Race Evaluation
QOC: Westmoreland, VA: Blue
Nadim
| 1. | Though warned, I did not see the trail run around as a real option. Down the road, across the marsh and climbing steadily around to the left. I got just a little high and the control seemed farther up the reentrant than expected. | ||||||
| 2. | Back down to the marsh as I'd gotten to #1 then climbing right of the line to the next ridge. I read my way carefully and from the ridge could look across the large reentrant and see the control where I thought it'd be. | ||||||
| 3. | A little over then down. The green was too thick low so I ran up the hillside again before bopping over. | ||||||
| 4. |
Bad route choice Did not follow plan Did not like map +02:30 | I originally thought to go straight partway up the first ridge I realized I could go around it so I dropped. I ran into unmapped blowdown so I climbed again. Already 4:40 into the leg I'd traveled only 150m. I read the map again and decided to go around on the trail bridge over the marsh so I ran down along the ridge I'd just climbed from the side. The trail was mis-mapped around a reentrant. It went into a much deeper U-curve before climbing to a trail junction. I'd intended to keep going straight along the marsh but since the trail was to run out, I again changed direction and ran up the ridge. I saw Francis climbing the hill having taken a shorter route. Later I saw Marek on my left crossing the reentrant instead of taking the trail I was on. I rounded the reentrant, cut off a portion of the trail near the next intersection and then read trail bends for an attack point. I recognized the wide Y shaped reentrant west of the control as I descendd and ran down to the vague spur. Fortunately the control was hung high. I felt like I'd spiked it but with all the changes in direction getting there I really had lost time. | |||||
| 5. |
Underrated difficulty Confused parallel features +01:40 | I crossed the wettest part of the marsh on the beaver dam as the course notes indicated but gave up trying to stay dry for the rest of the way. I cut left but wasn't sure where I was at that point. Counting the similar reentrants, I climbed one spur too early. Fortunately, I could look across to the next spur and seen the control blowing in the wind. Since I was already near the top of the reentrant, I didn't have to drop and climb much getting to the correct spur | |||||
| 6. | I contoured somewhat. Nearing the control I saw an unfamiliar younger runner. I cut a corner to get there ahead of him. I found out later he DNF'd. | ||||||
| 7. | Up a little then down to the marsh crossing. I scrambled through the mountain laurel to the ridge using a route along a fallen tree. Climbing the ridge to the control from there was no easy. The woods were anything but white as mapped. As I neared, a black lab ran up and playfully bounded away when I held out my hand. A person who later turned out to be his owner was a 50m away and seemed to do nothing to call him back. I thought he was from a nearby farm out for a jaunt. | ||||||
| 8. |
Did not read control description +00:35 | I headed out straight and as I descended I noticed that the lab had followed me. Maybe distracted by the dog (I often just run to the center of the circle w/o reading it), I didn't read the control description. I stopped short to look for the control in the ditch rather than across it in the shallow reentrant above. | |||||
| 9. | Thinking the footing on the steep hillside was not worth what it'd take to go over 2 contours I went straight up the steep hill. The lab followed. I dropped down just right of the control. With multiple reentrants joining here and no control description describing which one, I decided to check the higher ones first so as to avoid unecessary climb. Fortunately my choice was right. | ||||||
| 10. | I didn't bother to read the details much on this short leg. Though out of sight when approaching, it was obvious. The lab beat me there and perhaps was catching on. | ||||||
| 11. | Going down the reentrant mostly on the left side, I tried to minimize the climb but did so a little. Cutting left I just counted the reentrants and was glad to see it on my right just where I thought. The lab seemed to be having fun still too. | ||||||
| 12. | Climbing up, I was right of the line. Though I reached some blowdown, I got through. The heavy lab climbed better than I but he didn't look like he'd run much before. Somehow he got around the blowdown. Happy to have him with me now because of Piper, I wondered how he'd find his way back. The blowdown behind us I ran quicker on the spur and then down left of the green; right of the line into the marsh. I had to whistle a few times to keep the lab with me. I didn't want to leave him in the middle of nowhere. Cutting left, I went up the marshy reentrant. The lab started tiring. He plopped right down in a stream to cool himself. I kept going my pace and he kept up and responded to whistles. I spiked the control though I was a little surprised how far up the reentrant it was. Just as I got there, I could see Greg Lennon leaving going west. | ||||||
| 13. | I left going east. I thought it might be hit or miss going through the slash to the road so I didn't try. I ran along the reentrant and found good running. Crossing it near the tip I hit the campground loop and saw the last of the lab. He seemed to tire or think that spot to be a better place to meet his owner. I was hoping he'd follow me to somewhere nearer the finish. I went straight across the slash to the trail/road and hit the reentrants dead on. I was surprised to see Ted Good coming down the trail from the east and wasn't sure what kind of route he'd taken--it was really a miss. I think he got to the control first but left going the wrong way. | ||||||
| 14. |
Bad route choice Disturbed by others Followed others +00:17 | I ran back to the trail and out to the road leaving him behind. Crossing the field the lab's owner stopped me from her pickup. I pointed her back to the campground where only minutes earlier he'd stopped following me. This took 17 seconds. I was concerned about more possible blowdown and hills so I headed further up the road to the open campground. Taking the trail, I crossed the reentrant and climbed back to the road successfully cutting off the big curve. I thought I might go straight by the cabins to cut another bend in the road but remembering the course notes, I thought these might be out of bounds ranger houses. I stuck to the road and then saw the dirt road southern option to avoid having a climb attacking the control from the north. Just then, Ted popped-out ahead of me. I gained and at one point after we cut into the woods got ahead a step. His side of the spur was better though so he beat me to the control. | |||||
| 15. | I got out fast as Ted read the map. Going down was like carving turns skiing. It was soft. On the road and ahead of Ted, the black lines on the map representing the gravel parking lot confused me. I thought they could have been out-of-bounds. I realized they weren't later. I saw the control 200m ahead. | ||||||
| 16. | Dog legging back to the parking lot, I hesitated on whether to look for the trail or risk a sandy beach run. I took the beach run mostly because it was taking me time to find the trail head. It was just fine and the control on the pool fence was easy. | ||||||
| 17. |
Bad route choice | Up the 100 or so mandatory stairs, Ted seemed to gain on me--at least he said so. At the top I wasn't sure if I could continue straight or again if I'd be out of bounds. I cut left then angled up. I probably should have taken the trails out to the road but once up the ridge, I dropped straightish and over a wall to cross the road. I climbed the next hill and got to the road and sure enough, Ted popped out ahead of me again from the left where there was less climb involved. He lead to the next trail and I passed him before the pond. We used the trail SW of the pond and crossed on a small dam. The mountain laurel was thick here and a tree had fallen making it difficult to get through. I kept a good bearing and hit the hard to miss reentrant. I started to cramp before getting there. Ted seemed to drop off in the green. | |||||
| 18. | Rather than get stuck in the green by the pond, I climbed a little then dropped. I crossed the stream near a telephone pole and noted the location. I kept straight and hit the trail, glimpsing Ted behind near the pond. I cut right reading contours and trail bends. I decided it was time to cut left and sure enough, there was a streamer ahead. It did indeed indicate the correct control. | ||||||
| 19. | With Ted pursuing, I left quickly and took to the ridge. Eventually I cut left enough to cross the reentrant and hit the field near the line. After crossing the roads, rather than go around I went straight a used the out-of-bounds house on my left to clue me into spiking the field. | ||||||
| F. | I ran straight but not very fast. |
Total Time Lost - 00:05:02