Training Log Archive: Charlie

Event: 30 Years of Pond Mt
 

Pond Mountain Brown course. Rode out and back with BillD, most generous of him to drive, especially since I took an involuntary nap on the way back. Very nice meet. Nice course, Pond Mountain is awesome, and the access provided from the west is a wonderful gift. Saw lots of old friends there, and could easily have spent a few more hours visiting, but instead I wasted them with some outrageous walkabouts. Seems like the operative mode today was to drift way right on compass, and then to be unable to relocate.
1. Much too high, nothing looked right, tried to relocate down at the stream, but by then I was much too far, so lots of aimless wandering before I found a control at the stream, but still took two times relocating from there, since I hadn't been careful the first time about exactly where on the stream I was.
2. Easy, particularly because I had already found it once, so headed downhill to where I could see the control on the stream and then a beeline from there.
3. Again drifted high and right, picked up the trail but further up than I thought, and thought when dropping I would come to the stream, but instead came to another trail in the flatter area that was heading more or less east west, which really threw me, because I couldn't figure out where it could be, and couldn't figure out where the stream was. Perplexed, but kept going, nothing making any sense to me, until I ran into the steep downhill more or less along the line from 4 to 5. That jogged me awake and I headed S, rightly guessing that I was at the little high point between the reentrants with the charcoal platforms, past the distinctive spur with the cliff and more or less on compass until I drifted right again, then circled around the right knoll for a while until I looked uphill and happened to see the control.
4. Decided a hammer gel would help, so opened it up and started sucking on it, walking in generally the wrong direction for a while, at least until I got down to where I could see the rather substantial marsh I would have liked to have seen on the way to 3, and then walked with more of a sense of purpose from there, finishing the hammer gel just before getting to the contrrol.
5, 6 and 7 were all pretty nice work, right on line, reading the land well. Just what you'd like to do.
8. From 7 I knew there was a climb, but I way overdid it. Actually it was only a couple of lines and I did way more than that! Anyway got up way too high, knew I was too high, struggled to get down, kept looking around. When I finally found it much lower, it didn't look anything like I expected.
9. Was easy, moving well for me, but getting pretty tired. A young girl (now realize it was Bridget Hall) went by pretty fast, but just follow the field on the left and easy.
10. Dumb. Crossed the stonewall instead of going along it, costing me another minute or so and having to backtrack along the big cliff.
11. Easy, but sore footed.

The damage - some really knotted up calves. R achilles complaining a bit. Otherwise ok.

Rhonda had said she would wait for me to go for a walk with the dog, but luckily she was no longer in the mood when I got home.

C • old friends and west access 2

160 squats

Brown - Splits

155 squats

In the gym with Eric. Got a little back spasm doing deadlifts, so back to core and stretching. I don't seem to be doing well with deadlifts.

C • Deadlifts 3

150 squats

Out at the lake with the girls. Sassy is really doing well with all this exercise, livelier than ever.

Highly satisfactory outing. Felt faster than it has in a while. Back is still stiff and tender, but the legs definitely were looser. And a little record check reveals this, while still quite slow, is my fastest time since November 2016.

I thought I would record the events of the weekend, previously unrecorded. This was the wedding of our personal trainer, Eric and it was quite a to-do as weddings seem to be these days. Eric is now espoused with a young lady who comes from a family of some substance, and this was all a bit beyond our normal range of experience.

First there was the lobster bake party the night before on an ocean front estate in Eastern CT, quite elaborate, quite nice. Spent some time hanging out with our friend Tom, an actuary of my long acquaintance who introduced us to Eric three years ago. Also met some people that I am not likely every to see again, or actually to ever see anyone like them again, traveling in my more accustomed circles.

Then we hied off for the next day to visit our friend Isabel, who was ensconced in Haddam with her grandkids, and went for a nice hike with them.

5 pm signaled the actual wedding, which took place at the tony Ocean House in Watch Hill, RI. Again, not a place I've been or am likely ever to return, but quite nice. A lovely string quartet played during the wedding and the party thereafter. Dinner was remarkably fine, if fashionably late. Rhonda was tugging at my sleeve from before the salad showed up, asking if it was ok if we left yet. It was not. But once the dinner finally showed up I could resist no longer and we drove home. Even before the cake! Quite an experience.

C • Wedding 5

140 squats

With Rhonda and Sassy. These sessions are becoming indispensable to the dog. She is very excited about them, and seems to be stronger and livelier now that we have been doing them lately. Hope they are as beneficial for the other old folks in the family.

The last week or so I have been very consistently working at stretching hamstrings and ITBs. Lots of pigeon stretches. The immediate effect seems favorable, but I tighten up again pretty soon. Will keep after it for a while. There is a huge difference between R and L, and the tightness on the right seems like it may be a contributing factor to my lower back issues. Also doing side planks every day, more or less for the same reason.

C • for awhile 4

135 squats

Out with Rhonda and the dog at their favorite activity, walking along the lake and chasing sticks thrown out into it by . . . me.

What with various procrastinations, I only found myself with about a spare 20 minutes or so before I had to head off to class, and a dog loop seemed about right. It was. Pretty humid out there, and I generated enough sweat that it would have sufficed for two or three loops, so no need to waste any extra time.

With Rhonda and the dog at the lake, including a tour of most of the logged area while the loggers take Sunday off. A very impressive operation, very neat. Had a nice chat with a lady on a bicycle, who remarked that we didn't see each other there, as she was also behind the lines. The dog got a lot of swimming opportunities.

130 squats

We were invited to Cindy's for dinner, so I took the bike and Rhonda drove. Mike and Cindy were eager to see the Diverge anyway.