Training Log Archive: BashIn the 7 days ending Sep 5, 2010:
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Sunday Sep 5, 2010 #
Note
I raced Logs Rocks & Steel without a camera but the talented Luis Moreira got some nice shots.
Here I am crossing the finish line covered with mud after a 45-km mountain bike ride. I was *so* relieved that nobody passed me on that final 3 km stretch of pavement - phew!
At this point, I still had no idea that I'd won the race. So that big smile is entirely because of the beer FB handed me as I crossed the line.
Then someone finally told me the surprising news...
On the podium with some people I admire a lot.
The rest of Luis Moreira's amazing race shots, including some great pics of Attackpointers, can be seen at this link. Nice weather, eh?
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23806&l=807f...
And preliminary race results are here:
http://www.logsrocksandsteel.com/home.php
Here I am crossing the finish line covered with mud after a 45-km mountain bike ride. I was *so* relieved that nobody passed me on that final 3 km stretch of pavement - phew!
At this point, I still had no idea that I'd won the race. So that big smile is entirely because of the beer FB handed me as I crossed the line.
Then someone finally told me the surprising news...
On the podium with some people I admire a lot.
The rest of Luis Moreira's amazing race shots, including some great pics of Attackpointers, can be seen at this link. Nice weather, eh?
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23806&l=807f...
And preliminary race results are here:
http://www.logsrocksandsteel.com/home.php
Saturday Sep 4, 2010 #
Running race (Trail) 1:55:36 [4] 15.5 km (7:27 / km)
shoes: Salomon XA Pro Ult - 2 Tomato
Paddling race (Kayak with Portages) 1:55:00 [4] ** 11.2 km (5.8 kph)
shoes: Salomon XA Pro Ult - 2 Tomato
Includes TA1
Mountain Biking race (Trail) 3:37:17 [4] 44.5 km (12.3 kph)
Includes TA2
8 AM
Adventure Racing 1 [4] 71.18 km ( / km) +373m / km
shoes: Salomon XA Pro Ult - 2 Tomato
GUATS Logs Rocks & Steel Championship course, Haliburton
Another well organized event by Getawaystix supported by a team of amazing volunteers including PhattyJR, Funderstorm, Geoff, Amber, etc.
The race consisted of 3 stages totalling 71 km on my Forerunner:
1) Hilly, rocky trail run
2) Kayak paddle with 7 portages ranging from 30 - 800 meters and totalling almost 2.5 km
3) Mountain bike
Last year 'Bent and I raced LR&S as a coed team and had one of the highlights of our AR careers when we beat Bill Trayling and his teammate on a paddle section. (Admittedly, his navigation was a little off...) This year 'Bent has been sitting impatiently on the sidelines waiting for knee surgery which has just been rescheduled for Sept. 24 due to a cancellation - yay! In the meantime, I had to do LR&S on my own.
The weather forecast for race day was wild - more typical of a stormy November day than Labour Day weekend. The temperature hit 18C in the morning then dropped during the day to 12C. Rain showers - sometimes very heavy - swept through at regular intervals, starting a couple of hours before the race. The wind got stronger as the day went on, and some of the gusts were impressive. It was a real contrast to last year's perfect sunny conditions. On days like this, I always tell myself that bad weather favours me in a race. I don't know if it's necessarily true but it sure helps my attitude when conditions deteriorate. And there actually *might* be some truth in it since I'm better at being tough than being fast.
Before the race, we dropped our boats a few kilometers north of the Frost Centre. The run/paddle sections had been redesigned this year to simplify logistics. We would run 16 kms of trails from the Frost Centre to our boats then paddle back via a chain of lakes. Getawaystix and I did a training day on these two sections a couple of months ago, and even though he adjusted the trail run to add some distance, I still had the comfortable feeling of travelling a familiar route. The bike course, which started and ended at the Frost Centre, was the same as last year - the same loop that 'Bent and I rode/ran/walked/crawled in our crazy adventure last week.
