Race Evaluation
Little Bennett - QOC: MD Championships Blue
Nadim
| 1. | +00:15 | With this being the delayed MD Champs/Day 2 of the OOC Champs, (originally these Champs were to be at Great Falls, MD), I was already in the hole by 4 seconds to Scott Pleban, about 4 minutes to Ted Good and well behind Lacho and Jon. I had mistakenly left my control description holder in my jacket which Dave Onkst had taken back to the registration area for me. I kept having to unfold the map to check later in the race. The map was printed on both sides of the paper making this a little more confusing. However, this did force me to pause and read the map at each control which is something I didn't do enough of last week. See route at QOC Route Gaget Loop. Down the road and off the spur at the bend past the trail going left. I wanted to run down the ridge but changed course mid-way when I thought I'd encounter thicker woods than the map showed. I went down the reentrant just south of the control, then crossed the spur at the bottom going to the control. Perhaps I should have stuck with my original plan. | |||||
| 2. | +01:20 | Instead of coming up the spur that I had intended to go down on the way to #1, I drifted left a bunch, went through the green and hit the field. I cut right and right again at the road. Coming off the N road split I went in but didn't have a good bearing. I missed right and wasted time looking along the ditch well south of the control. | |||||
| 3. | Downward, then along the bottom somewhat, counting reentrants. I could see some other disturbed leaves. The sidehill running was awkward since there were loose rocks under the leaves. | ||||||
| 4. | Very little hesitation crossing the stream--I figured I'd better get used to it. I went around the green to the left and crossed the next stream prior to the road crossing. The road didn't show-up much in the green. I angled up at the end, coming over the first set of cliffs then dropping slightly to the control. | ||||||
| 5. | Across the creek quick, then just following the reentrant up. Sam had set a control here before but I came up the left side and read the stream bends. | ||||||
| 6. | Starting out I went right like many others, to avoid the green which appeared overmapped. I angled to the field, down the trail and across the creek. Cutting right immediately, I climbed slowishly, drifting left a bit too much and to high before dropping a little to the saddle and in. | ||||||
| 7. | I read this one incorrectly at first so when I ran over, I was expecting to see a smaller reentrant on the way down. I went right to be safer and along the reentrant and in. | ||||||
| 8. | I remembered having gotten a faster split than Jon Torrance a few years earlier on a similar leg going the opposite directions so I decided to go over the saddle rather than around the big spur. Remembering last year's race here, I remembered that Ted had gone through the green on the map and got a faster split than going around it. I started through the green eventually getting on a deer trail, and climbing up to the field saddle. At the top, I cut left to use the field as much as possible rather than sidehilling the steep drop. I came down at the lowest point of the field, using it as a long attack point. As I descended I could see someone else having left the control on the other side of the big reentrant. | ||||||
| 9. | When I looked at this leg, I never considered the road and never saw it. Comparing the map this year with the map last year on Route Gadget, most of the green obscuring the black road was yellow. I set off angling across the reentrant and climbing a bit to round the spur. As I did, I passed Victor who was going the other direction, having gone around toward #8. I got higher than I should as I looked for the easiest running and intended to angle down the other side. However when I looked down, there were fallen trees in my way. I dropped straight down and angled to cross the creek to the road. The guy I'd seen earlier when approaching #8 was visible running on the trail on the other side of the creek. I chased left on the trail and cut right climbing through the field. As I climbed, I could see it was Dave Hauver ahead; he paused a few times climbing, to read his map. I had later learned that he'd gotten confused about where he was. Dave cut left going toward the trail at the top. I went straight into the woods and hit the trail ahead of him, beyond the first intersection. I was reading along on the trail but with the footing, finding this slower than I was comfortable with. I switched to reading the contours while just staying on the trail and found this much quicker. At the end, I found the attack point off the trail bend but then was surprised to be able to see the control from the trail. | ||||||
