Training Log Archive: iansmith

Running to work. I wore a backpack, and my discomfort was less than I expected. Time is a guess, as my Garmin was uncharged this morning.

C • This is how is begins 8

While I had originally planned to take a rest day today, apart from my morning commute, I was feeling particularly self-destructive this evening and elected to confront my quandary with physical exertion. Conditions were calm and clear with a temperature of -7 C. I ran gingerly, and pushed my speed somewhat near the end. I concentrated on keeping the motion of my arms in my medial plane.

3x32 pushups
4 pushups
25 two-legged calf raises

Downhill skiing at Sunday River resort in Maine; total time was about 8 hours. Building on my experience from yesterday, I started skiing blue trails first with Ed Su on a snowboard, then with Katia and Giovanni. I reacted to slopes that previously would have terrified me by reminding myself to keep my weight forward, to transfer my weight to the downhill ski, and to relax and focus. That mantra was reassuring, and I quite comfortably descended some thrilling blue trails.

A definition I used is that I am in a state of controlled skiing if at any point I can comfortably come to a stop in a single turn without falling or resorting to any unorthodox motions. In that sense, I was always under control, though I was skiing somewhat aggressively for my skill level. It was exhilarating, though I was careful to not exceed my ability to maintain control.

Ed Su and I left the condo and got on our first lift at about 8:20. I skied through lunch, stopped for some hot chocolate with Katia and Giovanni at 2, and returned to the Italymobile at 4:15.

My favorite and most adventurous trails were the blue trails Risky Business, Lazy River, Cascade, Upper Sunday Punch, Excalibur, and the magnificent Rogue Angel.

Goals for week 24 January: 32 km running, 6 hours activity
Actual week: 24 km running, 6 hours activity (the 6 hrs is a stretch)
Weight as measured on 30 January: 188.8 lbs.

Downhill skiing at Sunday river as a part of the trip Lori organized. In attendance were Lori, Stephen, Ross, Dean, Ed(die) "The Yeti" Despard, Giovanni, Katia, Toby, Chris, Laura, Ben, Ed Su, and myself. The skiing was glorious, though for the first half of the day, I was mortally terrified for my life. I was on the slopes from about 9 to 6:30, with an hour break for lunch.

I spent most of the day with Stephen and Lori, who were of similar skill level. The contrast between our approaches was amusing - Stephen was aggressive and fell somewhat frequently, Lori was very conservative and always in control, and my strategy was somewhere between the two. We rode a number of greens, including the green+ or blue- Lollapalooza (which Katia referred to as "Lolla-business"). We took a lesson at 1 with Ben and seemed to improve. I had a much better understanding of the mechanics of edge turning, and stopped snow plowing almost entirely. Ross started the day with us, but he was far too skilled for our merry band, and amiably wandered about with other elements of our expedition.

As our lift tickets expired at 4, Stephen, Ed Su and I purchased night lift tickets (4 - 8 PM) for $5 and set about skiing down the small set of lighted trails, all of which were on north peak. We skied Broadway and Dream Maker a number of times, which was thrilling and good practice. Saturday was extremely crowded, but the night population was perhaps 1/10 of the day crowd. Dream Maker, a challenging green, which was hazardous by day - populated by many of varying skill levels, was blissful at night. It is true that a few bold individuals would blast down Dream Maker at high speeds at night, but I kept my trajectory very predictable and trusted that they would avoid me. Stephen and I ran the lower part of the blue trail escapade before retiring.

I wore two pairs of running tights as my bottoms on Saturday; apparently tight pants are a social faux pas at ski resorts; for Sunday, I replaced the outermost tights with some wind pants from a running suit.

My left leg is still a bit perturbed from yesterday's workout. I may confine more of my running to outside instead of a treadmill. I am hoping that the discomfort is from muscle soreness; it's not near the fracture site, so if it is a bone injury, it's in an entirely different location on my tibia. My right calf is sore, too, so it's not totally implausible.

Has anyone used the site o-training.net? It looks like an impressive collection of training articles and exercises.

Late night run after work. My peak speed was 5 min/km, but treadmills seem harder than running outside. My left leg felt shaky afterward, notably in the lower section near my ankle.

A mix of core work and some rehabilitation exercises.

My Training Goals for the full year 2011

Running plan until 31 May:
As of today, the team trials are in 123 days, or about 18 weeks. I mean to be as competitive as I can be by the time of the trials, if only to prepare myself for 2012. My plan to regain my fitness and restart my training regimen over that interval is as follows. My weeks start on Monday.

