Training Log Archive: RLShadow

I'm sure it's possible to have worse weather in mid-May than we had today, but I think the odds of worse weather are quite remote.

Fortunately I had planned on this being a rest day anyway, with the intent of doing my last long run tomorrow, when the weather looks to be marginally warmer with somewhat less rain.

Sort of an urban score-O. I'm in the market for investment property in the city (slightly more complicated than that explanation, but I won't go into a detailed explanation, other than to say it's nothing negative or under duress), and there were about 12 properties on my radar screen that I haven't yet seen, so I decided to combine a medium-long run with an opportunity to check out some of these. I printed out a map and indicated where the properties were, and tried to come up with a route to view as many as possible (and my route wasn't exactly the most efficient). It was also a nice opportunity for hot weather training, and getting used to running with a Camelbak on my back (which I was glad to have had along).

C • investment property 10

Getting a little mapping done at Highland, before the Lilac Festival hits full stride. As it was, parking wasn't all that available (although I was working in the NW area of the map, which is away from the "festival" areas, so I found a spot).

Short but fairly tough (hilly) run at Ellison Wetlands.

Long run, mostly on trails, with a few sections of road running.

In two spots, I stopped the GPS for one reason or another (once to tighten my shoelaces, can't remember about the other), and then neglected to start it until I had run a fairly appreciable distance (like half a mile or so each time). I attempted to estimate the unrecorded distance from the GPS trace, and added it manually to what the GPS said I covered. Similarly for the time.

Although the run didn't go that badly, I'm having a hard time fathoming doing the Letchworth marathon, knowing that it is double what I ran today, and a lot hillier. But I keep telling myself that I'm in way better shape for it this year than last year, and I did complete it last year, even though it wasn't very pretty for the last 10 or so miles. The difference is that last year, I totally didn't appreciate how tough the race was (not sure why I didn't), so I got talked into doing it by a local radio personality who was going to do it (and who did it), and who I was pretty sure was way less prepared than I was (and I was right about that). This year, I don't have ignorance about the course to lull me underestimating the task!

Addendum: Only animal siting of note is that I apparently startled a really big turkey on my last loop around Whiting. It was very close to the trail, in some brush, on the left side of the trail, and it flew across the trail not much more than 20 feet in front of me, looking a bit alarmed. (Although I'm not sure how to know if a turkey is alarmed or not, really.) I might have startled it, but I do have to admit that it likewise startled me!

C • you know you want to... 3

Map hike at Lincoln Park, with Homer.

It looks like I'm signed up to be the course setter for the June 5 meet, so I decided to check out the map to see what needed to be updated, and specifically to walk a relatively new, fairly long, and kind of important (important to have on the map) trail, with GPS in hand. Also walked a new trail that leads from the new playground into the park, and some of the paths right around the playground -- although I don't think I'll have that area mapped real accurately -- no real need from an orienteering standpoint as I don't plan on putting any controls right in the playground area itself, the important thing is to make it clear that it's easily possible to get to Empire Blvd via the playground area, since that could be a possible route choice during the Score-O.

Long run, mostly on roads or paved paths.

A bit discouraging -- my goal was to get in an 18 mile run this week and use that to decide whether to enter the Letchworth race. I'm sure I could have tried a bit harder to get a few more miles in today, but I felt very wiped out after 15, so 3 more would have been a major struggle. It might have helped to have waited until tomorrow or Wed. to give a little more time to recover from the Mendon meet, but my schedule and the weather were both about as perfect as they could be for a long run today, so I didn't want to postpone it.

I took one break of several minutes while I refilled my water bottles and then walked at bit at North Ponds Park on my way back, then a couple of other shorter walking breaks. (None of them included in the time or distance.)