Training Log Archive: Sandy

TNT - hike/jog with Sandy and Bob. Legs very dead trying to run two days in a row so we didn't run as much as usual. The loop we did may also be a little longer from Sandy's house than mine. Nice dinner afterwards with Clem, Karl and Nick.

Good thing Sandy volunteered her house for TNT. I got home to no power again. But it was on when I returned after TNT.

The new regular loop. I ran a lot more of it than I was expecting to be able to.

Got home from the Team Trials weekend and about 20 minutes later the power went out. And then came on. And then went out. And this happened repeatedly all evening. Luckily, during one on period, I managed to send the backup files to Valerie so she could do routegadget and winsplits.

And at one point, I decided to go run since I couldn't do much else with no power and I hadn't really had any exercise all weekend (despite Pete and Lex's best efforts). I was disappointed I didn't get out on the map as everyone was raving about it. I will just have to make sure I get there sometime, even if just for a training session.

Event: US Team Trials for WOC '11
 

Got out after getting the computers all ready for the TT. Took longer than I expected as I was fooled into thinking some of it was automated. My bad for not checking ahead of time. But it's all good now.

C • Good job! 6

Spent the day at the Water Gap showing Adrian around. Also met with a park official and got approval to use one of the arena sites we weren't sure about.

I really should have gotten out for a hike but I didn't.

C • watch those shoulda coulda wouldas 1

2 sets of 20 pushups

Hike in the Wissahickon. No real TNT tonight although many of us did our own thing.

3 sets of 10 pushups/10 situps
1 set of 10 leg lifts/plank on the balance ball

Arms got tired tonight - have to get back on that pushup regimen.

A typical Ron Bortz course - very physically demanding.

Did Red with Sandy which made for a very pleasant outing. It would have seemed extremely tedious to be going through all the green and rocks on my own, but having company kept me pushing hard.

Decent navigation with only a few sloppy bits. The splits analysis is way off. We made no errors on the legs where it said we did - we were just brilliant on the ones through the woods executing them so well that we beat lots of people who could outrun us on the trails where it said we had errors.

Did the late shift on epunch and LOTS of folks were overtime or dnf'ed.

I am very sore, much more so than after the Billygoat.

RED - Splits

Greatly added to my mulch pile (3 garbage cans worth) today. And I didn't even get to trimming the hedges. Everything is growing like crazy including all the bulbs Dennis gave me for Mother's Day. Can't wait to see what they look like.

Indian loop in the Wissahickon with Sandy. Good thing this was planned ahead of time and backing out was harder than just doing it; not sure I would have gone on my own and no way I would have done any running. We didn't do all that much running, but we did do some.

Uninspired hike in the Wissahickon.

Event: Billygoat Run
 

Billygoat: First time I've attended a Billygoat and I had a great time. I was fairly certain that finishing in 3.5 hours was going to take a perfect race but I was looking forward to giving it my best shot. The morning drive up was long but easy so can't really blame that. The rain was annoying but it was never pouring so I can't blame that either. The map was hard to read at times but I made a poor decision to not take the magnifier thinking the rain would make it useless but I think it would have been helpful for me to see the trails in many cases so that was my own fault. And I let some folks talk me out of a few routes where my instincts were correct but again, my own fault for not just plowing ahead the way I wanted to go.

Was pleased that I didn't really get too tired although it was getting really hard to concentrate near the end. A handful of small errors - coming down the wrong side of a cliff and having to get to the other side of a small swamp, getting stuck up on top of a cliff instead of dropping low at the right time, drifting too far to the right and down and having to climb back up, etc. - but only once did I screw up enough to not be sure where I was and had to resort to just following a compass direction until I recognized something (which turned out to be a control).

Anyway, would have had to eliminate every last little error/hesitation/fumbling to make the 3.5 hour cut-off and even then not sure if it was possible.

It was an excellent course and the navigating was fun and challenging and very glad I decided to sign on to do this.

Just looked at the splits and the one control that I felt I really botched shows as no error! Curious...

Billygoat - Splits

Feeling tired and not wanting to risk a rolled ankle or fall, went down to drive and walked for a while.

I thought I was just getting some pimples under my lip but I think it's poison ivy. Phooey. I saw some on the ground at Kings Gap so must have gotten some on my hands at some point and wiped my face. Or something like that.

C • Poison 1

Quick hike in the Wissahickon. Cut it short after I slipped and realized I was pretty tired and not really paying attention.

