Training Log Archive: dlevine

Halloween-inspired stations:

Ghostly pushups (chains on back and neck rattle)
Tombstone (plate) pushes
Coffin rises (sit-ups) with rotation
Dead-lifts
Boo-pies
Skull crushers
Scared squats (sort of a jumping jack squat with a weight)
Zombie head chops - with medicine ball/zombie head
Monster lunges - with curtsey
Zombie walk

Payne

15-7, 15-10 (trailed 6-9), 11-0

Dips and chin-ups only

Peak 2 Peak

Really bad race for me. Thought I was all set to go and feeling good. Ran around the field, down the roads and the trail (northern path going out) and headed up the side trail to the first control. Right then (four minutes in) my shins exploded with shin splints like I've never felt before. Happily walked the hill and they felt better on the downhill. Went to the next two - even caught the pack a bit at the blue square at the bottom of the hill, but the legs were screaming on that up hill back to the trail. They didn't even like the smooth gentle downhill to the road. At this point, I should have modified my plan, but that would have made too much sense.

Crossed the road and picked up the first WalkTheLine control. Again, if I were smarter, I would have realized that the other two were at the ends and taken the southern loop to the west, but I took the longer, northern loop (thinking that I would do the southern later) and found the westernmost WTL control,

Got the one of the C's, then the M, then the other C in the E=MC-squared section and did the dogbone E->W using the trail N of the stream to connect. Left for the Vertigo and took the trail around to attack from the pond, coming down the intermittent stream. Nailed the right flag, although I did peek at one that was 2m off my line as I passed it.

Should have headed back now, but I had been determined to do the Bulls Eye since the snippet was posted on Facebook. I figured that it was a "break even" prospect - maybe a slight gain - including the late penalties.
Took the trail to the cliff system and set out with compass and pace. Didn't adjust pace for shorter strides on hill and in pain so I came up short and then cut W to the trail before coming down to the flag from above - just as 'Bent and BGY were leaving.

Chased them down the hill, but they were long gone by the time I hit the Bruce Trail. Then, to make a bad run worse, I turned an ankle on the Bruce Trail and slowed down even more.

Hit the parking lot near the Walk The Line just about as the time limit hit, but still had a long way to go. Once again, the tradeoff suggested getting the flags on the southern trail and taking the points hit. So, I got those last six and headed in.

Decent raw score but losing 315 points dropped me way down in the standings. GHOSLO showed me that "old age and treachery will inevitably defeat youth and skill" is still true (though he showed no treachery and I showed no skill and only comparative youth) as he outpointed me despite also being late.

Terrible run, but a great format and I was glad that I came up.

Payne: 15-1, 15-7 (although the latter was 7-5 for a long time until I ran off 7 unanswered)

Adaptive Trainer - Random @ 4/10

"A journey of 1,000 reps begins with a single squat." --Amy, substitute instructor

Random @ 16

Expresso Speedway course. My last course for the challenge! I have now ridden each course at some point in 2014! Again tried to really hammer it and my lungs screamed. Like yesterday, I got a top 3% worldwide and a top 5% age group. Unlike yesterday, I didn't get the Y record as a "new contestant" beat me by 9 seconds even as I beat my usual rival by the same amount. P: 384; C: 63

Rolling Thunder course. Decided to try to really hammer it. My lungs were screaming by the end, but it's the longest I've really "sprinted" in a while. Top 3% overall; top 5% age group. Took the local Y record by 18 seconds. P: 364; C: 63

Proving Grounds - 19,630 points.

Quick cool down to get to the medical group labs so they could draw my blood.

First (and only) class of the fall semester as Bonaventure had no classes today - hence no conflict.

NAOC Sprint (Course 3)

Tried to run hard and mostly succeeded. Left to #1, left to #2, left to #3, and right to #4. Small error on #5 by not going straight at the first intersection - got to climb and descend a small hill. Doubled back out of #5 and spiked #6 and #7. Bobbled #8 a bit and ended up at the trail junction just south of it, but recovered quickly. Spiked #9 and then had my one goof (65 seconds) when I veered left going for #10 and was lost for too long on the trail. Spiked 11-16. Almost blew #17 as I came in between two thickets, but as I didn't see the flag where I expected on the left, I looked right and recovered a lot faster than most other folks.

Ran just under 8 min/km which is fast for me even for a sprint. 34th out of 107 on the course. Only downer is that it isn't earning me the AttackPoint score that I thought I deserved - particularly by comparison to my other races.

NAOC People's Cup Finale

Legs were dead and I was beaten badly to #1. Did 2-5 cleanly before bobbling #6 and hitting the trail at the downed logs. Took the field from 7 to 8 instead of the trail around (ouch!). Lost time at #10 as the runner in front of me got tangled in the stand and carried it 5-10 meters with him, bending it all out of shape. I took it back to its original location and spent time replacing it before slogging the rest of the course.

