Training Log Archive: PG

136.5 (fully clothed) on the American Airlines scale at DIA. Once again, I seem to be the only one doing this....

C • Scale 5

US Champs, day 2. Totally different course from yesterday, less climb, much more difficult. So-so run, good a lot of the time, but screwed up a couple at the end, probably losing 5-6 minutes. Best on the course was John F., 59+, and he had some errors too. I think I was next, ahead of all the WOC stars, and first in M45. But very unsastisfying not to finish well.

A little lower elevation today, 8500-8800', didn't feel so bad. Terrain and courses (and scenery, and ambiance) were great, but the map printing was still unacceptable, especially with the 15,000 version we were using. I'm usually pretty tolerant of this, but it made it real hard today.

Red Day 2 - Splits

US Champs day 1, Red course (M45). Struggling all the way, no energy, but then we were at about 9,000 feet. But still, seemed a lot worse than in Laramie. Felt croaked even when running flat.

A couple of bobbles, maybe a minute or two lost total, just walking way too much.

Best time on the course was John F (49). Best in F21 were Hillary (57), Sam (60), and Pavlina (61). In M21 Mikell (67), Mark Everett (70), Eric Bone (72), but there was a protest about a conrtrol (suitability more than location, one of 9 cliffs in the circle), still unresolved when I left. Also Greg and Boris both about 78, James 77-78 I think. A pudgy Captain Control showed up and ran 86.

By the way, I was best in M45 by about 3 minutes, Ed White best in M40 (57 minutes), and when I last looked, the best in M35 was about 75 minutes. Screwy system. Among those on blue over 35, and sometimes well over, were Mikell, Joe, Greg (78), Ted, Tom, Mark Voit, probably more, any of which would be leading their class on the Red course.

C • Old men on blue 14

Red - Splits

Model area in Buena Vista -- husled back up the hill at the end as the rain was starting. Got a nice hailstorm on the road out, the ground was looking quite white!

C • We observed the remnants of th... 4

Last day in Laramie, ran the Blue course for a change since it wasn't much longer then Red, but had a rather feeble effort, both physically and mentally. Only usefulness will be if it (or at least being pissed off at it) inspires me over the weekend.

There was an open slot on Blue, so I went before I was ready....

Picking up controls afterwards, progressively a bit more energetically. Visited my two worst ones from the morning run, both just a minute or so, but just really sloppy mentally. Nice to see exactly where I had gone and what I should have done.

Crystal Relays, leg 3 for CSU with Ross first, then Kat, then me, then Boris. Ross got us off to a nice enough lead that Kat and I and Boris could all have solitary runs around the course and about a 10-minute margin at the end. Excellent.

Now, can CSU get some teams to the next relay champs?

I had no problem with the controls but got caught in a jungle of deadfall on the way to the first control, not sure I would ever get out. Lost about 2 minutes, but I had about 5 minutes in hand at the start so it was still ok. After that was fine, just the usual Laramie deep breathing.

NEOC second (Hillary, Charlie, Jeff, Samantha), COC third (Bill, Holly, Matej, and Eric). Quantico was third in the chute, with a very tough Samantha nipping Dave Pruden by just a few seconds, but then it turned out Dave had mispunched earliier in the course.

C • Do we know where the 2007 rela... 3

Warm-up.

Maps from the last 4 days in Laramie:
WS Champs, day 2 (Red course, M45)
Night-O Champs (Red course, M45)
Team Sprint Fundraiser (my route hanging controls)
Crystal Relay (leg 3)

No running but a good day. Hanging controls for the Team Fundraiser Sprint. Then helping at the start, after that at the Senior-Junior Challenge, then 9 holes of unremarkable prarie golf in the company of Gail and local pro Peter Goodwin..

Sprint and Challenge went well, lots of good folks making donations to the team, and also a chance to put a positive spotlight on some of the fine orienteers we have, and have some fun in the process.

Night O' Champs, M45. Well, I don't do night O' very often and this run sure reflected the lack of practice, or maybe just the lack of skill. Good at times, so-so at times, bad at times, and terrible once. And that doesn't include managing to go in chest-deep while crossing a wet spot that couldn't have been more than 5 meters across.

Part of it is just the vision thing, or lack thereof (does that put me in the same league as Bush pere, shudder the thought?) -- combination of a light (Petzl duo) that was sufficient but not like the things the well-lit guys were using and eyes that are getting old/inflexible. Took about 4 hard falls running across open land when I'd clip a piece of sage I hadn't seen. Fortunately no serious damage.

One really bad control, lost about 6 minutes, and lucky at that to relocate off a form-line knoll

Thought I might still do not so bad, I ran several legs pretty well, but ended up somewhere between 10th and 15 on the course and 4th in M45. Such is....

Warm-up.

I was wet and a little tired/sleepy when I finished about 11:15 pm, got changed right away, then went to the finish to check my time. Just then Joe B came in after 2+ hours on M21. He looked really tired, not talking too clearly. It wasn't clear that he was in a state to take care of himself, and Pavlina was still out, so I marched him off to his car and didn't leave until got changed and ate and drank a little. In the previous 60 hours he had done an adventure race in Connecticut and then driven to Laramie with Pavlina. He had reason to be tired.

Night-O - Red - Splits

Day 2, weather back to Laramie perfect. Good run. Got both the WOC stars today (though not by much over Sam) to avoid the possibility of a 1000-day shutout. Should be able to sleep better now....

