Training Log Archive: RLShadow

Hojack Trail run, with Homer.

Mostly-trail run with Homer. Whiting Rd trails to Pellet Rd, into the Gosnell Woods, took the Big Woods trail and the Meadow trail. Then about a mile on the roads, back into the Whiting trails at Pellet Rd, and back to car.

Hojack Trail run, with Homer. Not a real pleasant day but not terrible. Low 40's, drizzle, but not nearly as much wind as yesterday. From Klem Rd, to Vosburg, then up to the Gosnell field, around the field once, and back.

Blustery, rainy day, so I did a treadmill workout at the Webster rec center. Forgot two things -- a water bottle, and my iPod on which I had planned to listen to the Fresh Air interview with Bruce Springsteen.

Incline ranged from 5% to 15%, although it wasn't at 15% for very long, I just took it up to see what the max was (which was 15%!). Average was around 7.5%. Ran at 12 min/mile for the most part, with some slower running at the very beginning and very end.

I wonder how realistic the incline is on a treadmill, in terms of the effort expended. I really don't think I'd be able to run at 12 min/mile at 7.5% for 2.7 miles in the real world.

More mapping at Whiting Road. My last couple of outings have been quite enjoyable, mainly focusing on some nice areas of open woods with good contour detail. I had been avoiding tackling the thicker areas, but couldn't avoid it forever, so I focused on some of those today. Not real pleasant, and not all that satisfying because most of the places I went through today would be quite undesirable for orienteering.

I mentioned to Cheryl that I spent most of my time in some thicker areas today, and she said "Why don't you just map it all as dark green?" A thought which crossed my mind as I was battling some thorn bushes today....

The problem with that, of course, is that it isn't by any means all dark green -- more like various flavors of unpleasantness. Medium green; green slash symbol on top of rough open; some not too terrible rough open areas; a few welcome areas of light green; and of course, some out and out dark green. I did find a number of hunter stands which I mapped, and a few indistinct trails that provide some reasonably pleasant passage through some otherwise thick areas. I did locate a few small areas where it actually might make sense to put a control or two, so it didn't feel like a total waste. Just not nearly as satisfying as mapping the open woods areas, where it is easy to picture orienteers really enjoying the terrain, and all sorts of possibilities for decent control points.

Mostly (flat) trail run on the Hojack Trail, and the bird sanctuary trail, with a loop on the paved path around North Ponds Park. With Homer. He's getting his miles in this past week, and that's for sure.

Very nice morning. Sunny, mid 30's when I started out, but I quickly became too warm and shed my headband almost right away, then my light gloves a little later, and was still a bit too warm except when I was going into the wind at the North Ponds Park loop. I was surprised when I got home to find out it was only 43, because it certainly felt warmer than that.

C • Nice run 2