Training Log Archive: Wildsky

Start of race. Mari ran to get the map then we ran with the boat on wheels down to the put in. RVG bombed down the hill while I reviewed the map while running. Headed out in the lead with enduraventure setting on our draft and numa not far behind. During the paddle, we continually tried to drop them with hard hundred sets but I think that since we all had the same boats with three paddling it just wasn't possible. I think that the boat was basically at it hull speed. Arrived in TA a minute or two ahead of endura

road ride up to trek. all pavement endura right on our tail and we all switched off drafting. This is when I noticed that endura's navigator was their gal. Not sure that the guys wouldn't drive her into the ground. Finished leg together

Only allowed to run on trails. So we just followed the yellow blaze to the top of pinnicle peak. Compass still in my bag waiting to do some nav. Caught and passed endura at the top

on the way out we saw that endure and numa were about 10-15 minutes behind. road ride to unadded TA. more pavement and still no compass. Got stung on my hand. It was starting to get real hot and humid now and I was suffering a bit.

Started with a hike up a road. Should have been able to run this but i was getting wiped. just fast hiked up. got on the trail and felt better. we moved along good. Mari tow both RVg and I up the really steep stuff (she is an animal)

this was all manditory on trail so it was still navigate by colors on the trees and my compass was still longing to come out and play. Got to an out and back control which made no sense in the flow so I looked at the map board which was convinently placed at each trail jctn and found a trail that wasn't on the my map. looked like a better route than the out/back so we took it. didn't factor the new trail terrain or the fact that the trail we were looking for was decommissioned. We were f-ed. bad trail long waty around. By the time we got to the cp we were 45 minutes off the lead and this error cost us at least 1.3hr. You figure our lead before the f-up. it was incredible.

next up missing control/bad utm. found the course setter on the way up the trail to the next control. conversation went something like this.

CS: you find the control
D: no its further up
CS: none of the other teams found the control
D: does that mean we might have passed it becasaue it is propoerly plotted further up
CS: no answer
D: do you believe that the controls is out there and properly placed
CS: no answer

nice puzzle huh. If you leave and the team behind gets the control you loose. If you go back and look for it the team ahead makes time on you. We moved on

road ride to fire roads. only about 2% singletrack slowed down a bit here. getting tired and loopy. This is were I was afraid my braking might be a problem. i had no front brake the entire race. It came out of the bike box broke on friday night but we went with it because there was so much road. wasn't really a problem. On the steep rocky stuff, RVG went with no front to shame me into going faster. Or maybe he just took my brake to help me improve my handling.

Lots of fire road and some trail. it was cold as heck. RVG nav'ed spot on. got a bit loopy in a rhody bike wack. met endura early on. they knew the area and couldn't find a cp. they nicely took us to the spot where it should be and then mari found it. they dropped as their gal had a busted up ankle. Had we won??? not yet numa showed up. they were moving fast. Knew the trails and were just plain faster than us. After the bike whack they couldn't find the control that was just off the trail. I gave them a complete bs line that they bot as mari went right in the woods in front of them and punched the control 15 ft from them.

they hadn't got a control so they were behind. I pointed out the control on the way out.