Training Log Archive: iansmith

I'm strongly considering traveling to Georgia for the Navigator cup, particularly if restarting my training in December goes well. Is anyone else interested in going and possibly sharing rental car and hotel action?

An hour of Catching Features action; I ran two courses.

Yay training! I went on a gentle run which was one of my staple runs before my injury. Last spring, this run was the very least I would do on a training day; it was what I ran when I didn't have enough time to go on a longer run. Today, it was difficult. Even running at an easy pace demanded so much of my depleted fitness. This run is sufficiently common in my training that it will make a good benchmark for my progress.

It would seem I am now training again. My right leg was tight, particularly at the hip, but my body felt strong enough to run. I would not sprint or do plyometrics, but I am strong enough to do easy running. I mean to run 10-15 mile weeks for a short time until my body adjusts to this new stress. While it was frustrating to have so much difficulty given the comparative ease with which I ran in the spring, I am delighted to be active again. On 28 April, I ran 4:28/km pace with 168 ahr.

Control Count: 73/2000
Burrito Count: 39

Event: NEOC Mt Norwottuck
 

I attended the NEOC Mt. Norwottuck Score-O, set by Phil Bricker, and perhaps ill-advisedly ran the 120 minute event (as opposed to the 75 minute event). I looked at this as an opportunity to get out in the woods, have fun, and mildly stress myself physically. I never ran at full speed, I was very cautious with both my legs, and I had a very pleasant time out in the woods. The map is pretty good, and the terrain is spectacular with its November vegetation. I beheld the vastness of the mountain from the south, and I was overwhelmed with its majesty.

While I wasn't that concerned with optimizing, my score-O strategy failed in two ways - I didn't know exactly when I started because I failed to start my garmin until after I had punched the first control, and so was overtime; more importantly, my ordering was suboptimal for what I was capable of doing. Instead of circling north of the mountain, I should have attacked the controls on and around the mountain.

My left leg felt good throughout the excursion; my right leg was tight, and the ligament or whatever that I pulled on 20 November was still sore. I tweaked it a few times during the run. I ran into Jordan near control 92 going in the opposite direction. I encountered Sam at control 56, moments after I had tweaked my right leg. She seemed very cheery, and generally in better spirits than I was.

Physically, my fitness has significantly degraded since my injury. I was able to persevere through all two hours, but I was exhausted by the end, and I wasn't even working that hard. My focus over the next few months will be building up my fitness with lots of easy pace running and biking.

I took the controls in the following order:
31, 32, 33, 42, 81, 92, 52, 63, 82, 74, 93, 56, 71, 61, 53, 51, 65, 55, 45, 43, 34.
A better order would have been to replace 61...34 from the above list with 73, 84, 91, 83, 41, 72, (64, 62), 57, 54, 34, with the parenthetical controls only if time allowed.

Control Count: 73/2000
Burrito Count: 38
I'm thinking about diversifying my food intake.

Control Count: 52/2000
Burrito Count: 38
Shaw's, actually

Event: Blue Hills Traverse
 

I arrived two hours before the start of the Traverse to set the three controls I hadn't gotten to the previous day (10-12). Had I not injured my right leg, I think I would have had no problem finishing on Saturday, but I had plenty of time on race day. I was also quite pleased with the possibilities for 11-12; the vegetation was less thick than the map indicated. I enjoy the terrain in the narrow band south of the major hills (controls 12 and 13 on this year's course); I wish that region were much larger.

At 10, I got to Houghton's Pond, mingled with the racers, set the "go" control (or last control, if you prefer), and returned to drive Ross, Clem, Lori, Stephen, and Presto to the start. The orienteers milling about at the start were apparently waiting for me to give any final remarks; I mentioned the numerous rec controls near Houghton's Pond and the 23-24-25 colinearity so no one would accidentally skip 24. I probably should have mentioned the food stop, though I thought it was obvious on the map. The maps were passed out, and everyone took off. I was amused to learn later that the throngs messed up the first control, though the map isn't as detailed as it could be.

I drove over to the road crossing at 10, set water, ate my tortilla wrap, chatted with some horseback riders, and waited for the leaders to appear. Ross and Sergei showed up at about 37 minutes, and a few more people arrived before I left. I was pleased to see SGB in third, perhaps a minute behind the leaders.

I then returned to the finish and hung out with the crowd there. Boris showed up about an hour after the start, feeling sickly. I was getting worried - as I guessed the winning time would be around 95 minutes - when Ross triumphantly ran into the finish. I was very relieved - the course was set well enough, and everything would go smoothly. After lots of post-finish socializing and handing out t-shirts, I picked up eight controls from the WY course. The last runners showed up at about 4, and the doughty crew cleaned up and took off. I really enjoyed being a part of the organizers this year, though I should have been more on top of my responsibilities. If no one else is interested and there are no objections, I may set the course again next year; I have a few ideas to consider.

