Training Log Archive: iansmith

Biking to and from Menotomy Rocks Park. I spent a nontrivial time (maybe 5-10 minutes total) waiting for stoplights. I pushed harder on my way up and took a gentler pace on the way back.

In accordance with my new "No Streamer Left Behind" policy, I took an old map of a course I designed in Menotomy Rocks with the intent to retrieve any streamers that were still out there. Unfortunately, I did not take the most recent map (which was moderately more technical) and was left with my first effort, a long trail course with minimal route choice and navigation requirements.

My right calf has been bothering me increasingly; I think have lightly injured my right soleus muscle. Absorbing shock in my foot - as if landing on stairs, in which the angle between my foot and my shin decreases - causes pain and discomfort in the center outside part of my calf. It's not overwhelming, and it has minimal effect on my daily life, but trying to sprint is unpleasant.

My original plan was to run the course hard, then cool down picking up any streamers that were still out there (I only saw one, from the most recent course which overlapped on a number of controls with my older design). However, about twenty minutes in, it was too dark to either read the map or discern anything around me, so I ran a bit on some trails. Menotomy at night doesn't remotely concern me because its gnarliest sections are about equivalent to the trails in Pine Hill.

Catching Features. I ran the last race in the Virendra 3-Day that I had not yet run, then polished a few to unlock MIT. All my Virendra 3-day races have scores of greater than half the possible score (since the max possible varies on the courses). The MIT map is eerily similar to the campus apart from the swamp near Tang and in the parking lot. Perhaps it was different when Greg was @mit.edu? The level of detail - down to the names of some of the frats - is astonishing. I found it very easy to run on the MIT map because it was so familiar.

CSU Training was at Pine Hill today, but I showed up late and missed the crowd. There weren't any maps (as they were doing a follow-the-leader exercise), so I set off to do a workout of my own. My initial plan was to run the Skyline trail, but I have had a rough two weeks at work, both my sleep and workout schedules have suffered, and my body is complaining about its poor treatment. After some deliberation, I decided to go to the sheepfold to retrieve some of the streamers I set out for a line-O in July. I took a flashlight, but naively left my compass and a map of the northern part of the map (Bear Hill) in my backpack. They would have been moderately useful.

I had a good run and retrieved the three northernmost streamers before it got too dark to see the caution tape. I know the Skyline trail best, but it was too dark to avoid injury on its rocky terrain, so I ran on the reservoir trail - it's enormous, smooth, and along a huge feature, so it's virtually impossible to get lost. I was moderately concerned that some of the training group might have stayed back worrying about me, but the remedy was to get back as quickly as I safely could.

My route back was no optimal; I left the reservoir at its southernmost point and wandered around a bit on the Middle Trail before taking the Skyline back to South Border. I then biffed my return route from South Border to the High School, since I guess I'm usually fatigued when returning (and reading a map). As I feared, Brendan and Alex had waited about an hour for me. I felt really bad about inconveniencing them, but given that I've worked out a number of times in Pine Hill, I felt their waiting was a bit unjustified.

The solution is obvious: I should carry my cell phone when I work out alone, particularly near nightfall and when others are approximately around. That way, if I want to stay out later (or am inevitably staying out later since I'm far from MHS), I can let the others know and call them when I return safely so they don't worry. They were definitely in a difficult situation - they knew I was out, and I have a reputation for "overextending" (call it what you will). So, while I'm less at risk than my poor friend Peter, it's still moderately concerning.

The other obvious conclusion is that I should have a map and compass with me at night in addition to a flashlight and cell phone. Bailing out is hard when directions aren't obvious.

C • Yeah, and I should have wai... 3

Biking to and from Medford High School.

Wow:
http://www.catchingfeatures.com/eddie/woc09/middle...