Training Log Archive: Funderstormin

Didn't get to bed until 4:00 am on Saturday morning. I was so wired from our finish and the practical part of me wanted to get all of our gear up to our condo so didn't have to do it in the morning. We ushered Dan and Adam into bed and Mark and made several runs with a volunteer to gather all of our stuff and get it into our kick ass condo at Red Mountain. We were sharing with Climb4SMA, who were all fun guys.

Slept for a few hours then started packing stuff up and getting organized. The post-race reception was a ton of fun swapping stories with other racers. Since I had not been able to drink any beer on course all week, I had many beer credits saved up which I cashed in liberally. In fact, I am proud to say that I drank all three of my teammates under the table (this may be the only area that I am stronger than them). The meal was fantastic but I found the awards ceremony a little strange. I think that there are many people (mainly those who got stuck in Valhalla) who were disappointed with the racecourse as it screwed up the rest of their race. I was a bit disappointed that Geoff didn't address this at all during the awards, or talk really all that much about the course at all. It was awesome to see Ontario so well-represented on the podium though. A huge congrats to getawaystix and his crew who obliterated the course and to Leanimal, Phatty and Relentless as well. Leanimal, you never cease to amaze me with your kindness or your inner and outer strength - you will always be my hero!

Back to the chalet for a hot tub party where the boys tried their best to stay awake for one or two more beers. Lightweights....sheesh. :)

So there ends Funderstorm's saga of RTNX. Would she ever do this again? If you had asked me on course, I would have definitely said no. I think that I simply not tough enough mentally for this kind of racing. But, of course, as both the external and internal bruises start to fade, it starts to see like a good idea again....damnit. At the end of the day, probably what I enjoyed most about this race was the opportunity to spend a long period of time with wonderful people in stunning locations. I feel really grateful to the Universe for having had the opportunity to join these guys on this adventure.

C • Way to go, Funderstorm. I ... 1

C • Racer’s Amnesia 2

Fun start to the day crusing downhill along the rail trail, then a slow climb up a forest service road that would take us in the direction of CP19. Arrived there just after 10:00 am and Phatty, Leanimal and Relentless arrived just after us from the trek through CP17-18. Next section was the last big push and involved a part of the Seven Summits trail that we were all looking forward to. Took awhile to get to that though and involved, of course, more pushing of the bikes.

Seven Summits was cool, but would have been way more cool on Day 1 or another time when my legs didn't have 5 days of racing behind them and stomach had some food it in. No matter what I tried to eat, it was all just coming out the other end. I felt pretty weak, but was motivated by the fact that we were near the end. The downhills on Seven Summits were sweet; Adam wore his GoPro so I've got some cool videos to remember it. Got most of it done in the light with just the last couple of hours in the dark.

After finishing the Seven Summits section there we had to find a specific trail to take us down through Red Mountain. We had one misfire that cost us a bit of time but found the right one the second time around. When Adam had a tire problem, I took the opportunity to sleep for five minutes on the side of the trail. Mark very kindly put an emergency blanket over me but in my delirious state, I thought he was burying me :) Apparently when I woke up I was confused and perplexed about why my life jacket was on (it wasn't). Fun!

Long fun descent into Red Mountain where we had to find a CP at a resevoir then negotiate a complicated set of directions through Rossland and down into Trail. I had my first bike crash of the whole race in this last hour on a tiny little trail where a tree accosted me and threw me off my bike. Stupid tree.

I can't even describe the strange emotions I was feeling as we got nearer to Trail - it was quite surreal. It was just after midnight as we came across the grass and through the finish line. There weren't many people around so in some ways it seemed anti-climactic, but it was a wonderfully satisfying feeling to have reached this point all together.

There was so much of the course that we didn't do - including the make-or-break trek though Valhalla that I would wager did in half the teams on the course - but we were all really happy with what we accomplished. At the beginning of the race, Dan did not think he was going to make it, and many times neither did I. So many teams lost teammates or withdrew entirely, so to get all of us through the finish line together in good spirits and happy with each other was a huge success. Mark, Adam and Dan all race together normally, so I was concerned about what throwing a new person (and a female) into the mix would do to their dynamic, but I think we worked together very well. The boys were all very patient with me in my low moments and helpful when I needed it. They were great fun to be around and I am sad that our adventure is over now!

C • Great report! 4

Got our paddle stuff ready in the morning and were hoping to be able to use the sail that Adam and Mark had made before the race but the wind wasn't in the right direction. We were warned that we may not see our bins at the end of the paddle Iwhich was a TA) so we tried to take all of our bike stuff with us as well.

The short paddle was about 43 km and we were making good time for the first 2/3rds of it, but hit a headwind that slowed us down considerably during the final few hours. We tied the boats together which helped to keep us moving effiicently. I had to make a few trips to shore to deal with my stomach problems which were getting worse as opposed to better. I had hoped that a day in the boat where I could just eat and drink would help but it didn't.

