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Attackpoint - performance and training tools for orienteering athletes

Training Log Archive: bl

In the 31 days ending May 31, 2014:

activity # timemileskm+m
  Orienteering10 15:20:15 37.89(24:17) 60.99(15:05) 1452
  Road/trail7 6:20:12 30.93(12:17) 49.78(7:38) 744
  Walking6 4:29:31 12.2(22:05) 19.64(13:43) 115
  Trail/woods running4 2:42:01 11.35(14:16) 18.27(8:52) 14
  Road running2 2:03:47 11.21(11:03) 18.04(6:52) 291
  Track2 44:39 3.06 4.93 5
  Total30 31:40:25 106.65 171.64 2621

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Saturday May 31, 2014 #

11 AM

Orienteering race 49:12 [3] 2.74 mi (17:57 / mi) +261m 13:51 / mi

NEOC Northfield Mt. 2 event w/ chase start put on thanks to Jeff & Judy Saeger & others. Arrived late, in a bit of a hurry, picked green, drew my course as pre-printed copies had been used & put the start triangle on the wrong (adjacent) trail exiting the power line which proved quite confusing at the start of the leg. Was also slightly distracted by a reporter who was after a photo of an orienteer starting & I was it. Lost maybe 2' on #1, maybe 3/4ths minute on 3, maybe 2.5 on 6 - it was raining moderately hard at that time & the woods looking pretty indistinguishable & no AP - just a stream crossing some 50m before, assuming going straight. This course really went up til time to go down - was quite OOB early on. I'd give me a B. Reminded me of Mt. Tom and Holyoke range slopes w/o the detail.

Orienteering race 24:49 intensity: (16:49 @3) + (8:00 @4) 1.84 mi (13:29 / mi) +115m 11:18 / mi

Chase finale. I started first, not many starters for that matter on green. Phil was less than a minute after me. It was an easy first leg except for the potential confusion of an unmapped building that had me wondering if I'd gone too far. TP noted it was inside the uncrossable fence so another way of looking at it was that anything inside the fence was visually superfluous. Glen started on the red course at the same time - I was not aware we had the same first three points, a revelation which proved a bit useful after the first. Hit #4 straight on; 5 caught all the right trails to a nearby stream junction and pretty much same for 6. Not a technical course - didn't lose any time. Had a rain shower around #2 as well - kept on waiting for the sunny day to declare itself for good.

Indeed it was a day of on & off showers. Drove to Keene, then S on 10 to 63. Going home, stayed on 63 - lovely views to the west. Northfield town center was a mile long yard sale. Drove by much of the rails-to-trails path Beth & I biked last August. Was at Northfield for a trail race May, 2011 as well. 170 mi RT, in a nice direction - a fitting end to May. Now onto too-soon June...or is it none-too-soon June...?

Friday May 30, 2014 #

3 PM

Road/trail 56:10 intensity: (41:10 @2) + (15:00 @3) 4.54 mi (12:22 / mi) +127m 11:23 / mi

Hopkinton Greenway with Beth & dogs. Dropped them off at Kimball Pond cabins & parked car halfway around at Sweatt Woods parking on Old Stage Coach. We both went CW & she got to car about 3' before me. I dilly dallied away some 6' missing turnoff for Old Stage Coach. Sprinkles & splashes of sun, too. Green mansions, for sure and lots of fresh leaf fragments and a few trees on the ground - must have been a short-lived blow.

TGIF - Kiefner away thru 6/17, meaning some regular appearing at work.
Northfield Mt. NEOC O tomorrow for some fun & games.

Wednesday May 28, 2014 #

4 PM

Road/trail 34:24 [2] 2.6 mi (13:14 / mi) +59m 12:22 / mi

Same as yesterday with the usual suspects. Cooler, still gray & wet. Another wood stove pm.

