Training Log Archive: neon

I made more mistakes today, but none as bad as the middle course yesterday. I just really have trouble navigating with all the rocks and cliffs, because it's difficult to distinguish contours on the map and in the woods (with all the rocks cluttering everything up). For some reason it's hard for me to understand how the land is shaped if it's all broken up by boulders and cliffs and stuff. And it's made worse because I feel like I can't run as effectively because the footing is unreliable. But West Point is really fun. It's like learning a new kind of orienteering. So I guess I'll have to get used to it to get better.

Yay, finally a good run! I felt the best about this sprint, out of all the days of racing, because I actually felt pretty fast. I don't think I really made many mistakes, and the only thing I'd want to improve was my reading ahead (because at times I felt like my reading was getting sloppy and I was unable to keep up with myself). Also, I almost fell off a cliff, that was exciting!

C • Cliff! 1

Day 2, Mid, Green Y - Splits

Day 2, Sprint, Green - Splits

Really fun middle distance course at this year's West Point A-meet. Fun and hard. I made a dumb 15 minute mistake looking for a control. I knew I was in the right place and everything, but for some reason I just couldn't find it, even after taking compass bearings from a nearby road multiple times. ARGH. It was super frustrating. The rest of my course wasn't exactly clean, either, so in the end it didn't matter too much.

The rocks and hills were pretty wild, though-- we definitely don't have terrain like that in Maryland.

Sprint at West Point's Camp Buckner. I felt a little better about my run on the sprint, but I still felt really slow for some reason. At least I didn't make a 15 minute mistake on this course--that really would have been a disaster :P

Day 1, Mid, Green Y - Splits

Day 1, Sprint, Green - Splits

Climbed with Samantha. I did two V1s as a warm-up (and I was really happy I finished both of them because I had been stuck on them for a long time), and then we rope climbed. I didn't really have time for a long session, so I only climbed two climbs, a 5.9 and a 5.10a. The 5.9 I was really happy about, because my sequencing near the top part was excellent. The 5.10a was just hard. The 5.10 really is a big level up, because 5.10s tire me out much more and force me into weird positions that I can't hold. Also, a lot of times I have to take to rest and figure out the sequencing. But I think if I keep doing them I'll get stronger and smarter, so I won't be intimidated!

Really tiring day of climbing, with Rushmie, Pria, and Samantha. We started out bouldering, and I did a bunch of V-intros, V1s, and one or two V2s. Then we climbed in the harness. I did a 5.8, a 5.10a, and a 5.9. The 5.8 was pretty hard, mainly because the route was on the edge of a wall that wrapped around to another wall, so I had to keep looking on the other side of the wall to find my next hold, and I couldn't always see my footholds right away. The 5.10a was also a lot harder than the one I did before, because the holds were all pretty small and it was just difficult to stay on the wall. I had to stop twice and grab a hold that wasn't on my route because I got too tired.

Ran after dinner... which was weird. Running with a full stomach didn't bother me too much in the beginning but I got a stitch in my side, which was kind of painful. But I just kept running and it went away after a bit. I would have run in the afternoon but I didn't have time.

CORE STRENGTH HUUURR

Ran around the neighborhood. I did four strides near the end of my run, because I haven't done strides in a while. They felt pretty good, although some guy looked at me weird because I kept sprinting back and forth on the same block. Whatever--it was the perfect distance for a stride!