Training Log Archive: maprunner

I was working at home today, so I was able to get out the door just as soon as my day ended (which was 2 hours earlier than usual--I love holiday weeks and nice bosses). Beautiful day, 52 degrees. Explored the latest changes around the high school fields. They're adding wood chips to the cross country course; is that usual?

A great day, with many OKers getting together at Woodridge. Most went for a trail run, but I wanted to start off the year with some O. I did the first 10 controls of the KS champs course (till the end of the park) and then I came back on the lake edge trail. Beautiful day, great weather, even better company.

2009 Goals

Well, I'm going to be really boring, and list the same incremental improvement goals. However, the targets have changed, based on 2008 results.

Time Lost
2008: 83% of races <15%. Median was 9.85%. Range was 0 to 34.3.
***My 2009 goal is to lose <10% of time in >80% of my O races.

Consistency
2008: 78% of races <20. Median was 17.10. Range was 8.4 to 45.
***My 2009 goal is to have a consistency level <17 in >80% of my O races.

USOF Ranking:
2008 ranking points: 65.10
***My 2009 goal is to increase my USOF ranking points

Now I need a goal to stretch myself, so I will make a very small local level O map, learning the process from start to finish.

And for fun, I will train/take a class in a unique sport. Maybe learn something new, like tennis or golf? Maybe go back to sports I haven't done in a while? I was just learning to jump, in both ice skating and horse riding. We'll see.

Race of the Year: West Point. Not that this is an important race in itself, but I want to work towards being able to compete quick and clean in tough terrain. And this should be a very good test, at the end of my woods training season.

2008 Summary

On January 1st, I set three "gradual improvement" goals for the year. How did I do?

Time Lost
2007, my median % time lost was 15; with a range of 0 to 57.
***My 2008 goal was to lose <15% of time in >80% of my O races.
RESULT: 83% of races <15%. Median was 9.85%. Range was 0 to 34.3.
Good!

Consistency
2007, median consistency was 20; with a range of 6 to 45.
***My 2008 goal was to have a consistency level <20 in >80% of my O races.
RESULT: 78% of races <20. Median was 17.10. Range was 8.4 to 45.
So-so

USOF Ranking:
2007 ranking points: 62.08
***My 2008 goal was to increase my USOF ranking points
RESULT: final ranking points 65.10
Good!

Some highlights:
1. I increased my total training hours 10% over 2007.
2. I increased my fitness. In January, I had to run 9 min/walk 1 min on my trail runs. Now I routinely do 60 minute continuous runs.
3. I beat Peggy in a race for the first time ever.
4. I cut way down on my "wandering when lost". I stop and relocate much sooner now.
5. I improved my consistency in USOF ranked races. The ranking scores that counted this year were: 61.28, 63.08, 63.71, 64.22, 66.02, 67.05, 70.37
7. I logged more training hours on AP than Mike.
8. I had a solid performance at the North American champs. If I had run the second sprint, I would have placed third in F45 for the weekend.

C • Highlights 6

The trails at SMP are closed, so I just ran around the fields tonight. It was supposed to be 50 degrees, so I had only brought a short-sleeved shirt and a light pair of pants. Instead, it was lower 40s with a _howling_ north wind. Good thing I had a jacket and gloves in the car.

Memory #10, Best Run, 18 May 02, Short O Champs (my route and the results )

Flyt. The Zone. Whatever you call it, I have experienced that feeling of everything going just right during an O race. Only once, at the 2002 short champs. I had been training fairly regularly, in order to try to win the US Champs in Nov '02. This was just one race along the way.

I had a lot of adrenaline at the start, but I also felt strangely calm. I thought: you know how to do this. As soon as I started, everything just clicked. I would glance at the map, look up, and think: I want to go _there_. And I spiked every control. I wasn't moving very fast, but I was absolutely clean. Everything made sense. I could read the map effortlessly.

During the run, I was vaguely aware that it was going well. But as soon as I finished, I knew. When Mike asked me about my race, I replied "I just ran the best race of my life". It was a great feeling. Bonus: I had also won my age class.

To me, this is my most meaningful US Champ title. And so far, my proudest O moment.

Memory #9, Oringen 2001

Almost as soon as anyone starts orienteering regularly, they hear about Oringen, and are incredulous. Attending local meets with maybe 50 participants, it's impossible to imagine that there could be 10,000 orienteers in the whole world, let alone in the same place at the same time. One has to see this to believe. I immediately promised myself that one day I would attend Oringen. It took 13 years, and marriage to a man fluent in Swedish, before I traveled to Sweden for my first Oringen. And it did not disappoint. I had the full range of experiences: long walks to the starts, being serenaded by bands along the way; sitting on a stool in a large field, eating lunch; having someone ask me for help; having someone offer to help me; and someone grabbing my map out of my hand at a control. But I have two favorite memories:

1. standing next to a thicket, knowing I was in the control circle but not seeing my marker. But I did hear repeated "beeps" as multitudes puched the control box just on the other side of the thicket. This was the only time that I found a control by sound!

2. Taking the time to stand off the trail near the finish one day, just to watch all the people run by in all directions. Young, old, fit, unfit, by the hundreds in just a few minutes. It was an amazing sight to see.

C • Oringen 9

It was not quite the Sprint-Middle-Long week that I had hoped, but I thought it would be good to try my SMP test loop today. Especially since my legs were pretty tired when I woke up. This feels like day two of a hard O meet, I thought. The weather was perfect, 30 degrees, sunny and getting warmer. There was just a dusting of snow, so I could see that I was the first human to leave footprints on the trails. I started off pretty well, moving smoothly, legs not too bad. I was overdressed, but it was easy to leave some clothes at the common control. As I was coming back up the hill to the common control (6) my left hamstring started to protest. I stopped and stretched it out, but it still felt funny. I decided to keep going as long as I could, especially to see if I could hit 9 cleanly this time. But my heart wasn't really in it, and I made a bone-head 180 on the trail towards 7. Recovered and made it through 12, when I decided to wimp out and head back to the car.

Memory #8, Speed

Whenever I had to participate in running sports in gym class, I always opted for the sprint event. I thought it was because I was basically lazy, and never played sports. But I've discovered that I must have a higher-than average percentage of fast-twitch muscles: I'm built for speed. As I got fitter, I found a finishing kick, and I actually love finish chutes now.)

In Ohio, I won an A meet by 11 seconds (9 of which I gained in the chute). Tom Carr once told me that he and I approached the GO control together, and he thought, I can out-run Mary to the finish. But when he punched and looked up, I was already gone. And at this year's NA Sprint event, I had a great finish. I ran 11 seconds; the best time for elite men was 9 seconds and the best time for elite women was 10.

Sprinting is really fun for me; my body gets totally relaxed and I feel like I'm flying. Thank you mom and dad :)

C • Twitch 1

long flats 3 - Splits