Training Log Archive: TomN

Event: QOC Lake Needwood
 

QOC Lake Needwood Red. This was a little aggressive after a fast 8K race yesterday. The course was long and steep. I had a lot of trouble with the westernmost controls, off the hill and on the border of the out-of-bounds area (4 and 6 on this course). I crossed the stream from the north just below No. 7 (102), but I didn't read the number and thought it was on the boulder to the west, because I had just come through a big open field at the river (which is clearly not mapped). I didn't go far enough west to No. 4, because the deep open stilt-grass infested reentrant was either not mapped or obscured by all the red and green lines, but either way I was sure it was the start of the open out-of-bounds area. I had given up and was heading over the hill to No. 5 when I thought, darn it, give it one more try and go into the out-of-bounds area this time. I found it in the rough open, not in the woods, same as 6, can't see why they're mapped differently. And I still can't see the big reentrant between 4 and 7 on the map.

Then I apparently skipped punching at the water stop, No. 9. I drank the water (in the little shot glasses), but I guess I must not have punched the control. Third mispunch in 3 consecutive events. That's mighty depressing.

I had no trouble at all with the control-picking the rest of the course. Oddly, I had trouble with the mandatory crossing points. I didn't end up crossing at any of the right spots, because I didn't see them in time. And my routes getting there were slow. It's like I didn't take those routes as seriously as if there were controls at the crossing points, which maybe there should have been.

C • Needwood 1

Red - Splits

Kensington 8K. First race as a 60-year-old, first place in my new age group. I've been running this race for years and never got close to an award before. Splits: 6:58, 13:58, 21:00, 28:33, 35:22. The entire 4th mile is one big uphill on E. Bexhill Rd. Of course, there's a corresponding downhill, and I would have liked a sub-7 minute split in mile 2 heading down to Beach Drive but it didn't work out that way.

Core strength and stretching. No run today, race tomorrow.

GSFC perimeter road with extra loop around lake.

GSFC perimeter road.

Core strength workout. I figured I'd take the next rainy day and do this instead of a run. And here it was. Feeling pretty strong, can't explain why.

GSFC perimeter road.