Training Log Archive: Mr Wonderful

Event: Pontiac Lake Night-O
 

Super fun night o set by Rick Waldo on his brand new and awesome PLRA west map. 1:8000, 1 m contours. Nicely chosen control sites - cool features (he clearly knows the woods!) and all open by the controls.

My biggest advantage going in was I knew what I had to do. From hosting the last two years, I know that Igor has done over 5 km/hr at night for the last two years - Rick's 8 km course would be clearable. So I drew a clockwise route through everything, no well-planned optional loops - go big or go home.

Bobbled #41 as Coop and I ran too far. He fixed it faster! Bobbled #54 as I didn't go far enough, free lift from a family I had passed at 37. Behind on time, I took the swamp from 73 to 43, pretty usable, the creek was a little deep (over knee), but it was serious business so on we go.

Also bobbled #49, never thought to punch 72 while I was on top off the hill, should have held a strong bearing to the rock line, not sure why I thought I could read the soft reentrant.

Really screwed up 35, miscounted swamps, ended up back by 36, was really cursing since I knew I had enough time if I didn't do that sort of thing, but luckily the big N/S trail had enough users I could figure out where I was and reattack.

#50 made me a little nervous - my control pickup line was better, rather than in the race pushing strong NE to hit the pond, a little low vis and softer than I guessed, then couldn't find the spur, but did finally pop on pond and followed edge.

First in, all controls, good feeling!

C • Congrats! 6

Picked up 40-33-34-35-46-59-50-51-32-41. Much better 59-50 staying dry by using the little pond/rock piles!

Dropped off remaining permit items, and met Chuck on the way out. He seemed very receptive to additional events.

C • Woohoo! 1

Pinckney permit moving along. Should be able to confirm very early next week.

Ankle feeling much better. Roclites w/ a brace for safe keeping as I'm sure it's vulnerable to anything yet.

Logo for next year, take three.

C • Logo 2

Tried to get 3D rerun to do a 2D rerun of Igor v. Jens at Park Lyndon, since they were approximately even in number of splits won, and had similar times, but repeated efforts couldn't get the map calibrated so it always had them 50 m off. Maybe I'll try again.

Great paddle with w4j. After a fluke training recently where the weather was decent, we've gone back to 30 deg and wind for bike rides, and 54 and rainy for paddles. Which wasn't too bad; I was bare handed, and only picked a slight chill at the turn around, and then a little more so at the finish. Great steering practice as the Huron had a little more kick than usual.

I submitted a permit application for:

12/6

Score O / Rogaine

Pinckney Recreation Area, Silver Lake Lot

Maps at 9, mass start at 10 am, course closes at 1 pm, awards (if any, this will be barebones!) / bragging rights (more important anyway!) by 1:15.

Hopefully I hear back soon. I have a few days off soon, so I can probably scout and streamer the whole thing in one solid day if I'm brisk.

C • Cool! 5

Event: Park Lyndon
 

Easy warm up. Today was serious business.

Red @ Park Lyndon, advertised just shy of 8 km.

1 - some hesitation
2 - mostly clean
3 - started to look around wrong first spur, should have paced better
4 - Huh? Looks like it should be on the isthmus, but marked as reentrant. don't see it...still don't see it...ah, on the hill SW of the circle center. is that reentrant on the map? no time to wonder off to five
5 - whoops, easy walking again had me going around the marsh the wrong way, corrected back onto the narrow spur
6 - cut across a tiny bit of swamp, pretty dry, then a bit unsure of position but saw water jugs from aways off
7 - Mostly okay, other than mega rolling r ankle, may need my brace back for Saturday. Ouch ouch. Hurts now unloading vehicle. :(
8 - Probably should have went to trail for as much green avoiding as I did. Chuck helped; saw him getting a drink
9 - XC to the n/s trail, then cut in south of the hill, nice woods, but some unnecessary detour as swamp was dry/runnable.
10 - no trouble, spent some time puzzling 10-11
11 - Probably should have gone S to trail, then S trail to hill, then back WNW to 11, instead west W to trail, S through crap, then followed Oleg, Chuck, etc. to flag
12 - Back the way I came, but cut through was easier.
13 - Used antenna as reference, perfectly in line. Except tall grass was tough running, veering into white woods probably faster or at least easier
14 - down through crap, meant to aim off to east, failed, started to get into odd stuff, was going to head back, spotted flag
15 - aimed off NNW, fought up the hill, east to flag
F - unsure about proximity to private property, went east around, but west run down to low spot was probably a lot more fun! Had to walk up the big hill to the finish. :(

Might be my first red win, bit of a technicality with Igor missing #4. Have to check the splits.

C • Well, your time is better a... 6

Talked Pauline and friends around a reduced set of Orange.

Picked up three flags. Run from Red 15 west of marsh was glorious. Downhill, nicest woods of the day, beautiful dot ditch to follow....fantastic!

Got back, found waiver for missing family (couldn't check vehicle because they wrote the wrong plate number down!), called them at 4:15 pm; they were a bit pissy about flags being up. They continued to be pissy on their arrival. I'm not sure what their strategy was, starting Green at 2:15 with three kids and a dog. Even on the laziest of pick up days, that's not going to work. I hope the head of household checks the website and finds the "courses close at 3 pm" mentioned once or twice. Mental note: Print 3 pm flag pick up on future maps.

C • Correction: They started at ~1:15 1