Training Log Archive: RosstopherIn the 31 days ending Jul 31, 2011:
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| Fr | Sa | Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Friday Jul 29, 2011 #
1 PM
Road run 10:36 [0] 1.66 mi (6:22 / mi) +35m 5:59 / mi
Road run 10:12 [0] 0.94 mi (10:54 / mi) +10m 10:33 / mi
4 PM
Road run 15:44 [0] 2.38 mi (6:36 / mi) +43m 6:15 / mi
Road run 14:12 [0] 1.4 mi (10:09 / mi) +33m 9:28 / mi
6 PM
Road run 12:34 [0] 1.43 mi (8:48 / mi) +57m 7:49 / mi
Thursday Jul 28, 2011 #
10 AM
Road run 6:25 [2] 0.73 mi (8:47 / mi) +3m 8:41 / mi
A new day in Switzerland, and Sandra had plans for us. Sandra and one of her juniors, Alex, headed off to set controls up all around the town in Neuchatel. So they left Sam and me to jog along the shore to where the start of our first sprint course. We had a few minutes to wait after we arrived, so we also spent some time doing CSU track drills. It's sad to miss out on the Tuesday Track sessions, but at least we can do our Frankenstein drills and our cradles.
orienteering 6:44 [5] 1.07 mi (6:18 / mi)
This Sprint was entitled Speed, and was mostly flat around buildings, heading in and out of courtyards. The first control was hung so low that I completely missed seeing it, and I thought that maybe there was a higher level and that I needed to climb the stairs to get to a platform or something. As I climbed the stairs I saw it was just lying on the ground behind me... things were a little smoother after that, a bit of a poor choice to 2, but clean to the rest. Slower than Alex for sure, but not too much slower.
orienteering 9:40 [5] 1.15 mi (8:23 / mi) +32m 7:43 / mi
orienteering 7:07 [5] 0.86 mi (8:18 / mi) +23m 7:39 / mi
orienteering 13:01 [2] 1.14 mi (11:23 / mi) +35m 10:23 / mi
Wednesday Jul 27, 2011 #
10 AM
Trail run 24:40 [2] 2.1 mi (11:46 / mi) +199m 9:05 / mi
orienteering 46:07 [5] 2.69 mi (17:07 / mi) +138m 14:46 / mi
Trail run 8:40 [3] 0.8 mi (10:51 / mi) +25m 9:53 / mi
Tuesday Jul 26, 2011 #
5 AM
orienteering 1:16:08 [4] 4.35 mi (17:30 / mi) +278m 14:36 / mi
8 AM
orienteering 20:00 [1] 1.15 mi (17:26 / mi) +46m 15:30 / mi
orienteering 1:16:36 [3] 3.91 mi (19:35 / mi) +274m 16:05 / mi
Monday Jul 25, 2011 #
6 AM
orienteering 1:20:46 [4] 4.78 mi (16:53 / mi) +316m 14:01 / mi
11 AM
orienteering 34:31 [4] 1.48 mi (23:20 / mi) +174m 17:06 / mi
Sunday Jul 24, 2011 #
10 AM
orienteering 1:49:09 [3] 4.96 mi (22:00 / mi) +520m 16:36 / mi
A very humbling outing on the Prépoulain map. 1:15000 requires a great deal of focus. Sam and I ran to the start (straight up hill) and then I set out on the Men's course from a french selection race that is also doubling as a model event. For the most part there were little paper tags at my control sites, but Sam discovered a few that were missing tags...
I was cruising along on my way to the first control, and then got a little bit lost, and a little bit lost leaves you very much confused. I relocated pretty quickly and found the control, but remained wary of moving too fast. The second control I navigated too perfectly, but was surprised because I actually expected it to be a little farther on. The whole course was only 8.6k, but I ran out of time (we had given ourselves a 100 minute time limit) after only doing about half, and then worked my way back to the car. When I was navigating well, I had no problems, but running on the steep climbs was very tough and it was very easy to get turned around on the intricate bits. In fact, I never actually found control #6, I found an extra streamer (the woods here are full of streamers, o-flags, lengths of toilet paper, all marking different controls for different training groups) on a nearby feature, and didn't realize I was too high until I hit the trail too early on my way to 7.
