Training Log Archive: Bash

It was a hot, humid morning for a short trail run in Palgrave West.

The trees damaged by the emerald ash borer continue to look more and more dangerous. This is a tree's bark separated from the rest of its trunk - yikes.



The birds haven't found our sour cherry tree yet so I had a nice post-run treat. Last year they ripped off our nets and cleared all the cherries in one night - but 2021 is a better year in so many ways.



Country life is super glamorous so I've been thinking about becoming an Instagram influencer. Today I was picking up LDD moth caterpillars and dog poop when a sudden storm swept in. I kept working because seriously, could heavy rain make this job any worse? Eventually, 'Bent instigated a search when I didn't come in.

Huge milestone today after 16 months - hugs and indoor lunch with 'Bent's Mom to celebrate being 2+ weeks post-2nd shot. Very nice although it felt very weird.

I signed up for the Coast Mountain Trail Running Summer Scavenger Hunt, which runs from July 1 to Sept. 1. After completing their first three Hunts, I can't end my streak now!
http://www.trailseries.ca/ssh21/

For the first time, CMTR has partnered with the North Shore Mountain Bike Association to offer a Mountain Bike Summer Scavenger Hunt over the same time period. I doubt I'll finish both Hunts but I figured I'd enter it to get some extra, much-needed motivation.
http://www.bikescavengers.com/?fbclid=IwAR0H-PPc2s...

Tonight this super nice, ridiculously humble guy overcame injury and extreme heat to reach the finish line of the 100-mile Western States Endurance Run with the 4th fastest time in the event's history! (Two of the faster times were also his.) Photo is from the 2018 race, two days before Jim Walmsley's first victory. Funderstorm and I sure know how to pick 'em.

Course testing for Wilderness Traverse with Bob. Details removed until after the event because Hammer would spend all day trying to guess our exact route, and I know he has other work to do.

It was clear that:

(a) For the past two pandemic bike seasons, I've only ridden in places where it's poor etiquette to ride when the trails are muddy. I've been feeling pretty good about my technical skills on rocks and roots but it took a while to remind myself how to ride through mud pits. I didn't have any injury-causing crashes but I did end up very muddy - right up to my neck on one side, lol.

(b) I haven't been training for endurance at *all*.

More course testing. Mosquitoes feasted on my feet.

'Bent and I had a fun ride around Kolapore on a perfect day. I had my 2nd fall of the season when a rock knocked my wheel sideways. It took a while to get back to the sense of invincibility needed to ride the rocky sections. We chatted with Suzy Sheppey and had a little break at one of the big bridges, which is where I took today's photos. Most of the time we were in lush forest so these aren't really representative of our day.

Happy First Day of Summer!









'Bent started to suspect that this bench had actually been built for skiers.

From a local mountain biking Facebook group. It's come to this!

Up/down paddle of the Beaver River from Epping with the Doughtys, 'Bent and AdventureDog - and occasional friendly recreational paddlers. Beautiful day!







We hadn't visited the bald eagle's nest for a while. It's harder to see now that the trees have leafed out but Goose and Coach LD spotted it. We saw a couple of eagles sitting on the nest too! No photo, unfortunately.

Speaking of no photos, there was a massive snapping turtle on a log that was in such an awkward position that I wondered if it was an ex-turtle. When we returned a short time later, it was gone so I had my answer. Sadly, the ex-beaver really was an ex-beaver.

We saw this animal that I think was a mink.



And a green heron (you'll have to trust me on that).



And leopard frogs.



I kept trying for a photo of a Great Egret but they love to taunt canoeists by staying just out of reach. Goose's theory is that they evaluate your photographic equipment and make a point of never quite being close enough. I took a dozen terrible photos and got a few that are OK but nothing special.







'Bent took exactly one egret photo as we took our canoe out of the water, and it's one of the best.

Dog hike on the Kolapore Bruce Trail.

First run in 5 weeks. I'm not sure it matters to my sore heel whether I hike or run a particular distance so I may as well try to run a little. It feels fine while I'm out there; any extra pain will hit me tomorrow.

I've finally made an appointment for my "annual" physical, delayed from November, and I'm going to ask for diagnostic imaging on my heel. The 3rd COVID-19 wave didn't feel like the right time to investigate a running injury.

Quick pre-dinner ride around Palgrave East - about 80% double track. Loving this cool weather!

Lower body strength

Here's an article about the busiest vaccine clinic in Brampton, where I've spent four afternoons so far. Today we had 4700 appointments booked using the hockey hub model. A number of businesses and organizations have collaborated with the Region of Peel to make this clinic happen.

Usually, I've been one of the Initial Crowd Flow Volunteers, which involves lots of exercise as I jump, wave, cajole and point dramatically to one of 23 numbered registration desks. Small gestures don't work and luckily, I'm not shy and can smile and talk for 4.5 hours straight.

Today I was a Floater so I got to do everything from helping at the accessibility entrance to working on the arena floor where we have 250+ vaccination cubicles. Interesting to see other parts of the clinic but I think my AR HQ skills have prepared me best for crowd wrangling so I'll ask for that next time. I *did* get to spend some time outdoors - my original vax clinic "career goal" - but it turns out that yelling, "Do you have diarrhea today?" to strangers through our respective layers of masks and shields wasn't nearly as much fun as it sounds.

