Training Log Archive: PGIn the 31 days ending Jul 31, 2006:
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Monday Jul 31, 2006 #
road running 46:04 [3] 5.2 mi (8:52 / mi)
weight:132.5lbs shoes: Air Max Trail 09/05
With Dave, over to and up South Sugarloaf and back. Felt tired getting going, but got up the hill at a decent pace (8:40). Conversational pace.
Friday Jul 28, 2006 #
trail running 35:56 [3]
rhr:52 weight:132lbs shoes: Pegasus 10/05
Over to the gate, decent pace....
trail running 31:15 [4]
shoes: Pegasus 10/05
... and then back, pushing it progressively more (31+ is a good time back from the gate). The usual hot/humid, dewpoint low 70s, sweated off 5 pounds.
Took all my defensive measures but one against the FDFs -- white shirt, hat, bug spray, but I still lost the battle, they got three bites, I recorded only one probable/possible (if I didn't get it, it's at least missing its wings). The problem is that the one defense I was missing -- having Phil along -- is the only one that really seems to work.
Took all my defensive measures but one against the FDFs -- white shirt, hat, bug spray, but I still lost the battle, they got three bites, I recorded only one probable/possible (if I didn't get it, it's at least missing its wings). The problem is that the one defense I was missing -- having Phil along -- is the only one that really seems to work.
Thursday Jul 27, 2006 #
biking 17:15 [2] 4.3 mi (4:01 / mi)
weight:132lbs
Got the bike out for the first time in a long time, and it felt like it.
Wednesday Jul 26, 2006 #
trail running 38:28 [3] +984ft
weight:132lbs shoes: Pegasus 10/05
Up Wantastiquet Mt across the river from Brattleboro on the way home after more O' practice with Mike. Sat in the car for a while not feeling like doing it (though I knew I would), once I got going it was ok, just a steady pace up, only in oxygen debt the last minute. 22:30 up, 15:58 down. No FDFs, but plenty of haze, humidity, and ozone. 127 when I got home, got to drink more.
Tuesday Jul 25, 2006 #
trail running 20:42 [3]
weight:131lbs shoes: Pegasus 10/05
A short run in West Dover before some O' practice with Mike Fritz at Mt. Snow CC. Tired and dehydrated. Don't like the hot weather, and it's not really hot yet.
Monday Jul 24, 2006 #
Note
weight:132lbs
Up at 3 am, great....
I posted routes/comments from WMOC. Also a link to the results, heat 4 in M60 in the qualifying, then the M60 A final.
I posted routes/comments from WMOC. Also a link to the results, heat 4 in M60 in the qualifying, then the M60 A final.
Note
Also posted all the Swiss stuff.
Results: Davos sprint, Davos A meet, Grindelwald A meet, Swiss O' Week.
Results: Davos sprint, Davos A meet, Grindelwald A meet, Swiss O' Week.
trail running 1:08:11 [3]
shoes: Pegasus 10/05
With Phil on Mt. Toby, most pleasant weather for running for him in 3 weeks, most unpleasant (more humid by a lot) for me in 3 weeks. Legs felt sluggish but breathing was easy, all that oxygen in the air! Took aim at a few FDFs, grazed only one doing absolutely no damage. I'm definitely out of practice, though as long as Phil is along, they seem to find him more tasty and I'm not bothered too much.
Lots of brochures to pick up in the last 3 weeks about various events next summer. Gets you excited thinking about the next possible trip. The reality of the necessary preparation -- 11 months of training and G maintenance -- sank in today....
Lots of brochures to pick up in the last 3 weeks about various events next summer. Gets you excited thinking about the next possible trip. The reality of the necessary preparation -- 11 months of training and G maintenance -- sank in today....
Note
Thought it would be useful to write down what needs improvment in my orienteering.
1. Trouble reading the map on the run, particularly when there are a lot of details.
I think I should investigate wearing a second contact, a magnifying one, for my map reading eye. Right now I use no contact in that eye, and I think the focal point is a little too far away. Of course this would mean my depth perception would be even worse and I might be falling even more often than now. But I'm curious to try this, I think it could make a big difference.
2. I'm still making way too many mistakes. Part caused by the vision problem, part caused by not picking simple enough routes that can be executed quickly and reliably. Need to work on doing this every single time.
3. A lot of mistakes are due to not looking at the big picture, both on the map and in the terrain.
4. And then I need to make more mistakes (in practice) so I can practice dealing with them systematically rather than flipping into panic mode right away.
