Training Log Archive: piutepro

Billygoat sprint #1. Navigating fine, some route choices could be better. The green was printed dark, so at first I believed what I saw on the map, until I saw the woods and realized that the green was crossable. Something intuitive keeps me avoiding green anyway, among other things I can't read what is in the dense green. A decent run, some extra speed would have helped, but then there is the Billygoat tomorrow. So don't want to spend all energy.

Billygoat sprint #2. My legs are like lead uphill to #1. I run across open woods to #2, can't see trail. Andy Hall passes me before the control. Navigating is fine, my legs do ok. Again, I keep some fuel for tomorrow.

Running before, between and after the sprint. It is tricky to find the right balance between recovery from the last sprint and waiting too long for the next sprint.

Sprint #1 (Yellow) - Splits

Sprint #2 (Green) - Splits

The no-name-is-a-secret loop. "Excellent fresh air and the wonderful scents of spring sprouting from the new rain." Now who is quoted here?

I put some heating ointment on my hurting foot. Smells like 30 years ago, when we used a sports ointment to massage the muscles before racing. It smelled strong and pungent. Not much different today.

Control hanging for Genesis AR at Ringwood. I try to do some fast sections, but the course setter mode is inherently slow, since the control and streamers need to be hung, sometimes some branches and rocks are needed to build a stand. So there is not much speed or rhythm. Towards the end I push through some difficult sections on the map. Interesting, how the perspective changes, when I run fast and only pick details from the map with a glance. It is almost like running continuously on the edge of losing contact with the map. Say the risk is higher, the map reading is just minimal enough to navigate. When I set controls, I check almost every detail when coming to or leaving from the control.

For those who try to figure out crucial data about the AR course: I didn't visit all controls on foot. Some driving was involved 'pour tromper l'enemi". The number of controls is not included to keep the veil of secrecy.

A mix of easy running, some hills, some faster running, basically a warm-up without a lot of energy use and resting my foot another day. I keep track to sense when and if the toe/foot area hurts. I has not troubled me while running. Still, I want to give a chance to heal. Also some serious tapering off before the Billygoat.

The Fresh Water West loop. It rains and in the same time the sky in the west is painted brushfire-red. I take it easy, to rest my foot and recover from the last weeked. To give the body time to relax is sometimes harder than doing the next tempo run.

I finish drawing the map for the Genesis Adventure. I can't resist to make a nice design for the map once I am at it. And of course the special surprise element takes a lot of work to set up. Supporting monetary resources for poor course setters can be sent via Paypal but cash donations are preferred.

Finally the completely unrelated item of the week: At Walmart they sell fashionable square plates. I turn one around: "Do not use for food items". Great concept. They could also write on cars 'Do not use for driving' or on compasses 'not intended for use outdoors'.

The Hudson River Whale stumble loop, named in honor of the last whale which swam up the Hudson River about 10,000 years ago. (Well, for those who don't know why I call this loop another name each time, it is because calling the easy run an easy run each time would be too easy.) My foot still hurts, but not when I run. I run all of West Point with no pain. The weirdest thing is that I have sore arms after WP. Maybe all the hill climbing and tree pulling?

West Point A-meet, red, day 2. A tough, long course. I have a late start time, so late that nobody is in the woods anymore, I have the constant sense that I am the only one out there. I have some mistakes early on. The climb in the middle is brutal. I end up having the win in M45, since PG graciously stayed in M40, where they put him. His real age, as some agents from a foreign nation told me. Now we know.

I was in good physical shape this weekend. On both days I could and can do much better. Much to improve, route choices, adjusting to the map, attacking controls in complex rock features, build the focus from beginning on and keeping it while going to the threshold of my running capacity. In a way it is good not be perfect, it gives room to experiment and develop.

Warm-up run before race. It is nice and sunny, the start is deserted, Spike starts 10 minutes before me, I have the last start time for some reason. I can start whenever I want, but I want to warm up well.

I found this news article in the local Poughkeepsie Journal. I faintly remember talking to a journalist last week. I swear I didn't write the article myself. See Sport of Orienteering requires dedication. For the record, my tempo runs are great fun and not 'hellish' at all. I feel like a flying Kenyan lion when I run them.
I am glad that orienteering is portrayed in the article as a physical challenge and real sport, not just a few weird guys stumbling around and starring at some paper with printed spaghetti plus green spinach splotches.

Red-2X - Splits