Training Log Archive: Bash

I've learned that the men in the two fastest coed canoes at the 40K Big East River X last weekend were 73 and 74 years old. Their female paddling partners were just barely in their 60s. Wow. The fastest coed canoe was also the fastest canoe overall.

This article refers to the older man, Bob Vincent, as the "godfather of marathon paddling". Bob mentions there was an Olympic silver medalist in the race but I'm not sure who that was. The kayaker who placed 2nd has at least one world championship silver medal. No wonder everyone looked so talented!
https://www.muskokaregion.com/sports-story/7338752...

Zonked today! I finally got last Monday logged with lots of photos. 'Bent, Timato, Teeny Tiny and I provided an official canoe escort to Storm as he started a long pack rafting tour on Muldrew Lake. Then Browner, 'Bent and I went for a bike ride over to the Torrance Barrens. The photos show that Storm was smiling while pack rafting!
https://ar.attackpoint.org/viewlog.jsp/user_920/pe...

After a huge dinner at 3 Guys and a Stove last night followed by an early bedtime, we drove into Algonquin Park to ride the Old Railway Bike Trail. We have a 100 km mountain bike race on Saturday so we thought a long, steady ride would be good. There were some mucky sections but nothing like what we've been riding through over the past couple of weekends.

We went around Rock Lake Campground to add some extra distance. We stopped to take a couple of photos and I increased my tire pressure a lot because I felt slow on this non-technical trail with the low pressure I've been using. It felt better and looks like it may have helped a little. 'Bent thinks I just felt better after taking a break, which may be true.

Beautiful day to be in the park!

Big East River X
40 km canoe race
Huntsville, ON

'Bent and I have done long adventure race paddling legs using kayak paddles and we've paddled for hours with canoe paddles on wilderness trips. Today was the first time we brought those things together and tried a long race with canoe paddles.

The Big East River X is the little brother of the Muskoka River X, the longest single day paddling race in the world. The race course is an out-and-back that starts in downtown Huntsville, travels west to Lake Vernon and goes upstream on the Big East River to the turn-around point at Arrowhead Provincial Park.

It's always interesting to do a race with specialists in a sport. We had fun looking at the wide range of watercraft and checking out their gadgets and tricks.





We started at 8 a.m. and the water was churning from the wakes of all the canoes. It would have been easy to tip.



The solo boats started 5 minutes after the canoes so we got to see some beautiful paddlers go by.

Once we got on the river, the challenge was to make our way upstream in the most efficient way possible. At first, there wasn't much current but after awhile, it became important to aim for the insides of curves and other eddies while avoiding the need to do too much steering around obstacles like sandbars or fallen trees. Marathon canoeists steer by changing sides at the right time without using J strokes. We tried to adapt our style a little but we don't have those skills. Also, we don't have nice small-bladed carbon paddles like the real racers do.

There are many different categories and it's not always obvious which category a canoe belongs to. There are 3 canoe types - Pro, Stock and Recreational - based on canoe design and dimensions. Within each type, there are Male, Female and Coed categories. And then there are all the different types of kayaks and SUPs!

We were in the C2 Stock category, which meant that we had a medium fast canoe. On our way upstream, we were leapfrogging another couple in a canoe that looked similar to ours so we figured we were in the same category, which gave all four of us some competitive fun. They asked whether it was our first time racing, which must have been obvious because we were debating our strategies as we went. They had more experience and we watched what they were doing. They passed us when we stopped to spray mosquito repellent. There wasn't any time for stopping in this race, which was too bad because I had to pee for 4.5 of the 5 hours.

Because it's an out-and-back course, we got to see the top paddlers coming toward us. Wow! The first kayak set a new course record of 3:35 for 40 km. The fastest Pro canoe finished 20 minutes behind him and was paddled beautifully by a couple in their 60s.