Most of the mistakes in question were relatively small -- I don't think I had any mistakes of more then 2 minutes, or 4 to 5 minutes for a whole course, in 13 races, but it still seemed like way too many....
5. And finally, more running in rough terrain, though it may be difficult to have the discipline to do that, and to do it without getting injured or just beat up too much.
Time will tell if any progress is made.
Also need to come up with some goals for the rest of the year, since they make training a lot easier. I had been thinking of trying a marathon again or a shorter trail ultra sometime this fall, as the O' schedule is a little thin. We'll see....
1. Trouble reading the map on the run, particularly when there are a lot of details.
I think I should investigate wearing a second contact, a magnifying one, for my map reading eye. Right now I use no contact in that eye, and I think the focal point is a little too far away. Of course this would mean my depth perception would be even worse and I might be falling even more often than now. But I'm curious to try this, I think it could make a big difference.
2. I'm still making way too many mistakes. Part caused by the vision problem, part caused by not picking simple enough routes that can be executed quickly and reliably. Need to work on doing this every single time.
3. A lot of mistakes are due to not looking at the big picture, both on the map and in the terrain.
4. And then I need to make more mistakes (in practice) so I can practice dealing with them systematically rather than flipping into panic mode right away.
Most of the mistakes in question were relatively small -- I don't think I had any mistakes of more then 2 minutes, or 4 to 5 minutes for a whole course, in 13 races, but it still seemed like way too many....
5. And finally, more running in rough terrain, though it may be difficult to have the discipline to do that, and to do it without getting injured or just beat up too much.
Time will tell if any progress is made.
Also need to come up with some goals for the rest of the year, since they make training a lot easier. I had been thinking of trying a marathon again or a shorter trail ultra sometime this fall, as the O' schedule is a little thin. We'll see....
Sunday Jul 23, 2006 #
Note
Uncertified estimate for the G, taken at the check-in counter at the Zurich airport -- in the vicinity of 132 to 133. The check-in lady seemed amused, apparently not too many returning Americans want to see how much they weigh.
Note
Started to work on my backlog of maps, added routes/comments from the first event in Austria, then the time change hit.... zzzzzzz
Saturday Jul 22, 2006 #
orienteering 38:26 [4] 4.0 km (9:37 / km) +394ft 8:21 / km
shoes: new Integrators
Last day of the Swiss 6 Day. Legs were surprisingly ok, but the brain was absent at a couple of points. On looking at the splits, the only good news was one short very steep downhill leg, took it mostly on the verge of out of control, and the last leg plus the chute. Best time in the class on each, and feeling like I had made an good effort, even at the end when it didn't really matter. Finished 3rd for the day, first for the week.
Another day of surprisingly good orienteering terrain, despite what looked like just steep rocky slopes.
No second training, legs were feeling quite beat afterwards. Packed up, waited for awards (another pack, plus an XL shirt for the overall), then drove over with Boris and Kat to pay a quick visit to Sandra and Marc in Schüpfen, before ending up in Zurich to get a plane home in the morning. Bit of a long day. But a great week and trip.
Another day of surprisingly good orienteering terrain, despite what looked like just steep rocky slopes.
No second training, legs were feeling quite beat afterwards. Packed up, waited for awards (another pack, plus an XL shirt for the overall), then drove over with Boris and Kat to pay a quick visit to Sandra and Marc in Schüpfen, before ending up in Zurich to get a plane home in the morning. Bit of a long day. But a great week and trip.
Friday Jul 21, 2006 #
orienteering 29:04 [4] 3.1 km (9:23 / km) +394ft 7:51 / km
shoes: Air Max Trail 09/05
Day 5, in Zermatt, street/park O, supposed to be more than a sprint, less than a middle distance. Toughest terrain yet, not physically (though it sure wasn’t flat), but technically – very, very hard to run clean and fast. I had a decent run, one small mistake, but also a number of hesitations, several times not having planned ahead enough, or forgotten what I’d planned. But a very cool/fun course.
First by about 4 minutes, seemed like a lot of people had a lot of problems. You think a street-O’ is going to be easy, but this sure wasn’t. Lots of narrow twisting alleys, fences, walls. A really good place to see if your map skills at speed are up to par without having any bad footing to worry about.
