Training Log Archive: PG

Event: Hudson Highlander 2007
 

Hudson Highlander. Not so bad despite a terrible start, parallel error on the approach to #1, witnessed by Peggy, Susie, Torie, probably cost 3-4 minutes. So I didn't get to see if it was a good route or not (most people went left of the line, up the big valley).

By myself to #2, ok until the trail was no longer helpful. For some reason I thought it might be better running down along the edge of the marsh at the end, but it was basically terrible. Got to 2 just after Phil and three or four others, that raised morale a bit as I thought I might be dead last....

By the time I got to the vicinity of 3, there were at least 8-10 folks spread out over the slope, all a little too low and too far left, it seemed. Nailed the control, didn't think others saw me and I wasn't going to yell - I didn't really want to run in a pack and this seemed a chance to get away. Though I did give Phil a heads-up on the way by.

The rest of map 1 was ok, company on and off from a couple of adventure runners that I'm sure I was helping.

Then the trail run. Got my right ankle again about 1/3 of the way, hurt pretty good for quite a while, then calmed down some, but I was favoring it the rest of the way, especially taking it careful on any downhills. Not quite sure what I keep doing to it. I'm landing on it awkwardly, the ankle rolls, sharp pain mostly under the front of the heel (almost as if I'm getting plantar faschitis), but later in the day there is no swelling and hardly any pain just walking around. So anyway, the trail run was a little slower than it might have been, plus I was getting tired.

Then map 3, No good route to #11, so I went pretty straight and got lucky, the couple of trail segments were connected in reality and I made excellent time through the green. Passed JJ and Joe here without seeing either of them. The rest of Pole Brook was straightforward, just dealing with a sore ankle and tiredness. Started this section in 19th, finished in 11th, never was aware of passing anyone, by myself the whole time.

Finally map 4, looked like just hard work. Just kept plugging away, mostly walking, running when flat or down as long as footing wasn't too bad. No mistakes. By myself here too.

Reasonably satisfied afterwards. Main complaint was some chafing on the inner thighs, not feeling bad when on the course but very sore afterwards. But it will heal in a day or two.

Tough course, or so it seemed, even though the best got around pretty quickly. Guess I'm just out of shape, fat, and old. But I already knew that.

Reminder to self -- plan is to celebrate my 63rd on the 15th by dredging out some old photos in the week leading up to it. I've not hesitated to make fun of others, time to laugh at myself a bit.

Highlander map 1.
Highlander map 2.
Highlander map 3.
Highlander map 4.

C • Start-1. I test-ran the fir... 5

HH XII - Splits

Lots more progress on various O' related stuff. If I could just keep this up for a few more days....

Watch the first 15 minutes of the TV coverage of the World Cup in Switzerland. Terminally boring. And I'm trying to be positive about it.

When will they learn to stop trying to cover O' live and instead put together a really interesting show a week or two later?

Warm afternoon, not feeling energetic, but felt like I needed a last speed workout before the Highlander on Sunday, to fine-tune the motor so to speak, 40 minutes at race pace.

Up to the power line (25:59), brisk walk, felt wiped. Had intended to go to the top but thought better of it. Ran back (13:43), felt sluggish to start but somewhat better by the time I got home.

Not sure why I was so tired, though I suppose it was the heat. Felt spry out on the course this morning, but that was early and it was cool.

Perhaps it was the frenzy of the latest workout craze sweeping AP -- bulb planting. I dug, Gail planted, it will be awesome this spring (if the chipmunks or the moles don't get them first). But three workouts a day is a bit much.

On the list from a couple of days ago --

Several irons in the fire right now --

-- Finalize Sprint Series rules for 2008.
-- Finalize Sprint Series staff and responsibilities for 2008.
-- Try and get a coach hired for the Team (may be tough).
-- Finish review of Team at WOC 2007.
-- Start annual review of Team Selection procedures for WOC.
-- Prepare for Team meeting at the US Champs in Virginia next month.


#1 is mostly done, though I need to add a #7: Figure out what to do for the Sprint finals.
Good progress on #2.
Some progress on #3, a couple of expressions of interest!
Got to get going on 4, 5, and 6.

But not bad....

C • Look at this! PG claims to... 1

Let me say that it was with some trepidation that I headed off for rogaine practice early this morning, as I had seen the following in the police log in the morning paper --

Greenfield, Oct. 1, 12:29 pm -- Animal problem at the Greenfield Country Club; caller reports a sick-acting fox in the sand trap at the 11th hole, ACO [Animal Control Officer] notified.

