Training Log Archive: Sandy

TNT - Sandy, Anne, Lou, Jim, Randy, Dasha, Clem, me. Not sure what the guys did, but Sandy and I and Anne and Dasha did fartleks along the Drive. They went five miles; we did 4. Felt really strong on the last mile but wasn't taking splits so don't know if it just felt fast or was fast. Did a longer than planned cool down as we lost Randy (miscommunication about bridges) and spent some time hunting for him.

Event: QOC - Great Falls, MD
 

Reasonably clean brown course. Could have been a tad more aggressive in a couple of places and could have pushed harder given the length in a few more, but overall a good race. Pizza afterwards to celebrate Clem's birthday. Fine way to end a good weekend.

Brown - Splits

Training organized by Peggy down in Great Falls, VA.

I didn't keep very accurate times, but these are close:

~40 minutes for a hand rail course
~30 minutes for a compass course
~50 minutes for a line-o
~30 minutes for a memory-o (but I just did it as a regular course)
~23 minutes for a really, really fun control picking, mass start, but everyone doing the controls in a different order course
~7 minutes picking up some controls

The line-o was at a walk (trashy woods, funky map) but I tried to move somewhat fast for most of the other exercises. I was somewhat sloppy and my compass work was not great, so I spent a lot of time correcting. Need to work on that.

Great day - lots of fun - thanks Peggy! (and Nadim and Jon who helped hang a lot of the controls)

C • you made up for your easy week! 3

Not very motivated this week. Probably good to take an easy week in any case.

C • think of it as saving up 3

Figured out how to set the timer on my watch and ran on Forbidden Drive for a couple miles doing 30 seconds hard, 30 seconds easy; averaged about 9:50 a mile.

TNT - eight of us; hill repeats were the drill. Time includes the jog down to the covered bridge (bottom of the hill), 5 repeats using the downhill as the recovery since it's just rocky enough that pushing the pace on the downhill would be too risky in the dark, long route home through the woods jogging a good bit of the hill home. Went to the top of the hill on each repeat even if I had to walk; got further up the hill each time "running", but could walk as fast as I was able to run. Uphill splits: 227, 232, 229, 233, 227.

Longish session after a long day at school.

Annual winter fun orienteering event; this was a photo-O/score-O at Hibernia. Collaborated with Kathy Allen (kja). Photos available only at the start/finish and looking at them was part of the 60 minute limit. Found 11 low pointers and we were really close to bagging the 50 pointer but didn't - I should have listened to Kathy, she had it right! Couldn't keep up with her on the trails, but held my own in the woods.

C • you're kidding! 2

As slow as I had to in order to jog all the hills..route

3 miles on the drive plus down and back up.

Easy session on the nordic track watching a movie.

Random exercises including some of Boris's.

TNT - 4 miles on the drive plus jogging down and back home. Only Lou made it tonight; several people had other commitments and the weather forecast was really wretched which kept a few others away. But the rain never materialized and it was warm enough that I was actually overdressed which is almost impossible for me!

Had to work to keep my form towards the end but didn't have the same breakdown at 1.6k like last time. Seemed like I kicked more than usual - not sure why but it just felt easier to kick and it usually doesn't.

Fun tour of the Loch Raven resevoir with Valerie and Eddie. Very cold. I thought two days off would help, but my legs still felt dead. We took it easy (read: walked a lot!) and chatted a lot and the time passed quickly. Very nice woods to run in.

Browsing through some logs this morning I found myself getting really angry but instead of firing off a comment in Boris's training log I decided to make it here instead since it's just my personal opinion. I'll agree that in the past there has been either a perceived or real divide between the US Team and the USOF BOD. But I can't help but take it very personally when people still make sweeping comments to the effect that no one on the BOD cares about the "elite" or advanced runners. Let's see...Mike Minium has been pushing juniors to the next level for quite a while, Clare Durand has been working hard to get junior programs going, Randy Hall has been getting folks excited about orienteering in exotic places, and I've supported the US Team with several successful fundraisers. We're all on this board that supposedly doesn't care about competitive orienteering. And there are others as well.

