Training Log Archive: PG

Down to Luke's Locker to try out a pair of Hoka's, on the recommendation of both Joe and Gail.

Route.

And back, carrying the Pegasus. What the hell, life is short.

Legs a little achy from yesterday but not bad.

Went to the Texas - Texas Tech football game last night with my niece. Quite a fine experience, seriously, though it was sufficient for us to only stay through the first half and then head home and somewhat watch the second half on TV. You see the game way better on the tube, but the atmosphere at the stadium is good fun.

And it's clear that Texans think quite highly of themselves. :-)

And seems I won a turkey at the race yesterday. A friend of my brother's was also running, she was 2nd in 60-64. She came over to the house later to join us for T-Day dinner and brought along the turkey.

I don't think it will make the trip home.

C • Turkey?!! 2

5-mile race in Austin, I think about 4,000 runners, plus another 15,000 or so in an "untimed" 5 mile.

Very satisfied with the result. Was hoping to be under 40, thinking maybe something around 39 was possible, 38 out of reach. But put out a good effort and the miles kept going by. Nice that the ups were mostly in the first two miles.

Third in the 65-69, about what I expected. Results.

Cool morning, about 40, o' pants, short-sleeve shirt, gloves. Could have done without the pants but generally worked about right.

C • Austin 4

After downing a bottle of water and three rather tasty oatmeal raisin cookies (to start the refueling right away), jogged most of the way back to my brother's house. Walked slowly up the last hill.

On the way down before the race, mostly just walking, a little jogging to loosen the legs, also keep warm. Can't exactly claim it was training. But nice not to have to deal with driving and parking.

So I assume Lyn is running (and winning) the Manchester Road Race today in her usual speedy time. My time converts to about 23 minutes for 5 km. Not sure that will be enough to hold her off in Forest Park next month. Also converts to just under a 7-minute mile. Might have to give that a shot too.

So on the news this evening there was a picture of some house in Australia that was all lit up with Xmas lights, supposedly 500,000 of them, supposedly a Guinness record.

And the comment was made by the newscaster that he supposed it was "visible from space." Said with the implication that that was really something.

I always assumed that in this age of spy satellites almost anything was "visible from space," including really small things. Like maybe Eddie?

With any luck Eddie, who shows up here once in a while with something cool from the world of outer space, well, maybe Eddie can say if he, or even something smaller, is visible from space. And without having to rotate the Hubble so it is looking straight down.

C • Visible from space 4

Checking out a few more trails in Leverett. Rather flat and uninteresting. Or maybe it was just that, given how lethargic my legs felt, nothing would have seemed particularly interesting.

Entertainment was stories from The Moth. Not particularly interesting. :-)

A fine visit with a fine gentleman. Heard a few old stories, told a few myself. I think there were plenty of smiles from both of us.

And I know where my stubbornness comes from, to the extent that I have any, and also where my ability and desire to make decisions quickly comes from. Though in many other ways I think my dad and I were very different. I guess that's where my mom comes in.

C • Try this . . . 20

Well, that was better.

"Charlie's loop" at Mclean's in Granby, CT. Good steady pace, plus 5x20 (about 100 yards each) faster in mile 2 and same in mile 5, just to get the legs moving. Cold (25F) and very windy, but much less wind in the woods (that's why I ran there).

Entertainment by This American Life, theme was getting away with things. OK, not great.

And then to Litchfield, have arranged to meet a guy who used to work for my dad, hopefully some stories from long ago. A bit nervous....

C • No need . . . 3

At Mt. Tom. Had intended to do "Phil's loop" -- Lake Bray to Goat Peak and Whiting Peak and back to Lake Bray, but when I couldn't make it up Teabag without a walking break, it was clear that there would be a bunch more walking unless I went to plan B. Didn't take long to lose all my resolve, and plan B it was.

Still a nice tour, just no steep or long ups. And I am trying hard to consider the positive, that I got out for just about an hour, and not the negative, that my running, such as it is, is going the way of the dodo. I guess, since the latter is inevitable, I better enjoy it while I've got it. :-)

C • Mt Tom 3

At the Holyoke reservoirs, trying to run gently.

C • What's the attraction at the Reservoirs? 4

Around Whiting Reservoir in Holyoke. Getting pretty dark by the time I finished, the last 10 minutes I could still see the route through the trees but not where I was putting my feet. But no falls! I was thinking that if I did go down, I best hold on tightly to my keys, because otherwise I might well not find them.

Listening on the way home to a small segment on Bitcoins. Does anyone on AP use them? Can I make my annual donation to AP (due next month) using Bitcoins? And just how would I do that?

Just trying to keep up with the times.... :-)

Added my routes to the DVOA route gadget page. Actually rather quick and easy to do with the GPS tracks.

Dirt roads starting at Whately Glen and heading into the hills. And there were some hills. Managed to keep running, if slowly.

And then stopped right away afterwards to procure a bottle of chocolate milk to refuel with. :-)

Saw an owl, probably barred, but it was flying away, not much to go on other than size.

