Training Log Archive: maprunner

Too cold outside, so I exercised in the basement.

2017 Review

Training:
Overall goal: 250 hours. Result: 257 hours of training, my most ever!
Orienteering goal: 85 hours. Result: 86 hours
Yoga or stretch goal: every week: only hit this about 70% of the time

Results:
Goal: be the best true F50 at the Classic Champs.
Well, first of all, I didn’t realize that Kristin Hall was only 4 years younger than me, and if she chooses to run her age class, we’re together. So, no, I didn’t beat Kristin at the US Champs (and I never will). I didn’t beat many folks, because I had two sucky days. For what it's worth, I was the second true F50. This was a fail.

Focus goal: This year’s word is “ahead”.
Mixed results, but I’m still practicing.

In some other numbers:
garments sewn: 5
books read: 17
years married: 20
OK starts: 275 (a new high!)
national events: 18

Highlight of the year: winning the middle champs in Idaho!

C • Year's Highlight 1

Mike and I went to Woodridge today. It was cold (-12C) and windy, but this is the warmest it will be for the next 48 hours. We had to postpone our New Year's event due to wind chill warnings.

I hung some tapes for my event (later in Jan). Scared up a great blue heron and saw lots of animal tracks in the snow.

Dinner and a movie (3 Billboards) with Sandy to celebrate her birthday.

C • 3 Billboards 3

Kids stayed until 10 am, then I had the place to myself. After cleaning up, I sat and watched some TV. When Mike came home from work, we went over to Mom and Ron's for dinner with everyone.

Sewing day with the nephew. Our Christmas gift to him was I would teach him to sew some fleece socks. That went really well, and he liked sewing, and fleece, so we went back to the store to get more and he made a sleeping bag (aka snuggie) with blanket binding on the top. It was a fun day, and I enjoyed spending time with just him.

Bu then his sister joined us for dinner and another sleepover, and the fighting began as soon as they were together. Summer and Silas helped keep the peace, and they enjoyed MIke's homemade pizza. Couple of games of laser tag and hide-and-seek before bed.

Long fun day with our niece and nephew. The spent the night last night, and stayed at our house all day. Summer and Silas helped me entertain them in the morning (Mike had to work). In the afternoon, I had to keep the peace and keep them entertained, so we did some science experiments. They liked blowing soap bubble in the cold air and watching them freeze.

Delicious meal cooked by Summer and Silas for the whole family at Pam's house tonight.

Christmas day orienteering, Clinton middle course. I have gone orienteering on Christmas day every year since 1989 or 1990, to the best of my recollection. Fun way to celebrate the day. We had "white-ish" Christmas this year with a light dusting of snow on the ground. Just enough to see tracks and highlight deer trails through the woods. Mike went for trail run, and I estimated that this course would take me 60-65 minutes. I was pleased to be able to keep a steady pace and finish in 52 minutes.

Nice dinner at mom and Ron's house later, with excellent cooking by Annette. Tons of presents and good times with the kids.

Fun family day, hosting everyone for our niece's 9th birthday party. A bit tight to fit 11 people in our living room, but we all had a good time.

Dinner at Mom and Ron's later with the same group of folks.

Mike and I went to Clinton to run part of the club's Christmas course. I still had to hang tapes at 44 and 40, then I ad-libbed it from there (Mike started at the triangle and ran the long course). I deliberately took routes through the woods, so I can get in shape for the local season, and Georgia.

http://sprintseries.org/doma/show_map.php?user=map...

hanging tapes at Clinton. Did some O-vangelism with a disc golfer (I parked in their lot) and ran into Sandy on the trails.

Short run at Clinton trails on a rainy morning

PTOC event at Lake Jacomo West.
I decided to take it easy (physically) but really concentrate on the navigation and staying focused for the whole race.

Fail.

I did pretty well until number 9. I was getting a bit cocky, thinking things were going fairly well. Then I lost focus and convinced myself I was on the lower trail (closer to the lake) rather than remembering that I was on the upper trail. I went "too far" of the trail, but didn't stop and think. Instead, I ran back and left the trail going west, looking for the cliff. I ignored all other signs that I was in the wrong place, and did not think about distance. Until I saw the field and the road, and then I finally admitted I was in the wrong place.

This happened about one hour into the race. I tend to get tired right around one hour. I didn't carry any food with me today, just water. Don't know if the mistake was mental weakness, or physical weakness or a combination. I had trouble lifting my legs high enough in the woods; I stumbled and tripped over things all day, and took one hard fall.

http://sprintseries.org/doma/show_map.php?user=map...

Weather was nice, woods were thorny, nice to have Blair's company on the drive. We also had lunch with Reed at Panera, and he told us all about his trip to Patagonia last month. Gave us lots of suggestions and advice for hiking in Torres del Paine national park.

C • Tired at an hour 7

I have a cold. It’s pretty minor but still annoying.