When we reached the turnaround, we were ahead of our friendly rivals so we paddled hard on the first downstream section. Now we were looking for the fastest current, often on the outsides of the bends although as the current became weaker, we would aim for the middle of the river or just try to cut corners. The field had spread out so we were mostly alone at this point although I caught a glimpse of the canoe behind us a couple of times and they seemed to be gaining.

For the last 2 hours of the race, we paddled hard and imagined the other canoe to be just behind us. This took me well beyond my comfort zone and by the time we crossed the finish line, I was totally spent. For a few minutes in the final kilometres, I seriously wondered, "Is this some weird female heart attack symptom or is it just a sore shoulder/chest?" (I convinced myself it was the latter - and it was.) I was a bit shaky when I hit dry land; there were others in the same, um, boat.



After 5 hours of hard paddling, we finished ahead of our rivals by less than 3 minutes. We had a great chat with them afterward, took each other's photos by the water etc.



We ended up 3rd of 5 boats in the Coed C2 Stock category. The winner was 45 minutes ahead of us and second place was 26 minutes ahead so it wasn't remotely close.



Everyone was friendly and the race was fun and well-organized. Their next event is a new 24-hr paddling race in mid-June based on the idea of 24-hr mountain bike races. The main camp will be set up by the water in downtown Huntsville and paddlers will do 12 km loops. FB is racing. I wish I could!

Results
https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=101865

It's been awhile since my brain last refused to turn off and let me sleep. I read about a simple technique that helped people fall asleep in a study. Pick a word with no repeating letters, then start with the first letter and think of as many words as you can that start with it. When you run out, move on to the second letter. This has worked better for me than some of the other "fall asleep" tricks; it feels like it uses a different part of the brain. It didn't work last night though.

We heard a podcast today where a sleep specialist defined insomnia as 3 months with less than 4 hrs of sleep. Fortunately, I don't qualify. He referenced a study where people who averaged less than 5 hrs of sleep per night were shown to be at higher risk for a bunch of different medical conditions. No surprise there but interestingly, the increased health risks were mostly seen in the subset of study participants who slept less than 5 hrs AND took sleeping pills. I still haven't ever taken a sleeping pill (the idea makes me squeamish) but I'm going to need to try some for Ultra Tour Monte Rosa.

It was *pouring* so naturally I thought, "What a great day to test my layers for the Alps!" (Admittedly, there have been other rainy days when I've thought, "What a great day to test the treadmill!")

It was 11C with heavy rain and I wore a lightweight, long-sleeved Capilene shirt with a Helly Hansen sports bra under my lightest waterproof-breathable jacket, a 2 or 3-year-old Salomon Bonatti. I also wore a Buff, medium-weight Salomon capris, Smartwool running socks and the Compressport calf sleeves that I bought as a souvenir of Lavaredo Ultra Trail (somehow they finished feeling dry but nothing else did). For the first 20 minutes, I felt too warm so I unzipped the jacket a little. After 40 minutes, I felt damp right to the skin, which was OK while I was running in the forest but if I'd been on a windy Alp or even if I'd had to stop today, I would have been cold. So I'll need more layers and/or my heavier waterproof-breathable jacket.

AdventureDog was my intrepid companion as we ran around Glen Haffy in search of elevation gain. I only repeated one hill so it didn't feel forced. I was proud of A-Dog for staying on the narrow trail as we passed the 8 meter stretch of lush poison ivy beside the K2 trail, and he hopped off the trail to avoid running through a large pile of fresh horse poop. Good boy! We met two fishermen at the public pond with big dogs on the loose so that was exciting.

The one surprise of the day came when we got to the top of a hill where we needed to cross a fence at mid-thigh height. Earlier in our run, A-Dog was ahead of me and had flown over the fence like a professional show jumper. When we reached the fence later on, he was lagging behind me and I glanced over my shoulder to enjoy the show. He took off and sailed over the fence like Superman - as if in slow motion - but I'd failed to calculate the length of his trajectory and he smashed headfirst into my hamstring. We were both shocked but uninjured. At the next fence, I noticed that he gave me time to get farther ahead.