| 10. | +00:15 | Going down, I guess I didn't have a good bearing. I had to force myself to cut right and cross the line of rocks. I didn't sprint in as I often have for an easy control like this but instead read ahead. A woman was approachind from the other direction and got there ahead of me. | |||||
| 11. | +00:25 | I ate a Gu and started to go, passing John Blaisedale. Then I remembered to adjust the calf elastic my o-pants with the built-in gators. I caught the woman but kept going to clumps of trees too early on the right. It was much farther and I got there behind the woman who started ahead of me at the last control. | |||||
| 12. | +00:15 | I took off quick. The woman went a bit right. My bearing took me left of straight. I climbed one reentrant too early but realized it. I ran right along the bluff to the control and got there just a bit ahead of the woman who started ahead of me at #11. | |||||
| 13. | +00:15 | I started left of straight and felt like I was in an unfamiliar part of the map--I often don't realize where I am in relation to the start or other known features. In reality, I was headed to a control that I'd passed on the way to #1. I crossed a trail and at first thought it was the road. Crossing the road later, I realized what I'd done but had lost some confidence and speed. I kept straight crossing the next reentrant near the top. I followed some cliffs in but they were the higher set of the parallel ones. I dropped down to the boulder from there. | |||||
| 14. | I have very little memory of this leg but the e-punch shows I was there. I suppose I hit it pretty good. The Gu was kicking in. | ||||||
| 15. | I was tentative heading out. I angled across the reentrant, hitting the road at the trail head which I almost didn't see. I went along the right side of the next reentrant, reading the bend as a place to leave it. I expected to follow the corridor of white woods in but I crossed what was really the light green. | ||||||
| 16. | I started straight, passing some others heading the other direction. I dropped down after realizing the control was on the other side of the creek. It seemed a long way along the stream. | ||||||
| 17. | +01:30 | Up to the reentrant intersection, then right, climbing on the left side. Again I didn't really know where I was in realation to the finish but as I climbed slowly I realized I'd pass the start and my car. I cut on the left side of the toilets and down through the thorns to cross the road. I rant along the left side of the reentrant, past a root stock a bit high, then left of the earth bank which I didn't really see. Going up the other side, I was energized a bit and able to keep good speed. I read the top of the ridge incorrectly. I saw the lower are to my right thinking it was the formline knoll. I started hunting for the control 150m or more to the SE of #17. I spied the control on the lower area and wondered for a bit if it could be #18. I took off for it, losing sight of it briefly, then getting there. | |||||
| 18. | +00:40 | On a similar leg last year, Ted had beaten me by staying high when I went low. I went high this time, passing a group of other orienteers (probably orange or green). One of the group was ahead of the others and stopped. I ran past him, realized I was near the water, the ran back up to him and the control which was behind a small cliff the direction I had come from. | |||||
| 19. | +00:15 | I wanted to go straight. As I followed the bearing, it took me up the hill, not contouring across as the map showed. Going down to cross the big reentrant, I adjusted and saw the side reentrant on the other side. | |||||
| 20. | +00:10 | I was slow getting started, fumbling with bearing and the map and knowing the leg. I checked my watch and wanted to get in under 80 minutes to ensure a better than 8 min/k pace. Even then I walked some paces. Finally I got running going into the field and picked it up once in it. Crossing the road, I ran on the right side of the toilets and misread the paths, some of which are unmapped. I went a bit left after the toilets when I should have kept straight. A bit confused by the trails, I switched tact and decided to attack left of the road bend. It was easy from there and I chased behind Mike Brooks who got there ahead of me. | |||||
| F. | With little hesitation, I chased past Mike and sprinted with some new energy. I didn't want a weak run-in like at Great Falls, VA the last time and still wanted to break 8 min/k. I didn't know that it would end up gaining me the MD Championship over Ted Good, (sans Jon Torrance). All-in-all, it was a decent run for me. I did start making more errors once I got tired but they were slight. Scott Pleban ran well ~73 minutes and Randy, who hadn't raced in a while also finished ahead. Ted and Scott both finished ahead of me in the QOC Championship competition. Overall, it was a good way to finish what likely will be my last orienteering race before becoming a father. |
Total Time Lost - 00:05:20