Training Log Archive: PG

Getting the weights back up, though so far rather cautiously for anything dealing with the abs.

Up (13:22) and down (7:29) Sugarloaf. Packed out but still rather soft after the last storm. Mixed run and walk on the way up, hard work (pulse about 150), pleasant running down except for the usual problem (which maybe maybe is getting a little better, though coughing and running and just post-running for a while are still problems).

Going to be real short of time for the next month, will be a challenge to keep up the training.

Walking, 10% grade.

C • UMASS 2

Running, flat. Hip a little sore so not pushing it.

Again following the marching orders of our new Prez, the economy is bad and we have to act and act now, and act boldly, I can report the following economic stimulus plan has already been put into action --

The dire nature of the situation became apparent yesterday, PG apparently reduced to watching soap operas, while any other respectable poster on AP would be listening to high-brow podcasts or some eclectic collection of shuffling sounds. The problem was identified, solutions suggested, further research done, various things downloaded from the web, purchases executed first thing this morning, batteries charged, gadgets synchronized, and various instructions actually read, so that by early afternoon....

C • Congrats 3

Listening to CarTalk on my new ipod nano, very distinguished silver/gray.

Miles at 9:25, 8:35, 8:35, the last with a couple of quarters at 5% grade, which quickly got me breathing harder.

Accompanied by the rest of CarTalk and part of a Fresh Air feature on John Updike.

And some walking, 5% grade. With a little more John Updike.

I am so with it. Thanks to my podsters.

Snowing/sleeting pretty hard outside, so it seemed reasonable to stay inside on the treadmill at the gym. But I didn't realize it would be so difficult.

No, not the running, the entertainment. I decided to listen to what was on the TV as well as watch it, and boy was it complicated. I'm pretty sure it was a program called "All My Children." There seemed to be about half a dozen story lines going on, all somewhat interconnected, all beautiful people who spoke in short sentences but gave lots of meaningful looks, and just when I started to think I knew who one pair of characters were, the story would flip to another pair, or to the ads.

And the ads, well, clearly this show attracts a different audience than the only two shows I ever actually see the ads on -- the local news, where apparantly everyone watching is about to buy either furniture or a car, and the national news, where I must be both the youngest and the healthiest viewer, all the ads end up with encouraging you to see your doctor because you can't sleep, or your teeth are falling out, or your bones are disintegrating, or something. Whereas the viewers on AMC are clearly having a variety of younger women's problems.

So AMC went on for a while, and I was getting better at figuring out what's going on -- the first step is to be able to tell what's an ad and what's the program -- and then there were a few more ads and then more program but it was a couple characters I hadn't seen before, at least I don't think I'd seen them, and then a couple more new characters, and I was getting quite confused, until I figured out that I was no longer watching AMC but something called "One Life to Live."

I said at the outset it was difficult. And I'm thinking, if I go back to the treadmill tomorrow, and the TV is tuned to a different channel, will I have the nerve to ask if it is OK if I switch it to AMC (or OLTL)? It's all so complicated.

The running was fine. Miles in 9:48, 9:01, 8:39, 8:34, I think.

C • ipod 9

And then some therapeutic walking, 5% incline.

Once again, the Prez has made it clear that we need to HTFU.

So when I got home, out came the snow shovel for half an hour of hard work, just 6 or 7 inches of snow, but very heavy and a good crust on top. Great, the Prez would be pleased.

Except that doing this seemed to set off my plumbing, so while it wasn't quite Noah's ark conditions, it was very clear that I need to HTFU a whole lot more.

Miles in 10:00, 8:57, and 8:43.

Watching (but not listening to) Regis and Kelly. They were quite good (i.e. the body language), though maybe with sound added that wouldn't be the case.

And then time to go to work (got an early start this morning).

Over to the Stop & Shop to get a few supplies.

You shop a little differently (pay more attention to size and weight) when you are walking not driving.

I think the walking is good, keep working on the butt in a non-aggressive way. A bit like getting a massage.

C • Good to hear some positive ... 2

To the corner store and back. About zero (F) and felt cold, could have used warmer gloves.

From the Conway school, same loop as a couple of days ago.

On a scale of 1 to 10, based on just the pure pleasure of a workout, this was a 10. Just wonderful. Sunny, almost no wind, about 20, and the trails were perfect, no traffic today to loosen up the snow and it had set up nicely overnight. So soft enough to have good traction, but firm enough that you really didn't sink in at all.

And ran a lot more, gently. Not everything, walked bits and pieces of uphills, maybe 5 minutes in all, but also ran some uphills too.

It was so nice.

And then on the way home did something I'd been meaning to do for a long time, but just hadn't managed. But this this time I did, turned up Walter's driveway when I got there, just to see if he was around, hadn't seen him for perhaps three years. Looked in the shop, he wasn't there, went up to the house and he and Kathryn were both there, the first words from each of us being, "Hey, you're still alive." And big smiles. And I visited for maybe 45 minutes. And that was really fine.

