Training Log Archive: dlevine

One loop of the River trail, bailing because it appeared that a thunderstorm was imminent. I say appeared because, as it turns out, the cloud did not burst and we would have been dry.

Quick jaunt into the woods to tweak one flag ahead of the "stand setters".

Placing four stands near the start while coordinating other volunteers.

Vetting sprint flags for SPB. All was fine, but two flags had been moved - one from a building to a playground across the street - so there was a true "search for the flag" portion of this work.

One last flag/stand relocation based upon volunteer input.

Placing control stands and punches in Chestnut Ridge Park. I got three sets of two with visits to the car/driving between, plus a "bonus flag" (no longer a site) to pick up. It made the "carrying" easier, but I was never in the woods for more than 25 minutes at a time. Got a bonus trip because I forgot the punches with the second set of stands.

Apparently, we have a "new" (former, and much better than 'current') teacher for Thursday's classes. Yeah, Mary!

Cutthroat with Steve K (experienced) and a relative novice. Ignoring the novice, Steve had my number, but only by a bit:

10-15
15-10 (though I had led 10-2)
14-15
13-15

And I am very sore from wall collisions.

Placing "final" streamers with official control codes on East side of Sprague Brook - and in the channel. Time would have been shorter, but I had to double back to retrieve my compass at the car and then changed the plan so that I could visit a campground early. Also walked most of the way.

After a quick lunch break, placed streamers on west side of Sprague Brook. This time, I had to double-back in the woods to pick up a dropped compass (which I found on the first traverse), then fifteen minutes later reverse a 400m leg to get back my checklist that I had set down on a rock at the previous site. Again, walked most of it.

Yup... Just a quick loop back on the east side to visit the two sites (including the GO control) that I had neglected to streamer during "round one" after I modified my loop.

Site checking in Sprague Brook Park. During my drive there, the temperature dropped from 90F to 69F as a thunderstorm passed by. Wet and humid, but relatively cool. Mostly successful with one hiccup that I think can be designed around. New finish is much better than the old one.

Checking sites (and moving two in response to course consultant suggestions) on west side of Sprague Brook. Success.

Jason's house to 60th St. to Mt. Tabor park (to top) through woods and down to small caldera, over to larger one and then home. Pretty humid and I definitely did NOT take the route I intended to. Mt. Tabor park is nice an worth the visit for those in Portland, OR.

Two laps of the Allegany River Trail. More user traffic than I can ever recall without there being a scheduled "event" on the trail.

Partway through the third lap, they had to close the pool due to thunder. Odd new rule in view of the fact that the pool is indoors and they specifically designed it not to need to be closed due to weather.

Only one loop of the trail today as there is orienteering in the offing for the evening.

Five more sites for Sprague Brook middle event. Spent almost half the time on another feature that I think is mismapped. Whenever I attacked to or from it I was 15 m off (even on 60-80 m attacks) in a consistent direction. Whenever I attacked those other nearby features from each other, I was bang on. Better move the feature on the map!

One more site across the park; also mapping the new parking lot and the woods near the finish. One clearing changed in the latter and there will be some additional rock on the map.

Hunters Creek Sprint - A disaster of my own making

S->1: Up trail to control at trail junction. 0:45
1->2: Never saw the second trail and decided the one I did see was the left one. Alas, it was the right one. I was trying to split the difference and veer right when I saw the stream "near" number 2 and a flag just beyond. Checked the code and it was #4! (Who counts 1-4-2 anyway? I must have missed an important day in kindergarten.) Anyway, now I am on a trail that ill take me right up (yes, up) to it. 3:58. (Later splits comparisons suggest that I lost 2.5 minutes here.)
2->3: Being sure to get on the correct trail, I take it to the bend and continue straight looking for the "catching trail" when I see the flag to my right. 1:34
3->4: You would think that this is easy since I've been here before, but the attack is new and I recognize nothing. Fortunately, I was right on. 1:47
4->5: Down the hill on a compass bearing, aiming left. Hit the trail and went right in. 2:02
5->6: East on the trail past the green slash, then angle in. I went to the deep gully, but it wasn't the flag. (Apparently the heavy rains have caused the stream gully to deepen.) Cut uphill and found it. 2:19.
6->7: Down the hill to the trail to the stream crossing. Went STRAIGHT (not downhill) and ended up on the trail uphill from the trail the control was on. Wandered usefully before setting off downhill to look at a very unlikely site. Found another trail. What is this? Crap! It's the trail I thought I was on. Headed N and found the control. 5:05. I lost at least three minutes here; perhaps 3.5.
7->8: Headed down the trail no longer caring too much. 1:33
8->F: 0:13

Easily my worst sprint in years. Finished 7 out of 14 (plus 3 DNF/MP). Mike Lyons won in 12:58. Take away 5:45 and I run 13:31 which would have been second. Take away either (one) mistake and I still come in third. *sigh*

Hunters Creek Score-O

Pre-race planning: Looking at the map, I didn't think that I'd be able to clean the course. I decided that my main plan would be to scrap the three downhill controls and go for a good time for 22 out of 25. Only if I was really ahead would I go for those. Otherwise, I hoped that Mike and Zach Lyons would be suckered down there and then be overtime by at least 2:01. That would win it for me.

