Training Log Archive: gas_turbine

Event: ROC - Highland Park Trail Challenge
 

Highland Park - trail challenge
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Definitely my favorite format, as it is fun to work together and/or competitively, and see the immediacy of the head to head.

Generally a good run. The body held up well - probably running at 80% effort. 4th overall (splits in AP don't take out the 'free' street crossings).


First or second fastest on 10 of the 27 (9 and 16 do not count, since they were the 'untimed' street crossings). Probably should have hung out there - Zach beat me by 20s, even though we finished together because he rested during these periods.

Was the first one to #10, with the downside being that I was the first one through the path in the narrowest trail of the race. This meant that I took the brunt of the nettles. Still itching 4 hours later.

Once again, killed by a couple of stinkers that accounted for the entirety of my 3:44 lost time.

5 - tried to get fancy by going for the small path to the left of the building - missed and ended up going down the hill, and having to bushwack back. It was a bigger bobble than the purported 39s loss, as I had put in a good hard effort on the long road straightaway. I should have taken into account map scale and realized my 'fast' route was all of 10m shorter, if that. Dropped me from 1st to 4th. Luckily the next 3 were long & relatively straightforward, so I was able to work back up to tie with Zach.

14 - poor aiming on long straight open one. should have paid more attention as to what I was aiming for. Just thinking about speed and not being careful.

20, a very short one, did me in. Lost 2:20. Thank goodness Rob Stevens came along and found it (it was in the wrong spot - not in the saddle). However, that was not much of an excuse, as I had ventured too far astray anyway.

After that, pretty much held my own (#23 lost ~10s, but I was jogging and chatting with Rob S) but the damage was done.

#24 long one - enough to catch Zach, who was tentative looking for the control.

#27 - Zach just went the wrong way and I followed the path right to it.
#28 - tentative, partly because I was trying to figure out if that was a real control on the map (it was also 15), or the finish was #28.

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Lots to learn about how to be in control while still being fast enough.

Flag pick-up with Richard B. Yep, the flagpole at the top is his.

53F, so I put on long sleeves. Turned out to be warmer than that. Enough so that J was panting pretty well, and needed a couple rests.

8k TC - Splits

Didn't want to trash my old-man legs today prior to the trail challenge tomorrow, so I figured a bike ride was a good way to pretend I worked out.

After waking up with the cat sitting on my bladder at 2AM, it was off the bathroom every hour thereafter. The 4.4 lb weight loss from yesterday all due to a shrunken bladder?

with only the 20s rest in between each 40s set..... added side bends with weights in here.

13 min continuous, no rest - brutal, especially after the other abs work, but it goes fast once I get past the first 5 minute straight plank.

Standard weight levels. Some watching of hip on the bend-overs.

Cool - 61F. Wore rain jacket, and it kept the rain away. First time J went for the whole loop in the evening in a while - he definitely prefers cool to heat. Quite a number of dog walker out - none of whom I recognized.

of course the only time it rained is while I was in the middle of picking the beans...

- BIG pile of beans (I ran out of patience before I picked them all). That's at least 3 days worth. Just in time to pick the next batch.
- 4 tomatoes - will try the countertop method. They are quite red
- 2 misshapen cukes (probably from going too long without water) - I figure I pick these, and the others will get more energy sent their way. Quite a few little ones on the way.

And after I wrote off the cantaloupes, there appeared 4 things that look like fuzzy figs. Hmm. Probably way too late for them to get big. Should be interesting.

L knee tenuous beforehand - seemed quite weak and barking right after stretching. Then, strangely, it didn't say anythign at all during run (hip and now the R knee were 'evident').

The other evident item was my lower abs and back muscles, saying 'hello' based on yesterday's lunchtime workout. That's the kind of hello that is not worrisome.

I didn't really want that pace - would have preferred something lke 7:25's, given the grumpiness of the knees and hips and such. However, I'll take it, as I really wasn't forcing anything.

... what was with the fireworks that a neighbor set off at 2AM? Not a weekend or a holiday. Maybe a kid realized that summer vacation is winding down.

Intense. Did my usual planks, but this time, rather than resting between, I just rolled directly into the next one:
5straight-1Left-1R-2S-1L*-1R*-2S*
*-includes lifting leg up and down for 1/2 of time period.

knee hurt during night and when I woke up. But it was fine for the walk, and has not barked much during the day (knock wood).

no longer raining, but J did not mess around too much this morning. Knee being tricky.

Dark - wore reflective vest & almost wore headlamp.
Raining moderately heavy at first, especially when windy. It stopped after 5 minutes or so, but I was pretty wet by then. I don't mind that kind of rain, as it scares the competition away (joke).

Two of the regulars were out this morning, and they were both wearing reflective vests. Sigh, I was enjoying light in the morning.

Oooh, feeling Sunday's run today. Generally sore, with hip part of that. One ka-zing on the L knee - which may be more worry than the hip long term?

Poor sleep last night - got the itchy throat cough allergy. Rain must be kicking something up. I am definitely pro-rain however, as the veggies in my planter boxes were looking sad yesterday.

RW exercises ++ Still down 1 weight on some to ensure form.

5min straight .5 rest
1min side .5 rest
1min side
2min straight
1 min side
1 min side
2 min straight
Note - eliminated 4 rests. interesting.

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Moderate batch of beans.
1 decent cucumber. The others appear to have been growing, and then stopped - probably stressed.
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Pulled the tape from painting the woodwork on the stairs. Ick. Now I need to paint the walls too, as 1) I pulled up some old paint and 2) the age/superficiality of the last paint job on the walls really stands out now.
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Cool, not as humid, but the sun was starting to come out.
After some coaxing over the first 2-3 miles, J just plowed through the Blue-green loop. Then when we came out to where our car was parked, Canfield road was lined with people in lawn chairs, setting up food tables, etc. I had to ask - the parade of horse & buggies was about to start. Good thing we were leaving. However, I made a tactical error when I was going home on Smith - instead of going through the oil & gravel construction, I headed north, which ran me straight into the parade route. The policeman made me turn around. J was puzzled with that whole state of affairs. He likes our car rides to and from the park.

1 minute Fartleks, but without taking lap times. I wanted to run how the hip would feel. The hip mentioned it was there - more stiff/sore not pain, but not too much of a nuisance. It forced me to stay at 80% effort on the faster ones, I'd say (i.e. no 'powering' up hills, if that's what you might call what I do - [ha! purely in my dreams. Reality strikes when I can see my shadow, and I truly look like a 50 year old trying to run]).

84F, sunny, nice (I've acclimatized).

Surprised how fast this ended up overall, given that I wasn't running full bore.
(OK, I was puffing hard going up the last hill on Fall Meadow.)

Yesterday's 2 doughnuts were not a disaster. I don't know why I ate them - they never are what I remember from childhood - just sweet. .... Of course, I don't know when I last ate doughnuts. However, I was driving by Tim Horton's on the way home from the second errand (haircut), and I was drawn in, even though I already had eaten breakfast.