Training Log Archive: barb

Gym, post office, grocery store, Marion Street.

C • Marion Street 5

On my own; the teacher didn't show up.

Errand

View on Bear Canyon / Seven Falls trail:

Nahant Dunkin Donuts to Lynn commuter rail station, with pack. I like taking the train.

North station to Central Square Dunkin Donuts.
Decided along the way to adjust my lettering system, to where decaf + muffin is free if I've already run that morning.

aBcdef

Magnolia (1)

Decent pace.

ABCdEF

C • translation 1

Tucson photos:



The woman I met hiking.


Leif Lundquist (course setter) & Mark Everett (US ranked #1 on Blue in 2006)


John Pascal the Rascal


Ludwig Hill, Jeff Brodsky, Max Suter


Lois Kimminau and Gee Gee Larrington


Peg Davis running the beginners' training


Kids & friend doing the green course.

Took Mountain to the river, then First Ave north to the Pima Canyon trailhead. Coming back was a blast. Would have been extra nice if the bike fit me.

Pima Canyon trail. Guess I did this one last year, but drove to it. First three miles are a trail runner's dream. Not that I ran. Much. Higher up there is more exposure and some tricky footing. I didn't like that as much.

Listened to Dixie Chicks to see what all the fuss is about. They sure have purty voices. Some of the songs were kind of boring, but I liked the easy gospelly sound of "I hope". "gonna live it up" sounds suspiciously like a song about getting high, but maybe I read that into things. There is one song that starts in the left ear only, which is annoying because my iPod earphones are tricky and keep cutting out on the right, so I spent a bunch of time at that song trying to fix the earphones. I loved "not ready to make nice" and am quite fond of "taking the long way round" - especially the way she sings "'kiss all the ASSES".

Mostly listened to the opera rehearsal CD and sang along, to practice, resulting in a number of embarrassing encounters along the trail. I play a security guard who is obnoxious to kids and sings things like "shut your lousy traps" and "she's so strict it's exciting."

C • what all the fuss is about 5

Up a hill near Tucson with Katie, Ana & Peg. Couldn't keep up with Peg & Katie. Felt that despairing feeling of being so slow, which I've been feeling a lot.

There has been a lot of discussion of a possible A-meet in Tucson, with many good arguments pro and con. There is a rumor that some elite Finns will visit for some training next winter. Which some see as a good opportunity for a WRE, and others as a chance to host some people just training.

This felt really hard. Maybe I was dehydrated. Very slow. Finger Rock Trail.

Bike too small. Bike seat painful. Prefer big padded old-lady bike seat. From Peg's house to Sabino Canyon ranger station. Quite a lot of stops at street crossings.

Up into Bear Canyon, and Seven Falls.
As I was starting out, my attention was drawn by a woman ahead of me who looked pretty strong. We leapfrogged a bit because she took a wrong turn or went off to go bouldering or something. We exchanged some pleasantries. Eventually we ended up hiking and lunching together. She has done some adventure racing, and would like to do more. I talked up orienteering and rogaining - and she would like to orienteer! and rogaine! Maybe even the Big Muddy with her friend from Bend. She's just turning 50. Lives in D.C.; she works for Transition International helping countries heal after civil war. She told me she's taught map & compass skills - to fellow smoke jumpers. !! ... She's planning to get a Bike Friday folding bike so that she can take it on planes and be instantly mobile wherever she is. (Warning - another AP-related gadget to try not to buy.) Very cool person, and super nice. I really had to push the pace to keep up with her, too.

At the end of the hike, an older runner was stretching, and he started chatting with me. Proselytizer that I am, I told him I thought he should add orienteering to his repertoire. He said he'd tried it once a long time ago and liked it, and had noticed that there was orienteering in Tucson.

So chalk me up for two O sales pitches for the day.

C • Nice work! 2

AbcDef (lovely dinner with beer & dessert at Leif Lundquist's house in the foothills)
Day 16 AACCDDDDDEE -> DDD

Sprint 1. Not sure of distance.

Sprint 2. Distance approximate.

OK, this is pretty lame as training but it gets me my required daily hour of exercise. Walked with Matt from his house to Barrios, for dinner, and back. The waitstaff all know him and gave us extra free glasses of wine.

Abcdef.

I had been abusing a loophole in my alphabet system, which is that eating potato chips is not penalized. This resulted in over-indulgence and subsequent discomfort. I hereby add them to "D".

I've not been really enjoying my transgressions enough - I want to take better advantage of them.

Day 15 ACCDDDDEE
Now, I get one "free" letter a week, so this compresses to DD...