Training Log Archive: Bash

I've been dehydrating a lot recently in this hot weather. Not myself - fruits and vegetables. Our canoe trip is coming up! :)

Well, that's a wrap for another Tour de France. It was an interesting one to follow - definitely not a coronation of an obvious winner. Thanks to Mother Nature, this year's race will be remembered for many years.

For TdF fans who missed it, I've just discovered this touching tribute by Phil Liggett to his late friend and fellow commentator for 34 years, Paul Sherwen. Paul had a passion for cycling, a great sense of fun and a suitcase full of courage.

I met Amber and Mrs. Gally for some hill repeats at Georgian Peaks. It's officially closed for construction so it's probably not open on week days but no work was happening today, and there were several other groups on the trail. It started out hot but got cloudy and even sprinkled rain for a while. I wish it had rained more!

It was a relatively easy pace where we walked uphill and jogged downhill, talked, waited for the group to come together, stopped to chat with people who knew Mrs. Gally, took breaks at the top and bottom, etc. I figure it might be similar to the later hours of a mountain race where there are aid station stops, adjustments to clothing and gear, a slower pace, etc. Although it felt pretty easy, our pace would have just met cut-offs in most mountain races.

Mrs. Gally and Dee both moved up to Collingwood full time over the last two weeks. So cool. :)

Hot day! I started at the Beaver Valley Ski Club where I did a couple of extra hills before running a Bruce Trail/Side Trail loop. I went down the west side of the valley then turned down Graham's Hill Side Trail and up Campbell's Hill Road to the top (continuing up past the trail turn-off for extra climb). Then I ran down to the trail and back up the east side of the valley on the BT before the final descent. I didn't see any poison ivy, which is amazing in southern Ontario, but there was a lot of overgrown vegetation so I kept checking my arms and legs for ticks. It was a great route but my legs (and brain) have no energy when it's this hot so it was slow.

Afterward, I picked up a yummy pesto chicken pizza at Justin's Oven in Kimberley. Between that and the Kimberley General Store, there are some very delicious reasons to run from the BV Ski Club.

Finally had time to watch today's Tour de France stage. Wow.

Another milestone in the journey as I drove around southern Ontario and delivered the final bequests from Mom's will. It's one of the few "nice" jobs of being an executor although it's bittersweet.

Browner and I met for a catch-up run in Hockley - the main Bruce Trail + the first two side trails. The temperature and humidity were a little lower so it was a perfect day for it. My legs are tired from RockstAR but I felt surprisingly good running and climbing hills. Maybe it's a post-Canmore training effect or maybe it's just that good conversation takes my mind off my muscles. I need to get back there soon; the trails are in great shape.

Browner is training to race Wilderness Traverse with teammates from New York so I subbed in as her bow paddler on a circumnavigation of Island Lake. It was sunny with a decent breeze - really nice. Out of curiosity, we checked our speed as she switched between kayak paddle and canoe paddle in the stern. In these conditions where the breeze made it necessary for the stern paddler to steer a fair bit, we didn't notice any obvious difference in speed between the two. The canoe paddle takes less effort and throws less water into the boat. Hmm.

Fun training day! :)

Home from Bark Lake. Goose came over for dinner and Tour de France watching. We raised a toast to dear Pops (his Dad), who passed away on Friday.

RockstAR, Bark Lake

I've only ever done RockstAR with 'Bent in the past but as the defending champion with Hammer, he already had a team. Dee agreed to race with me and stuck to her commitment even after her house closed and she learned she would be moving her family of five just 4 days after the race. As a longtime event registrar, I've seen people drop out of races when they get a hangnail or an extra homework assignment so I was very impressed that she showed up saying, "I signed up for the race first."

We reviewed the map and discussed a few route options. Everyone would start with a mandatory paddle around Bark Lake then for the remainder of the 8 hours, we could spread out and find controls using foot, bike or canoe: our choice. The only requirement was that we had to check in at the main hub between 4-6 p.m. (The race finishes at 7 p.m.)

