Training Log Archive: Bash

'Bent, Bulletdog and I explored the beautiful Beaver Valley. It sure would be a great area for an adventure race, except the hills are *way* too high! :-)



We did some trail running in the rain, mostly in Old Baldy Conservation Area. I don't think I've ever seen so many trilliums! This is the kind of forest where companies should come to photograph ads for their trail running shoes, such as SALOMON XT WINGS. ;-)





Hunting is usually popular in areas like this, so we were surprised to see so many "No Hunting" signs. Then we saw several signs showing the photo of a smiling man, with the words "No hunting in memory of ..., killed by hunters in 2005". Sad.

'Bent and I met Slowrunner and Rocky for an 8 a.m. run on the Humber Valley Trail. When the alarm went off at 6:50 a.m. and I saw dark-grey skies out the window, I had to fight the temptation to pull the covers up a little higher. But 'Bent delivered some emergency coffee in bed, and I squeezed my eyes shut to visualize how pleased I'd be with myself to be home at 10 a.m. with a good training session under my belt. And thus we showed up on time, ready for a fun run that started damp and finished in steady rain.

Slowrunner, 'Bent and Bulletdog (on her first long run post-surgery) stayed a short distance ahead. It was great to chat and catch up with Rocky, the newest Boston Marathon-qualified person in our circle of friends. I'm looking forward to training with her more over the next while, since she pushes me beyond my limits, but it's usually manageable (except when she does speed intervals - yikes). We ran from Duffy's Lane to Duffy's Lane, then 'Bent and I turned around to go back to our car while the winning female team of the 2008 Trans Rockies Challenge continued back to Bolton. (As their new media agent, I'm trying to build some hype.)

As you can see, 'Bent is quite happy to get up early to run with the girls.

We've been planning a Victoria Day canoe trip for weeks, and when the weather forecast for our intended trip turned to rain for Saturday and Sunday (when we planned to return), I kept packing. When a frost warning was added to the rain, I kept packing. When the 70 km/hr winds were added to the forecast - and later a possible thunderstorm, I turned into a princess. It's been a tough week with bedtimes after 2 a.m. Even though I have the gear for it, and even though it's always nice to be out in nature, I just didn't look forward to spending hours in a tent with two wet 70 lb dogs while the trees outside threatened to blow down on us. 'Bent was surprisingly easy to convince...

Since today was the day with the best weather forecast, we decided to paddle the Nottawasaga River north of Alliston. It's only 40 minutes away, but somehow we've never paddled it except for ESAR 2007. It's actually quite nice!



We thought of it as a big farm country river in a deep, forested valley with minimal current - and we were correct, except for the current part. It quickly became clear that we'd better not go too far before turning around, since we estimated that it would take 3 times as long to go upstream.

The best place for a dog in our canoe is in the bow ahead of me. But we have two big dogs, so one of them sits ahead of the stern paddler at the widest part of the canoe, shifting her significant weight from one side of the boat to another to follow new smells and keep us on our toes. This was Bulletdog's turn in the middle.



And here was Thunderdog's shift. You can tell that she is the more experienced canoeist because she uses a PFD.



Some people don't know that trees have spring colours as well as autumn colours.



We stopped for lunch on one of the many beaches. The dogs had a fantastic time! (This trip was more for them than us.)





We went for a short hike, and there were beautiful ferns everywhere.



One of the highlights was paddling under a railway bridge while a double-decker train went over. Thunderdog, who ironically is afraid of thunder, was not pleased about that.

When the time came to turn around, it took a little more than twice the time to paddle back upstream. I wished that I had my GPS to settle the debate between 'Bent and me as to whether we were going faster against the stronger current in deeper water or in shallower, slower water close to the shore where we couldn't dig our paddles in properly. When we hit some Class 1 water near where we started, we were paddling as hard as we could, but making little progress. We finally pulled out about 50 meters short of where we started rather than fight the last little bit. Fun afternoon! And the pooches were totally worn out by the time we got back to the van. Yahoo - it's a bit like having energetic toddlers in the house; it's great when we can tire them out.

Free at last! Not really, but I've made it past a couple of deadlines, even though I failed to get all the flags up for the Navstock Raid, which was on the list for this week. Given that I was working until 3:30 a.m. last night, there were some things that just weren't going to happen this week.

It was a stunning spring day, but I didn't make it out the door until 7 p.m. It was beautiful then too - nice evening light, cool air, lots of trilliums. After the long winter, it's mind-boggling to see the forest bursting with life and growth. What an amazing time of year! (But then, I think they *all* are.) Didn't see any people, just one white-tailed deer. Glad to see that the poison ivy isn't out yet, but it's got to be close.

I had an assignment related to my volunteer stewardship work for the TRCA. They had indicated on their map where they were going to put boardwalks over muddy areas, but they had missed several areas that have been trashed by horses in the last couple of years. I was asked to go out and mark them on a map. I sure enjoy outdoor activities that have a higher purpose - like volunteer work or travelling to an ice cream shop. And if that higher purpose involves a map, well, I'm pretty much in heaven. So it was a nice evening.

Another day that was way too busy - but mostly very positive!

There is more good news from the world of science:

"Recent research suggests that hip and thigh fat may offer some unique protection against heart disease."

Woo hoo.

Didn't mean to take 3 days off after STORM, but that's what happened. Too many deadlines and commitments converging at once. :-(

Besides, I'm injured. Sure, Slice is hogging all the attention with her "broken arm" in that cute pink cast. But hey, I biked into the ragged, pointy end of a 1" diameter tree branch, leading with my face, and now I have to wear - gasp - make-up to hide the divot. Oh, the horror.