Training Log Archive: wokitokiIn the 2 days ending Sep 25, 2016:
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Saturday Sep 24, 2016 #
8 AM
paddling 6:00:00 [3]
Paddle on the Magnetewan.
Wow, what a georgeous spot! Definitely bringing the family back here for a canoe trip.
So fun off the start, everyone going way too hard off the start. This was my first crack at drafting some boats and it really works well if you can keep a steady line and the boat in front can (ahem, phatty).
there was one main route choice, a north and south route. we were going to make the call after the first portage, as the north route had a fair bit more portaging. I was quickly reminded after the first portage that my teammates are race horses not mules, they hated the portage and we lost ground. south route it was.
We got to cruise alongside the warriors, I had been curious to see this team in action. we were audience to a couple of their energetic songs - these guys are cool and they're clearly loving racing. where are the rest of the millenials in these races?
g switched to stern at one of the lift overs and he was able to draft our boat nicely. we found a quite bay to stash the boats, close to the bachelor party, where beer pong was in full effect and it wasn't yet noon. the location worked well, because their hooting drew us right back to the boats after we got CP1.
unfortunately, g's bag opened up along the way and his gear fell out. we recovered the gear but didn't notice that the delorme went missing. chalk up another 1hr penalty for pullin foot at TA1 when we were informed that we weren't tracking.
Wow, what a georgeous spot! Definitely bringing the family back here for a canoe trip.
So fun off the start, everyone going way too hard off the start. This was my first crack at drafting some boats and it really works well if you can keep a steady line and the boat in front can (ahem, phatty).
there was one main route choice, a north and south route. we were going to make the call after the first portage, as the north route had a fair bit more portaging. I was quickly reminded after the first portage that my teammates are race horses not mules, they hated the portage and we lost ground. south route it was.
We got to cruise alongside the warriors, I had been curious to see this team in action. we were audience to a couple of their energetic songs - these guys are cool and they're clearly loving racing. where are the rest of the millenials in these races?
g switched to stern at one of the lift overs and he was able to draft our boat nicely. we found a quite bay to stash the boats, close to the bachelor party, where beer pong was in full effect and it wasn't yet noon. the location worked well, because their hooting drew us right back to the boats after we got CP1.
unfortunately, g's bag opened up along the way and his gear fell out. we recovered the gear but didn't notice that the delorme went missing. chalk up another 1hr penalty for pullin foot at TA1 when we were informed that we weren't tracking.
12 PM
mountain biking 1:30:00 [4] 25.0 km (3:36 / km)
I liked the trail parts of this section - fast and dry. In TA before the bike I quickly started to chug a previously opened and totally rotten Boost. Definitely one of the nastiest things I have ever ingested. not sure if that was partly to blame for later gut troubles.
on the road, we worked the pace line really nicely.
on the road, we worked the pace line really nicely.
3 PM
trekking 5:00:00 [3] 30.0 km (10:00 / km)
we had to sit out our 1hr penalty at TA2. I was surprised we had less than a 10min lead on the warriors coming into the TA.
we had planned to run the road around to the west, before cutting into 5. I would love to know if that would have been a superior route choice b/c we allowed ourselves to be swayed by watching everyone else head straight into the woods.
I think we were back in 10th by the time we started out - I thought it would be kinda fun to try and hunt down a few teams.
we actually got caught on the east side of a body of water that kept going and going and pulling us more and more east. we finally scampered over a beaver dam and back on bearing. it seemed to take forever to hit the river, I was relieved when we finally got there. It allowed me to re-jig our time/km in these woods and then everything seemed to fit better.
logie's taters were awesome (definitely going to add that to future race food) and the swim was nice. I snagged a few floating granola bars on my crossing.
we decided to take a slightly west of south bearing to be careful. probably could have gone straight south and saved a km of running, but no biggie.
we recognized STORM and Running Free way up on the road in front of us and thought we might be able to reel them on the road run through 6. that didn't happen.
from the corner of the road south of 6 we basically went straight west. caught an ATV trail at the end that took us out to the water, but pulled us too far north. we took a nice view of the shoreline as the sun was setting (stunning) and saw our peninsula (CP7) way in the distance. vince was planning that we would scamper along the coast "just like kilbear" but that didn't work. too many bays and tricky terrain, so we headed back into the woods to get into 7. we somehow jumped into 2nd, but a good 40mins back of the warriors still.
8 was really the only CP in the race that I was concerned about navigationally. with the pre-race talk of coasteering, I was expecting to run the coastline and take a bearing in off one of the obvious bays on the map. trekking for 1km along the coast south of 7 and we had had enuf of that and headed inland the rest of the way.
eventually I felt like we had gone south long enough and needed to make a call, try and go east to hit the lake or head back to the coast line to relocate for a bearing in. the boys opted for going right at the lake after an uncharacteristic amount of deliberation.
sooo glad that sally and chetan had the fire roaring as we were lucky to see it from the far north tip of the lake (we hadn't gone as far south as I thought). relief!! I would love to know if things would have gone off the rails if we didn't see the fire.
we had planned to run the road around to the west, before cutting into 5. I would love to know if that would have been a superior route choice b/c we allowed ourselves to be swayed by watching everyone else head straight into the woods.
