Training Log Archive: bl

To Stoneybrook bog with Mocha in the morning, in the guise of early spring

On treadmill.

Nice eve walk on the PL with Mocha. Peepers and birdsong in the middle of a wet period. 3-4 days just finishing with a few more starting tomorrow.

Y after work - raining today, cold & gray. Fair amount of edema LLE from weekend. Checked dates/times of three May appointments for "body care" today.

So glad I went to WP. The weekend was fun. But have decided not to go to the BG, even the short version. 8K is clearly too much presently.

Sunday Brown. Dawned clear blue. Long walk to start but not much climb. I was accurate but going slowly, so that’s not surprising. Went to the first with energy but on the way to the second, the leg gave warning as well as being OOB for the end of #2 and all of 3. To 4, climbed the wall of cliffs as my preferred route choice which had me pausing several times for as long as 30-45". Had no trouble finding the point but 20’ for the split. Steve had 13’ and Dave Hunter around 14’ . I was in the company of George Hawes from departing 4 to #9. I usually managed to punch first but he was faster/ stronger and would get ahead only to lose the gain with less accurate navigation. 9 to 10, I went around to the left. George and Carl Childs both went straight over and were gone by the time I got to the other side. Janet Findlay appeared 9-10 and also outdistanced me. The 250m “chute” was walk-jog. A marvelous finish site on the beach with a very blue Welch in the background and the cadets’ excellent (mostly by humor I think) announcing.

Had the heavy weight of a beta blocker driven home this weekend and have begun my own taper w/o consulting my cardiologist.

We initially considered Sunday night in the area - not sure what we were going to do but heading home looked better & better & that’s what we did via 9D to TSP to Mass Pike, 91 and 9E at Brattleboro. We stopped at Madame Sherri's castle in Chesterfield on Gulf Rd. The road was interesting in and of itself. All in all, it was a lovely drive home from WP. Wonder how many more. George Hawes is 79, still at it. I need a lot more tuning up. Was well behind.

Sunday - Brown - Splits

Event: West Point National Meet
 

West Point meet, brown 3.4k, 90m climb, 13c at Popolopen. Dreary weather, on & off rain but a good temperature for exerting. Maybe 3-4’ mistakes being rusty. Not able to run for any distance though. Had to stop a bunch when climbing. Right leg was weak/wobbly at times but generally functional - but that might have been another 10’ lost. As PG might say, just plain feeble. Dave Pruden passed me on the way to my #9. He was running blue. That brought an acknowledged cheer.

Lost about an 1-1.5’ on the first. Thought when I got above the cliffs (not focusing enough on exactly where I climbed thru), I’d readily see where I was but that was not the case. Wandered a bit too much/long. #2 - was headed right toward the flag but matching map with what I was seeing, I thought I had to climb a contour. Did so, happened to look back, saw a flag, mine. #3 - lost track of where I was on the path but left in time and, after a climb, the flag was with some relief, right ahead. #4 - got to right and when I saw the big cliff (not the correct one) went more right, then cliffs did not fit. Pretty quickly saw what I had done but had lost some time. And then a 6-7 miserable contour climb that left me pausing frequently. #6 - runners leaving helped with the last 40 or so meters in thick stuff. #7 - had been there previously for the same RF a few years ago! Hard to do with all the flag choices a course setter has. Recognized the reentrant just as I was going by it. #8 - had help from David Hunter who was doing the leg for a second time. #9 Dave Pruden’s passing me and then took my eye to the point which happened to be the same as his. #10 Dave Yee this time led the leg. Could see the point from 75m. #11 - also saw from a long distance tho not convinced it was mine. #12 - saw JJ heading for this flag & then saw boulders. Stopped numerous times on the run-in. The announcer was joking about all the humorous or fancy end-of-course antics finishers were doing. Having just seen the appropriate documentary, I was able to offer Usain Bolt’s symbolic pose in starkly amusing contrast… 61" on run-in to Ken's 26".

Waited for Beth to finish & then we went off in search of a motel for the night again - as it was too wet/dreary for camping. Ended up in Central Valley at the Best Value where we come from time to time over the years.

Dinner at Barth Hall which was intimate with the small group. More cadets than other. A really nice group of young people. Fun course critique. An Army band guitarist and a rendition of an O song well done. Barth still the same old, cold place. De rigueur was wool cap & layers of clothing. Sara Mae even wore gloves.
Fun to be at/by Lake Popolopen though.

