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Attackpoint AR - performance and training tools for adventure athletes

Training Log Archive: Bash

In the 31 days ending Oct 31, 2016:

activity # timemileskm+m
  Running11 35:33:44 140.29 225.77 4136
  Strength & Mobility6 3:43:00
  Mountain Biking1 2:45:00 18.39(6.7/h) 29.6(10.8/h) 520
  Power Yoga3 2:41:00
  Paddling3 1:50:00 4.15 6.67
  Total22 46:32:44 162.83 262.05 4656
  [1-5]21 46:32:42
averages - sleep:6.5

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Monday Oct 31, 2016 #

Note
slept:8.5

Sunday Oct 30, 2016 #

Note
slept:5.0

Saturday Oct 29, 2016 #

6 AM

Running race (Trail) 18:01:01 [3] 100.0 km (10:49 / km) +1500m 10:03 / km
slept:5.0 shoes: Salomon Speedcross Bordeaux

Javelina 100
McDowell Mountain Wilderness
Fountain Hills, Arizona

The Lavaredo Ultra Trail in June was so much fun that I looked for an autumn ultrarunning adventure. I couldn't find an ideal race and as the summer turned into one long heat wave, my enthusiasm for long runs faded along with my fitness.

Eight weeks ago, Charlotte Vasarhelyi and I decided to run the Javelina 100 on the outskirts of Phoenix. It was too late for me to train properly, especially with Wilderness Traverse and Star Tracks taking up so much time, but it would be a fun vacation with a friend regardless.



Javelina is billed as a Hallowe'en-themed running party in the desert. As 100 milers go, it's the opposite of UTMB - five loops with just 25% of the elevation gain of UTMB, a time limit of 30 hrs instead of 46, a huge base camp, pacers, costumes (for some) and a disco at one of the aid stations.

A loop format isn't my favourite but it has advantages. I had no support crew or pacer but I could easily support myself. There were almost 600 registrants in the 100 miler and 200 in the 100K, and many of them had pacers. Since we changed direction after each loop, I would never feel alone at night with the mountain lions!



The organizers built a tent city around the start/finish leg of the race course, which was really convenient and fun.





Char and I rented a large tent with cots. Racers and support crews could also bring their own tents or RVs.



There were food trucks offering wood-fired pizzas, kettle corn and smoothies. There was even an outdoor trail running film festival on Friday evening.



We started at 6 a.m. and got squeezed onto single track early on. I had to walk most of the first 30 minutes because it was so crowded.











Sunrise over the desert was beautiful. I decided to do a little more running on the 1st lap since I expected to walk most of the 2nd lap in the hottest hours of the day. The temperature was going to be close to a record high; the paramedics later said it got to 102F but that sounds high. There was no shade until the sun got very low - and even then, the shade of a small shrub isn't that refreshing!





I got distracted chatting with another adventure racer and twisted my left ankle hard at the 5K mark - a reprise of the weird-angled twist that happened two weeks ago when I was putting out flags for Star Tracks. It pulled something in the bottom of my foot, which stayed sore but wasn't too painful to run on.



It was hot by mid-morning and by 11 a.m. we were broiling. My one real crisis of the day was realizing that my hands had swollen so much that both my wedding ring and my engineering ring were stuck. I almost always wear them while racing but my hands don't usually swell that much. I had been madly drinking and popping salt pills so I'd run out of ideas. Maybe I'd had too much salt? Maybe my hands would swell even more and the circulation would get cut off to my ring fingers? Maybe I'd have to ask medics to cut them off? (The rings, not the fingers.) Aaaackkk!! As I ran, I used precious water to keep my fingers wet until I was able to slowly, painfully twist off each ring. Phew.



I finished Lap 1 around 11:20; it was 5K longer than the other laps but it was still my fastest lap.

