Race Evaluation
QOC: Lake Fairfax, VA: Final C
Nadim
| 1. | I went out around 9 seconds before Ted. I probably could have taken off from the start but decided to read the map right from the start and be sure I didn't follow someone else's mistake. I came near to the field corner and expected to see it. Others were searching in the woods past the corner and apparently not finding it. I started scanning the woods left when Ted went by me on the right. I saw it to my left and had to curl left around the vegetation from the corner to get to it. | ||||||
| 2. | I evaluated the option to go high to the control but decided the woods were too icy and that saving climb would be advantageous later. I went through the field and along the lake side on the trail. As I approached the attack point, several were also just beginning to climb. It was hard to get around them. Some were appearing clueless about where it would be. I got around some of them. I expected the control to be about one contour lower than it turned out to be. Ted got there a few seconds before me. | ||||||
| 3. | +00:10 | Down to the lake shore on the ride, then along the trail until the next reentrant. We passed Greg Lennon. Ted led to the right initially. I thought I should of gone more left but was worried that I might have been reading the vegetation wrong. I should have trusted my instinct but it also counts in a race to stay close to people you're competing with. Eventually Ted cut back to the left and I did too. I think Greg beat Ted there but he certainly was there ahead of me. | |||||
| 4. | Down to the trail and along the stream banks. I was not keeping careful track but a line of racers were all going to the same place. I passed the young Norweigan woman but was still behind Ted who was running strongly. | ||||||
| 5. | Along the trail again the group of people there seemed to jump over the creek at different places. The line reformed. Ted led me in. | ||||||
| 6. | Going mostly straight, Ted led slightly low. I was feeling a bit slow. We spiked it. | ||||||
| 7. | +00:15 | Ted took off quickly going straight. I thought we should have gone to the right to the trail to avoid the thick green. I stuck with Ted to minimize the risk of losing contact but should have listened to my own instinct. Crossing the field the young Norweigan male led Ted and me to the control obvious control location. We came in from near the road intersection. | |||||
| 8. | Straight out and over the road. | ||||||
| 9. | +00:20 | Going back across the field, I started to pull ahead of Ted. I was looking for the trail entrance but started to think it was too far to the right to be worth using. I lined up a bit to the left using the ball field fence and got into the woods without too much green in my way. I should have corrected my bearing for having been too far to the left but attacked as if I'd come in from the trail. I ran to a root stock but it was the wrong one by about 50m. As I realized it and started going right, I saw Ted on target at the correct root stock. | |||||
| 10. | I chased and caught up with Ted once he hit the trail. We plunged back in the open woods and began climbing the ridge. I got there first. | ||||||
| 11. | Ted was out quickly so again I was chasing him. Greg Lennon appeared ahead with Tom Strat. All were on or heading to the trail. Ted started to take to the field when we got there but Greg and Tom were sticking to the trail. I knew they may have had a different control to go to but I also figured that since Greg made the map, he'd have the quickest way if he was still going in my general direction. I closed distance on Greg and Tom, leaving Ted. At a trail bend, Greg and Tom kept going. I figured that now past the green, it was the best time to start angling left to the control. I did this well but converged with Ted's path a bit before the control and still behind him. | ||||||
| 12. | +00:45 | Looking at this in retrospect, I think going left to the trail may have been better than going straighter. I chased Ted but he appeared to be cutting downhill as the ridge ended into the valley. I angled more left and hit the trail. It was farther than I'd intended to go but I knew just where I was. I ran down the trail and expected to go straight at the bend across the reentrant, to the control. I mostly did this but didn't see the control with Dann Quinn right behind me. I was too low and there was a lot of green which pushed me just a bit lower than planned. I ran into Ted again, at another root stock. Using the tree trunks, I knew were we were and turned to contour back. I got close enough to see the control. With a log in the way, I reasoned it best to stay on the high side of it since the next control was on that side. The only problem was that it was too green. People (including Peggy) using the other side passed me and a big line to punch ensued. I finally got to punch after most had passed. | |||||
| 13. | +00:20 | Going to #13, I closed the gap with a train of people following Ted and Dave Pruden. They seemed too far to the right for me so I stayed left. Ted and Dave shifted (I don't think they had seen me) left suddenly with everyone adjusting with them. There was nothing there. I knew and so did others that it was back to the right. I got there ahead of most. | |||||
| 14. | I was leaning to go a straighter route but the whole bunch was going down the reentrant to take the low route there. I passed Jan Merka and was trailing David Onkst. Ahead were Dave Pruden and Ted Good. After crossing the road, Ted was a bit left and higher than Dave P. Dave passed through the line of trees and overshot the control. So did Ted. I was being better at reading my map and knew to cut to the left, uphill and did. I think I or David Onkst got there first. | ||||||
| 15. | Dave P. and Ted were out in an instant with Dave Onkst and I pursuing. David Onkst started to pass Dave P. and was closing on Ted. As we hit the hill, I moved up and taking a straighter route across a mulched rainwater depression with trees. I got ahead of Ted and the others. I never saw Ted after that. Closing in, I got to the coral area where the control from the qualifier course was and hesitated. David P. moved ahead and indicated it to be on the flagpole ahead. I hadn't been reading the map well enough and was in oxegyn debt. I got there first somehow and paused while Mark Mace was punching. Being deaf with the control in the sun, he couldn't tell that the epunch had registered but we all heard the beeps. I tapped him on the shoulder perhaps surprising him and tried to let him know it had worked. I punched myself quickly after. | ||||||
| 16. | Dave P. had decided his route to the right and was out quick. I pursued and closed a gap that he had opened. I was too tired to hurdle the fence so I went between the split rails like Dave did. I had to wait for him to punch and after he did, the control stand sprung and wobbled a bit. I caught it and then punched. | ||||||
| 17. | I closed a gap that Dave P. had made but had to slow cutting through the trees. With the turns I couldn't pass. Dave got the first punch. Rather than move to the next, I waited till he'd finished and caught the control stand quicker this time. | ||||||
| F. | There was no way to make up the distance on Dave. P. |
Total Time Lost - 00:01:50