Training Log Archive: Charlie

Stroll at the lake with our neighbors Glen and Karen. Mostly with Karen, as Glen went off running. I thought about going with him, but saw how sprightly he was and immediately thought better of it.

We had been after Zack to fix the electric fence around the vegetable garden and after some protracted negotiations we had bought an AC controller that we can plug in to the outlet on our deck, rather than the solar powered one that had failed, and needed at least a new controller and a new battery, and maybe a new solar panel. We had the solar set up because it had been previously used when we fenced a clear cut in or about 2007, and then we moved it to the garden when we didn't need it in the forest any longer. '

Anyway, I built an over-sized bird house to house the controller and Zack hooked it up. Not all the wires seem to be getting current, though, so I will have to investigate some more. My hip got way out of sorts during the operation, so some significant rolling and a trip to the hot tub to try to jolly it.

C • current 4

This was hard. The back is on fire, presumably due to the knot in the hip area.

McLean GR, from the trailhead on Barndoor Hills Rd near the corner with Simsbury Rd. This is an old favorite, and I have been thinking about doing it for some long time. Looking it up, haven't done this route since January 2016, and the various injuries and infirmities I have had have made me put it off, and then there is the lack of interest on the part of my usual training partner, but she was off on a two hour walk, so I had the time, and was feeling more than usually spunky. A couple of goals: complete the 5 miles without stopping to walk; do it in under 70 min. In the early going, I thought I had a chance to be near 60, but as things wore on and I got to the hillier sections and the more uneven footing I was slowing down. Lots of roots on some sections. Only one trip - not nearly a fall, but a good jolt to the hamstring. In sum, an excellent experience. Pretty hard, but feel really fine afterwards.

I passed on Rhonda's morning walk around the neighborhood, but got a couple of calls from her reporting that Luther was out there, walking parallel to her in the woods while she was on the road. Then in the course of a 4 mile walk she also saw two other bears.

C • Luther 5

With Rhonda at the lake, her track, as I must have pushed a wrong button, or not pushed hard enough. Including a stop with a folding saw to cut off a pointy stick that invaded the trail, too big for the loppers I had brought the other day.

Short outing. 4x8 Romanian DLs at 75, 75, 75, 95
2x 8 conventional DLs at 95. Felt fine. The hamstring seems like it is well on its way to recovery. Amazing how quickly something can heal if you find the right trick for the particular injury. This was impervious to most of the usual stretching and strengthening, but responded very quickly to the RDLs. It has been a long time since I did Deadlifts, because they bugged the hamstring too much. Seems like I can do them just fine now.

First run in a while. Hard, slow, but nothing particularly hurt, so this was successful.

Doing a little maintenance along the trail and this fellow hopped across. Reasonably well camouflaged, but he is just above the mountain laurel leaf at the bottom left. Now that we are learning about frogs, seems this guy is a wood frog.

C • Frog 2

I had been feeling increasingly punk over about 5 days, more tired each day, sore legs and back. Anyway, got up this morning and I seem back to normal, or whatever normal was 5 or 6 days ago. So no longer too worried about it.

With Rhonda and Karen , including admiring the work I did on the trail to her house.

A couple of hours planting in the vegetable garden.

Garden work. Planted a bunch of tomatoes, mounds of various kinds of squash, cucumbers, melons, dahlias, sunflowers. A lot more to do tomorrow. Tiring.

A walk down to the pond with R to see how the beavers are coping with Zack’s backhoe depredations. It has been dry, so their efforts have been a bit desultory. Then stopped on the way back to do some trail work, until I was too tired to do any more and struggled back. Arrived home to Aperol spritzers and some lovely sliced steak and salad. Very restorative.

With Rhonda at the lake, including a little trail maintenance with the loppers we brought from home.

C • Trail maintenance 7

Not very lively today. Thought I wouldn’t do much, but it turned out that Zack and I split a bunch of firewood. So tired and sore again.

Taking it easy. I usually only pull with my fingers. Taking a firmer full hand grip seemed to be less strain on my L forearm. Feels kind of strange, but maybe necessary.

