Training Log Archive: PG

A "Gang of 5" photo op yesterday, brings back memories of the Western Mass 5 Day and lots of good times in the valley...

Really fine time at Ali and Tom's wedding. Sure seems to be a good match.

Got out for a ride before we headed back south, all thanks to prodding by Phil, as I'm sure on my own I would have skipped it. Wet roads, low 50s, but not raining and just a light breeze from the south. So perfectly pleasant, except of course for the two climbs which seemed to make up most of the time we were out there.

Phil is clearly a stronger rider. On the first climb, up to the Mad River Glen ski area (no way we were going to the top of the hill, Appalachian Gap), he gained about a minute and a half on me. On the second, up the Sugarbush access road, about a minute. Not so bad.

And then, when we done done, I suggested out of curiosity we check how heavy his bike was compared to mine. Thought his was maybe just a little lighter; in fact it seemed way lighter, two or three pounds??

I don't feel quite so feeble... :-)

Nicer than expected ride in the Mad River valley. Nicer perhaps because I opted out of any of the nearby more serious climbs (Roxbury Gap, Appalachian Gap, or Lincoln Gap). And also nicer because the conditions, low 50s and gloomy but no rain, were more tolerable than I had expected.

And there was hardly any wind, as opposed to a couple of hours earlier at Appalachian Gap, where the hikers and runners had assembled to take on a bit of the Long Trail and where the wind was howling --

Brisk walk to the start.

Walked the BrownX course at Burnt Mountain in Hanover, 4.0 km beeline, 210m climb. Just wanted to see what things were like. No controls, of course, but I could always find a spot with the dirt scratched up enough to indicate that a control had been there.

Screwed up the control in the quarry big time (4-5 minutes?). Misread a trail, got off, took me longer to recover than it should have, but such things happen. Rest was OK, all done at a walk.

Impressions:

-- Terrain was steeper than expected.
-- Because of the bumpy nature of the forest floor (much of it mature hemlock), the contours are a little harder to decipher than in the forests near home.
-- Generally good to very good visibility.
-- Very interesting orienteering.

-- And one complaint: The map, even at 1:10,000, is too hard for my old eyes to read.

Enjoyed it mostly, but the butt was sore almost all the time and my back was getting sore by the end. And that was without falling down even once!

And, somehow, doing this sport at a walk, and even that somewhat of a struggle, with a map I can't read well enough to not have to stop a bunch of times to see what is really going on, well, it just isn't the orienteering I enjoyed for so many years.

-----------

At some point I was crossing a trail just as a mountain biker rode by, both of us moving rather slowly.

(Him) Hi.

(Me) Hi.

Are you orienteering?

Yup?

How's it going?

No problems.

Great, have fun.

You too.

(Whether his awareness of orienteering predated last weekend is unknown, but at least someone out there knows what we do.)

C • Are you sure it was Brown X 4

River Road - Old Deerfield loop with a stop to get corn. Near the end of the season, sadly.

Went to a new PT guy yesterday (the guy Gail has been going to, seems excellent), see if we can do something about various leg and butt pains. Would be nice to get back to being able to do a modest amount of running.

A few miles to warm up, then once up South Sugarloaf (9:33). Trying to keep the effort moderate. Mostly successful except at the end, not sure how much of that is avoidable or not.

60F, gloomy, breezy. Tights, LS green shirt under bike shirt. A little chilly to start, otherwise mostly OK.

Short jog on the north side of Eaglebrook, part on bike trails, part old woods road. Managed to do it without stopping (progress?), but it sure would be nice if the usual pains mellowed out.

2 foxes, 4 turkeys, about 8 ravens (making a racket, all sorts of weird noises), and about 25 geese. Plus one mountain biker. Plus a woman running with a dog, the latter not at all under control, the former very apologetic, which helps, up to a point.

Very nice to see our juniors do well this past weekend.

Actually, not just that, but also to see the good team vibes under the leadership of Coach Erin.

Orienteering is usually an individual sport, but having a good team can make a huge difference in attitude, morale, and training consistency, and all that usually translates into better results.

Congrats to the whole group for showing up, for being prepared, and for racing well. It's a good group of kids.

-----------

And for those who donated to the marathon fundraiser last year, a modest part of that money was used this past weekend -- some travel support as needed, renting a home for them to all stay together (instead of camping), a van (or two?), and entry fees. These things make a difference. And it also makes a difference knowing that people in the orienteering community are supporting you.

C • Marathon Money 6

Up the river to Montague and back. Decent breeze out of the south, so easy effort on the way out, a good more work on the way back.

The weather is changing. Going to have to figure out what to wear as it gets cooler.