Tuesday May 27, 2014 #

4 PM

Walking 46:37 intensity: (27:00 @1) + (19:37 @2) 2.63 mi (17:45 / mi) +78m 16:15 / mi

5pm outing around Bog Meadow. Dreary, dreary day - cool, a few showers, just plain gray. No energy to speak of, partly weather & end-of-day start.
Am a boat slave now as well - thru around 6/20, so psychology has changed some. Had planned on going to Hopkinton for the perimeter trail but even that seemed far. Z&M got their money's worth today.

Monday May 26, 2014 #

Note

Took a 4pm drive to New London as way of Memorial Day treat. Looked for Per's place on Shaker Rd but did not recognize drive or remember #. Next time, give notice. Drove around Pleasant Lake thinking of runs around it in '97 to 2000 period. Then thru Colby-Sawyer, along Main St., thru NLH then west on County Rd. to Sunapee shore before getting back on 89. NH granite.

Sunday May 25, 2014 #

2 PM

Orienteering 33:26 [1] 1.41 mi (23:43 / mi) +65m 20:45 / mi

To S/F

Orienteering 19:34 [2] 1.26 mi (15:30 / mi) +27m 14:32 / mi

Return

Orienteering 1:27:17 [3] 3.75 mi (23:17 / mi) +151m 20:41 / mi

CSU training at BB courtesy of Alex’s efforts. Went to the pm session, maybe 11 total attending. We had a remote S/F in the woods, mass start, five loops, any order, skip any number of loops if wished etc. I did four, omitting the longest. It was sunny w/o humidity. This part of BB is such a challenge keeping map contact, esp now that leaves are near full. The rides are no longer distinct. Maybe 2/3rds of the legs I was in control - found all the streamers but a few times due to presence of (an)other(s). #17 was a big miss. Did not take water to S/F which was a mile away but, w/o the option available, have to say I did not miss it. The S/F was usually easy to find since it was populated with one or several orienteers in bright colors thru the green. When I finished, they’d gone & I was expecting someone’s presence to make it trivial. Nothing but empty forest & ran a bit by it (streamer gone). I was pretty sure I was in the correct block, went to the spur & spotted Giovanni’s hat still there in a tree (which I carried out). Dancho, who caught up with me on the path, had the same experience. Turned out Giovanni had not forgot the hat - he had not yet finished his longer loops. Hope he found the finish.

Very nice training opportunity thanks to Alex.

M,C,R

Saturday May 24, 2014 #

Trail/woods running 41:00 intensity: (15:00 @1) + (26:00 @2) 3.4 mi (12:03 / mi)

Nottingcook bog jog/DP, start about 6:15. Cheery blue sky on the PL. Another wet gloomy day for most part. Nice chill to the eve. Passed one fellow with his dog. A visit to BB tomorrow.

Day began with the sound of the (well) water pump going off for about the 4th time in 8 hrs. Who might have left a hose on? Turned out the water heater had decided this particular Mem'l Day weekend Sat am was to be its last. A web perusal informed that Home Depot had a same day My Install pitch which looked promising & provided a timely solution. A call for a 40 gal, electric WH got me an estimate for $1300 complete! I felt the heater was about $550 at most (had not fully investigated) so this represented $750 for what...? Asked the fellow a few pointed questions, got vague answers & decided I'd be doing it myself w/o much experience (did empty the pipes/WH in Jan when we went away for a month) and too much on my "to do" list. A trip to HD provided a WH for $366 and a few accessories for a total of $424. A basic WH has a cold water intake pipe and hot out and 3 wires. It took some plumbing guesswork etc but by 4:00p, we had a new WH. Buyer beware never goes away. But some of the day's gloom did.

Friday May 23, 2014 #

Note

Tired from yesterday coupled with near continual rain led to a default on anything energetic. Initially drove to Nashua to drop radar/gps off at Raymarine & had a visit to Mine Falls in mind but that didn't happen. Then spent a few hours working on the boat with rain beating on the cover. Didn't care to get wet in any fashion. And yet it's beautiful outside, mosquitoes & BFs aside. Dark days accentuate the fresh green.