I usually orienteer every weekend in the winter, but I was feeling mentally tired. I just wanted to run and not think today. So I went for a short shuffle at the Overlook.

Frosty 40 (or Tinsel 20) at Ft Leavenworth

My goal for this local O season is to recruit more women to orienteering. So I had volunteered to join a team, if needed. Connie introduced me to 2 women who had been to a few events but wanted some more guidance on orienteering. Katie and I went together the whole time; Wendy and her son Henry (in a stroller) were with us for the first few controls only.

I gave them a little bit of instruction at the beginning, and let them lead to the controls. They were both very good at map-reading. And were very fit. It was hard to keep up with them on the flat roads. But I was much better than Katie in the woods.

A few markers were misplaced (34, 37, 3) but that provided a chance to give some instruction on reading the map and dealing with adventure race course setting.

http://sprintseries.org/doma/index.php?user=maprun...

I was supposed to go to Zumba tonight, but I just didn't want to go. So I didn't.

C • Miles 2

OINK day 3, AJ Jolly Park. Sunny and 3C at the start.

They told us at the start "it's rough at the beginning but it gets better".
I should have heeded the warning and gone around to 1. Instead, I went on the trail until it bent and then plunged into the thicket. It was very slow going, hard to keep a straight line, had to bend over all the time. Somewhere in here I broke off my magnifier, went through the rest of the race without it.

I was very slow to 1, but found it without too much trouble. I had a hard time keeping a straight line to 2, but I knew I had to turn right when I hit the stream. Did OK on 3, then totally missed 4. Walked right past it. I was expecting it to be in the top of the ditch, so I kept going, until I saw the power line and turned back. I did remember to use my system to stop and think before deciding what to do next, so I'm pleased that seemed to work.

Thankfully, the woods opened up after this. After 6 we left the woods and it became a long sprint-like course. I told myself to keep up the pace but not to worry about speed, since I had none today. Three days of racing is still too much for my body.

The only other control that gave me any trouble was 14. First I ran a bit too far to the edge of the parking lot, and then when I backtracked, the woods were really thick and crappy and it was steep drop down to the control. I refused to leave the parking lot until I could see the boulder or the marker. As I slid down on my butt, I was thinking "I hope this control isn't on the brown course" (It wasn't).

http://sprintseries.org/doma/show_map.php?user=map...

I'm generally pleased with the weekend. I wasn't perfect, but I lost much less time on any individual control, which was what I was trying to improve. It helped that these were middle courses with lots of short legs, but it still required concentration and patience not to blow up on any one of them. My speed is till slow in the woods (and due to map reading) but I can work on those this winter season.

Speaking of winter: when I was at the QOC champs, many folks told me they would never go to Cincinnati in December for O. Granted, the weather could have been nasty (instead it was >15C every day) but I was still surprised. I'm even more surprised when I see how many folks I follow on AP were outside this past weekend, and many of them went orienteering (locally). So maybe it wasn't the fact that it was orienteering in Dec that held them back, but the travel? I guess I can understand that.

Those of us who did attend had a good time! I'm glad I went. Thanks OCIN!

OCIN_OINK_Sunday_AJ_Jolly_December_2017_5 Green - Splits

OINK day 2, Camp Ernst

Day 2, trying to have another clean day. I was slow and befuddled a lot today, just not sharp. The controls kept coming up so fast and I wasn't planning well. Lots of little bobbles (leaving 1, stopping too soon on 5, missing 17, stopping too soon on 18) and one big route choice error (12) Used my plan to stop and think when things didn't make sense on 3 controls (5, 12 and 18) so that was progress. No major walk-abouts today. Just wish I had been thinking better.

http://sprintseries.org/doma/show_map.php?user=map...

Nice dinner tonight with Mike's sister Summer and her husband (they live in Lexington) at Farmstand Market and Cafe. Quite good food. The waiter saw us looking at an O map and asked about it, said someone had been in the night before, also had one of those maps, looked at it all through dinner :)

C • Day 2 1

OCIN_OINK_Camp _Ernst_December_2017_5 Green - Splits

Event: OCIN TROL / OINK! (Winter Pig National Event)
 

Note: we started the day by visiting the Cincinnati Art Museum. Nice enough, couple of cool items.
This log entry is for my warm up before the race.

OINK day 1 at Waller-Stephenson Mill Park
Sunny and 50s

My goal was to have a clean race and I did fairly well. A 1-min bad route choice (13, had to go around some dark green), and few minor bobbles (10, 14) when I was getting tired. But the rest of the time I was able to concentrate and read the map well.

Mike thinks the woods were nicer than home (there was less underbrush) but I think the thorns were worse (lots of scratches on my arms).

Kudos to OCIN for getting some cool courses in such a tiny area. They also showed us the blank map one minute before the start, which was a nice touch.

http://sprintseries.org/doma/show_map.php?user=map...

C • Blank map 3

OCIN_OINK_Friday_Waller-Stephenson_Dec_2017_5 Gree - Splits