Training Log Archive: Bash

Event: Salomon NavStock 6-hour Raid
 

Picked up #12 from the Raid.

Salomon Navstock Raid. I was the course designer for this 6-hr adventure run - the first time we'd tried this format. It was a challenge to come up with a race that should take 6 hrs for everyone. At our usual adventure runs, the finish times for 25K range from 3 to 8 hrs, and some teams don't even finish the course within the 8 hrs. So in a race with a fixed distance, some teams take triple the time of other teams. Thus in a race with fixed time, we might expect some teams to travel triple the distance of other teams.

But actually, we assumed that top teams would slow down a bit in a longer race, so the ratio wouldn't be quite as crazy as 3:1. The GHO Raid committee estimated that the course would need to be about 42K (marathon distance) to keep the top competitors busy for 6 hrs. We still had to get all teams to the finish line, so we decided to start with a point-to-point, then finish the race with a rogaine around the finish line. My personal preference is that rogaines shouldn't be possible for any team to complete, which forces everyone to solve the same problem of deciding which controls to do. Thus we needed a long distance rogaine, knowing that most teams would only see a small portion of it.

What we hadn't counted on was the extreme weather - the first weekend of the year with oppressive heat and humidity. Ironically, my course planning sessions often seemed to degenerate into hurricane conditions, and my biggest problem had been hypothermia. The hot weather seriously increased the difficulty of the race - especially the long road run, which was unfortunately hard to avoid due to all the development around Horseshoe. We were fortunate that most of our competitors took care of themselves pretty well, and the few racers who were having major problems with the heat and sun dropped out before things got too serious.

I'd made a comment in the pre-race info package that this race would be a bigger change from the norm for our top racers than for our mid-pack racers, who are accustomed to going out for 6 hrs in every adventure run. I'd wondered how top teams would approach the pacing, hydration, nutrition, sun protection, etc. There did seem to be more pain and attrition in a few of the top teams, but the vast majority of participants handled the difficult conditions amazingly well. Some of the teams with excellent results made a point of walking much of the course - in the right direction, of course. I'm a princess in heat, and I'm sure glad that I got to stay in the shade all day!

From the first time I saw Slice & Leanimal on the race course (just a few minutes out of the lead at the 1st aid station), the phrase "well-oiled machine" popped into my head. I see that Slice has used it in her training log, so it wasn't just my imagination! They gave the impression of being calm, organized, physically fit and totally on their game. We've all been waiting for the day that the Salomon Bobkittens would win a major event outright, and today was the day. Congratulations, ladies - rawrrrr!!!!

It was great to see so many friends out, and I continue to be blown away by the incredible support we get from our sponsors Salomon, Sojourn, Running Free and Axis Gear.

Event: NavStock Weekend
 

Event: Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon
 

Nice Navstock 5K course on Schumacher Mountain, designed by GHO Slow. I hadn't anticipated that I'd be able to do this race, but we managed to fit in our Raid course work between this and the sprint. So I just approached it as training, since I wasn't really mentally prepared to race.

It's a pretty area, although I miss all the trilliums that were there when I was course setting for the Raid. I was doing fine until I blew past #5. I must have been close but didn't see it, and of course when I continued on, things didn't make sense and I had to relocate. I wasted a few minutes on errors on a couple of later controls. I could feel my brain shutting down from lack of sleep, and I even had trouble finding #14 which was the same flag as #1 on the way out to the finish. I'd had no trouble finding it the first time.

Not a stellar run, but the important thing is that I finished ahead of 'Bent. ;-)

Moved Raid control #54 to its new, improved location. I was getting downright loopy from sleep deprivation by this point, and I walked right into the pointy end of a broken tree, leading with my face. I thought I tasted salt, and when I got back to the car, my face looked impressively bloody. I snuck into Carriage Hills Resort to use their public washroom to clean up. No sense leaving dirt in there.

I was looking forward to the Stars sprint, but my body and brain weren't up for a race after this sleepless week. Everything went wrong over the first few controls. I was the first starter, and when I turned over the map, I saw that the best route would lead me through a big patch of tall, lush poison ivy. Not worth it, so I ran around on roads, knowing that I had already given up on racing by doing so. I wasted 30 seconds finding #1, then turned the wrong way for some inexplicable reason. After climbing up the hill when I should have gone down, I came back and managed to turn both my ankles hard within the next 5 minutes. Part of me wanted to just go back to the campground, but I didn't want to waste a fun-looking race course, so I did a bit of running, but also a lot of walking from that point on. By the end, I was only walking. It was soooooo hot, and I was so physically and mentally exhausted that I was afraid of injuring myself more seriously. Time is a guess, as I didn't download my SI.

World 3-Legged String-O Champs with my partner, Pixie. Good first lap.

2nd round of String-O. Coach Pixie wisely suggested that we approach it a bit more slowly and smoothly, and the end result was a big decrease in our time. Unfortunately, we were edged out for the Female title by just 1 second. Congrats to the Stars Girls! We were 3rd overall.

Last-minute Navstock packing and prep, then up to Bass Lake to camp. Great to hang out with fellow Navstockers before hitting our sleeping bags. Unfortunately for us, the two adjacent group campsites were populated by complete jerks, and the park warden seemed powerless/unwilling to make them be quiet. Very little sleep for the 3rd time in the past 4 nights. Grrrr.

Bedtime at 3:30 a.m. for the second consecutive night. Very busy week for me, and when in you add in the last-minute pre-Navstock work, there is no time for luxuries like sleep. I feel like crap.