To start, up and more up.

Saturday - Brown - Splits

Drive to West Point thru Newburgh with Beth. Left Mocha with Piwczyk's. Drove to Lake Popolopen which was so very jammed with Cadets' cars - being used as an off-campus parking due to a sports weekend. Got a motel on south side of Highland Falls. Have stuff for camping but it was a raw, mostly rainy day. Drove to Seven Lakes Dr. as well as Lake Welch Dr. at end of day, before dinner.

C • Cadets' cars 2

Y after work. Hadn't been in maybe 2 wks. Encountered Eugene S there. We talked about skate skiing for awhile and fact that he'd gone to Waterville Valley
some 40 times over the winter.

Watched a Usain Bolt documentary recently - winning 9 gold medals in the Bejing, London and Rio Olympics. Jamaica is a poor country but rich with fast twitch genes, winning the 400m relay at those 3 Olympics.

Last rehab session. Helpful and enjoyed interactions with participants. Feb 14, first day, seems a very long time ago.

SPS walk, start by 89. Cool, pleasant. WP this weekend. For first time, no preparation other than walking - no expectation other than finishing brown and being satisfactorily accurate.

Boston marathon day (30k entered). Fine for spectating. Temp hi 60s, sun & cloud, SW breeze. Parked off Commons. We watched from near the finish, then walked to Boylston-Hereford junction and then Hereford-Comm Ave. intersection. Huge cheering crowds, so much to take in. Many runners recuperating in the Public Garden and Commons after. Had planned to go to Concord, MA for a Walden jog but got on 93N leaving the city (90W evaded us) and fate was secured, heading, then going, home.



A fine day in the city, blossoms beginning. Had not walked on the Comm Ave promenade in quite a while. Would have liked to see "KV Switzer" finish but no telling when & time to move on.
Looking the length of Hereford St.

Nottingcook loop around 4-5pm. Much like the other day, but longer. Strava stopped for maybe 300 yds worth tho it doesn't seem to show it. Take that back with larger image. Some ferociously thick woods near the PL.

Two walks, not so much about "training".

AM DP with Mocha, a perfect spring morning. We went to the power line pond looking for tad pole puddles in the usual place but no puddles, only a temporary stream crossing the road. Peepers proclaiming anyway.

Late in the day, in part because we'd been nowhere, I offered Beth Stark Cemetery as a nearby destination. Stark is the burial ground of Stark upon Stark (Am. Revolution, Civil War, earliest c. 1815) as well as some navy Winslows and Robert Lowell (important American port) as well as his parents. Today I learned that the cemetery was moved in toto in 1962 for the Everett Dam flood control project, incl. apparently the surrounding walls of carved granite blocks.

I first visited Stark on one of our two coldest weekends of the winter. I'd heard about Boston Brahmin, cosmopolitan, Lowell on NPR and was amazed to learn his final resting place was nearby, in "forgotten" Dunbarton.

Nottingcook walk - up Allen, into brush dump, across an old field and onto an old path that had a way of continuing in thick pines. I'd been there a bunch over the years - was surprised to see any route thru. Then into open woods with a hunter's stand on the edge. So maybe the path that surprised was a route to the stand tho a most back door approach - tho come to think, a pickup parked on the PL would be well enough situated. Then along the bog, found another stand, open enough woods. Finally across the PL, woods somewhat familiar tho changed. I can't get inconveniently long lost in Nottingcook, just briefly. Saw about six deer flashing their white tails in disappearing. Across the last dry land and back. The day became gray and windy. At one point, it was too hot under boat cover.

Gorgeous day. After work, got hypoglycemic long the way. Parked by 89 to bike path and back on SPS roads. Found a banana in the car, drove to Hannaford's after, took a nap in the car and shopped hungary...

Honest work lugging fallen branches, raking, sorting on-the-heavy-side stuff.

Sandwiched a computer lecture in Bedford between work and cardiac rehab. Driving back from the lecture around 2:20, it was raining pretty hard. And sunny and clear before leaving rehab about 5:45. Frogs croaking from the pond last night, a goodbye to winter.

Great Hill at end of day. Over 80F for second day, so quite pleasant around 5pm. Parts of the going were OOB stuff. The view is marvelous but I miss the intricate forest that was logged to mere scattered trees. Coming back, I went thru the woods and was briefly left to wonder where I was. Tired from a lot of boat work as well as leaf raking.

