Training Log Archive: Linear Ice

Nice big features, open runnable woods, not too much ambiguity and finally I could run a little. I think I pretty much spiked em all.... although sometimes I took some very safe routes.
And I really needed a nice run. I've been feeling kind of down at my lack of ability. Now, magically, I feel better again. =)

Middle Green - Splits

Event: US Night & Relay Champs
 

I almost became one of SLOCs "lost orienteers" when I got seriously delayed on a 200 meter segment between 4 and 5 for almost 40 minutes.......I think I know what happened but mostly it reinforced that I really have a hard time with Night-O despite some fun times at Tierney. The only upside is that I feel that it must be a good exercise.
The raspberry and slash were kind of horrific too in some of the parts.... it is NOT fun to not know exactly where you are and to be stuck there (where?) to boot!
I got home feeling that I never wanted to do another NightO (but now I already do again) and wasn't even looking forward to the next day's regular meet. I've just been too beat up lately.

However......this negativity is solely a reflection on ME, because the SLOC event was in a perfect location, the course was very nicely designed (I like looking at the map in the safety of my kitchen), the controls were well placed....the night was perfect. Maybe some day I will be in a position to take full advantage of the sweetness of it all.

Green - Splits

Lesson 3 of 22

First day of skate ski training
But we started out with a pole hike and then some strength/balance exercises by the playground at what Ben, the instructor likes to call "The Playground of Pain"

exercises
1. stand on picnic table bench, balance on one leg and swing the other leg along the side of the bench, up above knee level. Keep the solid leg bouncing on the swings and swing the arms. Do this for quite a while on one leg, then the other
2. hop up on the bench onto one leg, raising both arms in the air in a jump. Once comfortable with that, give an extra push with the leg on the bench and swap legs on the way down (if I remember correctly) It's supposed to be a bit explosive
3. Lie down on bench. Let legs go out to side, upwards in a \/ and back then upwards straight
4. Arms on bench, push-downs .... let butt get 1/4 down, then 1/2 then all the way
5. Balance exercises on the semi-circle ball that looks like a large squished sea urchin.... on one leg, then other foot front, side back

then we went to the hill and learned about the V1 for skate skiing, extending up on the first leg, pushing down hard and jumping to other leg while extending skis backwards. First we did this a number of times without the poles and then with.

All kind of fun tonight.

I had 5 terrible controls out of 15 and the final time reflected that.
Bad controls
2) This looks like an easy one. I'll have to check out my GPS route at some point and see what happened. Just don't remember.... Oh good, just realized I was looking at middle splits and long map. No big problem on 2. =)
4) Decided to run for the trail and got tangled up in brambles on the hill. Ended up WAY to the North, by small fenced in area. Looked around and pondered for quite a while before I figured it out and then had no problem. Lost 3 min
6) I should have just headed straight over and around the dark green, but was trying to use little trails. Ended up all over the place except for to my control This was one of those short legs where I had started out thinking..."easy, short... what could go wrong?" Lost 4 min
8) Not sure what went wrong. It looks so easy sitting here reviewing it. GPS will tell. Lost 4. Maybe I was just cautious and slow
9) Lost 8!! I remember getting confused on the trail, running up and down a certain section and I don't think it was even a real trail. And sometimes it disappeared. Very deserving that I lost eight minutes here since I should not have been relying on the trail systems so much
12) I lost a minute or so on 12, by taking the path less traveled and then losing it. No biggie though, just a pain.

So those were the bad ones. =(

I suppose, on the bright side.... if I can just reduce by 50% the number of BIG errors that I make... that will be great progress. =)))

Green-Y Long - Splits