One Day Navigation Training Camp, Sunday, July 18, 2010

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click any photo to see the
event album!

Just a gorgeous day. Not too hot, not chilly, mild and sunny. Great for a training day out. A lot of people the participants ran into asked to look at the maps and find out some more about orienteering / map navigation.

All the participants picked up all the "dogbones" at Middle Harbor. See if you can pick a shorter route to get them all! Map sample provided; you can compare your findings with the distances traveled by the participants. While it's an open park, the small flags, multiple similar features, and route choice challenge of the dogbones made it an interesting exercise. And you can't beat the scenery. Downtown San Francisco just looks like it pops out of the water.

Moving onto to downtown Oakland, the meal consisted of five small courses, each on an island where you didn't have to cross any major streets. Concentration as key - lots of details to read on the map, and again you had the distraction of other people on the course, except this time their course was mostly different than yours. Surprisingly, most found all the little candies I discreetly dropped at each checkpoint location. I think those can work where flags don't.

After the lunch break we had Lakeside, a fun chase course with two spectator loops at the end. A lot of people were in the park. The course featured free entertainment as it passed by the bandstand where an orchestra from Oakland was serenading a small crowd.

I had a good course setting workshop prepared for the room I rented at Merritt College. But a workshop needs participants, and they didn't show up for this one, sadly.

The motala for the last session was supposed to be designed by the workshop participants. Since that wasn't happening... we used a previous motala. Dan Greene and I ran it for fun.

Thanks to everybody for helping the training sessions run smoothly, especially with transporting stuff and picking up flags.

Middle Harbor Dogbones

Mike & Paula, 38:00, distance 2.44 km, 2ba-1ab-6ba-8ba-7ab-5ab-2ba-4ab
Stephanie Kubik, 19:38, distance 2.46 km, 7ba-3ba-4ab-1ba-2ab-6ab-8ba-5ab
John & Ariel, 38:00, distance 2.49 km, 3ba-1ab-6ba-4ba-5ba-2ba-8ba-7ab
Wesley Willett, 24:31 (12:57, then after a few minutes he realized he forgot 5a, 5b,) distance 2.55 km, 7ba-8ab-6ba-4ab-1ba-2ab-3ab-5ba
Joan Roos, 30:46, distance 2.61 km, 1ab-6ba-4ab-5ba-2ba-8ba-7ab-3ba

Lakeside Chase, 2.6 km

Wesley Willett, 11:13 into spectactor loops, 13:14 after first loop, 16:02 finish
Joan Roos 21:59 into spectator loops.

Original Announcement

Register online by Friday, July 16 | (Registration form, waiver) | return to terraloco home

Five Fun Training Events, One Day... Pick and choose, or come to all!

Enjoy the "a la carte" offerings of a day-long training camp in and around Oakland on four different maps, all produced by terraloco. This was inspired by my three visits to the annual Vancouver Sprint Training Camp, except this camp isn't all "sprints." (And neither is the Vancouver one!)

Anyone can do the full day without wearing themselves out, although, expect to get a good workout and burn calories! Or, you can pick and choose the sessions you want. You get to choose the pace for each activity, and when there are groupings, we'll match you with an appropriately paced group.

Skills covered include:

  • route-planning
  • quick-decision-making
  • course-design
  • checkpoint-picking
  • and... most importantly... keeping your head focused in the game when in the company of many others navigating with maps, not necessarily looking for the same checkpoint as you!

It will be great fun and training! Please register online (no commitment) by Friday, July 16 - even if you're unsure about coming, or how much you will attend.

Schedule

9:00 Session 1: "Dogbones" exercise at Middle Harbor Shoreline Park, Oakland.
All checkpoints are paired up, creating a map that looks like dogbones. Get both checkpoints in a pair before moving on to the next pair. An interesting route-planning and execution problem. 16 checkpoints (8 pairs), 2.7 km point-to-point distance. (view
map)

11:00 Session 2: "O-tervals" exercise, Old Oakland map, designed by Canadian team coach Magnus Johansson.
In groups of 3, run 5 short courses with 3 similar but different forkings: A, B, and C; recover between the finish of each course and the start of the next course. 2 km total. (view
map)

Lunch break - bring your own lunch or go to a local market, deli, or restaurant.

