Training Log Archive: AliC

Arrived in Heidelberg, checked into hostel, then went out for a run. There was a tear-off city map at check in, so I made myself a little o-course exploring bits of the city. Made it lots more fun! Got a few strange looks, and one guy started running along side and said "Look I'm faster". What I'm most mystified by is how he realized I was English-speaking from how I ran. Or maybe carrying map -> tourist -> speak in English?

10 min abs on hard floor

I have resolved I'm not going to let this be a totally crap training week despite being here for work. Will have to wake up early and run likely, as evening gets taken up by dinners with colleagues.

Warm up part 1, before we were told race was being delayed .5h. Then warm up part 2, before race was further delayed. Then a wee bit more before I actually started.

Warming up for ski-o is much more boring than for a normal ski race. Can't preview the course, limited to just loops and loops and loops!

C • Cold acclimation 3

Long ski-o @ Craftsbury

Started first, 4 min in front of Alex. Could tell on 4 and 5 that she was catching me as we passed going in/out of controls, then biggish mistake on 6 and saw her far ahead on the lake as we went to 7...

Just really made a wrong turn on 6- it was in the open and it was hard to tell what was real ski trail and what was dashed-line ski trail because everything was covered up with about 2 inches of snow... still I should have figured it out a bit easier!

Was getting tired towards the end, but tried to keep fiesty and with it and racing! Punched an extra control at one point too- need to get a bit better about visualizing what's ahead trail-wise and where I expect my control to be.

And despite my slight panic of needing to catch my flight, I'm sitting here in Logan writing this with about an hour to spare, whew!

Red Long Distance - Splits

4-5 loops around the warm up loop? Actually felt warm by the end, which I suppose is the point!

Middle Distance at Beaver Brook Farm

Lotsa fun. There are times that are so fast paced, decisions every junction and then other times you are really just skiing hard for quite a bit, going for it.

I had one bad mistake, on number 3. Took a left too early (having misinterpreted snowmobile trail) and then went into the woods on the wrong little trail, found a control I was convinced should be mine, but wasn't, and then continued on for a bit, being confused, passed my #4, still confused and went the wrong way, then found myself at a junction and actually relocated and went back, finally finding the control. 5 minutes extra. Whoops.

Some other fumbles, but not bad. Lost 30 sec going to 10 before 9.

Really did enjoy it. Wish there were more races besides tomorrow left in the season!

Map holder was much better today, but think I have to get used to it. When I really wanted to see the map I held it with my right hand, like I normally do with foot orienteering.

So many thanks to everyone who made it happen!

C • Do you classic or skate? C... 4

Little clinic on skate skiing with John, Bob, Kseniya and oops, one other woman, bad name memory. Working on keeping weight forward without poles, with poles, flat uphill, then a few other little things for each!

Red Middle Distance - Splits

Event: U.S. Ski Orienteering Championships
 

3 x around Dot's loop at Morse Farm. Didn't feel that great. Why not? Had a day off yesterday.

Red course @ Morse Farm

Woo, ski-O!

Didn't remember until I pulled in the drive that I'd been there before- skiing one day with family over last Christmas break. Still didn't know it very well because most of the trails weren't open then, just the basic field loops on the lodge side of the road.

Felt pretty good and navigated fine. The trickiest bits were the quick left turn right after the start (not much time to get into the map- I almost skied by!) and then #4- the intersections before it were tricky. I ended up choosing a trail based on the woods and the fence, luckily being in the right place to make that choice in the first place...

Shins cramped up right at the start, have no idea why, but got better, not worse, so wasn't a problem!

First time with a map holder, which was good, but not yet great because it kept slumping down and had to keep picking it up to get a glace at the map. Still much better than safety-pinned map though!

Model event at Craftsbury Common.

Good fun, a little extra tricksy due to ongoing chainsaw work, I skipped the last control, which was probably good as they were in the business of tree-felling.

Nice to get a feeling for what green lines mean what as for trail thickness and things.

Skiing around a bit more afterwards, used the solid green trail to actually ski a bit more continuously. Nice to be on skis!

Red Morse Farm - Splits

To post office, to gym, back home.

On the Espresso bike again- the Oh Mama! course. Still lots of fun. So much different when you have to steer to stay on the course. Like a video game almost!