Training Archive: Cristina

In the 31 days ending 2008-01-31:

activity	#	time	miles		km		+m
Hiking	4	19:10:00
Running	10	6:18:21	35.66		57.39		50
Cycling	15	6:18:00	21.5		34.6		250
Orienteering	3	3:11:24	11.71	(16:20)	18.84	(10:09)	630	3 /	14c	21%
Strength/Core	4	1:17:00
Skating	1	42:30
Total	37	36:57:15	68.87		110.83		930	3 /	14c	21%

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Thursday Jan 31
	Hiking 5:00:00 [3]
	shoes: Asics B&Y
	Tongariro Northern Circuit Day 3. Hiked back to Whakapapa. This was planned to be the shortest day, and it was a good thing, too, because seabass wasn't feeling well. She felt better the slower she moved and best when not moving, which made for a long hike. I took a side trip to Lower Tama Lake for a quick lookie, but otherwise this day was a bit less spectacular than the rest, mostly because it was misty and cloudy and we had no views. It was cool because of the mist, but not quite the same. I also discovered that I had a very high energy level, even managing to run a bit with my (probably way too heavy) pack. A sweet end to the hike. My feet were a little beat up after this, a few blisters on each foot and about 6-8 hot spots on each, too. Not a big deal because I didn't even realize I had most of them and it didn't seem to really hurt. I was worried that they'd hurt in O shoes but that turned out not to be an issue.

	C • days out of order? 3
Wednesday Jan 30
	Hiking 6:30:00 [3]
	shoes: Asics B&Y
	Tongariro Northern Circuit Day 2. Hiked back up to the crater area and past Blue Lake and the Emerald Lakes again (no complaints) and then down to the Oturere Valley for yet another type of landscape. This was a desert environment with lots of lava flow remnants. The sandy ground was a mixture of black from the basalt and white from (I think) conglomerate beds/stream deposits. It wasn't like a solution, it was like a mixture, if that makes sense to anyone but me. Much less busy today. We only passed one couple going the other way, just after the steep descent into the valley. We exchanged info and headed onwards. We lunched at the Oturere hut, where we bumped into a group that we'd talked to the night before at Ketetahi. They'd done the circuit a few times and, once again, shared some info. Then we headed out to Waihohonu Hut. The next bit was very dry and sparsely vegetated. It was also hot. And we saw no one. It was neat for a few hours... Then there was the weirdest vegetation boundary, where it went from almost totally empty scrub to beech forest with no transition. Just kapow! It was nice to be in the trees. One last ridge crossing (biggest of the day) and we were at the hut. This time we were in a beautiful forested location with a running stream just down the way and almost no company. It was very calming. Talked for a while with the hut warden, an Aussie named Krista. She asked a lot of questions about orienteering and thinks she should try it (a convert?). Most interesting, in the small world department, she spent all of last year studying abroad in Uppsala. (And no, she never did go orienteering in all that time, though she remembered those people running around in funny suits.) She knew someone there named Boris who she thought was American, but she didn't seem to know him well. We couldn't determine if it was THE Boris, though it seems doubtful since my statement of "he's really hairy" didn't seem to set off any lightbulbs. Awesome day (again). Pics: http://www.boojums.org/cristina/fotos/NZ1/NZ1.html

	C • NZ Pictures 6
Tuesday Jan 29
	Hiking 7:00:00 [3]
	shoes: Asics B&Y
	Tongariro Northern Circuit Day 1. We started at the Mangatepopo trailhead with hordes of day hikers doing the Tongariro Crossing, which is reputedly the best single day hike in NZ. All the company meant that time flew by (and so did the people, what with their skimpy backpacks!). We started up the Mangatepopo valley and then headed up to the crater area via the Devils Staircase, a nice steep set of big rocks. Once we were up there it was non-stop phenomenal views. For the entire rest of the day I felt like I was in some National Geographic panoramic-film helicopter or something, checking out some fancy volcanic field. It was pretty cool, and the weather was great so we always had views of the various peaks and cones. Ended the day at the Ketetahi Hut. Some people had recommended going on to the next hut rather than this one (which requires backtracking the next morning, mostly uphill), but I'm glad we went there. The view down to the hut of the valley below and Lake Taupo in the distance was delightful. The hut was super crowded, though, and on the way down I could see a tent set up and worried that it was already all full and we'd have to actually use the tent I'd been dragging around. The hut did fill up, but not until well after we arrived. Turns out I never did have to pull it out, and most people don't bother carrying one. Wish I'd known! Awesome day!
Monday Jan 28
	Note

	Spent the morning at the Auckland Botanic Gardens and then drove down to Tongariro National Park, where we'll spend most of the rest of the week. Tomorrow we're off to do the Tongariro Northern Circuit. We'll be back Thursday, or maybe Friday. Possibly Wednesday.

