Training Log Archive: BashIn the 7 days ending Jun 19, 2011:
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Saturday Jun 18, 2011 #
Adventure Racing race 6:27:51
shoes: Salomon XA Pro Ultra 2 Blue
Emergency Services Adventure Race (ESAR)
Horseshoe Resort
Nice to be back at ESAR after a year away. The STORM/Hark team always put a lot of effort into their events, and it shows.
Mrs. Gally has come back stronger than ever after little Jerrick joined the family last summer. SistaP, who usually volunteers at ESAR, made the leap to the other side of the registration desk - although she couldn't resist loading a few gear bags into a truck.
Our team never takes victory for granted so we prepared ourselves to take Best Hairstyle honours instead. Mrs. Gally planned the hair extensions while SistaP set us up with lovely bike helmet tiaras.
The event format this year was interesting. After designing the Dontgetlost.ca Navstock Raid in this area a few years ago, I knew it would be challenging for organizers to put together a multi-discipline race course suitable for competitors with different skills and speed. The only nearby water is Bass Lake, about 20 km away from the race start/finish, and the area is dotted with interesting public forest tracts surrounded by private land.
I thought their solution to this dilemma was clever although racers further back in the pack must have spent nearly all their time on the bike. We started by riding to CP1 not far from Horseshoe Resort, following a marked route part of the way. Then there were five areas with optional CPs that we could bike to (or not) before returning to CP2 on the Horseshoe Resort property. Four of these areas were detailed 1:10,000 orienteering maps where we found CPs on our bikes on or near forest trails. The 5th area was Bass Lake where there were two floating CPs. We would drop our bikes at CP2 and run about 1.5 km down the ski hill back to the chalet where we would perform Feats of Strength before punching CP3. Then there were four optional trekking CPs we could visit in Copeland Forest before punching CP4 on top of a nearby ski lift and dashing downhill to the finish.
It looked like we could clean the course so our only choice was the sequence of the optional maps. We decided to do three of the bike orienteering sections on our way to the paddle, by which time we figured it would be nice to get splashed on a hot day. On the way back we would break up the long ride with a fun section of single track with five CPs, known as the "ride the line" section.
The racers started out on bikes at the bottom of the ski hill and went straight to the top. Almost everyone pushed their bikes although I saw 'Bent's team riding up - wow! We had a crisis within the first 30 meters when Mrs. Gally's derailleur was sticking out at an odd angle with the chain in disarray. Luckily, it proved relatively simple for SistaP to solve the problem but we were well back in the pack by then. In the marked trail section at the top of the climb, SistaP had a collision with another rider and went down scary-hard. Yikes. A few minutes later, we were on forest trails - still on the marked portion of the course, but now riding with people who were generally less confident off the road than we were. Thus we had to do a lot of passing on sandy double track trails, taking care not to interfere with anyone or skid out and fall on them!
There is no excuse for the huge navigation blunder I made on the way to CP1. Because of where we were in the pack, we had to ride carefully, watching every wheel around us and keeping a close eye on trail conditions. I didn't notice that the marked portion of the course had ended because I was concentrating on other things. I'd vaguely noticed that the clip-on compass on my bike map holder didn't make sense but I ignored it, assuming that it was too far off horizontal to be accurate. When we popped out onto a paved road, I had the thought that we had to turn left when we finished the marked portion of the course, so that's what we did. Argghh. It didn't seem right as we went down the road and turned into a forest tract but I still hadn't figured out why. We were surrounded in the forest by other teams who also didn't get it. Then I simultaneously realized that my compass actually *was* broken - half-filled with air - and that we had ridden off the map on a road that had no business being paved if we were where we were supposed to be when the marked section ended. Sheepishly, we retreated and picked up CP1, saying hello to dozens of other teams coming toward us. Probably 15 minutes wasted on a very silly error. Reminder to self: when you do technical biking on crowded trails, it is hard to focus on nav and things can easily go wrong, so pull over and stop to look hard at the map and compass (if it's working). Don't get sucked in by the need to keep pedalling.
It was kind of fun, in a perverted sort of way, to spend the rest of the race passing people. It will be interesting to look at the SI splits and see how far back we were at CP1. We got a lot of comments as we passed other teams with our tiara-topped bike helmets. Fortunately, we had no nav issues for the rest of the race.
