I'll take the story over from here from Cortny...
Cortny on the floor and me on my knees definately made paddling better. Oddly, the only pictures we have so far were taken on the calmest part of the lakes (a bay), and make it look like an easy paddle. I wish we had some pictures of the white water splashing up into Code's face in Lake Monona...and then puddling in the back of the canoe under my weight.
If you look at the picture though, you can see I am on my knees, and I still make that canoe look small....and the oars short. That was our biggest problem.
We were eventually told that some teams refused to do the second part of the paddling, and they portaged the canoe instead for almost a mile.
Anyway, out of the canoes we went and on to bikes. The fun really began. We started passing teams now, and that was cool. It really gets you energized to pass teams. I think we had a bout 20 miles of biking done when we came to the Orienteering section....and we had put about 4 teams behind us on the way to it.
The O-course was great. It seemed to have control points for every level. CP's 1 and 2 were as easy as it could get, yet some (like 8) were a search. Still, we rocked the course and put another couple teams behind us in the process. It took us about an hour and 15 minutes to complete it.
The next bike section was good, but I could tell this was where the "Natives" to Madison would be outshining us. We were still stopping to check maps, but the next 2-3 CP's were in well-known Madison locations. It was difficult to keep up and still navigate. The "Natives" knew where they were going.
Additionally, I had mis-plotted a CP and took us 4 blocks out of way. Luckily the passport with the coordinates was still readable for us to fix my mistake (This would not be true later. Our "passport" was mostly trashed.)
We then arrived at the "Metro-Trek" section of the race, on the U of W campus, right on the shore of Lake Mendota.
I'll leave the rest of the story for Code to tell...
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Monday, May 07, 2007
Mad Dash Splash!
Well, despite my reservations, we survived the Madison Mad Dash. Let's just say it's been a long, lazy winter, but we began training again early this spring and it paid off. We finished the Mad Dash, our first race of the season, in eleven hours. It was a twelve hour cutoff, and the best team finished in about 6 1/2 hours. Obviously, we knew that was out of the question for us, but we aimed to finish. And finish we did, despite all the odds.
Team check-in - 4:45 to 5:30 AM. Start time - 6:00AM.
We arrived at Olin Park, along the shores of Lake Monona, around 5:00 to a chilly temperature of about 45 degrees. Thankfully, we had all dressed in layers and knew that it was supposed to eventually warm up to about 70 sometime during the race, but at 5:00 in the morning, 45 is pretty cold. Anyway, after team unpacking and double-checking of gear, start time was upon us. Shortly before 6:00, all 23 teams huddled around Leo for last minute rules and instructions to suddenly be given the starting gun, and everyone ran off in different directions. Since it was a three person, co-ed race, there were three marked points around the start with a different map at each point. Each team member was to run to one of these locations to retrieve a map and regather at the starting line. Chad ran the shortest distance to retrieve our large, topo map of the Madison area, Code ran the farthest (thanks again Code!) to retrieve our more detailed map of the city with all of the bikeways mapped out (this proved a necessity, seeing how Madison has over 100 miles of bike paths), and I ran a short sprint to retrieve our passport down by the lakeshore. Our passport had our UTM coordinates for all of the checkpoints, so once I got back to Chad, we started plotting the points on the topo map he had. After Code returned from his 2-3 mile run to the bike map, we were pretty much on our way. Unfortunately, we were at the back of the pack at this time - second to last!
