Training Log Archive: PG

Day 2, felt like a better run though lost about the same couple of minutes as the first day. But put out a good effort, probably helped a little by catching up to Dimitri about 3/4 of the way through the course, which helped me push harder.

Enjoyed the courses both days, though they were far from flat.

Routes/comments.

C • Starbucks? 2

Just a little warm-up.

Red-2X - Splits

Event: West Point A meet
 

Day 1 at West Point, RedX course in M40 (I didn't actually sign up for M40 instead of my usual M45, but I got put there and it didn't seem worth the bother to get it changed).

Very hilly, plus the forest seems to have sprouted a new crop of rocks, so I felt like I was making very slow progress around the course. But didn't feel too bad physically. Which was nice.

A few minutes jogging before and after.

Setting out the e-punch boxes for the sprint.

Picking up a few of the sprint controls.

Red-1X - Splits

With the group at the Eaglebrook track. 800, 1000, 1200, 1000, 800, with a couple minutes rest in between each time. Splits: 3:01.7, 3:46.8, 4:31.9, 3:45.7, 2:53.5.

Felt surprisingly good on a relatively warm late afternoon (about 80F), reasonably comfortable on the first four at just over 6-minute pace, and then pushing the last one. Would have dusted Phil if he had showed up. Instead, I got dusted by two younger women (Sidney, the best over-50 female runner in New England, and Dawn) among others, as I regularly finished last in our group of 7 (the so-called "cheetahs," the faster of the two groups).

Before and after.

C • no problem 1

Article in the local Springfield paper. You may note that I thought it wise not to try to educate our local running correspondent about the G.

C • 5 pound bags of sugar 2

Added routes for yesterday's training.

Race course over to the gate and back. Low energy. Light rain. At least I got out....

A long day of training that started with meeting Spike and George at the Starbucks near Paugusst, where I had to almost forcibly evict them so we could get some training in before the rain came....

Up to the starting point of the day's course....

So I headed off first with the task of streamering the controls, in the process marking the wrong spur for #3 (which the others won't let me forget!), and then really botching the route to #4, and then botching #5, and then having a hard time deciding which little piece of rock was the right cliff for #7, even when Spike arrived to add his wisdom. Chased him to the last 3 points, arriving just in time to confirm that he was at the right spot. Overall, a truly dismal performance....

... surpassed in its dismalness, unfortunately, by my next outing -- while waiting for George to return, I said I'd jog over to #3 just to check it, and I'd be back in 5 minutes. On the way there I went up the wrong ridge, got turned around, and at one point was standing shaking my compass trying to get the needle to flip around to agree with which way I thought north was. Finally made it to 3, no streamer there so I added one, then back to the start reasonably uneventfully.

Second time around, this time a bit more vigorously, and a lot more accurately, though I didn't have the best route from 3 to 4. But good enough to nip Spike -- he must have been tiring, as his last several splits were all slower then the first time even though he knew where he was going.

Back again to #3 to have another look, then to 4 to try the better route, then to 6 for a close look at some contours (a little shaky), then finally back down the hill to the cars....

... to be followed, of course, by a return trip to Starbucks, where Spike had what I assume was a huge piece of crumb cake (we'd been sitting there a while before I noticed it, he'd obviously eaten some, and there was still a huge piece left), and then I looked a couple of minutes later and it was all gone! I fear he's going to be 1.5 G shortly.

By now it was about 3 pm, raining steadily, my plans for a game of golf washed away, but time to head off to beat rush-hour traffic in Hartford. But 30 minutes east on I-84 it was just a sprinkle so I made a slight detour and drove in the entrance to Pine Valley CC (no, not THE Pine Valley, the only thing the two have in common was the number of holes), and not quite 3 hours later I had finished my "second training" for the day. Don't know if Spike got his in (the plan was walking his brother's dog) or not.

Overall, a fine day in Connecticut, and fine company, even if they are cruel -- and enjoying it way too much -- when I mess up a little.

C • Dogs 7