Sunday O-Course at Raven Rock

Jinyoung and I attended the BOK O-course yesterday at Raven Rock State Park. We got there about 11:30, registered, got 2 maps and started the long (red) course at 11:52. The weather was perfect, the terrain was hilly and in places the vegetation was thick, especially the laurel on the steep slopes lining most creeks.

I broke in my new Salomon trail shoes, they worked well buy still need to stretch our more for better comfort. Just in case, I carried my old shoes in my backpack just in case. We managed to find all 17 checkpoints in order without getting lost. My new thumb compass worked great. I don't know why I never used one before.

We finished the course in 2hr16min. We walked the course - no running. Results should be posted on the BOK website in a few days.
http://backwoodsok.org/

Saturday Paddle

Today I paddled at Harris Lake using the map from the Bushwhack Adventure Race 09?

Paddled about 14km in 3hr15min  with several breaks to stretch the legs and shake out the arms.

Saw these guys out sunning on a downed tree. I forgot to wear sunscreen and I got burned even though it was only 75 degrees out. I wore my new Swiftwick Aspire Twelve socks. I plan to wear these for the race to protect my shins from the briars.

Bumps on a log!

Here is a picture of my new compasses. The one on the right is a Suunto Arrow 6 thumb compass made especially for orienteering. I will use it for the first time tomorrow at the Raven Rock O-meet. The one on the left is a Silva Starter for general use during the race.

How did they know I was going to cross here?

Yesterday's Ride

Easter Sunday I rode the Neuse River Trail from Milburnie Dam up to Falls Lake Dam and then did about 1 hour hike before riding back to Milburnie. Round trip ride was about 55km, average speed about 16kph include some breaks to walk and stretch my legs. By the end, my ass was sore from sitting in the saddle for over 3 hours.

I also got my bike light out, fully charged it and then timed it to see how long it burned; about 7 hours on low level. Should be good enough to get me through any riding at night needed at Uwharrie 18 since there will only be about 9 hours of darkness that night.

This weeks exercise plan

M am - Walk
M pm - Yoga
Tu am - Walk
Tu am - Spin class
W am - Walk
W pm - Lift
Th am - Walk
Th pm - Spin class
Fr am - Walk
Fr pm - Off
Sat - long paddle
Sun - O-Course at Raven Rock State Park

We're Baaaack!!!

After two years off, the Turtles have risen from hibernation and are planning to enter 3 teams in the Uwharrie 18 Adventure Race on June 6, only 9 weeks away! My next series of posts will detail my efforts to prepare.

Today I fixed my bike computer and set it to metric since most of our discussions about about distance will be in meters and kilometers.

Based on past history, our rough travel rates are:
Hiking (On Trail) 12-15 minutes per kilometer
Hiking (Day) 15-20 minutes per kilometer
Hiking (Night) 20-30 minutes per kilometer
Biking 3-5 minutes per kilometer
Paddling (Flatwater) 12-15 minutes per kilometer

I fixed my trusty crank brothers multi-tool - hope we don't need this during the race.

I ordered a new pair of Solomon XA Pro 3D shoes since my old ones are worn out.

I need to order a new compass because my last one went haywire at my last orienteering event.

Tomorrow a 3-4 hour easy ride to get some saddle time.