Training Log Archive: maprunner

C • the M 4

Long and Flat at SMP. Course was sloppy an wet, with standing water on the horse trails and deep rapid (cold!) stream crossings. But I felt good. I prepared by getting a good night's sleep, followed by a nap (why can't all O meets start at 2 pm??). Also, I made sure I was well hydrated, and warmed up for 15 minutes before starting. Then I pushed a little harder than usual for the first few controls. I was happy to see that it didn't make me too tired at the end of the course. So I finished with another PR. Maybe next month I'll be able to break 10 min/k....

Long and Flat - Splits

Important discovery during my trip to the grocery store this evening: Peep season has begun!

C • Peeps! 12

C • Peeps! 1

An early exit from work, a beautiful warm day--I was all set for a nice training run. And I started orienteering at SMP, but I had no "go in my mojo", to steal a phrase from Tom. So I stopped after awhile, and walked back in. Oh well, life happens.

Moving through the woods at SMP after work. Wanted to orienteer, thought I had a map in the car, but I didn't. Oh well, it was fun to just jog wherever.

What a difference a week makes: last Wed it was 15 degrees; today it was 62.

An interesting evening . Janis and Jimi: both born in 1943, both died in 1970, both heroin OD. Coincidence? I think not...

Georgia Day Two: a bad day. At least I know my fitness level; I'm not ready for two tough days in a row.

Mentally and physically dead today. Complete disasters on controls 1 and 2 before I settled down. Never sharp, though, the rest of the day.

Off to the airport now; more details later.
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Made it home, no flight problems, for a change.

More about the course: I was tired at the start, but not sore. But I obviously was not concentrating, because I drifted way off to the right on the first control. Even when I hit an obvious field and road, it took me a minute to relocate.

Moved on to #2, thinking I had got it out of my system. Ha! Ignored all sorts of warnings, like when I thought "this trail ended sooner than I expected" and "wow, a huge fence; why isn't this on the map?" I ignored the obvious implication of that thought for another 8 minutes or so. Yuck!

After that, I actually read the map a little bit, but I was not seeing as much detail as I saw/processed yesterday. Also, couldn't move, and I walked most of the course. Couldn't lift my feet, so I tripped over every tiny stick and got tangled in every vine. But finished without any more completely brain-dead moments.

Any ideas on how to improve my fitness to the next level, so that I can orienteer well/fast two days in a row ??????

Day 2 Green X - Splits

Event: Georgia Navigator Cup
 

Georgia Day One--a very good day. I wanted to concentrate on the navigation and map reading, and not think about running. And I did. Some small bobbles and hesitations, but nothing huge. Very happy with my map reading ability, thanks to new contacts and a magnifier (although I didn't need the magnifier at all). Hills were very tough but my Wyandotte training helped a lot. My legs are pretty tired now; let's hope I didn't blow everything on day one, and leave nothing for day two.

Almost forgot to mention that GAOC is doing a great job: good maps and courses, fine organization. The weather is a bit too cold, but I'll forgive them for that :)

C • Superb race! 1

Walked the sprint course designed by Vlad. Legs are tired.

Funny moment: Mike was on the computer, reading Attackpoint. He noticed that Cristina was updating her log at the same time, so he kept refreshing to see what she wrote. All this, while Cristina sat on the other side of the wall, in the next hotel room. We no longer have to have actual face-to-face conversations any more :)

Green X Day 1 - Splits

SMP after work. 15 degrees and a couple of inches of fresh snow were not going to keep me indoors tonight. I don't recall ever orienteering with so much snow on the trees; it was hard to see contours, or distant objects. But it was very beautiful.

At SMP after work. My plan was to run some of the controls I skipped at the last meet. But I ended up doing something different, and conducting a few experiments in the process.

I had to change my plans, because it was raining, and I had forgotten my O shoes (only had my running shoes). So I went to a few controls I visited two weeks ago, trying to stick to the bike trails. However, they were pretty slick, so I just walked through the woods from control to control.

One experiment: using the magnifier in the rain. Definitely need to wipe it off often in order to see.

Second experiment: seeing if my training has affected how I orienteer. My recent sessions have been aimed at learning to orienteer while moving quickly (jogging). Tonight, I walked a course for the first time in months, and it felt weird. Which means I must be adapting to a faster pace. Cool.

I had to cut the session short, because it got dark sooner than it should, thanks to the heavy clouds.

But I'm glad I went out, because it was a lot of fun, and I felt good. I had hesitated, because it was the worst weather (35 degrees and dropping, rain) but I reminded myself that I would gladly go running in this weather if I was at an A meet :)

Here, there and everywhere through the woods at Wyandotte. Mostly up and down hills, including some steep sections.

Felt completely dead, both physically and mentally. Oh well, better this weekend than next.

Just a little something to get the blood moving again after a long travel day.

C • Were you really in Puerto Rico... 4

An almost perfect Mary day, with plenty of AOWN moments.
1. slept late
2. ate breakfast on the balcony, watching the crashing waves below.
3. Lounged in a hammock under the palm trees.
4. dipped my feet in the ocean
5. walked around the botanical gardens. Saw lots of scurrying lizards, and heard plenty of birds. Also saw lots of giant house plants (at least, that's what they were to me). At first I was frustrated by the lack of a map, but I eventually had fun exploring, and seeing "where this trail goes". Watched a crane, or heron (I don't know birds, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't a wren) catching fish.
6. Walked around the local shopping district, watching the people and seeing what was for sale.
7. Found a fabric store, and bought some souvenirs.
8. Talked to Mike on the phone, and he "found" me on Google earth, right down to the giant tree to my left.
9. Back to the hotel in the old city, for a jog on the Paseo del Morro. Bay water on one side, ancient city wall on the other. Beautiful. Although it was crawling with stray cats (saveagato.org)
10. Watched the sun set into the ocean.
11. Dined outdoors under the palms.

The best part was that I was paid to do all this :)

Valerie's body would hate it here, but my body keeps saying "Thank you". Too bad it's back to winter tomorrow.

A great day. After visiting our client in Manati, my co--worker and I had lunch on the beach, then toured the old city. Followed by a short jog in Munoz Rivera park.

Finished Special Topics in Calamity Physics

Possum Trot local meet at SMP. It was supposed to be a 60 minute score O, but it was so cold, they started us 5 minutes early.

I hadn't raced since November; it was fun to see others in the woods, and try to move quickly while reading the map. I was much better on running to the control, instead of my previous habit of stopping on the edge of the circle. Moved steadily through the woods. Still some bobbles on map reading; need to continue to work on that. All in all, a very fun day.

One unexpected bonus: markers! I haven't run a course with markers since November. It was a great boost to be able to see them from far away, and just run to it.

Wyandotte short and hilly today. It was cold at the start, and I took some time to warm up (literally and figuratively). But once I got going, it felt good. I was able to jog through the woods, even though there was more snow than I expected. And I finally hit #13 cleanly, by reading the contours better (instead of trying to run on the compass).

Mike saw me in the woods a few times, and he commented later that I had really improved in my running. I had felt the improvement, of course, but it was nice to have it confirmed :)

short and hilly - Splits