Training Log Archive: PG

My route from the Tiomila.

C • If someone showed me this c... 9

Over to South Sugarloaf (15:58), up the road very slow but still running (10:04), down the road (7:16), and home (15:25). A struggle, but got it done.

From Boris's apartment in Uppsala with Ross and Brendan. First over to scope out the OK Linné clubhouse, looked ok, then over to Nästen to check out the forest and maybe find a few controls, and then back. Found a couple of controls ok, then mightily impressed the other two with a round-about route to the next one. Then back to Boris's and then to the airport.

Boris didn't join us because he was "teaching" a class, something about the behavior of fish when they are flocking, from some sort of mathematical perspective.

By the way, excellent night sleep despite all available floor space being occupied. Just out cold.

Today's run.

Some thoughts about the Tiomila trip....

This was the second such CSU venture, the first being the trip to Finland two summers ago for the Jukola relay. That was a great trip, both as regards the relay and also the trip in general. For the relay, the 7 of us (Boris Granovskiy, Mathias Mahr, Kenny Walker, Ross Smith, me, Mikell Conradi, and Will Hawkins) had agreed to go maybe 6 to 9 months earlier, and what was amazing was that no one got hurt, no one backed out, no one missed a flight, everyone had a good run, and the vibes were really good. For the trip as a whole, I went on a Tuesday, came back the next Tuesday, the shortest trip I have ever taken to Europe, and perhaps I therefore tried to pack in the most activity, including some sort of orienteering every day, sightseeing, hanging out with the team, and even a round of golf.

So last fall when Boris floated the idea of a trip to the Tiomila, I signed up pretty quickly. Actually he floated more than just the idea of going, he also proposed the three more CSU members needed for a 10-man team (Brendan Shields, Ken Walker Sr., and Greg Walker), and he also proposed a possible running order. The latter is not trivial, as the leg lengths vary from 5.7 km to 17.5 km and about half are in the dark. And, amazingly, everyone said yes, no one backed out, the ones that got injured (me and Mikell, he was in a car accident and fractured his pelvis) got healed, and no one missed a flight, and the vibes were really good.

You make notice that my comments on the Jukola included "everyone had a good run." That was not the case this time. Ross led off, mass start in the dark at 10 pm, good run, not great, a little bit of time lost, but when you are in a relay the goal is no big mistakes. Mathias was next, normally rock solid even at night, also a good run until late in the course when he missed a control in a difficult area and it was 15 minutes lost before he recovered. Brendan was next, also a good run but for one control, this one maybe 12 minutes gone. So at this point we were lying not much better than 300th out of a starting field of about 340, and far from our aggressive goal of 150th, and also far from our more reasonable goal of someplace in the top 200.
Next was Boris, out on the "long night" leg, 16+ km. He had a great run, moved us up a bunch of places, his only complaint being that because he started so far back, he was running faster than everyone he saw, so he couldn't take advantage of the faster paces of the packs that form further up in the standings. So his time, done on his own, was terrific. Then came Greg (Mr. Catching Features), excellent run, part in the dark, part in the early daylight, moved us up some more places. Then his brother Kenny (Mr. AttackPoint), also an excellent run, moved up a few more places. Then Mikell, also an excellent run, and I think he came in at 222nd, progress.

Though we had our two OFs next, old farts, first me and then Ken Sr., on the two shortest legs. We both did what we were supposed to, not fast but no mistakes of any consequence, dropped several places each but no more. And so Will went off in 233rd, and we were wondering, certainly he would move up, but top 200 seemed way too much to hope for. But by the first radio split after a quarter of the course he had moved up a dozen places, and by halfway he had picked off another dozen, and when he came cruising into the finish after his 17+ km done at about 6 minutes per km, the electronic sign on the top of lane 10 said we were team 195. Really cool.

Except we found out a few minutes later that he had skipped control 7, a control within 100 meters of #6, he just hadn't noticed it. So we ended up DQ.