From the start, we had a three mile run/hike with all of our paddling gear to CP 1, where we were to retrieve our canoe. We reached the CP at the same time as the final team, but we got off into the water first and headed out onto Lake Wingra in what I still believe was the wobbliest canoe on the face of the Earth. Lake Wingra is a fairly small lake, and we could see the path that the teams ahead of us were taking to CP 2 and then CP 3 around the lake. It was a pretty windy day, though, and the only direction we could seem to paddle in was to the dead center of the lake. One of the optional gear items was a third seat for the canoe, so we brought along our trusy stool that works great as a third seat. About 1 1/2 minutes into our paddle, though, I think we all realized what a bad idea this was. The height I was sitting at in the canoe totally threw off our balance, and Chad's 6'4" height in the back was only making matters worse. Our canoe was a freaking weeble-wobble. After about 5 minutes of sea sickness, Chad says, "Cort, I think you might want to get off your seat and just kneel on the floor." I reply, "No, I'm fine!" but in reality, I'm thinking, "Yeah, that might be a good idea." Thirty seconds later, Chad readjusts in the back, which sends me off kilter on my stool, and the next thing I remember thinking is "Oh my God! We are NOT going in the lake!!!" SPLASH! After a Wisconsin spring thaw, the temperature of lake water is slightly above freezing. We hit the water, and instantly none of us could talk. Our teeth were chattering, we were freaking out, and our canoe was sinking. We had finally put the adventure into our adventure racing. The final team was right behind us, and when they reached us they were totally friendly. They asked if we wanted them to call for help, but our stubborn heads say "No, we should be OK." STUPID! After attempting to swim a good 100-200 yards with a sinking canoe, two fisherman came and rescued us. They tied our canoe to their boat and towed us in. All I remember of this is Code laughing hysterically. I swear, he's got one sick sense of humor. After getting back to shore and becoming nearly hypotermic, two race volunteers generously offered us a towel and dry shirts. Thanks again! That's the only thing that got me back into that boat. After about ten miserable minutes on land (temperature about 50 degrees) and me thinking that my teammates were NEVER getting me back into the boat from hell, we were paddling to CP 4. I have to say, though, without our third seat, which is now sitting at the bottom of Lake Wingra, we had much better balance, and the rest of the paddling section was a piece of cake.
Team check-in - 4:45 to 5:30 AM. Start time - 6:00AM.
We arrived at Olin Park, along the shores of Lake Monona, around 5:00 to a chilly temperature of about 45 degrees. Thankfully, we had all dressed in layers and knew that it was supposed to eventually warm up to about 70 sometime during the race, but at 5:00 in the morning, 45 is pretty cold. Anyway, after team unpacking and double-checking of gear, start time was upon us. Shortly before 6:00, all 23 teams huddled around Leo for last minute rules and instructions to suddenly be given the starting gun, and everyone ran off in different directions. Since it was a three person, co-ed race, there were three marked points around the start with a different map at each point. Each team member was to run to one of these locations to retrieve a map and regather at the starting line. Chad ran the shortest distance to retrieve our large, topo map of the Madison area, Code ran the farthest (thanks again Code!) to retrieve our more detailed map of the city with all of the bikeways mapped out (this proved a necessity, seeing how Madison has over 100 miles of bike paths), and I ran a short sprint to retrieve our passport down by the lakeshore. Our passport had our UTM coordinates for all of the checkpoints, so once I got back to Chad, we started plotting the points on the topo map he had. After Code returned from his 2-3 mile run to the bike map, we were pretty much on our way. Unfortunately, we were at the back of the pack at this time - second to last!
From the start, we had a three mile run/hike with all of our paddling gear to CP 1, where we were to retrieve our canoe. We reached the CP at the same time as the final team, but we got off into the water first and headed out onto Lake Wingra in what I still believe was the wobbliest canoe on the face of the Earth. Lake Wingra is a fairly small lake, and we could see the path that the teams ahead of us were taking to CP 2 and then CP 3 around the lake. It was a pretty windy day, though, and the only direction we could seem to paddle in was to the dead center of the lake. One of the optional gear items was a third seat for the canoe, so we brought along our trusy stool that works great as a third seat. About 1 1/2 minutes into our paddle, though, I think we all realized what a bad idea this was. The height I was sitting at in the canoe totally threw off our balance, and Chad's 6'4" height in the back was only making matters worse. Our canoe was a freaking weeble-wobble. After about 5 minutes of sea sickness, Chad says, "Cort, I think you might want to get off your seat and just kneel on the floor." I reply, "No, I'm fine!" but in reality, I'm thinking, "Yeah, that might be a good idea." Thirty seconds later, Chad readjusts in the back, which sends me off kilter on my stool, and the next thing I remember thinking is "Oh my God! We are NOT going in the lake!!!" SPLASH! After a Wisconsin spring thaw, the temperature of lake water is slightly above freezing. We hit the water, and instantly none of us could talk. Our teeth were chattering, we were freaking out, and our canoe was sinking. We had finally put the adventure into our adventure racing. The final team was right behind us, and when they reached us they were totally friendly. They asked if we wanted them to call for help, but our stubborn heads say "No, we should be OK." STUPID! After attempting to swim a good 100-200 yards with a sinking canoe, two fisherman came and rescued us. They tied our canoe to their boat and towed us in. All I remember of this is Code laughing hysterically. I swear, he's got one sick sense of humor. After getting back to shore and becoming nearly hypotermic, two race volunteers generously offered us a towel and dry shirts. Thanks again! That's the only thing that got me back into that boat. After about ten miserable minutes on land (temperature about 50 degrees) and me thinking that my teammates were NEVER getting me back into the boat from hell, we were paddling to CP 4. I have to say, though, without our third seat, which is now sitting at the bottom of Lake Wingra, we had much better balance, and the rest of the paddling section was a piece of cake.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Team POLeR - 2007 Schedule (updated 4/26/07)
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(Most everything of importance is clickable below...feel free to click it. GREEN dates are money due dates, BLUE are O-events, and RED dates are races)
------------------------------------------------------------------
May 5th-6th – Madison Mad Dash – Check-in Saturday 6-8pm, Race Sunday at 5:30am. 8 to 10 hours, 12 hour cut-off.
