Training Log Archive: RLShadow

Hot weather HTFU training. At least that's what it wound up being -- didn't really want it to be that. Late afternoon run, with temp at 85F, dew point 70F.

Hojack trail, from Klem, to North Ponds, once around ponds, then did the "bird" trail to 250, 250 to Orchard back to the Hojack trail and back to car.

Took 20 oz bottle of water and used it was gone with a mile still left.

Event: Fleet Feet Dirt Cheap trail race: Webster Park
 

Dirt Cheap trail race, at Webster Park.

Terrible race, for me, because I went off course! As a result, I added approximately 0.7 miles to the distance (according to Anne's Forerunner, the distance was around 5.6 miles; mine said 6.29 miles; also, from looking at my Forerunner track, figuring out where I went off course and the extra distance I covered, that comes out to around 0.7 miles as well).

I wasn't alone; which was kind of the problem. I was following a pack of around 10 runners, around a mile from the finish, when the lead person (a young lady who I talked to after the race in the hot dog line -- and she even owned up to being the culprit!) missed a turn and everyone else, me included, followed like sheep. We eventually (well after missing the turn) came out on one of the gravel roads, and we passed a junction with no cones, so I was almost positive at that point we were off course, but I still kept following them. Finally they all figured out they were off, and we collectively re-grouped and found our way back to the course and to the finish.

Part of the problem was that I was the trailing runner in the pack, and I had a large lead on the people behind me, so there was no one behind to alert us that we were going the wrong way.

I guess I need to look at it that I got more miles for my money than if I had run the correct route.

A tad embarrassing to not only be an orienteer, but someone who has done significant mapping at the park, and then to go off course. But as Anne pointed out, consoling me, I really wasn't lost -- which was true, I knew exactly where I was and where the start/finish was. I just didn't know where the course had gone!

Addendum after seeing the results:

I was 134th out of 190 starters. 2nd out of 3 in my age group, but at least my off-course adventure wouldn't have altered my age group standings -- Tom Lamme easily beat any time I could have expected even without the extra distance, and William Murphy, the 3rd person in the group, was last place overall, so I could have run an extra couple of miles and still been ahead of him.

I passed a co-worker, Laura Williams, with about a mile or so to go. She was fading fast (I got a note from her that said that she went out way too hard for her current fitness level), so I'm suspecting that I would have beaten her by about a minute if I had run the correct course. Her time was 53:50, so I think I would have been in the 52:50 time range.

Also, I noticed in the results that there was a fairly significant gap in finishing times -- no finishers in more than a minute, between 52:16 and 53:23. My GUESS is that gap was caused by the 10 or so of us going off course, who otherwise would have had times in that range! So that also supports my guesstimate of around 52:50 as a time, if I hadn't messed up.

Warmup for the race.

Morning run, partly to try out some new shoes (which seemed OK but this run was hardly a tough test of them).

Hojack trail, from Klem Rd, SE to North Ponds Park, one lap around the ponds, then return.

This morning was 74 degrees with a 64 degree dew point. That actually seemed to feel a bit better than last week when it was 64 degrees with a 64 degree dew point.

Setting out streamers on controls at Casey Park in Ontario, for what was to be a fun-type orienteering event in conjunction with a church picnic (for our church and another small church of the same denomination on Plank Road). Then picking up the streamers.

No orienteering happened in between setting out the streamers, and picking them up.

The general consensus was that it was "too hot" and no one would have any enthusiasm for trying it. It was certainly not what you'd call nice pleasant outdoor-exercise weather (84 degrees, 67 degree dew point), but I'm not sure if that is really all that unseasonable for mid-August.

Part of me wanted to tell them they needed to HTFU, as inappropriate as that would be in a church setting. But the other part of me was relieved, because I'm home way sooner than if we had had some sort of event.

And I did vote for canceling, once I realized that even some people who had tried this type of event in the past and really liked it, didn't really want to do it. I'd rather not go to the effort of trying to round up a few takers, get only 2-4 people, and not really have critical mass to make it an enjoyable experience for anyone.

Fleet Feet group run. 10:30/mile pace group leader. They did about 11.3 miles, with a 5 mile loop and then a 6.3 mile loop. Long story, but Anne and I split the task of being pace group leader, with her doing the 5 mile loop, and me doing the second, slightly longer, loop. Very warm morning, but easy pace for me, so it wasn't a real impressive workout, especially since I only did 6.3 miles.

Updating the map of Casey Park for a small meet our church is having this Sunday.

Hojack trail run, on a very muggy day. From Klem to Lake and back.