Training Log Archive: PG

Event: WCOC picnic and Sprints at Ratlum Mt
 

What a fine WCOC meeting today at Ratlum Mt.! First were two sprints on the awesome Ratlum Mt. terrain. Then a sumptuous spread, definitely worth 2 stars from Mr. Michelin, along with a wide variety of beverages of all types. Then some entertainment, including the welcoming of the new babies (the Grollman twins) into the club and the crowning of the Laurel King (JJ) and Laurel Queen (Marie).

And then finally the club meeting, run masterfully by President R. DeWitt. The fall schedule was filled out within 15 minutes, Treasurer Jim took about 30 seconds for his report, there was a brief discussion about our options to the northeast -- should we make a leveraged buyout offer for NEOC, or should we just wait until it implodes and swoop in and pick up the pieces, or should we just open up a WCOC Boston chapter. So many good choices! I believe the first step may simply be to show up at the NEOC meeting tomorrow with a bunch of WCOC membership applications.

And by now the meeting was clearly over, but there was still a lot of dessert to be dealt with, and stories to be told, and laughs to be had.

Such a fine club....

Thanks to Charlie and Rhonda once again for their wonderful hospitality.

Sprint #3 at Ratlum Mt., the shorter and easier of the 2 sprints -- 1.8 km. Did some running so that makes it a positive outing. Also found all the controls.

I'll put up the map, but probably not tonight.

Sprint #1 (I don't think #2 existed) -- 2.4 km. Did some more running, including some uphill, so that was positive. But also had trouble finding a couple of points. No big deal. Good to get out on a rainy day and the feet felt not so bad.

Sprint 1 - Splits

Sprint 3 - Splits

So the plan is that if I want to ride a century in about 5 weeks time, then I need to do a little training, which means some 20+ mile rides so I can survive the 30+ mile rides to prepare me for the 40+ mile rides to get ready for a couple of 50-60 mile rides so that on the weekend in question I can get a good long ways before my legs, or butt, or hands, or neck, or whatever, crap out on me and then, as Cristina would say, the ride really begins to suck. Or as I might say, you find out what you're made of.

It is clear that I am now in the easy part of the plan.

It is also clear that I better get to it, because the 5-week period includes a two-week break for weddings and other foolishness.

Hmmm, it seems also clear that the century may well suck. Can't wait!

Oh, and today, a nice ride, back roads in Deerfield, a couple short steep hills, and there was actually a little energy in the legs at the end. I attribute that to the couple sips of water I took along the way. :-)

C • Eight Centuries 3

C • will the century suck? 23

Another short jog. I wish the heels were better. Not taking any ibuprofen. They seem pretty good in the morning, but then by the end of a 3-hour walk they are a little sore. I could stop the walks, but what fun would that be.

Most definitely out of shape, but better to be doing something. The plan is to try to run 2 or 3 days a week so that maybe I'm just slightly less feeble at the North Americans. And then bike the other days. Today was planned for a run, plus it was raining, and I try to avoid biking in the rain.

Two 2's today on my walk and under 80, neither one common. Enjoy it while I can.

C • tutu's? 3

37 years ago today....

C • Congratulations!! 8

Quote of the day --

"I don't need no GPS, just give me a map."

-- Louis, the main man of the pair delivering a new washing machine today, very cool, very together, very black (not that that matters), and very pissed that they sent him off into "the mountains" (i.e. Sunderland and neighboring towns) with a really big truck, and no map, and some places where the big truck can't go because a bridge is out or an overpass is too low.

He checked in with the office as soon as he got here, he'd be out of here in 6 minutes he said, then we spent the next 10 minutes laughing about his adventures in the mountains. Wanted to offer him a beer and have him stay for a while, tell some stories, but he did have more deliveries to do. He sure seemed to know what he was doing.

And as for us, well, delivery was supposed to be between 3 and 5, after which we'd head out for the annual anniversary dinner someplace. No sign of anyone at 3, no sign of anyone at 4, about 5 a woman called, they're running late, will be there 5:45 to 6.

