Training Log Archive: Mr Wonderful

115 w, 63 rpm. S03E04.

Harvey's breath froze on the rain shield. Brr!

143 w, 59 rpm

Knee is not perfect perfect so will probably not jump up to 2hr20min movies just yet. Bonus: more sleeping in!

Still waiting on the ground-shipped coupler to arrive for the bike trailer.

Seems like I will take some notes on our camping successes and failures in order to improve for next time.

I think the biggest issue was I briefly gave Ed a false sense of my preparedness, so we both winged it a bit too much.

For example, I had my micro backpacking stove and fuel, and no ignition means.

Ed had his self igniting camping stove and no fuel.

Thankfully, Alswede is not an idiot and gave us a pack of matches. :)

I also ended up bringing way too much junk I never touched, and then a couple items I left behind might have been nice.

We didn't freeze to death or get too wet so all's well that ends well, plus more memorable than a Holiday Inn Express.

24 S03E02

10 minute warmup, then 3 minutes mildly hotter, 3 minutes average

Event: Mal Harding Extreme-O :: FDR SP
 

Extreme O!

Ed and I walked the short course. We knew short from before we started, owing to the long drive back.

We started with a compass and bearing to the platform, then headed off on shaded relief. I should have asked for clues as we ended up on the wrong side of the huge ditch and had to get wet feet and scramble. Sorry Ed.

Then it was on to a 1:5 with several blank sections. I think the people in front of us made an error turning too early on the wrong little stream. We did pretty well, and Ed figured out a blanked out area had a trail right to the second to last, so we made good time for walking.

Then it was a written instruction to follow some powerlines, where we caught up to some of the fitter younger teams, which was nice. Then some satellite for a bit, before the long/short split. We stuck with short, as it was taking even longer than planned.

USGS here, which is nicely fair, so you can sort of eyeball, like "there are only two hills, and it's 35 = 1/3rd and 4/5 = 1/2 of the way through the square so this one.

Then a little bit of math from an information sign to get a direction to head on a trail, then a rope scramble up a steep bank, then a park map to.....

Possum toss! Four tennis balls, 10' or so, get one ball through one of the possum face cut outs (think photo board). I was close but missed three times before clutching the fourth. Only other team to be successful was Peng's friend JieYi, who got it on the third try, citing her basketball experience.

Then a quick 5 or so on 1:10 back to the S/F, including one wet foot under the bridge, before the giant flag and done.

Quick shower and a 12 hour race back to Michigan, successfully with no tickets!

Now a longer blue! It started with a long uphill climb. As I neared the top, I heard a distressful noise. Some disturbed sort of wailing. Was someone injured? They weren't blowing their whistle. I couldn't make out any words. Should I investigate?

I ultimately decided someone was running hounds, phew.

I continued about, trying to avoid climb when I could. I have been on this map...and lost..before...so I used caution in the downslope of fanning spurs with and without creeks. Peng used less caution so I caught him at #4.

#8 shows an error, but really it's because it's a 4 index * 5 contours/index * 5 meters per contour = 100 m climb up a spur. Eventually I realized this was their main trick - have you climb to get tired, then send you across the spurs, then send you back down so you make a tired overspeed error in the parallel spur confusion.

I got enough back to edge out Peng for SMOC Blue bragging rights on the combined, but not enough to whittle back Minto's massive Saturday lead.

Fun stuff, but maybe Red is enough unless I were to get in mega running shape.

Blue - Splits