Training Log Archive: iansmith

Event: NEOC: Needham Town Forest
 

NEOC local meet Red course at Needham Town Forest, set by Jeff Schapiro; listed as 5.7 km.

I had signed up to pick up controls; I planned to arrive at around 11:30 and run a course or two before pickup at 2. When I woke at 10, I shot that plan down for a bit more sleep, and arrived at the meet a shade before 1. Jeff kindly let me run the course, and I finished before the 2pm course close time and with a number of people still in the woods. I have long advocated the start window be 10-12 in NEOCland to make it easier on meet directors, and I'm a bit ashamed to have abused that.

My run was ok; I didn't warm up to get out earlier. I didn't feel like I was moving very fast, and I think given the high visibility and good running conditions, 6:00/km was attainable for someone in shape. I had decent flow, with good exits and reading the full leg before leaving. Some bobbles: I was pushed around by a marsh leaving 3 and found myself further north than planned, losing 20-30s. I did some unnecessary climb leaving 7 and couldn't make sense inside the circle at 8. I was pushed around by green en route to 11 and swung right, 20s. I made a dumb route choice and crossed a green marsh on 12-13 instead of going around, 30s. I hesitated for 15s in the circle at 14 when I saw rock that wasn't on the map.

I learned a while ago to use contours, major trails, marshes, and some rock features for navigation at Needham, so I wasn't bothered by the numerous excess mountain bike trails. I think my biggest gripe with the map is that the contours seem strange in places, and remapping this with LIDAR contours is a priority. It's a small but fun patch of terrain - especially early or late enough in the season that the vegetation is hospitable. Very good course by Jeff.

C • abuse and shame 1

Control pickup, including a 1.5 km loop by the finish that I didn't record. I saw a majestic woodpecker at split #1 with dark, patterned wings and head and a lighter underbelly. I suspect it was a female Downy woodpecker.

I'm the chair of the NEOC A-meet planning group and the NEOC Mapping committee. I don't know that I'm the most qualified; it's apparently relatively easy to assume authority in non-profits.

The A-meet planning group, which in my mental model of the organization drives the major mapping initiatives, meets about twice per year and discusses plans. We're currently planning on an A-meet at High Rock in April 2016, at Mt. Tom in Spring 2017, and in north central MA for 2018. One of my current tasks is to figure out where else Marcello should map once he finishes the new High Rock map.

Apart from discussions of possible maps, my primary method for finding new map possibilities has consisted of browsing google maps and searching various public land listings. It turns out Trustees of Reservation's website has a number of candidates at a glance; it's unclear if we can always get land use permission, but they do let us use Powissett and Rocky Woods.

I found two neat places: Noon Hill is a mix of Trustees land and town of Medfield, but the patch of terrain was fantastic. It's very reminiscent of Rocky Woods and maybe Blue Hills West. There were vast swaths of open forest, some light green areas, and a few dense marshes. The terrain was more runnable than Needham Town Forest, and the topography was interesting and varied. Apart from a number of trails, stone walls would allow for beginner courses. While there isn't an arena site, there are two possible start locations. Both have limited parking, but I think we could park along the side of Noonhill Rd, which is a slow gravel road. The patch of terrain is only about 1 - 1.5 sq km, but this is fine for a standard local meet map. Also, Noon Hill is in Medfield - a 40 minute drive from Boston.

I also drove by Moose Hill Farm - which would be a great name for a map. "Moose Hill." I get chills. It was getting dark when I arrived, so i didn't get out into the terrain. It's conveniently located next to I-95, and it has a little farm with some extant parking. It has a large field that would be perfect for an arena, and it also measures about 1 - 1.5 sq km. At a glance, Moose Hill looked a little thicker than Noon Hill, but still inviting.

Red - Splits

Event: 2015 Boston Park Series: North Point Park
 

Warmup run from the Broad to North Point Park. Garmin was low on energy, so I didn't log it. I waited a couple minutes for traffic, too.

Park-O #1 at North Point Park, a new map. North Point is a cute little area; it is perfect for beginners. I don't think it's interesting enough for an advanced sprint. The course was very much a runner's course, and while it made very good use of what was available, the park is just too simple. Night-O with just e-punch boxes might make it more interesting.

Despite the simplicity of the location, I did not have a perfect run. I was focusing on smoothness - knowing where I was going on the next leg, folding my map before reaching the control, good flow. I did a poor job of reading the whole leg, which got me into trouble at 16 and 17 for 5s and 10s errors. Otherwise, I was not fast; I narrowly beat Alex for the win. Giacomo would have run 13 flat or faster.

I was feeling ok, and a Park-O isn't enough activity, so I did a Museum of Science - BU loop at sub-tempo effort, but a shade harder than easy pace. The wind was intense in some places. Time to get back on the train to fastland. No burritos today.

Sprint - Splits

I feel very tired - perhaps sick? If this keeps up, I might go in for a physical to see if there's something medically wrong with me.

C • Allergies? 7

Easy morning jog; I felt a bit more energetic than yesterday, so hopefully this is a passing condition rather than complete aerobic collapse. I added a few strides to get the legs moving. A little muscle guy along the outside of my left calf is tight from Billygoat. I ran to Cedar St and back with some nice little hills.

Felt lethargic despite negligible lasting discomfort after the Billygoat. I just had no energy. On the plus side, I saw a skunk. Today was an accidental two-burrito day.

C • Two burrito day 4

Event: 2015 Billygoat Run
 

2015 Billygoat. A terrible race: slow, unfocused, tired. It's hard to imagine being less ready for this race. The most obvious conclusion is that I'm very slow right now; my training over the past six months has been awful. I was exhausted coming in from a vicious week at work, and after it was apparent how poorly I was doing, I didn't keep up the mental concentration to avoid a big 6+ minute error at 12. I was feeling pretty miserable when I started getting stabbed by vegetation running to 14, and only pulled it together enough to outkick Peter Z on the run in. A disaster.

There's really nothing to do but start training for the fall. Apart from my performance, the organization, course, and field were all excellent. Kudos to Misha for a tremendous race.

C • Work 2

Billygoat - Splits

Forking - BG - Right - Splits