Training Log Archive: Traut

Another forced rest day. Gail raced Mark's trail race in the morning and then had to go into work. So I had the race and then the day. Not enough time before naptime to get them out on the bike and definitely nota day to run on the knee. Also too many things around the house to do during naptime to try to sneak onto the Nordic Track. I have trouble with the arthritis when I take too many rest days during the rough season transition time, almost as bad as when I overuse it. I have 3 rest days in a week and in the evening I can already feel the edema starting to grow.

Event: Cuyahoga Valley National Park Python Goat
 

single leg stretching, squats, and calf raises in morning as well as hip flexor stretching and hip flexibilities before Orienteering.

NEOOC Python Goat- Kendall Lake.

Results: http://neooc.com/ not really sure how to find results on their new site.. This is OK in this case because I was extremely non-competitive.

update: http://neooc.com/race-result-the-python-a-day-for-...

Was looking forward to the goat format quite a bit. I had a good warmup so I felt good about my knee as long as I can take it easy running.

What the appeal of the format was to me was the group running and competitors keying off one another in their decision making. This was fun for almost 2-controls when I screwed up so badly that I was over 20 minutes behind everyone and was running the course on my own... Oh well.

Actually it was a bit of a blessing in that there was no temptation to be competitive so I didn't skip any controls as the goat allows and I walked most of the second half of the course was my knee was becoming more vulnerable. This took my 20 minutes behind and turned it into an hour, but I came out with a few more controls of experience and didn't do anything stupid to my knee (which actually didn't hold together as well as I thought it would- so it is a good thing I wasn't racing or I am sure I would have pushed through and ended up with similar results to what always seems to happen after running Mark's race on Sunday as I usually do).

So the mass start was fun. It was all trail around the lake so I could actually get myself friendly with the map doing an easy trail jog. I still, in retrospect made a poor route choice approaching the control from the open area north of the control instead of the open area to the south. Only the Australian (Andrew, if I remember correctly came out of the control ahead of me. We had a similar plan to cut through the forest to the trail and then cut into the control using the bend in the trail as an attack point. I took a lesser tangent to the trail then he did out of the clearing so he was ahead of me on the trail and through the attack point, which I wanted. Keying off of him some was part of the fun I was anticipating. What happened next I can't really explain. As we approached the control feature, I saw him break off down to the trail, which confused me because I did not see the control. Then I proceeded to run right past the control?! How I missed it I don't know. Why I didn't use the location he broke off as a place to go right back to when I didn't see the control a little further down, I don't know... How this somehow completely disoriented me I don't know. I didn't want to lose him as he seemed like a person that would be great fun to dual, so I decided to hang with him as long as possible and just skip number 2. This would probably burn me later in the final results as I wouldn't get to skip a control that would gain me time, but that was worth it to me to battle him for a bit. The problem was that I had already lost him and my disorientation caused me to completely overshoot number three and go off the map... By the time I overcame my frustration and disorientation and just went back and got number two and started over again the entire field had passed through. I caught a few moving slowly around control 8.

So that was that. Like I said, probably a blessing in disguise for my knee that I wasn't competitive, but being competitive in the new format was the point of coming. Oh well. Always good people and fun orienteering.

When I get a chance to do a quick route I will do a route analysis of the rest of the controls.

Quickroute:



https://flic.kr/p/xpiChH

This was a kind of difficult QR to get to line up as the map kind of self destructed on the western side. Other then that it is fine. There is the mess up in that northwest corner where I went off the map and then I couldn't even get a track that went through #4, but I actually hit number 4 perfectly from 3 and then used trail and attack points at bends in the trail to attack #5 and #6. Things are back on track after #5 it seems.

#6 and #7 were clean and could use features to hit it right on. #8, most people went north and used trail. I should have done that as the clearing was thick tall grass and slow. Instead I went to shoot the forest gap between the clearings. I lost my focus in the forest and ran to the wrong clearing. I realized my mistake quickly but still took a pretty poor line over to the other clearing. Pretty sloppy on a pretty straightforward control. Also, if I was in the mood to be competitive and skip two controls at the time, I would have skipped this one and use the road to shoot #7 to #9.

#9 was a pretty straightforward run on a bearing through tall slow grass and a little forest. Then I used the road and parking lot to attack #10 on a bearing, collecting the tops of reentrants along the way. #11 was a trail run and a bend in the trail served as an attack point. #12 was some trail and then a long slow run through the tall grass covering uneven ground. My knee did not enjoy that at all and that was the beginning of the end for my knee. QR shows me south of the ride, but I actually hit the ride right on and used that to head down to the stream and use a bearing. But somehow my bearing was really really bad. I know I used the compass, I remember it clearly. Anyway I went so far north I hit a dry ditch coming into the stream instead of the stream junction I was heading for. I thought I was at the junction and was confused as I didn't think I could be so far off. I realized that was the only possibility and headed south to the actual junction.

#13 I aimed off and hit the stream about right to follow it as a handle to the control. #14 and #15 gave me trouble. I think I felt a little more confident seeing the open areas outside the park line and was too confident and sloppy in my bearings. #14 I hit both of the reentrants along the way and felt good. But then veered crazy far west and out of bounds... I think I just got sloppy on the second half of that leg. #15 was similar. I was right on track to the little saddle and did collect that feature. Then I saw the clearing with houses and thought it to be the clearing with buildings to the north. I was insanely confused though because nothing was lining up, such as that pond. Apparently, instead of trusting the compass, I thought I saw something that matched up and went right to it. It did not match up and lost quite a bit of time before I followed the stream down to the control.

