Training Log Archive: Gswede

More in-depth analysis to come. For now I'll just post the map and a short description.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/qfka1pZD4m73tnC96

This wasn't a good long for me, but it wasn't a bad one either. I was perhaps a bit too conservative at the beginning, aiming to avoid hills, forest running, and green as much as possible. The forest was much more runnable than the training maps and I should have adjusted to be more aggressive. However, I was still concerned about hitting the wall after the spectator passage. So I shot for a medium-hard pace and routes where I could run fast but not get as tired.

In hindsight, I likely could have taken straighter routes and come out fine. A significant problem is still my Achilles tendon and heel. It began to hurt midway through and I was a bit apprehensive about running up and down the hills the whole way. I've got to take time to let it rest. I've been pushing that off for too long.

For now, I've just got to make it through NAOC with solid performances and then I can give my body a break.

In terrain with the warm up map

Barefoot jog around the field to activate the body and loosen up my Achilles.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/K7rodu6qFivEKoAU7

Long "model" feeling really confident.

Barefoot jog on the fields around the house

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ET267X9o2iyACERj6

WOC Relay!

Anton didn't run as well as we were hoping so I started a good bit back, which is fine. We've certainly experienced that before. I was far enough back off the people in front of me that it seemed best to be cautious about pushing myself physically trying to catch them.

Since it seemed that many people were making large mistakes out there, I decided to aim to execute as clean a race as possible hoping that the minutes would disappear through their mistakes and my clean race. I did manage to close the gap a good bit, but only moved up one spot all told.

Based on my experience at other large relays, Jukola, Tiomila, etc., I knew that it's a whole different story when you're in a pack. The speed is just at another level, but I took my focus away from that and aimed it at a clean execution. In that goal, I succeeded.

Overall, I'm content with how I ran. The heat (31C/88F) was brutal and it was tough to strike a balance between running quickly and keeping your head on your shoulders.

The good news is that the terrain did not feel particularly technically challenging, just challenging to move through at "race pace." All the fallen trees and other obstacles covering the ground make it very difficult to maintain map contact and run fast. As in most races, the technical difficulty seems to increase exponentially to how fast you run. But here, take away the visible features and throw in some low-viz vegetation, and you've got a cocktail to bring down anyone who dares to run too fast. This is where I feel that Pennsylania's bland hillsides and thick vegetation have prepared me well. Others may feel that they're lacking details to work off of, I feel quite comfortable with finding a marsh on a hillside. It's easier than finding a charcoal platform ;)

So, it looks like everything's ready for a stellar race in the long. The hay is in the barn. Just gotta go do it.

Barefoot morning jog

Relay model with Eric to simulate having someone else in the forest with me and on the same course. I felt really strong. Technically I was really on point except for one control that I lost about 15 seconds on because I was too low. Good news for tomorrow though.

However, based on the research I've done and Ali's experience in the middle yesterday, I expect the terrain to have much more deciduous vegetation than coniferous, which was the most common in the model. In my experience, this generally means lower visibility, but decent runnability.

I'm also quite optimistic because it reminds me quite a bit of the terrain I've been training in to prepare for this. So, we're well prepared, reasonably healthy, and rested. The only thing left to do is get out there and run. I can't wait.

Feeling quite good.

After dinner