This was the first aid station where I went through my heat routine - put on cooling sleeves and got them wet, applied sunscreen, put ice and eLoad in my bladder, and filled an extra flask. Then I put ice in my hat and set up my cooling buff to hang over my ears like a safari hat. As the ice melted, it soaked the cooling buff, which dripped cool water. This took a lot of time at each aid station (four per loop) but it was worth it and I still seemed to pass people at aid stations since everyone was doing something to deal with the heat. I saw a bunch of runners who felt terrible or developed stomach problems. My cooling sleeves and buff always dried out before the next aid station but they made a huge difference. My small water flask was mostly dedicated to keeping them wet.







I did a lot of hiking on Lap 2 until the sun got lower in the sky and my heart rate still stayed pretty high. It took 6 hours to get back to HQ.







After a slice of pizza at sunset, I set out for Lap 3 at 6 p.m. I was looking forward to the cold night in the desert; the race briefing had warned about the risk of hypothermia. Well... not tonight. I think it got down to 22C and there were still guys running shirtless and women in sports bras. It didn't feel like racing in an oven anymore but it was still warm.

I had to make up time after the slow Lap 2 so I pushed as hard as I could on Lap 3 in the dark. But even though conditions had improved, I had already been on the trail more than 12 hours. Although I did more running and got through aid stations more quickly, it still took 6 hrs to get around Lap 3. I arrived one minute after midnight, having completed 100 km. I'd been doing the math as I ran and realized there was no way I'd get through the HQ aid station and then complete Lap 4 by the 6 a.m. cut-off. If by some miracle I *did* speed up that much, my 5th lap would also need to be faster to make the final cut-off at 12 noon - and that lap would be in the heat again.

So... I called it a day at 100K. I didn't feel like running the same loop again, knowing I'd DNF eventually anyway. If it were a point-to-point race, I probably would have kept going until I was cut off. Until this year, Javelina used to give 100 mile racers official rankings in the 100K race if they stopped early, and I would have ended up with a respectable result. But I think that was an unfair rule so I don't mind that I didn't get my belt buckle! The heat really was crazy and the small victory is that I felt pretty good for 18 hours in the hottest, driest race of my life. Unfortunately, dealing with the heat was time consuming so I didn't get a chance to see if I could go 100 miles. I wasn't alone; the finish rate was around 50%.

Charlotte had an awesome race and was the 8th woman! Zach Bitter set a course record of 13.5 hours. It was impressive to watch him fly past on the trail several times, always smiling and saying "Great job".

Javelina was very well organized and a lot of fun. In most years, it would be hot but not ridiculously hot. I'd recommend it for sure. If you go, our Morning Skillet at Inn at Eagle Mountain the next day was one of the best breakfasts of my life! (I don't normally take pictures of my meals but...)





Morning coffee on our balcony was terrific too. I really like Arizona even though I'd rather race in the snow!

6 PM

Running 1 [0]

First 50K of Javelina 100 (measured as 46.4 km in Ambit 60-second recording mode)
Time 8:20:10
Elevation Gain 703 m

Running (Trail) 1 [0]

Second 50K of Javelina 100 (measured as 48.52 km in Ambit 5-second recording mode)
Time 9:41:37
Elevation gain 425 m
Started at 2:41 p.m.

Friday Oct 28, 2016 #

Note
slept:4.5

Thursday Oct 27, 2016 #

Note
slept:5.0

Wednesday Oct 26, 2016 #

Note
slept:8.0

Tuesday Oct 25, 2016 #

Note
slept:4.5

Monday Oct 24, 2016 #

Note
slept:7.25

If you have a Macbook that asks you if you'd like Siri on your laptop, just ignore it. I wasn't paying attention and it tricked me into upgrading my OS to 10.12, and now there is no printer driver that will work for my printer. Ugh, I don't even use Siri on my phone but it seemed like a harmless little feature to add. I haven't dared to connect the scanner. Grrr.