So I went this morning for a blood test, I have my first check-up in Boston on Thursday. And they said I could get a copy of the results this afternoon. And I thought, Why not, might as well find out the number now rather than waiting for three days.

Before I went, I pulled out my main book on the subject of prostate cancer, by Pat Walsh, to see what sort of numbers meant what. From a quick read (I was running a little late) I took away a couple of points -- first, that he recommended not having the first blood test for 8 to 12 weeks, because it took a while for the PSA to be purged out of the body, and second, that you want the number as close to zero as possible, lower than .02 and preferably lower than .01.

Picked up the result, with my fingers well-crossed, and the number was .037. And my reaction was that it wasn't too bad, but I sure wish it was a little lower. And on the drive up to the office I reminded myself that this was only 5 weeks post-surgery and the number should still drop more, and that it would probably be OK. But the phrase kept popping back in my mind, I sure wish it was a little lower.

At the office things were starting to hop. In this business you go from 0 to 60 in about 3 days, meaning that at the end of last week I had just a little to do and now I am close to being swamped. Took care of 8 clients between 4 pm and 8 pm, the last of which was a woman who works as an instructor at the Y. Nice lady, near 60, teaches a lot of classes for old folks. Made 17K last year, not much. And the Y makes a point of keeping her at 34 hours a week because at 35 hours they offer health insurance while at 34 they don't. Which sucks. At least now she has the state-subsidized plan, so it costs her just $39 a month.

And this women came in with her daughter, maybe about 30, and the daughter looked at me and said, I know you. And I looked back, and looked again, and it dawned on me that this was the same women who had taken my blood this morning (3.5 ml) and giving me the report this afternoon. I sure wouldn't make a good cop, I can't remember a face for the life of me. So this was the third time in a day to see her. Serendipity.

And then I headed home, and pulled out my book again, and re-read the stuff on post-surgery PSA numbers, and realized I had misremembered where the decimal point was -- .2 was not so good, but anything under .1 was just noise. So I felt a whole lot better about my .037.

Though I still hope it goes right down to zero.

C • .037 2

 

Hung in there for 30 minutes. Miles in 9:43, 9:06, 8:58.

And then stopped on the way home for a trip up Sugarloaf. Excellent conditions, firm but good traction. Mixed run and jog on the way up, maybe 1/3 jog (12:14), then ran down (7:16). Really nice, and worked up a good sweat.

From the Conway school, loop first north of 116 heading west (route 8/93/10), then back south of the road (10/93/8). Route. Snow was still a little soft, or at least a little softer than I expected. Put out a decent amount of work. Ran (gently) the downhills and some flats.

Lots of snowmobiles out, all friendly (i.e. they slowed down, gave me plenty of room, and waved). They still make a lot of noise, but at least you get a little warning when they are coming.

Here's the current version of the Conway snowmobile trail map.

And on my last trip up Sugarloaf I took this shot of Sunderland's new international airport --

Paper and mail loop. Managed to leave all my keys at the post office, but walking that loop twice in a morning is too much so, feeling rather stupid, drove down to retrieve them.

So Dr. Phil was on the TV, but I was tuned to a local radio station. That didn't keep me from looking up at him once and thinking how strange that he was singing some old rock tune, and another time wondering that he had sunk so low that he was now pushing laser liposuction. The strange things you find on daytime TV, where anything is possible it seems.

Plugged away at a gently pace. Seems not too bad if I go slow enough.

C • Dr Phil 4

Paper and mail loop.

Now off to revisit (gently) a sport I haven't done for 25 years

C • New sport 5

First time alpine skiing since 1984, and that was only one day at Cannon Mountain with John Rogers, the time before that was late 70s. But I skied a whole lot when I was a kid, and raced in high school and college -- Harvard had a surprisingly good team given its location, my senior year we made it to the NCAA championships, we had to be one of the top 5 teams in the east and we just made it into spot #5 at the Eastern Champs at Middlebury -- and also busted both legs (at different times) doing it, the left one rather badly. But I've been thinking it revisiting the slopes at least once more before I go, and this seemed as good a time as any, pleasant day, not too cold, supposedly good conditions, and a bit of celebration a month after going under the knife.

So I headed up to Berkshire East, rented equipment, boy was that a surprise, mammoth boots, came almost up to my knees it seemed, and very short funny-looking skis, narrow in the middle, very wide tips. Turn themselves, they said.

Got everything on, up the main lift, figured the proper place for me on the first run was the easiest trail. Made it down that, skis feeling very odd, made it down an intermediate trail the next couple of runs, slowly getting better, then a couple of expert trails, one was fine, the other hadn't been groomed and was bumpy and icy and my skiing was rather herky-jerky but I managed. And then stopped for a bite to eat, still in one piece, no falls yet.

Then back out, figured I'd do 5 more runs, some intermediate, some expert, ten for the day seemed a good number. And each one got better, by the end it was almost like I hadn't missed a day, let alone 25 years. I think when you start a sport very young (I think I was 4 when I started) it always sticks with you. Stopped halfway down the last run, feeling wonderful, just letting myself take a moment to let it really sink in, and then a last few turns and I was done.

