Race Evaluation
QOC: Avalon: Blue
Nadim
| 1. | Ran w/o control descriptions. Over the top of the hill, then down the spur. | ||||||
| 2. | Straight over, I drifted left a bit. | ||||||
| 3. | Up the reentrant eventually to the field, the straight in to the control. Feeling slow. | ||||||
| 4. | +00:10 | Straight through the woods (like I did on the White course when I made an error), past the ruin, then down along the reentrant and stream. I started looking too early. When I got to the control, some people were standing in front of it obscuring it. | |||||
| 5. | +03:45 | I rushed out to get ahead of people who were leaving the control. In the process, I missed the trail just above control 4. I instead went along the stream reasoning that I should follow the big reentrants rather than go over, down then up again. I got on the wrong trail then realized I was getting too low. Climbing back, I walked a bit and was tentative about just where I was. I read the map well the last 250m and spiked it. | |||||
| 6. | Starting out a bit to the right to avoid some green, I went fairly straight using the ridge, then going through the white woods at the end. I could see the control 130m away. | ||||||
| 7. | Originally I didn't plan to use the road but the path of least resistance brought me far enough to the right that it made sense. I cut in again past the bend NE of the control and could see the control from the vicinity of the formline knoll about 200m away. | ||||||
| 8. | I ran on the left side of the spur to the bottom of the reentrant then got on an unmapped cycling trail. The trail split. With cyclists coming at me on the left, I ran on the right side going over the ramps including one jump over the stream. The control was visible 40m away. | ||||||
| 9. | +00:45 | I started out straight but slow. I didn't have much energy for climbing even though the grade was modest. I ignored the early unmapped cycling trails but used them when they went in the direction of my compass bearing. I realized it when I crossed the first ridge and got on a mapped trail. I followed that down to a gully, then went on the left side of that; right of the line going straight. After crossing a distinct reentrant, I used some rough open ground below the nearly non-existant fence. As I came down the spur, I got a little less sure of where I was. I got to the reentrant with the control, saw it, then thought it was too early. Since I didn't have control descriptions and didn't want to waste time going down to it, I crossed the reentrant to the ridge on the other side. In this way I hoped to see whether there was a control in the next reentrant. Convinced there was not both by the shape of the reentrant to the right and by not seeing a control there, I dropped left, and down to the control I'd seen earlier. I still wasn't 100% sure it was mine and wished I'd had the control descriptions. | |||||
| 10. | I somewhat contoured around the first spur then crossed the next reentrants. I could see the control on the hilltop from across the reentrant. I also saw a guy above who'd contoured around the reentrant. I ran up the hill and got there first. | ||||||
| 11. | Down the the first trail, I left that once I got to the stream. A cyclist had passed me but when I got up to the next trail, I was ahead of him. He passed again but since he followed the trail around the ridges and I went straight, I got ahead and stayed ahead. I partially contoured the big reentrant then walk/ran up the other side. I got on what looked on the map like an intermittant trail; in reality, it was a well travelled cyclist route. I left the trail at a bend and followed a reentrant up to the control at the end. It seemed like it was too easy; perhaps an Orange course control. | ||||||
| 12. | I climed to the higher trail and eventually left it at a spur that went to a trail and down to the control. | ||||||
| 13. | I ran for the higher trail but forgot and didn't see that my map had X's on it. The X's were to signify that the trail was not really there. Getting past where the nonexistant mapped trail was, I hit another trail and mistook this to be the one I'd aimed for. It took me to near the start triangle. I wasn't sure if I'd have to check in there for the second loop or not. I didn't see anyone so I went on. I think I went through at just over an hour and contemplated finishing in the next 30 minutes to get a per K time of under 10 minutes. Being at the wrong trail intersection near the start (confused by the non-existant trail earlier) , I was a bit higher than expected. Fortunately, attention to the contours saved me from making further error and I dropped right in to the control. | ||||||
| 14. | Over the hilltop, I got a bit right but corrected at the end. | ||||||
| 15. | Going fairly straight, I read the contrours and spiked it. It was visible 40m away. | ||||||
| 16. | +01:45 | I didn't have a great plan. I wanted to stay right of the straight line but as I got into the green, the path of least resistance either forced me or caused me to drift left. I saw the field coming up and finally hit the trail after going through much more of the dark green than I planned (it wasn't so bad). I used the tail bend as an attack point and spiked it. Some trash bags and water bottles clued me in even though the control was on the other side of the rootstock. | |||||
| 17. | Back out to the field, then straight over. Once in the woods again, I passed the ruin and went along the reentrant to spike it. | ||||||
| 18. | Going straight, I got to the trail at the higher ruin, near one of the controls on the White course that I'd done earlier. I ran down the trail but left that as I saw the next White course control ahead. I ran right past that to the hilltop. The control was visible over 75m away. | ||||||
| 19. | Somewhat contouring down to the trail, I got on it, then attacked from the bend. Having gone through here earlier on the White course, I kept an eye out for the knit cap with orienteering control patterns on it that Kristin had knitted. Max had pulled it off somewhere but fortunately someone else turned it in. | ||||||
| 20. | I went fairly straight down to the trail, cut right before the White/Blue control on the hilltop to avoid a switchback, then continued down the trail to the road. I was still hopeful of breaking 90 minutes so I tried to pickup the pace. The rocks and my physical shape didn't let me get much faster. I passed a group of ROTC people at the end and spiked the control. | ||||||
| 21. | I was still worried about being able to break 90 minutes. I pushed on, getting to the road, then leaving it at the bottom at the bend. I ran straight to the ditch having seen the control earlier when I did the White course. | ||||||
| F. | +00:10 | I wanted to run hard and pass a guy ahead but didn't have it in me. I ran on the left side of the buildings and went to the third pavillion despite the map showing the finish at the first. At the end however, I went to the table where they were recording times for someone on a non e-punch course. I had to ask where the finish e-punch was. It was behind me on a pole with a streamer but no control. I was relieved after downloading my e-punch that I had not mispunched. It would have been easy to do since I ran without controls descriptions and basically ran to the center of each circle that I had drawn from the master maps. |
Total Time Lost - 00:06:35