Thursday May 22, 2014 #

3 PM

Road running 1:12:41 intensity: (1:00 @1) + (31:41 @2) + (40:00 @3) 6.75 mi (10:46 / mi) +122m 10:12 / mi

Bear Brook SP after work. Stepped outside of NHH into a big sunshine hole which inspired the thought of BB - but that was last of sun. Nice loop, have not done in 3-4 yrs I'd guess. Did not have a map in hand. Ran thru the 2 A meet maps picturing best I could the local areas & crisscrossing of the road. Revisited the horse "rescue" of a few years back. People camping already.

Saw a moderate amount of fresh logging, well done...no ruts, leaning trees, high stumps, eg, a fine new clearing at 1.3 mi. The pine grove just across the road from Hayes Field has been gutted - perhaps for red pine fungus infestation. It's been there for as long as I can recall, back to '77.

Wednesday May 21, 2014 #

3 PM

Walking 47:54 intensity: (37:54 @1) + (10:00 @2) 2.25 mi (21:19 / mi) +37m 20:17 / mi

Lethargic SPS wander. Passed by a girls' lacrosse game - seldom see kids playing sports on campus. Went behind the sports complex into the woods & emerged at the point I'd had in mind, guided somewhat by sounds from the nearby baseball game.

Tuesday May 20, 2014 #

11 AM

Trail/woods running 1:01:01 [2] 3.75 mi (16:16 / mi) +14m 16:05 / mi

Exeter TF returning from Portsmouth - one of our bisected UNO maps.
Could not find a map so arrived with idea of 60' wander, expecting to get on other side of 101. The first attempt was in a rabbit's warren of MTB trails & when I was beginning to wonder how to get out, I found myself back at the cell tower. So then I went to the path Deb H used for a start last fall or whenever it was. Stayed on a blue blaze for most part - 101 traffic background noise was a constant companion but never did get to it by time of turn around time. Not being aware of swamp layout was most significant. What a lovely forest - many neat boulders, vernal ponds & open pine woods. Had not really ever perused it - at least not that I can recall. Need to revisit with a map.

Sunday May 18, 2014 #

Note

Charlie's accomplishment on a back page, future ensured.

12 PM

Orienteering race 1:05:10 [3] 4.42 mi (14:45 / mi) +197m 12:57 / mi

Jim Arsenault's meet at Gunstock. As nice as May gets. Good run, no mistakes except for very last, white-yellow level point.... By the lake, along the path, on a knoll - ran to what appeared to be nearly the end of the lake & point was halfway along. Saw a flag another 30m further on a knoll, so went there but point said #701 & I was looking for, umm, 042. So ran back toward road I'd come from, thinking there must be another & somehow I ran by it (had not been paying attention since it was so trivial). But there wasn't (even wondered if it had been stolen) so found myself back at 701 but then a bulb lit & looked at epunch box which had the # 42 (cost about 1:45). Steve Olafsen did the same thing. All the other points had on a # on the epunch (which I really did not bother to look at for most part) and nothing on the flag. Had been misreading "end of lake" for a bridge across a largish stream emptying it. One would have to see to believe.....

Nice course & reminded how large & multi-use Gunstock is. Am more accustomed to visiting in winter white, early dark, and not exploring. Spring green was a very different viewpoint.

As nice as May gets

Saturday May 17, 2014 #

Trail/woods running 30:00 intensity: (8:00 @1) + (22:00 @2) 2.2 mi (13:38 / mi)

Bower loop with Z&M, Z getting too muddy for coming inside last few times.
And then acts like "what have I done?" when summoned for a hosin'.

Friday May 16, 2014 #

Track 20:00 [1]

1 mile before, between, after.
4 PM

Track 24:39 intensity: (9:04 @3) + (13:35 @4) + (2:00 @5) 3.06 mi (8:03 / mi) +5m 8:01 / mi

BHS 3 times one mile was goal. Raining, about 60F. 9:04, 7:48, 7:47, the second two hard for me, 2nd esp because a cotton T was too hot. Long way to go for lo 7s.

