Training Log Archive: BorisGr

Event: QOC Hemlock Overlook
 

Today was the fall training day for the Mid-Atlantic Junior Regional Team.

With the help of guest coach Alex, I think the day was a success. We had six juniors, including Kirsten, who traveled all the way from PA to attend.

The first part of the AM training was a control pick, to get the juniors thinking about map reading, control exit angles, and get them used to the map. We met up at the end of the control pick and split up into two groups. In each group, people took turns leading a leg and talking out loud about what they were doing for that leg. I was impressed with how well my orienteered and thought about route selection and execution.

After a short break, the juniors went and ran their courses at the regular QOC meet. I asked them to run courses that would take them under an hour, and to try to run those courses at racing speed. As a result, our juniors had the top two results on yellow and the top two on orange. It is good for them to sometimes run their age classes and practice orienteering at speed, rather than always running up and just trying to complete their courses.

This was followed by lunch and a discussion about the courses.

After a short break, we explained the next exercise and sent the juniors back out into the woods. This was a handrail and attack point training. Each leg was meant to be run along a fairly solid handrail (or combination of handrails) to a distinct attack point, where a control was hanging. From there, the goal was to be very precise with the attack to the actual control, which only had a streamer.

Alex and I went out into the woods and spent some time watching the juniors before picking up some flags.

We finished up with a debrief of what went well and what didn't, as well as a discussion of takeaways from the training day.

It was so much fun to work with this great group of enthusiastic and talented juniors with great attitudes!! And a huge thank you to everyone who helped: coach Alex, lunch supervisor Alli, control collector Vido, control hangers Kevin and Hannah, and all the parents who lent me their kids for the day.

C • Great stuff 1

C • Definitely agree that it's ... 1

Event: QOC Hemlock Night-O
 

This week's test run was the QOC Night-O at Hemlock Overlook.

With the excellent help of Alex, Kevin, and Hannah, Alli and I spent the morning putting out streamers for my junior training and water for Alli's white and yellow courses. After some food and games at K&H's, all but Alli headed back out to Hemlock Overlook to run the short advanced course at the night-O.

My run went fairly well. It was a lot of fun running through the woods at night, finding controls. I ran well for about 20 minutes, and was only 30 seconds down on Kevin at that point. After that I started to get tired, and was hesitant attacking a couple of controls on vague hillsides before completely losing it on my attack to the last control. I climbed up out of the trail and did not understand the contours. First turned the wrong way to relocate, and then finally came back, losing 2 minutes.

Afterwards we walked the scare-O that was organized by Kathleen Lennon. It was really fun, and the kids and adults (and canines) planted along the course to scare orienteers did an excellent job!

Short Advanced - Splits

Morning elliptical with my friend Marty. Taking a day off from PT, I think, as I am feeling a bit run-down.

I've been quietly trying to get a handle on my weight since it ballooned to 196 pounds due to inactivity post-surgery. I am down to 185 this week, which is definite progress. Would be nice to get to 180 by the end of the year, and ideally 175 next spring.

C • Marty 21

Elliptical at work.

Morning elliptical intervals, 4x4 minutes.

A nearly full set at home, with Barney's help.

I ran on the treadmill during my PT appointment while Robert filmed me.

PT appointment with Robert. We looked at the film of me running on the treadmill. We both agreed that it looked better than the previous time, four weeks ago. Still a long way to go, but at least the trend is positive. I will test out running 1-2 times a week for the next couple of weeks to see how the body reacts.

Elliptical in the evening while watching parts of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.

Basically the full set of exercises, except for side lunges.

A map walk with Alli at Hemlock Overlook as we vetted the controls for her White and Yellow courses - she'll be making her course setting debut this Sunday!

Feeling tired today. Got on the recumbent bike for a bit and learned about the first battle of Ypres on Hardcore History.

Squats and planks and glute activation.

Elliptical at the work gym.

Planks, glute exercises, hip raises, calf raises.

Intervals on the elliptical at the gym at home. I did 4x4 minutes with 2 minutes rest.

Full set of exercises, except for the resistance bands.

Robert spent nearly an hour with me. I got needled, and then we worked on activating my glutes. It seemed like there was some progress since last week, and he showed me a few things I could work on before resistance band exercises.

Event: Mid-Atlantic Championships
 

I walked the Brown course at the Mid-Atlantic Championships after walking the Yellow with Alli's mom.

This went well - I was smooth and clean and did well on most of the trickier legs. I hesitated some on the way to 8, but quickly figured out what was going on and lost minimal time. Obviously, the fact that I was walking made that easier. Greg Lennon and Ron Bortz were both faster than me (though Ron appears not to have punched the last control).