One obvious route was to start with a long road bike ride to the south end of the map to pick up some high value controls. Then we could pick up as many controls as possible on the return trip including some of the fun activity controls around the lake - inner tube, SUP, slingshot, team photo, etc.

We decided to be contrarians. We figured most teams would go south - probably faster than we would - so our best chance was to try something different. Since we ride pretty well on technical trails, we decided to head east on the Lakota Trail, bikewhack over to an ATV trail with a couple of 90-pointers, then ride to the northwest corner of the map, which had several high-pointers close to roads. Then we'd come back, ride south across the portage to Bark Lake and ride along the lakeshore to the hub. Then we'd do whatever else we had time for - and we assumed there would still be a couple of hours.

We were so wrong. (Mostly me.) We got off to a good start and survived the bikewhack. The ATV trails had the usual wet, mucky spots but we were able to ride around or through a lot of it. I looked for 91 too early, which wasted some time, then we headed to the northwest on a long ATV trail ride that was quite messy a lot of the time.

According to Storm, this was the hottest RockstAR with the most voracious deer flies in memory. I've done hotter races but I don't remember the deer flies ever munching on me as much as they did this time. Or maybe I've just blocked it out. I'd also never seen them focus so hard on a few locations on my body. Although I got random bites almost everywhere in spite of using repellent, there were a bunch of bites on my forehead under my helmet visor, another bunch of bites on my right hand through my bike glove (but not my left hand), and another bunch of bites in one area of my left thigh. So weird. I'm told I had blood running down my face at the finish line.



Dee hadn't wanted to hike much in her bike shoes but she ended up doing just that. Part of the sole ripped off one shoe, her ankle turned, a pointy log sliced her arm as she rode by, and her ample supply of water ran out. Not being a complainer, she barely mentioned any of this.

We'd planned to visit three high value controls in the northwest but I wasted time with some nav confusion, and we only made it to two controls (one of them with 'Bent and Hammer - and they had a nav bobble too) before we realized it was going to be tight to hit the 7-hour deadline to check in at the hub.

We were riding well on the way back but incredibly, neither of us saw the small portage trail to Bark Lake as we focused on riding narrow strips of harder mud between deep trenches of soft mud. We were pushing hard and rode an extra 1.4 km, all the while thinking, "We should see the portage any minute." Tarno later told me that in one of the old FAR races, his team never found the portage and ended up bushwhacking to Bark Lake. The dumb thing is that I've been on that portage trail half a dozen times but I've never gone to the northwest of the map before so I was approaching it in an unaccustomed way. Also, my brain was probably cooked in the heat.

We didn't have much hope but we rode hard along the lakeshore trail, which isn't designed for biking. We carried our bikes through two swamps where we went in waist deep. The trail had fallen trees and other minor obstacles to keep us on our toes. In the end, we were 12 minutes late for the check-in at the hub. We would have been asked for a mandatory gear check before checking in, and we learned that 'Bent and Hammer did that with only 2 minutes to spare so I don't think we ever had much of a chance. I know of two other teams who went northwest and also missed the check-in deadline. We should have picked up 90 and 91, then turned south at the portage when we first got there.

So our "go big or go home" strategy ended up with us "going home"! On the bright side, we had a tough all-day workout and we enjoyed an icy can of Coke before heading to our wonderful cabin (Tamarack Staff) where we had showers before everyone else got back. As always, it was a fun post-RockstAR evening with good food, great music and lots of friends to catch up with. Thank you to Storm and all his staff and volunteers for putting on another fantastic event!

At Bark Lake for RockstAR, sharing a nice staff cabin with ‘Bent, Dee, Hammer and Etoile. We had visitors tonight too - Arthurd, Tarno and Milla!

Since I'm racing RockstAR with a teammate this weekend, I thought it would be wise to ride my bike once before the weekend. I hadn't been on a bike since Storm the Trent in May. I'd forgotten that July is a time of poison ivy and horse poop in large sections of Palgrave Forest but otherwise it was a good ride. My bike seems to forgive me for totally abandoning it while I focus on other things in life for a while. It didn't even need air in its tires. I don't deserve it.

