Training Log Archive: iansmith

Event: NEOC - Mt. Tom
 

Recommended by Ross some months ago:

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The NEOC Score-O at Mt. Tom, set by Phil Bricker. The course in practice was a red course with 18 controls, with the option of running the course forward or backwards. Most of the runners I surveyed took the same order I did: 8, 15, 18, 17, 14, 16, 13, 12, 7, 6, 11, 10, 9, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Ross and Sam (e.g.) ran it in the other direction.

This was one of my better results at Mt. Tom, though the course did not go into the regions I struggled with at the 2008 NEOC club champs in May 2009. I orienteered well, made good route choices, and executed them without major difficulties. I felt very sluggish going up the hills; I surmise that had I not given blood on Friday, I might have been able to push slightly harder, though that probably would only have made a 1-2 minute difference.

The three controls I did not consider spikes were 17 (I hit about 50 meters too low in the reentrant, 15 sec), 6 (attacked too low, hit some cliffs, 30 s) and 1 (got confused, 2 minutes). I had other bobbles and hesitations, but I did not deviate from my intended routes substantially otherwise.

Leaving control 2, I ran east into the reentrant and up onto the spur with the rock wall. I ran north along that spur, but I just stopped about 70 meters west of the control circle, though my plan had been to veer to the east off the spur. I couldn't make sense of the contours ahead of me; I went west to hit the cliffs on the northern edge of the spur/hill, realized where I was, and pushed to 1. I tripped while at full speed and planted my right hand to catch myself, but I landed on a rather jagged rock and sliced off about 3 cm^2 of skin. It didn't actually hurt much at the time (which sort of worried me), and I finished the course with a rather impressive looking pattern of blood on my hand and arm.

The wound won't need stitches - as of 3 PM, it had stopped bleeding, was slightly swollen, and was just oozing clear fluid. I can type without much difficulty, so I don't expect significant impacts on my lifestyle.

Ross ran in 4720, Joe Brautigam in 54 minutes and some seconds, and I finished third just ahead of some usual suspects.

C • Impressive. 1

I didn't feel particularly tired, so I decided to go for a low intensity recovery run. I ran my usual street loop at a deliberately relaxed pace (4/4 breathing) while listening to the Wheel of Time.

All 18 - Optimum Route - Splits

Evening run, Porter-Harvard-Inman loop with a slight extension (via Beech St). I felt good throughout the run, and kept a 3/3 breathing pattern once I had warmed up. I think I should add some threshold intervals to some of my runs - perhaps 3x 5 minutes?

I went to a BSO concert earlier this evening with Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, Firebird Suite (1945 version), and Joshua Bell performing Brahms Violin concerto. Quite spectacular; Joshua Bell is a magnificent soloist and one of the most kinetically expressive violinists I have seen.

Easy run around the block, with the usual Porter - Harvard - Inman loop. Conditions were chilly - temperature was about 9 C with a (cold) light rain the entire run. I ran in running tights and a short-sleeved wicking shirt (a holey one from orienteering). My breathing was 3/3 for most of the run, though I was less conscious of it. My pace was faster than I expected.

I listened to The Wheel of Time: The Gathering Storm. Later in the day, I gave blood.

I posit that the winners of the spring A-meets will be determined by the training executed this winter. Obviously, someone's fitness and orienteering proficiency can be represented by the current value plus the integral of d(proficiency)/dt over this winter and spring. I posit that the ratio of the delta to the current skill can be very large, especially for people as unskilled as I (not so true for Gueorgiou, Hubmann, Niggli, etc).

I need to motivate myself with this aphorism - my discipline is not sufficient for my ambition.

T-169 days.

Commute.

Brendan and I went to Star Market tonight to purchase food for our Thanksgiving dinner. I suppose it's relatively uncommon for friends to get together to eat Thanksgiving food - or at least to purchase it together, since the cashier assumed we were gay. She also assumed that it was "our first Thanksgiving together" since we were discussing the logistics of cooking. I attempted to subtly correct her (without asserting "we're not gay") by suggesting others were also sharing in the dinner, but my efforts were unsuccessful.

C • We're just one big alternative family. 5