Training Log Archive: jtorranc

US Champs Blue Day 2 - a good race except for losing perhaps slightly over a minute on 3. I had dropped down into the north end of the depression below the control and somehow failed to notice the first reentrant on the east side of it as I ran along the edge of it counting reentrants. Naturally, I ended up heading uphill one reentrant south of the control and wasting time trying to make the terrain jibe with the map.

12th on the day - probably a fairly accurate reflection of my ability in kettle-moraine terrain on a good day. Plenty of scope for physical improvement over the winter but I think a big chunk of the gap to the leaders is accounted for by not reading the map enough in technical areas and having to micro-relocate or, alternatively, by slowing down to read the map - a major upgrade in map reading ability would also be a good idea.

Blue - Splits

Both US Championships and Quebec Championships. Current plan is the US Champs - the old maps just look too challenging to pass up.

US Champs Blue Day 1 - mostly less technical than expected with much trail running. Though not enough trail running to keep me out of trouble on the way to 9 - utter disaster in which I managed to drift west of my intended path while thinking I'd drifted east (rather similar to my big mistake in the Canadian Short Champs though in that case I thought I knew precisely where I was for the first few hundred meters after crossing the vague area). Here I ended up on single track trails that didn't seem to match anything on the map and then in the unmapped new logged area around the fourth control of day 2. Wasted a lot of time trying to decipher the trails before eventually pressing on south and relocating on the mapped logged area. Also messed up 11 and 12 for probably somewhat over a minute apiece and took a stupidly climb-intensive direct route from 15 to 16. A disappointing day.

Sprint race - fine but for taking way to long to correctly decide I was 30 or 40 meters downslope of 8 after not reading the map enough on my way over from 7.

Blue - Splits

Sprint - Splits

US Champs model event - running but not at normal O speed. No special problems though reading the leg from 7 to 8 was difficult what with the line to and control circle around 2 confusing things. Comparison to the same section of the old map made me very thankful for the update.

Loosening up before the US Champs - figured I'd better do something running-ish after nothing but cycling since the Ontario Champs.

Woke up with no apparent physical consequences of my accident the previous morning.

My first car accident as driver. On the way to the airport at about 5am this guy loses control of his vehicle for no readily apparent reason while passing me on Hwy 400, hitting my car on the driver's side and throwing me into one near skid from which I overcorrected and thence into a second one which I managed to bring under control without hitting the concrete dividing us from the northbound traffic or any other cars. Definitely raised my heart rate enough to log as level 5 but I'm stymied by the question of what activity to log it as. Missed my flight due to waiting for the police report to get finished. Will now have to face the paperwork to submit a claim for the Collision Damage protection provided by my VISA card.

I'll have to wait until morning to be sure no new and unusual aches manifest themselves but I don't appear to have sustained any damage - no excuses for the US Champs this weekend.

Eastern Canadians Day 3 - short course, very much a control picking exercise in an area with some very tough to run through open land in the first third of the course. Massive failure to be cautious enough and read vegetation properly on the first control. Tolerably good otherwise except for trying to run into 16 by following an indistinct boundary between white and light green woods and overshooting almost 100m to the next trail. Assumed someone would have done mid-thirties but apparently not - when I came back from a post-race hike with a friend, I was third with Hans winning in just over 40.