[Bike computer distance]

I just learned that a high school friend has died, probably of a heart attack. We hadn't been in touch in several decades until we reconnected on Facebook 7 or 8 years ago. Last month when I was going to Brantford for meetings regarding Mom's estate, I went an hour early to have coffee with him and catch up on his life in person for the first time since we were teenagers. I'm so glad I went. I have a tendency to put these things off because it seems like there's all the time in the world. There isn't.

'Bent and I traveled home today. Back to real life far too quickly: I'm busy preparing for a meeting with the Town building official tomorrow.

On a more cheerful note... Looking back over our 7 days in Canmore, I ran or hiked:
104 km
with 6072 m of elevation gain

The race I'm training for, CCC at UTMB, is:
101 km
with 6100 m of elevation gain

It wasn't intentional but I completed the equivalent of CCC out west, spread out over a 7-day period with sleep every night.

The other important numbers:

Our training week runs took me 23.5 hours total.
I will have to finish CCC in no more than 26.5 hours non-stop.

I wasn't racing last week and I took a lot of photos on the clock - but given that I did the distance over 7 days, I'm not sure I'll be going any faster in a nonstop race. It's going to be close!

For the final day of our Rockies trip, 'Bent and I joined a group of Canmore runners heading from Banff Sunshine to Healy Pass and beyond. 'Bent ran near the front with Adam Campbell. Carbon's Offset was also at the front with Carbon not far behind. Myka and I swept the course.

The trail stays in the forest for the first 7 km then emerges into a wildflower meadow with mountain views that just keep getting better and better.





This was the view behind us as we approached Healy Pass. For brief moments, we could see Mt. Assiniboine in the distance.



This is the view on the other side of the pass looking toward Egypt Lake, where some of the runners went next.



Our goal was Healy Pass since that seemed like enough after such a heavy week. But I'd be lying if I didn't admit to some FOMO for turning back on such a nice day. A few of us enjoyed a break at the pass.







Then we ran down most of the way.

'Bent and I went for a hike with Flight, who reminded me that I've known her for 31 years (we met when she was two). Her friend Celia joined us. Carbon was our local guide today and wisely chose West Wind Pass, where you get some of the most amazing views around with only 2.5 km of hiking. (Then it's 2.5 km back down!)



It goes without saying that the hike is uphill but fortunately, the views start early.



When we arrived at West Wind Pass, we could see Wind Ridge, the green slope where we had an epic "lost iPhone" adventure with Carbon's Offset in 2017.



True to its name, the pass was windy so we tucked in behind some rocks.



To our right was Windtower, which 'Bent and I scrambled up with Carbon's Offset in 2017. The hiker's route is not shown in this photo!



A wider angle view looking over the pass into the Bow Valley.



Heading down.





Spray Lakes Reservoir



This was a "rest" day but my legs still felt the climbing. Tomorrow is our final run of the trip with a group of experienced locals including the Carbons and Myka. I suspect my legs may crash and burn after my toughest training week in a very long time - especially since we came here just one week after the Québec Megatrail 50 miler. I'm going to carry my own bear spray in case I get dropped by everyone.

Carbon's Offset took today off to provide guiding services for our Canmore Day Camp. We hiked and occasionally jogged the long trail into Floe Lake in Kootenay National Park, then continued up to Numa Pass before retracing our steps. 'Bent and I had done this route as part of a longer backpacking trip in the early 1990s and it was a lot easier today with our tiny day packs.

A forest fire has changed the landscape dramatically since our last trip. We started near Hwy 93 and followed the valley to the headwall below Floe Lake.









Fortunately, Floe Lake hasn't changed. The spectacular cliffs behind it are 1,000 m high so we felt very small.





