Training Log Archive: Anvil

Need to replenish blood supplies after yesterdays mosquito mauling.

GO AUS!!!!
and a quiet supporting grunt for Canadia ;)

Today's park of choice was Cooking Lake Prov. Park, just outside of Edmonton.
Massive 70km network of ski trails - I was going to go a lot longer since I had the choice, but it turns out my legs were tapped out, I think last weeks Half has caught up with me.
It was also hot, super humid and buggy. I'm pretty sure the park was created to preserve an ideal breeding habitat for mosquitos. If I'd stop, I'd have about 20 buzzing round me, in my ears, nose, shorts etc in moments.
Had this image of a swarm trailing me as I was running, like that scene of Neo flying in The Matrix (yes, I run *that* fast).

Young's Pt. Provincial Park, AB
A little bit a research goes a long way, much nicer set of trails today - though wikipedia lied and said there was 20km worth (wikipedia, wrong? never).
Was just a constantly undulating ski trail, quite nice, even some pine forest out the back. Felt hot and sluggish, but got a little better towards the end. Tempo'd the last 2ks or so.
Have never seen haze like today. I guess it's from all the forest fires in BC, was even worse than any southeast Asian or north African capital city I've been to.

C • Smokey! 5

Swan Lake Provincial Park
BC Parks website said there were 'hiking opportunities' in this park.
There was one trail.
It was 500m long.
Still, made the best of it and did 8x500m intervals with 90s recovery. Bit pissweak but my first speed session for a while. Aimed to get faster each rep.
Trail was pretty easy, nice and flat but a bit rooty. It was bloody hot.
Disappointing lake swim afterwards. Weedy, muddy and kinda gross warm. If it was in the rockies I reckon it would have been called a hot spring.
Splits were: 1:56, 1:51, 1:49, 1:49, 1:50, 1:47, 1:44, 1:42
Take out the rests and its a sub 18min 5k (and that's including the warm down!)

C • Swim 2

From Summit Lake up to Flower Springs Lake (or something like that, can't remember the name) and back.
real struggle to begin with, tracks weren't marked and there were thousands of them near the lake. Almost quit, but decided to keep going. Got much better once I got up onto the tundra and was surrounded by alpine vistas in all directions - reminded me of Oing in Switzerland last year.
Legs couldn't handle any climb after Sunday.

Yukon River Trail Half Marathon
Not my greatest race, felt great in the first 5k, comfortably holding 4th and then it all fell apart. Stitch came and went periodically, stomach felt dodgy and the last 3k into town on the bike track was pure hell. Ended up 10th.
Tried to go into the basement but there was nothing down there but soft toys and unicorn figurines.
But, great course - a little bit too much on bike paths for it to be a true 'trail' race. Probably should have entered the full marathon as the additional 20k is all trail, but there were still a few awesome moments, popping out to the edge of the river, then running a goat trail 50m or so above it, Miles Canyon suspension bridge and the 5k of trail after that coming back into town.
Gotta love Whitehorse, how many cities can start a trail race in downtown and still have mist of the race in forest?

C • Badass 2