Training Log Archive: TomN

A morning run in intermittent rain. It was 58 degrees, and the rain was not unpleasant.

Biking to work. I dawdled at home waiting for the temperature to go up, but it didn't, so I left home at 9 a.m. still at 36 deg. F.

I'm going to have to augment the clothing system. I was good down to 39, but those extra 3 degrees were killer. Warmer gloves, socks, and hat to start with, and I think I have to do something to get my legs a little warmer. Seems like an extra layer just over the front of the thighs would do it, but I don't know exactly how to make that happen.

An easy run on a pleasant day. I went out a little after noon, and I was going to run longer but I got hit by the bonks. Which is weird, because that almost never happens to me under normal circumstances. Slowed down and ran through it. Barker St.-Pennydog Lane.

Neighborhood run, 40 deg. and partly sunny. Some wind this morning.

Bethesda Turkey Chase. I started in the 3rd wave with Ted. Among QOC'ers, Nadim, Ted, Howie, and I finished within a minute of each other. Nearly 9,000 entrants, including the 2-milers.

I paced this race well. I knew where I was even without the mile signs. I started passing people on the long home stretch up Old Georgetown Rd, running strong for for the last 2 miles straight to the finish. Happy with the time, half a minute better than my last 10k in October.

Turns out I was second in the 60-64 age group (out of 92), which puts me in the money. A little lucky, because my time wouldn't have made it into the top 4 last year. But on the bright side, it leaves me with a little margin for placing next year in 65-69.

MALE AGE GROUP: 60 - 64 (Net Time)
1 524 Paul Gaske 62 44:57
2 1175 Tom Nolan 64 46:28
3 388 Kelvin Dowd 60 46:38

Same 4-mile loop, noontime, 39 degrees and windy, but not as wild as yesterday. It was trash day today, and our street was cluttered with roving trash cans and lids. I sorted them out, but that may only be temporary.

Noontime run, sunny and 60s, but it seems like we won't have this kind of weather again for a while.

Noontime run at GSFC, temp in the mid-60s. Same route as Wednesday, and the same time, within a few seconds. That's weird.

Biking to work. Low 40s when I started, into the 50s by the end. I stopped at the 38th St. park and took off buff, gloves, and long-sleeve shirt. Starting in the middle of September, I've ridden twice a week, except for 2 weeks in October, for 9 weeks total, 200 miles.

Perimeter road plus antenna range.

Biking to work. Temp in upper 40s, cloudy. The roads were wet from earlier rain, but no slipperiness that I noticed. I took it easy on the Sligo Creek trail, hopped on to the Parkway for a little while between Piney Branch and the Adventist Hospital, hardly any traffic there. Picked up the pace on the Anacostia, stopped at 38th St. to take off hat and gloves. From Berwyn Rd, took the underpass under Greenbelt Road, through the Dunkin Donuts parking lot.

Susquehanna Stumble, hosted by QOC at Prince William Forest. I chose the Short Stumble, because I really didn't want the total body wreckage that would come from running a 15k mass start event, and also I figured I could place pretty well in the short.

And that last part was certainly right, I came in second, 10 min behind Chris Gross and 8 min ahead of Rick Oliver. But here's the deal, this wasn't really orienteering. I hardly navigated at all, just an occasional check to see which window control we were going to, and I was invariably surprised to see the control coming up so soon.

I mostly followed Ted and Vido, both running Long. At one point I was following Ted so closely I spiked him on the calf when I stumbled trying to avoid a fat greenbriar strung low between the trees. I stopped to check with him and he emerged apparently unhurt, but it was bad form and I am sorry about it.

When Ted split off to the left going to 14 I went up the trail with Vido, but we managed to make a bad attack and lost the spur with the control on it. Then I did some actual navigation, and we found the right one together, about 4 min lost. Also navigating to 15 and 16, and then solo to the finish.

I ran well, probably nearly 10k total distance with a fair amount of elevation gain. I felt strong the whole way through to the finish. But there's no way I can navigate on my own at that speed. I've occasionally done it in easier terrain, but not in this kind of complexity. This was mostly running, not orienteering.

Short - Splits

In an odd coincidence, both my daughters were playing in the same Ultimate Frisbee tournament in New Jersey this weekend. In fact, their teams played against each other. So we went to the tournament for a day, to watch them play, and to wish Mei-An a happy birthday.

Biking to work. The center was closed but since Florence was coming in and I could get a ride home, I came in too. This was my fastest trip by far. I picked up 10 min by riding on the road instead of the trail on Sligo Creek Parkway (not much traffic), and 10 min by coming in the main gate via Goodluck Road and Cipriano Road (because the back gate was closed). It's 2 miles shorter this way, but not very pleasant on Goodluck Road. It was a really nice day, 50 when I started and almost 60 by the time I got in. Breezy but mostly from behind.

Goddard perimeter road. Sunny and 50s.

Early this morning I figured I'd just sleep for 4 years. Unfortunately, I don't seem to be able to.

Early run, 34 degrees at 7 a.m. Maybe a little overdressed, but hey, it takes a while to get used to this. By 10 a.m. when I went to vote, it was up to like 60. No armed militias outside the polling place, so I guess they've decided to let the election rigging proceed uncontested, at least in Maryland, which, according to the polls, is the most pro-Clinton state in the country.

Biking to work. It was 40 degrees when I left home. Tech-T, thin long-sleeve, bike jacket, buff, gloves, tights. Pretty well equipped, and comfortable all the way through, although I was not pushing the pace. I thought about taking off a layer, and I would have, if I had wanted to push harder. Still, I saw at least one runner in shorts and T-shirt, and also (in the second hour) a cyclist in shorts and jacket but no gloves. OK, my gear was versatile.

The advanced course at Great Falls. We had an unusual level of difficulty getting this course approved, in a park where the approval difficulty was already nearly maxed out. Less than a week before the event, the NPS took out a number of our control locations, and insisted on the following rules for the remaining controls: (1) all competitors shall travel on a straight line between checkpoints; (2) competitors shall use trails wherever possible; and (3) competitors shall cross streams only at bridges. Needless to say, these are inherently mutually exclusive choices.

The resulting course was odd-looking, but pretty good. There was route choice, and variety among the legs. If you ignored the rules (and you had to ignore at least 2 of them at any one time), it was good orienteering. Not the maximum difficulty the park has to offer, but good running in great woods.

Advanced - Splits

Goddard perimeter road at noontime, right around 60 deg. and sunny, with a little breeze. I don't get it. It sure didn't feel that fast.

Riding to work on an incredibly fine morning, partly cloudy and 60 deg. when I started and warming up during the ride. It was a pretty fast time today, including a couple minutes taking off my long-sleeve shirt. Felt so much better than on Tuesday, and 10 min. faster.

Goddard perimeter road. Wow, mid-70s and full sun.

Biking to work. Overcast and mid-40s. It felt cool at the start, and I never really warmed up. Maybe could have used a hat and gloves, but it wasn't painful. I was pretty slow, never feeling like pushing the pace, and all but one of the traffic lights were against me. One nice thing about the cloudy skies though, it's a lot easier to see, particularly on the SE leg of the trip. Route.