Training Log Archive: AliC

And training times! Headed to Moreau with Ian for one last run around amazing woods before embargo for next year's Team Trials (starts June). Was super-duper packed with folks for the beach, all parking lots full by the time we left, seemed like!

This was hiking up up up the hill, slowish.

First 7 controls of Day 2 Red course from Classic Champs 2010. Lots of long legs, which was kinda what I wanted to train, so perfect! Executed pretty well, didn't out run my ability to follow the map, which I had done a few times actually while racing. But then again, was running quite a bit easier.

Tried to really focus on having a full plan to each control, including an easy-to-follow way in, not just the broad brush strokes of getting close. I think it mostly worked.

Anyways, was such a super-delight to be running on that map, in that terrain. Both are amazing. =)

1669/2000

Mini made-up control pick to kill an extra ~15 minutes I had to play up top. Right at the end, lost contact. Actually, completely confused how that happened... too high?

Tumble down hill. But actually not pushing it too much, didn't feel like inviting ankle tweaks...

Putting out controls for Cem Hill Sprints! Had to bolster the ones in sandy stream beds with rocks built up around them....

(Side note: The Donut Man shop on the way to Noho opens at 5am, yay! Much better for pre-race setting stuff coffee acquisition than Amherst coffee = 6.30 am or gas station on the way to Earl's = 8am!)

C • thanks for the weekend 6

Day 5 - Mt. Tom Farsta

Woo, and got to race the final one, and it went really well, won the race! Ok, so it wasn't really Day 5 for me, and probably I know Mt. Tom better than most... but eh, still really happy with how things went, few mistakes on my part, and kept it going when tired. Did take lots of water stops, probably the most I ever have in 1 race: 4! And had a gel right before the start, mmm Peppermint Stick!

Start was pretty crazy, I just didn't move until I figured out where I wanted to go, was behind lots of people. Some people had split some direction right from the start, then people split more as trails became available. I choose the same way as JJ, Eddie, Alex, then we went down along the river trail before cutting up to the cliff. Eddie led that charge, kinda followed on up, which took some motivating! To 2, took off on a bearing, then continued on it despite Eddie heading left- never know when a fork is actually going to hit! But ended up punching right together. Then off to 3, awesome, water! But Eddie didn't take any so he was gone.

Did my own think up to 5, then pretty much took the line to 5, but got a bit left of it and slightly confused right at the end to 5, was too high, even though I had placed myself left of the line earlier and tried to correct.

To 6 was fine, saw Greg A. there, but we immediately took off in different directions. Cruised over to 7, then whoa, uphill hike to 8, just flat enough to run, but dragged on and on. At 8 took a good map-look pause, decided for the road option, so bailed down at a NW angle and then booked it on the road.

Saw Sergei just after I punched my 9, and then was the 2nd to the halfway punch. Eddie was coming in right after me though, and I knew we would have the same first forking, because we did the first lap too and only 2 laps. But he took off immediately in some strange direction, so alone for the hike up to the saddle.

Was happily surprised to see Sergei at #2 for the lap, the first shared control. Hm, wonder which of us has shorter forks from here on... Mine looked pretty short and we immediately headed different directions from there, so figured I might have some chance of beating him. To #3 was a lovely tumble down a reentrant/along a stream, but then kinda messed up after climbing cliff from stream junciton, thought the rocky hill was going to have my cliff on it, but one too far norht. 4-5-6 all smooth and pretty much straight, except to avoid cliffs.

For the final route choice, looked for some sensible thing to do about the marsh at the end, decided I should go straight along river trail, through yellow, then hope over spur and check out if the marsh was actually crossable, would be silly to loose time going around if it were. But didn't seem like it (although Brendan reports it is), so did go around in the end. Then race on in!

1662/2000

Collecting 3 controls from mid-far away distance, kinda tired, but 3 is a very manageable number, woo friends!

Event 5 - Long FC: Mount Tom - Splits

Event: Western Mass 5-Day
 

Waking up + checking up on controls, all there!

Putting out some white/yellow controls between races.

Picking up the controls in that most lovely woods of the map area. So nice! And one bonus one Peter wanted from nearby.

