Training Log Archive: Becks

I have had a great few days up in MA and have learnt some things:

Alex should really move to New Haven. Ed can come too.

I am really lazy with my O these days. I think more training without a compass increasing contact will help.

My fitness hasn't died as badly as I thought. There's definitely still a good base there. And there's plenty of winter left.

The cats actually like me! They are really happy that I'm home, and not just because I fed them.

Orienteering, and orienteering people are still the best.

C • Lots of yays! there 6

Quick jog about to see how the legs felt. Better than I expected!

Wowser! Big mess of a course at Harold Parker. Thick brush but quite runnable was a bad combo for me, and I was lazy on multiple occasions. The first led to me getting the most lost I have done since I moved here, only for me to get even more lost (on a trail, no less) 15 minutes later! Lesson learnt - need more contact in this thick stuff.

Quickroute to come, but just had a dreadful 5 plus hour journey back so I should wash. Judy and I probably missed a couple of ticks when we spent ten minutes in the parking lot trying to de tick each other. Orienteering is a glamourous life, isn't it?!

Harold Parker Red

Start to 1 was good, was a bit surprised by the thickness of the woods but no problems.

1-2 I knew I had crossed all the big features I meant to, but had envisaged the cliff being more on the edge of the spur than in the hole it was. Tried to relocate on the edge of the hole, then looked down and saw the control right in front of me. Ooops.

It looks like I was going well to 3, then worried I had gone too far and dropped down the slope. Was very close to it when I turned around, but lost a little time. Dropped too low to see the re-entrant I was looking for, and now it makes more sense.

4 was no problem, but the track run was a bit dull.

I think I nailed 5, I expected there to be an unmapped trail by the lake and there was.

For 6 I intended to go over the col to the north west from the marshy re-entrant but actually went northeast. Then I realised I'd dropped into the wrong re-entrant and it was a bit of a bobbly route.

6-7 was a disaster! I now realise that I went left round an entirely different hill to the one I thought I did, then continued to drift in the wrong direction. Then I saw the big pond, went down to check that I was miles away for sure, and I was! Not too many problems getting back to the right place , nice big re-entrant before as a catching feature.

7-8 Nice control picky type leg, easy.

8-9: Just when I thought I couldn't get more lost than at 7, here we go! Now it's so obvious, I just hit path way further down than I thought I did, checking the direction didn't help, and then the "steep" downhill I stopped on really didn't look very steep. For a while had no idea where I was, and when I started to head back I noticed the wall and figured it out. Then I bumbled the control by being angry. Rubbish!

9-10: Went round 2 sides of a square which felt good at the time, but looking at splits was actually pretty slow.

Then good up to almost 13, although the woods at the end were greener than I expected, very rough. So a bit slow. Thus I stopped a bit early but worked it out relatively quickly.

14 was fine navigationally but very very slow. Tired and hungry!

C • Route 3-4 3

Red - Splits

An amazing combo of Alex's training exercises at the Blue Hills, thanks to me getting both my maps wet and thus only being able to do what I could see. so there was some no trail, and it was all no compass. I was glad to put my compass away and help the focus as my legs felt like lead the whole way round. I still felt it was useful training and there are bits of those woods that are totally stunning.

Blue Mountains QR

Surprisingly good without a compass - better focus I think. Couldn't decide on which rock pile number 1 purple was, mainly because I hadn't realised that boulders on this map are enormous! Got there eventually though. Next problem was 6, was a bit dense and didn't realise how close I was to the marsh. For 8 I knew I was in the area, but I couldn't figure out what was up and down and had to go to a rock feature to figure it out for sure. Turns out I was looking for a down - probably would have figured that out with control descriptions. Good after that but very tired legs.

Warm down jog to number 3 to bring in the kite left out from last week, but it turned out Judy and Jeff got there first. Feel better for having jogged it out a bit though.

Warm ups for Franklin Park and the afternoon. Alex is good at making me be good.

Franklin Park Blue Course. Great course, made a couple of mistakes, tired by the end. Legs felt great at the start, then went too fast across the field. Fun!

Franklin Park Blue

Great start, smooth through the controls and confident even on the vague ones at 2 & 3. At number 10 I thought I was clever by going low, but I went too low and hit the big crag below. Not confident into 13 or 15, but flags would have helped both of those. Turns out I was exactly there for both of them, but it took a few seconds to make sure. After that it was good again, but I was tired!

