Training Log Archive: Ari-o

Jog to the start after a drive up with Carol. This went well …

Orienteering did not go well today. Other than the Billygoat (mostly following) and two park-o races, I haven't orienteered since last year. It showed. I immediately flubbed #1, circling by the wrong control twice before stumbling in to the right one. 2 went better: made a plan and stuck to it, and I thought about doing the same thing for 3, then didn't, wound up losing and regaining contact far from where I should have been and bumbling to the control. 4 I overran to a trail, got caught, then turned the wrong way having been pulled by the terrain (compass skills not on display today).

5 I took what would have been a good route if not for the trail being overgrown and me having to duck under dozens of bushes. 6 was okay. 7 I went around the hill and found the control okay. 8 went pretty well. I was sort of remembering how to orienteer.

Then 9. I had a good plan: cross the first trail, right on the second, if I knew where I was, attack, otherwise follow trails to attack. I didn't know where I was, and proceeded to then turn on the trail and run towards the control, taking a right and then—an uphill? Another trail? I finally reconned off a swamp and a cliff and was half a mile in the wrong direction.

Then I went to find 9. By this time Ross et al were coming by. Thierry was probably done. (1:25 on this terrain is most impressive. Just, wow.)

Then a long leg. I didn't trust myself enough to take a northern option (an early non-trail section, less climb, decent catching features and landmarks) which would have made sense. I went south instead, then truned on the wrong trail over by 14, had a long run down the hill, then a long run up it. 39 minutes, and mostly I knew where I was, but I was getting tired and 3 miles and 200m of climb didn't help. 11 was mostly okay, and I made a plan for 12. Then I misread a trail (the 1:15000 scale doesn't help), went in a circle and found a different trail to 12, which I executed cleanly once I was on the trail.

Run to 13 was fine, but tiring. I found the swamp, looked for the rocky hilltop, and wandered for a while, finally finding more rocks, and a different rocky hilltop (or maybe the same one). 14 was dandy. 15 was pretty okay (control was well hidden) and 16 I made a good plan, muffed it, then stumbled upon the control.

17 I overran the trail junction I was going to attack. 18 and 19 were spectator controls. 20, 21, and 22 I slowly orienteered, but orienteered well. I was finally remembering how to do this. It took too long. There is something to be said for training, I guess.

At the end, I said I had way too much fun, in that I had the right amount of fun per hour, but spent way too long out there.

Long - Blue (WRE) - Splits

Decided not to go too hard with a long on Saturday and a 5k on Sunday, so as not to trash my legs. Pretty easy on the downhills, pushing hard for the section between the second and third roads, bounding the grassy hill.

And 10 box jumps each go-round. Fun after bounding.

Quick jog around the river while food was roasting to check out the legs. They work.

I think I'll go for a run.

My legs were not recovered. It was a short run.

Pisgah! Wicked humid, and some rain for the first few miles, but mostly just humid. Trail wasn't particularly slick, though. But I was 15 minutes slower than two years ago when it was also humid (but less wet and a bit cooler, maybe) and I also ran a bit more conservatively and was able to run in. Last year in much better conditions I was killing it, until my IT band gave up the ghost. Everyone this year was slower than last year, though. 30+ minutes of the course record, and Kehr finished in 5:13 to win the women's division (and she's fast).

Anyway, went out reasonably hard but didn't stay with the top pack. Around mile 4 there was a hummocky reroute that cost a minute or two, and then two guys came flying by me; no way I was keeping up. I fast hiked some hills, and didn't see another 50k-er for 15 miles of mostly good running. Drank a lot of gatorade, fed well, and did not bonk. So that's good.

Coming down the hill along Kilburn Pond, a guy (who I recognized from a couple years ago) came flying by but I caught him on the next uphill. Good impetus to keep going fast. This was where the guy who had passed me (and is on Strava) didn't put any time on me. I felt pretty good through the last feed and had some Coke (mmm, Coke feed) but didn't feel great up the last uphill, at one point taking a spill in to the softest pile of pine needles ever. I almost took a nap. But I'd sneaked a peak at the times at the aid station and before the loop only had a couple of minutes on the guys behind me.

I kept my composure up the hill and was able to mostly run down, a far cry from last year (knee) or the year before (cramps and such on the pavement) and was coming in for about a 5:00 finish (the guy I'd been running near put nine minutes on me in the last 5 miles, though). I thought I had no way, but then turned on to the road and realized how close I was, and went in to all-out sprint, and finished in five even. Should have sprinted earlier.

So, slower than a couple years ago, but so was everyone else. On the other hand, no bonks and no leg injuries (besides soreness) so that's a great success!