Training Log Archive: Bash

We finished all 10 Eco-Challenge shows tonight. Now I don't have to worry about avoiding spoilers! I really enjoyed the series. It's not remotely close to the experience of dot watching a regular adventure race but that's not what Eco is about. It's been great to see enthusiasm from the general public on social media - just what we'd hoped for.

I like a good birthday adventure - a long hike, the World Rogaine Championship, the Untamed New England expedition adventure race, a mountain scramble, etc. But like everything else, the pandemic got in the way this year.

As a backup plan, I decided to do 60+ km on a trail on foot. (I had to do a long distance since I can't set a speed goal like Trav did with such impressive success!) First choice was the La Cloche Silhouette trail but Killarney's campsites were all booked for the night before. Second choice was to drive north and run home 60 km on the Bruce Trail and Oak Ridges Trail. 'Bent and Goose were lined up to join me for that but today's forecast still included a risk of strong storms as of last night so I decided to postpone.

That left us with no plans other than finishing our Eco-Challenge binge and continuing to eat the amazing brownie cake that Crash had made. Luckily - or perhaps unluckily - we never had the thunderstorms that were in the forecast. It was too late for the trail run so 'Bent and I went for a ride - mostly on the rail trail with detours into Ken Whillans Conservation Area, the Richard Whitehead Memorial Trail and Palgrave Forest.

We finished with 'Bent's Covid Crusher single track and rode an extra loop around our yard to make sure that 'Bent's bike computer registered over 60 km too. Then we replenished all the calories and probably a few more. :)

'Bent, AdventureDog and I planned to meet Goose and Coach LD for a morning paddle but as we arrived a few minutes early, they texted to say they were already on the water. Hmm, strange. They also said there was an envelope for me stuck on a sign by the boat launch.

When I opened it, I found a card containing Clue #1. Ah, now it made sense! Instead of a regular paddle, we set off on a pre-birthday canoe scavenger hunt. Inspired by Eco-Challenge, Coach LD had "medallions" (CDs) at the 5 checkpoints. There was also a small gift at each CP and a clue - written as a poem - for the next CP. Very clever and it meant they had to arrive early and sneak around different parts of the lake. Coach LD described sinking in mud over her knees, while Goose had to scale a wall quickly because he was afraid we would see him returning from hanging a medallion.



The first medallion had a task - doing yoga on a big stage by the beach. The unexpected twist for all of us was that an actual yoga class was about to start on the stage. Coach explained my quest to the leader so I ran up there quickly, did a pose and returned to pick up my clue.







There were 4 more clues/gifts that took us back and forth and ensured that we saw most of the lake. This is what I was looking for. The treat in the first photo was a bag of home-grown cherry tomatoes hidden in the jar marked with flagging tape. Mmm.











Then we went to a grassy area where we found gorgeous flowers, Coach LD's yummy, homemade brownies, and refreshments that may or may not have been permitted in a park.



Thank you for the early celebration, Coach LD and Goose! :)

I figured I should do the Track Time badge for the Summer Scavenger Hunt before schools reopen. It may be more difficult for random runners to show up on school properties after that.

Coach LD suggested St. Mike's in Bolton, where they have a cinder track. It was great - I had the place to myself. Go Thunder!



This would have been more appropriate for the "What Weather?" badge than the rain storm I ran in, which I enjoyed. Today started off fine but the sun kept beating down, and I got slower and slower to avoid overheating. I stopped at the midway point and poured cold water on my head after taking a drink. Mmm, nice.

The challenge requires 20 laps or approximately 8 km. I started off running in the middle of the track, thinking that would give me 400 m laps. I was wrong about that so I switched to the inside "lane", such as it was.



I never do track workouts. I think the last time I was on a track was a 100 m stretch at Placer High School in Auburn, CA when Timato was finishing the Western States 100 two years ago. I also remember a Raid The Hammer that finished with 300 m on a track. Unfortunately, Sean Bechtel and his team of triathletes caught us there after 26 km of leapfrogging. You can guess how that turned out.



Before that, I can't remember being on a track since I was 12 years old in elementary school. In addition to being a nerdy non-athlete, I was also a year younger than my classmates because I'd skipped a grade. It's a colossal understatement to say that I did not shine in phys ed class. Obviously, I was never picked for a team and I had no chance in any of the events that kids actually *enjoyed* at the school track meet. Then the teacher and I noticed that no one had signed up for the *long* run on the track. I can't remember if it was 400 m or 800 m but I was acclaimed as the age group champion for my school just for getting to the finish line. (Much like my current athletic endeavours!) That qualified me for the county track meet where - unfortunately - other girls showed up. Thus ended my track and field career.

