Monday, January 19, 2009

back on the trails

Things are looking up for a return to regular training on the trails soon -- where has the time gone? I had hoped to step up my training this New Year, but that went by the wayside before I had a chance to start. I didn't even realize I had missed HUFF & the New Year's Day 10 Miler until a week after they were run!

It's looking like I will be able to participate in the Mountain Mist 50k this coming Saturday, although I'm not at all in the condition I had hoped to be. In the past few stressful weeks, I found that eating chocolate helps soothe my nerves --
unfortunately I also found out that my body converts 1 pound of chocolate into 5 pounds of fat!! I've gained back over half the weight from my diet of last summer!

I'm still playing with my Garmin 405. It's a bit disappointing on the accuracy I'm getting, especially the elevation readings (+/- 200 feet). Horizontal accuracy is about 20 to 30 feet at any given point. Maybe it's because I only use it in hilly terrain in wooded areas. Readings can really be erratic down in deep valleys or next to a steep hillside.


The week after the Otter Creek Marathon, I went & took some readings on the course. The 2007 course measured 26.72 miles, in 2008 with all the changes the course measured 25.96 miles with several hundred feet of elevation removed. Based on wheeled measurements I've taken on the Louisville's Lovin' the Hills course, my GPS measurements are generally 3-5% less than the wheeled length.



5 comments:

Cassie's Blog said...

Good to see you are back, Ed! Have fun at MM.

Jeffro said...

Glad to have you back. Don't worry, MM and/or LLTH will take care of that chocolate for you.

ed said...

cassie,

Yes, I plan to have fun! With the rain & wind, even more fun!

That 15M trail race you've outlined to run on Feb 14 wouldn't happen to be in Louisville?!? If so, see you then!!


jeffro,

I'm sure I'll notice every extra pound I'm carrying in those races! Temptation will be high for indulgence come Valentine's Day, but I've already learned my lesson . . . .

That Triple Bop to the Top climb sounds like just what I need for my calves -- problem is, I would probably over do it & be limping for 2 weeks! Your strong running base with an uphill race to your credit should serve you well enough to not worry about such!

Cassie's Blog said...

Ed,

Yep, doing 15 at LLTH. I may do another 5 after the finish. Any suggestions on the best way of going about that?

See you there :-)

ed said...

GREAT!!

It would be very easy to repeat the 1st loop (Red Trail) once you finish the 15 miles as everything starts and finishes in the same spot. Check out the course map link at http://www.llth50.blogspot.com/. It's a bit more than 5 miles (5.6), but it's the easiest loop with only 3 hills. Good Luck!