Another new provincial record! It was about 80% second shots across Ontario. I'd like to see more first shots but different approaches will be needed for the people who still haven't made it in. It's way too hard to make vaccination appointments.

Rodney Yee Power Yoga for Flexibility

Browner and Storm brought their pooches to keep AdventureDog and BazingaDog company while the humans went for a fun, warm mountain bike ride. We started with the Covid Crusher in our back yard, then rode down to Albion Hills, where we spent most of our time.

We phoned in a takeout burger order to the Caledon Hills Brewing Co. and rode over to Palgrave village on the rail trail. Their patio is open but we took our food to the gazebo in the dental clinic's back yard. We rode home through Palgrave Forest and released the beasts to play in the back yard while we had cold adult beverages. A really good day - very close to normal life.

Trying to get rid of the left lower back / hip pain. It only hurts when I sit or lie in certain positions so it's mostly OK - an incentive to be active. But it's also new, weird and wrong. It may be related to sciatica-like symptoms I've been having on and off since the winter.

'Bent was still fatigued after his 2nd dose so I did a solo single track tour of Palgrave Forest. The poison ivy is so lush now that in some sections, it feels like threading a needle while bouncing down bumpy descents, grinding up steep, rooty hills and whipping around bermed curves.

It turns out that mid-afternoon on Saturday is a great time to miss the crowds. I met a pair of bikers, at least one of whom was a novice, and a group of 6 equestrians who let me ride by them slowly and suggested that I talk so the horses would know I was human. Oh, and there was one elderly lady with an unleashed dog in a section of hilly single track with blind curves. I greeted her dog but warned her that most bikers wouldn't be watching for loose dogs. Luckily, she was about to duck out to a hiking trail.

Almost no LDD moth caterpillars are dangling from webs in the middle of the trail anymore!

If I'd known this would happen on Ontario's record vaccination day, I would have felt obligated to run outside Brampton's CAA Centre to find 234 people.

Final day for the Caledon Hockey Hub vaccination clinic, which delivered 20,000 doses in total. Today was its biggest day - 1200 doses. The clinic is moving into a smaller auditorium because the air conditioning in the arena is broken. The security guard said it is expected to shut down completely by the end of July because the major vaccination effort will be over! I got 'Bent's appointment moved up to tonight so he'll have the next 3 days to deal with any side effects before he starts operating drills in people's mouths again.

I'm now two weeks past my 2nd dose. This doesn't change much in the short term while there is a race between vaccines and the more transmissible Delta variant. Taking basic precautions in most situations will still be wise for a while. But I'm super excited about the lives we'll be living in 2-3 months - especially all the hugs I've been waiting to give!

Weird left back/hip pain - definitely not from too much exercise. I had to mail a letter so I rode through Palgrave Forest to one of our closest mailboxes.

About 4500 appointments at the Brampton CAA Centre vaccination clinic today. Non-stop madness - very similar to working Wilderness Traverse HQ at check-in. Just to keep everyone on their toes, exactly two people were scheduled to get Moderna. Lots of 2nd shots today. Canada is #1 in the world for 1st doses and we'll have a busy couple of months getting 2nd doses into arms.

Brisk hike up, down and around the escarpment at Pretty River Valley with Mrs. Gally, Jacquie, Koko and AdventureDog.

Fun, rocky Kolapore ride with ‘Bent. I still haven’t fallen this year but it’s going to happen eventually, and it’s not going to be pretty! First hot, humid exercise of the year and I was zonked afterwards. We ran into the Tarnos on our short gravel road section - nice to catch up.

Hike around the Tarnos' property with sweet Koko and her crew. Beautiful views.

Pre-dinner hike in lush Kolapore forest with 'Bent, BazingaDog and AdventureDog. Mosquitoes were out but really weren't too bad.

Brampton Vaccination Clinic at the CAA Centre - BUSY! This hockey hub clinic can do up to 2500 immunizations per day. Managing crowd flow is complicated here - like a video game where you need to look four directions at once and make quick decisions. It was almost loggable exercise.

Many people who are about to get a COVID-19 vaccination are laser-focused on the task so communicating with words is seldom enough. A lot of body language is needed. Picture a blend of a cheerleader, Vanna White, an energetic jazz dancer and a person trying to wave down a cab in rush hour.

Out of hundreds of appointments, there were exactly four doses of Moderna set aside for seniors with 2nd shot appointments. Everyone else got Pfizer. There were several checks along the way, as well as bright pink stickers on the health cards of the Moderna clients. If you know a senior going for a 2nd shot, it wouldn't hurt for them to confirm that the immunizer has the correct vaccine.

I'd hoped to volunteer mostly in Caledon but I've signed up for two more shifts in Brampton. I could use the workout.

Short ride around Palgrave Forest. It would have been longer but I met my next door neighbours working on their trails. Friends! Conversation in person!

Then I went to the vaccination clinic. Each week has had a different character:

1) Extra doses allocated to hot spots including ours, long line-ups, flood of adults mostly aged 18-45, young parents accompanied by small children.

2) Far fewer doses available, quieter, lots of teens and twenties.

3) [Today] A few more doses available, still quite manageable, 50% teenagers, 35% octogenarians getting their 2nd dose, 15% other adults. I hope this doesn't mean that we're hitting the "vaccine hesitancy" wall already.