Training Log Archive: jjcote

Team Trials classic, Pontiac Lake. Or maybe it's really called Multiflora Lake. The kind of place where you aim for the barberry because it's easier to get through. A solid run, lost time only in three places, one being a bobble in a vague area, one being a total loss on contact with a bad plan in a complex area (but with a very good recovery), and the last being a dubious control placement that involved a weak bit of map. Actually "lost" a little time in other places due to running into thicker vegetation than I was expecting from the map, and maybe some other route would have been better, but that's the way it goes. I believe I overtook everyone who started before me, and was overttaken only by Fredrickson/Schirm/Sandstrom (and Tom Carr &mdash twice &mdash but I finished ahead of him). I was particularly pleased with how things went on controls #11-#16, where I was muttering to myself the whole time about exactly what I was seeing and looking for, and thus keeping good concentration in a complex area. (Other times I was struggling through the multiflora and swearing like John Rogers.) I had "Rock the Casbah" by The Clash running through my head most of the day, which is weird, because I don't even like that song.

C • Mutterings 4

Day 3: Blue - Splits

Team Trials middle distance, Peach Mountain. Not a particularly distinguished effort. No huge blow-ups, but several moderate errors close to the controls. A couple of these were not what I consider my fault, being due to either not being able to distinguish between yellow and green on the map, or due to passing within a few meters of the control, but not seeing the faded flag close to the ground. But others were just my own sloppiness.

So I was hanging out at the finish area, chatting with Ratlaf, and the subject of pull-ups came up, and we looked around at the nearby trees. A couple of them had limbs that looked like they might be workable, and I decided to head over and investigate, but he decided not to, saying that he didn't want to embarrass himself. How wise he is! I went up to a cottonwood, and it had a branch that looked okay, so I started doing pull-ups. The branch was kind of springy, so they were on the easy side, and then after a half-dozen, it broke off at the trunk with a loud crack. And people in the finish area started calling me a tree-killer, and yelling that I wasn't AOWN, and telling me to get some ductape and repair it...

Found a bar under an awning at the back door of the hotel that was ideal.

Day 2: Blue/Green - Splits

Event: US Team Trials
 

Team Trials sprint, Haven Hill. A good race, pretty close to perfect, and I managed to overtake several people and not get caught by anyone, I believe. Time loss was due entirely to things like going not going the optimal way around a rootstock. Beyond this, it's all just running speed.

No pull-ups today. I looked around the hotel, but didn't see anything that looked like a particularly suitable chinning bar. Plus I was beat from the early morning to catch the plane.

Sprint TT (Red/Blue) - Splits

To ComComm meeting at Brooks House via Highland (23:29), and back via Turkey Hill (13:17, In The Dim). Making an effort to ride quite fast in both directions.

It's entirely possible that as I do more of these, they're also getting sloppier. Next move will be to go to 2x25 instead of one set of 50, I think.

C • sloppy pushups 2

I think I spotted another ab, which would mean that I'm up to two.

Pine Banks sprint, head to head with Alexei, Pia, Dean, and Dan Westerburg. Made a better route choice to the first control and got there ahead of everybody, though Alexei wasn't far behind. He slowly pulled away on the next two legs, and I lost sight of him in the green on top of the hill. Never saw anybody else, other than crossing paths with Alexei when he was on #9 and I was on #7.

Control pickup with Stephen. I had him navigate a couple of bits after discussing the routes.

The last five were very tough.

Sprint - Splits

End of the month trials. During the day, I feel all stoked and figure I can surely do 20 or more, but then when the time comes to head out to the garage, I don't feel quite so confident. Almost made 15 — after having relaxed my shoulders, I managed to get started upwards again, but before I quite got my chin over the bar, I stalled, and no amount of kicking my legs could do anything about it.