Training Log Archive: PG

Legs are very sore from yesterday, mostly the quads. They had mostly forgotten what running is all about.

Let's see, 26.2 km at 15 min/km is about 6 and a half hours. Yesterday was an hour and a half. So I just have to keep going for an extra 5 hours?

C • 26.2km 3

And here's a fine photo from yesterday at Paugusset -- Ali, Dr. Dan (just got his phD in astronomy this summer), and Gail. I'm pretty sure Dan is all set to open the Far West chapter of WCOC (he's moving from the Twin Cities to Seattle this week).

He also made great progress on his own quest for 2,000 controls, roughly doubling his count is just one day. Awesome.

Had a very fine trip down and back with them, other than the fact that the car was quite unbalanced, the average IQ in the back seat being so much higher than in the front seat. Hmm, but it drove OK. I guess the disparity in age between the front and the back must have just about exactly offset the difference in brain power.

Several excuses not to go out today. Legs were very sore, it was raining, and I had jury duty. But jury duty was a bust (all the cases on today's docket got settled before going to trial, so the jury pool got dismissed after sitting and doing nothing for two hours, and that takes care of jury duty for at least the next 3 years).

And the sore legs, well, that was a reason to go do a little something. And the rain, well, I figured I needed to see what it was like on the mountain bike in the rain.

But trying not to be excessively stupid, headed over to the Montague plains, mostly dead flat, sandy soil, lots of jeep roads criss-crossing the area, plus a hill on the north end. Just sprinkling and low 60s when I started, raining quite steadily by the time I finished, but quite a pleasant outing. And if I had some proper clothing....

Just one fall, while bushwhacking around a fallen tree, no damage done.

And did my best when I got home to clean up the bike, washed it off with the hose and dried it off best as I could. I'm trying.

Event: WCOC Paugussett
 

Score-O at Paugusset, course by Peter Grollman. 90 minutes to see how many I could get.

An interesting day. I decided it was time to do a little running and just see how things felt and see how much running I felt like doing. Expected things to have to deal with -- out of shape for running, plus heels, especially the left one, plus right hip, still a bone bruise there from a crash a few days ago but not too bad. Took several ibuprofen in anticipation....

Outcome:

1. The running. After running bits and pieces on the way to the first few controls I was quite exhausted. But I kept at it the whole way, alternating running and walking, pretty much walking up all the hills and running the rest. Slow, but not as bad as I expected.

2. The heels. Right heel was mostly fine. Left heel was moderately sore. A little worse going uphill. Didn't feel so bad over the last half, but that was because....

3. The hip, not bad to start, got slowly worse, very sore the last 30-40 minutes.

So maybes that is all really good news, since I've believed for the long time that the best way to get rid of an injury is to have something else hurt worse, takes the pressure off the first sore place.

Orienteering skills were OK. Got 31 of 34 controls. One bad control, 52-53, don't know how I made such a mess of it, obvious culprit is the map. :-)

And one other bit of simplemindedness -- At some point I guess I hit the wrong button on the 305 and it was stopped. Noticed it at a control, assumed it had been stopped since the previous control which I figured was about 3 to 4 minutes earlier. So I shot for getting in in about 86 to 87 minutes, which I did. Except it seems the watch was stopped for about 9 minutes, so I was 6:01 late. Oops. Had I know would have skipped 59-57-61 and made it in very close to the 90 minutes.

And all the time I had a watch on my other wrist, but of course I hadn't looked at what time I'd started.

But the results are quite irrelevant. The question was how the body would feel and the result was better than expected. So quite pleased.

So I guess I should reconsider going to the Highlander. Though that's a hard choice, as plan B is what looks to be a very appealing ride in Bar Harbor.

And here's my route. Also went to 41 (the one with no number) while the watch was off.

C • Highlander 1

C • hip etc 6

With Walter and Zoe (his dog). Very mellow ride, even my one crash was very mellow.

C • crash 2

Short ride to South Deerfield and Whately. Was also thinking of a trip up South Sugarloaf, but I wasn't feeling very zippy so that plan bit the dust.

