Training Log Archive: Ari-o

Six intervals on the last day Memorial Drive is closed (open!) on Sundays. This works really well, to bad I've been pretty busy this fall and it's only a few hours on Sundays. Only a few close encounters with dogs/kids, but nothing too close. Negative splits, HR peaking in low 160s. (According to HRM at 202 on the warm-up, but I think that was a misread.)

Ski to Mem Drive for warm up. Cool down along Mem Drive and then to a Hubway to ride home in the dark. Hubway works okay with rollerskis, pole and boots, may use it next time to get out to the bike path now that the connection is open to the Hubway dock after construction. Save a T fare!

Let me tell you a story. Many (9!) years ago I had a plan to Climb Camel's Hump in Vermont. It involved running north from Lincoln Gap with my friend George. We'd made good time for the first 20-plus miles, until we encountered an injured hiker. We offered to help with the carry-out, which began around dark (7 p.m.) and continued all night. We begged off after the rescue had reached the summit of Burnt Rock Mountain, 1.25 miles to the south. It was after midnight. We'd moved 0.25 miles per hour. We then hiked down to the "wrong" side of the mountain, got rides to cars, and were in bed by some time around 4:30.

And I never made it to Camel's Hump. This weekend being Sock Sale weekend, I decided to try my luck again. After buying all the socks I convinced my parents they wanted to drive up to Camel's Hump and I'd run up the mountain and down by dark. The first two miles went well for that, but then it got icier, and I didn't have microspikes, but I was able to make it towards the summit. The last 0.3 miles were dicier, especially the first bit up from "the clearing" which was basically a luge track. I made it up grabbing branches and topped out in just over an hour, so I wasn't going to be back quite in time.

Going down was tougher on the ice, but I passed several parties who were going slower, and the headlamp was swell (300 lumens is enough to keep a stride running, it seems). Last miles ticked off fast and I was down in 2 hours even. We weren't even late for dinner!

The Traverse may not be at Blue Hills this year, but there's a map online which georeferences the trail map to Google Maps and shows you your location on the trail map!

We should probably send them an O map …

C • Sweet 2

Felt kind of blah this morning getting out of bed (could have been a couple of beers from the evening before) but then made it to hills and felt okay. Garmin took a second or two to get running, so I got to pass a bunch of people on the sprint down. A bit of a cramp there but ran through it and made good time up the hill. Would have needed negative splits from the top of the first hill on in to get a PR (one minute off) but not a bad run, on top of last month's decent run. Need to do some more hills!

5 bounds up the grassy hill. 10m each, not bad.

Squeezing in a run on a lovely day. Just around the river to Whole Paycheck, where whole chicken legs were on special for 79¢/lb! Also, kale and banana for my smoothie.

I'm up to 40 pull-ups a day in sets of 10. Started with 10 on September 10 and added one each day in September, 31 each day in October, 32 a day in November so far. But I think I am going to switch to 40s. I should probably go play on the rollerboard, so other core, and use the gym I have access to. As long as my VPN has some failure, I might have some time!

It turns out that stadium stairs on little food and less sleep aren't conducive to going fast or feeling good. Best I could do to keep from falling asleep mid-stride. Wondering if I'll ever sleep again …

Another rollerski up to Lexington before class. No Red Line issues, so it was a bit easier getting out and back. 1:50 door to door, 1:15 on the skis; not bad.

Easy run around the river at lunch. Things went downhill later. But not because running.

Didn't get to go do hill bounding at Prospect because I instead went on a bike ride in Eastie with the Boston City Council president (and others). Also, if you live in Boston, Michelle Wu is awesome.

Anyway, I had to go to the Apple Store to get my headphones replaced because my phone is out of warranty. I tore over running, with 14 minutes to make it. Even with stopping to yell at a driver who ran a stop sign and almost killed me, I made it in 14 minutes flat. I think I was moving, but I hadn't had time to wait for my Garmin to set up properwise.

Great success at the Apple Store! New headphones were no problem, but then I asked if they guy could tighten my ever-so-slighlty loose screen. He came back and said he couldn't, my phone was ever-so-slightly bent, but I should go home and back it up and he'd give me a new phone. So, 2 years in I get a brand new phone, new battery. Hooray!

Thanks, Obama.

Then I ran home via Beacon Hill, realizing I had bread rising (over-rising) and needed to boogie, so not too long of a run. Lights aren't on on Comm Ave yet, boo. There's 27m of relief from the Common to the top of Joy Street. So, yes, you could set an A climb on Beacon Hill.