Training Log Archive: Bash

Yesterday's short sleep left me feeling like I'd been hit by a truck this morning. Hmm, I wonder if all this emphasis on trying to get more sleep has turned me into a total princess.

Myka made an expedition north to explore more of Palgrave Forest and Wildlife Area. She was interested in seeing the Charlevoix Loop so we headed there first. With all the leaves down on the trail, it was hard to know what was coming up.



Then we headed into Palgrave East. We came out at a trail junction, and I pulled aside when I saw a faster rider approaching. It turned out to be Coach LD! Nice to see her and great to have so much excellent company for a ride in my back yard. Also, I didn't try to kill myself this time. My spine is still hurting from Thursday's crash. When we went by the same spot today, I realized that my back probably landed on a log, and my iPhone "cushioned" that blow. No wonder it's sore!

I'd promised Myka a latte and snack but we were sad to find the Palgrave Cafe closed early so we had to settle for a chocolate milk break inside the variety store. Not exactly the same experience but it still tasted good.

The forest was beautiful, trails were in great shape, and it was just nice to spend time playing in the woods with friends.

(Used bike computer distance. GPS was 20.55 km.)

The Lookout Mountain trail race director has very kindly allowed me to switch my entry from the 50-miler to the 10K. Oh yay. :(

And... it's just like an adventure race. 'Bent's airplane flatted in Chicago so now it's unclear whether he'll catch up with the main peleton of dentists in Houston as they head to Belize to do volunteer dentistry. Storm clouds are approaching along the flight path, and his gear box (filled with expensive dental equipment and supplies, not to mention clothes) may not get delivered to the next TA in time. The current flight tracker estimate gives him 30 minutes in Houston from landing to departure with a terminal change. Once in Belize, the dentists will be transported 90 minutes by bus to a small town so if he arrives late, things get complicated. Stay tuned...

Today's podcast: NPR Fresh Air interview with Sebastian Junger (author of The Perfect Storm) discussing his documentary about his colleague and close friend Tim Hetherington, a journalist killed by shrapnel in Libya. Interesting discussion about what it's like to film and photograph troops in a war zone.

Physio. It mostly boils down to getting good at balancing on my big toe.

I'm spending more time on the exercises than this but don't want to time them every day so am just picking a low estimate. Other than the part about being totally obedient about not running, I'm trying to be the best darned patient they've ever had. So *fix* me, already!!

Hard Core Live with Caron. I made quite a spectacle of myself before class. On cold days, I wear my capri tights under long pants that I take off in the yoga room. Tonight, while in mid-conversation with the instructor and her male Raid The Hammer teammate, I accidentally pulled off my capri tights along with my pants. One advantage of being grown-ups is that we all thought it was equally funny. Didn't stop me from turning a lovely shade of rouge though.

We did a few tough twisting poses that really tested the integrity of my spine and shoulder post-bike crash. Ouch ouch ouch, but it looks like I'm going to live.

I love this story: Jim's Last Group Run. What a fine way to be remembered!
http://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/jims-l...

Tour de Palgrave East in sunshine with a chill in the air and a skiff of snow on the north facing hillsides. The frozen trails were in great shape - lots of fun.

Until... (minor chord) I came around a bend and started climbing steeply on a sidehill trail bathed in warm, late afternoon sunlight. The frozen surface I'd been riding on turned to mucky soup in an instant. I tried a little too long to power up the hill on my semi-slick tires, and it was too late to save myself. After spinning my legs wildly like the cartoon Road Runner, I plunged sideways off the "cliff" like Wile E. Coyote.

The worst part was the 2 seconds of anticipation as the bike tipped off the trail and down the slope. "Which body parts will take the brunt of the landing? My head has the longest distance to go before it hits the ground - unless one of those trees breaks my fall. And maybe a bone. Hmm..."

