Training Log Archive: Nikolay

Long at Boggs Mountain A Meet

Notes:

Did not feel tired this morning. Learning that the leg to first control today will be streamered set a positive and calm start to my race.
1. While running to control 1 looked at the course and the long legs. Did not see any difficult route choice legs and was a bit disapointed from the long legs.
2. Punched 1 and hmmm did not have a plan for two other than my bearing set while running to 1. So I started on that bearing and looked at the route options and decided to go straight north through the saddle to the trai and from its bend down the reenrant to the control
3. Down to the road, lacerated the palm of my hand really bad and tore my tights within 10 seconds of each other. then up to the control
4. Up the ridge, crossing the trails, on the indistinct trail counting the deep reentrants as I was crossing them careful not to loose too much elevation, up to the flat arean and last climb to the control.
5. Really fast down the steep slope corssing the flat saddle and up the knol to the control. I am thinking here I got the fastest split....
6. And sure enough, contouring to 6 reading the reentrants as I run, passing a bit above my control, not seeing the ditch continuing up from the control reentrant that was suppose to be my catching feature if I run to high. A bit later stopped wandering should I go higher up or come back, being pretty sure I have passed it. Thinking if I passed it I should have seen it, so I continued running up. Realized where I am a bit later and came back. 2'40" lost
7. thinking to run this one on the right on the big road and trails, but decided against it since it was much longer and most of the leg was downhill anyway. So I run straigth using trail where I could keeping close to the red line.
8. Compas bearing. Spot on.
9. Compas bearing through the campground and up
10. Not many options You got to do the climb one way or the other... Contoured straigth to the T trail junction, ran on the trail untill it started decending contoured as much as possible into the big reentrant, and then UP.
At the top stayed on the left of the ridge and gradually climbed to the control.
11. Straight.
12 Contoured and decended gradually, planning to stay close to the straight line and then use a compass after the big road to attach directly. Reaching the ridge I reallized I decended too much and decided to pop down on the tral and run around using the trails and attack from below. That's what I did and it felt fast. aside from the last climb. Walking up I decided that 13 I'll run straight, no way I am boing down and then up that slope for 13 again.
13. Contoured and used the openings counted reentrants and then another steep short climb leading the the control.
14. Contouring/decending to the trail, then using the ride to the control
15. Contoured around but was a bit tired and was using the easy way gradually decending, had to climb a bit before the control
16. Straight up drink water at the control.
17. Did not take bearing and just ran hoping to notice the flat hilltop. Ended up to the left. Second mistake of the day 20"
18, 19. Compass.
20. Legs a bit tired, so decided to use the trals and then the safe road of climbing to the hill top passed the green patch attacking from there. Good safe route choice.
21. Did not bother to read the map just got compass bearing, saw a patch of green that looked the one on whose edge the control was, and began rumagging through it looking for a rock. Did not find a single rock came out of it and then looked at my map...... I was in the rough open with undergrowth. Glanced south and saw the pile of rocks I was looking for 50 meters away. 1'10"
22. Got a bearing and ran along the shallow reentrant, corossed it and as I did not see the control I noticed the road to my left and corrected. 20"
Ran hard to the finish, and got the fastest split for me from the three days. The finish shoot was the same all 3 days.

Happy with my run today. One mistake because I got over confident, and couple small mistakes at the last 10 mins of the race because I relaxed at the end.

Blue Course:


My route:

Middle at Boggs Mountain A Meet

Notes:
Legs felt better this morning and I most always feel like that after a sprint race. For next A meet weekend I should really do a hard short workout the day before the A meet. Yesterday at the sprint I felt heavy and a bit sluggish.
Anyway, did better today, but still not focused enough. Did several mistakes, but was pleased with the fast recoveries from those, and managing to stay cool and in control after the mistakes.

For 1 ran to the road bend and compas bearing from there. poped up exactly at the small ride going down towards the control. From the end of it straight north to the control.
Felt really fast taking 2- already knew I need to go back contouring and crossing two reenrants and climb a bit at the end. Executed as planned.
For 3 - direcion to the trail, then not being careful about my attack point entered and not seeing my control, ran back to the trail right away and did it right the second time. 1'30" lost.
4 - Down and a bit around to the left on a compas direciton passing under the rocks midway, and then ending up to the left of the small spur, relocated fast but still 30" lost
5 Down to the road, vegetation bounday, small tral, then through a small unmapped reentrant through the green, and coming to 5 from the left and a bit from below.
7 I though I just contoured but ended up way lower in the reentrant. 20"
8 - contouring and after crossing the ride in the shallow wide reentrant looked for the green forest and ran to the ridge of it.
9 - Dumb. Exited 8 completely on the wrong side - 30". Yes, running around 3 sides of a square takes 3 times longer than running only one side of it.
10. Very similar leg as the team trials 2 years ago. The ridge line is very distinct there so I ran only on a rough compass. Ended up on the ridge not sure from what side of the conrol and chose to go left, the wrong way. relocated from a Green course control on the rock face. 1'40"
11 did not wanting to contour on that steep slope and being angry at myself for messing up I went wide to the right where the forest was clean and ground not rocky, then through the saddle and down to the control on a compass.
12 Up to the trail climbing gradually running all the way throughout the climb. then along the veg. border walking the last 100 m.
13 contouring and following the ride at the end.
14 and 15 as fast as I can ....

Blue Course:


My route:

Night O at Boggs Mountain A Meet

Notes:
Fun fun fun!
Fast and pretty clean race. Used precise bearings for most of the controls and was spiking them. There was no reflecting tape on them, but Vladimir have hung most of them high and pretty visible, so it wasn't that bad, taking into accound the good light that I had.

1 min on 13. Climbing up, I lost the ride and bushwacked up through the thickets untill I popped up on the big trail and came back for the control.
45" on the last control: 24. Did not read that control is on rock and was looking for it at the trail junction, basically I have run right passed it. The rock was 1 meter from the trail.


Score O Course:


My route: (going counter clockwise)

Event: Boggs Mountain A-Meet and Family Weekend
 

Too short of a worm up. Focused my thinking on being calm and careful for control 1. And of course starting the course I did not even see the start triangle flag that was about 40 meters from the start, and just cut for my first conrol afer I felt that I have run that distance. .... Not the careful ad calm start I was hoping for.

Sprint at Boggs Mountain A Meet

Notes:
Did not have a clean run by any means.
Started with 2:50 min mistake for 1 and was not concentrated and motivated to run smart after that.
10 " on 7 where I saw another control again on a knol about 20 meters from mine (which I am pretty sure is a violation of the rule of not placing two controls on a similar feature close to each other)
Another 10 " on 10 where I end up a bit to the left.
For 11 I ran paralel to the road looking for the rock but was already too far so I ended up on the small trail and came back - 1 min. Here I saw Clem who found the control before me, and so...... I decided to chase him down. Got my bearing and spiked 12 but did not bother with compass for the easy 13 and completely brain farted the control.

Physically my legs felt ok

Blue/Red Course:



My route:

Group 5:
5 x 1000 at 3:33 with 600 rest

Changed it to only 400 m rest and did 4 not 5. Kept the pace on all but the last as my calfs were burning, and SF A meet is 2 days away.

3:33
3:34
3:35
3:40