Training Log Archive: Bash

We went up to Highlands Nordic today for the Haywood Nor Am races. Very cool to see many of the top skiers from across Canada on our trails!

I gave 'Bent my lucky cowbells after awhile so I could take photos of our Caledon skiers.



Goose was cheering along the course after getting up early to wax skis.



It was great to see our good friend and Tree Hugger teammate VO2Max racing for the first time in two years. (He's been doing lots of racing - we just haven't seen him do it!) The men's event was 15K of skate skiing.





Later in the women's 10K skate race, former Tree Hugger teammate Brittany Webster tore up the course and won 1st overall!





'Bent and I ran into her just as the trails were opening to the public and she suggested that we join her for her cooldown. Um, sure, why not? She's one of the top skiers in Canada and she was on skate skis waxed by a professional, and I was on waxless classics because I was feeling sick with my cold and hadn't planned to ski very long. It was actually great - we had a wonderful chat and caught up on her news.

'Bent and I continued on when she turned back, then Goose joined us for awhile, then I sent the two of them ahead so I could feel sorry for myself on my own. Conditions were stellar even though most trails weren't trackset or recently groomed, and the trees were puffy with snow. It was beautiful and I had a great time in spite of my trouble breathing. I ran into Brian Culbert, who will be doing UTMB for the 2nd time, so we had a nice chat.

(Time deducted for all the chatting!)

Through the forest to VO2Max's house by a route that involved lots of bushwhacking and skiing over logs.

And we skied home by headlamp, taking a longer route that kept us on trails.

VO2Max had invited visiting skiers and some Caledon friends for an amazing party at his family's place.

One thing you have to understand about VO2Max is that he wears the lycra and looks like a ski racer but he also loves country life. His grandfather's wetland flooded this year and created an oversized ice surface. Naturally, an enterprising lad would want to attach a snowplough to the ATV and clear it off. (All of these photos were taken by another top Canadian skier and all-round nice guy, Thomsen D'Hont.)



It was the most impressive private outdoor skating rink I've ever seen.



A hockey game broke out and as darkness fell, a few of us enjoyed conversation by the bonfire on the ice.





Then VO2Max's Mom Ruth served an excellent pasta dinner! Note Coach LD and Goose on the left.



We reluctantly tore ourselves away from the good conversation to go home and feed the dogs. Too bad we didn't have last night's full moon but skiing in the dark was fun.

How to UTMB - Logistics from iRunFar.com in 2010.

Broke trail through Palgrave West on touring skis - what a beautiful morning! Then our Tierra Viva team had a long planning lunch at Borealis Restaurant in Guelph (yummy food). Only 8 more weeks till Argentina! :)

'Bent got sick again a couple of days ago and the same thing hit me tonight. I never completely shook the cold I got 3 weeks ago and now it feels like a new bug has arrived. Ugh. Drinking tea. Taking ColdFX and Vitamin C. Mumbling bad words under my breath.

Today is Robbie Burns Day but our Caledon party was held on Monday night to ensure that Weeanimal could attend before she returned to France. She has never missed a Burns Dinner in her entire life and she's not going to start now.



Because we've been doing this for awhile, we decided to shake things up a little. This year's theme was Asian-Scottish fusion.

For example, the hairstyles were different this year.





Here we are in full Asian-Scottish regalia - Coach LD, Goose, 'Bent, Leanimal and Crash.



Bash and Goose.



Our meal was a little different too. Here's Crash's beautiful haggis - with chopsticks.



Traditional "tatties" (mashed potatoes) and stir-fried Asian "neeps" (turnips).



And the pièce de résistance - Coach LD's soon-to-be-famous oatmeal fortune cookies. Yummy!

While listening to a "This American Life" podcast talking about the Dogs for Defence program in World War II. Uncle Sam asked citizens to volunteer their pets for the military - thousands of them. The military promised to give them lots of "petting and cuddling" before they were sent home but they warned that the dogs' training may turn them into killers. Some people got "sorry, but Sparky was killed in action" letters; some of those dogs were buried in military cemeteries. "Bunker dogs" were given saddlebags with 40 lb of explosives and a detonator, then they were sent toward the enemy. Parts of this podcast made me cry.

If they won't let you in the front door, try sneaking in the back. I will be running UTMB 2013 in support of the charity A Chacun Son Everest associated with Rotary Chamonix. They organize activities and expeditions in the mountains for children with cancer or in remission. I'm excited to be able to help such a good cause and thrilled to have the opportunity to do the race this year. :)

Hard Core Live with Caron.

