Training Log Archive: BorisGr

I finished 2016 with 236 hours of logged training, including 118 hours of cross-training and 1 back surgery. I managed to log over 20 hours during each of the final five months of the year, which is my first such streak since before I got injured in March 2015. So there are definitely some positives to take away here. I will keep working towards full recovery from the back surgery in the hopes of being able to enjoy the feeling of orienteering at full speed in the woods once again.

Intervals on the elliptical, hands-free: 1'-2'-3'-4'-5'-4'-3'-2'-1'. I found that it was difficult to generate the same heart rate hands-free as I could reach when using my hands during the same workout last week. Will have to figure out other ways to get my heart high so I can emulate running intervals.

C • What's the aim? 3

Robert told me at the last PT appointment that I should do my elliptical sessions without holding on to anything with my hands to better simulate the running motion. I tried that today. It worked pretty well after a few minutes of adjustment.

A full session, including lunges on to a bosu, and two-legged squats on the bosu while extending my arms with the 8lb ball and then raising it above my head. Feeling stronger than before.

My last PT appointment with Robert for the year. Main takeaways: keep working on dynamic exercises, especially with resistance bands and unstable surfaces; try out running once in a while, since that's the goal; add stretching hip flexors to the routine.

I went running! After biking home from the PT appointment, I went for a zoo run. Lots of kids with parents there, but also lions, tigers, orangutans, and gorillas. I got to see a huge silverback displace a young male from his perch atop the gorilla playhouse. Pretty cool.

Elliptical at the gym. I did "threshold" intervals, 2x10 minutes. I started a third one, but felt my calf tighten up after a couple of minutes, and backed off.

Resistance bands at home.

Elliptical at the gym.

Full strength / PT workout at the gym. I had the gym all to myself. It was nice.

"Long" session on the elliptical. I watched "When Harry Met Sally."

C • WHMS 8

Resistance bands at home.

Intervals on the elliptical. 1'-2'-3'-4'-4'-3'-2'-1'.

Event: QOC Swanson Road
 

Didn't feel well Wednesday, then ran out of time to work out on Thursday. Luckily, I wasn't able to sleep tonight, so 5am at the gym it was. An hour on the elliptical in quiet solitude.

PT exercises after the elliptical. Getting better with the one-legged squats.

Event: QOC Balls Bluff
 

QOC Local Event, Balls Bluff

I went orienteering!

I wanted to do another test of my back and see how it holds up while orienteering. I also wanted to do this dog-free so I can actually remember how to properly orienteer at a moderate-to-hard effort.

I wanted to run for about an hour, so I decided to try the Red course, with a promise to myself that I would stop if things were hurting a lot.

I ended up running the whole course and really enjoying myself. I thought that Daniel Heimgartner, the course setter, made great use of the area with a couple of nice route choice legs and a number of shorter, change of pace, legs thrown in. Orienteering felt good in these wide-open woods, though I still managed to lose about 30 seconds on the way to 13 after eating a Gu - classic Boris mistake.

Fitness-wise, I felt better than expected, given my lack of running. My back was somewhat sore from about 25 minutes on, but it never got bad. This seems like progress, though there is clearly still a long way to go, since the goal is to get through the entire course pain-free. Still, it's been 6 months since my surgery, and I am still improving and working hard to regain strength and balance.

I ended up 3rd on the day, about 7 minutes (1 min/km) behind Jon T, and a bit over 3 minutes behind Kenny, most of which came in the second half of the course. Something to build on.

My routes: http://qocweb.org/routes/cgi-bin/reitti.pl?act=map...

C • Yay! 8

Red - Splits

Couldn't sleep, so got up to go to the gym at 4:30. Nice to get an early start on the day.

Elliptical. Watched the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Early morning television leaves much to be desired...

Did my exercises after the elliptical.

Elliptical at the gym at home in the morning.

Went to see Robert today and seem to have leveled up. My squats on the Bosu now involve a medicine ball. Seems like progress.

Elliptical at lunchtime at work. I missed several days last week because of illness, but am gradually coming back to the now-familiar routine of elliptical and PT.

PT, plus a bunch of stretching, as my body has forgotten what running feels like.

As many people know, this past weekend was the retreat for the OUSA Board of Directors. We spent all day Saturday and more than half the day Sunday talking, getting to know each other, and learning about how the federation runs and where we might be interested in taking it. It was a great educational experience, and the fact that all 12 board members were present speaks volumes to the levels of energy and engagement that I saw around me all weekend.

Barb posted a good summary of what we talked about to Board Net, but to summarize, we listened to presentations on the following:
- OUSA's mission statement and what we'd like to see five years from now
- A detailed report about the federation's finances, including the distinction between restricted, non-restricted, and Board-designated funds, and Team accounting
- A presentation of the current committee structure
- A presentation on communications, including how to facilitate the Board's communication within itself and with the membership of the federation
- A presentation on some marketing ideas, and on membership models we could look into in order to raise some much-needed revenue

It was a great weekend of ideas, and I foresee a lot of discussions about the future of the federation in the upcoming weeks in months. I don't really understand how the BOD got things accomplished with a quarterly meeting schedule. I expect that we will be meeting, whether in person or over the web, a lot more frequently than that, especially in the coming months.

Event: QOC Patapsco Hilton
 

Running! Alex and I got up to go for a quick morning job before the second day of the Board retreat. Beasts and Deer Beasts were seen, reminding me just how much I miss being outside and running in the woods. All this PT stuff has to pay off eventually, right?

With Board matters on our minds, it is little surprise that the national championship structure was discussed.

C • Yay!!!! 1