I came home as a drowned rat , which was fixed by a hot shower, herbal tea and a roaring fire - nice, although a little weird in late May.

Short, quick (for me) run around Palgrave West. This year's poison ivy crop arrived late but it sure is flourishing now!

Harps came up to Albion Hills for a ride after work and I joined him for the first hour. So nice to catch up! We're both on new 29ers after years of riding 26ers. Harps rode well of course, and I only had issues in a few tight spots that were also tricky on my old bike. I'm liking my new bike more and more!

We stopped for a buttertart break and chatted with Sean Ruppel (Superfly Racing), Brittany Webster (retired Olympic XC skier visiting from Canmore) and her sister Lindsay Webster (multiple OCR winner). Sure, they may be super successful athletes but they were jealous of our huge buttertarts. ;) I abandoned Harps after that; I hope he could ride with a full stomach!

Loosening up my tight Achilles

In preparation for ARWC, Storm planned a pack rafting expedition from our cottage around a long peninsula on Muldrew Lake. He planned to take out at the Indian Landing boat launch and run 4 km back on roads.

Coach Browner showed him how to pump up her pack raft quickly.



The rest of us watched and made helpful suggestions. ;) Teeny Tiny got a mosquito bite the day before and was extremely unimpressed, hence the protective gear.





'Bent, Timato, Teeny Tiny and I paddled in two canoes to provide an official escort to send Storm off. He was impressively speedy; we had to work to keep up. Look at his smile - he obviously loves pack rafting. ;)



Good technique.



Then off into the cloudy day as we turned around to head back to the cottage.



We stopped so Timato and Teeny could explore an island. Sadly, there were no ripe blueberries in May.



We hooked Timato and Teeny to the back of our boat so it was easy to stay together and play "I Spy" most of the way back.

Browner, 'Bent and I loaded bikes into the van and drove to the Indian Landing boat launch. None of us had brought a backpack large enough to carry a pack raft so Storm was going to drop off his water gear in the van at the end of his pack raft paddle, then run back to the cottage.

We rode along North Muldrew Lake Rd. to the Old Stone Road Trail to Southwood Rd. to the Torrance Barrens. This was part of the Logs Rocks and Steel route. Old Stone Road Trail was especially fun with a few big puddles and some muddy sections. We had a short but fun ride around the Torrance Barrens before turning back for the cottage.



I hit a wet, off-camber root near the start that slammed me to the ground. I don't know what it is about this bike - maybe just that it's farther to the ground - but when it slips up front, it seems unforgiving. I landed on rock this time and was in so much pain below the side of my hip joint that I expected to have a huge multi-coloured bruise for a long time. The injury turned out to be more road rash than bruise, which was lucky.

Other than that, it was all good! We took a long photo break since the Moab-like rock was so much fun.















We visited the site of our New Year's Eve winter camping adventure with Goose, Coach LD, Storm and Browner in 2015/16.

The forecast was for heavy rain with a break between weather systems. Browner, Storm, 'Bent and I made maximum use of the weather break by combining several of our planned activities: trail running, dog exercise and dog swimming.

Hardy Lake Provincial Park has a beautiful, rolling forest trail that circumnavigates Hardy Lake with some technical footwork to keep it interesting.





Browner and I ran behind Storm and 'Bent, who each had one dog attached to their waist (the untrustworthy one!) and one dog running free, although sometimes they had to grab the leash of the off-leash dog too. The dogs had their preferred sequence on the trail so Browner and I couldn't help with that.









We stopped for several (dog) swims and photo breaks; I deducted some time for that.



What a nice 2-dog family! :)



Here's a 3-second video clip of trail running with 4 dogs.



And another one near the parking lot. The rain had started in earnest by then. We went to Gravenhurst to pick up a latte at my brother's cafe before heading back to the cottage.



Then we met up with Timato and Teeny Tiny to enjoy some cozy post-run relaxation with the wood stove burning while it poured outside.