First by about 4 minutes, seemed like a lot of people had a lot of problems. You think a street-O’ is going to be easy, but this sure wasn’t. Lots of narrow twisting alleys, fences, walls. A really good place to see if your map skills at speed are up to par without having any bad footing to worry about.
run/hike 3:22:00 [3] +5709ft
shoes: Air Max Trail 09/05
My start for the street-O’ was 8:08, so I was done, and then done with a nice big breakfast by a little before 10. Time for a hike. Had a destination in mind, either the Mettlehorn (3409 meters) or the Plathorn (3345), two adjacent bumps reachable without climbing skills or equipment, or at least that’s what I was hoping. The plan was to head up and see how far I could get.
The route was northwest from the center of town (1600 meters), no lifts go up that way. Just walking going up, but a good steady pace, as fast as I could go on legs that felt a little tired. Good trail for the first hour, pretty good for the next 45 minutes, then mostly rock/scree. Got to a saddle at 3180, Plathorn was right above me, just a rock slope, Mettlehorn required a quarter-mile or so of diagonal ascent across the glacier, and while there was a track, it didn’t quite look good enough to venture out by myself. So scrambled up Plathorn, touched the top rock (no reason to try to stand on it, my nerves aren’t that good), and then headed back down. Jogged all the way, legs felt a bit like jello by the end, plus my left big toe was complaining. My guess is the nail may be departing before too long.
5700 feet climb/drop, 2:16 up, 1:06 down. Excellent outing. Followed up by a last trip up the Gornergrat train with Gail to wander around a bit at the top and take in the views. Legs may be toast tomorrow, but it doesn’t matter, results are based on best 5 of 6 days….
The route was northwest from the center of town (1600 meters), no lifts go up that way. Just walking going up, but a good steady pace, as fast as I could go on legs that felt a little tired. Good trail for the first hour, pretty good for the next 45 minutes, then mostly rock/scree. Got to a saddle at 3180, Plathorn was right above me, just a rock slope, Mettlehorn required a quarter-mile or so of diagonal ascent across the glacier, and while there was a track, it didn’t quite look good enough to venture out by myself. So scrambled up Plathorn, touched the top rock (no reason to try to stand on it, my nerves aren’t that good), and then headed back down. Jogged all the way, legs felt a bit like jello by the end, plus my left big toe was complaining. My guess is the nail may be departing before too long.
5700 feet climb/drop, 2:16 up, 1:06 down. Excellent outing. Followed up by a last trip up the Gornergrat train with Gail to wander around a bit at the top and take in the views. Legs may be toast tomorrow, but it doesn’t matter, results are based on best 5 of 6 days….
Thursday Jul 20, 2006 #
orienteering 40:31 [4] 4.8 km (8:26 / km) +951ft 6:29 / km
shoes: new Integrators
Day 4. Map was Schwarzsee, start and finish about 2550 meters, with the first half of the course down to about 2300 and the second half back up. Nice terrain, despite the very hard (physically) finish. Good run, first again, missed maybe 45 seconds, legs felt ok considering the altitude and the climb. For some reason I had in mind to break 40 minutes, couldn’t quite do it.
Had a late start, stayed at the finish a while afterwards, chatting with the Canadians, another beautiful day (I think Central Europe is suffering from a heat wave, but up here it is just right).
Prize today was more of a duffle bag than a pack. Hoping to unload some of this when we stop in at Sandra and Marc’s on Saturday!
Had a late start, stayed at the finish a while afterwards, chatting with the Canadians, another beautiful day (I think Central Europe is suffering from a heat wave, but up here it is just right).
Prize today was more of a duffle bag than a pack. Hoping to unload some of this when we stop in at Sandra and Marc’s on Saturday!
Wednesday Jul 19, 2006 #
run/hike 1:53:30 [2]
shoes: Air Max Trail 09/05
No orienteering today so plenty of time for a hike, though I went for the shorter one of the two I had in mind (hopefully there will be a chance to do the other on Friday when I have an 8:08 start and the orienteering takes place in town -- also will depend on how I stand in the results...).
Took the lift up to Schwarzsee (2550 meters), then hiked up to just above Hornlihütte (3260) at the base of the Matterhorn. Couldn’t go any farther since from there it went straight up, standing there I couldn’t imagine climbing up higher in this lifetime or any other lifetime, though I am sure others in the same position were eager to get to it. Even the trail up to the hut, which was more crowded than I wished and had its share of the very young, the quite old, and the canine, even the trail had more exposure than I was really comfortable with, though at least it seemed better on the way down.
