Training Log Archive: Bash

Note

On New Year's Eve 30 years ago, I started dating this guy. He's still hanging around - I guess I'll keep him. :)

Running (Trail & Bushwhacking) 1:30:53 [3] 11.11 km (8:11 / km) +237m 7:23 / km
shoes: Salomon Snowspikes 1

Family run through Palgrave East and West in honour of New Year's Eve. After two days of depressing rain and fog, it was fantastic to wake up and see fresh snow coating the ground and trees.

'Bent ran with BazingaDog on a leash while AdventureDog ran free. We did a little bushwhacking in Palgrave West but spent most of our time on trails with a base of hard ice covered by 3-7 cm of fluffy snow. We usually had sufficient traction with our spikes but there were a few slippery bits. It was a great finish to a very difficult year.

Running (Treadmill) 36:14 [3] 5.0 km (7:15 / km)

Running (Trail) 1:13:46 [3] 6.91 km (10:41 / km) +295m 8:48 / km
shoes: Salomon Snowcross1 2nd pair

XC Skiing - Classic (Ungroomed) 1:06:09 [3] 8.73 km (7.9 kph) +189m

Snowshoeing (Ungroomed) 47:15 [3] 3.22 km (14:42 / km) +96m 12:47 / km
shoes: Salomon Snowcross 2 Unspiked

We'd never tried Highlands' snowshoe trails because we usually go there for their good ski conditions but today was a good day to experiment. 'Bent and I did the yellow and orange loops. We enjoyed the trails, which were interesting and mostly covered with 10+ cm of snow - but the first section was a little thin.



Then 'Bent and I went to Coach LD and Goose's place for a fun and yummy lunch with Phatty, Leanimal, Kynyn, Bob, Hermes and Hank. What a treat to spend so much relaxed time with friends.

Trekking (Trail) 1:35:25 [1] 5.5 km (17:20 / km) +40m 16:44 / km
shoes: Salomon Snowcross 2 Unspiked

'Bent, BazingaDog, AdventureDog and I met Jan, Neil, Lady and Paddington for a nice, chatty hike around Loree Forest. The trail was a mix of very soft snow and very hard ice. We met lots of other dogs, which added to the adventure.

Note

"Christmas will have many iterations in your life" - a line from this Globe essay that hit home. While Richard and I try out new holiday traditions this year, we are remembering Christmases past with joy, gratitude and love.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Snowshoe Running (Trail & Bushwhacking) 1:24:28 [3] 7.95 km (10:37 / km) +291m 8:59 / km
shoes: Salomon Snowcross 2 Unspiked

'Bent, BazingaDog, AdventureDog and I met Mark, Jackie, Milla and Koko Tarnopolsky for a Christmas morning snowshoe run at Pretty River. I tried to drop off the back halfway up the escarpment but everyone stuck to the "no one left behind" rule today so I couldn't slack off. Once we got to the top, my legs were warmed up. It was beautiful in the early morning light with crunchy snow and ice on the trails. Kahtoolas would have been enough if we had stayed on trails (which we didn't always) although our snowshoes helped to prevent ankle sprains. A good time was had by all, both humans and beasts!





Then 'Bent and I cleaned up and headed to the Collingwood Christmas Day Feast where we worked as volunteer elves helping to serve a delicious meal to 150 community members and dozens of volunteers.

"Whether new to town or far away from family, Christmas can be a lonely time, and for others, financial or emotional barriers may make it difficult to put together a Christmas dinner. Some people simply want to enjoy holiday cheer with others in the community. The event is non-denominational and open to all ages."







"Only in Canada would a Jewish vegetarian stand next to the ham at a Christmas buffet serving squash to a Muslim family." ~ 'Bent

XC Skiing - Classic (Groomed Trail) 2:07:16 [3] 20.13 km (9.5 kph) +374m

Note

Snowshoeing (Trail) 1:28:38 [1] 3.15 km (28:09 / km) +113m 23:51 / km
shoes: Salomon Snowcross 2 Unspiked

While 'Bent and Timato skied around Scenic Caves, I went snowshoeing with Aubrey and K-Way. We ran into Hermes, Bob and Hank heading out for a ski with Ryan Atkins and Lyndsay Webster. Obviously, they gave Hank's ski chariot to Ryan.

We didn't make great time but we had some major successes including a spectacular trek across the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in Ontario (a little scary for our first timer) and an ascent to the Lookout where the cafe was closed, unfortunately.





We had a rule that if any snowshoer was lying on the ground, they became a legitimate snowball target.



