Training Log Archive: PG

Awesome day.

Woke up obviously quite dehydrated as the G was down to a modern era low (and very close to the all-time post-college low of 129, achieved by dropping 23 pounds in the first 6 weeks at Officer Candidate School in 1968).

I had decided late yesterday that I wanted to go orienteering today, and by orienteering I was thinking running and navigating, not just walking and navigating. My hamstring had survived the Billygoat and the rogaine without any complaints, so it was time to see where things stood. But I didn't really want to drive by myself, so I called up Phil. He was out, I left a message, but heard nothing last night. So no idea if I was going, nor where, since there were meets in the Boston area (Nobscot), east of Hartford (Gay City), and southwestern Connecticut (Trout Brook Valley) to choose from. Just hoping I would go.

8:40 this morning he calls up, just got my message. I was at his place in 30 minutes, headed to Nobscot as it turned out. Just fine, had been there several times, nice area, but my last visit was probably in the late 70s.

Drive over, tape up the one remaining bad blister, warm up for a few minutes, the legs feel dead but pain free. Then out on the course. Total screw up to the first control, no idea what I'm doing, but I'm running, in the woods too, not fast, but it feels ok. And I slowly remember how to orienteer, and slowly start to run a little faster, and grit my teeth and run up a few hills, and then even towards the end start to run a little faster. And I'm sweating away, and getting tired. And it feels so good just to be moving through the forest at least moderately well, because it's been so long. And I run a little harder still in from the last control, taking a bit of a risk, and the legs still feel fine. Yippee!

It may not last. I may screw things up tomorrow. But when you go for a long time enjoying something and sort of taking it for granted that you'll always be able to do it, and then you can't, and the months drag on, then getting it back even just for a day is so sweet.

Three fine weekends in a row -- the Billygoat, gone to just at the last moment thanks to some prodding from JJ here on AP, a wonderful mix of the social and the competitive even if I was not competitive, certainly an event I should never again think of skipping; the rogaine, a wonderful weekend with a new team, thanks again to Barb for prodding me to do it, doing better and having more fun than could be imagined; and now this, a good trip over and back with my good friend Phil, and then feeling great in the woods. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Of course I will no have no excuse now not to do some training. But it is nice to have that option.

Oh, and I took two scalps (scalpettes?), the WOC stars Sam and Hilly. Excellent.... :-)

C • map 26

C • map 1

Today's map.

C • scalps 1

First time at a local non-sprint meet in a while, and with a 3-hour registration period, the old feeling of ships passing in the night, various people you knew might be there, but who knows if you would see them.

Did see all the Saeger/Karpinski's, most running multiple courses, I believe Hillary was heading out on her third course when I saw her.

Also Cristina's mom, looking very stylish in her USA top.

C • Style 5

Finally got around to doing the numbers on last weeks rogaine --

Did 66 km as the crow flies, maybe 75 km actual distance?
Climb was 12,700 feet.
Away from the hash house the whole time, I consumed 2,500 calories, had about 600 left over in my pack, always felt like I had enough to eat and good energy.
Still working on removing grass seeds from my shoes and socks, total number estimated in the billions....

And tried out new and thicker socks today, felt good. Got to go investigae shoe options.

Red - Splits

Biking through Amherst down to Bay Road, back through Hadley. Was planning to go farther but didn't have much zip so cut it short, and glad I did. Warm day, dewpoint 65, I was sweating profusely.

And I am in such bad shape. Not for going at an easy pace, that's ok, but anything quicker becomes a real struggle, real quickly. Just have to take things day by day, or even hill by hill.

I hope to start running this coming week. The hamstring seemed to survive the rogaine (and the Billygoat) just fine, and I've been getting very little butt pain when sitting. Keeping my fingers crossed.