Sunday Oct 23, 2016 #

Note
slept:7.75

'Bent just met up with Alex Glenn, who is trying to set an FKT on the Bruce Trail. Now I can watch the SPOT tracker to see where 'Bent is running and whether he's working hard enough today. :)
<http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots...>

Saturday Oct 22, 2016 #

10 AM

Running (Trail) 2:02:55 [3] 15.67 km (7:51 / km) +129m 7:32 / km
slept:5.75 shoes: Salomon Speedcross Pro - Blue

Browner and I went for a catch-up run around the HAFTA trails north of Milton on a spectacular, chilly autumn day. The peak colours were a few days ago but it was still gorgeous in there and my drive to Milton was amazing. The leaves hid some of the rocks and roots, and I managed to do a front dive into some rocks, landing hard, mostly on the lower palm of my left hand. OUCH!! Still waiting to see what all the repercussions will be, e.g. it really hurts to put on socks but I don't feel pain when I type on my laptop.

AdventureDog had a fantastic day that started with sprint intervals at the dog park with Scout and Contour, then he joined us for the run. The three pooches enjoyed a private party at Browner and STORM's place while we replenished our calories with a yummy brunch at Grill Daddy. Thanks for a fun Milton adventure, Browner!

Friday Oct 21, 2016 #

Note
slept:6.75

Alexander Glenn, a 24-year-old ultrarunner from western Canada, is on Day 2 of his attempt to break Jim Willett's supported Bruce Trail FKT of 10 days, 14 hrs. He has done some ultras, including two Canadian Death Race finishes, but he has never hiked on the Bruce Trail. Unlike most BT record seekers, he has chosen to start in Queenston and head toward Tobermory. He is being supported by his Dad.

His first day was rainy, slick and tougher than expected. He covered 82 km but he is aiming for about 100 km per day in hopes of finishing the 900-ish km BT in 8.5 to 9 days.

You can watch his SPOT tracker and he has invited local runners to join him since he'd love some company on the trail.
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots...

Thursday Oct 20, 2016 #

Strength & Mobility (Core) 20:00 [2]

Hard Core Live with Caron

Power Yoga 53:00 [1]

C3 Class
4 PM

Running (Treadmill) 1:00:00 intensity: (30:00 @3) + (30:00 @4) 12.2 km (4:55 / km)
slept:6.5 shoes: Salomon S-Lab Speedcross

Tested out my ankle and my new S-Lab Speedcross on the treadmill with a few speed progressions. The shoes seem fine although it remains to be seen how I'll do in them over long distances compared to regular Speedcross. They have a lower drop, greater stability and no stitches inside for chafing. They only come in men's sizes though, so the fit is a bit different.

My ankle is not too bad but I can still feel the effects of the weird twist on Saturday - minor pain in random-seeming places. I guess my next test run should be on relatively easy trail.

Wednesday Oct 19, 2016 #

Note
slept:10.0

Ah, that's more like it! :)

Tuesday Oct 18, 2016 #

Note
slept:1.5

Late to bed last night with lots to do, then my stoopid brain wouldn't let me fall asleep. There's nothing like needing to leave the house at 6 a.m. to make me stay awake all night worrying not getting sleep. Sigh. The good news is that BazingaDog's 6-week post-surgery X-ray looked fine today. He still isn't allowed to run for 6 more weeks but maybe we'll give him a little more freedom in the house at the 8-week mark. Other good news is that the vet hospital is only 5 km from Salomon Toronto. I splurged on new Snowcross (I've used mine a lot) and S-Lab Speedcross (different from regular Speedcross - an experiment).

Monday Oct 17, 2016 #

Strength & Mobility (Boot Camp) 1:00:00 [4]

'Bent and I went to Boot Camp to let Caron kick our butts. Small class tonight with just Barrie and Jill so we chatted as we sweated.
10 AM

Note
slept:9.0

I feel like I've been going non-stop since mid-September. Just a little work left on Star Tracks and Wilderness Traverse before I can catch up on sleep and house tasks. Feeling zonked today but looking forward to an active autumn!

