Training Log Archive: PG

A brisk hike up the direct route up South Sugarloaf, about 450' climb, then ran down very carefully. 7:51 up, 4:12 down.

Also some PT (more lasers), some rogaine practice, and what I really should log separately (if only for the stress), yet another trip to the dentist.

And 24 plus 5.

Deerfield Upper Road / Lower Road loop, NW wind, decent effort. Went on the early side since the roads were dry, just in case it rained later.

Plus not quite two hours of rogaine practice in the late afternoon, walked very briskly. And 23 and 5+4.

Have an appointment with Danielle in the morning, see if we can hurry things along.

Event: West Point A-Meet
 

Day trip to West Point for the sprint. Some time putting out and picking up controls, but hard to call it training if it was neither much physical effort nor mental effort (didn't have a map).

At least the event seemed to go well.

22 and 5.

One item that was definitely a mixed blessing -- Valerie gave me a small box of chocolates, that got mostly eaten on the way home.

Leg is slowly improving, will probably be able to run a little in a few days.

C • Chocolate... 4

Leverett loop, the usual for this year it seems -- hard work for a slower pace....

Plus 21 and 5.

Another walk, plus 20 and 4. Leg still pretty sore. Raining in the afternoon, so no ride.

River Road / Old Deerfield loop, pretty flat but windy, and one of those days when it seemed like the wind was against more than it was with.

Plus another long walk. Plus stretching plus 19 pushups plus 4 pullups.

And it's not dinner yet and I have my eye on a piece of chocolate....

Hamstring tight and sore. Went for a long walk this morning, very hot (about 90), then a short bike ride in the early evening, very windy. Then stretching and 18 pushups.

Better than doing nothing.

C • "Better than doing nothing" ... 1

After an evening tot think about things, back to Camp Buckner to mark the control sites and make a few more corrections.

Day 2 at Surebridge. A little bit cooler (starting at 10:51 instead of 12:51) and I had a little bit of energy, and was doing ok, until just before #4 I tripped on the top of a fallen log and yanked my hamstring again. Another one of those -- I know immediately the day is over, no thoughts of suck it up and keep going. So after a couple of minutes I slowly start trudging off back to the finish, took about 45-50 minutes.

I got it in a little different place than last time (which was mostly at the atttachments at the top end). This was mostly along the main part of the muscle on the medial side. It feels taut and very tender. Whoopee-doo....

C • Bummer! 3

So totally bummed, I assume no orienteering for a while, have to see if I can get things back together for the rogaine, which should be doable. And in the meantime, in a totally rotten frame of mind.

But at least I went and found some good company, in this case Jeff and Judy, and then Linda too, and for a while we talked about all our aches and pains, and then Jeff complained that we sounded just like old folks and we should get back to the old days when you'd talk about who was sleeping with whom, cause that was a lot more fun to talk about, well, it got me out of my bad mood, at least for a while.

And I then I took a bunch of ibuprofen and headed off with Peter and John Goodwin for a couple of hours of very leisurely rogaine practice at a course on the way home, and that turned out to be doable and very good fun, the hardest part being when I was in the control circle and just little changes in my balance would send unpleasant twinges up and down my left leg. But still very good for morale.

So I guess I am back to the big D for more therapy, if she'll have me. And probably pull out the bike. And certainly keep up the rogaine training, since that is only 5 weeks away....

C • Who cares who is sleeping with... 5

Event: HVO A-Meet
 

Red course (M45) at HVO meet at Surebridge. A pretty sad effort. Felt croaked by the hot weather (this is nothing new, seems to happen the first warm spell every spring). Orienteering was ok, but I was going so slowly and walking so much it was pretty easy.

Field checking a sprint course for next weekend at West Point (Camp Buckner). Not the normal process. I'd been told there was some construction there, but not where it was, so I hadn't bother to draft out a possible course in advance, figuring I'd have to redo it anyway. But the construction turned out to be in an area I wasn't going to use anyway. So I just started making up the course on the fly, and doing what map corrections seemed necessary, and by the time time I was done I was actually quite pleased with what I had come up with.

