Training Log Archive: Bash

Salomon Dontgetlost.ca Raid The Hammer with 'Bent and Hingo, the original Tree Huggers from our first Raid in 2002. It was a fun and varied race course with many changes of pace, both mental and physical. Steep climbs and descents, splashing through creeks, trail running, technical orienteering, walk the line - always something different. We had real 1:10,000 orienteering maps for the entire race. Luxury!!

It was great to see so many volunteers in the woods. For the first time, I didn't see any teams cheating by not visiting CPs together. The weather was perfect for racing and as usual, the organization was terrific. Loved the Pita Pit sandwiches after the race. Well done and thank you, Dontgetlost!

This was 'Bent's return to RTH after knee surgery and he was strong and maybe a little too tow-happy given my injury. Hingo can always pull out a good performance in a race, and this was no exception. As for me, meh. I felt very, very cautious of my ankle - only 3 weeks till California. I made both macro- and micro-route choices with terrain friendliness in mind so we probably spent more time on trails than most teams. Between the safe routes, my grippy Salomon SpikeCross shoes and the new PSB ankle brace, there were no major incidents. I'm icing a slightly swollen ankle tonight but it's nothing!

We ran into Men of Constant Sorrow, another Masters team, frequently even though we often made different route choices. They are fast runners! Starting at #12, we also leapfrogged the C3 High Performance team of triathletes till the end. This year's Matrix suited teams with runners who don't navigate so we couldn't use our advantage there. Otherwise, it was a good course for us. My navigation wasn't as focused as usual, sometimes because I was thinking "ouch" instead of "map" and other times because I was trying so hard to keep up with the boys.

At #19, Men of Constant Sorrow were a few seconds ahead of us but we made different route choices to #20 and #21. We ended up in a sprint to the finish with the C3 triathletes close behind us in the subdivision approaching the school. Surprise, surprise, they got us by 28 seconds. We knew the Men of CS must be close behind and we saw them on the track behind us as we approached the final control. We pushed to the finish line for the win in the Masters division (9 teams) but only by 44 seconds. We were 19th overall. Disappointing but not surprising.

Awesome to see so many friends I rarely see in the real world although frustrating that time was so limited that I couldn't even say hi to everyone, let alone have a decent chat. Wish there could be a Raid The Hammer after-party but our lives are all too busy so I guess we'll just have to keep hanging out on the Inter-Web like a bunch o' geeks. 'Bent and I got to spend some nice "real life" time with Bender afterward at Domestique where the snacks and lattes were yummy.

Congrats to Nick and the Foreigners on yet another Raid victory in 3:05! Great job by Bender and his team who placed 2nd by just 37 seconds - oof! Nice job by Mick, Run-it and Tyson to place 3rd. Our token American team, JayXC and co., finished just off the podium in 4th, only 17 minutes behind the leaders. I think they were also the top team with no familiarity with the World Cup course - so... bonus points. Tough race - well done to all the lead teams!

[Garmin somehow turned off right after the start and I turned it on after 74 minutes. I've combined JayXC's Garmin track with ours to estimate total distance.]

"Hey Bash, I'm just taking the dogs for a quick hike then we can get our stuff ready for Raid The Hammer. Really looking forward to a relaxed afternoon after such a busy week. Uh oh, hello Mr. Porcupine..."

SNOWING!!! The first I've seen this fall. Yahooooo!!!!

First run without an ankle brace in 3.5 weeks. I stuck mostly to hilly dirt roads with one unpleasant kilometer along busy Hwy 9. Mostly I was running on smooth, hard dirt with loose stones but sometimes I ran on the soft sand and gravel shoulder, and the ankle held up nicely even then. I'm not ready to run without a brace on trails where I can't see the footing under fallen leaves, but this is good progress.

It was a good idea to run up here today as the main road was closed further south to investigate a stabbing murder that took place, ironically, on The Gore Road. Yikes.

Earlier in the day, I took the dogs on a 40-minute hike on trails, also without an ankle brace. This was brave, given that BazingaDog has become so strong that when he sees a deer, I have to grab the leash handle with both hands and lean back with my full body weight to prevent him from dragging me off into the woods. Or twisting my ankle.

