Training Log Archive: Ari-o

So this is really bad, guys.

My thesis is due May 17. I am having major Boston FOMO without a qualifier. And NY is far too late to qualify for next year. (There's a very slight chance that with the new standards Boston doesn't fill up and they keep reg open, but that's not very likely, plus it would probably fill after Chicago and the rest of October anyway.)

I don't want to run a marathon before thesis o'clock. Also, the two weekends before are Billygoat and Sisters. So that ain't happening. The weekend after thesis is Sugarloaf or Martha's Vineyard. MVY is logistically hard: get to the island, find somewhere to stay. Sugarloaf is logistically easy: drive up to camp, drive to the bus. Except Sugarloaf is sold out.

But they have a wait list. So I put my name on the wait list, since it showed that there were <2000 people (their limit) signed up. My name immediately cleared. I have two days to pull the trigger (or, theoretically, churn the wait list). But eff it, why not. I'll probably be up there anyway, why not destroy my legs while I'm at it?

Training-wise, well, I only need a 3:05 (or more like a 3:03, and the last time I ran that slow I was dead). I ran 50 miles last week (albeit not all on roads) but as long as I can throw in a couple of 20 mile runs in the next few weeks I should be okay. The worst that happens is I make a donation to Sugarloaf, or whoever runs the race.

I'm a moron.

C • Vermont City in Burlington 2

Out, late in the afternoon, for a long run of unspecified length but definitely L1. Second mile was 7:13. So I dialed back other than sprinting for lights. Around Fresh Pond, and then around it another time, and then across FPP between the rotaries. A woman had fainted there, but there were several bystanders and one appeared to be a medical professional by the way she was ordering people around, so I kept on. Down towards Kendall, then back along the river. Half. A bit slower than when I ran a half this fall. But 65 and sunny; drained a water bottle but felt fine.

Quick jog out and about and across a bunch of bridges and to TJs.

Skipped cold, rainy NP, got to go on warm, windy run with my sister, who was doing her last workout before the marathon. Which, it turns out, is looking cool and nice, of course. 10 min @ 7:30s (so I can mostly stay in L1), but I only ran part of the last one in time to get home for class (well for a shower then for class). But that was fine; I wound up finding pizza on the way to class so now I am fed and the class hero.

The T dropped a train off the tracks this morning, and I had a good idea of where it happened, and went to see them replacing the tracks. Ran over, a bit longer than I'd thought, took some photos, ran home.

Rain held off, so off to orienteer in Dover. Saw an Alex in the parking lot, and she convinced me to warm up with an orange, and then do the red. Makes sense, since I haven't played this since Billygoat times.

Orange was by no means perfect, and my legs definitely felt the miles, but I had pretty good map contact. Made a mistake to 6 (there was a poorly-mapped vernal pool involved) but otherwise ran okay, kept in contact. Another mistake in to 9 where I picked up the wrong trail and took a long route.

The red wasn't much longer than the orange, or really much harder. Alex had informed me she was running the green, but I hadn't driven to friggin' Dover to run a green. Went out right behind Alex and Keegan. Ran well to 1, then got cute to 2 going right of the reservoir and was rewarded with a mucky area and wide stream to cross. Nowhere to jump, so I got my feet wet, and then had a decent attack up to 2 (but this was a bad route choice).

Contoured to 3 and went left to 4, finding it better this time. Back to 5 I saw Keegan and Alex on the trail, and then realized that I hadn't properly tied my Alex knots (I hadn't locked them right) and they were coming loose. So, stop to tie shoes. About 30s per Strava. Spiked 6, though (yay, using terrain) and the next few were pretty easy to attack off of terrain. Trail to 9, not a good attack but actually was right at the control, and similar and 10 and 11. Nice when the map lines up to what is in your head.

Then off to 12 I wanted to go around, because my legs were not in hill-climbing shape. But then I took the wrong trail and was resigned to going up over the hill anyway. Ran to 13 on the right trail, and in to the finish. Lost to Ethan by 40s and Keegan by a lot. But didn't get terribly lost or discouraged, so that's good for the first O of the year!

Orange - Splits

Red - Splits