Adventure race biking is not always fun but today it was awesome. It was a nice mix of double track, single track, old overgrown trails and hilly paved and gravel roads - a little bit of everything. There was a big, sandy, rutted hill in Schumacher Forest that tested our hike-a-bike skills.
Mrs. Gally was a powerhouse, usually taking the lead and thus the wind. In a couple of long road sections, we set up a 3-person train with our bike tows. Although the ropes were often slack, it kept the team together and in each other's draft.
It was terrific to arrive at Bass Lake and cool down with a paddle. It was maybe an hour - I didn't keep track. I was in the stern of the canoe and had to fight the breeze hard on two of the three legs. J-stroke with a canoe paddle is so much easier for steering even though it's slower overall, so I always use a kayak paddle for AR.
We dropped our bikes at CP2 and ran back to the chalet. For the Feats of Strength, each team member was assigned a different task and we could only punch CP3 after we were all finished. I had to pull a tire around a field - more fun than I thought it would be.
'Bent also got the tire pulling task although he didn't seem to enjoy it as much.
After that, we ran out into Copeland Forest to pick up four optional CPs. Mrs. Gally remained the strongest, taking turns towing SistaP and me so that our pace stayed as high as possible. When we got to the base of the ski lift, we walked up in the steamy heat to punch CP4, the last one of the day. Then we plunged down the hill to the finish line. Fun day with a couple of awesome ladies!
The Salomon Bobkittens maintained their perfect record of overall victory at races based at Heights of Horseshoe, with a lead of over 30 minutes. Several years ago, it was Slice and Leanimal in 1st place. This time it was Leanimal, Dogrunner and Goose. (I never thought of Goose as much of a "kitten" but I guess he is kinda cute.)
Team Shed Coffee Bar - 'Bent, Shedman and Billygoat - placed 2nd overall and top male team. This was 'Bent's first multi-sport team adventure race since knee surgery and he has not yet been able to ramp up his training to his previous level. Not exactly the perfect time to race on one of the fastest teams he's ever raced on! :) The boys worked well together and had fun although they will need to work on their nav skills before Wilderness Traverse. I was proud of 'Bent and so happy for him. It's been a very tough year.
The Tree Huggers were the 1st Female team and I think we were 6th of about 100 teams overall. After our bad start, we were very happy with that. SistaP and Mrs. Gally were excellent, upbeat teammates - we worked well together.
"The Scenic Route" have developed their skills, fitness and strategy to the point where they are now regulars on the podium. Well done, ladies!
Alas, Mrs. Gally stood up about 90 minutes after the race and pain shot through her foot. It was a total mystery since she had been strong throughout the race. Eventually, she remembered an ankle turn a few hours earlier that had seemed minor at the time. Between the adrenaline and her tight shoes, she didn't notice the injury for several hours. Turns out it's a mild sprain and she will be back in action shortly.
It was a great way to spend a day. If I have one complaint, it's that the STORM/Hark crew make it look easy to put on a well-organized, carefully designed, fun event with efficient gear transport, enthusiastic volunteers who understand their roles, great post-race atmosphere, electronic timing with back-up punch card system and excellent prizing. They make it tough on the rest of us who organize races! :) Thanks, guys.
Horseshoe Resort
Nice to be back at ESAR after a year away. The STORM/Hark team always put a lot of effort into their events, and it shows.
Mrs. Gally has come back stronger than ever after little Jerrick joined the family last summer. SistaP, who usually volunteers at ESAR, made the leap to the other side of the registration desk - although she couldn't resist loading a few gear bags into a truck.
Our team never takes victory for granted so we prepared ourselves to take Best Hairstyle honours instead. Mrs. Gally planned the hair extensions while SistaP set us up with lovely bike helmet tiaras.
The event format this year was interesting. After designing the Dontgetlost.ca Navstock Raid in this area a few years ago, I knew it would be challenging for organizers to put together a multi-discipline race course suitable for competitors with different skills and speed. The only nearby water is Bass Lake, about 20 km away from the race start/finish, and the area is dotted with interesting public forest tracts surrounded by private land.
I thought their solution to this dilemma was clever although racers further back in the pack must have spent nearly all their time on the bike. We started by riding to CP1 not far from Horseshoe Resort, following a marked route part of the way. Then there were five areas with optional CPs that we could bike to (or not) before returning to CP2 on the Horseshoe Resort property. Four of these areas were detailed 1:10,000 orienteering maps where we found CPs on our bikes on or near forest trails. The 5th area was Bass Lake where there were two floating CPs. We would drop our bikes at CP2 and run about 1.5 km down the ski hill back to the chalet where we would perform Feats of Strength before punching CP3. Then there were four optional trekking CPs we could visit in Copeland Forest before punching CP4 on top of a nearby ski lift and dashing downhill to the finish.