Then ***CRASH*** and I lay upside down on the hillside for 30 seconds while I assessed the damage. My first move was to pause my Ambit so I obviously wasn't *too* injured. I'd cranked my bad shoulder and banged the outside of my right calf on something hard, but mostly it felt like I'd landed on two vertebrae in the middle of my back. They were sharply painful as I rode toward home, and I wondered what a cracked vertebra feels like. Surely more painful than this...? I suddenly realized that my spine probably landed on the sharp edge of my iPhone's Lifeproof case, which was in the back pocket of my cycling vest to help keep me *safe* in the forest by myself. Turns out I've got blood and scrapes back there to explain the localized pain. So I guess I'll brave tonight's core and yoga class without fear of paralysis.

(Used bike computer distance. GPS was 10.0 km.)

Good effort while listening to a 1996 Morningside interview between Peter Gzowski and Alice Munro, which was being replayed in honour of her recent Nobel Prize in Literature. They were both charming, funny and interesting. I now know the secret of a good lemon meringue pie.

My daily physio assignment.

Totally surreal. I can't stop myself from checking in periodically to watch the train wreck at today's special City Council debate in Canada's largest city. The Fords continue to inhabit their own alien planet.

In a short time this morning, Rob admitted to purchasing illegal drugs in the past 2 years (while Mayor) and physically intimidated another Councillor (video posted at The Globe), then refused to apologize as requested by the Speaker - until he uttered the words "I'm sorry" by accident, probably intending a different context. And that's only a couple of snippets.

Live coverage continues at 2 p.m. It is mind blowing and depressing that citizens have no way to remove a ticking time bomb from office so that Council can get on with managing the city. I suspect the explosion will come soon though. A judge has just ordered that more evidence from the police investigation be released to the public.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/live-m...

Physio program aimed at correcting gait, improving balance, and increasing mobility in feet and hips.

My cold improved a lot today. If I can get a decent sleep, I should be OK for moderate intensity tomorrow. I have fallen *way* off the sleep wagon after a couple of good weeks. I'm down to 6.8 hrs/night average over the past week. My goal (at least to start) was 7.5 hrs/night, which may not seem ambitious but for me, it is. I was there for awhile so it *can* be done.

Great to see several friends at today's Salomon Store Friends and Family sale. Boy, was it busy in there!

Here's an example of why I enjoy reading Blair Trewin's log (blairtrewin), even though I don't know him. He's an Australian meteorologist and climate change expert. In case you haven't read it, "The Australian" is a conservative-leaning newspaper.

The Australian is in fine form, publishing an opinion piece on the alleged non-existence of climate change by a professor at the University of Queensland - a professor of gastroenterology whose specialty is irritable bowel syndrome. This is perhaps fitting as this sort of thing gives me the you-know-whats. (The equivalent would be the Australian giving me space to put my views on what causes irritable bowel syndrome, something I don't expect to happen any time soon).

My foot doesn't feel bad post-RTH but my cold, which had seemed almost finished, moved into my chest Sunday night so my voice is like the Banff Film Festival trailer narrator. Gotta keep the HR down for a day or two. It's always something this fall!

For anyone registered for the Salomon store event today, a few of us are meeting there mid-day and going to Aroma cafe for lunch at 12:30.

Soooo... I couldn't lie to the kinesiologist or to Dr. Bell.

"Um, yes, I did run in the last 15 days - just once. How long? Uh... 2 hours. Yes, 2 hours."

I disappointed them. :(

Still no running allowed until they've had more time to fix my gait and imbalances. I've made good progress since last week but until I can do a fairly deep 1-legged squat with no support and my hip centred over my foot instead of sticking out to the side, I have no business running. I can *probably* do a 10K trail race I've been considering in December. When I'm allowed to get back into running, he'll be asking me to start with runs up to 1 hour long, and I should take advantage of that recovery phase to work on speed.

I wanted to negotiate but his walls are plastered with photos of world class athletes with personal thank you messages written on them. He seems to know what he's doing. Sigh. In the great scheme of things, this doesn't count as a *real* problem, I know.

Never forget.