Training Log Archive: BorisGrIn the 31 days ending Dec 31, 2011:
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| Th | Fr | Sa | Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday Dec 31, 2011 #
Running 1:02:30 [2] 9.61 km (6:30 / km)
shoes: Red Asics 2011
Nice trail run with a map at Eagle Rock with z-man. So much more fun than running on pavement in NYC by the Hudson! The more time I spend away from New York, the more I realize that living close to nature and good places to run is really important to me.
An excellent New Year's Eve with good friends followed. Lots of fun was had.
An excellent New Year's Eve with good friends followed. Lots of fun was had.
Wednesday Dec 28, 2011 #
2 PM
Running 41:36 4.86 mi (8:34 / mi) +281m 7:15 / mi
shoes: Red Asics 2011
Hill intervals at Ft.Tryon Park on a very windy afternoon. Nice long hill, starting with some steep terrain running, then asphalt, then a flat stretch, and a final steep bit complete with some stairs.
Four reps:
3:22
3:18
3:21
3:21
Four reps:
3:22
3:18
3:21
3:21
Tuesday Dec 27, 2011 #
T.rex training 10:00 [1]
Mostly bouldering at Brooklyn Boulders. Lack of recent climbing showed.
10 AM
Running 1:01:22 [2] 8.23 mi (7:27 / mi) +100m 7:11 / mi
shoes: Red Asics 2011
Morning run with Aleksey's girlfriend Jana from Washington Heights. Ran along the Hudson down to 125th and then back up. Nice pace.
Monday Dec 26, 2011 #
9 AM
Running 42:50 [2] 5.78 mi (7:25 / mi) +141m 6:53 / mi
shoes: Red Asics 2011
Recovery run from Kat's parents' house along the Hudson. Very windy, was definitely underdressed in one layer today.
Sunday Dec 25, 2011 #
Running 15:00 [2] 2.5 km (6:00 / km)
shoes: VJ Supra Fall 2011
Jogging to the start
11 AM
Orienteering 1:19:54 [3] 11.39 km (7:01 / km) +463m 5:50 / km
Saturday Dec 24, 2011 #
Orienteering 45:00 [1] 3.0 km (15:00 / km)
shoes: VJ Supra Fall 2011
Hanging one control and then collecting the further controls.
11 AM
Orienteering 42:32 [4] 6.26 km (6:48 / km) +191m 5:54 / km
shoes: VJ Supra Fall 2011
Greg's middle distance training on Rockhouse. Started last and never saw anyone. Lost almost a minute on 2, letting the green push me too high up the slope. Then ran well until 8, where I was too high and could not relocate for 3 minutes. Definitely rusty. Ok otherwise, pretty good speed. Fun course, very nice to have actual controls out there. Thanks Greg!
Thursday Dec 22, 2011 #
Note
Some photos from last weekend in San Diego (mostly of beasts):
https://picasaweb.google.com/115600040618748380315...
https://picasaweb.google.com/115600040618748380315...
3 PM
Running 1:40:04 [2] 10.58 mi (9:27 / mi) +294m 8:42 / mi
shoes: Red Asics 2011
Got released from jury duty early, so I had time for a run at West Rock before it got dark. Went up the very rocky Regicides trail and back along the usual red trail, which was much faster going. Got back just before dark.
Wednesday Dec 21, 2011 #
7 PM
Running 1:33:35 [2] 10.57 mi (8:51 / mi) +203m 8:21 / mi
All the New Haven ladies abandoned me tonight for various reasons (they claimed it had nothing to do with my smell), so I was on my own for my long run. I ended up doing a slog in the mist and rain around East Rock, and only scared myself twice - once when I startled a sleeping deer about two feet from the trail, and again when I thought a bench was a dead body. I thought about bringing something to listen to à la PG, but I don't think that's smart at East Rock in the dark.
Tuesday Dec 20, 2011 #
Note
World's Toughest Mudder race footage: http://videos.nj.com/star-ledger/2011/12/raceway_p...
Check out a frozen BJ 2:58 in.
Another video: http://video-embed.nj.com/services/player/bcpid619...
