Training Log Archive: PG

Up Wantastiquet Mt across the river from Brattleboro, climb was 1060'. Up in 24:39, back down in 16:48. Made it all the way up without walking, though it was not without a bit of willpower (and a shortened stride and slower cadence). A couple minutes slower than a couple of years ago, but I am older, and also carrying about one and a half extra five-pound bags of sugar.

At some point the phrase "Murphy repeats" popped into my mind, and I chuckled as I realized that I was in fact doing a set of Murphy repeats up Mt. W.

The term is named in honor of a local runner Jim Murphy. Jim was a pretty good runner, an even better (or more loquacious) talker about running, especially his own. A run with Jim would mean you might ask him, How you doing, Jim, and that would be the last thing you would get to say, because he would never stop telling you all about his running.

And one time he announced that he had been out the previous day doing repeats up Mt Toby, and, because he didn't know when to shut up, it came out pretty quickly that he had actually done just one repeat. Hence the term, Murphy repeats, and a whole lot of razzing.

C • a much needed running term 1

And then to the gym, though I didn't go there directly. First a very enjoyable round of rogaine practice with Mike Fritz, enjoyable for the excellent company and good conversation, enjoyable despite my truly atrocious golf, at least on the front nine, though I did at least finish with some semblance of grace. And I believe I behaved quite well!

And then he headed off back north. and the sun was still shining and there was no rush to get home, so I stopped for another 9 holes of RP, a similar progression from atrocious to quite fine.

And then stopped at the gym for a good workout.

Hmmm, good day, 10 pm, time for dinner.

Event: WCOC BBQ, Sprints, Meeting at DeWeese Farm
 

The Ratlum "sprints" at the DeWeese estate. Started off with sprint B ("sprint" seems not quite the right word for something that I did at about 11 minutes per km). Here is the map and my route.

A few comments about the course --

#1. Ok, would have been slightly better if the control had been on the SW part of the knoll instead of SE, therefore closer to the trail.... :-)
#2. Fine, nice bit of woods!
#3. Fine.
#4. Excellent.
#5. Spiked it, though I'm quite sure it was on a cliff south of the one in the circle (and the clearing was farther south too). I expected to get through the mounain laurel and then hook back to the left, but there it was, just to my right.
#6. And therefore, the direction to #6 seemed too much to the east instead of SE. But OK woods going to 6.
#7 And OK woods going to 7 too!
#8. And trails almost all the way to 8, excellent!
#9. Ditto, excellent (except I took a shortcut, didn't save me anything).
#10. Excellent for the first 90% of the leg. If the control had just been at the trail bend I used for an attack point, this would have been truly excellent. And if after that the course headed directly to the finish, it would have been really truly excellent. But....
#11. Uggh.
#12. Uggh.

But I finished, with not much in the way of damage despite wearing shorts. And mostly enjoyed it!

After finishing sprint B, I quickly determined that if I didn't wait long before I start sprint A, I could escape the need for both cooldown from B and then warmup for A. And, a look upwards revealed a darkening and somewhat ominous looking sky. So within 5 minutes I was off on sprint A, the shorter of the two and supposedly the more difficult.

Here is the course and my route.

The observant reader with notice that my route seems to stop in the vicinity of #2. Which it did. After a somewhat round-about route to #1, though I spiked the control, I headed off on the trail to #2. Got to the bend in the trail, went in where the map indicated, the vibes were immediately very bad -- thick mountain laurel, the control and boulders were supposed to be 10 meters from the trail, but no sign of anything, very limited visibility, turned right, picked my way uphill a little bit, back out right at the bend, still nothing. Back in, this time left, and quite a ways down were the boulders and the control.

And I just got pissed. Well, no, actually, the getting pissed had been building up over the couple of minutes I was climbing through the mountain laurel looking for the dumb thing. So I just quit, and very slowly jogged (and walked a little) back to the finish. Which was done at just the right pace, so that by the time I got back almost all the being pissed had dissipated and I managed to be quite civil and friendly (I think?), just said I'd stopped.

As it turned out, it was a really good decision, because the sky was already much more ominous, and within a couple of minutes it was raining, and within a couple more minutes it was pouring. And I was glad not to being still going hand-to-hand with the laurel!