Timato, Teeny Tiny, Browner, Storm and pooches Scout and Contour arrived last night so the cottage (actually a main cottage plus a smaller cottage) is hopping now! After a relaxed start with coffee, dog park and dog swim, Browner, Storm, 'Bent and I headed to Buckwallow Cycling Centre.

What a great atmosphere! It's a low key, old school mountain biking place. The course builder was hanging around near the parking lot chatting with his friends. A day pass cost $10.

The trails are all rated from 1 to 6 hooves and we got our confidence up after riding an easy trail early on. "There are a lot of rocks here so I think I'll skip the 6-Hoof trails but we should be able to do the 4-5 Hoof trails."

But it turns out Browner and I - especially me!! - put a foot down regularly on the 4-Hoof trails. If we could practise a few times and learn what was on the other side of each big boulder and curve, we would be able to ride a lot of it. But going around for the first time, it was more fun to ride the novice to intermediate trails. Some of the Hoofage ratings were suspect anyway. "No WAY that's only two hoofs!" The trails were well-built and lots of fun; my favourite was "Frankly My Deer".

Time deducted for a nice chat with Mr. & Mrs. Wilberto (Wayne & Eva Leek) and their kids, who were also out for a ride. We told Wilberto about his big scene in "Traversing Wild"!

I didn't get any photos of today's mountain biking so here are four happy dogs swimming and chasing sticks in Muldrew Lake.





And here is Teeny Tiny showing off her climbing skills at the Sawdust City Brewing Co.

Tonight was another celebration, this time in Huntsville. It was the premiere of AW Media's film "Traversing Wild", which tells the story of Wilderness Traverse 2016 and the Warriors' rise to the top of the podium over two years. Joel Perrella did a great job. It was cool to watch a film where I knew almost every person shown.

WT 2016 was unusual because I wasn't able to go on the course test for the first time. I knew the race course in great detail on paper, I'd watched dots obsessively through the night in my role as HQ Manager, and I'd seen photos and video, but this film took me on the journey from start to finish. Such a fun evening and great to see so many AR friends. Bob the Beaver had his own paid seat in the theatre!

Short paddle on Muldrew Lake where we've rented a cottage. I didn't take any photos so I've included the two below, which were taken on Saturday in similar weather. Muldrew is a pretty lake and we had a cottage on a cliff with a long set of steps to the water. Good exercise and beautiful views!

'Bent, the pooches and I arrived in Gravenhurst for an extra long weekend. Tonight was the grand opening celebration for my brother Dave and brother-in-law Tim's new business on the Gravenhurst wharf: the Muskoka Shipyards. It's a 2-storey retail building that currently hosts 19 vendors including the Wheelhouse Cafe serving Starbucks drinks. They've done a great job and the opening party attracted a big crowd. If you're ever in Gravenhurst, stop by!











I got a selfie with Alex Tilley, who lives nearby and has put a small Tilley shop in the building.



Speeches



My very proud Mom with 'Bent.





We visited again on Monday with Storm and Browner when things had calmed down. Dave and Tim looked tired but happy.

Easy ride around Palgrave. I fell off on Nemesis Hill (the rooty, eroded one that took me 9 tries to get up last week) but otherwise it felt totally normal to be on a 29er. It is so grippy on tight, banked, uphill corners. Beautiful evening - the calm before the storm.

My Ambit2 Sapphire died after Storm the Trent. I think the battery has been fading for awhile. I'll get it back to Suunto and see if it can be saved. My last watch couldn't be repaired when it died but I can't complain; I get my money's worth out of these things.

I always watch for poison ivy after May 1 and I haven't noticed any yet. It must be out there though because I have a small patch on my shin. Given the timing, it's probably from hiking here on Monday although it could be from Saturday's race or cleaning my bike on Sunday. (Bike tires are a great way to get PI after the fact.) At least I haven't found any ticks yet this spring!

I'd planned to get out in the woods and enjoy the sunshine before the weather changes but it ended up being a really busy day. So I went out in the yard and got BazingaDog all excited with a short session of lunge jumps and squat jumps.

