with others--dissapointing but I knew I wasn't out of it yet. | |||||
| 4. | I chased Jan and others making up ground. We went fairly straight. I was surprised that I couldn't see the control before crossing the creek. | ||||||
| 5. | +00:40 | I walked up the steep ridge leaving #4. Reading ahead, I didn't notice that I was going too perpendicular to the hillside when I should have been angling up. I came to top far to the left and dropped to the open area. An example of bad orienteering, I didn't realize the plowed area that I followed another person across was the out of bounds area until too late. I was also surprised at how far up stream I had to go to the control. I crossed the creek too early and as a result had multiple crossings. Jan had taken a straighter line and got there about the time I and others did. | |||||
| 6. | +00:15 | Jan and others crossed the creek fast and climbed up quick. I went along the bottom hoping that climbing up one of the reetrants to the north would be better. I got squeezed by the creek and cliffs and had to climb sooner than I wanted. I crossed one reentrant then climbed up the next. While climbing, I looked ahead for skips, noting 8&9, 14&15, and 17&18. I popped out north of the T intersection and just ran on the most open land. I had expected to see the control sooner but after cutting right and finding the ditch, I found it ahead of others who were near. I wasn't sure I they were the same people I saw starting this leg or not. | |||||
| 7. | +00:10 | I cut back up to the open area and took the road past the finish area. It seemed Jan was going a straighter route. I came down on the trail east of the control, jumping off of it left bend. I still managed to end up left of the control at the dot knolls. I figured it out but not after losing some time. I wondered where Jan was. | |||||
| 8. | +03:30 | I thought to skip 8 and 9 but felt it better to save skips for later in the course. It probably would have helped get me back in the race had I done it. I went straight at #8, crossing the ride. At the trail after crossing the slow walk zone, I cut right but didn't stay on the trail very long before cutting left. I ended coming to just north of a reentrant junction just south of the control (indicated by the index contour). I could see the junction forming below to my south so was inclined to go there instead of north. I felt the map was a bit inconsistent here, showing the reentrant junction at the control with a ditch junction but only broad contour curves just to the south. Not finding it, I followed downhill a little more before deciding to bail to the road. I climbed the road until I could see the house yard ahead on my left, then cut into the woods getting to the control quickly. | |||||
| 9. | Back to the road, I ran fast down it to the powerline trail. The trail was not fast but not bad either. I climbed it most of the way to the ridge, the made the mistake of cutting back too far to reduce climb when crossing the reentrant. I saw Lisa Carr before reaching the control. | ||||||
| 10. | +00:20 | I ran straight, picking up the trail and following it to the ride and a little more. I crossed the knoll top so I was a bit perplexed at finding myself decending the norther reentrant instead of the southern one in relation to the control. | |||||
| 11. | Initially planning to go around, I was funneled uphill when the cliffs started blocking my route. It felt slow but from just past the ridge top, I could see the control ahead. | ||||||
| 12. | Down the reentrant and to the road, I stopped. It wasn't worth going around so I climbed straight. Finding the ridge, I cut right to the clearing where another younger person was reading his map. I felt like he was where I was at a few years ago as I kept running to the control. | ||||||
| 13. | +00:15 | Sticking to the roads I cut right and left with another person following me. I cut into the woods and just decended the reentrant spiking the control. It seemed a little longer than I thought it'd be. I'm not sure if it ws #12 or #13 where Mary was taking splits. I was flustered not being able to find the control box on my card--the numbering was backward from the way it is on other cards and I had also corrected a mis-written code that didn't show-up. | |||||
| 14. | I ran up to the road via the spur, not the reentrant. Cutting left, I crossed the muddy lot and across the next reentrant to get back to the trail. As the trail bent south, I was surprised but encouraged to see Tom Carr. I dropped into the reentrant hesitating once due to it being farther down than I expected. | ||||||
| 15. | +02:00 | Coming-up, someone ahead yelled something. He said it again so I stopped to try understand--he was trying to help tell me where the fence could be crossed. I ignored it but snagged myself on it seconds later. The guy ahead was older and mostly trying to walk straight toward #15. I cut around on the trail and he turned to do the same. I read my way around the bends and cut up. I ended up just a bit right (south) of the control. I cut right at the top where I could run better and reached the clearing before turning around. The older guy was punching as I got there. | |||||
| 16. | +01:00 | I headed to the field and cut left. Suddenly, things didn't look right--I couldn't see the trail leaving it. I cut back to the right then figured out I was correct originally. The older guy was just hitting the trail as I passed him. I cut right at the next trail, then left to cut the corner at the next intersection. Again I should have read more carefully. In my mind I was thinking it was on a cliff on the side of the large spur. I followed cliffs around before realizing my error, coming to the building, then past it to the control. The older guy was there again... | |||||
| 17. | I took the road out going toward #17, passing the correct turn briefly before coming back to it. Having not skipped already, I had planned to skip #17 & #18 but forgot. Again making good speed on the road, I made a foolish error cutting down the reentrant that headed toward #18. It didn't seem right but like before I wondered if I'd decended enough. I figured I should go on to the ditch junction before bailing. I soon saw Fritz crossing my path, checked the compass again and let the error sink in. The realization powered me up and over the 3-4 contours and I dropped into #17 w/o further problem. I beat someone to the punch whom I'd seen earlier. | ||||||
| 18. | +00:25 | Eagar to get away, I headed back where I came from. After 2 contours I realized that I needed to skip so I turned back, passing #17 and the other orienteer to head toward #20. | |||||
| 19. | |||||||
| 20. | +00:20 | I enjoyed the fast running on the downill white woods. The deep reentrant surprised me at how steep it was. I crossed and climbed to the clearing on the low part of the spur. Things didn't match up so I paused a while before going on to hit the ridge trail. I climbed to the high flat area, crossed that and dropped down to the control. | |||||
| 21. | Straight up to the trails to the west and then the road. I left the road in the semi-open and angled to the ditch to spike the control. | ||||||
| 22. | +00:30 | On the descent leaving #21, I stumbled on a leaf hidden rock, spraining the front of my right ankle. It was a reinjury which I'd kept re-hurting in the previous meets back on the east coast. I limped to the stream, got across w/o getting wet and hobbled on. I hit the green area too early and high. I cut back down hesitantly going northward until I could make out the ditch and then the control. | |||||
| 23. | I saw what looked like adventure racers hiking w/heavy gear cross the stream and take a straight line. I went for the reentrant and trail running most of the way. My ankle bothered me but was getting better. I was surprised that the control was so visible in the green compared to other green areas. | ||||||
| 24. | I went out to the road and cut right. I started to chicken out and decided cutting left just past the reentrant was better. I started to lose my place upon hitting the amphitheatre. Unlike the start I crossed the parking lot to the road leaving it, the right toward the control. | ||||||
| F. | Trails all the way up. |
Total Time Lost - 00:12:40