Training Log Archive: fkawam

Event: Canadian Championships Middle
 

COC Middle
Course 7 M45 3.0 km 15 controls
Foley Mountain set by Andrew C.

Technically I did very well. I found I was very focussed, not thrown by other runners and in good contact with the map to a very high degree so much so that I said to myself "no mistakes" coming into the go control. Except for once bearings great.
A few minutes after the finish I remembered: one mistake....4.. bad bearing but relocated back to the stream nexus which I always kept an eye on...then a good bearing like I should have done in the first place....oh well...no more than 4 minutes lost...probably would not have changed my placing.
Now here's the caveat...I walked and only ran to a very limited degree until control 14....then really pushed it from the go control...When I punched the finish however I was unsure that I actually registered so I punched again...1-2 seconds if the 2nd overwrote the first...we'll never know...but I don't really care since (at the time of leaving anyway) I was not beat by 1 s like in Montreal...
If I ran I'm not sure I would have felt steady in the terrain or even finished...
Thanks for the advice Stefan and the challenging course Andrew.

PS Looked at Route Gadget on Monday aft and also forgot about going wide out of 2 to the creek I remember thinking at the time to just get down to the stream and get away from all the rocks so maybe this one isn't quite spiked

7 - Splits

Breaking the Barrens sector controls in 2 bundles. Andrew came with me to get all the controls near the trails....Flies were still bad so it was a brisk walk for the most part....Carried a lot less stuff with me this time...Much easier than the placement ...then again the tough controls are yet to come.

Slow walk picking up the eco-wellness portion of the training map...Wore the bug jacket ...great to keep off the bugs but very hot and claustrophobic.

Canada 150 Retro-O Red Curse
12 C 6.1 km....
A reboot of the 1968 first Canadian Champs course at Camp Fortune done in the style of the era: black and white map, north lines @ 45 degrees to the page edge,...slightly revamped by Gord Hunter

It was hot and slow going but perhaps the hardest part ws getting used to the 1:20000 scale...
Up to 6 was OK....My only reflection in this part of the event was in taking the line from 1 to 2 deliberately instead of trails running it (which is what I was going to do and clearly would have been faster) but navigation was bang on so it was good practice...
Couldn't see 7 and by quick route I was right on top of it like I thought...so bailed to the trail to take 8...thought about going back for 7 but just in no mood for it...
Saw Sheldon on route to 9...taking the trail route so we went together for a bit...
At that point I was beat and was going to bail I didn't have any water and didn't wear bug spray so I was pretty frazzled...
I didn't listen to myself and pushed to 10 and all of a sudden came upon a yellow course control and was totally thrown...I asked Laura where we were and that should have been the sign to quit because I was exactly where my thumb was following along ...it was as if my brain skipped and I lost where I was...
At this point I should have gone to the trail and just walked back...but did I even take the time to think about it...No...I pushed to 10 and again apparently just missed it...
At this point I was getting a bit frantic and not sure where I was...so I took a safety bearing....and followed it but I had strayed to far off and was beginning to panic....The upside here was that the woods here were very nice to run in..
I saw a major water body in the distance and followed a bearing towards that what I figured would still hit the parkway....
At this point I was still running at seeming to get no where when I finally heard cars on my bearing and came out on the road....AT OBRIEN'S (P 11)
....Well at least I knew where I was ....and the running time was 2:32 so there would be no need for as search party on my account..
Ran a 4:30 km along the Meech lake Road in glee...called Colleen to tell her I was still alive and struggled up the hill to the download station to check in.
I promptly drank a litre of water and soaked myself in the nice cool clean up water I'd stored in the car...
Found out Sheldon and Oliver finished ...(yay guys) but the likes of Robbie A and Randy didn't....Colleen and Andrew had great runs switching to the "modern maps"...probably should have done the same...

In closing I just realized I started this reflection with a typo in the word course...I think I'll leave it as it stands

Despite feeling stupid the outing was still fun and made for one of those wonderful "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" o-ing stories.

PS...Somehow I did something to my left index finger...Ice took the swelling down but it still has colour issues

C • It was friggin hard! 4

Last of the set up at the Barrens...wellness centre...very buggy...dropped a flag twice so a little backtracking...never went back to place 141 in the Barrens proper... :(...oh well there was a ribbon there
Colleen had my watch so estimates only

Confusion with a few people at the centre regarding map pick up...did what I could with my spares to mitigate the issue

Went with Andrew to set up controls on the Barrens portion of the training map...After the first few controls we developed a good system: he would set up the tags for the next control while I did the detail hanging...we alternated navigating and split up for one pair of controls.
Very buggy and hot ...lugged too much back up stuff around which in the end I never really used...tiring
Many "dry land bits" between the lakes/water bodies flooded...Couldn't see my ribbon in one place until we circled it a few times...Didn't set up 141...too beat...Thought I lost Andrew when he asked to bail to the trail to avoid bugs figured he should have got there way before me but he arrived 5 minutes later further up and had me in a panic running around like a chicken with my head cut off...this was the sign to quit for the day...not to mention mom's fridge compressor gave out adding an extra element of rush to the day.
Quickly went to the Wellness centre...checked in and hung a few close flags to the lot. (not included)
Put the hr monitor on for a lark
Put the track on route gadget to check it out...Thanks Michael for setting this up
Track on Route Gadget (West Setup....neat name eh!...and yes I know its the east side of the map)
http://orienteering.ca/cgi-bin/reitti.pl?act=map&i...