Training Log Archive: PG

Event: WCOC Winter Meeting Sprints
 

George set two sprints at Stratton Brook SP in Simsbury in conjunction with the WCOC winter meeting. Did the shorter/easier one first. 4-5" of new powder over a crunchy crust. Hanstring/butt sore, so walked the whole way. Still blew one control (#5), didn't see the streamer (just using streamers, not controls) and misread things and went a little too far. Oh, well.

And then took off a layer of clothing and did the longer one, also much more time in the woods. Walked again. Orienteered better, no mistakes, went straight whenever the woods allowed.

And then off to WCOC for a wonderful feast prepared by Lynn for the whole gang (maybe 25 of us), and also the club meeting, making the usual plans, including an A meet jointly with the Team in April 2010, and also discussing a leveraged buy-out of QOC (the usual sort of deal, sell some junk bonds, use their cash to close the deal, cut out all the deadwood, spin them off as a new public entity in a couple of years, and walk away with a profit in the low seven figures, even after allowing for consulting fees to j-man). Seems like pretty much a slam-dunk.

I believe I may have place in the top 25 in both sprints!

C • 24 in both 9

Park Course - Splits

Woods Course - Splits

Not really a warm-up, just to see if running felt ok. It did.

5K race in Springfield. Good and bad and mixed.

Good in that I worked hard (pulse at the finish was about 160), my belly didn't hurt, I didn't crash on any of the icy sections, I finished, I really enjoyed the race (far from boring).

Bad in that my left hamstring and butt, while just a little bit annoying during the race, were really sore a few hours later. It seems like once again I have done something stupid.

And mixed in that my time was both a personal worst on the course by quite a lot (3+ minutes) and, under the new rules, a PR. :-)

And, it seems like I was a scalpee today. Good for you, George, do it while you can. :-)

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A nice time afterwards, back to Seth's, he lives a mile away, for a shower and a second breakfast, then off to the UMass game at the Civic Center, which was very much a crowd-pleaser as opposed to many of their other outings this year. It had seemed like they were going to get through the year beating Kansas and almost no one else.

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And a discovery of an unexpected benefit of having had my plumbing re-arranged. I'm not sure what the technical term is, but for as long as I remember I have had what I've heard called a bashful bladder -- peeing was fine as long someone else hadn't pulled up right next to me, for in that case it seemed like the going just wasn't going. Well, that's no longer a problem.

Now, I bring this up only because it has competitive implications, namely in rogaines, where unlike in regular O' events you are peeing, maybe many times, "on the clock." So you want to be efficient. Barb and I have been pretty efficient about this in past rogaines -- at the appropriate time the command is given -- "Pee Break" -- one veers left, the other veers right, we take care of business, and are back on our way with the minimum delay. Barb is, shall we say, very efficient. I think my newly acquired skill will help me keep up with her, and should allow our team even greater success.

Though I should stress that this advantage, substantial as it is and pleasurable as it is, is not by itself sufficient reason to say good-bye to your prostate.

C • COMPETITIVE PEE BREAKS 1

C • Scalpor 2

C • Kansas 3

Out to get the paper and mail. About 10 degrees but bright sunshine and not much wind, so very pleasant. Even if the driveway is a sheet of ice. Will have to see if I can just ignore it or will have to go down to the highway garage and get some sand. Option one is certainly the preferred one.

Legs were a little stiff from yesterday's exertions.

C • Driveway 4

C • Getting the mail and paper 2

South Sugarloaf, 14:55 up 12:45 down. Nicely packed out, good traction, so I went as quick as I could on the way up. PR.

Getting cold, windy, but a nice full moon, which is why I waited until dark. Second month in a row it's the largest one of the year. Yes, I know, it really isn't any bigger, it just looks bigger. Full moon actually isn't until tomorrow, but it's supposed to be snowing then.

Tapering for the weekend's races....

Got up early and went to the Smith indoor track (it's open to the community from 6 to 8 in the morning. Had in mind to run three miles, and I did, but it sure seemed like hard work. 9:04, 8:36, 8:33. Pulse around 150-155.

C • T pace workout 5

And then walked a mile, more or less (7 laps in the outside lane).

Time for breakfast.

From the gate, up the jeep road to the hairpin turn, and back. 42:30 up, 37:10 back.

A little longer than I planned on, wasn't sure how far I would go when I started out, but it was pretty nice out and I just keep going. Footing was good, no ice, crunchy, a bit of a crust, sank in an inch or two so it was a little slow, but mainly no ice (the section up the big reentrant can get some wicked ice flows). Saw three dogs (and their owners), 2 on leashes and very well controlled, and I made a point of thanking the owners, and one loose but very mellow. No other "wildlife," but the woods were lovely.

