Training Log Archive: possum

OK had their NOW event today on campus at Daisy Hill. My right knee (the one missing an ACL) has been feeling a little gimpy the last few days, so I wore lightweight knee braces, and could still feel the gimp a little part of the time. So I dialed it back just a little. Also, I did feel the hill in Daisy Hill. The good stuff is that I hit all walls on the correct side. The bad news is that after really good navigation through 14, I ran right past 15. It occurred to me that I had gone too far, started looking around and trying to determine exactly where I was. Then I turned around and ran right back to it. As I see it, the problem was a lack of focus when I got tired. It was really good to be on a map and orienteering--it's been a long time.

A rest day for me. Today is Mary Ann's birthday, so we met and shopped IKEA for the first time, had a really spicy lunch that Bob would not approve of, and went to Trader Joe's so that Mary Ann could stockpile wine, and I could stockpile dark chocolate-covered expresso beans. A really nice day.

Couldn't find my inhaler and felt twinges in my right knee, so I slowed the pace a bit, but still had a good workout.

Brian was in charge and today was a tough one! My maximum heart rate is supposed to be 150, and I got up to 157, and had to keep slowing down to not go over again. Really heavy on the mountain climbers and up-downs.

Workout with Jared tonight. Tonight I got to do lots of step-ups holding 40 pounds.

Good workout. Round 9 was a killer--corkscrew planks. I had to do this one in sets of ten on each side, and I had to take a few seconds rest between sets.

Took the ElRay to Watkins Mill. We did have one water stop, and I got to pull and tug a few times because the smells were so good, but few distractions gave a good time.

Not an especially difficult workout today, but lots of core work, since it is "whittle your middle" Monday. I'm a little congested, so breathing is a little labored.

After doing my first 5-K road race in 20 years yesterday, I followed it up by another 5-K race today, but it wasn't on the road and I had ElRay with me. We did the Bark 4 Our Park at Stocksdale Park in Liberty, and almost the entire race was on the narrow trails with lots of rocks and tree roots, and I found out that the beautiful, fluffy tail about two feet in front of me was not good for visibility. I almost fell once, but didn't, and stubbed my big toe once (the one I am growing out the nail), and had a few minor trips, including one on ElRay. The good news was that my foot placement, dexterity, and balance training was very good in this situation, and I was wearing my trailrunners which were perfect. This was excellent training for running in the woods, and I'm really glad we did this.

Unfortunately, I forgot to wear my HRM, and even worse, forgot to use my inhaler before the race, which did not help my time. We also had some weaving around with ElRay, passing the leash back and forth, and we stepped to the side quite a few times to let others around us. But, all in all, much more positive than negative.