	C • Sun screen 2
Sunday Jan 27
	Running (trail) 20:00 [2]
	shoes: Asics B&Y
	Spent the morning watching cute penguins and sharks and stuff at Kelly Tarlton's, then off to the Waitakere Ranges from some activity. We ran up up to the Kitekite Falls (proncounced "kitty kitty falls", so how could we resist?) and then finished off a loop hiking. I just can't bring myself to call it tramping like the locals do. It just sounds dirty.
	Hiking 40:00 [3]

	Hiked up to the top of the falls, up and over to a steep ridge trail that took us back to the parking lot. But we just kept walking down to Piha beach. Calves were sore today from all the walking yesterday.
Saturday Jan 26
	Running 18:00 [1]
	shoes: Asics B&Y
	Got to Auckland this morning and wondered wtf happened to Friday. I'm sure we'll get it back later. Flight was long but not quite long enough for three movies. Ratatouille (1), I guess. The Lives of Others (1) The Simpsons (TBD) I've never had to actually do the driving on the left before. Managed okay, though every time I want to turn I hit the windshield wipers instead. For some reason that's a much harder habit to break than the whole staying to the right thing. We're staying a bit outside of town, on the slopes of Mt Eden. So after breakfast we hiked up the short but steep volcanic dome and then ran down the other side and back to the hostel. It's definitely summer here. Not that hot, but the sun is intense. And it didn't get dark until after 9... Yeah, rough life.

	C • How long... 6

	C • movies 1
Thursday Jan 24
	Note

	Travel day. I wish I'd had a chance to get a run in today or yesterday. Or both. Sometimes my time management skills regress.

	C • Travel 4
Wednesday Jan 23
	Note

	Contacts update: It took me about 15 minutes to get both contacts in this morning, but it was worth it because I finally got the final ok to wear them while flying and get a year's supply. Yay! I can't see with these things nearly as well as I can with glasses, but apparently that's normal and I'm (amazingly) still 20/20 with them. How do you people with 'normal' vision walk around like that? Things are fuzzy! It's going to take some getting used to.
Tuesday Jan 22
	Running (dirt) 1:00:50 6.8 mi (8:57 / mi)
	ahr:175 max:195
	WoG is obviously a really great thing for me - I really didn't want to run tonight. Landed at 5 and had a lot of things to do at work and at home. I knew that once I got there and started running I'd enjoy myself, so despite being pulled in many directions I raced home, changed, and ran back out the door. Got there a bit late, but early enough to warm up and get going. Today we did: ~15 min warmup (track loop + stadium) 4x strides 2x200 w/ 200 R 8 step-down laps (4 miles), which were: 4:26, 4:33, 4:25, 4:14, 3:59, 3:51, 3:38. Ran with Diane and we decided to do 8 (instead of 6) contingent upon me cracking the whip about not going to fast. I did that, but I also miscalculated how fast we were supposed to start, so we started a bit on the slow side. Nevertheless, a solid 4 miles of running, followed by another lap to warm down.
Sunday Jan 20
	Strength/Core (stretching) 15:00 [1]

	Lots of good prep time in the tent, avoiding the morning "chill".
	Orienteering race 1:17:30 [3] *** 7.3 km (10:37 / km) +210m 9:17 / km
	ahr:179 max:191 spiked:3/14c shoes: Integrators (orange)
	I have this theory that if I were a faster runner, and if I had confidence that I was competitive on speed alone, then I wouldn't do silly things like try to run fast while orienteering. I would orienteer the way I did yesterday, reading ahead, stopping when I really needed to, trying to be accurate and letting the result be... a win. Today I did exactly the opposite of yesterday. I tried to run fast and basically ignored that sheet of paper in my hand with all the squiggly lines on it. The result? Not so hot. I went in to today's course knowing that everyone would probably do a lot better than they did yesterday. Much less complex orienteering and more runnable terrain. Holly started only 4 min behind me and I was thinking, oh so brilliantly, "don't get caught". So I took off at the start, and banshee'd it to the first control. No problems. Headed towards 2 and got sucked up the wrong way (sort of parallel) and went straight to number 3. Two minutes lost. Got to 4 okay but at the same time as Holly. Blew number 5 by, again, being off on a parallel. Even saw a group of three people punch my control but didn't realize it. Four minutes lost. And one last big goof where I turned the wrong way in a stream/canyon and lost a whopping five minutes. I got lucky on several controls in that I managed to somehow drive straight towards them by only paying attention to my direction and not really reading the map. So really it should have been a worse run than it was. Fifth of out five today, though amazingly my lead from yesterday was big enough to come away with the win for the 2 day total. Holly in ~62, Angelica ~63, Dasha ~69, Yekaterina ~73. Map

	C • You may be onto something 3
	Note

	Rain (0) Talk about depressing.

