Training Log Archive: iansmith

Alt text: It was the funniest 6.5 seconds of my life, although as usual like 80% of it was just Tom and Ray's gasping, hacking laughter.

I decided to take a rest day; my stomach felt turbulent.

C • Georgia 12

Ah, my beloved Middlesex Fells Skyline. After a lazy start to the day, I did a few miscellaneous tasks, then headed to the Fells for a longish run. The Skyline is rugged enough that it's almost a terrain run, and I think it much more beneficial for orienteering than an 80-90 minute river loop. Today felt like a fall day: sunny, clear blue skies, 8-10 C. There will many people in the woods, and the parking lots on South Border Rd were packed, so I parked at the high school and moseyed through the woods to the Skyline. I think this is a good strategy in general, as parking at the high school is much less challenging than the nearer alternatives.

My audio player - tuned to Wait, Wait ran out of energy fifteen minutes into the run, so I mused in contemplative silence. When I was young, I would read about great scientists and philosophers in my encyclopedia, and I aspired to the same notion of immortality and impact on the world as Aristotle, Augustine, Newton, Faraday, Tesla. I didn't want to be forgotten, but even if I were to have such a memorable impact, no one hundreds of years hence would have any inkling as to the reality of my life. It seems pointless then to commemorate my life with something like a gravestone; I have always found cemeteries and crypts inefficient and needless indulgences. Even if my acts echoed through history, a gravestone could aspire to be little more than a tourist attraction for all but those who were a part of my life - and I think I'd rather they remember me by my places of import, like the Skyline. Cremation has always seemed more efficient, though my knowledge of alternatives is limited.

At the end of my run, I got lost trying to get from the Skyline to the high school. It turns out that my sense of direction and navigating by the sun are inadequate; if only there were some accurate map of the region that I could use to get around. Fail. My digestive system was discontent for much of the run.

Swan Lake - there are few pieces I have more often had stuck in my head and been able to identify so infrequently. It is a sublime ballet, with the characteristically majestic and emotive rising Swan's Theme which one would expect from Tchaikovsky. The delicate oboe contrasting with the ponderous horn echo and the tutti strings... delicious.

I like the pace of the oboe solo, but the descending brass line later is far too fast:


Less passionate intro, but appropriate gravitas to the brass:

C • Swans 2

Easy run to work, then a quick jaunt around the Charles. Today was a gorgeous though unseasonably warm day: sunny, 8 C. I felt ok.

Tempo workout. I felt impossibly slow, and the GPS data supports that. I'm not really sure why I felt so sluggish. Working out in the early morning is atypical for me, and I've definitely lost some fitness over the past several months. I'll see how my tempo efforts feel over the next few weeks.

I planned to do 2x20 minute tempo on about a 5k stretch of river, but I split the second one up into 3x6 minute cruise intervals. Conditions were bizarre today: 13 C, a steady drizzle, and breezy. I listened to Science Friday and Car Talk.

I need to add some regular 30-60s quick reps to my easy runs to try to get my legs turning over fast, and I'm about 10 kg heavier than I would like to be. There aren't many elite 185 cm, 86 kg orienteers out there.

I have often have an aberrant sleep schedule, but I seem to have adopted a 48-hour cycle recently - staying awake for over 24 hours, then sleeping for 15-16 hours. I will make adjustments, though this is quite fascinating. I wonder if data on my sleep patterns would be informative for someone's research. Perhaps I will log my sleep patterns - to observe changes as I ramp up my training, for future analysis, and for public shame about how ridiculous they are.

C • sleep cycle 17

Morning run. Felt lethargic. Added 50 box jumps at the end to get a little plyo action.