Nadim's comments - by leg
| 1. | Out along the building. As many times as I'd been here I should have known where the fence does and doesn't go through--I hopped in and out of it through the breaks. As I was running along, I read the map checking off things to get a better sense of the 1:7500 scale. I used the football fence and structures to gauge an entry point into the woods and spiked it. The guy who started a minute before me had overrun it and was running back to it as I punched. | |
| 2. | Time Lost: 00:15 | Left side to the trail around the uncrossable marsh. I thought to cross it but where I looked, it appeared too wet. I attacked before the trail bend NE of it and had overshot by a little. |
| 3. | Straight out to the edge of the private property, then in. An older couple was converging from the south. I hit the curved broken ground, then came very near the small earth wall before attacking successfully. | |
| 4. | Time Lost: 01:30 | I should have gone around but was worried about a thorny area to the right that I knew of. Instead, I hit the thorny area across the trail that I also knew about. I crossed one of the marshes after getting through the thorns scraped-up and got very near #14 before going due south to it. |
| 5. | Straight out the Race Track Trail, then trails closest to the river. I attacked from the trail intersection north of the control. I passed Mark Mace going the other way somewhere on this leg. | |
| 6. | Quickest way I could back to the Race Track Trail, then down to the trail intersection west of the control and in. | |
| 7. | Back the way I came to get around the water, then onto the Race Track Trail. The creek crossing had changed from flooding but I still recognized everything. Back on the railroad grade I had started pace counting but it was merely an exercise because I never measured how far I needed to go. I had set a control on this knoll before when I had course set so I had a fair idea of where it was. I cut in just a little early so that I wouldn't miss it. It was merely 15m further SE once I'd reached the marsh level. | |
| 8. | Time Lost: 03:30 | I tried to go around to the left, just N of the green. My distance estimation was off. At the wider part of the marsh crossing I thought I might have gone too far. I turned back to the 50m from #7 again, then turned around again and crossed the marsh. I ended up SE of #9 but had a hard time convincing myself of it. I had no choice but to trust what my eyes showed me and it worked. |
| 9. | Straight back the way I'd come, then a little further to the control. | |
| 10. | Time Lost: 00:30 | Going straight, I felt I had kept a good bearing. I crossed the linear marsh at what I thought was the split/island-like feature but really was further south. I hit the next deeper waterway and came N to it. |
| 11. | Through my former course setting here, I was familiar with the creek crossings and potentials for parallel error. I went straight to beaver dam NW of #10, cut right to the log crossing due south of the control and up. Slow at the end due to not going far enough at first. | |
| 12. | I wasn't sure if crossing the waterway N of #11 would be bad or not. I risked it figuring that Jon wouldn't have put a control there unless there were a way across in the direction of the next control and I turned out to be correct--I used a log crossing. I got to the Race Track Trail and cut in before the marsh, due east of the control. I drank water but didn't eat a Gu. | |
| 13. | Back the way I came to the Race Track Trail, then across it to use the smaller trail along the waterway. I passed Mark Mace going the other way again. I attacked from the trail bend east of the control. | |
| 14. | Straight out north of the first marsh, in-between the next two and up to spike it. | |
| 15. | Into the funnel and right to the knoll. | |
| 16. | Time Lost: 00:20 | Out to the trail south of the green. North on the trail then right not anywhere special. I passed the control, could see the trail junction ahead and came back slowly. |
| 17. | Time Lost: 00:30 | Out to the trail to the north, then in, in-between some knolls from the NE. I missed and hit the rock cairn before coming back. |
| 18. | Time Lost: 00:20 | Back to the Merkel Trail the way I'd come rather than to the Merkel Trail to the west.. I stayed on the right fork and left from the distinct bend SE of the control. I got too far left before correcting. |
| 19. | Time Lost: 00:45 | Fairly straight using trails, then in to the ditches. To run faster, I left the ditches and ended up missing wide left. I relocated a bit north of the control and followed the waterway back south to it. |
| 20. | I went NW at first and hit the water. Before getting to the tracks I passed Peggy going on her way to #23. I immediately fell forward and she stopped to see if I was okay. From the RR underpass, I went a littel left at first passing the rocks, then straight across the marsh which wasn't bad at all. I saw the control before plunging across the creek. | |
| 21. | I went fairly straight but stayed to the right side of the deeper waterway. I had remembered the left (west) side to be more thorny. | |
| 22. | Straight using ditches to guide me in. | |
| 23. | Straight, not pausing for water crossings. Once under the tracks, I kept the creek on my right but didn't hug it closely. | |
| 24. | Time Lost: 01:30 | I got hung-up in thorns leaving #23. I didn't read the map much before leaving since I had put controls here before. I figured I could get to the Race Track Trail quick but should have gone SE first. I popped out thinking I was at the small clearing but really was a little north. Going right into the woods, I encountered the tannened waters and paused, looking for a way around. I plunged in slowly and got in well above my knees. The crappy woods kept me a bit north at first. I knew the hill when I saw it (I had set a control on it before) and turned south as soon as I could. I still was a bit inefficient having to come along the ridge as I headed south to it. |
| 25. | Out to the powerline area heading for the power line tower. Checking the time, I thought I had a good shot at breaking 10min/k so I didn't slow much. South through the flooded trail skirting the right side. West on Flemming Rd. and across the bridge. At the fork I cut left then right on the new unmapped trail. | |
| 26. | North to East Flemming Rd., left through the field rather than stay on that road and up to the ever pleasant QOC cheering section. |
Total Time Lost - 00:09:10
| Suggested Exercises |
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