Training Log Archive: Bash

I took a break from our main activity of the weekend (moping about the poor snow conditions) to check Facebook where I discovered that all the cool kids were mountain biking today. It was the best choice for a day with frozen ground and 2 cm of snow after a long-ish run the day before. Tomorrow it will be +6C and raining - bleaaghh.

'Bent located and installed a spare pair of cleats on my new Exustar winter bike shoes, which have been sitting in a lonely box in the basement since last winter. They're going to work well but one pair of socks isn't enough after the first 45 minutes. Fortunately, there is room for really thick socks.

In the name of science, I was also testing one of the pieces of Salomon Fall/Winter 2012 sample clothing that arrived on Friday. It worked just fine, Phatty - toasty warm.

We explored the trails of Palgrave East, avoiding the gnarliest stuff where a slip would hurt the most. My semi-slick tires didn't provide reliable traction so I'll have to set up my old bike with knobbies for winter riding. However, I hope to be very busy soon with skiing and snowshoeing (she said with a hint of desperation in her voice).

In a shocking development, I am going to use my training log to log some training.

'Bent and I ran west on the Bruce Trail side trail toward Glen Haffy. He wanted a longer run than I did today but he's much less keen on running alone than I am so he did an easy 7.25 km warm-up with me on the uphill section to the Glen Haffy stile, then he kept going for an extra 8 km loop while I headed back home.

It's been two weeks since the 50-ish miler and I was happy to feel a training effect, i.e. I felt stronger than the last time I did this run, rather than feeling trashed from the 12-hour race. 'Bent commented that the pace seemed almost exactly the same on uphills vs. downhills vs. flats. Translating that from 'Bent-speak, it probably means, "I had to hit the brakes behind you on the downhills." Guilty as charged: my ankle was untaped and I was cautious. It's still mildly painful but it feels like my proprioception is coming back nicely.

The weather was delightfully cold, about -8C with 2-3 cm of white stuff on the ground. Not enough to ski but enough to make us believe that maybe some day we will be skiing around here again!

After following her footprints for 6 km, we were delighted to run into ultrarunner extraordinaire Slowrunner - who still insists that it's not tights weather yet.





GPS died at the trail junction off the Gore Road on the way home. Luckily, I've done that run so many times that I don't need Garmin to tell me anything about it!

My 5 favourites from the 50 Funniest Tweets of the Year :

"With American Airlines stock at 20 cents, I can't decide between paying for two checked bags or buying half the company."

"CNN: 'American Visionary Steve Jobs Dies'
FOX News: 'America Loses Jobs under Obama'"

"The McRib is vaguely shaped like a rack of ribs in the way that the people who eat it are vaguely shaped like people."

"Mark Zuckerberg screwed over his classmates and his best friend. Do you honestly think he cares about your opinion on the new layout?"

"I'm done learning new things until someone can prove to me that we won't have Google forever."

Truncated core class with Caron since we had to move upstairs to the big room afterward for the Christmas yoga class. Arrived a little later than we'd hoped due to BazingaDog panicking when I yelled at him because he was playing extremely roughly with BulletDog and risking injury to his surgical incision. He responded by leaping onto our bed and peeing on the down comforter. Ah, the joys of having a puppy...

Christmas yoga class with Caron teaching and Patrick Dilkie playing the keyboard. Dimmed lights, big Christmas tree in the room and a very peaceful feeling. During the relaxation (not logged), Patrick played and sang "Hallelujah". Had a couple of really good chocolates afterward. Perfect.

"Oh, the outrage. Who knew that you need to swear to get the media coverage on climate change, even if indirectly? You'd think that the threat to human civilization itself would be enough."

Huffington Post: Why aren't more of us losing it like Trudeau?

1 Check Engine Light +
1 Very Bad Smell +
6 Engine Stalls
=
1 Car Family
(until we figure it out)

Fellow Salomon Flight Crew member Ryan Barrett is going to be doing a Winter Solstice run on Dec 21-22, based at the Toronto Salomon Store. He will run from sundown (4:43 p.m.) until sunrise (7:46), completing a series of 1-hour loops 8-10 km long, passing through the store each time to pick up runners for company.

The Salomon Store will be open 24hrs to accommodate this. Anyone who comes out to show support or run with Ryan will receive 20% off, and the store will be doing a draw for a couple of pairs of shoes for the runners.

As adventure racers, the whole "sleep deprivation" thing is right up our alley - not to mention the "saving money on Christmas shopping" thing. Hope a few others can make it over there to keep Ryan company. Easy pace. Some road and some trail. Bring a headlamp.

Reminder: Caron Shepley's free 1-hour Christmas yoga class with live piano music is tomorrow evening in Caledon East. Note to self: make cookies for post-yoga socializing. Better yet, buy some. Event details are in my Dec. 10 log entry.

Btw, if you're wondering if I will ever log any real activity again, the answer is: "As soon as I've made a bigger dent in my Christmas 'to do' list." I'm antsy to get training again and have been thinking a lot about revised strategies. Fortunately, the December rain makes it a little less painful to be stuck indoors.

Oh no! Two great winter events both fall on the March 10-11 weekend.

CNYO Snowgaine, Sherburne, NY
2-day (daytime only) winter rogaine

24 Hr XtaSki, Nakkertok Ski Club, Ottawa, ON
24-hr non-stop solo or team relay XC ski event

It's not every day I'm handed a Visa receipt that says "Castration - $400". I spent the rest of the day keeping an eye on BazingaDog who is supposed to stay "quiet" for a week until his incision heals. A Lab puppy? Quiet? God help us.

After Tobler got spayed, she was so mad at us for not walking her that she slipped out the front door at 6 a.m. when 'Bent got the newspaper. She ran up our steep driveway to the main road and barrelled down the centre line on the pavement toward the village. (We lived in Schomberg then.) 'Bent was in hot pursuit running like an Olympic sprinter wearing nothing but a bathrobe and a pair of rubber boots - the closest footwear to the front door. Hope he didn't scare any kids.

It's the "best of " time of year. The Globe & Mail has published Canada's Top 10 Most Famous Quotes of 2011.

#1 - “Love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world.”
— NDP Leader Jack Layton, in a letter to Canadians before his death in late August.

They also listed Canada's Top 10 Most *Infamous* Quotes of 2011.

#1 - “This just proves what a nation of pussies we are.”
— Don Cherry on news that Canada's murder rate is at its lowest since the 1960s.

Oh, Don - stick to hockey.

Other interesting lists - iTunes Store Top 10 Podcasts downloaded by country. "This American Life" is so popular in several countries - not to mention in a few Attackpoint logs - that I've finally broken down and subscribed.

iTunes also publishes a "best of" list entitled Rewind 2011. Canadians did well!

Best Audio Podcast - Vinyl Cafe with Stuart McLean
Best New Audio Podcast - The Age of Persuasion
Best Video Podcast - TED Talks

Can't argue with any of those choices!