Training Log Archive: CleverSky

Schlepping glider gear around at Burke. I don't actually have any idea how long I spent doing this, but I suspect it was longer than the 4 1/2 minutes I spent in the air (the paragliders who launched first got up and out, but those of us in the back of the line missed the period of good lift).

The interesting thing is that I still have the aches and pains that I typically have after a day of flying. I had been figuring that the soreness in my back was a consequence of hanging in the harness while flying, but this time that was too short to have been an issue. The new assumption is that it's due to carrying my stuff around (the glider in particular). That suggests a different approach to mitigating the problem. Minimize the weight I'm shouldering (e.g. remember to take the battens out of the glider bag), don't turn down offers of help to carry the glider, think about the mechanics of how I'm carrying it to minimize the stress on my back, and maybe dream up some kind of sling or something to allow me to carry the weight better. It's an awkward thing, with a lot of weight on one shoulder (at a time), meaning that my spine is kind of twisted when it has this load on it. In addition, think about what kinds of exercises could strengthen the muscles for this scenario.

And two zeroes in a row.

Nothing. Worked a kind of long day, in part to make up for skipping out a little early yesterday.

WCMRE Day 1. Made a serious effort to keep the speed down and the map contact up. Got myself pretty bewildered on #2 (I was in the right place but couldn't get myself to go the right way) and lost two minutes, but the rest was not so bad.

WCMRE Day 2. Same plan, pretty successful. Lost time on #2 when I was on the edge of the circle but couldn't figure out from the map how to get into the dead-end passage, and on #3 when I lost contact just as I got to the final turn, second-guessed myself, and retraced my steps a little before deciding that I had been in the right place to begin with.

Tapering.

Shorter Mystery Blazes, In The Dim. A fair bit slower than the last time I did this, back in April, assuming it was actually the same loop. I did start out pretty casually tonight, though I was pushing a little harder by the end. But it was dark under the evergreens, and it was maybe 15-20 degrees warmer than in April. With some vegetation and deadfall to deal with.

Walking around museums and going on boat rides isn't exercise, but it's good to be outdoors.