Training Log Archive: Bash

My cold doesn't feel much worse than yesterday pre-race and I don't have a single sore muscle or joint. But I am fatigued!

Storm The Trent 2018 - 17th annual!
Trek Elite
Haliburton



We were excited for this year's STT - a beautiful new race location to explore and an opportunity for 'Bent and Hammer to try the 2-person team format for the first time.

Challenge #1: I woke up Thursday with a sore throat, hit-by-a-truck feeling and (later) a fever. It felt more serious than a cold but by Friday, it had eased off so I traveled to the race. I awoke on Saturday feeling worse and considered bailing but decided to start and take a shortcut back if I needed to quit. I didn't want to get the infection in my lungs since it can take me weeks to shake that. (Note: It is now in my lungs - sigh.)

Challenge #2: 'Bent awoke Friday and learned that Hammer had twisted his knee. Luckily, it had been 2 days since Goose finished running the 80 km Killarney Loop so he was willing to race with 'Bent at "recovery pace" with no tow ropes. He was on the road 5 hours after agreeing to race - a very good friend!

We stayed at Pinestone Resort and met some AR friends in the restaurant at dinner - Dee, Aud, Gally, DD11 and Leesh. Then we set the alarm for 4:30 a.m. - gah!!

We dropped bikes at Glebe Park, checked in at the arena and dropped boats at Head Lake Park. We started with a 7 km paddle around Head Lake and Grass Lake, visiting 3 floating CPs that had signs showing CP descriptions for the first trek section. 'Bent and Goose led the race paddling our Sawyer canoe like a hydrofoil; I laughed out loud at their "recovery pace". Since I haven't been paddling, the Epic V8 surfski didn't feel as sprightly as it should have but it is still a fast boat - even in the wrong hands - so I came off the water near the front.

I spent longer in transition than most people because I'd worn water shoes for the paddle. I changed to dry socks and Pearl Izumi AR bike shoes that I wore for the rest of the race, i.e. no shoes strapped to my backpack and no time needed to change shoes at the start/finish of each trek. This saved 5 shoe changes and made my pack lighter so it was probably worth 10-15 minutes. The treks this year were mostly on soft ground so this strategy worked well. The shoes aren't great on slippery rocks and logs and I wouldn't wear them for really long treks.

We ran to Glebe Park to pick up our bikes and ride a loop to the northwest on quiet ATV trails and gravel roads with a few kms on busy paved roads. We had to watch the map to avoid missing a few CPs along the route. I saw a number of teams breaking the "stay in visible sight / 100 m" rule including a couple of guys who must have been 3+ kms apart after sending one teammate back to punch CP21. Nobody emphasizes this rule more than Storm; I don't know what else they could do. At least I know that all of us in the solo category have to visit every CP.

Some of the riding was really rough and my map board was rattling a lot. The problem was solved when the board flew off into the mud as I bounced over a rock. The frame was still firmly attached to my handlebars but the hardware securing the board to the frame vibrated so much that it unscrewed and disappeared into the muck. For the rest of the race, I carried the board strapped to the back of my pack, leaving it beside my bike during the trek sections. Luckily, the map was in a case and I could see a thin strip of the race course by rolling the map like a newspaper and sticking it into the frame that had supported the map board. Awkward. Good thing most of the bike course was marked after that point.

Our first trek section was on a 1:7500 map of the nordic ski area in Glebe Park. This was the leg where we used the CP descriptions we'd memorized during the paddle.This was hot, hilly and fun; we really had to watch our maps since there were so many bends and junctions. I tripped and did a face plant into some leaves - whoops. There was one short section of bushwhacking to avoid an O/B area and I bushwhacked to the road after the final CP. Otherwise, it was all trails. I did some walking and some jogging. I was roasting in long sleeves and orienteering pants.

Then we got on our bikes for a Haliburton Rail Trail ride to Koshlong Lake Rd and YMCA Camp Wanakita. The rail trail ride was a good reminder that I should have adjusted my seat after the new seat post was installed during last week's bike tune-up. Ouch! Otherwise, my (1-year-old) new Pivot bike was great today, riding better than the rider deserved with so little saddle time in the past 6 months. In fact, that was the theme of the day; my gear was better than I was and it dragged me along with it.

