Training Log Archive: AliC

Classic Champs Day 2

And that was better. Braced up the ankle, and stayed cool, calm and collected throughout the race. Some not-good route choices, particularly at the beginning (1, 4, 6: 3m contours are *small*, no need to go around!), but much better execution than yesterday. Sergei G. took the win on Red though, by a bunch (~7 min), so still gotta find some speed back in the woods!

QuickRoute

1141/2000

Control pick up before scampering off to the airport, a bit hot out!

1147/2000

Red day 2 - Splits

Event: Birkhead Wilderness Classic (US Classic Champs)
 

Classic Champs, Day 1

Oooh, that was pretty terrible. Got real lost, broke my magnifier, twisted my ankle. Some welcome to foot-o season, hmph! Was well behind the guys on Red, somehow still in the lead for the women, although Hannah was definitely ahead until her mistake right at the end!

Think part of things going terribly was just some wintertime rust. I didn't feel that comfy with my compass, I didn't like reading the little black marks on the map that were supposed to tell me things about rock (esp after magnifier bit the dust), and I didn't have near enough patience, had way to much go, go, go race-fast excitement.

So, how'd it play out:
1 - Slightly frantic start because of lateness, then a hesitation right close to the control, because I couldn't see it from 50m away. Realized I really had to be on the rock wall, so bopped up to find control.
2 - Tried to slightly skirt the green, worked pretty well.
3 - Got to bottom, no sign of ditch, look left, right, ah, I think that must be a rockpile, gotta go right!
4 - Wet feet in stream, but spike!
5 - Not cool, this control and the feature it's on are waaaay higher than on the map. I fixed my QR to control 4 and 6, and you can tell where I found 5. Not in the middle of the circle.
6 - Bit of a veer to check out the wrong reentrant right towards the end? Unclear if I intended that or not...
7 - Ouchie, as I was flying down the hill aggressively to 7, twisted my ankle, ouch ouch ouch. Walked into 7.
8 - Down to river, along it, diagnol up from a little reentrant.

9 - *The terrible*. Looks like I was right on line, but I had already messed up when I left the trail before my plan, which was to continue along to where it started to steeply decend, then I knew I could count on being on the right big spur. But I kept on the right bearing for a bit, and then went to check out some other rock, apparently. Figured I had to be too far right, but thought I was lower, so headed across hillside on what might of been the right angle for starting somewhere else. Found more rocks. Stopped. Confused. Someone offered to let me know where I was on their map. How embarrasing. Of course said no, went up to trail to relocate, which finally happened, although headed off on a not-perfect bearing from there, just barely caught myself. Bah.

10 - 11 - Distracted by other features quite close into the control. Not good.
12 - Was way left of where I intended, at least I relcoated effectively this time...
13 - 14 - 15 Finally a few ok controls!
16 - Played it safe because I was scared of the green, so went to distinct reentrant to take me most of the way in.
17 - Unintentionally off line. C'mon Ali, use that compass!
18 - On line, straight to it, not that terrible green...

QuickRoute

1124/2000

Red day 1 - Splits

Hammies + pushups, post work

Wahoo! Awesome fun orienteering in the woods! Bit of snow around, but quite warm, no need for gloves, t-shirt did seem an option at the start.

Did alternate-lead memory-o with Alex for the first 4, went fine, although we nearly had to go over a cliff to 1. Talked out loud our plans for the route, what we saw or didn't.

Then puttered around, trying to make sure I was friends with my compass (had a dream in which I'd lost the ability to orient my map! super-anxiety dream, terrible!) and mostly was, and used other things happily, but became very off to #12, tempted by a similar feature on the same ridge 100m away. Didn't realize in fact til afterwards when things didn't add up on route to #13. Think I became off early on in the route, didn't correct when it might have been possible along the rocky bit on the way down.

I think the route to the finish is an interesting choice- down around on trails or across? Before the wind storm, I'm pretty sure I would have chosen across, but there's a lot of fallen trees, making your way is way more difficult in the lower woods, so I opted for trails.

1106/2000

PG's special Ali training course (i.e. run up the steep hill x 2) on the UMass campus. Ran it backwards to mix things up.

In the dark, with a small headlight to read the map, most of campus (aside from the hill!) is lit up. A nice touch to do it at night actually, tidge less familiar. I ran smooth, aside from the on-the-way down controls from hill. Pretty sure I didn't find them.

Not sure I believe HRM that this was all L1. Certainly going up that hill wasn't! Maybe needs some cleaning...

1093/2000 - (Last foot-o = Jan 14th. Eep!)

Pushups/hammies

Yeehaw! Found a way to make this run more off-road, super psyched. After the little Emily Dickinson trail stint along the river, have to do a short stint actually on bike trial (paved), but then can dash off into the Amherst bird meadow on the left, then cross the bike path again for a bit on the right and then cross once more, following a woods road for a smidge, but otherwise, trails all the way back to 116!

Crunchy snow, made the ankles work a bit, which is probably good. Listened to a bunch of TED talks, more than one on an underwater theme. Octopi are apparently pretty awesome. Then also one on designing anesthesia systems for developing-world hospitals where you can't count on things like say, a steady supply of electricity. Felt fine!

Core times