Sprint - Course 3 - Splits

NAOC Long Course (Course 7b)

Not a good race. Bobbled first two a bit, but recovered. Decided to go the long way around to #3 (east of the big swamp on the trail), but rolled an ankle on the trail minimizing the gain; then totally punted any gain away by getting lost in the circle and finding many other competitors at the swamp 100m W of the control. Recovered for (only!) a nine minute error.

Controls 4-7 were basically fine, but a bit slow; should have gone straight to #6, but took the trail across the stream first.

Made a big mistake on the trails near #8 and cost myself another three minutes before blowing the next one by just going too slowly.

35th out of 54 (I count Mark Frank as a competitor who beat me as I saw a photo of him punching the GO control for which he was MP'ed.)

Long - Course 7B - Splits

NAOC Middle Distance (Course 7b)

Got off to a horrible start by taking the wrong trail from the start triangle. Figured out after about 250-300m and doubled back more than I should have before attacking properly and successfully. This set off a series of errors in the next three legs with me accumulating nine minutes of errors in the first four legs. After a clean #5, I botched #6 very badly (eight minute error) by crossing the stream bed then turning right instead of left and then flailing.

The rest of the race was fine, with small bobbles at 12 (left, but caught myself) and 13 (fine, but had to cross yucky stuff) and a questionable route choice to 15 and 16 (around both times instead of straight).

Not a great run, but I came in 29th out of 59 so achieved my goal of top half!

Middle - Course 7b - Splits

Redwood Dash course. Really tried to hammer hoping to actually win the Y record (after three losses totalling seven seconds - plus one by a wider margin - in my last four courses). Top 5% overall; top 10% age class. And, finally took an all-time Y record by seven seconds! P: 299; C: 57

Meant to do much less, but Annie was walk/running and she made me keep going - even running a bit.

Campus Loop course. Rode hard, but legs still feeling ever so slightly tired. Top 7% overall; top 15% age group. Missed the top all-time at our Y by four seconds - third time in last four rides that I was less than five seconds off the mark, but it's only posted online so I keep missing. P: 261; C: 55

US Nationals Middle Course

Made the same error to #1 as yesterday - should have made a beeline for the trail that passed near the control. Misread the description for #2 (read second symbol down which was #1 as the start had a symbol) and was searching for a depression, not a spur. Found it with a small pack, but was confused and let them run away so I ended up credited with a small error at #3 as well. Overshot #4 and had to double back a bit. With no confidence (and recalling big errors in this area many years ago), I was tentative and slow all the way to #5. By now I "knew" that I had errors on four of my five legs (true, although I was counting #1 and not #3, unlike the analysis), I decided just to "go for it" with whatever energy I had and let the chips fall where they might. Picked up the speed to #6, was mostly clean to #7 except for the "over the knees mud" I stepped in and had no other issues except the hill to #10 which was purely physical. I got up it by telling myself it was the last hill (but for one contour at #13). Leaving #11, I was surprised by the uphill - though less so when I saw that the control description was "top of hill"; bobbled #13 a bit and tried to run in. Goal of top half finish was "missed by this much" as I came in 12th of 23. Not a great run, but many others had worse ones.

Control pickup right in the area where I had so much trouble. Not sure whether I should thank Lindsay or not. Even had to get my own #4 although I did better this time.

Middle Green Y - Splits

US Nationals Long

Bad route to #1, taking way too much of the green. Should have run the edge of it to the deer trail at the top of the hill. Spike next two and then made three errors to #4. Kean Williams "caught me" there (although he had started ten minutes earlier), but I realized that we were in the wrong, albeit unmapped, green and ditched him. Overshot #5 and he caught me again. Long slog all the way up the hill to #6 more or less with Kean, but again we separated in the circle and I got there first. He caught me as I drank and we were then togther, him a bit ahead, to #7 and #8. Angled to the trail to #9, hitting it just before the road bend. Spent the road trying to catch Rob Wilkison and Kean and sort of succeeded. A train of four of us attacked #9 and then took #10 in stride. Kean and I were somewhat together most of the way to #11, but I saw the depression to the right and dove in again and got it. Crashed out to the trail and took it to #12 living in fear that Kean - who had shown that he was moving faster - would catch me and that there was no more real nav. Fear is a great motivator as he got to the trail (so he told me later) only to find that I was out of sight. Slight bobble at #13 and in for a decent, low middle of the pack run.

Control pickup. The skies opened as we were divvying up assignments, but I got to drive to mine and it was dry again by the time I headed out. Picked up one control that I had seen on course (not mine) and didn't even recognize it until I studied my map later.

Long Green Y - Splits

US Nationals Sprint

Solidly boring race. Mistook the tunnel symbol for bridge at #2 and lost some time (WinSplits says 17 seconds) and basically repeated the error at #14, but caught myself soon enough. Low middle of the pack finish.

Control pickup - and unsuccessful radio repeater pickup. Time discounted for time spent searching all the wrong trees for the repeater.

Sprint Green - Splits

Mini Mayhem course. Strong, tiring ride as I really tried to crank it. Top 5% overall, but just missed top 10% for age group. Also missed the all-time Y mark. The guy who has lately been just in front of me did it again, beating me by three seconds, but some other guy took me by 12. P: 278; C: 58