Training Log Archive: PGIn the 31 days ending Dec 31, 2005:
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| Th | Fr | Sa | Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday Dec 31, 2005 #
road running race 20:31 [4] 5.0 km (4:06 / km)
weight:141.5lbs shoes: Pegasus 10/05
5K race at Forest Park, good hard effort though legs were a little still from yesterday. 30 seconds faster than 2 weeks ago, but conditions were better. In fact, conditions couldn't get much better -- no ice or snow, upper 20s, little or no wind. Brought out a record crowd of 145.
A really fine outing, because among the 145 were Charlie, and George and Lyn. Lyn set a new age 65 record by at least a couple minutes (would also have been records for 62, 63, and 64 but you have to be exactly that old, not at least that old), running about 23:50. Charlie was about 10 seconds ahead of her, a good time considering the extra 5-pound bag(s) of sugar he is carrying, and George was about 23:10. Nice to have some good friends there to enjoy it with.
A really fine outing, because among the 145 were Charlie, and George and Lyn. Lyn set a new age 65 record by at least a couple minutes (would also have been records for 62, 63, and 64 but you have to be exactly that old, not at least that old), running about 23:50. Charlie was about 10 seconds ahead of her, a good time considering the extra 5-pound bag(s) of sugar he is carrying, and George was about 23:10. Nice to have some good friends there to enjoy it with.
road running 37:00 [2]
shoes: Pegasus 10/05
Before and after.
Friday Dec 30, 2005 #
orienteering 1:05:50 [3] 7.26 km (9:04 / km)
weight:142lbs shoes: new Integrators
After yesterday's all-day rain, I thought the snow at Mt. Tom might be down enough to allow for decent running, and to my very pleasant surprise, the snow was almost completely gone. Maybe 98% bare ground as long as you stayed off the trails, which still had some snow/ice.
Re-ran Phil's course from 11/26. About 11 minutes faster this time (splits), partly the better footing, partly knowing where I was going, partly making no mistakes. Really enjoyed it, there is something about being back on bare ground after running in the snow that feels so good, maybe it's just that the running feels easier. I think it's also visual. Pretty as the woods are under a blanket of snow, to an orienteer they're even prettier in the late fall and early spring when the leaves are down.
Ran pretty much the same routes as the first time. And Phil had been kind enough to leave the streamers up. A fine outing.
Re-ran Phil's course from 11/26. About 11 minutes faster this time (splits), partly the better footing, partly knowing where I was going, partly making no mistakes. Really enjoyed it, there is something about being back on bare ground after running in the snow that feels so good, maybe it's just that the running feels easier. I think it's also visual. Pretty as the woods are under a blanket of snow, to an orienteer they're even prettier in the late fall and early spring when the leaves are down.
Ran pretty much the same routes as the first time. And Phil had been kind enough to leave the streamers up. A fine outing.
Wednesday Dec 28, 2005 #
trail/woods running 58:34 [3]
weight:142lbs shoes: Air Max Trail 09/05
The trails that were wonderful now are pretty bad after the rain, lots of ice, but there wasn't enough rain to get rid of the snow, still 6 inches or so, less on the south slopes. Headed over to the Montague plain, figured at least it would be safer to run on flat icy trails and maybe that would be ok.
Trails were pretty bad, just not much fun even though I stayed upright the whole time. Worked my way over to the south slope of Wills Hill, got off the trail and it was certainly better, just a bit harder work than I cared for. Did a loop on the hill, then back to the main power line (dead flat) to get back to the car, where I kept switching between the sheet ice and the knee-high brush with 6" of snow. Actually, the latter was good training, just after a couple of minutes I'd head out to the ice for a minute's recovery. But it is the kind of stuff I should do more training in, soft footing and you really have to pick your feet up. We'll see if this intention amounts to anything over the next few months.
