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Sunday Oct 6, 2019 #
8 AM
orienteering race 5:18:52 [3] *** 28.87 km (11:03 / km) +969m 9:27 / km
spiked:31/33c shoes: Icebug Zeal OLX
Hudson Highlander, Baileytown-trail run-Surebridge-Silvermine, 25.9 km 995 m climb, 17th. 20 courses completed, and this one went pretty well.
Although I can't say my physical training in advance of this event was very good, at least my nutritional prep was. A good solid dinner of lasagna at Ratlum Mountain on Saturday night, and a good solid breakfast as well. A bottle of Ethan-All before walking to the start, another at each of the visits to Tiorati Circle, and a goo at the water stop on Surebridge. Although I was hurting a bit by the end, I didn't run out of gas.
My intent was to not go out too fast, so I was largely walking up the hill, taking the straight route so as to spread the climb out. Quite a few people around for the first three legs, then going to #4 I was just ahead of Bernie and behind Peggy, so I figured I should let them navigate since they knew what they were doing. But I decided to cut off the trail at the end of the long marsh, while Peggy continued on it much further. I missed a bit to the left, but Bernie was behind me and pointed out that we were below the marsh south of the control, so we went around it clockwise, while I spotted Peggy on the better route passing to the east of it. Lost about a minute.
Peggy was in sight up ahead on the way to #5, we maybe saved a little by going right of the marsh before the control. Then to #6, I figured on going left around the uncrossable marsh. I saw Peggy going more right, and maybe she went right around it, or maybe through (Jeff did that and said it was okay). I was with Pafi and Bernie and some other people, but we went too far right, and instead of the white woods to get to the road, we ended up going through the north end of the crossable marsh, which was very thick. No problem once we got out to the road, but the marsh cost us two minutes. I had worked my way up to the front of the pack, and was leading on the way to #7. I had joked on an AP thread that I'd roll an ankle in the first 2 km, but I actually made it almost 5 km, and wrenched the right one (the problematic one) shortly before the control, for the first of maybe six times, of which maybe three were bad. Plus one or two for the left one. Whatever, keep on running.
Straight on #8, picked my way through the green pretty well, with some people close behind me (I had a vague sense that they were Lowlander girls). Pafi up ahead on the way to #9, then I pulled ahead and was leading the group, though I lost about 30 seconds thanks to spacing out on the contour lines and swinging too far left on the way to #11. Leaving #11 we caught back up to Peggy, as we headed into the leg that looked like it was a plunge down a steep hill, but was actually more of a descending traverse. I picked up the indistinct trail, though I couldn't see it on the map at speed. I glanced back on this leg and saw a long line of people following me. Spotted the control from a long way off, and arrived just after Angelica, who sped up when she saw it.
A quick cup of water, and then on to the trail trudge. I had no aspirations of going fast on this, I just wanted to keep moving and not get lost. Peggy and Bernie and some others were close behind me, but I wasn't getting passed. At the left turn near Hippo Rock we caught up to somebody, who turned out to be Joe. Peggy commented that he must be having a bad day to be back with us, and he said he had a lot on his mind. I eventually got past him, but David Hulme had come up from behind us and zoomed past. Near the end, Glen was right behind me, and I was making an effort to not slow down enough for him to pass me, because I liked the idea of maintaining my position during the trail run.
At the aid station, I sat down to drink my whole bottle of zoom juice, then we realized that the Fab Four were all in the same place together, so we had Ching-Hua take our picture. SA has me losing a minute on the next leg, which may be attributable to that dawdling. Bernie had a plan for trails to the left of the line, but I liked the trails to the right, and that was Peggy's plan as well. I had a nice time chatting with her about Swedish ancestors on the way (see note later). I guess some people took the road around, but I didn't even see that option. We went up to the water tower, paralleled the power lines, past #9, then went through some really beautiful white woods. About halfway along we picked up a trail, and caught up to Nadim, Daniel, Dave Pruden, and David Hulme, who we had made up a couple of minutes on. Passing the green marsh, they blew right past the jeep trail (a little overgrown), allowing me to get ahead briefly. They recovered and we formed a loose pack of seven, with David disappearing somewhere, and Joe and Bernie catching up.
Then came the nadir navigationally, with small mistakes on four of the next five controls, amounting to about 3.5 minutes. First we missed #2 to the left a little, but Nadim found it and hollered to us. I think #3 was the last we saw of Joe, as he got a little ahead and then picked up the pace. I was with a couple of others when we got to the circle, but there was an area with a lot of young saplings which I charged into. The control was a little to my right (in cleaner woods) and the pack caught up. On #4 I couldn't understand why everybody was going so far right, and I went further left and spiked the control... but it was #5. Wrong circle! I hustled to catch up, and when I got near #4 everybody was milling around looking confused, but I saw the big lumpy rock thing in front of the control and got there first. Just had to retrace my steps to back to #5, and Nadim and I caught up with Jeff there. Then I seemed to get a little lead going to #6, but that was just because I was going too far right, and everybody got ahead of me as I corrected.