	Red - Splits
Saturday Jan 19

	Event: Anza Borrego Desert O-Fest
	Orienteering race 1:25:54 [3] 7.2 km (11:56 / km) +295m 9:54 / km
	shoes: Integrators (orange)
	Pretty good run today. Some small goofs + ~2 min parallel error and a sort of silly route choice. First F-21+. (?!) Booyah. Map
	Orienteering race 28:00 [2] 2.7 mi (10:22 / mi) +125m 5:38 / km
	shoes: Integrators (orange)
	Not very spritely sprint performance on my part. Major error on 4 (> 2min) and too tired to push it. Smoked by Angelica and Holly (at least). Map

	Red - Splits

	Sprint - Splits
Friday Jan 18
	Note

	Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
Thursday Jan 17
	Cycling (road) 20:00 [2]

	In to work. I'm resisting the tempatation to say that it was a bit chilly for high noon. Two items of note so far today: 1) I wore contacts all morning! 2) Two separate suspicious packages arrived today from MA. Both contained at least one compass and neither had any additional information. Spooky!

	C • the other one? 6

	C • Climbing (road) ? 3
	Cycling (road) 25:00 [2]

	Ride home. I was pretty tired towards the end of the flight, but as usual I had a lot of energy after afterwards. And then about halfway home I started to feel weak and woozy and really just wanted to lie down on the side of the road and sleep. A-B this weekend. I've been so busy that I just dong feel like I'm in the right frame of mind for it. Might be that I also have memories of the cold last year... I don't think I'm going to have the last laugh in my tent.
Wednesday Jan 16
	Running (road/dirt) 37:15 [2] 4.1 mi (9:05 / mi)
	shoes: Gus
	Morning run on the bike path. I was being so productive this morning that I almost stopped myself from running in order to keep up my momentum and not lose time. But that's just crazy talk! Besides, it was 50 and sunny. Gorgeous! I suppose that's an advantage of working in the evening... at least during the winter.
	Cycling (road) 20:00 [2]

	In to work.
	Cycling (road) 18:00 [2]

	Ride home, after a night flight, but at a perfectly reasonable hour (ie, way before midnight). I could totally get used to that.
Tuesday Jan 15
	Cycling (road) 22:00 [2]

	Ride in. When I woke up the weather thing said 43 degrees. When I was leaving it said 39. WTF? It's supposed to get warmer as the sun comes out. Whale Rider (1)

	C • GOI. You could have woken ... 13
	Cycling (road) 20:00 [2]

	Ride home. Today was a funny day at work.
	Strength/Core 8:00 [1]

	WOG warmup
	Running (dirt) 48:11 5.7 mi (8:26 / mi)
	shoes: Gus
	Had a few minutes to breath before getting to WOG. I was really hungry because I spent the day waiting to fly and never made it out for food. So I stuffed some cheese and dried mango in my mouth and went over to Reid with Seabass. The mango was probably fine, but I don't think large chunks of Harvarti are meant to be eaten before running. I tested the limits - but thankfully did not exceed them - on that one. Warmup was a lap inside and a stadium lap, then strides. Then we did a tempo-ish run, where each lap (800m) was supposed to be 5 seconds faster than the previous. I ran with Diane, and even though we both knew that I was right about needing to slow down on the first lap, we didn't really do it and ran too fast, which means we got to our sort of goal pace after only 3 laps: 4:05, 4:01, 3:51, 3:50, 3:49, 3:50 Then ran a couple more laps inside for a cool down. I think this was just fine for the first real workout after a rest. Not very fast (even though the second half felt very hard) but a good starting point for January. Oh yeah, and Seabass just ran on her own around the golf course. Haven't been able to convince her to come back to WOG yet...
Sunday Jan 13
	Running (trail) 37:20 3.5 mi (10:40 / mi) +50m 6:21 / km
	shoes: Asics Trail Attack III
	Got back to Tucson, TFG. We even got back a few hours early because we had to shut down an engine in NE Arizona and came straight back here rather than drop people off in Vegas ("on the way" my ass). Early enough, in fact, for me to get out to Saguaro East for a run before dark. For a gloriously beautiful, invigorating run. Only encounter with a dangerous critter was when I spooked a desert mule deer. There is one very positive aspect to this weekend's trip: it further confirms how much I love being in Tucson, which helps me put up with all the things that I don't much like. It's not that Valdosta seems like a bad place, it's just that it doesn't seem like the kind of place that could make me happy despite work.
Saturday Jan 12
	Running (road) 1:15:00 [2] 7.63 mi (9:49 / mi)
	shoes: Asics Trail Attack III
	I tried really hard to go for a trail run today but I failed miserably, mostly because there aren't any. I got one suggestion to run on the running trail on base, which is a paved perimeter loop and thus not very appealing. I also got a suggestion to run in the nearby wildlife area, but it wasn't clear where to actually find a trail. The intarwebs were of no use, so finally I did what I should have done to begin with and called up the local running shop. "Hi, I'm visiting town and I'm wondering if there are any places nearby to get in a trail run. " "Sadly, no, there really isn't. There's a place you could run but I wouldn't run there alone. I see gators there all the time. And snakes." It turns out that the place he was talking about was the wildlife area, which has a 3 mile loop, apparently the only trail anywhere near the base. And it turns out that the trail looks an awful lot like a road. In fact, I drove down it for a good half mile before I realized that I was on it. It wasn't very appealing for a run, especially with the known associated wildlife risk. So I just went back to the base and ran the perimeter loop. My grades for Moody AFB based on this short visit: The base: B- Accessibility to town stuff: C Availability of churches: A+ Trail running opportunities: F-