There was considerable talent on the starting line including Frankenjack, Benoit L, Dr. Wells, Phatty, LosDobos, FB, Tarno, Ursula & T. Rex, Dan Mallory, The Honz, KT (female points leader in Ontario 5 Peaks Trail Running Series) and more. We headed into single track within the first kilometer and luckily I found myself surrounded by runners who pushed my pace manageably. We did a little passing back and forth as we got into our respective rhythms but there were no bottlenecks. We saw a few people fly past one of the early, well-marked trail turns and we never saw them again! I was with the top male team for much of the first half of the run but didn't see anyone else that I knew. My friends are *way* too fast!
The trail was beautiful, hilly and interesting to run. It was super rocky and a little muddy in places from all the recent rain. I had to place my left foot carefully on each step to avoid re-twisting my ankle which I injured a couple of weeks ago. It's hard to imagine a race course where favouring a bad ankle could have been more difficult, especially in today's slippery conditions, but luckily I made it through the day without incident - phew! I hadn't eaten a big breakfast (banana, slice of pumpkin loaf and two small cans of Starbucks double espresso) but apparently I didn't eat it early enough since I felt too full for the first few hours of racing. Bleaagh!
By the time I hit Sherborne Lake Road for a few kms of gravel road running, I was alone with no one in sight ahead or behind, and that's how it stayed for the rest of the run - except for a sighting of Geoff L. in a passing pick-up truck. It was a good opportunity to focus on my goals for the race. Recently a few friends, including my husband, have encouraged me to give myself more credit and have more confidence in my racing, which for various reasons hasn't been easy to do. You folks know who you are, and I really appreciate your support and your listening. Today I wanted to put that into action. My main mantra was, "Race as if you belong in the fight for the lead." Also, because I knew I'd probably be alone for most of the day, my other mantra was: "Race as if someone is watching." So all day, I tried to push hard and resist the urge to stay in my comfort zone.
After the road, we had a 2 km marked bushwhack along an overgrown trail. As an adventure racer and orienteer, I hoped to gain a little time here and I probably did, but I also managed to take a pine branch in the eye - owww!
After some more trails, we crossed a small river before arriving at TA1 - the run/paddle transition. This was quick. I emptied the bladder from my running pack to save weight because I was going to start drinking from my PFD and I didn't want any extra weight on the portages. The put-in was a short distance down the trail so I flipped my sea kayak onto my shoulders using 'Bent's very cool kayak portaging system, invented specially for this year's LR&S. Most of the time, the PVC pipe frame sits on the back of the kayak.
At a portage, I would flip it over so the frame rested over the cockpit. The foam canoe pad under the deck bungie cord behind the cockpit acted as the hinge point. When I flipped the frame onto the cockpit, I secured it using the front deck bungie cord and attached my paddle to the orange clamp on the side. It was very quick - just a few seconds - and worked incredibly well. Thank you, 'Bent!
I'd also doctored my PFD with Star Trek-style shoulder padding and on the front I attached a laminated, large scale version of the paddle map with lake names, highlighted portages with distances and bold-faced boundaries on the water features so I could check my route with a quick glance. I had tried to memorize the route so this was mostly a back-up.
Within a few minutes of launching on Raven Lake, I started to see other racers again. Paddling was hard work in today's wind - a little harder since we'd removed my kayak's rudder because it made portaging awkward. I passed a bunch of people on this leg, both on the water and around the portages - the only discipline where that happened. With the portage rack, I could do a light run carrying the kayak if the trail was smooth. If only the paddle section could have been twice as long! (Are you listening, GStix? ;-) )
I made a spectacular entrance onto Little Avery Lake when at the end of a portage, I veered around a few boats that were blocking the put-in. I thought I was being clever by heading over to the left and launching my kayak over a log. But what looked like mud turned out to be deep muddy liquid, so my kayak (still on my head) and I suddenly divebombed into thigh-deep swampy water. T. Rex and Ursula, who witnessed this silly performance, seemed to enjoy the entertainment. I think I made a similar stupid move in the same place when GStix and I did this paddle - oops!