Had Barb Bryant for company (was she checking me out for a possible rogaine partner? could I keep up to her, she is very fit?). Hiked up in about an hour and a quarter, jogged down in 37 minutes, in both cases slowed a bit by both the traffic and either a reasonable or an excess amount of caution, depending on your perspective.
The weather again was fantastic.
Took the lift up to Schwarzsee (2550 meters), then hiked up to just above Hornlihütte (3260) at the base of the Matterhorn. Couldn’t go any farther since from there it went straight up, standing there I couldn’t imagine climbing up higher in this lifetime or any other lifetime, though I am sure others in the same position were eager to get to it. Even the trail up to the hut, which was more crowded than I wished and had its share of the very young, the quite old, and the canine, even the trail had more exposure than I was really comfortable with, though at least it seemed better on the way down.
Had Barb Bryant for company (was she checking me out for a possible rogaine partner? could I keep up to her, she is very fit?). Hiked up in about an hour and a quarter, jogged down in 37 minutes, in both cases slowed a bit by both the traffic and either a reasonable or an excess amount of caution, depending on your perspective.
The weather again was fantastic.
Tuesday Jul 18, 2006 #
orienteering 42:32 [4] 4.8 km (8:52 / km) +820ft 7:02 / km
shoes: new Integrators
Day 3. Missed the first control again, but very good thereafter, ran pretty well despite the thin air (and with 4 ibuprofen I never noticed the toe). First again, by about 2 minutes, best as I can figured I’m not outrunning the others (though I’m not getting outrun either), just making fewer mistakes. Prize was a slightly different kind of pack (Marc probably has a bunch of these too).
Map was Trockner Steg, just below the Matterhorn, start at 2935 meters, finish at 2930. A downhill course, I suppose, but the last part sure was up. The terrain was awesome, a barren landscape with an intricate topography, though unfortunately my course didn’t get into the best stuff. Might have to try to go back up there and try it later in the week. And the weather again was fantastic.
Took the lift up to Klein Matterhorn (3883m) afterwards. Scared me pretty good. But since our entry fee included free passage for the week on all the lifts in Zermatt, it seemed foolish not to do it.
Passed on a second training, watched the bikers on the Alpe d’Huez instead.
Map was Trockner Steg, just below the Matterhorn, start at 2935 meters, finish at 2930. A downhill course, I suppose, but the last part sure was up. The terrain was awesome, a barren landscape with an intricate topography, though unfortunately my course didn’t get into the best stuff. Might have to try to go back up there and try it later in the week. And the weather again was fantastic.
Took the lift up to Klein Matterhorn (3883m) afterwards. Scared me pretty good. But since our entry fee included free passage for the week on all the lifts in Zermatt, it seemed foolish not to do it.
Passed on a second training, watched the bikers on the Alpe d’Huez instead.
Note
Update on the status of the G –
Unfortunately there are no hard numbers, and reliable scales in Zermatt seem as hard to come by as good internet access. But the pants are still somewhat loose and there is some hope that the amount of G inflation in the last couple of weeks has been limited, which would be no small accomplishment in the land of Sachertorte and Apfelstrudel. Though I may be in for a nasty surprise when I get home.
On the other hand, the decline in the G over the past 8 months (ever since its discovery by Mr. Swampfox, his announcement that he planned to be racing at less than 1 G before long, and the fine motivation that gave me to mess with his plans) must have been worth at least a minute or two on the typical course over here. For which I owe Mr. SF big time – perhaps a pack?
Unfortunately there are no hard numbers, and reliable scales in Zermatt seem as hard to come by as good internet access. But the pants are still somewhat loose and there is some hope that the amount of G inflation in the last couple of weeks has been limited, which would be no small accomplishment in the land of Sachertorte and Apfelstrudel. Though I may be in for a nasty surprise when I get home.
On the other hand, the decline in the G over the past 8 months (ever since its discovery by Mr. Swampfox, his announcement that he planned to be racing at less than 1 G before long, and the fine motivation that gave me to mess with his plans) must have been worth at least a minute or two on the typical course over here. For which I owe Mr. SF big time – perhaps a pack?
Monday Jul 17, 2006 #
orienteering 34:03 [4] 3.2 km (10:38 / km) +722ft 7:55 / km
shoes: new Integrators
Day 2. Missed the first control again, but good after that. Had one leg in the middle that had 24 lines of climb, did that ok, then put out a good effort and did the rest of the course really well. First again, by a couple of minutes, with all the margin coming at the end. Prize was a backpack, which Sandra says is pretty common (Marc has a lot of them!).
