Training Log Archive: W

So, the plan was to start at the shop, run down to Rundle, and watch the start of the Corporate Challenge, then keep running. I like watching the Corporate Challenge because its a pretty solid train wreck of people sprinting to the start triangle and then stopping dead. And the one odd person who starts walking in completely the opposite direction from the entire rest of the field. I mean, its possible you're going to a different control, but maybe it would be wise to go in the general direction of everyone else? I remember realizing that at my first WOC Middle race, where I started veering to the left, while the two guys with me were veering right. I realized then that my map was upside down.

Anyway, I wanted to watch the start, but sudden panic and then wanted me to go out and check a control, so, I did, and thus missed the start! Argh. The one reason I went over there. Undaunted, I continued my run over the Science Park and along the Pipe Dream trail that takes me back to Goldbar and then around the river to Riverside golf course. A lady stopped me to point out a bald eagle just hanging out on a piece of driftwood in the river. I don't think I've ever seen one in the city. At least I can remember one.

Saturday morning run where I endeavoured to do some orienteering. Unfortunately, due to factors outside of my own control, I left about half an hour late so I had to short-cut the warm-up and cool-down so that I could get to the shop and work on time.

Basically, I parked at Goldbar, and then ran over to Hermitage for an old run around over there. The flags were still out, which was nice, but the map is clearly out of date, because I got stuck at trails that were not there any more and confused by clearings that have appeared out of nowhere. Hermitage is an extremely difficult place to put on interesting orienteering. Not unlike... most of Edmonton.

Unless.... you're expanding the Legislature grounds sprint map. Could this be the most impressive looking sprint map venue around? I think so!

Also, I've decided to name this new section of the map "Skypalace Square".

In fact, my biggest physical concern at the moment are the monster blisters that are appearing on the lateral side of both my big toes. I'm not entirely sure which shoes are causing this, but they are pretty blistery and not so happy. I suppose I can just hope that they callous right up real soon and until then I'll just.... well, I'll probably do nothing.

Today's run was mainly hampered by my extremely disappointing new Brooks shorts I ordered. They're black with some blue, so I want to sprint in them with my Tera jersey, but they have a boxer short inside, which I figured I wouldn't like, and I don't. They're also much heavier than I thought. And they don't have a zipper pocket. Oh well, I didn't like my Pearl shorts before I first got them either, and now they're not so bad.

I thought it might be appropriate to give my legs a little break and go for a bike ride, so I pumped up my 29er tires and went out for a bit of a spin. My technical skills are definitely not quite what they used to be in my cycling heyday. Yes, I did have a cycling heyday, and triumphantly climbed all the way from sport to expert in MTB and 'cross. Triumphant indeed.

On the way back home I stopped by the Scona track to watch Jack run a 10,000m on the track, which was dumb because I wished I had been racing too. The winner did it in about 33:15, which, on a wind-less day on the track, I could.... *possibly* beat, I'm not sure. It would have been fun to try and see if hanging on to him would have dragged me to a PB. Oh well!

There's a 3000m next weekend but I don't think I'll have time to do it. And I EVEN HAVE NEW SPIKES! AUGH!

No time like the present to go out and do a track workout! My legs were still feeling it from yesterday, but I sometimes like the idea of back to back intensity. I mean, we usually do back-to-back-to-back race weekends, so why not, right?

Headed over to a real vintage gravel track in St. Albert, feature goose poop, a bit of a slant, and plenty of ruts. Like running on that track in canmore that featured an uphill.

Ran 1200/800/400/400/800/1200 with the short ones being faster than the long ones. They certainly also got progressively harder, I could feel my leg technique start to get wobbly by the end. Did the 1200 in 3:59, then 2:30, 1:09, 1:10, 2:30, 3:59. So... actually, stunningly consistent. I'm quite surprised.

But, Kim swears I look faster than last year, and he knows better than I, so... boom!

Little bit of a recovery shake-out before the evening at the shop. It took a long time for my legs to warm up to this idea. Right around the time that I finished.

Final Frank's race of season! My favorite part was this kid from this school in "New Norway" (Yes, this is a real place - population 283), stuck himself right at the front of the start. For some reason people are reluctant to be at the front of the pack at the start line, so there was this big hole. And he marched right in there. And as the rest of converged on him and were about twice his size, he stood firm and sure as heck he was the first across the start line. Mad props, small New Norwegian. Good style.

This week I managed to avoid the cookie stone of last week and instead was fueled by Calzone Power, which is, among many things, intense deliciousity. Thankfully I ate it well, well in advance so I wasn't reminded of it mid-race.

I felt pretty good climbing Esso hill, I think I was probably going a little harder than I should have, because I don't feel like I ever really recovered for the rest of the race. One problem was that it was quite hot and really, really, dry. My throat was on fire for most of the race, and you could tell everyone agreed because there was all kinds of coughing at the finish line. I then hustled off to orienteering only to find out a day later that I had won a pair of new Brooks. Eiiiiiiii!

Oh well, I probably don't need to take more shoes back with me, I'm already bringing..... 5? Brooks Pure Connect, a Gore-tex pair, Kinvara TRs, Mizuno Hitogami and my totally sweet purple glow-in-the-dark NB 980s. Oh yes. They exist. And are awesome.

Hustled from Frank's race to Wednesday orienteering at Laurier. The first half was ludicrously easy and it seems that made everyone be totally complacent and the second half which can sometimes be a little tricky (if only because psychotic dogs chase you around) was a bit more interesting. Unfortunately the features the controls were on were all ones I've been to hundreds of times before.

"Oh, yes, that boulder, I know where that is". "Yep, that knoll, easy."

But, its okay, I think my running fitness is shaping up nicely and when back in Finland its going to be an intensive technical blitz leading up to O-Ringen and WOC. But, Jukola first! I'm quietly hoping they put me on like, the third team, but on first leg.

Never been to Jukola before, let's go first. I'm way into that.

Warm-up ja cool-down.

A little morning jaunt to shake out the legs. And boy howdy did they need shaking. Lungs still feel fine, legs were quite unhappy. After the run it was high time to compress myself to the gills and hope I recover for Wednesday's Frank's race. OH CRAP. I just remembered that I need to register for that!

Also! My new XC spikes came today. This may seem odd since I haven't run a cross country or track race in an awful lot of years, but.... heck, 30 dollar Brooks Mach 16? I just couldn't say no. Its all part of my two-step "track race" plan:

1) Buy track spikes.
2) Actually register for a race.

I suspect I'll have way more fun with step 1 than step 2. And more success.

C • Success 2

Saturday was the triumphant introduction of a new updated version of the Whitemud map, which was put to good use by holding a bog-standard regular Wednesday event. On a Saturday. Triumphant indeed.

But, being Saturday, I was working, so I ventured out to run around it today, as part of a longer run. So, I jogged over to Whitemud, started at number 14, and did the rest of the course. Whitemud forces you to make some route choice decisions because there's a lot of green and generally you have to take trails, so it would be more fun if the club would hold something like a mass start or a night-o. I remember doing a night-o mass start with the club once (it was a score-o, but... close enough, I suppose), and it made Whitemud significantly trickier. The mass start night-orienteering (and, well, night orienteering in general) has since been abolished, it would appear.

Afterwards, moseyed all the way down Whitemud and back home. Legs were good and tired, the lungs felt just fine though. Maybe should have ran for a bit more!