Training Log Archive: JanetT

A rainy day. We headed off to Badlands anyway, figuring to get a pass and drive the loop road. Stopped for lunch at Wall Drug--an unusual place (tourist trap, for sure).

Wildlife sightings: bison, bighorn sheep (mamas and young'uns only), prairie dogs, and birds, including a meadowlark, a hawk capturing dinner, and vultures. No rattlesnakes.

Rocky Mountain Goat, Remarkable Flats map near Laramie. Finally, a goat I could finish in under 3 hours (there was very little climb, relatively speaking)! I was pleased with my time; I had figured I might take between 2:30 and 3:00 hours. I saw John Pascal for most of the course (either just behind or just ahead of him at controls) until the last few where I could "smell" the finish and he must have lost steam.

Convinced Sue K to try it and she finished in under two hours, running mostly with Gavin W-M. Her first full Goat. :-)

EDIT: added FR track. FR distance, 14.467 (climb is as reportedy by FR). Not your typical Goat's climb.

I really enjoyed this course.

Event: CNYO Rogaine #21
 

FR = 6.658 km

Laramie Daze day 4, "one cowboy relay," a motala style race with 4 loops. First three were randomized among the 34 competitors; I had sequence B-C-A. These three circled a smallish wooded area, about 400x300 meters with a lot of detail. Then everyone had the same final loop which headed out on the more open rangeland. The run in was up 3 contours in 300 meters, which allowed a couple of stronger runners to pass me there.

There were 4 controls on each of the first 3 legs, plus a return to the finish to drop off the previous map (all 4 maps were included in the map case; as we finished one loop we dropped a map into a box at finish); 5 controls in the final loop. I counted in my control tally the 3 times I had to swing by the finish (also took splits there).

I had a couple of non-spike controls; one tucked at the edge of the woods (but the leg's shortest distance going through) that I was a bit slow and sloppy with; and the other out in the open range on the final loop, where I headed for the wrong part of a rocky ridge (we were coming at it from 90 degrees); I was about 80-100 m too far to the left.

Good concentration for the rest of it, though; I wasn't drawn off by any other runners, though the presence of others was helpful while I could keep up on the 1st leg.

Looks like I finished 23rd of 34 runners; 3rd woman (behind Tori C, and Sue K who passed me on the final uphill).

Training on Bisbee HIll map (1:15000), visiting some of the controls from a previous "Chase" event. Stayed mostly in the woods because it was hot (and the middle of the day); worked on keeping track of direction on some legs, and tried a bit of map memory work, but that didn't work as well, so I also practiced relocating. :-)

Resting up now for the Rocky Mountain Goat tomorrow, the final event of this year's Daze! I'll try to finish the whole thing (13.4 km!), but we'll see...

Laramie Daze race 2 (day 3?), on Telephone Song map at 1:15000, with a mass start (like yesterday).

FR = 6.165 km, 150 climb.

1st leg was all downhill, so I just ran at the pace I could keep going without tripping over rocks or sage. Sue K is faster on flats and downhills (she said she walked all the uphills, as did I), and finished 13 minutes ahead of me today. Tori C and Linear Ice were a few minutes ahead of Sue.

Only non-spike was a spur in the woods which I overshot by about 5 meters. I contoured around the bigger reentrants, so added a bit of distance there. Had folks in sight for most legs except 9 and 10 which I did on my own. From a distance, I saw John Pascal descending the hill at 7 so I knew I was headed the right way; saw him and Sheryl L. leaving 8, so knew I was headed the right way. Beat them both to 9, a longer, technical leg.

I was 4th woman today, behind Tori C, Erin B, and Sue K.; about 21st overall.

Tomorrow's motala should be interesting. :-)

Laramie Daze day 2, race 1. Debut of the new Yellow Pine map around the campground, about 1.2 x 2.5 km. Printed at 1:10000, 5m contours.

Very nice course by Mikell; the next-to-last control was in the vicinity of some large exposed outcrops with a channel between them -- very cute. :-) Ran on trails and downhills; walked almost all uphills.

I had John Pascal and Steve(?) D in my sights for most of the race. Finished ahead of both; got ahead of John on the way from 8-9; Steve (who punched 13 the same time as me) followed the wrong line from the GO control and headed back towards the start, adding an extra 5 contours to get back to finish.

2nd woman behind Erin Binder who was 9-10 minutes ahead (and who finished in a pack of 5). Sue K, Ardis D. and Peg D. finished after me.

FR = 6.164 km. Climb as calculated from my track.

Yellow Pine - Splits

20 minutes of walking at the Painted Canyon area of TRNP before the driving trek to Laramie, with a detour through Custer to retrieve an eyeglass case I mistakenly left behind at the restaurant where we ate Sunday night... 500+ miles in all!!!

Event: 2011 Laramie Daze
 

Teddy Roosevelt National Park (southern unit), near Medora, ND. Temperature ranged from mid-70s to mid-80s during this hike, and hit 93 before the end of the day. Fortunately the humidity wasn't too bad, and there was a good breeze from mid-day on.

Hiked on the Jones Creek trail starting at the west end from the loop road, to the second trail junction and returned. There was one gnarly creek crossing in the second mile, but managed to get down it okay on the way out, and up it on the way back.

Not too much in the way of animal sightings (they were smarter than we were?) -- a hawk, a buzzard, and many grasshoppers and small yellow butterflies. Some wildflowers in bloom included thistle (near the end), sunflowers, yellow asters, and a few others.

TRNP - Wind Canyon overlook. Walked along the canyon rim, and overlooked the Little Missouri River, which had several herds of bison crossing the river (probably at least a couple hundred total in that area).

TRNP. Hiked up Buck Hill from the parking area. Very windy. Great views of the badlands.

TRNP - Coal Vein Trail. This nature trail wandered around an area where TR had seen coal burning in one of the many veins throughout the park. A portion of this section burned continuously from 1951 to 1977; people were known to come here and toast marshmallows. That would have been a sight to see! We just saw the resulting hardened sandstone (which locals call scoria) and areas where the land had collapsed when the 12' coal area burned away and no longer supported it. Interesting terrain detail!