Training Log Archive: RJM

market in, crosby back. not pushing

tp both ways. intervals on return. Felt decent

5x2min pushes, 1 min recovery

TP for return

North Chagrin score course. Barely got there before starts were finished, didn't prep well. 85 and humid. Navigation better than last time, but once again I pooped out at about an hour and really couldn't manage anything but a dogtrot. Circled an incorrect location for one control, which cost time, as did the 'chimney' control, which other people saw fine, but I was standing on the ruins and never saw chimney or control - that took perhaps 8 minutes total for those two.

It is obvious that the peculiar (and mostly unplanned) change in training I've done this summer does not prepare me for O. Dropping to 2 days or so of running a week, and not doing 1-2 long weekend workouts is what I think I wound up doing. Commuting to school (bike or foot) became almost my only reliable workouts, and they are monotonous in amount (20-30 min each way) and except for some intervals, intensity. I think the problems are: First, I'm not doing any O training (having only one car and waiting for the house to sell ensured that). Second, I have not defended my long weekend workouts. Spending weekends on the new house has been nice in some ways, but it seems clear to me that doing some sustained effort for over 1.2 hours is an important element for me to do O events that last 1-2 hr. Third, increasing effort on research has been satisfying, but leaves even less time for workouts (including the early morning writing on weekends which makes it hard to find time to workout). There is a definite tradeoff here - i'm happy with research productivity for the first time in a while, but it's come at this cost.
I don't feel like I'm in terrible shape for a 5k, but that's not the goal. I don't know if I can find time for the right training, but if I don't, I'll have to become satisfied with my current level of performance. This may also tell me what I need to do if instead I want to go to the next level - I had always assumed that my physical shape was my asset, and navigation was a holding me back. But though I still have serious navigational weaknesses, being in better shape than normal would probably also help, and may be more achievable given my constraints on training. First, I need to get into good enough shape that I don't have to resort to a dogtrot after an hour in the heat. Then I probably need to do enough training for a 10k or half marathon (will my knees take that?) to have the horses I will need to do more than maintain training pace in o races. I need to find a way to balance all these better than I have.