Also, I slipped on a slimy log and hit my back in an uncomfortable way, so not my favorite training so far here in France.
I was cruising along on my way to the first control, and then got a little bit lost, and a little bit lost leaves you very much confused. I relocated pretty quickly and found the control, but remained wary of moving too fast. The second control I navigated too perfectly, but was surprised because I actually expected it to be a little farther on. The whole course was only 8.6k, but I ran out of time (we had given ourselves a 100 minute time limit) after only doing about half, and then worked my way back to the car. When I was navigating well, I had no problems, but running on the steep climbs was very tough and it was very easy to get turned around on the intricate bits. In fact, I never actually found control #6, I found an extra streamer (the woods here are full of streamers, o-flags, lengths of toilet paper, all marking different controls for different training groups) on a nearby feature, and didn't realize I was too high until I hit the trail too early on my way to 7.
Also, I slipped on a slimy log and hit my back in an uncomfortable way, so not my favorite training so far here in France.
4 PM
orienteering 55:58 [5] 4.74 mi (11:48 / mi) +234m 10:14 / mi
Hurray for runnable woods. We parked at the south edge of the Montagne de Bange map but had a plan of running short courses on the northern section of the map. This meant that Sam and I started off with a nice ~20 minute trail run before heading out on our courses.
The 1:5000 scale and the open forests meant that I was having a fabulous time and was mostly able to stay in touch with the map. Made a rather silly mistake on 7, going way too high on a hillside.
Then after the orienteering, Sam and I booked it back down to the cars because we were running behind schedule and didn't want our new Finnish friend to have to wait for us. Very fun to splash through the mud on the downhill track back home!
The 1:5000 scale and the open forests meant that I was having a fabulous time and was mostly able to stay in touch with the map. Made a rather silly mistake on 7, going way too high on a hillside.
Then after the orienteering, Sam and I booked it back down to the cars because we were running behind schedule and didn't want our new Finnish friend to have to wait for us. Very fun to splash through the mud on the downhill track back home!
Saturday Jul 23, 2011 #
10 AM
orienteering 1:26:07 [2] 3.24 mi (26:35 / mi) +145m 23:20 / mi
My first time on the WOC relevant terrain and following coaches instructions, I went out at a slow pace to discover how everything was mapped. The closest map to our auberge is Montagne de Bange and we had a map with lots of control points dotted about, some from the organizers and some courtesy of the Finnish team that we copied down from Marika, another orienteer staying across the hall from us.
Sam and I went out together and soon learned the truth about this part of the map. It is super rocky, super hard to move through, and technically challenging. I was relieved to discover that navigation was possible if one remained focused, and as long as I was disciplined about following my plan, I could find the controls.
The weather was cold and wet, and we headed back a bit earlier than we otherwise would have because our hands had become frozen claws of clenchiness.
Only a few places where you could get up past a jogging pace, so I hope the races have slightly nicer woods.
Sam and I went out together and soon learned the truth about this part of the map. It is super rocky, super hard to move through, and technically challenging. I was relieved to discover that navigation was possible if one remained focused, and as long as I was disciplined about following my plan, I could find the controls.
The weather was cold and wet, and we headed back a bit earlier than we otherwise would have because our hands had become frozen claws of clenchiness.
Only a few places where you could get up past a jogging pace, so I hope the races have slightly nicer woods.
4 PM
orienteering 1:55:00 [3] 5.3 mi (21:42 / mi) +402m 17:34 / mi
Oh man, it takes so long to run such a short distance. The training in the afternoon was a two part affair. First, I followed Sam on a threshold trail run up from our auberge to the northern part of the Montagne de Bange map. Then I trailed along behind her for 3 controls that were only copied on her map, and tried to maintain contact with where we were. Then I lead the next one, which wasn't super successful as I dropped too far while the running was nice and then had to climb back up to the control. Then stopped about 20 meters short and had to spend some time relocating. After that, the next couple of controls went pretty well, and I was generally pleased with my navigation and running. Near the end of the training I met back up with Sam, and we ran a few more controls together and then back down to the auberge.
