Training Log Archive: BashIn the 7 days ending Jun 12, 2011:
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Sunday Jun 12, 2011 #
9 AM
Road Biking 2:11:42 [3] 56.13 km (25.6 kph) +368m
Tour de Grand in Cambridge. Massive fail at first... When 'Bent loads our bikes into the van, he often grabs the box I've put out with helmet, shoes, bottles and gloves. But it's my job to make sure it comes along, and this time he didn't and I didn't, so after 40 minutes on the road, we were heading back to Palgrave in grumbly moods. (Slap forehead!)
It was almost not worth driving all the way back to Cambridge but we were looking forward to seeing Kirikou and BrentD, so I took over driving to ensure the earliest possible arrival while 'Bent took over emergency texting duties.
We'd signed up for the 72K tour, which started at 9 a.m. along with the 60K tour. There were longer tours that started earlier and shorter tours that started later. After the world's fastest check-in, we headed out at 9:21 a.m. We asked if we could start late and the volunteer answered, "I don't know." We interpreted that as a "yes" and decided to do the 60K tour to avoid inconveniencing volunteers at aid stations. We needn't have worried.
Within the first kilometer, Kirikou joined us on his mountain bike. It was an awesome day for riding - perfect cool temperature, mix of sun and cloud, rolling hills, lots of other riders to keep drivers alert and police assistance at the busiest intersections. Maybe a little more wind than we needed but still really fun and a great workout - especially for Kirikou on his MTB!
In no time, we caught the back of the pack and started passing people, which continued for the rest of the ride. This was a tour, not a race, but we're adventure racers and we just couldn't help ourselves.
Kirikou and I were working hard to chase 'Bent, whose recumbent bike really shines on a rolling road ride. He finally raised his seat to increase wind resistance so he wouldn't go so fast. (Show-off!) I'd warned Kirikou that 'Bent couldn't resist meeting challenges from other riders, some of whom seem to feel there is shame in being passed by a recumbent bike.
Sure enough, there was a guy in a big time trial helmet who kept an eye on 'Bent for most of the ride. When 'Bent got too far ahead, Time Trial Guy would take off after him. His friend would glance at Kirikou and me, and we'd all laugh and start pedaling harder to catch up until they took it down a notch. At one point, I swear we saw them do The Look.
All good fun and we caught up with BrentD at lunch afterward. Nice to see Kirikou one last time before he becomes a Dad!
It was almost not worth driving all the way back to Cambridge but we were looking forward to seeing Kirikou and BrentD, so I took over driving to ensure the earliest possible arrival while 'Bent took over emergency texting duties.
We'd signed up for the 72K tour, which started at 9 a.m. along with the 60K tour. There were longer tours that started earlier and shorter tours that started later. After the world's fastest check-in, we headed out at 9:21 a.m. We asked if we could start late and the volunteer answered, "I don't know." We interpreted that as a "yes" and decided to do the 60K tour to avoid inconveniencing volunteers at aid stations. We needn't have worried.
Within the first kilometer, Kirikou joined us on his mountain bike. It was an awesome day for riding - perfect cool temperature, mix of sun and cloud, rolling hills, lots of other riders to keep drivers alert and police assistance at the busiest intersections. Maybe a little more wind than we needed but still really fun and a great workout - especially for Kirikou on his MTB!
In no time, we caught the back of the pack and started passing people, which continued for the rest of the ride. This was a tour, not a race, but we're adventure racers and we just couldn't help ourselves.
Kirikou and I were working hard to chase 'Bent, whose recumbent bike really shines on a rolling road ride. He finally raised his seat to increase wind resistance so he wouldn't go so fast. (Show-off!) I'd warned Kirikou that 'Bent couldn't resist meeting challenges from other riders, some of whom seem to feel there is shame in being passed by a recumbent bike.
Sure enough, there was a guy in a big time trial helmet who kept an eye on 'Bent for most of the ride. When 'Bent got too far ahead, Time Trial Guy would take off after him. His friend would glance at Kirikou and me, and we'd all laugh and start pedaling harder to catch up until they took it down a notch. At one point, I swear we saw them do The Look.
All good fun and we caught up with BrentD at lunch afterward. Nice to see Kirikou one last time before he becomes a Dad!