Looks pretty damn intense, and a great personal challenge to finish. Perhaps something for iansmith?
Check out a frozen BJ 2:58 in.
Another video: http://video-embed.nj.com/services/player/bcpid619...
Looks pretty damn intense, and a great personal challenge to finish. Perhaps something for iansmith?
Running 22:00 [2] 3.67 km (6:00 / km)
shoes: Rob's shoes
Warm-up and strides
4 PM
Running 46:30 5.63 mi (8:16 / mi) +48m 8:03 / mi
shoes: Rob's shoes
Evening intervals with Becky at the track. I did 4x800, 4x400, 4x200. It was a nice workout, and I felt reasonably strong throughout. Aimed for 2:45-2:50 on the 800's, 75-80 on the 400's, and 33-36 on the 200's.
Times:
2:52
2:50
2:44
2:42
78
75
75
74
35
35
34
34
Times:
2:52
2:50
2:44
2:42
78
75
75
74
35
35
34
34
Monday Dec 19, 2011 #
Running 1:01:30 [2] 11.18 km (5:30 / km)
shoes: Red Asics 2011
Evening run with Becks! Nice run and good company, as always. The time went by very quickly. Some scheming for the spring season took place.
Sunday Dec 18, 2011 #
Running 50:00 [3] 7.14 mi (7:00 / mi)
shoes: Red Asics 2011
Another run along the beach, this one in the middle of the night. No one out except for the occasional homeless person. This was an accelerating run - started easy and was upping the pace the whole time. Felt strong.
Saturday Dec 17, 2011 #
Running 48:35 [2] 10.6 km (4:35 / km)
shoes: Red Asics 2011
Running along the beach from our B&B in Pacific Beach, San Diego. Nice Saturday morning, tons of people out running, dog-walking, and just being active in general.
Thursday Dec 15, 2011 #
Note
(rest day)
EWR-SAN
Wednesday Dec 14, 2011 #
Running 58:39 [2] 5.0 mi (11:44 / mi)
shoes: Red Asics 2011
A morning exploration run with Ching-Hua and Mathias at Saguaro Lake, close to where the GPHXO event was on Sunday. Really beautiful morning, and great scenery. A fun run, and definitely great initiative by Ching-Hua! The highlight, however, was when I started the run by slipping and falling on my ass in the middle of a massive mud puddle.
Ching-Hua's pictures: https://plus.google.com/photos/1130263989873072887...
Ching-Hua's pictures: https://plus.google.com/photos/1130263989873072887...
Note
PHO-HVN
Tuesday Dec 13, 2011 #
Note
It took one day of rain in Phoenix for the ceiling of my hotel room to leak. I was woken up by rust-colored raindrops on my bed at 4am. Nice.
Meanwhile, this is pretty cool: http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/12/orienteering-...
Meanwhile, this is pretty cool: http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/12/orienteering-...
Running 35:00 5.0 mi (7:00 / mi)
Some 2-minute intervals on the treadmill at the hotel in Phoenix. Would rather have run outside, but the streets were blocked off because of a gunman who was loose on the ASU campus. The news report said that he was last seen right outside my hotel. The next news report said that the police called off the search for the gunman. Hmmm.
Monday Dec 12, 2011 #
Running 20:00 [2]
Treadmill at the hotel gym. Not much time or inspiration today.
Sunday Dec 11, 2011 #
Event: Saguaro Lake Classic-O
10 AM
Orienteering 1:02:43 [3] 8.61 km (7:17 / km) +267m 6:18 / km
shoes: VJ Supra Fall 2011
Phoenix Orienteering Club local event at Saguaro Lake, a nice area that suffers only from the 40 foot contours used on the map.
The Phoenix club is quite small, but the meet was well-run and the organizers very friendly and welcoming. This included a nice beginners' clinic, which was nice for Taka, my colleague at ASU, and his girlfriend Mariko. Ching-Hua and Matthias were there too, so we were a sizable group of non-regulars.
My orienteering left much to be desired. For the first few controls, it really felt like I could have done equally well with a blank map, especially in the control circles. The 40 foot contours meant that there were lots of large reentrants not on the map, and it seemed like complete guesswork to figure out which ones were mapped. After a while I adjusted to this and had a few good controls, but then massively screwed up the second to last one, again due to there being one reentrant on the map and six in real life.
