Training Log Archive: Linear Ice

w Alice.

Today, I resolved to spend my day with my parents as a good daughter.
So.... what's there to do today in the St. Louis area? Why look... the US Relay Champs are taking place just 20 minutes from my house!! Wouldn't that be fun to watch?
Yes, so we headed out to watch the Relay Champs.
And.... on the drive over there my Mom was asking about what I'd be running.... "Oh,, did you think I was running? No, I'm the only one from MN other than Pete, so I don't have a team. AND... I wanted to spend the day with you.". Pause
"Were you hoping to see me run?" yes, your Dad and I thought we'd see you run.
"Oh, well I suppose I could run the event they have for solo runners.... " (Since I just happened to have all my gear in the trunk, checked and ready to go) --- Yes Erin, that would be nice.

YAYAY

So I did get to run the red, mostly did a fairly good job but did something stupid on the shortest leg from 3-4 when I got messed up on the clue and some other stupid stuff. The clue was a root stock but I was thinking Power Line pole. d'oh. And there was a power line, not that it was anywhere NEAR the control. Other than that, for the most part I hit things close enough that I didn't do much extra running, and I mostly did jog or run through nice open woods. And I was able to think again, yes this is why I love to do this even on days when things aren't perfect.... how nice to get to run through the woods with purpose.

And when I was done, it was SO much fun to watch people come in, do their relay exchanges. Good to get to cheer for everyone, seeing them exhausted after the super long GO control and handing off. Fun that the 4 point and the 8 point teams were both real RACES, with exhausted happy winners.
It's really cool to see a competition where there's a team, and people practically jumping and giving high fives. You don't see that kind of enthusiasm much at US events.
I WISH MNOC had a team here; I think we could put together one or two fairly competitive teams. Wonder where they are being held next time.....

Nostalgia run by History Museum, Steinberg rink, Muni Opera, Zoo and Art Museum and back home.

Thanks, btw, to all the folks who chatted with my Mom and Dad today. They really liked it. Especially because they said they couldn't see much of what was going on. ha true.

Relay Red 1 - Splits

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.