Training Log Archive: iansmith

Event: NEOC: Hale Reservation/Powissett Peak
 

Event: NEOC: Estabrook Woods
 

Red course at Estabrook. I forgot to start my watch until after control 4, so the time and distance have been revised to reflect the course data. Despite allergies and poor preparation, I had a solid albeit slow race.

Jess and I went to the Boston ballet performance of Bella Figura (with other works) yesterday, and I slept fitfully, with congestion and general sinus discomfort from allergies. I woke at 10:30 and abandoned my plan to replace my flat tire and bike to Estabrook in lieu of a Zipcar expedient. A highlight of the trip: as I was running to the start, a pair of F-18s blasted by overhead at low altitude - at most a few thousand feet. They were fantastically loud.

After picking up a new kit from Ali (thanks Ali!), my Amherst nemesis inquired what my training objective was for the course. My original plan had been to wake up, drive to Estabrook, find some controls, socialize and go home, but these hard core types compelled me to concentrate on something else. Since I am so fond of control picking, I decided to focus on having good flow around controls, having a plan for the next leg as I approached a control, and exiting well. I execute that reasonably well today, though as I got tired, it became more difficult. Having an objective was helpful.

I developed a stitch in my side on the way to 10 that slowed me down somewhat. My allergies this year have been much more acute than in the past. Today, I renewed my membership in the Orienteers with Alergies club by sprouting hives on the outer edges of my forearms after the race. The reaction wasn't bad, barely itched, and subsided shortly after a shower, but my immune system clearly needs to get it together.

Quick Route

C • Post QR! 2

C • F-18s 1

Red - Splits

Event: Cat Rock Park-o
 

Short and easy jaunt home. I felt wonderful, though disappointed to miss the Park-O tonight and to not have trained yesterday. Naturally, I followed the run with a burrito.

I felt sluggish and weak. I haven't been sleeping much this week, and I am still weary from my West Point experience. Given all this and my untrained state, I contented myself with a very easy jaunt around Fresh Pond. It might have been optimal to run even more slowly. A few months of gentle runs will undoubtedly reap considerable physiological benefits.

I ran into Audun thrice, who fortuitously was running anti-clockwise.