Training Log Archive: Charlie

Morning dog walk with Sassy, who has not been getting to do this as much lately. Finished up with a set of 13 pullups on the rings on the way back in. Having the rings handy has been pretty favorable, and I am getting back in this habit again. Somehow it didn't seem like as good an idea during the winter.

just warming up a bit, nice and easy

Out in our gym - some warming up exercises, then the main workout was ring rows, bench presses and squats. The recommended regime was feet on a bench even with the rings, 155 lb BP, 225 lb back squat, 15 reps per round, 5 rounds. The weights were preposterous, of course, so I endeavored 85 lbs for BP and squats, and figured 3 rounds of 10 would be just fine. Actually made it through 4 rounds of the ring rows and BPs and 3 of the squats. Could have done 5 of the RRs and at least 5 of the BPs, but I was pretty done for squats. 14 minutes for what I did.

West Pt Green Y long course. Generally a pretty satisfactory outing. Reading the map well, not fast, but kept moving. Only one big mistake of about two minutes on #9, where I had intended to bounce off the boundary to make it easy to find the boulders, but ran right across the basically invisible boundary line, finding it in a more visible area on the way back. Started two minutes behind Meg Parson and 1 minute behind Phil who was on Green X. Saw them both scampering down the hill from 1-2 while I was being much more gingerly. Caught up to Meg at 2 and took a straighter route toward 3. Met up with Phil again at 4 and ran part of the way to 5 going S of the marshes, but I took a longer route to run the trail, and the trail wasn't good. Saw Meg and then Phil well ahead as I was climbing up to 5. Then ok, left of the marsh to 7, then lost 45 seconds stopping to get a rock out of my shoe. Straightish route to 8. I had thought I might take the path along the base of the hill, but it was covered in barberry and I went the straight line, which was much better, finishing up right of the marsh. 9, a disaster, 10 very slow going up the hill and not taking a straight enough line. Saw Phil leaving 10, probably 2 minutes ahead. Contoured to 11 until I hit the trail up the slot, then down the reentrant right into it. Ethan passed me after the control and I chased him until he jumped down a cliff, but still I was pretty quick getting there. Hadn't seen Phil lately, but it turns out he finished about 15 seconds in front of me.

My route.

Rode home with J-J, and after a bit of rest we went on a nice stroll down to look at the ponds. Not much going on at the small pond, but the beavers have fortified their new territory at the Little Down Marsh, and J-J couldn't resist doing a little dismantling. Here he is with his assistant:



And here he is scampering away after releasing some water:

C • Study period begins. 5

C • I don't know what you will ... 3

Long Green Y - Splits

Event: West Point A-meet
 

Middle Green Y course at WP. Pretty good run, focused and in good contact. Minor difficulty with # 1, pulled a little left and high by all the rocks, but saw the bag to the side as I began to go past it. Left around the pond, maybe not best, but then pulled a bit right near the end, seeing a mapped boulder that re-directed me back. A couple of folks there, faster on the downhill to 3, then a little right of line under the really big rock, but right on from there to 4. Slow below the marsh and up the hill to 5, stopping to check an unmapped re-entrant just before the right one. 6 and 7 pretty easy. 8 was easy, too, although I hooked around from the top of the cliff because I thought it looked like an easier descent. 9 I was fooled a bit by seeing three big bare rock knolls where I was expecting two, so I went above and by before hooking into it. 10 was my only big mistake. Drifted right between the knolls one set over, then corrected past the flag, standing there for a while thinking it ought to be right in front of me until finally turning around to see it behind me. 11 was easy and I could see it from a distance. 12 easy to find, but hard to get down to. heading right to the trail was best. Out of gas and moving slowly up the slope to 13, but right on it. The rest was easy. Good the finish was streamered, as it was mapped in the wrong place.

My route.

Sprint at Round Mt. Reasonably uneventful. A little trouble following the trail from 4 to 5, a little lack of focus at 7 that looking at the compass fixed, then arrived at 9 at the same time as Bill Shannon, who asked where 8 was. My concentration apparently went right out the window as I danced off entirely the wrong direction before eventually reconciling my balky compass with reality and turning around. Two minute error on a 2k course - not so good.

