Training Log Archive: Bash

Yay! I made it to the last of the 35 Summer Scavenger Hunt challenges - 30 regular badges and 5 hidden badges that were unlocked after I'd completed certain challenges.

As we'd been warned a few days ago, I received a surprise 36th challenge upon completing this one. It requires me to do a 5-hour run or hike by this Sunday at 7 p.m. The required time is based on the longest challenge I did, which unfortunately was the 80 km La Cloche Silhouette Trail - as if that wasn't punishing enough. :)

My final badge was Creative Control: "Post-run, draw something, anything, even if it’s stick figures. If you’re inspired, draw something you’ve seen on your run. If you’re uninspired and lack the creative gene to draw anything (guilty as charged), draw some stick figures or scratch some lines that look like hills or mountains. Bonus points available for most impressive, least impressive and most entertaining artwork."

I attempted to sketch a scene along the trail in Palgrave West. Spoiler alert: I don't sketch!

Although the Trail Fix Relay had to be cancelled for 2020, Sean marked laps for the new course at Albion Hills this weekend. It wasn't an organized event and people could run them for free at any time. If they appreciated it, they could contribute to Sean's 100-mile run next month, which is raising funds for the Bruce Trail Conservancy.

Dee organized a bunch of people to camp at Albion Hills, including a sizeable contingent of adventure racers. Some of them (and us) came for a visit and went home to sleep. It was *so* great to see so many friends in real life after so long. It would be nicer if we could give them a big hug or even a handshake but maybe next year - sigh.

I did the "10K for Time" Summer Scavenger Hunt badge today. I wouldn't have chosen a trail run at Albion Hills with an injured heel for that but I gotta take what I can get. It was surprisingly nice to run a marked course on trails - although I mixed and matched a few of the laps because my heel didn't need any extra distance. I ran into Eric D'Arcy (5 Peaks race director) who was there with some of his coaching clients running their first 100 km on the Trail Fix course.

'Bent, Browner and I went for a short night ride on the Albion Hills trails. I can't remember the last time I rode with lights!

Some of the friends we saw today.

I squeezed in the Run for Food challenge from the Summer Scavenger Hunt on a busy day. Just as I was leaving, I got a sad phone call from a friend so I wasn't feeling focused. When I was 1 km from the cafe, I realized that I'd forgotten to bring a mask. There was no time to run home to get one. Hmm.

I mentally reviewed the short list of items I had with me to choose the best candidate for a mask. Could I take off my socks and make a face covering out of them? What about ducking into the forest to remove my sports bra? Would the straps stay on my ears long enough to buy ice cream then get the hell out? I finally settled on my shirt since my running pack is kind of like a tank top - for an 8-year-old. It was my first time in this local cafe but I'm pretty sure they'll remember me. :)) #AlmostDecent

P.S. Yes, I ran! I was too short of time to hike. So far, my heel doesn't feel any worse - or any better.

My purchase from the Orienteering Canada Silent Auction Fundraiser arrived today. Lobsters tonight, mussels and smoked salmon tomorrow. Many thanks to Cheryl Smith for donating this to the auction. Supporting a good cause should always be this delicious!

With time getting short to finish the Summer Scavenger Hunt, I've been planning which days best suit the remaining challenges. Today I had to be home all day to sign for two courier packages, one of which was the East Coast Seafood Dinner I bought at the Orienteering Canada Silent Auction. (Thank you to the kind donor, Cheryl Smith!) I definitely didn't want our fresh lobsters taken back to the Fedex depot in Mississauga.

So it was a perfect day for the Home Run challenge - a 60 minute route within 1 km from home. In the spirit of the challenge, I'd always planned to do this entirely on our property. I wish I could have run but c'est la vie. I try to go quickly enough to sweat a little.

I also did the Night Owl challenge entirely on our property. That's the one where I had to run across the midnight hour. I stayed close to home because it was scary, lol.

Only 3 challenges to go!

We made the Caledon news for our La Cloche Silhouette loop! The article was adapted from my AP log entry so you may already have read a longer version.
https://justsayincaledon.com/a-rugged-hike/?fbclid...