Entertainment from a couple of Fresh Air interviews, the first an old interview with Carol Burnett, wonderful comedian that most have probably never heard of, the second about industrial recycling. It would be fun to go watch a car shredder at work.

C • Never heard of 6

Front nine at Franconia after a round at Twin Hills with Seth. Had thought about 18, but light was fading when I started and it was quite dark when I stopped, really couldn't see much at all. And the moon wasn't coming up for another half hour or so.

Legs a little weary.

DVOA A meet, day 2 at Hay Creek, adjacent to French Creek, similar but hillier. And for some reason more fun. Maybe because it was easier?

First things first. Checked in with the e-punch crew and determined that they could not provide sufficient proof that I had been at #1 yesterday, so I was properly re-DQ'd. All's well that ends well. Plus we had a lot of laughs.

And a reminder of how awesome Valerie is.

Second things second. Drive back to CT with the crew -- Gail and Phil and Charlie -- going our separate ways at the commuter parking lot in Waterbury. Such a pleasure to have company, and especially really good company. And Charlie was fully wired, so we got to enjoy UMass beating the Penguins, and the Jets getting trounced by the Bills (yay, Mike, you're already having an impact it seems), and then the results from today's O' which Valerie already had posted. And traffic reports, and news, actually no news on the Big Deli, and also news, though really also no news on what Tim Tebow is up to now. I think we should hire Charlie for company on a regular basis.

Third things third. My O' today was significantly less hopeless, rather good in fact, except towards the end where I got a little mentally lazy. Didn't lose much, just sloppy. But still better than yesterday.

And in other matters....

Had a talk with some of the trail-O folks about the need for better facilities for spectators. They are having another trail-O at the DVOA local meet at Ridley in two weeks. I was thinking of going down just to watch, but after yesterday, well, unless the set-up is a good bit better -- think beer, at the very least, plus an electronic scoreboard, announcer, and band -- I'm not sure it's worth the effort.

And a good chat with Phil H-T. We went to the same prep school many decades ago, just a couple of years apart. Had never previously talked about the experience. Very interesting.

And overall, just enjoyed the weekend a great deal. Thanks, DVOA.

C • wired 4

C • Nice run. 32

Hay Creek - Day 2 Brown X - Splits

Event: DVOA Fall Orienteering Festival
 

Today's route. :-)

A meet at French Creek. 4.3 km beeline.

I haven't been to French Creek in many years. Back when I did go I never liked it, but I guess enough time had passed that I thought maybe I'd like it this time.

Though actually, I think the real reason I went was that I wanted to play golf with Clem. :-)

So Clem was doing the trifecta -- O', trail-O, and golf. I was doing my version of the same trifecta -- hopeless O', spectator trail-O and golf. And, as you would hope, things only got better as the day progressed.

The hopeless O' -- well, I couldn't find #1. At least that's what the split sheet said as it DQ'd me. I couldn't really remember, I mean quite a bit of time had passed and I don't remember most things these days. My initial reaction was that of course I'd been there. On a moment's reflection I thought it was reasonably likely that I hadn't.

No worries, time was passing, the day was getting on, the sun sets early these days, still lots to do. Rendezvous with Clem, he also just off a hopeless-O', golf clubs and proper clothing transferred to his car and off to the trail O'. He was competing -- you aren't allowed to just file a protest, you actually have to compete first, bummer -- and I was there in a support role, spectating and cheering I assumed.

But there was no indication of where spectators were allowed or not allowed, so, wanting to behave myself, I stayed in the parking area and chatted up the e-punch expert Sandy Ahlswede. Very fine use of time. And before long Clem showed up. The results would later show that he had the fastest time around the course. Bravo! Unfortunately, in trail-O the fastest time counts for squat.

So now onto the main event. We motor off to a nearby course, check in, they'll have us for $15 each, very fine. And then we have at it. Three and a half hours later, the sun having set a couple of holes earlier, the sky darkening, the full moon rising back over the 18th fairway, well, it was the conclusion to a most pleasurable trip around the course. The usual mix of the sublime and the ridiculous when it was a matter of the golf, but the company was always excellent. One just hopes that we get to do this again.

And then, the serious work done for the day, off to the wine tasting, with Clem driving like a bat out of hell, actually faster than that, but fortunately on the first part where the road was rather narrow and had a few bends, the car ahead of us was only going 75, so Clem couldn't go near as fast as he wanted. I was quivering.

And then the dinner and the course review, all very fine. Thanks DVOA.

Oh, and the rest of the hopeless-O? Hmmm, missed #4, technique was go where it feels right, but I got diverted by seeing another control. Checked it out, saw where I was, had been doing fine if I just hadn't see this decoy.

Missed #5, but not bad.

#7 was similar to #4, long leg across a blank map, technique was just go where it feels right, again the misfortune of just noticing a decoy off in the distance. Checked it out, saw where I was, maybe, went and found where I was supposed to be which was pretty much where I was heading. Oh well.

And fell down at least a dozen times. And tweaked an ankle.

But somehow by dinner time I was in the results with a time. Will have to get that fixed in the morning, unless they can prove I really was at #1. And I don't think they can. :-)

C • The Trifecta 4

French Creek - Day 1 BrownX - Splits

Up to the power line and back.

