Training Log Archive: jtorranc

Long hot run in Rock Creek Park. Took Mike Smith's advice to practice running with a Camelbak - just as well since this would hardly have been survivable without it. Starting from near Pierce Mill, I took the Valley Trail north to the Pinehurst loop then came back south around Fort DeRussey, down to the creek, up again past the stables, north to Pierce Mill again, north along the creek back to Park Police station then south back along the Valley trail - about as much distance as can be wrung from the area without much repetition of the same trail segments. Having drunk about a liter of water before heading out, I downed two liters from the Camelbak while running and a liter of Gookinaid plus eating some watermelon when I got home - it scares me that this didn't have me leaking water like a sieve for the rest of the day. Will have to refrain in future from doing this in sleeveless tops - I managed to rub the insides of my upper arms not raw but quite irritated - or invest in some Bodyglide.

Rather struck by the fact that many of the world elite who follow the high volume training philosophy basically do this much exercise every day all winter. Admittedly while risking frostbite rather than heatstroke and often with a fair bit of it lower impact skiing but I'm quite impressed.

Basic errand running on an otherwise rest day - headed out to Potomac River Running to spend the gift certificate I won in a trail race back in March and went to see a Sam Peckinpah film, "Major Dundee", at the AFI. Great Mexican scenery.

Finally did a pass through the George Mason University campus which we tentatively plan on mapping (no fixed schedule; all I've done to date is trace buildings and roads from county maps in OCAD). Having now seen it, it should make an interesting contrast with our map of the UMD campus - where the latter is mostly wide open, this one is largely forested and the forest is usually thick tending towards impenetrable, i.e. there should be lots of route choice deciding what the best way around and very occasionally through the blocks of forest will be.

MCRRC Gaithersburg Cross Country 5K - 7pm and very close to Shady Grove Metro.

Foolishly trusted Metrobus to get me out to Shady Grove on schedule. Though they might have if there hadn't been construction narrowing Veirs Mill Road down to 1 westbound lane. This left me running to arrive at registration for the MCRRC Gaithersburg X-Country 5K about 3 minutes before start time. Which turned out to be just enough.

The aforementioned race. Barely X-country - the race took place all but entirely on mowed grass. Fairly hot and very humid so undoubtedly good training for pushing myself in similar conditions in Japan. I imagine I could have done slightly better without the excessive warmup. Also if my hamstrings, the left in particular, hadn't been feeling fragile going in. Though the warmup likely helped with that.

Tim Good managed to show up even later than I did, missing the start by about a minute and still putting in a respectable time slightly under 22 minutes.

Stuck to cycling, an occasional rest from running being a good thing in general plus my left hamstring feeling not quite right seems like a good reason to avoid using it heavily for a couple of days.

Morning run in through Rock Creek Park - some mud in places, one noticeable new tree down and a new lot of flotsam along the edges of the creek.

Run home through Rock Creek Park at a somewhat easier pace. Different route with some rather more impressively big trees down due to the thunderstorm the night before.

Normal commute - thankfully the thunderstorms held off.

To atone for my wussiness last Friday, I busied myself with household chores until the thunderstorm hit, then went out and did my workout - strides, silly walks, bounding and leaping. Wet grass/mud forming and poor visibility through the rain made the strides extra-relevant to terrain running. Though next time I think I'll arrange things so I'm not doing these facing the oncoming headlights on the same side of the street I was running along - there's such a thing as excessively good practice for being unable to see precisely what you're about to step on.