Training Log Archive: bl

Event: OCIN Flying Pig XV & US ULtralong Champs
 

Middle distance, more like a sprint. B run, may 2.5’ errors, lack of concentration tho cannot claim that day’s travel events led to distraction - just preventable loss of concentration. Rain held off til about the last control. Very tired at end but glad I could run the whole way when possible. 34’ might have been max, today anyway.

#2 was under a bridge, did not know symbol.
#3 higher than I was looking (right at brook lvl)
#10 man-made obj by fence, came to fence, look r & l, don't see, wander a bit beyond, look back & finally see
#11 unaccountably drifted L, worst control
#17 bit L

Nice course, decent woods, no scratches, one tete-a-tete with a sizable branch. Sharon C & Bill Pullman at the finish as the fact that it was finally rainy/cold made its self known.

OOB at 0404 (well ahead of alarm), on Rte 93 at 0435, snowing hard, literally no southbound traffic for first 5 miles. Departure at 0658 (scheduled for 0615)...wait & de-icing and wait some more. So relieved when we lifted off, getting stuck in Manchester would have been depressing. Lifted away from a landscape of white-gray; maybe 10’ later later, we topped the clouds. The far vision and blue lifted spirits. Next sight was literally a tug on an inlet in the NY-NJ waterway. My belief was that I’d missed my connecting flt to Dayton which I thought departed at 0725 (but that was boarding, departing was 0800). Hadn’t slept, wasn’t on top of things - some things have been weighing rather heavily. Much to my surprise, upon exiting to speak with customer service re another flight, I noted Dayton on the very plane I had just departed with a new departure time of 0835! Wasn’t the original flight plan, don’t believe it was the same gate and did not look ahead to see adjacent gates and no mention before getting off about those continuing on to Dayton. But away again, this time into a rainy sky. Why o why Ohio... It will certainly do for this particular weekend, rain or shine.... a reprieve from an April Fool’s snow storm.

Sat in Newark for 90’ extra & had to get off plane will they fixed a bulb! Got to Oxford around 11:30. Tried motel from airport, someone answered, hung up (foreign). Went to Expedia, paid 140+ for 2 nights, got a car, finally figured out the way to “San Jose” and beat a hasty path out of Dodge but really didn’t know how far, just not too far. Finally found the place. locked lobby, WiFI would not work, dump of a place, real cost should have been about 55/night. Called lobby 2x, no ans, both times door locked. Being tired, i was no-bones-about-it irritable! Not in a let's-go-orienteering mind frame. Couldn’t easily locate Sat start but finally arrived after fumbling. Was 10.5 hrs from house to motal. Guess I was glad I could orienteer at all considering frame of mind. Sunny/blue on arrival but clouded over. Oxford is nice-enough a town in the middle of nowhere teeming with college kids. Miami U has many nice buildings.

Friday Green - Splits

Expected to run a bit today but too many storms circling the OK Corral.
Tomorrow dawns a WSW, flying from MCH into it, in the direction of Phily. What will the day's adventures bring...? A lucky escape or just plain frustration.


Zoe early '02 playing "catch me if you can". Certainly hope to catch a timely flt out of Phily to make tomorrow's race possible.

C • Zoe 2

Bright, sunny continued. PL walk w/o any snow/ice to deal with.

Local loop, again perfect weather, one lap on CHS track near end. Saw a man in a field with a gun on his hip...the featured flower of this particular NH spring. Thousands at the State House tomorrow noon protesting the Republican finance committee budget. These Republicans recently passed a law allowing the carrying of concealed weapons & one need not even apply for a license. Cars & your dog yes but not to purchase & carry a gun. Maybe there will be some shooting of bullets into the sky as done in various Middle East countries.

Added Langley to Fisk-Little Pond loop. Bright/sunny.

Mind definitely elsewhere today.

Weights etc

AM DP, cold, some NW wind. Woods are pretty much impenetrable.

Stopped at BHS, not looking for much. Ran toward Turee Pond & running on it (a seemingly large white desert) seemed in order. Ice was thick, woods/marsh on most shores. Ran toward far end, could see sparking water 100m beyond where stream entered. Took some SM trails (half bare, half snow) to the school field & elected to return same way. A bit of an adventure made it better than just macadam.

Route

PM DP on PL bare ground. Indeed "training" in quotes.

Faraway series, photos from elsewhere, #59

A weeping willow and late afternoon reflections, spring, 1968
Westchester, NY

AM DP at BHS after NHH rounding. Had to use that snow left over from yesterday! Flat baseball field, most of it covered with a flat (very slightly ripply), slithery surface. One push with poles probably gets one to 10-12'/mi rate of motion. Best surface was minimal old soft crust over ice - moderate variation depending on sun's hitting or not. Did some back & forths, then some ovals, one 18" wide bridge between bare grass on the north side of the field. Ended when the beeper went off with cell in car. But it was time to go anyway. As Robert Frost noted "I have miles to go before I sleep".

Purgatory loop again, week later. Better than a week ago (tired from the Friday) & high time to wake up from winter's sleep. Puzzling cop-out on the climb again - this time around 7.7 mi. Hard to know whether I prefer CW or CCW, different way each time & I prefer the different way each time. Lost a head band & one glove (which I liked) - noted at 3.8 mi. Finished, drove to something like 4.5 mi point, expecting to see these items somewhere along the way - right in the middle of the road perhaps. No such luck (couldn't always recall which side of road) and then spotted head band on "opposite" side. So drove another 4 mi RT hoping to spot the glove as well but no luck! I'm of the belief (ostrich?) that if I just keep looking, I'll find what I'm looking for (even if looking in the same place numerous times:). Have played that out with the wallet numerous times over the years - tho' last October, I lost.

C • Nice run 4

Quiet Sunday PM led to a visit to Robert Frost's farm (in residence 1900-11) in Derry. Had seen his wooden writing cabin in Ripton, Vt as well as visited his grave in Bennington. Took this short field trip with the dogs. I'd been aware of this residence - closer to home than I thought & a nice opportunity to read poems in a sunny field.

Frost farm in early spring



A Patch of Old Snow (RF)

There's a patch of old snow in a corner
That I should have guessed
Was a blow-away paper the rain
Had brought to rest.

It is speckled with grime as if
Small print overspread it.
The news of the day I've forgotten --
If I ever read it.

(a day or two ago, it might have been there)

AM DP, repeat of yesterday. Better crust but more tracks, dog and hikers prints. Cloudless, cold fingers. Stood around some admiring the day. Fell yesterday, edge catching crust, now a right-sided chest pain with any pushing. Beth called from west coast of FL yesterday around dinner: warmth, hibiscus fragrance, a swim, some sun tan. I could only marvel or sigh or cry.

Watched the women's WOC long race which was fun/exciting then ran out of ability to sit still - pester factor was climbing as well. Sounds like they're saying "Flower Ceremony" at the WOC as I type. The terrain looked positively steppe-like barren, windblown snow - but in June it will be lovely.

PM DP at BHS. Their running track is mostly covered w/ snow. Walked around a soccer field with a packed snow oval for nordic - skateable with bare grass as well. 12 buses parked at school, some kind of music festival. Breezy/chilly. No run today.