Training Log Archive: dlevine

Softball season ends, so Sarah says, "Dad, can we go play volleyball" (in the hot and humid gym)?

Cooler pool. Expected a better time. Not sure what happened as I didn't wear my watch for splits...

It's been a while and the pool was warm...

Fairmount Park Course in Philadelphia, with Andy Danner.

Shot an 84 over 27 holes. Andy and I were playing competitively on this nice, but short course when we got to #13. I remembered helping to install this hole in the late '70's and joked with Andy that the gorge was now smaller and the trees were now taller, but that I had a clear "home-field" advantage. I immediately parlayed this into a two-stroke swing. We ended up tied after 18 and had time so I suggested we try the "outback 9". Here Andy lost his generic home-field advantage (he plays the front 18 regularly; I hadn't been there in 30 years, jokes aside; BUT he had never played the outback 9). Old age and treachery will inevitably defeat youth and skill.

Although a lot of fun, I actually shot very poorly. I hit "metal" 41 times on 27 holes, indicating a lot of bad luck and/or wimpy putts.

Hanging flags for the Michaux Rogaine (SVO) after an overnight with Mike Ball. We did a team-based two-car hanging, getting a chance to hike a good bit of the AT while doing so. Did have one interesting moment while on the AT. The hill we were looking for (#50) should have been to our right (according to an old USGS map that had the AT labeled). My very rough pace count had us "there" but there was a hill to our left and very much not to our right. Climbed that hill to find the streamer. Turns out the AT has been relocated over the years (no surprise there) by about 100m and that control falls between the two locations. Wonder how many people got screwed up by that?

Otherwise good time, nice woods and I'm almost sorry I couldn't make it.

(New) Pinchot West Course in Wellsville, PA with Mike Ball.

Shot a 77 on this long, still rough course. One hole was an uphill drive into a completely blinding setting sun. (When we crossed back fifteen minutes later there were no blinding issues; just our good timing.) Decent course that will probably round out into an even nicer one with some use. Pretty good tee signs/maps.

Sprague Brook Vetting. Everything was perfect until I tried to vet an extra site on the way in. NO FLAG. I had just decided to sprint to the center and report this when I saw the course setter jogging towards me with a flag. Turns out this one had been changed to a "day of" hanging and I had beaten her to the site.

Re-vet of a flag for Sprague Brook. Vetter thought the flag might have been misplaced, but it wasn't. Mountain bikers had changed the angle of a trail intersection by cutting the corner for the last five meters and had led the vetter to believe that things weren't correct from an angular point of view. That was true, but the flag was properly situated. Still a nice jog out and walk back.

C • Water stops 1

Car based pickup of (mostly) water stops from Sprague Brook event. Includes two all-out sprints to a pair of flags... (Does not include driving time!)

Event: Buffalo Orienteering Festival
 

Morning vet at Hunter's Creek. Overslept and started twenty minutes late which made me run a lot faster than I had planned. (Combination of time pressure and adrenaline boost.) No issues with flags so we finished the vet 90 minutes before the first official start.

Afternoon vet at Emery Park for sprint course. Once I realized that the most doubtful flags (those easily swiped from public places) were there, I slowed down and jogged in.

Control pick-up at Emery. Lots of car...

Walk around Hunters Creek to verify a few last placements and check the conditions of some hillsides that had slides.

Quick jaunt to two controls whose vetting ribbons had been "liberated" the last time I went out. No problems, and I even beat the rain by two minutes.

Back in the pool after three weeks. Taking it easy, playing with the new watch, and dealing with a warm pool.

Random @ 17

Still avoiding twisting, but felt better than last Monday...

Random @ 17, but not pushing it. Back felt okay, but wind wasn't there.

Quick set, skipping those that involve twisting.

More field checking/area vetting at Hunters Creek. Took my research student (Div. I swimmer) along for the run as we were returning from an expo at UB. He commented that "woods distance" is not the same as "road distance" and there is a "quality factor" in there. I guess I'll get more respect now...