Training Log Archive: Bash

Ran half of the Mizzy Lake Trail (Algonquin Park), then realized we were short of time, so ran back to our car on the Arowhon Pines lodge access road. The trail was a real challenge in the pouring rain. It was tough to choose a safe place to put your foot down in the tangle of wet rocks, tree roots and mud puddles. Leafy branches kept hitting us in the face like a car wash, so we were soaked to the skin from the outset on a relatively cool day. Because the trail was so wet and technical, I couldn't spend much time looking at the amazing forest and ponds around us. My ankle is still too fragile for that. Once we got onto the dirt road, we were able to push the pace more. In fact, I needed to do that, because it didn't take much to get hypothermic in the rain. Even though it was a beautiful place, this wasn't my favourite run of the year.

Algonquin Park - As a warm-up, we rode from the Minnesing Trail parking lot into Canisbay Campground to visit the Hingorani family. After reading so much about cadence on Attackpoint lately, I manually counted what felt like a high cadence on a road section, and now I have a sense of what 80 rpm feels like (not really super-high). Normally, I don't have hummingbird cadence like Lance - I'm a big gear grinder like Jan. But I have a bad knee, so I figure it's worth trying to change my technique.

Minnesing Trail, Algonquin Park.

This is an annual tradition - always lots of fun. This year, the whiteboard at the trailhead was plastered with warnings: "Very Rough Conditions!", "Many Sections Unrideable!", "Not for Inexperienced Riders", etc. So it wasn't a year to break records. They've apparently had a wetter year than usual - we don't remember seeing so much mud in September. However, that made for good AR practice. Especially on the first half of the trail, we did a lot of weaving to choose the best line through deep muck between rocks, then we would do a dry, rocky climb with a nice ride along a hill before descending into the next mud pit. The second half of the trail is an old carriage road, and parts of it provided a fun, blazing fast ride. I haven't done as much technical riding this year as in other years, but things went pretty well, and it didn't feel like a big aerobic challenge, so I guess that part of my training is working. Luckily, the rain held off for us!

Kayak paddling, since we had an odd number of family members to go in canoes. We returned to the canoe campsite where 'Bent and I were married ten years ago and asked the occupants if we could come ashore for five minutes with our parents. They were very nice and thought this was really cool. One of them was a justice of the peace, and offered to renew our vows! Nice to return there with the family.

Kayaking on Little Joe Lake in Algonquin Park. I'm not super-keen on sit-on-top kayaks, since you get pretty wet, plus you sit in a pool of water all the time. I bravely (foolishly?) took my non-waterproof camera and got a couple of nice shots.

This was the perfect day for a light bike ride because I haven't ridden since Endurance Aventure, and I did a lot of orienteering last week. However, BulletDog gave me such a loyal-loving-lonely look that I had to make it a run in the woods instead!

I forgot to mention my wildlife sighting earlier in the week - a baby porcupine about 30 meters from our front door. Hope the dogs steer clear.

We're off to Arowhon Pines lodge in Algonquin Park for a few days of carb-loading interspersed with socializing and some outdoor fun. 'Bent and I were married ten years ago (as of next Thursday) at a backcountry canoe campsite 2 km from the lodge. Everyone sat on their PFDs while we said our vows (yes, we had mandatory gear), and there was a string quartet and portable organ in the woods. Then dozens of canoes joined us for the long procession back to the lodge for the reception. We're looking forward to going back up there with our families this weekend! :-)

Getting back into the routine. Need to do lots of work on this over the fall and winter, since I'm not quite as strong as I was in the spring. Had to watch Jeopardy instead of the Daily Show after the PVR went on the fritz. Both programs are probably equally educational.

Removed Sprint Finals from my calendar, considering the length of the drive, and the fact that no one else from southern Ontario appears to be going. Added CNYO A meet as a maybe, since the drive looks to be a couple of hours shorter, although I'd still be doing it on my own.

Hiking in Palgrave West with ThunderDog (counted at 50%). My 10-year-old puppy was full of energy and mischief in this cool weather, so I ended up jogging and bushwhacking more than anticipated.

With an extra day to search for positives, I realized that I actually *did* do something really well in Saturday's middle distance race, in spite of a couple of things that didn't go so well. One thing I've learned over the past few years is that it's never a good idea to give up - unless you have a first aid situation. If things are going badly for you, it's amazing how often they are going badly for other people too. And even if you're the only one having a bad time, you gain mental toughness by completing an event where your chances of success seem remote. Many times - in AR especially, or on wilderness trips - there is no choice anyway. You absolutely have to get down that river or over that mountain. There may be no way to bail out early, and you need to be mentally prepared to keep going.

So that's something I did right on Saturday. I must confess to some thoughts to the contrary at two points in the race, but I consciously pushed myself to continue. In this case - VERY surprisingly - I ended up with a gold medal by hanging in there on a day when a lot of people had a rough time. I hope this experience will help to make me stronger the next time part of me feels like quitting in a tough situation - racing or non-racing.

Hard Core Monday, after a week off. It feels so good when I stop.