Map was Grüensee, the north slope of the Gornergrat, start at 2285 meters, finish at 2235. Mostly steep, rough hillsides, some forested, some not. And the weather again was fantastic.
Map was Grüensee, the north slope of the Gornergrat, start at 2285 meters, finish at 2235. Mostly steep, rough hillsides, some forested, some not. And the weather again was fantastic.
run/hike 1:06:25 [3]
shoes: Air Max Trail 09/05
Seemed like a second training was called for, 30 minutes for a couple of days should leave energy for something more. So I headed off in mid-afternoon, up the 3 lifts to the top of Unterrothorn (3103 meters). The idea was to climb Oberrothorn (3414), although I wasn’t sure if I would have time before the lifts going down closed (I really didn’t want to do 1800 meters of descent), and I also wasn’t sure if the trail would be civilized enough (I have a real problem with heights).
The first part was to run down to the saddle between Unter and Ober (2981). From there I decided I had time to go for about 30 minutes, and then I would turn back. So I set off at as brisk a walking pace as I could (it was a little too steep to run for long, plus I wasn’t really looking to put in too hard an effort). The trail got a little exposed at times, but nothing too much, and I made it to the top in 30:44, took a quick look around (but staying at least 10 feet away from the east face which dropped away almost vertically for far longer than I cared to think about), and headed back down. 15 minutes down to the saddle, then another 15 down another 410 meters to the top of the second lift just before it closed, then back to town just when I told Gail I’d be back. Excellent!
The legs actually felt ok, though my left little toe, which had been a little sore the whole time, turned out on closer inspection to be quite purple. Must have bashed it in the morning and not realized it. By now it was quite sore, so perhaps this was another outing that wasn’t so smart. But it sure was fun.
The first part was to run down to the saddle between Unter and Ober (2981). From there I decided I had time to go for about 30 minutes, and then I would turn back. So I set off at as brisk a walking pace as I could (it was a little too steep to run for long, plus I wasn’t really looking to put in too hard an effort). The trail got a little exposed at times, but nothing too much, and I made it to the top in 30:44, took a quick look around (but staying at least 10 feet away from the east face which dropped away almost vertically for far longer than I cared to think about), and headed back down. 15 minutes down to the saddle, then another 15 down another 410 meters to the top of the second lift just before it closed, then back to town just when I told Gail I’d be back. Excellent!
The legs actually felt ok, though my left little toe, which had been a little sore the whole time, turned out on closer inspection to be quite purple. Must have bashed it in the morning and not realized it. By now it was quite sore, so perhaps this was another outing that wasn’t so smart. But it sure was fun.
Sunday Jul 16, 2006 #
orienteering 33:15 [4] 4.4 km (7:33 / km) +394ft 6:39 / km
shoes: new Integrators
Day 1 of the Swiss 6-Day. Lousy start, missed the first control, then slow to the second, but after that a good hard effort. First in H60 by just under a minute, only because others made mistakes too. Prize was an industrial-sized Swiss Army knife.
Map was the Gornergrat, start at 2910 meters, finish at 2575. Not a tree on the map. Air was a little thin, but fortunately there wasn’t much climb. And the weather again was fantastic.
Map was the Gornergrat, start at 2910 meters, finish at 2575. Not a tree on the map. Air was a little thin, but fortunately there wasn’t much climb. And the weather again was fantastic.
Saturday Jul 15, 2006 #
Event: Swiss Orienteering Week
trail running 1:22:30 [3]
The day before the Swiss 6 day, so I would normally take it easy, but the weather was just to fine. One last outing in Saas Grund, this one seemed to call for some uphill, so no rides on the lift. Up a steep hillside, but lots of switchbacks so it was runnable. Ran just about all, climb was about 1900', then a traverse, then down a steeper, rockier trail, then another traverse climbing a bit, then back down. Pretty hard effort, very fine.
Then off to Zermatt, included watching Boris, Sandra, Kat, Mattias in the elite sprint.
Then off to Zermatt, included watching Boris, Sandra, Kat, Mattias in the elite sprint.
Friday Jul 14, 2006 #
trail running 48:00 [3]
shoes: Pegasus 10/05
Took the lift up from Saas Fee to Spielboden (2450 meters) and went for a leisurely stroll with Gail up to about 2700 and back, the highlight of which was feeding the marmot a couple of almonds (it's a marmot protection area, the only things you're allowed to feed them are nuts, apples, and carrots, but no sweets -- a 500-franc fine if you do that -- and the critters are pretty tame). Well, maybe the highlight was the fine views on another georgeous day, but the marmot was pretty cool.
