Training Log Archive: BorisGrIn the 7 days ending Nov 12, 2017:
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Sunday Nov 12, 2017 #
Running 15:00 [2]
Warmup
Orienteering race 1:10:33 [4] *** 10.2 km (6:55 / km) +300m 6:02 / km
14c shoes: VJ Supra Fall 2015
US Classic Champs, MCB Quantico, Blue-M21, Day 2
RG: http://qocweb.org/routes/cgi-bin/reitti.pl?act=map...
WinSplits: http://obasen.orientering.se/winsplits/online/en/d...
I got better sleep last night (on the floor in the upstairs closet) and got the blessing from my amazing wife to go race and serve as announcer after finishing.
Alli also gave me the advice to "not be afraid of the climb" and "be more aggressive", and Neil, previously, pointed out that I might be off on my bearings because I look down too much. I took these pieces of advice to heart this time.
To go with my mantra of being more aggressive, I rejected the conservative trail option from the start to 1, hit the control well, and set the tone for the rest of the race.
I felt strong and in control for most of the race. I was happy with my routes on the long legs and executed each one well. It was one of those days when the controls pop up where you expect them to be, not the other way. I gained some confidence from running through Vido on the way to 4 and Will Hubsch on the way to 7. Until the last two legs, WinSplits shows a total of 45 seconds lost for me, and about 30 of that is trying to open Gu packets with cold gloved fingers.
In the second half of the race, my right knee started to hurt. It got worse towards the end, and I had to will myself to keep running for the second half of the leg to 13. I dragged myself through the last control and the finish and was limping around for the rest of the day. Had the course been any longer, I might not have finished.
When I finished, I knew I'd had a good run. I was well behind Greg, but that was to be expected, and he'd had a good run. Neither Will E nor Sergei had their best days out there, and I was able to sneak past them and nab the U.S. Champs bronze. In the grand scheme of things, it's a meaningless accomplishment, but it means a ton to me after the struggles with my back, the surgery, the setbacks, and the hard work in the boring Library of Congress gym over the past couple of years. I feel proud of where I got after being hurt, weak, and flabby just a few months ago.
After the finish, I spent some time announcing at the finish - something I love doing. Then, awards and the drive home. We were ready for a fun and relaxing evening at home with the family and our many orienteering visitors, but instead, our little angel decimated the household...
I was the first to start puking around 5pm and was down for the count for the rest of the night. Alli joined me during the night; Will and Violeta followed, Ian as well, and then Greg the following morning. It was a grim scene in our apartment on Monday morning. I stayed home from work on Monday and was horizontal for most of the day. I am hoping that it's only a 24-hour thing and again apologize profusely to our several friends whose delightful weekends were shattered at our place...
Despite the sad conclusion and some rough nights, I had a great time this weekend. Hats of to Eric and Greg for some excellent performances, worthy of the gold and silver in our class. Thanks Quantico for an opportunity to race at a unique venue of the Marine Corps Base, thanks Tom Strat and Riley for enjoyable - and very different - courses, thanks Valerie for basically everything, and thanks Alli for being absolutely amazing through a very trying weekend (not to mention two years of dealing with me bitching about back pain.)
RG: http://qocweb.org/routes/cgi-bin/reitti.pl?act=map...
WinSplits: http://obasen.orientering.se/winsplits/online/en/d...
I got better sleep last night (on the floor in the upstairs closet) and got the blessing from my amazing wife to go race and serve as announcer after finishing.
Alli also gave me the advice to "not be afraid of the climb" and "be more aggressive", and Neil, previously, pointed out that I might be off on my bearings because I look down too much. I took these pieces of advice to heart this time.
To go with my mantra of being more aggressive, I rejected the conservative trail option from the start to 1, hit the control well, and set the tone for the rest of the race.
I felt strong and in control for most of the race. I was happy with my routes on the long legs and executed each one well. It was one of those days when the controls pop up where you expect them to be, not the other way. I gained some confidence from running through Vido on the way to 4 and Will Hubsch on the way to 7. Until the last two legs, WinSplits shows a total of 45 seconds lost for me, and about 30 of that is trying to open Gu packets with cold gloved fingers.
In the second half of the race, my right knee started to hurt. It got worse towards the end, and I had to will myself to keep running for the second half of the leg to 13. I dragged myself through the last control and the finish and was limping around for the rest of the day. Had the course been any longer, I might not have finished.
When I finished, I knew I'd had a good run. I was well behind Greg, but that was to be expected, and he'd had a good run. Neither Will E nor Sergei had their best days out there, and I was able to sneak past them and nab the U.S. Champs bronze. In the grand scheme of things, it's a meaningless accomplishment, but it means a ton to me after the struggles with my back, the surgery, the setbacks, and the hard work in the boring Library of Congress gym over the past couple of years. I feel proud of where I got after being hurt, weak, and flabby just a few months ago.
