Training Log Archive: AliC

Back in La Serena, a jog around a quiet Sunday morning city. After finding a cash point, made my way down to and along the beach and then back up through the city. Only a few stray dogs followed me, none aggressively, they seem much more interested in barking at and chasing cars?

Last day up at the observatory, did a good interval run after a set of drills up on the telescope plateau.

The paved loop is almost exactly a mile, so did 3 x 1mi at 5k race pace-ish. Times were 8.03, 8.10, 7.44 (some climb involved!). I went the opposite direction on the 2nd one, made the hill one continuous thing and harder, so a bit slower. Really pushed the last hill of the last one.

Last night observing went really well, and the sky was just gorgeous when the moon finally left around 5am! A few more pictures of what it's like up here:

Dormitories and office building and mountains!

The Cerro Pachon telescopes, Gemini and SOAR, 20k away or so.

5 min abs, 2 min hammies

Great long run, ran *all* over the mountain top and then just a bit down the side when I got bored... Was super neat, found all sorts of nooks and cranies, including an abandoned soccer pitch, the radio communcations tower (didn't get too close because it was marked with a skull and cross bones), and a little telescope off the side, not sure why it doesn't get to hang out with all the others right on top....

Down the side of the hill was also fun, there was a little mini-oasis that had green plants and even a smidgen of water, maybe on outlet from the observatory comes out there? And then otherwise, was just running in the middle of huge mountains, awesome.

Not much wildlife, certainly nothing dangerous (had asked the driver about that on the car trip up, actually), saw some birds and an eency little lizard. Think they're probably mostly concerned with people getting heat/altitude exhaustion when they venture out of the observatory, it is hot, high and dry!

Tired by the end for sure, and was just a bit late for the beginning of observations, luckily our grad student is a rock star and I'm not really doing oodles anyways. Looks clear, hopefully it stays so all night, yesterday was cloudy, we could still observe (because looking in the infrared), but data will be impossible to calibrate unless we get data sans clouds tonight.

C • Southern Hemisphere Astro-teering 4

And got an email after my run yesterday informing me I wasn't actually allowed to run on the access road, too dangerous, boo. It's not at all dangerous, just a road!! In fact, probably less dangerous than a normal road. because way lower traffic, only 2 cars in 1h?

Anyways, did a workout just around the observatory, including intervals on the shortcut-to-telescopes path, which goes up on a little trail straight from the dormitory. Nice little up hill interval, kept negative splitting, so I guess I started a bit easy.

Also, saw a fox and some other animal that looks like a bunny, but dark and with a big bushy tail. Kinda hops around like a bunny though, through all the rocks, cute!

C • Access road 13

Hammie exercises, as best I can approximate with a chair instead of exercise ball.

And day 1 of altitude training! Sunny and windy on the mountain top and the only way to head is down the access road. So did that, but did little 1 minute detours back up on the way down and down on the way up, to keep it from just being a cruise down and then a slog back up.

Calves finally felt good, and running felt good at the beginning, but definitely tired and lactate-y on the way back up. Outside hamstrings a bit sore into knee insertion, strange, the problem has been with my inner hamstrings usually...

Here's a picture of the telescopes from below, tonight I'll be using the big one in the front with the silver dome- hope the sky stays as clear as it is now all night!!

C • NEAT!!!! 3

Abs.

Not quite nocturnal yet, only managed to stay up until 12.30 last night... obs start tomorrow night though, will be 8pm-7am, so tonight should try to make it until later...

Went out for a little run, calves were tight, but starting to be under control. Stray dogs didn't bug me at all, phew. Was nervous after one kept biting my skirt yesterday while we walked around town, my boss even gave it a kick to shoo it away, but kept following us until we escaped into a shopping mall. Gosh!

In Chile!! Woo! (Thanks to Neil and unthanks to me abandoning my passport for a bit.) Sunny and warm and going to go walk on the beach. =) Calves still sore, so likely today will be off. Tomorrow is heading up to the telescope!

C • Did you try to leave the co... 10

C • Beach 2