Saturday Jun 11, 2011 #
10 AM
Running race (Trail) 1:21:54 12.65 km (6:28 / km) +200m 6:00 / km
shoes: Salomon SLAB-3 XT Wings
5 Peaks Enduro at Hardwood Hills. I went early to help at the Salomon booth and had a great time talking footwear. (Phatty is a bad influence.) A shocking proportion of participants had only road running shoes and the advantages of trail shoes were apparent as I kept passing strong runners in the single track sections.
I wasn't sure if my body was fully recovered from APEX two weeks ago. Although we didn't end up racing hard, it was 60 hours of activity in 4 days while carrying a heavy pack (sometimes two packs) up and down mountains. There were a few points today when my legs seemed more fatigued than usual but I think I should be able to get back to full training next week.
It was a fun race course - typical Hardwood Hills up and down and up and down and up, up, up, down, down, down. Lots of tree roots and rocks which made for fun trail running. We did the Gnarly Trail, for those who know the MTB trails. The race had been advertised as 15 km so, like a few others I talked to, I was saving some energy for a final burst in which I planned to pass the woman a few meters ahead of me. Then at 12.5 km, I realized we were plunging down the final hill to the finish chute. Aacckk! I was only able to pass this woman on the uphills! In spite of my best finish sprint, I couldn't do it. She wasn't in my category so it only meant the difference between being 17th of 93 women vs. 16th.
I won the old ladies' category but our group's heroine of the day was definitely Leanimal, who was 3rd overall of 93 women!!!
Too bad she can't use that non-Salomon pack in public.
Another hero was Hansel, who was fatser than all but 5 other guys in the field of 215 racers. He got the 2nd place medal in his age group - but he was 1st coolest.
Poor Phatty turned his ankle but toughed it out to the finish line like the hard core adventure racer he is.
Kudos to Mrs. Tiny, who crossed the finish line just 28 seconds behind me. Given her awesome training this season, I'll go on record now to predict that will be the last time I ever beat her in a pure running race. Great work!
I wasn't sure if my body was fully recovered from APEX two weeks ago. Although we didn't end up racing hard, it was 60 hours of activity in 4 days while carrying a heavy pack (sometimes two packs) up and down mountains. There were a few points today when my legs seemed more fatigued than usual but I think I should be able to get back to full training next week.
It was a fun race course - typical Hardwood Hills up and down and up and down and up, up, up, down, down, down. Lots of tree roots and rocks which made for fun trail running. We did the Gnarly Trail, for those who know the MTB trails. The race had been advertised as 15 km so, like a few others I talked to, I was saving some energy for a final burst in which I planned to pass the woman a few meters ahead of me. Then at 12.5 km, I realized we were plunging down the final hill to the finish chute. Aacckk! I was only able to pass this woman on the uphills! In spite of my best finish sprint, I couldn't do it. She wasn't in my category so it only meant the difference between being 17th of 93 women vs. 16th.
I won the old ladies' category but our group's heroine of the day was definitely Leanimal, who was 3rd overall of 93 women!!!
Too bad she can't use that non-Salomon pack in public.
Another hero was Hansel, who was fatser than all but 5 other guys in the field of 215 racers. He got the 2nd place medal in his age group - but he was 1st coolest.
Poor Phatty turned his ankle but toughed it out to the finish line like the hard core adventure racer he is.
Kudos to Mrs. Tiny, who crossed the finish line just 28 seconds behind me. Given her awesome training this season, I'll go on record now to predict that will be the last time I ever beat her in a pure running race. Great work!
Friday Jun 10, 2011 #
1 PM
Road Biking 50:00 [2] 20.8 km (25.0 kph)
Got Princess all dolled up with a new bike computer with cadence then drove her over to Patterson Sideroad (where the pavement begins) for a trial run. I wasn't sure if I'd calibrated wheel size properly so I used the Garmin Forerunner for comparison, and the distance matched almost perfectly.
It was Princess' first time outdoors since our Lonely Ride of Shame in New Zealand and things felt better than expected. If it weren't for the occasional big truck scaring the crap out of me, it would have been totally fun. I'd chosen a hilly route without really thinking about it so this ride ended up having actual training value instead of just being a gear test.
Average cadence: 71. A little low but it's the first time I've measured it and I didn't consciously try to work on it. Distance/time modified due to initial problems with magnet.
5 Peaks race tomorrow morning - about 15 km of trail running at Hardwood Hills. These events always feel too short and speedy for my slow twitch legs. We'll see how it goes!
