Training Log Archive: Bash

Browner and Dee kindly agreed to hike Raid The Rib with me since my injured neck isn't ready for running yet. It made for a relaxing "race" since we immediately decided to drop an entire map (East Map) on the 5-hr rogaine-style course (with many twists) that had only four mandatory CPs with zero value. We ended up hiking to all the rest of the controls and finished 40 minutes early. The fastest teams took 26-28 minutes to run to/from the east map so I think we made the right call.

With maps at 1:7500 and 1:5000, everything came up quickly. Navigation always goes well at a hiking pace, and our team had three experienced navigators so there were just a couple of minor bobbles. (Missing so much sleep this week hasn't helped my brain.)

After a snowy drive and a grey start, the weather became spectacular! It was the first day of real spring for me with early wildflowers and the smell of wild leeks in the air. None of us had been in this area before so it was fun just to see the terrain. There was plenty of variety in the navigation challenges along the course so it was always interesting.

The Armoury Pub at Niagara College was a great host site with a BBQ and beer from their brewery. It was nice to see some friends although my neck was so sore that I wasn't exactly a social butterfly.

Goose, 'Bent and I went to the Salomon/Arc'Teryx Outlet Store across the road afterward. I got shoes but couldn't face the thought of trying on clothes with my gimpy neck. (That doesn't happen very often in a Salomon Store.)

Fun day! Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to put on this event.

Side Note: I'll write organizers after things have settled down but based on a few conversations and years of observation on the race course, I think it's time to retire the rule requiring all three teammates to hand-touch each control flag.

There will never be enough volunteers to enforce this rule and it takes so much extra effort that very few teams do it. The ones who do (like my team) take a significant time penalty over a long race compared to the majority who do not, so the rule actually reduces fairness rather than increasing it. Many racers over the years have told me they started a Raid intending to follow the rule, then abandoned it when they realized their nearest competitors were not doing it.

There are also safety issues when so many racers squeeze into loose, rocky pits or re-entrants at the same time. I was a proponent of the rule when it first came in but it's time to change it to something most racers would be willing to do. Maybe all three teammates should be required to see the flag and get within 5 meters of the control.

Excited for our C3 clubmate, Bob Knuckey, who blew away the course record for men aged 70-74 at Ironman Texas today with a time of 11:20. Next stop, Kona. :)

Yes!!! Dr. Thumbs-of-Death made some progress! I can now see to my right and left although I can only turn my eyes for the last few degrees, not my neck. And I can sleep on my right and left sides without pain! I can't roll over without first waking up and moving to a sitting position while lifting my head with both hands. So it was still on-again, off-again sleep but it actually feels like I got a night of sleep for the first time since Sunday. If/when I recover, I will treat my neck sooooo well.

Another crappy night of broken sleep. Dr. Thumbs-of-Death suggested that I see him two days in a row, which he has never done for any injury. Today's treatment was somewhat less excruciating and I can turn my head a little farther now. It would be fantastic if I'm able to sleep; that has been worse than the pain.

I took my sore neck to Dr. Thumbs-of-Death this morning. I take pride in never saying "Uncle" during his painful treatments but it is so different when the extreme pain is right beside my brain. I would trade this for my past shoulder or ankle injuries any day. I whimpered like a little puppy but tried to hang in there for most of it since I was paying for the pain. He partially agrees with the physician I saw yesterday but is not a fan of muscle relaxants since he says the muscles will fight back. I didn't notice much difference with the muscle relaxant last night. It was still really hard to sleep.

Dontgetlost X-League at Oakville Park. I was there because of the Orienteering Ontario AGM after the meet but it was also a test to see whether it will be feasible to walk Raid The Rib with Browner and Dee on Sunday. I can't turn my head very far to look for flags but it didn't hurt too much just to walk, even when I was bushwhacking. I think it may be painful if I'm climbing rocks or sliding down a muddy slope - and I'm sure both those things will happen. But it seems OK to give it a shot. I can't imagine riding a bike for awhile but I sure hope I can hike.

Neck is crazy painful. I went to bed early and managed to get enough total sleep even though I was sometimes awake for more than an hour, wandering around the house. This afternoon I made a snap decision to go to a walk-in clinic in Orangeville where the doc saw me within 10 minutes - nice. Even though my inner ear hurts too, he thinks it’s an inflamed muscle, which I guess is the best option. I’m supposed to keep trying to turn my head in different directions until the pain starts, and he gave me a muscle relaxant to help me sleep. It wasn’t a roaring success but probably made some difference.

He says it’ll be 4-6 weeks, which means I’ll likely be changing some race plans. Tonight I went before the start of our final boot camp to say goodbye to our fun class and instructor but I couldn’t stay because it’s excruciating when my neck is not aligned directly above my spine.

On a happier note, I volunteered once again as a “map orienter and explainer” for the youngest kids at today’s Hamilton Adventure Running Schools Challenge. With more than 1,000 participants, I think it’s the largest orienteering meet in North America and it’s been held annually for 43 years.

When I was explaining to one team how to orient their maps, they looked at each other, nodded and said, “Oh, it’s the same as Minecraft.” I have no idea what Minecraft looks like but I wonder if we can use that to help teach kids.

OW. I somehow managed to strain my neck over the weekend and it has ramped up to “ridiculously painful”. Sleeping didn’t go well last night. I function fairly well as long as I don’t need to turn my head too far.