Training Log Archive: PG

Event: RHINO - 6
 

At Ratlum Mountain for Charlie's special night-O and a feast produced by Rhonda, and as usual lots of good company.

So I did the second hardest course, which some might suggest was also the beginner course, but whatever. Found all the controls, and in the right order, and in general, as the phrase goes now-a-days, lived to do it another day. Count your blessings.

A fine time. And 20 minutes seemed, well, only a little too long for where I am at these days. Though there was a few inches of snow, and I had not much traction, so maybe managing 20 minutes without the need for a nap is not so bad.

Map from last Sunday at Paugusset (click for larger version) --

Short Rhino - Splits

Been bother by a sore right heel, so figured I'd take another day off, but Rick Scott called up interested in a run, so off we went. Heel doesn't hurt at all running, just walking around the house.

Over to South Sugarloaf and a little ways up, but it was getting pretty icy and coming down would not have been fun. So we made a strategic retreat.

Nice to have company. Would have been nice to have legs, but that's the way most days seem to be.

Saw this, clicked on the link, ordered the book. Looks really really cool.

At the indoor track with Phil. Warm-up.

4x400 on a 2:30 cycle. Aiming for 1:40=1:45.
1:44, 1:40, 1:41, 1:39. Felt comfortably hard, as planned.

After a nice rest, plan was a mile in about 7 minutes. Blew it right off the bat by not starting back at the mile line, but otherwise excellent. First 4 laps (200 meter track) felt really easy, and only on the last couple did the breathing pick up. Such a pleasure. 1:42, 1:44, 1:44, 1:43.

And then after a nice rest (walking a couple of laps), a half-mile easy. Except it wasn't easy. Legs felt terrible, heavy, such a change from a few minutes earlier. Oh well.

But still cool the mile felt so good. And very nice to have company.

Event: WCOC / Paugussett
 

WCOC local meet at Paugusset, Red course, 6.7 km. Very nice course by Tony Muffati, not easy. Decent run, not great, one shaky control (#5), relied on George to find it, and one bad control (#11), would have helped to read the clue, lost a couple of minutes.

And then another minute or two when my contact (for distance vision) got knocked out by a branch, but it got intercepted enough by my eyelashes so that it ended up on my cheek. Grabbed it, hmmm, it was folded up, sitting on my glove, hmmm, what the hell, might as well try to get it back in. Not that it was particularly sanitary.... :-)

So anyway, off with the gloves, unfolded the lens, looked at it closely, at least a couple pieces of grit were obvious, well, not the time to be cautious. But it on the end of a finger, aimed for the center of the eye and didn't hold back. And the damn thing stuck, blinked a couple of times and I was good to go.

Cold, about freezing, but OK as long as you were moving. Gloves, no hat, 1.5 shirts, just right.

I was figuring about 75 minutes. As it turned out, should have been about 72.

Good fun, and Gail did fine too.

And then stopped in New Milford to look for something to eat, found the Bank Street Coffee House. Fine old funky place. And the girl at the counter had a tattoo right across the top of her chest "all who wander are." I figured there was more to it than that, but couldn't remember the exact wording, but she took care of that problem, pulling the shirt open in both directions --but still totally proper -- to reveal the initial "Not" and the final "lost." Big smile on her face, and mine too.

And leaving, saw a business card on the wall for runners, at least some of the time I would guess.

C • Optimistic 6

Red - Splits