Nice am walk for Mocha to Stoneybrook bog now that the Saab fuel pump has been repaired. Still some ice left in the shade.

#14, 4 to go. True spring day - didn't get much time outside with work & then CR. Picked up the red Saab with a new fuel pump. Had I looked at Y tube, I might have tried to do it myself - seems to be one of few things I could replace on a car. Mocha again has her transportation & vitality source, a ride into the country interspersed with treats.

C • Saab fuel pump 2

UNO Mine Falls meet, the local season starting point. Fine day, sunny, in the 60s. Brown was only 2.5k but green too long. It took me a fair bit of time to complete anyway. Looks simple enough on paper but I managed to add unnecessary/unanticipated difficulty. Depressions definitely called for care. 1,2,3,4 8, 9,10 were not clean, probably adding to 5’ total mistakes. A walk-run, OOB but that was not a surprise. Right leg weakness was the more limiting issue. There was a stream crossing where I needed to lead with my right leg to get across. I was afraid it might buckle, costing 45” or so looking for an alternative. I could see 11 across a 40’ wide stream with a suitable downed tree that looked as if planned, "see if you can" kind of thing. Found a just long enough stick for balance for most of the way. The last part I willed that I not lose balance. Positive attitude can be key. Worked today.

Enjoyed talking with Tim Parson, Mike Commons and the Kotowskis. Much better to go and perform as I did than not go, certainly for nearby, low key meets - for now anyway.

Brown - Splits

Bow schools loop. Windy, some sun, chilly day. Work pretty consistently on boat these days. There's no demand for training and no map project but time still seems too little.

C • Time still seems too little 2

NHTI walk-jog after work. Still a bit raw but actually a fine enough early spring day. Really can't go much faster than this for now, eg, 14' mile or so. Just get OOB. Beta blockade (essentially a heart rate governor) is the cause I'm thinking/hoping. After an early May echo, I'll know just what the mitral repair accomplished. Also the holter and if no afib, then d/c metoprolol & coumadin. It will take til post-BG period to see where I stand.

Entered West Point today. Look forward to going, even if only walking. A day at Harriman should be most enjoyable. Takes me back 20-25 years, early 90s.

Y day. Rainy, cold, dreariest yet. Actually got my last burn pile done as it started. All the conditions were right but the attitude was marginal, which eventually came around. The stream is quite swollen but still well below the Mother's Day flood of 10+ years ago.

Two walks, not so much about "training".

AM DP with Mocha, a perfect spring morning. We went to the power line pond looking for tad pole puddles in the usual place but no puddles, only a temporary stream crossing the road. Peepers proclaiming anyway.

Late in the day, in part because we'd been nowhere, I offered Beth Stark Cemetery as a nearby destination. Stark is the burial ground of Stark upon Stark (Am. Revolution, Civil War, earliest c. 1815) as well as some navy Winslows and Robert Lowell (important American port) as well as his parents. Today I learned that the cemetery was moved in 1962 for the Everett Dam flood control project.

I first visited Stark on one of our two coldest weekends of the winter.

Period of raw grey days.

DP to Stoneybrook Bog on a grim rainy day.

Weights & some cardio - putting more into the treadmill, and expecting more.

Really fine day. Amazing how quickly snow recedes in open areas. Was an easy enough shovel to the wood shed, wouldn't have imagined that Saturday.

BMS elementary with Mocha. Had in mind encompassing BHS as well but M didn't seem up to it. Exclusively snow-bordered asphalt, not much of interest for a dog. Fine sunny day, snow backed off where it met hardtop etc. Not cold enough for ice dams either. Tough on lacrosse, baseball, track teams who thrive on grass and other snow-free agendas. Mine Falls UNO meet in a week with a moderate amount of snow is my guess.

Several sessions - got about a foot of heavy, wet stuff. Was not sleeping early this morning in part worrying about its weight on boat cover. Went outside to bat snow off it around 0145 and then shoveled in front of car & garage, walks etc. Went back to attempted sleep at 0250.

More conventional shoveling hours today. Snowed all day (and still doing so at 6p), around 32F. Snow tires removed from car last week but got out & about. Had to go to NHH before 0900. Took Mocha for a walk around the elementary school around 4:30 - nicely plowed & no cars to contend with. A memorable way to start April. Woods are filled with snow.