Training Log Archive: Bash

Caledon Navigators training session on the south side of Palgrave East. It was 'Bent's first time setting an orienteering course, and he did a great job, setting 18 controls on a 1:5,000 "contours only" map. Seventeen of us had signed up, but the weather was less than perfect - around 0C, icy rain falling, ankle-deep snow. I felt badly for 'Bent because I figured we'd be lucky if half those people showed up after all the work he'd put into it. But never under-estimate the toughness of the Caledon Navigators... every single one of those 17 people showed up - along with an 18th who hadn't pre-registered.

There was a family with girls aged 5 and 8, and I was afraid they might not enjoy it since it was pretty advanced for someone relatively new to the sport - and it was a cold day to spend much time standing still. I ran out to catch up with them after they'd been on the course for 10 minutes. It worked out well - one of the girls was good at spotting the ribbons, and we needed both their opinions to determine which control number was written on each ribbon. ;-) They'd brought along a visiting relative who picked it up quickly and asked if there might be an O club in Ottawa. So I got to do some Ovangelism and did my best to make it seem like a fun treasure hunt for the kids.

We all enjoyed hot chocolate, cider, cookies, Crash-brownies and good conversation afterward. In the end, we barely noticed the rain at all. :-)

This afternoon, 'Bent, Crash and I - and a few dozen others - went to Palgrave United Church where we saw the disturbing movie Food Inc. and took part in their 350.org climate change event. Churches around the world were supposed to ring their bells today, but we banged pots because their little church doesn't have bells. We also sang a rousing chorus of "Climate Change is Coming to Town", one of the season's new climate change carols.

The plan was a morning ski at Highlands Nordic before a Christmas party later today. I got all my stuff ready after a post-midnight return from Toronto, but when my alarm went off, I realized it would mean doing six 1+ hr drives between Fri. evening and Sat. evening, most of them on my own because 'Bent is in the city on a course. Not much fun and somewhat guilt-inducing during the Copenhagen talks. So BulletDog and I went skiing around Palgrave West instead.

Speaking of guilt-inducing, poor ThunderDog is too old to come for a real ski anymore, and I took advantage of her poor hearing to sneak around the house while she slept, hoping to get outside without her noticing. She doesn't know that she can't ski anymore, and she gets upset when she gets left behind - and when she gets upset, watch out! We've been closing the kitchen garbage pail with velcro for the past couple of years, with a big "Beware of Dog" sign on it so that other people will understand the purpose of the velcro. A couple of weeks ago when I left her to go running, she ATE that sign and spat it out in little pieces all over the kitchen floor. Anyway, she was in a better mood this time and simply demanded dog treats in exchange for good behaviour.

The first ski of the year in Palgrave West is never an intensity workout since there can be obstacles on the trail, e.g. trees, rocks, branches. Also, BulletDog likes to run uphill while I'm skiing downhill, leaping at my ski tips and play-nipping at them. She's got plates and screws in her leg after complex, expensive knee surgery, and the doc says she has a 50% probability of tearing her other ACL some day. This hasn't slowed her down one bit, but I'd sure hate to run her over and hasten the next round of surgery. Just try to explain that to a dog who is leaping and rolling in the snow in front of my skis, having the time of her life. So it was a good strength and agility workout, as I always had to stay in control, but I'll have to get to a ski centre to work on speed. Fantastic day out there!

It looked so wholesome at the grocery store deli counter - "Wheatberry Salad with peppers and raisins in vinaigrette". Sure, there's oil in the dressing, but it looks like a plain, virtuous-looking salad full of fibre and wheaty goodness. A medium container is about 2 cups and a bit - the amount you might scarf down as a healthy lunch.

Until you read the Nutrifacts, that is. That little container is 950 calories with a shocking 68 grams of fat. Holy CRAP. Next time I get an urge to buy this stuff, I'll stifle it with a couple of chocolate chunk cookies.

P.S. All of this is background to the fact that I need to lose a few pounds. It sure would be easier to propel my body along if there were less of it.

Back to Palgrave East to finish vetting the contours-only course for 'Bent's orienteering training session on Sunday. Time discounted for hanging ribbons (bigger ones than the preliminary markers - with numbers on them). Brrrr, that was a chilly wind. More than once, I was willing the big ol' creaking trees to hold themselves together for just a few more minutes until I got by. Great training!

There's a tradition in Caron's classes. If she wears orange, you can expect a tough class. Sometimes she shows up with an orange stripe on her shoes - and sometimes an orange tank top. Tonight she wore an orange long-sleeved top - yikes!! And our core class was consistent with the shirt.

It was an "orange" yoga class too. Actually, it was yoga-inspired strength training using tunes with a solid beat instead of our usual dreamy, relax-y music. Very different - and tough.

'Bent and I paddled the Nahanni River with a group 15 years ago, and we met 71-year-old Joy on the trip. She had amazing stories - like hiking the West Coast Trail before all the modern aids (ladders, boardwalks, etc.) were in place, and having to carry a man's backpack in addition to her own when he got tired. (She would have been a great AR teammate.) We haven't seen her since 1994, but we always got a long, handwritten letter each Christmas full of inspiring stories about hiking, camping and travelling - even photos of crazy costumes at Hallowe'en parties. She loved hearing about our adventures too.

I knew the day would come, and last Christmas for the first time, we did not get a letter from Joy. She would have been 85 or 86, and it was sad to think that we would probably never know what had happened.

And then today... a letter!!! She briefly alluded to things being much better now after passing through a rough time, then she jumped right back into stories about hiking in the Rockies this summer - 3,000' elevation gains in a day, camping with beautiful views. She enjoyed a trip to Costa Rica and thought about going back but "I don't do re-runs!"

Tears. Lots of them.

My presentation to Council on green electricity went well, and they asked interested questions, but I can see that progress will be slow, like turning an ocean liner. The Town is developing a strategic plan and vision for the next 10 years, and as a next step, they asked me to prepare a written submission that talks about how green energy might fit into the Town's vision. It's frustrating to go back to square one now when the Town was buying high quality Bullfrog Power a year ago, but maybe this will work out for the best. Although the Town has been buying green energy since 2006, they haven't thought much about what they are trying to achieve by doing so. Then when a company came along with a cheaper, lower quality product, they had no values guiding them nor any criteria to measure the product against. Unfortunately, Canada's EcoLogo standard for green power is rather weak, and this stuff qualifies.

So... more work to do.

Tested the first half of 'Bent's "contours only" training session for the Caledon Navigators this weekend. It's fun, but it might frustrate novices, so we'll include the detailed map to look at only in an emergency. We're busy Sunday afternoon so we can't afford to lose anyone in the morning! I stayed out in the woods too long and had to run back on the road in near-darkness.

Tomorrow I'm making a presentation to Town Council on green electricity. I'll be opposing a staff recommendation which will likely result in some tough questions (and rightly so). Send positive energy my way, please!