Then a little exercise. Down to the Gletschergrotto restaurant, 1970 meters (they have little restaurants all over the place), then back up to 2200 (ran a good bit of it until it got too steep), and then down to town (1800). Hopefully getting a little acclimated to the altitude. The start of the first day at Zermatt on Sunday is at 3000 meters, will make the air in Laramie seem a bit rich in comparison.
Then a little exercise. Down to the Gletschergrotto restaurant, 1970 meters (they have little restaurants all over the place), then back up to 2200 (ran a good bit of it until it got too steep), and then down to town (1800). Hopefully getting a little acclimated to the altitude. The start of the first day at Zermatt on Sunday is at 3000 meters, will make the air in Laramie seem a bit rich in comparison.
C • Heh 2
Thursday Jul 13, 2006 #
trail running 23:45 [2]
shoes: Pegasus 10/05
In Saas Grund, took the lift up to Hohsaas (3100 meters). Thought I would try to climb the little high spot (3333 meters) just above, made it about halfway by which point any semblance of a trail had disappeared and it was getting significantly steeper than I was comfortable with, at least under the circumstances (by myself, map in one hand and water bottle in the other, so no free hands, and only 40 minutes available before the lift closed for lunch). Rock-hopped back down, then did a couple small uphills, which was all it took to get my breathing right up there.
Really pretty, could see various groups heading up the glacier towards the nearby 4,000-meter peak. Mostly sunny, a few clouds.
Really pretty, could see various groups heading up the glacier towards the nearby 4,000-meter peak. Mostly sunny, a few clouds.
trail running 1:10:30 [3]
shoes: Pegasus 10/05
Back down to the mid-point on the lift (2400 meters), then after a nice stroll with Gail out to the point of a ridge to get the views, ran down to town (1560 meters). First 30 minutes was a traverse climbing a little -- kept me breathing pretty hard -- then the last 40 minutes was down, down, down, quads feeling it but not too bad. Very fine run, glad I wasn't going the other direction.
Wednesday Jul 12, 2006 #
trail running 1:35:00 [2]
shoes: Pegasus 10/05
First-class run in the mountains. Decided the legs/lungs were ready for not too much uphill, so took the cable car from Fiesch up to the Egglishorn (2860 meters), then ran down to the mid-station Fiescheralp (2210 meters) via Tälli (a ridge) and Märlenen (a small lake), with a detour to an outlook over the glacier. Serious down at the start, then a nice variety, even a few ups, which I could run, but not without being quite aware of the thin air. Another fantastic day, sunny, gentle winds even on top.
Tuesday Jul 11, 2006 #
orienteering 42:10 [3] 4.1 km (10:17 / km) +328ft 9:10 / km
shoes: new Integrators
O meet in Grindelwald, below Grosse Scheidig. Alpine O'. Elevation -- start at 2000 meters, finish about 1700.
My orienteering was pretty bad, trouble on at least four controls, but it was a beatiful day, the kind of weather it always seems to be when they shoot postcard photos, and hanging around the finish taking in the scenery (north wall of the Eiger,....), well even some bad orienteering couldn't spoil that.
Mainly had trouble with the mapping of the colors (white/yellow/half-yellow/light green), just didn't make sense sometimes. But the mistakes were still my own doing, maybe 5 minutes lost. Second to Kurt Huber, though he also missed some. I think in this stuff we are about the same. Which is fun.
Now time for some mountain runs before going to Zermatt on Saturday.
My orienteering was pretty bad, trouble on at least four controls, but it was a beatiful day, the kind of weather it always seems to be when they shoot postcard photos, and hanging around the finish taking in the scenery (north wall of the Eiger,....), well even some bad orienteering couldn't spoil that.
Mainly had trouble with the mapping of the colors (white/yellow/half-yellow/light green), just didn't make sense sometimes. But the mistakes were still my own doing, maybe 5 minutes lost. Second to Kurt Huber, though he also missed some. I think in this stuff we are about the same. Which is fun.
Now time for some mountain runs before going to Zermatt on Saturday.
Monday Jul 10, 2006 #
Note
Took the cable car up Jacobshorn on the SE side of Davos, hiked around some very leisurely at about 8,500 feet. Weather was perfect, amazing views. Then off to Interlaken, with orienteering tomorrow in Grindelwald.
