Training Log Archive: Mr Wonderful

Event: Summer Fury Sprint Adventure Races
 

4 point starting course. We chased the lead pack around rather than swimming to #1. Then swam the big gap to #2 - I was super, duper slow, probably had us nearly last. We made up good time to #3; many were confused by the spur - Cooper's night training course sure helped. We overshot #4, but realized it and backtracked and went right to it. Whoops. But only a couple minute error, no harm no foul.

C • near last 2

I forgot to start the gps tracker so all distances until later are approximate.

Started with a run around the park to some singletrack in the dark, then roads over to Waterworks park in Holly.

Quite a challenging paddle. Five CPs scattered upstream of Waterworks. Dawn was only coming up, which was a mixed bag because you could sort of see some stuff, but the CPs pop less as the darkness fades. We went 9-12-11-10-13.

Almost over shot take over for 12-11, but I thought the terrain looked right, so we ignored the other teams. Today's success was largely determined by how much we ignored other teams.

Hoped to find a shortcut from 10-13, but the stream on the map ain't there that I saw!

It was fun to be up with a lot of strong teams heading back to 14 for the Shiawassee stretch.

We had mixed moments on the Shiawassee. I am a terrible sternsman. Sometimes I could get the boat turned around, sometimes I could not. Maria was cool with it, phew. I was okay for the first 4-5 miles, but it got a little grueling the last two into Fenton.

Jogged back to the start/finish from the canoe take out. I started to get concerned - I felt very lethargic, just no energy. We negotiated that we could walk the uphills. We followed CP 6 trail into the mountain bike trails - it washed with the guys that took the roads and was more fun. But I was having trouble finding energy and I was getting warm. If we weren't shaded, I was a little miserable.

We took the park road and roads to bike CP 18, but I think cutting up and taking the new two track might be faster. I wonder if anyone did it? I didn't see many bikes so maybe everyone did.

I was dragging and felt bad about slowing Maria down, especially when we turned south onto Fagan.

C • Two track 1

After dragging on the bike, I figured I could go alright on the o section, and that's my specialty, so time to do work!

Then I fouled up #23 right out of the box. ARGH. In my defense, Maria read me the wrong clue. But we didn't overshoot too bad, and nearly tripped over it when we fought our way back north.

Did well on #26, and #22 was about right. Now I still am dragging, but my mood is really up. Hoo ah!

#28 was very challenging. Looks trivial on a map, but you cannot run a straight line - the vegetation was CRAZY. We stalled out in a thicket or two, eventually discovering that areas near swamps were not as overgrown. Good call, Maria. So instead of a beeline, we took the north edge around.

HafkeMRA? gave us a nice trail through the swamp to #27, and when we hit I saw Mark Voit walking swiftly away from a reentrant in the approximately right area, so I figured they bagged it. We didn't see it, so we went for high ground and then saw the correct bigger reentrant to the north. Then we headed for the road and saw them scouting around reentrant areas to the south.

To #25 was a mess. We tried to cut through the woods, but they were too thick, so we went down to the swamp which was dry on the edge. We were pretty lucky on this one, ending up on the right very shallow spur, and wandering up and spotting the streamer on the correct tree.

#24 looked like an out and back, and we were overtime so we skipped it. Luke said it was only knee deep, no swimming. Bah! USGS maps and bingo routes. :-P

I really wanted to clear it, but there was just not enough time with those crazy thick woods.

We arrived at the singletrack too late to do all of them, so we jumped at the mandatory points. Hike a bike was an option, but the woods were so thick I missed the first chance, and Maria rightfully cursed me for the second chance. But we were quickly off. I perked up a little - couldn't fly, but could move a little. I drafted Maria a LOT in this race. Not as much draft as Jeff, for sure, but it helped.

Tricky score layout for the rogaine finish. I originally thought about trying for four, but we quickly realized that at our travel speed, and fearing thick woods, that we would bag the minimum two points and lock it up, getting back as soon as possible. #33 and #34 (iirc) looked very topographically solid so we went for those. Finally, nice woods! I've been waiting all day for that.

Our plan paid off as MarkVT and his wife also nabbed the same number of points, but were four minutes back. Phew, very close.

Race less the opening run/swim loop, bike to paddle, paddle, and hike back.

Very happy with the results. If AR doesn't teach you to hang in there and hope for the best when you feel lousy for 4-6 hours, I'm not sure what will.

Key areas for improvement:

* paddle technique
* bike speed
* run stamina
* gut reduction

C • Congrats! 6

Race looks pretty long. We hope to fly early before the heat. We will not clear it. Lots to keep track of as well - long multi discipline legs.

Dear wife birthday hike up from Bandemer to the Broken Egg for some breakfast. Note to self: No easy and legal way to exit the trail near Argo dam.

After the bugs by the river, we elected to revise the post-breakfast portion to an urban, bug-free setting, so we wandered about the pre art fair environment. On a whim, we found the Fourth Avenue Birkenstock store, but it wasn't opening for a while, so we decided that we would just kill time and wander about for a bit. Nice, not too many people yet and a bit of shade near buildings. I've never cut through that section of campus before so that was novel.

Then we returned to the shoe store. No IceBugs on display, so I broke down and asked. They had a 12. Some interesting design choices, but the dobs looked cooled, so I decided to chance paying full price and hoping that I adored them for orienteering. I mean, they even mention orienteering on the tag!! Then dear wife picked up some sandals, and they called the owner, and he said the IceBugs could also be on the art fair sale, so they knocked off about a 1/3, woo hoo.

C • Early birds! 2

From the shoe store back to the car via the Argo Cascades.

So my buddy's new office is moving from Plymouth and Nixon (just west of Plymouth and Huron River Parkway) to here:

http://goo.gl/maps/sDtCH

I am very jealous!

En route to my house:

(1) National Orienteering Week banner

One of the things that's still odd about living in a metro area versus the small rural town of my upbringing is the proximity of news to home or work. There were rumors about darker types of matters, but it was largely kept under wraps and certainly never reported to the tiny local classified-driven papers - if you didn't know cops or EMTs, you were never finding out about things. Anyway...

Here:

http://goo.gl/maps/DzwUi

Slightly west of Igor's latest map addition in another chunk of Brighton Rec, a body was recently found. Not a warm fuzzy story.

http://www.livingstondaily.com/article/20130712/NE...

C • Ugh, I have not been to tha... 2

I realized I forgot my helmet, so I did laps around my sleepy sub.

Hopefully the elliptical works as a secret weapon for accumulating running type work without injury.

Lazy stroll up to the gas station and back. Still hot, still buggy.

Earlier today I retrieved the canoe for the Fury. So far it looks like the rack system will work okay. If you shake the canoe, the truck shakes.

And we are registered for the 5.7 on Mackinac, no turning back now.