And I was really pissed. The first rule of relays, you have to get them all -- check the codes, don't punch too fast, make sure the e-box flashes.

Really really pissed.

For about 5 minutes.

And then it passed. And it didn't pass because I forced myself to be mellow (at least outwardly), or because I didn't want to take it out on Will. It just passed. And even now, a day later, it's too bad it happened, but it did, nothing can be done to change it, and yet what remains is the memory of a really fine trip, a great bunch of kids putting up with in this case two OFs, a great weekend. Staying pissed for more than a few minutes just wasn't possible.

We hung around for a while with our women (Sandra and Kat) and our team leader (Leif Åkebloom, bubo on AP), then Tom Hollowell came by and we talked a bunch about his role as Team Coach and how that is working out and some changes we need to make. Then we slowly packed up and headed up to Boris's apartment in Uppsala, washed up, went out for pizza, and then hung around until midnight telling stories and then finally crashed, the 13 of us filling up all available floor space. Lots of laughs, and not pissed at all.

Up in the morning, a run in the local forest, then off to the airport for the plane home, Boston via Iceland. On the road 3 days, in Sweden two days, totally insane and just wonderful.

We are already talking about possibilities for the next club trip. Best not wait too many more years.

10mila, leg 8. A pretty good run. Went out about 7:30 in the morning (1:30 am EDT). Just a couple small errors but my usual lack of anything close to speed. But I expected to do between 45 and 50, and that's what I did.

A fine CSU trip/reunion. Some good runs, a couple errors, one superb run by William moving us up to 193rd out of about 340 teams, except that he used Billygoat rules and skipped one control, so we ended up with a DQ. Serious bummer.

But still a very fun trip.

My course, haven't drawn in route yet.

Event: Tiomila 2008
 

Off to Stockholm this evening for 10-mila. Hope we have the same good luck and good spirits we had at Jukola. A very short trip, back home on Monday....

South Sugarloaf, 450' climb. Up the trail (7:42), down the trail (4:11), up the trail (7:41), down the road (7:04). Just as it got dark, made a little more interesting by an approaching lightning storm. Got windy on the second time up, but the rain held off until just as I was done, and the lightning was still a couple miles away.

Relay Champs at Mendon Ponds, third leg for CSU 4-point team, Brendan, Alex Jospe, me, and Ross. Awful slow, but no errors to speak of, so ok I suppose. Team finished second, about 10 minutes behind DVOA, about what I would have expected, actually maybe a little better than expected as we all ran pretty well, especially Alex. But DVOA had 4 U.S. Team members so they should have won. Team from West Point was third, just behind us, pretty cool. Overall, field was lacking in depth, at least as far as official 4 point teams.

My routes: first loop, second loop.

Real nice weekend, great of Rochester to step up and organize both championships, done well and with panache.

One last round of rogaine practice with Gord and Lise before heading home, at Victor Hills, nice terrain, interesting topography, similar in places to the O' terrain of the morning, moderately hilly. When I told the guy at the pro shop that I wanted to walk (not get a cart), he asked me about three times if i was sure, it was a hilly course, etc. etc. Did I look that feeble?

Got around pretty quickly, once again taking an unorthodox route choice to avoid some traffic. Hustling a bit to keep up with the other two in a cart, getting a little tired towards the end, but still lots of fun, though it meant not getting home until a little before midnight.

It actually is good rogaine practice, just being on your feet for a few hours and carrying a bag. Too bad it doesn't do shit for orienteering conditioning.

C • O conditioning 1

Event: US Middle Distance and Relay Champs
 

Middle distance champs at Letchworth West, M60. Won class, but a very unsatisfying "run" because of really low energy. A bunch of better times in M50 and 55. Warm day, but just felt tired even by the time I reached the start triangle. Pretty much no redeeming values. Course, woods, organization were all excellent.

My routes.

Sprint in the early afternoon, a fundraiser for the junior team. Surprised myself by feeling better. The course was clearly flatter and shorter, but I ran all the hills as compared to running none of the hills in the morning. Navigation was fine.