And then just about done, crossing the bridge over the Connecticut, when my rear tire exploded. At least that's what it felt like. On closer inspection there was a little over a half-inch gash in the tire. So that killed plan A (replace the tube on the spot), because I wasn't sure that would last. And plan B (call Gail on my cell phone) was out because I had forgotten to bring the phone.

So I went with plan C, walked over to see Norm at the bike shop. He fixed me up, but needed a new tire and tube. At least it's fixed.

C • That's why you carry duct tape 6

And then home with a swing by the post office to get the mail, except I had forgotten the key.

I would be tempted to say it's just not my day, but it's not all been a loss -- took my car back to the Subaru place as it's been making strange noises since they worked on it a couple of weeks ago. Expected to leave it there and bike home, but they said wait a little so we can at least see what the problem was, and in fact they had it fixed in about 30 minutes, no charge, and I way on my way home.

And we are also on the second and final day of the getting a bunch of insulation added to the house, all part of the MassSave program that gave us, among other things, free fluorescent bulbs for the whole house. We're paying something to get this work done but way less than market price. It will be interesting to see what the heating bill is this winter. So far the electric bill has definitely been less, bill for August when it seemed the air conditioning was running a lot was about 90 bucks. And should be better next summer after this work.

Pocumtuck Ridge, usual running route plus a loop at the north end above Eaglebrook School. No crashes -- my hip is still a little sore from the last one, but getting better -- but couldn't make it up two steeper sections (and just made it up several others). Got off the bike both times without falling, but once was certainly more graceful than the other.

Also did 3 trips up to the top of South Sugarloaf late in the afternoon, but it would be a stretch to call it training since I was driving.... :-)

Playing chauffeur for the ladies, driving them back down, Gail twice after hiking up the steep trail, and Ali and Alex three times after their rollerskiing intervals. I can attest that they were working hard.

And then the highlight, barbecue at Bub's, pigging out in style. Very fine.

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I must say it is fun to watch the two of them rollerski, because they are so good. Strong, fluid, what looks to my uneducated eye as really good technique on a stiff climb.

It reminded me of going to watch my niece play soccer, she was goalie for the University of Texas, a top Division 1 program. I saw several games over the years she was playing, always impressed, but never so much as in one game where the other team was counterattacking and there was a defensive lapse and it was just her against the attacker, and at the the time she figured was right my niece just came at the attacking forward, laid herself out sideways, smothered the ball and wiped out the attacker all in a flash. And I was thinking, wow, she really is good.

Same feeling today.

When I was growing up Title 9 hadn't yet been passed and women just didn't have the opportunities. It's a lot better now, though I think still a ways to go.

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Talk at the barbecue about a sprint at Mike's Maze in Sunderland during the week between the US Champs and the CSU/NEOC meet, especially if Cristina and Biggins are in the area. Will have to investigate the possibilities.

C • Mike's Maze 1

Over to the gate and back. Did fine going out, but the hill back up from the gate got the better of me. First physically, just about made it up the first steep part, but foundered on the last bit in the rocks and roots and ended up me going airborne in a slightly different direction than the bike. And landing a bit hard on my right hip, sore but no serious damage done.

And then mentally-- picked myself up, walked up just a little to a flatter place to get on, got going again, the shift levers felt weird, wondered what I'd done, in fact the whole front felt weird. Stopped, looked carefully, hmm, the whole front was rotated 180 degrees. Well, live and learn.

Fixed that, moved on, got up to the last steep pitch, this time I got off before it got to my limit, i.e. when I could still manage to get off without crashing, and trudged up to the top. A little discretion is not a bad thing.

Still put out a good effort on a surprisingly warm afternoon.

First time out on the new (for me) mountain bike. Up to the power line and on the Sugar trail to the bridge and back. Bike seems OK, not quite as smooth over the rocks and roots as I hoped -- maybe I'm just being picky -- I may need to adjust the tire pressure and/or shocks. But going up seemed excellent, didn't try any hard pitches, but it went easily up what I did try.

And it was fun!

Beautiful late afternoon of a perfect fall day, even though I realize it is still summer, at least for one more day.