Overall, an ok outing. Plus I did my good deed for the day, pushed a guy's car out of a snowbank. The dirt road was dead flat also, he must have not been paying attention. But it was pretty easy to push him out. The kind of thing you could have rocked the car out easily with a manual transmission.
Trails were pretty bad, just not much fun even though I stayed upright the whole time. Worked my way over to the south slope of Wills Hill, got off the trail and it was certainly better, just a bit harder work than I cared for. Did a loop on the hill, then back to the main power line (dead flat) to get back to the car, where I kept switching between the sheet ice and the knee-high brush with 6" of snow. Actually, the latter was good training, just after a couple of minutes I'd head out to the ice for a minute's recovery. But it is the kind of stuff I should do more training in, soft footing and you really have to pick your feet up. We'll see if this intention amounts to anything over the next few months.
Overall, an ok outing. Plus I did my good deed for the day, pushed a guy's car out of a snowbank. The dirt road was dead flat also, he must have not been paying attention. But it was pretty easy to push him out. The kind of thing you could have rocked the car out easily with a manual transmission.
Sunday Dec 25, 2005 #
road running 50:27 [2]
shoes: Pegasus 10/05
An easy jaunt along the Farmington River with Charlie and his cousin. Just trying to shed a few calories before digging into Rhonda's upcoming feast.
Saturday Dec 24, 2005 #
road running 23:45 [3]
weight:141lbs shoes: Pegasus 10/05
Warm-up. No energy afterwards for a cool-down.
road running race 42:31 [4] 10.0 km (4:15 / km)
shoes: Pegasus 10/05
10K race in Forest Park in Springfield. Blew my predicted time this week, but at least in the right direction, predicted 43:30 (7 minute pace), ran 42:31. Splits: 7:13 (up), 7:01, 6:49, 6:42, 6:55, 6:29 (down), 1:22. Hard as I could towards the end, snagged the age 61 record by a few seconds. First time I got one at this series, missed a couple other times years ago by just a few seconds. A very small triumph, but you take what you can get.
Ran the first couple miles with Seth Roberts, who is a little faster, and then stopped trying to keep up with him, but he never got more than 30 yards ahead, which was useful since he knew where the mile marks were. I knew about where they were, so every mile I yelled, asking where it was and he'd point out the spot (the actual marks had long since been paved over, but he lives nearby and knows every pothole there).
Also went by Phil a little after halfway after not being able to keep up to him early. Gave me a bit of extras incentive. He's still running pretty well for an old guy.
Ran the first couple miles with Seth Roberts, who is a little faster, and then stopped trying to keep up with him, but he never got more than 30 yards ahead, which was useful since he knew where the mile marks were. I knew about where they were, so every mile I yelled, asking where it was and he'd point out the spot (the actual marks had long since been paved over, but he lives nearby and knows every pothole there).
Also went by Phil a little after halfway after not being able to keep up to him early. Gave me a bit of extras incentive. He's still running pretty well for an old guy.
Thursday Dec 22, 2005 #
trail running 1:00:28 [3] 6.15 mi (9:50 / mi)
weight:142lbs shoes: Air Max Trail 09/05
With Phil, from North Street in Whately, a loop around Mt. Esther. Not such perfect conditions, a little icy in places, but still, as Phil said afterwards, a 9 on a scale of 1 to 10. The run itself was a little less than a 9 because Phil kept pushing the pace and I had to work a little harder than I cared to keep up. But I had the old (1:24,000, 10' contours) topo along and it was keeping me entertained, and it was surprisingly good. Route/profile.
What's amazing, and depressing, is how much worse the newer "metric" versions of the USGS maps are. Did they try to make crappier maps? The contours are much more generalized, and trails (like a couple of ones that we were on today) that were perfect on the old map are also generalized all over and completely wrong in places. I'd love to know who/why/how the USGS made such a sorry mess of it.
