Training Log Archive: Sandy

on the drive - slowed down the last half on purpose.

down to the drive and back home

Added some more exercises.

Ran the trails for about 40 minutes including all the uphills and then walked home.

C • training 8

TNT - nice crowd - Tom O. came and brought chili. 5 miles on the drive at an easy 10 minute pace plus the jog down and back up. Tonight's run felt really "routine" - not easy, and all the rich food I ate yesterday didn't help, and having company is a definite advantage, but it just didn't seem like a big deal. I'll have to check my log but it wasn't that long ago that 5 miles would have been a major accomplishment and today it seemed like just another run. Cool.

Ran the first half of the first loop of Clem's blue course at Mt. Joy. The weather was less than ideal (raining lightly, 38F) but I took it easy and had fun; good to be out on a map and running a course after all the trail running I've done lately.

13:43 out, 14:28 back

down to the drive and back up the hill home

Trail run in the Wissahickon. Absolutely gorgeous day and many of the trails up on the hillsides(although not all) were free of snow and ice. Didn't take any water and about 80 minutes in I really wished I had - a real struggle to keep moving after that. Walked many of the uphills (although not all).

C • So with all this training goin... 8

Three miles on the drive but not my normal three miles. Wanted to try to see what faster than 10 min pace felt like, so wanted to do half miles at faster than normal alternating with a slow recovery. First half was 4:36, next 6:01. I started the next one too fast and had to walk, then ran then walk then ran for a half of 4:28, then had to walk a lot to recover so 6:58. For the last fast half I decided to try to find a pace I could sustain for the whole half and did 4:21. A goal for next year is to be able to do three miles at 9 minute pace. Doable but will take work. (The rest of the time was a longish route down and back up on the trails, jogging a lot of it, but walking some of the hill home.)

Normal routine: pushups, plank, leglifts, situps, ankle strengthening & balance.

uninspired, but all I could manage this afternoon...

TNT - 5 miles on the drive at pretty much 10 minute pace, plus the jog down and back up. Pretty icy in a few spots; stretched it out the last 1/4 mile but couldn't keep up with Dasha or Anne. Definitely would not have gone as far if I had been on my own - it's so nice to have others along to keep it going.

Another good eatin' night: crab quiche a la Anne. And Sandy brought chicken ceasar salad, hors d'oevres and cookies. Mm, mm, good.

C • Good Eats!! 1

Tire still looks good. Very Suspicious....

Got to VF early planning to run one loop before everyone else showed up only to find one of my tires about half flat. I drove to a nearby gas station and put air in the tire planning to put on the spare if it just deflated again. But it actually seemed fine making me wonder if maybe someone let some air out and I just didn't notice until now. I'll have to see how it is in the morning. Got back to VF and ran half a loop finishing just as Randy and Vadim showed up; since I was sweaty I ran a short loop on the grass to stay warm until Clem and Dasha got there. Did two loops with Dasha (and Clem who was deliberately taking it very easy) - had to walk more than I would have liked on the uphills. We finished up and I was getting ready to get in the car when I decided what the heck, one more loop.

Funny - I'm an okay swimmer and swim maybe once a month and almost always swim 1600 meters, which is 64 lengths of our 25m pool, and it usually takes a little over 40 minutes. Today I had lots of time and I was planning to swim for an hour or 100 lengths, whichever came first. I was moving pretty well today - maybe all the pushups and weights I've been doing lately are actually accomplishing something. Then, on lap number 65, I abruptly, totally, completely lost all form and felt like a complete klutz in the water whereas up until then I had been cranking 'em out and felt great. It was so bizarre. I did another 16 and decided to quit.

Normal 3 miles plus the mile and half down to the drive and back home. The drive still has some snow/slush/ice in spots but it was still nice running today. Went out slowly but picked it up for the last two miles and did some fast bits (30 second sprints) in the last half mile. Felt fast; must be the new haircut!

C • Pictures? 4

DVOA TNT - trails down to the drive, along the drive to Bells Mill Rd, some trails on the Andorra map including the one up the hill, back along the drive and then back up the hill home. Fun workout - it was pretty cold but Dasha, Sandy and I kept a good pace going and stayed warm. My headlight died and Dasha's was fading fast but with the snow and the almost full moon we didn't need them. And since we all wore our O shoes with spikes, the snow cover made the trails easy running.

Slowly adding reps and exercises.

Work schedule (although classes ended today) and common sense make Mondays perfect rest days.

Hunting through my maps for a copy of Nockamixon (today's DVOA local event) I came across the map of the Andorra Natural Area which Jim Browne fieldchecked a couple of years ago. He's held a couple of beginner events there and I helped out at one so I knew about the map but just hadn't thought too much about it. It's a small section of the Wissahickon, at the north end of Forbidden Drive, on the hillside on the west side (my side) of the creek. I haven't gone up that way to run since I moved into my house a year and a half ago since it means going down to the drive and then crossing over the one road that allows through traffic across the valley and there are plenty of other trails that stay away from traffic. But I just didn't feel like making the drive to Nockamixon today and so decided I would at least run on an O map. It's a small area but there's enough of a trail network and plenty of hills to get in a good workout. I can see this becoming part of TNT so I need to look into getting a few more copies.

Normal 3 mile run on the drive, jog/hike down and back up. Still not feeling great but did 10 min. pace.

Hiked the hill loop (and then some extra) that I had planned to run on Wednesday. We had about 4-6" of snow and I was curious about the condition of the trails and the main drive for TNT. Some sort of ATV had been on a few of the wider and less rocky trails on the hillsides and a plow had actually gone down the drive so running won't be a problem but I think O shoes and spikes will probably be in order unles the sun really comes out in force in the next few days. Hiking with my heavy snow boots in fresh snow was actually a pretty good workout - I was dragging on the last hill home!

Had the time and was planning on a longer run but felt horrible so stayed on the trails on this side of the valley and cut it short. Not sure why I felt so crummy.

DVOA TNT - jog down to the drive, 20 min. warm up, 7 x 2min intervals with 1min recovery; jog home. Same workout as the inaugural TNT - picked a spot a little further for my 1min turn around spot and was able to do 2:00, 2:04, 2:01, 2:01, 2:01, 2:01, 2:04.

FCE (DVOA local - control hanging; epunch?)

Hung controls for today's DVOA event. Woods (and roads) were snow covered with a bit of sleet and freezing rain when we met early this morning to get started, and we wondered if anyone would show. Things improved as the day went along and we had about 65 people by the end. Did epunching all day (worked out of my car to try and keep warm) and the sun actually broke through the clouds just as I was leaving the park.

Druid's Delight Solstice Run, Fair Hill

Trail Run at Fair Hill with Valerie. (Tom O also showed up.) Up until about 20 minutes into the run I was thinking that this had not been one of my better ideas, but then I finally warmed up and got comfortable and had a blast. Having someone to run with was probably most of the reason I had such a good time though. Advertised as 18k but probably less.

Control pickup at White Clay Creek after a scout event. Skipped one and had to go back out for it. Doh!