Friday Jul 22, 2011 #
9 PM
Road run 35:54 [3] 4.16 mi (8:38 / mi) +283m 7:07 / mi
A rainy evening, and a Ross that was full of dinner, but I wanted to get out and run after a stressful travel day. So I headed out the door with my music and a plan to head up the mountain for 20 minutes and then turn around and come back home. The valley was incredibly beautiful as dusk fell, with small patches of lights demarcating the towns and stunning profiles of the craggy ridges of rock that run along the mountain peaks.
Thursday Jul 21, 2011 #
10 AM
Road run 1:23:38 [0] 4.89 mi (17:07 / mi) +120m 15:54 / mi
11 AM
Road run 48:26 [2] 3.06 mi (15:50 / mi) +86m 14:33 / mi
An exploratory run around Uppsala. First a test of how long it takes to get to the Rudbeck Laboratory, where I will be working (~10 mins) and then up and around on the cool looking hills and parks nearby before heading back to base camp. It's fun to have a map of the entire city on which to go adventuring.
8 PM
Road run 18:34 [2] 2.21 mi (8:24 / mi) +17m 8:12 / mi
Running after dinner, doing some errands. First to the clubhouse (CSU, we seriously need to work on getting a clubhouse) to drop something off, and then to the nearby bus stops to get photos of the various time schedules to help us choose the optimal bus and time to get to the airport tomorrow. Sam's naturally super anxious about getting there early so having exact times will be a soothing influence.
Wednesday Jul 20, 2011 #
9 AM
Road run 1:10:13 [0] 6.39 mi (10:59 / mi) +102m 10:28 / mi
Sunday Jul 17, 2011 #
3 PM
Road run 49:07 [0] 4.12 mi (11:55 / mi) +32m 11:38 / mi
Thursday Jul 14, 2011 #
8 AM
Road run 33:58 [0] 3.93 mi (8:38 / mi) +5m 8:36 / mi
Wednesday Jul 13, 2011 #
8 AM
Road run 34:56 [0] 3.98 mi (8:46 / mi) +4m 8:45 / mi
Tuesday Jul 12, 2011 #
8 AM
Road run 34:41 [2] 3.96 mi (8:45 / mi) +5m 8:43 / mi
6 PM
Road run 21:08 [2] 0.21 mi (1:39:44 / mi)
Track 4:16 [3] 0.55 mi (7:47 / mi) +1m 7:44 / mi
Track 31:04 [5] 4.51 mi (6:53 / mi) +3m 6:52 / mi
Monday Jul 11, 2011 #
8 AM
Road run 35:32 [2] 4.03 mi (8:49 / mi) +5m 8:47 / mi
Sunday Jul 10, 2011 #
8 AM
Trail run 1:09:47 [5] 7.44 mi (9:23 / mi) +611m 7:28 / mi
Skyline Trail Race. Jeff put on another great race this year, and there was a big turnout of 103 runners. I figured the field would look much like last year, when Ben Nephew and SGB were the only guys I saw the whole course, and so I was a little shocked when a whole host of speedy looking guys came screaming past me on the first hill climb. I decided that I must be moving too slowly so I gamely tried to keep with that fast moving pack, but they were off and gone and I reached the top of the hill with burning quads and a slightly deflated ego. There must have been 15 or 20 guys ahead of me, but I calmed down and tried to maintain a steady pace for the next 10 minutes. I quickly caught up to a large group that had abruptly faded and I worked my way past them.
After the road crossing I passed a couple of guys and was passed by one really fast-moving fellow that blew past like "I was tied to a pole" (which was a colorful phrase I heard someone use to describe Sam burning down the ski-slope at the end of her race). After the 2nd water stop, I was able to move into position behind a pair of runners and stick with them for much of the 2nd half of the race. The guy in front was really slow on climbs but incredibly fast on the downhills. I would catch back up to the pair on each climb, but they would pull away easily on the downs. On the last climb I got a bit of a lead on the crew I was with but was feeling pretty beat, using my hands to pull me up the rock faces. The speedy guy was just behind me, so I was aware that he might take off at any moment. When we got to the ski slope I really opened up and tried to create a bit of a gap, but in the end it wasn't quite enough, as he snuck past me at the finish line by a nose.