I squeezed in the City Scavenger Hunt badge on a busy day including errands like: "Buy milk, bagels, fruit, house". Well, not quite. I transferred the funds to the lawyer today. We buy the house on Tuesday.

I had to be in Orangeville, which is the only full-fledged city within a short driving distance. Unlike the Trail Scavenger Hunt, there was very little on the list that I knew how to find so it really was a random scavenger hunt. There was a long list with different point values for different items: Hose, Public library, Basketball hoop, Bridge, Horse, Boat, BBQ, Flag, House with red front door, House with decorative outdoor lights, etc. You can be awarded a maximum of 65 points but the list is longer than that, and you can keep going for as long as you want.

As I meandered around Orangeville's downtown, it seemed to take forever to get to 30 points. I didn't expect to get full points. There were things I knew I wouldn't find - like a train - and things I didn't expect to find, like a phone booth or a person wearing a cowboy hat. But my luck started to turn when I found their park, where I got points for swinging on a swing and sliding on a slide, and for finding items like a soccer net and a tennis court.

Then I got *really* lucky. There is a vague item on the list worth 10 points: "Hold a rainbow in your hand." I remembered Kissy holding her neighbour's rainbow flag during Pride month - but this is September. Then I saw this telephone pole - yahoo!!!



After holding the rainbow, it got too easy. A full-sized tractor was parked in someone's driveway in a residential neighbourhood (ka-ching!), a motorcycle was tucked in the corner of a parking lot (ka-ching!) and a cat crossed the road (a big one - 5 points!) I stopped at 81 points so I could go buy groceries. More fun than I'd expected.

'Bent and I have been watching Le Tour de France, which isn't easy in Canada this year - especially in rural Palgrave. It's expensive but we figure it's less expensive than going to France like we did last year. It's the closest I'll get to an international vacation in 2020 so I'm really enjoying the beautiful landscapes and historic buildings. It makes life feel semi-normal at a time when cases are rising in Ontario and life is definitely not normal.**

**The race director of the TdF, Christian Prudhomme, tested positive for Covid-19 yesterday so he'll need to isolate. The riders, who wear a mask in the start corral but not while they're riding, all tested negative. Some team support staff tested positive yesterday and were sent home. The rule is that a team will have to leave the tour if two people in their bubble (riders + support staff) test positive.

With 10 days remaining in the Coast Mountain Trail Running Summer Scavenger Hunt, I still had 6 challenges to go as of this morning. I'm managing a move in Collingwood next week so I probably won't get much training in. We're only allowed to do one challenge per day.

This seemed like a good chance to do the Double Double - two sessions in one day of at least 30 minutes each. Since I have two unemployed dogs at home thanks to Covid-19, this challenge was made for me.



I took AdventureDog first - thank goodness I did it in that order. There was a fox ahead of us in Mad Dog Meadow. A-Dog didn't see it but for the next 5 minutes, his hackles were up and his nose was vacuuming the ground. Then the three farm dogs appeared on Raspberry Hill, having slipped out of their fence. One of them behaved aggressively. He didn't care when I yelled but he left when I picked up a thick branch. A-Dog wanted to chase after them and demonstrate his superiority. That wouldn't have gone well so it's fortunate that he's obedient off-leash.



We also had some other sightings in the woods. Yes, it's a cow.

Later in the day BazingaDog and I went out into Palgrave West, doing the same route as this morning with the lollipop reversed. Luckily, we didn't see major wildlife so I didn't have to perform any heroics to keep him from pulling the leash from my hand.

24 years ago today...
And the adventures continue!



PFDs were mandatory gear for all our wedding guests. We had lunch on this campsite during a canoe trip last summer.



The traditional 24th anniversary gift is Opal. The modern gift is a Musical Instrument. 'Bent gave me some paint repairs, packed several boxes of kitchen stuff and made a yummy pizza. It was a wild celebration!

No time for training today. The next time we're at Tree Hugger ABC, it will be for moving day.