Training Log Archive: Mr Wonderful

Trick or treating. Daughter powered her chair for the first half mile, and then I pushed her the rest of the way.

Event: SMOC Pontiac Lake
 

"course vetting" pontiac lake score o. Term used loosely because Rick is about a million times better at orienteering. Nice day to be in the woods.

Deer Grove in the northwest Chicago 'burbs. I just walked it with my brother - his first time orienteering.

#1 was cake easy, but it set up a tough line to #2, which I blew. Was right on track after 80%, then veered south and go confused in the trails. Not a lot of features to get reoriented, so we wandered around for 20 minutes, eventually finding the attack point for #3 before backtracking and stumbling. The dark green wasn't very distinct, nor very tough - after punching #2 we exited through it.

#3 was easy, a ditch meeting a creek. Had to shoot a bearing to #4, was slightly off, but converging orienteers made it easy to spot.

#5 - very frustrating - gps log and our memory says we damn near stepped on the thing, but didn't see it (all flags hung below knee), so we checked a few ditches north before coming back down. 5 meters away, and 10 minutes lost? Doh!

Nice lines to 6 & 7 & 8- minor improvements possible, but not much to lose sleep over.

Veered a bit to #9, but it made the attack easy, so all is forgiven. Zig zagged a bit to #10, but no real trouble.

Never saw the marked trail to #11. Tried entering through light green that was impassible thorns, backtracked a bit, still never saw trail although we had to have crossed it. Jumped trails a bit to #12, but it was easy going so no real time lost.

#13 - I don't know how, but we managed to go perfectly up the trail, cut over, and arced right over top - I nearly stepped on it. If I had more moments of brilliance (or luck!), I would be decent.

#14 - that was indeed a very shallow reentrant. I would've found it, but a half dozen people made it easier. Passed them to #15, didn't see the right trail, so we accidentally took another trail, realized it, and corrected over the correct hill. Tried to sprint for the finish to win a leg, but dear brother was beat by this time, and the first half was 70 meters up a grade.

Good time had by all! And I even got my daughter home by bedtime.

In the spring I will see about visiting my family when they have a Saturday meet for easier logistics.

Event: SMOC Silver Lake
 

FAIL

If I can't finish a Lew Kidder course in a reasonable time, should I rethink my plans to try the A meet in Kentucky in the spring?

1 - Cut mostly straight west to it, no problem
2 - Cut mostly the way I wanted to - briefly overshot and backtracked. Here I managed to accidentally cut through a swamp that was at first just ankle deep muck and then waist deep water. It was a shock! GPS track doesn't tell me where this happened - it wasn't marked as anything with water.
3 - I'm okay with my route to 3. I managed to avoid the green, and found the low area and made my way to the end of it
4 - This was the end of my race. I completely and utterly fouled this up . I don't know why I thought was where I was. I should've used my compass to get going around that lake - for some reason, I misread and went east, and then thought the reentrants I eventually found were the right ones - they were not. then I bore south...finally...but it was too late and I used a lot of trail to just go to the little stone cave, then up to the clearing . ARGH ARGH ARGH. Humongous waste of time, and energy, and destroyed confidence. Had I gotten this right, I probably would've finished.
5 - I should've tried a more direct track, but I followed the unmarked but popular trail from the clearing to the trail. I had trouble reading the features to 5, so I briefly started to go around the next pond, but realized it and went to the very faint feature. Had it not been between two ponds, I probably would've struggled.
6 - I actually did fine here. Not sure it was the speediest route, but I stayed off trail, picking up that faint trail west of the pond west of 5, then reading the features well and only coming out 15 meters south of the flag.
7 - This was no trouble, for reason it all made sense. I had visions of being able to finish the course in a reasonable amount of time.
8 - I've spent enough time here for control pickup that it was straightforward.
9 - Another botched control. I was stupid close the first pass - I actually went through a third of the circle!, but didn't look east to find the fallen tree. I ended up at the trail, then looped way too far east, back down to the two track, and then I took another crack with the compass and went to it. I began to doubt that I would finish.
10 - Seeing as how I nearly tripped over the damn thing headed to #4 (yes I was that wrong earlier), I should've found it quicker. I drifted too far west, then cut back south, found features similar to the nearby pond, and convinced myself I was right, when I was then too far west. I went up to the trail, and dropped back down near the impossible-to-see trail junction, and got it. I thought I might take a crack at 11, but I didn't see it and it was pretty late so I grabbed the trail and jogged it in, thankfully not last.