A tough effort, a warm day, and a 6th place result, 7 minutes back on SGB (what a champ that guys is!). I am happy that I wore my icebugs with spikes, much better than my asics sneakers. I ended up about a minute slower than last year, but I suspect that is a result of running the first hill too hard trying to keep up with the overly ambitious, and then having to work my way past all of those people again over the next few miles.
After the road crossing I passed a couple of guys and was passed by one really fast-moving fellow that blew past like "I was tied to a pole" (which was a colorful phrase I heard someone use to describe Sam burning down the ski-slope at the end of her race). After the 2nd water stop, I was able to move into position behind a pair of runners and stick with them for much of the 2nd half of the race. The guy in front was really slow on climbs but incredibly fast on the downhills. I would catch back up to the pair on each climb, but they would pull away easily on the downs. On the last climb I got a bit of a lead on the crew I was with but was feeling pretty beat, using my hands to pull me up the rock faces. The speedy guy was just behind me, so I was aware that he might take off at any moment. When we got to the ski slope I really opened up and tried to create a bit of a gap, but in the end it wasn't quite enough, as he snuck past me at the finish line by a nose.
A tough effort, a warm day, and a 6th place result, 7 minutes back on SGB (what a champ that guys is!). I am happy that I wore my icebugs with spikes, much better than my asics sneakers. I ended up about a minute slower than last year, but I suspect that is a result of running the first hill too hard trying to keep up with the overly ambitious, and then having to work my way past all of those people again over the next few miles.
5 PM
Trail run 36:21 [2] 3.24 mi (11:13 / mi) +48m 10:43 / mi
Saturday Jul 9, 2011 #
Note
Ali and Ed were going orienteering at Blue Hills today, but logistically we needed to spend the day in the apartment. Becky and Rob came up with a U-Haul to take a bunch of our furniture and stuff, and we spent the morning preparing for the move, and then carrying furniture out to the truck. Then it was a massive meal, and a snail paced trip around the mini-golf links, capped off with a root-beer float and a nap. Could the day get any better? The evening was spent having dinner with Ed and getting absolutely schooled in Ticket to Ride, Nordic Countries.
Here we see the CT roadtrip warriors at Chipotle's and here we see the wreckage left in the wake of losing all of our shelves, lamps, the bed, dresser, chairs, etc.
Here we see the CT roadtrip warriors at Chipotle's and here we see the wreckage left in the wake of losing all of our shelves, lamps, the bed, dresser, chairs, etc.
Friday Jul 8, 2011 #
9 AM
Road run 36:01 [2] 4.21 mi (8:33 / mi) +5m 8:31 / mi
Incredibly slow and sleepy on the way to work. I have the suspicion that there aren't enough days left to complete all the tasks that I'd like to do at work. I suspect that next week will involve a lot of time at the lab and not as much training as I'd like.
Thursday Jul 7, 2011 #
8 AM
Road run 33:27 [2] 4.07 mi (8:13 / mi) +5m 8:11 / mi
To work in the morning. Quiet and sunny, a good day to be out and about.
5 PM
Road run 35:05 [2] 4.75 mi (7:23 / mi) +13m 7:19 / mi
Leaving work late again. heading up to Fresh Pond for the CSU race. I drank a cup of tea right before leaving the lab and the caffeine and sugar was nice but the sloshing was annoying.
Trail run 14:05 [5] 2.46 mi (5:43 / mi) +12m 5:38 / mi
Showed up about 5 minutes after the start of the race, so I just dropped the bag and my shirt and headed out on the course. Catching up to Terry and Patrick was out of the question, but I felt pretty good so I wasn't too worried about having people to run with.
Stopped once to quickly tie my shoe, and was passed by a lady on a bike that I could almost keep pace with, that helped me keep speed around the back section. Finished just a couple seconds slower than 2 weeks ago and was very pleased with the run.
Stopped once to quickly tie my shoe, and was passed by a lady on a bike that I could almost keep pace with, that helped me keep speed around the back section. Finished just a couple seconds slower than 2 weeks ago and was very pleased with the run.