Hmm, I am making it sound like all my mistakes were the fault of the map, but that's obviously not true. I should have adjusted better from the start and picked out large features in the distance that would obviously be on the map. Anyway, I enjoyed the orienteering, mainly due to the beautiful scenery and all the saguaros. I like saguaros.
Nice lunch with Ching-Hua and Matthias in the far-too-pretty-to-be-real town of Fountain Hills.
734/2000
The Phoenix club is quite small, but the meet was well-run and the organizers very friendly and welcoming. This included a nice beginners' clinic, which was nice for Taka, my colleague at ASU, and his girlfriend Mariko. Ching-Hua and Matthias were there too, so we were a sizable group of non-regulars.
My orienteering left much to be desired. For the first few controls, it really felt like I could have done equally well with a blank map, especially in the control circles. The 40 foot contours meant that there were lots of large reentrants not on the map, and it seemed like complete guesswork to figure out which ones were mapped. After a while I adjusted to this and had a few good controls, but then massively screwed up the second to last one, again due to there being one reentrant on the map and six in real life.
Hmm, I am making it sound like all my mistakes were the fault of the map, but that's obviously not true. I should have adjusted better from the start and picked out large features in the distance that would obviously be on the map. Anyway, I enjoyed the orienteering, mainly due to the beautiful scenery and all the saguaros. I like saguaros.
Nice lunch with Ching-Hua and Matthias in the far-too-pretty-to-be-real town of Fountain Hills.
734/2000
5 PM
Running 1:10:05 [2] 9.28 mi (7:33 / mi) +65m 7:23 / mi
shoes: Red Asics 2011
Somehow I convinced myself that running back to my hotel from the airport after returning the rental car was a good idea. It wasn't. Phoenix isn't a nice place to run, or at least not the parts I ran through.
Humans spotted before crossing the river: 3
Strip clubs spotted before crossing the river: 6
Humans spotted before crossing the river: 3
Strip clubs spotted before crossing the river: 6
Saturday Dec 10, 2011 #
Running 20:00 [2] 3.33 km (6:00 / km)
shoes: Red Asics 2011
Warmup and a dead man's shuffle of a cooldown
8 AM
Running 1:09:29 [4] 10.26 mi (6:46 / mi) +182m 6:25 / mi
shoes: Red Asics 2011
McDowell Mountain Frenzy trail race just outside of Phoenix.
There were 50km, 25km, 10mi, and 5km to choose from. I decided 10 miles was a good distance for me and signed up. The last two years' races had been won in 69 and 70 minutes, so I figured I should try to shoot for that. The drive over from Phoenix in the dark was pretty awesome: there was a full moon with a lunar eclipse going on, and I got to watch the moon gradually get more and more eclipsed as I drove over. Definitely the best view of an eclipse that I've ever had.
The race course was fun - one winding 10 mile loop, entirely single-track with lots of ups and downs and twists and turns, but not massive uphills or downhills. The 25km race started at 8am, and we started 15 minutes later. I ran off at the head of the pack (not a big pack - the 10 mile race probably had like 70 people max) with one other guy, and we quickly got away from everyone else. I settled behind this guy and stayed with him for the first two miles. We were pretty even on the flats, i gained a bit on the uphills, but he absolutely slaughtered me every time there was the slightest downhills. After the first couple of miles I decided that chasing him on the flats and ups was unsustainable, and dropped back.
I felt good and was catching and passing 25km runners the whole time, which made it easier to set little targets the entire way. Sometimes passing people with headphones was annoying, though, as they didn't hear me say "on your left, please." At around 7 miles I was trying to pass someone on a downhill when they suddenly moved right in front of me, and I slide off the trail and wiped out. No damage done, just some scrapes. Still, I somehow lost my rhythm there (maybe it's just an excuse) and could never really get going after that. The final mile was pretty brutal - trending uphill, with constant short downs and steep ups that were energy-sapping for me.