It's hard work being a Mom.



Afterwards, everyone stopped by the playground including the Miller family.









Some big kids were hogging the equipment.

XC Skiing - Classic (Groomed and Ungroomed) 1:32:26 8.22 km (5.3 kph) +168m

A fun, mixed bag of skiing at Highlands. At first, 'Bent, Timato, K-Way, Aubrey and I skied together. Then Timato and Aubrey headed off on their own so the rest of us did a non-standard ski nav tour combining trails with some slow bushwhacking. Back at the chalet, we chatted with Goose and Coach LD. It was a sunny, beautiful first day of winter! :)









Then we went back to the condo for snacks and a puppet show explaining Kwanzaa and Christmas. We'd seen the puppet show about Hanukkah before we went skiing.

Snowshoe Running (Ungroomed) 1:27:58 [3] 6.02 km (14:36 / km) +305m 11:39 / km
shoes: Salomon Snowcross 2 Unspiked

Dee, Mrs. Gally, Nicole and I parked at Osler and did a loop on their snowshoe trails. I had no idea these trails existed and they're amazing! Especially today with all the fresh powder from the snow squalls.





Although I'm calling this a snowshoe run, there was a lot of slow climbing and trail breaking through fluffy snow. We often had to look for trail markers where the trail hadn't been broken because there was snow plastered on some of the signs. But when we got on flat or downhill broken trail, we ran.



The scenery was beautiful in the forest and also when we got the occasional view.





Nicole and Dee took the rope down the cliff - a route that is closed in winter. Mrs. Gally and I didn't trust it so we ran around the cliff on trails.



Mrs. Gally bought us hot chocolate for the road! This was an excellent start to the Christmas holiday. Tonight Timato, K-Way and Aubrey arrived in Collingwood so we're looking forward to some snowy adventures.

Snowshoeing (Bushwhacking) 58:46 [2] 3.63 km (16:12 / km) +172m 13:06 / km
shoes: Salomon XR Crossmax CS pink/gr

XC Skiing - Classic (Ungroomed) 44:09 [3] 4.65 km (6.3 kph) +100m

XC Skiing - Classic (Ungroomed) 43:45 [3] 5.25 km (7.2 kph) +95m

Running (Road) 1:00:53 [3] 9.63 km (6:19 / km) +196m 5:44 / km
shoes: Salomon S-Lab Wings 8

Egg Nog Jog 10K at Albion Hills

Once again, I dressed as an elf.



For the first 5K lap, I felt reasonably good - just a little fatigued from yesterday's long run. By the 2nd lap, I was a *lot* fatigued! The race takes place on park roads but they're very hilly and there was a little snow and ice. I ran it all and smiled the whole time but those are the only good things I can say about my performance.

When I didn't see 'Bent heading back toward me, I knew something was up. I discovered him volunteering at the 2.5 km turnaround. His knee hurt too much after yesterday. :( At least he got some photos.



I was 42/60 in my age category, haha! I think that's a personal worst.

Here's Jessey The Elf who won overall for the 2nd year in a row with a time of 34:29. That is his legal name and he also got surgery to make his ears pointed. Not only did he run faster than I did, he put much greater effort into his costume.



The race helped to raise funds for Olympian Geneviève Lalonde, who won the 5K race handily, placing 3rd overall behind 17-year-old triathlon star Tristen Jones and her fiancé John Rasmussen. I chatted with them afterward. They mentioned the Trav/Baloney New Year's Day tradition and I had to let them down gently. ;)

Running (Trail) 3:02:52 [3] 21.18 km (8:38 / km) +397m 7:54 / km
shoes: Salomon Snowcross1 2nd pair

The Log Run - Chris Laughren's (DoubleDown_on11's) incredible birthday party!

More than 50 people signed up to run different distances along the Bruce Trail. Chris' and Alisha's families shuttled everyone from Rattlesnake Point to their starting location along the Bruce Trail. Everything was timed so that the longer distance runners would catch up with shorter distance runners, with the idea that we should all finish at our cars close to the same time.

'Bent signed up for the 43 km group. (Guess how old Chris is turning today.) I wanted to do the full distance too but that group consisted entirely of speedy runners so I joined the 21 km group instead. They started out at an anaerobic pace for me so I was grateful when we met up with the 10 km runners and I could chat a little. A lot of the trail was quite rocky and technical - perfect for ankle twisting but fortunately I didn't.

'Bent caught up and decided to stay with me since his hamstring and knee were bothering him. We didn't print the map but we probably should have since we took a couple of detours that made the route longer. As it turned out, that was necessary to get the full half-marathon so it's all good.