Carbon's Offset talked us into continuing to Numa Pass - a brilliant idea in spite of how tired my legs felt on Day 5 in the Rockies. First there was a green plateau with larches and meadows of colourful wildflowers.





Then we climbed above treeline to Numa Pass where the wind was blowing and there were still big patches of snow. Here's the view back toward Floe Lake.



And this was the view in front of us.



It had taken awhile to get up here so we played around a bit before heading down to warm up.







Then it was time to run 13.7 km back to the car, mostly downhill.





Thanks to our guide for a fantastic day! 'Bent and I went out for a *big* dinner that included peanut butter chocolate cheesecake for me.

[Time includes some extended stops.]

Carbon and Myka generously led 'Bent and me on a tour of the Arnica Lake and Twin Lakes Trails, east of Hwy 93 between Banff and Lake Louise. We set up a car shuttle between the Arnica and Twin Lakes trailheads then ran downhill to Vista Lake.



From there, it was a steady climb toward the other lakes. This was our 4th day of climbing bigger hills than we have in Ontario with less oxygen in our blood so my legs weren't exactly energetic. We had great views west on our way up.





We arrived at Arnica Lake and continued on to the Twin Lakes. We had a little rain but not enough to really test my new jacket. That's OK - I can wait. :)



We met some Swiss campers who took a group shot for us.



Each lake had a different stunning backdrop.







As we headed down on the Twin Lakes trail, it disappeared into a wetland. Based on the footprints, we weren't the only ones who wandered a bit. Between our maps and apps, we got back on the trail. There was a lot of water and goopy mud for the first few kms heading down from the lakes. It was OK but we all agreed it was a trail we didn't need to do twice.



Myka danced across this bridge easily. My feet slid out on the slimy, wet wood and I smacked my left knee.





After driving Myka and Carbon back to their car after we finished, 'Bent and I treated ourselves to a yummy lunch at Storm Mountain Lodge. After looking around the lodge and cabins, we've put it on our list for a future overnight stay. It has wonderful character and warmth, and it's surrounded by terrific trails and views.

'Bent and I had hoped to do a trail tour around my old stomping grounds at Lake Louise but the area is so popular that most tourists have to park in a lot down by the highway and take a shuttle bus up. We parked and headed for the line-up, where a park employee was telling people it would be a 2.5 hour wait for a bus. So we drove back to Banff for our Plan B, the Cory Pass-Edith Pass Loop. It's a wonderful route so it wasn't a letdown at all.

The trail climbs *very* steeply, gaining much of its altitude in the first few kilometres.



The first section travels through alpine meadow so at least we could enjoy the wildflowers while we were huffing and puffing. This one was our favourite.



After a short, sketchy rock descent where I was hanging on to trees, we were travelling up the valley toward Cory Pass.



The trail rolls up and down along the side of the valley.



At Cory Pass, looking back at our route.



Turning 180 degrees at Cory Pass and looking toward Gargoyle Valley, the next part of the loop.



Posing to prove we both survived the climb.





Starting down the scree into Gargoyle Valley. Mount Cory is on the left.



Looking to the right - the direction we would be going. Mount Louis is the imposing peak on the left. The trail runs through the scree on the right side of the valley.



Nearing the end of the valley.



A look back at Mount Louis from another angle before we entered the forest and started the looooooong downhill run.



Then we went into Banff where I splurged on an Arc'Teryx Norvan SL Hoodie - their lightest Goretex jacket, which I'd heard good things about. Now I'm hoping for some rain so I can try it! :)

'Bent and I hiked up Mount Lady MacDonald, the mountain in the Carbons' back yard. The trail climbs almost non-stop with a couple of vague, scrambly sections through rocky areas. There are terrific views of the Bow Valley and the town of Canmore.









Most people stop at an abandoned wooden helipad to see the views and take a break before the steep descent.









We hadn't gone above the helipad on our previous trip so we continued up the scree to the first big knoll. This is the view looking back toward the helipad.



And the view if you turn left 90 degrees.



