Training Log Archive: iansmith

The ride actually takes longer than 20 minutes, particularly counting traffic stops, but as time is a more important metric for my training log than speed, it seems best to accurately report distance but rescale the time (as done in the reference feet 2010, e.g.)

After a long, moderately productive day, I set out with my repaired bike to cruise the Minuteman trail. I had been on it earlier this week to get to rehearsal, but that trip had been marred by a sense of urgency and lots of cargo. I set out on this chill evening with bike shorts, two shirts, gloves, and an mp3 player in case I got a flat and had a long boring walk. In addition to my usual fore and aft bike lights, I brought my headlamp.

The Minuteman is an excellent trail, and it is frequented by active people during the day - runners, roller bladers, cyclists, and people walking. The trail replaced an old rail line and is perhaps four meters wide. On busy Saturdays, dodging among the pedestrians is tricky and slows you down considerably.

At night, however, the trail is virtually empty. I encountered no more than ten people, including some dog walkers, four cyclists, an occasional pedestrian, and one seemingly crazy person. My lights were powerful enough to illuminate the trail far ahead. One other obstacle the Minuteman unfortunately offers is occasional road crossings; my gps track indicates crossings as short dips in my speed, as I was not foolhardy enough to take any crossings at full speed.

Overall, the trip was relaxing and pleasant. I am not displeased by my overall speed, though I have a long way to go before I reach the level of biking insanity set by CSU Truckee.

C • A lot of people find it's e... 2

Event: CSU Park-O: Pine Banks
 

The penultimate difficult day in a difficult week.

I had the crank arm on my bike tightened and greased, which has resulted in considerably improved performance. My bike no longer makes unpleasant noises with each revolution of the crank, and the application of power is much more efficient.

Event: NEOC: Hale Reservation/Powissett Peak
 

Event: NEOC: Estabrook Woods
 

Red course at Estabrook. I forgot to start my watch until after control 4, so the time and distance have been revised to reflect the course data. Despite allergies and poor preparation, I had a solid albeit slow race.

Jess and I went to the Boston ballet performance of Bella Figura (with other works) yesterday, and I slept fitfully, with congestion and general sinus discomfort from allergies. I woke at 10:30 and abandoned my plan to replace my flat tire and bike to Estabrook in lieu of a Zipcar expedient. A highlight of the trip: as I was running to the start, a pair of F-18s blasted by overhead at low altitude - at most a few thousand feet. They were fantastically loud.

After picking up a new kit from Ali (thanks Ali!), my Amherst nemesis inquired what my training objective was for the course. My original plan had been to wake up, drive to Estabrook, find some controls, socialize and go home, but these hard core types compelled me to concentrate on something else. Since I am so fond of control picking, I decided to focus on having good flow around controls, having a plan for the next leg as I approached a control, and exiting well. I execute that reasonably well today, though as I got tired, it became more difficult. Having an objective was helpful.

I developed a stitch in my side on the way to 10 that slowed me down somewhat. My allergies this year have been much more acute than in the past. Today, I renewed my membership in the Orienteers with Alergies club by sprouting hives on the outer edges of my forearms after the race. The reaction wasn't bad, barely itched, and subsided shortly after a shower, but my immune system clearly needs to get it together.

Quick Route

C • Post QR! 2

C • F-18s 1

Red - Splits