Training Log Archive: PG

Legs very sore from yesterday (not used to running steep downhills relatively hard), so a day, or a few days, off.

Meanwhile, a few photos from the half-marathon in New Bedford a week ago. In order of finish, Ross, then Ian (by a nose,) then Samantha, then me. More photos are here, just put in the last name.

Out to the movies for the first time in a while, Ajami. Very grim, also very interesting. Glad I went. Better than watching some random basketball game.

A little warm-up, thinking it might make the hill easier. Maybe it did, but easier doesn't mean easy.

Phil's loop at Mt. Tom. Sure felt beat the whole way, but the time wasn't too bad (4 minutes faster than in January, but there was some snow then).

Had 2 off-trail excursions. The first was coming down off Goat Peak, trail is moderately steep and tilted, falls off to the right, I was still feeling a little wobbly, tripped on something, couldn't quite recover, and then before I knew it I was off the trail, and then through a couple of bushes, and then on my butt/back, still moving pretty fast through some rocky stuff, until I could grab on enough to slow down and stop. Maybe 50 feet below the trail.

Hat was up above me. And then I realized I'd lost my glasses. Started to look for them, about 20 or 30 seconds, thinking this could take a very long time, when I realized that, no, actually, I still had my glasses on. As I have said before, my mind is definitely disappearing.

Climbed back up, resumed the loop, felt a little like those shots of the bike races where the guy doesn't make the corer and you see him and the bike just disappear. Except I got to stop my watch when I bottomed out and didn't start it again until I'd climbed back up.

Second excursions was just due to the time of year, the trail just south of the road is very flooded, had to bushwhack maybe 150 yards along the right side.

Perfect day, 40F, sunny. Lots of people out. No other runners.

C • Crashes 5

4 miles on the treadmill, easy pace. Fresh Air about nuclear proliferation. Reasonably interesting though nothing really new.

Short road loop in town. Heels are a little better but still objecting some. Felt really slow, but pace was not as bad as I thought.

Interesting heart rate pattern on the 305 chart. First, it seems like I forgot to reset the thing after the couple rogaine sessions earlier in the week. And then partway around today's run I heard someone calling to me, turned out to be Rich Larson, one of the best 58-year-old runners in the country, can still do 18 minutes for a 5K XC. Stopped and chatted for a few minutes, nice to catch up, hadn't seen him since last summer.

Rain started just after I finished, good timing.

Easy week continues. I am making up for less running by eating more. Need to reverse that trend.

I believe the current scorecard among clients in the competition for "really bad things happening" shows a dead heat with just three weeks to go -- 5 clients have had brain surgery in the last 12 months and 5 have filed for bankruptcy.

So far no one has done both.

Another easy session. Heels are a little better, but this is meant to be a very easy week, would like to get them a lot better.

Starting to make plans for the Big Muddy rogaine. I suppose good planning would include investing in some industrial-sized tent stakes to keep my tent from blowing away again. Or maybe there was a message there last time -- you're an old man, find a bed. Indoors.

Also got lots of other summer plans to work on, since all such thinking has been on hold for the last two months. Including the possibility of a trip to Yosemite.

Been to Yosemite once, about 30 years ago, with my brother and his wife. They were seriously into birding (they still are, but a little less seriously) and Gail and I enjoyed it too though will a good bit less passion. We were definitely the amateurs in the group.

So one morning I went off for a run on some trails and at one point I heard the sounds of a woodpecker. I stopped, looked up, and there it was. I'd learned the field marks of the common western ones, but this one was different. I stood there trying to memorize everything, the bird was very cooperative, posed nicely.

Back at the campground, the run finished, told the others about the bird, and played it straight, no peeking in the bird book first to help me out. I described what I'd seen. The key marks seemed to be its size (fairly small), a yellow spot on the head, and a black back, and there was no doubt it was a black-backed three-toed woodpecker, right at the very southern edge of its range.

Very cool.

And the best part, of course, was my brother had never seen one.

We were soon off to where I had seen it to see if it was still there. No such luck.... :-)

I believe I reminded him quite often over the years about the fine woodpecker I had seen at Yosemite.

Would be nice to make a trip back there.

Last class. Will have to explore other options.

A little tired but no leg soreness, except that is for my heels, which hurt quite a bit. So I thin this will be a minimal week, see if I can get them to calm down a bit.

30 minutes on the tilted treadmill, very benign. But would be a good pace 20 hours into a rogaine.