My new yoga mat is a little slippery which added to the degree of difficulty. Downward dog.....hands and feet getting farther apart.... whoops! Face plant! I'm hoping it just needs some sweat and dust to break it in.

This season has been a bust for skiing so far. I've been busy or sick on most of the snowy days and there have been far too many non-snowy days. Highlands Nordic is going to be closed this weekend for the Haywood Nor Am races so I snuck up there today. My car said -18C when I arrived so it wasn't surprising that the glide was poor today. I got lots of strength training from poling down gentle hills.

There was an air of excitement at the chalet since the race office was opening today. The finish line was set up, the waxing hut was draped in huge ski bags, and small groups of young skiers in identical logo-covered jackets skated uphill in perfect unison.

Except for the lower section where the races will take place, the trails were mostly ungroomed. Some hadn't been touched since the last major snowfall; others had been groomed more recently but still had a thick layer of fluffy new snow. I don't think I skied on any trackset classic trails. Most of the time I was following soft, crooked tracks made by other skiers. I got to make the first tour of the Woolner Loop (the last red black diamond loop), ploughing through 20+ cm of moderately dense snow on my skinny racing skis. It was slow as molasses and painfully awkward but loads of fun, and the snow-laden trees were spectacular.

I'd thought about finishing up with half an hour of skate skiing to work on mental toughness but that plan got quashed as soon as I learned that the snack bar staff were not baking their famous oatmeal chocolate chip cookies today. Mental toughness training without the prospect of dessert is asking too much.

Other than the few skiers training on the race course, the place was really quiet. I had a nice chat with Sean Bechtel when he passed me but I only saw three other skiers on top of the escarpment, which is where I spent most of my time. I love winter. :)))))) Wish you could have been there, Harps. ;)

Progressive Power Workout #1 - Carmichael Training Systems

Completing this 8-week DVD program was one of my 2012 training goals that never got off the ground. I've kept it on the list this year and have realized what the problem is. It starts with field tests to get a baseline for your power zones - five ranges of wattage and heart rates that will guide future training sessions. Ideally, I'd be well rested for these tests to get accurate numbers but that almost never happens so I never get started! So I decided just to do Disk #1, the Verification test, based on the field test I did two years ago. (I can see the Carbons shaking their heads sadly.)

Aside from warm-up, cooldown and recovery periods, there were:

- two maximum intensity 1-min intervals
- 10-min interval around lactate threshold (steady state)
- 10-min interval 10-15 watts above lactate threshold
- 10-min interval 20-25 watts above lactate threshold

By the end of the first long interval, I was ready to call it a day and postpone the test to another time. I'd already done two hours of training today so this had been a bad call. But I decided to make it a mental toughness workout so I was stuck with it. For some reason, the 2nd and 3rd long intervals felt easier - maybe because I knew I was getting closer to the end. The bottom line is that I need to increase my zones from two years ago, which is mostly good news but it means that future sessions will be more painful!

I was feeling shame as a Canadian after messing up the execution of yesterday's cold weather ski outing so when I woke up and saw the thermometer at -20C, I knew what I had to do - some HTFU training. I ran over to Palgrave East and toured the snowy single and double track. It was beautiful and completely pleasant after the first five minutes. (That's how long it took for my face to warm up.)

I noticed Pat-hectic's tracks on the Bruce Side Trail in Palgrave West but I nobly averted my eyes to avoid spoiling the surprises of O-Cup #4. Strangely, I noticed two places in Palgrave East where a runner had gone into the forest - a rare occurrence. Could the O-Cup be using the Palgrave East map too? Hmm...

Need to do this three times a week. The contractors arrived before I was finished.

XC ski fail. Since it was -16C, I figured I could go out for a quick ski without rewaxing my rock touring skis. Well, I certainly had enough grip! I had bricks on my skis within the first minute, plus I had forgotten which gloves I usually wear to ski at -16C so my fingertips were freezing. Too bad - it was beautiful in the woods but it was approaching sunset so I decided to hit the kayak erg instead.

Crazy week with contractors working in the house.

If you still have any energy left to read about Lance (I know many people don't), here's a well-written post-Oprah article that does a nice job of putting things into context. The final section is entitled, "If you think the Oprah interview was truthful, think again." http://www.sport24.co.za/Columnists/RossTucker/Sci...

I learned how to create a Wikipedia article with a photo. Hieroglyphics might have been easier.