This year was the 39th BHT, and the diligence and hard work of the organizers year after year is very impressive. In particular, Jeff and Judy work hard to make this event happen, and it's a great activity for orienteering in New England. Ed, Ross, Sam, Jim Paschetto, and Joanne also put in consider labor making this year's event successful.

Control Count: 52/2000
Burrito Count: 37
Anna's, Saturday night

Today, I joined Jeff Saeger to set the controls for the Blue Hills Traverse. Ross set the recreational controls independently. My frantic busyness has mostly wound down; I finished what I needed to do at work this week, I finished designing the Traverse (with no time to spare), and my orchestra concert is tonight.

Unfortunately, while jogging downhill on a trail between 14 and 15, I tripped on a rock, hyperextended my right knee, and wiped out hard. As I was falling, I felt something pop in my right leg. After a minute of coping with the pain sitting on the ground, I stood up and walked around without discomfort. I walked for most of the remainder of my outing, but jogged at times.

Whatever I injured was very tight during the evening, after some walking about. Edit: Sleeping on Saturday night really loosened up my leg, and it feels ok. I'm still hobbling around, however. I conjecture that I pulled a ligament; the pain is manageable. I will ice it and take anti-inflammatories for the next few days. If the pain continues, I will go see a doctor.

To work and to and from rehearsal. It has been a stressful week; I am alive but for the grace of burritos.

Control Count: 28/2000
Burrito Count: 36
Anna's on Harvard St. in Brookline. I prefer my Anna's, though the quality was similar.

I was out for about 3.5 hours vetting controls for the Traverse. I had hoped to be at this level of completion at least a week ago, but the best laid schemes of mice and men go oft awry. The preparation for the race itself is adequate, but as a consequence of my inability to get my tasks done in advance, walk and barb were unable to run the Traverse on Sunday the 14th. The taste of failure is ashen in my mouth.

From my adventures today, I noted the following:
1. The vegetation is in need of updating. There were scraggly areas mapped as white woods, and I ran through a dark green patch in shorts with minimal difficulty. With the exception of pine saplings, the vegetation is generally overmapped.

2. I think the two biggest problems with the Blue Hills maps are the 1:15 scale and the inconsistently mapped rock features. I noticed large cliff bands and boulders that weren't on the map. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if the Blue Hills is suitable for an A-meet; there are too many trails, and the colossal hills significantly constrain course design. There are many interesting regions, and if the map was updated to high quality, perhaps more course setting options would emerge.

3. The "Boston left turn" really frustrates me. I define such a turn to be one in which a car turning left onto a major road inches into traffic until it obstructs the traffic coming from the car's left is completely obstructed, then waits until the traffic from the right breaks. I encountered three such turns today.

4. While running along a trail, a branch of a tree about ten to fifteen meters up broke. I turned to look at the branch, and just before the branch hit the ground, a squirrel leaped off the branch and scrambled along the ground to a new tree. The acrobatics of the squirrel were so impressive that it was clearly either a ninja squirrel or "The One" - the squirrel who would bring balance to the force. I envisioned the squirrel executing its death-defying jump in bullet time to my great amusement.

C • Vegetation is tough to judg... 3

Control Count: 28/2000
Burrito Count: 35
Anna's

Control Count: 28/2000
Burrito Count: 34
Chipotle

Event: NEOC: Beech Hill
 

I have been rather busy of late, and while I have capably planned to adjust to various stresses, my execution of these plans has been inadequate. I will buckle down and do what must be done, but it will be demanding. So begins my descent into madness.

Control Count: 28/2000
Burrito Count: 33
Anna's

C • Me too. 4

Event: CSU meet at Rocky Woods
 

Control Count: 28/2000
Burrito Count: 32
Tacos Lupita

For the first time with this bike, I rode without my helmet. I had forgotten it in my apartment, and I didn't realize it until a few minutes after departing. I felt somewhat sheepish, but I decided turning around would waste time.

Control Count: 28/2000
Burrito Count: 31
Anna's. Five days since my last burrito. Egad.

The bike is getting squeaky and needs maintenance on the gears and brakes.

Warmup.

A thirty minute effort with 12-minute miles on a treadmill with a 1% grade at my office. I mean to start gradually to probe my limits without causing lasting damage. It's not clear to me that effort on a treadmill at a slow pace is less stressful on my tibia than running faster, but my leg felt ok nevertheless. My cadence was about 160. I continued Towers of Midnight; I am about 25% done.

