Training Log Archive: jima

Nice evening run, temps in the mid-low 30s, just like I like. Felt nice to push a bit.

Hiking up the Orange/Overlook Trail to the saddle between Belknap and Gunstock, then up to the summit of Gunstock. Was determined to find the green trail marked on the map that circles just below the summit around the west side.
Found it by dropping down the north side alond the ski slope/White trail, then heading W down the hill. Found it a couple of hundred meters in, from both the ground path, and the braches close cropped on the larger trees. Headed back S to intersect the Gilford -Gunstock trail - was tough in a few spots with the massive blowdowns from a few years back, but was able to cast about and find it onthe othe side of the vague area. Hits the Gilford Trail just down from the top of where the new trail has been cut. A couple of strategically placed branches and some ferns to hide the treadway and it was close to invisible right there.
Headed back the other direction, adding some flagging in a few spots. Lost it again where it switchbacks down the hill, but that is very close to the ski trails. Found it below that and sort of patched in in-between. Need to go back again and see if I can continue it down the hill and see where it hits the more established trail network.
On the first part of the hike, went along the partt of the Orange Trail on the XC ski trails - very not impressed with the earthwork and the shape the trail's been left in.

Taking the week off from work - got to do something to fill up the time and avoid the list of things I need to do around the house.

Hiking around on Mt Rowe. Checked out some trails down the Gilford Village side - some no trespassing signs, trying to figure out just how much turf is out of bounds.

A couple of guys cutting trees up near the big tower - not sure if it's just some clearing around the fence, or something more in store.

Overcast and gray most of the day, chilly wind.

Trail work on a couple of sections that have been bugging me for a couple of years. Part of the back-country trail network - a fairly long downhill sectin that's been encroached on by pine limbs over the years. A lot of cutting them back and hauling boughs off into the woods.
Swapping between sawing and clippers for the smaller stuff.

Someone had cut some of it back last winter, but left a lot of branch stubs 6-12" long sticking out, perfect for impaling yourself on as the final part of a long clumsy sequence involving powder over ice, catching a ski tip on a bush, lots of arm flailing, then swerving off to one side or the other into the waiting trees.

Event: UNO Club Championships -- Beaver Brook
 

Early morning raking/core strength to get warmed up. Good arm work and torso twisting, if I concentrated on that.

Splits and comments at
http://www.attackpoint.org/racesplits.jsp?raceid=4...

Nice weather, and good turnout.

C • thanks for posting 1

Green - Splits

Mud run at Gunstock. They've been "fixing" some of the trails that were in reasonable shape with an excavator - enlarging the ditches and reshaping the surface. With the heacy rain the past few days, there was a lot of mud. Still haven't touched the two new trails paralleling the entrance road, or the new stuff over on the other side of Cobble, where tral 8 takes off south.

Some GNA folks out still brush clearing.

Raking and hauling leaves from one side of the yard to another. Pretty close to done for this year.

Evening recovery run at RV farm by headlamp. Rather chilly. Thought I'd dressed warmly, but was on the verge of chilled. OK as long as I kept moving.
Legs felt OK - wasn't moving too fast (well, was moving faster than I was on the Traverse). Quite a few wet spots on the trails, feet got damp but not soaked. Stars out, no moon visible.

Quads are tight and sore - need some TLC.

Event: Blue Hills Traverse
 

Blue Hills Traverse. Nominal 13.9 km and 280 m climb. Garmin had 17.5 km, 1485 m climb (about half that would be closer to reality).
Not a lot of steam today - just no speed. My calves started cramping about 2/3 of the way around, but had been mostly walking from about the halfway point. Some triumphs on the navigation side, but the physical was crap.
Took me a while to realize it was a 1:15 map, especially with no north south line on the east map. East map also missing most of the blue - which was a factor right after the start when the marsh wasn't on the map.

Ended up trailing the group that headed on the sub-optimal right route to #1. Was too busy moving to really look at route choices - left to the road would have been much better.

Another classic PG moment before he went with the group to the left, announced to the world at large "I have no idea where we are."