TNT - extended Indian loop with the new trail system at the end with Sandy and Bob. I was definitely bringing up the rear today! But I got through the workout.

Since classes are over, I haven't been wearing my knee brace during the day much since I think that I'll just be sitting around and not on my feet. I might need to rethink that. But it has forced me to be better about icing them which is good.

5 sets of 10 pushups and 10 situps.

Surprisingly the last two sets were easier than the first three. I think my muscles started remembering how to do them. It's been a while.

Good class; worked up a sweat.

Not a good drive home though. Coming down a hill, in the middle of a typical suburban development type area a deer darted out of the bushes at the side of the road bounding across the road. I braked and veered but there it was huge as could be in my headlights and then there was a loud crunch as I hit it.

There is a dinner plate size dent in the top of the hood of my car - in the middle and right at the front - and deer hair in a bit of the grill but that appears to be the only damage. I'll look more carefully in the morning. The car behind me stopped to see if I was okay and they said it looked to them that I just got a bit of the deer's backside and that it continued across the road and into the yard on the other side.

I'm not sure how I could get a dent where it is and have to believe that deer is injured so it is all very sad and I'm still a little shaken up.

C • oh dear 10

Event: DVOA French Creek State Park Central
 

I wussed out and only did the brown course today. I'm glad I decided to do that; I don't think I would have enjoyed myself on Red and I did have fun on Brown. I was happy with my route choices, running around on trails and roads to avoid most of the green. Messed up one control - climbing higher on #8 than I needed to before figuring out that I was too far to the right.

brown - Splits

Eddie emailed the red course for tomorrow's SVO event at Kings Gap to me and Sam Listwak. Stopped and visited my aunt on the way so didn't start until almost 1. Sam's car was in the parking lot.

Couldn't find the streamers at 3 controls (out of 19). On two I'm pretty sure I was in the right spot but the last one was a depression in a bunch of pricker stuff and the bugs were horrible and it was the last control so I didn't look too hard. Really fun course but very physical. At one point going down a very steep hillside I was wondering about the wisdom of having gone out on my own with no one to come find me if anything happened.

Walked pretty much the whole thing after crossing the road on the way to #5 which was straight up 12 contours. And then I climbed another 12 on my way to the next control. It was a fantastic view going along the ridge top and the footing wasn't bad but attempts at running were few and far between.

C • streamers 2

Hiked the new "short hill loop" to get a sense for how much faster I can run it.

C • Interesting 1

My short hill loop has changed again! They have totally reworked the trail system in and around the meadows and while I initially thought they were just adding new trails they are trying hard to erase the old ones, blocking them off and tilling the earth to promote growing things. I like the new trail routing a lot better but all my old benchmarks are gone. But I'm trying to start a new training and eating regimen anyway so not a bad time to have a new loop to calibrate. This was a mix of jogging and hiking - I ran some hills but not others so about the same as the better of my recent outings. I will probably hike the loop tomorrow morning to see how long it takes (and because I save running two days in a row for orienteering).

Class. Between my knees and sore arm, lots of things I couldn't do too well this evening. But my down dog passed the test.

TNT- Indian loop with Sandy and Bob. Ran about half of it, maybe a little more.

Dinner was an excellent ratatouille by Nick.

Still can't do pushups so I did 80 situps.

I must have fallen this weekend and jammed my arm but I don't remember doing it. My right shoulder and bicep are really sore.

Icing my knees last night helped a lot and they aren't too bad this morning. Guess I should have been running more. :) My ankle is still a little tender but not too bad - the taping seemed to work well.

Hike in the Wissahickon. Feeling very tired.

And my arm is a mess; I can barely lift it over my head. I had planned to go to yoga this evening but no way I can even do a down dog. Bummer. I wish I could remember what I did that is making it hurt so much.

Brown long course at West Point. Another fine brown course set by Keith. I think they've figured out that those of us on brown like the technical navigation but minimizing the rocky downhills is important.

This was a bit better although I had a few mistakes. Slow down the hill to #1 and #2 but was spiking everything. Went past #5 and had to come back - again having trouble deciding what rock was mapped and what rock wasn't. Nailed 6-7-8. I messed up #9 getting pulled to the right like many people. I think I was so relieved I made it down the hill by 8 that I mentally relaxed and didn't focus since it was not a difficult control but I wasn't being careful. A little sloppy to 10, but nailed the rest. Very slow down the hill again at the end, this time having to sit several times and slide down some rocks on my rear.

A really, really fine weekend of orienteering.

Long Brown - Splits