So I should really not do a Lew Kidder course on a day where I play guitar at church and try to grab a quick lunch with the family. You can pull that off at Huron Meadows, but not here, not if you're me!

If I were qualified to host a meet, I think I'd do it on a Saturday for the novelty and for people with Sunday scheduling issues.

My gps log is too pitiful to post anywhere. I shall now weep silently.

SmartBlast Fast & Furious - 8th of 31 teams

Paddling canceled on account of sustained 30 mph wind w/ gusts to 50. That'd be one thing on an open lake in June; another on a chilly October morning.

I felt good at first, and was possibly first back with my easter egg hidden in a sand volleyball court. Struggled a little find #1, but got it and got on our way.

By the way, there are an incredible number of lazy asses who send their partner into stuff they can't see (100' max or visible, whichever is shorter) to save time and energy. LAME.

Then a short bike up to the O section. O section was not terribly complicated; points were easy to find and organizer thankfully added gps trails to the USGS map. Not so much route choice; I'd be surprised if anyone took any really crazy routes as the points didn't have much between them except trails.

Then onto the bike. Bike was a long shot up the Polly Ann trail. Struggled a little with the "outer loop" point on some paved trails - not familiar with system, and with no trails on the map - are there two loops around the lake? No, it's a system solely north of the lake. A couple oops moments in there before we just went around.

Then the last point at the end of the Polly Ann trail section tricked us. I thought it was further up a reentrant, but after flushing a half dozen deer, it clearly wasn't. So we continued further, thinking maybe the sub entrance was newer than the map, but a No Tresspassing gravel pit had us turn out. Turns out we were 20 meters short of the point, which was flagged but on the outbound side of a tree. Grr.

Then back down the Polly Ann trail. One point was in a "building", so when I saw a small 4x4 concrete object, I stopped and checked it out, finding the flag. I had to yell for Jeff to come back. I think others missed it as well, expecting something more substantial.

The final point was out by an electrical station. Trails were not mapped, and we didn't see the entrance to the railroad grade. We ultimately went to the road, spotted the grade, then reentered the area and found the entrance to the grade. When the grade became unridable, we dropped bikes and walked to the powerline, then followed it out to the tower with the flag. We punched it and hustled back, but missed Cooper by three minutes. Presumable he punched #22 when we were out on the road?

I felt fit enough during the foot o section, but was really dragging on the bike. I couldn't keep up with Jeff. ARGH. Maybe this will be the inspiration I need.

Truck broke down again. Car shopping is a PITA. Where's my tax refund, Feds? It's only been six months, interest free.

Hit snooze button too long for Hawaii 5-0, but did manage a Tosh.0. I really should be getting on the bike!

Event: SMOC Waterloo Rec HQ
 

SMOC Waterloo HQ

Upon arrival, the HQ felt very familiar, then I remembered that when my truck was broken down here in the spring, I stopped at the HQ for a beverage when I was biking the ~30 miles out to pick it up.

Well I had no huge, game ending mistakes, but two small costly errors. I guess that's improvement! I anxiously await the splits.

#1 - I appreciated the easier one out of the box. Took the trail down, past the junction, then cut straight south to it.

#2. I went mostly east, and slightly north, which was fine by me, just trying to string together the most opening running. Hit slightly north as planned, and then was aided by Alex punching it.

#3. Tried to vaguely run a bearing down to it, but stayed too much south and hit that swamp, so then I cut through that and was very slightly south, but it was visible when I got near it.

#4. Picked up the trail to the north, then took the lake trail, starting cutting in about one peninsula early, but just continued to it.

#5. Just tried to stay on the flat roughly along the bearing, then drift up when I hit the area near it.

#6. I was intending to end up slightly south, but I was amazingly accurately due east, so I walked right to it.

#7. I took the trails north, using the clearing to get to the road at the first trail bend. Then continued up the trail to the giant clearing, headed west, and cut a diagonal after the last green stripe. I cut in too early, and went too far west, so I looped over the top. Trying to avoid my situation at #10 last week, I decided to cut back to the trail and take another crack at it, as soon as possible. But then I stumbled on well worn grass, and followed that back. The perk of arriving at 1 pm! So a five ish minute loss here??