After the finish, I spent some time announcing at the finish - something I love doing. Then, awards and the drive home. We were ready for a fun and relaxing evening at home with the family and our many orienteering visitors, but instead, our little angel decimated the household...
I was the first to start puking around 5pm and was down for the count for the rest of the night. Alli joined me during the night; Will and Violeta followed, Ian as well, and then Greg the following morning. It was a grim scene in our apartment on Monday morning. I stayed home from work on Monday and was horizontal for most of the day. I am hoping that it's only a 24-hour thing and again apologize profusely to our several friends whose delightful weekends were shattered at our place...
Despite the sad conclusion and some rough nights, I had a great time this weekend. Hats of to Eric and Greg for some excellent performances, worthy of the gold and silver in our class. Thanks Quantico for an opportunity to race at a unique venue of the Marine Corps Base, thanks Tom Strat and Riley for enjoyable - and very different - courses, thanks Valerie for basically everything, and thanks Alli for being absolutely amazing through a very trying weekend (not to mention two years of dealing with me bitching about back pain.)
Saturday Nov 11, 2017 #
Running 15:00 [2]
Warmup.
Orienteering 1:15:39 [4] *** 11.0 km (6:53 / km)
24c shoes: Old VJ Falcons From Online Auc
US Classic Champs, MCB Quantico, Blue-M21, Day 1
RG: http://qocweb.org/routes/cgi-bin/reitti.pl?act=map...
WinSplits: http://obasen.orientering.se/winsplits/online/en/d...
I came into this weekend of races feeling like I had worked hard over the last several months to get back into some semblance of shape and be competitive for the medals in M21. The week leading up to the Classic Champs, however, featured very little sleep, culminating with Inara spending a couple of hours throwing up in the middle of the night on Friday, portending the Things to Come.
As a result, Alli and Inara stayed home, and I made the drive down to race and then head straight back to the family. I tried to get focused for the race and had a pretty good warmup, but could tell pretty early on that I didn't have everything clicking today.
Despite the fast, open terrain, I was drifting on my bearings quite a bit, never had a good flow, and had to remind myself to run faster a number of times. According to winsplits, I had about 2 minutes of mistakes across 7 controls, in addition to the 3-minute meltdown on 14. On that leg, I attacked from a dot knoll, crossed some fallen trees, didn't see the flag, made a huge loop only to come back to the same spot as before but see the flag this time. Grrr.
I was not satisfied with my performance and was impressed with the runs by Will and Sergei, who put large gaps on me after Day 1. However, I felt some optimism, as I was confident in my fitness for a two-day event and was excited for some tricky course setting from Riley.
RG: http://qocweb.org/routes/cgi-bin/reitti.pl?act=map...
WinSplits: http://obasen.orientering.se/winsplits/online/en/d...
I came into this weekend of races feeling like I had worked hard over the last several months to get back into some semblance of shape and be competitive for the medals in M21. The week leading up to the Classic Champs, however, featured very little sleep, culminating with Inara spending a couple of hours throwing up in the middle of the night on Friday, portending the Things to Come.
As a result, Alli and Inara stayed home, and I made the drive down to race and then head straight back to the family. I tried to get focused for the race and had a pretty good warmup, but could tell pretty early on that I didn't have everything clicking today.
Despite the fast, open terrain, I was drifting on my bearings quite a bit, never had a good flow, and had to remind myself to run faster a number of times. According to winsplits, I had about 2 minutes of mistakes across 7 controls, in addition to the 3-minute meltdown on 14. On that leg, I attacked from a dot knoll, crossed some fallen trees, didn't see the flag, made a huge loop only to come back to the same spot as before but see the flag this time. Grrr.
I was not satisfied with my performance and was impressed with the runs by Will and Sergei, who put large gaps on me after Day 1. However, I felt some optimism, as I was confident in my fitness for a two-day event and was excited for some tricky course setting from Riley.
Friday Nov 10, 2017 #
Event: 2017 OUSA Convention
Running 35:00 [2] 7.0 km (5:00 / km)
shoes: Asics Blue-Green 2017
A very enjoyable morning jog with Greg and Luis around the closest part of Rock Creek to us: Valley Trail to Riley Spring Bridge, then up Western Ridge past Boundary Bridge and home.
PT 10:00 [1]
Some stretching after the morning jog, focusing on hip flexors, glutes, and hamstrings.
Wednesday Nov 8, 2017 #
Note
The U.S. Classic Champs are this weekend!
It should be a fun event on new maps on the Quantico Marine Corps Base, with courses by Riley Culberg and Tom Strat.
M21 has a pretty strong field assembled, though a couple of notable names are missing (Jordan, Giacomo, Michael Laraia, Riley and Kevin Culberg). Here are my thoughts on the favorites:
Greg Ahslwede - defending champion, clearly best U.S. male orienteer this season. His achilles heel has been Jordan, who has beaten him three times this fall. But Jordan won't be there, so the title is Greg's to lose.
Eric Bone - the evergreen veteran from the West coast is looking to win only his second Classic Champs title (though he has won 5 of the 8 contested Long championships). He is likely to be Greg's chief challenger.