Now, I hate to generalize but I think we can all agree that men are silly. They tend to ignore good advice from their wives. For example:

Me: You may not want to commute home by trail tonight, honey. There are high wind gusts in the forecast.

Honey: Oh, that's not a very high wind. I'll be fine.

Luckily, the wind came up after he got home last night - a little later than predicted - because here are three different trail blockages the dogs and I found today within 800 meters of our place.







Longtime readers may remember the 70-acre forest fire set accidentally by our new-to-the-country neighbours. This is what happens four years later. :(

Hard Core Live with Caron

C3 power yoga class. Tougher on the ankle than last week.

Trailer for Zoolander's upcoming film, "Go Death Racer". If you're considering joining the group doing the 125 km Canadian Death Race next August in Alberta, registration opens Jan. 10 and sells out quickly. Mrs. Gally is leading the charge; it's on my calendar, assuming that I survive my first 50-miler with even a tiny smile.

Shortly after Wild Rose headed out on the final bike leg at the Adventure Racing World Championship, I hopped on my trainer to do a little late night riding with them. VJ (Carbon on AP) has been an inspiration to me over the last year with her dedication to structured training as she has recovered from major surgery and become fitter than ever. She could make excuses but she doesn't. We've enjoyed long, geeky e-mail chats about training, exercise physiology and gear. She's had amazing success this year and it's well-deserved. This one was for you, VJ. Congratulations.

Ran at puppy pace with BazingaDog to Palgrave East to see the devastation from the new 8' wide "fire guards" they've put between some sections of pine plantation forest where nice trails used to be. At the moment, they're just loose earth and mud - as if a bulldozer destroyed our trails. Thinking positively, I guess this means we'll have some ungroomed skate ski trails close to home.

BazingaDog likes single track; BulletDog sometimes cleverly cuts the switchbacks, but our little guy likes to go fast around the twisty corners. The idea of these runs is to tire the puppy out so he won't do crazy things in the house. Mission *not* accomplished. Shortly after this run, he tore apart a wicker basket that had been on the counter. Sigh.

Ran around our hilly country block in the rain. I think this is the first time I've gone clockwise and it feels more daunting since the only flat section is over early.

On both runs today, I was testing the new PSB ankle brace that just arrived from England in the mail. Charm recommended it as she used it for the North Face Endurance Challenge marathon distance last year. She heard about it from Ali Crocker on the U.S. national team, I think. It's interesting and very different from the Active Ankle. I think they could both give blisters if used for a long time but I can see alternating between them for different runs. The PSB brace is much less bulky and doesn't press on the ankle bone. My hope is to be unbraced for the NFEC 50-miler on Dec. 3.

I went to Thumbs-of-Death afterward for another excruciating treatment. If it doesn't kill me, it'll make me stronger. It's much better than it was.

The Gay Lifestyle - well written and good for a smile for my gay and gay-positive friends - which I hope covers all of you.

BazingaDog and I went for an easy run around Palgrave West, going at an uneven pace due to puppy intervals, doggie doughnuts, wildlife chasing, sniffing and territory marking. Grey, damp day but nice for running.

Exciting! With only a 90-minute bike ride to the finish line after 6.5 days of racing in the Adventure Racing World Champs, top Canadian team Wilderness Traverse is neck and neck with two other teams fighting for 13th-15th place. The race finishes with a big lap of a track and there have been some exciting sprint finishes there, including a 1-second difference between 4th and 5th places. It should all wrap up around 3 p.m. our time then it'll be time to cheer Wild Rose in around dinnertime.

Slice on Team Tecnu just arrived at the finish line in 12th place as the top Canadian racer (on a U.S. Team).

For those who haven't been watching, Team Spirit is camping along the Arthur River during a mandatory dark zone. They should be finished by dawn tomorrow our time. Unfortunately, the Milton Basement Racers dropped out of the race at the TA at the start of the big paddle. I'm sure they're disappointed but race officials are not aware of any major problems.

So proud of all our friends at this tough event!