Training Log Archive: cedarcreek

Event: OCIN Sprints
 

Sprint Series: Ft. St. Clair (OCIN), Eaton, Ohio. Set by Jon Rauschenbach. It was my first time at the park, a less-than-1-square-km 1:5000 map. I ran the SportIdent for the event (only 1 mistake, where I overwrote one person's first sprint results with his second sprint results. Luckily, I had the splits on the results string, so I was able to fix them). The turnout was decent, but I always wish it was better.

After seeing the earlier runner's times, I was expecting a 30 minute or so time, and I was really surprised with the 26:40. Apparently, I'm gaining fitness slowly, but I am gaining.

The courses were pretty nice. Some route choice, a variety of leg difficulty. 2 or 3 times I thought the map was a little off (mostly the relative positions of objects near the control). The map is 3m (10 foot) contours, and it really needs to be 1.25m (4 foot). The 3m is just too coarse---A lot of control locations would be opened up with a smaller contour interval.

A really nice day. It wasn't too hot, and I was in the shade most of the time. After dark it became cool and wonderful.

Sprint 2. I didn't start my Sprint 1 soon enough, so I had to go out earlier than I wanted to. Once I got moving, it didn't bug me too much. I thought this sprint was a little harder than the first. I loved the changes in difficulty, direction, and speed. I used an old thumbcompass that had only a lower pin, and I hated it. I had to slow down to get the compass to point north, and as slow as I go, that is saying something.

Few more notes:

I noticed that I have a strong habit of getting close to the control location and walking in (say last 30m or so). When I see it, then I run to it. I think I should work on running closer before I decide to walk and swivel my head.

Jon Fredrickson stopped by on the way to the 1000-day. He got first on all three courses. Because I was working SI, I only saw him running twice, and I don't think I saw him going full speed, which would have been cool.

Sprint 1 - Splits

Sprint 2 - Splits

I set a 2m ARDF at Mt. Airy Forest. I had spent a lot of time planning a course at East Fork, but Mt. Airy was a lot closer. I changed locations about 12 hours before the start, and then I stayed up past midnight to design the course. I got a late start, and wasn't ready until about 15 minutes past the 9am start time.
The course was a "practice" course, but Brian D. pointed out it was "practice for the world championships", which was my goal. (Two of the competitors are going next month.)
Ever since my first radio orienteering (or ARDF) at Mt. Airy, this one particular spur has offered the opportunity for amazing reflections. Bob set a really tough one there, and earlier this year Dick did as well.
I had been planning a full-up 9 age-group course at Mt. Airy, but because it's very hilly, and has the ridgetop roads that screw everything up, and because it's 1:10000 and somewhat small (not too small), I was having to really work to design a fair but tough course.
For this practice, though, I didn't need to have age groups. In fact, I didn't even have to be particularly fair. And lastly, since the World Championships will be on maps with 10m contours, a little hill training is a bonus.
So---I designed the hardest, most intense course I could around that one spur. I used a 400m start circle rather than the normal 750m one, and I overwhelmed them with choices. Usually, on a full-up course, getting the order right is critical for a good time. In a short course like I designed, there are usually many reasonable orders since the penalty is less for going out-of-the-way for any particular transmitter.
The course was intended to allow many orders without too much penalty. The course required 2.5 to 3 major climbs of about 65m each (more or less). The most critical part was to not screw up and have to do a climb twice.
To summarize: There were so many possible orders, at least three really decent orders, that the trick was to quickly pick one, and execute it, but to be careful to clear the hilltop you just climbed so you didn't have to reclimb the hill.
Bob F. was first in about 97 minutes.
Brian D. was second in 122 minutes (but he had 25 minutes of radio trouble, so it was really was closer)
Dick was third in 140? (will correct), but he broke his antenna after falling on a descent, and had a receiver that barely worked.
Emily was fourth with 2 transmitters in about 110 minutes (will correct). I told her which three to get (the short course), but I unknowingly told her one incorrectly.
I've apologized for the gratuitous climb, but I'm expecting payback during the next round of course setting.