Training Log Archive: TomN

Tempo run at threshold pace. This is supposed to help train the lactic acid clearing mechanism. A 20+ minute run at a steady pace, faster than conversational, but not race pace. I assumed the same target as last time, 1:53 per lap, but it became obvious that that was too slow, a pleasant surprise. Breathing every 3 steps until the last 2.5 laps. 40 degrees, a little sun, no wind. Lap times:
1:50
1:51
1:53
1:50
1:51
1:49
1:50
1:50
1:49
1:49
1:49
1:49
0:53

To and from the track, and a little warmup on the track.

Post-run pushups, planks, squats, lunges, figure-8s. Stretching.

GSFC perimeter road with a loop around the antenna range.

The full set, plus stretching.

GSFC perimeter road. It was supposed to get up to 60 but it feels warmer than that. First butterfly of the year, a small brick-red anglewing, flew up in front of me and out through the fence before I could get a good look at it. There were other early sightings around the state today.

Slept about 11 hours. The exercises went o.k. once I talked myself into it. Run tomorrow.

QOC Happyland Green. A difficult course -- lots of vegetation, tricky contour detail, obscure control placement. I made 3 significant mistakes, and thought I had wrecked it, but it turns out I came in 3rd, in a group of very close finishers.

On #1, I caught AJ Riley, who must have started just before me. We took different routes to 2, but converged at the same place, which was nowhere near the control. I was thrown off by the little creek branches, and didn't see the spur with the control until AJ spotted the problem with the creeks. Even then it was hard to find the control, since the spur wasn't quite as well defined as depicted. A lot of people had trouble here. We took different routes to 3, again converging at the control. Same with #4, but AJ had a better line into the control.

I messed up 5 badly. Got tangled up in the swamps and dark green, missed the creek junction, and without position knowledge bailed out all the way to the road. Attacked from there and still had a little trouble, going too deep into the reentrant and backing up, the control in a pretty dense thicket.

On 6 I had a very fast split, going past the ruin, crossing the creek on a bearing, then contouring into the little reentrant. On #7, I ran all the way on the road, attacking from the nearest bend. But I messed up the compass after the long run, and had to go back to the road and start again. With oxygen in the brain this time, it was easy.

Then 8-9-F were also fast. Maybe a little advantage having crossed this terrain with the map walk group yesterday. I'm really happy with my running speed this spring. Now my legs are the limiting factor.

The relay exercise turned out to be another short point-to-point course, the relay concept having been abandoned due to junior fatigue. I suppose that's a good thing -- they all got a great workout. An interminable trail walk brought us to the best woods this whole weekend. I navigated well, good concentration and position knowledge, but had difficulty seeing the mini-controls from more than about 10 feet away, and also I noticed that my legs were pretty tired.

Picked up 7 controls from the relay exercise. Half the time was just getting back home along the trail. I made an effort to jog the uphills. After that, zombie time. Rehydrating with half a bottle of cranberry juice.

Sunday - Green - Splits