Training Log Archive: RLShadow

GPS track

Green X at Sprague Brook Park, south of Buffalo. Did OK, not great. I had only two actual errors, specific places where I got lost time due to a mistake of one kind or another, although I know there had to be some sub-standard route choices, plus just the general hesitations, reading my map too often, and not moving fast enough through the woods. Overall, it was a good course for me, for not having done an A meet in many years (like 5 or so?). It's wasn't terribly challenging technically, and it offered a lot of opportunities for trail running.

My main frustration was #1, and this was even after I told myself multiple times to be extra careful on the first control. The direct line to the control would have crossed about 100 m of medium green, so I ruled that choice out.

The two other choices seemed almost equally as good -- go north of the green, along the edges of rough open fields; or go south of the green, on a somewhat windy trail system.

I decided to stick to the trails, but I somehow got botched up; I left a trail to do what I thought was a slight shortcut through some open woods, to another trail, and found a small stream in my way that I had to make my way across, which was no big deal, except that based on where I thought I was, there should have been no stream!

That should have set off alarms but it didn't, I just pushed on, and in a few more seconds, saw the edge of a field. I then realized where I was, which was 100-150 m north of where I had expected to be, and was able to find the control without too much extra lost time.

I think I lost about 2 minutes in this ordeal, because the person who started 2 minutes after me (John Campbell, I think) on Green X got to the control just before I did. So no REAL big deal in terms of time lost, but it was very disconcerting, especially since I was making what I thought was a major effort to NOT screw up on #1.

After that, I settled in reasonably well with no other major time losses (other than, as I said, referring to the map too often and moving too slowly) until #9.

I got to the area of the #9 circle as per my plan, but lost maybe 1-2 minutes hunting for the control. The feature was a boulder in a marsh, very close to a rootstock. I saw a rootstock, in fact I saw two rootstocks close together which should have been a clue to me, because the map only showed one rootstock near the boulder. Still, I looked all around the pair of rootstocks for the boulder, which wasn't to be found. I then saw another rootstock about 30 m away, and when I headed for that, I found the boulder and the control. I realized later that the rootstock pair that I initially went towards was just outside of the circle.

I finished16th out of 39 starters on Green X, which I was reasonably happy with. I was exactly in the middle of my age group (M60): 6th out of 11. Rick Worner was 3rd in that age group, and he only beat me by about 3 minutes, so I wasn't too far out of being in the top 3. However, the top guy in our age group, Bob Lux, was at 49:13, a full 12 minutes ahead of me. Very humbling, considering, I had only 3-4 minutes of what I'd call mistakes.

C • When a stream isn't a stream... 4

I certainly didn't get any advantage from being new to the M60+ age group this year! Looking at the BFLO Sunday results of M50+, M55+, and M60+, there is virtually no difference in level of competition among these age groups.

Here is the winning time, and the median time, for these age groups:

M50+: Winner: 46:24. Median: 1:03:30

M55+: Winner: 48:55. Median: 1:03:30

M60+: Winner: 49:13. Median: 1:01:23 (which is me!)

In my age group, I finished 6th out of 11. If I had been in M50+, I would have been 6th out of 13. If I had been in M55+, I would have been 5th out of 11. Not much difference.

If this is typical of other meets, it hardly seems to make sense to break things down by 5-year age groups. Just have one big age group of M50+, which would include any males from 50-64. (Plus anyone 65 and older who wants to run Green instead of Brown.)

Long - Green X - Splits

Event: Buffalo Orienteering Festival
 

Really really easy and short run, on a warm, steamy afternoon, on the Hojack Trail with Anne. I had run more this week than is usual for me, and I'm doing the Green at BFLO tomorrow (in the long event), so I wanted this to essentially be a rest day.

Another urban run, from the Highland Park area, after a meeting at St. John's. Gorgeous day. Lotsa people at the Lilac festival.

Route

Ran from home, around the "big block". Home to Bay to Ridge to Maple to Klem to Bay. North on Bay to Backus Rd, to DeWitt, DeWitt back home. Walked the last couple of tenths of a mile. Very windy. Fairly flat loop (although there is a gradual downward slope from south to north), but it felt like climbing a hill when going into the wind.

Very easy run on the Hojack Trail.

Hardly counts as training, but lots of walking, at the Lilac Festival. Cheryl and I and Anne went down to hear some music; parked on Meigs St just north of Rockingham. Walked partly on park trails, partly on park roads, and partly through the lilac groves to get to where the music was. We got a bite to eat, and listened to around 8 sounds by Big Voodoo Daddy (?), a big band with a lot of horns, kind of reminiscent of 30's-40's music. They were quite good, but after 8 songs, and after paying $5 for a Labatt Blue, I had had my fill. Anne suggested going to the Distillery where there was a huge selection of beers, for $2.50 each, so that's what we did. Then it was an even longer walk back to the car. According to GMAPS, we covered around 2.5 miles, so I figured that's loggable ... Time is a total estimate.

Urban run on a cool, sunny day. Worked at OCD for a few hours, then had a 10:30 meeting at St. John's. Changed into my running stuff at St. John's, then parked on Laney Rd near Highland. Rough route: out to Elmwood, to South, to Mt. Hope, to Wilson Blvd through the U of R, back to Elmwood, Mt. Hope, Highland, and Laney.

Route

C • your route 2

Easy run on the Hojack trail with the dog (Homer). Around 50 degrees, which is about the max that Homer will tolerate for running more than a mile or so. Started at Klem Rd and headed to North Ponds Park; did one lap about the ponds, with Homer getting in the water for a short swim twice. Then back to Klem, past Klem, to around half way between Van Alstyne and Drumm, then back to car. There were a couple of walking breaks, not included in the time or distance, mainly to give Homer a break.

Homer sure got his exercise today. Cheryl took him for a walk at Ellison Wetlands this morning, I did the run with him this afternoon, and early evening, I walked him over to Finn Park and back.