Not a single fall, and knowing me these days, that's something. The only real problem was that I could have used a pair of goggles -- every time I got moving reasonably fast my eyes would water and I couldn't see so much. But it was also a good way to keep me from really letting loose and doing something stupid.

Wonderful day. Might try it again next year, maybe plan a little in advance and see if Phil or someone else might join me.

Note: time is about what I was skiing, seemed to take 8 minutes up on the lift (1100' vertical, more or less), 3-5 minutes coming down.

C • Plenty of Snow Left 12

Still some daylight, and I didn't have to be at the office until 6, so I stopped on the way back for a little exercise. Walked briskly from Rt. 2 up to and just past Davenport's, jogged back. 38:08 up, 22:31 back. Thought of going all the way to the tower but the last part wasn't broken out, so that seemed a good time to head back.

The route.

This item from The New Yorker is very marginally related to treadmill training, but it had me laughing and laughing....

C • Laughing 2

Paper and mail route. Got a copy of the NY Times too.

Very gentle.

Sugarloaf, up as quick as I could, good traction (13:26 PR), jogged down gently (8:20 PR). I don't think any damage was done.

Early morning yoga class (the active part). Vigorous enough to work up a sweat. Pleasantly surprised to find that various planks and dogs and other strange things, which I feared would be too much strain, were as manageable as they were last fall.

Twice up and down Sugarloaf -- 16:23 up, 12:47 down (29:10), 15:13 up, 12:13 down (27:26). Better traction than yesterday but still a little soft. Nice late afternoon. Working harder the second time up, pulse about 135-140. And leaking away, especially going down.

Since it's been officially sanctioned by the new Prez, and 3 out 4 of our Virginia team are certainly on board, and I think the fourth is, it seems time to add a sub-heading to the name of our rogaine team, making it --

At One With Nature: The Non-Believers

C • Non belivers 34

And also in honor of the new Prez, the gist of whose speech, put simply, was that we need to HTFU. And the obvious place to start is with myself, since I clearly need to HTFU big-time. 2 minutes classic plank, 2 minutes bogus (elbow) plank.

Feeling better about the future already.

Most every place around here the best map available is the USGS topo map, which a lot of the time is pretty good. Or, at least, used to be pretty good, back when I was first lived in western Massachusetts about 35 years ago. Before too long I had a copy of most of the topos in this part of the state. And I'm glad I did, and glad I kept them. Because they are so much better than the new and improved (and I assume digitally created) topos that you can get now, or that are used in applications like Gmaps-pedometer.

And that's such a shame. Somewhere, someplace, there's someone who is responsible for this....

Here's what I mean --

First, from Saturday's walk, here's the old version --



and the new version --



For example, right above the words "Whately Glen" on the old map is a nice elongated knoll on the old map, very distinct out in the terrain, totally gone form the new map. The hillsides have some "character" on the old map (changes in slope that can tell you where you are). On the new map the slopes are uniform. And so on and so on.

And from Sunday, here's the old version --



and the new version --



Look at the terrain I went through between mile marks 2 and 3. Looks totally different. And the old one, which is what I had with me, was good enough to know pretty much where you were the whole time, even though the trails weren't mapped.

Im not normally a Luddite, but in this case, this is progress?

C • map quality 12

Starting to get the weights up a little.

Some gentle jogging. Seemed not too bad as long as I kept the stride length real short.

South Sugarloaf. 18:33 up, 13:46 down. Very soft footing, hard work on the way up.

Almost forgot, had a great view of a peregrine falcon at the top of Sugarloaf. It took off just to my left, flew right in front of me, heading SSW at a very high rate of speed. I assume it just decided it really didn't want to miss the inauguration.

Very cool, don't think I've ever seen one before.

In the spring they nest in the cliffs just below the summit.

Long walk in the Whately Glen area. First heading north, but that trail just dumped me out in the flats. Then looped around the water district land above the Whately reservoir. And then up to the top of the hill where Fred used to have some land.

About 4" new snow overnight, footing was quite soft, whether the snowmobiles had been by or not.

This week has been a struggle. Had a cold for much of it, not a really bad one, but when your plumbing is such that it misbehaves when stressed -- stresses such as coughing, blowing your nose, and sneezing in addition to the regular stress of any sort of sudden movement -- then you don't really want even a mild cold.

And my left butt/hamstring, while better, feels like a little running will set it back again.

Trying my best to maintain a positive attitude.

C • And for all that 'struggle'... 1

Paper and mail loop. It was just f**king cold even though there was no wind. 12 below when I started, maybe a couple degrees better at the end. I amused myself for a while wondering if eyeballs freeze faster or slow than skin.

On snowmobile trails in the Whately hills starting from the lower end of the Whately Glen Rd. 36:23 out, 31:52 back. Good conditions, just a little soft, makes a difference going up. Route (roughly). Mid-teens, felt very pleasant.

