Race Evaluation
US Short and Long Championships: Red Y 2
piutepro
| 1. | Trail over the hill, across the camp, drop down along trail to control. Reluctant at control, than I see bag below. | ||||||
| 2. | +00:30 | Think about using trails, but I go straight. Which, as it turns out later, is easier running than the mud bath trails. Along the park boundary, through reentrants. See trail before control, something is odd with the reentrant, keep going and hit the control right on. | |||||
| 3. | Run uphill and study the long leg. Around seems out of the way, going 90 degree for 600-700m seems odd. | ||||||
| 4. | +06:00 | I decide to take the trails to the pond. They are muddy. Slow. Not good. I want to cut from trail to pond, get stuck in green slow swamp. Drift and fight uphill along the small reentrant. Not good. Finally I get out to the road, run over the hill. Great view but not a good route choice. But I am in the middle of it, keep going. On the bottom I see Pavlina running along the hillside. Wow, she started six minutes after me. She went around. I do the best I can: Keep fighting, moving. | |||||
| 5. | Drop down, easy. Catch up with Pavlina. | ||||||
| 6. | +01:00 | I decide to follow the stream down. We both go left of the open swamp. She drifts to left, I move over to shooting range. Both run along road, I cut in too early, since I saw a flag. There is a B. family reunion at the control, Joe on Red X, though. | |||||
| 7. | Across the road. Deep crevices. One foot goes down to the knee, but at slow speed. | ||||||
| 8. | I don't like the left road option nor the right trails, so I go straight. P. doesn't get away, even though she moves better in the underbrush. I can't get away from her either in the more open, until we reach the road. I move well uphill to the whatever building before 8. Another B. family reunion. | ||||||
| 9. | +01:00 | A whole group trashes over to 9. I think I follow the contours to the control, but I am one contours below, go to cliff bend first, as most of the group. Relocate from there. | |||||
| 10. | I fight down the reentrant. P. ran off while I spent a moment checking the route choice. Drop to road, uphill on yesterday's finish. On the horizon I see Pavlina walking up. I catch up. Have a good speed and pass her. Ahead there is Joe again. Climb up the hill, right on to control. P. somewhere right behind me. | ||||||
| 11. | Cut through woods. Punch, keep going. I don't feel like drinking, just have some of my Hammer drink and keep going. Still have good legs. Better than yesterday during the short race. | ||||||
| 12. | +00:30 | Take the small trail and fight through the green. It is greener than expected. See control to my right. Pavlina catches up. We fight for the punch. She gets it this time. | |||||
| 13. | Across the swamp, see the stream and move to control. I punch first. | ||||||
| 14. | +01:00 | Follow the trail, while still ruminating about climbing the reentrant (like Peter did). But I decide to stay on the trail, seems like a pleasant ride, somewhat longer, but no dog leg in the end. I move ahead on the trail. I sense the tempo runs of the last two weeks give me an edge on the trail. | |||||
| 15. | Run over, take a sip of water and go. | ||||||
| 16. | +01:30 | I decide to take the jeep trail, hoping to make some time. I also got burned in the green area at the edge of the meadow on the way from 5-6. Cut through yellow to reentrants, a good climb, somewhat trashy but ok. As I get to the control, who comes up the hill, Pavlina. Seems the straight option was better. | |||||
| 17. | Run to the swamp, pick up trail to control. | ||||||
| F. | Nice sprint to the finish. I had better legs today. Some better route choice in the beginning would have helped. I am happy, that I have the springy good legs on several trail runs. Hope I can extend that to off trail running. |
Total Time Lost - 00:11:30