Training Log Archive: PG

Event: US Short and Long Championships
 

US Short Champs. Ran OK, but not great, orienteered pretty badly. Didn't seem to have a sense of moving well, though the woods were junky in a lot of places and maybe that had something to do with it. Really quite pissed afterwards. Routes/comments.

Stayed a Camp Pinnacle, despite its lack of wireless access (I'd decided I didn't need to stay up until 3 am watching TioMila). Dinner was very mediocre but had several very pleasant hours just hanging out and shooting the breeze. Glad we stayed there.

Warm-up.

C • dessert 2

Red - Splits

Bull Hill - Greene Swamp loop on Mt. Toby. Haven't done this for a while and it's actually a good loop -- although most of the climb is in the first half, there are still some ups towards the end that make it an honest hour and a quarter effort. Normal pace, not pushing it.

And then an 83, putting like a demon to make up for a variety of stray shots....

5K XC at ForestPark in Springfield (route is marked in pink). Real hard effort, legs felt good, nice evening, probably upper 50s. Had Phil right behind me for the first 2 of the 5 hills, so I was running a little faster than I cared to. Then he drifted back a little, but by then I was committed to a hard pace.

Pleased with the time (21:35). Ran it twice in 2004 (22:52 and 22:13) and once last year (21:50), also a couple times in 1983 (19:20 and 19:36). It's not a fast course, more ups and downs and maybe 45-60 seconds slower than the Northampton course. Got the 61 record, old mark was 22:52.

C • reverse rabbit 1

Before and after.

Had to be up in Greenfield so I did the 13 hills loop. Legs felt lousy, but hung in there ok.

Followed immediated by some O' training with the little white ball (hit it, go find it...).

Other event of the day was being delayed getting out the driveway by a red fox. It was just sitting there scratching itself while I waited about 10 yards away. So I called up Gail and told her to come look, and by then the fox was moving, walking 10 or 20 yards down the driveway and then stopping again to sit down and scratch. Eventually it moseyed off into the woods and I left, though Gail said it was still in no hurray. She wondered if they make flea collers for foxes. I suppose they probably sell them on E-Bay.

C • Flea colar 2

On Mt. Toby, over to the gate, down to the river, back up through Gunn Farm and Gunn Mt. Road and back down N. Mt. Road. Legs felt tired most of the way, but then I pushed the pace a bit on the hill up from the river and they didn't feel so bad. Surprising.

Plan for the week: 45-60 minutes tomorrow, 5K XC in Forest Park in Springfield on Wednesday, 60-90 minutes Thursday, and then the EMPO meet on the weekend.

C • Forest Park 1

Event: WCOC Five Ponds meet
 

WCOC meet at Five Ponds in Litchfield, pouing rain, low 40s (in 24 hours went from bone-dry to flood dangers). Good run, legs felt good probably due to the cold. And a real nice course by George and Lyn, lots of fun orienteering and nice terrain, no mountain laurel unless you went looking for it. Thanks!

Counted the climb, got 320 meters. Sure was a lot easier than 320 meters in cincinnati terrain, where every one of those meters was real steep. Here you could run all of it, well, you could, but I didn't, walked a couple spots. But still ran well.

Routes/comments.

C • Five Ponds 2

Picked up the White and Yellow course controls afterwards. All tied with slip knots, very friendly for picking them up on a cold and wet day, didn't have to fumble untying knots.

C • pciking up controls 2

Red - Splits