Training Log Archive: bbrooke

Delayed start due to snow!

I started without a jacket or gloves, after overheating yesterday. Then I stopped on my way to #1 to put on the jacket & gloves (the wind was COLD!). Then I stopped again on the way to #6 to take it off again. GOOD GRIEF. I have to take off my hydration vest every time I add or remove layers.

I also got caught for literally about five minutes trying to extract myself from a patch of cat-claw in the ditch in between #2 and #3.

I should have gone low to get to #4, but I did the dumb & slow thing and went high. Sigh...

After that, I did mostly OK -- but taking lots of photos. I lost track of where I was while taking a photo of someone near #14, and I went past my intended reentrant as a result.

The grass was really tall, with rocks underneath, so I didn't run much for fear of twisting my ankles.

In other words, lots of things conspired and added up to give me a really slow finish time. ;-)

Winner (Swedish ringer) was 33:32. What the...?!?

Amy invited me to join her group for dinner at Café Poca Cosa -- a place I've wanted to try for many years. It was fantastic -- and I ate & drank so much that I felt really uncomfortable for a few hours afterwards. :-P

Steve Willman from RMOC:

Set up meet details & pre-registration for Snow Mountain Ranch meet. Located an SMR photo and posted meet details to RMOC's Facebook page.

Set up meet details & pre-registration for Eldora meet.

Email follow-ups.

Sent out an HTML-formatted update email to the RMOC list.

Things I had to do in order to send the HTML-formatted email from my work laptop (I usually do it from my personal PC at home): fought with wifi settings for about 30 minutes; downloaded & installed Mozilla Thunderbird; struggled to configure Thunderbird with my Fastmail settings; and located an HTML-editing add-in. ARGH!

Also -- edited & posted photos to the SWSW event page. Also added Cristina's links for results, splits & Livelox.

Finally got to bed at around 3am...

C • Thank you! 2

Long Day 4 Kentucky Camp - Splits

SWSW -- Day 3 -- Cholla Chaser at Catalina State Park.

This was a THOMASS-style event, and I had to find four of the seven controls in the handicap area.

As usual, I did a poor job picking the best sequence of controls to visit; I seem to be really bad at quickly evaluating the pros & cons of distance, climb, and trails.

I went to C, A, D & G, thinking that the trails and flatter areas would be easier & faster running. That was mostly true, but I got lost looking for A, and Stephanie's route of B, E, C & D was obviously better, in retrospect. My splits for all the other controls are nearly identical to Stephanie & Kathleen's, but they finished ~16 minutes ahead of me.

Besides my sub-optimal control selection, I also wasted time stopping to strip off layers (when will I learn?!) and taking some photos of other runners.

I briefly went the wrong way when I hit the trail after leaving #2.

I should have used the trail junction southeast of #5 as my attackpoint (rather than flailing around in the wash).

On my way home, I picked up some frozen items at Tucson Tamale and two fancy beers at Tap & Bottle -- dinner for two nights.

Cristina's pre-race briefing:

Event: Old Tucson Trail Run
 

Woke up at 5:30 am, picked up Cristina, and then headed over Gates Pass to Old Tucson Studios. Luckily we arrived early before a huge bathroom line formed, because my stomach was very unhappy. It settled down a little, but was on the verge of revolting for most of the race. :-\

The race was fun -- one lap around the "town", then out onto the singletrack trails and another lap through town. I got caught behind slower people on the singletrack a few times, but I don't think my stomach issues would have really allowed me to go much faster.

Cristina finished several minutes before me (2nd in her AG!). We grabbed our post-race breakfast burritos, took a photo with a gunfighter / cowboy, and then headed to Catalina State Park!

#6 out of 43 in F45-49
#58 out of 335 all female

SWSW -- Day 2 -- Javelina Hustle goat course (short) at Catalina State Park.

I had big plans to do the Long course...but I didn't want to make anyone wait for me (since I was starting an hour later than everyone else), and I was also pretty tired. The Short course was plenty. :-P

I was not as clean and accurate today: I bobbled #3 & #5 (we had the choise of skipping wither #2 or #3). I went too far across the ridge near #10 and then picked my way VERY slowly down the reentrant to find it. And I miscounted ridges and stopped one too soon when looking for #13. I forgot about my second skip until I was almost finished, so I skipped #11, which didn't accomplish much distance- or time-wise. I also spent lots of time taking photos again. :-D

But, the weather was nice and it was fun.

SHORT Day 2: Javelina Hustle - Splits

Event: Southwest Spring Week
 

SWSW -- Day 1 -- Middle-Distance courses at Ironwood.

Remembering how lost I've gotten at this map in the past and how hard it is to relocate, I made a mental note to be very careful, and to pay extra-close attention to my compass bearings & pace counts.

Looking at my tracks, I'm happy with how it went -- but I was finiher #9 of 9 on Blue. (I spent time on the course taking some photos, though...)

I didn't stick around for long afterwards since it was chilly, and also because I only had about an hour to get to packet pickup at The Running Shop for tomorrow's trail race.

I had a delicious late lunch at "Prep & Pastry" next to the running store -- sweet potato hash with a fried egg, and a michelada.

Blue Day 1 - Splits

Travel day. Flew to PHX, picked up rental car, and drove for about an hour to get to Tucson.

My Airbnb place is perfect -- tiny but clean, convenient location (near UA), nice décor, and everything I need in the kitchen.

It had an unpleasant, musty, old smell when I first arrived -- but I left the door open for a while and that went away. Maybe this place hasn't been rented in a while.

Strength Training for Runners class.

"Nighthawks" snowshoe race at Eldora.

I got to the start line with about 60 seconds to spare -- whew! The first segment was singletrack (where we all got bunched up), but then it opened up on the wider XC ski trails. A few people passed me early on, but it was just me and my headlamp beam for most of the course.

As usual for Eldora, it was windy in the parking lot and in the open area adjacent to the Nordic lodge, but calm and beautiful in the treed areas. Light snow and 23°F. Because of the wind, I had swapped from my lightweight wool shirt to a midweight wool shirt, and I was a tiny bit too warm once I started running. Ditto for the hand situation -- my new liner glove + mitten + heat packet combo was a bit too warm.

The course was supposed to be about three miles, but it was only 2.6 -- kinda disappointing after paying $25 to enter. But I did win a cool buff and a hat afterwards at the raffle (I gave away the hat).

I'm disappointed I'll miss the next two races -- one while I'm at SWSW so that's an acceptable swap, but I'll miss the other due to a dumb work trip -- boo.

This event (which also included ski-mo, XC, and downhill ski races) had a high percentage of lean butts in tights -- mostly women. Note to self: next time, pick a post-race lodge seat closer to the bar where all the dudes are hanging out. ;-)