Race Recap: The Frigid - January 17, 2015

The first race of 2015 - The Frigid - fortunately did not live up to its name. This past Saturday was sunny and warm for January making the 4 hour - Rogaine that much more enjoyable.  361 Adventures put this meet on and also offered a 4 hour nighttime Rogaine that we (my husband and I) opted not to do. Considering we are still fairly new to the sport and after finishing the first one, we knew we made the right decision.

Frigid Map

A Rogaine is a type of race where you choose your route based on where the checkpoints are located on the map. For this particular one, there were 14 main checkpoints plus 4 extra checkpoints that would be revealed at one of the main checkpoints. You are given a map and this time the 14 checkpoints were already mapped. Everyone has the same start and finish points, but then you and your team decides what is the best route for your team's ability. A team is made up of 2-4 people or you can go solo.

This registration was from 8-10am, maps passed out at 10:15am, and race started at 11am. We made it to Explore Brown County (Indiana) way too early - 8:30am. It was a short drive where I grew up in Columbus, IN which was nice, so my parents could watch our 3 kids. Registration was quick and easy. We had already signed the waiver form so we picked up our bib number and waited. My brother-in-law and cousin made a team and joined us shortly after we arrived, so it was nice hanging out with them while waiting for the race to start. 

The main meeting place was inside a red barn like building that had plenty of room for the 100 or so participants. The race directors had a short meeting reviewing  the rules and tips such as be careful of the black ice on the gravel. Once that was done we had about 30 minutes to look over the map to plan our route. We gathered our gear and was ready to start. Each person had to carry hydration, a light, a whistle, hat, and a long  sleeve shirt. Each team also had to have spaceblanket, compass, the map, passport (paper that you punch when you find a checkpoint), charged cell phone, and the race number.


This year, our plan was to try to get all the main checkpoints. Last year, my husband and his brother got all but one, so we wanted to do a little bit better. We planned our route to follow the easiest navigation route, run the flats, and walk the hills. We stuck to the plan and ended up getting all the checkpoints plus one of the extra checkpoints finishing in 3 hours 33 minutes. You get penalized if you are late, so we wanted to make sure we were not late! Only one checkpoint gave us trouble as it did for a few other teams that we met up with while trying to find which we were eventually successful.

It's not all seriousness with The D team as we look for our next checkpoint.

Overall, the rogaine was fun. I had my fill of the Brown County hills for sure. Some places, I was sliding down since it was so steep and then climbing up on all fours. Fortunately, my feet stayed dried since most of the creek crossings were shallow and slightly frozen still. After the race, there was vegetable soup, bread, and cookies with water or lemonade to drink. There was about an hour between the end of the day race before the maps were being handed out for the night race. Awards were handed out to the top 3 teams and top 3 solo finishers. We finished as the 5th team, 10th overall. Next year, the plan is to clear the course and get a few more checkpoints. That will only happen if I practice some hills so I don't keep saying, "oh, hill no!" sarcastically in the race again.

If you are interested in learning more about orienteering, rogaining or adventure racing check out some of these groups for more information and races. They are fun for all levels whether you hike or run, if you like being out in the woods, these races are for you.

361 Adventures

OLOU

DINO

Flying Squirrel Adventures

TOPO Adventure Sports

Meeting Barn at Explore Brown County

ROGAINE stands for Rugged Outdoor Group Activity Involving Navigation and Endurance

Friday Favorites - My favorite fall hikes

I. Love. Fall. I love the colors, the smell, the weather - everything about it. It is a great time to enjoy the last few moments of outside weather before the winter weather strikes.
I also love to hike in the fall! We pack the family and food up and off we go for a short, day, or a weekend trip. Hikes are a great way to soak in the fresh air, get unplugged, and spend time with family and friends. Bonus - it can make you happier! Add some geocaching or check out an orienteering meet from OLOU for even more exploring and you won't even feel like you are getting exercise!