Sunday Oct 16, 2016 #

Running (Trail) 45:00 [2] 5.0 km (9:00 / km)
slept:3.75 shoes: Salomon Speedcross Pro - Blue

I left Albion Hills yesterday evening in darkness and returned this morning at first light. I felt a little nostalgic for the snow we had before last year's Star Tracks Mountain Bike Adventure. Today I put out the final controls in torrential rain, knowing we'd lose some participants when they woke up to see the weather.

Impressively, almost every registered participant showed up! And we had 4 people show up to register on race day, which wasn't great but better than I'd expected. Never doubt the hardiness of adventure athletes! We had a 50% increase in registrations over last year with especially good growth in our Family team division and our age 60+ category. Great to see so many AR and orienteering friends and sorry that my race duties prevented good catch-up conversations.

Things went about as smoothly as we could have hoped, other than the rain. Participants had a great attitude about it and seemed really proud of their mud-splattered finish line photos. Fortunately, nobody got seriously hurt on the slick trails - they probably hydroplaned if they fell. The rain stopped early in the race so we were able to stand around the campfire in clean clothes afterward, roasting marshmallows and baking German-style campfire bread (thanks, Heidi!) Some of us made it to The Church Pub in Palgrave eventually, although it took awhile to get the final racers in and collect all the controls.

Thanks to my co-conspirators Mick and Laura, our mapper Nick and our race day volunteers Heidi & Hanna, Ilona & Peter and 'Bent. Thanks also to Coach LD, Arthurd and Veinbuster for helping us by picking up controls, and to Tom Koster of Velofix Halton for bringing his mobile bike repair van to support Star Tracks.

Photos are available on Facebook in a public album so you don't need to be on FB to see them.
https://www.facebook.com/stars.orienteering.3/medi...

Ilona Dobos also posted some terrific photos on Flickr.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dobos3645/sets/72157...

Saturday Oct 15, 2016 #

5 PM

Running (Trail & Bushwhacking) 1:03:00 [2] 6.43 km (9:48 / km) +127m 8:55 / km
slept:6.25 shoes: Salomon Speedcross 3 - Coral

Mick and I split up the work to put out controls for Star Tracks tomorrow. I ran around (really just jog-walked) with a backpack stuffed with control stands that extended way over my head - bristling like a porcupine. It was an incredible autumn afternoon. The only bad part was cranking my ankle during an early bushwhack section when a decaying log collapsed. I'm not sure how bad it is yet - not the worst I've had but it was a funny twist and it hurts.

It was great to see Funderstorm and Greg D camping near the Chalet. We decided we should have planned a group camping trip with Night Mountain Bike O before tomorrow's main event.

Fingers crossed there won't be too much rain tomorrow. The trails are dry and will be just fine for riding. Looks like it should be mostly over in time for our post-race campfire.

Friday Oct 14, 2016 #

Note

#TrumpDrSeuss is trending on Twitter.

"Oh, The Places You'll Go!
Probably Canada."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-trumpdrseu...
4 PM

Note
slept:7.0

Spent two hours driving around Caledon picking up delicious prizes for Star Tracks on Sunday. Online registration closes at midnight tonight; there will be race day registration for $5 more.

Mick and LJ are working on this today on their 10th wedding anniversary!
https://stars.whyjustrun.ca/events/view/2572

Thursday Oct 13, 2016 #

7 PM

Strength & Mobility (Core) 19:00 [3]
slept:8.75

Hard Core Live with Caron. 'Bent came along for the torture too.
8 PM

Power Yoga 55:00 [1]

It's sooo good for me.

Wednesday Oct 12, 2016 #

1 PM

Running (Trail & Country Road) 1:46:10 [3] 14.21 km (7:28 / km) +260m 6:51 / km
shoes: Salomon XR Crossmax - Blue 2nd

Another run to Albion Hills to check out some feedback from Nick de St. Croix, who tested the Open course yesterday. Although my route was very different, the stats for today's run are almost identical to yesterday's run except for one thing - temperature. It was 6C warmer today and I felt terrible. What a wimp!