Went to Caledon Hills Cycling in Inglewood to test out the Rocky Mountain Element 70 bike. I liked it but didn't love it immediately, and I returned to the store for a couple of adjustments. I'm accustomed to being stretched out more on my old bike, and this bike made me feel more scrunched up, even though the measuring tape said that I'm not. When I finally got my own seat put on it, that was a big improvement, and I think that if I lowered and narrowed the handlebars, that would help too. I like all the components, and it's a good looking Canadian-made bike. It would work for me, but I need to test-drive another bike or two before making a decision. It ain't cheap!

There's been progress with my old bike. Cyclepath phoned Gary Fisher about my cracked frame, and the manufacturer didn't even ask for the photo or anything. They know the frames sometimes crack there, so they just set the wheels in motion. Because they no longer stock the rear swing arm for my 2001-model bike, they will give me an entire brand new frame (including new rear suspension) from 2005, the last year they made this type of bike. Or if I want to pay $1100, I can have a brand new frame from their current high-level model. I opted for the free 2005 model, but I was impressed at this high level of customer service after 6 years during which I haven't exactly treated my bike with kid gloves.

It was one of those days... Rain was pouring, my computer refused to boot for an hour (keeping all my precious Navstock Raid info locked inside it - eek), my local activism is getting time-consuming and somewhat disturbing, and my latest consulting assignment gets curiouser and curiouser.

But fortunately, Leanimal called and lured me outside for a run in the rain! My legs were still like lead. I don't know if it's from yesterday or if they're still tired from pushing so hard in the 25K trail race. I haven't felt the slightest ounce of zip since then. Just my luck, Leanimal's legs felt great for the first time in quite awhile, so she flew merrily up the hills. Actually, our running time was about the same as it always is, so maybe she's just getting faster, and that makes me feel slow.

Good chat as always - nice way to break up the day.

Took my damaged bike to Cyclepath Brampton, a Gary Fisher dealer. They took a close-up photo of the crack to send to Gary Fisher. Assuming that it is still available for a 2001 model, they will send a new lower rear swing arm for free. That's pretty good customer service after so many years of abuse. The service guy said that it's probably been cracked for awhile, but there has been a new sound coming from that part of the frame ever since Storm The Trent, which isn't promising. His official advice is to not ride the bike because it's dangerous, but unofficially, if it were his bike, he probably would. I looked at the new Gary Fishers and was much less impressed than I had hoped to be. I guess it's time to explore new horizons!

I had to pick up my bike from its tune-up at Caledon Hills Cycling, so I decided to make it into an end-of-day brick workout. I parked at the Town Hall in Caledon East and ran to Inglewood on the rail trail, about 12 km. I kept waiting for the part where my legs would start feeling light and springy, but it never came. It might have had something to do with the unusually hot weather, or maybe it was the weight of my backpack, which contained bike computer, helmet, gloves and shoes - oh, and money.

I met one lovely dog enroute, and one dog that I felt sorry for, since his owners just don't get it. The couple saw me coming, and they turned around, which encouraged their large dog to turn around and jump into a slimy pond. So far, so good. I stayed calm when the dog emerged from the muck, stood stock-still for a moment, then charged me from 5 meters away. I'm a dog lover, so I put out my hand and said "Gooooood doggie", even though he was a mastiff who weighed at least what I do - and of course he was slime-covered. He sniffed me for a moment, then started snarling and jumping at my chest. I said, "Hey, stop that!" in my most authoritarian voice, and stepped away from his lunges. The lady said, "Don't do that!" "I said, "I'm not afraid of dogs, but I've already been bitten once while running this year." "Well, he's just a puppy who likes to jump up on people, and he thinks you want to play."

OK, I'd had enough. In my coldest voice, I said, "Look, I have two dogs at home, and you SHOULDN'T let him do that." Argggh. Every idiot dog owner like that is just hurting the good dog owners who would like to be able to take their well-behaved dogs more places. If they can't control their huge, aggressive dog, or if they just think it's amusing for slimy dogs to jump on strangers, then they ought to stay home and walk him around their yard. Harumph.

On the bright side, my speed really improved for the next kilometer.

Here's where the workout went a little sour. I went into the bike store, and the repair guy's face fell. "Um, no, your bike's not fixed." At this point, with my legs feeling like lead and sweat streaming down my face, all I wanted to know was whether I'd be able to ride it back 12 km to where I'd left my car. Oh yes, I could do that (phew). Then I learned various pieces of bad news, including that the new squeak from Storm the Trent is actually a crack in my frame. Some of the bad news we knew about - 'Bent was already shopping for new wheels for me, and there were some other things that had been discovered at the last tune-up.

So... nobody can say how long it will be before the frame breaks completely. It could be tomorrow, or it could be a few months from now. It has cracked in the same place where a bunch of Gary Fisher Sugar 2 bikes have cracked, and it's possible that a Fisher dealer might be able to get me a replacement part for free. But it's an old bike, and that may not be possible.

So it's looking like maybe it's time to start bike shopping. Can anyone recommend their favourite tough yet lightweight dual suspension cross-country mountain bike, suitable for adventure racing abuse? I've loved this bike, but Fisher doesn't make it anymore. The geometry is designed for awesome climbing, and it also makes it really difficult to go over the handlebars. I like both of those features!

And on a more serious note, Dr. Sheela Basrur passed away today at the too-young age of 51. Most of us in Ontario knew her as the hard-working doctor who ably oversaw the SARS crisis when she was Toronto's Chief Medical Officer of Health. In my most recent contract with the Ministry of Health, I worked on a public health project and was privileged to meet with her after she had become Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health. She was friendly, funny and totally devoid of self-importance. She led some excellent projects related to anti-smoking and the science of smog and health. Sadly, she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer a year and a half ago. It's a sad loss for her family... and the rest of us have lost something too.
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