Garden of the Gods in Illinois

Here are a few of my favorite places to hike:

Half day Hikes
1. The Parklands - a great place to spend a few hours hiking on the trails along the creek
2. EP Tom Sawyer - a few trails with geocaching or check out their permanent orienteering course

Day Hikes
1. Jefferson Memorial Forest - get away from the city without traveling too far. The trails vary in difficulty and have some great views
2. Bernheim - just south of Louisville a great place to enjoy the colors of the season especially walking out on the tree canopy
4. Clifty Falls - in Southern Indiana a great day trip to explore with friends and family 

Weekend Hikes
1. Natural Bridge - trails of varying difficult with beautiful views to make it worth the climb
2. Shawnee National Forest - a favorite weekend getaway for us - great hiking, rocks for kids to climb - Garden of the gods is breathtaking. 



Honorable Mention- Of course, I have to mention Brown County State Park in Indiana - I practically grew up there. Having said that, I do avoid it in the fall because of the crowds. Happy Hiking!

Mini ROGAINE at Camp Stem by OLOU

Start of the meet

This past Saturday, we packed up the family and headed to our first family orienteering meet with OLOU. It was held at  Camp Stem, a girl scout camp, in Southern Indiana - about an hour away from Louisville. OLOU was offering a 2 or 4 hour mini-ROGAINE event with 2 starts - 9:30am or 11am. ROGAINE stands for "Rugged Outdoor Group Activity Involving Navigation and Endurance" so a perfect event for our family to have some fun while getting our 'fit in'.

Control Point

We arrived a little after 9am. Ryan got our family registered for the 4 hour one. The meet cost only $10 for our family. We received our map with the 30 check points already on the map and our control card and stick which are used to mark the control points we find. We had a briefing prior to starting to go over the map. The topographic map was old so the trails were not as reliable. Also one checkpoint was worth 3 points instead of 1 because of the location and difficulty. The night before a post was made in the OLOU facegroup page about the easiest check points that would be great for beginners and/or families with young kids like us. In this meet, we were able to go in any order we wanted.

Learning how to read the map

We packed our bags with water, food, first aid kit, and kids and started the race. We followed trails and creeks, made our own way through ravines and uphills while trying to stay in contact with our map using the compass to locate the next control point. Our oldest found the first couple of checkpoints since he was leading us. Near the end, our middle son found them since he had a pretty good view from the backpack that he was riding in while my husband carried him. Our boys had fun trying to find the checkpoints, but they also enjoyed just seeing everything in nature. We found a really cool turtle shell. The boys tried their hands at trying to catch frogs. I was able to practice my orienteering skills which led us through some tricky parts that everyone did great traveling through. Fortunately we did not encounter any snakes which my boys would have loved to have pointed out! Just about everyone found a tick crawling on them, but that is too be expected going into the woods for an adventure.

We were out for 3.5 hours and found 13 control points. By the end, everyone's fun bucket was getting full as we were getting tired. The meet was well run with friendly people.  I found it a bit harder to navigate as compared to the MISSION LITE from last weekend because the trails in the woods were hard to follow. We saw the markers on the trees occasionally, but the paths on the ground were pretty much non-existent. Looking at the map for features such as re-entrants and spurs were more important in this meet. Despite losing Pixie's pacifier and one water bottle, we had an enjoyable time and got a great hike carrying 2 of our kids through most of the course.

Hiking through a creekbed

Pixie enjoying her first meet

 

Race Report - Mission Lite - May 10, 2014

Canoeing, mountain biking, running, and orienteering - all in one race! This is what Mission Lite was all about - my first adventure race.

Transition Area

This year's race was held at Versailles State Park in southeast Indiana. The park is a very beautiful park with a covered bridge, hiking trails, lake, biking trails and more. It is Indiana's second biggest state park.

Mission Lite is a 4 hour race. There was also an 18 hour race going that had started 2 hours prior to ours. You can race solo or in 2 or 3-person teams. My husband (Ryan) and I were a team calling ourselves "The D Team" since we needed a team name for the race. Our last name begins with D and I am also a fan of the old TV show, "The A Team" so it fit us.

