Training Log Archive: PG

Event: 33rd West Point A Meet
 

Social notes from Saturday at West Point:

-- I met Vlad from last weekend at the BG. We laughed a bunch. I tried on his glasses -- just awful.

-- I got some remarks from Jeremy to the effect that he had heard I'd been trashing him on the web. Some more good laughs. He did not deny the fact that his orienteering had been quite special (and that does not mean "good") at the BG. Apparently it was also quite special today. So special that he had to be reminded that now was not the time to quit the sport, just as he was getting famous.

One of the side benefits of the visit was I got to spend some time with quite the stud (that's Jeremy), who had quite the big motorcycle, and quite the babe along with him. Better to be seen in such company than with the OFs in pajamas I usually hang out with.

-- I am thinking of starting a petition requesting that all old people stop orienteering, thereby dropping the average age and making it a much more visually attractive sport to the remaining 20 people still doing it. At which point one presumes it would boom. Hell, just start with me, George, and Charlie quitting, that would knock the average down a year for each of us. Add Don Davis to the mix and there's a 5-year drop right there.

-- And Phil, who seems to be in competition with Ken Sr and Alex as to who can damage themselves the most, well, Phil made a strong move today -- he may not have broken his right wrist but it was at least rather traumatized. But his reaction was just what you would expect of any of the three -- wrap it up and head back out on the afternoon sprint.

C • Jeremy 5

A very excellent run around the GreenX (M60) course at West Point. Very excellent because it was mostly a run, granted a very relaxed and careful run, but the hamstring behaved itself. In all honesty, nothing else mattered.

Walked up the hill to the start point, then just started running quite carefully, and that felt OK so I kept doing it. Was especially careful at the end, keep saying to myself to not do something stupid. And apparently I didn't.

Orienteering was straightforward, no problems. Helps not to be trying to go faster.

And afterwards, hamstring felt a little tender, but really not bad at all. As I said, very excellent.

Skipped the afternoon sprint, no point in pushing my luck.

Green X Middle - Splits

Hanging the rest of the streamers, no surprises. :-)

Going to West Point this weekend though not quite sure why. I guess I'll try a course and see how it goes at a gentle pace. Low expectations, but it would be nice to jog a little without hurting. Already removed myself from ranking consideration, so there should be zero pressure (except the usual self-generated) to do anything too strenuous.

81-8-0-10

Field checking points and a few map changes. Still need a couple of hours to finish up this stage. Time is getting short but I think things are on schedule.

Plus an early morning walk: 81-7-2-10. Still a problem with 8's, but only one this time.

Cool and misty all day, feet look like prunes. I suppose I should spring for some waterproof shoes for my morning activity.

Making progress on the courses at Earl's Trails for the 5-Day, an endeavor that has me doing something that I have never done before, namely working with a course consultant. I was a consultant a few times 20 or 30 years ago, but never the consultee.

Consultent is Boris. And so far the experience from my perspective is totally excellent. We don't have a lot of time -- because of my schedule the course setting couldn't start until about 10 days ago, and it took me about a week to get what I thought were decent first drafts.

Gave them all to Boris on Sunday, who was on his way to Sweden Monday evening. Detailed comments and suggestions from him in my mailbox on Tuesday morning. My reactions back to him yesterday evening. More comments back from him this morning. Very cool.

Now to get out and do a bunch more field checking, draw up fresh copies and do another round of consulting. So far so good.

C • Earl's Trails 3

Cloudy and cool (about 50F), but the roads were dry so no excuse not to get some exercise. Turner's Falls - Millers Falls. Didn't feel too zippy but got it done, glad I wasn't going much longer.

Hamstring is OK on the bike (though my calves were cramping several times), but it feels like it will object the moment I start to run. So no running for a bit.

Here's my route from Sunday's Billygoat. No mistakes except for looking for my glasses which were safely in the car.

I skipped #9. I don't think many others did. Since I was just walking, I wanted to save distance more than climb and that seemed as good as any. I didn't even notice 18 as a skip until I was on my way to 16 and I asked someone running past if they had skipped and they said No, and then I saw 18 was a good skip. But I don't think it was best for me.

The BG has always had a tradition that following is allowed. Perhaps it is best to leave it just like that, but after Sunday I wonder if the "rule" shouldn't be modified a little, maybe something like -- "Following is allowed, but only for 15 minutes without the permission of the person you are following." Or pick whatever time limit you want.

The reason I suggest this is I was followed for the first two hours. Always about 25 to 50 meters behind. A few times I thought I was clear but I just hadn't seen him, he was still there. And it got a little annoying. Especially on the way to 16, long gradual downhill trail walk, and he stayed right behind me, even though he clearly could run.