My route.

Middle Green Y - Splits

Sprint O/Br/G - Splits

150 3rd graders today for their field trip to our property. We have been doing this since Zack was in kindergarten, although it has developed over the years. Kids arrive in 3 waves, stay 2 1/2 hours. Three speakers along the way: me at the old bear den, telling about logging and bears, Jay Kaplan the head of the local nature center at the bridge at Big Down Marsh, telling about birds and general aquatic habitat. 12 pairs of GBH nesting on the pond this year. Then back to the little pond for more aquatic habitat with Margery Winters. I was pretty much hustling around from 8 until 1, marking the route, putting out signs, transporting the pond speakers, turning off fences, talking to kids, etc.

The beavers are hard at work. Something needs to be done. A beautiful day, fun to have all the kids.

C • Concern for environment 2

a few sets of bench presses in the gym with Zack. He wasn't too into it, today, so we didn't hang around long. And a set of pullups and a set of dips.

3 K warm up, including some fast pickups. First pickup at around 1:55, working down to 1:45 for the last one, maybe 6th or 7th overall.

Then rested 5 minutes and went for a PR at 1000. Not too hard to get a PR since I didn't have a prior time, but I leaned into it anyway. Certainly inspired by chitownclark, who has been racking up a lot of PRs.

3:39.3, good for 75th percentile, which I think is my best percentile rank.

Split pace by 200 m segment

1:49.5
1:48.2
1:49.5
1:50.7
1:49.7

oxygen debt was setting in the last 300 or so.

at the gym in town. Not too hard. Some jump rope and general warming up, then Turkish get ups and box jumping. Not really too strenuous. Finished up running a mile with Jillian.

at the gym in town. Not too hard. Some jump rope and general warming up, then Turkish get ups and box jumping. Not really too strenuous. Finished up running a mile with Jillian.

brisk walk down to the bridge and back with Sassy, with a break at the bridge to remove yesterday's beaver works, or at least the sticks. I'll come back with a shovel to get the veggie matter. The tractor does a nice job, but I would like to keep its activity to a minimum while the trails are soft.

As far as I got before a phone call I had to take - not even a minute. After the phone call I ran out of time. Will try again later. Lots of DOMS from the crossfit workout the other day. I thought rowing might loosen it up, but it will apparently take at least a full minute.

Still sore in my quads, forearms and stomach, but a pretty good effort. No point in trying for a PR today. I wouldn't have made it. Getting pretty humid today, which reminds me why rowing has been a winter sport for me. Sweating profusely by the end.

Splits:

4:21.8
4:17:4
4:11.1
4:09.6
4:03.1

21:02.9 Roughly 17 even at 4000, and thought briefly about a big push to get under 21, but it didn't seem like a worthwhile idea.

My quads do feel a little looser after rowing.

C • Rowing PR's 4

Had a bunch of different plans today, but the sun came out and it was so nice. Off to McLean Game Refuge, in such a state of excitement that I forgot my forerunner, but I don't really need the track. I've been there many times. I didn't know what to expect, and my legs were a little tender from all the squats yesterday. I decided to put a little effort into it, and thought maybe a 52 would be achievable. I was getting tired, but just kept going. My time was more than a minute faster than my best time last year. Amazing!

So where did that come from?
- lost a few pounds, but not that many.
- lots of time off from running is restful
- re-dedication to crossfit and rowing
- generally better hamstring health
- the vagaries of random performance variation

Perhaps a little of all of them. But I'm convinced enough that I'll keep rowing.

A little AP research reveals that this appears to be my 3rd fastest time on this run in the last several years. Best was 46:29 in Sept '09, followed by 47:10 in Nov '08.

C • methane 4

Very nice visit from Lyn W, who came to wish Rhonda well and bring some goodies. Delicious pumpkin soup and homemade bread. We all went for a pleasant walk on a warm afternoon, part of Rhonda's rehab.

1/2 hour of laurel wrangling, working on a new trail segment through a particularly dense patch. Stress relieving.