Training Log Archive: PG

Hanging streamers at Earl's Trails for a course for the gang to try out. Woods are fine for the section I was in. Map seems to be OK even though I was using an older version (before a round of corrections by JJ in January). Spotted a couple of fixes needed, but that is to be expected, will be an ongoing process.

Hamstring started acting up after 20 minutes but then calmed down a little and wasn't too bad by the end. But I had not the slightest desire to run.

And dispatched two ticks that were running around. Saw not a single one the whole time I was mapping. But I guess from now on the routine is going to be bug spray (if that helps) and careful checking.

C • hamstring 1

Rain coming in, but just enough time for a couple of trips up South Sugarloaf without getting too wet, but did pull out the tights and gloves and extra shirts as it was about 50F. A bit of a struggle going up, as usual. 9:26, 9:39. Took the less steep way going down, even if it is one-way up, a lot nicer.

C • 24

A late afternoon on the golf course, both good and bad. The golf was unusually and unexpectedly good, even par for the 10 holes I had time for. Reason and experience say that will be the best this year, all downhill now, but a good day is still a good day.

And the bad? Walking briskly to get in as many holes as possible, by the 6th my hamstring was acting up. The pace slowed to a stroll, but it is still irritated and I am still annoyed. Thought I was making really good progress. Meanwhile the Achilles is just a little sore, and the calf not at all. Who knows what will come next, but at this point I may be available for anyone wanting a guided 3-hour walk around the Billygoat.

C • Guided 3 hr walk 5

Leverett loop, a little more hilly, but took them at a relaxed paced. Good just to get some riding in for some exercise. Next few days are supposed to be damp and cool so will see, very gradually, if some running is OK. Plus need to get out and work on the courses for Earl's Trails, the girls are eager to start doing test runs.

I think it's time to get moving on the course setting for Earl's Trails. In the past it's gone quickly enough, the hard part was always getting starting.

But now I have a course consultant for the first time ever, remains to be seen how that works out. But since that will lengthen the process, another reason to get going.

So I need to get out in the woods in the next week so I have something for my CC at the BG.

And that's maybe not a bad thing. The sooner I get at this, the less stressed I'll be. And my previous excuse for expecting to wait until the last possible moment -- that the event will be when leaves are up, so the course setting should reflect that -- that is now almost moot as spring vegetation seems to be appearing about 3 weeks early.

Fortunately over half the area is hemlocks, so I've already seen it in summer conditions.

To Northampton to buy some new razor blades, basically an excuse for a little more flat riding. Breeze out of the south, so working harder on the way down.

Right leg is getting better, but not yet ready to try a little running.

Another day putting more miles on the Subaru, now 228K. But it included a short tour of the under construction parts of the Yale Art Gallery and a lunch at TD College, and then 18 holes at a nice course on the way home. Game was a little shaky (90), especially in the circle (to use O' terminology).

Meanwhile spent time in Litchfield trying to get employees to work together, which is not easy sometimes, also decided it's time to get air conditioning in one form or other, so got a fellow over for the first set of bids. I will be glad when this phase of my life is over. Yes, that can be read to be quite cold-hearted, but it is the truth. Or maybe on this trip I was just getting a little tired of it all, a feeling so far avoided. Hopefully it will pass, because this phase is likely to last for quite a while.

I think one of things getting me a little irritated was starting the process on the AC, and then of course there is the suggestion that my sister-in-law should be consulted because she knows a lot about such things (she's an architect and very smart), which I'm sure is true, but at some point I'm going to revert back to one of my maxims in life which I used to use all the time when putting out Ultrarunning magazine -- whoever is doing the work decides. And since I'm doing the work here, at some point I'm just going to decide. And the others can get on board or not, at least it will get done.

Though I'm sure it will still piss me off. I remember the time the basement room in her house had an old moldy carpet and I arranged to get it cleaned out and replaced with something just fine and the only feedback I got was the color was wrong. WTF sometimes.

Just venting.... :-)

C • UR Editor 2

I should pass this on to guru Ken -- it would be nice if the splits on AP included those who didn't finish. Can't think of any harm it would do.

C • DNF 6

More time at the office than I anticipated, but best to deal with things sooner than later. So just time for a short ride before heading off to Litchfield.

Legs were a little sluggish. Amazing how much easier it is, like yesterday was, if I haven't done anything the couple of days before.

C • That's awfully fast though 2

Got out for 5 holes, upping the year's count to 12. Playing 3 or 4 or even 5 balls a hole. Route.

So last Saturday I trashed my right Achilles down at the lowest part, and my right hamstring. Today the sorest part is my right calf, seriously, though that didn't have any trauma on Saturday. Meanwhile the Achilles and the hamstring are mellowing out significantly.

I guess everything is just connected.

I could think, shit, if it's not one thing it's another. But I choose to think, great, the ailments are on the move. That's usually a sign that they are about to depart. Almost time to go looking for tickets to WMOC.

Meanwhile the usual last-minute things to deal with at the office -- dead people's returns, people stealing other people's dependents, tracking down signatures and payments, calls to file extensions because they just don't have their act together. But not so much that I haven't had plenty of time to catch up on various AP logs that I've been neglecting.

Flat roads south of town, NW breeze.

And home in time for dinner!

Walking a good bit better this evening, after a day mostly sitting at a desk. I've always thought that a good way to deal with injury was not to think about it, not to stress over it, so that it get a chance to relax.

Perhaps transferring all that stress to tax returns is the ultimate way to test the theory. Hadn't thought of that before. But the leg is definitely better, both the Achilles and the hamstring.

Took care of lots of things today. Might have to get out the golf clubs tomorrow, or the bike, or both, since my calendar for "Independence Day" is wide open. :-)

I had a bit of a discussion with Mike Minium Saturday evening. Mike is one of those folks who does more than you could ever imagine for orienteering, and does it well too.

Mire was the WRE event advisor. Responsible for the WRE, not the whole event. Nevertheless, when he made a visit in February to check things out, he checked all the controls, not just the M21 and F21. He's already written on AP about the difficulty of dealing with a map that you wish were better. One of those cases where you have choices, but none of them are very good, so you do the best you can.

And Mike visited #6 on Saturday's Brown course. And came back and told the organizers to fix the map or not use the control.

In checking things Thursday/Friday, again trying to check everything, not just the M21/F21, nothing had been done to #6. And it was too late for him to do anything. And he saw it was just on the Brown, and hoped we could deal with it. And wished there was a better choice.

I don't fault Mike at all. In fact I give him credit for all his efforts. But how is it that the event advisor can say it's wrong, and nothing changes?

Having said that, I will also admit that there is a part of me that sympathizes with the course setter, because I had had that role many times, and it is not easy. The grading system is OK/fail, where no mistakes translates to an OK score, and even one small mistake translates to fail. I wish there was another way. I wish there was a way of dealing with mistakes, so that one mistake wasn't fatal. But that doesn't seem possible.

And yet in Adventure Racing, which I have never done, misplaced controls and bad maps seem to be common occurrences. And they deal with it. Exactly how I'm not sure, but they deal with it. And there are a lot more AR people then there are orienteers.

We strive for perfection, and being human, often/usually don't get there. That's true for the organizers, also true for our performances as orienteers.

Are we just setting ourselves up for failure? And yet this seems to be the way we want it. Is there another way?

C • National controller 11