Training Log Archive: TomN

QOC MapRun "anytime" course at Swanson Road. We needed to register and pay, specifying what day we were going to run, then we could download the map and go. I chose the Green course this same afternoon, listed as 5.9k with 200m climb.

It was a pretty good course in really nice woods. It was physically challenging, and with enough technical difficulty to admit mistakes. I was good through #5, and really enjoying the course. From 5 to 6, I took a bad route over a bunch of big hills that I hadn't seen on the map (we need another printer). The course notes told us to stay away from the airfield, but I believe the best route was right along the edge of it.

Then I ran the wrong way out of #7, although I thought I was on the right bearing. Maybe confused by the stream crossing. Anyway, I figured it out and got back on course, but time lost there. The rest were fine, but I was slowing down.

MapRun claimed I mispunched the start and #1. but I was there for both controls. At the start it beeped, so I don't know what its problem was. At the first control it may not have beeped, but the control was obvious and I touched the streamer. A few other controls didn't beep until after I stood there for a few seconds.

I ran with Lido, who was off-leash. He did very well for the most part. A few times toward the end he disappeared and I had to stop and call for a while, until he found me again. I don't think he likes the separation either, because he's pretty clearly panicked when he finally gets back to me. After the run he dropped like a sack of potatoes and didn't wake up until we got home.

C • Green course 2

Oof, not much run in my legs today. Yesterday was my hardest workout in a long time. It's hot all of a sudden, but at least there was a breeze. A hot breeze.

Tempo run (cruise intervals). The intervals were 3x8 min, with 1 min jog in between. The actual paces were 7:26, 7:23, 7:20. They felt right, with 2-2 breathing the whole time. Each repeat was around 2 laps on a section of Kensington Parkway, which I picked because it's flat. It's nearly 2 miles there and back, which made for a pretty long run overall.

Another nice day, 60 and some sun.

Quads were a little sore today. I managed to talk myself into doing some strides on the way back home, but it was hard getting the legs to run.

Blue course at Mason Neck. Courses had to be shortened because of new restricted areas, so I took Glenn's map and ran Blue. Not a particularly inspired course, but it had a couple of notable legs. I made a bad mistake on #11, running up the bottom of the marsh and around the corner, and managing to miss both the rootstock and the flag. Went until I was sure it was too far (the marsh was continuous the whole way, not intermittent as mapped), then up to the road to relocate, then back to the control. 4 minutes lost there, which was significant because the next 7 places in front of me were separated by only 7 minutes total. Running distance 5.5 miles. It was a very fast course, but it's still nice to know I can go under 10 min per k.

Blue - Splits