Training Log Archive: PG

Decided it was time to make some progress on my course setting duties for the US Relay Champs, so I headed down to Osbournedale to take a look around. I had a few vague ideas for the courses, but nothing even close to specific, just mainly wanted to see what it was like when the vegatation was up, and also to look at the possibilities for course flow (how to route courses out, in, and through the start/finish area).

So I walked around a while, partly just looking at the possibilities, partly doing some field corrections that were minor in scope but significant in terms of course setting -- like where you have a band of thick stuff on the edge between field and good forest, you have to get the gaps mapped right. trying to do what they did so well at Fair Hill down in DVOA-land. I won't come close to there precision, the goal is to come close enough to make the orienteering fair.

And then I sat for a while and drew up some possibilities, again just flow in and out of the S/F area, and then I walked a bunch more doing some more corrections, seeing if some possible legs made sense.

And finally more sitting, perched on a low wall where an announcer might be, checking the sight lines to various possible spectator controls, thinking about where people would be and how they would be moving, trying to visualize how it would look on the day. And I quite liked what I had come up with.

Now I'll put it away for a couple of days, then take another look and probably make a lot of changes.

A bunch more trips needed, but at least I got started, and felt like i made progress.

Beautiful day, nice drive down thinking of past glories/failures in a variety of running events, thinking of meet notes for the relay on the way back, interupted by a short visit to the Tradition in Windsor for a pleasant 9.

C • Corrections 14

Another good dinner, finish watching the usual depressing news, then on with the pack again, except this time I added one of Gail's 5-pound ankle weights. Oof. And of again vowing not to push it, but then of course I did as it got steeper, even a little quicker than last time, why is this necessary? But still very enjoyable. And sweating away and huffing and puffing at the top. Oof, again. Pulse 175+.

And somewhere on the way up I decide I really ought to run back the round-about way, because the hamstring is doing better so I might as well test it again.

As I start out on the way down I think back to the spring of 1981, 6 months after I had the plastic joint put in my big toe, and I was still struggling with the recovery, still wondering if I'd done the right thing, and one day out on a lengthy trail run I kicked a rock head on, and the toe, oh, it hurt, and I thought, there goes another month to recover from this, but 2 or 3 days later it was much better, and then a couple weeks later I kicked another rock real bad, and this time it was better in a day, and it was the first time I allowed myself to think, it's going to be ok.

So the hamstring seemd sore yesterday, good today, so maybe it's really on the mend. And about when I was thinking this I clipped a rock and went sprawling, oof, but no damage done. Though i did trip a bunch more times, whether it was the growing darkness or just picking my feet up less with the pack, who knows, but I think I may well be sore again in the morning. But hopefully not too bad, nor for too long.

And in the meantime, a pretty good workout for the feet, and the shoulders, and the back, and even the legs and the lungs. Only other complainer was the toenail on the little toe of my right foot, which is in the process of declaring independence from the rest of the foot.