While my recovery will undoubtedly last into the winter and I will be unable to train at full capacity for some time, it would seem that I am back.

C • Welcome back! 3

I finished off my workout with some quick upper body free weights.

Some inspiring music:
Buckbeak's Flight - (This plays in my head when trying on a new pair of X-talons)
Suite from IMAX: Everest - one of my favorite IMAX movies has brilliant themes. It is reminiscent of the Apollo 13 soundtrack. Note the majestic Everest theme (and horn part) at 1:45, and the summit theme that starts building at 8:30.

The difficulty continues to increase. We focused primarily on hip exercises today, but shoulders were heavily involved. I experienced the poses Warrior 1-3 for the first time, and my peers and I contemplated a mass beat-down with rolled up yoga mats.

See barb's log for a summary of the NEOC Board meeting. One set of motions in particular that I am enthused that we passed was to put a number of documents on the NEOC website, including:

• Bylaws
• Articles of Organization and 1023
• Roles and Responsibilities

The first two categories are fairly trivial; the articles of organization and 1023 are required for 501(c)(3) status and do not change with time. The bylaws may be amended, but it does not occur frequently. We also agreed to post board meeting minutes summaries, but it was concluded that this did not require a vote, since we have done that in the past in the Newsletter.

It should be noted that virtually all of our organizational documents are legally required to be provided to anyone upon request. If someone unaffiliated with the club asks for our budget, we are (apparently) required by law to provide it. Any club member may attend a board meeting and receive access to all these documents. I argue that any documents that would promote or encourage involvement and awareness of our club activities from our membership should be posted online, including the above and:

• Board Meeting Minutes
• Budget
• Vice Presidential Reports on activities and status of the club

No burrito today, which might explain my malaise.

Event: NEOC: Breakheart Reservation
 

It was my intent to walk a course today, but after a quick jog during my warm up en route to the start, I decided to try running and stop if discomfort ensued. I ended up running the entire course, though with great restraint and caution. I estimate that my peak speed, even on roads and trails, stayed below 6:00/km. While it was frustrating to have such constraints, particularly on roads, downhills, and the cherished finish leg, I was delighted to be running at all. I noticed no discomfort during or after the race, and I was careful to take all landings from descents on my right leg.

My race was clean, but tentative. I was much less assured of my location and plan than last week, when I was walking. Nevertheless, even on a tricky middle control picking section (controls 5-9) in the middle of the course, I had acceptable plans and executions. I was devoting some of my concentration to heightened awareness of the state of my leg.

It has lately been dry - the marshes and ponds were almost nonexistent. The vegetation is quite thick in general, though the density of unpleasant plants like green briar is lower than in the Fells. Some parts of the map are very good, like the control picking area, but there are questionable regions, particularly the south western quarter near controls 2-4. The trails also seem outdated, which is unsurprising given the high use of the park. I was satisfied with the contours; the consensus from the people I talked to was that some significant updates, especially of trails, are necessary, but we don't need to build the map from scratch. It is unfortunate that the map standards vary, but I'm not certain how to fix that - perhaps a uniform update would help.

I unintentionally ran in glasses, an error I would have corrected had I awakened earlier. I rode with Lori, Presto, and Keith, and we had a pleasant lunch with Alex and Ed afterward at Texas Roadhouse.

Control Count: 28/2000
Burrito Count: 30
Anna's

Splits: http://www.obasen.nu/winsplits/online/en/default.a...

I added about 900 rings to the chainmail. Apart from the right armpit, which I have been procrastinating, the tunic is complete from the top down to my lower ribs. It consists of about 8700 rings right now, and I will probably need another 3000 to finish it to my satisfaction.

Red - Splits

Event: Hickory Run
 

Control Count: 11/2000
Burrito Count: 30
Anna's

Control Count: 11/2000
Burrito Count: 29
Anna's

Picture taken by Andy McIlvaine. Note that Link uses an SI-6 e-punch.

C • chainmail 10

The session today was more involved than last week's, with some challenging hip exercises and positions. It would appear that my hips are inflexible compared to the population of my peers.

Control Count: 11/2000
Burrito Count: 28

Warmup.

A focused set of circuits, with three cycles through the following exercises (m = machine)
1) Calf raises
2) Bicep curls (25 lbs)
3) Leg Press (m)
4) Hamstring curl (m)
5) Chest fly (m)
6) Abdominal contractions (m)
7) Supine leg lift - rehab exercise
8) Gluteus medius rotated leg lift
9) Kayaks
10) Elbow-to-knee abdominal crunches
11) Lat pull down or lateral raises

Control Count: 11/2000
Burrito Count: 27

I took a break from work and did a mix of upper and lower body exercises.