Training Log Archive: Tundra/Desert

After taping the ankle really well, I started Day 2. I felt that I could move a lot faster than yesterday, but not nearly at 100%. Navigating felt harder, but I was well below peak running-through-the-woods speed, finishing quite fresh. I was again mostly alone in the woods, having showed up late after a long drive from New Haven.

I had no major mistakes again—until I dropped 4 minutes at Control 14. I got pulled a bit away from the intended route by the sight of MW (?), who was sitting on a rock near the Appalachian Trail hiker hut. I ran towards him on the AT, asking if he was OK. He said yes. I continued on AT, not my preferred approach, and went wide and to the right, into a field of boulder triangles. After checking out a few bigger boulders in the field, I promptly twisted the bad ankle again. It hurt a lot for about 10 seconds, then the pain went away. The incident was enough to take away my concentration, so I ended up checking out quite a few more boulders in that field instead of quickly relocating to the correct knoll/edge of mt. laurel. Bradley Hutchison heard my 10-second yell and came to check out on me just as I figured out my mistake and walked up to the control.

After I punched, I assessed my condition as fair—the taping worked, limiting the excursion and the damage—and continued with the remaining km or so without problems. As I punched and left Control 17, I saw Alexei come to it from the SE. He started 4 minutes behind, and if not for my boom at #14, I would have never seen him. I managed to finish ahead of Alexei.

I need to measure the length and climb.

The ankle swole a lot in the evening (I didn't bother to ice on the planes). I almost felt like I needed a wheelchair, and hobbled through airport terminals. I think the second twist added a lot to the damage; I just didn't feel it since so many ligaments had already been pulled.

Event: HVO A-Meet
 

We got out of Queens late this morning, so I arrived at the venue of Surebridge Challenge just after my scheduled start time. I ran to the start, only to find out the start was quite close and that the start was going to be open for quite a bit longer, so that there was no rush. I then jogged back to the registration and walked to the start, again (logged neither).

I need to measure the length and climb.

Just after nailing the first control I badly twisted my right ankle. Normally I am not concerned about ankle sprains since I have stretched the ligaments so much over 21 years of O, and strengthened the muscles around them, that minor to moderate twists cause neither pain nor swelling; I just shrug it off and move on. I'm also a quite cautious stepper through the woods; I therefore don't normally bother to tape the ankles. This time, Harriman dished out a rude awakening.

The ankle indeed was not particularly hurt, but I pulled a tendon right on top of my foot—something new. The pain was mild, but that tendon lost most working function so I could not push off while moving above a certain speed. I thus had to keep my speed under that limit. I also became very careful on the downhills, so as not to re-injure the untaped ankle. Navigation obviously got a lot easier, and I finished with no major booms—with the exception of my W-curve (down-up-down-up) to Control 2, on the way to which I was preoccupied with assessing the extent of the damage and deciding whether to go on.

I was glad I chose to march along, as the beauty of the woods and the marvelous orienteering well outweighed the possible further damage to the ligaments. I was alone all the way, owing to the late start. It was warm, but I felt neither tired nor heat-exhausted at this pace. I ran through every stream and marsh to keep the injured foot cool.

I need to measure the length and climb.

I iced the ankle for the rest of the day. It was not particularly swollen, and there was a small hematoma right on top of the foot.