With Rhonda, and a little spring in our step because she had something due to come out of the oven in 25 minutes, so just in time.

C • three activities ... 3

Event: EGK Swiss 5 days 2020 postponed to 2021
 

Dog loop, plus a little visit to the vegetable garden

Took 2 weeks off to see how much good it did my forearm and hand. Hand was ok, forearm feels the stress. Have to see what to do about it.

However, this does make my back feel better, which had been a little cranky after yesterday's bike ride.

C • using fingers only 3

JanetT reminded me about Romanian DLs, which I had used to good effect on a hamstring injury maybe 40 years ago, so I did a few sets, not pushing it. First a set of squats with 75, since the bar was up high on the rack, then the RDLs: 5-5-6 with 75-85-95. Then a set of what one might call baby Nordic extensions, on the Glute Ham machine. Baby, because the pad is not at my knees, but on my lower quads. If I get a little (a lot) stronger, I'll try moving it. Anyway, the RDLs felt pretty good.

Admiring some of the areas along the dog loop that have been cleared of mountain laurel. Motivational.

This was hard work. L hamstring was pretty tender. But a beautiful day, and pleasant to be out.

Splitting and stacking wood with Zack for about 40 minutes.

With Rhonda, down to the Big Down Marsh to see that the beavers have completely repaired Zack's depredations of a few weeks ago, so water across the trail again. Only counted six heron nests, which is about all the room that remains on the snags that are still standing, and soon those will be gone, too. There are a lot of snags to choose from in the little Down marsh, but I think it is too small to be a suitable place for the herons, who seem to like to have a bit more open water around them. Some artificial nesting poles would seem like a good solution, and one I would investigate if the pond were mine.

More yard work, laurel wrangling and limbing up some pines, got back to find Zack ready to chip, so straight back out, swapped the backhoe for the chipper and down the hill, chipped for about an hour, which cleaned up my pile from the last few weeks. Then it seemed like it was time to change the oil in the tractor (and probably time for a few other things). By the time all that was done it was about 1:40 and I was pretty cooked.

Shortly after we had another visit from Luther. Rhonda had seen him yesterday down on Bunker Hill Rd, so I was hoping he was going to find someplace else to hang out, but here he was again, scratching his back on the fruit trees, wandering through the garden, past the office and around the house. He is getting entirely too comfortable here.

Some yard work, and plenty hard. Wandered out with the chainsaw to dismantle a large hickory limb that fell across one of the trails, and then inveigled Zack to come help pick up the pieces and buck them up, then we split and stacked them for next year's firewood. Maybe at an end of this year's firewood season, as it was in the 80s today.

Went right from that to rototilling the garden, and by the time I was done with that I didn't feel like doing anything else strenuous for a while.

At Jess’s place. Had to take R in to the city early this morning then hied myself off to Jess’s to rest. Pretty tired today, but figured yoga would be good for my ailments.

Billygoat! The general plan was to do this with Rhonda at a relaxed pace. I thought maybe we could do it in 5:30, and I was motivated by the knowledge that there was no 3:30 time limit in 1979. We thought we might go Sunday, but Rhonda had turned an ankle Saturday and wanted to see how it would hold up. It was fine. Then we thought Monday, but the forecast was rain. She had an appointment Tuesday, so today turned out to be the day. Had to be back by 3 or so for class, so we started fairly early.

First two controls relatively hard, lots of climb, and we weren’t going very fast. Rhonda was not really enjoying it, and at the rate we were going, we weren’t going to make it. 3 and 4 were fine, but she had had enough and just went for her own walk. Back through the parking lot and along the trails, cutting the corner to cross the streams to the last one. Across and under the cliff to 6. Along the edge of the hill above the pond, but never saw the trail. A little uncertain about the reentrants, but kept going and hit 7 right on. Straight uphill to 8, another spike, then headed north to find a reasonable way down the cliffs, found a little switchback trail and crossed the stream right by the trail up to the clearing and across on the trail to 9. At this point it was getting pretty hot. I had a camelback, but it wasn’t working, and I didn’t have a hat. So I sat down and took off the camelback to try to figure it out. Eventually just pulled the nozzle off and could drink like that, then put it back on to travel. Sun was getting to be a problem and concerned about burning my scalp.