Thought it was an excellent course, not too easy, not too hard.

My routes.

Haven't seen any results because....

.... I headed off before too long for some more rogaine practice, this time with Peter and John Goodwin. A fine outing, as usual a mix of the sublime (3 birdies) and the absurd (two quadruple bogies), and certainly made more pleasant on a very warm afternoon by the offer of the guy in the pro shop -- You want a cart, just take one. So we did. And since there was no e-punching, we could take the holes out of order, I think we went 10 through 17, then 2 through 8, then 1, 18 and 9. All to avoid other rogainers who didn't seem to have quite the sense of urgency we had. Got around very quickly and just made it to dinner in time.

Off to Rochester at the crack of dawn to meet up with Gord and Lise for a fine round of rogaine practice at Ravenwood.

Freedom, opening of golf season

C • Happy Freedom Day 1

"13 hills" loop in Greenfield, good effort. All the ice is gone, and the soil drains well so there is no mud. The only downer is that a year ago 56 minutes would have been an easy (very easy?) pace.

And then out to the golf course. A beautiful day, nearing 70, time to put on the shorts, which seemed to be distressingly snugger than when I last wore them last fall. But really, what did I expect?

My game itself, just played 10 holes with some old friends, was remarkable only for its variety -- a 2 and two 3s on one end and an 8 and a 9 on the other. What will be interesting is that the plan is to try to make some significant and specific changes in my game, and I am excited about the possibilities.

And also wondering if something similar happens in orienteering. Does one start off a new year with the intention of making certain very specific changes in technique? Picking a couple of weak spots, figuring out what needs to be changed, and then practicing to make it happen? As opposed to just vowing to get in better shape and not make so many mistakes?

I think our orienteering performance might be better if we did a better job of identifying weaknesses, figuring out what needed to be changed, and then working to change it. But do we ever really do that?

C • O weaknesses 1

C • Thanks 14

C • 1

Late, just before closing, so the manager isn't there and I can't investigate the actual value of a "Nautilus pound."

C • 1 UK Pound = $1.96 USD 1

Event: 30th Annual Billygoat Run
 

The Billygoat.

Low expectations. I'd been to Clear Lake (on the south side of Fahnstock SP) I think once before, and vague memories were that it wasn?t so much fun, the Northeast trifecta -- hilly, rocky, mountain laurel. And it overlaps the south part of the Bushy Ridge part of Fahnstock, also not one of my favorite areas. So low expectations, also low enthusiasm. And maybe a bit deflated after our visit chez DeWeese (and the DeWeese gym), though also still laughing about it of course.

As it turned out, I got around the course ok, no mistakes at the controls, decent routes I think, a decent skip I think, just absolutely no energy. Well, maybe I had a little energy when it was gently downhill on a smooth trail, but other than that it was pretty sad.

But let's focus on the good stuff --

I feel great!

The knee was getting a little worrisome in the last hour, but it never got bad, and afterwards it felt just a little sore. One blister, second toe, it will take care of itself with the aid of a little duct tape. Not too many scratches, not too many barbarry thorns in the knees, no ticks spotted yet, no sunburn, no corneal abrasions. Basically just fine.

Routes are posted, most of map, northeast part. Following the crowd to 1 and 2. Leaving 2 everyone in sight was heading down the hill to take the route to the right to 3, but I'd already decided to go left. It was a bit lonely heading off, everyone else going another way, took a bit of nerve, though I did drag Jim Eagleton with me and we were moving at about the same pace. Still lonely all the way there, passed one walker, asked if he had seen any other runners, 3 or 4 he said. Along the way I decided that none of the skips on the final loop looked that good, certainly not as good as skipping up north, though I wasn't sure which was better between skipping 4, 5, or 6.

