Thursday Mar 31 |
 | Yoga 23:15 [3] | |
| (injured) |
| Today I pretended to be Spike pretending to be Nadim on a business trip. Kind of.
My ankle is still a bit swollen and sore, and I knew I couldn't do my yoga class -- I'd probably try to do things I shouldn't even though they kind of hurt, and that would be counterproductive. So I stayed home, got out the yoga mat and did whatever poses I could do that didn't involve my foot -- and that I could remember (that didn't leave a whole lot) ... mostly twists and some reclining poses. Still nice, better than nothing. |
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| C • 1 |
| Stretching (Crunches, pushups ...) 3:24 [3] | |
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| So then I pretended to be Nadim late at night when he had no time to do anything and hadn't gotten out for a run. I did a bunch of crunches of various sorts then did about 10-12 pushups (girlie, of course -- even if my ankle had been okay!). |
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| C • 1 |
Wednesday Mar 30 |
| Note | |
| (injured) |
| I took my swimming gear with me in the car, kind of planning on aqua jogging later. But my ankle was really stiff & sore today, even with a straight up-and-down motion. My favorite part of the pool stuff is finishing up in the hydrotherapy pool ("hot tub") and that would not be good for my ankle. Really just any excuse not to go to the pool is enough for me. I don't like the pool. I went shopping instead (and had to drive way out to Gaithersburg to find an Active Ankle ... wouldn't you know, after not using either of my old ones for years, I'm pretty sure I threw them out when we moved last year. The new one seems superior though ...). |
Sunday Mar 27 |
| Orienteering race (score o') 1:09:58 [2] *** | |
| (injured) |
| Tim Gilbert's Easter score-o' at Pocahontas State Park SW of Richmond. The time limit was 90 minutes and Tim was confident that no one could get them all. He'd set up the course for 300 JROTC cadets on Saturday; the best team got 18 of 20 controls. I headed out to the south on the trail. Going for my second control, about 9 minutes in, I was preparing to cross a stream with a muddy bank. It was slippery and I slipped, falling and twisting my left ankle quite badly. I haven't done it that bad in years. I didn't rest very long, but got up and limped up the hill to the next control. Figured it would get better in a few minutes. It never did. Though I was able to jog a bit a couple times, mostly it hurt and eventually it got worse. Of course I should have abandoned the course much sooner than I did. I ended up going to 11 controls & being out for just over an hour. Happily my travel mates had tape (Ted), ibuprofen (Dave), and water (Dave again).
I figured while I was out there, walking to my controls, that I could easily get all the controls in 90 min if I were running, and I figured at least one of the guys would do it. All three did, with Ted under an hour and Dave & Nadim under 70 min.
I sat in the car trying to stay warm while the others checked out various parts of the park for potential updating for a championship meet. The reports were promising. So now we have to decide which of the two areas we checked out we'll pursue. Things other than nice terrain will have to be the deciding factors.
A bit chilly and some light rain while the guys were out reconnoitering. Ready for spring already.
Toe didn't hurt at all -- but perhaps that's because the ankle pain blocked it out? |
Saturday Mar 26 |
| Nordic Track 47:03 [3] | |
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| After a quilting class & grocery shopping, while Nadim was up in Delaware orienteering. Read "Voyage of the Beagle." No way I'll be close to done by the club meeting on Tuesday ... |
Friday Mar 25 |
| Nordic Track 21:44 [3] | |
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| Fully intended to go a nice long time but I had a hypoglycemic kind of workout, which I've experienced before on rare occasions. It just doesn't feel good -- it's hard to do much and I don't feel like I'm getting much out of it, anyway. So I aborted. Read Darwin. |
Thursday Mar 24 |
| Yoga 1:15:00 [2] | |
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| Small crowd probably due to Easter week. The instructor said it would be a "cushy" evening; I wouldn't describe it that way though. We did standing poses up against the wall to show us how to stay in alignment, and that was tough (and a bit painful for the side muscles!). It wasn't too strenous though. |
Wednesday Mar 23 |
| Nordic Track 35:45 [3] | |
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| Spent too much time at the fabric shop and so I didn't have much time before dinner was ready. Read Voyage of the Beagle. Toe okay. |
Tuesday Mar 22 |
| Note | |
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| Massage today. My massage therapist thinks the bone in my toe is likely fine but the pain I'm getting is from ligaments and other stuff in the area. So he proceeded to work the toe & foot pretty strongly. He also suggested that my hamstring aches could also be due to the toe, from changing my gait to accommodate it. Possible. I'm hoping he's right on both counts. |
Sunday Mar 20 |
| Orienteering race 2:00:14 [3] *** 9.7 km (12:24 / km) +300m 10:44 / km | |
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| QOC event at South Fork (2002 US Champs, Day 1 area). I'd planned to run Red but decided to do Blue instead. A little B'goat training ... and the toe has to get used to it.
