Training Log Archive: Bash

The name of today's event was Scotch and Mountain Bikes - What could go wrong? :)



It was a celebration of the upcoming marriage of Frankenjack and RocksTara.





Frankenjack had designed a fun mountain bike route around Paisley that maximized the number of bridges we would cross. 'Bent and I had never spent time up there, and we were surprised at the great biking and paddling it offers - not to mention Backeddies fair trade organic cafe that serves paddle-in lunches on the patio. Paisley looks like a great location for this year's ESAR.



It was great to see Hodgepodge in real life instead of on the Internet for the first time in a long while. There was a prize for the best riding outfit, and Hodgepodge put most of us to shame.



This ride was a big step up for my knee compared to yesterday. There were some decent hills but they were all on roads so they weren't ridiculously steep. I just slowed down a lot and spun easier gears. It feels like no new damage was done. People were commenting on my ugly bruise, which actually looks *so* much better than it did.



The happy couple enjoy their whisky so the afternoon finished with pizza and Scotch tasting on a private property on the bank of the Saugeen River. Fun!

Mocha's surgeon called again. She has been alert and doing well since yesterday evening (Mocha, that is - not the surgeon) but she won't be released until at least tomorrow. The poor thing will have a cone head for about 10 days. By late this week, we should get the final word on whether she had cancer and whether she needs radiation as well. Fingers crossed. Looking forward to having our little girl back home!

Easy rail trail ride to Inglewood with a stop in Caledon East enroute. I started from Palgrave village to ensure an almost completely flat, knee-friendly ride. With a 50 mile trail race in three weeks, I was supposed to do my longest back-to-back runs this weekend but I'm out of commission for running.

I dropped in on Knobless and convinced him to ride up to the Inglewood General Store.

Inglewood to Palgrave - high cadence, easy gears. I tried to avoid stressing the left kneecap so my right leg definitely got a better workout. Heading both to and from Inglewood, the wind was strong and gusty and usually blowing in my face or from the side. I kept waiting for the relaxing part when I would be pushed merrily along the trail but it never came.

My knee didn't feel any worse for the wear after all the riding so I will attempt the slightly more challenging ride at Frankenjack's and RocksTara's party tomorrow.

It was clear from yesterday's portages that my knee can't handle bushwhacking yet. I was really disappointed since I love testing WT treks but c'est la vie. This morning we checked out a couple of transition areas and had another interesting chat with a local, then I shuttled Bob around to do a big trek on his own. Rain started pelting down as he was outside getting ready to leave and I was in the nice warm car. Even *that* didn't cheer me up. ;)

The ice has finally melted in most places up north so Bob and I headed up to run through the Wilderness Traverse race course.



Today we did part of the big paddle leg, dressed *very* warmly since the water is not much above freezing in the lakes and rivers. By the time we'd chatted with a few knowledgeable people and checked out some transition areas, it was early afternoon. We waited out one rainstorm then paddled only 1.4 km before a bigger storm rolled in with lots of thunder and lightning. We pulled ashore and luckily discovered a shed to hang out in.



After that, our adventures involved actual paddling - lots and lots of it. Our poor upper bodies didn't know what had hit them after the long winter. There was interesting navigation that inspired us both to follow the map closely, different types of waterways, some Bob the Beaver dams, portages, great Canadian Shield scenery and abundant wildlife. OK, so we only really noticed a muskrat and a kingfisher but this is Canada so I'm sure the wildlife was abundant whether or not we were paying close attention.







Many thanks to Wil and Katarina Smith for providing a post-test haven that was out of this world. There was wine and hot dinner on the table at 11 p.m. when we stumbled in all wet and stinky, and our hosts stayed up to chat with us even though they had to be up early for work and kids. They insisted on taking this "after" photo so that Hammer could laugh at the compass around my neck.



The other highlight overnight was watching a massive, spectacular thunderstorm over Georgian Bay. Every flash of lightning looked like a Group of Seven painting - in a horror movie. The storm hit in the wee hours, and I stayed awake until the most intense part had passed because it was so impressive to watch.

Logged time = moving time, including portages

Mocha spent another day at the University of Guelph Animal Cancer Centre. Things went well. She had a third test that didn't find any spread of cancer, and after seeing the CT scan, the docs believe they can safely remove the entire tumour.

Here's where it gets crazy. They found some evidence that wasn't in synch with her original biopsy from a GTA lab that identified sarcoma cells. We don't want to get our hopes up but there's a chance that it may not be cancer. She needs the surgery regardless since the tumour is painful and has invaded a salivary gland. A few days after that, they'll be able to confirm what it was. Fingers tightly crossed.

Fyi 'Bent and some others are doing a Hockley loop Saturday morning, leaving the main parking lot at 9 am. These runs usually split up into groups going at different paces but it's in the ballpark of 3 hours.

A few days ago, I had no idea that I would spend today at an Animal Cancer Centre with our dear Mocha (BulletDog). She is feeling happy and energetic, and I hope that will give her strength as we travel this difficult road together.

Today the docs are doing further tests. Eventually, she may have surgery, radiation and/or chemo, just like a human. It breaks my heart that I can't explain it to her. She must be so confused. :(((

BazingaDog's favourite TV show is The Nature of Things. This episode had exciting footage of muskrats.

Hoo boy, that is one heck of a knee bruise - about 12 cm in diameter and it's probably not done growing yet. My leg will turn many pretty colours over the next few days! It hurts but doesn't feel as horrible as it looks so I'm optimistic about the joint.

On the way home from the Raid, I saw a spectacular meteor out of the car window. I tweeted about it (a very rare occurrence), and my tweet was used in at least two news reports including CBC. I also reported it to the American Meteor Society, which collects reports of sightings and sound. They have confirmed it was a meteor. Based on its trajectory, Storm The Trent racers should keep their eyes open for meteorite fragments along the race course this weekend! Amongst other things, meteorites can deflect your compass needle - uh oh. :)
http://globalnews.ca/news/1311068/experts-confirm-...