Training Log Archive: CleverSky

Jogging over to the Vatican to mail postcards. (Didn't have satellite lock, and I think maybe this included stading in line at the post office.)

Circumperambulating a country. (Not really 5 AM, the watch hadn't figured out what time zone it was in.)

Jogging back to Trastevere. Hot.

Walking around Rome with Nancy and Stephen, time a wild guess, distance from Nancy's phone. Started with fun and games on the bus system, eventually got close enough to Villa Borghese (see below), then the Spanish Steps (undergoing renovations and closed off), then down to some other piazza (Farnese?) Campo de Fiori where we watched the first half of the Italy/Germany soccer game, then back to our apartment for the second half, and out again into Trastevere to watch the overtime to the disappointing end.

C • First Half of Football game 2

Not actually orienteering, but walking around Villa Borghese with Nancy and Stephen, while Stephen took us to where the controls had been.

Not me at all: Stephen wanted to do the Park-O, so I put my watch on him and sent him off to do the M21 course from 2012 (without control markers, of course) while Nancy and I sat on a bench and rested our aching feet. Just posting it here so he can see it.

Walking around Rome with Nancy and Stephen, time a wild guess, distance from Nancy's phone. Santa Maria in Cosmedin, then dragged our luggage to the new apartment in Trastevere. Basilica di Santa Maria, up the hill to Piazzale Anita Garibaldi and Faro degli Italiani d'Argentina, then St. Peter's, a tour of the Vatican Museum, and back to Trastevere.

Walking around Rome with Nancy and Stephen, time a wild guess, distance from Nancy's phone. Circus Maximus, Colosseum, Pantheon, Piazza Navona.

Walking around Rome with Nancy and Stephen, time a wild guess, distance from Nancy's phone. Forum/Palatino, then Trevi Fountain, and back to our apartment.

Red-eye flight to Rome.

Back from Seeley after dropping off the car. Enough FDFs to be pretty annoying.

Longsjo Legends ride, on the Incubus. After having arrived a little after 7 AM to ride around in a car and put out the direction signs, I joined 20-30 people at the start line for this ride. Some of the people were luminaries who had done things like winning the Longsjo race in past years, and they were called to the start line to be recognized and applauded by the spectators. As my brother (race director) was doing the announcing, he called me up as one of those luminaries (noting that I was the son of the famous Joe Cote, but also mentioning my efforts in setting up the course). We started with one lap of the criterium course, then headed out of town. The first quarter of the ride was pretty mellow, no problem keeping up, and everybody stayed together. There was about a 10 minute break at the water stop in Ashby, and I decided to go ahead and do the 50 mile option. There were eight of us, and I looked around and decided I was outclassed, but whatever. Lyne (four-time winner of the women's race) said we'd be picking up the pace somewhat, and that was true. I was still able to do okay, although when we got to Mason, I knew there was a big climb coming, and just dropped it into the lowest gear and took my time. They had stopped for a short break on the top, so I stopped for about four minutes there. The next section went fine, back to the water stop, and another 10 minutes off. Kinda scary fast downhill on bad pavement to West Townsend, and when we turned onto the long straightaway back to Fitchburg, I could feel cramps starting, and told them to go on ahead. At least two other guys got dropped on that section, but as the last guy, I had the personal motorcycle escort. There's a steep hill up to the college, and that was rough, with more cramps popping up. I don't cramp often, and this was one of the worst ever in that regard, with random things seizing up when I got back to the car. I think if I had blinked vigorously, my eyelids would have cramped. After a brief rest and some more to drink and then a couple of slices of pizza, I was feeling better, though I'm obviously somewhat tired. My brother asked me afterwards when was the last time I had ridden 50 miles, and if it had been decades; I said maybe. I'm pretty sure the rest of the 50-mile group were a little skeptical about me (I was intentionally wearing some vintage gear, and some of my other equipment also probably made it look like I didn't know what I was doing), and I think they were surprised at how well I did. In general, I couldn't keep up on the major climbs, but was fine on the rest, until the cramping started. Taking out the stops, it looks like the rolling time was about 3:05. Not terrible.

C • Nice.. guess we both decide... 8