Training Log Archive: maprunner

I did part of our orienteering skills course (compass work) today before I worked at the event. It was fun to be in the woods, watching people and helping them. We had 8 people, which was a better turn out than I expected.

Sandy and I checked out some control locations for our Rockcrusher event. It is fun to teach someone new how to vet control locations and consider the course design.

10 secs running
10 secs faster
10 secs fastest
5 sec sprint

Rockhaven local race. After working at the start and giving beginner's briefings, I set out on my course. What a difference a day makes! I felt good right from the start and was able to keep moving at a decent pace.

It is really hard to run through the woods here because they are so junky. But I am also not in woods running shape. So I walked a lot in the woods and all of the uphills. But I ran pretty consistently on the trails. I was pleased with my ability to look ahead and see terrain features (and an occasional marker) in the distance.

My only bobble was getting to the finish. I was tired and just wanted to finish, so I ran out through the field without thinking or looking.

Downloaded and discovered I had taken the course win! A nice day.

We also had a great turnout, lots of adventure racers and trail runners for a change.

Finally updated my 2017 Goals http://www.attackpoint.org/viewlog.jsp/user_246/pe...

Warm beautiful day, so I went to Clinton for a long outing on an old training map. This is a barebones map, no rock, no vegetation, basically trails and contours. (The woods are really crappy).

My goal was to look ahead in the terrain as much as was possible. I was also sleepy and hungry, so I decided this would be a good training to see how I could manage under those conditions (I often have trouble sleeping at A meets).

I started at 5 and tried to go on a straight line to 6. I remember crossing the parking lot and saying, I have to go to the second tree line in the distance. Trouble is, I didn't look at my compass. I really needed to head towards the third tree line in the distance. Went into the second reentrant, walked too long on the trail before things started to register as "wrong". Came out of the reentrant and still took a few moments to determine exactly where I was. Then finally made my way to 6.

This is my issue with looking ahead: I make a decision and put my brain on auto-pilot. I have to learn the right balance of letting go of the map and paying enough attention to the map.

Did much better on the way to 7. I was able to identify specific contour features and aim for certain points (such as a bend in the stream, or a certain distance from the curve in the hill.

I wonder if I need to spend some time warming up when I don't feel so awake and alert at the start? I felt better as the course wore on, even though I had no food or water with me (so I got thirstier and hungrier).

Rest of the course was pretty easy but I made sure to know what the next feature was around the curve in the trail.

Two odd occurrences today: I heard a loud series of cracking sounds, I assume it was a large tree falling nearby (although I couldn't see it). Odd because it was a sunny day with little wind. It was quite scary to hear this sound in the middle of nowhere.

Passed a man cutting branches with a machete. Odd enough. But he also had three little boys with him, standing quite close to the flying blade and woods chips. Hum.

First night-O of the season. I went to SMP and ran one of the IS orange courses (backward). I had to skip one control because the stream is pretty high and I didn't feel like getting wet.

Found one small section of decent woods and did some terrain running a la Cristina

Day 2 - Green Y - Splits

Day 1 - GreenY - Splits

Event: GNC 2017: Georgia Navigator Cup
 

Sprint - Green - Splits

Headlight run on west campus. I love my new brighter light. I also love freaking out the deer. At one point, my headlight caught some reflecting eyes jumping up and down in the tall grass. I stopped to look at what it was, hoping it might be a coyote or something exotic. It didn't run away as I approached, so I should have figured it out: a house cat.

I threw in a few hill repeats, to convince myself I had "trained" for Georgia.

Travel day: drive to OAK, fly to MCI, drive to Lawrence. Listened to the first half of the Giants/Green Bay playoff game on the way home. Unfortunately, I was able to watch the dismal second half.

Mike and I went to the BAOC trim course at Bayfront Park in Menlo Park. This was a nice area, with some great views of the bay. I picked a few trim locations and a few others that looked interesting and walked to them. It was rainy and very windy, but warm.

Then we drove to Stanford to run a short sprint course (Thanks to Tori and Bob for the map!)

I drew myself a course and tried to run it pretty steadily. The map was last updated in 2010, so I was confused at 2 and 5 (things looked differently now). And my planned route to 6 was now blocked by a new fence. But this was a nice run. It's always fun to run on a new map, and it was good sprint practice. Nice campus!

We were in the Bay Area to celebrate my mom's 90th birthday. We had a nice lunch in a private room at a restaurant. Many siblings, cousins, and in-laws joined us. Mom had a great time.

Travel day: fly MCI to OAK then drive to Palo Alto

Mike and I went to Rockhaven to retrieve the markers from the Christmas course. I feel like I might be getting a cold and I didn't really want to go out. But it was really warm and it's always fun to be in the woods, so I went. I walked very slowly and just enjoyed myself. It was a much nicer outing than I expected.

We had gone to see Rogue One earlier in the day. That was just as nice as expected.

2017 Goals

Training: Overall: 250 hours, just because it’s longer than I have ever done, it’s a few more hours than 2015, and it’s a nice round number.
Orienteering: 85 hours
Yoga or stretch: every week

Results: This is usually “my year” when the better folks have moved out of my age class and I am able to win the Classic Champs. I won when I was 39, 44, 49. I should be good to go since I turn 54 this year.
But the better folks don’t want to run F55 brown and they have stayed on Green. So my goal for this year is to be the best true F50 at the Classic Champs. Yes, I know I “should” be able to beat women who are older than me, but these folks are so much better than me, I can never beat them. So, this is the best goal that I can set for myself, as a stretch but still attainable goal.

Focus: This year’s word is “ahead”. Look ahead in the terrain, look ahead on the map (“100 meters in the future”)

Edit: Track races
Is this will be a big year for master's track competition. My goal is a new PR in the 50m and the 100m

Our annual New Year's day event. Gene set the courses at Woodridge. I worked registration first and did some beginner's briefings. We had a great turnout, our best ever.

The course was listed as 4.2k but it turned out is was a classic case of mixing up a 1:15 and a 1:10 base map during course setting. So the course was actually only 2.8k. If I had known that, I would have gone out on the long course.

I loved the beginning of the course because it went into a new area of the map. And I was moving well.

I was too high approaching 4 and then I got distracted by some beginners. They had taken their kids on the medium course, against my recommendation. I talked to them about the course cut off time, and suggested that they skip from 4 to 8. They I headed off to 5.

I was slow but clean on the uphills and made my way through to 8. As I got there, the family from 4 was just approaching! They thanked me for the suggestion, said it had been a good idea.

Nice time hanging around at the finish talking with old and new friends. This is such a great way to start the New Year!