Training Log Archive: Ari-o

Run over to Allston for my first 5k ever.

Saw a guy running up the onramp towards the toll plaza on to the westbound Turnpike. Uh …

So, the 5k. Weather eerily reminiscent of last spring's marathon debacle: cool, dry, breezy, and very sunny. I did some strides before and lined up in the 5th or 6th row and realized I'd probably want to move up. Tied shoes, gun went off, and I burned some matches getting a better position.

I felt good for the first uphill mile and worked my way in to maybe 7th place, running a 5:47 split even uphill and into the wind. My legs were not exactly fresh after yesterday's "fun" though, and didn't respond to more power. I didn't have the ability to put the hammer down and got passed by a pack and didn't keep up with them. Sub 6 all the way, but I should have dramatically neg-split the last downhill (downhill, with the wind) but didn't. A bit of a kick down Brighton Ave but not nearly enough to break 18.

Well, there's always next time. Without 4 hours of orienteering the day before. Even still, that's a vdot of 55 exclusive of the climb, which would predict a 2:55 marathon. Throw in the attackpoint-calculated climb metric, it would be 2:48. So, okay.

Run home, with food and beer. Not fast.

Jog to the start after a drive up with Carol. This went well …

Orienteering did not go well today. Other than the Billygoat (mostly following) and two park-o races, I haven't orienteered since last year. It showed. I immediately flubbed #1, circling by the wrong control twice before stumbling in to the right one. 2 went better: made a plan and stuck to it, and I thought about doing the same thing for 3, then didn't, wound up losing and regaining contact far from where I should have been and bumbling to the control. 4 I overran to a trail, got caught, then turned the wrong way having been pulled by the terrain (compass skills not on display today).

5 I took what would have been a good route if not for the trail being overgrown and me having to duck under dozens of bushes. 6 was okay. 7 I went around the hill and found the control okay. 8 went pretty well. I was sort of remembering how to orienteer.

Then 9. I had a good plan: cross the first trail, right on the second, if I knew where I was, attack, otherwise follow trails to attack. I didn't know where I was, and proceeded to then turn on the trail and run towards the control, taking a right and then—an uphill? Another trail? I finally reconned off a swamp and a cliff and was half a mile in the wrong direction.

Then I went to find 9. By this time Ross et al were coming by. Thierry was probably done. (1:25 on this terrain is most impressive. Just, wow.)

Then a long leg. I didn't trust myself enough to take a northern option (an early non-trail section, less climb, decent catching features and landmarks) which would have made sense. I went south instead, then truned on the wrong trail over by 14, had a long run down the hill, then a long run up it. 39 minutes, and mostly I knew where I was, but I was getting tired and 3 miles and 200m of climb didn't help. 11 was mostly okay, and I made a plan for 12. Then I misread a trail (the 1:15000 scale doesn't help), went in a circle and found a different trail to 12, which I executed cleanly once I was on the trail.

Run to 13 was fine, but tiring. I found the swamp, looked for the rocky hilltop, and wandered for a while, finally finding more rocks, and a different rocky hilltop (or maybe the same one). 14 was dandy. 15 was pretty okay (control was well hidden) and 16 I made a good plan, muffed it, then stumbled upon the control.

17 I overran the trail junction I was going to attack. 18 and 19 were spectator controls. 20, 21, and 22 I slowly orienteered, but orienteered well. I was finally remembering how to do this. It took too long. There is something to be said for training, I guess.

At the end, I said I had way too much fun, in that I had the right amount of fun per hour, but spent way too long out there.

Long - Blue (WRE) - Splits

Decided not to go too hard with a long on Saturday and a 5k on Sunday, so as not to trash my legs. Pretty easy on the downhills, pushing hard for the section between the second and third roads, bounding the grassy hill.

And 10 box jumps each go-round. Fun after bounding.

Quick jog around the river while food was roasting to check out the legs. They work.

I think I'll go for a run.

My legs were not recovered. It was a short run.