Well, that sounded not so good, had the ACO already dispatched my friend to fox heaven?

And then this --

Montague, Oct. 2, 7:15 am -- Animal problem on Millers Falls Road, called reports a dead dog; officer sent, found it to be a dead fox, ACO notified.

Things seemed like they might be quite grim. And at the course there was no sign of Freddy (as others have taken to calling him), at least until the 15th, when he suddenly appeared, trotted around a bit, and checked us out. And appeared to be quite alive and enjoying himself.

C • As Twain is oft quoted "the... 2

Got my ticket to go to the Big Blues Ramble. The Commissioner can't miss the opening of the 2008 Sprint Series, that's for sure.



Hmmm, I suppose, in this day and age, that we should have a logo for the Sprint Series. I'll have our art department get right on it.

Over to and up South Sugarloaf (25:45), and back (22:02). Legs felt dead, at least for the first 26 minutes....

Getting up a long hill is always easier if you have something else to occupy the mind, especially if that something else is something that pisses you off. So I suppose I should be grateful for a couple of e-mails received this afternoon, nothing major, not from anyone that I can imagine reads this log. Aggravated the hell out of me. Would love to respond in kind, but that rarely is productive. So I will just get over it.

Several irons in the fire right now --

-- Finalize Sprint Series rules for 2008.
-- Finalize Sprint Series staff and responsibilities for 2008.
-- Try and get a coach hired for the Team (may be tough).
-- Finish review of Team at WOC 2007.
-- Start annual review of Team Selection procedures for WOC.
-- Prepare for Team meeting at the US Champs in Virginia next month.

Would be nice to make progress on a lot of this this month.

And wouldn't it be nice if the powers that be made some progress on finding organizers for the 2008 Classic Champs, Middle Champs, and Relay Champs. And also deciding whether or not the proposed San Diego
A meet in the desert in January can apply for sanctioning or not. By all appearances, they don't care enough to do anything. But one can always hope.

C • I can relate--on that last ... 17

Real nice run with Phil, Robert Frost trail from Mill River to Depot Road and back, aka the Dean's trail. No sighting of any deans.

Legs were not too lively, but fortunately the pace was relaxed for most of the way, giving the opportunity for practicing the art of conversation, in particular practice at stretching a 5-minute story into one of 15 or 20 minutes, and in doing so, getting over a few hills without really noticing them.

Just after we turned back we could hear train whistles in the distance, and then a minute or two later train whistles somewhat closer. And since we had a track crossing coming up shortly, we picked up the pace, and made it across with what seemed like plenty of room to spare -- I was up the next slope, maybe a 20-second effort, when the Amtrack train came whipping past the crossing, but it sent a shiver down my back, thinking of the consequences of a fall while crossing -- the engineer having time only to think, "Oh, shit," as the train rounded the corner and he spotted someone on the tracks, and me being permanently AOWN.

Phil got a little antsy with what he claimed was my slow pace up the last hill, so of course I had to pass him back going down the other side, and then the pace just stayed high the last ten minutes. Such male foolishness.

38:07 out (8:56, 9:58, 7:18, 11:55), 34:10 back (11:06, 7:02, 8:59, 7:02).

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C • HH12 3

Not feeling too bad after the Boulder Dash -- very few scratches, no real soreness, hamstring is fine, no sticks in the eye, and O' skills are still intact, only complaint is I keep tweeking my right ankle, would be nice if it went away but it seems not to be, been bothering me on and off for about four months.

But no real reason not to sign up for the Highlander.

Lots of people had a hard time at the Boulder Dash. I don't think it was because of the accuracy of the map. I'd guess the main factors were the visibility in the terrain and the legibility of the map.

The visibility in the terrain was variable, but generally rather low, sometimes very low. The shakier your O' skills are and the less your confidence, the more this makes a difference.

And for some people, i think they just couldn't read the details on the map. So when the controls were in detailed areas, they just weren't getting an accurate sense of the lay of the land in the vicinity of the control.

As far as O' skills, and perhaps the lack thereof, I'd suggest giving some thought to what Spike put on his blog today, see the second part of his entry for October 1. If your control is on a boulder, and all you are looking for is a boulder (and not tuned in to the features around the boulder), you're just asking for trouble.

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