Road run 52:46 [2] 6.31 mi (8:22 / mi) +98m 7:59 / mi
tired, thirsty, making for a slow run home. Eventually felt a bit nauseous/faint so I stopped at a gas station and grabbed a chocolate milk to rehydrate. Pretty ideal recovery fuel.
I got home feeling so overheated that all I wanted was a cold shower. Well our water never gets cold here, so after a very unsatisfying 2 minute warm shower, I got Sam to join me out by the pool, and I just floated in the pool until I re-equilibrated.
I got home feeling so overheated that all I wanted was a cold shower. Well our water never gets cold here, so after a very unsatisfying 2 minute warm shower, I got Sam to join me out by the pool, and I just floated in the pool until I re-equilibrated.
Wednesday Jul 6, 2011 #
8 AM
Road run 35:46 [2] 3.99 mi (8:58 / mi) +5m 8:56 / mi
Not feeling to zippy in the morning. Wednesdays are kind of rest days for me :)
I was working late and was in the animal facility still when the automatic timer went off. Being plunged into darkness is a good excuse to stop what you're doing and go home :)
Sam made a fantastic dinner and then we went over to a friend's house to play trivial pursuit.
I was working late and was in the animal facility still when the automatic timer went off. Being plunged into darkness is a good excuse to stop what you're doing and go home :)
Sam made a fantastic dinner and then we went over to a friend's house to play trivial pursuit.
Tuesday Jul 5, 2011 #
8 AM
Road run 34:40 [2] 4.34 mi (7:59 / mi) +6m 7:57 / mi
Running to work. Slow but feeling pretty good. The last couple of days are being felt in my hamstrings, and it took a few minutes to warm up and get the soreness to go away. Humid morning, good thing there is a shower at work.
6 PM
Road run 20:22 [2] 2.8 mi (7:16 / mi)
To the track. Feeling a little weary and a little hungry, but way more alive than last week. Which is to say that when I got there I didn't flop on the ground and try to take a 20 second nap :)
The weather cooled off nicely and I arrived just as the group was finishing up drills and strides.
The weather cooled off nicely and I arrived just as the group was finishing up drills and strides.
Track 37:15 [5] 5.08 mi (7:20 / mi)
A nice workout, designed as always by Terry, with an emphasis on some longer intervals as they're preparing for an 8 mile race at Stowe. The plan was [800, 1200, 1600]@ 8-10k pace and [2x 800, 2x400] at 3-5k pace, 200 rest after each, 400 rest after the mile.
I knew that I wasn't going to feel fresh going into this workout, and I was pretty happy to run 80 second splits for the first 3 intervals. I had a mild amount of GI discomfort at the end of each interval, probably just a side effect of being a little dehydrated, I was pleased at how I handled it though. The faster stuff wasn't really that fast, but it was a full out effort, and actually the times are probably about right for my 3k pace anyway.
2:40
4:01
5:22
2:35
2:37
1:12
1:11
Felt good to run into the wind on the homestretch because it helped to cool me down.
I knew that I wasn't going to feel fresh going into this workout, and I was pretty happy to run 80 second splits for the first 3 intervals. I had a mild amount of GI discomfort at the end of each interval, probably just a side effect of being a little dehydrated, I was pleased at how I handled it though. The faster stuff wasn't really that fast, but it was a full out effort, and actually the times are probably about right for my 3k pace anyway.
2:40
4:01
5:22
2:35
2:37
1:12
1:11
Felt good to run into the wind on the homestretch because it helped to cool me down.
Trail run 8:27 [2] 0.85 mi (9:56 / mi) +1m 9:54 / mi
Abbreviated cool down with the remaining runners. Abbreviated because one of the gates we normally pass through was locked. Talked about how Harvard should figure out a way to air condition the outdoor track for us :)
C • dibs 3
Monday Jul 4, 2011 #
1 PM
Road run (Hills) 1:19:47 10.72 mi (7:27 / mi) +236m 6:58 / mi
Spent a long morning shopping at the wrentham outlets for clothes and a camera. A very successful outing as I got some very good deals on running shorts and a nice new camera.