Some of the gear

With adventure racing, there is certain gear you have to carry with you at all times, some just when on
a bike, and some when canoeing. Fortunately, my camelpack is smaller than Ryan's, so he carried most of the loot. Everyone had to carry food, water, and a whistle. One person on each team had to carry a pen, knife, compass, first aid kit, map, passport (paper that you stamp at the checkpoints). When riding bikes, everyone had to have a helmet and bike tire. One person on each team had to carry a bike pump and multi-tools. For the canoe, just the life jacket and paddle which were pretty obvious why everyone had to have one.

When we arrived to the race area, we checked in and were given a map. There is only one map per team. We marked our points from the Master map which had about 15 check points on it. The race started at 8am so about 7:30am, Brian (the race director), gave instructions on the race. He handed out a piece a paper with our first 4 checkpoints which was the same for everyone. We started the race by running about 300 feet to the canoes that were at the bottom of the steep dam! Ryan started pulling up the canoe while I ran to go get the paddles. He was halfway up by the time I met him. We were able to launch off and get paddling fairly quickly. Since, Ryan had more experience with orienteering, he kept the map and compass. The first 3 checkpoints we could find in any order, so we stopped by the first one on the map. We had to get out of the boat and find it.  The next 2 checkpoints were the same way. One of them was in a very marshy area, so pretty much impossible to keep the shoes dry. There were a few boats that tipped over, so just having wet shoes was nothing!

Can't tell what color my shoes were

The next stage was the mountain bike stage. I had not been mountain biking for over 5 years. Needless to say, this was the most challenging part of the race. There were rocks that were slick because of the rain which my tires were slipping on. I was fine on the descents, but going up hills, I crashed and slipped like crazy. The check points for the biking portion were right along the path so much easier to find than the canoe section. One trail was called,  Cliffside trail and lived up to its name. 

The next stage was the running part. We only had time to get one more checkpoint. You get penalized for every minute past the 4 hour end time. We finished with about 10 minutes to spare.

2nd place!

The adventure race was quite an experience. Having competed in canoeing, running, and biking races, I really enjoyed the added element of orienteering. Having grown up stomping through woods, it was fun to get to do that again while hunting down the checkpoints. I also liked the strategy aspect of how are you going to get from one checkpoint to another. You  have to use your team's strong points. For example, during the canoe we decided to portage through a small island since there was a headwind. When I first stepped out, I sank up to mid calf in mud, and I had not even put my whole weight out there yet. Fortunately, Ryan was able to push us up a little more for a bit firmer ground.

Believe it or not, we actually came in second for the co-ed division and 6the overall out of 41 teams! It has been fun to look back over the race to see what we might have done differently to cut off a few minutes here and there.

The Dino race was well run. Everyone was friendly and encouraging. The race even provided a meatball sandwich, salad bar, chips, fruit and dirt pudding after the race for lunch. This gave us a time to talk with the other racers about the course. I am definitely up for another one soon! If you are interested in orienteering or adventure racing check out OLOU or Flying Squirrel Adventure for more information.

Orienteering at EP Tom Sawyer Park

Map and a compass are the basics

So I have another race coming up on Saturday. It is Mission Lite up in Indiana. This race will be my first orienteering race with canoeing, biking, and running. Fortunately, it is a team race and my partner, aka my husband, knows how to orienteer and is trying to catch me up to speed. We checked out the orienteering course recently at EP Tom Sawyer Park.
I am part of the Louisville Orienteering facebook group so I found out about this course through them. My husband has a few orienteering races under his belt and has enjoyed them. This group helps to stay up to date on races and events relating to orienteering in the area.
What is orienteering? From the club's website, "Orienteering is a sport that involves using a detailed orienteering style topographical map to navigate one's way around a course with designated control points which are drawn on the map."