After the final portage, as I was heading toward the Frost Centre on St. Nora Lake, the weather got nasty again - wind in my face, choppy waves and lashing rain. I started thinking about how to do the paddle/bike TA as quickly as possible because I was already feeling chilly. I decided to warm up by trying to catch the leading male team's canoe, which I had spotted up ahead. We ended up hitting the beach at the same time.
As I changed shoes, gloves, headwear and pack for the bike leg, my dexterity wasn't great so I knew I was bordering on mild hypothermia. I put a nylon vest over my soaking wet shirt and downed a Boost, hoping that the calories would help warm me up. I headed across Hwy 35 and climbed the first hill - and then I was warm enough for the rest of the ride.
The heavy rain had totally changed the trail conditions from last week when I was able to ride most of the course. Leanimal said there was even a huge change from last night when she rode the Frost Course. Big sections of rideable trail had been transformed into seas of goopy mud. As much as possible, I rode through the mud and puddles but I had to get off my bike a lot more than I did last week. It was exhausting trying to move quickly through that stuff but I knew that riders with more technical experience would do better today than strong road riders, so it was all good. I regretted my choice of semi-slick tires since they glommed up easily. The top male team caught me within the first few kms and passed me briefly playing great tunes from little speakers. I was inspired to try to keep up so I could listen but they broke a chain and I never heard their music after that.
A short distance into the bike course, there is a 2-way stretch of trail leading to/from a small loop. I saw FB and then LosDobos pass by - it was so encouraging to see such strong racers just 5 km ahead of me! After that, I was on my own until the 20-km mark when a solo male racer passed me. I was glad to see him since it was a kick-in-the-butt reminder that I was still in a race and needed to push harder if I didn't want that to happen again. I passed a different solo male shortly before the 40-km mark, so it all came out even. Those were the only riders I saw travelling in my direction for 40 km so I just kept telling myself, "race as if someone is watching" and "race as if you belong in the fight for the lead". I also added a 3rd mantra, "race as if someone is about to catch you", and from what I was told afterward, a few racers were aiming to do exactly that!
My ride was tough but blissfully uneventful compared to last week - no snapped stems or flat tires. The brambles had mostly been knocked down and it was great to ride the beautiful section of ATV trail along the Black River at full speed after crawling along it last Friday. The Pine Springs Road roller coaster is hard work and I was really happy to come over the final rise and see the lake and Hwy 35 ahead of me. There was just 3 km more on pavement to the finish line and I must have looked over my shoulder 20 times! There was no *way* I wanted to be passed right at the end, and my biggest weakness is flat pavement so it was entirely possible. Luckily, the road remained empty and I crossed the finish line after 7 hours and 27 minutes.
Leanimal, Phatty and a few other friends cheered me in and I gratefully accepted another cold Long Trail Ale from my new best friend FB. After a few moments of chatting, I figured I'd better scrub up and clean my bike in the lake before hypothermia set in. While I was in the water about 10 minutes after finishing, someone said "great job, 1st female!" "Oh no, I don't think so," I replied. Leanimal looked at me strangely, "Yes, you won. We didn't tell you because we thought you knew!" "What?!?!? You're kidding!!" I had no idea how that could be possible. For some reason, I'd convinced myself I was racing for 3rd. Getawaystix came over to the beach to congratulate me. Amber told me I was 9th overall behind 8 male solos, ahead of 15 other male and female solos and all of the teams. Holy crap, I needed to finish FB's bottle of beer *right now*.
Inexplicably, the chilled beer failed to warm me up so I dashed off for dry clothes. When I returned, Frankenjack was bursting with ideas for our trip to NZ for the Speight's Coast to Coast World Multisport Championship. He has researched it thoroughly and has a wealth of knowledge and experience that would be of terrific help to anyone wanting to do that race. I hadn't expected to be in the position of considering whether to do C2C and it's mind blowing to have that opportunity. I still don't know whether I'll go but I will need to decide very soon to be fair to GStix.