Entertainment was a Fresh Air interview with Tom Hanks and the guy who directed Captain Phillips. Very interesting, ought to go see the movie.

C • Tomorrow 5

Time for a little faster running, and the easiest way to do that is at the track. Warm-up. Cold and windy.

The plan was to run 7:40 pace for 3 miles, or until I started to slow down if before 3 miles, but that didn't really work. Had trouble with my pacing in the wind, plus generally feeling out of sorts. So at some point after about a mile I decided two would be enough. And it was. 1600s ended up being 7:35 and 7:30. Oh well.

And a slow mile up into the woods and back. And glad to be done.

Cold and windy, spent a long time trying to figure out where I wanted to run (mean that given the weather, nothing was very appealing). And opted for a place I'd never been, some conservation trails in Leverett that I'd read about.

Turned out to be very very pleasant, they even had copies of the trail map posted at most of the intersections, with the only hassle being that it would have been nice to have a map to carry along. But good footing, pleasant woods. And at one point I flushed a cock pheasant about 10 yards from me. They really are gorgeous birds.

And prior to the run, went with Seth to watch the UMass BB game vs. LSU, playing at 11 am on a Tuesday to get on ESPN, very entertaining and fast-paced, ended up 92-90 to the good. Lots of fun.

C • Leveritt trails 11

Trails near Eaglebrook, including a section of single-track I hadn't been on before. Gentle effort.

C • Eaglebrook 3

Event: WCOC - Ansonia Nature Center
 

Is there any CSU interest in the relay champs? Time to stir the pot a little? I hadn't considered going, but life is short and now that I'm training....

Of course, I may break down any day now.

WCOC local meet at Ansonia. This one gets top marks across the board:

-- The woods are wonderful, lovely for running, interesting topography.

-- Excellent course by Niels Lyng-Olsen. Not just the design, but also the selection of control sites and the precise spots the controls were placed. Just perfect.

-- And I had a good run, no mistakes of any significance (i.e. more than 15 seconds), put out a good effort, and the legs had some energy. Not that I still didn't walk a lot, but I also ran more and better than expected. A result of two weeks of training? What if I keep it up for another couple of weeks?

Standing around at the finish, Joe came over, declaring rather confidently that I had beaten him on at most one split, and maybe none. No doubt in his mind. Except when we looked at the actual numbers, I had taken four splits, and tied another. Sure sounds like a victory to me, though his total time, insignificant as that may be, was 7 or 8 minutes faster. I believe he still runs up hills.

So really nice day. And no doubt that Ansonia is better than even the best parts of Harriman, and way better than the Harriman average.

Blue - Splits

Looking for vernal pools southeast of Lithia Springs. Found a couple, but not the right one.

Actually it was quite good fun. Took a copy of the old map showing bike trails and kept track of where I was going. Checked out one unmapped woods road, plus a bit more off trail. Woods were very nice in places. Will have to do some more exploring.

Up Mt. Toby from the gate (17:17 up the phone line), back via the jeep road. Decent effort going up, ran a little here and there. Rain on and off and very humid.

Woods roads on the Montague plain. Absolutely flat other than a few mud holes and some roots, which suited me just fine, given that I'd already had my morning walk.

One of these days I need to start my vernal pond search.

Old woods roads on the west side of Quabbin. Haven't been there for a few years. A nice place to run, used to come here during hunting season especially. The woods look scruffier than ever, a lot less appealing than I remember them 20 or 30 years ago, when I might just head off through the terrain. Combination of gypsy moth damage to the oaks and the culling of the deer herd?

Anyway, a pleasant enough run while doing it, and very fine when I was done. Felt good to be back doing some running again.

From mom's house over to the Litchfield track.

Too cold (about 30F), at least at this time of day, to head to the golf course, but not too cold to run. Though the north breeze was noticeable.

Felt like seeing how long a mile would take at a reasonably hard effort. Paced myself well -- 1:48, 1:49, 1:48, 1:45 for the quarters (not 400s). Fast enough to be uncomfortable but not painful. And nice to have a mark as to where I am.

Going to have to do some work to keep up to Lyn.

For me, at least, there is a nice sense of satisfaction in having done this.

C • Nice effort 5

And then back to the house.

Mill River to Juggler Meadow (28:11) and back (26:42). Nice afternoon, but not much energy.

On the NE side of Toby, nice place to go when there are strong winds out of the SW. Managed to run up the hill. Forgot my 305, the route from a run a couple of years ago.

I think maybe a good short-term goal -- where the whole point of the goal is just some motivation to get out the door -- would be to see if I can keep to up to Lyn at one of the Forest Park 5K runs that start up in about a month. That may take some doing.

Longer-term, well, I hit a round number on January 1, so O' on foreign soil needs to be part of the plan. Maybe one more try the O'Ringen? Or maybe some country we haven't been? Maybe Brazil? Guess I need to look at what's available. Not too much longer we'll be doing this stuff, so best to get at it.

C • Challenge?!? 26