1:30 Session 3: Chase with Butterfly, Lakeside Park, Oakland, designed by Canadian team coach Magnus Johansson.
15 or 30 second start intervals, ad hoc start order. 3 km total. (view
map)

3:00 Session 4: Course Design workshop, Merritt College, Oakland.
Design product: small group teams each create one loop of the motala course done in the next session.

5:00 Sesson 5: Motala - 4 loop course (each loop designed by a different team from the workshop,) Merritt College, Oakland.
Mass start - all participants do the same final loop, but first 3 loops are in many different orders for different people. 4 km total. (view
map)

6:00 Pizza social, at Merritt College or a nearby establishment.

The two sessions designed by Canadian team coach Magnus Johansson were used by attendees of last fall's Golden Gate Getaway training camp - all but two of them live out of state, so they've yet to be truly experienced by the locals.

Costs:

  • Cost is $8 for one session, $13 for any two sessions, $17 for any three sessions, and $20 for any four sessions.
  • Half-price for college students.
  • Flat $3 fee for any amount of sessions for elementary, middle, and high school students.
  • $10 extra for anyone participating in the course design workshop (which gets you the privilege of co-designing the motala!)
  • Payment can be collected at Middle Harbor or Merritt College only. You'll receive an email invoice from Google Checkout if you aren't able to pay at one of those venues - that may be paid by credit card or check.

Other Details:

  • Gear: shorts and running shoes are fine for all events! At Merritt College, some parts of campus are wild / grassy.
  • terraloco will provide water and snacks, but you're responsible for lunch.
  • If you stay for the pizza social, have cash on hand for your pizza and drinks.
  • Stay tuned for more updates!

If you'd like to join carpools (even if you take transit):

Meet no later than 8:45 at the corner of 14th St. and Clay in downtown Oakland. This is one block West of the 14th St. entrance to the 12th St. BART station. If you're driving to this carpool spot, park as close as you can to the corner of 14th St. and Clay. It's Sunday, parking at meters is free, and parking is available. For driving directions, look below at driving directions for the 11:00 Old Oakland session.

Directions, 9:00 session, Middle Harbor Shoreline Park:

Registration will be at the amphitheater. On the park map, scroll down and you'll see the amphitheater labeled, and the bathrooms just to the northeast of it. If possible, park in the lot to the south of the USS Oakland Mast.

From San Francisco:
Take I-80 east (Bay Bridge/Oakland) to I-880 south toward Alameda/Airport/San Jose. Exit onto West Grand Ave./Maritime Street. Continue straight, then turn right onto Maritime Street. At the BART tracks, turn right onto 7th Street. Continue straight on 7th Street to the stoplight at Middle Harbor Road. Proceed through the intersection and take the first right turn into the MISHAP parking lot.

From the East Bay:
Take Hwy. 24 west to I-980 west, towards Oakland. Exit at the 11th/12th Street off-ramp onto Brush Street. Continue straight, and turn right (northwest) at 7th Street. Continue straight on 7th Street and past Maritime Street to the stoplight at Middle Harbor Road. Proceed through the intersection and take the first right turn into the MISHAP parking lot.

From the South Bay:
Take I-880 north towards Oakland. Take the 7th Street exit towards West Grand Ave. Turn left onto 7th Street. Follow 7th Street, heading west, past Maritime Street. Continue straight on 7th Street to the stoplight at Middle Harbor Road. Proceed through the intersection and take the first right turn into the MISHAP parking lot.

From the North Bay:
Take I-80 west to I-880 south towards Alameda/Airport/San Jose. Exit at 7th Street/West Grand Ave. Continue straight, through the light and along the frontage road to the light at 7th Street. Turn right onto 7th Street, heading west, past Maritime Street. Continue straight on 7th Street to the stoplight at Middle Harbor Road. Proceed through the intersection and take the first right into the MISHAP parking lot.