Thursday May 15, 2014 #

Road/trail 1:05:00 intensity: (20:00 @1) + (45:00 @2) 4.5 mi (14:27 / mi)

Hopkinton Village Greenway after work. A perfect antidote to lack of enthusiasm. Mostly new - noted a few blazes yesterday & looked up the area trails. Covered two short stretches from yesterday. More green resplendency.

Along the way




Could not muster enthusiasm for a drive to Weston...out of the pan into the fire at rush hour.

Wednesday May 14, 2014 #

2 PM

Road running 51:06 [2] 4.46 mi (11:27 / mi) +169m 10:15 / mi

Patch-Rolins loop. A resplendent, transcendent day. And May is half over tomorrow!
9 PM

Note

One of numerous memorable photos from a hard drive recently resurrected after 3 years:

taken at the February, 2008, TOC O meet

Tuesday May 13, 2014 #

Walking 30:00 [1] 1.2 mi (25:00 / mi)

DP evolved to picking up the water stop from May 4 meet. Spring green is filling in. Cool, gray.

Monday May 12, 2014 #

Walking 25:00 [1] 0.8 mi (31:16 / mi)

Basically a DP & hot in sun at 11a. No particularly significant aches or pains.

Did the 305 route from yesterday for practice - takes a lot of time. Drawing with a red pen probably makes more sense. One still has a lot of adjusting to do, eg, path bends etc.

A bear visited last night around 11:30. This was the first time in years the dogs made a ruckus. The bear gently tipped the feeder's contents into its mouth, not knocking it down. Needless to say, feeder comes in at dark for a while.

Walking 35:00 [1] 1.13 mi (30:58 / mi)

Evening walk with Beth & usual suspects. Went to the trail head on Parson's & wound our way on familiar paths to Stoney Brook & home. Nice beaver pond to walk beside as we were finishing up woods section.

Route

Note

Sunday May 11, 2014 #

11 AM

Orienteering race 2:37:00 [3] 13.99 km (11:13 / km) +409m 9:47 / km

36th BG at Baldwin Hill, course by JJ. As fine as a May day can be but also on the warm side - actually 80F on the car on the way home around 3:30. Singlet & shorts worked for me. I’d call this a very good run, A - (maybe needed more hustle). Decent energy & no cramps. Only cramps (thigh) were some driving home but managed to “defeat” them. Skipped the first point, so from then on it was just about orienteering. Lost maybe 30” on my first, #2, when I followed runners down into a depression (did not see the path) but they were on their way to #1. Other than that, I don’t believe I lost any time. Flags were always where I expected them to be tho I wasn’t always completely sure they’d come out of hiding. JJ had warned they’d be low to the ground - no give-a-ways. To #3, saw Wyatt Riley who passed and one other who also got ahead out of sight & then no one & was a bit shaky on map contact but target was a large reentrant.

4, 5, 6, 7, 8 pretty much alone. Ted Good passed on way to #9. Felt quite good at the refreshment point. #10 to #11 to #12 were the tiring &/or hard points. Ahead of Ted to 11. Pretty much alone to #12. Saw Steve Olafsen leaving, looking for 11. 13-17 alone, an occasional flash of color ahead or to the side. 15 to 16 was another keep-in-contact-or-else leg. #18: read the second half of the leg very carefully...up into green, turn right, go some & there it was by the marsh. Alone to 19, saw Lynette Walker, on the Pygmy, at the approach. #21 was the last point to speak of & uphill. Hit it right on w/ due care. Jeff Saeger & Steve O passed 3/4ths of the way to 22. I pretty much followed or kept them in sight & then it was over. And I wasn’t “dead” which was a pleasing revelation. By skipping the first, I got ahead & did not see as much of the “crowd” as in other Goats. for better or worse. At least, it made me get into the map.

Teamed with Ernst there & back.