Good training for Sunday's sprints.

Highlight of the day (so far) was the arrival of a care package from the ladies at the office, a "flower" arrangement from an outfit called Edible Arrangements. Absolutely wonderful. I believe we got the arrangement called "Berry Chocolate Bouquet with Dipped Daisies." The chocolate dipped pineapple is especially fine and, of course, oh so good for you (good for the soul, that is).

C • Edible arrangement 6

Corner store and post office loop, plus an extra trip down to the road to carry out the trash. An inch or two of snow/sleet overnight, currently mostly sleet. So traction was rather poor. I suppose that's good -- had to work a lot harder and got to spend a little more time out. And I was dressed about right so it was perfectly pleasant.

Up South Sugarloaf. Slow going and hard work, a couple of inches of crusty sleet, slip back a little on every step. But glad to be able to do it. 20:45 up, 15:00 down, quite dark by the time I finished.

Also about 20 minutes of shoveling.

It's strange, I look back on the last couple of weeks (well, 16 days to be precise) and the gut feeling I have about them is they have been the best couple of weeks of my life.

Which makes no sense at all, logically, one of those weeks with a catheter, lots of time peeing myself, 6 holes in my belly.

But, for example, I look at today's 20 minutes of shoveling not as a pain-in-the-ass chore, but just wonderful, something I can do that I didn't expect to be able to do. And it's like that with lots of little things, all better than expected. And I find myself in such a good mood, euphoria really. And even the incontinence, and I do so hope that I get it under control, even that can't break the good mood. For someone who has been tending towards manic-depressive all his life, it is wonderful, and a little scary.

We will see how long it lasts.

C • Until you run out of meds? 3

At the Body Shoppe in Greenfield, my usual spot. 3 x 1 mile at 6.5 mph for the first mile, 6.8 for the second, and 7.0 for the third. Plus a mile of walking before/between. Belly felt fine, legs energetic but some aches. Excellent, except for leakage issues, going to be a struggle.

Also stopped to pick up new glasses, slightly different prescription, can see a lot better. And also stopped at the office, already getting calls, things will be hopping in a couple of weeks. Need to spend some time there installing new software and in general trying to remember what the hell I'm supposed to be doing.

C • Ha, only two thing are sure in US... 1

Down to the library to pick up a book. Back via Silver-Park-Claybrook. Getting dark at the end.

A sheet of ice on everything outside, so training will have to wait a while. So, two weeks along, time for a mapping review of the 6 holes.

#1 (way on the left, almost around the corner) was tiny to start with, now just a little bump, too small to map (although see the discussion for 4 and 5). #2 is big enough to be mapped as a dot knoll. #3 used to be a round depression, now seems to be an assortment of gullies and dry ditches. #4 and #5 are too small to map, although Dominie might, especially in otherwise bland terrain such as this where he needed a spot to hang a control. And #6, way around to the right, is a nice little elongated knoll.

Now all that's needed is a little time with OCAD and we've got the makings of a fine area for a micro-sprint course.

C • Evolution of Impact Sites 6

Treadmill. Time to see how running felt, and it wasn't bad. Edged into it slowly, 10 x 0.1 mile at first 5, then 5.5, then 6 mph, equal walking between, then a couple quarters at 6, then a half at 6.5, more walking between. So ran for 2 miles all together. PR.

Two issues. First, I'm pretty sure as I increase the running that the hamstrings/hips will be complaining. And second, well, there is a leakage issue that the walking didn't set off but the running did. Just something that has to be dealt with, would be nice if it doesn't last for too long, for reasons of both convenience and self-esteem.

And it reminded me of a Troll Cup a long, long time I ago. After the second day, chase start, I was talking to the women's winner (to remain anonymous) and she was relating the last bit of her run, she was in the lead, she could see Sharon a ways behind but she had enough of a lead to hold her off easily. Except, she had a small (and/or uncooperative) bladder and regularly had to stop on a course to pee. And this time not too far before the finish she really had to pee. Well, life is about setting priorities and making choices, and she just kept running, and peeing. And she's telling me all this with a big smile on her face because priority number one was beating Sharon. Whatever it took to do it.

C • Sprint Target Times 1

I'm supposed to be walking twice a day, and since I didn't make it out early this morning, I headed over to South Sugarloaf to do an up and down just before dark. Got about 20 yards and decided it was too icy. So I headed up to the center of South Deerfield and back, totally flat.

And wondering, what day should I start tapering for Sunday's sprints?

C • Leakage 4