Training Log Archive: Charlie

Not a good sleeping night. Tired today. Yard work with Zack, who was home for part of the weekend. Back series in the morning. Three nice white-faced hornet nests along the dog walk trail. They show up well with the leaves off.

Rhonda's morning class, lightly attended. Just me and Jackie. Many planks involved in this class.

1:30 each R, L, hands; 1:00 forearms, because it was getting a bit old. Working up to something. QLs are happier than they have been in a while.

C • High/low 3

This was Rhonda's idea, but her knee was hurting halfway down the driveway, so she went back and Sassy and I were on our own. Down Doyle Rd, then mostly on a neighbor's property before heading back.

Dog loop with R&S. Nice morning.

1:20 each type, R side, L side, hands, forearms. Last was most stressful, perhaps because it was last. None of them were stressful for Rhonda, who could probably do them until suppertime if properly motivated.

C • Planks 3

dog walk. Sassy is particularly needy these days, spending a lot of time either alone or with just me. So the walk involves periodic stops for some petting.

Needed to establish a new category because this seems to be a popular sporting activity these days. 1:10 side plank on each side, followed by 1:10 on both hands facing down. Excellent! Doing my back and my shoulders some good. Started the side planks a couple of weeks ago to strengthen my deficient QL muscles, but immediately saw the shoulder stability benefits as well. Then I read a day or so ago in the Times that they are just the ticket for avoiding adult onset scoliosis - something I had not previously been worrying about, but might as well avoid it if I can do so without any extra effort.

C • a popular sporting activity... 2

back series

dog loop, opposite direction this time. Nice white-faced hornet nest gradually coming apart, first saw some scraps on the ground,then looked up to see the nest quite high in the top of a birch tree.

Busy day. a dog walk, some back exercises, a lot of phone calls, meetings.

A very nice event this weekend. Despite the difficulty I had on Saturday (and the trouble I had on day 2 two years ago), I think this is one of the best places to orienteer I have been. Diverse terrain, hard to relocate, demands absolute attention to do well. And then all the great folks who were there and the beautiful weather. Really fine.

Then there was the bonus of getting to work on my Italian. Nice chats with Katia and Giovanni, and also with the mapper, Marcello Pradel, very nice guy. I am told, by J-J, Giovanni and Katia, and by Marcello himself, that he speaks a pretty strong dialect. A bit lost on me, as I was concentrating so hard on understanding what he said that I was not really paying attention to the way it sounded, and not capable enough to pick up any unusual words. Perhaps if I get a lot better at it.

Not sure what to call this. Yoga is about as good as anything. When I first heard about the finale yesterday, I was pretty glad I had missed it, but it got me to thinking and eventually I was sorry not to have been a part of it. I tried to catch up by trying for a three-minute forearm plank. Well, I made it, but I was certainly tired of planking by the end of it, and not just warming up, like Gail and Alex.

Around W Simsbury. Legs a little better than they have been the last few times.

Brown X, Day 2, Much better than yesterday, 3rd overall on brown X, compared to 31st yesterday, and good enough for a bronze medal in the US Champs. Mostly careful, ran a lot of the yellow skid trails. A little trouble late in the course, but not enough to spoil the run.

A nice few minutes at the start call-up chatting in Italian with Katia Bertoldi. Then down the path deliberately, cutting in at the low point and along the low ground, heading for 1. A bit further than I thought it would be, but I knew it had to be at the bottom.
1-2. Back out to the trail, past where the marsh would be, then in through the middle green to the big boulders, up the reentrant in good visibility. Met up with Sandy just before the control.
2-3 picked up yellow under the line, then at the big yellow junction got on the yellow going up the spur. Thought about Tony F advising looking for spurs at the dinner last night. Followed yellow and spur up then when yellow cut R straight in. Apparently Sandy was right behind me, but didn't see the bag and had a little excursion from there.
3-4 Along the yellow just left of line. As I got close saw Dennis going the other way, Huh? Turned out he had missed 3. Saw the knoll and along the top. Easy.
4-5. on compass, across the two skid trails, came to a small knoll that I thought was right in front of my control, but turned out not to be mapped. I was off a bit to the left. Looked around a few seconds then up the knoll and in. Maybe 15-20 seconds lost, although AP says 34.
5-6. R side of the marsh. Maybe should have climbed to the skid trail, as it was slow lower, but eventually hit the N-S skid trail. Checking boulders and hills off along the way. Saw George W up ahead a bit, diving into the medium green. Didn't look very nice, so I stayed in yellow and around, got to the control same time he did.
6-7. In yellow until just S of #2, then right by 2 and on compass. Saw the flag from about 50 M or so, which was surprising because it was supposed to be in green.
7-8, Out to the road the same way I came in. Heading in more or less on compass. Got passed by Glen T. Got close and chickened out, headed more toward the marsh, but realized I was too close. Coming back out when Dennis and Linda K went by. Followed them in.
8-9. Out to the trail, Dennis behind. Linda went a little straighter I think. Left from the trail bend, but trouble following a straight line and curved back to meet the stonewall near the trail. No memory of the stop that my QR track shows just before the control. Party at the control, with Linda, George W and Dennis showing up.
9-10-F First out of the woods, but George and then Dennis passed me on the road into the finish.

Map

C • Great comeback 6

Day 2 - Brown X - Splits