It was Princess' first time outdoors since our Lonely Ride of Shame in New Zealand and things felt better than expected. If it weren't for the occasional big truck scaring the crap out of me, it would have been totally fun. I'd chosen a hilly route without really thinking about it so this ride ended up having actual training value instead of just being a gear test.
Average cadence: 71. A little low but it's the first time I've measured it and I didn't consciously try to work on it. Distance/time modified due to initial problems with magnet.
5 Peaks race tomorrow morning - about 15 km of trail running at Hardwood Hills. These events always feel too short and speedy for my slow twitch legs. We'll see how it goes!
3 PM
Note
Here's the recently updated North American rogaine schedule. Both U.S. and North American Championships are in the autumn this year so there's still time to plan. Unfortunately, the North Am Champs in B.C. conflict with Logs Rocks and Steel in Ontario.
Thursday Jun 9, 2011 #
Note
My only training accomplishment today was removing Princess from the Tacx Ergotrainer (after taking a few photos to remind me of where everything goes) and setting her up for riding this weekend. That's right - I'm going to go road riding on purpose even though I have no upcoming event that requires it. What has the world come to? Do I hear ice cubes tinkling in hell?
I might attempt to install my new bike computer tomorrow - the one with cadence measurement. I've been forcing myself to learn to do smaller bike jobs myself so I can save more difficult gear projects for 'Bent. Yesterday's Difficult Project was a broken connector on an SRS 5-piece paddle due to Leanimal and me not knowing our own strength. 'Bent to the rescue!
I might attempt to install my new bike computer tomorrow - the one with cadence measurement. I've been forcing myself to learn to do smaller bike jobs myself so I can save more difficult gear projects for 'Bent. Yesterday's Difficult Project was a broken connector on an SRS 5-piece paddle due to Leanimal and me not knowing our own strength. 'Bent to the rescue!
Wednesday Jun 8, 2011 #
10 AM
Paddling (Kayak) 1:38:05 [2] 12.24 km (7.5 kph)
Leanimal and I did a fun Paddle/Theatre brick today. First we took our kayaks around beautiful Lake Couchiching on what was apparently one of the hottest days in the last 60 years. We hit some wind but it felt better than the places where the air was still. We switched kayaks at half time so that Leanimal could try my NZ racing kayak as well as 'Bent's speedy sea kayak.
Then we went to the Orillia Opera House to see "Sexy Laundry", a comedy that my brother directed. Lucky for us, that's when the high winds and big hail arrived - although it was hard to hear the actors for a few minutes!
It was great to see Weeanimal enjoying the cottage with her grandparents. She'll have a new cousin soon!
Then we went to the Orillia Opera House to see "Sexy Laundry", a comedy that my brother directed. Lucky for us, that's when the high winds and big hail arrived - although it was hard to hear the actors for a few minutes!
It was great to see Weeanimal enjoying the cottage with her grandparents. She'll have a new cousin soon!
Tuesday Jun 7, 2011 #
12 PM
Running (Trail) 1:19:13 [3] 12.03 km (6:35 / km) +81m 6:22 / km
shoes: Salomon SLAB-3 XT Wings
Mostly running on the trails of Palgrave East. I tested some of my new Salomon gear - the awesome Advanced Skin pack and women's SLAB-3 XT Wings. Last year I ran my trail races in men's SLAB-2s because I loved the shoe so much. If there was a women's version of the shoe, I never saw it. I've become quite fond of compression calf sleeves too. In addition to the compression, they keep away sun, ticks and poison ivy. What's not to like?
I ran in the hottest part of the day on purpose. I recently read an article where athletes in a study acclimatized better to heat if they exercised for an hour a day in hot weather for 10 days straight. I'm not great in heat so I figure anything I can do to help the process along is worthwhile. I mostly felt good but I'm pretty sure I slowed down a lot as my brain and body overheated. It's nice that I don't have any aches and pains from APEX. I guess there are some advantages to not really racing.
I ran in the hottest part of the day on purpose. I recently read an article where athletes in a study acclimatized better to heat if they exercised for an hour a day in hot weather for 10 days straight. I'm not great in heat so I figure anything I can do to help the process along is worthwhile. I mostly felt good but I'm pretty sure I slowed down a lot as my brain and body overheated. It's nice that I don't have any aches and pains from APEX. I guess there are some advantages to not really racing.