So rather than drip all over the inside of Charlie and Rhonda's house, I headed to their garage to change. Which included a very pleasant couple of minutes standing out in their driveway with nothing on, letting the rain rinse me off. Then upstairs to partake of the real purpose of the visit, the good food and company.

And, as it turned out, the fireworks, so to speak.

It was still getting darker, and there was thunder in the distance, and then the power went out, and then the thunder got closer, and then I happened to be looking out a window and saw a very distinct bolt of lightning, and I've always known to start counting as you wait for the noise so you know how far away it is (and therefore how scared to be), 1000' for every second. And this one, I saw the bolt and heard the boom and there wasn't even time to think about counting. Awful close.

And then a few minutes later, I was looking out over the deck, where their monster grill is, and another bolt and boom simultaneously, I figured it had hit between the grill and the house.

So it was pretty exciting! Though I have this feeling that some of their electronics may not be working so well any more. Which would really suck.

All this notwithstanding, the food was wonderful, another Rhonda masterpiece, and the company was even better. And the desserts, well, there were some brownies that Ross brought, and some other kind of sweet thing with coffee and I think lots of butter and sugar that Janet brought, and some chocolate chip concoction that someone else brought. Yummm.

Finally headed home. Where I discovered my new technique for keeping from eating after dinner -- curl up on the couch for a couple of hours of light reading in one of my PC books.... :-(

C • AOWN 9

From Mill River out the RF to Juggler Meadow Road (26:45) and back (25:03). Slow pace, legs were feeling yesterday's harder effort, plus really feeling the heat/humidity. So just tried to keep running, which took a bit of will power a couple of times. Clothes soaking wet by the time I was done.

Only 8 FDFs today. Not that I'm complaining.

Sugar-Gunn loop, same as a couple of days ago, but pretty hard pace this time on a warm and very humid day (dewpoint about 70). Quite pleased with the time, was hoping for 48. Good for morale. And in the process knocked off 30 FDFs. That also is good for morale. :-)

Otherwise, a bit of a hard day.

C • 30! 6

Dessert tonight -- some really tasty fresh cherries. Actually, quite a lot of them.

Two days in a row! A little cooler though more humid, felt a little more lively. Up to the PL (17:36), Muck/MM/PL loop (14:31), and back (13:31). Just two more FDF kills, must have them pretty much wiped out.

Also, after some complaints yesterday, did a bunch of lopping at the start of the trail. Looks much better. But decided I could put off the first mowing of the year for another week or two as the moss is doing nicely, especially over the leach field.

Seems like a rogaine (at a relaxed pace) is on the schedule for 2 weeks from now.

C • 24 hour rogaine? 3

C • FDF Kills 1

Well, it was not the news I had hoped for, but in all honesty, I think it was the news I expected.

Back to the urologist for the results of the second biopsy, this time it was definite, a tumor on one section. Supposedly small, supposedly not life-threatening, but has to be dealt with.

So we talked a little, and made another appointment for two weeks from now, last one of the day, so I can stay and talk as long as I want, he said, and I left with a couple of books about prostate cancer (not that I haven't been reading a bunch of stuff in the last 5 months).

Sat in the car for half an hour reading parts of one of them, then drove home, slowly as is my custom these days. Not feeling great, not feeling awful, just thinking things through.

Need to deal with this, and I am not looking forward to it at all, none of it, not the figuring out what to do, and where to do it, and then the doing, and the recovering, and the dealing with side effects, and who knows what else.

But I also need to just keep the rest of my life intact. Which so far I have been doing pretty well. That will be a bigger challenge now, but one I have some optimism about.

So, now I'm off to a board meeting. And then to the gym if I don't lose my resolve.

I was thinking on the way home that I should start eating more desserts (the old phrase -- life is short, eat dessert first), but I do like keeping the G no higher than it is, and preferably a little lower. But, still, maybe the occasional dessert....

C • Good luck - with the desser... 7

Sugar-Gunn loop with Phil, relaxed pace, though that's not to say it wasn't an effort. Glad he called, since my plan had been to go for a ouple of hours, which would have been a real struggle. And nice to have company.