	C • criterion #3 15
Friday Jan 11
	Note

	I kicked and I screamed but the Air Force found a way to get me to Valdosta. It's so awesome here already. I can't believe I picked Tucson instead of here. Wooooo. Yeah.
Thursday Jan 10
	Cycling (road) 22:00 [2]

	Ride in, a crisp 36 degrees. Still haven't had to pull out the shoes, though. Sandals all the way. (When is winter over?) I couldn't find my gloves this morning, spent a frustrating 10 minutes looking all over the house. I wore them Tuesday night, so it was hard to imagine that they could have thoroughly disappeared in that time. I gave up and went for some beefy gloves instead, grabbed my helmet and... found my gloves. I used to always keep gloves in my helmet, so I don't know why it was so surprising to me that they were there. But it was a surprise. Like this one: What are you doing here? Did remember to get my hair cut yesterday. Phew.

	C • It makes you wonder who sho... 4
	Cycling (road) 18:00 [2]

	Ride home. In a hurry to make it to WoG. Didn't get home until 6, so I drove there.
	Running (road) 37:00 [2] 3.83 mi (9:39 / mi)
	shoes: Gus
	Well, I think I licked that one. Absolutely no problems with the foot tonight at the first WoG session of the semester. Got there while everyone was still stretching, etc, and Randy asked about the O Marathon. A few people asked me about orienteering after that and I tried to get them to go to the meet on Sunday at U of A. I figured a campus sprint was the perfect chance for these kinds of runners to get into it. I don't think anyone will go, though. I didn't have enough time to let the charm do its thing. In fact, even though today was just a social run, I ended up alone most of the time because I pulled back to keep it easy. While there were no real issues, it's obvious that I haven't been running. Everything's all creaky! As awesome as the VFM was - and I have no regrets at having done it - it has taken more out of me than I expected. I figured two weeks of really easy stuff would be fine, just in time for the holidays, and then I could get into the new year. But almost 4 weeks of not being able to run hard (or at all) is a bit much. If there's another O marathon next year I'll have to consider resisting the temptation!

	C • or... 3
Wednesday Jan 9
	Note

	Contacts update: I had an appointment today to check out my new right contact, the one that's slightly adjusted for the astigmatism. After a little bit of coaching from the friendly airman I was able to get it in (I haven't been able to get a contact in my eye for a few weeks now). I smell progress!
Tuesday Jan 8
	Cycling (road) 22:00 [2]

	Ride in. For some reason it felt really pleasant to be riding in today, though I'm not sure why given that it was 45 degrees (tights, sandals). Still need that haircut.

	C • 45 degrees? 10
	Cycling (road) 20:00 [2]

	Ride home. When am I going to remember to get my hair cut?
	Note

	Rode to Peg's for the TSN business meeting and rode back completely calm. I didn't feel like strangling anyone at all! In fact, it was a nice, short, pleasant meeting.
Monday Jan 7
	Strength/Core 40:00 [2]

	Yikes.
Sunday Jan 6
	Skating 42:30

	Sunset skate with seabass, two laps around the golf course. We started with an anti-clockwise loop, which we never do, and it really wasn't that much fun. When we got back to the car we turned around and did a clockwise/normal loop. Much better! I've spent much of the day cleaning and organizing stuff. I'm taking a giant leap and getting rid of (some of) the magazines that I've hoarded over the past 10+ years. No orienteering magazines, of course, but all of the cycling, triathlon, and miscellaneous non-orienteering ones. And not the running ones, yet, though I think that's just a matter of time. The used book store wouldn't take any of them (they're only taking '08 issues!), so they're up on freecycle. I hope someone wants them.

