Training Log Archive: hkleaf

Event: 2006 Sprint Series Finals Festival
 

Bad to the Bone Duathlon
Did not run this because of the training weekend. However, I hope to go over to Big Bone and test run that 5k course some time soon.

DVOA annual training weekend - Hickory Run State Park, White Haven, PA.
~60F, damp and misty morning.

Woke up early to have a nice big breakfast at Denny's before heading into the park. I'd need all the energy I could muster for the 2 training sessions plus the night O' today. It took a little while to find the Camp, check-in, and then drop off cedarcreek for the farsta, but I made it just in time for the start of the morning training session.

I signed up for the advanced training, hoping to refine my o' skills. The group met in the dining hall for review of the Red Day1 course from the US Champs at Buena Vista in August. We had a good discussion about route choices before splitting into 2 groups for the on-field training.

I went with John's group and did the "Skills Course." This gave me a chance to utilize different O' techniques - handrail, corridor, precision compass, collecting features, aiming off, catching feature, window / rough compass, pace & compass, contouring, etc.

I had problems with my aiming off and compass work. Going to 3, I had planned to aim off to the R (to the marsh) but ended up L. I then compounded the mistake by going further L when I hit the stream (catching feature). Interesting thing was both Alison and Sandy had the same problem! We eventually relocated and found the control, but I definitely need more practice on aiming off.

A couple of times, I noticed I have a tendency to veer L when running on a bearing. I wonder if this has something to do with my strides, or if I'm just not used to running w/ a thumb compass yet. Will have to try this out more in future trainings.

On the 2 contour legs, I did fine from 6 to 9 (we skipped 7 & 8 due to shortage of time), but was about 2 lines too high going into 10.

Overall, it was a wonderful session. I made more mistakes than I'd like, but that's what this training is for, right?

I did the pace counting test run that was set up the the camp. 3x on the dirt road (33-37) and 4x in the terrain (37-40). Time is estimated at 30s per 100m.

Afternoon training session at Hickory Run.

My legs were a bit tired from the morning session. Even the lunch break wasn't quite enough for the recovery. I went with John's group again, this time for a contours only training.

We each got a b&w map consisted of contours, with vertical hashes hinting the area of fight (green). Since everyone was tired, we voted to do this exercise at a walking pace together. This turned out to be a great idea, as we were able to take in the finer details in the terrain - form lines, knolls, depressions, subtle spurs and reentrants. John was great in talking us through the various features in the terrain, as we experienced it first hand. This really helped me relate between the map (2D) and the terrain (3D) much better.

Even though we walked the course, I was still pretty beat by the end. A very productive session!

Warm up run for Night O'. Distance is based on a pace estimate.

DVOA Training Weekend - HR Camp Daddy Allen
Night O' (Intermediate) - 2.55km, 11c, 55m.

My first Night O' ever! Didn't want to get totally lost out there, but also didn't want to just run trails on a White course, so Intermediate seemed like a good choice, and it was.

My strategy was to be safe and conservative, taking the paths and staying out of the thick woods as much as possible. This seemed to work out well, as I had no trouble navigating and finding any of the controls. The things that slowed me down were all the extra time I used to read the map, and punching at the controls. I don't have a very good technique down for either, and it was very difficult for my eyes to adjust between map reading (bright) and seeing the terrrain (dark).

A super fun course running around the campground, plus seeing so many others out and about all looking for controls. I even finished 3rd, behind Samantha+Hillary and Alison, by about 3 minutes! Overall, a very positive experience. Who knows, I may even try another one soon!

*For more about the course, see my leg comments.

Warm up/dn stretches for the various sessions of the day.

Night O' Intermediate - Splits

Travel day. Still pretty congested up there (sinus?).

Another mild day here for running.

I was going to give it a go at the track today, just to see how much I can push the pace without hurting the groin. Well, both Norwood and 7 Hills had soccer game going on, so track workout was aborted.

Laurie, Cathy, and I ended up going back to the Spot for a tempo run. We were going at a fairly decent pace in the beginning, but it was mostly downhill so was still at a conversation pace. Made a pit stop at the UDF on Erie (2.7mi, 20:55 - 7:45/mi). After that, I made a left onto Marburg for a shorter route while the girls continued on Erie. Running by myself, I might have picked up the pace a bit, until I fizzled out somewhat around 4.3mi (~31:00). I struggled a bit up Madison to the intersection at Edwards (2.1mi, 14:25 - 6:52/mi from UDF), where I was saved by the traffic light. :) I probably waited about 2min for the WALK sign to come on, so had plenty of time to smooth out my breathing and recover. From there I pushed it up the big hill pass Withrow, then down and up one last hill for the finish back at the Spot (1.49mi, 11:01 - 7:23/mi from Edwards).

Groin is a bit sore now, but was fine during the run. Will ice it tonight and bring some anti-inflammatories along for the weekend just in case. Oh yeah, legs aren't enjoying the pounding on the road that much. Will need to be careful about shin splints as I increase the mileage gradually.

Post-run stretch.

Mid 60s, overcast, but dry today.

Run at LaBoiteaux Woods trails with Sandi, Carlos, and Leslie (from the Cincinnati Trail Runners). Since none of us have run there recently/ever, there were a few backtracking while we explored the trail network. I attempted to read a map (Camp Stonybrook) unsuccessfully. First of all, it's harder to read map and run on slippery trails (yesterday I was on the road) all at the same time. Secondly, I got a bit confused reading a map that doesn't relate at all to the terrain I am experiencing. Maybe I just need more practice at it.

Anyway, I tried out the R thumb compass today. It seems I could move my thumb more freely on the map with this one. But I'm not sure if it's the function of the plate (open-ended notch for the thumb vs. oval-shaped opening) or my right hand being better at thumbing maps. I think I'm ambidextrous enough that there's not much of a difference between the L and R. Overall, I still feel slightly more comfortable with the L, no doubt a result of more practice.

As far as the terrain at LaBoiteaux, it's similar to Mt. Airy - a series of big spurs and deep reentrants. I'd say the woods are generally light green, with some areas of white along the spurs, and medium/dark green down by the creek. It'd be hard to avoid climbs while running a course here, but I'll be able to find out in-person next week.

C • L v. R Thumb Compass... 4

Before and after.

64F and raining, but it was a pretty nice running weather overall, if only a tad bit too wet.

Group run from the Spot. A simple out and back route, nothing too strenuous. I can feel the groin a couple of times, once on a hill and then towards the end when I attempted a little pick up. Otherwise, this straight running is fine. Hopefully it'll be dry this weekend, because slippery slopes are a bad thing.

Oh, and I ran with the L thumb compass, practicing my map reading (Camp Friedlander) and folding the whole way.

Start of 10-week training in preparation for the Thanksgiving Day Race.

It's good that the L groin is finally strong enough in time to begin some running. This weekend will certainly test its limit with consecutive days of intense running.

Getting back into it after slacking off a bit last week.
The usual abs, hips, and legs.

Feeling like crap all day with congestion and a bit of a headache. Maybe it's allergies? Anyhow, it was going to be a rest day after so much running the last 2 days.