Training Log Archive: PG

Headlines from Bear Brook:

1. Gail won F65, coming from 9 minutes behind Sharon to trounce her quite convincingly, both on the day and overall. So that's the main news. :-)

2. So then we're walking back to the car, and we pass by Spike and Mary, and chat a bit, and at some point Mary expresses admiration for Gail's ability to do a plank for 2 minutes and 40 seconds.

Well, admiration and perhaps a bit of doubt, and the next thing Mary asks is can I take a video of Gail doing such a lengthy plank so Mary can show it to a friend.

And I think, wouldn't it be easier to do a demonstration right now?

Gail, flush (giddy?) from her triumph (and rightfully so), is game. Mary, claiming to be able to do a minute at most, is also game. And Alex, sitting in the next car has never let a core workout pass by without participating, also joins the party. A moment later the ladies -- three generations of them -- are down on the ground, in position, and the clocks are started.

Spike and I (and others?) provide both the professional timing and some entertainment.

A minute goes by and Mary is done. But Gail and Alex are showing no stress.

Two minutes and still no stress. Two forty and Gail says her arms are starting to tremble a little, but still no apparent stress.

Three minutes and we call them off, no need to go on forever, it's a PR for Gail, and under the Russian pole vaulters' model, no pointing in improving a PR too much at any one time. But clearly 5 minutes is possible, given the right entertainment.

And best of all, Spike whipped out his fancy phone and we have photographic evidence.

It was mighty fine.

C • Finale 4

Such a fine weekend at the Boulder Dash. A few notes to remind myself if I happen to look at this sometime in the future --

Dinner Friday evening at the Republic Cafe (no complaints) with Charlie and Dennis and George and Lyn and Peter Grobe and Chuck Spaulding from BAOC. Lots of good conversation including finding out that Peter used to teach at SPS, and Chuck was an IT good samaritan for the Red Cross, traveling off to disaster areas to set of IT operations for the RC. Been to NY after Irene, and NJ Jersey after Sandy, and just recently to Colorado after the floods.

Another of the cast of old folks in this sport that one would have great admiration for if one had any sense.

Dinner Saturday evening at a Mexican place, a reunion of the Gang of 5 (Phil, Ali, Alex, Gail, me), plus Barb and Dave, and Katia and Giovanni, and Anna, and Brendan. Brought back a lot of good memories.

Wonderful weather as the icing on the cake, topping off 2 days of O' organized flawlessly by UNO.

A bunch of good conversations scattered here and there. One of the results of running a short course is that a lot more time is spent talking than orienteering. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Hmm, let's see -- Kissy and Peggy and Kristin and Linda and Mary Jo and Janet and Sandy and Kseniya and, hmm, so far they're all female, :-), and Tony and Dennis and various other guys, but I don't remember them so well, oh but there was John Rgers and Beth showing up again in the east, and a bunch of others, and then finished up by the ladies and their planking demonstration. Just really had a good time. Thanks UNO.

Day 2 at Bear Brook. Strange "run."

I suppose my only mistake was at #3, follower Rick Worner (why? I rarely find it smart to follow someone) more or less as I plodded up the hill, and arrived at another control, on a knoll. Figured out rather easily where I was so little damage.

What was strange --

1. It is getting harder and harder to read the map, even when standing still in good light. Of course it is getting harder and harder to read street signs too. I think it's time to look at magnifiers. Couldn't tell what was happening around #1, or in the vicinity of #4, for example, but at those places, like elsewhere, I could usually see how the control lay in relation to something, just not in relation to everything. So I could still find them, but it was like playing the game with some of your skills turned off.

2. I really spiked a couple of controls, meaning I was on a line to be able to actually touch the control, not just see it. Like #8, a little over 200 meters on the compass from a little clearing on the main trail. Hit it absolutely dead center. And then to #9, both satisfying and frustrating. Crossed the stone wall just before the high ground with the yellow rides, and then nothing made sense. Couldn't get a handle on the contours, nor the rides, nor the green. So just kept going NE. And everything seemed thick. Seemed to take forever. And then at some point I felt like I was a little too far left, so I adjusted slightly to the right. And then shortly thereafter there was the stone wall, and just beyond it there was my control, absolutely dead straight ahead of me. And I really had not much of an idea where I was. And surprised to find I had the best split there, felt like I'd wasted at least a minute or two.

3. Boy, a lot of really big mistakes out there today. Was it that hard? I remember talking to someone before we went out and suggesting that the area with all the yellow rides was really like having two maps in one -- the normal map with contours and rocks and green and blue, and then one with all the rides, which sort of drowned out the first map. And how I thought it might be important not to let that happen, to force yourself to look at the underlying contours especially. I know I found the rides confusing and hard to keep track of, and I felt like I was using them rather minimally, and probably much less than others?

But still a good run, well much more walking today than yesterday. Time was much slower, but the woods were much scruffier. So I guess the result was about what it should be.

C • Two maps in one 2

Day 2 - Brown X - Splits

Event: UNO Boulder Dash
 

Sitting at the Board meeting. Why, you might ask. Well, Clem said he would bring beer. Which he did, but only for himself. Bummer.... :-)

So far the Board has approved something to do with Trail-O protests. And discussed dogs at A meets. And maybe voted on that, but maybe not, because I wasn't really paying attention, and neither was Clem. But Jon Torrance seems to think they approved the proposal (for no dogs). So maybe they did.

And now they are talking about more rules stuff, and sort of trying to approve them quickly, but people keep asking questions, so it is dragging on. And there are three people on a phone connection, and that is a bit awkward and slows things down some too.

So far I'd give the meeting a C at best -- nothing juicy for the cynics, and no dealing with anything of significance for the fans.

C • Team meeting 3

Dispatch #2 from the Board meeting.

Clem tells me I should be Tweeting this. And I do have a Twitter account. But I haven't tweeted for a few months, and my followers could be counted on one hand, so that all seems silly. This is all you get.

So by now the Board has passed a couple more rules, something about control codes, maybe something about map scales, also something about Senior Team team trials.

End of that. Time is 4:38 (meeting started at 4:00).

Next item -- calendar of future meetings of the Board and a possible AGM in Colorado next summer at the Classic Champs. Other Board meetings -- January in Georgia, Cincinnati or DVOA in April, and Rochester in October.

Next item -- fees for "supporting" members, which I gather is the term for businesses.

But I'm losing interest.... zzzzzzzzzzzzz

And anyway, Barb is tweeting all this stuff, and she is much more together than I am.

C • control codes 25

Day 1 at the Classic Nationals (?) at Bear Brook. A fine run/walk. The only possible conclusion to draw is that no training is the way to go.

Beautiful day. Woods were less trashy than I expected. Course (by Ernst Linder) was excellent. Not much in the way of mistakes, maybe total a minute, and ran a reasonable amount. Tomorrow I'll expect I'll walk a good bit more. But in the meantime, enjoy today.

Day 1 - Brown X - Splits

Seemed like an appropriate way to celebrate the day.

And ordered a replacement for the old Subaru too.

C • Indeed, Happy Birthday.... ... 25