Training Log Archive: PG

Seems I fractured my left kneecap. Explains why it's been hurting. But doc didn't think my activity since then had done any harm. Fracture is longitudinal (up/down) so under stress the tendons above and below the kneecap tend to bring the fracture together rather than pull it apart. Had he seen me 10 days ago he would have suggested a brace might help, but not now.

Go back in 4 weeks for another Xray. Can exercise to the extent I can tolerate it. I expect that will mean nothing more than brisk walking for a while. And take tylenol rather than ibuprofen as the latter can interfere with the healing.

And the doc knew about orienteering, one of his professors at Springfield College was Tony Maniscalco, long-time NEOC member and organizer of many O' meets here in western Mass.

Clinic opened at 8 am supposedly. I was there at 7:50, first one, door was open, someone to check me in got right to it. Walking out by 8:30. Remarkable.

C • Bummer 28

Made it home uneventfully. That included both the 6-hour drive from Navaluenga back to Lisbon, went a different way so as to see different parts of Spain and Portugal, and that was a good decision. The flight from Lisbon to Boston (7.5 hours) seemed to pass quickly. The only thing that did not pass quickly was a couple of airport walks. My knee is still a problem, and keeping up with Gail was certainly not possible. Off to the orthopedic clinic tomorrow to see what they think.

And the trip, even with the knee injury, still gets 5 out of 5 stars. Fabulous orienteering, the accommodations and food were all excellent. And the personal connections and interactions were continually wonderful. So glad we decided to go.

C • Walks 2

MOM day 4. walked maybe 80-90%, ran lots of short bits, still hobbling along. Great terrain, not easy. Almost clean, lost maybe a minute or two. 4th place, 1:15 behind first, so really good (and almost exceptional). Delighted with how I managed here, both physically and emotionally.

I’ll put up map and photos in a few hours when we get back to the hotel.

And really nice hanging out at the finish, pleasant temps, not a cloud in the sky.

Oh, chase start today. OK when Gail started, pure chaos when it was my turn. But I managed to start at the right time and with the right map. A short video would be priceless, but at the moment it didn’t occur to me. :-)

Today's map and my route.



A few pictures from near the finish. #14, cliff foot --



A couple shots on the way to 15, coming in slightly to the right of the line, and then 15 itself --







The last control --



Finally, Gail with her prize. I've often heard it said that the best prize is something to eat. I expect there are a few on AP, perhaps quite a few, that might not be too enthusiastic about what I assume is a piece of local sausage. :-)

Sprint in Navarredondilla. Walked. The knee seemed a bit worse than yesterday — who knew that running might not be good for it? :-)

But the O’ was still a challenge, missed the best route on one leg. Best time was 12:32, wouldn’t have been able to do that if healthy. But enjoyed it a lot.

Added my route to the map (got it adjusted good enough so you can see where I went). The one that gave me trouble was 3 to 4.



A few photos taken last Thursday of the sprint town. Didn't really look at much of the town, not wanting to bash the car on the narrow streets nor get stuck someplace we couldn't turn around (and walking much was out of the question). First one is from the tourist viewing platform up top (right at the edge of the map, just east of the start), looking down on the road where the start turned out to be).













And a picture today with Rick and Linda. Her shoulder has been strapped tight for a week.

C • 3-4 4