Training Log Archive: Bash

The forecast was full of rain and possible thunderstorms so I ran trails close to home where I could bail if there was lightning. As it turned out, there wasn't a single drop of rain but it was fun to link a few familiar trails together in a different way from usual. There weren't many people out but it looks like the Palgrave Forest trails have been traveled by a herd of horses with ample fibre in their diets. I listened to Undisclosed podcasts on my shiny new iPhone 7 with its weird, non-standard headphone connector. (Seriously, Apple - why?)

Saddened by the death of 40-year-old mountaineering superstar Ueli Steck, the "Swiss Machine", on Nuptse before his planned Everest-Lhotse traverse. His speed climbing exploits have sometimes been scary to watch but he obviously trained hard and did a good job of managing the risks within his control. I really hoped to see him become an old man and looked forward to following his incredible adventures, photos and stories for years to come.
https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/swiss-machine-...

'Bent, Goose and I went for a paddle at Island Lake. The wider western section of the lake was windy but it was relatively calm in the long eastern arm.



Goose has a speedy, new-to-him surfski and he may or may not have done a swim/paddle duathlon during the first 500 m. He came prepared in a wetsuit but it was a chilly day - brrr! I wanted to get photos of both disciplines but he is very quick with his transitions. :) Also, my iPhone died suddenly for the second time this month. :(



At the far eastern end, we took advantage of the high water level to paddle up the narrow channel to the beaver dam. We left the surfski and hauled the canoe over the dam for a 3-in-a-boat paddle around the small bog. Goose had never been up there.

We got chilled enough to medically require a trip to Fromage for gourmet grilled brie on walnut bread, then Wicked Shortbread for dessert and Euphoria for cappuccino. Walking around town is sooo healthy!

My iPhone had shut off twice in three weeks with plenty of charge and today it didn't respond to a charger afterward. So instead of mountain biking as planned, I made an expensive expedition to the Apple Store. I now have a water-resistant iPhone 7 that will be thoroughly tested!

My new bike left Arizona two days ago and won't arrive until the middle of next week now. The original arrival date was supposed to be this weekend. Fingers crossed I get it in time to feel comfortable using it for Storm The Trent although I'm not sure that's a great idea. My old bike is rattling and having chain suck problems but at least I know how to fix its minor ailments. I'll start off clueless about my fancy new 29er but it would be nice to have that opportunity to break it in by slathering it in mud and banging it on a few rocks. ;)

Today was my first attempt to design a hilly route at Glen Haffy with similar characteristics to the Hockley Provincial Park loop. I love Hockley but it's a 25 minute drive vs. only 8 minutes to Glen Haffy, and I'll need to do a lot of hilly runs to get ready for Ultra Tour de Monte Rosa.

It was a fantastic spring day with pale green leaves popping out and the first few wildflowers blooming by the trails. I met only one other person in the park - the same dog walker I met in Palgrave Forest yesterday but had never seen before that. I took it easy and felt great but the ankle I sprained in Utah hasn't fully healed so I was cautious about foot placement among the rocks, roots and leaf litter.

I knocked off another three episodes of the Undisclosed podcast and one of Dirtbag Diaries. I never run with two earphones so I got to hear lots of birds and frogs too.

The numbers are pretty close to the Hockley Provincial Park loop but it's 800-1,000 meters longer with similar elevation gain. It would be nice to tweak it to squeeze in one more climb and descent.

Route: BT north of Coolihan's Sdrd to field north of fish ponds, then loop west and south to ponds and take trail back to BT. Then BT south to Innis Lake Rd. parking place, then back to stile, then out and back to Centreville Creek Rd. via Caledon's K2, then BT back to car

I had a 2-hr run planned but something came up in the early afternoon so I decided to split it into two runs. Unfortunately, I only got half the job done. :(

AdventureDog and I ran over to Palgrave East. It was the first hot day of the year so we stopped by the pond twice for dog swim breaks. We met Slowrunner running the other way. She wasn't pulling a tire today - lucky her!

Hard Core Live with Caron

C3 yoga class. I'm feeling creaky so this was good.

Long day that started with a trip to Hamilton to volunteer at the *huge* schools orienteering meet - about 1100 kids. Lots of fun helping them understand their maps and figure out SI punching. Another great job by Ray Kitowski and his team!

I went home via Toronto so there was too much driving and not enough training today. At least I got through lots of podcasts, finishing Season 1 of Serial and starting Undisclosed to continue the same story, as recommended by JayXC.

Mrs. Gally and I met for a sunny lunchtime ride around Albion Hills. The southern single track is still closed but everything else is open and most of it is in mid-season shape. My legs were tired after the last few days but it was great to catch up and spend time in the woods on such a gorgeous day. We saw only one other rider - a friendly guy with long hair and a tiny dog running behind in an elf-sized orange vest.

[Bike computer distance]