It looked like we could clean the course so our only choice was the sequence of the optional maps. We decided to do three of the bike orienteering sections on our way to the paddle, by which time we figured it would be nice to get splashed on a hot day. On the way back we would break up the long ride with a fun section of single track with five CPs, known as the "ride the line" section.
The racers started out on bikes at the bottom of the ski hill and went straight to the top. Almost everyone pushed their bikes although I saw 'Bent's team riding up - wow! We had a crisis within the first 30 meters when Mrs. Gally's derailleur was sticking out at an odd angle with the chain in disarray. Luckily, it proved relatively simple for SistaP to solve the problem but we were well back in the pack by then. In the marked trail section at the top of the climb, SistaP had a collision with another rider and went down scary-hard. Yikes. A few minutes later, we were on forest trails - still on the marked portion of the course, but now riding with people who were generally less confident off the road than we were. Thus we had to do a lot of passing on sandy double track trails, taking care not to interfere with anyone or skid out and fall on them!
There is no excuse for the huge navigation blunder I made on the way to CP1. Because of where we were in the pack, we had to ride carefully, watching every wheel around us and keeping a close eye on trail conditions. I didn't notice that the marked portion of the course had ended because I was concentrating on other things. I'd vaguely noticed that the clip-on compass on my bike map holder didn't make sense but I ignored it, assuming that it was too far off horizontal to be accurate. When we popped out onto a paved road, I had the thought that we had to turn left when we finished the marked portion of the course, so that's what we did. Argghh. It didn't seem right as we went down the road and turned into a forest tract but I still hadn't figured out why. We were surrounded in the forest by other teams who also didn't get it. Then I simultaneously realized that my compass actually *was* broken - half-filled with air - and that we had ridden off the map on a road that had no business being paved if we were where we were supposed to be when the marked section ended. Sheepishly, we retreated and picked up CP1, saying hello to dozens of other teams coming toward us. Probably 15 minutes wasted on a very silly error. Reminder to self: when you do technical biking on crowded trails, it is hard to focus on nav and things can easily go wrong, so pull over and stop to look hard at the map and compass (if it's working). Don't get sucked in by the need to keep pedalling.
It was kind of fun, in a perverted sort of way, to spend the rest of the race passing people. It will be interesting to look at the SI splits and see how far back we were at CP1. We got a lot of comments as we passed other teams with our tiara-topped bike helmets. Fortunately, we had no nav issues for the rest of the race.
Adventure race biking is not always fun but today it was awesome. It was a nice mix of double track, single track, old overgrown trails and hilly paved and gravel roads - a little bit of everything. There was a big, sandy, rutted hill in Schumacher Forest that tested our hike-a-bike skills.
Mrs. Gally was a powerhouse, usually taking the lead and thus the wind. In a couple of long road sections, we set up a 3-person train with our bike tows. Although the ropes were often slack, it kept the team together and in each other's draft.
It was terrific to arrive at Bass Lake and cool down with a paddle. It was maybe an hour - I didn't keep track. I was in the stern of the canoe and had to fight the breeze hard on two of the three legs. J-stroke with a canoe paddle is so much easier for steering even though it's slower overall, so I always use a kayak paddle for AR.
We dropped our bikes at CP2 and ran back to the chalet. For the Feats of Strength, each team member was assigned a different task and we could only punch CP3 after we were all finished. I had to pull a tire around a field - more fun than I thought it would be.
'Bent also got the tire pulling task although he didn't seem to enjoy it as much.
After that, we ran out into Copeland Forest to pick up four optional CPs. Mrs. Gally remained the strongest, taking turns towing SistaP and me so that our pace stayed as high as possible. When we got to the base of the ski lift, we walked up in the steamy heat to punch CP4, the last one of the day. Then we plunged down the hill to the finish line. Fun day with a couple of awesome ladies!
The Salomon Bobkittens maintained their perfect record of overall victory at races based at Heights of Horseshoe, with a lead of over 30 minutes. Several years ago, it was Slice and Leanimal in 1st place. This time it was Leanimal, Dogrunner and Goose. (I never thought of Goose as much of a "kitten" but I guess he is kinda cute.)
