Training Log Archive: pwentz3l

Event: Mule Adventures Fall Frenzy (MAFF) adventure race
 

Mule Adventures Fall Frolic Adventure Race

Joined up with Jeff and Mike Philips and Carrie Johnson for this race. Experience: Jeff (3-4 short races and the 2011 Stubborn Mule), Carrie (3-4 short races including 2011 MNOC Adv.O), Mike (no races)

Jeff and I raced together at the 2012 MNOC event. I was under the weather, so we didn't get a lot of team work discussion or issues worked out. Anyway, we were there to go hard and enjoy the competition.

Started off with a quick group jog around a pond with the team purposely split up. We had to reassemble the team and then do a quick math problem before leaving on a loop around the Plantation Trail to search every park bench for a numbered tag. Once complete, return to the TA to transition to bike.

Returned to the TA in 2nd place behind Elk Bones. Left TA in 3rd behind Green Paw.

Combination of 2 track, road and paved bike path from Lapham State park to our first foot orienteering section.

It became apparent that Mike wasn't a frequent biker. 1) He is riding Jeff's brother in laws bike. 2) He didn't look comfortable, spinning at a real high rate, etc. Anyway, the dude is fit and accepted a tow from Jeff. We passed Green Paw, then Carrie lost a water bottle, so we got passed again. A two person team also passed us while we were still on the two track. Once we got on the paved bike trail, Carrie took a tow from me, Mike from Jeff and se set a pretty good pace. 6 total CP's, all which required recording on the pass port. We arrived at the TA in 4th.

Aerial map.... Lots of swampy/lake area that didn't map too well. Took a bit to get on the map with the first control. Once we got on the map, controls went pretty quick. Mike started to cramp, so we filled him with endurolytes and made him eat/drink as we continued on. The lakes were a little constraining for route selection, so we stuck to trails until the last two controls. Saw Green Paw on the course, and the two person squad, but didn't know what control order they selected. Ended up at the TA ahead of Green Paw, but just behind Elk Bones.

Bike section with a confidence course thrown in the middle

We left the foot O in 2nd, able to see #1 to the front, and #3 to the rear. We were also given a Suduko puzzle as we left. Something to do "when we had time." A short bike to a confidence course. Two were individual events, which Carrie and Jeff volunteered to do. Daredevils. I tried to settle in to the Suduko puzzle, still wearing all my bike gear. Jeff climbed a telphone pole, stood on top then jumped to hit a ball. Carrie climbed a pole to a high wire, which she walked to the middle then jumped... I continued to try to do the Suduko... damn this is hard. The third event required all 4 of us (the race briefing implied that it would not, hence the bike apparel). We had to navigate a course of cables and ropes. I still had on bike shoes. Awesome teammates to the rescue, they helped me through and all was well, but I didn't make much sense of the Suduko. Back on the bike for a longer leg with 3 CP's to the boat put in.

True to Wisconsin AR's, paddling wasn't just an open water slugfest. Poor aerial map. Big reed filled bays with multiple channels and having to negotiate a current down and back up a twisty stream. 3 total portages. Good times for a team that hasn't paddled together. We knock out the first CP, then determine that we don't have the passport handy or a pen.... The map is green on green on green.... put it in a map bag and I literally can only read or make sense of it from 6 inches away. One of the controls required you to describe a feature on a dock, which the owners removed that AM....

We persevered and as we came back to the last portage, the race director told us we were only 20 minutes back. Green Paw had been following us, but we hadn't seen Elk Bones. We got the first two eastern controls first, I wondered whether they had picked those controls last. As we TA'd, I learned we were now in first!!! Then Elk Bones came in to the TA.

Quick, no CP ride back to the Start/Finish.

Left the TA with Elk Bones on our heals and Green Paw not far behind. I had been towing Mike since the first O section and was starting to wear down. Jeff took over towing about 3 miles in to this section. We got passed by Elk Bones about 1.5 miles in, but they couldn't gap us. We passed them entering the park, and they passed us again as Jeff struggled to get Mike up the last hill. Green Paw gained ground and we entered the TA 1,2, 3 for the final O section.

I waited in the TA to see which way the other two teams were heading. I didn't want to play to my poor tendencies to follow and assume, or lead the other teams through the course. There were two logical starting points, luckily they both chose the same ones. Off.... in the other direction. We were maybe 100 meters in when Mike stated his knee was bothering him. Vitamin I and electrolytes and suck it up... didn't seem to help much, but he didn't complain. First control, surrounded by green... when the map shows white. Hmmmmm.... find it OK, but doesn't inspire confidence. Next control is easy peasy, but then a 300 m slog through green to attempt to find a 1 contour bump. Jeff somehow spots it through about 40 meters of thick stuff. A 50m slog through more green and we are off on a trail and true white woods O course. One trick the director through in.... mini controls. Mini, as in hang from your rearview mirror mini. We hunt for the first of two of these for a bit before I notice it is a mini, and we are 40' away.... Bobble the next one as I entered the woods about 30' past the control and it was buried in a pit in the middle of more green. Come across a trail as we beat through the green stuff looking for my bobble. Hmmm.... no trails on the map here. Am I way off? Notice that there are a lot of trails headed to the south east (where I am just headed) that just dead end.... Ohhhhh.... they erased the trails in this part. Sneaky. Recover from the bobble then head in to some tricky moraine style terrain, moving on trails to avoid the green while thumbing the map every bubble or dip in the terrain. Picking them off pretty good until the last control. Bobble bobble search search. Totally lost the map. Argh. Try to reorient without going 500 meters off course. clock is ticking. Boom, got it. Hazaah!!! back to map with trails, which helps to reorient, but there is plenty of off trail work to be done. Three controls to go. Spike the next one then call a team meeting. 20 minutes to go, 2 controls. One is a mini, both are in green. What do you want to do. It is probably 6 minutes back, or 8 minutes to the next control, the mini, and 6 minutes back. They let me call it, and we head back, arriving with 6 minutes to spare. Futile look at the suduko and call it quits on the bonus point.

Elk Bones and Green Paw both come in within minutes of us. 3 controls and 4 controls shy of a sweep. However, Elk Bones wrote down one of their bike-O controls incorrectly and Green Paw solved the un-solvable puzzle, so they flip flopped.

What a great, fun race. Awesome to see all the teams at all the TA's. The team did great. Adhoc teamwork and great spirits throughout the event.

C • Well done, El Presidente! 5

Fun OTNT set by Mike. Had to go through controls 1-10 on a marginal map with a good trail network. Tough to see the trails with the leaves on the ground.

2nd time through the same course, this time... 10-1. A little different look, and still tough to manage with the leaves and small trails.

Last time through the course. This time controls 1-10 memory O. Surprisingly clean run. 1 small bobble, but the rest were straight forward.

Control retrieval.