Running distance is an upper bound (I'm allowed to back off if sick or worried about injury); total time is a goal. I'm allowed to exceed total time in low-impact sports, like skiing, biking and swimming. The running focus denotes the primary quality workout for that period; the secondary and tertiary workouts that week will vary.

Week	Running (mi)	Running (km)	Total Time	Running Focus	Notes
03-Jan	13	21
10-Jan	7	11	3.25		Stomach Flu
17-Jan	15	24	4.25
24-Jan	20	32	6	Easy
31-Jan	23	37	8	Easy
07-Feb	26	42	10	Easy
14-Feb	23	37	10	Easy
21-Feb	26	42	10	Easy
28-Feb	29	46	10	Reps
07-Mar	32	51	10	Reps
14-Mar	32	51	10	Reps	NB Half
21-Mar	32	51	10	Reps
28-Mar	28	45	8	Intervals
04-Apr	30	48	8	Intervals
11-Apr	32	51	8	Intervals
18-Apr	34	54	8	Intervals
25-Apr	36	58	8	Intervals
02-May	32	51	10	Threshold
09-May	32	51	10	Threshold
16-May	32	51	10	Threshold
23-May	20	32	10	Threshold	Team Trials
30-May	35	56	10
Total	589	942	181.5

The same period in 2010. While this program is more aggressive that I have pursued in the past, my 2010 activities were disorganized and unfocused. Had I continued my January 2010 effort, I would have run 550 miles in the same period in 2010, compared to my target of 589 this year.

This program is somewhat risky; I essentially have no base at this time. The "total training time" field is important, because the balance of my training will be orienteering and low impact activities like biking, skiing, and swimming. Between now and 28 March, my goal is to improve my fitness as much as possible without inviting injury. I don't have an excuse not to go to the pool and swim laps or take my bike out on the Minuteman or the Esplanade when it is warmer.

C • glad that you're aware that... 5

After failing to train yesterday due to exceedingly cold conditions (avg temp -15 C), the CSU A-meet planning meeting, and the combined influence of Ross, Boris, Ed, and Alex, I decided to do some low intensity training in my office gym. I warmed up for ten minutes on a bike, did some quick strengthening exercises, and ran on a treadmill for 25 minutes. The treadmill was exhausting; even cruising at a leisurely 7 mph was difficult. I distracted myself by counting my stride rate - several measurements of a minute in length yielded 160-170 range.

C • Wow 4

25x two-legged calf raises, +18 kg
25x squats, +18 kg

There's an interesting problem with the gpx track that likely exists because I started my garmin before it had acquired satellites. I think the distance is wrong - probably closer to 10 km. This event was CSU training set by Giovanni. He set a one-man relay street-O race. I felt reasonably good and ran well, though I was very tired by the end. I ran into Magnus for the first time at a CSU training session. Dinner, company, and conversation were excellent.

C • close to 10k 2

Morning strength, a hodgepodge of strength exercises.
25x two-legged squats
10x one-legged squats, each side
25x calf-raises
25, 20, 25 pushups

Event: NEOC: Weston Ski-O
 

I helped out at the Weston Ski-O. I had hoped that I might get some skiing time, but as I was volunteering to help Ed run the meet, it did seem impractical. I considered getting up early to go bowling, but I was very tired from Saturday's busyness, I slept until about 9:45. I am disappointed by my lack of commitment to excellence, but I will resume bowling training on 6 Feb.

Ed and I encountered an interesting problem after the ski-O: the labels had been reordered, but the boxes had not been reprogrammed. As a result, all the codes were wrong, the clear and check were just ordinary controls, and we suspect the start box was a clear. There was a breakdown in communication, and we weren't told of the predicament when I picked up the controls on Sunday morning. Oh well. Turnout was good; about 30 people came and did the Ski-O.

C • SI Boxes 6

This was the "long" run of my week in name only, since it was marginally longer than the other two runs. I kept the intensity low, though some of my sluggishness was due to bodily fatigue and sleeplessness. Conditions were clear and -11 C, and many of the roads and sidewalks were snowy. I wore tights, three short polyester shirts, one long poly shirt, new running gloves and a hat, intermittently. Notably, near the end of my run, I was cheered by a crowd leaving a bar and given two high fives by apparently inebriated girls.

