Training Log Archive: bl

Whimpy entry - pretty much for archives. Went to BHS for a jog after first seeing what was left of the nordic surface - which was quite sliced up but still soft at 5pm. Skied on it for 20'. It's been 2 weeks tomorrow since any snow. Walked some at the school. It was getting late & I did not feel like jogging.

Spent the best part of the day with Beth, Jennifer & Cai going door-to-door for Bernie Sanders. I've thought of myself as a Clinton voter but when Jen called & asked would we participate, I agreed for the experience. We teamed up (me w/ Jenn) and the two of us knocked on 35 doors in a fairly dense Concord neighborhood. Beth and Cai had a similar length list. Item #1 was that too few people were home. We had a few interesting conversations. I particularly liked seeing the neighborhoods - the homes & yards, quite a few rundown and thinking of differences. Lots of younger people in the area as to be expected. We had lists of names, ages, voter status etc etc. It was a nice way to spend 3 hours with family. Cai & Jenn then drove back to Burlington. Cai had a 6pm hockey game. In youth, energy burns brightly.

Not interested in running. In fact, fell asleep briefly in the car in NHH parking. Grabbed a wink & went to the Y.

Stopped at BHS on the way home & the nordic kids were still having a ball on the available snow. Some of it must be better as late as 3:30 (or later) than it was at noon yesterday. Wanted to go take a look to see specifically what they were doing but that required negotiating a gauntlet of youngsters. One skier passed wearing a cotton T shirt & gloves, no hat.

Also stopped at Turee. To my amazement, there was a Toyota station wagon parked well out on the ice, trailer attached and a new ice house nearby. This has to be an example of science triumphing over faith. No way would one do that w/o a full assessments of risks vs benefits....

C • Full assessment? 2

Had to try BHS, around noon. Crust in the shade was excellent if not small, 100m by say 40m. Yesterday's nordic tracks were still too hard & uneven to be of use. About 35F today.

AM DP at the brush dump was soundless: not a breath of air, bird or passing car in the distance that I noted.

SPS sample after work, slushy and uneven depth for large parts, OK though elsewhere. There was an older fellow classic skiing around the front field. Mostly w/o poles - handles need to be glued to poles and baskets likewise as they can rotate some. Did not notice any of this until today’s episodic suction.

Stopped at BHS on the way home to see what was up, if anything. The nordic team was out, 22 of them having a relay race/game, skiing an oval w/o poles, while throwing a ball between team members. Conditions looked pretty damn good - in a narrow, closing window. I did not feel like using the empty upper field - was post work and done for the day. Sat in the car by Turee Pond watching the sunset & reading I am Malala. The Monitor mentioned 8” of ice on Turkey Pond recently. Turee was covered with water pools but I could see someone ice fishing at a good distance (as well as an accompanying nonstop small dog). So presumably safe there, too, for a brief while.

Went back to BHS at end of day, about 4:45. 41F. No kids training. Soft, a bit too soft but the softness was over either still hard base or grass. Tried the first 2 fields.

Then stopped at the track & sampled mostly the infield. By then it was dark but it gets so it's pretty easy to feel the changes & move laterally to where it might be better - a thin layer of snow on grass will pass and thick isn't slick.

Lots of cars & some busses at the school. Lots at the White Rock Hill & Logging Hill Rd intersection & finally lots on BBR, as in "what is with all these cars?"

Then on BBR, I came upon a Volvo stopped in the middle of my lane with its yellow flashers on. So something there but no indication what so I slowly passed after a reasonable enough wait. Then I could see an injured deer on the shoulder. Got out, walked toward the deer which got up and sort of crashed into the woods. The lady said "didn't you hear me say it had a broken leg?"

I did not hear her say that. Around then, a Bow PD car passed and turned around. The lady had called them of course to deal with this most unfortunate animal which was still a very short distance away. I wish this driver had made clear (ie, be out of the car to explain) what was going on & told her so. I picked up some car plastic debris in the adjacent lane and threw it off the road. More cars were coming. Some sub-moron had done a hit & run. We are a dumb species, as I read in a letter today from a friend in AK. In the previous sentence, he'd asked me if I had seen Race to Extinction. It wasn't a nice drive home.

At BHS, pretty good conditions, firm, bit hard for edges though. No grass or debris. The untracked areas were too soft at 10am. Has been the best bet in the Concord area - and now odds are changing.

C • Skate Skiing 7

Tried SPS after, first time there this season. Surface too hard for edges in most areas. Also some bare spots, needles etc. A nice mix of woods and fields, needs new snow. Started sunny, then overcast and then some rain drops.

Started west on Clinton and right leg got to feeling "strange" around 0.4mi - no pain but perceptibly weaker and felt slightly less under control than the norm of the left. Then a knot in my calf so it was better to stop. I walked back to the car. Doesn't bother me now walking in the house. Hamstring oddity, it seems. Though nothing specific to precipitate it.

Nice Nottingcook wander beginning along S. Bow Rd where Beth dropped me off. January woods can be so pleasant when temp is mild as it was - mid30s. Didn’t see anything alive but also had an O map & was involved with map reading. It is surprising to see all the prints in the snow but virtually never their owners. Wearing running shoes, I fell only once - along a marsh when the ice gave easily because it was undermined by grass - and as I was thinking that, along came a fairly deep, hidden hole.

Nine years ago I was mapping this forest - there’s always change, mostly vegetation. There are a lot more downed trees than I recall from the past. More micro bursts, heavy snows or just plain strong local winds. Early on the outing, a manmade “X” marked an old auto by the SVT. There it was but looking a bit “more refreshed” than I though it should have. And then the contours, the start of the swamp, the location of the few rock faces were all a bit off which wasn’t fun. I must have done a better jpb mapping than that. But then 100m beyond, the real “X” stood up to be counted. And then everything made sense. Another thing that makes sense is the likelihood of game trails at contour bottoms along marshes - saw several & found them helpful.

Winter woods
Beaver dam

QRT

As PG used to say, too much time on AP doing this but serves to refresh the methods. QRT resolution needs improving.

Not a molecule of precipitation of any kind here yesterday. There was a full moon but cloud-obscured. An UNO moonlight walk and a BOS Kearsage climb were featured on calendars. Mocha wanted out around 0300 this morning and the moon light was flooding the yard, 8 hrs late. We had a night out in town - tried Margueritas but there was an hour wait so we made the RR 6:10 movie & were back at Margueritas around 8:45, late for us for dinner and no wait. Saw Room, fairly spooky, and very good as have been the others we've seen there in the past 6 wks: Spotlight, Brooklyn, The Danish Woman.

C • Loved Spotlight and Brookly... 2