Training Log Archive: AliC

Event: Hudson Highlander
 

Hudson Highlander 2010

Exhausterating! But a good race. Most happy with getting around the last map almost entirely alone and not making any big mistakes. Sam and Hilly must have been catching me on it though, because I heard/saw them at 28, and knew I really couldn't mess up 29 or 30 to stay ahead.... they are amazing for having chatted the entire way around. I'm 100% positive I can't carry on a conversation and orienteer at that speed...

Worst leg was probably the 1st, when I tried to just go left of a blob of green, got way tangled up in it, dropped my SI card, and realized with my heart dropping just a few steps later that I didn't have it. Went back to look, and luckily did find it just a few meters away, but in thick green, that was really worrying!

Thanks so so so much to everyone involved in organizing/planning/putting out controls/picking them up/feeding us, everything!!! Was fantastic!

Some thoughts on controls: (will have QuickRoute up sometime later, but unfortunately, I somewhat randomly started and stopped it and not sure what I actually have).

Map #1
1- Knew where I was, where I was going, just bad decision to try to go through that green...
2- Fine, along side of the hill, pretty easy to pick out right hill while approaching.
4- Decided I liked the look of the way through the marsh better than the other green, worked well, but got confused while approaching control, and paused for a good while having a look at the giant reentrant just south of the control.
6- Around green this time at the beginning, but then had to go thorough more close to the control, which confused me as I thought I was where it should be white. A group caught me here, including Sam, Hilly, Paul and Daniel, which ended up sticking together off and on for the rest of this map, the trail run, and the first half of the 2nd map.
7-8-9-10- Chatting with Sam and Hilly, orienteering some too.

Trail run.
Felt fine, could feel the hamstring, but wasn't really pain, so didn't focus on it.

Map #2
13- We ran up the trail, maybe a better route choice to stay lower? But not if you had to battle vegetation, although our way down the cliff was iffy. Didn't see the trail I wanted off to the left after coming down the cliff. Sam corrected the group when we'd gone too far.
15- I got out to the trail straight away, which was slightly quicker than the rest of the group, think they had more green? But I came into near the control quite a bit low.
17- Green bashing out to the trail, and then as soon as we got off it too. And we were a bit lower than we thought. Least lovely leg.
18- Long king/queen of the mountain leg. Following cliffs and then up and things made sense at the top, so straight into control.
20- Slightly different route choice than Sam and Hilly ducking through some short green to end up just west of control
21- Out to the road and then up, could have come up slightly earlier, but not much.

Map #3
22- Out on road then turned off, hill, hill saw tower, then up and paused at a good spot, looked around and saw control and Jon Torrence.
23- Rough bearing to camp huts area, then along trail above marsh to dotted stream then up and over. Made myself pace count so I didn't stop too soon.
24- Stream to path to waterfall and in. But hesitation approaching path (hidden by green) and waterfall (figuring out exactly what it was).
25- Rought bearing around big swamp, out to path, lost time staying on it, because I was tired, should have just kept cutting to road. Through nastiness at powerline junction, then decided to go up and over. Followed spur on backside, then down to it, checked out one wrong not mapped boulder first.
26- Contouring, noticing cliffs. Popped over in the right spot.
27- Down trail between houses, over on road, then contoured, noticing cliffs again. Hesitation close to the circle based on some boulder confusion. Think this is actually when I noticed Sam and Hilly approaching first.
28- Down up, didn't see rock wall, but cliff with grey was obvious, followed spur up stayed left of it.
29- Down straight on line, through marsh, battled green on other side, ran along edge of marsh, noticed going through green and then was very careful on the way in.
30- Time to fly, downhill, pushed right by a different set of cliffs than the ones I thought. Out by the set of 3 bigger houses, then over on road, down to boulder and back and finish!

343/2000

C • Congrats 7

Highlander - Splits

Event: WCOC Brooksvale meet
 

Hmm, can't find my map for this now, boo. Either in car, at parents in Poughkeepsie, or at friend Maria's house, not sure which...

But anyways, had a nice little Highlander-warm up around the woods. I was wimpy and did green despite George's protest that I should be tougher... =) Did jog it, especially as I felt my hamstring feel weird as I started off through the fields.

Was ok orienteering-wise, but not spot-on. One control came out far too high and another was staying too low. Another I took a lower, earlier path, which wasn't the intended plan, but actually did save some climb.

313/2000

C • Congratulations! 3

Green - Splits

And just snuck in the week's rollerski! Just before dark 6-6.50 and just out on the bike path. Glad I waited til the evening though, was much less rainy than the morning when whatever hurricane/tropical storm coming though was still at it. However, there were lots and lots of soggy leaves on the trail, so could only skate here and there, mostly double-poling. Even a tree down in one place!

Some basic strength in the office since that was the only time I had today. 13 minutes of legs/back/arms, 8 min abs.

Full day commuting out to Stony Brook from Brooklyn, then meeting with folks all day, including an astronomer who xc skied at Harvard as an undergrad and orienteers, occasionally (grew up in Bulgaria/Italy). He does different stuff astro-wise (planets), but we chatted about skiing/orienteering for awhile!

Got back to Amherst at 2am, exhausted!

C • Who 5

Argh!!! So annoyed with myself, had this amazing plan of orienteering at Mt. Tom on my way down to NYC. Alex was going to try to join even, but didn't realize I was leaving to go straight to New York after... but anyways, I forgot the map I had just picked up from Phil's office, and was so so disappointed!!! Next week for this course maybe then.

But I was there so did hill terrain intervals instead. Warm up around the lake, then 1-2-3-2-1-2 up towards the top. Wasn't feeling that springy, but it's also a pretty good hill!

Noon running (actually at noon today- a rarity!) with Sanjay, Sergio and Paul. Did an out and back to Atkins on trail, because Paul wanted to stay on trail and not road it back. Was raining and I was wearing glasses, which wasn't great, made me nervous on trail picking my way (also no ankle brace!), but no twist, so good!

The Garmin is informative to find out how long all these lunch runs actually are, but I'm not sure the guys always want to find out (if it's less...). This wasn't one of our standards today, so no one was upset at it being 6.8.