C • Conway trails 5

Paper and mail loop. Rather cold out, -10F (-23C), kept me moving quickly, although it wasn't so bad, no wind other than when a car went by. And I thought more than once how much better it was than standing in a plane in the Hudson River with water up to your waist.

And today, being better prepared, my pee didn't freeze. :-)

I think, or at least I hope, that I am getting more mellow. I was tested yesterday.

I took my Subaru in for the required annual state inspection. I had just had it in for repairs, which included making sure they checked everything that would be checked on the inspection -- the car is getting on a bit, 155K miles. So when it reappeared with a bright red "Rejected" sticker on the windshield I was very surprised. And not real happy.

Asked the guy why.

License plate, he said.

License plate?

Yeah, it's too old, too faded.

You're kidding me, I can read it just fine.

The numbers and letters are ok. It's the white background, it's too faded, doesn't reflect any more.

You've got to be kidding me.... But he wasn't. And so I had to get new plates at the Registry. And though I had 60 days, I wanted to get it done right away because tax season is starting.

Step one was imposing on the inspection guy -- I had no tools with me -- to loosen the screws/bolts holding the plate on just enough so the plate would still stay on but I could remove it at the Registry with my fingers. He was cool, did that. Step two was off to the Registry, park, took the plate off, put a quarter in the meter (it didn't occur to me until I was inside that they might have a hard time giving me a parking ticket if I had no plate on), wait half an hour in line, get the new plates and a new registration card. No charge, surprisingly.

Step 3 was back out to reattach the rear plate, tight as I could with my fingers. Step 4, and this was the part that was annoying, although I was staying in a remarkably decent mood, was to figure out how to attach the front plate. Massachusetts changed from a one-plate (rear only) to a two-plate system some years ago, but anyone with one plate was grandfathered in and didn't have to change. And the front bumper, nicely rounded, had no place to attach a plate. So off to the auto parts store, where a guy said I should just drill a couple of holes and screw it on, and he sold me a little packet of screws for two bucks to do the job.

Step 5, back home, the rear plate was fortunately still there. I thought, why not call up the Subaru place, see if they had any advice. And amazingly they did, look for two little dimples on the front bumper, drill holes with a 1/8th inch drill, and use some self-tapping screws. Which, the screws, seem to be exactly what I had bought at the auto parts place.

Step 6, and this was where, as with so many things in life, my rogaine experience came in handy. Our garage is under the house, and while it is marginally warmer than outside this time of year, it is not a very cozy place. Cold and dark would be more accurate. So I rounded up the drill, an extension cord, a screwdriver, and, most importantly, my rogaine headlamp, and headed down into the cold and dark. And within a few minutes the dimples had been found, the holes drilled, the plate attached, the back plate firmly attached. All was good, and I was still really mellow.

But they better not reject me again today. I think that would be more of a test than I can handle.

Slowly adding a few poundettes.

So having surmised yesterday that the snowmobile trails might be good, it seemed like the proper next step was to go try. And the one I tried was outstanding. Nice firm surface, just sinking in a little, no ice, no wet spots. Couldn't ask for much better.

Headed north from the Conway school on (road) Rt. 116, taking (snowmobile) Rt. 8 to its junction with (snowmobile) Rt. 93, and then back. Couldn't have been prettier. A bit of open fields, then some old hemlock forest, a bit of hardwoods, some more mixed forest, all over rolling terrain with not a person to be seen. Went longer than I planned.

Only bad part was when I got back to the car. The battery on my electronic opener has been getting pretty weak, and an hour out in the cold (I had in in an outside pocket) seemed to have done it in. So while I could open the door with the key, I couldn't disarm the alarm system and therefore couldn't start the car. Tried warming up the gizmo for a little while, but gave up and called Gail, who came as rescued me with the other opener.

And then, since I had been going sideways on my way down the driveway earlier, and Gail had slid into a snowbank on her way to get me, went off to the highway garage to get some sand for the sheet of ice we call a driveway.

C • Tech trap 3

Paper/mail loop. Cold (3F).

Up South Sugarloaf a couple times -- 14:52 up, 12:11 down (27:03), 13:46 up, 11:47 down (25:33).

Really nice conditions, well-packed snow, no ice. One of the advantages of a stretch of cold weather is that the snow conditions stay good, no melting and freezing. If I was running I'd be off exploring the snowmobile trails. Might have to do that anyway.

Definitely feeling weaker.

10 minutes at 3 mph, 10 at 3.5, 5 at 3, 10 at 3.5, 5 at 3, all at 15% grade.

Paper and mail route. Left hip felt a little looser, so the same perceived effort turned out to be a little quicker. Nice winter morning, 10F, no wind. Fingers were getting a little chilly, maybe because I'm generating a little less heat. Supposed to be colder in a couple of days so I need to add a layer.

Just to keep track, finished The Grapes of Wrath about a week ago, a bit of a slog but really glad I read it. Decided I needed something lighter next, so read Freaky Deaky by Elmore Leonard, reasonably entertaining, nothing special, and then Uneasy Relations by Aaron Elkins, pretty weak, finished it only because it was an easy read and quite short. Now just getting into a book suggested by Cristina, I Didn't Do It For You by Michela Wrong, about Eritrea. Very interesting so far.

