Training Log Archive: Linear Ice

I was SO much hoping to do better in this event, after all the difficult terrain that I've been in this year. I know I haven't been fast, but I've gotten a lot better at reading maps and figuring out what's going on.
But once again I found myself with same old results.
Lots and lots of boulders to navigate around but I mostly tried to ignore them unless they were REALLY big and so that didn't seem to confuse me too much. There were some boulders that could qualify as an island if they had been in a swamp. Those I could find on the map.
I took a very safe route to 1, way out to the trail, just to avoid the "First Control BOOM". And that worked fine. So I had my First Control BOOM on the second control instead.
In retrospect, I think my biggest problems came when I simplified to "I'll just run to the trail on a bearing, keep general idea of where I am and then relocate". "General Idea" wasn't good enough. Of course, keeping right ON the map is also very slow for me so I'm not sure that would have given me a better time but I would have had a cleaner run.
Nonetheless, as always, I seemed to enjoy myself more than my results warrant. I guess that's why it's easy to keep coming back for more punishment. I took home 3rd medal (US) which was a gift and I still like having it even if it wasn't deserved.
Truly, it seems as if almost every event this year I have run in the 1:20s, so I was hopeful that I could do that for the LONG too.

Green-Y Middle - Splits

Event: US S/M/L Champs 2011 & WRE
 

Got off to a very slow start, I knew the scale was 1:5000 but things sure did appear quickly! and so I was over my hill already and thinking.... "what's wrong here?" and Ithought maybe I was inverting depressions into hills in my head. Put on the glasses. No. But after that things got better (how could they not!!) Never really got fast and made a couple of other mistakes so it was never a "sprint". BUT.... fun, good sprint location, lots of boulders and rock face, paths and green and buildings and fields. A few times things came together quite nicely (slower than I would like though)
There did seem to be an awful lot of people running the green course (men and women had same course). It was hard to try to concentrate on my map; especially since at times I was more confident in other people than in myself.... but I mostly resisted.
Looking at placement though, no way I could have caught up to peggyd's time even if I made no mistakes, and the next person came in within a minute of me (in the F50+) , so I will be grateful for the small class and 2nd place.
Lots more o-ing this weekend. YAY :)

Green Sprint - Splits

Event: MNOC - Tierneys Woods Adventure Run 2
 

Fun event and nice course. My mind was all set to look at the "big picture" before heading to controls. It helped me a lot to do that cause I could then more easily simplify.
Unfortunately, with so many people out tonight it's pretty impossible not to be influenced by the lights ahead and around me so although I didn't crash like last week, it wasn't so clear to me that it was because of better navigation.
On the plus side w all the folks- what a great turnout! These nightO adventure runs are a big hit.

Adv Run #2 - Splits

Lesson 3 of 22

This week, we covered last week again. About half the class didn't show up last week-possibly they thought the slight drizzle meant they should stay away but the weather is bound to get worse before it gets better!

We also worked on some new things.
Swinging on one leg at a time, pushing down hard with the leg on the swing (simulated kick). Then, actually taking a little jump on that one foot up the hill. Switch and do with other leg.
Then use the same motion but jump up the hill in more of a two legged skiing motion (more normal, in other words but trying to preserve the feeling of the push with the back leg and the swinging of the forward moving leg.)
Then same thing with poles, noticing that our strides get longer when we use the poles (and concentrate on long pole strides behind the butt)

Then, we worked on double poling technique... scrunch the body and extend up with lower abs and glutes. (without poles, just standing).
Then use same motion to use the poles to jump up the hill.

I think that was about it.

My friend and colleague is letting me borrow that contraption to turn your bike into a stationary bike. He has a fully programmable one so he won't miss this one for a while. So I am trying it out- not quite like real biking but better than sitting on a couch.

Space monkey and pwentz3l helped me to show Rachael the Mississippi down by the Ft Snelling area. We ran both sides of the river, saw the Minnehaha Falls, ran along the banks on the flat rocks, through dog park and back. Space monkey showed us the best routes,involving scaling huge drainage structures, where Pete was nice and helped me up , also some climbing over fences and scaling up steep sections.
The time went fast though. Liked Raechel and her stories and experiences were interesting and fun. Ended w meal at Highland diner w pumpkin ice cream.