Training Log Archive: runninghilsIn the 7 days ending Oct 5, 2013:
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Friday Oct 4, 2013 #
Event: USARA Nationals
Adventure Race race (USARA Nationals) 26:49:00 [3] 100.0 mi (16:05 / mi)
1-mile prologue trail run
Decided not to kill ourselves on this - just got into the pack and ran a steady pace. We could have gone faster, but it was comfortable and set us up to be ready to hammer the bike.
15.5-mile marked trail ride
Awesome, fun single track. We passed some teams on the road leading to the single track. Once we were on it, we had to pass a few teams, but everyone was great and it wasn't the mess we thought it would be. At one point, we passed a team and opened it up on a downhill section. It was super fun, and they were GONE behind us when we finally looked back. After the single track, there were 4 bike points, which we got with only one minor issue where we didn't end up taking a very efficient route - our only nav issue of the race. I was happy to see that I was keeping up on the hills, which has always been an issue for me. When I was climbing, I would think about all those hill repeats and how the hill in front of me was shorter than Fairview Hill. That helped me a lot mentally. There was no water provided by the race, so we stopped at a bait store and bought two gallons just before the TA. At this point, we were somewhere around 15th, I think.
Paddle
Going for a hike with a canoe for several miles is really my favorite thing. When we passed over the river just before the TA, I couldn't believe that was really where we were going to paddle. It was like a series of long puddles in a river bed. In and out of the boat countless times. We finally got into some deep water and had two CPs to get that were off the lake. I liked getting to go out and do some actual orienteering on the paddle section. I had to take my shoes off and rinse the gravel/sand out of them so I wouldn't ruin my feet for the rest of the trekking we had ahead of us. We were in a huge group of teams at this point. We were the second boat dropped at CP9, and when we came out (after nailing it) there were 9 other boats sitting there. I think we came out of the paddle around 12th. At CP10, two people had to pick up the raft, paddle across the lake to CP11, drop the canoe, and raft back to CP10/TA2. The third person had to take the map and get two orienteering points. I was the only woman to do the orienteering. I heard that it was taking longer than the paddle so I knew I had to run it. I got out there, grabbed the points with no trouble, and ran back on the road to the TA. I didn't see anyone else until I was on my way back to the TA. Nobody passed me! Woo!
Trek
We decided to take the "fast walk" method on this trek to be sure we had something left for the multiple O sections later. On our way out, we stopped at a house and asked to use their hose. We filled our water stores and were on our way. We were super accurate in this section - walked right up to almost every point. The key, of course, was always keeping contact with the map. One thing I love about our team is the ability to hand off the map to anyone. It usually goes like this - "can you hold the map while I get something out of my pack?" and that person seamlessly just takes over orienteering to the next point or three. Despite our not running, we were constantly leapfrogging with other teams who WERE running this section because we navved so well - we totally "pulled a Cooper" on them. There were some parts where we definitely could have run without sacrificing nav, but that's a point of improvement for the future. Still, a very solid section.
Bike 2
We had a short (<1 hour) bike to the next Orienteering course. It was all on roads - a mix of paved and dirt. Pretty uneventful with some fun rollers.
Orienteering 1
There were 7 "sets" of CPs, but you only needed to get 4 sets. They had letters and numbers. The twos were North of the TA, and the ones were south of the TA. We got T, U, P, and N (1 and 2) So, whichever ones you got on the North, you had to get on the south. I took this section, and it went really smoothly. Also, it was a real orienteering map! Cool! There was a fair amount of climbing out on this. The nice thing about orienteering where there are big features is that they're pretty easy to identify.
Bike 3
Bike back to the Abe Martin Lodge. We spent most of this bike going back and forth with Checkpoint Zero. We weren't trying to ride together, but we just couldn't shake each other. It probably benefitted both teams because it forced us all to move faster - we were dragging a bit, so the motivation was good. Just as we got into Nashville, it started raining. It was bad timing since we had to get two points on the singletrack before heading in to the last TA. It was pretty slick on the trail, so we took it a bit cautiously here. We were all happy to be done with the bike since rain really takes away from the fun.
Orienteering 2
We refilled our water at the Abe Martin Lodge and headed out for the last orienteering section. Unfortunately, Mike's feet were in really bad shape heading into this section, so we were pretty limited on how fast we could go. He was a champ and suffered through not just the blisters, but some very odd chafing that looked nasty. My feet were hurting as well, but it was soreness/hotspots. After the race, we saw Mike's feet and his trench foot looked like the worst you see at expedition races. Anyway, we took off at 6 am on this section and got the first 2 points (the closest ones) in the dark. The second was just as the sun was rising, which was good because it was super foggy and we had a LONG distance to travel to the second and needed to be able to see the terrain to keep track of where we were. Phil navved this whole section and did awesome on it. We always knew where we were and hit them all right on. We went a bit out of the way to stay on trails to try to minimize Mike's suffering, but it did make a few of our attack points easier/more obvious. The last point was a lookout tower, and I kept thinking I was seeing it. I don't care that it wasn't there - I saw it and it looked surprisingly similar to trees. The actual tower did not look like trees. Odyssey passed us on the last piece of road to the finish, but we just couldn't run it to race them to the finish, though we did manage to run the last kilometer despite foot and chafing issues.