C • Nice week! 3

My neighborhood Anna's Taqueria, the primary source of my burritos, raised their prices recently. A typical superburrito now costs $5.72 instead of $5.19. The expected $106 hit to my burrito budget is discouraging.

A delightful, easy run about Union, Inman, Harvard and Porter Squares. I felt fantastic for the first twenty minutes of the run, then started to lack energy. My stamina and fitness are weak. Nevertheless, this was a good start and within my target pace. My breathing was steady 3/3 for the duration. I was slowed by snow banks and crossing icy surfaces gingerly.

The temperature was -3 C, and I wore tights, short sleeved underarmor, a short shirt and a long shirt. I kept my hands adequately warm by clenching my fists periodically. The leg felt acceptable.

A video of Kikkan Randall describing what it takes to succeed as an athlete. She reminds me of Alex in her mannerisms and expression; there's a physical resemblance, though her voice is like two octaves lower. Apparently she's only 5'4.

C • 3

Today's session focused on hips and core, with various Warrior poses and such. The only arduous section was a few minutes of core with scissors and a static tuckup.

A slog of a run through considerable snow on the ground and rain. I had originally planned to run to Hammond Pond to attend Ross's training, but as I approached the river, I decided I would be too cold and lack the stamina to orienteer and then make my way home, even via the T. The snow on the ground and even the rain were tolerable, but the puddles in the snow troughs were very taxing. Splashing myself with freezing water was unavoidable for much of the route, and the footing was awkward. With the exception of my feet and lower legs, I was adequately warm, but my body seemed to be working particularly hard to maintain my temperature.

It turns out I had made a navigational error; I had planned to cross the river at the Arsenal bridge. Oops.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4241290

My streak of missing all CSU trainings Sam attends continues. Perhaps one day, we will train together.

C • Ick. 4

1 Jan: 201.5 lbs
16 Jan: 192.2 lbs
Target: 180 lbs (-ish)

It's hard to plot progress, since I had a dip in my weight from gastroenteritis and the resulting circus in my intestines (down to 188 lbs). I suspect my real weight loss is at most five pounds, and the remaining shifts are from fluids and daily variation. In the interest of minimizing the impact of my daily weigh oscillation, I am now weighing myself when I get up each morning.

I'm ashamed to log this, but it is good to note for my records. I was planning on going swimming, but I failed to note that today is MLK Jr. Day, and the War Memorial Pool is run by the city of Cambridge.

I went bowling at Lanes and Games, and bowled five games. Barb and Izzy were there; I did not effectively coordinate the group effort, and we bowled separately. It was good to see other members of the informal CSU Bowling group. I bowled a PR 163 with a miserable last frame.

Game 1, 13 lb ball: 5/ 36 8/ 7/ 81 X 9/ X 72 8- = 142
Game 2, 16 lb for first five frames, 13 lb after: 18 X 6/ 61 63 36 9- 32 1/ X36 = 123
Game 3, 13 lb: 8/ X 8/ 9/ 71 X X 72 X 61 = 163
Game 4, 13 lb: X 62 9/ 8- 8/ 35 81 X 9- 71 = 118
Game 5, 13 lb: 7/ 8- X 81 8- 54 X 63 4/ 45 = 122

Game 1 was good until I left the last two frames open. My focus for today's training was accuracy, which is why I used a lighter ball. I was much better at picking off spares, as noted by my performance in games 1 and 3. The 16 lb ball from Game 2 was unfamiliar, and I lacked the control needed. In games 4 and 5, I think I was just tired. Game 3, frames 8 and 10 were disappointing, because I could have had a stellar game. Nevertheless, four strikes and three spares in one game is very solid performance for me.

Stats:
- 12 strikes in 51 attempts = 23.5% strike completion
- 13 spares in 39 attempts = 33% conversion

C • Sorry we didn't join you. I... 3

I went on a quick jaunt along the usual 30-35 minute route. My tibia felt good; the fracture site has felt unsteady over the past few weeks. I wore tights, three shirts and gloves, but the second short-sleeved shirt was probably unnecessary. Conditions were calm and -1 C.

My target pace was 5:30 - 6:00 /km. I had some difficulty breathing, with a bit of coughing. I have had some excess congestion in my throat and lungs lately and intermittent though not debilitating coughing. It was good to get out.