Yeah!! Got to play for Day 3 of the 5 day, Alex's sprint on the UMass campus. So of course I had a few advantages, like commuting through large portions of the map everyday, and oh, not having done two earlier races in the day, but ended up in 4th, to Greg A., Eddie, and Sergei, not crazy far back, so happy with that!

Pretty smooth all through, but did not feel practiced at reading my control descriptions, my brain hurt trying to adjust the location told to me by my control description onto what it actually meant on the map. So should practice that more for sure!

Enjoyed the trickiness of 3-4, had never been their before and then apparently made definitely the right choice (won the split) to 8, despite the fact I thought I messed it up at the time... hm.

1645/2000

C • Tricksy descriptions 5

Event 3 - UMass Long - Splits

And out with the controls! Woo!

Mmm, and needed to get in a real workout, so to the track with Alex for 3 x 1 mi, 5.32, 5.36, 5.37. Some other folks on the track, but we all got along!

And had to go get more stitches (bike accident)... I had to break much more suddenly than I was expecting on my bike and so flying-Ali over the handlebars, splat on the road... whoops!

Was super embarrassed, because there was really no reason to fall, so I just quickly scampered back onto my bike and sheepishly hurried on my way towards work. But then there was kind of a lot of blood emerging from my chin, and when I went to go clean up in the bathroom at work, I realized that there was kind of a gaping gash that was definitely going to require stitches...

So over to uni health center. The doc knew me from helping me with my bad asthma a bit ago, he's an avid mountain biker, friendly guy. The cut's about an inch long, needed 11 stitches (to help avoid scarring), they're to come out next Tues but way better than the cut on my foot, no need to avoid running at all!

No other major damage, although I did break one of my fav lunch boxes + really squished 2 bananas upon impact, apparently...

C • Saved by the bananas! 8

Post-work scamper around Emily Dickinson, hill version + University Drive version. Nice out, chin didn't hurt too bad while running. I meant to do hill intervals at lunch, but kinda just wanted to sit tight through the day, make sure I didn't develop a headache, and let the adrenaline wear off- was well jittery all morning!

Hammies, 15s, before heading over to Gagarin's for A-meet stuff + pizza! Unfortunately I totally spaced and just started digging into the pesto pizza, whoops! This version of pesto has almonds in it.... so mouth/throat started sweeling up, but all good with 2 benedryl. Apparently one of *those* days...

C • Holy Toledo! 3

Pre-BBQ abs!

Breakheart Green QuickRoute

I can see my hesitation while on the trail at 4, that I totally ran straight by 12 and that something is strange around 13? I hung that control and am 100% sure it's on the huge boulder on the east side of the rock wall.. curious. Without major adjustments, 7 is also not on the right cliff, perhaps whoops, but perhaps Garmin is just lying too. Although it really is way off to 13....

Not many surprises. What are good things to be looking for in QR analysis again, besides obvious mistakes? Flow?

C • time in and out of controls 6

Puttering around short course at Cem Hill, checking controls and all. Think it's ready for you all!

Alrighty, well you can't PR every time, I suppose... 2 seconds off 2 weeks ago, but won the race, so that's some consolation. And, biggest challenger was friend Jake Whitcomb from way back- he and I skied together in the Western Mass little kids league from age, mmm ~8? So great to see him, although actually, in the race, I led from the beginning and didn't know it was him breathing down my neck from the first hill to the halfway mark... but he at least provided some good inspiration to really take it away on that long stretch down by the river!

Warm down with Jake, catching up. Apparently he's doing a masters or PhD (forgot to ask!) at MIT in systems engineering? He's real focused on renewable energy stuff, will be doing either some policy or engineering work this summer in DC, cool to chat. Also, he was pretty enthusiastic about going out orienteering in/around Boston-land next year. Someone remind me to get him linked up to CSU in the fall!

On way back, ran into Phil who was checking on some Cem Hill things too, good to chat just immediately.

Checking heights of boulders/rootstocks. Phil and I split the controls that needed the checking. And on way back, saw Margi and Phin heading out for a walk, super-social Cem Hill evening =)