And the quote of the day from a lengthy and fascinating series of readers' comments -- fascinating at least in part because of the stark reminder it gives of just how different people are in all respects, physically, mentally, psychologically, emotionally -- to a NYT article on post-surgery sexuality, this from a psychologist specializing in the subject --

"I have never talked to a dying patient who said, 'I wish I had spent more hours at work,' but I have heard many regret that they did not have more time, and more quality time, with the people they love."

Long walk around the two Sugarloafs, starting from the parking lot at the foot of South Sugarloaf. Took a while but ok. Saw a red-bellied woodpecker and a pair of mergansers.

Paper and mail route. Slow and gentle, as ordered. No running for a while, though walks up to 6 hours are ok as long as they are slow and gentle.

Here is the map from yesterday's "Park" sprint. When it's this open, and you're just walking, it shouldn't be hard, but I sailed right by #5. So within the first 5 minutes of orienteering, have I set a standard of incompetence for the year to come? I certainly hope not.

And here is the map from yesterday's "Woods" sprint. Actually got around clean on this one, and it had some places you could miss (and a few people must have, judging by the tracks in the snow). Went straight except where the woods looked too uninviting.

A really nice afternoon of O put on by George. He was all smiles in dealing with the as usual late arriving Saeger/Karpinski/Smith-mobile. He even arranged for such nice weather than you could hang around afterwards without any socks on....

Light weights, not all the machines, but have to start someplace.

And then on the treadmill, slow and gentle. All at 15% grade, 10 minutes at 3 mph, 10 at 3.5, and 10 at 3. Pulse around 125.

That's Joe B who has no need for socks. Must be an AR thing.

Event: WCOC Winter Meeting Sprints
 

George set two sprints at Stratton Brook SP in Simsbury in conjunction with the WCOC winter meeting. Did the shorter/easier one first. 4-5" of new powder over a crunchy crust. Hanstring/butt sore, so walked the whole way. Still blew one control (#5), didn't see the streamer (just using streamers, not controls) and misread things and went a little too far. Oh, well.

And then took off a layer of clothing and did the longer one, also much more time in the woods. Walked again. Orienteered better, no mistakes, went straight whenever the woods allowed.

And then off to WCOC for a wonderful feast prepared by Lynn for the whole gang (maybe 25 of us), and also the club meeting, making the usual plans, including an A meet jointly with the Team in April 2010, and also discussing a leveraged buy-out of QOC (the usual sort of deal, sell some junk bonds, use their cash to close the deal, cut out all the deadwood, spin them off as a new public entity in a couple of years, and walk away with a profit in the low seven figures, even after allowing for consulting fees to j-man). Seems like pretty much a slam-dunk.

I believe I may have place in the top 25 in both sprints!

C • 24 in both 9

Park Course - Splits

Woods Course - Splits

Not really a warm-up, just to see if running felt ok. It did.

5K race in Springfield. Good and bad and mixed.

Good in that I worked hard (pulse at the finish was about 160), my belly didn't hurt, I didn't crash on any of the icy sections, I finished, I really enjoyed the race (far from boring).

Bad in that my left hamstring and butt, while just a little bit annoying during the race, were really sore a few hours later. It seems like once again I have done something stupid.

And mixed in that my time was both a personal worst on the course by quite a lot (3+ minutes) and, under the new rules, a PR. :-)

And, it seems like I was a scalpee today. Good for you, George, do it while you can. :-)

------------------

A nice time afterwards, back to Seth's, he lives a mile away, for a shower and a second breakfast, then off to the UMass game at the Civic Center, which was very much a crowd-pleaser as opposed to many of their other outings this year. It had seemed like they were going to get through the year beating Kansas and almost no one else.

------------------

And a discovery of an unexpected benefit of having had my plumbing re-arranged. I'm not sure what the technical term is, but for as long as I remember I have had what I've heard called a bashful bladder -- peeing was fine as long someone else hadn't pulled up right next to me, for in that case it seemed like the going just wasn't going. Well, that's no longer a problem.

Now, I bring this up only because it has competitive implications, namely in rogaines, where unlike in regular O' events you are peeing, maybe many times, "on the clock." So you want to be efficient. Barb and I have been pretty efficient about this in past rogaines -- at the appropriate time the command is given -- "Pee Break" -- one veers left, the other veers right, we take care of business, and are back on our way with the minimum delay. Barb is, shall we say, very efficient. I think my newly acquired skill will help me keep up with her, and should allow our team even greater success.

Though I should stress that this advantage, substantial as it is and pleasurable as it is, is not by itself sufficient reason to say good-bye to your prostate.

C • COMPETITIVE PEE BREAKS 1

C • Scalpor 2

C • Kansas 3

Out to get the paper and mail. About 10 degrees but bright sunshine and not much wind, so very pleasant. Even if the driveway is a sheet of ice. Will have to see if I can just ignore it or will have to go down to the highway garage and get some sand. Option one is certainly the preferred one.