What's amazing, and depressing, is how much worse the newer "metric" versions of the USGS maps are. Did they try to make crappier maps? The contours are much more generalized, and trails (like a couple of ones that we were on today) that were perfect on the old map are also generalized all over and completely wrong in places. I'd love to know who/why/how the USGS made such a sorry mess of it.
Wednesday Dec 21, 2005 #
trail running 1:14:10 [3]
weight:142lbs shoes: Air Max Trail 09/05
Exploring the trails north of Roaring Brook and south of Whately Glen Road (topo map). Perfect conditions again, and saw not a soul -- it's nice, the sleds go out at night and regroom the trails, but I never actually see them. Plus I take along a copy of the topo map and entertain myself trying to keep track of where I am, not so easy sometimes. Trying to enjoy this while it lasts.
Tuesday Dec 20, 2005 #
trail running 59:08 [3]
weight:142.5lbs shoes: Air Max Trail 09/05
With Phil from 116 and Roaring Brook Road in Conway again, went noth on 93, then looped around, crossed 116 by the bank, and came in from the southwest. Really fine conditions, though it sure seemed like there were some hills. Legs were a little sluggish but not too bad. Started each hill will some apprehension as to how much it would hurt, but managed ok. Route/profile (seems to take a while to load), questionable accuracy north of 116 for location, though profile is about right.
Monday Dec 19, 2005 #
trail running 1:25:15 [3]
weight:143lbs shoes: Air Max Trail 09/05
Snowmobile trails, from 116 and Roaring Brook Road in Conway up over Field Hill, down to the Conway-Whately Road and then a small loop west of it, and back. Conditions were pretty close to perfect, just a bit soft in places, but mostly firm with a good grip. Mix of snow and rain several days ago and some use over the weekend has done wonders. So I went longer than the hour I'd planned, legs were feeling it on the return trip over Field Hill, but then the last 20 minutes were mostly down. Route/profile.
Weather forecast for the week is benign, will have to check out some other spots.
Got tickets to go to San Diego next month, $235 round trip, a lot better than anything I'm finding to go to Orlando at the end of February.
Weather forecast for the week is benign, will have to check out some other spots.
Got tickets to go to San Diego next month, $235 round trip, a lot better than anything I'm finding to go to Orlando at the end of February.
Sunday Dec 18, 2005 #
road running 1:22:10 [3] 9.6 mi (8:34 / mi)
weight:143lbs shoes: Pegasus 10/05
With Phil and Brad, from Julie's house in Conway. Down to the river, long climb up Bray Road to Babtist Corner, back via Wilder Hill Road. Nice day, nice company. Phil pulled a fast one and took the first town line sprint, getting just enough of a head start before I woke up and realized what he was doing, so I was compelled to take the second one just after the top of the hill, and then simple decency obliged us to let Brad take the third. Route/profile.
Checked out a couple of snowmibile trails on the way home, looked OK.
Checked out a couple of snowmibile trails on the way home, looked OK.
Saturday Dec 17, 2005 #
road running race 21:00 [4] 5.0 km (4:12 / km)
weight:143lbs shoes: Pegasus 10/05
5K race in Forest Park in Springfield. Continuing the trend of good efforts and slower times, legs actually felt pretty good, maybe because I took yesterday off. Nice day, 35 and sunny, but maybe between a mile and a mile and a half was covered with snow/ice, so maybe the time wasn't so bad. Route/profile.
The organizing club has a nice feature on their website, all the results over the years and you can search for all your results very easily. Just put in 5K and my last name if you're interested in my rate of decay. The one worse time was on a day when it was really, really icy, much worse than today.
The organizing club has a nice feature on their website, all the results over the years and you can search for all your results very easily. Just put in 5K and my last name if you're interested in my rate of decay. The one worse time was on a day when it was really, really icy, much worse than today.
road running 32:00 [2]
shoes: Pegasus 10/05
Before and after, about equal amounts.