Good effort, quite a bit of sage to deal with, picked it up a bit when I caught up to MC about 4 controls from the end, ran the next leg real well (feeling like I had better, since there was a witness), but then a little sloppy on the next two. Still, a good run, best on the course for the day I think.

Warm-up.

Eric Bone and Terry Farrah organized a party (drinks/food) at the campground yesterday late afternoon in honor of Sam and Hilly. Very nice, good to give them and all the other WOC and JWOC team members there some recognition.

C • cool 3

Red 2 - Splits

Day 1 of the Western States Champs, or whatever today is, you're in Laramie so you get up and go orienteering. Change in the weather, cooler, little bit of rain, very windy.

Good effort, but a couple of mistakes, one just silly, came off the top of a hill about 90 degrees in the wrong direction, the other just didn't see the dot knoll until I'd looked around a bit.Maybe 2-3 minutes total.

Best time on the course was Samantha in 56, I think I was about 6th or 7th. I guess I'm just too slow/fat, got to work on that....

Laramie maps so far --

Opening sprint
Stampede, part 1
Stampede, part 2
Stampede, part 3
Prologue
Chase
A meet, day 1 (Red course)

C • Control 1 4

Red 1 - Splits

The Prologue, a sprint in other words, same area as was used for the classic at the Team Trials two years ago (very fine, in other words).

Not a great run, but not bad, a couple of mistakes maybe something between 30 and 60 seconds in all. Similar feeling to yesterday, running out of gas towards the end.

I think I finished about 12th, will add a couple of points for the Sprint Series. Big gain was two days ago, think I got 27, not a big number but I had only 7 sprints up until then. Boris needs to do another update right away while I think I may be in the top 16, before I drift down again....

The Chase. Went off one second after Mook, who had not had a good run in the morning, and he was gone before long. But had some other company, plus picked up Texas Tom and Ted Good who had both started a little earlier, so I had company most of the way, often a group of about 6 which I managed to hang with ok. Good run, good effort, maybe gained a place or two by the end, not sure.

Really nice course and terrain.

Almost was eye-witness to a murder. No, there was no murder, but there was this elk with a full rack of antlers -- it was really motoring as it crossed our path about 5-10 yards in front of Tom (I was about 10 yards behind him). Man, if it had hit him....

Warm-up for the two races.

Prologue - Splits

Chase - Splits

The Stampede -- mass start, two very short loops, half the field on one first, half on the other first, then a longer common third loop. Together with the WOC stars, Texas Tom, Ernst, and Ted G early on, then took a different (road) route to the first longer leg, nothing gained nothing lost, then in a rough group of 6 -- well, it was 7 for a little bit, picked up John F. at the end of that leg, had to guide him to the control, but he left before too long, couldn't run that slow he said, so of course I said something about not being able to run as crooked as he did -- anyway, sort of hanging on for much of the longer loop, though I must say that both Tom and Ernst seemed to be feeling the high altitude blues and weren't moving as quick as usual. But about 3 legs from the end the stars and Ted took a lower and faster route, got 100 meters ahead, and there was no catching them, especially when Hillary turned on the afterburners in the homestretch to claim the coveted Spam. I think I ended up 9th, very fine, winner of the men's Spam was Eric Bone in about 42 minutes.

A good hard effort, sort of silly because I wasn't going to claim any Spam (fortunately) no matter how well I did, but I did remark to myself as I managed to keep running up a couple of modest inclines, Damn, it's nice to be in shape. Stll hurts though....

Warm-up.

Stampede - Splits

Event: Rocky Mountain 1000 Day
 

Opening sprint of the 1000-day. A hard effort though not well paced, a bit too quick in the middle and dying towards the end. Lots of little mistakes, nothing big, maybe not quite a minute in all.

Sore throat afterwards, combination of hard breathing and dry air, at least not accompanied by a hacking cough like you can getting racing at an indoor track in the winter.

Tried out my new contact for map reading (the +1.5 diopter one). Still hard to read the map on the run, but it was a 15,000. And maybe it did help, the only time I remember stopping between controls was because of uncertainty if I had gone far enough (I hadn't), not because I couldn't read the map. I'll keep trying it over the next few days.

C • Best internet 7

A short warm-up, both physically and for map reading. Didn't take long to get the heart pounding. Helped, felt ok on the slight climb to #1, but should have done a little more.

Opening Sprint - Splits

Walker Ranch loop up in the hills above Boulder, altitude 6400-7400'. Nice trail, but almost no shade and felt very hot. Loop was about 8 miles, 2 good climbs, one about 1000', the other about 600. Going rather slowly, walked a few spots, not sure if it was my energy level or just the heat. Probably also a bit low on fluids.

Several signs warning to watch out for mountain lions. I'm not sure what order they come in but I'm pretty sure my personal wildlife "Axis of Evil" in the lower 48 states consists of grizzly bears, mountain lions, and poisonous snakes, with black bears, FDFs, deer ticks, and West Nile mosquitos not even close to being in contention. I haven't ever seen the first two, and really don't care to (I'm no fan of the bad snakes either, though I have seen a few closer than I wished).

So there were a few times as I passed below some rock outcrops that my attention was up above and not on the trail.

By the way, the signs said, if confronted with a lion, that you should "act big." Right -- I've been working on that for 6 decades and still haven't figured out how. And to think that Big Eddie figured it out in half the time....

C • No attack badgers 3