Training Log Archive: Kat

Easy run at West Rock. It started to get dark in the middle, and by the end (6:10 PM) it was almost completely dark. Now that I have no more major races until spring, I plan to add more volume to my training gradually over the course of the next two months by extending my easy runs 10-15 minutes and adding a weekly long run. The goal is to run 7-8 hrs each week, which is new territory for me, something I've never managed to do before due to physical limitations (injury). But I think I can do it now!

Warm-up.

A-meet, on a map adjacent to yesterday's US Champs area. The course had more short legs and the terrain was simpler - much more forgiving than yesterday. I still had some trouble with the terrain in a few places, and made some bad route choice decisions, but I had great flow for most of the course, which felt awesome. If only I had a week in this terrain! I was 2nd on red today behind Helen Palmer, who got me by 4 minutes. I could have run her time, but not much better than that.

Later on in the airport, I developed a grading system for my trainings and races. My calculations yield a C for today's race, using the following general letter grades: A,B,C,D,F.

C • Rubric? 12

Warm-up. It was very slippery yesterday wearing mudclaws, so I decided to wear the integrators today instead.

US Champs. Spiked the first control, but then had trouble on the 2nd. I matched up the depressions along the way and came to where I thought my control should be, but didn't go high enough up the hill, and decided i must be in the wrong place. Having ruled out the correct area to search, it took me over 15 minutes to come back to it again, this time 100% convinced it had to be there. Found it this time. Then continued onward, met Sam at #4, ran together till #7, then went separate ways. I was wrong, so was a minute behind again at #8. Continued onward, but was discouraged and therefore not looking at the map. Drifted to the right and found myself closer to the finish than to #9. Realized that I could finish and still probably be 3rd, but didn't care about that. Thought about running the rest of the course as a training (because I clearly need more time in this terrain), but that would mean a total change of mindset and I wasn't up for that. Decided to jog back to the finish and conserve strength for tomorrow. Spent the rest of the day going over and over #2 and what I could have done differently, but it mainly comes down to not having enough experience in this type of terrain, not blatant stupidity. So it's disappointing, but I can't be too unhappy with myself.

C • bummer 1

Event: US Individual Champs 2009
 

Model event for the US Champs. Was surprised by the size of the depressions, and had some trouble relating map to terrain at first, but got into a good flow towards the end of the course.

Off to Wisconsin tomorrow! :)

C • Good luck...wish I could be... 2

Easy run with Bogdan at West Rock - started at the parking lot and did one loop around the lake, then out and back along the wide trail.

Easy run at East Rock (the usual 2x river path). Felt better as time went on, pretty speedy at the end.