Sunday Jul 9, 2006 #
orienteering 43:18 [4] 4.6 km (9:25 / km) +558ft 7:57 / km
shoes: new Integrators
National A meet in Davos. Tough terrain, hilly, rocky, bumpy ground. Had an ok run, not great, a couple of dumb mistakes -- (1) spiked control 5 twice, from different directions. The second time was intended, the first time was at the end of a long leg when I was heading to control 2 and...., and (2) just before the end, ran right across a trail that I planned to use, dropped several lines that had to be reclimbed. But other parts were good. First in M60 by a couple of minutes.
By the way, yesterday's sprint was at about 5,000 feet, today average about 5,500. Going to get much higher in a week, so this was a good start.
By the way, yesterday's sprint was at about 5,000 feet, today average about 5,500. Going to get much higher in a week, so this was a good start.
trail running 20:00 [3]
shoes: new Integrators
Maybe 5 minutes warm-up, then 15 minutes running back to the event center from the finish.
Saturday Jul 8, 2006 #
orienteering 16:22 [4]
shoes: Pegasus 10/05
After an 8 hour drive from Vienna, got to Davos, Switzerland, in time to run the city sprint. A very cool event even though it was raining moderately hard -- the first sprint score-O I have ever done. 20 controls, 15 minutes, 2/3 city (with lots of tiny bits of park), 1/3 park. No need to check codes, just punch every control you see. But lots of quick thinking to decide what order to go in and to avoid the traps.
I got off to a shaky start, was past the first control before I reaöized it, so just blew it off and kept going. Ended up purposely going overtime, since I figured I gained more points from more controls than I lost for the penalty. Got all but 4 low-pointers, should have gone for them too, could have done it in about 18 minutes and would have had a higher net score. Best was a guy who got them all in exactly 15 minutes. I was first in M60.
Fun to have everyone running the same course. They started 4 every minute, but with the score-O format, I felt very much on my own.
I got off to a shaky start, was past the first control before I reaöized it, so just blew it off and kept going. Ended up purposely going overtime, since I figured I gained more points from more controls than I lost for the penalty. Got all but 4 low-pointers, should have gone for them too, could have done it in about 18 minutes and would have had a higher net score. Best was a guy who got them all in exactly 15 minutes. I was first in M60.
Fun to have everyone running the same course. They started 4 every minute, but with the score-O format, I felt very much on my own.
road running 20:00 [3]
shoes: Pegasus 10/05
From the parking to the start/finish, and then back afterwards.
Friday Jul 7, 2006 #
orienteering 49:50 [4] 6.0 km (8:18 / km) +558ft 7:16 / km
shoes: new Integrators
WMOC final. Good run except for one 5-minute period where my head deserted me. Legs were ok. Tougher running than previous days, softer ground, recently partially logged in places. Finished 4th in MM60.
I’ll add detailed comments and the map to my web page when I can.
I’ll add detailed comments and the map to my web page when I can.
trail running 5:00 [3]
Warm-up, pretty warm day, didn't need much.
Wednesday Jul 5, 2006 #
orienteering 39:42 [3] 5.3 km (7:29 / km) +459ft 6:37 / km
shoes: new Integrators
WMOC Qualifying Day 2. Another good run, lost less than a minute, still being very cautious. First again in my heat. Friday I’ll start third from last, that’s ok.
Terrain overlapped yesterday and used the same finish. First two-thirds was on new stuff, the last third was back through where we’d been yesterday, though only the very end was familiar. Didn’t push the pace at all though ran fine, just kept it enough below my threshold to keep it pretty comfortable. I’ll have to figure out for Friday how hard to run, how much I can get away with without just leading to errors. It’s a fine line.
Other than that, it’s just weird having won two days in a row and it really doesn’t matter. Puts more (self-imposed) pressure on Friday. Need to deal with that. The fact still remains that any of perhaps 20 folks can win, and I expect a lot of folks to be running a good bit faster than these past two days. We shall see.
At least I’ve been watching what I eat. The weight is holding right at 1 G. It’s handy that the G is a universal standard so I don’t have to do any conversions over here.
Terrain overlapped yesterday and used the same finish. First two-thirds was on new stuff, the last third was back through where we’d been yesterday, though only the very end was familiar. Didn’t push the pace at all though ran fine, just kept it enough below my threshold to keep it pretty comfortable. I’ll have to figure out for Friday how hard to run, how much I can get away with without just leading to errors. It’s a fine line.
