Training Log Archive: cmorse

Ran some trails before the race to get my heart rate up a bit. Well marked courses - 5km & 5mi simultaneously with a little overlap.

Nice race - both courses started off up the road from the beach parking area with the 5km folks turning left onto the white trail system. 5 milers kept going to the front of the park and picked up the red trail by the ranger cabin. In a comfortable position going into the woods knowing that it was single track for a bit, passed a couple folks but not really keeping track - plenty in front and the front runners already out of sight.

Out onto the jeep road (still red trail, in fact red trail for the entire race) and a gentle downhill, starting picking off more folks feeling very confident on the rocks. Across the stream and up the hill, ran through a few large muddy spots while others picked their way around, then out on the jeep road at the top of the hill heading S. A few others around me, no sign of leaders. Passed the guys in my group headed downhill toward the stream crossing where the 5km folks turned L toward the pond (they had rejoined our course on top of the hill) and someone manning the split/aid station (maybe Art Byram?) called out my name and encouragement. An MRC guy passed me going up the shallow hill, but I passed him on the muddy, rocky section down the other side again. Pretty much played that game of letting them pass me on the uphills, and then overtaking them on the downs for a couple miles with the MRC guy eventually going off the front and getting away. No real clue what our positions in the race were but there weren't any folks in sight ahead or behind after MRC went off the front.

After crossing over Blackledge Brook a young guy in a blue singlet passed me uphill, but I wasn't about to overexert to catch a young one so let him go and pretty ran N on the red trail with one other guy who appeared to be in his 30's probably. He surged on the last uphill bit and I didn't chase. He stayed about 30m in front of me over the final mile or so even when I tried to surge to catch him, he just stayed about the same distance in front.

rejoined the 5km folks and then popped out on the road headed back toward the beach to the finish. Quite surprised to cross the line in 5th place overall in the 5 miler and first master by a decent margin. Doing the math in my head of where I was jockeying for position around the 2 mile mark I figure I must have actually been in 2nd place overall for bit with only the young 20 year old way out front.

Quite a satisfactory effort and a very well produced event by the Hartford Marathon Foundation folks - I think this may have been their first trail race offering. They've done some hybrid type events and duathlon/triathalon events...

Now time for a relaxing afternoon (I think)

Note: Advertised as a 5 miler, but OCAD puts the distance at 8.95km (5.56m) so that's what I'm logging....

Event: Ratlum Mountain
 

Leg #2 for team Morse Code - mass catch up start - good run, 50s back of JoeB...

Leg #4 for team Morse Code - out in a mass catch up again - stupid indecision mistake on #5, changed plan about a third of the way through, probably 20s lost, then a major boom on #6 - I'm pretty sure I had it nailed, but must not have seen it in the laurel, and backed out and then floundered a bit trying to match up trail shape before reattacking - a good 5 minutes lost there..

C • bunga bangkai 5

tired, but headed to gym anyway even though I contemplated skipping. Feeling a bit dehydrated as well.

Did 'ramps' - after spinning a few minutes at level 8, I increased the level one step each minute until I wasn't able to comfortably maintain 90+ rpms, then dropped back to 8 and started over. Got to 16 each time, on the third set I just did 30s between jumps so that I'd have 5 minutes or so to spin easy at the end.

134w average

144w average - easy spin with 8x1min higher cadence @ lvl15. May head up to the Forest Park 5k XC again this afternoon. No tornadoes in the forecast today....

no tornadoes this week. Another solid run, took 23s off my course PR, but had settle for third in a much stronger field. About a minute or so back of Carolyn Stocker & some fast young kid who outgunned her at the line.

Dave M, Dave S & Vicki there for the striders. Also Wayne & the Philster....

Took it easy after yesterdays race. No intervals. 99 watts average, though a little SRV on Pandora got me spinning fast enough to hit 200 at one point...

After dinner walk with Ellen & the boys.