Training Log Archive: Ari-o

Rain held off, so off to orienteer in Dover. Saw an Alex in the parking lot, and she convinced me to warm up with an orange, and then do the red. Makes sense, since I haven't played this since Billygoat times.

Orange was by no means perfect, and my legs definitely felt the miles, but I had pretty good map contact. Made a mistake to 6 (there was a poorly-mapped vernal pool involved) but otherwise ran okay, kept in contact. Another mistake in to 9 where I picked up the wrong trail and took a long route.

The red wasn't much longer than the orange, or really much harder. Alex had informed me she was running the green, but I hadn't driven to friggin' Dover to run a green. Went out right behind Alex and Keegan. Ran well to 1, then got cute to 2 going right of the reservoir and was rewarded with a mucky area and wide stream to cross. Nowhere to jump, so I got my feet wet, and then had a decent attack up to 2 (but this was a bad route choice).

Contoured to 3 and went left to 4, finding it better this time. Back to 5 I saw Keegan and Alex on the trail, and then realized that I hadn't properly tied my Alex knots (I hadn't locked them right) and they were coming loose. So, stop to tie shoes. About 30s per Strava. Spiked 6, though (yay, using terrain) and the next few were pretty easy to attack off of terrain. Trail to 9, not a good attack but actually was right at the control, and similar and 10 and 11. Nice when the map lines up to what is in your head.

Then off to 12 I wanted to go around, because my legs were not in hill-climbing shape. But then I took the wrong trail and was resigned to going up over the hill anyway. Ran to 13 on the right trail, and in to the finish. Lost to Ethan by 40s and Keegan by a lot. But didn't get terribly lost or discouraged, so that's good for the first O of the year!

Orange - Splits

Red - Splits

The Eickhoff sisters were in town, running 26.2 miles on their 26th birthday.

And who doesn't like a good marathon? Well, this guy, with DOMSy legs and plans to trail run with Alex. But I could run out to Newton, right, and meet Alex there, since they were starting from Central.

So a crew of about 8 of us ran out the river, and when I got to Watertown Square ahead of schedule, kept going. Somewhere past the lake I left the quistah jivals (and a couple of mushes, too) and got in the car with another one for the ride out to Weston.

Then out to Weston for trails. I forget how nice those trails are and how, if you're paying attention, you can link them together. We got lost a few times, found some mud and brambles, and did a bit of orienteering, but wound up on super nice trails up north of the finally-paved Wayside Trail, before coming back. Wanted a bit more running so did a muddy loop near the reservoir, before retiring to the car.

Recruited a skier from Mpls in town to NP. So I had to go to NP, right? Bike still flat, so Hubway.

Five hills, plus grass. Two sprints, one against Ben (who came with and then had to leave after 4 hills) and one against Alex. Bojan told me I don't know how to sprint, that I just try to stride faster. Well, yeah, I guess I do. #notasprinter

Turns out that … after 2 days of threshold and a PR on the stairs, my legs are pretty well shot. The hills hurt the calves, and even feet and ankles. Checking the log, the weeks I've had >20 miles for running in the past four months have been:

12/23 (33 mi)

Well, okay then. If I run 12 with Alex tomorrow and something Sunday, I will have run further in a week than any time since October.

My sister had a progression tempo run and did I want to come along? Well, other than my burning calves, sure.

15 minutes warm up, 15 at 7:30s, 10 at 7:00s. Did all on the other side of the river. 7:30s were easy. 7:00s was low L2.

Some time in the 7:30s, I went to spit down on the pavement next to me as a Hubway rider came by unannounced. He perceived this as some sort of slight, and started jawing at me. "You spit at me!" "I'm sorry, but I don't have eyes in the back of my head, so maybe call 'on your left' next time." He then proceeded to bike right in front of us, very slowly, so I reached out to give him a little push forward. Well that didn't go over well. He screamed some more, despite some other bicyclists telling him to cool it, and then proceeded to menacingly tailgate us for a while.

HR spiked thanks to that!

As he was tailing us, I kept saying "come past us, I know you can, give warning" but he just stayed behind. So we went off across the lagoon and he went another way. I thought of vindictively calling Hubway and telling him to deactivate his account (which I could maybe have done; a few years ago, I definitely could have, but the people I know aren't there anymore). But whatever.

Finished the speeds around the Museum, then run back to Cambridge. We saw the happy bus in Kendall, and ran down Albany to catch it for the last half mile. Not because we needed to, but because we'd done more than the cooldown and always will take an excuse to ride a happy bus.

So, a good run!

C • Why? 2

Running a little late, still need the new tube, forgot water, so warm up run became Hubway halfway and then sprint. Legs still a little tired from Gravity Ski Monday and accidental two mile tempo yesterday.

So, NP. Saw Alex and Maile and lots of CSU tights, and then got a start in the second group. Quickly ran past the first group and was a section behind one other runner. Felt good: upper 20s was just about right. PR? Possible.

Legs not too fresh so I was only making it about halfway up any section before going in to hands on legs walk, but that was okay. Moving down pretty well (but not flying) and keeping going. Halfway in about 11, so on PR target, but the second half doesn't get any easier.

Kept on pace: 8 mins for 13 sections, 5 mins for 8 sections: 38 seconds per section. HR was in L3 most of the way, so I knew I had something to give at the end. Bumped up towards L4 with about 10 to go, and pushed harder the last three. I was at the top of 1 at 22:30: I needed to run the last section in 35 seconds to PR.

I put my head down and went for it. Finished the section, down and up, in 25 seconds. That's a 15:25 stadium pace. That ain't about to happen, but a 10 second PR did. I was able to stop my watch after a couple of tries, and then lay down, Diggins-style, on the cold concrete for a few minutes.

PRogression:

6/6/12 32:00
7/25/12 29:32 -2:28
7/31/13 28:32 -1:00
10/30/13 27:00 -1:32
4/30/14 25:35 -1:25
10/29/14 24:19 -1:14
11/30/16 24:10 -0:09
4/27/17 23:22 -0:48
11/29/17 23:06 -0:16
10/31/18 23:05 -0:01
3/27/19 22:55 -0:10

Was going to do my traditional walk home, but I saw people jogging, so I jog-chatted with them. Warm clothes are good clothes!

Cool, breezy and sunny, perfect running weather. Out for a 5m river loop, legs still heavy from yesterday. Down across the Longfellow, across the new bridge, and then hit stride along the river. Was not intending to go fast at all. I was just behind a woman who had come along the river and wound up matching her pace, except about 30m back. Then she pulled up for the end of what was probably an interval (checked Strava, it was) and I went ahead. Then she came by me again (on the parallel path) and then I pulled forward.

My watch buzzed a 7:02. It felt like 7:45. So I figured I'd keep the pace up. Or maybe that my watch was off, since there was no way I was running marathon pace (didn't wear HRM). The next mile clicked off at 6:48. Well, okay then. Across the footbridge and home at more like an 8:30 pace (but including several stair flights). Felt pretty okay!