Training Log Archive: PG

Pocumtuck Ridge, south end to Pine Nook Road and back. Rode this once a couple of years ago and it was bumpety-bumpety-bump, lots of roots and small racks. Right on the line between no big deal, and unpleasant. Funny enough, it hasn't changed.

Made all the ups but one.

And stopped on the way home to see Jim Henderson and go over courses planned for Paugusset (Saturday afternoon, weekend after the NAOC). Should be nice.

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And this is a little note I sent out to family regarding the state of things in Litchfield. I go there every week, but I have it very easy. It's the women doing the direct care that are the saints --



Just a few more thoughts.

Things are changing. She is getting weaker. One result is that she is no longer (or at least much less) pushing away help with respect to walking and feeding. The former, she was always pushing help away, wanted to walk on her own. Now she really needs help, and seems glad to have it. The latter, she used to really fight. This morning Jenn just started feeding her breakfast, one spoonful at a time, and she didn't object at all.

Angelo will put in a ramp this week. Walking may not be possible before long.

It's also getting harder to have conversations, and what conversations there are are much simpler, but it's important to keep trying.

There's no way of knowing what will come. The goal is to keep her safe, keep her clean, give her good nutrition, and keep her home. As I said last week, the staff right now is giving her excellent care.

One thing that hasn't changed — she seems happy, rarely complains about anything. That is a blessing.

C • Your Mom 4

Today's run (click on map for larger version) --

Warm-up. One way to make sure I warm up at least a little is to park a ways away from, and below, where I am planning on starting.

Blue course from day 2 at the 5-Day. Been to all the points before, of course, but had never run the course. Seemed just fine. Not sure I had all the best routes, but hit all the points pretty cleanly, just 10 or 20 meters off on a couple,

Cool day. sure glad I wasn't doing it when it was 90. I was croaking going up the hills anyway, even with just walking.

But excellent to get out and do this, good training.

And then back to the car, very nice, gently downhill.

Event 2 - Middle Blue - Splits

At Montague Plains (flat, sandy, a lot of scrub vegetation) and Willis Hill, the latter with lots of places to challenge my climbing skills.

Quite a fun ride. Not pre-determined route, just some exploring, and then when I got to the hill, did a bunch of little climbs that were right at, or above, my skill level. Tried one pitch three times, a little better each time but still not to the top. Had a good time doing it, and always managed to bail out reasonably gracefully.

Would be a fine place for a MBO event, but that would require a map....

Nice loop at Earl's Trails.

Stopped on the way to get new earphones for my iPod, a big improvement, then entertained first by a This American Life story about PI moms, nothing earth-shattering but makes an hour go by very quickly, and then a story from The Moth about a search for an American author in Morocco, just wonderful.

And the latter met one of the true tests of a good story -- either the run, or the drive if you're listening in a car, is over, but you just keep listening, doing nothing, because there's no way you can just turn it off.

C • I just listened to that Moth too 42

86-79-0-65.

Late afternoon ride on Mt. Toby, up North Mountain, over to and then down South Mountain. Not raining but everything was wet from rain earlier. Had to get off once, picked a bad line, close a couple other times but managed.

And trying to be careful going down, not too fast....

85-78-1-65 with Mike. A lot of fun. And an excellent psychological rescue, get myself from full meltdown status back to bright and cheery in 100 yards, using the simple but very effective question -- "How do you want to spend the rest of the day?"

Very pleased with myself. And the golf was good too, a lot of good shots, excellent company, just still can't putt. But that's pretty low on the list of possible life problems.

C • 10th hole? 2

Up the Healdsville trail on the north side of Okemo, supposed to be 1,900' climb and 3.0 miles. Last did this 6 or 7 years ago in 42+, how times have changed. Though this time I wasn't really putting out, lots of walking, plus it was post-golf instead of pre-golf. Maybe I'll have to try it again to see if I really have lost that much.

Everything was wet, so also being careful.

And back down, being very very careful to not do anything stupid given that everything was wet and slippery. Amazingly, no falls going up, none coming down, not even any on the golf course.

Dark by the time I got home, but just in time for a delicious dinner, co-production of Alex and Gail.