Middle Harbor Shoreline Park web page, East Bay Regional Parks District

Directions, 11:00 session, Old Oakland:

Frank Ogawa Plaza is on the northwest corner of 14th St. and Broadway in downtown Oakland. City Hall is in Frank Ogawa Plaza. We're meeting in front of City Hall.

From Interstate 980, take one of the downtown Oakland exits, head east towards Broadway, and park near 14th St. and Clay, which is one block west of Broadway. Parking is free at metered spaces on Sunday.

Using public transit: BART: Exit the north end of the 14th St. BART station, and walk towards Oakland City Hall from the corner of 14th St. and Broadway. Almost all AC Transit lines coming from various directions stop near 14th St. and Broadway in downtown Oakland.

Old Oakland tour web page, City of Oakland

Directions, 1:30 session, Lakeside Park:

Take Interstate 580 to Oakland.

From Interstate 580 going east, exit at Grand Ave. Turn right, and drive about 0.4 miles to Perkins St. and find parking.

From Interstate 580 going west, exit at Grand Ave. This exit loops around, so you actually turn right on Grand Ave. Drive about 0.5 miles to Perkins St. and find parking.

Registration will be signed from the corner of Grand Ave. and Perkins St.

Since it's Sunday, all metered spaces are free along Grand Ave. and on Perkins. However, if you enter Lakeside Park at Bellevue Ave., you may be charged a $5 parking fee if the fee station is staffed. There's also street parking in the neighborhoods along Grand.

Using public transit: AC Transit bus lines NL and 12 stop on Grand near Perkins. Line 57 stops at Grand and MacArthur if you're willing to walk 0.4 miles. If you take BART to 19th St. Oakland, you can catch the NL, or catch the 57 from MacArthur BART. Or to walk from 19th St. BART, head up Broadway to Grand Ave. (near where 24th St. would be), turn right on Grand, and walk about 1/2 mile to Perkins.

Lakeside Park web page, City of Oakland

Directions, 3:00 course design workshop and 5:00 session, Merritt College:

The course setter's workshop will be located in classroom P307 in the P building.

Take CA Highway 24 to CA Highway 13 south towards Hayward. Exit CA Highway 13 at Redwood Rd / Carson St. Turn left onto Redwood Rd, and follow it up the hill a bit more than 1/2 mile to Campus Dr. You should see signs for Merritt College. Turn right onto Campus Dr. and head up about 1/2 mile to Merritt College.

Alternatively, you can take Highway 13 north from Interstate 580 and exit at Carson St, following the freeway frontage road (Mountain Blvd) up the hill, and turning right onto Redwood Rd.

Or if coming from downtown Oakland on Interstate 580, exit at 35th Ave, turn left, cross MacArthur, and drive up the hill across Highway 13 where 35th Ave becomes Redwood Rd.

Coming from Interstate 880 is not recommended, but High St is the exit, and you have to jog over to 35th Ave by making a left at MacArthur and then turning right onto 35th Ave.

To make your own directions, the address is 12500 Campus Dr., 94619.

Parking: Parking is free along Campus Drive, which is close to the bus stop, which has signage to get you to registration in the center of campus. It's not very easy to park any closer than that, actually. But if somehow there's not a space available along Campus Drive, the campus lots cost $1 to park, and they technically are supposed to be monitored on Sunday.

Using Public Transit: The AC Transit 54 bus drops you off very close to the registration area, and there will be signs and streamers from the bus stop. On Sundays it runs from the Fruitvale BART station every half hour and takes 20 minutes to get there. If you take another AC Transit line, such as the NL from San Francisco, or the 57 and transfer at 35th Ave and Macarthur, then it's only about a 10 minute ride.

Merritt College web page

Event Contact: Rex, 5 1 0 - 6 8 1 - 6 1 8 1, rex@terraloco.com