#8. Straightforward - I followed the trail to the north of that open area, then cut ESE after the third green stripe, and walked right to it. On the way back, I went more directly to the trail as I was starting to tire. It was hot today, and I'm just not in 10k shape like I should be.

#9. I took the trail along the top of the clearing, then stayed west when it broke south. I didn't do a good job of reading things, because I hit #9 before I was expecting it. I got confused by the number of trails - I think there are a couple new ones in this area??

#10. I was going to follow the heavy trail line, but decided to skirt around the elevation, so I went west of it between the hill and the out of bounds olive. I eventually picked it up at the junction where the road bends, and then followed that until it went back down, instead staying high, and counting off the gullies, and following the ditch to the point. I arrived about 5 meters west of the flag. Close enough for me!

#11. I bore NNW to the rock pile, then crossed the swamp there - great way to break in brand new shoes, by going through ankle deep muck. There may be a better way, but I don't know where it was. I should go back sometime and learn more about it.

#12. I recrossed the swamp, but slightly to the south. It was deeper here - I hit a spot knee deep, and a huge splash of mud hit the map. Luckily it mostly obscured the area east of #10, so I was able to follow trails to the area for #12.

Here was my most bone headed mistake - I looked for 12 in the circled # instead of the circle. In my defense, the circle was a bit little muddy to the northeast, thanks to my swamp crossing. #12 was trivial to find, once, you know, you went to the actual location.

Then I ran as hard as I could in - we'll see if that gets me a stage win for that. I was tired and it was hot.

C • Yes, splits to twelve are w... 3

I am going to buy some new shoelaces for my Cascadias because those things do not stay tied! It makes me timid in swamp crosses, or I stop to tie them all the time. Maybe the New Balance sausage style.

2011 Crooked Lake Fall SMOC meet

I felt good at the start, but then just wasn't reading the map well. I "AR'd" too many of the points - get close, and get lookin'. Not the best method with the amount of vegetation.

1 - Stupidly troublesome. I missed the trail turn off after the pond, and turned up after the swamps, but was too far west, so I ended up looping back from the west.

2 - tried to find trail east of green, but missed it and went somewhat green. Had to go west to punch the flag.

3 - Came a bit over the top to the east and dropped back down

4 - went south to the contours paralleling the feature, and followed them right in. After picking up this control, I think the pro line would be between the swamps, more straight.

5 - I wasn't feeling confident off trail, so I jumped on the road, and picked up the trail east of the pond, then attacked in a NNW direction, following around the little swamp. Was mildly east, but not too bad

6 - I was unsure of the swamps, so I went down to the road. I took a drinking break while walking, and panicked when I saw the parking bump out, but it was the first one, which I hadn't noticed, so I turned up earlier than planned. I ran into the swamp near the trail junction, so I had to go east to pick up the main trail. I missed the bridge and cut through the creek. I seemed to pick a more northerly log to cross out to the island than the others passing through that area at the same time

7 - Not too much trouble, just wasn't efficient, zig zagging over the creek to it.

8 - misread the contours, had to climb up for it a bit

9 - Just followed the valley right to it

10 - Make me question my participation in the sport! I was trying to avoid hills, so I ended meandering to the trail WSW of 9, and taking that up most of the way to 10. The and the big swamp pointing at it, I took the SE side, and was doing well, except I wandered too far east, and skirted around. I walked too long before reacclimating, and by that point I had no clue where I was - it's flat, there are swamps, it's flat over there, there's a swamp, so I just high tailed it west to pick up the trail again. Turns out I was far enough north to hit the horse camp. Argh. then I went back down, but overshot the swamp and repeated my attack, but this time I made sure I hugged the swamp, and found it without much difficulty. If only I could stop making stupid mistakes. I need to monitor time or distance so I can bail out and get my bearings earlier, before things get desperate.

11 - I went right there, but I didn't see the flag so I poked around a bit. :(

12 - Easy enough, went to rock pile to the south along a faint trail, and it was easy to spot

13 - I screwed up at a trail junction and wound up on the road farther east, but recovered okay. Worked through the ditches to the east and then went to it, although I misread the circle and though it should've been more SE. Then I tried to spring to the finish, but we'll see how that worked out. I was pretty beat!

C • The area near 10 is tricky,... 4

Control pickup. It is so much insanely easier when you walk 2.5 mph than when you try to go fast!!

Hawaii 5.0 S02E02

then screwed around with some pushups, situps, squats