Training Log Archive: Bash

'Bent did a 3.5 hour run with The Shedman so close to sunrise that I was not inspired to join them. He didn't want to push his knee too hard after that so we planned a Canada Day ride to the C3 swimming quarry in Caledon Village. We're members of the local triathlon club because we like to support them but until today, we had never tried out their open water swim training area.

Alas, as we were getting ready for our ride, 'Bent got a call from a good friend and patient whose child was having a dental emergency. So we headed out on our bikes in opposite directions. Most of my riding was on hilly gravel roads beneath canopies of trees, beside farmer's fields or along the escarpment with sweeping views down to the Toronto waterfront. There was a strong crosswind that made me work at times. Traffic was light; I rode my first 6 km without being passed by a single car.

The nice country roads don't line up so I had a few kms of riding along the shoulder of fast, busy roads - Airport Rd. and Hwy 10. Today I wanted a fairly direct route but an option to avoid most of the busy roads would be to start with the longer rail trail route to Caledon East or even Inglewood. The only really, *really* nasty bit of riding was on Kennedy Rd. I couldn't figure out why so many cars were rumbling down this gravel road but later I realized that busy Hwy 10 had an emergency closure so drivers were taking a detour. I had a headwind there so the clouds of dust blasted my eyes and my lungs. I did my best to breathe through my nose - and not very often and only while looking back over my shoulder at times when the dust level seemed lower. I also kept my eyes squinted most of the way closed because grit was flying everywhere. Bike riding on hilly terrain is *really* difficult when you're trying to do it without breathing, with your eyes closed.

The quarry water was deliciously cool and now that I've seen how the system works, I'll know the ropes for next time. It looks like we would be very welcome in a kayak or surfski since we could keep an eye out for swimmers in trouble on the 2 km loop. I look forward to doing some paddle training there.

The ride home by a slightly different route. This direction is 100 m net downhill.

Happy Canada Day! :)

In honour of the occasion, here's "When Canada Rules the World" by the Arrogant Worms:



And William Shatner's classic "I am Canadian" routine.



And to leave you in a celebratory mood, here's the catchy "I am Canadian" anthem.

Yay, it's Tour de France time!! A note to any of you who record the stages and watch them later (like we do): I will not post any spoilers on my log until the day after a stage. Commenters, please don't jump the gun! Thanks. :) For now, I will only say that today's prologue was exciting in good and bad ways, and I think we're looking at another interesting battle for the podium.

We had to take BulletDog for a consultation with a surgeon in Mississauga this morning. (Good news. No torn ACL - her knee is fine. The pain is radiating down her leg from a painful spot on her back, and it will hopefully go away with a few weeks of rest and anti-inflammatories.)

Since we were in the city, we tried texting Michael Fekete of Kayaksport.net to see if we could make an appointment to see their new store. He apologetically explained that he couldn't get to the shop because he was at a park by the Mississauga Sailing Club with some demo boats - just down the road from the vet office. Well, that was easy!

We tested the Epic V8 surfski on Lake Ontario. We were in street clothes since we hadn't planned on paddling, and we didn't have hats or sunscreen or our own PFDs or paddles. So we kept it short but we both enjoyed our test paddle. Michael and his son, who are both awesome paddlers, are loving the V8 and choosing it frequently, even though they can use any boat they want. They say the V8 is slower than higher performance surfskis on flat water but as soon as there is any chop (lake waves as opposed to ocean swells), its extra stability makes it faster than high performance surfskis for many paddlers. Hmm... we are getting close to decision time. I enjoyed paddling JayXC's V10 Sport too and didn't find it particularly unstable, so it's not an easy call.

With two days of adventure race course testing last week and two more coming up again this week, I've got long slow distance training coming out of my ears. So I tried a hill training session - a few kms of warm-up, 1 Raspberry Hill, then 6 F&M Back Pond Hills with a short cool down. I pounded my quads as hard as I could on all of the downhills - the opposite of what I do in long races. Gotta toughen up!

In a history-making first, I added one more hill climb beyond what was originally planned. It felt like this was doing me some good so I hated to stop.

It's too hot to do quality speed work outdoors so this was a rare treadmill run. A CBC Radio "Laugh Out Loud" podcast helped to ease the boredom. Warm-up followed by 10 minutes holding a slightly uncomfortable pace, then 2 minutes at a faster pace and 1 minute at my max pace before cool down. Even in our "cool" basement, I was sweating like crazy - sigh.

Bob and I started our second day of Wilderness Traverse course testing with a paddle scouting mission in cloudy conditions.



Partway through, we left the canoe behind and ran a trail to get its GPS track.



The deer flies and mosquitoes were brutal today and I'd foolishly left my bug repellent behind since yesterday was only mildly buggy. At regular intervals, one of us would stop paddling in frustration, flap our arms and order the bugs to cease and desist. Turns out they aren't very good listeners.







