Training Log Archive: jtorranc

Event: QOC Little Bennett
 

QOC Bumble at Little Bennett - the Blue/all the windows option in close to snow-free woods, though with some pretty muddy trails in low-lying areas. First, a few minutes ahead of Kevin, though he had missed a control in the third window (more or less due to being sucked along in my wake and forgetting that he'd intended to take last the control that I took first) Took the first window non-optimally and exited just behind Kevin, just ahead of Chris. Partly to separate from Kevin, headed for the nearest control since he was clearly going for the next one to the west first. Think my sequence was okay on paper but the green on the way to the NE corner of the window was horribly thorny and I got forced out to the track heading north to it. Apparently Kevin got to the NE corner enough before I did that I didn't see him but I managed to get to the start of the next window before him, still without seeing him, though he was keeping me in sight from behind for much of the rest of the course. Route choice through windows pretty straightforward from then on.

Dave O. said he thought taking the track all the way to the NE corner in the second window and turning right around from the ones Kevin and I did first before heading diagonally to get the last two controls in the NW was best. I'm a little dubious that that doesn't involve too much extra climb but I'd have to look at the map and think it over some more.

Warmup/cooldown.

Silly walks in the dark just to have some exercise in the day and hopefully not feel sluggish at Little Bennett in the morning.

Got myself out the door thinking I'd go longer than this but my body was still saying 10 minutes in that it was okay with what was going on but not eager to go faster or do it for terribly long. So made this a relatively easy stretching of the legs.

Rock Creek about as high with snowmelt as I can ever remember seeing it within DC. In Montgomery County I remember a couple of occasions when it flooded Beach Drive, which presumably involved higher water than currently, unless there's local flooding in MoCo right now that I haven't heard about.

Warmup/cooldown/getting to and from Cardozo High track jog.

4x1200m interval workout, with the objective to do the first 1200 at 10K pace, speeding up to 5K pace by the last one. Didn't quite work out that way - shouldn't have relied on Zach and Charlie's pace judgement on the second 1200, which they did way faster than Zach, at least, intended.

Highest turnout I've seen yet at a Crawlers workout - maybe sign of the spring racing season approaching.

Slightly longer run in Rock Creek Park than on Saturday - went north on the Western Ridge trail instead of alongside the creek, adding both distance and climb. Snow largely gone except that the Valley Trail and the surrounding slopes sheltered from the morning sun still have pretty solid snow cover a few inches deep.