Training Log Archive: Bash

Furry Friends 5k
Fundraiser for animal rescue organizations
Albion Hills

It's fun to mill around before this race in a crowd of animal lovers and their dogs. There was a dog refreshment station with a long line of water dishes and little swimming pool. AdventureDog walked along the line and drank a little from each dish until he got bored with that.



AdventureDog and I are on the poster! (Bottom middle.)



He was really keen to get going.



Right from the start, AdventureDog chased his Lab friend Barley, who was rescued from the same northern town as A-Dog. Unfortunately, Barley belongs to pro triathlete Taylor Reid but A-Dog refused to let that worry him. This race is run on hilly trails near our place so he felt totally comfortable in the terrain and wanted to be in the lead pack. He was attached to me by the waist so I was towed along - yikes!



Barley soon disappeared over the horizon because even AdventureDog can't make me run like Taylor Reid. At 1.5 km, we were passed by another pro triathlete, Kristen Marchant, so we knew that A-Dog's pace was still too fast.



He took care of that near the 2 km mark when I caught a toe on a tree root and went for a Superman flight, yanked forward through the air by the cord around my waist. I landed hardest on my left forearm and later found bloody scrapes in five different places around my body - and lots of dirt! The important thing is that my Ambit 3 was not damaged; the arm will heal. :) On the down side, my sore ankle got tweaked again.

We ran at a more reasonable pace after that and had a nice stop at the aid station with dog water bowls. It got exciting for everyone when we started passing dog walkers on our 2nd lap.



Word got out that race favourite Taylor Reid's dog Barley had taken a nature break, which not only knocked Taylor off the podium; it meant he had to run the last 2 km holding a bag of poop!

AdventureDog and I crossed the finish line in a decent time, then one of us went for a swim in the river. Although we didn't catch Taylor and Barley, A-Dog got in the last word by taking a big bite from Taylor's post-race pizza slice as we were chatting.

This year's Bolton race raised over $30,000 for animal rescue charities, more than double what we raised last year. So far in 2019, Furry Friends 5Ks at various locations have raised more than $100,000 $115,000.

AdventureDog and I spent the rest of the day recovering.

Browner and I met at Scotsdale Farm for a fun catch-up run through the rocky trails around Silver Creek Conservation Area. It's been way too long!

My ankle was feeling pretty good until I cranked it again - ugh. I'll wear an ankle brace for the Furry Friends 5K tomorrow, then give it a few days off. The Québec Megatrail 50 miler is three weeks from today and I can't wear a brace in the race because I'll get blisters. Looks like I may have to tape it though. I wonder if my foothab was keeping it in line. I'm hoping to have time for regular training like that again soon.

Then I went home and planted our vegetable garden. Better late than never!

'Bent and I parked by the Tai Chi Centre and ran the Bruce Trail north through Hockleycrest and across Airport Road into the Hockley Valley. We went at our own paces and did some hill repeats around Sally's Pinnacle and Dave's Pinnacle, including the big 5th Line hill, which is closed to traffic now and rutted enough to feel like trail running.

It was one of the warmest runs that I've done this year, and my body wasn't impressed in the final hour. No big mystery: I felt like drinking *lots* of water but it turns out I hadn't rinsed all the dish soap from my hydration bladder so it tasted pretty gross.

On an easy-looking downhill about an hour in, I turned my ankle for the first time since last autumn. Grrr - ain't nobody got time for that! Luckily, it feels like the injury was only a 4 out of 10, although my cursing was closer to 8 out of 10. Sorry, chipmunks.

'Bent and I parked at the dental office and walked to the Caledon Equestrian Centre (used for the Pan Am Games) for the Rotary Palgrave Wines of the World evening. Lots of yummy food, some of it cooked by Crash, and dozens of different wines for tasting, along with a few beers and ciders. It's a community fundraiser so we were forced to consume lots of calories. I think my favourite dish was the strawberry goat cheese pizza. We'd brought trail shoes and headlamps so we could taste several wines in good conscience and then hike home through the forest around sunset. Lovely evening for it!

If you - and optionally your dog - are interested in a fun trail race at Albion Hills this Sunday morning, check out the Furry Friends 5K, which raises funds for several animal rescue charities. AdventureDog and I are returning for a second year. Unfortunately, 'Bent has another commitment so BazingaDog will have to sit this one out.

If you can't make it, please consider donating to my fundraising campaign. Not sure if Pride Month is a factor but half my donors so far have been women with wives. Are they nicer human beings than most? Do they have a greater love of animals? Will this wonderful trend continue? Let's see! :)