Was drifting all day -- not enough concentration. A couple errors, one losing me about 2 minutes, the other less. The time was slowed by my physical condition (hilly! out-of-shape) mostly. Only 11 controls -- lots of long legs. Crossed the stream twice, got wet. Lots of route choice, esp. micro.
Jon T. was fastest, at 77 min (after a 10-mile trail race in the morning at 67 min!). Scott Pleban probably was second, 86. Nadim was 105, Dave O 154. Nice day, about 50, varying cloud cover. |
Saturday Mar 19 |
| Hiking (o' map reconnoiter) 1:30:00 [2] | |
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| 8 of us met at Cunningham Falls State Park to check out the area for a possible map (specifically, a US Champs area). We decided to start out by all going together over the William Houck Area, to get a feel for what we were looking for. We were all in agreement that the area is outstanding -- a "no-brainer" to use, according to Tom Strat. It is reminiscent of Harriman, West Point, and French Creek: open woods with lots of rock features (some stony ground, boulders ranging in size from a half meter to house-size, cliffs, huge rock formations), some ditches and other small contour features, and charcoal burning terraces). Hilly for sure, and with several areas of blowdowns that would have to be avoided. The top has several campground areas that would be interesting and could be used for the White, Yellow, and perhaps Orange courses.
For the last bit we all split up to take different routes back to the parking lot. Uniformly, we liked what we saw and were very enthusiastic. The park even has a huge parking lot with restrooms & snack bar & a lake. |
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| C • Reminiscent of Harriman 3 |
| Hiking (o' map reconnoiter) 2:30:00 [2] | |
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| In the afternoon we split up into several groups (Sam & Dave P together; Tom & Andy S together; Dave O; Jon T; Nadim; and me separately mostly) to check out various parts of the larger part of the park. We were all so optimistic after the morning session, but this area isn't nearly as good. Nadim, Dave O, and I found almost nothing useable -- steep, mountain laurely, and with few features were the biggest complaints. We were hopeful that the nice flat part on top would have interesting features and be runnable, but unfortuately it was flat & covered with mountain laurel (some, admittedly, easy to get through; some much denser) and -- worst, bland. No sense struggling through 200 meters of mountain laurel to find nothing. Tom & Andy checcked out Cat Rock and found woods that were useable, just somewhat steep and somewhat bland -- but not as bad as we found. Jon checked out the southern section Nadim and I had run through last summer and independently thought was great. It is, but it's not large. However, combinded with the area Dave P and Sam checked out, it could make a cool -- if long & skinny -- map. It would be kind of two parts: potentially drop-off high on Jon's area, run through that area, cross a road, through the parking area, and on to a flatter area filled with pits & huge gullies in very open woods. This may be the way to go, especially if we can't get permission for Catoctin Mountain (as we never have in the past... it is similar to the William Houck area but contains Camp David and so they're super sensitive about its use...). At the very end of the day the park ranger was kicking us out of the aviary (cool owls, bald eagle, etc) and then he said to me, have you guys been orienteering? I'm always wary of what to say to that to a ranger when we don't (yet) have permission, so I said yes, kind of -- we were just checking it out for a potential map. He replied that the park would LOVE to have a map, if only for their own programs. He seemed overall very enthusiastic about the idea of us mapping and holding a meet there, and he gave me his email for contact. I'll pass that on to the appropriate people. The park does include some areas listed on the commercial map we were using as "wildlands" (looked the same as all the other areas) plus a big area labled the "Thurmont Watershed" and a small private area that two trails traverse. We would likely have to get permission to use those areas. Plus work around hunting schedules (not an issue for the Houck area). Overall, we came away enthusiastic. Quantico with boulders and charcoal terraces! Who would've thunk it??
Knee was a bit cranky during my mostly trail walk. |
Friday Mar 18 |
| Trail 28:20 [3] | |
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| Since I was going over to Bowie to visit Tango in the hospital, I figured I'd take the opportunity to run on the trails at Bowie State, one of my old favorites. Toe has been bothering me all week so I planned to take it easy and not go long. Still did a nice loop of the area, seeing most of it. The ATVs and beavers have continued to affect the park (and not in a good way). Although not terribly wet, there were several wet, muddy spots to avoid and one trail that is frequently under water was again.
Toe was a bit sore; left knee also ached. Otherwise, it was fun. And Tango was very happy to see us. |
Thursday Mar 17 |
| Yoga 1:15:00 [2] | |
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| Well some combination of running, grocery-cart-crunching, whatever, has made my toe hurt again, noticeably while walking. I was going to nordic track yesterday but instead I took the cat to the animal hospital for his surgery today, and though I probably could have fit in a workout, given the toe situation I figured I'd take the day off.
