Training Log Archive: 'Bent

Workout #3.

Skipped a perfect ski to work as I'm not feeling 100%.

Tried Velotique Saul's super-duper 80km waxing technique, and certainly had it dialed for the crust today- running straight up the hills. Quick enough to get in an extra loop and some hills.

Just as I was nearing the last climb I heard voices in the dusk, then got attacked by 4 labs! Sherpa was over, and her 2 fur kids were joining Bash and our beasts for an outing.

Note- coming down with a cold. Got 9 days to recover.

C • Uh Oh! 2

Icy crust out there to break through- first sub-perfect conditions since the snow first came. Took it a bit easy on the way home.

This race suited me a bit more I think- trail running options and breaking through deeper snow. I was able to split off from the pack in the box and did most of it by myself, which I enjoyed a lot. Ran with Phatty a little, then in the second box passed the dangerously competitive LeAnimal and Slice. At the second last control, GM headed off in the wrong direction, and I naturally assumed he knew something I didn't, but after a bit I yellled him back and relocated us. We were in 4th place at that point, but after the error ended up in 11th.

Warmup for Thomass. I almost missed the start, but really need to warm up for these.

Hardwood with the post- Thomas gang. I worked hard racing BobM and BillyW up the hills. Billy was on classic skis, and just toying with us I think. 1st time skating this year.

I resisted the urge to ski with B & B on the olympic loop- and probably give myself a cardiac arrest in the process- and did the flatter Meadowlands loop with Bash, Phatty, Bender and LeAnimal. Easier to work on technique on the flats. After carving lots of nice telemarks all day, I tried to screech into the chalet, hit some ice and landed right on my Trappers Pelt.

C • Ouch! 3

Ski around Palgrave with Bash, Leanimal and Bulletdog, with full Ski Marathon pack.
T-dog came for a first lap. Conditions *still* perfect!

C • The BEAST! 4

We only ran 4 hill intervals tonight, but did tempo laps after. Started chilly, but was a perfect temperature once we got going.

Caron's extra- evil nasty core workout. Oww!

Power Yoga class. I seem to be absolutely no more flexible in the hamstrings after a year full of yoga and regular stretching.

Sunny, fresh powder and -7. Absolutely perfect conditions for a circuit of the Charlevoix trail with 2 dogs added on the commute. Extra weight above and beyond the ski marathon pack now- I'm assuming I won't need a laptop, cel phone or dog food. Met 2 King Shepards, and another Chocolate Lab too.

Workout #2

Looks like the results of my modelling career are out.

http://www.northpeel.com/br/caledon/

C • Modelling 12

Scoot home at night. Quicker since Bash picked up the dogs.

Back to the full Ski Marathon pack for practice.
Note to self- less clothing layers, more grip wax.

Got the wax and layers dialed for the heavy load. Bulletdog took off in the dark, only to find Bash skiing home.

Now here's a tough workout- a ski over to Chez Crash for mulled wine and a bonfire! Had to pass on the espresso- I'm such a caffeine princess that I'd never sleep after one.

Conditions are so-o-o good right now, even though the snow's not all that deep. Bulletdog and I took an extra loop on the way home as the light lasts a little longer now.

I expected my neck to be really bad today as it hurt a lot during the race on the Wedgie bike, but I got active release after the race and it's not bad this morning!

An easy 2-dog ski around the Charlevoix trail.

Power Yoga DVD to get the kinks out.

Event: Salomon Adventure Challenge - Mansfield
 

SAC Mansfield Winter Race with Bash and 3Pin.
http://www.elmtreedental.com/Images/2007%20Winter%...
This race had a different format- a bike/hike loop start where you could drop the bikes anywhere in the perimeter and hike in to get 6 CPs in any order, which split the pack up. We had a bit of a nav error at the first bush CP. The second group Bash nailed perfectly. Bash and I used trekking poles, which were great for towing up the occasional steep hill. Bash had Yaktracks, I had screws in my winter shoes, and 3Pin had his monster running ability, so even without the poles or studs he did a bit of good towing too. A bike back to Airport Road, where 3Pin ran 2 bikes! Bash's water hose froze up completely so we shared mine.
With so many teams milling around, we didn't realize we were in the top group until the TA.

