Training Log Archive: bl

To end of WH in large to pick up a control. 15' RT drive, 16' RT walk.
Bright, breezy.

Passes for lawn

C • summer travel 4

Noon - goal to visit quarry area behind prison. Had not been there in more
than 10 years. Was familiar w/ first part of run and kept going north,
straight at several intersections. Was there in some 0.75 mi, jogged in
vicinity & headed back, resolving to go to a track later since this was turning
out to be short.... Not paying enough attention, got mixed up, retraced, but
even with care, got mixed up again...never so mixed up! Noon sun (what
little there was was not helpful). Eventually persisted in a single direction coming out in a cemetery. Escaping that was also confusing as it was quite large. Never there either (Blossom Hill). Turned right on Rumsford, asked a guy where Auburn was (smile..."up that hill"). Was some 1.5 mi back to the car from that point...uphill. Got back, total 6mi, 71' - not what I bargained for. Never so mixed up...worth repeating.... TGIF.

Largest quarry


Granite 'shards'

Event: CSU Park-O 4: Peter's Hill
 

Rainy, umbrella DP. Walked to point where moose carcass was some 6 wks ago. By now, even the corn from the moose's stomach is gone. Nothing but 5 plastic gloves, 3 blue 2 yellow - waiting for a 'forest steward' such as myself to pick them up. Spring cleanup time around now. More yellow DPW trucks than one could shake a stick at - got out not a moment too soon. Still, req'd treats to get dogs to act lively re getting into car.

"If a person is racing to win, carrying out trash, stacking cups, depositing things nicely is not their priority, and why should it be?

If they are out for a nice hike in the woods, I might expect a little more concern for the environment."

Between the racing to win and the nice hike is this graceful curve:

Walk to the start from the '83 O-Ringen.

Gray, rainy, blah-inducing day. Fought back & overcame, for a period at least. Returned to Penacook Resevoir to continue the path I had to turn back on about a month ago. It continued fairly high above the water visible through the leaves, crossed a gorgeous stream on a wooden bridge under old hemlocks but never approached shore. At one point, a clear way down to the water invited. It seemed a poignant moment having a Lake Solitude, forested in a gray and green world, to myself. Continued on to the waterworks briefly along an old path remnant then an SVT.

Slough (looking more like a frog pond), warm, humid, earthy smells. A lot of tracks in the sand - some creatures prefer the night shift. 9th already...

Out to Hopkinton: Patch & Rollins Roads. Cool, humid, overcast. Only one
car on Patch & Rollins. Patch is exquisite, Rollins a bit rough at the edges by comparison. Only 1 vehicle when on the two roads. Kimball Pond Rec area & Hawthorne forest for another day. Resplendent May. Will try to do something refreshing each day of this month.

Heard this morning of an old friend's being dx'd with pancreatic cancer, prog to be determined - a clarion call for Time's ravages come kicking down the door. Carpe diem as the expression goes. One never knows....

Gym on a rainy, depressing day. Came out to car to find pink sticky under wiper, ink ran but readable: "Would you like a girlfriend? I'm available, 603-264-1256". Was using the red Saab convert, so maybe something to it:). But, with some reflection, realized it was Beth's hand and her seldom used cell #. Some 30 years ago, in Lexington, MA center, got back to my van after running to work in Woburn and back to find a hostile note re parking in town center signed "the red F". Came home to Concord mumbling about the nerve of people to find it was Beth's doing. Still have the note somewhere.

Should have shaken out the blahs by running in the rain but did not. Maybe some to do with currently reading "Drinking: A Love Affair" by Caroline Knapp, past NYT best seller re young woman's alcoholism ("a highly functioning alcoholic"). Cambridge, Martha's Vineyard, Brown U privileged; her dad, a well-regarded teacher at BU med was likely (a highly functioning) one, too. She had a half brother, Wicky, who was born blind etc with fetal alcohol syndrome, lived a miserable life and died of grand mal seizure complications at 42. Caroline kicked the habit but, in April, 2002, was diagnosed with lung ca (smoked as much as drank perhaps), got married to an old friend in May and died in June, 2002. Perfect poetic injustice?

C • Beth's 2

2 Dp's, first got out of brush dump just before DPW posse arrived.
Second - picked up 2 blue controls from 4/21 meet at end of Peasley, a new suburban world growing unto itself (maybe 10 houses) where woods once reigned.

Gallery: West Point camping by Popolopen shore of recent vintage (and probable repeat)

What was at the machinations of bureaucracy that exclusion trumped?

C • Camping 2

To start area

Long: felt it was too long/difficult for many (most?) brown runners. Very technical & physical with an abundance of unmapped green & knee-high blueberrry. Walk to the start up the open “Garden of Eden” spur was a decoy! Had a good run (really a “forced march” much of the way) avoiding getting mad at the jungle fight that was often the MO). Compared splits with Charlie - very close for most of them. Entirely missed right path option on 1 - but we were only a few seconds apart. Slight variation on straight was work indeed. #8 was a bit of a bingo cp even having spotted the big bldr. by the trail. Was lucky to have 2 runners ahead to do most of the finding. Ran to #9 with Don Davis. By far most fun was running to 10....

quick QR


Nice weekend but not utilizing Buckner was most unfortunate. Missed the honking geese landing with a swish on the still water. Also, no WP-sponsored camping. Camped with Jim A at Round Pond Saturday night. The entire campground was empty/available. Control descriptions needed to be in the meet packet. At Sunday start, I was quite irritated when end of clear tape was nowhere to be found in the minute to two before moving to pickup map - took some 1.5’ to get some tape free and poorly utilized at that. Nice dinner in Highland Falls with Jim & Dave Cady (in proximity of the Lyons family).

C • Hope Beth's 2

C • Nice Weekend 2

Faces in the crowd

Analysis


Awaiting sprint start



Long finish


Right here


So it goes


The good doctor needs a pay raise


Round Pond campsite

Brown Long - Splits

Event: 33rd West Point A Meet
 

Middle at Bull Pond: fumbled 1& 9 but little time lost, good map contact for most part. Did have sensation of visualized features missing but no undue confusion. Got pretty wet on way to 2 seeing someone ahead making it thru what appeared to be open marsh. 8 & 11 the hardest. Somewhere in the woods I heard: "All you have to do is look at the map and run no faster than contact allows...how simple is that?" :)

Sprint was very short, 1.2k!
Went to each cp w/o much confusion if any. Slow on the first & bit confused what feature I was looking for. Other than that, was reasonably fluid.

Brown Sprint - Splits

Brown Middle - Splits