Training Log Archive: gas_turbine

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1 cucumber
huge pile of beans
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Mendon PP - south side
Started out wet & grey. Clear by the time we got back.

On way to park we had to stop twice for baby deer - one which could not have been more than a few days old. Luckily, it wasn't the busiest of roads.

On way back, had to slow to go around a turtle, and then because there was a groundhog right by the road. J thought the latter was really interesing, so much so that he stood on his hind legs peering over the back seats until we were well out of sight of him.

I'm not exactly sure what happened here.

The idea was to run easy, and then occasionally, put in a short 100m burst. That never started. Just as I was crossing East street, I saw a runner up ahead. He looked like he was running easily. I figured I'd catch up with him and run with him for a bit. So I kept accelerating. He'd disappear over a hill, and by the time he was in sight again, he would have gained a lot on me. So I kept going faster and faster, and the process kept repeating.

After a mile of this, I figured my plans were shot, so I'd just run hard to see how long I'd last at that hard-fun pace. For some reason, I was not fatigued from yesterday's trail challenge (guess I didn't run very hard?).

I was shocked by the outcome of this.
Mile / pace
1 7:20
2 6:16
3 6:39
4 7:03 (includes 1/2 mi uphill)
4.8 6:33

Hips didn't complain - hammy said it was being used at end (not in a bad way). Also, I didn't hobble the rest of the day like it was a race.

I wonder what I'd do in a 5K right now? Hmm subtract my 1 mi time 7:20 from my 4.1mi time (27:57) - 20:37 with only 2m altitude difference. Better than my last actual race, which was an unmitigated disaster on a muggy day. .... Today was mid 60's.

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Next day - knee sore when put weight directly on it or twist lower leg (not when walking/standing, but if I'm crawling into bed, e.g.).
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Event: ROC - Highland Park Trail Challenge
 

Highland Park - trail challenge
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Definitely my favorite format, as it is fun to work together and/or competitively, and see the immediacy of the head to head.

Generally a good run. The body held up well - probably running at 80% effort. 4th overall (splits in AP don't take out the 'free' street crossings).


First or second fastest on 10 of the 27 (9 and 16 do not count, since they were the 'untimed' street crossings). Probably should have hung out there - Zach beat me by 20s, even though we finished together because he rested during these periods.

Was the first one to #10, with the downside being that I was the first one through the path in the narrowest trail of the race. This meant that I took the brunt of the nettles. Still itching 4 hours later.

Once again, killed by a couple of stinkers that accounted for the entirety of my 3:44 lost time.

5 - tried to get fancy by going for the small path to the left of the building - missed and ended up going down the hill, and having to bushwack back. It was a bigger bobble than the purported 39s loss, as I had put in a good hard effort on the long road straightaway. I should have taken into account map scale and realized my 'fast' route was all of 10m shorter, if that. Dropped me from 1st to 4th. Luckily the next 3 were long & relatively straightforward, so I was able to work back up to tie with Zach.

14 - poor aiming on long straight open one. should have paid more attention as to what I was aiming for. Just thinking about speed and not being careful.

20, a very short one, did me in. Lost 2:20. Thank goodness Rob Stevens came along and found it (it was in the wrong spot - not in the saddle). However, that was not much of an excuse, as I had ventured too far astray anyway.

After that, pretty much held my own (#23 lost ~10s, but I was jogging and chatting with Rob S) but the damage was done.

#24 long one - enough to catch Zach, who was tentative looking for the control.

#27 - Zach just went the wrong way and I followed the path right to it.
#28 - tentative, partly because I was trying to figure out if that was a real control on the map (it was also 15), or the finish was #28.

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Lots to learn about how to be in control while still being fast enough.

Flag pick-up with Richard B. Yep, the flagpole at the top is his.

53F, so I put on long sleeves. Turned out to be warmer than that. Enough so that J was panting pretty well, and needed a couple rests.

8k TC - Splits

Didn't want to trash my old-man legs today prior to the trail challenge tomorrow, so I figured a bike ride was a good way to pretend I worked out.

After waking up with the cat sitting on my bladder at 2AM, it was off the bathroom every hour thereafter. The 4.4 lb weight loss from yesterday all due to a shrunken bladder?

with only the 20s rest in between each 40s set..... added side bends with weights in here.

13 min continuous, no rest - brutal, especially after the other abs work, but it goes fast once I get past the first 5 minute straight plank.

Standard weight levels. Some watching of hip on the bend-overs.

Cool - 61F. Wore rain jacket, and it kept the rain away. First time J went for the whole loop in the evening in a while - he definitely prefers cool to heat. Quite a number of dog walker out - none of whom I recognized.

of course the only time it rained is while I was in the middle of picking the beans...

- BIG pile of beans (I ran out of patience before I picked them all). That's at least 3 days worth. Just in time to pick the next batch.
- 4 tomatoes - will try the countertop method. They are quite red
- 2 misshapen cukes (probably from going too long without water) - I figure I pick these, and the others will get more energy sent their way. Quite a few little ones on the way.

And after I wrote off the cantaloupes, there appeared 4 things that look like fuzzy figs. Hmm. Probably way too late for them to get big. Should be interesting.

L knee tenuous beforehand - seemed quite weak and barking right after stretching. Then, strangely, it didn't say anythign at all during run (hip and now the R knee were 'evident').

The other evident item was my lower abs and back muscles, saying 'hello' based on yesterday's lunchtime workout. That's the kind of hello that is not worrisome.

I didn't really want that pace - would have preferred something lke 7:25's, given the grumpiness of the knees and hips and such. However, I'll take it, as I really wasn't forcing anything.

... what was with the fireworks that a neighbor set off at 2AM? Not a weekend or a holiday. Maybe a kid realized that summer vacation is winding down.

Intense. Did my usual planks, but this time, rather than resting between, I just rolled directly into the next one:
5straight-1Left-1R-2S-1L*-1R*-2S*
*-includes lifting leg up and down for 1/2 of time period.

knee hurt during night and when I woke up. But it was fine for the walk, and has not barked much during the day (knock wood).

no longer raining, but J did not mess around too much this morning. Knee being tricky.

Dark - wore reflective vest & almost wore headlamp.
Raining moderately heavy at first, especially when windy. It stopped after 5 minutes or so, but I was pretty wet by then. I don't mind that kind of rain, as it scares the competition away (joke).

Two of the regulars were out this morning, and they were both wearing reflective vests. Sigh, I was enjoying light in the morning.

Oooh, feeling Sunday's run today. Generally sore, with hip part of that. One ka-zing on the L knee - which may be more worry than the hip long term?

Poor sleep last night - got the itchy throat cough allergy. Rain must be kicking something up. I am definitely pro-rain however, as the veggies in my planter boxes were looking sad yesterday.

RW exercises ++ Still down 1 weight on some to ensure form.

5min straight .5 rest
1min side .5 rest
1min side
2min straight
1 min side
1 min side
2 min straight
Note - eliminated 4 rests. interesting.

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Moderate batch of beans.
1 decent cucumber. The others appear to have been growing, and then stopped - probably stressed.
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Pulled the tape from painting the woodwork on the stairs. Ick. Now I need to paint the walls too, as 1) I pulled up some old paint and 2) the age/superficiality of the last paint job on the walls really stands out now.
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