Training Log Archive: BigWillyStyle

RG

Flying Pig/US Champs Middle @ Carter Caves. Welp two good races out of three ain't bad. This one was tough; when I got a stitch in my side while slowly jogging to the start I had a strong suspicion it might not be my day. I blew the second control spectacularly, losing >3min, so my race felt KO'd from the start which is always demotivating and puts you in a negative mindset. Still, I ran the section from about 2-9 well before starting to tire physically, question myself needlessly and make some really dumb mistakes, lose focus, and be ready to be done by 17 or so.

OCIN_FP2023_Sunday_Middle_9_Blue - Splits

RG

Flying Pig/US Champs Long @ Carter Caves. 6th place - another race and result I was quite happy with, despite a few bobbles and one smallish mistake. I knew going in that Joe was 4min behind me, so all the time I was half-expecting to see him come through. I stupidly goofed 4, stopping one reentrant short, and also 5 with a poor direction (for about 30s each) but as it turned out Joe didn't catch me until the longish road/trail run to 12. I was able to hang most of the way to 13, but lost him ahead on the steep climb to 14.

I made my mistake to 15 when I navigated to the wrong gap in the massive cliff band, and following that by falling too far down the slope while trying to contour around and having to climb back up 3-4 contours, all of which added up to about 1:30 lost. I think I made a good choice to take the road toward 16 and climb later, as opposed to climbing first (up to the old golf course) which several guys did. The rest was fairly straightforward, though the area of negative contour detail around 16 and 17 was cool. And the uphill finish was painful.

I took a Gu a few min before start, and another ~45 in, which seemed to keep my energy level up. I was also careful to drink at the water stops, since the temp was in the mid 60F range. I'm always paranoid these days that I'll crash and burn hard on a long race after like an hour, and that did not happen. Another success! Re: the map, the green felt significantly less green than expected, which was naturally a pleasant surprise.

OCIN_FP2023_Saturday_Long_9 Blue - Splits

Event: Flying Pig XXV - 2023 OUSA Nationals
 

RG

Flying Pig/US Champs sprint @ Morehead State U. Third place! Given the very strong field of both Americans and Canadians, I came in presuming basically to be around the 8-10 range at best, so this was nothing short of a spectacular result for me. I felt good and my speed was reasonably competitive with most of the guys (perhaps helped by the slippery footing) and I ran about as close to a perfect technical race as possible, making solid route choices quickly and executing the trickier legs correctly. My review of the map from 2015 surely helped as well. So yeah, thrilled with the race and result.

OCIN_FP2023_Friday_Sprint_9 Blue - Splits