Start and finish location

The map and hints for this course are on their page. The hint page also gave safety suggestions which you should read before going out. We had trouble printing the map and ended up doing just a screen shot. It was sufficient enough for us to use. After our picnic dinner at the park, we were off chasing our first checkpoint with our 3 kids. We were able to find the first 5 checkpoints before realizing we needed to head home since it was past the kids' bedtime. Everyone was so engrossed in finding the next checkpoint we lost track of time. We look forward to doing the last half of the course soon.
We have not really explored EP Tom Sawyer Park much outside of the playground and the fitness trail. The orienteering trail gave us a nice  tour of the park. We saw the RC planes, lots of huge ant hills, the creek, and more cool things. It was a fun, active thing to do with the family while learning something new - at least I was learning something new with orienteering.
I would highly recommend giving it a try for something different to do while hiking at the park. However, I would also make sure you have someone that knows what they are doing to teach you as you go along.
The Louisville Orienteering club is starting to have their summer sprint events this Tuesday evening. The first one is meeting at Brown Park. This would be a good way to meet others interested in the sport, get out into fresh air, and get a little 'fit in'.



And we are off!

Checkpoint in the background - 34

Helpful Links
Louisville Orienteering Club
OLouisville Facebook group

2014- Not Your Typical Road Race - Mud, obstacles and more

Mud, obstacles, orienteering, stair climbing, foam, color, zombie races - don't look for the "pound the pavement" type road races here!
Here's a list to help you find something new to try with your friends - to keep you motivated to run, bike, train all year long. Plan an unforgettable racing season with these one-of-kind races.

 January

• January 19 - Frigid ROGAINE - Brown County, IN  - Adventure Race- "Just like a standard rogaine there will be a certain number of controls/checkpoints (CPs) for you to find using a map and compass. All CPs will be worth one point each. To challenge our faster racers we'll have a number of bonus CPs available."

February

• February 1 -Fight for Air Climb - Louisville, KY - "National City Tower was built in 1970 and stands  512 ft. high. The climb is 38 floors. Participants will range from beginners all the way to Elite Climbers, who are a special group able to run the 38 floors in 4 minutes or less!"

•  February 1 - Cabin Fever ROGAINE - Ohio -  "Everyone's favorite winter adventure located in southern Ohio's largest forests. No one can predict the weather but we can predict a big adventure and most likely sold out event. Get in early."

•  February 15 - Undie Run - Louisville, KY - "This Valentine's Day weekend, come put the hilarity in charity with hundreds of half-naked runners taking to the streets in celebration of their fundraising for the Children's Tumor Foundation."

• February 15 - Hot Chocolate 15/5K - Nashville, TN 

•  February 16- Fight for Air Climb - Cincinnati, OH - "The Carew Tower Cincinnati, OH. Climb up the Carew Tower's 45 flights for a total of 804 steps. Choose between a competitive experience or climbing at your own pace."

March

• March 15- Green Derby Gallop 4K - 4th Street Live!
• March 29 - Muddy Mammoth -  Park Mammoth Resort - "The Muddy Mammoth is a 5k challenge where 100% of all profits will benefit the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life."

April

• April 26 - Spartan Race -  Indiana - " 3+ MILES / 15+ OBSTACLES. The challenging sprint obstacle trail races are a great way to get off your couch and start living."

• April 26 - Urban Adventure Race - Cincinnati, OH - "Racers will navigate the city with a map, expect to be on foot for part of the race and on bike for other parts of the race.  Any bike can be used, but you may find yourself off road at times."
• April 27- Urban Dare - Lexington, KY - "Urban Dare is the race where smarts can beat speed. Teams of two solve clues to find checkpoints, where they must take photos or perform dares. It's like a one-day Amazing Race."

May

• May 10- Dances with Dirt - Gnaw Bone, Indiana  - (near Brown County) "The world’s most difficult 10K. Expect double your road time and triple the effort!The other race distances, 13.1, 26.2, 50K, 50 miles and 100K relay courses are … We might say, “challenging”, so as not to scare you off, but then, we’d be lying! Come join us at the bone and see what you’re made of. The reward: a post race barnyard Bar-B-Q with a jammin’ country band! Yee Ha!"

