Training Log Archive: Bash

Used my parents' well-equipped (but under-used) basement gym. 'Bent and I have now moved on to our traditional holiday assignments relating to maintenance of my parents' computers. Virus. Sigh.

With 'Bent while watching Daily Show / Colbert Report.

Tomorrow Frankenjack and I plan to paddle on Georgian Bay near Wiarton. Brrrr!!!

Congrats to Pete and Lee on the birth of their beautiful daughter!!!! :-)

Dessert penance run - actually wish I'd had longer since it felt better than expected to be out before breakfast on Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

So I ordered the cherries jubilee for dessert tonight and the deal is that I have to run on Christmas Day in penance...

Tested part of Phatty's Thomass Caledon course, aka the Humber Valley Hellrunner. Tough terrain - I suspect Harps and Tiny will want to stay home that day.

Leanimal and I went for a brisk-paced hike that started on the HVT then veered onto the frozen Humber River. We were hoping to trigger some baby action now that she is 6 days overdue but she continues to feel normal - pretty good, in fact. I went first to test the ice but Leanimal has a few pounds on me at this point, so it was really just for show.

Just read Outside Magazine's list of Top 10 Health and Fitness Trends of 2010. The only one I hadn't heard of was the Shake Weight. Oh my... is it just me or is this ad a little, um, I don't know what word to choose here because AdventureGirl! might be reading. Skip the video, kiddo. Supposedly it only takes 6 minutes a day but could anyone use it for that much time with a straight face?!? Whether people are using it or not, the manufacturers had made $40 million from it by April 2010.

When I really want to get my heart rate up, there's no better workout than skate skiing. As a pure classic skier for most of my life, I'm a fish out of water on those things. In fact, I can get my HR up just by sitting here on the couch and stressing about future plans to go skate skiing!

I'd thought I might sneak out today for a private, embarrassing, high intensity skate ski but somehow I ended up at Mono Nordic with some of the best skiers I know - VO2Max, Coach LD, Gosling and Goose (left to right).



Gosling and VO2Max were doing prescribed workouts based on their race schedule. Goose went with VO2Max to ensure he didn't slack off while Coach LD and I skied together. Fortunately, she was on classic skis so I had a fighting chance. It was tough but not as tough as the first skate ski of the season has been in past years. My efforts to develop my stupid, weak tibialis anterior muscles have apparently done some good.

I made sure to send 'Bent an iPhone photo at work so he could share in our fun vicariously. I won't repeat what he said in his e-mail back to me but I will admit that I deserved it. ;-)

Post-ski Cafe Mocha with way too much whipped cream at the coffee shop next to Booklore in Orangeville. Great company. Life is good.

Skied around Palgrave West to do some "track setting" for VO2Max, who arrives home for the holidays today. He's aiming to peak for a race on Jan. 6 so it won't be a leisurely vacation for him.

I can't imagine a better place to be at twilight on the shortest day of the year than a snowy forest.

Found a page in Facebook where I can see a list of people and the number of friends we share. At the top of the list is Ray Zahab with whom I share 24 mutual friends. Almost makes me feel like I should write and introduce myself since we are obviously meant to be pals! ;-)

A little pre-Christmas fun for Star Wars fans only. Press CC to see the lyrics. (Once video starts, click on arrow in lower right to see menu options.)

Frankenjack didn't make it home from the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge yesterday due to all the flight cancellations in Europe. Someone's gonna be late for work...

Snowshoe hill running in fresh snow sure gets the HR up! Warm-up around Short Bruce/Short K-Bash Loop, then up Poison Ivy Trail to the gate followed by Raspberry Hill, Hawk Hill, Thinker's Hill X 2 and F&M Trail from Finnerty to ORM Photo Viewpoint. A nice combo of shorter, steeper hills and long (300 m) gentle climbs.

While watching Daily Show / Colbert Report.