It is absolutely spectacular this week. Unfortunately, the forecast for Sunday has just changed to rain but there is plenty of time for it to change to something else again!







6 PM

Strength & Mobility (Boot Camp) 45:00 [5]

This one nearly killed me. I think I was dehydrated going into the class.
8 PM

Note
slept:5.5

The Star Tracks Mountain Bike Adventure is happening this Sunday! Our hottest category in 2016 is the Family team division on the Novice course, where adventure racers will share their love of nav sports with their kids. We even have an intra-family battle this year as the Gally Boys take on the Gally Girls.

Wokitoki and Coach LD are returning to defend their titles on the Open course but they've got some tough competition. Come out and make it even tougher! :)

Marshmallows will be provided for the campfire. Forecast is perfect. [Edit: It *was* perfect. And maybe it will be perfect again if we wait a day or two.] Autumn leaves are spectacular. Online registration is open till Friday night. Limited race day registration is available for a higher price.
https://stars.whyjustrun.ca/events/view/2572

Tuesday Oct 11, 2016 #

Note

"Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening"
by Donald J. Trump.
https://rottingpost.com/2016/03/25/stopping-by-the...
4 PM

Running (Trail & Country Road) 1:42:49 [3] 14.14 km (7:16 / km) +232m 6:43 / km
slept:6.75 shoes: Salomon XR Crossmax - Blue 2nd

I ran down to Albion Hills to check on a connector trail that doesn't always exist. It's there this year so we'll add it to the Star Tracks MTBO map for this Sunday. While I was there, I headed across the park to flag the one Novice control I'd forgotten last week, then I took a circuitous route home. The leaves were perfect!

Monday Oct 10, 2016 #

11 AM

Paddling (Canoe) 1:00:00 [2] 6.67 km (6.7 kph)
slept:6.0

'Bent, AdventureDog and I paddled on Pine Lake on a spectacular Thanksgiving morning.







Sunday Oct 9, 2016 #

11 AM

Paddling (Canoe) 25:00 [2]

'Bent and I paddled to my brother's cottage to pick up Mom and bring her back here. Then we drove around Lake Muskoka and admired autumn leaves.
3 PM

Running (Fail) 9:38 [2] 1.51 km (6:23 / km) +6m 6:15 / km
slept:7.5 shoes: Salomon Speedcross 3 - Coral

Time was tight and we shouldn't have tried to sneak in a run with so many family activities today. It was only going to be half an hour, and as we parked at the trailhead, three men and a dog emerged from the woods wearing hunter orange and carrying guns (except for the dog). AdventureDog looks like an animal from a distance - and even close up - so I didn't feel comfortable taking him in there for a run since his orange jacket was at home. I ran most of the way back to our cabin while 'Bent drove A-Dog back. Oh well.

Saturday Oct 8, 2016 #

10 AM

Running (Trail) 1:24:50 [3] 10.15 km (8:22 / km) +172m 7:42 / km
slept:7.5 shoes: Salomon Speedcross 3 - Coral


'Bent, AdventureDog and I ran a spectacular autumn forest loop in Hardy Lake Provincial Park near Gravenhurst.

It was very quiet for the first hour, then we dodged tourists - mostly dog-fearing ones - for the last 2K.

<











AdventureDog also logged some swimming.









Happy Thanksgiving to all from the Tree Huggers!



6 PM

Paddling (Canoe) 25:00 [2]

'Bent and I paddled from our cabin to my brother's cottage for dinner, then we paddled back by moonlight later on.

Friday Oct 7, 2016 #

Note
slept:5.75

Thursday Oct 6, 2016 #

7 PM

Strength & Mobility (Core) 19:00 [3]
slept:7.5

Caron's Hard Core class - first of the season and first in the new studio.