May 13th Sunday – Weekend off. Post Race.
May 20th Sunday - Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "6 hour Chad's Choice". (Ride to Aaron’s?)
May 27th Sunday – Meet at 11am at John’s house. “6 hour John’s Choice” training.
June 1st Friday – Last Day to sign up for Goomna 2007.
June 2nd Saturday - Jubilee State Park – 10am Orienteering event with the Peoria Club. We’ll bike the trails following the event.
June 10th Sunday – Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "8 hour Cortny's Choice".
June 17th Sunday – Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "6 hour Chad's Choice". (Water Training?)
June 23rd Saturday – GOOMNA 2007 (7:30-8:30 Check-in) 10 hour cut-off, 9am start.
July 1st Sunday – Weekend off. Post Race. Last day to register for WAR at discount!
July 8th Sunday – Meet at 11am at John’s house. “6 hour John’s Choice” training.
July 15th Sunday - Canoe - O / Busse Woods South. Orienteering with the Chicago Club. We will run after the event.
July 22nd Sunday - Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "6 hour Cortny's Choice".
July 29th Sunday – Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "6 hour Chad's Choice". (Ropes Refresher?)
August 5th Sunday – Muddy Buddy Chicago! (Need to be signed up by August 2nd)
August 8th Wednesday - Last day to register for WAR at full price!
August 11th-12th Weekend – Meet at 10pm Saturday Night. We train all night. 12 hour session. Course design to be determined. Larry will be needed for crew!
August 19th Sunday – Weekend Off! Pre-Race Resting!
August 24-26th Sunday – Wisconsin Adventure Race DZ 2007. Night start on 24th. Located at House on the Rock Resort Wisconsin! Larry (and whole crew) will be needed!
(Most everything of importance is clickable below...feel free to click it. GREEN dates are money due dates, BLUE are O-events, and RED dates are races)
------------------------------------------------------------------
May 5th-6th – Madison Mad Dash – Check-in Saturday 6-8pm, Race Sunday at 5:30am. 8 to 10 hours, 12 hour cut-off.
May 13th Sunday – Weekend off. Post Race.
May 20th Sunday - Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "6 hour Chad's Choice". (Ride to Aaron’s?)
May 27th Sunday – Meet at 11am at John’s house. “6 hour John’s Choice” training.
June 1st Friday – Last Day to sign up for Goomna 2007.
June 2nd Saturday - Jubilee State Park – 10am Orienteering event with the Peoria Club. We’ll bike the trails following the event.
June 10th Sunday – Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "8 hour Cortny's Choice".
June 17th Sunday – Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "6 hour Chad's Choice". (Water Training?)
June 23rd Saturday – GOOMNA 2007 (7:30-8:30 Check-in) 10 hour cut-off, 9am start.
July 1st Sunday – Weekend off. Post Race. Last day to register for WAR at discount!
July 8th Sunday – Meet at 11am at John’s house. “6 hour John’s Choice” training.
July 15th Sunday - Canoe - O / Busse Woods South. Orienteering with the Chicago Club. We will run after the event.
