Training Log Archive: iansmith

Rest day after the Highlander. Everything feels ok except my adductors; I wonder if the cramps over the Highlander were actually mild pulls. I think I hadn't strengthened my muscles enough to vault over blueberries over a 4 hour race.

I also was spectacularly successful hitting Andrew Childs with updog; after a moment of digesting my statement, he emphatically replied with "What... is... updog?" Perfection. My success rate has climbed to perhaps 3%.

Event: Hudson Highlander XVII
 

This was my first Highlander, and about all that can be said is that I survived. I started out well, but due to a series of unfortunate events, I faltered throughout the race. The key lesson is to prepare well: get lots of sleep, have the mental discipline to focus (as needed) for the duration, and do some longer training runs leading up to the race.

The first map was a single very long leg (~5k); I stayed with Will, Wyatt, and Ken for the first half, then decided to take my own route, which was ultimately a little over three minutes slower than the leaders. I'm pleased with my decision to act independently, even if the outcome was not what I had hoped.

My orienteering was very sloppy on the second map; that the north lines did not line up with the control numbers really confused me. I lost about five minutes on control 2, 30s on 3, 2-3 minutes on 4, and 4 minutes on a mishung 8. I really struggled with the 1:15 scale and made stupid mistakes that should have been avoided. I navigated alone for most of this map - I ran into Joe, Alan, and Andreas a few times. I came through the halfway point in 2:02, seventeen minutes behind the leaders.

Despite my efforts to refocus, I continued to be sloppy. My map fell out of my map case during the trail run, and I didn't notice for about 200m. I then made a wrong turn - the trail map was drawn on a contour map, but it was not an O map and lacked detail - for a cost of 5 minutes. I cruised down the trail for another 2-3 km until 2:24 into the race, when my right hamstring (or adductor) viciously cramped. I stopped and stretched for a few minutes, but I was hobbled and jogged with difficulty. I found the last bit of trail - the streamered slog through the blueberries - frustrating.

I started the fourth map at around 3:00, but my muscles were cramping and my stamina flailing. I ran 14-15 at a steady albeit sluggish pace with intermittent stretching. I found only one gallon of water at 13 and left it for the people behind me, thinking to get water at 15. Unfortunately, all four gallons were already empty at 15, even though I was in 13th at the time. The King of the Mountain - a navigationally trivial trip up a prominent spur - was agony, and I walked the entire thing. After 15, I switched into survival mode and basically walked with rare bouts of jogging. I was briefly awakened from my reverie just after 16, when Alex came cheerfully bouncing by.

My greatest failing was in preparation. After racing hardish against Giacomo the day before, I didn't get enough sleep to be ready for the Highlander. The drive up that morning with Andrew, Andrea, and Alex was taxing - primarily because I had to concentrate to stay awake. My food was adequate - 3 Gus, a pack of shot blocks at the halfway point, and a 100 kcal bag of jelly beans - but the lack of fluids after 2:02 killed any hopes I had of mustering a final effort. Despite my difficulty, I regarded the Highlander with more trepidation than was justified; it was taxing, but within my abilities. If I had been better rested, brought a small water bottle, and navigated less idiotically on the second map, I think my performance would have been much stronger. Given how poorly I was doing on the last half of the race, I was surprised to be only an hour back of the winners.

Finally, I pine for Surebridge (Shoebridge if you're Kiwi). Thanks to everyone who worked to make the Highlander happen, especially Joe for course setting.

C • great comment on the wsj bl... 4

Highlander - Splits

Event: NEOC: Great Brook Farm
 

The longest race I have run was the ~20.4 km ultralong in Ohio in December 2012. That day was brutal - the third day of the A-meet after the Night and Relay, and with a torrential downpour at the mass start. My stamina failed around kilometer 17, and I hope I will fare better tomorrow. As part of my preparation for the Highlander tomorrow, I ate pasta; unfortunately, it was the kind with holes, so the latest research is inconclusive about its benefit. I also acquired a smorgasbord of race munchies.

Warm up jog with Giacomo and his Italian friend, Andrea. A group of people conspicuously preparing and working towards a goal are perceived quite differently from an isolated individual; the effect is amplified. Our merry trio had a much more dramatic effect warming up on the collection of others than would a single guy warming up in goofy looking pajamas.

Tim Parson's red course at Great Brook Farm. At my behest, Tim left me with the challenge running sub 7:30/km, or 53:15 for the 7.1 k course. He anticipated that much of the course would be easyish trail running. I started a few minutes behind Andrea and about four minutes ahead of Giacomo. After my three minute mistake at control 7 and a hard first push by Giacomo, he caught sight of me at control 8 and was in contact at 11. The second half of the course was just a battle to stay ahead. I managed to get to every control first, partly due to Giacomo making some small mistakes.

With a clean race, I think 51 was possible, but I was running hard enough that avoiding all the small errors was difficult. Giacomo and I both took a dumb trail route to 16 and lost a minute to Andrea and Magnus. We followed up the race with barbeque with Keith.

Cool down and playing splits.

Red - Splits

I went for an easy run around Somerville this evening with an objective of ahr = 150. With the Highlander coming up, I want to be well rested on Sunday.

I must not have been paying much attention, because my shoulder and a pole collided at Harvard, knocking me to the ground.

C • a pole 4

I accidentally stopped my GPS while running 6x100m strides, 100m off.

Tonight, I ran a brief interval workout at MIT. It was therapeutic, especially given the raging frustration I experienced today. My selection today was 4x1000m, with 1:30-2:00 rest. It was very dark, so I only checked my splits at the end of each bout. I was hoping for slightly faster intervals, but I am not overly displeased.

Splits: 3:36, 3:34, 3:38, 3:36

Update for NEOC folks: Townsend is currently being remapped for an A-meet some time in 2014. A group of NEOC members - the A-meet planning group - has convened over the past year to plan NEOC's A-meet calendar for the next few years. I think the only post I have made in my log was this one.

I am very excited about the Townsend remapping, and I think it meet the highest standards of mapping, well above typical NEOC maps. The final area of the mapped section will include previously unmapped sections in addition to the old map - totaling approximately 10 square kilometers.

Particularly if you are a NEOC member, I welcome any feedback or thoughts. Please contact me if you want to be a part of the A-meet initiative or receive updates on the planning group's progress.

Tennis with Luc and Lara. While we have a friendly doubles match scheduled, we volleyed two against one for about ninety minutes. After they left, I practiced about 100 serves. After practice became boring, I played a game that mimicked tennis scoring, where a fault would count as a point for the opposition and an in-bounds serve counted as a point for me. I played to 6-0. In the future, I can imagine playing to 2 or 3 sets. My serving is atrocious, but at least it's in bounds.

Run home. I felt a bit tired near the end of the run, which I largely attribute to the tennis earlier in the day.