• May 17 - Go Dirty Girl - Indianapolis - "Dirty Girl is a 5k mud run for women of all ages and athletic abilities. Don't worry - it's not a "race" in the traditional sense. It is an untimed obstacle course designed to push you slightly out of your comfort zone, but only as far as you are comfortable going." Keep an eye out for Groupons a week or 2 before the race.

• May 17 - Glow in the Park Run - Indianapolis - "Glow in the Park has doubled the foam and will be adding special UV glow tunnels at each of the color stations!"

• May 17 - Viking Assault - Louisville - 5K Mud obstacle run
• May 17 - Stampede Mud Run - Louisville - 5K Mud obstacle run for adults and kids
• May 24 - Glo Run - Louisville - Riverfront Park

• May 31 5K Foam Fest - Sparta, KY -

June

• June 1 - Double Road Race - Indianapolis, IN - "Thousands are running the Double Road Race - this new and exciting challenge features a 10k, the halftime recovery zone and then a 5k."

• June 7&8 - Tough Mudder - Nashville, TN

• June 7 - The Color Run - Louisville, KY

• June 7 - Unbridled Adventure - Lake Barkley State Resort Park - 6 hour Adventure Race - Kentucky

• June 14 - 5K Foam Fest - Indianapolis, IN

• June 21- Tap 'N' Run 4K - Indianapolis, IN "Tap 'N' Run combines a ridiculous running race - a 4k with 3 beer chug stations* along the race course, a full beer at the Finish Line, crazy costumes, great times with friends, and overall ridiculousness. (*chug stations = 5 oz. of beer per)"

• June 21 - Waterfront  Challenge "The Waterfront Challenge is a 5k Urban Obstacle Night Race on the River in Louisville, Kentucky. We’re combining cross country running, road racing, and obstacle conquering, with a PARTY ROCKIN’ good time.  The course winds through the most beautiful parts of Waterfront Park and will present you with natural and temporary obstacles, along with military drills and CrossFit challenges.  The race is designed to be fun yet challenging for all fitness levels.  After you’ve crossed the finish line, join the festival!  Celebrate by staying to party the night away on the Big Four Lawn where there will be music, dancing, food, beer, and more."

• June 21 - Indiana Tame The Terrain - Jennies County, IN "The T3 race is roughly four miles. It may seem longer after going up and down the hills of Jennings County, rock walls, ravines, cliffs, ponds and, oh yeah, a river. Participants are expected to complete all the obstacles. If you are too scared, unable or just plain don't want to do an obstacle, no worries. Our volunteers will provide you with an alternative; can you say "burpee?" Good! Can you DO burpees? Start your training NOW!"
• June 21 - Neon Splash Dash - Indianapolis, IN "The Neon Splash Dash is the wildest & brightest night time running event you’ve ever seen! You’ll run (or dance!) through different Glow Zones, where each one we’ll spray you with a different color of our Super Intense U.V. Glow Water."

•  June 28- Mudathon - Indianapolis, IN "Did you ever think 3 Miles and 40 Obstacles would come out in the same breath? At Mudathlon, it is daily verbiage and we guarantee to bring you the most fun and muddiest adventure in the Midwest. Mudathlon is all about acting like a kid again because All the Big Kids are Doing It! From the costume contest to the Post-Race Party and oh yeah the 40 obstacles in between, you are sure to have a Mucking Good Time!"

July

• July 5 - Patriot Challenge - Lucas Oil Raceway- Indianapolis, IN - "Patriot Challenge is dedicated to honoring America's heroes: Our military, police, firemen and first responders. Especially heroes of 9-11. Proceeds are donated to Wish For Our Heroes.Patriot Challenge is a FAMILY-FRIENDLY course and event. Children of all ages may participate. If you or your child cannot complete an obstacle, simply go around it."