July 22nd Sunday - Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "6 hour Cortny's Choice".
July 29th Sunday – Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "6 hour Chad's Choice". (Ropes Refresher?)
August 5th Sunday – Muddy Buddy Chicago! (Need to be signed up by August 2nd)
August 8th Wednesday - Last day to register for WAR at full price!
August 11th-12th Weekend – Meet at 10pm Saturday Night. We train all night. 12 hour session. Course design to be determined. Larry will be needed for crew!
August 19th Sunday – Weekend Off! Pre-Race Resting!
August 24-26th Sunday – Wisconsin Adventure Race DZ 2007. Night start on 24th. Located at House on the Rock Resort Wisconsin! Larry (and whole crew) will be needed!
Sunday, April 08, 2007
More on Camp!
Monday, April 02, 2007
Team POLeR goes to camp!
More pictures and summary are forthcoming. For now, you can click HERE to see what pictures we have so far.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Training 2007 (Edited)
2007 Team POLeR/GearExpress.com Training Schedule:
(Schedule now includes all monetary deadlines!)
(Schedule now includes all monetary deadlines!)
March 18th Sunday - Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "5 hour John's Choice".
March 25th Sunday - Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "5 hour Chad's Choice".
March 31st-April 1st - Team High Profile Adventure Camp (Ropes Emphasis)
April 8th Sunday – It's Easter, so we will of course eat and get fat and not train.
April 15th Sunday –Meet at John's house. "5 hour John's Choice" training. Last Day to sign up for Madison Mad Dash!
April 22nd Sunday – Curse of the Goat (Palos North) – 10am orienteering event with the Chicago club. We will run or ride following the event.
April 29th Sunday – Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "6 hour Cortny's Choice".
May 5th-6th – Madison Mad Dash – Check-in Saturday 6-8pm, Race Sunday at 5:30am. 8 to 10 hours, 12 hour cut-off.
May 13th Sunday – Weekend off. Post Race.
May 20th Sunday - Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "6 hour Chad's Choice". (Ride to Aaron’s?)
May 27th Sunday – Meet at 11am at John’s house. “6 hour John’s Choice” training.
June 1st Friday – Last Day to sign up for Goomna 2007.
June 2nd Saturday - Jubilee State Park – 10am Orienteering event with the Peoria Club. We’ll bike the trails following the event.
June 10th Sunday – Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "8 hour Cortny's Choice".
June 17th Sunday – Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "6 hour Chad's Choice". (Water Training?)
June 23rd Saturday – GOOMNA 2007 (7:30-8:30 Check-in) 10 hour cut-off, 9am start.
July 1st Sunday – Weekend off. Post Race. Last day to register for WAR at discount!
July 8th Sunday – Meet at 11am at John’s house. “6 hour John’s Choice” training.
July 15th Sunday - Canoe - O / Busse Woods South. Orienteering with the Chicago Club. We will run after the event.
July 22nd Sunday - Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "6 hour Cortny's Choice".
July 29th Sunday – Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "6 hour Chad's Choice". (Ropes Refresher?)
August 5th Sunday – Muddy Buddy Chicago! (Need to be signed up by August 2nd)
April 8th Sunday – It's Easter, so we will of course eat and get fat and not train.
April 15th Sunday –Meet at John's house. "5 hour John's Choice" training. Last Day to sign up for Madison Mad Dash!
April 22nd Sunday – Curse of the Goat (Palos North) – 10am orienteering event with the Chicago club. We will run or ride following the event.
April 29th Sunday – Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "6 hour Cortny's Choice".
May 5th-6th – Madison Mad Dash – Check-in Saturday 6-8pm, Race Sunday at 5:30am. 8 to 10 hours, 12 hour cut-off.
May 13th Sunday – Weekend off. Post Race.
May 20th Sunday - Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "6 hour Chad's Choice". (Ride to Aaron’s?)
May 27th Sunday – Meet at 11am at John’s house. “6 hour John’s Choice” training.
June 1st Friday – Last Day to sign up for Goomna 2007.
June 2nd Saturday - Jubilee State Park – 10am Orienteering event with the Peoria Club. We’ll bike the trails following the event.
June 10th Sunday – Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "8 hour Cortny's Choice".