Power Yoga 53:00 [1]

...followed by yoga class

Wednesday Oct 5, 2016 #

2 PM

Mountain Biking (Single Track) 2:45:00 [2] 29.6 km (10.8 kph) +520m
slept:8.25

Rode around (and around) Albion Hills to do the final check of the Star Tracks MTBO Open and Novice courses. Lots of stopping - time deducted. I found a few small 2016 trail updates and map niggles to fix. The trails are in excellent shape and the autumn leaves are off to a great start. Beautiful day!

Used bike computer distance and moving time. Elapsed time was closer to 4 hours. I didn't bother uploading a second, shorter GPS track - just added the distance/time to this one.

Tuesday Oct 4, 2016 #

Note

Best headline of the day:

"British scientists win Nobel prize in physics for work so baffling it had to be described using bagels"
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/10/04/brit...

There was also a cinnamon bun involved. And a pretzel.

8 AM

Note
slept:6.0 (rest day)

When the alarm went off, my brain and body thought it was the middle of the night. Rest day today for sure - maybe some yoga.

Monday Oct 3, 2016 #

7 PM

Strength & Mobility (Boot Camp) 1:00:00 intensity: (10:00 @2) + (20:00 @3) + (10:00 @4) + (20:00 @5)

First boot camp since last spring. Ohhh, that was hard after yesterday! I'm sure it was good for me though. My knee only hurt during 1-legged side plank (upper leg lifted up) so I cut that one short.
9 PM

Note
slept:8.5

Earlybird entry fees are available until 11:59 p.m. for the Star Tracks Mountain Bike Adventure on Sunday, October 16.

Wokitoki is returning to defend his overall title, and our fastest woman, Coach LD, is going to try to repeat as well. It won't be easy; a lot of good riders have signed up to give them a run for their money.

As expected, the Family category has become a battle of Wilderness Traverse racers' kids. So far the children of team members on Pullin' Foot and the Long Sault Longshots will be competing with their parents, and they'll be taking on two teams of Gallaghers from Storm Beowulf.

Velofix Halton will be there to do basic tune-ups before the race and to address mechanicals. No charge for labour, just for any parts.

Hope to see you there!
https://stars.whyjustrun.ca/events/view/2572

Sunday Oct 2, 2016 #

Note

I've been published on Sleepmonsters! (Even though they didn't give me a byline.)
http://www.sleepmonsters.com/v2_races.php?article_...

7 AM

Running (Trail) 7:38:19 [3] 46.46 km (9:52 / km) +1710m 8:20 / km
slept:4.75 shoes: Salomon Speedcross 3 - Coral


In honour of Bruce Trail Day, Charlotte Vasarhelyi and I ran two Hockley Loops, one in each direction.



Our loop splits were about 3:35 / 4:00. I was definitely breathing harder on the second loop and there was some brand new IT pain in my left knee toward the end so I'll need to be cautious.

We'd expected a full day of rain but it cleared up fairly early and even got sunny. The clouds were wild and I've learned there was a funnel cloud advisory around the time we took these photos. A few minutes after we arrived at dinner, torrential rainfall swept into town. Luckily, we watched it from a comfy chair with over-stuffed fajitas in our hands.

Saturday Oct 1, 2016 #

Note
slept:6.5

'Bent and I attended a semi-formal fundraiser gala for the National Wildlife Centre - a little outside our comfort zone and we didn't know a soul, but it ended up being a good evening. It was at the exclusive Devil's Pulpit Golf Club, which is not normally open to ordinary folks like us.

NWC is hoping to build a wildlife rehabilitation hospital near us in Palgrave. That would be such a cool volunteering opportunity!

We chatted with the founder, a veterinarian, and she said they treat all kinds of animals but they see quite a few bears and porcupines. I had no idea there were people bringing porcupines to veterinarians. I thought I was an animal lover but clearly I have a long way to go.

One of the speakers works exclusively with bears, mostly with cubs because humans have a tendency to run over mama bears or shoot them if they appear curious. He is clearly frustrated by this. He says every bear has a different personality and in his experience, the biggest bears are the biggest chickens. Good!

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