AdventureDog and I did a 3 km trek so I could start breaking in my new hiking boots. Coach LD is waaaay ahead of me on this.

Happy Mother's Day!
Around our place, it was also "Clean up all your muddy gear" Day.

Storm the Trent - Trek Elite
Warsaw, ON

Great to be back at Storm again! 'Bent and I had a yummy pre-race dinner at the Ashburnham Ale House in Peterborough then visited Wild Rock Outfitters, the excellent local outdoor store where Wokitoki was shopping too. Back at the motel, we chatted with Arthurd, Olga, Browner, Mr. & Mrs. Gally, and Patty.



We'd planned to come early to visit the Canadian Canoe Museum but 'Bent went to the doctor instead to confirm that his eardrum is perforated - arggh. He really wanted to race and got permission as long as he used a silicone ear plug to keep water out. Unfortunately, he woke up this morning with chills, mild vertigo and upset stomach so we weren't sure how far he would get.

We saw many familiar, friendly faces around registration and at the bike/boat drops before taking a bus to Warsaw Caves Conservation area. Joe was one of several Americans visiting from blue states and I wondered whether they were all planning to go back. ;)

One member of each team started with a 1.75 km orienteering scramble to find three poker chips, then we headed off on a 10 km trek to find 6 CPs. I was racing solo so I got to do it all. :)

It had rained overnight and the rocks were slippery so I was glad to be wearing Salomon XA Pros instead of the AR bike shoes I wore last year. It meant I had to carry them around for the rest of the day in my backpack even though I never wore them again but that will just toughen me up. :)

Leaving CP24, I met 'Bent coming back to find it with several other racers. "Mistakes were made," he said.

They were. Here's my track in this area:



And this - with his permission - is his.



I felt slow during this run; lots of bikes were gone when I got to CP1. I ran into Arthurd near the end with one CP to go.

The next section was the first big test of my new bike, which had only been ridden on dry, familiar trails so far. I was tentative, unsure of what the bike would do in deep puddles, goopy mud or clusters of slimy rocks. A tire had gone flat this morning when I tried to pump it. The wheels have short valves and can be finicky about getting air in. So I wondered if it would be rideable when I got to the CP. It was.

I rode on paved and gravel roads toward CP2 and passed a few people while beginning to appreciate the benefits of 29ers. Rain started. The morning forecast had improved so I'd brought a lightweight windproof jacket rather than a Goretex raincoat. I'd also worn a long-sleeved tech shirt instead of a lightweight thermal shirt. Big mistake. Today's layers would have been fine for running in light rain but riding in the wind, I started to cool off. I put on the jacket at CP2.



We hit our first ATV trail with long, deep mud puddles that my bike ploughed through. It was my first time riding the Pivot on wet roots, rocks and mud and it handled really well. What a relief! I passed Olga on this stretch then we rode a little more gravel to get to a major paved road. I was chilly and debated stopping to change but I just wanted to get that 6 km over with and see if it would be warmer in the forest.

It wasn't. Shortly after CP3, I pulled off the trail to get a dry polypro top under my wet top layers and a Buff under my helmet. My dexterity was poor and the GPS track shows me stopped for 7 minutes (!!) including a snack and quick washroom break. About 8 people rode past. Next time I should put on the polypro top earlier and bring a real raincoat unless the forecast is bombproof.

This was near the start of a 10 km ATV trail ride that threw a little bit of everything at us in today's wet conditions. Over the first few kms, my confidence in the bike grew and I started having tons of fun. I love my bike! It's perfect for races like this.

We rode over to CP4 where we dropped our bikes to run around a tract of the Otonabee Region Agreement Forest and pick up a few more CPs. As I went in, 'Bent was finishing up looking reasonably healthy.

We rode another section of ATV trail on our way back. The CP was at the beginning of a 15 m long swamp wade. I got up to chest deep as I carried my bike and tried not to slip. After emerging from the water, we all stopped to pull grass and other vegetation from our gears, derailleurs and brakes. My bike had definitely lost its innocence.