Congrats to so many friends who had great results. I haven't seen official results but I think the order of the top finishers was: Frankenjack, Benoit L, Dr. Wells, Phatty, LosDobos and FB. T. Rex and Ursula won their category and chicked a lot of guys. Leanimal placed 3rd on the Frost Course well into her pregnancy and Will Hitchon was thrilled to finish a short distance ahead of her after all the trash talking beforehand!
Thanks to Getawaystix for a fun and super-challenging race. My body feels nicely fatigued today, just as it should.
Another well organized event by Getawaystix supported by a team of amazing volunteers including PhattyJR, Funderstorm, Geoff, Amber, etc.
The race consisted of 3 stages totalling 71 km on my Forerunner:
1) Hilly, rocky trail run
2) Kayak paddle with 7 portages ranging from 30 - 800 meters and totalling almost 2.5 km
3) Mountain bike
Last year 'Bent and I raced LR&S as a coed team and had one of the highlights of our AR careers when we beat Bill Trayling and his teammate on a paddle section. (Admittedly, his navigation was a little off...) This year 'Bent has been sitting impatiently on the sidelines waiting for knee surgery which has just been rescheduled for Sept. 24 due to a cancellation - yay! In the meantime, I had to do LR&S on my own.
The weather forecast for race day was wild - more typical of a stormy November day than Labour Day weekend. The temperature hit 18C in the morning then dropped during the day to 12C. Rain showers - sometimes very heavy - swept through at regular intervals, starting a couple of hours before the race. The wind got stronger as the day went on, and some of the gusts were impressive. It was a real contrast to last year's perfect sunny conditions. On days like this, I always tell myself that bad weather favours me in a race. I don't know if it's necessarily true but it sure helps my attitude when conditions deteriorate. And there actually *might* be some truth in it since I'm better at being tough than being fast.
Before the race, we dropped our boats a few kilometers north of the Frost Centre. The run/paddle sections had been redesigned this year to simplify logistics. We would run 16 kms of trails from the Frost Centre to our boats then paddle back via a chain of lakes. Getawaystix and I did a training day on these two sections a couple of months ago, and even though he adjusted the trail run to add some distance, I still had the comfortable feeling of travelling a familiar route. The bike course, which started and ended at the Frost Centre, was the same as last year - the same loop that 'Bent and I rode/ran/walked/crawled in our crazy adventure last week.
There was considerable talent on the starting line including Frankenjack, Benoit L, Dr. Wells, Phatty, LosDobos, FB, Tarno, Ursula & T. Rex, Dan Mallory, The Honz, KT (female points leader in Ontario 5 Peaks Trail Running Series) and more. We headed into single track within the first kilometer and luckily I found myself surrounded by runners who pushed my pace manageably. We did a little passing back and forth as we got into our respective rhythms but there were no bottlenecks. We saw a few people fly past one of the early, well-marked trail turns and we never saw them again! I was with the top male team for much of the first half of the run but didn't see anyone else that I knew. My friends are *way* too fast!
The trail was beautiful, hilly and interesting to run. It was super rocky and a little muddy in places from all the recent rain. I had to place my left foot carefully on each step to avoid re-twisting my ankle which I injured a couple of weeks ago. It's hard to imagine a race course where favouring a bad ankle could have been more difficult, especially in today's slippery conditions, but luckily I made it through the day without incident - phew! I hadn't eaten a big breakfast (banana, slice of pumpkin loaf and two small cans of Starbucks double espresso) but apparently I didn't eat it early enough since I felt too full for the first few hours of racing. Bleaagh!
By the time I hit Sherborne Lake Road for a few kms of gravel road running, I was alone with no one in sight ahead or behind, and that's how it stayed for the rest of the run - except for a sighting of Geoff L. in a passing pick-up truck. It was a good opportunity to focus on my goals for the race. Recently a few friends, including my husband, have encouraged me to give myself more credit and have more confidence in my racing, which for various reasons hasn't been easy to do. You folks know who you are, and I really appreciate your support and your listening. Today I wanted to put that into action. My main mantra was, "Race as if you belong in the fight for the lead." Also, because I knew I'd probably be alone for most of the day, my other mantra was: "Race as if someone is watching." So all day, I tried to push hard and resist the urge to stay in my comfort zone.