Legs were a little stiff from yesterday's exertions.

C • Driveway 4

C • Getting the mail and paper 2

South Sugarloaf, 14:55 up 12:45 down. Nicely packed out, good traction, so I went as quick as I could on the way up. PR.

Getting cold, windy, but a nice full moon, which is why I waited until dark. Second month in a row it's the largest one of the year. Yes, I know, it really isn't any bigger, it just looks bigger. Full moon actually isn't until tomorrow, but it's supposed to be snowing then.

Tapering for the weekend's races....

Got up early and went to the Smith indoor track (it's open to the community from 6 to 8 in the morning. Had in mind to run three miles, and I did, but it sure seemed like hard work. 9:04, 8:36, 8:33. Pulse around 150-155.

C • T pace workout 5

And then walked a mile, more or less (7 laps in the outside lane).

Time for breakfast.

From the gate, up the jeep road to the hairpin turn, and back. 42:30 up, 37:10 back.

A little longer than I planned on, wasn't sure how far I would go when I started out, but it was pretty nice out and I just keep going. Footing was good, no ice, crunchy, a bit of a crust, sank in an inch or two so it was a little slow, but mainly no ice (the section up the big reentrant can get some wicked ice flows). Saw three dogs (and their owners), 2 on leashes and very well controlled, and I made a point of thanking the owners, and one loose but very mellow. No other "wildlife," but the woods were lovely.

Good training for Sunday's sprints.

Highlight of the day (so far) was the arrival of a care package from the ladies at the office, a "flower" arrangement from an outfit called Edible Arrangements. Absolutely wonderful. I believe we got the arrangement called "Berry Chocolate Bouquet with Dipped Daisies." The chocolate dipped pineapple is especially fine and, of course, oh so good for you (good for the soul, that is).

C • Edible arrangement 6

Corner store and post office loop, plus an extra trip down to the road to carry out the trash. An inch or two of snow/sleet overnight, currently mostly sleet. So traction was rather poor. I suppose that's good -- had to work a lot harder and got to spend a little more time out. And I was dressed about right so it was perfectly pleasant.

Up South Sugarloaf. Slow going and hard work, a couple of inches of crusty sleet, slip back a little on every step. But glad to be able to do it. 20:45 up, 15:00 down, quite dark by the time I finished.

Also about 20 minutes of shoveling.

It's strange, I look back on the last couple of weeks (well, 16 days to be precise) and the gut feeling I have about them is they have been the best couple of weeks of my life.

Which makes no sense at all, logically, one of those weeks with a catheter, lots of time peeing myself, 6 holes in my belly.

But, for example, I look at today's 20 minutes of shoveling not as a pain-in-the-ass chore, but just wonderful, something I can do that I didn't expect to be able to do. And it's like that with lots of little things, all better than expected. And I find myself in such a good mood, euphoria really. And even the incontinence, and I do so hope that I get it under control, even that can't break the good mood. For someone who has been tending towards manic-depressive all his life, it is wonderful, and a little scary.

We will see how long it lasts.

C • Until you run out of meds? 3

At the Body Shoppe in Greenfield, my usual spot. 3 x 1 mile at 6.5 mph for the first mile, 6.8 for the second, and 7.0 for the third. Plus a mile of walking before/between. Belly felt fine, legs energetic but some aches. Excellent, except for leakage issues, going to be a struggle.

Also stopped to pick up new glasses, slightly different prescription, can see a lot better. And also stopped at the office, already getting calls, things will be hopping in a couple of weeks. Need to spend some time there installing new software and in general trying to remember what the hell I'm supposed to be doing.

C • Ha, only two thing are sure in US... 1

Down to the library to pick up a book. Back via Silver-Park-Claybrook. Getting dark at the end.

A sheet of ice on everything outside, so training will have to wait a while. So, two weeks along, time for a mapping review of the 6 holes.

#1 (way on the left, almost around the corner) was tiny to start with, now just a little bump, too small to map (although see the discussion for 4 and 5). #2 is big enough to be mapped as a dot knoll. #3 used to be a round depression, now seems to be an assortment of gullies and dry ditches. #4 and #5 are too small to map, although Dominie might, especially in otherwise bland terrain such as this where he needed a spot to hang a control. And #6, way around to the right, is a nice little elongated knoll.

Now all that's needed is a little time with OCAD and we've got the makings of a fine area for a micro-sprint course.

C • Evolution of Impact Sites 6

Treadmill. Time to see how running felt, and it wasn't bad. Edged into it slowly, 10 x 0.1 mile at first 5, then 5.5, then 6 mph, equal walking between, then a couple quarters at 6, then a half at 6.5, more walking between. So ran for 2 miles all together. PR.

Two issues. First, I'm pretty sure as I increase the running that the hamstrings/hips will be complaining. And second, well, there is a leakage issue that the walking didn't set off but the running did. Just something that has to be dealt with, would be nice if it doesn't last for too long, for reasons of both convenience and self-esteem.

