Training Log Archive: PG

Day 2 at Blue Mt. Very good run, worked hard.

US Night O' Champs at Manitou Lake. Another very good run af a careful start (very low confidence!). Second to Walter Siegenthaler on the green course by a few seconds, first in M60. Very satisfied, probably best night O' ever (though I haven't run very many).

Red - Splits

Day 1 of the Colorado 3 Day. Borrowed a compass from the Balls, and promptly smashed it about 8 minutes into the course. Pretty good run except for one control late, where a compass would have been very handy. Very interesting area, some controls were very tucked away. I liked it, some hated it, definitely would have been better if controls had been more open.

Cold rain -- I thought this wasn't allowed.

Red - Splits

Event: Colorado Five-Day
 

Prologue (sprint) in Colorado, good run, working hard despite no oxygen.

The Chase -- started just after Vald and Vadim and almost managed to keep up to them. Good effort, good run until the last control, could have used a compass there (compass seemed to stop working about halfway, suddenly had a huge bubble....).

Prologue (Attack Badger Sprint) - Splits

The Chase - Splits

WMOC finals, 6th place, a disappointment though by no means a disaster.

Had a couple of thoughts in mind before the start: be a little careful to #1, don't blow it in the first couple of minutes, and in general be a little careful all the way. And stick to the high ground since the marshes were expected to be wet and slow (and thick). I did both things pretty well, but ended up 5 minutes behind. Reason #1, general tiredness, a day without good legs. #2, a lack of pushing the pace, which should be possible even when the legs don't feel good (that's one of the things you train!). Only in the last couple of minutes did I feel like I was racing. And reason #3, one long rough open marsh turned out to be great running and the best route on one long leg. I didn't even consider it, and I lost 3 to 3.5 minutes on the leg to a couple of people who finished about the same time overall as me.

For a while I thought I was doing ok. Picked up the guys who started 2 and 6 minutes ahead of me on #2, then left them behind. And although I knew I wasn't moving well, I was feeling positive, until I saw the last starter (4 minutes behind me) with about 4 controls to go. That got me revved up a bit, and also discouraged, but I finished well, beat him into the finish by a minute. But by then the race was long since lost.

Guess it's like the old Brooklyn Dodgers -- wait til next year....