Training Log Archive: Bash

Today's highlight was seeing 'Bent run past the window during his 20-minute post-surgery rehab run with BulletDog. He was smokin' fast!

This was intended to be a warm-up before strength training but the resistance was turned up too high so it ended up being a mini-workout.

While watching the Daily Show and Colbert Report.

Bob M. and I travelled to, um, elsewhere - a faraway place where GPS tracking doesn't work - to scout portions of the Wilderness Traverse course. This wasn't a full course test yet; we were just making sure the puzzle pieces fit together properly. We did a bit of running and a bit of biking.

There has been a lot of rain lately so conditions were about as wet and muddy as they will ever get. That's always a good test when you're planning a race course. In some areas, the trails were so well-drained that it didn't matter. In other areas, it was a slippery gong show as we tried to pedal through mud on semi-slick tires. Man, I hope people appreciate how much we have to suffer to ensure that the WT racers will have a good time. ;-)

We ran into several moose hunters, a group of friendly dirt bikers and a gaggle of ATVers. The interesting thing was that we did much better on our bikes on ATV trails than any of the rest of them could do in the muddy conditions. We had no trouble staying ahead of the ATVs, and both the ATVs and the dirt bikes turned around when the trail got too difficult. Heh heh. It was interesting to hear the dirt bikers' comments about the ATVers causing too much trail damage. I guess there's a social hierarchy in the woods that I never knew about.

It's a beautiful wilderness area and it was awesome to have relatively warm, sunny weather in late October.

Check out those getaway sticks!





Hey, look! Is that a muscle in my calf?



Fairy tale forest.





Knew we couldn't avoid the mud forever after all that rain.





So *that's* how the trails get that way.





It wouldn't be course testing with Miller if I didn't have to wade. To give him credit, this was the first time he didn't send me through water over my waist.

Course scouting with Getawaystix for Wilderness Traverse 2011.

More WT course testing. Photos and details to come.

Bob and I headed up to Muskoka to scout a potential new area for Logs Rocks and Steel. The Frost Centre has been a great location but it's closed now, so the event needs a new host venue and will likely move to the weekend after Labour Day.

Today's exploration started at YMCA Camp Pinecrest and travelled some of the trails that could form the run/bike sections of the Championship and Frost courses. (Click the little globe to see where we went.) Before finalizing the details for 2011, Bob needs to contact landowners for permission and run the date by a few people, but the official announcement should be made soon. If it all works out, the new race course is going to be truly awesome with a very different character from the previous course. Bob called it "the best day of course testing EVER" and it was some of the coolest mountain biking I've ever done - a little taste of Moab, Ontario-style.

After driving north in a blizzard, we were relieved to have a gorgeous but chilly morning for riding.



There was a little ice on some of the shady ponds and puddles.



If anyone wondered why we were wearing such bright colours, it's because this week was moose hunting season.



The scenery was excellent and the Barrens were amazing.







There are nice single and double track trails in the area with surprisingly little mud, considering how wet it looked elsewhere.



The best part was riding on rock in many different forms. Like Moab, some of the trails are marked on the rock using paint. You can see a white trail marker painted on the boulder in the first photo.

















Here's where I had my one bad fall of the day - a photography injury. I was nowhere near my bike when I slipped on wet rock and landed on my elbow while walking in cycling shoes. Ouch.



I like the shot below. Bob hates it. Log commenters are invited to take sides.



Even the snowmobile trails were mostly very good riding. One thing I realized today is that I need to learn how to lift my front wheel up higher to climb vertical granite faces that are more than about a foot high. Bob climbed them easily while I tended to bash my front tire into them and come to a complete halt.



Here's a short hike-a-bike that we scouted but it probably wouldn't make the cut for the race course.



The back roads we biked on were quiet, scenic and sometimes paved in places where you wouldn't expect it. Although I finished with popsicle toes and a ravenous appetite, today was loads of fun in an unexpectedly beautiful part of Ontario. I'm surprised more people don't go there to ride - it would definitely be worth the trip.

Heading north shortly to test the proposed new course for Logs Rocks & Steel. Looking forward to a high of +4C tomorrow - brrrr!

Interesting... The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority dropped by today to discuss their landowner programs and mentioned that our neighbours (the ones who started the 70-acre forest fire) have a big patch of giant hogweed beside their driveway. Naturally, I had to check it out!







At least, I assume that is it because of the distinctive stems. The leaves don't look exactly like the photos I've seen before. I certainly wouldn't have recognized it if I'd run through a patch of it in the woods.

Hard Core DVD. Hurts so good...

Mark Arnold's Adventure Race Podcasts are now online. Attackpointers were interviewed for 3 of the first 5 podcasts - the Phattycast, the Doboscast and the Bashcast

http://www.adventureracer.ca/Adventure_Racer/Podca...

Just booked our flights to New Zealand for the Coast to Coast World Multisport Championship! :-)))

Trail run with BulletDog around the single track of Palgrave East. I just didn't have it today - whatever "it" might be. Single track is always slow but this was ridiculous - like I was wearing lead socks. Forest is beautiful right now so it wasn't a total loss. And BulletDog had loads of fun.

2011 Tour de France route has been announced. Except for the sprinters, it looks like most of the excitement will be in the 2nd half of the event.
http://www.livestrong.com/teamradioshack/news_bruy...

Unfortunate timing for the headline in the Style section of today's Globe and Mail: "How to pull off Military Chic".