C • Sprint Course 10

Cool down round the brown course. Glad I did it that way round as the control sites were pretty familiar. Still got a bit messed up when I forgot which control I was at as I'd been there before.

Really fun map and some great legs.

Franklin Park Brown

Not so good at the start this time, not smooth into 2 and realised I was too high on the edge of the rough open. Got confused on the way to 12, was too familiar and lost where I was, had to stop briefly. Not confident into 14 either, not exactly a definite feature. Again, with a flag it would have been better.

Awesome afternoon on the Fells with Alex. We did map memory and it was great fun. I started off not being great in the circle, but then I got better, until the end when I started to get tired. It was a beautiful warm afternoon and the woods were in great shape. I have had the best couple of days I've had in ages. It's really fun and I'm glad to get my energy back.

Map memory QR

I started second, and did my first two legs fine, but hadn't remembered enough detail in the circle to spike the controls. My next control was a dream, but missed the big catching feature for the next control (purple 11). Should have seen the crag opposite, would have been totally sure then. I nailed the remaining controls except one, which I got the right hill but forgot the feature again. Oopsie. Then we ran into some greenbriar and I realised I was tired.

C • yay! 1

Morning fun at Nobscot. Took a course that Ian planned for me over a year ago, and ran with our maps down our pants to number 6, then got the maps out and did the rest. The woods are absolutely amazing, and I was navigating well generally. Not flowing too well, but that will come. My legs were tired uphill but I was feeling good. Yey! Wanted to do more but am forcing myself to be sensible.

Nobscot QR

I'm really struggling with paths this week! I accidentally went past number 10 because I didn't realise where I was, and then had to come back from the junction. Needed a better AP for 13, drifted across the slope way too slowly and lacking in confidence. Route to 16 isn't a mistake, saw some people and wanted to pretend I was only running on the trails.

Still can't get over how lovely those woods are.

Cycle to the gym to break my no gym before running rule. But I'm orienteering on the way to MA tonight so I'm allowed. Still annoyed by men. I should wear headphones, but it doesn't feel very safe. Mini super sets again.

Back squat 3 x 8 95lb
Box jump 3 x 8

Press up 3 x 8 10lb

CG pull up 3 x 8 -45lb
Rope pull down 3 x 8 level 3

Nordic hamstrings 3 x 8 10lb
Single leg drive 3 x 8 x 2

I like being back in the gym!

Warm up run round the yellow course from Jim's Crandall's meet. Woods looking wet but lovely, legs a bit stiff up the hills but after this morning that's not such a surprise. Orienteering is amazing! No real problems aside from trying to pick a boulder in a boulder field.

Crandalls Yellow

Quick route suggests the only problem was the boulder in the boulder field as I thought. With a flag there there would have been no problem.

A bit faster round the sprint course. No real problems except number 7 where I was way way off, too high. Generally navigating well, and the map is nice! Hard work up the hill to 5 (actually, took a bad route there too), but feeling so, so good to be out, and running felt the best it has since Canada. Wahey!

Crandalls Sprint

Route to 5 was bad, had struggled with the rocky re-entrant last time but went too far on the far side of the re-entrant. Then really missed number 7. I think I should have gone right of the line to the wall and let that leave me in. Got all turned around on the paths and then overcompensated up the slope. Otherwise good.

C • yay! 3

Yey! Intervals! They felt better than I thought they would!

4 x 400 with 90 secs rest, not all out.

Forgot to start watch till halfway.
1.29
1.27
1.27

Some weights at the Yale Gym. I wish they would do a women's hour there! Did things in supersets so there's less waiting around.

3 x 8 Front squat 25lb
3 x 8 OH Press 25lb

3 x 16 Lunge 25lb
3 x 8 Fly 2 x 12.5lb
3 x 8 DB Bench press 2 x 12.5lb

Russian twists 3 x 16 with ball
V sits 3 x 16 with ball
Side planks 3 x 2 x 30secs

Had to put the ball down on the final core set at the end, I was wrecked! I fear Alex may kill me when I inevitably have to do Alex core this weekend :)

Recovery run. Much better this morning, and whole body felt like it wanted to speed up at the end. Hopefully it'll feel the same tomorrow. Have stopped taking the antibiotics now.