We headed to the bike/paddle TA. It felt great to be in a fast kayak for the first time in 7 or 8 months and I couldn't stop smiling during almost 10 km on the beautiful Indian River. On the return portion of the out-and-back, the flow of racers coming toward me stopped but I knew there were friends I should have seen. Then I remembered the 4:30 p.m. cut-off to start paddling - uh oh.



It was great to see 'Bent and the Gally family as I took my boat out of the water, then I ran to the finish line inside the arena. (What a great idea!)





The Gallys crushed it, finishing as the top team and 3rd overall, I think. Wokitoki won overall.



'Bent was 2nd male masters and I was the top female solo, followed by Arthurd and Olga. Several other friends had great races and there were excellent prizes. I came home with a nice Storm shoe bag full of cider.





Thanks as always to Storm, Browner and the terrific team of race staff and volunteers!

Post-race... :)

For my last real ride before Storm the Trent, I went to Albion Hills to try familiar single track and see how the Pivot responded in different situations. Conditions were fantastic and it went well. Some things were easier on the 29er and nothing seemed harder, other than the need to be more attentive on corners and lean into them. I worry about clipping my wider handlebars on trees but so far, so good. It's becoming fun! I'm still uncertain about how the bike will behave when things are wet and muddy but I'll know a lot more about that after Saturday.

On one stretch of single track, I saw a very fit-looking man dressed in athletic clothing walking on the trail ahead. I wondered what had happened to his bike. It was Biker Rob cleaning up the trails! I took a long break to chat. Great to catch up. :)

When I got home, I did some final pre-race tests: I attached a map board and switched to my AR biking shoes. I rode around our yard and declared the Pivot officially ready to try its first race. I'd better get some photos first while it's still pretty.

We all need sources of motivation for our training. Today I was inspired to return to the Hockley Valley because the forest was so beautiful on Sunday.



Just kidding. I went back because I'd paid for a box of chocolate shortbread cookies and forgotten it on the counter of the Hockley General Store.

It was a good excuse to plan a short hill training session from the 5th Line parking lot south of Hockley Road. I recorded three tracks of different hill runs to/from the car so I can use this info later if I'm trying to climb a certain number of meters in a session. This first track is from the parking lot up the Hemlock Ridge Side Trail to the main Bruce Trail and east into the old ski club. I turned around at 2 km since the biggest climb was done - also because an approaching dog was sounding angry.

The forest really was spectacular in its spring finery!

Second hill - 5th line parking lot to Sally's Pinnacle via Hockley Heights Side Trail, then west on main Bruce Trail to 5th Line, then south on 5th Line to the "Share Road" sign at the top of the hill. Then back down.

Up and down Sally's Pinnacle from the 5th line parking lot. Short but steep.

I took my bike out for a short ride to make sure everything is fresh in my mind when I take it for its mini tune-up tomorrow. Also, I wanted to return to the first section of single track I did yesterday that felt so difficult then. I was hoping it would feel easier now that I'd worked on my 29er skills.

The tight turns and uphill banked curves were fine. I rode them without any problem - and that's not always true on my 26er. But once again I was defeated by the short, steep climb with off-angle roots and a bend at the top between trees. I didn't like to leave it that way so I went back down and tried again. And again. Etc. I think it was the 9th time that I finally got up the stupid thing and I don't think it will be any easier the next time.

So that's disappointing; I would usually get up that hill the first time on my 26er. There were two things happening: (1) I needed more speed and momentum to get up, and (2) the tires didn't seem to be gripping as well as I'm used to. I'll see if lower pressure helps.

Other than that, it was all good except for the noisy brake.

In case you missed it on Trav's log: a great article about senior running rock stars Ed Whitlock and Earl Fee, and what we can learn from them about running and aging. Earl Fee is a regular at our C3 banquet.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fit...