After the road, we had a 2 km marked bushwhack along an overgrown trail. As an adventure racer and orienteer, I hoped to gain a little time here and I probably did, but I also managed to take a pine branch in the eye - owww!
After some more trails, we crossed a small river before arriving at TA1 - the run/paddle transition. This was quick. I emptied the bladder from my running pack to save weight because I was going to start drinking from my PFD and I didn't want any extra weight on the portages. The put-in was a short distance down the trail so I flipped my sea kayak onto my shoulders using 'Bent's very cool kayak portaging system, invented specially for this year's LR&S. Most of the time, the PVC pipe frame sits on the back of the kayak.
At a portage, I would flip it over so the frame rested over the cockpit. The foam canoe pad under the deck bungie cord behind the cockpit acted as the hinge point. When I flipped the frame onto the cockpit, I secured it using the front deck bungie cord and attached my paddle to the orange clamp on the side. It was very quick - just a few seconds - and worked incredibly well. Thank you, 'Bent!
I'd also doctored my PFD with Star Trek-style shoulder padding and on the front I attached a laminated, large scale version of the paddle map with lake names, highlighted portages with distances and bold-faced boundaries on the water features so I could check my route with a quick glance. I had tried to memorize the route so this was mostly a back-up.
Within a few minutes of launching on Raven Lake, I started to see other racers again. Paddling was hard work in today's wind - a little harder since we'd removed my kayak's rudder because it made portaging awkward. I passed a bunch of people on this leg, both on the water and around the portages - the only discipline where that happened. With the portage rack, I could do a light run carrying the kayak if the trail was smooth. If only the paddle section could have been twice as long! (Are you listening, GStix? ;-) )
I made a spectacular entrance onto Little Avery Lake when at the end of a portage, I veered around a few boats that were blocking the put-in. I thought I was being clever by heading over to the left and launching my kayak over a log. But what looked like mud turned out to be deep muddy liquid, so my kayak (still on my head) and I suddenly divebombed into thigh-deep swampy water. T. Rex and Ursula, who witnessed this silly performance, seemed to enjoy the entertainment. I think I made a similar stupid move in the same place when GStix and I did this paddle - oops!
After the final portage, as I was heading toward the Frost Centre on St. Nora Lake, the weather got nasty again - wind in my face, choppy waves and lashing rain. I started thinking about how to do the paddle/bike TA as quickly as possible because I was already feeling chilly. I decided to warm up by trying to catch the leading male team's canoe, which I had spotted up ahead. We ended up hitting the beach at the same time.
As I changed shoes, gloves, headwear and pack for the bike leg, my dexterity wasn't great so I knew I was bordering on mild hypothermia. I put a nylon vest over my soaking wet shirt and downed a Boost, hoping that the calories would help warm me up. I headed across Hwy 35 and climbed the first hill - and then I was warm enough for the rest of the ride.
The heavy rain had totally changed the trail conditions from last week when I was able to ride most of the course. Leanimal said there was even a huge change from last night when she rode the Frost Course. Big sections of rideable trail had been transformed into seas of goopy mud. As much as possible, I rode through the mud and puddles but I had to get off my bike a lot more than I did last week. It was exhausting trying to move quickly through that stuff but I knew that riders with more technical experience would do better today than strong road riders, so it was all good. I regretted my choice of semi-slick tires since they glommed up easily. The top male team caught me within the first few kms and passed me briefly playing great tunes from little speakers. I was inspired to try to keep up so I could listen but they broke a chain and I never heard their music after that.
