Training Log Archive: Charlie

Kind of an active day around here. Young Cooper is here, and Zack took him out to drive all the equipment, truck, polaris ranger, big tractor, little tractor. Then Zack and I did a bunch of chipping. I had been out for an hour each the last two mornings cutting mountain laurel and piling it up. We chipped all that plus the branches from the big-tooth aspen that Zack cut down in the field yesterday.

All that talk about bike riding with Peter made me feel like I really needed to get out. If one is going to be a fair weather cyclist, which I am, one really needs to go on a day like today. Just perfect.

I'm thinking it is the prednisone I am taking for my rash, but I am pretty lethargic these days, not sleeping well, etc. Went to the doc today and he put me on a 12-day weaning off program.

C • or 6

Not much energy today, although I did get involved in a couple of hours of chipping.

Off to NYC this morning. Left at 4:45, took care of what needed to be done and back at 12:30. Pretty successful and efficient as these things go, but a trip like that definitely slows me down some.

Thought I would get out on an unusual non-rainy day and shake a few cobwebs out, but I was pretty tired, so cut it short. Just one loop.

Rash is somewhat improved. Still itchy, but not as extensively, and stopped burning. So it is more in the annoying range than the unbearable range of the last couple of days. 2 days in on the 5-day prednisone program. Hope I see more improvement.

Have a pretty painful and itchy rash. Started out Friday around my ankles. Migrated up the outside of the calves Sat morning, the back on Saturday, and by the end of Sunday was pretty much everywhere except hands feet and face. Went to urgent care this morning, got a prescription for prednisone. Seems to be turning the corner, whether from the meds or the passage of time.

Event: Billygoat 41
 

Billygoat 2019. Pleasant ride up with feet, hadn't seen him in a while and he was very enjoyable company. Plus he drove which was very nice for me.

Nice but challenging course and I felt overmatched right from the start. Just couldn't keep up. Occasionally I caught up to folks by a little sharper navigating, but physically it just wasn't there. Perhaps some inefficient routes, but only one real error - #11. I got to the small waterhole just W of the control, but got distracted by Sharon's excursion out to the trail and dropped about 3 1/2 minutes. Saw a lot of Sharon on the course. She was ahead and in and out of sight going to 4 and 5, but didn't see her again until almost to 10. After that we were mostly together with me a bit behind, until I got 23 ahead of her and didn't see her again until after the finish. Saw a lot of other people from time to time. Team Lyons mostly in the second half, Peter Goodwin early. Picked up Fred Pilon near #18 and dragged along behind him off and on before pushing past him on the way into the finish.

This was the most enjoyable visual orienteering experience I've had in a generation. Tony Muffatti was kind enough to make me a pair of dremeled-down safety glasses, 3.0 diiopters. I have seen him running with them for a while now and admired them a lot. They were so great! Plus a really nice crisp map print and big red circles, numbers and lines.

Alas I was overtime, very sore back virtually the whole race and thinking pretty strongly that this may be the last time I go out billygoaring. Of course, maybe not. See how things progress.

Map and route

The other weird thing going on is a pretty severe case of hives, now persisted for two full days and continuing to get worse. Tried some benadryl, some hydrocortisone cream. I'll go get some medical attention tomorrow unless there is some radical improvement.

Billygoat - Splits