The local trails are almost entirely dry after all the rain so I finally got out for a real ride on my new bike! The first time I entered some twisty Palgrave single track, the trail spat me back out immediately. I missed the first tight turn, swerved the other way to miss a tree and retreated to the double track. Hmm...

I've been reading about some of the differences in riding 29ers vs. 26ers. Some riders don't notice much change but many of us do. Here are some of the things I'd heard:

- "The 29er is faster when it's rolling." Agreed. It deals well with any problem that can be solved by momentum.

- "Turning the bike involves more leaning and less steering." True, that's what got me in trouble on that first tight turn. It didn't take long to make the adjustment though, and there is still plenty of steering to do.

- "You don't need to spend as much time choosing good lines; you can just ride straight over stuff." I don't plan to give up riding good lines but I had fun today riding over stuff just to see how it went. (Pretty well.)

- "The 29er isn't as good at climbing." Conversely, I'd heard from a female friend that it made climbing much easier for her. By the end of the first hour, I felt the big wheels didn't make me a better climber on rolling Palgrave trails but they didn't make me worse either. I'll be interested to try some bigger hills. I made it up most of the climbs but there were a couple of rooty ones I will need to practise. I think good lines still matter when riding uphill over obstacles with big wheels - maybe less of a problem for stronger riders.

The 1X12 gear range seems fine. I reached for one more gear on the road but when it wasn't there, I just increased my cadence. One advantage of a front derailleur, I now realize, is the ability to drop a lot of gears quickly. I need to anticipate things better on a 1X.

I feel like I'm sitting a lot higher up (and thus have farther to fall) so I got out a measuring tape and learned that my seat is only 1" higher compared to my 26er: 40" vs. 39". That made me feel less nervous but my pedal is about 1.5" farther from the ground, which is why I feel high. When I need to put my foot down in an emergency, it isn't as quick.

I fell once today and it would have been just as bad on a 26er since I tipped over toward the steep downhill side of a trail into a bunch of pointy sticks. Fortunately, instead of skewering me, they caught me in a big nest. My bike landed on top of me and my first thought as I lay there was, "Aack! I'm not supposed to turn the bike upside down because of its hydraulic brakes!" My second thought was, "How am I going to get untangled?"

So... progress. The rear brake is making an awful noise (not caused by the fall) so I tried not to use it too much until I can get it looked at. I think I'll be brave enough to try riding it at Storm the Trent this weekend although the trails are going to be mucky and I don't have good instincts for the tires yet.

Lots of learning today and that's always good!
(Bike computer distance)

Caron's class. Many Achilles-stretching moves - perfect.

Canadian Olympic race walker Evan Dunfee just missed qualifying for Boston when he walked the Vancouver Marathon in 3:10 this morning!
http://runningmagazine.ca/evan-dunfee-2017-bmo-van...

Hockley Loop variation starting at 5th Line parking lot going clockwise. AdventureDog and I took the Isabel East, Glen Cross and Cam Snell side trails through Hockley Provincial Park instead of the main Bruce Trail in order to get more climb and distance. (To be honest, I'm not sure AdventureDog really cared as long as I found him nice creeks to drink from.) I skipped the southernmost side trail, Tom East, because it has less climb than the main Bruce.

We had a few stops to meet other dogs in addition to the creek breaks. I caught up on some podcasts and worried about how a southern Ontario resident can possibly get ready for Ultra Tour de Monte Rosa with its 40 km stages with 3,000 m elevation gain.

When I got back to the car, the elevation gain for the day was 991 m, which was obviously unacceptable so we did a quick climb to Sally's Pinnacle and thought of Funderstorm before running back down to the car. :)

The backs of my heels were hurting a bit; I think I'll need shoes with more drop for these long runs.

On a chilly, misty morning, we met up with Coach LD and Goose, who had already started paddling on the canal in the Holland Marsh. It was the kind of day when it felt tempting to curl up by the fireplace but it was great to get outside; we were toasty warm in all the gear we've collected for AR over the years.

