Training Log Archive: ksumner11

Took the girls to the City Park for their first time of kayaking. I let them tool around the lake a few times and then they left for a swim party with friends. They did pretty good for their first time out.

I got a good hour of sprints down the lake to work on my form. The last 30 minutes I took it easy and enjoyed the day for a bit before Judith came back by to pick me up.

I've been hitting the running and riding pretty hard lately but I could tell my core muscles could use a lot of work before I tackle the 3 Modes of Offroad in August. I need to get out on the water more often. It was nice and cool on the water so maybe I'll do more of this with the bike trails being so unbearable right now.

Went to the Springfield Zoo with the wife and kids. I'm not sure on the time or distance but it was worth something. My legs were tight so I took the opportunity to stretch a bit. Had a great time. The zoo is surpisingly good for being private. Temps are in the 90's but they have water misters and ample shade so it was bearable.

After a failed attempt to break out of the house last weekend, I stole away today to ride and run the Berryman Trail area. I plan to spend the day with wife and kids in Springfield on Friday (my son attends Missouri State) so I plan on taking this session well into the night to get a good ride and run in.

I take the GPS along to record my distance and gets some tracks for a new map. There are a few trail maps out on the web for the area but I don't trust most of them. I want to make a new one that includes all the little ATV and jeep trails that intersect the Berryman. This will take several trips but this is the area that USARA Nationals will be held so I plan on knowing it like the back of my hand by Nov.

I arrive at 4:00 PM and I'm on the trail at 4:30. I've ridden the trail before during previous training and races but I've actually never done the full trail. I decide not to take my 13W bike light but opt to carry my 3W headlamp just in case I don't make it back by dark. I make great time but I'm getting worried as the trail seems to go on forever as I near the end. The brush is thick and the trail is in deep shadows by the time I pull back into the Brazil Creek Campground. Just as I'm finishing, I endo going down the creek bank into the camp and slice my thigh open on a fence post next to the trail. It doesn't bleed much but rips a huge hole in my bike shorts. It is deep enough that I wonder if I should go get stitched up but after further inspection I decide to keep going. A butterfly or two would have been nice but I didn't bring my full first aid kit like I do for a race. I'll fix that for future training sessions.

On to the run.

I load up my pack with water and food and slather on the bug spray one more time before I hit the trail at 9:00 PM. I was surprised that I didn't pick up a single tick during the bike. I would guess my pack weighs in at 15 pounds or so. It is hot and muggy with little wind. I've got 100 oz of water and two gatoraid bottles. I'm still wearing my tri shorts (with my new fence post hole) so I add some more Butt Butter to keep from chaffing.

I do the trail in a clockwise direction for the second time with the added feature of having the GPS track to follow from my bike ride. I notice right off that I must not have had the best sat reception on the bike as my track is varying quite a bit and I know I'm on the right trail. I decide to just follow my map and compass and keep an eye on the GPS for fun.

It is a moonless night for most of the run and I couldn't see my hand in front of my face with my headlamp off. The moon finally crept just above the hills later in the trek but didn't lend too much light in the deep woods. I hiked the steep hills and ran the flats and down hills. I only got off trail once when I missed a turn and continued on an illegal ATV trail. I caught it quickly and backtracked to the trail. I felt very strong for the run but my right calf was getting very tight by the time I finished. I hydrated well for both the bike and run but could tell I was light on the food side. I drove over to Bass River Resort for a hot shower and then crashed in my sleeping bag. I woke at 8:00 AM to drive the country roads around the Berryman Trail and went over to Potosi to check out the YMCA camp and that area as well. I got this all on GPS. Lots of map work ahead.

Moderate warmup run to the bottom of the steepest street in town, Butler Drive.

5 hill repeats on Butler Drive. 9:30 AM and starting to get hot and muggy. I didn't push these too hard as this is my first hill training in a while. I need to work these in more frequently now or James and company will leave me in the dirt at Dusk 2 Dawn.

Run from Butler Dr. to Lord's Park.

5 more hill repeats on the sledding hill stairs. Legs were like jello when I finished.

Cool down run to school.

Walking on the track. Finish with a bit of stretching.

Picked up my control flags from the Park-O course at noon today. Ran it from memory and did very well. I had to skip the two controls on the golf course so I had to back track a bit from the full course. It was hotter than blue blazes and humid too.

Walked a portion of the Harrisonville Park-O course with Judith. The girls spent the night with friends so we had the morning to ourselves. Judith navigated which was only her second time doing so. We had a great time.

Got a call from Tina at the KC School of the Blind. They needed tandem bike volunteers to give kids rides. Short notice but I jumped. This is always a blast and these were kids that were new to the program so they really had a ball. I probably rode about 12 different kids around the track on the tandem bike, 4 of them on their first bike ride ever.

The donated bikes were a little rickety but it didn't matter. Most of these kids wanted to go fast and were very competitive as well, always pushing to pass another tandem. You could feel them pushing hard on the pedals whenever we passed the stands or another rider. What a blast and it was a great workout for me.

I could have rode all day for that. Tina just started working at the school and used to be with KC Campfire USA who I have helped with in the past. Campfire's tandem bike rides will start in August and end with a long ride/campout on the Katy Trail in early September.

During the ride I noticed that all of the school helmets were in sad shape with missing buckles. If anyone has any extra or old helmets in good repair, they could really use them. Drop me a message and I'll get them together with the right people.