Training Log Archive: TomN

GSFC perimeter road, this time without the extra loop.

GSFC perimeter road with an extra loop. http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=5639443

Forest Glen-Ga. Ave route. http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=5551077

The usual circuit, and no running today. Planned in advance. By about a day.

Planned to cross Ga. Ave. and hit Sligo Creek, but it started to rain (with the sun shining brightly) so I adjusted the route to say closer to home. The rest of the time was alternating sun and light rain. Weird weather. To the best I can remember: McComas to Bentley to Casper to Douglas (that was stupid), then a jog across Plyers Mill to Pennydog, through the woods and back onto Douglas, then Dexter, McKenney, Arthur, Gardiner, turn left towards the pool and up the stairs to the new Singer Elementary (still looks like it needs some work to get ready for school tomorrow), then Loma to Leslie, up the hill and across the park to Fayette, down to Drumm and home. Jogging pretty slowly but tried to get some leg speed on the downhills towards the end.

Long run, Forest Glen to Seminary Park to Beach Drive to Old Spring Road and back down into Kensington. Not trying to push the speed at all.

Greenbelt Park perimeter trail (backwards).

GSFC perimeter road.

GSFC perimeter road.

Core strength circuit with stretches. I don't know why I hate this so much. It doesn't take much time, and it has obvious benefits (well, at least they're obvious after the thing is over). Keep telling self: do this once a week, OK?

GSFC perimeter road.

GSFC perimeter road.

Volunteering at Dave & Heidi's introduction to orienteering event. I walked a circuit of about 8 controls over and over for 3 hours, greeting folks who looked greetable, and answering a few questions. No one was out of it, and most groups were totally in control.

I think this event was a big success. Pitched low and easy, with a yellow and two white courses, a thorough 30-minute instruction including an accompanied model map course, an abundance of volunteers, including roamers like me, all of which helped ensure that everyone had a good experience. The event was free, and came with a free trial membership for the next 2.5 months. It will be interesting see what results we get.

Comus 5K cross-country run. This was a really fun race and the weather was perfect. Most of the course was on a wide mowed strip through grassy fields, with some short segments on narrow trails through the woods. There was one significant hill, but the course twisted, tilted, and undulated everywhere, requiring some attention. There were about 150 runners, who fit on the course without crowding. Registration was a breeze, chip timing was used, and results were posted within a few minutes. Lots of refreshments. Between the Goddard runners and the QOC runners, I knew quite a few people there. Jacob shared valuable tips for running the course, and was a vocal cheerleader for all of us. I'd run this one again any time.

First mile split was 6:45, expected second mile to be slower due to hill climb, but overall average 7:39/mile, so clearly I started off too fast. On the other hand, 6:45/mile should be a pretty comfortable 2-mile pace for me, and it wasn't, so there's a mismatch somewhere. Either the terrain effect is greater than I thought, or my conditioning is worse than I thought.

I was 2nd out of 12 in M55, 12 sec behind the age group leader. Oddly, my time would have only been good for 3rd in M60 (3 weeks to go).

Core strength circuit with stretching. Some lower back pain in the last few days. Hope it can be reversed.

Continuing to explore the more obscure features of Evans Notch, we took a short hike off the Deer Mountain Road up to the Deer Mountain Bubbling Spring. This spring is a true oddity. In a little hollow in the woods, water blubs up out of the ground, carrying fine whitish sand along with it. The sand and water mix together to make a quicksand pit, deeper than you can reach, deeper than you can stand. The water is freezing cold. Below the spring, the water runs down the hill in an ordinary brook, giving away no indication of its weird origins. Off to the side a half mile away is an old amethyst mine, where you can still dig up good crystals. You never know what you'll find in western Maine.

Another fine hike in Evans Notch. Stowed a car in the Basin parking lot, drove south a mile and a half, and pulled off at an obscure trailhead for the Mt. Meader trail. Space for maybe 2 cars in a short grassy strip on either side of the trail. Walking in a couple hundred feet, it was apparent that some guys had been using this place as a hangout. There was a clearing with lots of trash (consisting mainly of beer cans), a frying pan hanging from a tree, and an abandoned motorized 3-wheeler. Not obvious which of the several ways out was the right one. After one false start and a short map huddle, we found the trail and proceeded up to a side trail to Brickett Falls, a nice set of water slides on smooth rock with pools. Then up through woods, steepening to a spur, and out onto intermittent ledges (best part of the route) and finally to a trail junction on bare rock that passes for the summit of Mt. Meader. From there, across the Basin Rim Trail, with views down into the Basin, to a trail junction on the rim called, naturally, Rim Junction. The Basin Trail descends steeply (limited views) down to the pond and back to the parking lot. Just before the flat section is Hermit Falls, a great 40-foot vertical drop with easy access from the trail.

Summary: Moderate hike bracketed by fine waterfalls at both ends, with views across to Baldface and Speckled Mtns. Starting from Evans Notch Rd. (NH 113), Mt. Meader Trail to junction of Meader Ridge Trail and Basin Rim Trail, Basin Rim Trail to Rim Junction, Basin Trail to Basin Campground and parking lot, 7 miles, 1.5 mi back to start. Mt. Meader (2800 ft) is a high point on the ridge from North Baldface to West Royce Mountain on the west side of Evans Notch (NH-Maine).

Slide Inn Rd. down to the first set of camps and back.

Armstrong camp to Peterson Camp Road and back, Slide Inn Rd. - W. Lovell Road - Peterson Camp Road. http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=5602956

Hiked up Speckled Mountain from Evans Notch. Up the Spruce Hill trail, down the Bickford Brook trail, making a circuit with 2 cars. Beautiful day and the view from the summit was terrific, Presidentials to the west, Mahoosucs to the north. The side trail to the slides was supposed to be a highlight, but the trail seemed to be washed out from above. Tried again on the trail to the bottom of the slides, which was in good shape, and the slides were pretty nice, definitely worth a visit.

Another little jog with dog, in another direction. Going to have to find some running jones or it's going to be more of a relaxing week than I imagined.

A little jog down Slide Inn Rd. with the dog, who is visibly energized by being here.

Drumm loop.

Tomorrow: Road trip! Maine!

Forest Glen-Ga. Ave. route. On the run, I thought about running vs. orienteering. One big difference, for me, is the effect of concentration on performance. It's diametrically opposite in the two sports. I've been a runner for a long time, and I've always considered it an advantage to be able to tune out my immediate surroundings and get into some kind of state of reduced consciousness. It works in training (I never use an iPod, for example; I prefer to let my mind drift). It works in racing, too. In a 10K, I can never remember what happened in miles 3-5. Before a race, I look forward to "getting in the groove" during that time, which means, I think, losing consciousness while keeping up the pace.

Of course, this strategy doesn't work at all in orienteering. As soon as my mind drifts, that's game over as far as navigation is concerned.

I was thinking about this in connection with the training exercise of running on roads with a map. I've tried this exercise, and hated it. I'd do anything to look away from that demon map, and just run. There's a connection here: I don't like to run with an iPod, either. They both make me think. So I'll propose a hypothesis: good navigators prefer a stimulus when they run, and pure runners prefer oblivion.