Training Log Archive: Bash

I've let my strength training and physio lapse over the summer. Since I'm not going back to school this week, I may as well get back to strength!

Around Palgrave East and West before dinner.

Trail and road running loop from the village of Belfountain, made more adventurous by two Bruce Trail closures that I knew about and hoped to get around. The closures turned out to be a big deal so it's not a loop I'll be trying again soon.

I entered Belfountain Conservation Area and ran the Trimble Side Trail and Crow's Nest Side Trail, then ran into Forks of the Credit Provincial Park. There is a trail closure at Cataract Falls on the main Bruce Trail, and the fences are pretty serious now. Browner, Yumi and I got through there in the spring but things have changed. The official "detour" is to go back the way you came but I bushwhacked up the escarpment instead, then went for a run around the park before running out via Bruce Trail to the McLaren Side Trail, also officially closed due to bridge repairs.

McLaren Rd. was closed for bridge repairs a few years ago but you could just walk around barricades and cross the bridge under repair. As I approached it this time and saw a rowboat sitting with the other construction equipment, I realized it was different this time. I wouldn't do it again but I crossed the Credit River on a fairly narrow steel beam, then headed up the trail to Grange Rd. and back to Belfountain on the Bruce.

Then ice cream. :)

Best podcast was Nathan Fa'avae on TA1 but the biggest laugh came from an "Under The Influence" episode on Industrial Musicals. This song comes from a musical written in the early 1970s to make the Ortho Pharmaceuticals sales force enthusiastic about selling the Pill.
http://blogfiles.wfmu.org/DP/2007/04/114_1_Ortho_-...

Thanks for all the good advice on babysitting our niece and nephew! The ideas here were great. We don't have a cider press like Dlevine so we visited a cidery where the kids saw the apple orchard and drank cider with lunch. When we got home, we picked apples from our tree.

Downey's Farm worked out well - only 30 minutes away and just $8/person. I suspect it wouldn't be exciting enough for urban kids of the same age who have experienced $200 family trips to Canada's Wonderland but it seemed entertaining for 2-3 hours. Our niece liked it because there were no line-ups for the various attractions, which included a corn maze, big slide, pedal go karts, mini-golf, a big trampoline-cushion thing, wagon ride, petting zoo and other things. If we'd had more time, we could have picked apples and spent more time navigating through the corn maze.

Their newest attraction is a hamster wheel to tire kids out. Perfect.



Trampoline-cushion thingie



A cow not as scary as the real cow was



In the petting zoo. They have a llama named "Dally".



Corn maze - I wonder if we could get permission to orienteer here.



As JayXC suggested, go karts were a hit - although I don't think he meant the pedal-powered kind. They came back here a second time. 'Bent had to try it too.

If anyone has been waiting, Salomon Toronto is currently the only place in Canada selling the new Suunto Spartan, the successor to the Ambit series. Looks nice although not cheap. They have the Suunto Ambit 3 Peak marked down to $500.

Short run around the local trails before SUP class. I am so ready to go for a run when it's not hot and humid.

Paddling at the C3 Quarry on a breezy night. Beautiful evening light. It's starting to feel like autumn is coming.

Lots of core and balance tonight. I fell onto the board once but didn't go for any swims.

Seeking advice from experienced parents... Our niece and nephew (ages 10 and 8) will be visiting for about 30 hours starting tomorrow afternoon. They live several thousand kilometres away so this is a first. They aren't allowed to watch TV at home so we'll have to limit any electronic babysitting. We have two friendly dogs and nice hiking trails but otherwise our rural life probably seems pretty dull to young visitors. Maybe we could excavate some board games from our childhood.

What is fun for kids that age? I'm not sure they are accustomed to entertaining themselves for long. Their other (better) aunt spends hours preparing fun crafts, baking projects, mysteries to solve, etc. but I figure they may as well get to know us as the boring people we really are!

Hot, humid trail run around Palgrave East and West.