Training Log Archive: Bash

RockstAR! I rode as the mountain bike sweep, first on the 8-hour course and then on the 4-hour course. (This GPS track is the 8-hour course.)





I carried a monster backpack and took down the course marking signs as I went. On each course, I had a great chat with the team that finished last on the bike leg. I was sincerely hoping that if anyone had bike problems, it would be (a) something they knew how to fix, or (b) a flat tire. By the time I arrived, there was only one team on either course with technical difficulties. Fortunately, they knew what they were doing so I only had to deal with FDFs while I waited.



I had a couple of silly falls on the short course because I was riding soooooo slowly that the big signs sticking over my head knocked me off balance when they caught on branches. I should have just walked my bike instead of trying to be a hero by riding at 1 kph.

RockstAR is always a fun, well-organized event and this was a good way to stretch my legs without doing anything too crazy before next weekend.

There were some CPs around the camp that included tasks, e.g. diving to find a CD.



SistaP has volunteered at so many races that she got to staff the prestigious (and physically demanding) Dock CP!



Ursula, last year's Canadian Death Race winner, gave me some tips.



PhattyJR Jr. was there. A tiny cutie!



Mummy raced while Daddy kept his daughter smiling!



This is one of the few races that is truly fun for families who are watching. Gally was racing with Beowulf while Mrs. Gally and the kids hung out at the beach.



Harps and Relentless were at the finish line 40 minutes early but didn't cross it right away. "We *think* we got all the CPs. Did we get this one? Yup. This one? Yup."



They got all the CPs!



Mique was there snapping photos.



Katie and Jaxson were there too.



Team "The Scenic View" was back!



'Bent and Pat-hectic teamed up in the extremely competitive 2-person Male category. As predicted, they placed 4th overall in the event - a very Canadian thing during the Olympics. Great job, guys! Pat-hectic was undoubtedly the highest ranked racer using platform pedals and had probably spent less time in a canoe than most people on the race course. As an Aussie, he aced the swimming-related CPs, and 'Bent (who is great with a slingshot) finally got to use his skills in an event.



After my duties, I got to hang out on the beach.









Ang and Arthurd won the 2-person Female category!



Dee, Aud and WandAR won the 3-person Female category.



Team TA3 (Eco, Myka, 2-Min) was proud to place 3rd just a few months after 2-Min became a Mom.

4-hour course. This includes a quick pre-race dash to tape off a side trail that another volunteer felt might be tempting to the racers.

Enroute to RockstAR with Team Unconquerable Badness who are doing well now after a rocky start. First Pat-hectic got in the wrong side of the car - a temporary Down Under flashback. 'Bent laughed and said, "OK, it's settled. You're not driving" - then backed into Pat-hectic's car in our driveway. So it's been decided that Pat-hectic will navigate.

One key weakness in my Death Race preparation is my inability to force myself to go for a solo trail run in the dark to test my lights. I've tried on two nights but the pack of howling coyotes in our forest scared me into just running up and down our long driveway. Wimp! I'm not going to have a choice about running with the grizzlies. (Hope you're not reading Attackpoint today, Mom!)

Endurance athletes, this article from Trail Runner magazine is long, but a good read. "Pacing Diana" was written by ultrarunner Diana Finkel's husband and pacer, Ben Woodbeck. It's the story of her 3rd straight female win in the prestigious Hardrock 100-miler in 2010 - a race that she led overall until near the end - a race where she walked the last 20 miles and fell down repeatedly because she felt so terrible. It's also the story of her subsequent rhabdomyolysis and kidney failure, her weeks in the hospital, her dialysis and the discussion about a kidney transplant.

It's a cautionary tale because we've all been there. We've all felt like crap after a long effort and figured it was normal. We've been around others who felt like crap but we didn't worry too much about them. Diana could have died. This is good stuff to know about.

http://trailrunnermag.com/component/content/articl...

Around Palgrave West with a few raspberry picking stops. In honour of Ang and Arthurd, I ploughed through some chest-high thorny bushes on a stretch of overgrown trail. Running felt good but both my knees feel funny from last week's injuries. Little problems can magnify in a long race so I sure hope my knees hang in there.

In better news, Pat Chan (whom some of you may know from AR) is going to team up with my friend Erin to support STORM, Pat's friend Marian and myself at the Death Race. Pat has supported Marian there before, and he has more experience volunteering and supporting at adventure races than just about anyone I know. It will be complicated to support three runners with very different paces over 125 km but it will be easier with two people and two cars. We still have to get ourselves over the mountains but we couldn't be in better hands.

Cycling fans may enjoy reading Jens Voigt's blog. He writes in the same honest and sometimes amusing manner in which he speaks, and it's interesting to get his views on some of the things that happened in this year's Tour.
http://bicycling.com/blogs/hardlyserious/

In the "Adventure Racing Sure Has Gotten Softer" department...

I found a copy of Get Out There magazine from 7-8 years ago - the issue that featured Winter Adventure Racing. In spite of taking various first aid courses including a full weekend of Wilderness First Responder training, I learned something new from the cover story.

Quote from a paramedic: "The only way we'll be able to grow this sport safely in winter is to start performing skill audits. People have to realize that nothing in the outdoor industry is without risk. People may be required to carry safety pins in their pack, but until they realize it can be useful for pinning someone's tongue to their shirt to clear an airway, it's a useless item to carry."

I'm undecided about whether I want my teammates to know that!

Mrs. Gally and I started the day with a chatty paddle around Island Lake. Amongst other things, she took me through all the legs of the Death Race and answered my latest round of questions. She tried to shake me down for Wilderness Traverse hints but I held firm. ;) A fun paddle with great company.

More Rodney Yee. Not as tight this time.

I've been unintentionally rough on my joints over the past couple of weeks - but not while running. I turned my ankle hard for the first time in months when I was wearing cycling shoes in a gravel parking lot while volunteering at a kids' day camp orienteering session. Then while course testing last week, a rock slipped under my right foot while I was descending a steep slope, and suddenly my left knee was forced into a full bend where my foot kicked my bum. Later I stepped into an unseen hole and hyperextended my right knee. It now makes crunchy sounds. Arggh.

I've got an interview with Dave McGinn of the Globe and Mail this afternoon; he's writing an article on women in the Death Race. Note to self: Think before answering questions. I don't want to come across as either "lunatic" or "inspiring" so I'll be trying to walk a fine line.