Training Log Archive: Bash

After a full day and night of heavy rain with a late temperature drop, I wasn't sure what to expect on the trails in Palgrave East and West. I had to force myself out the door but it ended up being nicer than expected.



There was 5-7 cm of new snow on top of everything so it wasn't slippery - more like running through loose sand at times. In most places, there was a base of ice pellets or frozen ground beneath the snow. Other times, there were puddles or glare ice. It almost looked OK for skiing but there would have been a few unpleasant surprises.



Because the temperature remained steady at 0.2 C for hours yesterday, the ice storm didn't cause as much damage as it could have. A big tree was down on the trail near our house.





I was short of time so I ran the short distance back from Palgrave East on our gravel road. Our road isn't exactly great running right now.

Weight training workout 1 from Strength Training for Runners. This one gave me DOMS last time so I added an extra set to see if I could make it hurt more. I topped it off with a dash of SuperCore but "forgot" to do the 12s.

Foot stretches. If I'm inspired, I'll do more foothab later. Or I'll just pour a glass of wine and keep working on our ark. :(

Some easy ladders up and down while watching videos. I should have run outside today but it's just so gross for January that it makes me sad. Tomorrow and Sunday look even worse - possible record rainfall or heavy freezing rain depending on when the temperature drops. 'Bent and I will need to do our Country Power Failure Preparation Routine.

Heel stretches immediately post-run to see if that helps with the right heel pain. I pulled out the heavy artillery yesterday - foot stretches and strength, one-legged balance exercises, calf torture with foam roller and spiky balls - and there was improvement this morning. However, I didn't run yesterday so maybe it would have improved anyway.

A few of Caron's 10 Minutes 2 Zen videos followed by some extra hip stretches because they felt so good. AdventureDog tried to help me with Upward Dog by licking my face. Then he and BazingaDog demonstrated perfect Downward Dog technique for me. Caron was very ill in 2019 so we haven't had live classes for a long time. I really miss them and I miss being flexible. She's getting better though. :)))

Super’s tough core routine then calf and foot strength with some balance. My right heel has been stiff and painful so I’m trying to loosen things up.

Training Goals for 2020:

If registering for races is an effective way to increase motivation, this year is off to a great start!

Over the next couple of months, I'm planning a winter navigation trifecta of the DGL Snowshoe Raid (with Dee), the Stars Winter Adventure Race (with Browner) and the CNYO Snowgaine (with 'Bent). If there is decent snow this winter, XC skiing and snowshoeing will be top priority. I'll be doing a bunch of running later this year but winter sports will be a good foundation.

April - Costa Brava Stage Run, Spain - 3-day, 85 km trail running stage race along the Mediterranean. So far, 4 other friends have signed up. Please come! :)

May - Storm The Trent Trek Elite adventure race with Coach LD

September - Whistler Alpine Meadows Triple WAMMY - 3-day, 86 km trail running stage race with 4,750 m of elevation gain. A bunch of friends have signed up so far.

October - Javelina Jundred 100K - Hallowe'en party in the desert with Funderstorm

Given that I have two 3-day stage races coming up, I'll look for ways to mimic that in training.

Annual Targets:
- No zero days on AP
- 450+ total hrs
- 260+ hrs of Running + Snowshoe Running + Orienteering + Snowshoe Orienteering + Skate Skiing (I group them together so I don't feel forced to choose between two options that provide similar benefits.)
- 6+ hrs of Strength/Mobility/Yoga each month, 80 hrs for the year

Some Training Strategies:
- At least 2 morning sessions per week
- At least four 5+ km sessions on foot per week (running, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, orienteering).
- More mountain biking

Outside of AP, I've got a bunch of other ideas for 2020 ranging from weight loss to mini-adventures to playing musical instruments to scanning old photos. Gotta go - I'm falling behind!

Kahtoola Microspikes run west on the Oak Ridges Trail to Centreville Creek Rd. This out-and-back run is 9.5 km so I had to add a little distance at the end to satisfy my need for round numbers. :)

There are a couple of gravel road/shoulder sections on this route but mostly the surface was 5-8 cm of fluffy snow over smooth ice or breakable crust. I didn't slide at all but it was often hard to get enough grip to push forward. My right knee still feels stiff - not really sore - from slipping on ice last week, and it niggled more today because the footing was so uneven. Other than that, it was a glorious, sunny day - perfect temperature for a winter run.

Treadmill run with videos instead of running on ice with Microspikes yet again. I caught up on some running news and even found a little inspiration.

Next came the Great Paddle Trainer Fail. The good news is that my upper body is really strong, apparently. The bad news is that the paddle trainer bungee cord snapped before I finished my first stroke. :(

Since paddling wasn't in the cards, I did some TRX upper body and core followed by a little foothab and balance.

Foothab and balance