And it reminded me of a Troll Cup a long, long time I ago. After the second day, chase start, I was talking to the women's winner (to remain anonymous) and she was relating the last bit of her run, she was in the lead, she could see Sharon a ways behind but she had enough of a lead to hold her off easily. Except, she had a small (and/or uncooperative) bladder and regularly had to stop on a course to pee. And this time not too far before the finish she really had to pee. Well, life is about setting priorities and making choices, and she just kept running, and peeing. And she's telling me all this with a big smile on her face because priority number one was beating Sharon. Whatever it took to do it.

C • Sprint Target Times 1

I'm supposed to be walking twice a day, and since I didn't make it out early this morning, I headed over to South Sugarloaf to do an up and down just before dark. Got about 20 yards and decided it was too icy. So I headed up to the center of South Deerfield and back, totally flat.

And wondering, what day should I start tapering for Sunday's sprints?

C • Leakage 4

47-Silver-Park-Claybrook-47, a couple of hills. Another nice morning, sunny, 12F, hardly any wind.

At some point as I was contemplating future training the phase "every effort is a PR" popped into my mind, and I quite liked it, the essence being that the slate is wiped clean, no old marks to measure a current effort against and inevitably fall short. I think some folks already do this, wipe the slate clean either every year or every 5 or 10 years, but I haven't really tried it. Who knows, perhaps it's just a cop-out. We shall see.

Of course, not every effort will be a PR, but a whole lot will be. This morning's effort was my 6th PR for the year, I do believe. And that was the morning after a very sinful dinner, including the first alcohol in a while to get things started and the first ice cream in a very long while to finish things up.

Up south Sugarloaf (15:25) and back down (13:33). Felt much better than a couple of days ago on the same route. PR.

Time to start a little jogging tomorrow. Tried a few steps today, being very careful. Will have to work into it slowly.

Morning loop to get the paper and mail. 25F but windy, gusts to 40 mph. Still felt pretty pleasant compared to a couple of days ago, except perhaps for a few minutes on the way back where I had the wind right in my face. But that just gave the opportunity to practice little mind control -- it's not so cold, it will pass, just relax -- aided by a recollection (which turned out to be accurate) that at 25 degrees you can't get frostbite no matter how hard the wind is blowing. And, when I was double-checking this back home, I was glad to see that for once our government had some sense and had done the clinical trials in Canada.

14:45 to the store, 23:01 back via the Post Office.

C • it depends 10

Off to Gail's gym, where I have a short-term free pass, the place is a little closer to home, they have more machines, more glistening young bodies....

On the treadmill, all at 3.5 mph, 10 minutes at 5% incline, 12 at 7% (my mind was far away when the 20-minute mark passed), 8 at 9%, 10 at 11%, 5 at 13%, 1 at 15% just for the hell of it, and 4 at 0%. Got the pulse up to about 140. I have a long, long ways to go to get back into shape. And I expect my left hip and various other assorted ailments will make things difficult along the way. But, it's progress.

----------------

Caution, another of my detours into areas having nothing to do with training, though worded carefully enough so as to hopefully not be offensive....

So at the 20-minute mark I was diverted by thoughts of a certain performance-enhancing drug. The original prescription was to take it twice a week for a year (!) in the interest of improving circulation even if it didn't seem to be doing any good for a while.

But things were going so well I wasn't sure I needed it. Called up the surgeon. His PA called back.

Do I still need to take it?

Yes, for a year.

And assuming it works, then what do I do?

It will go away after a while.

So what can I say -- I took it, it worked, it went away after a while. I assume my circulation is marginally better.

Life is ok.

C • Message 3

8F when I left, 12F when I got back, but no wind so it felt quite balmy, was even unzipping the jacket towards the end. Very quick down to the corner store (1.03, 14:23), then more relaxed around by the Post Office to get the mail and home via N. Silver (1.54, 23:15). Felt great.

Up to the top of South Sugarloaf and back. Snow-packed, but pretty good traction. Legs felt tired on the way up, plus too many clothes on, belly felt tender on the way down, not used to even the very little bit of jarring I was exposing it too, so the pace in both directions was quite slow. 18:25 up, 16:44 down. Felt warm, mid-20s.

MF cold, 5F and windy, down to the corner store to get the paper, fast as my little legs would move me, just trying to stay warm. A "tempo walk" if there is such a thing, at least got the pulse over 100. Thought about jogging a little but decided to give it a few more days.

A good start to the year.

Gail was going to the gym so I joined her, and decided it was time to up the incline on the treadmill. All at 3.5 mph. 10 minutes at 5%, 10 at 6%, 10 at 7%, 10 at 8%, 5 at 10%, and 5 flat. Got the pulse up to about 125 and worked up a bit of a sweat. Felt wonderful.

