Training Log Archive: PG

NAOC middle, M65. Not a good run. Lacking in confidence among other things, such as not thinking clearly. Had a decent amount of fighting spirit, but never got comfortable with the terrain, and so always felt like I wasn't making good progress. No really bad splits, but a lot of mediocre ones.

Will need to give some thought as to proper tactics for tomorrow, since it is in the same terrain.

Great to see all our team show up for this, it is priority #1. Now they just need to do some good orienteering. A lot of mistakes out there today. By my count the BK Cup is 107.5 to 96.5 in favor of Canada, the FC Cup 108 to 98 in favor of the USA. Three more events to go. Hope they bring their A games.

C • Cup thoughts 1

Middle - Course 6b - Splits

Event: NAOC2014 (North American Champs/Ottawa O-Fest)
 

Easy run around the sprint model.

The map may be 1:4,000, but there are still places I can't read it. Like the area of the control right outside my motel room, really small symbols packed together. I would have sworn the map was significantly wrong. Sometimes the sprint maps are the worst, and more and more stuff gets packed in. And what really matters, can I get through someplace or is it a trap, gets almost impossible to tell on the run.

C • Sprint maps 1

Here's the map from Sunday, the middle course (Brown Y, M70). Nice course.

Real nice run with Phil, exploring a bit on the north slopes of Norwottuck, trying to find, and then follow, what at times were phantom trails. Lots of hills, but all at a mellow pace in recognition of Phil's advanced age….

Need to get the bikers out to clean up their trails a bit, though in this area there aren't many bike trails to start with.

At the Amherst College track, by myself, warm-up. Quite windy and a little on the warm side.

400s with slower (but not slow) 200s between. I'd been thinking, using the general goal of making the workout "comfortably hard", that 8 repeats with times about 1:45 and 1:05, which would be about 7:35 pace for the 3 miles, although I wasn't sure I wanted to do quite that much.

Started out about right, 1:47.1 and 1:02.4, but then the next one was quicker, 1:42.0 and 1:02.3, and as it continued, I was definitely erring on the side of too hard and not too comfortable. Third was 1:41.5 and 1:01.3, and by then I had decided four would be enough -- was I channeling Phil? -- and the fourth one was 1:40.1 and 58.1, the last 200 a little quicker because I knew there was no 400 to follow.

And that seemed like enough to get some benefit and not so much as to do any harm.

I've always like doing intervals where the recovery is neither long nor very slow. One of my favorites a long time ago was 4x1600 with 200 in between and then a final 800, added up to 8K, or roughly 5 miles. And done with a total time of no more than a minute off my PR for the distance. I suppose one of these weeks I should try that one again, even if I'll be close to 40 minutes rather than the close to 30 back then.

And then a slow lap around the playing fields.

Late afternoon run on old woods roads in Deerfield. Really fine. Started out with a nice steady climb and it felt so easy…. :-)

Checked out a few more places I hadn't been before. Slowly completing a trail map of the area.

Very interesting winners of Nobel Prize in Medicine. (Well, their work is interesting, not sure about the winners themselves.) Subject is "internal GPS". I have always felt like I have one, can make it hard to understand what it's like if you don't have one.

Went partway up the trail to Jones Brook lodge in the Adirondacks. Nice trail, beautiful woods, but the legs were tired from the first step, so I turned around earlier than I wished. Was feeling tired at the end of the morning golf in Lake Placid, so I guess this was not unexpected. Regardless, good to get out.

C • Johns Brook Trail 2

Middle champs at Letchworth East, 2.9 km.

Another good run but not as good as yesterday, though the course was more difficult so perhaps that was to be expected. Legs also not as good, really dragging last half of the course.

Major challenge (and motivation?) came from being a bit of a jerk at the start. When it was time to take my map, I asked if it was necessary to put my name on the back. The starter looked at his start list, and then said, "Not unless you're planning on doing the course in 20 minutes."

"Nope, 25." said rather cockily.

The plan had been to get under 30. Now I was on the hook for 25. So a number of times I was checking my watch, doing a little figuring, and thinking, nope, ain't going to make it. Which turned out to be the case.

But it was still a fine day of O', and wrapped another first-class event hosted by the Rochester folks. Many thanks to all of them.

Middle Brown Y - Splits