Got up to 3, saw some folks that seemed to be about who I should be with, so I guess the routes were about equal. Jim was maybe 50 yards ahead, and he turned right, skipping 4, and I decided to do the same, though within 100 yards I was already regretting it, thinking it was a dumb move. But I was committed. And Jeff Saeger was coming the same way too.

Had company from Jeff most of the rest of the way, sometimes he was a ways ahead, sometimes I was, also company from from Jim until he disappeared (behind me) after 17, and from Mike Bishop for a while until he skipped 19 and finished ahead. After a while we'd been out an hour, then 2 hours, then finally done. And a nice surprise when comparing splits with a few folks afterwards, it seemed skipping 4 was a first-class skip, definitely better than 18 or 19. Sometimes you get lucky.

A fine BG, thought not short and not easy. That's not saying it was too long, but it might have been pushing the limit a little, especially if it had been a warm day. But orienteering is a sport that is supposed to offer a sense of adventure, and it seems a little foolish to put too much emphasis on getting a course length or winning time to match some perceived standard. Just set a decent course, get the controls in the right place, and let us have at it. And if sometimes a course gets the better of us, well, that?s not such an awful thing.

C • Was going around west of Sp... 2

Got home thanks to a ride from Phil, the snowpile is shrinking but still about 4 feet high. Launched a snowball at his departing car, fortunately missed by inches putting it right through his open window, which would have been very anti-social!

C • I agree that 4 was the best... 10

The Goat - Splits

So what's the deal? We head down to the DeWeese estate for for pre-Billygoat feed courtesy of the gorgeous Ms Rhonda, in preparation for which there is a visit to the estate's gym for a testosterone test. Load up the bench press bar, a real one this time, not the Nautilus version, whoa, even a light weight feels heavy, a Gail is hard, the G is done once without much of a margin, and forget about anything more.

So what gives? Is the gravitation field stronger here than in Greenfield? Does Charlie have a set of weights that are mislabeled that he brings out for guests? Or is Nautilus a totally fraudulent outfit practicing severe weight inflation?

I had thought I was doing well.

On the other hand, out in a real world situation, back in OCIN-land last weekend, I was taking advantage of my superior upper body strength to pull myself rapidly out of the deep gullies, while BP (bogus philosopher) was hanging on for dear life.

So things could be worse.

C • bench press 2

C • I know my advice is not alw... 9

Just a short trip up on the ridge, not a hard pace though it seems I'm breathing hard every time I go up hill.

No great expectations for the Billygoat other than to hopefully get around the course without physical or mental disaster. But at least the legs are slowly doing better.

Included one failed attempt at 14 stone and 4, plus 2 cubed Georges.

On the ridge, to Sachem Head and back, just a trivial amount of ice left. Working hard, legs not totally dead.

Tried to talk JJ into joining me, but he had a hang glider on top of his car and dreams of a different sort of exercise.

Getting some real nuts in the office, it's that time of year. Almost done....

C • real nuts 1

A lap around the golf course, all I had energy for.

Included a Valerie and 8 Georges.

C • Easier 3

13 hills loop in Greenfield. Beautiful day, snow/ice almost all gone (almost all gone from the golf course too, though at home the pile at the end of the driveway is still about 8' high). Hard work lugging the extra bags of sugar up the hills, but progress is progress.

Scared up a barred owl.

Got my ticket to Stockholm for the Tiomila, same plane as Ross, Brendan, and Ken Sr. Get to visit Iceland twice, first time ever.

C • Iceland 11

On Greenfield ridge, just a little bit of ice left, getting to be real nice conditions. Legs were tired to start but then no worse, good to get out and do something after the long weekend.

Then a visit to another doctor, this one a get-acquainted visit prior to a colonoscopy at the end of the month, yet another joy of getting older. The one moment of pleasure was the blood pressure reading, right after I ran, 116 over 62, and the "Oh, that's good" reaction of the nurse.

Long Champs (or is it ultra-long, or extended, which sounds like maybe we're talking about pain medication). Bonehead mistake on the way to 1, rest was ok. Legs mostly ok.