Class focused on leg poses, balance, some twisting. I got to demo a moon (?) pose. Felt it all in the legs (and toe). Watching the games before it's (very soon ... 8 pm) time for bed. |
Tuesday Mar 15 |
| Woods run 40:03 [3] | |
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| Run in the woods, Great Falls MD uplands. Off work at 12:30, drove to the park, but was tired from the odd schedule so I took a nap in the nice warm sunshine in the car. :-) Then I felt revived enough to go for a little run.
The #$)&% toe definitely is hurting, even when walking again, but it doesn't hurt as much running in the woods as it does running on pavement. I'm sure I'm not making it any better though. At times I felt pretty good and was running strong; the rest of the time I was going fairly easy. Sunny and upper 40s; breezy but mostly okay in the woods. Nice overall despite the various body aches. |
Monday Mar 14 |
| Nordic Track 56:36 [3] | |
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| After two days of running, my toe is quite sore. Bummer. So I gave it a bit of a rest by Nordic Tracking -- it's not great for my toe but better than running. Plus I could read. Having finally finished my book club's January selection (Emerson bio), I have started in on this month's (Darwin's Voyage of the Beagle). Not quite as long but still hefty; I'll never get it read in time if I only read the few pages before bedtime.
Up early for the 4 am shift, meaning I was off at 12:30. It's definitely got it's up side! Tomorrow I'm tentatively planning a terrain run (weather looks to be the best tomorrow; just have to pack up tonight). |
Sunday Mar 13 |
| Orienteering race (Campus score-o) 53:00 [3] * | |
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| I forgot my watch, so I had to guess on how long I'd been out. Not a big deal as I was determined not to run too hard and bother my toe and lungs again. So I just ran to the controls I felt like visiting and when I'd had enough I came in. I was about 7 min under the time limit and could have easily have picked up two more controls in that time. Oh well. Like many people, I got caught in the enticing 3-close-controls-in-one-area (the stadium) and then discovered you can only get out at one end. Argh. A couple controls were misplaced -- one slightly, one a bit worse (bad enough several people didn't find it -- I did only because it was along my route to the next control). But that was okay. None of the wandering students even glanced my way. Nor did I have trouble crossing the bike race path, as some people did. Sunny but cool, with a chilly wind. Pleasant when the wind wasn't blowing. Toe was sore before even starting out. Ack.
Scored 26 points. |
Saturday Mar 12 |
| Road run 43:46 [2] | |
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| First training run in quite a while. I've given up pampering the toe. It'll just have to deal. Also feeling better breathing-wise, though I was careful to go slowly (and even so I occasionally felt a bit tight in the chest). A nice day, upper 40s, though with a chilly breeze. Ran to the Georgetown Branch Trail, to the first entrance to Chevy Chase, through the lovely hilly neighborhood in a freeform manner, then back to the trail at the far entrance & back. A bit longer than I planned. Left knee (problematic on and off for years) and right hamstring (ditto) a bit achy. I'm starting to wonder if the hamstring isn't really a back issue, as it was in '88/'89. I haven't done anything that would strain the hamstring to make it hurt otherwise. |
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| C • 1 |
Friday Mar 11 |
| Other (recumbent exercise bike) 45:00 [3] | |
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| Freed from the hacking cough and shortness of breath with deep breathing, and cat duties, I had a chance to sweat a bit. Read E Magazine. Got most of the way through it. |
| Other (Stairclimber) 16:00 [3] | |
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| A bit of "hill" working. Continued reading. |
| Weights 12:00 [3] | |
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| Nautilus for legs, 5 lb dumbbells for arms/shoulders/wrists. Watched CNN and its endless loop about the killer in Atlanta. |
Thursday Mar 10 |
| Note | |
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| Thursdays are yoga days but I had to take Tango to the animal hospital in Bowie, where he'll see an internist tomorrow. This is on top of leaving work yesterday morning to go get him at home & take him to the animal hospital in Wheaton, dropping him off for his ultrasound, and picking him up after work. That left just a short time before it was time to head to the QOC BOD meeting. Something has to give, and that something has been training. But I am convinced I have bronchitis -- or something similar -- anyway and taking some rest time probably can only help that. Of course the rest of my body needs some exercise. Maybe tomorrow. |
Monday Mar 7 |
| Note | |
| (sick) |
| A fantastic spring-like day! Sunny, 70, really pleasant. But I couldn't do anything because my weekend cough is persisting -- a phlegmy annoying cough. I bought a bronchial asthma inhaler even though I have no real idea if I have asthma (though the symptoms kind of fit EIA ... but also bronchitis). It has helped though. Thought about going for a nice walk around the neighborhood but I had limited time before heading out for a meeting. |
Sunday Mar 6 |
| Trail warm up/down 6:00 [2] | |
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| Warm up jog on the snow-covered trail on the way to the start. A bit winded but no indication of what was to come. |
| Orienteering (route choice) 43:52 [2] ** 2.25 km (19:30 / km) | |
| (sick) |
| My plan was to do a nice level 2 jog around the course 2 or perhaps even 3 times; the trail race later wasn't out of the question but seemed pretty unlikely. I started off at an easy jogging pace through the snow (about 5-6 inches) and within meters I was having so much trouble breathing I thought I might collapse. I had had a cough since Saturday's races -- something that often happens when I run hard in somewhat cold temps (happened after the Alabama sprint, eg) -- and it hadn't gone away as it usually does. I awoke at 1:30 and was unable to sleep for an hour, coughing & trying to keep from coughing etc. I took a cold tablet, the only thing I had, and it seemed to help. Luckily at least one of my roommates had earplugs.