So one last attempt, on leaving 17, up the trail to 18, walked as fast as I could, opened up enough of a gap that I wasn't showing him the route and, well, the usual saying is that a picture is worth a thousand words....



Ah, well, I guess it just comes with the territory.

One other comment about the BG, or more particularly about Moreau -- there is almost no green on the map, and even where there is green it is hardly thick at all, and the visibility is uniformly good. That makes the orienteering a lot easier, especially when you add the marshes that are these nice big distinct landmarks. I'd guess the amount of mistakes by the field as a whole was pretty small. Look at the map and it looks very difficult, but it's not really that hard.

Either that, or we're all just getting better.

C • following 51

Checking points at Earl's Trails, reasonable amount of progress (i.e. about half of the total). And a few map corrections. All done at a leisurely walk as the body would not have tolerated anything more. Though, actually, could be doing worse, hamstring not as sore as I thought it would be.

Deadline for getting all courses and map corrections is two weeks from today. Also the last day for regular registration (and late registration is only possible if we have space available).

And also a meeting with the park supervisor, just to review things. Still don't have an official permit, but that seems to be of no concern. He's reviewed the application and had no issues. Interesting that the permit application, submitted to Boston in January, reached him a couple of weeks ago, and he sent back his response a week ago. Things work in strange ways sometimes.

And we don't have to pay for any extra park personnel or any police for the road crossing, so that will help hold down expenses.

C • "...space available" 2

Made it around the Billygoat, walked the whole thing. Wrapped up the hamstring pretty tight, took 1200 mg vitamin I. It held up for quite a while, just a dull ache, but getting sharper pains the last 20 or 30 minutes. Glad it wasn't any longer, or hilly at the end.

Going slowly gave me the opportunity to witness some truly awful orienteering. Not mine, with one exception. The primary culprits were Jeremy and Jeff (last names withheld to protect the guilty), though to be fair, compared to Jeremy, Jeff was not so bad.

My own truly awful moment? Got hit in the forehead by a branch. Knocked my hat off, set it flying. Also my glasses. A few immediate cuss words, then down on my hands and knees looking for my glasses, which are not so easy to find when you don't have them on in the first place.

And while I'm looking, I'm thinking, first, well, they are sort of old, I've had them quite a few years, I guess having to get a new pair wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. And then second, hmm, I'm going to have a problem driving home. And then third, wait, I've got my contacts with me, I can put them on to drive home. And then fourth, you idiot, I've got my contact on, my glasses are back in the car, what are you doing looking for them out here.

And I picked up my hat and moseyed on, just amazed at my stupidity. Time wasted, maybe only a minute. But a bad omen for the future.

Other than that, spiked all the controls, no wasted time anywhere. A perfect walk?

C • OMG! 7

C • "Vitamins" 1

And then back to Litchfield. I am trying to keep a positive attitude, but I feel like I'm losing the battle. Feeling some resentment for being stuck as the primary family member, and no one else doing anything of significance. Not an emotional place I want to be, not one that is in any way useful. So I need to fight it off.

That said, maybe a short tale will serve to vent a bit....

My sister, who is a fair bit worse than useless in family matters, at some point a month or two ago made one of her rare visits, the point of which was to register that she had been here, not that she actually talks to my mom (that's a whole separate issue), and on this visit she brought a chocolate cake that she had bought at Stop and Shop. A nice gesture, though hardly a major investment (either financially or emotionally).

So the cake got delivered, and my sister called me up in Sunderland to report her good deed.

And then when I was back in Litchfield the next weekend my sister called again. The usual conversation with my mom --

Hi (my sister)
Hi (my mom)
How are you?
Fine.
Good to talk to you, bye.
Bye dear.

About 15 seconds, plus or minus a couple.

And then the phone back to me --

She sounded pretty good (my sister reporting on my mom, based on the 15 seconds)
Yup, she's doing OK (me)
More importantly, how was the cake?

Is there a single word that describes the emotions of anger and amazement and laughter and disgust all at the same time?

The next day I was back at work, a client who is very old and failing, but I have taken care of her for maybe 6 or 8 years and she really quite loves me. Loves her annual visits, I am very good at cheering her up. This time it was almost the reverse, it was me who needed cheering up.

Her daughter, also a client, also loves me, now comes with her.

So I told them about my mom, and about my sister, and about my sister's latest. And we had a good laugh. And I certainly felt much better by the time they left.

A week later, the daughter, also wonderful, comes in for her appointment. First words out of her mouth -- "More importantly, how was the cake?"

Laughter is so good for the soul, just have to keep remembering that.

C • family 10

Billygoat - Splits