Back and forth with a few folks on the first few legs - Mike Lyons, Vanessa Wood, Jeff Shapiro, Michael Hughes, Mika Latva-Kokko and others I don't know by name. Just had nothing for running on the road or trails, but would make it up by better off-trail routes and going straight to the control.
For 1, approached from the north over the hill, angled down the hillside, hit the trail, ran down it to the boulder on right, then right in. Saw a bunch of folks searching just east of it.
2 - Headed out WSW above the rocky area, group with Jeff S just ahead of me, Vanessa W in tow. Coming in from the trail, low visibility with the vegetation. Got pulled left by a bunch searching too high on the hill - a lot of almost knolls. Headed SSW until JJ noted there was a big gully in front of us. Realized we were too high, dropped right down to it.
3 - Behind JJ S down the hill to the intermittent trail, got passed by Alex J and Vanessa. Already struggling to keep running at a good pace.
5-6 Got passed by Mike Lyons and someone else along the trail, Nice dogleg, saw Alex and Vanessa heading out towards 7.
6-7 Michael Hughes passed me on the trail about 1/2 way there. Cut the final corner to 7, no vegetation to speak of.
7-8 wanted the head right of the line to stay away from the worst of the rocks down to the trail, but circled way too far right. ended up hitting the trail E of the control, wasn't until the next intersection when the angle was really wrong that I realized the bobble. very slow along the road.
8-9 Again slow along the road, twinges in my calves heading up the hill.
9-10 Saw Ken Walker as I came out. Was concerned about vague atttack point if I went around to the left, so opted (stupidly in hindsight) to head straight up the hill, catch the trail and attack from above. Executed it as planned, just very slow with the vegetation and the extra climb. Saw Vanessa passing in front of me at the larger trail bend/intersection, she was obviously on her way from 11-12.
10-11 Went a bit too straight line, might have been better to go left more and stay out of the thick stuff, or go right to hit the trail earlier.
11-12 Saw George Walker, Jeff S, Mika L as I came out. Jeff passed me on the way up hill. I cut left across the corner of 2 trails, and made up all the time on Jeff as he came out of the marsh. Jeff cut in from the trail sooner than I did and was too low, Mika was behind me a bit, but george came steaming in and punched ahead of me and took off, looking rather fresh still.
12-13 Mika quickly passed me on the trail, as did Jeff. Careful trail junction counting, which was easy at the speed I was moving. jeff was coming back up the hill as I came in to punch, must have overshot.

Traverse - Splits

Late afternoon jaunt over at Ahern - being the first day of hunting season, didn't want to tempt the fates by going to some of my other favorite running spots where hunting is allowed.

Does it do any good to wear blaze orange after the sun sets???

Looked at all the leaves remaining around the yard and decided they looked just fine right where they were, for now.

Evening run at Gunstock by headlamp. Breezy, which sounded weird through the trees.

Warmup, then 4 repeats fo the hill on the east side of Cobble, going clockwise. Continued on around the Cobble Loop.

AOWN - was being watched by a set of yellowish eyes. At first thought it was a set of dots on a tree set out by a hunter to mark a tree stand, but it was tooc lose to the main part of Gunstock and the road. Then they blinked at the same time. Maybe the bobcat rumored to hang around Cobble.

5 mile walk-a-thon

Another 40 minutes or so of heavy yard work.

Trail repair work in the Blue trail on Belknap.

Putting an a couple of waterbars and a dozen rock steps - moved a lot of rock around.

Hiking to the work site, up to the summit for lunch and back down.

Crew chief was (former) fire lookout, so he had a key to the tower - great views on a crystal clear day. Summit of Washington covered in snow. A dusting in the trees on Belknap. Some ice on the wet parts of the trail in the morning - didn't warm up as much as expected, but pleasant overall.

About an hour of moving leaves around the back yard. Alternating sides to work both sides.

Early evening run at RV Farm - running with a headlamp.

Kinda chilly also - but kept kicking myself to get out the door. Glad I did.

LIke this trail network - nice mix of up, down and flat.

Trail run at Ahern with some intervals (70 pace count) thrown in. Did about 4 of them when I ran out of mental steam. Decided to reun through the now-closed-down prison property and assess it for mapping possibilities.

A nice campus like setting, somewhat reminsicent of Pineland Farms in Maine. Some good open areas, with forest surrounding and interspersed.
Need to see about getting a note from someone in power that it's OK to wander around there and map it. Too many flashbacks from the kids getting hassled by cops coming out of Ahern.

Should help that my mother-in-law is the chair of the state committee studying what to do with the property now that the prison's been shut down.

Went back to help for day 2 of GNA trail days. Much easier physically - putting in 20 foot sections of 4" pipe for sonwmaking. Running pipe from the pond on the eastern side of the map, around the eastern side of Cobble. Think the plan is to have snowmaking for the stadium and maybe a few of the surrounding trails. WIll certainly help during the low-snow years.
4 of us working on it, completed one buried trail crossing with some major backhoe support, then ran another 200+ feet down the hillside. Almost ot the stadium.