Finished the paddle in the light sometime and checked in at CP16 (or maybe it was 15?). Our bins weren't there and there were a couple of teams who had been waiting for over 6 hours for theirs to arrive. We were prepared to head out without seeing our stuff but the truck arrived just as we were getting ready to paddle across the river. We got what we needed and then paddled across to put our bikes back together and carry on.

A really nice family had set up a little 'tuck shop' on the other side where they were selling hot dogs, sandwiches, and other goodies. The two kids were camping out there for sevreral days while teams came through and they had everyone sign their volunteer jerseys. They were particularly enamoured with Dan and his mountain climbing adventures.

Next came Bulldog mountain. If I hadn't done the mountain from hell the night before, Bulldog would have seemed bad, but it had 2000 feet less of climbing which made it difficult but tolerable. I was glad to hear from Leanimal how challenging she found this part as well! At least the ride down the other side was fun!

CP16 was located at the enf of a really cool mile long unused railway tunnel. There were no volunteers there as at this point the field had gotten very stretched out and race staff were still dealing with the myriad of issues that had come up on the Valhalla trek (some teams spent the majority of the race up there). After hearing horror stories about that trek, I would be lying if I said I wished we made that cut-off! There was a note at the CP that said teams arriving after 6:00 on Friday were to skip the next trek and go directly to CP19. We got out our bivvies and huddled up together near the tunnel and tried so sleep for a couple of hours.

Left the paddle TA just after 1:00 pm skipping CPs 8 and 9 and heading directly to 10 on our bikes. I started having some stomach problems all this day which plagued me through until the rest of the race, and which still aren't quite currently resolved. I was eating and drinking well, so I'm not sure what caused it, but going to the bathroom every half hour definitely drained my energy a lot of the remainder of the race.

CPs 10, 11 and 12 were all fairly close and easy to find on our bikes. At CP11 we ziplined across a waterfall with our bikes, which was pretty fun but I was bit too tired to enjoy it much. At CP12 we went left towards the short paddle and began the mountain climb from hell - a powerline trail that climbed over 5000 feet and which was essentially unrideable. I'm not sure how many hours we pushed our bikes here, but it was at this point in the race that I fulflled my promise to the guys that I would cry on course. I was miserable, and that damn hill never seemed to end. Dan talked to me reassuringly and Mark took my bike for me a couple of times. Eventually, after many hours of misery, we found the top and enjoyed a 16km descent towards CP13 where we'd plan to sleep.

This was literally the first sleep I can recall getting all race. We set up our tents and I borrowed a sleeping bag from a volunteer and got a solid 2.5 hours.

Day 3 was my favourite day of the race, probably partially because after this day I was plagued with diarrhea for the remainder of it! After the first trek in which I'd decimated my usually pretty good feet, it was nice to be back on our bikes. Started with a long, slow climb up a mountain then a super fun descent through the ghost towns of Cody and Standon, then back up another mountain. Each climb was (I think) 3000 or 4000 feet but was mostly rideable with some pushing towards the top. At the end of the second climb we took the Wakefield trail down towards Silverton and the paddle TA. Heard from the photographer that there had been lots of carnage on this slippy, switchbacky trail so we took our time and had a fun ride down.

Hit the paddle TA just after 7:00 and were told that if we wanted to make the cutoff for the Valhalla trek we'd have to haul ass to make it there. Dan had stated that he wouldn't be able to do the trek anyways, so being shortcoursed here was actually going to work to our advantage as it would allow us to continue all together. We transitioned into our paddle gear and had a great paddle into CP7. The neoprene MEC vest that I had bought for this race was a godsend as it rained for about half of the paddle.

Hit CP7 at 11:00 pm and were told that we wouldn't be doing the next trek. We were not upset about this. Unfortunately, we were also told that we would be held at the TA for an indetermined period of time. A reason was giving but I can't remember now what it was (it seemed valid). In any case, we were told to sleep there and that at 5:00 am we'd be told if we could continue then on bikes. Set up the tents and tried to get some sleep, but for some reason I was still really struggling. I woke up at 5:00 panicked that we hadn't heard anything yet, but should have just stayed in the tent, as it ended up being 1:00 pm the next day until we were released. There were several other teams there and it was interesting to hear how this pause was affecting their morale. Some teams didn't feel like continuing and others had already lost teammates. The only thing I found annoying was not knowing when we were would be released. I had all my stuff ready to go and then decided to try to sleep again, only to be told 10 minutes later that we could go. I still had lots of fun in this TA though joking around with the other teams.

Kept working our way up the river valley for most of the day. Adam's a great navigator and I never questioned the safety or logic of his route choices, although my comfort zone was definitely stretched with the former! It was a big relief to finally get out of the woods and see the waterfall and snowbowl that we needed to get up and onto, but still several hours to make our way up to CP2. Think we hit CP2 sometime early afternoon and began the long but fun slipping and sliding down the snow en route to CP3 / TA1 with lots of other teams. Made a poor decision to slide down some scree slopes on my bottom, thus ripping my nice waterproof, breathable pants and leaving my butt cheeks looks like someone stabbed me with a trekking pole many times over. What can I say, it seemed like a good idea at the time!