Thursday Dec 15, 2005 #
road running 1:06:42 [3] 8.4 mi (7:56 / mi)
weight:143lbs shoes: Pegasus 10/05
Around North and South Sugarloaf, nothing special, included 6 x 200 along River Road towards the end.
Wednesday Dec 14, 2005 #
trail running 1:02:28 [3]
weight:143lbs shoes: Air Max Trail 09/05
With Phil, on route 93 (yes, some of the snowmobile trails are numbered), south and then east (up behind Walter's land) and then back, starting from the intersection of Roaring Brook Road and 116 in Conway. Hard going, the snow last week was so dry and it hasn't quite warmed up enough since then to firm up the tracks, so you're always sinking in some, and sometimes a good bit more. But as some German said, since it appears not to have killed us, I can assume it made us stronger. Bright sun, 20 degrees, light breeze, just beautiful.
Tuesday Dec 13, 2005 #
trail running 1:00:12 [3]
weight:143lbs shoes: Air Max Trail 09/05
Snowmobile trails in Montague, excellent conditions in places (nice and firm but not icy), a bit soft in others, especially the parts on Wills Hill that had had less traffic. Felt like hard work, but still a lot nicer than out on the roads. Chilly (about 20), NW breeze, but not too bad.
Monday Dec 12, 2005 #
trail running 37:31 [3]
weight:143lbs shoes: Air Max Trail 09/05
Up to the power line via Claybrook (20:55), back via the normal trail out back. Variety of snow, mostly somewhat packed, sometimes very slippery. Trail from the house was still pretty deep, so only went that way coming home (downhill!). Not much zip in the legs.
Sunday Dec 11, 2005 #
road running race 34:35 [4] 5.0 mi (6:55 / mi)
weight:143lbs shoes: Pegasus 10/05
5 mile race in Springfield. Just felt like going even though I was feeling the effects of yesterday (and the whole week) in my legs. Figured I see if I could still do under 35 minutes. For a while it was doubtful, but I ran the last mile hard and made it with plenty to spare. Splits: 6:41, 7:07, 7:08, 6:54, 6:46. Pretty flat course, probabaly about 75% bare pavement, 25% snow packed with decent but not great traction, most of the snow in the middle part of the course.
road running 16:00 [2]
shoes: Pegasus 10/05
Before and after, not much before as I got there without much time to spare.
Saturday Dec 10, 2005 #
orienteering 28:23 [3] 2.1 km (13:31 / km)
weight:143lbs shoes: new Integrators
WCOC local meet at Sessions. A foot or more of new snow. Decided to do the sprint first, Put out a decent effort, spiked every control, right about 14 min/km! Don't have my snow legs yet.
Phil got me by a few seconds. Bravo! I'd been telling him the time was coming. He may had had a little advantage of going after me, but he's still improved a lot. Have to see if I can make him wait a while before he gets me again. :-)
Phil got me by a few seconds. Bravo! I'd been telling him the time was coming. He may had had a little advantage of going after me, but he's still improved a lot. Have to see if I can make him wait a while before he gets me again. :-)
orienteering 1:11:40 [3] 5.0 km (14:20 / km)
shoes: new Integrators
Wimped out of doing the Red course, gave some consideration to Orange or Brown, and finally settled on Green. More tracks this time (even one person ahead of you makes a difference), but the course went in the hillier/crappier, slower terrain south of the stream, so the kilometer time was even slower. Again, hit all the controls. Would be interesting to run this at the end of winter (and after a lot of running in the snow) to see how much easier it was.
Nice courses by Charlie, and a super effort to pull off the meet, though I might have said the hell with the red (nd green) courses if I'd been out there hanging controls in the storm yesterday. At least all his controls passed the snowstorm test -- after a foot of snow they were still all nicely visible. Imagine if this had been Fallen Leaf Lake....
Routes/comments.
Probably the last orienteering of the year. Need to figure out plans for going to San Diego next month and get entry in this week.