June 17th Sunday – Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "6 hour Chad's Choice". (Water Training?)
June 23rd Saturday – GOOMNA 2007 (7:30-8:30 Check-in) 10 hour cut-off, 9am start.
July 1st Sunday – Weekend off. Post Race. Last day to register for WAR at discount!
July 8th Sunday – Meet at 11am at John’s house. “6 hour John’s Choice” training.
July 15th Sunday - Canoe - O / Busse Woods South. Orienteering with the Chicago Club. We will run after the event.
July 22nd Sunday - Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "6 hour Cortny's Choice".
July 29th Sunday – Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "6 hour Chad's Choice". (Ropes Refresher?)
August 5th Sunday – Muddy Buddy Chicago! (Need to be signed up by August 2nd)
August 8th Wednesday - Last day to register for WAR at full price!
August 11th-12th Weekend – Meet at 10pm Saturday Night. We train all night. 12 hour session. Course design to be determined. Larry will be needed for crew!
August 19th Sunday – Weekend Off! Pre-Race Resting!
August 24-26th Sunday – Wisconsin Adventure Race DZ 2007. Night start on 24th. Located at House on the Rock Resort Wisconsin! Larry (and whole crew) will be needed!
August 11th-12th Weekend – Meet at 10pm Saturday Night. We train all night. 12 hour session. Course design to be determined. Larry will be needed for crew!
August 19th Sunday – Weekend Off! Pre-Race Resting!
August 24-26th Sunday – Wisconsin Adventure Race DZ 2007. Night start on 24th. Located at House on the Rock Resort Wisconsin! Larry (and whole crew) will be needed!
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Snowgaine; lesson on equipment
OK, Snowgaine took place in the snow this year and my biggest concern was warmth. We decided to opt for boots over shoes because of the depth of the snow and the fact that we were going to be hiking and not running the course. I have a pair of Wildcat boots which are very warm and water proof, that I've used for short winter hikes in the past with great success and comfort. My only concern was that they maybe to warm. So instead of using the mid-weight hiking socks I had with me, I instead chose to go with the low cut light running socks. Within the first hour of the southern route we had chosen, I realized the gravity of my poor choice in equipment. The Thinsulate lining, which is soft to the touch, was rubbing the skin off my exposed skin and we had 5 plus hours to go. As you can see, I was paying for my poor equipment decision. So don't be rash in your decisions on equipment, make sure to use properly fitted equipment and match that equipment to the activity and to the other equipment being used.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Monday, February 12, 2007
Post-Snowgaine Training Schedule
Here is a revised schedule that takes us up to the ropes training weekend in Mt.Carroll IL....
February 17th Saturday – Meet at 11am at Chad/Cortny’s. “4 hour Cortny’s Choice” training.
NOTE: This is Saturday! Cortny and I have a family event on Sunday (Dad's 60). Cortny also has to work at 5pm on Saturday, so we may have to shorten the timeframe.
February 25th Sunday – Meet at 11am at Chad/Cortny’s. “4 hour Chad’s Choice” training.
March 4th Sunday – Meet at 11am at John’s house. “4 hour John’s Choice” training.
March 11th Sunday - NO MEETING! The Hannon family will be on vacation in the Dells.
March 18th Sunday - Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "5 hour Cortny's Choice".
March 25th Sunday - Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "5 hour Chad's Choice".
March 31st-April 1st - Team High Profile Adventure Camp (Ropes Emphasis)
February 17th Saturday – Meet at 11am at Chad/Cortny’s. “4 hour Cortny’s Choice” training.
NOTE: This is Saturday! Cortny and I have a family event on Sunday (Dad's 60). Cortny also has to work at 5pm on Saturday, so we may have to shorten the timeframe.
February 25th Sunday – Meet at 11am at Chad/Cortny’s. “4 hour Chad’s Choice” training.
March 4th Sunday – Meet at 11am at John’s house. “4 hour John’s Choice” training.
March 11th Sunday - NO MEETING! The Hannon family will be on vacation in the Dells.
March 18th Sunday - Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "5 hour Cortny's Choice".
March 25th Sunday - Meet at Chad/Cortny's. "5 hour Chad's Choice".
March 31st-April 1st - Team High Profile Adventure Camp (Ropes Emphasis)
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