I finished in 69:29, good for second place, a whole four minutes behind the winner, an ASU track runner, whose goal for the season is to break 3:45 for the 1500m. This trail run was really fun, especially because of the fun, not-boring course, all the saguaros everywhere, the beautiful weather, and the moving targets presented by the 25km runners.
Mile splits
6:46
6:22
6:09 (oops)
6:59
6:32
6:53
6:59
6:41
7:02
7:22 (ouch)
1:45 (i guess the race was actually 10.25 miles)
There were 50km, 25km, 10mi, and 5km to choose from. I decided 10 miles was a good distance for me and signed up. The last two years' races had been won in 69 and 70 minutes, so I figured I should try to shoot for that. The drive over from Phoenix in the dark was pretty awesome: there was a full moon with a lunar eclipse going on, and I got to watch the moon gradually get more and more eclipsed as I drove over. Definitely the best view of an eclipse that I've ever had.
The race course was fun - one winding 10 mile loop, entirely single-track with lots of ups and downs and twists and turns, but not massive uphills or downhills. The 25km race started at 8am, and we started 15 minutes later. I ran off at the head of the pack (not a big pack - the 10 mile race probably had like 70 people max) with one other guy, and we quickly got away from everyone else. I settled behind this guy and stayed with him for the first two miles. We were pretty even on the flats, i gained a bit on the uphills, but he absolutely slaughtered me every time there was the slightest downhills. After the first couple of miles I decided that chasing him on the flats and ups was unsustainable, and dropped back.
I felt good and was catching and passing 25km runners the whole time, which made it easier to set little targets the entire way. Sometimes passing people with headphones was annoying, though, as they didn't hear me say "on your left, please." At around 7 miles I was trying to pass someone on a downhill when they suddenly moved right in front of me, and I slide off the trail and wiped out. No damage done, just some scrapes. Still, I somehow lost my rhythm there (maybe it's just an excuse) and could never really get going after that. The final mile was pretty brutal - trending uphill, with constant short downs and steep ups that were energy-sapping for me.
I finished in 69:29, good for second place, a whole four minutes behind the winner, an ASU track runner, whose goal for the season is to break 3:45 for the 1500m. This trail run was really fun, especially because of the fun, not-boring course, all the saguaros everywhere, the beautiful weather, and the moving targets presented by the 25km runners.
Mile splits
6:46
6:22
6:09 (oops)
6:59
6:32
6:53
6:59
6:41
7:02
7:22 (ouch)
1:45 (i guess the race was actually 10.25 miles)
Friday Dec 9, 2011 #
Running 35:00 [2] 4.38 mi (8:00 / mi)
shoes: Red Asics 2011
Treadmill at the hotel gym in the morning.
C • 10M 1
Thursday Dec 8, 2011 #
Note
In Phoenix. No sleep + lots of work = no training. :(
C • food 1
6 PM
Running 43:23 [2] 5.79 mi (7:30 / mi) +4m 7:29 / mi
shoes: Red Asics 2011
Intervals after work on a dirt part going around a soccer field on campus. Got faster as the workout went on. That was a good thing.
Monday Dec 5, 2011 #
T.rex training 24:00 [1]
Rockgympa at the Davenport gym with Nathan. Felt dead after the weekend.
Basketball 5:00 [4]
A quick game of one-on-one basketball against Nathan. The game featured, on both sides, far more enthusiasm than skill.
Running 9:00 [2] 1.13 mi (8:00 / mi)
shoes: Rob's shoes
Dragging myself back home after the workout.
3 PM
Running 49:54 [2] 6.4 mi (7:48 / mi) +67m 7:33 / mi
shoes: Rob's shoes
To Davenport College to meet Nathan, then up St.Ronan street and back along the base of East Rock and down Orange street.
Sunday Dec 4, 2011 #
Event: WCOC Sessions Woods
9 AM
Running 25:00 [2] 2.78 mi (9:00 / mi)
shoes: Rob's shoes
Warmup and cooldown for the 5km.
10 AM
Running race 18:08 [5] 5.07 km (3:35 / km) +60m 3:23 / km
shoes: Rob's shoes
Hot Chocolate 5km in Northampton, MA.