Saturday May 10, 2014 #

Walking 1:00:00 [1] 3.3 mi (18:11 / mi)

More walking than I'd bargained for. BOS trail maintenance day & my contribution by default was leaf blowing Robinson Crest Tr.

Fresh yellow, fresh green


Bridge work

In the eve, Beth & I & dogs walked to top of Great Hill for views & breeze-in-the-trees kind of thing. Met a young mom & her daughter living in Mike Sambo's place & talked for close to 20'.

Friday May 9, 2014 #

Walking 25:00 [1] 0.9 mi (27:47 / mi)

To the slough with Z&M. Finally saw the many deep ruts Beth was referring to. Need a sign posted: "Use of this road during mud season (thru June 1) is prohibited & subject to $500 fine." Being blunt might accomplish the desired result.

Basically doing nothing until Sunday.

Thursday May 8, 2014 #

2 PM

Road/trail 27:57 intensity: (5:00 @1) + (22:57 @2) 2.43 mi (11:29 / mi) +24m 11:09 / mi

Mid-pm struggle after work. Seemed hot, esp on bike trail. Down to SPS boathouse on path, back on road. Not a good time of day for a run but
expedience demanded it be that way.

Road/trail 19:11 intensity: (2:00 @1) + (17:11 @2) 1.82 mi (10:32 / mi) +26m 10:06 / mi

Total goal was 4 mi & did rest on SPS XC. Appreciably cooler in shade but still no energy to speak of. Need to resume an interest in this particular loop.

Wednesday May 7, 2014 #

Orienteering (control pickup) 40:00 [3] 2.0 mi (20:00 / mi)

Last 5 flags. Chilly, fine morning. Thought I could get dogs out the door w/o breakfast first but M made a beeline for the back so I went back to house, got bowls & food fed them in drive. They had good energy this morning.
2 PM

Road/trail 58:15 intensity: (4:00 @1) + (29:15 @2) + (25:00 @3) 5.21 mi (11:11 / mi) +163m 10:11 / mi

Mirror run of yesterday - parked in different place on District 5 Road & went CW. Lovely weather. Pretty similar 305 data.

Came home to answer a call from a HS classmate not spoken with since 1964.

Tuesday May 6, 2014 #

3 PM

Road/trail 59:15 intensity: (40:15 @2) + (19:00 @3) 5.21 mi (11:22 / mi) +158m 10:24 / mi

5th District Road area for a change. W. Parish & Lakeview Dr. Bright, breezy, forest floor greening, forsythia splashes of yellow. Thought this was going to be 6mi but not a good g-maps measurement, so was surprised when it was over about 0.9 mi sooner than expected. Had a hard trip on a root - some minor scrapes - could have done more by falling a foot more to the left.

Saw this today,

and the thought:

Onward Christian soldiers
Marching as to war.
And soon comes December
And the Day you won’t remember.


Monday May 5, 2014 #

Orienteering (flag pickup) 2:20:00 intensity: (1:35:00 @1) + (45:00 @2) 4.5 mi (31:07 / mi)

Beth took me up to S. Bow Rd kiosk & made that section palatable - going down. More nice vistas, open woods, one owl hooting. Z&M along. Picked up all the markers south of WH. Still gray & chilly.
7 PM

Note

Woods as Solace (from a short column I wrote)

The other day, I needed some website information on the spot, called home to ask my wife and was most confused about the feedback she gave based on what she saw on her computer screen. It turned out that a Twitter search engine had somehow been incorporated into the Google search bar. So when any item was typed in the bar, the search went to a Twitter site. Completely unfamiliar & unwelcome. How did that come to pass? I started to investigate but quickly could see the time sink filling ("technofusion" = technology + confusion, and its quagmires quickly frustrate me). I had other, important items on my "to do" list. One "must do" was going to Nottingcook woods to check sites for an upcoming orienteering meet I was putting on in early May and I was feeling behind the eight ball.

Shortly after I arrived at trail head, I could feel frustration melting away. That's when I again mused that the forest is often solace for those of us who seek the forest and find solace there (or maybe we go to find it there).