Team Shed Coffee Bar - 'Bent, Shedman and Billygoat - placed 2nd overall and top male team. This was 'Bent's first multi-sport team adventure race since knee surgery and he has not yet been able to ramp up his training to his previous level. Not exactly the perfect time to race on one of the fastest teams he's ever raced on! :) The boys worked well together and had fun although they will need to work on their nav skills before Wilderness Traverse. I was proud of 'Bent and so happy for him. It's been a very tough year.
The Tree Huggers were the 1st Female team and I think we were 6th of about 100 teams overall. After our bad start, we were very happy with that. SistaP and Mrs. Gally were excellent, upbeat teammates - we worked well together.
"The Scenic Route" have developed their skills, fitness and strategy to the point where they are now regulars on the podium. Well done, ladies!
Alas, Mrs. Gally stood up about 90 minutes after the race and pain shot through her foot. It was a total mystery since she had been strong throughout the race. Eventually, she remembered an ankle turn a few hours earlier that had seemed minor at the time. Between the adrenaline and her tight shoes, she didn't notice the injury for several hours. Turns out it's a mild sprain and she will be back in action shortly.
It was a great way to spend a day. If I have one complaint, it's that the STORM/Hark crew make it look easy to put on a well-organized, carefully designed, fun event with efficient gear transport, enthusiastic volunteers who understand their roles, great post-race atmosphere, electronic timing with back-up punch card system and excellent prizing. They make it tough on the rest of us who organize races! :) Thanks, guys.
Friday Jun 17, 2011 #
Note
Packin' for ESAR. Mrs. Gally and SistaP are my awesome teammates. SistaP is in charge of setting a blistering pace through the mountain bike single track, Mrs. Gally will be at the front of my tow rope, and I'll have my face buried in the maps as usual. Weather looks great - should be fun!
Wednesday Jun 15, 2011 #
2 PM
Mountain Biking (Mostly Trail) 3:20:51 [3] 65.34 km (19.5 kph) +478m
Just one week after questioning whether I ever want to do another adventure race > 36 hrs again after our Swiss Fail, it looks like I'm about to cave. So... back in the saddle today for a longer ride. Palgrave West trails and rail trail to Inglewood, then soft, mucky, buggy trails to climb the escarpment between Inglewood and Belfountain, then to The Shed Coffee Bar for TA1. I think 1:46 is my best-ever TTIL (Time To Iced Latte) by trail route to The Shed. I bought one of their cool new women's cycling jerseys. How can you not like a place that sells excellent coffee *and* cycling attire?
I went back via trails to Grange Road then stopped in at Opening Day of the Inglewood Farmer's Market (TA2) where I loaded up my big Salomon pack with exotic local mushrooms and cilantro, both picked this morning. I wanted fresh asparagus too but the asparagus stand was very competitive and I resisted the urge to tackle the person who bought the last bunch. I also filled my pack with homemade scones, bagels and chocolate chunk shortbread and enjoyed a sizzling lamb burger with mint mayo in lieu of eating my gels. Knobless was there and we hung out for awhile. VO2Max Senior stopped by and it was great to catch up.
Some days training is pure fun! :)
I went back via trails to Grange Road then stopped in at Opening Day of the Inglewood Farmer's Market (TA2) where I loaded up my big Salomon pack with exotic local mushrooms and cilantro, both picked this morning. I wanted fresh asparagus too but the asparagus stand was very competitive and I resisted the urge to tackle the person who bought the last bunch. I also filled my pack with homemade scones, bagels and chocolate chunk shortbread and enjoyed a sizzling lamb burger with mint mayo in lieu of eating my gels. Knobless was there and we hung out for awhile. VO2Max Senior stopped by and it was great to catch up.
Some days training is pure fun! :)
Tuesday Jun 14, 2011 #
Note
(rest day)
I was going to do a light workout today but ThunderDog, who will soon celebrate her 15th birthday, was ready for action. She has a respiratory problem that prevents her from hiking too far before she needs to lie down and rest. Back in the day, she could chase us for a 20 km mountain bike ride but this summer, her doggie dreams are definitely bigger than her physical abilities. I know the best smells are out in the forest, not in our yard, so I took our Lee Valley utility wagon and set it up for pooch transport - like a baby Chariot. I wasn't sure if it would work but she was totally cool with it. We did a 1 km loop on the forest trails with a couple of stops where I lifted her out so she could walk around a little. New smells + Different sights = Happy dog.