Relay at the Mid-Atlantic Championships

I was on one of QOC's 3-point teams, together with Tom Wells and FUMA student Sam Marinace. I planned to walk this course, but the competitive juices kicked in quickly as soon as Ted Good came flying past on the way down from the start.

I picked up the pace, and ran the whole course at a consistent jog, which felt pretty good. I stayed on the trail longer than Ted and got past him while he was getting through the rocky green re-entrant cutting across. On my attack to 1 I passed Nadim. I strung together trails on the way to 2, even though that meant extra climb - the climb was on the trail, so I didn't think it would be too slow. I passed Peggy and Tori (who had stayed higher) going in to #2. Going in to the big boulder at 3, I attacked a bit early, but quickly figured that out by using contours and got to 3 together with Dave Pruden. The next control, #4, was the spectator control, and this leg was mostly a road/trail run. I think I lost ground to both Dave and Ted here, as I could see them coming towards 4 as I was leaving it.

I stayed ahead to 5, despite running a step past the trail I planned to turn onto and having to come back. The last control - 6 - was a pretty technical leg with a bit of a trail run followed by an attack across a somewhat featureless hillside. I was careful here and was surprised to see Aaron Linville, who has started in the lead with Sam Kolins, leaving the control as I was coming in.

I had to look back to check that Ted was far enough back on my jog to the finish, and I brought our team across the line in 4th place (both overall and among 3pt teams), having started in 9th.

Even though it was a small, local relay, and even though I wasn't running at full speed, it was still such a blast! We need to have more relays, especially at events that involve a lot of kids.

How do we not have a relay at the Interscholastics?? That seems like a no-brainer to me.

So much fun! And I felt quite a bit stronger than I did at NAOC, so maybe there is some hope for recovery here.

Results: http://www.dvoa.org/events/results/html/rslt16/roc...

C • Juices 5

Brown - Splits

A "long" elliptical session at the gym in our building.

Resistance band exercises

Stationary bike while listening to more Hardcore History, this one about WWI.

Added extra reps of squats and extended time on side planks. Some of those core muscles must be getting stronger, right?

Quick intervals on the elliptical at home, 6x2 minutes.

Added side lunges to the routine. Will try to work with resistance bands next time, but if I still can't activate my glutes, then there is not much use.

PT with Robert. We tried adding resistance band exercises to my routine, but it turned out that I am having a really hard time activating my glutes, especially the right one.

C • Isn't that the strangest thing? 6

On the final day of our weekend getaway, we drove back north in glorious sunshine along the Blue Ridge Parkway. After a brief stop in an attempt to rescue a dog who was standing in the middle of the road, we hiked Cold Mountain in George Washington National Forest.

It was a nice hike with very few people and great views from the open meadows on the top.

https://goo.gl/photos/ieVtGXc2hasYd4dY8
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Alli wasn't feeling amazing, so I set off with Barney to do a one-way hike of Stone Mountain in North Carolina, a crazy-looking granite outcrop on the side of the Blue Ridge.

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Alli, Barnacle, and I went on a little getaway to southwestern Virginia. We drove down on Friday, and drove along Skyline Drive in Shenandoah and then a long way down Blue Ridge Parkway. It was beautiful and mystical in the fog and rain.

We stayed at a lovely guesthouse called Pondview Guesthouse in the bustling metropolis of Meadows of Dan, Virginia.

We spent most of the rainy Saturday lazing at home, playing Terra Mystica, tending to the fire, and snuggling. Just before dark we finally left the house and went for a short hike at Rocky Gap. It was really pretty, and having to walk through a foggy cow pasture made us think of alpine meadows in Europe.

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At the guesthouse after our hike.

A quick half-hour on the elliptical after coming home from PT.

PT plus needling.

On the recumbent bike at work during lunch, while playing 80 Days, which is extremely addictive.

Event: QOC Fountainhead
 

I walked the Green course at QOC's local event at Fountainhead with Barnacle.

After racing the last two weekends, forcing myself to walk was really disappointing. Even though I was in some pain and a lot of discomfort when racing at NAOC and the Classic Champs, it still felt like the sport of orienteering that I love - moving through terrain as quickly as possible while trying to spike controls. Forcing myself to walk took away one of the two main aspects that make the sport fun for me, and I struggled with that. I got frustrated with myself and, at times, with poor Barney. Eventually we caught Alli and joined forces, and my mood lightened, and the whole experience felt enjoyable by the end. I guess it goes to show what one good wife is worth.

C • Second paragraph is right on. 6

Green - Splits

Event: Quebec Orienteering Championship
 

A nice hike in Rock Creek with Alli and Barnacle in the rain. We saw very few people in the park - I guess DC residents are afraid of a little rain, while we thought it was beautiful out. Really nice hike, and so close to home. Rock Creek Park makes me happy.