HIt the CP / TA about suppertime without a clear plan about what we were going to do or how long we were going to spend there. It was raining quite hard so being able to go inside Retallack Lodge was a nice reprieve. Dan really needed some rest we so all lay down inside for what I thought was going to be a short nap. Through collective team lack of communication and getting lulled into the comfort of being inside while it was dark and pouring outside, we ended up here until just before light, which would have been great, if I hadn't have gotten on my bike clothes and taken a caffeine pill so ended up tossing and turning for most of the night. Staying at the TA so long was a silly mistake, but Dan had had a rough trek section and in the end I think the time we took here is what allowed him to continue, so it was probably worth it in the end. When we got going in the morning, we just kind of laughed, shook our heads at each other and continued on.

Started on bikes from a community centre somewhere (I did say this would be blurry) and after a bit of paved road, heading uphill for many thousand feet. I'm not sure how many thousand feet, but it was a lot. Lots of rideable sections, but also lots of hike-a-bike. If only I'd know how much time I was going to spend beside Estelle rather than on her over the course of the week! We all progressed nice and slowly up the mountain and hit the transition to the trek near the back of the pack.

The start of this trek was one of the highlights of the race for me personally. We took a trail from the bike drop then climbed up some snow into a valley on the top of a mountain (my mountain terminology isn't super accurate). The views were amazing and it was one of those "ah, this is why I adventure race" moments. At some point, we dropped down off the top for a long way to hit a road at the bottom of the mountain. From there, we started the long, slow grind up the river valley to CP2. I had my balance and courage challenged as I learned to perfect my Jennifer Grey Dirty Dancing move walking across logs over water and as shortcuts. We crisscrossed the river looking for the best route and came across lots of other teams on their way up as well. We bunked down about midnight for a couple of hours, but sleep eluded me.

Event: Raid the North Extreme
 

Nice mid-afternoon run along the water in Nelson...

C • Still training! 3

...followed by a yoga session in the hotel hallway on a sleeping pad, much to the amusement of an old couple whose door I was blocking.

Road and trail combo to test out some of Estelle's new parts.

C • All Packed??? 8

Quick paddle run brick before heading to a family reunion for the day (shoot me).

Managed to get a little reprieve from the family reunion for an open water lake swim. I saw an island off in the distance and figured I could swim there and back. Since I haven't been in a pool in probably two years, this may have been a bit ambitious but I made it!

At the Hydrocut with Mrs. Tiny and Tessa. Beautiful night for a ride!

Taylor Swift and I ran a few loops of Bechtel Park after work. Still have a bit of something clogging up my lungs, so I was glad I didn't push it with the TNT crew.

Met simpy and bugsinteeth bright and early for a tour of the Hydrocut. These guys are great riders and it was a challenge for me to keep up with them. Awesome ride, and delicious eats at Ethel's afterwards.

C • Thanks again! 2

Short paddle on Conestoga River in the afternoon. Hadn't done this section before and it was shallower than anticipated.

Trail run back to my car after paddle.

C • Great day of training! 3

At Three Stage in Collingwood. Didn't have my mojo today - have a bit of a chest cold and everything felt harder than it should have.

BIke from my place to my brother's.

Run with Mrs. Tiny, Sherpa, and Sherpa's posse! :)

Bike home from my brother's (who lives around the corner from Sherpa) back home along a different route.

Awesome paddle with Bash on the Grand between Inverhaugh and West Montrose. I'd never done this section before and wish I'd gotten out there a bit earlier in the spring when the water was higher, as there was lots of fun little rapids to play on. Great weather and great company!

Ran with an easier group today at trail running as I'm nursing a uncooperative right ankle at the moment.

Mrs. Tiny and I made impromptu plans this afternoon to ride at Guelph Lake. Though I pride myself on being organized, somehow I showed up with two bike helmets but no shoes. Fortunately, there was a Canadian Tire where we parked so I ran in and bought the cheapest pair of footwear I could buy: a set of $5.00 surf socks. Although they were not ideal for riding, I like to think that perhaps I have started a new trend and that these may become the barefoot shoes of mountain biking...

C • Will minimalist bike shoes catch on? 3

Crazy mix of gravel roads meant for biking, snowmobile trails not really meant for biking and bike whacking. Wearing shorts for the bike whacking = no skirts or dresses for Funderstorm this week!

A valuable lesson learned: when Adam Mallory tells you that "there's sort of trail" and it's "mostly runnable," what this means it that at some point in human history, another person and/or vehicle may have been through there at some point and that if the vegetation wasn't chest high, you might be able to run it. :) Was glad that I listened to his girlfriend and wore pants for this, as it was mostly bushwhacking and involved many swamp crossings, which were both refreshing and stinky at the same time.

Biking back out of Mallory Marsh to the cottage with a quick but rewarding jump in the lake before heading home.

C • Hydrocut this week? 3

With Mallorys up at their cottage.

Haven't made time for this in awhile and boy did I need it!