• July 11 - Glow in the Park - Iroquois Park - Louisville, KY -  "The best way to light up the night! The ultimate party fun run! But most importantly, it's the freakin' awesome foam-pits-fluorescent-colors-blacklights-glowing-warpaint-dance-moves night you'll never forget!"

• July 26 - IronEagle - Run, paddle, run - Indianapolis, IN
• July 26 - GlowGo!5K - Louisville, KY - "Glow Go! is a one of a kind experience that is more FUN and less RUN! At Glow Go!, don't worry about your time, just focus on enjoying an illuminating, colorful and crazy night with your friends and family. Glow Go! is about participants of all different ages, shapes, sizes and colors stepping up to the line in preparation for the most exciting night of their lives. Whether you are a casual walker or an elite athlete, the 3.1 miles of FUN that is the Glow Go! 5K will be the most enjoyable stretch of road you've traveled in a VERY long time."

August

•  August 2 - Green Corn Moon ROGAINE - 6 hour Night Race - Ohio "Teams and solos will scour Great Seal State Park locating hidden checkpoints. Checkpoints will be placed on or near trails, on, around or under various terrain features, and distance between checkpoints varies but usually will be about 1/2km apart. Each person can help navigate using our topographical maps. (backseat drivers) You may utilize trails, roads and bushwhacking."

•  August 9 -  Mudathon - Cincinnati, OH "Did you ever think 3 Miles and 40 Obstacles would come out in the same breath? At Mudathlon, it is daily verbiage and we guarantee to bring you the most fun and muddiest adventure in the Midwest. Mudathlon is all about acting like a kid again because All the Big Kids are Doing It! From the costume contest to the Post-Race Party and oh yeah the 40 obstacles in between, you are sure to have a Mucking Good Time!"

• August 16 - Urban Dare - Indianapolis, IN "Urban Dare is the race where smarts can beat speed. It’s part trivia, part photo hunt, part mental and physical challenges, and all fun. Think of it as a 1-day Amazing Race. Teams of 2 solve a set of 12 clues to find checkpoints where they must take photos or perform dares in a race to the finish. You may call smart friends or use your smart phones for help solving clues. It is up to you to figure out the best order to complete your checkpoints."

•  August 16 - Pine Mountain State Resort Park - 8 Hour Adventure Race

September

• September 6 - Warrior Dash - Indiana

• September 13 Urban Bike Challenge - Louisville, KY "A unique biking scavenger race around your city complete with challenges, riddles, and checkpoints. Two to four person teams hit the streets and must complete a variety of funky challenges and obstacles around the city."

• September 13 - Rugged Maniac - Southern Indiana

• September 27 - East Fork Challenge Adventure Race - near Cincinnati, OH - 6 hour or 12 hour adventure 

October

• October 4 - Indiana Healthcare Bicycle Challenge - Columbus, IN

To Be Announced Races
Extreme Rampage -  Kentucky
Survive the Stampede -Kentucky
The Glo Run - Louisville - 
The Great Amazing Race -  Indianapolis and Kentucky
Electric Run - Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Nashville
American Beer Run - Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Louisville, Nashville
The Color Vibe -Indianapolis, Louisville, Lexington, Cincinnati
Mud-stash - Perfect North Slopes, Indiana


Check out these 'Not your normal Race Promoters' for more races!
Dinoseries - Trail running, mountain biking, triathlons, adventure racing in Indiana
  Check out their Stoopid Run around July 4.


KyAna Running - Trail race series in Louisville, KY area

Planet Adventure -  Road and trail races, triathlons, run-paddle-run, bike races and more  - Indianapolis area

Topo Adventure Sports- Trail running, mountain biking, urban adventures and more - Ohio, KY, IN

Flying Squirrels - Adventure Races - Kentucky area

JAM Active Events -  Triathlons, Glow, Tap-n-Run

What are your favorites? Know of others? Comment below and I will update this list.