Training Log Archive: vmeyer

Event: Canal Cities Challenge
 

Race timing: EX2 CM at Schaeffer Farms

Race timing at home went great without me. Yeah for Tyler!

2011 Golden Troll Award recipient

Valerie Meyer (QOC)

For years Valerie has selflessly donated her time to clubs other than her own, to the point where she has become a fixture behind the computer at local and national meets across the country. She has put in countless hours learning the epunch software, adding her own equipment and modifications, and getting her system down to a fine art. She never seems to turn down a request to handle epunch for another club’s A-meet. It is invaluable to a small club to be able to turn the finish and results duties over to someone who handles them with such thoroughness and professionalism.

Actual distance: 3.57 miles and 125 m climb
Time lost: ~10 minutes

Route

With "ants-in-my-pants", I took a pre-start. A no-brainer since I was up since 3-4 AM, ate at 6 AM, ready to go at 7 AM.

S-1 A little confused when I hit the first little bridge at the halfway to the control. It seemed like I had run pretty far, but the trail wasn't curving north, and then I saw that the line was crossing blue, so I sorted myself out pretty quickly and continued on to the control.

1-2 Went further on the trail then I realized, so visited another control, the trail, the same incorrect control, then over to mine.

2-3 Found a safe way down and followed the stream to the creek to the control. A controlled rode down on my butt for the first of many times this weekend.

3-4 Up the stream bed to the nose of the very steep spur, and climbed up as carefully as I could using lots of trees and tree roots to grab onto to be safe. Got off of the trail too soon thinking I would miss it otherwise, but it was visible from the trail.

4-5 Picking off trails and streams as I went and was one of the few people I spoke to who noticed the straight line trail. Momentarily confused by the wet spot near the spot I went into the control thinking I was further back, and I didn't really think I was on a trail. I talked myself out of going further down the trail, and went it, and there it was. Yeah!

6-7 Super nervous about getting into the out of bounds area, but also nervous about going too far out of the way. Paid super close attention to my compass, and there was the control.

7-8 The big error of the day. Got the trail at the junction, said hello to a hiker, and immediately turned right and visited another control. Not mine, went downhill some more, almost to the stream, back to the wrong control, now think I know where I am, convince myself to find the trail, find the trail, then the control. Felt like a big dummy here.

8-9 Thought I was going over the top, but hit the trail and recovered easily.

9-10 Trail to signs where mountain bikers were stopped. Saw 4-6 bikers between 8 and 10. Down the hill on foot and on butt, thought I was going to end up closer to the control, but hit the field instead and sorted myself out.

10-11 Visited all kinds of crappy stuff getting out of the stream bed. Should have stayed in the woods more. No problem otherwise.

11-14 Suck it up and get it done without making any silly errors at the end. Getting through field from 13-14 sucked. Probably much easier later on.

14-F Loved the long, grassy, unlumpy, downhill finish. Flew down it hoping I wasn't going to hurt myself. I didn't.

Really enjoyed this course. Hamstring didn't hurt at all, perhaps thanks to four advil.

Actual distance: 1.66 miles and 31 m climb
Time lost: ~2 minutes

Route

Second race of the day. Goal was to be under 10 minutes per k, and being under 20 minutes was a nice bonus.

Traded off my start time to someone who needed to start earlier. Realized about 40 minutes before my new start time that I hadn't eaten anything since a 6 AM breakfast and a banana after the Middle, and I was starving. Ate some yummy homemade cookies and maybe another banana. Drank water to supplement all of the diet coke, and then hoped I was gong to hurl on the course.

Changed into my "cute" sprint outfit, and I was off at 3:15 PM. Sadly, I don't think there are any pictures. ;)

Paid attention to the way the others on my course were going and saw the first control.

Pushed hard out of the start just waiting for the guy who started 1 minute behind me to track me down pretty quickly, but it was PG making up the 2 minute stagger going into 5 just ahead of me as I fumbled it a tiny bit.

The next four controls were uneventful. Sadly, I gave up about 10-12 places overall fumbling around the wrong playground for 10. I knew it didn't make sense, but I couldn't make sense of it. Finally sorted myself out and headed around the rest of the course.

Pushed as hard as I could and was short of breath at end, enough so that I had to sit and collect myself, which doesn't usually happen. Thanks to Greg L for the water.

Super fun course. Hamstring still not painful.

Middle Green-Y - Splits

Sprint - Course 2 - Splits

Off to Buffalo. Plane an hour late, but I can live with that.

Picked up my rental car - a Jeep. Didn't notice the model until Greg pointed it out. Go figure.



Stayed near Springville, NY. Visited the local sites (Tops, Taco Bell, and Super WalM*rt) before checking into the hotel. Only hotel with many miles, so it had to do, and it was just fine. Right next door, fine dining.