Comments to the effect that there is still this divide are very harmful. Let's look forward, not backwards. I haven't heard negative comments about the BOD from the US Team in a long time and so I thought we were past this and everyone was looking for ways to work together.

As an aside, there was a comment a while ago about how the Canadian "elites" were now running the COF and why couldn't that happen here in the US. Well it could if anyone from the US Team wanted to run for a board position - every single race was uncontested last year and several of us had to be convinced to run since there wasn't anyone else willing to do the job. So if you don't think the BOD is concentrating on the right things, get on the board.

The US Team has made great strides in communicating to the general public why USOF should support them and what they're doing to support themselves. In fact, they've done such a good job that it was a completely easy sell to up the support for the teams at the latest meeting when we passed the budget. I would expect this support to continue and to increase, particularly in the area of supporting juniors trying to get to the next level. But it's been easy to sell because it's clear that there are people working to move the programs forward.

OK, I'm done. But it's my log and I'll rant if I want to. ;)

C • Right on, Sandy! 5

A time out at work to run on the track in 60F and blazing sun weather; tough to beat!

Some walking and slow jogging on the track -another 3/4 mile total - to warm up and cool down plus some stretching, crunches, etc.

A little over 4 miles, lots of hills. Includes some walking time near the end.

TNT - some new faces - Bob Fink and Jim Eagleton joined us tonight. Did 5 miles on the drive plus the jog down and back up.

Normal bedtime routine of pushups, situps, etc. Did a few extra since I didn't do much else today.

More heffalump hunting. Found a good size unmapped boulder but no heffalumps. Feet were dry but shoes were soaked and caked with snow after about an hour; could probably call it weight training!

C • What does one do with a heffal... 3

pushups, situps, ankles and stretching

Heffalump hunting with Ann Leonard on the Hammond Hill map (near Ithaca NY), mostly off trail. Love the new sealskin socks - can now wear my trail shoes instead of heavy snow boots and not fear that my toes will freeze off.

pushups, situps, ankles and stretching

Some "speed" work down on the drive, working on my "3 miles at 9 min pace" goal. Did a mile in 9:08 but then had to walk. Did some "pace intervals" for another mile - walk x paces, push really hard x paces, where x varied from 30 to 80. Need to figure how to get my watch to beep at me so I can do time intervals. It really took it out of me, but after walking a bit more was able to jog most of the hill home.

mostly abs; some arms/shoulders and stretching

While I have been known to occasionally participate in the little known sport of competitive blood donating (I have 1-2 record against my mom), I will refrain from logging today's hour at the Red Cross center as training. My knees are grateful for the day off.

4 miles on the drive at 10 min pace,plus jog down and walk home - felt very sluggish but better by the end.

situps, pushups, etc.

TNT with Karl, Sandy, Anne and Lou - hill repeats from the covered bridge up towards Chestnut Hill Avenue. Did 4 repeats - going a little further up the hill each time, all the way to the ridge on the last one. I can't remember what splits I took when and since I went to a different spot each time they don't mean much anyway. Next time we do this I'll have a better plan and maybe go to the top each time even if I have to walk. At least that way I can compare my splits.

The weather seemed really bad - rainy and cold - but once we got out and going it was actually pleasant. Having the covered bridge as the regrouping spot was fun. Great workout. Went home on the trails through the woods and was able to jog almost the whole hill home. Definitely a night when I wouldn't have gotten out if I'd been on my own and definitely well worth getting out.

C • Another way to do these kinds ... 1

Short run on the trails including all the uphills. Felt surprisingly good. And best of all did it early enough this morning that I beat the rain that's now coming down. :)

Pushups, situps, etc. Got one of those large exercise balls which gives me some variety so I do more. Includes some stretching and ankle work.

First loop at PWF with Valerie (see her log). Excellent day - I was also dressed perfectly with warm tights, long sleeve shirt, jacket, gloves and earband. ;)

C • So mid-40s is pushing too hot ... 3

2nd loop at PWF. At about 5.5 miles I thought I was done. Stayed with Valerie for a little longer but when we got to the road I just could not find anything comfortable so I resigned myself to walking it in and she went on ahead. Got to the trails and decided to give it another try and was able to alternate jogs/walks to the end.

C • So 4:37 today at PWF? There's... 1