It was a great group and a fantastic winter day for running. Afterward, Chris and his family hosted a big bash at the Orange Snail Brewery with interesting beer (of course), pizza and other yummy food, a terrific band "Double The Pleasure", and a wonderful crowd of friends. Even local MP and Olympic gold medalist kayaker Adam Van Koeverden stopped by to say hello. Many thanks to Storm and Browner for hosting BazingaDog and AdventureDog at their place all day, which made this possible for us.

XC Skiing - Classic (Ungroomed) 56:16 [3] 7.03 km (7.5 kph) +158m

Beautiful, peaceful sunset ski around Palgrave West. Our old tracks were a little icy so I detoured around a couple of steep hills but mostly I enjoyed the speed. I broke trail on the Charlevoix Loop, which had only been used by coyotes and deer since the last snowfall. Apparently, everyone else can read the new No Trespassing sign. I'd cleared some fallen trees from the bottom of one hill a few days ago, which turned out to be good timing because today I missed the turn and ended up in the runaway lane leading into the New Trails. (They are thus named because we only discovered them 18 years ago!) It was pretty dark in the forest by the time I got back.

And then a Major Event - pizza delivery to our house! In the 21 years we've lived in the boonies, food delivery has rarely been an option. The dogs were over the moon.

Strength & Mobility 32:00 [3]

Snowshoe Running (Ungroomed) 47:33 [4] 5.5 km (8:38 / km) +92m 7:58 / km
shoes: Salomon XR Crossmax CS pink/gr

As a workout, snowshoe running is right up there with skate skiing for me. It's pretty hard for me to do either sport while carrying on a conversation. Fortunately, AdventureDog wasn't too chatty today. We did a run around Palgrave West on my new Dion snowshoes. Our friend Derrick Spafford sells these running-specific snowshoes, and I've always been curious about them. When they went on sale recently, I decided to add to my outdoor gear collection. :)

My first impression is that they feel good. I'd need to switch back and forth with my Atlas Race snowshoes to see if I can feel a difference. I think they're less springy so there was less snow thrown up onto my back - although Atlas promotes their springiness as a speed advantage. I kicked my left ankle with my right snowshoe half a dozen times so I wonder if they have a different shape. I suspect that indicated a problem with running form, given that I never kicked my right ankle with my left snowshoe. Anyway, they worked just fine and I'm looking forward to testing both sets of snowshoes a little more.



AdventureDog said, "Stop taking pictures and start running. Woof! Woof!"

Note

Sneak peak at the family photo I'm going to use in our Christmas letter. Storm took it during Saturday's Loree Forest hike so I've added it to that log entry too. It's rare to get all four family members looking at the camera. :)

XC Skiing - Classic (Ungroomed) 1:47:12 [3] 13.56 km (7.6 kph) +210m

Sunday's storm took us from bare ground to decent ski conditions because it started with ice pellets, which gave us a good base layer. It looks like conditions might be reasonable for a few more days. :)) This was our back yard today.



I went for a midday ski behind our house, starting in Palgrave West then heading to Palgrave East. In recent years, Palgrave East has attracted more fat bikers and winter hikers so our ski tracks often get trashed, which isn't as much fun. But now that the ash trees are dying in Palgrave West and the trails are blocked in a couple of places, I'll be crossing Duffy's Lane more often and hoping that the different trail users can learn to play nicely together.

It was beautiful and peaceful today. I saw lots of footprints and tire tracks but I seemed to have the place to myself.





Ready to break trail in Palgrave West. Note the dying ash tree overhanging the trail in the middle of the photo.

Note

Running (Trail) 1:35:01 [3] 10.53 km (9:01 / km) +323m 7:49 / km
shoes: Salomon SpikeCross - 2nd pair

Browner, Jackie and I ran at Pretty River in wind and freezing rain while 'Bent, Storm, Tarno and Mr. Gally ran a wee bit faster in the same area. They had 4 dogs to chase, which undoubtedly helped. We had the Tarnos' Koko with us until halftime when we ran into the boys. Then she abandoned us due to our poor route choices, and Contour joined us to keep tabs on Browner.

It was one of those days when the weather looked horrible when we were sitting indoors looking out the window but once we were outside... the weather also looked horrible! It was actually kinda fun, other than all the ice scraping when we got back to the cars.

[Although the distance, time and elevation gain seem right, the first part of my GPS track is missing from the map. We ascended on the east side, passing the easternmost pond in the park.]