Then off to Lime Lake for dinner and a shake out session with the BFLO epunch person, Doug, and the Long course setter, Jackie.

Good company and scenic lakeside dining. Oops, no picture.

A quiet day at home. Left hamstring (?) just above the knee is super painful. The original injury of the hamstring where it attaches to the butt is not painful except when I run. Yeah, the whole left leg is toast.

I also must have slammed my right arm pretty hard on one of my falls, probably the last one, since I hurts all over.

After consultation with the hamstring king, I have decided that I won't seek any treatment at this time. PT type stuff really frustrates me, so it is an easy decision to just let nature take it's course.

I have decided that I will get through the Buffalo events this weekend, and then I will switch to biking and core for training.

C • PT 2

Actual distance and climb: 4.63 miles and 90 m
Error time was ~11 minutes.

Route

A new day, a new beginning. Go for the gold! Yesterday was a long model event. Apply what I learned.

I was pretty sure that today would see a whole range of emotions for me and others, but I never imagined it could turn out like this.

With an earlier start to the day, I decided to skip carrying water to lightened my load, use my new compass, put bug spray on my head, and try for safe routes. With Sandy starting 18 minutes behind me, my goal was to lose to her by less then 18 minutes. However, with Kris starting just 2 minutes behind me, I was feeling that pressure instead. Can I get to the first control before she does?

S-1 A little confused by the trail the start and then the overgrown field, but I figured it out pretty quickly. Made it before Kris. Whew! :)
1-2 Afraid of this leg, so I took it slowly and hoped to find the property line signs, and I did. Yeah!
2-3 On compass. Nail it. Go figure.
3-4 About 2 minutes lost. Long, convoluted way around, but I wanted to play it safe. Messed up a bit just near the end after being confused by the dry swamps.
4-5-6 Well done (for me) using the stone walls, boundary line and compass. This compass thing being my friend is nice.
6-7 Safe, out of the way route.
7-8 Right to it.
8-9 About 7 minutes lost. Probably the only control I wished I had taken the option I considered first - from the stream below the control. I attacked it from the other side instead. Just before the control, I did a full face plant, smashing my glasses into my face and drawing blood. I thought I had a bloody nose, and then decided it was a cut chin. It didn't seem too bad, so I kept going...right by the control...twice. Literally, right by the control, probably within 5 feet each time. Circled around again, figured I had been looking incorrectly down the reentrant instead of up into the shallow part, and the third time by I found it. Agh!@#$ The only control that I was really ticked off about all weekend. I will chalk it up to being shook up from the fall and the blood collecting on my shirt.
9-10 About 2 minutes lost. Wow, what a difficult trip down the hill through the ferns and crap.
10-11 With the hamstring pain, this usually fun, easy leg type of leg couldn't have been less fun.
11-F Gathered myself and tried to beat what I imagined Mary's time to be. Close, but officially 1 second slower, and probably should be 2-3 since the finish control Mary tried to punch first was missing.

Very pleased with who I got myself around this course. And, I beat the 18 minute spread to Sandy, who finished 2nd behind Peggy.

And, I guess there was enough blood to warrant a check by the first aid gut - Sam? Tom? Heck, I asked his name twice this weekend, but it still escapes me... The cut was on my cheek, not my chin, and it was tiny. But, I got some attention with the pretty purple bandage.

C • Any idea if/when there will... 2

As I suspected, today was kind of weird. Excited that I did well, and thus I finished 3rd in my class, supplanting Kathleen from a medal. That made me feel kind of unworthy, since I wasn't really affected too much by the misplaced control yesterday.

Sadly, adding to the awkward results ceremony was the fact that the Red course was voided today since two controls were not out there. They had been picked up yesterday, and a lack of event day existence check didn't bring the error to light. Sad for all of the Red, Brown, Green X runners, as well as for the organizers who put so much effort into the event.

Oh, and Sandy won the bet, since I ended up helping in the results tent for a while, despite both Mary and Sandy's best efforts to lure me away with food, and the fact that I was losing... However, I figure I didn't lose, because there was nothing on the line, well, except maybe my pride. But, I did interact with more people outside of the results tent during 1.5 day of an A-meet then I probably have at the last 5 A-meets combines. So, I am a winner too!! :)

Erin and I spent some time in the control circle today. I said something about her getting there first but perhaps not doing so well once she was there. Look at my tracks! I still am doing some very comical things out in the woods, so who am I to talk?!

I made it home after dropping Sandy in Philadelphia. It took until ~1 AM to get the 12 pack of diet coke out of my system. Glad I already have leave for tomorrow.

Day 2 - Green X - Splits