4 PM
Note
Lots of post-APEX thinking... I love expedition adventure racing and had wanted it to be my main focus over the next while but it doesn't really make sense.
The problem is the team aspect. Exped AR works best for people who have a team they race with consistently. A group of people who plan their year together, who train and race in a similar - or at least known - fashion. Most of the Tree Huggers have moved on from doing AR regularly so this isn't an option.
Only a handful of Canadian teams do expedition races each year. Most teams only want one woman per team and there are many stronger Canadian women to choose from.
So that leaves the option of cobbling together a team of individuals who don't normally race together. It is very hard to find four people who (a) want to invest the time and money in an exped race, and (b) are on the same page in terms of training, preparation, gear, ethics, teamwork, communication, etc. And it's impossible to know for sure until you're in the race. It's a huge risk, given the financial investment and potential safety issues involved in a long race.
Bottom line, exped adventure racing may be my first love but it's kinda impossible for me. It's easier to find one teammate so maybe international events like mountain marathons and rogaines would be a smarter focus. Solo ultrarunning also seems appealing in theory but until I've done at least a 50-miler, it's too early to know. All of these sports lack the multiple disciplines that I enjoy training for, unfortunately.
So we'll see where this thinking goes. I need to head somewhere different.
The problem is the team aspect. Exped AR works best for people who have a team they race with consistently. A group of people who plan their year together, who train and race in a similar - or at least known - fashion. Most of the Tree Huggers have moved on from doing AR regularly so this isn't an option.
Only a handful of Canadian teams do expedition races each year. Most teams only want one woman per team and there are many stronger Canadian women to choose from.
So that leaves the option of cobbling together a team of individuals who don't normally race together. It is very hard to find four people who (a) want to invest the time and money in an exped race, and (b) are on the same page in terms of training, preparation, gear, ethics, teamwork, communication, etc. And it's impossible to know for sure until you're in the race. It's a huge risk, given the financial investment and potential safety issues involved in a long race.
Bottom line, exped adventure racing may be my first love but it's kinda impossible for me. It's easier to find one teammate so maybe international events like mountain marathons and rogaines would be a smarter focus. Solo ultrarunning also seems appealing in theory but until I've done at least a 50-miler, it's too early to know. All of these sports lack the multiple disciplines that I enjoy training for, unfortunately.
So we'll see where this thinking goes. I need to head somewhere different.
Monday Jun 6, 2011 #
Note
Tick update: A few weeks ago, our local vet mentioned that she's finding more ticks on dogs this year and that she's had one positive Lyme test on a local dog who hadn't travelled anywhere. She just had a positive test for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever from a tick removed from a local dog. The dog didn't get the disease. The lab said they'd had another positive RMSF test in the Toronto area. Check yourself. Check your dogs.
12 AM
Note
Looking for something to do in the Cambridge area on Sunday? 'Bent and I are joining a friend who's doing the 72K distance in the Tour de Grand road bike ride. Only $18 if you register by 6 p.m. today or $22 on event day. That includes a T-shirt and food! It's not a race - just a ride. There are distances from 10K to 160K.
http://www.cambridgetourdegrand.com
http://www.cambridgetourdegrand.com
1 AM
Note
APEX Day 4/5 Report is now online.
http://www.ar.attackpoint.org/viewlog.jsp/user_920...
APEX Day 3 Report
http://www.ar.attackpoint.org/viewlog.jsp/user_920...
APEX Day 2 Report
http://www.ar.attackpoint.org/viewlog.jsp/user_920...
APEX Day 1 Report
http://www.ar.attackpoint.org/viewlog.jsp/user_920...
Pre-race day report
http://www.ar.attackpoint.org/viewlog.jsp/user_920...
For a quick overview, see Hingo's awesome 5-minute slides how.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmA01lA6lx0
http://www.ar.attackpoint.org/viewlog.jsp/user_920...
APEX Day 3 Report
http://www.ar.attackpoint.org/viewlog.jsp/user_920...
APEX Day 2 Report
http://www.ar.attackpoint.org/viewlog.jsp/user_920...
APEX Day 1 Report
http://www.ar.attackpoint.org/viewlog.jsp/user_920...
Pre-race day report
http://www.ar.attackpoint.org/viewlog.jsp/user_920...
For a quick overview, see Hingo's awesome 5-minute slides how.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmA01lA6lx0