C • 8 wonders of Kansas 8

Tiime for some exerise. Tried on the bike shoes and they didn't seem to bother my blisters, so took a nice ride out 47, up to Lake Wyola, and then to the top of the hill in Wendell. Wind more or less helping on the way out/up (57:27), more or less in the face on the way back/down (43:29). Sweating away on a warmish day, but good to get out. And I feel inspired to see if I can start getting back into shape, a least a little bit -- been looking at the rogaine calendar.... :-)

The G is pretty much at an all-time low, I think. If it was possible to invest in the G, it would be a good time to buy, because the potential for any further downside movement seems pretty limited.

Even though you never know. At Charlie's on Monday his mom, who is a piece of work in her own right, looked at me and said, you look thinner, and I said I'd lost a little weight, and she said yeah, you used to look sort of chunky, yes, chunky, I believe that was the word she used.

But maybe she was just being polite, and the fact is I still look rather chunky. Should I be shooting for sub-130?

C • For you! 3

Going through a bit of the "down" stage normal after a rogaine or ultra or big event, especially with nothing scheduled for the future. Need to figure out something to focus on, but that depends on how the legs are (and how Gail's legs are), and that means doing some training to find out, and that's a lot easier if I have something to focus on. Hmmm....

Meanwhile I seem to be back on my no-food-after-dinner routine, even though there was some delicious chocolate chunky ice cream in the freezer that somehow showed up while I was gone. So the G is in fine shape. Not sure if it is worth the effort (though as soon as I start training/competing again, it will be).

I do need to get my butt down to Osbornedale to do the field work for the courses for the Relay Champs in September. And the usual laundry list of stuff needs doing, including cutting the "lawn." which is now about a foot high. Got to go pick up the lawnmower first, it wouldn't start when I tried to use it last week, so it went off for repair.

Oh, well, at least I've got more HTFU training scheduled for today if it doesn't rain too much.

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Blisters are still bad, walking is still painful until I get a good dose of Vitamin I in me. If I'd been able to avoid them, we could have gotten all the controls easy. I could have carried some of Barb's gear, especially on the ups, so she could have gone faster too. But as usual, would've, should've, could've don't mean nothing. You are what you are and you did what you did, and that's it.

C • You could always come down to ... 1

Still feeling a bit beat, though that may be due to --

(1) still short on sleep, woke up about 2:30 last night and my feet hurt too much to get back to sleep, so I stayed up until dawn reading AP. :-)

Plus the night before, crawled into bed early expecting to zonk out, didn't so got back up and finally went to bed about 1:30.

So I'm 0, 4, 5, and 5 hours for the last 4 nights. Normal is 7-8.

(2) I had a pre-arranged outing with Mike Fritz to chase the little white ball, 4 hours on my feet yesterday in Brattleboro, very hilly course, and 6 hours today in Keene, played more after he left to head north as I was having fun.

Maybe if I stayed off them the feet would do better.

Or is this stage one of HTFU training? Hmmm, I do believe it is.

An update --

I received the following e-mail today:

Hi Peter,

I have in the back of my truck a tent, pants, sleeping bag, foam pad, thermarest, and hat with Gail Gagarin's name written on it. Awaiting your instructions on how to get it back to you.

(You should have seen the heap my big cabin tent made when it blew down. I had some heavy stuff inside it, though, so it didn't end up way down a reentrant like yours -- and one other -- did. Thanks to unknown rogainers who carried them both back to the hash house.)

Jerry Rhodes

C • What about the pillow? 5

Some notes for next time (if there is a next time).

Things to do differently/better:

-- Get some ankle gaiters that will definitely, positively, keep the dried grass seeds out.
-- Try out various socks in advance and find something that gives much better foot comfort and blister prevention. Ditto for shoes.
-- Try out various taping and greasing options for the feet.
-- In general, HTFU (harden the feet up)!
-- Get a slightly bigger camelback.
-- Get a better headlamp.
-- No raisins before or during. Mix your own trail mix.
-- Plan the whole route, just in case things go well.
-- Measure the distances more carefully.
-- Stake down the tent.

And repeat things that went well:

-- Pick a good partner.

C • Thank you! 1