Training Log Archive: bugsInTeeth

Angry Seagull with Simpy, Funderstorm, and Hermes. Truncated (and late) edition given all my other team mates already did a great job recapping our race.

2013 edition was Temagami, which I was very stoked about given I had never been there. Not surprisingly it was similar terrain and vegetation to my home area of north western Ontario, with lots of rolling hills, tons of lakes, and thick vegetation.

Nothing quite says heart-rate spike like pushing up a super steep and long hill on a mountain bike to start a race. Felt good though, and Simpy had us out of the bike-O section in a flash. The majority of the main bike section (in my mind) went something like big climb, big downhill, big climb, big downhill....rinse and repeat. I kept waiting for the hydro line section to get super bad, but it was probably the best part of the bike section.

On to the paddle...which was long. 12+ straight hours of paddling and portaging was definitely a challenge to an upper body that is in no way trained as much as it's lower counterpart. The route itself was amazing, and it was clear why so many folks go to the area to paddle. We were also super lucky to get such a clear night, and when the headlights were off we were treated to an amazing sky. But by the end, I was actually enjoying the portages more than the paddling. I really need to get some more lessons in technique, as I am sure my main issue was pushing that boat around with crappy form. Also I felt extremely bad for my paddling partner Funderstorm, who had to endure much of the second half of the paddle in silence (I tend to get quiet when I am struggling). Finally made it to the TA where the volunteer had to break the news to us that the 10k paddle to the finish had to be cancelled. I almost broke down in tears.....of joy.

The trek section was tough. Surprisingly the hills were much easier than I would have expected, but the vegetation and footing much worse. Our team got quiet here, especially during that tough part of the night...the few hours just before sunrise. But we slowly knocked off all the core CPs. We even managed to throw a few swims in to keep things interesting. By the time we had to make a decision about the advanced CP, we just decided because of the time it wasn't worth the risk, so we just headed to the finish.

We gutted this one out, and as always we managed to get everyone across the finish line. I had a lot of ups and downs during this race...I would say more so than most races. Jay did an amazing job and the race ran like clockwork. I can't believe everything went off so smooth even when they had transport vehicles breaking down....unreal the the only hitch was dropping the final paddle section. The volunteers were amazing (hard to beat seeing fireworks go off when approaching and island CP in the middle of the night), even shuttling us back in forth in their vehicles.

The best part of the race was our team. The laughs started on the drive up, and didn't finish until we got home (actually the laughs haven't really stopped...we are still having some fun facebook conversations). Simpy once again did a great job on nav. How he found those portages in the middle of the night is beyond me. Funderstorm and Hermes stayed positive, kept things light, and pushed through everything that was put in front of them. I loved racing with this team, and I hope we get to do so again.

As usual, was nice to chat with old friends, and make some new ones.

C • Last to report but not least 1

Event: Angry Seagull Adventure Challenge (24 to 30 hour)
 

Easy Wednesday night session with Simpy. Full race packs tonight with all gear needed for AS. Did some interesting bushwhacking and checked out a few areas in search of possible trails. We can call that part a failure. Pretty hot and humid, but still a fun evening.