Training Log Archive: DWildfogel

Event: Sprint the Golden Gate
 

The usual weekly accumulation of morning strecthing.

Sprint the Golden Gate. Point Lobos (Lands End). Temp in the 40’s with a very chilly ocean wind (and an incredible view from the assembly area). Dark, overcast day; 4:18pm start, early sunset, some heavy tree cover all combine to make the map, which has lots of little details, very difficult to see. In fact, my biggest error, on the last control, was initiated because I couldn’t see the small footpaths on the map. Ran the middle part of the course - out of the woods - very well: Only Izzy had a faster time for the 5 legs #6 - #10, 10:00 to 10:36. Lost about 3 mins overall, almost all of it because I couldn't see the map well enough.

1, 2: No navigational problems, but probably should’ve been running faster.

3. Chose to contour rather than go up to trail, but fight extended further downhill than mapped, causing loss of perhaps :40.

4. Had to stop a couple of times to pick out details on the map. Lost :10.

5. Details of stairs and levels very difficult to read on the map; took a circuitous route, but fortunately executed it well, so only lost about :30.

6 - 10: Never stopped, running pretty hard, read the map very well. This is how a sprint should feel! A bit slow going down the stairs to #10.

11. Got pretty tired climbing up from the road.

12. Eric Bone passed me just before I punched #11. He headed off on the trail that I wanted to take, but in the darkness I couldn’t see the map well enough to tell if that was a viable route. Seeing that the road was in sight and not far, chose a safer route that I could see on the map. The last little trail I took, though, wasn’t the one I thought it was (hadn’t seen it on the map), but fortunately it wound up in just about the same place as the one I intended to be on, so only lost a few seconds at the end when I came out into a small clearing, checked the map, then spotted the control 25m to my right. [Looking at it in RouteGadget, where the scale makes it much easier to see, I wonder if the control may have been on the wrong junction.] Lost about :30 (mostly route choice).

13. Frustrated because I could no longer see details on the map, dropped to the road below which I could see in the terrain. This was foolish: I just should have gone back the way I came, up to the upper road. Ran along the road looking for an easy way up, but there wasn’t one. Had to just claw my way up. Came out right at the Finish. Lost 1:15.

My route is on the Get Lost RouteGadget site.

Warm up: A little rushed; it started drizzling just as I got out of the car to warm up, so I had to get a hat on. Only about 8 mins (approx .7 mi), but felt good.

Cool down: Legs quite tired after big climbs at end; jog 5 mins (.3 mi).

Stage One: Masters/Juniors - Splits

Front of house. 38 degrees, but sunny and still, so not bad. Just loosening up.

555, 511

Didn’t feel that great, but was able to go reasonably fast without much effort.

2 sets rather than 3: Theraband (actually before I ran), weights.

Front of house. Surprisingly nice (upper 60's). Just loosening up.

620, 546,512

Cool down

Weights (upper body), some core.

Theraband, hips, some core.