Training Log Archive: CleverSky

Walk to the start.

Shadowing Stephen on the Yellow course, and adjusting some other things. This was actually something of an interval session, where we were going pretty fast when it was on a trail, and stopped dead at other times.

Willard Brook SE, standard loop. Didn't feel like I was goimg particularly fast, but it was a nice afternoon to be out. The last southbound section is really trashed out, hard to follow, and I walked for several strides a few times in the worst parts. Maybe more branches have fallen since the last time I did this. I also figured out how I missed the last turn on my prior run: the turn is completely obliterated by fallen stuff (though easy to get around it if you know where it is). AOWN: a big fat bird cruised over my head, not so high up. Pretty sure it was a turkey.

Across the street. Lane trail (water level is down), then the new blazed trail down as far as I could follow it, and crossed at the confluence. Through some nice woods from there, and I though I might miss the laurel jungle, but I didn't. After getting through, I headed right to pick up the last part of the Enigma Road (just before the hilltop), and when I got to the powerline trail, I followed it to the powerline. Explored a couple of trails off to the right at the end, which dead ended into a yard in Townsend, then tried a couple of overgrown trails that also dead ended, but one went the right direction so that I was able to push through some waist-high laurel and get back to the powerline trail and head back. There are a number of puddles on that trail, most of which have detours (made by ATVs?), but the southernmost one is the result of some beaver activity right on the edge of the trail, and the only way past is to walk on the squishy berm. From there, I took the shortest Mystery Blazes loop. Walked some on the hill up north, and on the fork after that, I was barely able to follow the trail, though I eventually remembered that that section is blazed with useless (to me) red paint. Toughed it out up the last climb, that is, I kept running, though it was certainly no sprint.

Warmish (70s) and a little humid, though nothing like the nasty weather last week, mostly just moist from yesterday's rain evaporating. No hat, a few FDFs around, but not bothersome. In terms of running, my legs felt absolutely flabby when I started, though it got better once I got warmed up a little. I've had a little bit of wheezing and itchy eyes the last few days, but it didn't bother me while I was running. I kept up a pace that I figure I'll need to be able to maintain for the Highlander, but for well under 20% of the time that the Highlander will take (maybe more like 15%). Felt good to get some exercise, but I'm going to need to get a lot more. Nothing on the calendar for orienteering this fall right now (even the Highlander isn't up there yet, because I haven't seen any announcement).

C • Pawtuckaway? Boulder Dash? ... 2