C • Take that Acjospe! That cou... 2

Let it be noted that skate skiing is spectacular. I skate skied for the first time at Weston with Keith and Jules (Julia), a grad student friend of Keith's. After a helpful tutorial by Ed, we wandered about. My 305 was running for 2:47, but I wasn't moving that entire time. I tried no poling for a bit, and managed with some difficulty. Keith classic'd, and Jules (who is from Minnesota) skate skied for the first time. I will be less slow (though probably still last) at the New England Ski-O champs. Others I saw were Team Ross + Sam and Pia and Mark (at separate times).

After a glorious ski session, Keith and I retired to Texas Roadhouse. Later that evening, I went to the BSO with Jess; the program was two preludes of Debussy arranged for orchestra, Delius's tone poem Paris: A Nocturne, Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 and R. Strauss' Till Eulenspiegel. I was most excited about the Mozart (which I know very well), and the magnificent Till, but I was pleasantly surprised by the Delius.

C • I hate to tell you this... but... 3

Gradually falling apart.

C • A good tip is to write your... 1

Distance according to the treadmill. I ate a burrito last night, with only moderate GI repercussions, indicating that I am approaching healthiness. However, this morning, I find myself with a hacking dry cough and an inflamed throat. Perhaps the party in my intestines continued its Tour de Ian and is now on the "Respiratory" stage.

Anyhow, after getting to work, I decided to get my running out of the way, in anticipation of the (now cancelled) Georgia Navigator Cup. I'm hopelessly undertrained. My leg felt good, but breathing was a struggle. I stayed at around 2/2 for most of the run, and finished up with 3x30" strides.

C • Glad you feel better! 3

I finished off by doing a quick five minute strength circuit - 45" on, 15" transitions of:
- tuck ups
- calf raises (+ 27 kg)
- kayakers
- squats (+ 27 kg)
- plank

After some pleasant breathing lying on my back, I did 20 slow pushups. I suspect I can do 15 pullups in my present state; I would like to get to 60 pushups in 1 minute.

Gastroenteritis continues.

I seem to have a massive stomach ache; perhaps something I ate at lunch (seafood?) is unsettling me.

Update: Shortly after writing the sentence above, my distress grew rapidly. I wandered over to the bathroom, removed my glasses, and sat down to wait; a few minutes later, I violently expelled the contents of my stomach into the toilet. My Legal Seafood lunch was the likely irritant, as there were obvious ingredients from my shrimp and pasta in garlic sauce (i.e. the mushrooms). Vomiting is a tremendously unpleasant experience.

Fortunately, had my circumstances been more unpleasant, my attackpoint readers would have known my distress and been able to inquire as to my well-being the next day.

C • tremendously unpleasant experience 9

I read a paper on PCA-SIFT while chugging along on the elliptical. Perhaps the paper was distracting, but my pace was higher than it has been. I felt terrible before my workout - with some gastrointestinal distress, but that improved during the session. The workout was random hill, level 8 (of 20).

I miss running outside, but with my infirmity and the cold weather (given my apparently feeble immune system), perhaps it is best that I do the bulk of my training indoors for the next month or two. Also, it's hard to read a paper on the go.

I'm not sure entirely how the elliptical calculates distance, particularly with varying resistance. I will test the hypothesis that distance is computed purely based on the number of strokes; my rate today was 160 per minute or 7520 +/-24.

- One minute pushups - a disappointing 48, assuming they were all good. My rate is fine; I was going slightly faster than 1 Hz, but the lactic acid (?) built up and my muscles seized up at about 45 seconds. On the other hand, I shouldn't really be doing pushups anyway, so meh.

- Two sets of 25 (x2, bilateral) oblique bicycle crunches
- 50 lat pulldowns of 60 pounds
- some screwing around with dumbbells and rotating at my hips about a vertical axis

I was a bit dehydrated when I weighed myself this morning, but that's what the scale said. It's quite astonishing to think that my weigh fluctuated by about 4 kg over the same number of days, especially given the amount of M&Ms I have consumed (about 3000 calories).

Unplanned rest day.

---

** 2011 Training Goals **
Composed on 25 January 2011

- 400 hours of endurance training (running, orienteering, biking, skiing, swimming, etc)
- 25 hours of strength training
- Run 1300 miles (avg 25/week)
- Orienteer 150 hours, with at least 100 days on a map
- Finish the year with a 90-point OUSA Ranking
- Make the US Standing Team
- Catching Features for 24 hours
- Bowl 24 times

Running targets:

Distance	Current	Target
1 mile	5:21	5:05
3k	11:13	10:15
5k	18:56	17:45
Half Marathon	1:31:27	1:25:00

2010 Year in Review

At the end of 2009, I finished with a USOF ranking of 75.39, with a few promising 80 point runs at the US Classic Champs in WI. I trained a modest 220 hours, had a 5:32 mile PR, and showed improvement in all three O-distances. My biggest weakness was overall fitness, and I set a number of goals to improve both that and orienteering technique.

