Training Log Archive: blegg

Some uninspired bouldering

Probably against my better judgment, but it was fun.

Tried the green course at Morgan Territory. I did green because I was feeling kindof sick, and didn't feel up for blue. I started pretty strong, but ran out of energy quickly.

Easy jog around Alvarado with Jonas.

Looking back, I'm quite suprised at how well I did this last week, especially after the slow performance at Merritt College. I've had a slight cold the whole time, but I was able to run hard and not really injure the leg.

I never expected to stack up so well against some of these guys - even when they are not in top form. I think the TAC training is quite beneficial. With track workouts and running I felt like I was beating against a wall, trying to edge a tiny bit more speed out of already maxed out muscles.

My hope with TAC is that I'm developing the core strength and explosiveness to ward off injury, and that maybe I will have a higher ceiling when I start focused running again. Performing so well last week makes me a little more optimistic that this approach will work.

Pretty moderate class. OK with me.

McClaren Day two. Awesome. I held up pretty well till control 11, where I made a bad route choice and lost 30 seconds. Eric caught back up, which Magnus and Jon got away. I was able to lead Eric for the rest of the race, till he out-powered me up the last hill. Edged me by 4 seconds in the end.

McClaren Day 1. This was a great sprint race. I lucked into the heat with Gabriel, Mike Smith, and Magnus. Great fun running. I kept Mike Smith in sight till about Control #9, when he finally pulled away. I finished 3rd in the heat, managing to stay ahead of Magnus. My time, amazingly, was exactly the same as Jon Torrance, for 5th overall. Good thing I sprinted hard!

Second Sprint - I finished second in the heat, ahead of Patrick Nuss and Mikkel. Will Critchley was too fast for me to keep up with, but he ended up with a mispunch. This made me heat winner, and advanced me into the top eight. (Otherwise I would have been 9th overall).

Event: North American Sprint Series Finals
 

Point Bonita. Awesome place to run. I didn't feel very fast, but amazingly finished 2nd, giving me a good seeding position for the coming weekend.

Setting out courses - legs felt quick.
Running was about the only thing I felt Iike I was doing quickly today.

Event: Golden Gate Getaway Training Camp
 

Cardio was pretty low key, but the ab workout was killer.

Geology of Pacheco Pass... I spent a bit of time researching the geologic history of the area, just for fun. Identifying individual rocks or minerals in the area can be a difficult task, because there is a wide variety.

The Pacheco rocks are believed to have been initially formed deep on the seafloor, during the mesosoic era (the age of dinosaurs). It is a packet of "Franciscan Rocks" which means it consists of three rock types: first a layer of pillow basalt (Iron rich volcanic rocks that formed deep underwater), second is a layer of radiolarian chert (A layered rock that formed from huge accumulations of fine silica-rich sediment - the major source of the sediment being tiny microbial skeletons!), the final layer is grawacke (a rock that formed from sedimentary deposits of massive underwater landslides, as the deep seafloor approached the continental shelf).

In some parts of the Bay Area you can find this arrangement of Franciscan Rocks essentially as described, but at Pacheco the story is more complicated. When this particular bit of ocean crust approached the continent, it was shoved underneath - causing it to experience higher pressures and temperatures in the process. It was many years later that tectonic faulting allowed this chunk of crust to float back toward the surface. The result is a sort of a Franciscan island surrounded by a variety of geologically different terrain.

The high temperatures and pressures experianced by rocks in Pacheco have left their mark. The caused chemical reactions to occur, producing a wide variety of different minerals such as Jadeite and Serpentinite, The exact products depend on the maximum temperatures and the composition of the starting rock - but the signature of this metamorphism in many cases is a distinctive blue or green color: and some rock names like greenstone or blueschist reflect this.

A similar geologic history and similar rocks can be observed at the Marin Headlands - where the results are especially stunning due to the large cliffs. Perhaps I will provide more detail after the Friday trip to Point Bonita.

Checking out berkeley sprint course

Event: O in the Oaks '09 A-meet, Pacheco State Park
 

A physical blue course at Pacheco Pass. Pretty decent navigation - just a few small bobbles. Tended to get slowed down and sidetracked when I entered the slightly thicker patches of forest - need to work on that. As usual, I did best when I was looking far ahead into the terrain. In other areas, the blue oak forest was very reminiscent of the Perry Riffle terrain that I've spent so much time mapping, so I felt at home.

Time was pretty good, considering my current shape! The TAC core strength really pays off in a hill course like this, I guess. Left leg still sore afterward but ice and 2 ibu at bedtime relieved a lot. I was just a couple minutes behind Eric and Magnus and a minute in front of Francois and Mikkel. But Jonas, as usual, humbles me by running 13 minutes faster! I was in the lead for just 6 minutes before he came in to finish.

The new Mudclaw shoes were ok - but this was not a great way to break them in. I got some blisters for sure. It's too bad I don't get to compete in day two, but my legs and feet will appreciate the rest.

Saw a number of friends - including Gabby from Switzerland. A nice surprise!

TAC today was tough - hardest cardio workout I've done in a long time. Sprints, jumps, and stairs, mixed in with two 400 meter laps at 75 second pace for good measure.

Football with the MSE crowd.