Training Log Archive: Bash

Waterfalls of Hamilton Run, 8th Edition
Hosted by Trav, Baloney and their way-too-cute, 12-week-old puppy Roxy

What a spectacular day to kick off 2017! As always, the Traveloney New Year's gala attracted a large crowd of keen runners and waffle/baffle connoisseurs, along with the odd national team orienteer or Olympic athlete.



'Bent decided this morning to bring BazingaDog for the first time in a few years so I ran with AdventureDog. The trails were quite icy so we ran beside them where possible - and it wasn't always running. It was touch and go at times when I had to hold A-Dog's leash but he never took me down. Charlotte V. ran with us; this was the 2nd run of three today for her!



The valley was beautiful - more wintry than the bright green Chedoke Golf Course just down the escarpment but considerably less wintry than Palgrave. Southern Ontario has had a lot of weather around freezing lately, which can lead to very different results depending on which side of zero you are.



The WoH post-run feast was perfected years ago. I pigged out on a steaming bowl of Dutch soup, a waffle with maple syrup *and* berries, a bagel and lots of strong coffee. So nice to see friends on a relaxed day for most of us, which meant time for real conversations instead of 2-line Facebook/Attackpoint comments. It was great to see people's kids too! Roxy was the undisputed star of the show, though. I would have taken a photo of the celebrity pooch but she was always surrounded by a sea of children.

Thank you, Mark and Joany! :)

New Year's Eve night snowshoe tour of Palgrave West with Funderstorm, Browner, STORM, 'Bent, Scout, Contour, AdventureDog and BazingaDog. The fluffy snow was mid-shin to knee-deep, and we went bushwhacking for more hills and excitement.

During our first steep downhill, we realized - as STORM bravely clung to two leashes while being dragged downhill face first through logging debris - that we had been too successful in finding excitement.



With three strong dogs on leash and AdventureDog out front, every pooch was in a big hurry for a different reason. Funderstorm and I, the only ones not holding leashes, sometimes had to jog to catch up. After that, we aimed for more trails and flatter bushwhacking although there were still some tricky downhills.

When we reached an open field in Wheelie Woods with snowflakes swirling around, Browner revealed that instead of emergency gear, her pack contained Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey and paper cups! So we had a little celebration to welcome 2017 before we hiked home. Beautiful winter night!

Rodney Yee Power Yoga to kick off New Year's Eve. Hopefully, this will lead to aligned chakras and peace on earth. Both dogs helped me a little.

Physio, balance, Dr. Bell and Coach Jeff. My New Year's training goals are bound to include a lot more of this so I figured I might as well get started.

I was inspired by re-reading Alex Hutchinson's Sweat Science article on The Benefits of Having Ankles. [Not the exact title]
http://www.runnersworld.com/sweat-science/your-ank...

Snowshoeing is on tonight's schedule.

Happy New Year to all! :)

I started skiing after sunset - a rare treat - and it was lovely. I skied without a light until it got really dark then turned on my Squirrel Scorcher. I did the same route as yesterday but most of the old tracks were half-filled with fluffy new snow or stomped down by hikers. The best part was the section where 'Bent had skied earlier, leaving it nicely trackset.

In K-Bash Woods, I noticed that the snowshoers had politely stayed to one side but my ski tracks were heavily trampled anyway, by deer and coyotes. The thought that I'd helped some animals gave me a nice, warm, "at one with nature" feeling - until I heard the first coyote howl in the darkness. I never think about them on the trails during the day, even though they live on our property. Night time felt a little different for some reason!

As I skied home, I was torn between competing objectives to "ski for an hour" and "beat yesterday's time". Nailed it.

AdventureDog and I skied around Palgrave West. Most of the ski tracks were hidden under 10 cm of wet snow or obliterated by snowshoers who didn't know they should walk beside the ski tracks. So it was slow going but very beautiful.

Ed Whitlock in the New York Times!
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/28/sports/ed-whitlo...

If you're thinking of doing the DontGetLost Snowshoe Raid on Jan. 21 at Blue Mountain, register now since we only have room for 10 more teams. I asked Bob if he planned to increase the registration limit of 125 teams but as of yesterday, he was leaning against it in order to maintain the quality of the event.
http://dontgetlost.ca/index.php/snowshoe-raid

Donald Trump has inspired a giant rooster statue outside a mall in China where it will serve as the mascot. People can buy a replica up to 32 feet tall. Seriously. This is linked to the upcoming Year of the Rooster.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/28/asia/donald-trump-ro...

Family snowshoe hike in Palgrave West with 'Bent, BazingaDog and AdventureDog. My cold has moved into my lungs but it remains mild so I just wanted to keep my HR down. We mostly bushwhacked up and down hills on snow that had a thick, breakable crust from all the hours of rain yesterday. When we hit old snowshoe tracks, they were frozen hard, either smooth or horribly lumpy.

Great to get out after a nice fireside chat with VO2Max, who is visiting from B.C. Now it's time to see Rogue One. I think I'll wear black for Carrie Fisher.

Good deal on Suunto Ambit3 Peak watches at MEC. This link is the black model with HRM - the cheapest they have in stock - $399 with free shipping, regular $665. They also have the Sapphire edition for $100 more. This is a more accurate watch with better battery life than the "Ambit4", i.e. the Suunto Spartan, which runs $900-1,000. If I didn't have two Ambit2s, I'd buy one of these.
https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5041-591/Ambit3-Peak...