Training Log Archive: Bash

2018 opened up wide this morning when I was unsuccessful in the CCC (101K race at UTMB) lottery. It was my 2nd consecutive attempt so I had 2 tickets and about an 80% chance of getting in, and I hadn’t spent any time considering alternatives. Time to start! I’ll need to think about earning qualifying points again too. Boo.

Looking forward to future training opportunities and explaining some missed training over the last couple of months, here's my Christmas present to myself:



Although the jacket and sunglasses will continue to be used on most winter days, this is a (distant) photo of a dog-friendly condo in Collingwood that will allow 'Bent and me to extend our maximum-8-hours-away-from-home window to new parts of Ontario. We love Caledon and will stay home most weekends but this is close enough that we can even go for a day trip, hike the dogs, then go exploring in new territory. The paddling, swimming and hill training are better than home so we might get there more often in summer than winter since we don't downhill ski or snowboard. A number of outdoor friends are up there regularly, and we're looking forward to spending more time with them and with visitors to our guest room.

The condo closes tomorrow, it's completely empty, and we've invited STORM and Browner to stay with us this weekend for the Snowshoe Raid. So I have a few tasks on my to-do list but it's all good stuff. :)

'Bent and I met Browner, STORM, Funderstormin', DD11 and T Rex Breakfast at Albion Hills for some fat biking in the cold. The boys and girls split up for most of the ride.

I started out riding T Rex's husband's Norco, size medium, and it worked well for me. I don't think a fat bike is in the cards but I'll remember that in case I get a chance to rent one some place else.

The company was excellent and the Albion Hills were as hilly as advertised.





For the first hour, I used a Darth Vader mask since I've been feeling the beginnings of frostbite lately. After that, my cheeks felt warm enough to handle the cold so I got rid of it.



The guys found us and we rode a final short lap together before the rental bikes had to be returned (photos "borrowed" from DD11's Facebook).





Browner tried an interesting photography angle; I'm curious to see how it turned out!



This was a good workout! I missed my clipless pedals on the climbs. Great to spend time with friends even if sometimes we were just trudging up big hills together. :)

'Bent, BazingaDog, AdventureDog and I went to the C3 snowshoe trek in Palgrave Forest. The group split up into smaller groups who wanted to go different paces. We teamed up with the Reids, their dog Barley and James Hunter. We kept up a good hiking pace with occasional running on downhills. Our 3 pooches had an amazing time. Our family photo only includes A-Dog's hind end - typical dog posing!

It was a glorious, frigid winter day and there were too many good options. But why make a decision? So I planned a winter triathlon consisting of at least 1 hour each of snowshoeing, XC skiing and running from our house. I set up an indoor transition area where I could change footwear, drink water (which I didn't have to carry) and adjust layers.

The first discipline was snowshoeing. I stayed in Palgrave West and for the most part, I bushwhacked off-trail and it was beautiful. There's a fair bit of fluffy snow so it was a good effort in spite of my slow pace.

The 2nd stage of my triathlon was XC skiing. I stayed on trails in Palgrave East and West, many of which had been well-used by non-skiers so the tracks were virtually non-existent.

While snowshoeing earlier, I kept using my hands to warm up my cheeks to prevent frostbite so I took drastic measures for this round. "Luke, I am your father."



Wildlife highlight: I surprised a hawk who attempted to take off from the snow carrying an eviscerated bunny (I think). It didn't work. Perhaps the dangling piece of intestine threw off his flight path. He landed quickly and casually watched me pass by, hoping I wouldn't get hungry and steal his dinner.

My phone rang near the end. I answered it and it was a research company wanting to discuss "issues that are important in Ontario". I said, "The biggest issue in Ontario is that it feels colder than -30C with windchill and I'm in the middle of the forest with my mitten off because I thought this was a real phone call." He let me go without protest.

Stage 3 was the run. It's not possible to run into the forest from our place right now without trampling ski or snowshoe tracks, so I ran a short distance along our road to get to Palgrave East, where the fat bikers have packed down a lot of trails. The toughest section was the part of Duffy's Lane that is closed in winter; it would be fine for skiing or snowshoeing but it wasn't packed down enough to make running pleasant.

It got dark while I was out there but the coyotes stayed quiet so I managed to stay brave enough to finish the hour instead of dashing for home. This was a fun way to deal with my indecision!

The Glen Haffy lost puppy I searched for on Tuesday was found this morning in apparent good health after 5 nights out in this frigid weather!