Training Log Archive: vmeyer

Event: West Point A-Meet
 

Brisk walk to the start - chatting with the Domonies.

Advertised distance was 5k w/ 105m climb (way too long for a Brown WP course) - FR says actual was 5.191 miles with 336 m climb.



S-1: Did a 90 out of the start and was fighting my compass, trying to convince it that I was going in the correct direction. Crossed enough of a wet spot that I was sure everything was fine. Turns out I was over visiting in vicinity of Brown Y #1. Caused some of those folks to scratch their heads for sure. :) I finally made a big enough circle around that it got me close enough to the road that I could figure out where I was. Then to the control but missed seeing it because the bag was faded. Back to it as Peter and a train dropped down from above and punched ahead of me. 30+ minutes lost.

Should have followed my first instinct and gone back through the start to the road and around.

1-4: Settled in and carefully made my way around.

4-5: Ugh! Route choice poor. Should have gone straight. Met up with Barb D at the control.

5-6: Was going to take the trail around but my feet were hurting and felt better in the woods. So, after a bit of a debate, I bashed into rhododendrons and nailed the control. Best splits of the day (10th).

6-7: Not a horrible leg but should have gone to the road and trail since I was just fighting through low veg. Lifted my foot high to stomp on a blueberry bush in frustration, and within a foot of me a wild turkey whooshes up and flies away - we screeched in tandem.

7-8: Finally #8 is the water control, and I am looking forward to it. However, I bash through the worst of the green/swamp and then parallel the trail instead of finding the trail, wasting time along the way and starting to stumble around. Break out the GU knowing that water won't be far behind. Get to the control location, and it is on the top of a huge bare rock and boulder, some look out point with buzzards flying overhead. Getting up was hard, but I did it unaided. Getting down was sketchier and I ended up with my legs in an awkward position but managed to get down in one piece. Felt sorry for the even less nimble people who had to tackle that control. Cool site, but not on an O course. Should have carried water, since it is often a hit or miss at this event, as well as the fact that my navigation is often a hit or miss. No water until 2 hours in for me, which was about 3.5 k into the course.

8-9: On the trail and thought I would see it, which I wouldn't have because it was on the other side of the hilltop. But, had switched in my mind that I was going to 10. Checked the code and back to 9.

9-10: And then back to 10. Knew where it was - 15th split, second best one of the day.

10-11: Descent out of 10 is scary work, even on the trail.

11-12: Yay! More climb.

12-13-F: Finally done.

Brutal, physical course, though I felt strong through the blueberries and even took this as a route choice a couple of times, gaining time on my competition, or so I thought at the time, and a little motivation is good at times.

Time loss is ~40 minutes in error and probably ~20 in fitness. Two hundred pounds is not easy to carry around, though my breathing was never really an issue. Oh, I was breathing hard, but I guess I mean that my asthma was in control.

It has been almost two years since I have toed the line as a regular competitor at a national event, so my expectations were pretty low - don't get hurt and find all of the controls, and I reached those goals Foot held up fairly well, though I have three blisters contact points in the shoe. But, I never wanted to quit because I was in extreme pain.

Roger enjoyed the day, and we had a nice dinner with Sandy after.

C • Wow...wild route to 1 2

Brown X Day 1 - Splits

Walked around NYC with Roger. Keeping a slow pace is harder than walking faster. Feet in such pain by the end of the day - nine hours later. But, this was Roger's day...a small price to pay for him being an O widow many other days of the year.

Travel day to NYC. Had a fleeting thought at 5 am that I would go to the pool at 5:30 and get a swim in. Hah! Not happening.

Staff meeting at the central office, so grabbed my bike at lunchtime so I could ride over to the meeting instead of walking. Mostly just needed the motivation to ride to work. What a beautiful day to be outside.

Ride to the central office the long way.

Had 60 seconds of face time with my supervisor before the meeting - first time we have seen each other in six months. This seems wrong somehow, but I am not complaining.

C • Nice! 1

Pretty tired and didn't want to attempt riding up the hill, but I figured - quitter can't get better, so up I went. Tried to change to lower gears but the front ring was stuck because of the accumulated grit from Saturday. Had to stand up or fall over, and as I stood up, the gear switched, and I almost fell over anyway. Determined at that point to keep going, and with lungs burning, I made it to the top! WooHoo!

Felt like the egg sandwich I ate too close to swimming was a lead weight. Glad I only planned on 50 today. It seemed like I was barely moving along at the end. Perhaps still tired from the weekend too.

So sore today - hip area and core. Yeah for a rest day.

Event: QOC King's Landing
 

White course with Lailah - we covered over two miles with some detours to walk on the boardwalk and look at the marsh. Lailah ran lots and said that she was having fun. Cookies from Amy helped. She only asked to be picked up once, and that was near the end when we were walking across a field where the grass was a little high. I picked her up for a couple of feet but then encouraged to finish on her own, and she did.

I picked up the camera on the way back before doing the last three controls. Wish I had had it sooner.



Proud and tickled.




Lailah didn't like the tree branches that she had to reach through for this one.






I told Lailah we were looking for 15o. She said that o wasn't a number, and asked if it was really 0. Made me laugh.


Lailah checking the codes - this one wasn't ours.

After Lailah got picked up, and with Tori manning the computer, I went out on this fun little course, though a bit on the easy side. Woods were beautiful. No real errors, just a little slow in spots. West Point is going to kick my butt this weekend!

White - Splits

Orange - Splits