Training Log Archive: PG

Event: Canal Cities Challenge
 

Warm-up.

Buffalo A meet, middle, M21 blue, 5.8 km beeline.

M21 for the first time in a while. Not a bad run, though shaky on the first half-dozen or so, my mind just wasn't in it, and then OK the rest of the way. Not embarrassed by the result.... :-)

My course and my route.

C • 8-9, 12-13 2

Warm-up, legs felt tired.

Sprint, M65, brown, 2.4 km beeline.

Good run, pretty much a max effort (that doesn't mean max speed), pulse was 175 at the end which is as high as it gets these days. No mistakes, couldn't have gone any faster. Though I suppose if I ran it again rested and without a map for distraction, I could probably go a minute faster.

I think I also could stand to work a little on my punching.

Note -- A lovely production by the Buffalo crew, map, courses, results service, karma were all great.

My course and my route.

C • 3rd place 2

Middle Blue - Splits

Sprint - Course 2 - Splits

Into Amherst for coffee with the Amity hills regulars, plus Ali. Did once up the hill just to see how it felt on a bike (easier). Very pleasant hour sitting outside on a nice morning.

Ali is off tomorrow. Bon voyage!

We meanwhile are heading to Buffao via chez Jospe in Rochester. Last time we went to Buffalo was for a somewhat different reason.

And then home through the UMass campus. Time to get more of it mapped so we can do some more renegade orienteering (renegade O' = no controls, maybe streamers, maybe not, certainly no permission, also certainly lots of fun and very little organization burden).

Then there's Amherst College, Smith College, Mt. Holyoke College, Earl's trails, Look Park, Highland Park, Eaglebrook School.... I got a version of OCAD from JJ, now just need to put it to use.

C • Woo! 15

With Walter, over to Amherst, then a few hills. Seemed a struggle, but there were a few hills.

Amity hills with Dave. 5:56, 5:53, 5:33. Good effort on the last one, remembered to breathe. Did not remember the 305.

Now off for a walk in the hills with Mike.

Control count: 995/1000

Just about there.

Over to the Stillwater bridge (mile 6.8), then did the 16.6 miles of the D2R2 course (in 1:38:45), then hme via 116. Interesting experience.

Used my road bike. maybe half to 2/3 of the D2R2 part was dirt road, mostly decent dirt road. Bike wasn't too bad, main complaint was I'd want a different set-up with the brake grips with more leverage. My hands were getting pretty tired hanging onto the brakes as hard as I could, and if I was doing that for a bunch more hours....

Tires weren't too bad. Could have use a little more traction.

Main eye opener was that it was a lot of work to just average 10 miles an hour. :-(

Quite depleted. Took no water. Stop in Conway on the way back for a soda, but still dropped 5 pounds.

Maybe I should go ride the same section in my mountain bike, see how it compares.

Warm-up on the way to the start.

I'd been somewhat distressed to wake up Saturday morning with my left heel hurting a good bit and my right heel a little. The pain disappeared when running yesterday, but was back worse afterwards. No idea why it suddenly flared up. Took a couple of ibuprofen in the evening, then 4 more when I got up this morning. Was a little better this morning, but still limping when I walked, and then again, no problem running as the mind is engaged elsewhere. And now in the evening, they're a little sore, but not near as bad as last night. Would be nice if it mended as quickly as it appeared.

Well, today was a lot better. Actually did what I planned.

Day 2, 5.7 km straight-line, so just about the same length as yesterday but 9 and a half minutes faster. And yesterday I only had a couple of minutes of errors.

The plan was:

-- simplify the orienteering.
-- be very accurate with the compass.
-- don't stop so much out of caution, rather have confidence and keep moving.

Executed all three very well. Only problem was getting a little tired the last 15 minutes and feeling like I was slowing down, but there was also a little thinking along the lines of -- you've had a good/great run so far, don't blow it at the end.

I remember at about 30-35 minutes into the course looking at my watch and looking at what was left of the course, and thinking, wow, I'm going do this thing in 45 minutes today. It turned out I was a little optimistic, though I thing I could have been 47 with a little more aggressiveness at the end. But still just totally pleased. Did some really good orienteering.

I also enjoyed today's course more, not sure why, maybe it just suited me. Or maybe I was just reading the terrain better and so felt more comfortable. In any case, would gladly come back here again.

Some comments on my route, and then hopefully I'll get around to posting the map.

1. First test of the plan, Down the road, into the woods, cross the wall, down the hillside, and within 100 meters my brain was calling out for me to stop and check the map just to be sure. Took a lot of willpower, but I just kept running, and within another 30 meters I could see the root stock dead ahead. See, there was no need to stop. Just 10-15 seconds, but they add up fast.
2. Across the stream and up the hill. A little confused, but finally got in contact with the wall and up to the end of it. Compass from there, over the small knoll, no stops, spiked the control.
3. Across jumbled terrain. Saw one larger (i.e. 2-line) knoll midway, right on the route. Perfect compass again, one quick stop at the knoll, spiked the control.
4. Again, right on line, marsh, reentrant, diagonal hillside, reentrant, just one quick stop, spiked.
5. Again, right on line, up to the marsh, past a couple of small knolls on my left, angle up, spiked.
6. Out to the road, no stops and a good line, then picked up the wall and to the end of it. On the compass from there, not really bothering to read my way down to the marsh, or more precisely, couldn't really do it -- see at this point in life, my eyes are so good, and my brain doesn't process info so well, and what it does process it doesn't remember so well, which all together is why I have to stop more -- so just kept moving. Across the marsh, thought I was coming to the little knoll, went to the right a little but it was clear I was at the bigger one. Over it and the next one to my control in the saddle. Spiked, but a little nervous.
7. Missed it just a little to the right. 15 seconds?
8. Over to the hillside, then along the upper part of the hillside waiting for the two reentrants. The woods were a little scruffy, so couldn't get many good looks at the map without stopping, and didn't want to do that. Finally pulled up at the first reentrant, stopped for a careful look to confirm it had the right shape, then over to the next one. Spiked.
9. A good bit of the leg was just getting to the road, but I was determined to do it efficiently, and to come out where I wanted on the road. Used a couple of walls midway, then careful with the compass, hit the road, turned left, and there was the little house. Perfect. Turned off the road, over a couple of knolls, bigger wall, small wall, spike.
10. Out to the road again, and again trying to be efficient (i.e. keep a good line), perfect. Road, then small trail to wall, then compass to the control, a little hard to see but spiked. Started to slow down last third of the leg, maybe just being careful.
11. Out to the road again, then took the control easily using the walls. Lost my contact for distance vision just as I got there, but the rest was trivial.
12. And a decent finish, making sure I checked carefully to see that there was a #12.

All the above written without looking at the map.... :-)

My course and my route.

Day 2 - Green Y - Splits