Training Log Archive: Bash

PIA Law Strides for Change
5K Race, 5K Walk, 1K Walk
MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) Fundraiser

Quite different from our usual events and a very fun morning! 'Bent and I were convinced to try this 5K race by Coach Jeff, who is very persuasive. We've lost a close family member to an impaired driver so it was a cause we were happy to support.

I'm not sure I've ever been to a small event with so much volunteer and sponsor support. We were given huge swag bags full of products ranging from Panera potato chips to hair defrizzer (yay!) to laundry detergent to two water bottles - stainless steel and Brita-filtered. There were a dozen booths for different companies and organizations, free BBQ meal from Maple Lodge, free baked goods from COBS Bakery, fruit, drinks and more. There was a silent auction with great stuff for the right person (not us) - autographed baseball, spa days, Maple Leafs jerseys, Hunger Games trilogy etc. There was a live auction to sell the biggest sponsor gifts. I came within $50 of winning the $2,000 Via Rail package (for $650).

As a race, it was casual. There was an inflatable finish line but we didn't have race bibs or results except for the top three men and women. We mostly ran on the paved Waterfront Trail where we were advised to take it easy when we ran through the boat show at the marina. There were other users on the trail, including other racers since it was an out-and-back-in-two-directions format. It was nice and breezy by the lake.

A major difference between longer races and a 5K is that I probably should have warmed up for 20-30 minutes - which I didn't. I thought about Coach Super's advice that I should feel like dying at 3.5 km but I'm not sure I have enough fast twitch muscles to do that to myself. I could feel my Central Governor kicking in, "Whoa, Nellie, you need to pace yourself to do this all day!" - even though I didn't. I wasn't too successful at overriding it.

I haven't done a relatively flat, paved 5K in a long time - and only as the first 5K of a 10K race. Based on that comparison, I was about 3 minutes slower than 4-5 years ago and about the same as 2 years ago. As a masters runner, I'll have to take that as a win. :)

Speaking of winning, 'Bent was on the podium as 3rd Male with his 22 minute run, 2 minutes behind the winner. He was also beaten by two speedy young women - one of them racing in an OFSAA T-shirt. The 3rd place female was 24-something; that was her time, not her age, which was 12. (!!) Congrats to 'Bent! This was obviously not a serious 5K race but there were some excellent runners at the front and it was good to see him race without feeling pain or nausea. Maybe this is his new distance? :)

We visited Gears Mississauga, where I bought my current Specialized MTB eight years ago. I'd expected to see a big selection of good bikes there to help kickstart my shopping. However, they had virtually no MTBs over $1500 and many were under $1,000. We tried to find a polite way to ask the clerk if they had any real mountain bikes. He found one in the right price range but "thought" it looked like a downhill bike, which indeed it did. We decided not to burden him with any more questions. So I guess I'll just be shopping in Caledon and Barrie.

While watching a movie

'Bent and I went to Hockley for 7:30 a.m. so he could run the Loop with Timato and Goose. I ran on my own through Hockley Provincial Park and, for a change, headed up to Mono Cliffs Provincial Park (10K) for a 6-ish km loop before returning. On the way out, I took a technical stretch of Bruce Trail west of Third Line. Too slow to be worth it! On the way back, I stuck to the road, which is gravel with a big climb.

The plan was for Timato to run toward me post-Loop so he could get in a few extra kms and we could run back together when he was tired and moving more slowly. The plan wasn't perfect since I was tired by that time too! He met WandAR in the parking lot so they ran out together and she continued on her way to do two Loops while Timato and I ran back. 'Bent met us by the river, just under 3 km from the finish. He'd tried to wait for us in the sunny parking lot but decided that running an extra 5+ km was the lesser of two evils.

I wondered if I would feel leftover fatigue from last week's toasty Sulphur Springs 50K but this run felt relatively short and easy in comparison - exactly what I'd hoped.

After Timato headed for K-W, 'Bent and I went to Orangeville for lunch and a stroll down the main street, which had been turned into a pedestrian zone for the Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival. There were different bands playing on each block, food vendors and an open air market. Nice!

Mobility, foot strength, core, dips

Three weeks from now, I will have just started the Lavaredo Ultra Trail. It begins on Friday night at 11 p.m. - the most convenient time to start a 30-hour ultra.

I'm committing to a minimum 15-minute workout each day until we leave - a little core, balance, stretching and mobilizing tight areas, foot strength, running drills and a few dips to help with the trekking poles. Nothing too intense; the time for building strength is over so this will just be maintenance. I had time to do a longer session today and my Achilles feels happier already. :)

Reassembling our main floor after painting takes a lot longer than tearing it apart did. Fortunately, I like the new colour so it's rewarding.

Early afternoon run on the Oak Ridges Trail to the Glen Haffy stile, then north on the Bruce Trail to Coolihan's, back south on the BT to Innis Lake Road, then home via the hilly gravel of Finnerty Sideroad. It was too warm in the sunshine but deliciously cool and lush in the forest. Such a great time of year!

I'd planned to do an out-and-back on the Oak Ridges Trail but between Humber Station Rd. and Gore Rd., I met a very angry grouse who must be friends with the famous Canmore Grouse. I shrieked when he first flew at me, and I figured that would be enough to deter him but he chased me for another 20 seconds. I decided to take another route home. :)

In other news, I'm following Cristina's new trend of expressing confidence for upcoming races. You heard it here first: I *will* set a PB in a 5K race this Sunday. The odds are very much in my favour because it will be my first 5K race - and 'Bent's too! Coach Jeff, whom we worked with this spring, is one of the organizers, and it benefits MADD, a cause that touches our hearts.

I haven't a clue how to run a 5K. Should be interesting!

Need. More. Sleep. But the painters start at 8.

Thirty-one years ago today was Ontario's most prolific tornado-producing storm in recorded history, usually called the Barrie Tornado although it was much more widespread than that. When it hit, I was with a friend who phoned his Dad in Barrie just as he was heading to the basement. It was a short conversation! Except for the basement, their house was destroyed.

Ontario Tornado Watch has put together some photos and maps to show exactly what happened that day. Many of us live in places that saw some damage.
https://www.facebook.com/OntarioTornadoWatch/photo...

Lots of stair climbing and furniture hauling over the past two days. Most of our main floor is getting painted this week, so everything had to be carried upstairs or piled in the centre of each room. How did we end up owning so much fragile stuff? On the bright side, I've been feeling good post-50K - just a little Achilles stiffness that went away by noon on Sunday.