Nice courses by Charlie, and a super effort to pull off the meet, though I might have said the hell with the red (nd green) courses if I'd been out there hanging controls in the storm yesterday. At least all his controls passed the snowstorm test -- after a foot of snow they were still all nicely visible. Imagine if this had been Fallen Leaf Lake....
Routes/comments.
Probably the last orienteering of the year. Need to figure out plans for going to San Diego next month and get entry in this week.
Friday Dec 9, 2005 #
road running 57:08 [3]
shoes: Air Max Trail 09/05
In Litchfield, waiting for the storm to end before driving home, figured I might as well get a run in. It quit snowing about 2 minutes after I started, within 30 minutes quite a bit of blue sky and sunshine. Very pretty, everyone I saw was friendly, had a wave and a greeting, running was varied, mostly semi-packed snow, a few sections of deeper stuff (about a foot had come down in just a few hours).
Then headed home, though it took me a while to get out of the driveway -- uphill, backwards, through a foot of snow. Didn't make it, came back down, tried to turn around, got stuck, had to shovel for a few minutes, got turned around, and then just barely made it out, including busting through the 2+ foot berm by the road. The joys of winter.
Then headed home, though it took me a while to get out of the driveway -- uphill, backwards, through a foot of snow. Didn't make it, came back down, tried to turn around, got stuck, had to shovel for a few minutes, got turned around, and then just barely made it out, including busting through the 2+ foot berm by the road. The joys of winter.
Thursday Dec 8, 2005 #
mapping 2:00:00 [1]
shoes: Air Max Trail 09/05
At West Point, field checking for the sprint in May (Saturday afternoon at West Point's A meet). Should be a good course, less climb than last time... :-)
Wednesday Dec 7, 2005 #
trail running 1:11:40 [3] +1591ft
weight:144lbs shoes: Air Max Trail 09/05
With Phil at the the Notch. Mostly at a relaxed pace, though Phil said at the outset that he assumed we would go to the top of Mt. Norwottuck since we were here. I talked him out of doing it right at the start, so we did a pleasant trip along the north, east, and south sides, but then to the top it was, something you enjoy more for having done it than for any pleasure while you were doing it.
Still a little snow, but good traction. Wore my clown suit -- blue hat, red shirt, green gloves, blue and yellow pants -- and didn't get shot at even once.
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Still a little snow, but good traction. Wore my clown suit -- blue hat, red shirt, green gloves, blue and yellow pants -- and didn't get shot at even once.
Tuesday Dec 6, 2005 #
trail running 1:15:44 [3]
weight:145lbs shoes: Air Max Trail 09/05
At the Quabbin, similar to last Wednesday with Phil but in the opposite direction and didn't do the section to the east. A couple inches of snow, a vehicle had been over part of it but good footing even where there were no tracks. A few deer tracks, lots of coyote, and one set of what I think was moose tracks. But they were all keeping their distance.
Worked pretty hard, not that I was going very fast, but kept up a decent effort all the way. Or maybe the legs were just not there and I was just dogging it. Who knows....
Worked pretty hard, not that I was going very fast, but kept up a decent effort all the way. Or maybe the legs were just not there and I was just dogging it. Who knows....
Monday Dec 5, 2005 #
road running 48:49 [2] 5.2 mi (9:23 / mi)
weight:144lbs shoes: Pegasus 10/05
South Sugarloaf and back, mostly on snowpack. Traction going up was decent, certainly better than I thought it would be. Relaxed pace.
Sunday Dec 4, 2005 #
orienteering 1:31:25 [3] 8.8 km (10:23 / km) +656ft 9:20 / km
weight:144lbs shoes: new Integrators
NEOC Club Champs at Townsend. Not so much energy today, but I kept plugging away ok except for 5-10 minutes through some crap and then uphill (to #6) where I just didn't have the necessary desire.