6:00, no sign of anyone, what can we do, the only sure way of having them show up is to start eating dinner, figuring they'll appear as soon as we sit down, so Gail throws together some leftovers (very excellent leftovers I should add), and we chow down. All done after a while, still no sign of them.

Plan B, call the store. Got the manager, seemed pleasant, he'd check, and just about then we heard the truck backing up the driveway, maybe 7:15 by then.

But Louis is so cool, how can you be pissed? And we have a new washing machine (not sure how many decades the old one had served). And we can always go out another night.

C • Washing machine 16

Supposed to rain later so figured I better get out in the morning since I'm definitely a fair-weather rider. Up in the hills just a little bit. Once again, just a modest effort, did want the legs to go wobbly.

After been severely chastised by Jeff for not carrying any water with me, and for sure 2 bottles and not just one, I cleaned up my act, at least partly. Carried one bottle. I suppose the next step is to actually drink some. (Or is the next step to carry two bottles, and then the next step after that to actually drink some? It's all so confusing....)

C • steps 9

Added my splits for the 5K time trial (done just slightly outside the recommended time window).

C • "done just slightly outside the recommended time window" 16

First training run in a couple of months. Not sure it was a good idea but maybe also not a bad idea. Heels were good this morning, but 4 hours on my feet in hilly terrain (and more time than I wished doing search and rescue in the woods) had them a little tender by the time of the run. The problem was that I was psychologically committed to doing it. Need to start someplace.

Short and flat, felt hard. Glad it wasn't a 5K, not sure I could have finished.

Well, the sequel is out. Big Muddy II. And it's quite different from its predecessor. Big Muddy I was all about entertainment, brilliant acting, fascinating characters. Big Muddy II, entertaining, well acted and charismatic as it is, also offers something rarely seen in this day and age -- real value.

Such as -- if you wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep, fire up the computer and start up Big Muddy II. You'll be old cold in no time....



Important disclaimer: No animals were harmed in the making of Big Muddy II. Anything dead was already dead.

C • resolution 3

Short and flat ride up the river and back, quite breezy, quite pleasant. At one point saw a turkey in the road ahead of me. It hopped up on the guard rail and stayed there, looking a little nervous, while I went by at most 10 feet away.

Jeff has got me interested in doing the Climb to the Clouds with him and Judy. Foolish? Perhaps, but certainly less foolish than doing the Greylock century again. And it would give me something to look forward as we approach the dog days of summer.

C • Required equipment for a century... 4

A trip out on the town to see Mid-August Lunch, a trifle, but a very pleasant trifle indeed. To quote from the Times review: "... a slender Chekhovian vignette about the joys and regrets of old age and the pleasures of sociability." Perhaps not such a trifle at all. We certainly enjoyed it.

And it reminded me that I was supposed to have a Chekhov story read to me in Oregon, but somehow it got forgotten about. Maybe it's still in the future. In the meantime, I think I should investigate the local library to see what they have of his. I don't think I've ever read any, and he is in my heritage.

Event: Gay City State Park
 

Event: US Team Official 5K time trial (the first of two trials in 2010)
 

Well, it seems I have suddenly become a major film star --



A higher-resolution version is at Barb's log.

The reviews are already coming in. This one is typical --

"A major step forward in the new "rogaine reality" genre. Brilliant. Two thumbs up, way up." -- Roger Ebert

Though there are always the exceptions --

"IMHO, it's pretty lame, FWIW" -- man on the street, possibly known as Randy.

And then from the comments on AP --

"Clearly Academy Award material in several categories, included best director, best cinematography, best actor, best original script, ... best actress ... too."

The sequel has already been shot and should be appearing soon.

NEOC local meet at Gay City, red course, 7.2 km. As usual recently, totally exhausted after about 5 minutes, dragged my ass around the course. No mistakes though. Warm and humid but no rain. Some rain would have been nice.

On the plus side, heels seem to be better. Not sure if good enough that I might actually have to start doing some training, horrible thought that that is....

The map and my route. No problems, except I'm walking (and not very briskly) every time the route isn't full green.

Red - Splits