Training Log Archive: Charlie

Brown X day 1 at the Boulder Dash at Burnt Mountain. Kind of loose, particularly in the early going, but no giant mistakes. A little better in the last half of the course. Physically not too bad, although 2.7k is certainly far enough.

1st in M70, although Ken was 5 min faster in M65.


Brown X Day 1, map and route.

start to 1, mostly straight, not sure if the black lines along the way would be cliffs or a trail (turned out to be a trail). I was a little left, going gingerly, feeling dejà vu over how lost I was looking for the first control last year, but eventually stumbled onto it.

1 to 2. Short, easy, but somehow I missed the marsh right in front of me and had to fumble a bit.

2 to 3. Things were going ok, but when I got to the marsh halfway there, it didn't look quite right to me and I started wandering down the marsh to the west for a bit. Then headed back in a bit of a panic and got on the right track.

3 to 4. Trail around to the right, cutting a corner where I needed to, and this would have been fine except I got sucked down to the larger marsh W of the big hill and had to come back for it. Maybe 30 seconds.

5. Fine. Short leg, up above the marsh and down the spur looking for the first big rock and then the second one not far beyond it.

6. Fine, and there were some others in the area, too. North of the marsh, and then on compass across the hill, looking for the rocks and the reentrant.

7. Looking for the corner in the open marsh, and I could see the opening for the marsh from a long way off. When I got there it didn't look quite right to me, so I slowed own a bit and wandered some, checking out a rock off to the right and too high, before looking back and seeing the flag. Some lost time here.

8, Fine, on compass. There was some company on the leg, too.

9. Around the marsh, on compass, looking for the boulder and the developing reentrant.

10. A few tentative steps, and then I could see the flag.

11. Just get out to the road the best I could, try to stay left to make it easy to turn to the flag.

C • limber timber 1

Saturday - BrownX - Splits

Event: UNO Boulder Dash
 

Rhonda's morning class. Feeling relatively more limber than in a long time.

With Rhonda and Sassy along the west side of Lake McDonough.

In the gym with Eric, mostly stretching and balance.

Posted maps from last week in Sicily:

Stage 1 Santa Tecla

Stage 2 Bosco Ragabo

Stage 3 Castelmola

Stage 4 Bosco Ragabo

Stage 5 Bronte

C • Bosco Ragabo 3

Slow, and seemed hard, but my back feels pretty good, less stiff and much less sore than in a long time. Legs are tired I think from DLs and squats yesterday.

Back to the morning sessions with Eric. My back is about as good as it has been anytime lately, so did a bunch of deadlifts and goblet squats. I've also been keeping up with my one leg get-ups, which I think are a big part of the improvement in my back.

The g is getting away from me. But one eats well in Sicily.

Travel day. Left Catania at 7:50, in Rome for a few hours, then Montreal and Hartford, arriving at 5:50.

Another tourist day, and quite satisfying. Started with a swim before breakfast in front of the famous Casa di Montalbano. The sea was calmer than the night before, so I felt comfortable to get out and paddle around for a bit, then jogged back to the hotel, as my back is doing quite well these days. I have a couple of theories about why, but I'll keep observing.

Then breakfast and out in the car. Wasn't quite sure where I'd go, but went along the coast east for a bit, encountering over a hundred cyclists out for their Sunday morning ride, in fairly large groups. Then turned north and headed for Scicli. Not sure what to expect, but it was lovely. And after having been around to quite a lot of towns, Scicli is my favorite. Lots of baroque churches, as in all the towns of the Val di Noto, all of which were wiped out by a massive earthquake in 1693 and rebuilt in the 1700s at the height of baroque style. It is also a big stop on any Montalbano tour, and I went on a brief tour of the Commissioner's office and several other recognizable spots. The guide advised us that they are to shoot two more episodes in February, which is welcome news.

Then I walked up one of the three hills that form the structure of Scicli, up to the Church of San Matteo and the ruins above it. Walked around town a bit more and had lunch at the excellent Baqqala, with its chalkboard out front that says "only fish". Hard to choose, and I only intended to have one thing to stave off an afternoon nap, so I had the grilled ombrina, which they translate as croaker. It came with a green salad with really good good olives and tomatoes, dressed with lemon and good olive oil. Best meal of the trip.

Then I headed toward Ragusa, but got seduced along the way by Modica and spent a couple of hours walking the very substantial hills there and seeing some of the many dozens of churches. I also stopped by the birthplace of the poet Salvatore Quasimodo, but it was closed between 1 and 4 and I was on a schedule. Back in the car and off to Ragusa, for another look at the church of Santa Maria delle Scale and some more stair climbing. Excellent. And then the ride to the airport, much of it on a two lane limited access road with not much traffic through really lovely countryside, and with Aetna looming on my left toward the end. And now a night at the airport hotel and home tomorrow.

C • Quasimodo? 2