We were all feeling the heat when we arrived at Camp Wanakita. The terrain was pretty but my running was lackadaisical - mostly of the downhill variety. I spent a bit of time with Dee and Aud until they powered away. The bugs feasted as I bushwhacked uphill to CP45 at the emergency shelter. I chose a route from the east to minimize the distance off-trail but I think it was a poor choice.

Then we were back on our bikes for a final hot, hilly ride into Haliburton. I was knackered and walked a few hills. We had a big climb to the lookout point at CP50, where the finish control was located. Then there was an easy ride off the clock on a steep, rutted descent to the arena.

I joined a line-up of racers waiting to download their SI cards and then I needed to remove enough gear to take off my race bib and recycle it. The sudden cessation of activity meant blood pooled in my legs instead of flowing to my brain. (See description of post-exertional syncope at the end of this report.) In a non-race situation, I would have cooled down more gradually to prevent the problem. I was also dehydrated in the heat, which didn't help. I felt lightheaded and sat down on the grass since there was a lot of concrete around and I didn't want to pass out. Apparently I looked bad enough that the medics swept in.



They did a great job - asking all the right questions and testing my blood pressure, pulse, oxygen level and blood sugar. They escorted me indoors where it was cooler and a younger (student?) medic did the tests again after I'd had a Coke and some food. Brad Jennings was in the adjacent "hospital bed" so I was in good company! :) Thanks to several friends who helped out while this was happening, especially Mrs. Gally and 'Bent.

Goose and 'Bent were silver medalists in the Men's team of two category behind overall winners Gally and DD11. Some "recovery day" that was!



I - or more accurately, my boat, bike and AR bike shoes - won Female Solo and the much-coveted Shoe Bag Of Alcoholic Cider.



As always, the event was super well-organized and fun with terrific staff and volunteers. My only regret was that I couldn't visit the beer tent post-race because of my light head.

Thank you, Storm, Browner and all your crew! :)

"Post-exertional syncope [actually, mine was presyncope since I didn't pass out] frequently occurs when exercise is stopped suddenly and reduction of lower extremity muscle pumping results in less cardiac venous return and cardiac output.

In such a circumstance, an acute increase in myocardial contractility can lead to activation of the cardiac depressor reflex inducing concomitant paradoxical bradycardia. As a result, the athlete may develop acute loss of postural tone, hypotension, and therefore transient global cerebral hypoperfusion – this is termed the Bezold-Jarisch reflex.

Contributing factors likely include dehydration and reduction in plasma volume. Syncope immediately post-exercise which occurs when the subject is still standing, is usually less concerning than syncope during exercise."

American College of Cardiology
http://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2...

I definitely have a cold but no longer feel like dying so I will go to Haliburton and hopefully race at Storm!

I woke up in the night with a sore throat, feeling sick. By the afternoon, I was lightheaded and felt like I'd been hit by a truck - even a slight fever. I might not go to Storm. :(

If there is a silver lining, maybe this explains why yesterday's run felt SO bad.

First time on the water in 8 months! It was a bluebird day and I joined Goose and Pops on Island Lake for their monthly canoe paddle. I arrived late and had to chase them to catch up. After that, we enjoyed conversation and loon watching, followed by good coffee at French Press in Orangeville. I kept my distance, especially from Pops, who doesn't need to get sick.

I think it's legit to count part of my vegetable garden tilling time since it's a full body workout. It should have been planted by now but 'Bent's Mom's broken ankle has thrown a monkey wrench into the works over the past few weeks.

The bad news is that I didn't have time for a 2-hr run because I had to prepare for a meeting. The good news (sort of) is that I felt so crappy during my first hot, humid run of the year that I almost got in a 2-hr run on my shortened route.

On the bright side, after a personal worst on this route (I think), there is nowhere to go but up! Just taking a wild guess here but it might help if I did more training, more sleeping and less eating, which hasn't fit well with my life lately.

The forest has become lush over the past 10 days and there are more flowers out. The patch of poison ivy on K2 is tall and healthy but luckily, there is only one.

Funderstorm, Mrs. Tiny and I did a loop around Blue Mountain - up The Grind, across the top, down Village Way and back to our starting point. Then we cooled down by walking to Starbucks. :) Lots of people were out enjoying the Victoria Day sunshine.