A short distance into the bike course, there is a 2-way stretch of trail leading to/from a small loop. I saw FB and then LosDobos pass by - it was so encouraging to see such strong racers just 5 km ahead of me! After that, I was on my own until the 20-km mark when a solo male racer passed me. I was glad to see him since it was a kick-in-the-butt reminder that I was still in a race and needed to push harder if I didn't want that to happen again. I passed a different solo male shortly before the 40-km mark, so it all came out even. Those were the only riders I saw travelling in my direction for 40 km so I just kept telling myself, "race as if someone is watching" and "race as if you belong in the fight for the lead". I also added a 3rd mantra, "race as if someone is about to catch you", and from what I was told afterward, a few racers were aiming to do exactly that!
My ride was tough but blissfully uneventful compared to last week - no snapped stems or flat tires. The brambles had mostly been knocked down and it was great to ride the beautiful section of ATV trail along the Black River at full speed after crawling along it last Friday. The Pine Springs Road roller coaster is hard work and I was really happy to come over the final rise and see the lake and Hwy 35 ahead of me. There was just 3 km more on pavement to the finish line and I must have looked over my shoulder 20 times! There was no *way* I wanted to be passed right at the end, and my biggest weakness is flat pavement so it was entirely possible. Luckily, the road remained empty and I crossed the finish line after 7 hours and 27 minutes.
Leanimal, Phatty and a few other friends cheered me in and I gratefully accepted another cold Long Trail Ale from my new best friend FB. After a few moments of chatting, I figured I'd better scrub up and clean my bike in the lake before hypothermia set in. While I was in the water about 10 minutes after finishing, someone said "great job, 1st female!" "Oh no, I don't think so," I replied. Leanimal looked at me strangely, "Yes, you won. We didn't tell you because we thought you knew!" "What?!?!? You're kidding!!" I had no idea how that could be possible. For some reason, I'd convinced myself I was racing for 3rd. Getawaystix came over to the beach to congratulate me. Amber told me I was 9th overall behind 8 male solos, ahead of 15 other male and female solos and all of the teams. Holy crap, I needed to finish FB's bottle of beer *right now*.
Inexplicably, the chilled beer failed to warm me up so I dashed off for dry clothes. When I returned, Frankenjack was bursting with ideas for our trip to NZ for the Speight's Coast to Coast World Multisport Championship. He has researched it thoroughly and has a wealth of knowledge and experience that would be of terrific help to anyone wanting to do that race. I hadn't expected to be in the position of considering whether to do C2C and it's mind blowing to have that opportunity. I still don't know whether I'll go but I will need to decide very soon to be fair to GStix.
Congrats to so many friends who had great results. I haven't seen official results but I think the order of the top finishers was: Frankenjack, Benoit L, Dr. Wells, Phatty, LosDobos and FB. T. Rex and Ursula won their category and chicked a lot of guys. Leanimal placed 3rd on the Frost Course well into her pregnancy and Will Hitchon was thrilled to finish a short distance ahead of her after all the trash talking beforehand!
Thanks to Getawaystix for a fun and super-challenging race. My body feels nicely fatigued today, just as it should.
Friday Sep 3, 2010 #
Note
Spent 4-5 hrs at the Logs Rocks & Steel registration table tonight because a key volunteer accidentally ended up in the wrong town and a long list of people needed the very busy Getawaystix. So many first-timers and crossover athletes do this event - it's really fun to chat with them, answer questions and address their concerns. Big thanks to FB for bringing me a cold Long Trail Ale. I wasn't doing my usual pre-race routine (getting my gear ready, eating pasta, getting to bed early, etc.) but at least I got to enjoy a Friday night party!
Heavy rain today and more in the forecast for tomorrow along with gusty winds - yikes!
Heavy rain today and more in the forecast for tomorrow along with gusty winds - yikes!
Thursday Sep 2, 2010 #
Note
Seaplane fly-over of part of the beautiful Untamed New England race course.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLROGgAbV28&feature...>
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLROGgAbV28&feature...>
Note
How to deal better with sleep deprivation - eat less. Fortunately, this is consistent with the way long adventure races work.
http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/57664/
http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/57664/
Note
Portaged my kayak half a kilometer around our property just for kicks. Got caught in a few trees - good practice getting untangled. Heading up to Logs Rocks & Steel tomorrow. Looks like it'll be cool and wet - perfect weather for a heat wimp like me.
