Training Log Archive: hamlet

Event: West Point Annual National Ranking Event
 

Woke up this morning with a crazy sore throat and felt like complete crap after yesterday's sprint where I couldn't push myself at all. I honestly was worried on the bus there that I wouldn't be able to breathe enough for running. But oh my god I had a blast on the middle. Middles are my favorite anyways, and it's been so long since I ran a proper middle, and it's been so long since I ran in West Point terrain, I missed it so much. Yeah, I could've definitely been faster in some spots, but minus a few hesitations and unnecessary control checks, I had a clean run (for West Point standards).

I caught up to Matt Smith on #5 (which was the only box that didn't have SI air turned on) and I kept seeing him ahead of me and I was trying so hard to catch up to him. He would make a mistake, like overshooting a control, and I'd catch up, and then he'd run faster than me and pull away, and repeat. Then at the end whe raced eachother in the finish chute which was nice (he beat me because I was right on his heels but didn't have any power left to sprint past him). I haven't gotten to properly race anyone in the finish like this in a while, so it was really fun. I was a bit worried I overdid it on the middle and that I'd be too tired for the sprint, but thankfully that turned out to not be true.

I was so nervous. I thought it was going to be like yesterday's sprint but oh how wrong I was.

I passed Oriana (who started 2 mins before me) on my way to 3 because she went the wrong angle after leaving the road. It was a bit of a shock to me to be running in the woods because I had prepared myself for urban spring orienteering so much that I almost forgot how to navigate in the woods, and I was worried it would be painful because I didn't notice the trails at first. Then, with the trails, it was perfectly fine.

For the rest of the course I was trying my absolute best to stay ahead of Oriana. I know she's a stronger runner than me, and she can last way longer than I can. I was dying up hills and constantly looking over my shoulder to see 1. if I can see her and 2. how quickly she's closing the gap. By 8 I thought she'd blow past me but somehow I apparently kept my lead, all the way into the finish. I noticed that yesterday she beat me on the sprint almost purely because of the last 5 controls, so today I was making extra sure that I kept pushing, even at the end. Honestly, without Oriana there, I don't think I would have been able to run that much, and I don't think I would have enjoyed the sprint so much.

I had a clean race except for one little confusion at 6, but that definitely cost me less than 30 seconds. Other than that I was quadruple checking control descriptions and codes because I knew that with Oriana behind me like that, if I made a single mistake she'd pass me and then I'd lose my motivation and I'd crash, so I was checking every corner if it's on the inside or outside and if the control is above or below. I'm very proud of this sprint, and I think despite my kinda slow pace, it's up there as one of the best sprints I've ran in quite a while.

Middle - Red - Splits

Sprint - Red - Splits

I felt awful. I couldn't push myself at all. Going to #2 I already felt my legs giving out. I know I could've done so much better. I was almost clean, I just screwed up going to 15. I messed up going to the underpass, I didn't bail to the trail but to the road and then I had to run a bit further out to then return to the underpass. Other than that any mistakes were route choice based, like crossing through the steep, green slope by the underpasses twice; once going up, once going down, both because I didn't realize that I can go around and have it much easier.
Physically I wasn't there in the race, and mentally I was just constantly like "I'm a failure and I don't even deserve to be trying out let alone on any team" but I guess fake it till you make it huh

10x shoulder rows
64x 45lb bench
45x 45lb bench

panic attacks all around. I'm so stressed. there's orienteering, i feel like i need to do well this weekend, i want to feel strong but right now i feel like crap, my back hurts and i have zero energy and im in a constant state of mental breakdown. college is terrifying, i don't know what I'm going to be doing and i don't know where i want, i don't know how to do anything right, i don't know what to do, people say be yourself but what if I'm a horrible person, i feel awful and i need a break but i don't know how to get one

5 min plank rotation then neck stretching stuff.
So turns out the head-splitting headaches I've been getting have been tension headaches caused by stress and tightness in the neck and poor posture so that's fun. Also got bloodwork done today without passing out, so i'll finally get to see my iron levels soon. Although my doctor said it would help to get back on my meds so yeah I'll try I guess. Fun stuff.

C • Woop woop!!! 1

I hate being tired all the time... and I wish I could say it was because I've been training hard, but I haven't been training as hard as I wanted lately, which is so frustrating. I'm going to the doctors tomorrow to get my vaccination updated and to get bloodwork done and I've been having splitting headaches on the right side of me head here and there and I have a bump in the back even though I haven't hit my head on anything recently so yeah. I'm absolutely terrified because I'm going there alone and I'm terrified of needles and tend to pass out during bloodwork and sometimes vaccines so driving back is gonna be not very great. I just want to do good at West Point and enjoy it there but I'm not sure my body is going to let me.

switching between bouldering and ropes. Tried to do an overhanging 10d, had a panic attack in the middle so I went bouldering for a bit. Then I tried an 11b on a slab and then a 10d on the slab, and godddd I missed climbing on slabs, overhangs can go die, slabs are where it's at.

bouldering- I flashed a V4! still can't do V3s tho