Definitely flatter and shorter than the last two years. I think the specs are something like 1.5 km (as the crow flies, but the shortest runnable route is a good bit longer, 1.8 to 2.0 km perhaps). Haven't measured the climb, but it shouldn't be more than 80 meters. And 22 controls. And a great finish chute.

I expect there will be some DNF's, or MP's, or whatever you want to call them, not because the course is hard, but if you are going quickly, some people will skip a control or take a couple out of order. We shall see who can keep cool.

C • Finish chute 3

More rogaine practice, though less useful than it might have been because I seem to be spending more time in the open areas and less in the woods.

The G is finally reacting a bit to the post-dinner regimen. But the legs still feel beat....

Season opener for the Thursday evening track group at Eaglebrook. Certainly not ready for this, but you have to start someplace.

2 x 1600 with a minute and a half between, 6:52 and 6:42. Was planning on no worse than 7, so that was ok. But I saw no need to do the third one that ws planned by the group, no point pushing my luck.

The usual stretching afterwards, plus pushups (15) at Gail's request. They are getting a little easier. The pullups (doing 2 just about kills me) are another matter.

Plus 3 hours of good rogaine practice on a nearly deserted course.

This weekend is going to be hot!

C • pullups 1

5 laps before, one lap after.

April 18th finally, though the IRS tried to mess with me by announcing that folks around here affected by the storm had two extra days to file. Doesn't matter, I'll give the same response I gave to a woman who called up at 4 pm yesterday, could I do her taxes, and how much would I charge. Late afternoon on the last day and she's trying to dicker over price. Sp the answer of course was, sorry, not taking any new clients. Sometimes you just know people are going to be trouble.

Anyway, in Greenfield to clean up a few things at the office, so when I was done I went for the usual 13 hills loop. Good hard pace, a little faster than last week but wobbly toward the end. And legs and butt pretty sore later in the day.

The HVO meet (runing M45) will be a struggle, especially if it is warm.

Thinking of getting my knee scoped. Well, not really, but I'm tempted after getting a look at the sinfut, decadent, and certainly delicious looking box of choclates that arrived for Gail, courtesy of Spike and Mary!

Gail offered to share, but was smart enough to make the offer after dinner, when my current diet (no food after dinner) would not allow it. So far I'm sticking to it, though this was a test....

C • Spike's tactics 8

Phil's loop at Mt. Tom, stopped on the way home from a quick trip to Litchfield to get my mom's taxes filed.

40, light rain, loop was very wet, and I took it easy on the downhills because I didn't feel like doing another faceplant. But the time was still 11 minutes slower than last summer. And I surely can't blame the slow splits on the uphills on the wet conditions. Oh, well, at least I got out and did it.

Splits (counterclockwise): 13:30 to M&M, 9:36 to road, 14:09 over Whiting (first flat stretch was a pond, I bushwhacked around), 7:48 to crossing the Quarry Trail, 5:50 around and about, and then 7:47 downstream back to the bridge.

Also had a very pleasant stop at the DeWeese estate to compare golf exercises (and have a little lunch, mmmm).

C • Mt Tom loop 3

Event: Five Ponds Local
 

Usual loop, an inch of sleet on the ground, decided to go at a Norwegian pace, i.e. slow. Pleasant enough.

Need to get my West Point entry in tomorrow.

Last session, next week I see if it did any good.

Just a short run on the ridge. Still a good bit of soreness in my left butt.

I would be quite happy skipping the last week at work -- seems like a rather high percentage of the people I see are real kooks.

C • kooks 14

13 hills, same as last Friday, but quicker this time since I didn't have to drag Phil alaong. Only problem was a bit of intestinal distress, probably due to the fact that one of my ladies left me a big piece of chocotale in my office this morning, and it was mostly consumed by the time of the run.

Good hard pace. Best on this loop last year was49+, so I need to do about 52 to hit the 5% mark. That will take some work.

C • Dragging 2

Legs feeling a little achy, and I was a little pressed for time, so just a short outing on the ridge.

8 days to go.

Over to the gate, then down to the river and home. Good effort, but still moving slowly. First run over an hour since mid-February. Legs sorer than I wished. Afterwards spent a long time stetching.

I think this year's goal is going to be to limit deterioration to 5%. Which may take some doing.