Will Enger - another West coaster making a trip to the runnable woods of the East. Will is the current U.S. Middle and Long distance champion and was in excellent form this summer. Has he sustained this form through bike commuting? Or is there secret training he hasn't been logging? We'll find out this weekend.
Sergei Zhyk - king of the two-day classic format, Sergei has won the Classic Champs four times, most recently in 2015. Earlier this spring, it appeared that southern life in Charlotte has made him top-heavy and muscle-bound, but he is aiming for a comeback and won the Bubba Goat last weekend. Never count him out.
Dark Horses:
Wyatt Riley - the wily veteran medaled the last time the Classic Champs were in these parts in 2007 and only seems to be getting better with age.
Ken Walker Jr. - will home court advantage propel Kenny, Mr.AttackPoint, to the podium?
Boris Granovskiy - on the comeback trail post back surgery, but is there enough fitness to get through two days?
Ian Smith - often in the mix, but slowed down by a steady diet of late-night Canadian burritos.
Even darker horses:
Will Hubsch - speedy former JWOC runner, now turned to cycling. Looked strong at the Highlander.
Pete Nelson - ran WOC for the US way back in 1999(?). Can he contend?
My predictions:
1. Greg
2. Eric
3. Sergei
The F21 field is significantly smaller and is missing most of the recent U.S. WOC team members, who are either living abroad, raising tiny humans, or otherwise occupied.
The likely favorites are:
Alex Jospe - retired from the National team, but still strong. Time for a first U.S. Classic title?
Pavlina Brautigam - 5-time winner, most recently in 2006. Ran impressively well at the Boulder Dash - could take the title if others implode - but is this terrain technical enough for her?
Tori Borish - Speedy West Coaster and reigning U.S. Sprint Champion. Can she challenge for the win in a forest discipline?
Evalin Brautigam - the only 2017 U.S. WOC team member in the F21 field.
My predictions:
1. Alex
2. Pavlina
3. Tori
It should be a fun event on new maps on the Quantico Marine Corps Base, with courses by Riley Culberg and Tom Strat.
M21 has a pretty strong field assembled, though a couple of notable names are missing (Jordan, Giacomo, Michael Laraia, Riley and Kevin Culberg). Here are my thoughts on the favorites:
Greg Ahslwede - defending champion, clearly best U.S. male orienteer this season. His achilles heel has been Jordan, who has beaten him three times this fall. But Jordan won't be there, so the title is Greg's to lose.
Eric Bone - the evergreen veteran from the West coast is looking to win only his second Classic Champs title (though he has won 5 of the 8 contested Long championships). He is likely to be Greg's chief challenger.
Will Enger - another West coaster making a trip to the runnable woods of the East. Will is the current U.S. Middle and Long distance champion and was in excellent form this summer. Has he sustained this form through bike commuting? Or is there secret training he hasn't been logging? We'll find out this weekend.
Sergei Zhyk - king of the two-day classic format, Sergei has won the Classic Champs four times, most recently in 2015. Earlier this spring, it appeared that southern life in Charlotte has made him top-heavy and muscle-bound, but he is aiming for a comeback and won the Bubba Goat last weekend. Never count him out.
Dark Horses:
Wyatt Riley - the wily veteran medaled the last time the Classic Champs were in these parts in 2007 and only seems to be getting better with age.
Ken Walker Jr. - will home court advantage propel Kenny, Mr.AttackPoint, to the podium?
Boris Granovskiy - on the comeback trail post back surgery, but is there enough fitness to get through two days?
Ian Smith - often in the mix, but slowed down by a steady diet of late-night Canadian burritos.
Even darker horses:
Will Hubsch - speedy former JWOC runner, now turned to cycling. Looked strong at the Highlander.
Pete Nelson - ran WOC for the US way back in 1999(?). Can he contend?
My predictions:
1. Greg
2. Eric
3. Sergei
The F21 field is significantly smaller and is missing most of the recent U.S. WOC team members, who are either living abroad, raising tiny humans, or otherwise occupied.
The likely favorites are:
Alex Jospe - retired from the National team, but still strong. Time for a first U.S. Classic title?
Pavlina Brautigam - 5-time winner, most recently in 2006. Ran impressively well at the Boulder Dash - could take the title if others implode - but is this terrain technical enough for her?
Tori Borish - Speedy West Coaster and reigning U.S. Sprint Champion. Can she challenge for the win in a forest discipline?
Evalin Brautigam - the only 2017 U.S. WOC team member in the F21 field.
My predictions:
1. Alex
2. Pavlina
3. Tori
Cross-Training 45:00
Last interval session before the classic champs this weekend. I did 4x3 minutes with 2 minutes rest, mimicking Linne's pre-Tiomila interval workout. Worked hard, felt good.
Monday Nov 6, 2017 #
Cross-Training 30:00 [1]
Recovery elliptical
PT 15:00 [1]
Stretching.