We took 15th overall (Including masters) and 13th in the coed division. This is for sure our best showing at Nationals. We have all been training hard and putting in the effort, and it shows. It's very motivating to see that you're capable of more than you previously knew... and to think of where you can be with continued training! Very happy!
Decided not to kill ourselves on this - just got into the pack and ran a steady pace. We could have gone faster, but it was comfortable and set us up to be ready to hammer the bike.
15.5-mile marked trail ride
Awesome, fun single track. We passed some teams on the road leading to the single track. Once we were on it, we had to pass a few teams, but everyone was great and it wasn't the mess we thought it would be. At one point, we passed a team and opened it up on a downhill section. It was super fun, and they were GONE behind us when we finally looked back. After the single track, there were 4 bike points, which we got with only one minor issue where we didn't end up taking a very efficient route - our only nav issue of the race. I was happy to see that I was keeping up on the hills, which has always been an issue for me. When I was climbing, I would think about all those hill repeats and how the hill in front of me was shorter than Fairview Hill. That helped me a lot mentally. There was no water provided by the race, so we stopped at a bait store and bought two gallons just before the TA. At this point, we were somewhere around 15th, I think.
Paddle
Going for a hike with a canoe for several miles is really my favorite thing. When we passed over the river just before the TA, I couldn't believe that was really where we were going to paddle. It was like a series of long puddles in a river bed. In and out of the boat countless times. We finally got into some deep water and had two CPs to get that were off the lake. I liked getting to go out and do some actual orienteering on the paddle section. I had to take my shoes off and rinse the gravel/sand out of them so I wouldn't ruin my feet for the rest of the trekking we had ahead of us. We were in a huge group of teams at this point. We were the second boat dropped at CP9, and when we came out (after nailing it) there were 9 other boats sitting there. I think we came out of the paddle around 12th. At CP10, two people had to pick up the raft, paddle across the lake to CP11, drop the canoe, and raft back to CP10/TA2. The third person had to take the map and get two orienteering points. I was the only woman to do the orienteering. I heard that it was taking longer than the paddle so I knew I had to run it. I got out there, grabbed the points with no trouble, and ran back on the road to the TA. I didn't see anyone else until I was on my way back to the TA. Nobody passed me! Woo!
Trek
We decided to take the "fast walk" method on this trek to be sure we had something left for the multiple O sections later. On our way out, we stopped at a house and asked to use their hose. We filled our water stores and were on our way. We were super accurate in this section - walked right up to almost every point. The key, of course, was always keeping contact with the map. One thing I love about our team is the ability to hand off the map to anyone. It usually goes like this - "can you hold the map while I get something out of my pack?" and that person seamlessly just takes over orienteering to the next point or three. Despite our not running, we were constantly leapfrogging with other teams who WERE running this section because we navved so well - we totally "pulled a Cooper" on them. There were some parts where we definitely could have run without sacrificing nav, but that's a point of improvement for the future. Still, a very solid section.
Bike 2
We had a short (<1 hour) bike to the next Orienteering course. It was all on roads - a mix of paved and dirt. Pretty uneventful with some fun rollers.
Orienteering 1
There were 7 "sets" of CPs, but you only needed to get 4 sets. They had letters and numbers. The twos were North of the TA, and the ones were south of the TA. We got T, U, P, and N (1 and 2) So, whichever ones you got on the North, you had to get on the south. I took this section, and it went really smoothly. Also, it was a real orienteering map! Cool! There was a fair amount of climbing out on this. The nice thing about orienteering where there are big features is that they're pretty easy to identify.
Bike 3
Bike back to the Abe Martin Lodge. We spent most of this bike going back and forth with Checkpoint Zero. We weren't trying to ride together, but we just couldn't shake each other. It probably benefitted both teams because it forced us all to move faster - we were dragging a bit, so the motivation was good. Just as we got into Nashville, it started raining. It was bad timing since we had to get two points on the singletrack before heading in to the last TA. It was pretty slick on the trail, so we took it a bit cautiously here. We were all happy to be done with the bike since rain really takes away from the fun.
Orienteering 2
We refilled our water at the Abe Martin Lodge and headed out for the last orienteering section. Unfortunately, Mike's feet were in really bad shape heading into this section, so we were pretty limited on how fast we could go. He was a champ and suffered through not just the blisters, but some very odd chafing that looked nasty. My feet were hurting as well, but it was soreness/hotspots. After the race, we saw Mike's feet and his trench foot looked like the worst you see at expedition races. Anyway, we took off at 6 am on this section and got the first 2 points (the closest ones) in the dark. The second was just as the sun was rising, which was good because it was super foggy and we had a LONG distance to travel to the second and needed to be able to see the terrain to keep track of where we were. Phil navved this whole section and did awesome on it. We always knew where we were and hit them all right on. We went a bit out of the way to stay on trails to try to minimize Mike's suffering, but it did make a few of our attack points easier/more obvious. The last point was a lookout tower, and I kept thinking I was seeing it. I don't care that it wasn't there - I saw it and it looked surprisingly similar to trees. The actual tower did not look like trees. Odyssey passed us on the last piece of road to the finish, but we just couldn't run it to race them to the finish, though we did manage to run the last kilometer despite foot and chafing issues.