1 AM
Note
"In general successful athletes focus on performance/winning, and then look at the pathways necessary to get to that point. Many amateur athletes look at the pathways more than they do at the goal."
"[Sport-specific] training... must be measured in performance; does it help the person perform better? Otherwise it's just training for the hell of it, and that is not worthwhile unless it's the goal... That's cool as long as you understand what's going on and are into it, but it's not cool when you're claiming to be training for sport X while doing something that is useless for doing sport X better, at least as measured on a time-invested basis."
Will Gadd (Canmore-based outdoor athlete and writer)
These quotes and other interesting reading come from Will's recent blog entries. Note that he does not consider himself to be a sport-specific trainer. He says he's more of a "PIG" (Participation In General) athlete. I have a lot of PIG in me too!
http://gravsports.blogspot.com
"[Sport-specific] training... must be measured in performance; does it help the person perform better? Otherwise it's just training for the hell of it, and that is not worthwhile unless it's the goal... That's cool as long as you understand what's going on and are into it, but it's not cool when you're claiming to be training for sport X while doing something that is useless for doing sport X better, at least as measured on a time-invested basis."
Will Gadd (Canmore-based outdoor athlete and writer)
These quotes and other interesting reading come from Will's recent blog entries. Note that he does not consider himself to be a sport-specific trainer. He says he's more of a "PIG" (Participation In General) athlete. I have a lot of PIG in me too!
http://gravsports.blogspot.com
2 AM
Note
So... Mrs. Gally has laid out the plan and I like it.
2012 - Sinister 7 + one other ultra race to get enough points
2013 - Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc
More friends joining the party = more fun. Be there.
2012 - Sinister 7 + one other ultra race to get enough points
2013 - Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc
More friends joining the party = more fun. Be there.
Monday Jun 13, 2011 #
Paddling (Canoe with Kayak Paddles) 1:02:55 [2] 7.16 km (6.8 kph) +3m
Evening paddle at Island Lake with ESAR teammates Mrs. Gally and SistaP. I forgot a middle seat for Mrs. Gally but the ever resourceful SistaP spirited a plastic bucket away from the dumpster behind Boston Pizza. It worked pretty well but left a circular imprint on Mrs. Gally's pants, leading to her new nickname "Bucket Butt".
It was breezy and sometimes challenging to keep our whitewater canoe going in a straight line. The ladies did a great job and we are now ready to take on all those firefighters and police officers on Saturday! At Island Lake and later at the restaurant for dinner, things were rather quiet. Someone mentioned something about a hockey game tonight...?
It was breezy and sometimes challenging to keep our whitewater canoe going in a straight line. The ladies did a great job and we are now ready to take on all those firefighters and police officers on Saturday! At Island Lake and later at the restaurant for dinner, things were rather quiet. Someone mentioned something about a hockey game tonight...?
12 PM
Running (Trail) 32:51 [3] 5.08 km (6:28 / km) +34m 6:15 / km
ahr:138 max:162 shoes: Vibram 5 Fingers Treksport
Barefoot run through the forest in light rain.
That sounds almost romantic in a Hollywood sense - as if I were flouncing down the trail in a long, billowy skirt with daisies in my hair and a basket of wild strawberries. Not exactly. This easy run was the debut of my Vibram Five Fingers Treksports.
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/Five-Fin...
They've got a tougher sole than my Five Fingers KSOs so I don't get bruises from stepping on pine cones hidden in the grass. I'm going to use them for running form drills since it's harder to cheat in "barefoot" shoes. Today I tried to be conscious of posture and the lift-off/push-off of my rear foot, something they talk about in Chi running. One of the fastest runners I know once told me that he focuses on pumping his knees forward but that really didn't work for me. I do better when I think about leaning forward from the ankles with good posture and getting the rear foot off the ground properly.
8 PM
Note
Quote for a Monday morning:
"The tragedy in life does not lie with not reaching your goals. The tragedy lies in not having any goals to reach. It is not a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream. It is not a disgrace not to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to not have stars to reach for."
~ Benjamin Elijah Mays (American scholar and civil rights activist)
"The tragedy in life does not lie with not reaching your goals. The tragedy lies in not having any goals to reach. It is not a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream. It is not a disgrace not to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to not have stars to reach for."
~ Benjamin Elijah Mays (American scholar and civil rights activist)