Training Log Archive: CleverSky

Not exactly training, but I did walk down and back up the 450 at Morningside to get my glider bags. The other pilots hanging around were the kind of people who wouldn't do that without motorized transport, and at least one of them was kind of startled at how quickly I was back. It is steep enough to get the heart rate up, even at a walk. The reason I went down for the glider bags was that I had decided not to fly, but when I got back up, the wind had improved, so I ended up flying anyway.

75 situps.

Yeah, I whacked my foot pretty good last night. Iced it last night, then today I was on a tour of the lab facilities in Framingham, so I was on my feet for several hours, and it was uncomfortable to walk. Can't imagine running right now. Icing it again tonight.

C • impact wound/trauma 2

75 situps. Something, at least.

Lancaster State Forest, around sunset, temps in the mid 70s. Stopped on my way home from work and figured I'd do a loop or an out and back or something. Saw a couple heading out just as I pulled into the parking lot, and when I was somewhere out near the westernmost point, I passed them. (Somewhere around here I stubbed my right foot really hard on a root -- my right foot is really taking a beating lately.) Made a left at the next intersection, and that dead-ended in some reclaimed excavation or whatever, so I doubled back, and ended up passing them again. The guy asked if I was lapping them,, and I said either that or I'm just lost. He said we were going the right way, so that was good, and shortly after that I ran into some sandpit/dump kind of area. I squeezed between a couple of mountains of yard waste, and then I was in the woods. Right way, huh? Well, I put my wilderness skills to work in the fading light, and figured all the reentrants had to lead downhill to the Nashua River, and I could pick up the trail that ran along it. Didn't take too long to get to a trail, and then I just had to pick a direction. I picked left, and I picked wrong -- right would have taken me back to my car. Ran for a little bit, and I could see stadium lights up ahead, so I figured I could head for what I assumed was the soccer fields, and indeed it was.

Back to the car, In The... well, it was getting pretty damn Dark. After stopping at the convenient porta-potty, it occurred to me that although there were hundreds of kids playing soccer, these were not the soccer fields I was expecting to see, the ones next to Rte. 70, just south of the Toyota dealership. In fact, I couldn't see a road, or any way out of the parking lot. These were the Twilight Zone soccer fields, deep in the woods, and the kids were undoubtedly robots or aliens or something. I went through a spot marked DO NOT ENTER, and found the driveway leading out to Rte. 70, across from Kimball's. These are extra fields that I didn't know about, fortunately a bit closer to where I had parked. I got back by running mostly on the mowed grass out in front of businesses, with light from the passing cars, but usually with a huge ditch or a guardrail separating me from them. Pretty hard to see by the time I reached my car in the otherwise empty parking lot.

17 ring pullups, 75 situps, 35 pushups.

Whacked my right ankle yesterday on the trail run, didn't really hurt at all to continue running on it, hurts just a little today if I push on it in certain ways, so I think it will be fine.

7 loaded ring pullups, 75 situps, 35 pushups.

A few days ago, a hang glider pilot who I know quite well was flying on vacation in Mexico, and came disconnected from his glider. I won't bother to go into the details of how this happened (some of which aren't completely clear yet), but after briefly hanging from the control bar by his armpits, and then by his hands, he fell. Fortunately, he managed to get his parachute out while in free fall, and apparently escaped with only some bruises after coming down on a steep forested slope.

Yikes!

So, not knowing what that specific terrifying experience would feel like, I decided to experiment with what it would be like to hanging there, trying to hold on. He's about my size (a little taller and a little lighter), but probably not in as good shape. I've been doing pretty well with the pullups lately (dressed lightly), but it's a different story when you're wearing a harness and helmet. So to simulate the situation, I put on the harness, with the radio and harness bag in the pockets, along with my helmet and a fleece top and shoes, adding 10 kg to my weight. (If actually flying, it would be somewhat more, because I'd also have the glider bags and maybe more clothes and a camelbak.) And I went out to the garage to see what I could do. I wouldn't have been surprised if I couldn't do any at all, but I did seven and wasn't entirely cooked (but I was satisfied). Much better than I expected, but not something I have any intention of trying out in the real world.

I was feeling pretty good on the situps, so I decided to go for a few more than usual. And then I still had the pushups to go, so...

Watatic with Patti.

Some new trails in Willard Brook. I had an OSM printout, but it didn't go quite as far north as I needed, so I had to go off trail when I found myself behind a house. Just as well, steep laurel is probably the best training I can get for steep manzanita. Looks like the area after the third split has quite a few more MTB trails than OSM knows about. Still finding more interesting terrain out there, though this northern part also has more laurel, and I did find something that I was hoping I wouldn't: a substantial dense patch of greenbriar.