We took 15th overall (Including masters) and 13th in the coed division. This is for sure our best showing at Nationals. We have all been training hard and putting in the effort, and it shows. It's very motivating to see that you're capable of more than you previously knew... and to think of where you can be with continued training! Very happy!
Wednesday Oct 2, 2013 #
Run 46:55 [3] 4.5 mi (10:26 / mi)
Ran with the "Run Midland" group at City Forest. Always a nice casual pace. Didn't get in all the planned 30-second pick-ups, but figure that's not the end of the world. Last workout before nationals! Distance was estimated.
Tuesday Oct 1, 2013 #
Mountain Bike (Easy) 45:40 [3] 9.7 mi (12.7 mph)
No HR data. Easy light spin, high cadence on the rail trail. Hard to let people pass me, but had to keep in mind the purpose of the ride. Very nice day, beautiful trees. Feeling good. Ready to race Friday!!!!
Monday Sep 30, 2013 #
Note
Rest day today - Packing for USARA Nationals tonight, a couple "shake out" workouts this week and that's it! Woo!
Looks like rain for the race weekend, but it's supposed to be warm, at least. It could be worse - cold and rainy.
Looks like rain for the race weekend, but it's supposed to be warm, at least. It could be worse - cold and rainy.
Sunday Sep 29, 2013 #
Run (Orienteering) 2:33:29 [3] 9.0 mi (17:03 / mi)
ahr:139
Red Course. Today's performance would threaten to get me banned from the map in future races. ;)
Missed the existing boardwalk from the start to 1 and went around to the road. 2 and 3 were ok, though I did miss my attack point on 3 and had to run back. 4 on the other hand, I was all over the place. There were all kinds of trails that weren't on the map, which is unexpected in orienteering (unlike AR and USGS maps, where it's a given.) I was super close but thought I'd made a mistake so I went back to the trail to attack, made a super-inefficient path to it through the rocky depressions. Finally got it. Was expecting more of a hill for some reason
Slowed down a bit for 5, but still hit it a bit on the south end of the clearing. Not too bad, though.
Going to 6, I saw a "boardwalk" across a swamp and thought I'd found a shortcut. I got there and it was just a dock. No swimming for me today, so I had to backtrack and change plans.
7 and 8 went fairly well. Then 9. More like nein. I was right by it multiple times and couldn't see the flag nor the large orange bucket. Did 2 different attacks from the trail in the wrong direction thinking I was somewhere on the trail that looking back, I was obviously not at. Finally, I got it, but I have to admit that it was mostly because a couple people on another course found it and I saw them. Ay!
10 and 11 to the finish was uneventful. I really only messed up badly with 4 and 9, but I didn't ever feel like "wow, I really nailed that one awesomely" today. Didn't really kill myself either - tapering, you know.
Distance is estimated since I lost my foot pod out there at 8.2 miles. No idea where it went. Thought for a moment that maybe someone found it or that it might be somewhere close. No way. I'm sure a vine or something claimed it in a thick region. Bummer. Anyway, I definitely went more than 8.2 miles, but not sure how much more.
Missed the existing boardwalk from the start to 1 and went around to the road. 2 and 3 were ok, though I did miss my attack point on 3 and had to run back. 4 on the other hand, I was all over the place. There were all kinds of trails that weren't on the map, which is unexpected in orienteering (unlike AR and USGS maps, where it's a given.) I was super close but thought I'd made a mistake so I went back to the trail to attack, made a super-inefficient path to it through the rocky depressions. Finally got it. Was expecting more of a hill for some reason
Slowed down a bit for 5, but still hit it a bit on the south end of the clearing. Not too bad, though.
Going to 6, I saw a "boardwalk" across a swamp and thought I'd found a shortcut. I got there and it was just a dock. No swimming for me today, so I had to backtrack and change plans.
7 and 8 went fairly well. Then 9. More like nein. I was right by it multiple times and couldn't see the flag nor the large orange bucket. Did 2 different attacks from the trail in the wrong direction thinking I was somewhere on the trail that looking back, I was obviously not at. Finally, I got it, but I have to admit that it was mostly because a couple people on another course found it and I saw them. Ay!
10 and 11 to the finish was uneventful. I really only messed up badly with 4 and 9, but I didn't ever feel like "wow, I really nailed that one awesomely" today. Didn't really kill myself either - tapering, you know.
Distance is estimated since I lost my foot pod out there at 8.2 miles. No idea where it went. Thought for a moment that maybe someone found it or that it might be somewhere close. No way. I'm sure a vine or something claimed it in a thick region. Bummer. Anyway, I definitely went more than 8.2 miles, but not sure how much more.
C • #9 7