This is the view looking up toward the summit of Lady Mac. Even getting to this spot, the small scree was slippery so this last bit looks sketchy.



We ran down - at least the parts where it wasn't slippery or extremely rocky or rooty.

A short distance from the parking lot, we met two women clutching a can of bear spray with the safety catch off. "Tell me, is it safe?", asked one of them, pointing up the trail.

"What do you mean by 'safe'?", I asked.

"No bears. No cougars."

"Well, there *are* bears and cougars but we didn't see any. We also saw a lot of people." I demonstrated a call they could make on the trail to scare animals.

She was shocked, "Really?!"

As I left them, 'Bent was coughing hard about 10 meters away. We think he inhaled some of their bear spray! To make him feel better, we went to Le Fournil bakery and followed that up with some craft beer and dinner with Myka and the Carbons.

'Bent and I had a big day planned with Carbon, Carbon's Offset, Myka, Slice, Steve and several other Canmore runners. Starting at Dead Man's Flats, we were going to head up Centennial Ridge to Mt. Allan and possibly do a lollipop route including a scramble up and down Mt. Collembola.



The weather couldn't have been more perfect and the temperature was blissfully cool after the last week in Ontario. Rain was forecast around 2 p.m. but we got on the trail in good time.



Most of the group



A photo by Carbon's Offset to prove I was there



Two of Canada's most successful female adventure racers, Slice and Carbon



We ran together in the early section of double track. When the trail started to climb, the group split up as planned. Carbon, Myka and I maintained a more civilized pace in the second group. The lead group turned off and started the scramble up Collembola, which turned out to be more of a bushwhack than expected. By then, some clouds had rolled in so we decided to stay on the main trail toward Mt. Allan, figuring that we could turn back more easily if the weather got bad. If the weather stayed good, we could meet the other group on the peak and run back together.



After climbing, climbing and more climbing, we were near the treeline when rain started to fall, and we heard a loud crack of thunder. Carbon whirled and started running downhill. Myka and I followed as the thunder continued. Then the hail began - so big that it hurt. Myka put on a second jacket.





There was only one thing to do.



Slice's partner Steve is a co-owner of the Canmore Brewing Company - a much better place to be on a stormy day.



But I'm getting ahead of myself. We ran down the mountain, getting passed by 'Bent and Steve near the bottom. Naturally, the weather had turned sunny by the time we reached the parking lot. We'd had a good workout even without reaching our goal so we headed for Sunday brunch, where we had a good chat with Jason Cagampan! He lives in Vancouver now and was sitting at a nearby table. Crazy coincidence.

Then we went to the brewery. Training weeks are tough. The End.

Our day got better. This is the morning coffee view from our balcony in Canmore.

Grrr, got to bed early before our flight but my stressed brain kept me awake.

I've mentioned my Town building department woes here from time to time. Coles Notes version: we asked our contractor to obtain a permit for a small deck/balcony, which he wouldn't normally do. He got the permit for what was built in March 2018 - or at least he thought he did. If you saw it, you'd probably agree it's a nice little deck.

Then the Town took a closer look and started picking at all kinds of new things. They gave us a list of tasks to complete, and the design was almost done when a new manager arrived and started everything from scratch. At one point, the Town insisted that an engineer stand in our yard to witness something. I explained that I have two degrees in structural engineering and a current P.Eng. so I could do that. No, they wanted a different engineer to stand and watch - not that any actual engineering would be done. That alone was $450 and accomplished nothing.

Today I got the estimate from the contractor to meet the Town's latest requirements to turn our tiny deck into Fort Knox: $16,006. Un-frickin-believable.

It's a good thing there is chocolate in the house. And wine. P.S. Don't ever live in Caledon.

Runner’s World has listed its 20 favourite running documentaries.
https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a2085...

Where are some other good lists or individual documentaries? Funderstorm, I know you’re always finding good ones.

I ran to the mailbox today. My legs feel semi-normal after being unable to walk straight down stairs on Sunday and Monday.