The rest of the race was all skiing (Woo-hoo). We'd been told that the trails were not groomed for skating, and there was 20cm of fresh powder. 3Pin and I used combi skis and skating boots, Bash brought classic and skate skis, so we waxed for classic, which Bash and I love.
Turned out to be a great decision. We caught and passed suffering skaters like LSN and Salomon Suunto, and were 2nd to the first CP, and 1st to the next. One drawback to leading the race is that I had to break many km of trail for us and LSN as they double-poled behind us
.
Leaving for the advanced course (long ungroomed ski section in confusing area - Woo Hoo!) we saw Supplier Pipeline come in as we split from LSN. Billy W and Trish are both awesome skiers, and DC was looking strong.
I broke trail to the next CP and Bash nailed the nav, where we again saw SP as we were leaving.
Less trail breaking to the last advanced CP, but 3Pin's not a classic skier although he gave it everything. I did a little towing for Bash up hills (Remind me to bring a longer tow rope for skiing) and we shared my water until I went dry. A final scramble down the escarpment, and I towed the determined but spent 3Pin 2km to the finish.

We ended up 2nd overall, 5 minutes behind SP, which is a great finish for us.

LSN was a full 35 minutes behind, followed by our buddies Tiny, Crash and Noshnoj, then LeAnimal, Phatty and Storm who suffered with skate skis.

I loved this race, in that we were in more wilderness than machine groomed trails, and nav and good equipment choice worked well for us. I was glad I've gotten some classic training in these last weeks. Also a great team- 3 Pin's so strong on bike and foot and Bash's such a good navigator and skier.

A few equipment notes- I used winter running shoes in platform pedals with Power Grip straps, with Sealskinz socks and chemical toe warmers on the bike, and my feet were toasty. I used Pogies on my handlebars, so my frostbitten hands were just fine. I had a studded rear tire, which was great for towing up steep hills. I filled my bladder with e-load with some extra salt (antifreeze) and boiling water in the AM, and with the insulated hose I was the only one who had reliable water. I also had an insulated water bottle on the bike with hot e-load.
Glasses fogged up on the bike- maybe ski goggles next time?
The combi skis and adjustable carbon poles at full length worked very well, and would have been OK for skating too.
Wish I'd remembered to ditch my helmet before the ski though.

C • Amazing!! 3

A quick coaching session for LeAnimal on the finer points of skate skiing, at least what I remember from our real coaches Barbie and The Minister. She picked it up so fast it's scary, considering it's her second time.

Workout #2 Guess a late night and sleeping outdoors agree with me.
I hit my previous max on the whole workout.

Skate skiing with my new Pilot boots around the yard and up the local hill. Only chance I'll get before the race this weekend. Fast!

Funny commute. Just as I was getting ready to head out with my full pack and 2 dogs, Bash got a call from the local paper- they needed pics of a skier ASAP!
I had to model for Bash's camera and ski back and forth, attempting the Blue Steel look. Good thing I did Strength this morning- wouldn't want to pale compared with Zoolander.
So, should I change my AP name to Fabio?

I ended up heading off with the 2 dogs for an easy commute but the delayed start made for a hectic day after a hectic evening yesterday.

C • name change 3

Slow ski back at night. T-dog spent a lot of time distracted. Conditions still really good on the thin but solid base of ice pellets with nice snow on top.

I wanted to try spray-on Toko wax today. In my AM daze I grabbed the 0+ wax, and it was -15C out:( I got most of the muck off, but still had to work hard on the way to work. Also carrying my full pack I'll have at the Ski Marathon. Nice brisk morning anyway, and a beautiful vertical red beam over the rising sun.

Ski back with full pack. Nice conditions.

Note- Hectic evening as I had to rush out to a long and slow environmental meeting that went until 11, and then I slept out to test my CSM sleeping gear. It was only -13 or so, so I was hotter than I should be.

C • Sleeping Outside 1

Oh yeah! Finally, some skiing. Bulletdog and I skied to work as the ice pelted down on us. 1cm of ice pellets over 1cm of snow made for surprisingly fast conditions. Good thing, as Gazelle and Gazette called me on Skype just as I was about to shut down so I was running late. Supposed to turn to snow later.

Bulletdog and I took the long way round Palgrave to enjoy the ski conditions. The legs felt good and I was able to tire out the Bulletdog, on a fine night ski. Saw plenty of Bash and Crash tracks. Great ski!

Geez, I thought with my extra long trip home I could skip Hard Core, but no-o-o. Somehow I'd rather be blasting around the ski trails than suffering in front of the DVD.

Tested out my sleep system for the Ski Marathon. It was only -5 out but I quit after 10 minutes as I was too hot. For quite a while after our 15C house felt too warm too. Think I'll be OK. Next I need to ski with the full pack for a while.

C • Hotter Than You Should Be 5

Took out the winter wedgie bike for about as long as my neck could take it. 2 Dogs for first short lap, then a ride around Palgrave doubletrack and easy singletrack with Bulletdog.

Workout #1- a bit slower than usual. Missed the last few workouts due to the THI testing.

Testing the THI course one last time pre-race.
All controls were there this time.

