Training Log Archive: iansmith

I slept in until 9 AM before waking; I had a long day yesterday. Nevertheless, of late, I have adopted a fairly regular sleep schedule, motivated in part by the sun shining through my window and skylight.

An interesting subject that emerged in conversation with Audun on the way to the Park-O: the "Starbucks Rule" for Wind Turbine construction. I'm unsurprised that such correlations are apparent, though I'm confident there are sufficiently many other factors correlated with the existence of Starbucks that you could call the rule practically anything. It just so happens that the not-in-my-backyard resistance to the aesthetic of wind turbines is strongly correlated with urban areas of particular socio-economic flavor. I am curious to see the data on the measurement of the NIMBY distribution across the country and how that value was quantified. Nevertheless, it's a fascinating heuristic.

An update from the Park-O - my bruise is improving; the pain is reduced. It turns out that there is also a bruise at the top of my right thigh that I hadn't noticed. I expect to be active again on Monday or Tuesday at the latest.

For reasons not entirely clear, laughter and humor seem to have a significantly positive effect on our lives. I therefore submit to you some images which made me laugh (more later):

Disapproving Kayak is shocked by your behavior:
http://chzhappychairishappy.files.wordpress.com/20...

C • Wind Heuristic 7

C • Osbornedale? 2

Event: CSU Park-O: Bear Hill
 

Despite my misgivings about my right calf, I went to the Bear Hill Park-O with Audun, who graciously gave me a ride. After some difficult traffic, we arrived at about 6:30 PM. Alex had expanded the typical Park-O event by adding a second sprint; this was a valuable feature since getting to the Fells requires a significant investment of time.

I warmed up for about five minutes and had a decent race. I took the straightest route to control 1, which led me over the top of Bear Hill; I think around on the right trail would have been better. I stopped to tie my shoes at control 4, losing perhaps 15 seconds, and I made a twenty second error turning onto the wrong trail en route to control 9.

The most spectacular event of my race was approaching control 3; I was moving quickly down the spur into the control. I glanced up from reading my map to behold a wire fence with a grid of squares about 6 inches to a side. I don't recall if I was already airborne or whether I jumped, but I collided with the fence at full speed with both my feet off the ground. Curiously, both of my shoes got stuck in the fence, stopping my lower body entirely. My upper body then flipped over the fence. Stopping myself with my hands wasn't difficult because my left quad (where the top of the fence impacted) absorbed most of the energy. I was stunned, but I dislodged my shoes and hastened to control 3; some time later into the course, my quad started swelling and aching. I now have an impressive contusion, though the muscle itself seems undamaged.

Alex's second course at the CSU Bear Hill Park-O. I was limping a bit from the injury on the first course and yelling occasionally when impacts particularly jarred my left quad. Nevertheless, I was moving fairly well throughout the course. At control 3, the flag had fallen onto the ground, so I stopped to retie it (15s). I made a 15s error at 5 attacking the wrong spur, and I hesitated at 7 while running on an unmapped trail. Since I knew Ross's finish time, I had two minutes to get from 8 to the finish - about 900 meters. I didn't know the distance, which was entirely on trails, so I put on all the speed I had left. In the last thirty seconds, I revised my goal to finishing in under 14:00, but I reached the finish at exactly that time. I ran the 500 meters from the Go control at 3:29/km pace, but it was not enough.

C • Sorry about the fence 3

I set out in the morning on my typical 4 mile loop. It would seem 8 AM is not early enough, as conditions were already warm with a temperature of about 23 C. I do hope to get into the habit of early morning runs during the summer; runs at 10 and 11 PM are simply too disruptive to a functional schedule. I had much on my mind, many problems to consider, few of which are likely to resolve in the near future or through my efforts running. Nevertheless, I must think on them. Perhaps it is not that I will change circumstances to resolve these concerns; instead, perhaps I will change myself.

On my run, I saw a very small Italian Greyhound. I briefly stopped to talk with the dog's person, and apparently the dog was a female, exhibiting the usual size characteristic from sexual dimorphism. Her legs were like sticks; they looked as narrow as the legs on a Chihuahua.

My calves felt tight throughout the run, so I kept my pace ginger. Depending on how I feel tomorrow, I will likely take a rest day.

Biking to and from the NEOC Board meeting at Sam and Ross's place, including a pit stop at Microcenter on the way. I could easily spend an enormous amount of money at Microcenter; fortunately, I typically go with a plan. I picked up a case for an external hard drive I have had lying around my apartment and a sleeve for my new laptop.

I enjoy biking, even when conditions are hot and stifling. I take great pleasure in traveling under my own power and traveling efficiently. Traveling by bike is freedom.

C • True 1

I went on a comfortable recovery run this evening, after the temperature had fallen to 20 C. Even in the comparatively cool night, conditions were muggy and humid, with a dew point of 17 C. I ran sleeveless in running shorts and perspired significantly, especially near the end when I increased the intensity. I had planned on a shorter 8k run, but I added distance without realizing how far it was. I was surprised at how many people (perhaps 30 on my loop) were out walking along the river so late.