#16 I used the creek as a handle and the compass to hit it. #17 I used trail to attack out of the edge of the clearing and then used the stream features from above to hit the control. #18 I ended up on the southern spur instead of the correct northern one. I saw the trail and corrected by following the stream to the control. #19 was easy and #20 I went up early and ran along the top of the ridge and hot the control pretty well. #21 also went very well, collecting the tops of the reentrants as I went. #22 was fine as the clearing and the fence were easy features to collect. I misread the map and didn't think the control would be so high, but i didn't lose much time.

#23 I lost time on a straightforward control again. I was looking for the hillside to bend away from the clearing more and went to far west and had to come back on top of the ridge to get the control. #24 was straightforward and I had no trouble. #25 I went up alongside the reentrant and found a good place to work through the vegetation and then used the road entrance across the road to know I was right on to the control feature. My knee had been shot and I had been walking for some time now. I was actually ready to get out of the woods at this time and convinced myself to skip #26, then after heading south to go to #27 some I changed my mind and decided any control was good experience, so I redirected to go to #26. I came down the reentrant off to the west of the dry ditch and when I realized the parallel error, I just didn't feel like correcting and kept on going. So I did skip #26 even though I went through the control circle. I was ready to get out of the woods. #27 I went off a bearing and used the marsh to make an attack point. #28 I got a bit mixed up in the valley full of all sort of streams and channels. I headed up to the top of the ridge early and worked to the control on top of the ridge. I found it well enough, but was pretty sloppy and unsure on that one.

#29 was another one that I went through the circle and still and to circle around to actually pick up the control. Ran on a bearing to the circle through nice woods full of ferns. One of my most annoying and consistent errors is not looking at the clues until after I get to my destination. I go to the area and look for the flag instead of looking for the feature. It looks like I went right past the rootstock and got down to the trail before even realizing the feature was a rootstock. Then saw another set of rootstocks and went to them before circling back. Trails into the finish.

In looking at the splits: http://neooc.fredmailey.com/KendallLakeGoat2015Spl...

Somehow I was first to the first control... I had thought Andrew (that is his first name) had come from the south and hit it first, but I guess not. I saw him looking at his map as I was heading up the hill and I thought he had already punched it and was looking ahead to #2. Somehow he punched it after me and still was out in front of me heading into the woods to go to #2.

I also had the fastest splits on #7, #9, and #10 and was competitive on #4, #5, #6, #11 and #13 (actually 4th, 2nd, and 5th on #4, #5, and #6 and second on #11 and #13). After that my knee was a factor and I wasn't going to be competitive. I can be happy about those controls. #7 and #9 were open and trail legs so it makes sense that I might be quickest, but #10, #11, and #13 were in the woods. I was competitive with the top group in the woods before my knee gave out, which is great.

Better GPS at Routegadget: http://gadget.fredmailey.com/cgi-bin/reitti.cgi?ac...

My first Routegadget entry since I could use a PC at work. Yay, even more opportunities to embarrass myself publicly!





Garmin: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/8906142...

I rolled through so much vegetation and such that my Heart rate monitor was actually flipped over at the end... so obviously HR data is way off....

Python Goat - Splits

singe leg balance work with squats and calf raises. Hip flexibilities right before run. Some rolling and stretching at night. Hip flexor stretching in morning.

Was planning on a ride today to keep bloodflow up in my knee and reduce stress on the arthritis edema. Changed my mind to a short easy trail run to try to keep my form flowing with so many changes with the new swelling. Form felt good through my glutes and hips again, but right knee was very obvious and I could feel the tug of the edema in my right calf. Got done what I wanted, but its going to take more then blood flow to clear out the edema from the arthritis' reaction to this time of year. I have to be careful. I am not doing any trail races in September (I had to say no to Mark for his race on Sunday, Gail is racing though) but I am Orienteering tomorrow in Ohio. It is much easier to back off physically in an O-meet then a straight up race though. Doing well doesn't require the same physical expenditure since most are not faster then me but are much better navigators. Tomorrow should be interesting in the goat format. I have never done a mass start (except that Mid Atlantic relay last year) and have the opportunity to key off of other people. My navigation is poor, especially right now, in comparison just about everyone else. Oddly enough, whenever I end up kind of dueling with someone else who catches me from behind or such, I always up my game navigationally and often end up making choices that pull me ahead of them. In this race I can actually follow as part of that dual if I so choose to and make choices to try to make a jump on a skipped control. Will be interesting and I am looking forward to the shake up and a chance to use my running ability to my advantage a little more, even if that running ability is pretty severely limited right now.


Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/384948653

Garmin: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/8880300...

No idea what happened with the GPS. This was a trail run at North Park that was a little over 5 miles probably in the low 8:00 range after the first mile. GPS started saying I was hitting 5 and 6 minute miles and then gave me this graphic....

First run back from two days off completely. Right knee was very stiff and edema was into my right quad. My hips had strength though and that felt good. I could get through the run and feel slightly better as I went. I kept it relaxed and it was OK, but definitely not great.

Garmin: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/8871379...

Dr. Ed appointment and some single leg squats at work. That is it.

Day off except a 30 minute walk in the woods at North Park. I thought I had a Dr. Ed appointment, but it was tomorrow. With the appointment I just planned a day off, which I need anyway. My right knee is starting to swell and my quads are insanely tight, running with good form is simply not an option. I need to be pre-emptive instead of digging myself deeper as I have done at this time of year (the fall, when I love to race). I will take tomorrow off as well when I do have the appointment.

Quads were awful all day and I knew I needed to spin and create blood flow well within myself and my form. North park has no surprises, so there I was. Did a few hills to get blood flow, but it was almost like I just couldn't find a gear or pace easy enough not to tap out my quads. In the end I do think I got in what I needed, but I had to really drag it out and fail quite a bit to get there.

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/382046265

Garmin: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/8841327...