I finished 2010 with a ranking of 81.73 in eight races in the spring. The one time I faced the Kempster - at the WCOC Long - I won by about 2%. My best race was an 89 point run at the West Point Middle. My best races were all middles and my worst were sprints, which is likely because the middle distance races were always the first races I ran at A-meets, and so ran fresh. I lacked the fitness to run the sprints, which were always second each day. Giovanni and I were very closely matched at A-meets. I am 3-1 against him, with very close finishes. My long results were acceptable, with an 81 point run at WCOC. I was the decisive US ARDF Champion, and earned a spot on the US ARDF Team to compete in Croatia. Over nine months, I orienteered a total of 63 hours.

Overall, I progressed much during 2010. I ran the New Bedford Half Marathon in 91:27. I set a mile PR in 5:21. In the six months where I did any substantial running, I ran 420 miles in 60 hours. It was a successful social year, with lots of great people. I really appreciate everyone's encouragement and feedback, and it was invaluable when I was injured. Attending CSU Superstars was great fun, and talking trash with my numerous adversaries is inevitably cheery.

Undoubtedly the defining event in 2010 was a left tibia injury that started as a stress fracture and fractured completely. As a result of that injury, I was on crutches for two months; I still haven't fully resumed my training regimen. I hope to be running regularly by February, though it will take much longer to regain the fitness I had in June 2010.

I become more active in the orienteering community, including becoming a NEOC Board member and VP of Events. My AP log is much more frequented; I had fewer than 2700 hits at the end of 2009, and now I have about 14,000.

Training chart - units in hours

Year	Orienteering	Running	Biking	Other	Total
2010	62.8	68.4	65.5	40.5	237.3
2009	101.9	73.5	32	38.5	232.7

Before my injury, I was on track to have 300 hours of training; given that I am more active in the Fall, 350 might have been attainable.

I set a number of goals for 2010.

Goal	Status
Ranking of 87	Failure, 82, though possible without injury
Make the US Standing Team	Failure
Have a winning record vs Emily	Success :)
Have at least one 90 point race	Failure, 89; likely had I been uninjured in the Fall
Sub 5:00 mile	Failure, 5:21.
Sub 95 min half marathon	Success. Sam is the bestest pacer.
Sub 18:00 5k	Failure, 18:56
Train 400 hrs, 200 O-hrs	Failure
Run 1300 miles	Failure, 474
Two days/week on maps	Failure, 47 days on maps
60 hours of Catching Features	Failure, 20
Bowl 12 times	Failure, 6 games

C • Goals? 1

I was aggressive during this session - perhaps more so than was ultimately beneficial. Nevertheless, it felt good to set an arduous challenge and execute. I pushed very hard for a few minutes and hit a max HR of 192. I doubt that's my actual HR max, since the motion of an elliptical is very artificial and less challenging than running.

C • holy smokes 5

The last five minutes were challenging.

Bring it on.

3 sets of 25x oblique bicycle crunches
50x two legged calf raise without supplemental weights

Jessica and I went bowling to start off the new year. My bowling was unremarkable at best, and I left disappointed and frustrated. All aspects of my training require focus.

Game 1: 9- 1- 7/ 1/ X -6 7- 9- X 8/9 = 118
Game 2: 61 8- 9/ 5- 8/ 53 X 63 63 7/X = 115
Game 3: 81 X 42 9/ 71 81 6/ 7- 8/ X9- = 128

Six strikes in 33 opportunities, with a miserable 9 spares is truly depressing. Marit Bjoergen would be ashamed. I bowled with a 16 lb ball for the first two games, and got a different 16 lb ball for the third. Jess had six marks (four in the first game), bowled a 104, and had a jolly time.

It should be noted that I unabashedly drank about 1 liter of water before I weighed myself. Were you to average my weight over a longer time period (a day, for instance), my guess is that my average mass would be 90 kg. Getting down to 80 kg is probably unrealistic; it is only because I'm in a 10-kg weight loss challenge that I inflated my weight before the official weigh-in. Given my height and build, 180 lbs is a realistic and healthy goal.

C • Weight loss challenge 19