Other than that, it’s just weird having won two days in a row and it really doesn’t matter. Puts more (self-imposed) pressure on Friday. Need to deal with that. The fact still remains that any of perhaps 20 folks can win, and I expect a lot of folks to be running a good bit faster than these past two days. We shall see.
At least I’ve been watching what I eat. The weight is holding right at 1 G. It’s handy that the G is a universal standard so I don’t have to do any conversions over here.
trail running 5:00 [3]
shoes: new Integrators
Warm-up, plus looking around on the warm-up map for 10 minutes.
Tuesday Jul 4, 2006 #
orienteering 39:41 [3] 4.9 km (8:06 / km) +558ft 6:54 / km
rhr:45 shoes: new Integrators
WMOC Qualifying Day 1. Good run. When I left, with about 2/3 of my heat in, I was first so I’ll end up in the top few, which was just what was needed.
Actually a rather strange run. Took it very careful, not just checking and double-checking all the control codes, but taking the safest, easiest routes on every leg. Even took one control completely via the back door, just like I always used to tell people to do if they hadn’t orienteered very much. Ran fine, not pushing it. The last part had some tricky controls – lots of trails, rather thick forest, I think I had about three controls where my attack point on a trail was about 10-20 meters from the control, and that was just the right tactic even if I had to run around a bit to get there. So the strange part, given how careful I was and how I felt like I wasn’t really pushing the pace (walked some hills too), was how good the time was. Have to think about this for Friday.
The benefit of the day was a good shot of confidence, another sign that you belong, that you are comfortable at this place in the standings. In golf they talk about being comfortable going low, when you’re in the middle of a good round can you keep it going, or does the thought of doing really well screw up your mind (and your swing). Certainly today there was no sense of increasing nervousness as a good run unfolded, wondering if I could hold it together. Hopefully there will be the same feelings on Friday, though the nervousness is still going to be a problem.
In the meantime, still a second Q run to do. And places in the Q runs don’t mean anything as long as you’re in the A final. So no point in getting too excited. But still nice to do well.
Actually a rather strange run. Took it very careful, not just checking and double-checking all the control codes, but taking the safest, easiest routes on every leg. Even took one control completely via the back door, just like I always used to tell people to do if they hadn’t orienteered very much. Ran fine, not pushing it. The last part had some tricky controls – lots of trails, rather thick forest, I think I had about three controls where my attack point on a trail was about 10-20 meters from the control, and that was just the right tactic even if I had to run around a bit to get there. So the strange part, given how careful I was and how I felt like I wasn’t really pushing the pace (walked some hills too), was how good the time was. Have to think about this for Friday.
The benefit of the day was a good shot of confidence, another sign that you belong, that you are comfortable at this place in the standings. In golf they talk about being comfortable going low, when you’re in the middle of a good round can you keep it going, or does the thought of doing really well screw up your mind (and your swing). Certainly today there was no sense of increasing nervousness as a good run unfolded, wondering if I could hold it together. Hopefully there will be the same feelings on Friday, though the nervousness is still going to be a problem.
In the meantime, still a second Q run to do. And places in the Q runs don’t mean anything as long as you’re in the A final. So no point in getting too excited. But still nice to do well.
trail running 10:00 [3]
shoes: new Integrators
Warm-up, plus looking around on the warm-up map for 10 minutes.
Sunday Jul 2, 2006 #
orienteering 15:41 [4] 2.6 km (6:02 / km) +16ft 5:58 / km
shoes: Air Max Trail 09/05
Park race in Wiener Neustadt. First one of these I've done, meaning first one in a European city with lots of little nooks and crannies and alleys and bits of park and a couple of the old city walls you didn't want to be on the wrong side of. A lot of fun. Good run, didn't miss anything, though could have saved a few meters on a couple of routes, maybe 10-15 seconds in all. Punching was also not too bad, several sloppy ones in the middle -- when you've got 21 controls in a 15 minute race, sloppy punching adds up.
First of about 80 in M60 (not a strong field) by 53 seconds. Legs felt ok.
A couple of model maps tomorrow, then the qualification races Tuesday/Wednesday, final on Friday.
First of about 80 in M60 (not a strong field) by 53 seconds. Legs felt ok.
A couple of model maps tomorrow, then the qualification races Tuesday/Wednesday, final on Friday.
Saturday Jul 1, 2006 #
Event: WMOC 2006