Training Log Archive: Ari-o

Running to NP, and I was running a little late. I would have cheated and taken the T from Central to Charles but just missed a train so ran instead. The train passed me on the Longfellow and it would have saved me maybe 20 seconds. Of course, I would have had fresh legs for the hill up to Staniford. Slalomed some commuters coming off the first trains in to North Station, and made it to NP just in time. Running 7s right off the bat in the morning is interesting.

Oh, also, I was carrying a ~3 pound pumpkin the whole way.

Circuits with pumpkin tosses. The pumpkin toss was burpee-pumpkin toss-burpee, which was fun, and made the burpees slightly less dumb, but my partner did not get the timing down so didn't release the pumpkin mid-burpee or get it back to me instead, so we didn't do as well as we could have in the timed toss session at the end.

Then I played pumpkin medball with Drew.

I thought here about taking the EZRide home but ran instead. A lot slower than the way there. Sessions are supposed to go 3-2-1, right? Right.

Well, that's rollerskiing. I have a blister on my wrist, I didn't go nearly as fast as I thought I might, and my legs kind of hurt when I worked on my body position. All DP out, and some skating back where the leaves weren't too bad. Great rainbow over 128 and the marshes in Lexington, though!

Event: HVO/WCOC A-event "Love The Lakes"
 

Running around the hut borrowing things (candy bars) I slipped on the porch and skinned the whole front of my shin. It hurt like a MFer. And I was running up a mountain in two hours. Fuck.

I hobbled around a bit and then ran down the trail. The faster I run, the more I hurt, the more I hurt, the less my leg hurts. Logic.

Made it down mostly at a full sprint on the flat parts, but pussyfooting the icker parts. Leg hurting!

Warming up on the road before hitting the trail. Leg feeling betterish.

So, the Moosilauke TT. 4 miles. 2400 feet. No obstacles. You and the mountain with nothing in between. Can you run 10 minute miles? Congrats, you are as fast as Kris Freeman. So you can't.

I've done this twice before, both times in suboptimal conditions (cold, slush, mud). This time? Pretty much perfect. Cool, dry.

I started right behind the alpine men and right in front of the nordic men. Time to pass pineys and get passed by nordies. I keep getting older and they all stay the same age. Damn college kids.

Shooting for 48 minutes, especially given the state of my leg. But really happy with sub-50. My legs got really heavy and lactic-acidy about a mile in and I wasn't able to run a lot of the trail, which was sort of too bad. But I kept up to some degree with some of the nordies, and I probably won my over-30 age class.

Got to the top and instead of Ruff saying "GO DOWN THE TRAIL SO YOU DON'T FREEZE TO DEATH" we stayed and cheered. Lots of goofers (a downside of nice weather) asking about the race. Is this a marathon? No. Anyway, reasonably pleased with my result, but I'd love to do quite a bit better. Room to grow.

This is a great race, though. It's super-low key except people are taking it serious. The nordies in the field at Ravine Lodge are all talking times, and then they just say go and you go. Kind of a bummer there weren't more guests this time, it's nice to have a good crowd around for the race.

It also feels like the beginning of ski season. Usually ice or snow up top (this time just a little ice). Interval start. 40+ minutes of redlining. Great trail to run. Only a couple encounters with trees. Great day.

C • nice 2

And the run down Moosilauke. A few pictures, and running down Carriage Road and Snapper. New trails! Then in to the car for the drive home.

Out of work at 4, hit some traffic on 93 but really not that much, hit the parking lot before 7 and I was shooting up the trail. 50 yards in at a full sprint I tripped over a rock and slid in to second base. Safe!

Then I slowed down a bit.

Made it up with 20 or so on my back in a respectable time. Cooled down outside, then ate beet potluck (wonderful idea!) and drank some fine whiskey.

Played Wits and Wagers at chez Alex&Ed. I didn't win. However, I am filing a protest to the outcome of the game. According to the game, there are only six states with populations under 1 million. My guess (and wager) was seven. Based on the 2010 census, there are seven indeed (MT, DE, SD, AK, ND, VT, WY) and if they are using more recent population estimates, they should be ashamed of themselves.

I like being right.

Biking out to O. Not really raining, just a bit wet. A bit of a tail wind, too, but traffic and lights. Not really the best way to go, either, but Brookline seems safer than Brighton? Or more familiar?

Orienteering! Night orienteering! Last time I did night O in Newton I was questioned about my activities by the good old Newton Police. Not this time.

I was late and by the time I changed decided to skip some of the street-O and head straight in to the maze. Oh, I forgot a compass, too. Really fun O on what should be a great park-O map, although it will help immeasurably when all the contours are checked. Is that a hill or a depression? Who knows! Also, it was dark.

I got turned around completely at one point when I missed one trail (easy in the dark) and then found the wrong four way intersection and couldn't regain contact because there were no contours! But I went back to 9 when I was supposed to be going to 11, reoriented and wound up in the right place.

Then up a hill and dinner. Decided with O and the TT on Friday, no NP tomorrow. Biked home in the rain.

Flow chart for logging bike rides:

a: Do I clip in to my pedals? Y --> Maybe log N --> Probably don't log.
b: if a = Y, is it more than a short commute / ride from point a to b? Y --> Probably log, N --> Maybe don't log
c: if b = N: Am I on my way to/from other loggable activities? Y --> More likely to log, N --> More likely not to log.

Anyway, brought shoes to clip for this, so logged. Best part was at Union Square in Allston where three drunk girls in an Uber / other unlicensed car rolled down their window and felt sorry for me. Yeah, it was wet, but it was warm and pretty fun. I chatted them up and then went home. I should have dismounted just to do a running remount and give them a show.

40 sections of the stadium today in the rain. I didn't start fast (lots of traffic, wet metal bottom steps) but kept the speed up to the end. It helped that it started raining to cool me down. Then it was chilly once we stopped.

Not feeling great about junk running, so I made it out for some late evening rollerboard. 100 pulls thinking about keeping my head up and good form. And, wow, does that hurt. In a very very good way. I need to do this much more.