Cooldown lap with photography - an extra lap just in case I got home and discovered that I hadn't run 20 laps, as per the challenge. But I had.

20 years ago, 'Bent and I watched Eco-Challenge - a show about challenging adventure races and team dynamics in beautiful wilderness locations around the world. It inspired us to try endurance and navigation sports, which steered us toward hundreds of amazing experiences and friendships. We were already "outdoor people" but this was an unexpected game changer.

Other than Veinbuster, whom I've known for 35+ years, I doubt I ever would have met anyone reading this log if it weren't for Eco-Challenge.

And now Eco is back! Starting tomorrow on Amazon Prime Video (30-day free trial available at Amazon.ca or Amazon.com), the show returns as a 10-episode series, "World's Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji", produced by Mark Burnett and hosted by Bear Grylls. Stream it any time or watch all 10 episodes tomorrow, as some are planning to do.

We know a bunch of people who raced, volunteered or worked on the series. We're especially excited to cheer for Bob Miller, Scott Ford, Ryan Atkins and Rea Kolbl on the only Ontario-based team, Team Canada Adventure. (Rea was born in Slovenia and lives in the U.S. but she's an honorary Canadian.) We'll also be cheering for Alex Provost's Team Atlas, Team New Zealand (aka Seagate) and several American teams we know.

No spoilers here, please! I don't know how long it will take us to watch all 10 hours. We won't be binge-watching in one day - that's for sure.

I rode through Palgrave Forest single track to the mailbox in the village and back via different trails. It didn't occur to me until the way back that I'd ridden right past another mailbox by the forest but I was so focused on my intended destination that it didn't even register. While I was having that thought, I ducked under a low, 2-3 cm diameter pine branch and was shocked by a huge bang on my helmet that snapped my neck back.

Fergawd's sake, it's been 3 weeks since I smacked my head hard and it's been looking for trouble ever since! I've bumped it on the fridge door, on my SUP while loading it on the car roof, and more. None of the other bumps (except today's) would have been memorable but concussions are on my mind now - literally. Anyway - no obvious symptoms in the past few weeks so hopefully it's all good.

Today's post-bonk analysis determined that the branch was very flexible, I was moving slowly at the time, and my helmet visor makes a really loud noise if you knock it. So mostly, I think it's just mild whiplash. But there must be NO MORE OF THIS #@%&!!

Tree Hugger ABC (our Collingwood condo) went on the market mid-afternoon today. There are 3 showings booked already. Fingers crossed!

First run since bonking my head almost 3 weeks ago. My brain felt fine but my stupid right heel continues to hurt.

This earned me the Sunset Run badge for the Summer Scavenger Hunt. Rules: Run for 45+ minutes through sunset including at least 30 minutes after sunset.) It was a little spooky in parts of Palgrave Forest but all the large animals crashing through the woods were deer - I hope. There was a pair of evil-looking, glowing eyes that turned into a bunny when I got closer.

19 challenges down, 16 more to do by Sept. 16!

Tonight we tested my 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime Video in preparation for the Big Day. On Friday, the 10 episodes of "World's Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji" will drop and we'll finally learn all the secrets. :)

The original Eco-Challenge is what got us into endurance sports. Adventure racing, orienteering, ultrarunning - it all started with Eco two decades ago!

AdventureDog joined me for SUP & Pup at the C3 Quarry. Now that he knows the ropes, he was quick to jump on board - *too* quick. He climbed on as soon as I put the board down on the sandy beach. We spent an hour paddling. Well actually, he just relaxed and sniffed the breeze. It was quite windy, which made for a tougher workout than the distance suggests. Fun way to start a long day of not-fun!

Mrs. Gally's Zoom Boot Camp - Other than portaging a heavy pack, this was my first hard workout since knocking my head 2.5 weeks ago. I was advised to keep my intensity level down for a while. So far, I don't think I've had concussion symptoms although it can be hard to distinguish them from dehydration, fatigue or sleep deprivation. My skull still feels tender where I smacked it into the wall so it's still on my mind. (Literally.)

I have a wonderful 6-day canoe trip to report on when I get a chance. 'Bent and I just spent 3 days in Collingwood where I spent all my time scrubbing toilets, vacuuming, wiping baseboards and hiding our possessions. Tree Hugger ABC 1.0 should go on the market on Wednesday. Fingers crossed!