Training Log Archive: TomN

Flying Pig Long Green. I enjoyed the course and ran it pretty well, except for one 20 minute mistake on #6. I can see clearly what happened. It was an epic parallel error.

Coming down the hill from 5, I was trying to locate myself on the trail before crossing over the ditch, and I went west, almost to the trail bend. The location effort totally failed, and I went straight up the nearest bulge on the other side, thinking it was the next one to the SE. Hit the trail at the top, went SE, attacked from the trail bend (all matching up reasonably well with the next one over), then proceeded down the side of the big valley, counting little reentrants as I crossed them. Found a single rock and thought it was the start of the rock band. Up to that point it was 1 kilometer of "perfect" fit between the real track and the imagined track, so it took me a long time to believe I was that far off. Finally bailed out down to the trail to the south, quickly relocated and punched. But easily 15 minutes lost looking for the cliffs on the wrong spur.

Evidently I chose good routes on the next 2 controls, high on 7 and low on 8, because despite thinking black thoughts I ran those legs fast, 3rd and 4th overall.

Great area for a long course, and a good time of year too, because I wouldn't have wanted to run through all that greenbrier after it started to grow. It's really nice to see all these new Kentucky maps.

Long - 8 Green M - Splits

Flying Pig Sprint Green. Oh great, a long difficult sprint. Doing o.k. until 6, which I couldn't read to save my life. Saw a control that might have been right, fortunately checked the code, looked around and saw where I was supposed to be. I still don't know what to make of the low stone wall surrounding the canal. I crossed it twice. Don't see it on the map.

Still pretty well focused, looking ahead, seeing the right routes, until after punching 12 I inexplicably ran out 90 degrees off. Ran an appropriate distance but things didn't match up with what 13 was supposed to look like. Completely unable to recognize my surroundings on the map, but I could still see the building where 12 had been, aligned the map to that, and saw where I was supposed to go.

From there on, it seemed like every control was a struggle. Standing still after every punch, turning the map around and around, no sense of direction at all, no flow. Not a recipe for success in a sprint.

Sprint - 8 Green M - Splits

A nice run on a fine day, sunny and 40 at noon. Shorts weather. I ran out Railroad St., back along the river, then across on String Bridge and out Gilman Lane through the athletic fields. Across the river again on the old stone bridge and back past the track to the gym.

A quickie loop around the town during a break between meetings. It's been fine weather, sunny days and cool temps. Today it was in the mid-30s by the afternoon.

Slow run out along the river and back. Cold, cold, cold heading west against the wind, but fine going back. Should have worn my buff.