Training Log Archive: Anvil

Actually feeling really good, post raid. Almost.
The impact wound on my quad is big, raised, purple and quite sore to walk on - though does improve after a couple of minutes of walking.
My back is also super sore - towards the end of the race I had to modify my running style significantly to stave off the cramp and aforementioned leg soreness. I imagine the style looked pretty ugly (lets just call in hammer-esque) and wasn't friendly to my back.
Ice and ibuprofen has been the order of the day.

C • leg 4

Event: Salomon Dontgetlost.ca Raid the Hammer
 

Raid The Hammer. In team 'Sweet As' with Bender and Dang
What a race - I wasn't expecting it to be that tough!
Started off disgracefully in the individual matrix, dropping about 5 minutes on the first checkpoint - headless chook stuff.
The pace on the first trail run was surprisingly fast. There was a fair bit of banter when we passed 'The Coalition of the Wiling' and about 30 seconds later I picked up my worst injury in a while - running full speed into a small log jutting out of the track at about waist height. Fortunately I was lifting my leg at the time which saved it hitting my crotch, but the force it hit my leg was massive. I could barely run, but there was no way I was going to walk and let the Wiling team pass us. Grit my team and ran through it. It didn't abate for the rest of the race.
Then we hit the The Bullseye. Even with Team Nick and about 5 minutes behind Team Ottawa. I took the reins and off we went. Team Nick started arguing so we snuck away quickly.
I got a handle on the map pretty quickly and got us on track to the first checkpoint. Team Ottawa came out of nowhere here and hopped onto the Sweet As peleton for most of the Bullseye. This section seemed to work well, with me navigating and Dang out in front spotting the flag. Though we weren't flawless, we had the fastest split for this section and coming into the first aid station with me leading 5 Canadians in felt pretty awesome (some may say that's just natural order, I wouldn't, but some would).
Not much to say about the next section - the half pipe was easy nav, just gnarly underfoot with lots of slippery slopes and slipperier rocks. Crossing the river for the last time I took a good tumble and went for a swim. Lucky the weather was relatively warm.
We lost touch with Team Ottawa on the next trail run, they followed the Bruce trail, but Chris noticed it wasn't actually following the trail we were meant to be following so we turned back and followed the map. We thought we'd gotten in front of them here - but they'd worked their mistake out as well and fixed it.
Next section was pretty unspectacular, Team Nick caught up to us here and passed us about three times - fortunately Bender had us ignore them as they did their extended tour of the map.
Not much else left to say about the rest of the course, thinking Ottawa were behind we just played if safe, slow and kept looking behind at each CP. Bender and I both started to cramp up towards the end - I've actually never had cramp like that and I've also never tried to run through any kind of cramp either. I learnt a lot about how much pain my body can take in the final 20% of the race.
Nav was OK in the last part - was happy to nail CP19 which I'd recognised as a danger leg during the briefing and also picked up the fastest split. Unfortunately wasted in on CP20 by taking a horrendous route with double the necessary climb.
Finished comfortably in 3rd place - though I've heard The Coalition of the Wiling surely would have beaten us as they had to wait for about 97 minutes (current estimate) at the train crossing.
Great race, great team and not a bad course at all. It's only taken 24 hours for me to be hungry for more. Now I know what to expect will be much better prepared - first item will defo be to get a good bladder/backpack with lots of accessible pockets. Watch out MEC here I come.

C • Maps with GPS track 24

Pre Raid loosener with New-Monster and special guest star Super.
Nice and cruisy on the Westdale trails. Saw a big scary man-deer that wasn't afraid of us, so had did a bit of tiptoeing round. Nice arvo for it.

C • sweet as 10

Another quiet TNT. Attempted 2 x Bannisteps, but must have been doing them wrong, cause I was nowhere near the record of 3:50.
Left calf was a bit twingey on the way back, must want a rest before RTH.

C • Friday 4

Up to Chedoke, 2 x steps (1st was 2 up, 1 down, then full ascent - will do LandySteps next time), along Scenic Rd, down other steps and back along Bruce trail. Then put out flags for ARK.
Got very cool very quickly towards the end.

Did some TurboCore with the YellowBlue group at ARK. Scorpions are awesome.

TNT with Sudden, turbo and Greta the Impatient.
6x some cool loop of the Radial trail and a bit of the golf course, about 1.2km. I only went hard on 1, 3 and 5 and that was enough - the guys were disappearing into the dark on those ones as it was.
Quads getting better, actually hurt less on the higher intensity stuff.

The usual. Turbo forgot all the moves and Greta started barking at ghosts so we stopped.