In a place like Nottingcook cares melt away and perspective may be gained (if it had gone running). The forest (now the spring version), can always do that, for me anyway: peepers calling, the energized brook, red wing black birds singing from the cattails, the fresh fragrance of the air, the scampers of a squirrel across old leaves, a light breeze stirring thru the trees, a new sight at every turn of a winding trail. Solace indeed. Enter a wood and the cares of the day melt away. Keats' Endymion has a few lines I excerpted years ago:

"So I will begin
Now while I cannot hear the city's din;
...I'll smoothly steer my little boat for many quiet hours,
With streams that deepen freshly into bowers."

...

Deep in a wood there's a place I go
but where I'd rather you not know.

Far from stress and strife
more akin to a measured life,
as we rather it'd be...
if we could live in simplicity.

To your glen
take a pen
write a note or a song...
to account for proverbial wrong.
Then fight it all, one by one
until the cause you have won.

Sunday May 4, 2014 #

Orienteering (flag placement) 45:00 [2] 1.0 mi (45:01 / mi)

4 markers & water stop in the heights of Nottingcook. The day started pleasantly sunny (a surprise) but became windy, chilly, and showery with spots of sun. Not much turnout (mostly UNO stalwarts) but those who came enjoyed the woods & score O format: 60', 90' or 120' to get 10, 20 or 30 markers. Alar & Ernst got all 30, so nice that all flags got at least one visit. No one for white, yellow & orange courses! Meet attendance included 4 dogs who got their exercise & then some. It was fun in the forest & messing around with ocad. Had not done a local meet for 2.5 years maybe.

Score O map.

Saturday May 3, 2014 #

9 AM

Orienteering (putting out flags) 3:06:05 [1] 4.07 mi (45:43 / mi) +189m 39:57 / mi

Put out 21flags with usual suspects who held up well. Some black flies but they did not bother me. Woods very nice & open in quite a few places & no sign of leaves. Got in some not recently visited corners which was fun.
3 PM

Orienteering (control placement) 42:42 [1] 1.21 mi (35:18 / mi) +38m 32:09 / mi

5 additional points around 4p. Came out of woods & saw a woman jogging with what appeared to be a map. I called out "Nancy" as it dawned that might be she. Nancy Duprey had come to Nottingcook for some pre-Goat training. Another 10" & I wouldn't have seen her. Her car was parked next to mine in an out-of-the-way place - another coincidence. She'd emailed early in the week, followed up with "maybe I'll see you in the woods" which didn't seem likely given the large area of possibility & my putting out flags several hours earlier than I'd initially indicated. Otherwise a pretty mundane day in the woods.

Friday May 2, 2014 #

Orienteering (map corrections) 30:00 [1] 1.0 mi (30:00 / mi)

AM walk to check 2 yellow points from previously used course. A dot knoll near new white pine growth is now engulfed by it. Tree in a field is ok tho it has new company. Mellow morning, DP accomplished as well.

Hard time deciding where to put S/F with middling weather forecast.

Trail/woods running 30:00 [2] 2.0 mi (15:00 / mi)

Not as much as I'd expected today. Got late & effort at running got marginalized. Out to look at some points w/ usual pests - gentle eve, finally sun. More application tomorrow.

Alar came by today & we got e punches synchronized for Sunday's meet.

Note

"(BG doesn't count as that will be survival and hope to get in under time)": Prescient old man:-).

Thursday May 1, 2014 #

2 PM

Road/trail 1:00:00 intensity: (5:00 @1) + (55:00 @2) 4.62 mi (12:59 / mi) +187m 11:32 / mi

Walker TF, goal was to be in motion for an hour. Became a mild sunny pm & turtle neck was too much. Day began with pretty much cold, hard rain. Tried to find the hiking trails - mixed luck, thot I was close to Van Ger at one point but GPS says not. Was there in part for a few paragraphs on WTF as town easement. A few black flies. A good start to May.


Wonder what the wall was about.

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