Training Log Archive: Wyatt

Same old home map, partial loop. Felt fine before, which is good given the 3 races in a row. R-knee a little sore after.

My L-foot is, thankfully, fine. I think I'll do ~90-120 minutes (still have a minor cold (mild sore throat & stuffy nose) - which I had during the Trials too) easy tomorrow, and save the intervals for Thursday.

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Just wrote up all my log entries for this year's Trials. I plan to draw routes, enter splits, and plan things to do better in my next run (the BillyGoat) tomorrow (although I should probably finish my taxes soon too...)

Warmup, and again failed to do a cooldown. Had to change then drink, then do Trials scores... I'm glad I parked close to the finish/results area, and OCIN had easy printer use and was willing to share.

I knew I had to have a great race to have a shot at making the team, so I went out trying to push at near-Sprint/Short pace for the whole course. Also tried very hard to maintain that concentration and push hard. It worked pretty darn well, with me passing the 3, 6, and 9 minute ahead starters and holding off Boris. Late in the run though, with brain and body tired, I made a few navigational errors - some minor route choice issues. Then, and the way to the 2nd to last control, I started off with a parallel error and then had a map-jump issue (thinking I was already at the next feature), and then made another poor route choice, all combining for a 2 minute plus loss, which also allowed Boris to catch up.

Still the rest of the course was pretty good and I'm happy with my time and result (in the top 'group' from 82-94 minutes, next result being 99 minutes...), esp. in a long course where I've often been much further back from the top in the past.

Not quite a good enough performance to make the team, and the people ahead of me all outran me, one way or another. Dan Stoll, for example, edged me just slightly on Friday and Saturday, and a bit more on what I felt was my best run, on Sunday, where he ran more or less alone (as I did I for ~85% of the course.) Plus, I think he and Sergei V. in particular are in (or can be in) significantly better physical shape that I, and can thus benefit a lot more than I could by the presense of other runners at WOC.

Blue - Splits

Rain and heavy wind/cold made the outdoor childcare impossible so Angelica & I had to switch off with kids. After dropping them at Chuck'E'Cheese's, I drove quickly to the park, knowing I'd be close on making my start. With about 600m to go, I got a pulled over for 46 in a 30 zone in the park... To make matters worse, it took the guy ~20 minutes to write the ticket, (I went back to his patrol car after 15 minutes to ask what I could do to speed things up and he was chatting on his phone...) so my start time arrived at about the time I parked the car.

Deciding I was probably DQed as far as Trials was concerned, I was still hoping to make a start for the Short Champs. Fortunately, I ran by Mike Minium on the way and he radioed ahead to keep the start open.

The race went okay, given the super sloppy conditions and lack of anyone else in the forest (actually, I did see 1 other person the whole time...) (more in the other post.)

Then, upon finishing, I noticed that in my hurry to start, I'd locked myself out of my car. In 40 degree rain with 20-40 mph of wind, and the family waiting for me to pick them up. About 50 minutes and two numb feet later, I'd finally broken back into my car, with the eventual help of two e-punch stands to wedge a crack in the door, and a metal finish post to hit the power lock. (Many other items failed...) About 90 minute later, after 45 minutes in warm water, I finally felt more or less normal...

Then I had to go do the start lists for Sunday. Maybe we'll come up with some alternate pre-seeding, or just 3 semi-random days of starts next year...

C • 1

I was expected wet and muddy, and I got it. I had several issues. I think I was focussing too hard on trying to find places to run without falling than on navigating. Although it was important to be able to run without falling.

I have intentionally done training runs even in crappy weather like this, so I knew how to run in the forest okay, but combining the wet forest running with good concentrated navigation isn't yet a strong skill... Something to work on. Train, in the forest, with a map, in crappy weather. In case you need to do it during a race.

I had a one new mud experience. Several times during the run, I couldn't see the map and had to wipe mud off - that's not the new part - but twice during the course, I looked at my compass, and couldn't see the North arrow, and had to wipe the mud off...

Blue - Splits

Event: Flying Pig IX (US Team Trials)
 

Medium paced loop around an old course at ? (25miles NE of Cincinnatti on I71...). L Foot twinged a bit, but not too bad.

Rerun of 3 controls on map about 25 miles NE of Cincinnatti on I-71. While on drive to Sprint... (Slept in Columbus.)

L-foot twinged a bit and got mildly sore after, with just a few hours before the Trials sprint...

Long slow warmup, not much cooldown. Foot sore a bit on and off and was afraid I wouldn't be able to push off. But it eventually seemed to warm up okay and I didn't noticed it much during the Sprint.

Almost a very good race. I did reel in Randy, who just wasn't moving that fast. Leif missed his start so there was no one chasing me.

I had a 15 second drift on #3. I've got to check my compass longer/more times because it's sometimes off at first glance and you can just say 'go, go, go' and be off by 30-45 degrees or so. Not good. But if this was my only problem, it would have been a fine run.

But then, for some reason, I decided that 3 little 2-contour reentrants with gullies at the bottom wouldn't be that hard, and so why go all the way around. Despite having some easy legs to read the map on, I didn't check it enough, and didn't notice the short cuts on the long way around. I also wasn't thinking that at 1:5000, it's even less costly to go around.

That cost about 45-50 seconds right then and there, and I probably lost another 10-20 on the rest of the course from having totally shot my quads with that route choice.

Overall not terrible, but not nearly as good as it should have been. And for me to go to WOC, I need a combination of very good and great races...

Sprint - Splits

Pre-trials taper. Not running at all on Wed & Thu.

Did some ankle work with a band. Apparently this was really stupid, as my left foot issue got sore today, and all ice & advil did was dull the pain - not eliminate it. It hurt (light dull ache) most of 3/30 too, and some of 3/31... Not a good sign pre-trials, but it all worked out okay...