Then Sam, Jeff, and Judy went for a bike ride starting in Dedham and I decided that I wanted to do something more running specific and I wanted to keep my Monday Hill workout habit. So I headed out to do one mile repeats up Westfield Street. The hill measured from the grate in the ground at the intersection up to the driveway at the top is 1 mile, and starts off steep for a minute, then it goes flatish and a little downhill for a long section before climbing steeply again near the end. The sun was out in full force and I was pushing pretty hard.
By the last climb I was really struggling, but it felt good to work this hard.
6:20
6:15
6:16
6:32
Then the slow slog back to meet up with the Saeger/Karpinski trio.... followed by a nice long nap at home.
Then Sam, Jeff, and Judy went for a bike ride starting in Dedham and I decided that I wanted to do something more running specific and I wanted to keep my Monday Hill workout habit. So I headed out to do one mile repeats up Westfield Street. The hill measured from the grate in the ground at the intersection up to the driveway at the top is 1 mile, and starts off steep for a minute, then it goes flatish and a little downhill for a long section before climbing steeply again near the end. The sun was out in full force and I was pushing pretty hard.
By the last climb I was really struggling, but it felt good to work this hard.
6:20
6:15
6:16
6:32
Then the slow slog back to meet up with the Saeger/Karpinski trio.... followed by a nice long nap at home.
Sunday Jul 3, 2011 #
4 PM
Road run 1:27:30 [4] 12.5 mi (7:00 / mi) +156m 6:44 / mi
A quiet day of puttering around the house, sorting through papers and boxes, as Sam and I get ready to leave in 2 weeks. I recycled many many papers, and boxed up the linen closet, and then Sam and I felt like we needed to get out and get some air.
I chose to set out towards the reservoir for about an hour, but it was so nice to go running without a backpack, when it was cool outside, that I immediately decided that it would be nicer to go on more of a trek instead of loops around the pond, so I ducked up through Hammond Pond and then did an out-and-back along commonwealth ave. In honor of Nate's performance today in Poland for JWOC, I decided to go out to Lyon's Park in Auburndale and then turn around.
I stopped by the store on the way home to pick up some rice and vegetables to go with dinner.
All is well with the world :)
I chose to set out towards the reservoir for about an hour, but it was so nice to go running without a backpack, when it was cool outside, that I immediately decided that it would be nicer to go on more of a trek instead of loops around the pond, so I ducked up through Hammond Pond and then did an out-and-back along commonwealth ave. In honor of Nate's performance today in Poland for JWOC, I decided to go out to Lyon's Park in Auburndale and then turn around.
I stopped by the store on the way home to pick up some rice and vegetables to go with dinner.
All is well with the world :)
C • nice 1
Saturday Jul 2, 2011 #
9 AM
Trail run 1:22:31 [3] 7.48 mi (11:02 / mi) +594m 8:51 / mi
Running the Skyline Trail (the one in the Blue Hills) with Sam and Jeff. I accepted the water bottle holder and this kept me occupied for the first 15 minutes or so as I kept trying to adjust the straps to get it to rest comfortably. Eventually I learned how to snug up the straps a bit.
It was already a little too hot for comfort, and I was sweating into my glasses pretty drastically even before the first road crossing. Running downhill is especially bad for that because each footfall dislodges sweat from my brow and then that sweat pours down the lenses.
I was trying to run pretty hard, but I was also glad to stop and rest for Sam and Jeff to catch up and get water. Going to have to run a lot faster on Sunday if I want to be any competition for SGB on the course.
It was already a little too hot for comfort, and I was sweating into my glasses pretty drastically even before the first road crossing. Running downhill is especially bad for that because each footfall dislodges sweat from my brow and then that sweat pours down the lenses.
I was trying to run pretty hard, but I was also glad to stop and rest for Sam and Jeff to catch up and get water. Going to have to run a lot faster on Sunday if I want to be any competition for SGB on the course.
Friday Jul 1, 2011 #
9 AM
Road run 32:49 [2] 3.97 mi (8:16 / mi) +8m 8:13 / mi
To work. I was going to run home again too, but got stuck at work later than I meant. Took the shuttle home then headed over to Dedham to have dinner and play board games with Hillary before she heads to D.C.