Training Log Archive: JanetT

Moving (but no stepping) and and abs stretching after the weekend.

My knee was fine all weekend, but when I started going up and down the stairs here at home it started acting up again, and going downstairs this morning I tweaked it again (on top of the kneecap this time?!?)! Arggghhh... Pain, pain, go away!

Raked up some leaves I should have done a few weeks ago (but it was cold!), being careful not to twist enough to bother my right hip or my left knee, my current weak points. Bleah.

[Edited logged time to what they reported at the finish line.]

1st leg Orange course on EMPO 12-pt team in the US Relay Champs at Mendon Ponds near Rochester, set by Will Hawkins (very nice courses and excellent spectator opportunity).

Though the first leg was up a hill, I wasn't the last one! That felt good. :-) There were several different courses starting in the mass start, and they had forked first controls which baffled/tricked some people who weren't paying attention (i.e., checking their codes/descriptions), but I managed to not embarrass myself in the spectator area, and hit all the controls in the woods well, too, moving as fast as I could. I'll take under 10 min/k anytime, especially when it includes some woods running.

Fun, fun, fun, and our team was 3rd overall, 2nd US! (Last year's placing was our first relay medal, a bronze. This year we were 3rd US after the first leg, 3rd after the second [Sue doing Yellow], 4th after the third [Phil on Brown], and then Glen, running the anchor leg, managed to pull us up to 2nd, passing two other 12-pt-team runners in the woods section. The first place DVOA team was just too fast with two speedy teenage girls on the first two legs. :-) )

C • Congrats again ... 6

Event: US Middle Distance and Relay Champs
 

Warm up before the Middle course, jogging to the start.

[edited first sentence] Including 180 m run to the start triangle along a trail, forcing the route choice to avoid running back through the call-up lines. Messed up on # 2 (too high; had to come back down the hill) and # 9 (parallel error, identifying one trail as another and then not correcting when I "knew things didn't match up"). Finished ahead of all but one F55, though--Candice Raines, doing everything right and having a really good day.

Comparing to others' splits, I think I might have been about 8 minutes faster without the errors (and a better route to 3)! Big difference on such a short course. 2nd F55 out of 6.

Gorgeous day; sunny and 70's (80's later).

C • Congratulations! 2

Course 2 sprint (Orange/Brown/Green) at Letchworth, starting from the same field we were parked near. After seeing some runners head up the ski slope to their first control I was worried, but then found out they were on the Blue/Red course--phew! Our start was along a trail, and the climb didn't come until on the way to 2... Fine on navigation except for # 6 where I mistook where the swamp was in relation to the hills and went about 30 m beyond the hill the control was one (a form-line hill). A good run otherwise, and it felt great to run down the ski slope near the end. :-)

Val - thanks for the wine! You're more than generous. :-)

I can just imagine what your peeps (from J-J) look like -- now you have a mutant set for your collection.

7th female on the sprint (40th of 56 finishers plus 7 mp).

Sprint 2 - Splits

1540 strides. Knee didn't feel perfectly fine, so I stopped at 10 minutes.

A short fast run (didn't want to do too much because of races for the next two days).

Walking at a good pace, while switching back and forth between the View, The Price is Right, and the Pope addressing the UN.

Cooling down so I could use the strength equipment without getting them too gross.

Fitlinxx circuit, the first 6 machines (5 arm and one leg, the one where you contract the back of the leg pressing a bar behind the ankles); plus 8 pulldowns at 62.5 lbs.

Hand Hollow (west) from Gale Hill parking area. Did a little bushwhacking to check out potential trails. No one else there when I started, but there was another car in the parking lot when I returned.

AOWN: There's a heron on the nest at the pond near the lower parking lot -- yeay, they're back! After running I walked down to the upper pond to cool down (wash up too; I fell on the trail and muddied my knee) and the fishies gathered 'round -- probably a dozen or so -- but I didn't have anything for them.

Ex. class in Chatham. After warming up and some stretching we did circuits (upper and lower body) and then step (then abs and final stretching). Circuit included biceps, triceps, shoulders (lat lifts), plies, outer thighs (step-touch using theraband) and wall pushups; two times around at 45 seconds per station.

I was able to use the lowest step today with no knee pain, so will continue to progress slowly. I'm still doing strengthening exercises at home too (mostly isometric contraction of the quad while sitting, but some others, woo).

Brisk walk around Malden Bridge (32, 66, Bachus, Pratt, 66, 32), stopping at the Post Office on the way to mail our taxes & forms. Beautiful day with lots of sun and low 50's temps. Pushed the pace as much as I could because it's "just a walk" and not a run. Fast first (downhill) mile yet at 13:40; 2nd (flat) mile in 14:25; 3rd 1.2 miles in 18:43(this is where the 100' of climb is); last mile (mix of down and up) in 15:03.

AOWN: On one of the dirt backroads I spooked a raccoon, who scampered up a tree and watched me (I watched him too; raccoons aren't out during the day all that often unless rabid, but he/she didn't seem too interested in me). And heard lots of birds.