Training Log Archive: iansmith

Event: West Point A-Meet
 

The West Point Red/Blue Sprint. Conditions were sunny, clear, and warm. My run was not especially clean; the winning time, for reference, was Erik Nystrom in 15:27. I made about two minutes of mistakes, and generally should have moved faster.

My most spectacular error was the Go control - Ross punched control 18 four seconds behind me, and I had seen him closing on control 16. I had the fastest split to control 19, but I misread my map running to control 20 and overshot high, costing at least 25 seconds. There were two features that were monumentesque that I confused while running. This is especially troubling because the Go control is visible from the start, and I had watched runners come in. Also, if I had enough stamina left to push it so hard on 19, I should have been running faster throughout the course (particularly on trivial legs). I was also looking forward to challenging Ross in the finish chute.

I'm relatively unimpressed with my run because sprint courses are my relative strength, and I could have run sub 18 minutes. The first ten controls were relatively gnarly in rocky, thorny woods on a steep hillside; the latter ten were urban.

Warmup for the sprint.

The Middle Distance course at the West Point A meet. I am thoroughly disgusted with my performance on this race.

The Middle Distance is a race I regard with some trepidation because of the technical nature; given what I know about the West Point terrain - that it is particularly rugged, and that this particular venue was going to be difficult for relocation - I planned to run a more conservative race to maximize accuracy.

My Middle start was 2.5 hours after my sprint start; I would have benefited from more rest and more food. Conditions were also warmer and sunnier than I would have preferred.

I ran a very conservative route and pace to control #1 (Jon Torrance caught up to me though he started five minutes after I did), but navigated cleanly. The basic routes from the start to control 2 all involved lots of side-hilling on very rocky ground. I was again quite slow to 2, but I navigated cleanly. Controls 1 and 2 were tricky; Emily and Eric Kemp each made a ten minute error on one of the two. However, I was moving so slowly that I only gained a minute or two on them. In retrospect, I should have moved faster, particularly given how long the legs were.

I had a two minute error on control five where I kept missing the knoll on which it was hidden; I relocated on some cliffs and reattacked without difficulty. I spectacularly failed on control 6 - a short, 250 meter leg. I attacked from a known location, but didn't pay enough attention to my compass and drifted north to a parallel feature (hill) on which I was looking for the control. Nothing made sense, so I relocated with difficulty and attacked again more gingerly off of a marsh. I doubted the bag location (I assert it was not on the correct feature, but I'm unsure). I ended up losing ten minutes. I think I was reluctant to admit I had missed because my two minute error on five was entirely within the control circle.

At this point, Dylan Thies - whom I am comfortably faster than, and whom I just recently passed in the USOF rankings - had caught me, and we moved essentially together to 7. I tried to make a move and pass him at 8, but though we took different routes, we arrived about simultaneously. Control 9 was uphill, and I put on a burst of speed to get ahead of him. I pushed to 10 and lost Dylan, though he apparently saw me make a thirty second mistake at control 11. I was feeling sluggish on the remaining controls, but I navigated them successfully.

The lessons from this race:
- While it is a worthy goal to have a solid, conservative first control, on long legs with conservative routes, it's important to move fast, too.
- Pay very close attention to compass on tricky legs, especially short ones.
- When things don't make sense, quickly admit you've erred and relocate.
- Hydrate and fuel before the race
- Don't race with less than a 3-4 hour interval between races

Warmup and run to the start for the Middle Distance event.

Sprint: Red Blue - Splits

Middle: Blue - Splits

I went on a late night run (3 AM), with the objective of 50 minutes of moderate intensity running. I brought a headlamp and the West Point Long course map from 2008 (on which I met my Leipzig and DNF'd); I was inspired by Gerald's similar exercises.

The West Point map is non-trivial to navigate; I have concluded that the contours are the most reliable features for navigation, but they are often difficult to interpret. Last year, I had just come off a 16 minute/km middle distance course; I am better prepared physically and navigationally, though I need work in both areas. My goal is 10 min/km on the long, though I would be content with 12 min/km. I will go well armed with GU.

The work for the CSU A-meet and my job this week have coupled to completely wear me down. I don't expect to get much sleep tonight and Friday night as I struggle to finish the volunteer schedule and start list before West Point. It is unfortunate; the demands of my current circumstances (exacerbated by my sluggishness to execute them) have stoked my fury at a certain director. I hope to be judicious in all that I say and do in the next few weeks.

Event: CSU Hammond Pond Park-O
 

My old, destroyed pair of trail runners is the same model and color as my new pair; I accidentally grabbed my old pair this morning. As a result, I orienteered in my sneakers (running shoes).

I had a clean run, with no major errors; I had about 15 seconds of hesitation at 7, a dumb route choice at 1, and a moment of confusion microrienteering at 12. I was slow. Ross started a minute behind me, and we punched together at control 3 (which I blame on my crappy route choice at 1). He made an error, so I beat him to 4, but he caught up at 5. I might have lost ten seconds to traffic, but he was unquestionably faster. I saw him leaving 7, and that was it. I didn't really warm up for this one, which probably contributed to my sluggishness, but I am nonetheless disappointed in my running speed. I think Ross finished in just under 18 minutes; Clem was slightly over 18 minutes.

Lessons for future sprints: concentrate and focus before you start, warmup physically, bring correct shoes, and run fast.

Vadim set up five radio transmitters for ARDF so those who were interested could try it. The controls were about one hundred meters apart and each transmitted for one minute. I had never tried radio orienteering, but it was very interesting. I had no real difficulty navigating while I was far from the control, but near it I struggled. Each transmitter was a small black box - flags weren't up, so visibility was a problem. Vadim also suggested holding my arms out with the receiver when I get close to triangulate.

I hope to try it more in the future; it was fun.

C • ARDF 6

I ran about with Ross picking up controls. We had pleasant conversation. Apparently he sometimes sings to himself as he's running if he's running well and in a good mood. It suits him; my conversation with myself while I contemplate route choice options is peculiar.

Advanced Course - Splits

Afternoon run. Conditions were sunny, 4 C, with winds at 35 kph. I ran in running tights, a sweatshirt, and a hat; breathing was 3/3 most of the time.

100 pushups in sets of 25, with up to ten minutes rest between sets. The time is an approximation, though I usually do pushups at approximately 1 Hz. I seldom log these small sets of strength activities, like crunches, pushups, calf raises, and so on, but this seemed sufficiently novel to warrant comment. Keith, a friend of mine, recently challenged his friend to complete 1000 pushups first; I know only that their times were on the order of days. I do not know how quickly I could do 1000 pushups - perhaps 3 days?