Time for a few numbers for 2008:

40 O races (29 in 2007, 68 in 2006)
-- 14 sprints (11, 13)
-- 5 middle (1, 11)
-- 13 classic (13, 34), though a classic varied a lot, from 45 to 95 minutes depending on whether I was running M21 or M60.
-- 2 long (0, 1)
-- 3 goats (2, 2), Billygoat, Highlander, and Traverse.
-- 0 O' marathon (1, 0)
-- 0 cross/farsta (0, 2)
-- 2 relay (0, 3), US Champs, Tio-Mila
-- 1 night (1, 2), Pawtuckaway
-- 0 trail-O (0, 0)
plus 3 rogaines (2, 0), CNYO (with Barb), Estonia (with Barb), Virginia (with Kissy, Peggy, and Barb)

369 hours training (303 in 2007, 256 in 2006), including:
-- 45 orienteering (38, 75), up a little for the year, was hurt a lot in the spring of 2007
-- 118 other running (123, 181)
-- 32 biking (43, 0)
-- 63 rogaining (47, 0)
-- 22 run/hikes (37, 0), mostly rogaine training
-- 86 nautilus (15, 0), kept this up all year long

So about the same amount of orienteering and running training as last year, and a lot less than 2006 (all due to injury, mainly hamstring problems). That was offset by much more nautilus, plus doing three rogaines. As far as the quality of the efforts, I think it's fair to say that there was quite a fall-off, especially compared to 2006 which was an exceptional year.

Note for anyone not clued into my terminology -- "rogaine training" is running/walking, the latter when it is uphill, usually with a pack, so perfectly valid training in other words, while "rogaine practice" is golf, of which I played quite a bit early in the year and not much later on. I also did three rogaines this year, all immensely enjoyable (and virtually without blisters). I'd guess the golf (many hours walking, carrying clubs) is actually useful training for rogaining, though I have not yet sunk low enough to log it on AP. And "rogaine base building" is post-surgery walking at a modest pace, logged at 1/60 of the time spent, and logged only to keep a record that I did it.

Also ran 5 foot races:
-- 3 on the roads, 5 miles (34+), 10 miles (78+), half marathon (98+).
-- 2 trail races (Soapstone and Overlook).

Other thoughts --
1. My orienteering was mostly rather uninspired, due in large part to my declining physical powers, so most races were a little unsatisfying even if my navigating was good. Best effort was probably the Highlander. Most fun was the trip to the Tio-Mila with the CSU team, just wonderful karma.

2. Did two rogaines with Barb (CNYO, Estonia), both lots of fun even though very different, and very good for morale given that the orienteering/running continued to go downhill. Estonia was a great trip. She is a super partner, good O skills, full of energy, and very upbeat. Also did a rogaine in Virginia with Kissy, Peggy, and Barb. Again, just a whole lot of fun and lots of good memories. In all of these I found myself getting more and more comfortable (and confident) with night orienteering.

3. Once again spent a lot of time on the Team, though that declined as the year progressed and I took a step back. Which was the right thing to do, time for a break.

4. Also stepped back from the Sprint Series. It kept going, thanks to Kissy and Cristina and Gil, and will move into 2009 with new energy under the leadership of Kissy and Cristina.

5. As in 2006, laughed a lot, and got my share of being laughed at too. Thank goodness.

6. Weight once again held steady at 1G all year long, though the G itself was higher than I cared for pretty much all year long, although it finished the year at a not-so-bad 138.5. Would be nice to keep it under 140, would be wonderful to keep it at 135.

7. Topping the list of totally meaningless numbers, so far there have been 85,396 times that someone has stopped doing something useful to come look at my training log (54,103 at this time last year, 27,034 at the end of 2006, 6,908 at the end of 2005). I admit to spending a lot of time on Attackpoint, and getting a great deal of enjoyment from it, and it seems like some others do too.

8. More important than all of the above, it was a very good year for friendships, starting with Gail who has been especially wonderful as the year drew to a close, also my frequent traveling companions Phil and Charlie, also my rogaine partner Barb, and then many others in orienteering, of all ages. It was mostly a so-so year competitively, but a fine year in many other ways.

9. And 2008 also had a journey, me and my prostate, which started just about a year ago, the details of which I took the liberty of sharing on these pages from time to time. That -- going public -- was a conscious decision from the beginning, though perhaps unusual, and it has rewarded me many times over and in many ways, thanks to the words and comments and thoughts of many of you. Bless you. It has not been a fun journey. It required a decision on how to proceed where, quite simply, every option sucked. But I know I have done the right thing. And I know I have accomplished something that I put down as a goal much earlier in the year, namely, getting myself in the best possible shape for the day that was coming when I would get sliced. And I absolutely feel that being as fit as possible -- and, of course, having a very good surgeon and just amazng technology -- has made a big difference in how good I feel now.

For 2009? Well, another year older means the downward slope just gets steeper. I can move into M65. Have to see what I can do, can't stop trying, but my expectation is that Father Time will pull even harder in the opposite direction from wherever I am trying to go. I suspect it will be a good year to learn patience and to try to take pleasure from the doing more than from the result.