#7 was longer, and I managed to catch back up with people. Jeff took a different route around to the right and we never saw him again. At the water stop we caught up with Jani (I think), and he was with us for a while but dropped back after #7. We were kind of bunched up at #7, then I got a little ahead going to #8, with Peggy and Nadim close behind, and I was leading all the way to #9 and back to Tiorati.
Tori was still at Tiorati when we got there, but she left ahead of us and we never spotted her. I again took my time driinking, and headed onto Silvermine with Nadim in sight up ahead and Peggy on my heels. I picked a better line at the end of the leg and got in ahead of Nadim. That was the last that any of the pack were ahead of me, except Nadim, briefly. Had to switch my brain over to the Silvermine mapping style, and had a nice route to #2, swinging slightly right and avoiding the (mapped) green. On my own for #3, other than a group of Lowlanders behind me on the trail, and likewise to #4. I glanced back leaving the control and saw Nadim and Bernie and others coming on strong. Bernie was a monster, I couldn't shake him even though he was running with his arm in a sling.
#5 was the low point physically. My route was slightly right of the line, first right around the yellow hill, then failing to force myself to stay right to get up to the trail. By now I was grunting with every step and mumbling to myself, but I kept moving at a decent pace. I finally hit the trail 2/3 of the way to the control exactly at the bend, then it was up through the saddle and down the big hill. Nadim came in running parallel on my right, and I think I was reading the contours a little more confidently and hit the depression first.
The small trails leading out of there didn't exist, so it was just a push through the blueberry to the jeep trail. Heading NW on the jeep trail, I saw somebody up ahead coming toward us, then I glanced at my map, and when I looked up again, he had vanished. Sheesh, I didn't realize I was tired enough to be hallucinating (it happened once in a Rogaine). But then we came around a bend and there was Dave Pruden, on the ground, I guess having tripped on something. We asked if he needed help, and he said for us to just keep going. Nadim was a good guide on the attack, spiking the small depression.
So Nadim was just ahead, and maybe Bernie behind. As we headed NE, Nadim went left around the green hill, while I decided that going right looked better. On the other side of the stream, I saw him down below near the marsh, while I had cleaner footing higher up. I kept up the pace and followed the base of the slope to the cliff, then it was just stay in the white woods as long as seemed prudent, and when I tried to cross, the marsh had dwindled to a stream, and the last control was just to my right. I managed to be the first one in of the pack I was in for the whole second half (everybody I had seen since Joe and Tori).
Quite a fine and enjoyable Highlander!
splits
Winsplits
Although I can't say my physical training in advance of this event was very good, at least my nutritional prep was. A good solid dinner of lasagna at Ratlum Mountain on Saturday night, and a good solid breakfast as well. A bottle of Ethan-All before walking to the start, another at each of the visits to Tiorati Circle, and a goo at the water stop on Surebridge. Although I was hurting a bit by the end, I didn't run out of gas.
My intent was to not go out too fast, so I was largely walking up the hill, taking the straight route so as to spread the climb out. Quite a few people around for the first three legs, then going to #4 I was just ahead of Bernie and behind Peggy, so I figured I should let them navigate since they knew what they were doing. But I decided to cut off the trail at the end of the long marsh, while Peggy continued on it much further. I missed a bit to the left, but Bernie was behind me and pointed out that we were below the marsh south of the control, so we went around it clockwise, while I spotted Peggy on the better route passing to the east of it. Lost about a minute.
Peggy was in sight up ahead on the way to #5, we maybe saved a little by going right of the marsh before the control. Then to #6, I figured on going left around the uncrossable marsh. I saw Peggy going more right, and maybe she went right around it, or maybe through (Jeff did that and said it was okay). I was with Pafi and Bernie and some other people, but we went too far right, and instead of the white woods to get to the road, we ended up going through the north end of the crossable marsh, which was very thick. No problem once we got out to the road, but the marsh cost us two minutes. I had worked my way up to the front of the pack, and was leading on the way to #7. I had joked on an AP thread that I'd roll an ankle in the first 2 km, but I actually made it almost 5 km, and wrenched the right one (the problematic one) shortly before the control, for the first of maybe six times, of which maybe three were bad. Plus one or two for the left one. Whatever, keep on running.
Straight on #8, picked my way through the green pretty well, with some people close behind me (I had a vague sense that they were Lowlander girls). Pafi up ahead on the way to #9, then I pulled ahead and was leading the group, though I lost about 30 seconds thanks to spacing out on the contour lines and swinging too far left on the way to #11. Leaving #11 we caught back up to Peggy, as we headed into the leg that looked like it was a plunge down a steep hill, but was actually more of a descending traverse. I picked up the indistinct trail, though I couldn't see it on the map at speed. I glanced back on this leg and saw a long line of people following me. Spotted the control from a long way off, and arrived just after Angelica, who sped up when she saw it.