13 hills loop with Phil, who was kind enough to drive up to Greenfield to keep me company, but then showed a minimal amount of respect for the elderly, announcing after 10 minutes that the pace was rather "pokey," then stepping on the gas a bit in the middle section, making me work harder than I cared to barely keep up. I suppose the smart thing to do, since he claimed to be fit for runs of no more than 30 to 40 minutes, would have been to insist on a second lap, but work was calling for both of us.

Still nice to get out, a cold windy day with much of the trail covered by an inch of crunchy snow, pretty good footing.

Back from the surgery on Gail's knee, seemed to go fine. Hopefully it will do some good.

C • Time magazine, 1976 4

Got out for a short run up to the power line and back, low energy plus sloppy conditions (inch or two of snow overnight plus some mud spots) made for a really slow time. Oh, well. Gail seems to be doing well and that's much more important.

I did manage to do a nice stretching session on the floor of the waiting room while she was getting cut.

C • Much more important... 1

Rain/hail outside, plus pressed for time, plus had to fit in my last PT session, so just time for a little time on the bike and my usual stretching/exercises.

Otherwise a long but very interesting day at work. Lots of good people and good conversations, the latter about subjects such as the 28-year-old woman who's hooked on roller derby, or what to do when the house you bought with a slate roof turns out to have the roof made of tiles that just look like slate and are really made of asbestos and it cost 25K to replace them and you bought it from an 81-year-old judge, and your husband is a DA and you're not sure you really want to go to court, or your 50 year-old daughter has had a nervous breakdown and moved back in with you and it's not easy and what you really want to is go gambling down in Connecticut bacause that's what you really enjoy, especially now that your doctor says you have less than a year to live because of the stuff in your lungs, or you're a vet assistant and you've spent the last few months dealing with pets with mysterious ailments and then found out it was the food, high-grade stuff, last thing you'd expect, or the 40-something good-looking women, smart, good job, trying to deal with the guys at work now making eyes at the younger women at work instead of her, it bugs her even though she has a guy she lives with, or, well, even when I have to take a quick trip out to sign papers on this $1 million rehab project the non-profit that I'm treasurer of is doing with state money and on the way back I suddenly find myself thinking, "I wonder how many of my clients die in the course of a year?"

And first I think maybe 5%. And then I think that's too high, maybe 2%. And then I wonder if doctors do better or worse.

No conclusions. But a good day.

C • roller derby 9

These are getting more strenuous, on the verge of breaking a sweat.

To Sachem Head and back (same as several days ago), good hard effort, legs even a little wobbly a couple of times. We'll see how the legs feel tomorrow.

Gail is scheduled for knee surgery on Thursday for a torn meniscus. Keeping our fingers crossed that it fixes things.

From the Body Shop, just a quick run before another PT session and a chance to fire up the laser again.

Also got flexibility of the offending hamstring measured. The Great D (aka Danielle, middle initial R like in Red), lays me out on my back, up with the left foot as far as it will go while leaving the right one on the floor, with her pushing the ankle up and the knee down, so the knee is locked and the leg is straight. And I get 78 degrees, not quite perpendicular, but better than the 60 degrees three weeks ago. And I am reminded, because when she pushes, she pushes hard, that I don't want to mess with Danielle.

Though it seems likely I will do her taxes next year.

Legs are feeling better. As is the morale. Sent in my entry for the HVO meet.

Loop at the Notch, but without the out-and-back up to the top of Norwottuck. Legs felt tired and a little sore. Certainly was breathing hard on the hills. But making progress.

No ice, but a number of wet areas.

C • good news about your improveme... 3

Still holding to the no food after dinner plan, which seems to be helping. I certainly seem to be narrowing the gap to my rogaine partner. Though I am scoring an A every evening.

The only time it seems to bother me is partway through dinner when it strikes me that what I see in front of me is all I get until the next morning.

But at least it was another fine dinner, pizza and a big salad produced by Gail. I do believe the pizza featured red pepper, spinach, some goat cheese, a little tomato sauce, onions, a little garlic, a little pesto. And a crust. Yummy.

Shooting for 135 by the end of the month.

C • That pizza sounds absolutely d... 3