'Bent wanted to check out a bay to the north of the canal west of Hwy 400. It kept going and going and ended up becoming our mission for the day as we made our way north toward the headwaters of the Holland River (I guess). There were a few fallen trees to maneuver around but we never had to get out of our canoes. The water levels were so high that at one point we realized we were actually paddling on a farmer's field, not the river. (The electric fence standing in the water was a strong clue, as were the large trees!) I doubt this paddle is possible very often and it was fun to explore the back yards of Holland Marsh farmers.

It was also fun to change into dry clothes and adjourn to the Grackle cafe in Schomberg. I warmed up with a latte and buttertart - a proper one with pecans, not raisins.

The trails are so soft from all the rain that I didn't want to wreck them but I couldn't let a brand new mountain bike (Pivot Mach 429SL Carbon) sit unridden! I did a bit of riding on our grass, our neighbour's double track and a short stretch of seldom-used trail at the north end of Palgrave West.

I was thinking it didn't feel like a very forgiving full suspension bike, then I remembered the shop had pumped up the tubeless tires to 40 psi to seal them and I was supposed to lower them to 25 psi before riding. Oops, I have a lot to learn. I went home and fixed that.

I remembered that 29er fans told me the big wheels just roll over everything, even going uphill. So I boldly aimed straight uphill at a wooden railway tie - and went down instantly because it was so slimy in the rain. Pro tip: it's a longer distance to the ground when you fall off a 29er.

The bike (still nameless) seems pretty good at getting up hills. I never wished for an easier granny gear on the 1X12 but I maxed out at the other end in one section of trail so it will be interesting to see how often I feel underpowered on the flats. I'm guessing it won't be too often that I can't solve the problem with higher cadence.

The cockpit needs to be stretched out since I'm too upright, which is surprising since it's a medium bike. No big deal. It was definitely fast and I think I'll learn to love it but it's really different from my Specialized 26er, and I don't have the right skills yet. Hmm, do I dare ride it for Storm The Trent on Saturday?

This bike is no Princess! Looking forward to my first real ride. :)

Watched some trail running films while the rain fell.

Mountain bike fail. I have a long history of bad luck when my front wheel is removed, ranging from little stuff like a malfunctioning bike computer or rubbing brakes to big stuff like when our support crew exchanged front wheels between a teammate and me before sending us on a long ride. (We just thought our bikes were in rough shape after all the mud; we didn't consider the clue that neither of our bike computers worked!)

The first time I touched my front brake today... nothing. I tried again - nothing. The third time, it worked a little but the disc brake was rubbing and it kept rubbing as I tried to ride. I pulled off the wheel and looked. A couple of loose parts came out of the brake too easily. For awhile, I tried to put it back together then I gave up. I could have ridden without front brakes but the rain was almost here and so is my new bike - tomorrow!

'Bent said the trails were dry in Palgrave Forest so I planned to go for a quick bike ride between monsoons.

But as I started to get ready, AdventureDog gave me this look.



So I took him running instead. The End.

Hip opening exercises

Most of you know about elite endurance athlete Danelle Ballengee's trail running accident in Moab in 2006 when she slid on black ice and fell 80 feet, banging into ledges on the way down. Her pelvis was shattered and she could barely move.

Her dog Taz stayed with her at first but on the 2nd day, he kept running off and returning. On the 3rd day, he discovered a search and rescue team at the trailhead and led them back to Danelle, saving her life. He won a National Hero Dog Award.

Meanwhile in Palgrave, I spilled some coffee today and heroic BazingaDog fled in a panic and hasn't returned to that room since. I'd better not fall off any cliffs because it looks like I'll be on my own.

Caught up on some Mountain Outpost video podcasts. Heavy rain last night and all of today. The trails are going to be messy and we may need to practise paddling an ark.

'Bent and I went to the PB Studio for a TRX class.

And then we stayed for Caron's Boot Camp. Might as well tire ourselves out fully before our rest day tomorrow.