I'll post the maps this evening, airport connection is fine for downloading, impossible for uploading. But, hey, it's free!

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So here are my routes -- beginning and end, and middle.

Don't know what happened on the way to #1. Wasn't quite sure where I was on the N-S trail, ran by the junction without seeing it, and carried on for a distressingly long time before coming to grips with what had happened.

Rather bad way to start a run, halfway to first control and I'd already blown off 4 minutes or so. But I kept my head together pretty well.

I'd seen Charlie before I started, he'd had an early start and said he ran 1:42, and Glen had run 1:23. So 1:23 was the goal, though I was not optimistic. It seemed to take a long time to get out to the SW part of the course, but at least I was making good progress. I got to #9 in 55 minutes, looked at what was left and figured 20 minutes to #10 was the best I could do, if that, and another 10 minutes from 10 to the finish, so maybe 1:25 was possible. I entertained myself on the way to 10 by setting up time goals to various intermediate points and seeing if I could meet them -- and that kept me plugging along, did the leg in 19:50, getting there at 1:15. Over and down to the stream crossing, started up the hill at 1:20, maybe 1:23+ was possible, walked the steeper part, saw the flag from a ways below, looked at my watch, just past 1:21, grit the teeth and started running, rest of the way up the hill and a good effort right to the finish, 1:22:33. Excellent, except there were a couple other guys in a 1:22:15 or so.

Oh, well, a good effort after a bad start, and a reminder that being tired or fat or out of shape is no reason not to put out 100% anyway. Orienteering has always been hard work. No reason to expect that to change.

A really nice long weekend. Fine courses all three days and excellent company.

C • Basketball 4

Green - Ultra Long - Splits

US Sprint Champs, based on total time for the morning and afternoon sprints. The morning sprint was at the campus of Miami University of Ohio. Another good course, not difficult for sure but good fun. The challenge, besides making sure you went to all the controls in the correct order, was dealing with the "fences," which were really posts with a single strand of chain link connecting them, designed to keep people from cutting corners and leaving all sorts of footpaths in the grass. We were allowed to cut corners, but that meant either hopping over the fence without losing any speed, or if you were a bit older and less agile, stopping and stepping over them, or if you were even older and rather short and getting a bit plump, going under them.

I had a good run, no mistakes (you really shouldn't make mistakes on a course like this), ran as well as I could.

My routes for sprint 2 (green/brown/orange).

Warm-up for the morning sprint.

Afternoon sprint, quite different, also a good course and good fun. A little muddy but not too bad. Some thicker vegetation, so it was a bit of a guess as to whether it made sense to go through or around. I think my routes were good except for 11-12, when going left was certainly better, I lost about 30 seconds to others who seemed to be running the same speed as I was and who went left.

Second to Dennis Wildfogel in M60, he ran well both morning and afternoon. But I was still pleased, made it around both courses, and the knee, which was feeling a little irksome yesterday, was less so this morning and even less so this afternoon.

And certainly this year is off to a better start that last year, when my record after 8 days of A meets starts was 1 mediocre result, 2 DNFs and 5 DNSs.

Even if my conditioning this year still sucks.

My routes for sprint 2 (green/brown/orange).

C • Last year 1

Also posted my routes from yesterday's Green course.

So we found this really cool sculpture, seriously, out behind the Oxford Art Museum.



Charlie just had to try it out, so he owns the record.

C • which one? 4

Orange/Brown/Green Sprint 1 - Splits

Orange/Brown/Green Sprint 2 - Splits

Event: Flying Pig XII
 

Flying Pig, day 1, M60. Ok run, just really really slow. Nice course though, not much in the way of steep mud. But felt like I could have run 5 minutes faster just a couple of years ago.

Knee was a little sore, but didn't seem to get any worse.

C • Slow? 4

Before and after.

Green- Short Pig - Splits

1 Valerie

C • 1 Valerie? 3

Didn't have time to get out during the day so ran late at the gym, watching some of the UMass game. Brought a smile.