I spent more time on holding good bearings and approaching controls from new directions, and spiked almost everything this time. Looks like I need to slow down in order to hold a decent bearing.

Neck's much better. LeAnimal and T of D are geniuses.

Re-ran part of the THI, and sure enough there were more flags gone. One was in a pretty nasty spot, so I doubt some malicious soul is removing them. Legs a bit tired from yesterday's intervals.

I don't think I'll log hauling sofas up and down stairs for the THI party, but it was hard work!

Warmup laps at C3 training night.

Hill intervals- 8 repeats with C3 in Caledon East.
A couple of fast kids there!

Hard Core Class

Yoga class with C3. My tight hamstring was pretty bad in some of the stretches, but otherwise went pretty well.

LeAnimal's work on my hamstring and neck helped a lot.

Tested out the THI course today. An off-day- Didn't have any flow, and seemed to be having harder time than usual holding bearings. Also short on time as I needed to scoot off to work after.

Trying to juggle map, 2 clue sheets, pen, compass, gloves, dog and cel phone at times was tricky.

I couldn't find 2 of my first controls that were only medium difficulty, and spent a lot of time triple-checking, then got thrown off. Turns out they were indeed missing, as were 2 later ones. One was medium, one difficult so I spent a lot of time mucking around in soggy ground trying to find it. Since I didn't have a pen I got out the cel phone to call Bash and tell her.

I managed to lose control clue sheets (2X) , 1 glove, my pen and a shoe in the muck at various times, and Bulletdog got in a dogfight with 2 Ridgebacks that came flying across Duffy's Lane. Found one of the sheets, the glove and the shoe, but not the pen or second sheet so I had to work from memory. Glad I had Sealskinz on.

Bash took me to places I've never seen in this neck of the woods that I should know like the back of my hand. Also managed to keep me running for a long time in a fairly limited area. Good for her- awesome course.

C • Sounds like THI will be a toug... 5

Note- woke up today with my neck in a mess. Lots of tricky dentistry yesterday and a ride home with a headlamp on a non-'bent did it in.

A nice ride home in the snow!
I used Bash's old MTB with studded tires. It rides well, but my neck's sore.

Note- Ironically I had to zip home to drive to a presentation we're holding on solar energy for the home.

Easy jog to work and back with T-dog.
Great run home- dark with cold and snow instead of mud and rain- Woo Hoo!

Hard Core DVD without Bash, and with many interruptions.

Thomass Walker Woods.
Again, got mixed up with a large group at the start and got to do an extra CP in the first box due to stupidity. I finished OK -7th- but navigated less of this one alone so I felt better about last time.

2-dog Jog Hike.

Brisk 25km hike with Phatty, LeAnimal, STORM, Bash and the frisky Bulletdog to Glen Haffy, around and back. We did this one at the pace we started the last overnight, but this time there were no injuries to slow us down. Great hike and excellent company. I use trekking poles to get some ski-like exercise.

Workout #1

3-dog jog on the Charlevoix trail.

Stage 16 of the 05 TDF part 2. I did 15 sets of "Tiny" intervals total, a fair bit of steady riding and then cranked it up for the last 15 min. I need to get a trainer-specific tire, as the one I'm using starts to scream when it heats up.

Ride from work down the rail trail to my env. meeting.
Soggy trail and strong headwinds made for a slow trip. Miserable night after such a nice day.
Met Bash after her fitness class for a ride home.

2 dog jog.

Howling winds in the woods lead to Bash warning me to hitch a ride home. Usually I have to drag my butt out for my 9PM return run, but I missed it today.

Workout #3 with a bit of XC specific stuff.

Late start, so I rode to work via Albion North trails. Riding was good in the sunshine until the frozen ruts started to thaw.

Ride home. Still a tiny bit of light when I left work- we're over the hump now.

Hmm, despite the lack of Feats of Strength at P&L's party, I guess I'll keep on working out. Workout #2 today + extra stretching.

C • Feats of Strength 7

Out for a muddy hike with Bash and the beasts. (Only logged 1/3). Bikes and horses are really chewing up the Palgrave trails now that it's thawed again.

Year end totals:
Cycling 134:13:00
Running 106:42:47
Orienteering 94:22:00
Strength 94:06:00
Adventure Racing 90:20:00
XC Skiing 54:03:30 Hiking 46:20:00 Paddlng 20:20:00
Total 571sessions 664:13:17 hrs

My favourite sport, XC skiing was only 54 hrs in a year when I did a lot. This year will be a lot less. Our Adventure Racing was way down too.

Rode the trainer watching stage 16 of TDF 05.
I also threw in 2X4 sets of Tiny intervals (30s on, 30 off)

Bash reminded me that it's Hard Core Monday. :(