S->41: Fifty meters away on a trail leading to most of the rest of them. Really? Most of my time was waiting to punch even though I was near the head of the pack. 0:27

41->42: With most folks behind waiting to punch 41, watched a few folks (including the Lyonses overshoot. We all got there at about the same time. 1:39

42->75: Mike Lyons and H headed straight towards 75 as almost everyone else went more west. (Someone else was apparently behind us, but I could only hear whoever it was.) Mike would outrun me and I would find deer paths that would allow me to close the gap. In the end, he went almost all the way to the gas line and I cut in, only to see Zach Lyons leaving the control. To add insult to injury, I later learned he had visited 43 and 44 on the way! Nice route choice, Zach! Mike and I punched essentially simultaneously. 5:22

75->47: Followed Zach and Mike up the stream and across the gas line where we all saw it. 1:20

47->49: I was the only person heading south, so I was now on my own. Took the trail to near the control and headed in, seeing it easily from the gully rim. 4:31

49->53: Took the easiest route up and didn't realize that I had drifted west. Fortunately, the flag was visible from the trail, as I had anticipated. 1:16

53->87: Thought I found the ride and headed down, but it disappeared, I drifted west and found the "Posted" signs and the real ride. Cut down when the woods cleared and spiked it. 4:23

87->68: Down the stream, right to it. 1:51

68->70: Took the stream NW past the first tributary and climbed out to the trail. Headed out on the spur when the trail crossed the stream and went further down than I expected to get the control. 2:53

70->86: Drifted right as I climbed, but the shape of the trail told me where I was. When I turned in the correct direction, I saw the control. Also saw another runner leaving it reversing my "circle". 1:14

86->84: Trail along cliff. When it bent, I took the well-traveled, but unmapped path along the cliff until I saw the control. 2:37

84->40: As I headed to the stream, I saw Mike coming across. To help him as little as possible, I took a very steep descent to the stream, crossed easily and found the trail up to 40. From a distance, I saw someone in white come in (presumably from 72) and then leave to the SW! As I punched, David Ort came through going the other way. 3:12

40->72: This was nearly a leg from the meet last month, so it was easy. Down across the gully and then on the deer path right to it. 2:16

72->73: Out to the gas line and then down and over. Saw a father punching as his son waited on the other bank of the stream. 2:10

73->83: Father crossed stream and he and son prepared to head to 83. I stayed on the west bank until I saw a good place to climb the east bank. Did so and was right there. 0:56

83->56: As I headed back to the gas line, I passed the father/son. Crossed to the southern gas line and slogged up the hill. Then found that there was ANOTHER hill to go up. Who put a 7-contour climb on my 200m leg this late in the race? Someone leaving as I came in. 4:01

56->80: Headed to it, but got pulled west by the person in front of me. Found the trail and HUGE rootstock that was not mine. Only after I turned and saw mine, did I see that the other one was indeed mapped, but essentially on the circle. 1:43

80->55: Out to gas line. Saw gully and decided to leap it. Landed fine, but both hammys cramped up. Hobbled over to other gas line, seeing Dave Cady going the other way! (Turns out that he was going to 80 and 55 before turning around.) Hobbled in to control where one of the Maritime Charter kids was punching. 2:37.

55->46: At this point, momentary panic set in. I was not sure that I could hobble back to the finish in time. I set off up the trail to 46 completely forgetting that my plan was to get 54 on the way. (My estimate is that it would have cost me about 90 seconds in detour.) I was simply trying to stretch my legs out so that they could at least jog a bit down the hill. By halfway to 46, it was working. When I got the trail junction, however, I did not see the flag where I expected. I did, however see a father/daughter punching across the gas line and then saw the flag. 4:55

46->44: Down the trail. My stride was short, but I didn't adjust my pace count and I cut in way too soon. Still, the control was "pinned" well enough that I couldn't miss it so I proceeded without losing to much time. 2:38

44->43: Down the stream right to it. 0:50

43->F: East to the trail and down the trail to the finish. Kept checking my watch to make sure that I was not overtime. No split, but my cumulative time was 59:03.

Overall. Was bummed to learn that I had 21, not 22 punches as this meant that Mike and Zach would need to take an extra minute for me to win. Good news was that neither was in, so my strategy seemed sound. Mike came in just under two minutes late, so he got 23 and beat me. Zach came in about two minutes later, so I got him on the tie-breaker. It turns out that Zach could have won, but apparently made a big goof near the end. All in all, I am very pleased with this run, particularly after the sprint disaster.

Two laps of the Allegany River Trail.

Two laps of the Allegany River Trail with LONG waits to cross the streets; even had to wait at some of the "never used" side streets. Who knew there was a 4 pm rush hour in Olean in the summer?

Two loops of the Allegany River Trail.

Two laps of the River Trail. Time includes "rest time" for both traffic and to encourage a young kid who was having a rough time.