Wednesday Sep 1, 2010 #
Note
1st of the month and 2/3 of the way through the year, so it's a good time to check how I'm doing vs. my 2010 goals.
The GOOD:
- Will exceed 450 annual hrs of training by quite a lot, thanks to Untamed New England.
- Weight target achieved BUT my Mom, Dad and brother now think I look too thin and unhealthy. (If you think they're right, please e-mail an opinion. After all, they know me well so I can't disregard totally but I'd rather not have *that* discussion on AP!)
- Mountain marathon and two rogaines - check! Registered for a 50K trail race. Craving expedition AR after Untamed but have no idea how to make that happen.
- Thanks to Crash, I now have a training partner who makes me do speed intervals before breakfast, thus achieving two goals that have always been tough for me. (Yay, Crash!)
- As in 2009, I've had fun racing with lots of different people.
The BAD:
- Strength training hours are 50% of what I was aiming for.
The UGLY:
- Rarely in bed by midnight, let alone 4 nights/week which was the target.
- Very little achieved on my piano and guitar goals. (Not training-related but easiest to remember if I put them here.)
The GOOD:
- Will exceed 450 annual hrs of training by quite a lot, thanks to Untamed New England.
- Weight target achieved BUT my Mom, Dad and brother now think I look too thin and unhealthy. (If you think they're right, please e-mail an opinion. After all, they know me well so I can't disregard totally but I'd rather not have *that* discussion on AP!)
- Mountain marathon and two rogaines - check! Registered for a 50K trail race. Craving expedition AR after Untamed but have no idea how to make that happen.
- Thanks to Crash, I now have a training partner who makes me do speed intervals before breakfast, thus achieving two goals that have always been tough for me. (Yay, Crash!)
- As in 2009, I've had fun racing with lots of different people.
The BAD:
- Strength training hours are 50% of what I was aiming for.
The UGLY:
- Rarely in bed by midnight, let alone 4 nights/week which was the target.
- Very little achieved on my piano and guitar goals. (Not training-related but easiest to remember if I put them here.)
6 PM
Mountain Biking (Single Track) 35:00 [2]
I hadn't ridden my bike since changing front and back tubes, so I figured I'd better go out in Palgrave East and test it by hitting some rocks, roots and logs. It was just a quick outing so I purposely chose bad lines to ensure the bumpiest possible ride!
Tuesday Aug 31, 2010 #
8 AM
Running intervals 1:01:00 10.03 km (6:05 / km)
shoes: Salomon SLAB-2 XT Wings
Time for intervals again - Bash & Crash 500s! Only 32 days until my first 50 km trail race and I haven't done any specific training for it. Why do I *always* do this? It was brought home to me when I saw Gazelle (Wayne Cassidy) last week, who is also preparing for the Toad, and he confessed that he hadn't finished his long run that day - he'd stopped after only 4 hrs 30 min. Uh oh. I would expect him to finish the Toad in around that time. Given the small amount of time remaining, I doubt my longest training run will exceed 3 hours and I'll be happy to break 6 hours in the race. This year, it's only about finishing.
Crash and I met in Palgrave West before it got too hot. We were both feeling weary from the weekend so we just did four 500 m trail intervals. Not my fastest ones ever but far from the slowest. Crash is amazing in so many ways and today she demonstrated that she can fly just like Superman - but her landings still need a little work.
2:08
2:08
2:05
2:07
Crash and I met in Palgrave West before it got too hot. We were both feeling weary from the weekend so we just did four 500 m trail intervals. Not my fastest ones ever but far from the slowest. Crash is amazing in so many ways and today she demonstrated that she can fly just like Superman - but her landings still need a little work.
2:08
2:08
2:05
2:07