Training Log Archive: Swampfox

We had an inspiring deluge in the afternoon, enough to even create some modest flooding in some of the local drainages around town. I'm losing track, but I think now we've had good rains on 5 out of the last 6 days. Fire bans are still in effect nevertheless. It's been super great for gardens however, and that's for sure.

Got some good stuff done today, including laying out and getting the One Cowboy Relay maps ready for printing. Most people will not know (or have any reason to care, either) how the One Cowboy Relay came into being, but one of the precipitating factors was having thousands of small maps left over from previous events, and no real idea of what to do with them that would also be useful. How about a race with a bunch of loops for each runner, with a new map for each loop?

This year's race will be the first where we will be using all newly printed maps; the old stockpiles of maps having been all but exhausted.

Biked some after the storm, and then did a long trail run up top, where, to my surprise, it had done little but barely sprinkle. So trails were mostly dry and only slightly damp in a few places. The air was wonderfully clear, there was a light breeze, and the temps were perfect. It felt like being in Scandinavia on a nice summer day.

C • Trails 2

Set and streamered the One Cowboy RIelay. Moved several controls slightly, made a few small map revisions. And I dropped one control/leg altogether, when it turned out that the leg to the next control went through an old burn area that was once white--and was white when I mapped it now--and is now a luxuriant growth of young aspen. It didn't look like something I would relish running through, the map certainly didn't reflect present conditions, and so the easy thing to do was to remove the leg.

The final loop goes through a mapped area that has never been used or seen before by anyone other than me, and the motala section is basically confined to a corner of the map that has either never been raced through before or else has only just been brushed by--at least as well as I can recall. I will guess for 99+% of folks at this year's race, it will be 100% new to them.

It's an interesting area, it looked and felt fun to me as I was working through it, and hopefully the racers will experience it that way, too.

Saw one moose while I was out; I didn't get a good line on it, but I thought it was probably a bull based on shape, and also because I didn't see a calf with it..

Rained much of the morning and early afternoon, and then cleared out beautifully everywhere west of the Laramie Range. Up top on the Range, however, thick fog set in, with temps about 20 degrees cooler than yesterday.

It's rained 3 out of the last 5 days, with good or better amounts of rain each time, with one real gully washer. A pleasant change, and it's done wonders for both gardens and the air quality. For a change, it's not hazy out.

Biked out past the airport after the rains today, under clear blue skies and with a cool wind blowing out of the south. Thanks, Denver! There were a number of helicopters out at the airport. Not sure why, as all the local fires seem to be done.

Then headed up top to run in the fog. Thought it might clear off while I was up, but it didn't Saw numerous odd tracks in the trail in several places, all headed the same way. It looked to me like they might have been martian tracks, or maybe cows. Hmmm, probably cows.

On the way home, and just after exiting off the interstate, I saw--almost simultaneously--a nighthawk fly right in front of my truck, an owl flying over the road further ahead, the thin crescent moon higher up and slightly further away, and the planet Venus. It looked like Venus and the moon were planning an illicit rendezvous in the skies, if such a thing is even possible.

According to certain ancient runes inscribed on stones near Västerås, a man who sees all of these things is destined for greatness, and included in the pantheon of such men are Alexander the Great, Leonardo de Vinci, Albert Einstein, and Dennis Rodman (Dennis Rodman??). I'm no scholar, but personally I have long thought that some of that must have been mistranslated.

In the meantime, I await my destiny. And the crazy ants which Tom Carr is sending.

C • illicit rendezvous 1

Spent a long afternoon in the sun and the grass--a lot of grass, and a whole lot of grass seeds, with especially ample amounts of foxtails--making some revisions out at Twin Boulders. Today it was the ATVers that were out in force, with diminished amounts of sage buggies. As far as I could tell, nobody was listening to Chuck Prohet. Need more cows out at Twin Boulders, and when it comes to summer and cows, there is always reason to be optimistic.

Looking at the JWOC Middle Final area, and looking over the brand new Granite Planite map we will be using for the Rocky Mountain O' Festival middle day, my overwhelming thought is we are way, way vegetation deprived. Maybe we need to send out an urgent plea for orienteers everywhere to send as much of their thorns, vines, and invasive thick bushes as they can possibly spare.

Even then, it might not be enough.

C • On it. 7

For alternative training today, I changed guitar strings. I also did some biking and running, and watched a formidable downpour come pouring down. So that's like four alternative training things in one single day! But the real training effect for sure came with the string change--the other things were just icing on the cake.

Also, I finished drafting up Granite Planite and did rough course designs for our Middle day at the Rocky Mountain O' Fest. To test my course setting skills, I tried to set a really good Blue Middle using only 4 controls. I don't think I succeeded. Some people maintain less is more, but in this case after studying the result, even they might conclude more would be better.

I think more would be better.