Was cold and wet after I finished. Took a while to get my shoe laces untied, but finally got changed into dry clothes. Didn't know who else had run Blue, and didn't really feel like waiting around, plus I was really hungry. So shortly I was partaking of a late (and large breakfast) -- eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, toast, juice, coffee. A bit of an overdose, which I'm still feeling, but sometimes you've got to do what you've got to do.
I can't remember the last time I left a meet without talking to someone else who had run the course. Routes/comments.
Was cold and wet after I finished. Took a while to get my shoe laces untied, but finally got changed into dry clothes. Didn't know who else had run Blue, and didn't really feel like waiting around, plus I was really hungry. So shortly I was partaking of a late (and large breakfast) -- eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, toast, juice, coffee. A bit of an overdose, which I'm still feeling, but sometimes you've got to do what you've got to do.
I can't remember the last time I left a meet without talking to someone else who had run the course. Routes/comments.
trail running 6:20 [3]
shoes: new Integrators
Running out to the start.
Saturday Dec 3, 2005 #
road running race 20:11 [5] 5.0 km (4:02 / km)
weight:143lbs shoes: Pegasus 10/05
5K race in Northampton, though I'm not sure how long the course actually was and my gut feeling is that it was a little short. (It is very unlikely that it was measured carefully, since it was a loop with the start and finish at exactly the same point.) Splits (accuracy also unknown): 6:39 (up a little), 6:50 (pretty flat), 6:42 for 1.1 miles (down some). Felt like valid time would have been 20:20-20:30.
But still a decent effort, and legs didn't feel too bad from running in the woods yesterday.
Race was held to benefit a local charity and drew a good crowd, maybe 500 runners and a couple hundred walkers. We don't tend to do charity O' events, where the "charity" is something outside of orienteering. But I was talking to George Walker a year or two ago, and he said the Western Connecticut OC usually makes a donation, maybe $100-200, to the local group involved in running the park they have just used. It generates good will, and an invitation to come back. I wonder if other clubs do the same. Especially in places where access might be a problem, putting on an event every once in a while just to benefit the park should be something worth thinking about.
But still a decent effort, and legs didn't feel too bad from running in the woods yesterday.
Race was held to benefit a local charity and drew a good crowd, maybe 500 runners and a couple hundred walkers. We don't tend to do charity O' events, where the "charity" is something outside of orienteering. But I was talking to George Walker a year or two ago, and he said the Western Connecticut OC usually makes a donation, maybe $100-200, to the local group involved in running the park they have just used. It generates good will, and an invitation to come back. I wonder if other clubs do the same. Especially in places where access might be a problem, putting on an event every once in a while just to benefit the park should be something worth thinking about.
C • 1
road running 18:00 [3]
shoes: Pegasus 10/05
Before and after.
Friday Dec 2, 2005 #
trail running 8:25 [2]
weight:143lbs shoes: new Integrators
Warm-up lap around Lake Bray.
orienteering 50:00 [3] +820ft
shoes: new Integrators
Training at Mt. Tom (no hunting is allowed there) -- tried a line-O'. Not sure if I've ever done one before, but it was actually rather good fun and seemed to be good training in terms of constant map contact and reading ahead. Ran the whole way at a modest pace, and was on the line pretty well all the time except for a couple hundred meters traversing the slope above Lake Bray (an area with a lot of deadfall and only so-so visibility) -- I stayed a little too high after crossing the first trail and was a line or two above the double boulders just before the second trail.
Only annoying part was my watched stopped someplace in there, so the 50 minutes is a guess. Had 48 on the watch, plus however long it was stopped for.
Only annoying part was my watched stopped someplace in there, so the 50 minutes is a guess. Had 48 on the watch, plus however long it was stopped for.
Thursday Dec 1, 2005 #
road running 34:26 [3] 4.3 mi (8:00 / mi)
shoes: Pegasus 10/05
Loop around town, mostly flat, all I felt like today.