After Diez Vista, I wasn't feeling particularly destroyed (didn't have the Robbins shuffle) but due to my ankle, I wanted to make sure that everything was fine before I started running again. It took a few days before it was 100% again (which was weird since it went from absolute pain to being fine in a few days!) but my energy levels were definitely at a low. I spent the week eating like I'd been fasting for weeks and even if I was full, my body still felt like it wanted more. It's been a long time since I've felt like this and is probably attributed to going so far in the hole at Diez Vista; I depleted myself and was slowly replenishing my energy stores.
So, after a week of primarily biking to work and a group road ride with the Russ Hays group, I was looking forward to some good but not too intense weekend training.
I did my usual Saturday monring trail run with the Harriers at Thetis Lake and then after a good hearty breakfast, I was fuelled up for some long hours in the bush.
I headed out to Camp Thunderbird in Sooke to field check some locations for the following event that I'm doing the course for:
Event: Camp Thunderbird 3 Hour Score-O
Location: Camp Thunderbird, Sooke
Description: Collect as many controls as possible in a three hour time period
Info: Victoria Orienteering Club
One of the many Control Locations
This event is just one week before the Squamish MOMAR and is a must for tuning up your navigation or for just getting out of the City and into some gorgeous west coast terrain with some great views out across the Juan de Fuca Straight and to the Olympic Pennisula Mountains.
If you can make it to this Control Location, you'll get a sweet view!
After spending a good five hours in the bush and slicing open one of my fingers on a rock (don't worry, it's all bandaged up!), I packed it in and started to head home. Ok, I say five hours but a good 1/2 hour of that was spent lying on a rock outcrop in the sun with my shirt peeled off. Yeah! It felt sooooo gooood! Seems like a long time since last summer.
I was feeling pretty beat but suddenly decided to go up humpback road and check out Mount MacDonald. This peak is located just by Goldstream Provincial Park and right across from Mount Wells. I've been up Wells several times but had yet to go up MacDonald so... might as well be now then never. I had a great fast power hike up and up and up to the peak.
A large patch of Shooting Stars on the way to the Summit
The trail is nice and rugged but is mostly unrunable due to the steepness going up. The view from the top was definitely worthwhile as I had a great view from up to the highlands, to Victoria, to the south over the Juan De Fuca straight, and even out to the mountains in Sooke where I just was. I hiked and ran back down and then called it a day.
My Reward
Sunday I awoke again to some great weather. I geared up on the road bike and had a solid 2 1/2 hour road ride with the wheelers group. What started off as a decent pace and a large group soon turned into a faster and smaller and faster and smaller group. Eventually, we went down to just five of us and by the time we rode by my place, my legs were totally done.
I quickly refuelled and headed out again to Royal Road University for a middle distance orienteering event. This was a good event that had some good bushwacking, some mud, and some good open and fast trail running. Just under an hour of running and I was again done for the day.
I spent the rest of the day in a sleepy daze wishing to sleep but having to pack and make the ferry over to Vancouver to spend the next three days at a quality managment training workshop. With the ferry full, I cursed, fell asleep in the backseat of my car, and eventually made it over to my hotel by midnight! Arhh.
It was a good weekend! Ok, other than the ferry... :)
TNO
3 comments:
hey Todd ... this score-o you're putting on -- what's the area like?
also -- is it rogaine format ... as in any order or is there an order? how many flags and roughly how many sqkms? what's the map scale going to be? thanks.
duncan.
ps i looked in to the map software for orienteering but they don't have a mac version.
The Score-O is like a Rogaine although technically they are different (a rogaine is always in teams and usually is 6 hours or more). So, yes, any order.
There are approx 35 controls. I'm not sure on the sq kms but the map scale is 1:10,000 on a 8 1/2 by 14 page.
The area is pretty tough going in areas with some very nice runnable open rock. Expect some tough bushwacking (lots of salal). Full leg covering is highly recommended and some kind of shin guard is a bonus if you want to move fast.
Hope to see you there!
it sounds great Todd. i'm a big fan of the bushwhacking. more challenging or technical the orienteering the better. i will definitely try to make it over there.
thanks,
duncan.
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