I think we were back in 10th by the time we started out - I thought it would be kinda fun to try and hunt down a few teams.
we actually got caught on the east side of a body of water that kept going and going and pulling us more and more east. we finally scampered over a beaver dam and back on bearing. it seemed to take forever to hit the river, I was relieved when we finally got there. It allowed me to re-jig our time/km in these woods and then everything seemed to fit better.
logie's taters were awesome (definitely going to add that to future race food) and the swim was nice. I snagged a few floating granola bars on my crossing.
we decided to take a slightly west of south bearing to be careful. probably could have gone straight south and saved a km of running, but no biggie.
we recognized STORM and Running Free way up on the road in front of us and thought we might be able to reel them on the road run through 6. that didn't happen.
from the corner of the road south of 6 we basically went straight west. caught an ATV trail at the end that took us out to the water, but pulled us too far north. we took a nice view of the shoreline as the sun was setting (stunning) and saw our peninsula (CP7) way in the distance. vince was planning that we would scamper along the coast "just like kilbear" but that didn't work. too many bays and tricky terrain, so we headed back into the woods to get into 7. we somehow jumped into 2nd, but a good 40mins back of the warriors still.
8 was really the only CP in the race that I was concerned about navigationally. with the pre-race talk of coasteering, I was expecting to run the coastline and take a bearing in off one of the obvious bays on the map. trekking for 1km along the coast south of 7 and we had had enuf of that and headed inland the rest of the way.
eventually I felt like we had gone south long enough and needed to make a call, try and go east to hit the lake or head back to the coast line to relocate for a bearing in. the boys opted for going right at the lake after an uncharacteristic amount of deliberation.
sooo glad that sally and chetan had the fire roaring as we were lucky to see it from the far north tip of the lake (we hadn't gone as far south as I thought). relief!! I would love to know if things would have gone off the rails if we didn't see the fire.
9 PM
mountain biking 7:00:00 [3] 75.0 km (5:36 / km)
We took off way too hard out of TA3, pace lining. The trails started off good and got progressively tougher and wetter.
We took the roads to 12 with a 10 minute hot chocolate break at the esso station. I somehow missed the entrance to Georgian Nordic which was supposed to be my indicator for the road into 12. so we missed the road by 1km and climbed an extra km.
on 12 the wheels started to fall off our train, we were crawling along the trail and hike a biking every substantial hill.
we debated riding around 13, probably would have been slightly better. I thought that surely it couldn't be as tough as the trail to 12. it was almost as bad.
I had no food that I was willing to eat halfway through this ride, so I was close to bonking by the end, but barely held on to the finish.
funny thing, we were climbing the last hill to the finish past the community centre. we didn't have the last race map (forgot it in the TA bin), only the back roads map so we couldn't really decipher where the finish was. when we saw bike lights riding towards us as we were stopped on the road, we were like, oh hell no, not a sprint finish (I had nothing in the tank for that). rob makurat's team rides up and doesn't let on at all that they opted for the short course. so we take off down the first road (gardenview), until we hit a dead end. we go racing back up the hill past them, and only then he told us that they short coursed. they got a good laugh at us ripping around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to find the finish.
I had to get a ride back to the community centre I was so trashed, but I guess that means I left it out on the course.
Many thanks to Bash and Getawaystix and Brad and all the awesome volunteers - these races are always so much fun - not always, in the moment - but lots of lasting memories.
We took the roads to 12 with a 10 minute hot chocolate break at the esso station. I somehow missed the entrance to Georgian Nordic which was supposed to be my indicator for the road into 12. so we missed the road by 1km and climbed an extra km.
on 12 the wheels started to fall off our train, we were crawling along the trail and hike a biking every substantial hill.
we debated riding around 13, probably would have been slightly better. I thought that surely it couldn't be as tough as the trail to 12. it was almost as bad.
I had no food that I was willing to eat halfway through this ride, so I was close to bonking by the end, but barely held on to the finish.
funny thing, we were climbing the last hill to the finish past the community centre. we didn't have the last race map (forgot it in the TA bin), only the back roads map so we couldn't really decipher where the finish was. when we saw bike lights riding towards us as we were stopped on the road, we were like, oh hell no, not a sprint finish (I had nothing in the tank for that). rob makurat's team rides up and doesn't let on at all that they opted for the short course. so we take off down the first road (gardenview), until we hit a dead end. we go racing back up the hill past them, and only then he told us that they short coursed. they got a good laugh at us ripping around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to find the finish.
I had to get a ride back to the community centre I was so trashed, but I guess that means I left it out on the course.
Many thanks to Bash and Getawaystix and Brad and all the awesome volunteers - these races are always so much fun - not always, in the moment - but lots of lasting memories.