	C • You have to know which way ... 1
	Note

	Non-uplifting note removed. I guess I was in a crappy mood.
Saturday Jan 5
	Cycling 1:27:00 21.5 mi (4:03 / mi) +250m 2:26 / km

	I slept for a really long time last night, probably because I needed it. I don't tend to move very much when I sleep, but that seemed to be especially so last night because I had two small, black, cuddly creatures that strangely resemble sea otters parked between my knees and feet for much of the night. I must have been trying not to disturb them and moved into some strange position (and stayed there), because I woke up with a really stiff back. Silly kitties. Got stuff done in the morning waiting for my back to unstiffen a little and for the temp to reach 70. Head out in the afternoon for a ride up to Sabino Canyon and back. North on Columbus/Swan to Sunrise, over to Sabino Canyon, and back on Wilmot and Broadway. It took 45 min to get there and I didn't go in the park. I guess this is a reasonable enough ride that if I wanted to do a serious workout some day I could ride there, go for a run, and ride back. It's possible. Route. I've revised my running plan. I'm not going to run at all for the next few days, just more alternative exercise, vitamin-I, and ice. It doesn't hurt today, but I figure a few more days to let it really recover is well worth it.
Friday Jan 4
	Running (road) 36:45 [2] 4.1 mi (8:57 / mi)
	(injured) shoes: Gus
	My cold is basically gone, my foot felt fine, young people caucused like nobody's business yesterday, it was 70 degrees when I got home, and it's Friday. Could I possibly need another reason to go out for a run? Ran around the bike path from home. Legs felt pretty perky, probably from feeling neglected for so long. I think I'm okay, little aches here and there (a little bit on the rt foot after ~25 min, a little bit on the outside of the knees), but I think if I keep treating body parts nicely and just stick to running every other day for a the next week or so I should be fine.
	Strength/Core (stretching) 14:00 [1]


Thursday Jan 3
	Cycling (road) 24:00 [2]

	In to work. Nasty wind today. And I need a haircut.
	Cycling (road) 18:00 [2]

	Home. Still need a haircut.

	C • Better hurry 2
Wednesday Jan 2
	Note

	How about a 2007 wrap-up, a couple of days late? First, some numbers: 2007 (2006) (2005) Training hours: 332 (287) (233) Orienteering: 101 (80) (64) Running: 105 (118) (84) USOF Rank pts: 70.4 (68.2) (59) Fastest non-sprint min/km: 8:22 (9:24) (10:29) I also rated 43 movies, 29 of which I gave a '1' and the remaining 14 were slapped with a big fat '0'. There are some nice trends in there, most noticeably the increase in orienteering and overall training hours. I actually ran less this year than last year, but the O hours delta is larger, so I guess it's a wash there. By the numbers, I am orienteering better - but not by nearly as much as I would have hoped. A few races that stand out in my mind are the World Cup races in Finland, Jukola, Day 2 in Colorado, the SS finals and the VM O-Marathon. I'm sure I'm forgetting some. There are also a few that stick out in a bad way, like the first day of the US Champs and the sprint at A-B. In both cases I just didn't have my O brain with me. I suppose one goal for this year should involve preparedness so that I never have to worry about that happening again. I haven't done a thorough analysis of consistency, time lost on courses, time behind the winner, etc. If I do, I am sure that I will find that the difference between this year and last year isn't very big. Frustrating. That's all I can write before falling asleep. That means that goals will have to wait another day.

	C • One you didn't rate 3
	Cycling (road) 22:00 [2]

	Ride in.
	Cycling (road) 20:00 [2]

	Ride home.
	Running (road) 8:00 [2]
	shoes: Gus
	A successful run. I had to take the bus to the airport to get the car, so I decided to put some running shoes on and give my foot a really, really easy test. Thankfully, it passed. I think. My foot's been feeling much, much better. Nevertheless, I feel like if I were to go out and run for 45 minutes it would probably be hurting. I (perhaps stupidly) canceled my appointment this morning because nothing hurt and I figured my initial suspicion of tendinitis was current and it's almost licked. Perhaps the smarter thing is to go to the flight doc anyway.