We scouted a few portages.







I have yet to see a bear while WT course testing (although Bob saw a family when we split up one time) but we almost always see a snake. Bob was portaging the canoe when he came across this Massasauga rattlesnake - the only venomous snake in Ontario. It was making this sound . They are a threatened species and shouldn't be bothered. Bob took a wide detour through the forest with the canoe.

Trail run in the middle of our paddle.

Last but not least, we did a relatively short out-and-back bushwhack trek. Things got all competitive when Bob suggested that we check our GPS tracks later to see who could follow a bearing in a straighter line. He would navigate one way and I would navigate the other.





Of course I'm not going to post our GPS tracks but it's hard to call a winner. I got burned by a couple of unmapped water features but I think I was more ruthless about bashing through thickets instead of taking the better line around and potentially risking a loss in the Straight Line Challenge. I'm willing to call it a draw if Bob is.





Teams will need to stay on their toes. Muskoka is rocky and there were lots of small drops as we travelled through the woods. At one point, I was surprised to find a 5-6 m cliff dropping off in front of us; the vegetation ran right to the edge and didn't tip me off. So bring good headlamps for night legs of the race and watch your step.



At one point, we crossed some rocks by the water and Bob let out a yelp. It was another snake, although not a rattler this time. I chuckled at Bob's reaction. I saw a snake swimming away and assumed that he had scared it into the water. A few steps later, another snake slithered past my foot and I shrieked like a little girl. Now it was Bob's turn to laugh.



And with that, we were all finished and on our way to burritos and lattes! Thanks to Bob for the latest set of adventures and for somehow never making me feel like I'm slowing him down.

Bob and I went to Muskoka for some meetings and miscellaneous testing of pieces of Wilderness Traverse. At this point, we're checking out routes for race volunteers and photographers as well as participants on regular and advanced courses.

We had a new experience when a landowner wanted to accompany us in an ATV while we tested a piece of trail for a mountain bike leg. He turned out to be a great guy, and we enjoyed chatting with him during breaks.



We've seen in other years that gnarly trail conditions are better suited to bikes than ATVs. Our ride was mostly dry and pleasant but when we hit this messy stretch of trail, it took some strategic planning to get the ATV across.



Bob revealed hidden talents for ATV route planning and winching from trees. I had my doubts but the ATV driver made it through this section of trail with flying colours.



Speaking of flying, I did some of that too. I was riding at the edge of a muddy section of trail beside a deep rut when my front wheel slid into the rut and stopped instantly. I, however, kept going. The ATV driver was treated to my imitation of Superman as I flew forward into the soft earth in a full body face plant. I threw my arm up to protect my face and heard my neck crack a little when my head hit my arm. Nothing serious but it still kinda hurts.



After a quick, chatty road ride, we dropped our new friend off and headed back into the woods for some exploratory riding in an area where we were considering a tweak to the course. The riding was fun and conditions were great.







That is, conditions were great until we hit this part of the "trail". It started with some hike-a-bike along a beaver dam covered in thick brush, then the trail disappeared under water. Decision made - racers won't be riding here!



The mosquitoes and deer flies found us tasty so Bob chose a less buggy place for our map review. Luckily, traffic was very light on this remote road, and passing drivers were super friendly to us!

Next Bob and I did some canoe paddling with single blade paddles in a heavy canoe in a stiff breeze. We both felt it was a good strength workout that engaged our muscles in a different way from kayak paddling. Mostly, we just felt grateful and privileged to have a "duty" as responsible race directors to be out touring a Muskoka lake on a sunny June day. :)







An evening highlight was our meeting with a local renaissance man who will likely manage WT racer meals. We'd just planned a quick get-together but ended up staying much longer, fascinated by his stories.

Phatty, Leanimal and I went paddling on Lake Couchiching. Leanimal often talks about welcoming the wind as her training partner, and we sure did that today! We fought our way north for awhile and it felt like we were moving soooo slowly that on the return trip, I kept thinking we must be back at Leanimal's parents' place - but actually, we'd made it 7 km north before we turned around. I guess the good conversation made the distance fly by.

There was one sketchy area near a point where the wind gusts and waves were impressive and disorganized enough to make us happy to be in stable boats in warm water. Phatty and Leanimal were practising for Scotland in a canoe with canoe paddles, and I was in Lee's Mom's sea kayak.

Phatty leaves for Europe this weekend and won't be back till Christmas. Leanimal and Weeanimal will follow him in a couple of weeks. What an incredible adventure they are embarking on! 'Bent and I (and a few others!) will miss them terribly but we're excited that they are pursuing such a terrific opportunity. It's time to start posting photos on Attackpoint, P&L! We look forward to seeing France through your eyes. :)