Some hikers passed me while I was sitting by the trail fiddling with the camelback, but then took a right at the T so I didn’t pass them back, just generally on compass up to the flag. Then across the large knoll to pick up the trail, left for a bit then R and up the hill before contouring across. Gratified to hit the control right on, but getting increasingly hot and uncomfortable. Eventually thought to tie the corners of my bandana and make a cap. Pretty silly looking, but extremely effective and cooling. Up the hill to the large rock feature before the trail, right a bit for an easier climb, and right to the control at 11. A bit of scrambling to get down to the trail, then left to the ridge trail and immediate right taking that trail until the sharp bends Passed a few folks who were at a lookout near the little pond halfway along the trail. On compass downhill, trying to keep the rock features straight, and came right to the flag on the boulder at 12. Somewhere around here my phone battery died. Took it out to examine a text I had received and it was at 2%, and dead shortly
after. 13 was the most pleasant leg of the race. More or less straight, along the right side of the marsh, up to the ridge line by the boulder and the knoll with the cliff, across the rocky spur, middle of the knoll with the twin reentrants facing S and N, and could see the flag from there, straight in front of me.

Kept more or less to the cliffs along the left side of the route to 14, climbed a bit across, until I could see the reentrant that drained from the marshes. Up and looked at the marsh for a while, thinking the flag would be on the edge, but then checked the clue - knoll, so easy enough. On compass, eventually picking up the road for a while, then crossed over to pick up the trail along the stream. Started climbing when I saw the big prominent cliff that was before and a few lines above the cliff at 15, so no difficulty.

Then the plan for 16 was to head on contour and gently downhill to meet up with the start of the leg to 1, and follow the same path up the reentrant. Got a little distracted when Niels came by and gave a cheery greeting. He was traveling pretty fast! Anyway, suddenly insecure I headed out to the road, so a little extra loop and climb compared to what I had planned. Also a little insecure just before the control, but climbed up and figured it out. Saw a phantom control a knoll early, but it was just a leaf. Then leaving 16 intending to follow the stream to 4 and thence trail and back, bit somehow got going a wrong way and didn’t find the stream. Endeavored to just go S to try to hit the road, and kept passing E-W trails, and just taking forever. Following compass S, but the terrain pushing me E. Eventually bumped int the marsh, and couldn’t really understand how I got there. My watch had been whining about low battery for about half an hour, and I was getting anxious about it dying and taking my track and splits with it. Anyway, eventually hit the road and the parking. Rhonda was there, gave me her watch for a little security and I dropped off the camelback. Heading back out I ran into Niels, who had just finished and had an excited story about a bear, but I never saw the bear. Up hill on trail until the trail bent to follow the stream more sharply uphill. Contoured across and hit it right on. Then out to the trail and down a spur to cross the marsh pretty far right of the pond. Seemed like it took forever to get to the actual pond. By the time I got to the little island I was pretty cooked, sore back, hamstrings and a little Achilles tweak. Tried to scramble across on the sticks, but slipped a foot into the mud anyway. Took a lot of concentration to get myself back on the last leg. Back to the car and more or less straight home.

Map

C • Goat! 6

Blue - Splits

With Rhonda at Lake McDonough, a bit faster and further than I have been going the last few weeks, so maybe things are looking up.

I washed the back of the Garmin, which seems to have fixed its heart rate problem.

C • Washing HR 2

It was snowing pretty vigorously yesterday around 7 pm or so. The deck and parts of the yard covered this morning.

Event: Billygoat 1979 Reenactment
 

At people's state forest. Admired this very attractive new picnic table they installed near a lookout along the park road. Substantial enough that you would want to assemble it where you were sure you wanted it to stay.



Garmin HR not behaving today. Usually it does just fine.

Alas, shutting down both rowing and laurel wrangling for a while. My chronically weak L forearm and hand are both complaining and I need to calm them down before it gets to my elbow. Once it gets into the elbow it takes a really long time to get better. At this point, the worst of it is just distal of the elbow, but the whole tendon is inflamed from the wrist on up.