Training Log Archive: Charlie

2nd race, this time at Montjuïc, billed as long distance, but had the feel of a really long sprint, with 28 controls and very difficult map reading. I spent a lot of time at the start looking for the triangle, backing up from 3, finding 2 after a while, then 1, but just not able to track down the triangle, eventually the group one minute after arrived and passed, and then I found it. I wasn’t the only one with problems, as I caught up to the guy who had started 1 minute ahead of me about 2/3 of the way to #1, only a 200 m leg! A lot of difficulty finding gaps in fences, etc. the first time I have ridden escalators in a race. They were marked with red arrows showing the direction of travel, but I didn’t know that until later. Just hugely surprised by it. We had a map flip part way, as we moved to 7500. Flipped the map and studied it for a while before finding any course overprinting at all, and there were 15 controls! Very small circles and numbers, light grayish purple course overprinting. Not optimal for me. But it was a fun place to run, and I was thoroughly trashed after the run and the walk back to the event center. Maps and track later.

Stage 2 Part 1 Monjuic Nord 23/40 M65
Stage 2 Part 2 Montjuic Sud

C • Overprinting 1

Dinner in a tapas bar a few blocks from the hotel. Culturally interesting. At 8:15 or thereabouts the place was empty, by 9 it was starting to fill up and by 9:30 it was bustling. Very nice, very inexpensive. I was using a lot of google translate to puzzle out the menu, and overcame my initial lack of success when I figured out it was not in Spanish, but rather in Catalan.

So what we had: glass of white wine, grilled shrimp, large with the heads on, some excellent fried sardines, a plate of grilled vegetables, sautéed potatoes that came with some little sausages that didn’t interest me, and some fried eggplant that came dusted with sugar, which was strange, but tasted fine. Also some good bread, toasted, with a garlic clove to rub on it and some olive oil to dip it in. Quite excellent. 12 euros. All very good, but the sardines were my favorite.

Event: MOC TOUR - Mediterranean Open Championship
 

First race, 45 minutes by bus west of town. First half some very nasty green terrain, one big error when I started from 1 as if I were leaving 2 and got 1/3 of the way to 3 before realizing it and turning back, then mistakes trying to find 4 and 5. Then settled down, but a lot of physical difficulty with my back where I fell on it last week.

Stage 1 Bruc 28th of 36 M65

Around Barcelona. No particular plan, but wandered down to the big park at Montjuïc and climbed the hill the the castle, looked out over the harbor. Very attractive city, probably the least vehicle traffic of any major city I’ve been in. Got here early and rested a bit after not sleeping on the plane.

C • Wonderful! 11

Rhonda's morning class. Modifying a bit to favor the tender wrist and low back.

In the gym with Eric, did a lot more today, but a bit limited by the sore butt from the fall. Deadlifts were a bit uncomfortable, so kept it to 4 sets at 95#. squats were more uncomfortable so didn't do them, but the hand was fine with pulling motions. GH raises, pull downs, dumbbell rows, planks, and the usual stretching and rolling.

Went for the follow up x-ray, which revealed what he said was a small crack just distal of the plate from last time. So, having seen my shadow, I am three weeks more in the brace until the next x-ray and then we'll see. Symptomatically, a fair discomfort flexing my wrist back, somewhat less discomfort flexing it forward. No grip strength issues. Hand is still purple and yellow, but feels much less bruised and has not been swollen since about day 3 or 4.

C • Can you still do MOC? 5

Had thought a bit about going out and running a couple of the so-called dog loops, but instead I went out and walked one with R & S, and that told me all I wanted to know about whether it would be fun to run it. Quite a bit of glare ice in the trail, although quite passable in the woods alongside. No interest in running on that stuff.

Rhonda's morning yoga class, exposing how sore my butt/low back is from the falls last week.

Around the block with Rhonda. R hip flexor is pretty compromised right now.

With Rhonda and Sassy at Lake McDonough. Still very icy, but at least not covered with snow, so the icebugs were generally more effective and I stayed upright. Nice day, sunny, above freezing. Back at the house a lot of the ice is gone, but that trail gets so much foot traffic that the packed down snow once rained on and frozen is pretty resistant to melting.

Wasn't sure how this would go, but it was fine on my hand, and only slight discomfort at the top of my butt. Certainly getting better each day from the fall(s). Rebuilding any kind of aerobic fitness seems like it will take a while.