Sunday Jul 8 |
 | cycling 2:20:13 [3] | |
| weight:141lbs |
| After purchasing a CO2 pump and a new spare tube, I did the Noho cycling club's Thursday route. Starting from my house, it was 37.6 miles, 3:43 per mile. This is a hilly ride! My house is at 120 ft. I took it conservatively heading to the high point on N. Poland (1243 ft.) at about 15 miles, then a bit harder climbing out of Conway (660 ft.) through the notch near the reservoir (838 ft.), then pretty hard the last 10 mostly downhill miles. Legs felt OK once I got going. It was 88 in Noho, but felt cooler in the hilltowns, and I even got a brief shower. |
Saturday Jul 7 |
| Trail Run 1:55:33 [2] 10.5 mi (10:59 / mi) | |
| weight:142lbs |
| From Amethyst Brook parking, the Frost to the M-M to the fire tower on top of Mt Lincoln and back. Low 80's, moderate humidity, easy pace both up and down. Sweated about 10 pounds of liquid, 5 of which I put back during the run. This is one of my favorite trail runs in the valley: the footing is good throughout with long stretches on pine needles, and the 1200' or so of total climb is all runnable (if you're so inclined!) except for one stretch up a power line leaving N. Valley Road. I first did this over a dozen years ago with Fred Pilon, and I've done it four or five times since, including a winter run with Peter on snow. But I had sworn off doing it in the summer because of FDF's. Not a problem today. Score was 52-0, my highest count to date. 1:03:14 up, 52:19 down. |
| |
| C • 52 - 0 ! 11 |
| Orienteering 30:00 [1] | |
| |
| Mt Tom with Adam. He wanted to learn pace counting, so we estimated his count for road, trail, off-trail and then he found some features using it. And he was mightily impressed at how well it worked! |
Friday Jul 6 |
| Trail Run 48:47 [2] 5.3 mi (9:12 / mi) | |
| weight:143lbs |
| 5k course from Smith, after lifting. Only 72 degrees, but muggy enough that I was drenched in sweat throughout. Plan was to go as slow as I needed to go to feel totally relaxed, and not bother my hip - which was pretty slow. When I took up running 24 years ago, people would say they saw me "jogging", and I used to reply (though I quickly gave up) that, actually, I was running, not jogging, which is different. Today was jogging. Ditto for all my recent level 2 "runs". |
Thursday Jul 5 |
| Road Run 27:52 [3] 3.8 mi (7:19 / mi) | |
| |
| Child's Park loop. Came home after lifting to wait for the rain let up. Plan was to do a modest tempo run to make up for not being able to get to the Thursday track workout; but tired legs, tight hip, and very muggy weather made this more than a minute slower than I wanted. |
Wednesday Jul 4 |
| cycling 2:15:00 [3] | |
| weight:142lbs |
| Skipped the local "4 on the 4th" road race: couldn't bring myself to pay $25. I wanted to do something longer on the bike, but not hilly, and it turns out the Noho cycling clubs Wed. route was just right. With the to and from my house to the start, the ride was 40 miles, and only one hill about halfway in Montague, climbing to the top of Taylor Hill Rd. The first half was fine, crusining north with a slight tailwind, I reached the bookmill averaging over 19 mph, and then powered up to the top to the hill. But by the time I got down the hill and back to the river, it was clear I had a problem ...
Definitely a "bad behavior" day. Fortunately, I was rescued by the kindness of friends, and a stranger. The bad behavior in my case was laziness. Instead of changing my tube with the "slow leak" at my house, I just put a spare tube in my pouch and took off. By the time I crossed back into Sunderland, about 25 miles into the ride, it was clear my rear tire was more or less flat. I went another mile or so, then stopped and figured I'd first try to pump the tire back up and continue. But I was in for a surprise. The pump on my bike had a Shrader valve, not Presta. (And I've been riding with that pump on my bike for a couple years!). But luck was with me: just then Dick and his wife, who I run with on Thursday at the track, rode by and pumped my tire up to a rideable, but still semi-flat level, with a CO2 cartridge. I was less than 2 miles from the Gagarin's house which was right on the route (more luck), so I pulled out my cell and called Gail. (Peter was off doing something outlandish, like the seven sisters race course.) Dropped by, and pumped my tire back to 100 psi and took off. Seemed OK, didn't hear any hissing. Surely it would hold the dozen or so miles to Northampton! Bad behavior #2. I got about five miles, to the Hadley line, before it was flat again. Pulled over, about ready to call Margi (an ignominious defeat!), when a cyclist on his way home to Chicopee rode by. I flagged him down, and he was very willing to help. He had one of those little, half pumps (Presta!). He assisted as I removed the old tube, put in the new one, and with an exhausting effort pumped it up to maybe 80 psi. As punishment for the bad behavior, I got rain and a severe headwind all the way back. |
| |
| C • So was there any thought to ch... 6 |
Tuesday Jul 3 |
| Trail Run race 21:08 [5] 3.1 mi (6:48 / mi) vdot: 46.6 | |
| weight:144lbs |
| Northampton 5k race. I hadn't done any fast running in two weeks, so with the perfect weather (78, low humidity), it seemed time to test the hip. I figured I'd be between 21:00 and 21:30 (predicting 21:20). The good news is I felt great: plenty of energy in the legs, holding back a bit because I felt the tightness in my butt the whole way (but no damage, I think). Had the same split profile I usually do: 6:37. 6:40, 7:07, 43. Passed a couple people over the last two miles without getting passed, but couldn't catch the first M50 Ned James who was 8 seconds ahead. |
| Road Run 25:00 [2] 3.0 mi (8:20 / mi) | |
| |
| Home to the race and back after. |
Monday Jul 2 |
| Orienteering 1:11:28 [2] 4.6 mi (15:31 / mi) | |
| |
| Orienteering at Mt Tom? In the middle of the summer?? With the blue hat comes freedom, but also responsibility. I no longer have any excuse not to train in the woods through the summer. The blue hat collected 34 FDF's (and about an equal number of twigs), and I was never bothered by them, not even a little. The hat brushed up against branches, but it was secure enough, and never dislodged. Thanks to PG for pushing to actually do this instead of just talking about it.
The course? I pulled out an old Tony M. 18 point course from 2000, a year I couldn't run (because I was in DC), but I had picked up the advanced controls when I got back. So I had never done the whole course, and only vaguely remembered what I had done. Pace was easy, with some very slow routes. Distance is Forerunner; point-to-point was 5.5 k. |