Wasn't sure how I would feel after a tough training week, and the answer was that I felt slow. Never seemed to be able to get into high gear, which isn't surprising given the lack of recent running-specific training. Off the start, I was in no-man's land behind the lead pack and ahead of the chasing pack, but an old guy and the leading woman caught me, and I stuck with them for a while. I always seemed to pass people on the uphills and downhills and lose on the flats. The old guy and I gradually dropped the leading woman after the first mile, and then it was the two of us slowly passing people the rest of the way. I never saw the 3 mile sign, and so I started my finish kick far too late, when the old guy started kicking. I got just ahead of him and the winning woman (different one than the one I'd run with) and ended up 27th across the line, but 29th on chip time (http://www.coolrunning.com/results/11/ma/Dec4_8thA...). I was pretty disappointed with my time of 18:08, as I felt like sub 18 should have been the bare minimum standard for me. Also, the race was won by a man in a banana suit. That makes me sad.
Alex ran great, smashing her PR, and that made me happy.
I can see more road and/or trail races in my future.
Wasn't sure how I would feel after a tough training week, and the answer was that I felt slow. Never seemed to be able to get into high gear, which isn't surprising given the lack of recent running-specific training. Off the start, I was in no-man's land behind the lead pack and ahead of the chasing pack, but an old guy and the leading woman caught me, and I stuck with them for a while. I always seemed to pass people on the uphills and downhills and lose on the flats. The old guy and I gradually dropped the leading woman after the first mile, and then it was the two of us slowly passing people the rest of the way. I never saw the 3 mile sign, and so I started my finish kick far too late, when the old guy started kicking. I got just ahead of him and the winning woman (different one than the one I'd run with) and ended up 27th across the line, but 29th on chip time (http://www.coolrunning.com/results/11/ma/Dec4_8thA...). I was pretty disappointed with my time of 18:08, as I felt like sub 18 should have been the bare minimum standard for me. Also, the race was won by a man in a banana suit. That makes me sad.
Alex ran great, smashing her PR, and that made me happy.
I can see more road and/or trail races in my future.
Saturday Dec 3, 2011 #
Event: NEOC: Cemetery Hill
Running 1:00:00 [2] 10.0 km (6:00 / km)
shoes: VJ Supra Fall 2011
Various warmings up and coolings down for the day.
11 AM
Orienteering 20:56 [5] 3.49 km (6:00 / km) +66m 5:29 / km
shoes: VJ Supra Fall 2011
Cemetery Hill Sprints - Long Sprint
It was cold, and I started a bit slowly, taking some time to get into the map. After a couple of controls I got going, running well and getting smoothly through the control pick part of the sprint with a lot of short legs that had lots of changes of direction. I got stuck in the green a bit going to 15 and then hit the road and had to come back to the control on 18, but that was about all the mistakes I made. Very pleased with this race technically: I won 10 splits and was only out of the top 3 on the last control.
It was cold, and I started a bit slowly, taking some time to get into the map. After a couple of controls I got going, running well and getting smoothly through the control pick part of the sprint with a lot of short legs that had lots of changes of direction. I got stuck in the green a bit going to 15 and then hit the road and had to come back to the control on 18, but that was about all the mistakes I made. Very pleased with this race technically: I won 10 splits and was only out of the top 3 on the last control.
Orienteering race 14:11 [5] 2.38 km (5:57 / km) +67m 5:13 / km
shoes: VJ Supra Fall 2011
Cemetery Hill Sprints - Short Sprint
I rested for about 10-15 minutes with some jogging thrown in and went out on the short sprint. I definitely didn't feel as fresh anymore and again took some time to get into the orienteering. I often find that when it's cold, my eyes start tearing up when I start racing, which makes it difficult to look at the map for the first control or two. Do others have this problem?
I was a little sloppy early on and took a bad route (over the top) to #4 before regaining focus and running well the rest of the way.
I rested for about 10-15 minutes with some jogging thrown in and went out on the short sprint. I definitely didn't feel as fresh anymore and again took some time to get into the orienteering. I often find that when it's cold, my eyes start tearing up when I start racing, which makes it difficult to look at the map for the first control or two. Do others have this problem?