So, anyway, I started walking instead. Even walking was difficult when in the snow and going uphill on trails. I was wheezing and struggling for enough air but I was able to continue on. Until I was most of the way to # 4 I was still planning on doing the course a second time, taking different routes. Then I came to my senses. Clearly I was not going to gain anything from a second loop, and I was really not having an enjoyable time. I rested in the car while everyone did their other loops and the trail race.
Still, it was a really fun weekend, at least orienteering & socially-wise. I missed Nadim and thought a lot about him and sweet Piper. |
Saturday Mar 5 |
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| Event: 3 Sprints (Sat) and Middle Dst/Route Choice Team Training (Sun)
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| Trail warm up/down 12:00 [3] | |
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| Before each of the sprints, just little loosening up jogs. |
| Orienteering race (sprint) 20:49 [5] *** 2.88 km (7:14 / km) +21m 6:58 / km | |
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| DVOA Sprint #1 (Curly). I made the mistake of not seeing anyone start before me ... and I had a hard time finding the start triangle and then orienting the map correctly. Lost over 20 seconds, which is huge in a sprint. I don't think I made the best route choices for several of the legs, but I made them quickly and executed them fine. 6th woman but only 2 seconds behind Yekaterina; 10 sec ahead of Angelica. Lots of fun. |
| Orienteering race (race) 21:50 [5] *** 3.12 km (7:00 / km) +39m 6:35 / km | |
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| DVOA sprint training #2 (Larry). Watched people start for awhile before I went. Two different route choices: right around the buildings or left. I went left, which I was pleased with. Slower in the non-paved areas but pretty clean. Saw JJ (started one minute ahead) as I approached 8, so I made up time on him. He pulled away after 10 though. Was feeling tired but was able to push pretty well. Good route choice on the long leg got me ahead of Pavlina. 5th woman; 15 sec behind Angelica. |
| Orienteering race (sprint) 25:23 [5] *** 2.75 km (9:14 / km) +33m 8:42 / km | |
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| DVOA sprint training #3 (Moe). Lots of tough route choices on this one because of all the uncrossable walls & other barriers. I made a couple stupid mistakes -- first, going south of #7 to #5 but not seeing the stairs thus going all the way around the building. Then going to #7 I was determined to use the stairs now that I knew where they were, but that route was not very efficient. Getting quite tired -- not used to this. Hillary whipped past me on the way to the last control. Ah to be young, fast, and in shape. I am none of those. So, given that, I feel okay about the trio of races. 6th woman again. Toe held up okay. :-) |
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Curly (1) - Splits |
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Larry (2) - Splits |
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Moe (3) - Splits |
Thursday Mar 3 |
| Yoga 1:15:00 [2] | |
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| Lots of stretching stuff tonight, legs, twists, and several sun salutations. Nice. |
Wednesday Mar 2 |
| Nordic Track 42:54 [3] | |
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| I brought clothes with me to work planning on going for a woods run in the afternoon, but I realized that I forgot gloves & hat ... and it was too cold, with too nasty a wind, for me to even contemplate running outside without those things. Call me a wimp, I don't deny it, but forget it. So Nordic Tracking it was. Read Utne Magazine. Must not have been inspiring articles because I struggled to track this long. |
| Note | |
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| At the grocery store I had to quickly maneuver my cart out of the way of someone and damn wouldn't you know it the wheel hit my toe. OUCH. Wondered how much that would set me back. |
Tuesday Mar 1 |
| Aquajog 55:45 [3] | |
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| Not too enthusiastic about going to the pool but figured I should. Again, no one looked at me at all despite the DWR well saying closed. Did some fast stuff, increasing from one side to 8 sides & back down. I visualized some generic sprint o' terrain (buildings, parking lots, woods) & seeing/passing various women. Okay. Not terribly exciting. Then did some just faster stuff, visualizing generic woods.
Toe, oddly, hurt more after than before. Perhaps aquajogging isn't as good for me as I thought. |