A quick cup of water, and then on to the trail trudge. I had no aspirations of going fast on this, I just wanted to keep moving and not get lost. Peggy and Bernie and some others were close behind me, but I wasn't getting passed. At the left turn near Hippo Rock we caught up to somebody, who turned out to be Joe. Peggy commented that he must be having a bad day to be back with us, and he said he had a lot on his mind. I eventually got past him, but David Hulme had come up from behind us and zoomed past. Near the end, Glen was right behind me, and I was making an effort to not slow down enough for him to pass me, because I liked the idea of maintaining my position during the trail run.
At the aid station, I sat down to drink my whole bottle of zoom juice, then we realized that the Fab Four were all in the same place together, so we had Ching-Hua take our picture. SA has me losing a minute on the next leg, which may be attributable to that dawdling. Bernie had a plan for trails to the left of the line, but I liked the trails to the right, and that was Peggy's plan as well. I had a nice time chatting with her about Swedish ancestors on the way (see note later). I guess some people took the road around, but I didn't even see that option. We went up to the water tower, paralleled the power lines, past #9, then went through some really beautiful white woods. About halfway along we picked up a trail, and caught up to Nadim, Daniel, Dave Pruden, and David Hulme, who we had made up a couple of minutes on. Passing the green marsh, they blew right past the jeep trail (a little overgrown), allowing me to get ahead briefly. They recovered and we formed a loose pack of seven, with David disappearing somewhere, and Joe and Bernie catching up.
Then came the nadir navigationally, with small mistakes on four of the next five controls, amounting to about 3.5 minutes. First we missed #2 to the left a little, but Nadim found it and hollered to us. I think #3 was the last we saw of Joe, as he got a little ahead and then picked up the pace. I was with a couple of others when we got to the circle, but there was an area with a lot of young saplings which I charged into. The control was a little to my right (in cleaner woods) and the pack caught up. On #4 I couldn't understand why everybody was going so far right, and I went further left and spiked the control... but it was #5. Wrong circle! I hustled to catch up, and when I got near #4 everybody was milling around looking confused, but I saw the big lumpy rock thing in front of the control and got there first. Just had to retrace my steps to back to #5, and Nadim and I caught up with Jeff there. Then I seemed to get a little lead going to #6, but that was just because I was going too far right, and everybody got ahead of me as I corrected.
#7 was longer, and I managed to catch back up with people. Jeff took a different route around to the right and we never saw him again. At the water stop we caught up with Jani (I think), and he was with us for a while but dropped back after #7. We were kind of bunched up at #7, then I got a little ahead going to #8, with Peggy and Nadim close behind, and I was leading all the way to #9 and back to Tiorati.
Tori was still at Tiorati when we got there, but she left ahead of us and we never spotted her. I again took my time driinking, and headed onto Silvermine with Nadim in sight up ahead and Peggy on my heels. I picked a better line at the end of the leg and got in ahead of Nadim. That was the last that any of the pack were ahead of me, except Nadim, briefly. Had to switch my brain over to the Silvermine mapping style, and had a nice route to #2, swinging slightly right and avoiding the (mapped) green. On my own for #3, other than a group of Lowlanders behind me on the trail, and likewise to #4. I glanced back leaving the control and saw Nadim and Bernie and others coming on strong. Bernie was a monster, I couldn't shake him even though he was running with his arm in a sling.
#5 was the low point physically. My route was slightly right of the line, first right around the yellow hill, then failing to force myself to stay right to get up to the trail. By now I was grunting with every step and mumbling to myself, but I kept moving at a decent pace. I finally hit the trail 2/3 of the way to the control exactly at the bend, then it was up through the saddle and down the big hill. Nadim came in running parallel on my right, and I think I was reading the contours a little more confidently and hit the depression first.
The small trails leading out of there didn't exist, so it was just a push through the blueberry to the jeep trail. Heading NW on the jeep trail, I saw somebody up ahead coming toward us, then I glanced at my map, and when I looked up again, he had vanished. Sheesh, I didn't realize I was tired enough to be hallucinating (it happened once in a Rogaine). But then we came around a bend and there was Dave Pruden, on the ground, I guess having tripped on something. We asked if he needed help, and he said for us to just keep going. Nadim was a good guide on the attack, spiking the small depression.
So Nadim was just ahead, and maybe Bernie behind. As we headed NE, Nadim went left around the green hill, while I decided that going right looked better. On the other side of the stream, I saw him down below near the marsh, while I had cleaner footing higher up. I kept up the pace and followed the base of the slope to the cliff, then it was just stay in the white woods as long as seemed prudent, and when I tried to cross, the marsh had dwindled to a stream, and the last control was just to my right. I managed to be the first one in of the pack I was in for the whole second half (everybody I had seen since Joe and Tori).
Quite a fine and enjoyable Highlander!
splits
Winsplits