Training Log Archive: TomN

QOC Mason Neck Red. This is challenging orienteering any time -- flat, few features, leafy woods -- but 50 deg.F and raining made it a challenge just to survive hypothermia. The directional rootstocks were the most useful features in the terrain. It will be interesting to see how well the map ages.

Finding the point features was hit-or-miss for me. Many times I ran right to them, other times a near miss and a scramble. No. 11 was particularly frustrating, because I had used it as a collecting feature on the way from 5 to 6, but I missed it when coming from 10, relocated to the marsh, missed again, relocated again, and finally found it. It looked just the same as it had the first time.

Red - Splits

Drumm loop. http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=5236884

GSFC perimeter road.

Butterflies this run:
American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis)
Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos)
Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme)
E. Tailed-blue (Cupido comyntas)
several duskywings

The Pine Elfins seem to have disappeared. Short season for them.

GSFC perimeter road. Legs feel good, but I sure was low on blood sugar.

Butterflies this run:
blackish swallowtail (unidentified)
Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma)
Zabulon Skipper (Poanes zabulon)

This was the first appearance of grass skippers (but I haven't been out here in a week). They're pretty hard for me to identify in the field, but this one I think is right. Likewise the Comma -- I didn't see the eponymous marking on the underside, but it had dark hindwings like summer form Commas.

Warm-up. Medium jog, 3 strides, then about a half-mile at race pace. About 5 min rest at the starting line.

GSFC Spring 2-mile. The race clock was facing the wrong way at the finish, so I'll have to wait for results to get my time, but it was almost certainly my fastest 2-mile in the last 5 years. And Vdot 47. (Edit: nope, 46.7, darn it.) In any event, it was right in line with my expectations, and confirmation that training has been going well this spring. One-mile split was 6:33, and I dogged it a little after that, picked up the pace again on the hill. (Edit: obviously not enough.)

Unfortunately, can't make the 10K next week, going out of town.

Race tomorrow.