Training Log Archive: Hammer

The 6th year of Adventure Running Kids starts this week in numerous communities including two locations and three nights in Hamilton. Our new location in Mississauga starts in a few weeks. Once again we are over 750 kids this sspring with over 300 in the Hamilton locations alone.
And we also have ~100 awesome volunteers. If it wasn't for them and our three great employees, ARK wouldn't be such a success. Total ARK participation since it was started in the spring of 2010 is now over 4,700!

Wednesday will be warmer than Thursday this week. Just sayin'

C • ARK 16

C • Amazing to think of 4700 ki... 1

HammerFIT with AG! Legs are tired from the weekend.

warm-up and cool down. Knee was very sore today so extra long warm-up. That was quite discouraging after all I have done the last few months. Grrrr.

Fun terrain and course. ARXers ran well.

My best placing on a split (like yesterday) was to #1. 2nd place again. Then I got tired. :-)

My knee was still warming up and it took me too long to cross the creek to #2 and #3 (quite silly really given how wet the course got on the stream crossing from 9 to 12. Not wearing my glasses was a disadvantage today. Several times I was right on my bearing and couldn't see the flag so started to doubt myself and did a small hook only to have to recorrect back (#6, #16). But the only mistakes that show up on the split analysis are the road crossings (I deliberately took lots of time on those un-timed legs) and the slow creek crossings at #2 and #3 so perhaps I didn't lose as much as I thought. Still won't call them spikes though.

I really enjoyed the open woods on the east side of the map and after the random creek crossings. I felt I got faster after that or perhaps the cold water had numbed the knee pain. Not sure I could have raced much farther than the 10'ish km. Despite that I feel I'm a wee bit stronger this year but the continued knee pain is very frustrating.

Snow wasn't a factor again today but I'm looking forward to running on bare ground soon.

Fun weekend and well hosted by DVOA. But perhaps 2-day classic isn't the best format for a schools and Uni race. Perhaps a chase start? 2 person relay? More opportunities for team cheering.

Our ARX athletes had some great results this weekend at the US Interscholastics race! pic.twitter.com/yB8CMPvN8g

— DontGetLost ARX (@dontgetlostARX) March 22, 2015

C • formats 13

Day 2 - Blue - Splits

Event: Fox Chaser II (U.S. 2015 IS / IC / Trail O Champs)
 

warm-up and cool down. Knee very sore afterwards so lots of icing tonight.

Started out strong to #1 but I didn't find the trail through the green to #2 and it was a slow fight. While that was the only time lost for the race it sucked a lot out of my pre-race energy and I never had the strength or speed after that. I walk/jogged most uphills and didn't have much fight in the thick stuff or on the trail runs (and there was a lot of both). Not my favourite terrain but the course designer utilized the limited terrain nicely and DVOA always hosts a great race. Enjoyable day.

The big talk of the day was the snow. But I personally felt the snow was pretty much a non issue today as snow was only ankle deep and it was probably faster running in snow than on soggy and muddy soil. well maybeits possible the snow gave some of the late starters (like me) a small advantage.

More importantly it was great to see some good results for our ARX gang today. Finished the day off with another fun ARX dinner this evening discussing route choices and some other post-race analysis.

Day 1 - Blue - Splits

Stressful drive through a snowstorm in PA. Glad I didn't take the snowtires off. Had planned to get out on a map today but roads were all jammed up with traffic. Should have just stopped and gone orienteering at Hickory Run instead of driving farther south.

Fun evening though with the ARX and friends gang.

Not much snow fell here but it will mean yet another race in the snow. No big deal. I had hoped to race without snow but the +10C temps for tomorrow won't arrive until we are finished. Maybe it will melt in time for Sunday.

HammerFIT followed by a bunch of rolling and stretching.

water running with AG! Legs feeling better.

X-League at Kerncliff. Out maneuvered Anvil on the way to finish to take the win (only because Dynamite missed a CP). Fun ARX dinner afterwards in Waterdown celebrating Sudden's birthday. H43. Gubben.

warm up and cool down.

TNT with Sudden, Tesla and AG! Sat out two of the intervals. Great to be running on grass again.