I was a little sloppy early on and took a bad route (over the top) to #4 before regaining focus and running well the rest of the way.
Orienteering race 21:06 [5] 3.7 km (5:42 / km) +73m 5:11 / km
shoes: VJ Supra Fall 2011
Cemetery Hill Sprints - Final Sprint
I had a pretty big lead before the chase start (over 3 minutes), and I considered the idea of waiting for Ian and Ali to make it more of a head-to-head race, but in the end decided that I should just start my race and practice running with the lead.
I think I ended up running a little too defensively, and it did not serve me well. This time I had 9 splits outside the top 3, including a 20 second mistake on #6, where I followed the wrong ditch. I believe that I would have done better by running a regular race just like in the first two sprints, and not overthinking my strategy. Ian and Ali ran well to close the gap on me, and it was great to see their sprint battle to the finish.
Thanks to Phil for an excellent event! The format was great, the courses were very diverse in character despite the limited area, and I'd like to echo Peter in saying that the flag placement was just excellent. Too visible would have made this too easy, and too hidden would have made it unfair. This was perfect.
I had a pretty big lead before the chase start (over 3 minutes), and I considered the idea of waiting for Ian and Ali to make it more of a head-to-head race, but in the end decided that I should just start my race and practice running with the lead.
I think I ended up running a little too defensively, and it did not serve me well. This time I had 9 splits outside the top 3, including a 20 second mistake on #6, where I followed the wrong ditch. I believe that I would have done better by running a regular race just like in the first two sprints, and not overthinking my strategy. Ian and Ali ran well to close the gap on me, and it was great to see their sprint battle to the finish.
Thanks to Phil for an excellent event! The format was great, the courses were very diverse in character despite the limited area, and I'd like to echo Peter in saying that the flag placement was just excellent. Too visible would have made this too easy, and too hidden would have made it unfair. This was perfect.
3 PM
Orienteering 20:00 [1]
shoes: VJ Supra Fall 2011
Hanging four controls for the night-O at Mt.Tom in reverse order. Moving at a brisk walk at best, tired from the sprints.
6 PM
Orienteering 41:12 [3] 5.44 km (7:34 / km) +217m 6:19 / km
shoes: VJ Supra Fall 2011
The night-O at Mt.Tom, designed by Ali. I started last, about 1.5 minutes after Brendan. Was tired and sloppy on the first couple of legs, and then just tired for the next few. The climbing on the first part of the course was pretty tough, but mercifully most of it could be done on trails. I had some advantage on 7-10 since I hanged those controls (in reverse order) earlier. I didn't really make any mistakes there and passed most people by 10. Only Ian was in front of me at that point, and Brendan not far back. Ian picked up the pace when I got close and did a good job orienteering at night with some pressure on. Despite catching him a couple of times, I never managed to get ahead, and he then crushed me from the last control to the finish, where I tried to get around some crappy vegetation and ended up running through the woods parallel to the road instead of on the road. Brendan got by me there as well.
Nice, tough night-O. Lots of fun, more so due to the head-to-head battling. Thanks Ali!
Nice, tough night-O. Lots of fun, more so due to the head-to-head battling. Thanks Ali!
Friday Dec 2, 2011 #
T.rex training 34:00 [1]
Rockgympa! Becky, Marie, and Nathan joined me at a seminar room at Becky's work. It was fun. Now I am sore.
Thursday Dec 1, 2011 #
6 PM
Running 8:28 [2] 1.1 mi (7:42 / mi)
shoes: Rob's shoes
To Becky's house
Running 8:14 [2] 0.8 mi (10:18 / mi) +23m 9:27 / mi
shoes: Rob's shoes
To the start of the intervals with Becky and Anna.
Orienteering 30:57 3.01 mi (10:17 / mi) +57m 9:43 / mi
Sprint intervals on the Yale campus map with Becky and Anna. We took turns starting first to put some pressure on each other. I designed the courses, which made it a bit easier for me, but I still ran through an olive green area right next to my house and made an actual mistake on the second to last control. It felt nice to run fast though. Fun training.
2:52
2:10
4:31
4:10
648/2000
2:52
2:10
4:31
4:10
648/2000