Training Log Archive: W

Welp, one more chance to redeem myself. I first had an extensive pre-race strategy to deal with the heat. The night before I put my pre-shirt in the freezer. I also made sport drink popsicles. Froze a ton of ice cubes. Got the ice cream maker to make some sport drink slushy. Had 6-7 water bottles of cold water. The plan was to pre-cool as much as possible for a hot day. I soaked myself and everything I had in water, then jogged to the start in my warm-up shirt. Put on my race shirt and doused myself in the rest of the water, and went. Did it work? Who knows? Would one degree of internal temperature be noticeable? It was still hot and flippin' hard, that's for sure.

Almost immediately on the long run to 2, my legs were pretty grumpy. I was envisioning another sprint, where I just didn't have it. A brief mistake to four and five, and then a bad mistake at 7 which lead me to bail out to the trail. I went over the top of the hill but I think I was too high. So I went out to the clearing and then followed the re-entrant up from the trail. The control was pretty hidden in that bit of green. I then crushed 8-14, as I slowly started to feel a bit better. Then I lost all that time over again at 15. I overshot and when to the next hill along the creek, where as if I'd just go to the water-side and run along it, I would've seen the control from a long way away. The clearing bit on the north side of the river was slightly blurred into the contour lines (yeah yeah, compass compass compass). I took a very cautious route to 19, as I went all the way around to the north and east past finish. Everyone said that that indistinct trail was pretty obvious, but since I buggered up a virtually identical leg yesterday, I was taking next to no chance.

The last 5 controls were basically a war of attrition and possibly not necessary. None of them were remarkably difficult, just a painful run through the grass.

As it turns out I one of the first few guys to finish on our course and the first starter of the "red group", so they all had much more packed down and elephant tracks to run in. Yet, I won and Forest who started even earlier than me was 5th. So, pbbbbttthfffft.

All in all, equal levels of rage as usual, but oddly enough, my most successful Westerns/COCs. 3,1,2,4,3,1. I'd almost suggest the next most successful guy was Brian May. Better start taking up skiing, boys.

Also, Damian Renard did this course in the spring in like, 80 minutes. Embarrassing.

And I still didn't collapse at the finish line.

C • The Long 9

COC Long - Course 10 - Splits

Now this, the COC Middle, unleashed all of my fury. I haven't felt this enraged since last year's COC sprint, probably because I haven't blown such a big lead since then.

I even told myself, as I was heading to 13, "this is going to be tough, be careful", and then I wasn't. I cut through the marsh, and then spotted the lake, but I identified the wrong re-entrant and went to far. I couldn't figure out where I was so I somewhat blindly headed back towards the lake. The big problem was that with the vegetation, it was incredibly difficult to even see the re-entrant, it was a one contour and one form line where the contour interval is 2.5m. So, I returned to the lake, took a different approach, and found it that time. The rest of the course was so-so.

I find that when I cross the line, I pretty much immediately know how I did. And in this case I knew that I was probably winning, and then blew it all on that control. I was actually convinced I'd be more like 5th, but apparently I blew such a big lead, that it meant I still got third. Again, though, like last year's COC sprint, I didn't want it. Because I was so mad.

However, in retrospect, who would've thought that I'd threaten in a middle? I actually have more COC medals in the middle than any other distance. What's up with THAT?

I guess I can say that I should be feared in every event. I can crush you at any moment. Just makes me madder when I lose.

There are only two other guys in North America that I would worry about in every discipline.

C • thanks but... 3

COC Middle - Course 10 - Splits

I'm.... not quite sure what to say about this race.

Personally, I was felt roasted by number 3, and just could not get going at sprint speed. What hurt me most was the control just after the spectator one, where I saw my control, but felt it wasnt' because I was going to a different spur. I went to the one I thought it was on and then had to turn around. But, aside from that, it was just really, really slow. The felt far more like a short middle than a sprint. And I don't have a problem saying that I would probably have a different outlook if I had won. As if that's news to anyone.

Anyway, I still have this skepticism about the results, too. Again, since I lost, my brain contains a lot of conspiracy theories. I'm not as distraught because I feel like this race will have always have a little asterisk beside it.

HPP Fundraiser Ultrarsprint. I don't know, even 5 days later now, I'm still of the attitude of "I'm never flippin' doing that ever again". Perhaps that'll wear off, but the level of attendance really doesn't feel like it warranted the ridiculous amount of time I spent perfecting that map and the courses and the format and bagging all those maps and then taping them shut and getting those prizes and writing up instructions and a promo for the website and book and jumping through all the hoops the Legislature put up and STILL listening to some people moan and groan about making sure they get a prize or my 'incorrect' penalty system or having my heart hurt a little by seeing that 50% of the posts on the race on this exact website were about how best to game the system in an effort to get a better result. All this for the casual fundraiser race.

I know I brought it on myself due to the sin of being ambitious, but, criminy.

In all fairness, some people there appeared to be having a good time. And now there is a sweet iconic photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/adrianzissos/78060077...

C • Sprint 6

Relay time! In one of the parks I probably know better than any other park in the city. I've planned 4-5 meets there myself, and spent countless hours running through it, roller skiing through it, cycling through it, and etc. It was kind of like I could look at the map, and identify exactly where it was almost immediately. Unfortunately, a few of the controls were in the green so although I knew where it was, I had a bit of difficult actually physically finding it.

I'd stand there and say "I KNOW its right here, and then I'd fight through the green only to find it on the other side of the tree I was standing beside, or something.

In some areas of that park, there for some reason these metal poles sticking out of the ground. I have in the past tied orange ribbons around them. Unfortunately I found another one by control 3 by kicking it. Hammering into the control, smashed my foot right into it, landed heavily on my right knee and sliding straight into the control. About 30-40 seconds later I was able to start running again, at which point I realized I couldn't remember if I had punched the control or not. I spent the rest of the race worrying about that. (turns out I did).

Glad that finally some people got to run on some of the maps that I spend inordinate amount of time on. No one really ever has any reason to come to Edmonton, so it was nice that everyone I know actually came to visit me for once (well, sort of visit). There's an awful lot more to see.