Training Log Archive: OutdoorsMama

JustMe and Work4Justice came to Canada to rock the inaugral South Coast Adventure Race with me.

I will have a longer report later, but we biked and biked and biked on gravel and pavement and my beloved Greenway rail trail. JustMe did a bit of ropes work to get us a 20 minute time credit (the 6 hr 28 minutes was our actual time out there). We stomped around in the woods at the Scout Camp, then set off into some wilder woods to the south. Hacked out way to 3 more controls then paddled down Cedar Creek to the marina at Lake Erie. Then hammered it back to the finish on our bikes.

Here's the longer part......
Some thoughts from SCAR:
1) Read the race instructions. We had a mass start on foot at the park gate, then ran/jogged/walked up the road a few hundred yards to where we had left our bikes on the way in. That was the first CP. Then we all had to bike on the same roads to get to the 2nd CP. A couple guys on mountain bikes got to CP2 just before us, only to be told they had missed punching at CP1. The volunteers told them they would be DQ'd if they continued without CP1. Ouch.
2) Plot a route on the map. After CP3, we were heading north on the Greenway trail. We started meeting a lot of riders coming south. I knew darn well that we were in the right and that we had to keep going north, punch at CP4, then go NE. Those riders going south added a bit of extra riding to their route, including some rough gravel. And they missed out on a wicked fast ride south on pavement with the wind at their backs.
3) Have a plan on what to do if faced with a choice on whether or not to do something. We knew that if one of us did "the rope challenge", we would get a 20 minute time credit at the end. But we decided even before we left the start line that if the line up to do the rope challenge looked like it would take longer than 10-15 minutes, just skip it. As it turned out, there were several stations for the rope challenge and JustMe didn't have to wait at all.
4) Take on water when you can, and know when you can take on water. There were water coolers at the scout camp, so it was a good opportunity to re-fill. I had really filled my Camelbak ahead of time, so ended up lugging around an extra kilo of water up until the scout camp TA. Ough.
5) Be kind to others. A couple volunteers (teenagers) in the trekking section had found themselves out in the woods without mosquito repellent. It had to bring good karma when we paused for a few moments to douse them in DEET.
6) Knee high compression socks are great. Compression, sun block, light brush protectors.
7) A long sleeved white technical top with SPF 30 rating saves your arms from a lot of picky things in the woods and saves remembering to put sunblock on your arms. And better yet, saves remembering to re-apply (my downfall.....)
8) 3 people with kayak paddles in a canoe with 3 seats is very do-able. My husband watched us paddle for a while and commented on how straight we were going and how well we were paddling in sync. Not bad for the 2nd time out together!
9) If the race directors allow CX bikes, bring 'em on! The crew with the road bikes passed us on the pavement, but there's no way they could've kept up that pace on the rough gravel roads.
10) A "feedbag" / bento box on the top bar of the bike is an awesome way to keep food on hand while biking.
11) The inventor of the Camelbak hydration system is my hero.....I love being able to have a sip of water frequently as I move along.
12) Drafting/paceline is the way to go, even when not going into the wind.
13) Maple cream cookies are delicious. But boiled, new baby potatoes might take their place on the Best Race Food podium.
14) 2 bike mapboards per team is good....one for maps, the other for instructions.
15) Be nice to the volunteers.....they are the ones transporting your bike and gear bags all over the countryside. And they are the ones who need to wait around for everyone to come through their CP/TA......even if it is after the cut-off, to make sure everyone is accounted for.
16) On a longish-trekking leg, pace counting is a good thing. Until it failed when I started answering questions about whether we had gone too far or not. But we had a good catching feature and a handrail to follow, so even though I lost my count, we were still on track. More than one way of knowing where you are in the woods is a better thing.
17) Electrolytes in easy-to-reach pockets, in containers that can be opened with one hand, are the way to go.
1) When you are on the home stretch, give 'er!

We were first all female team to finish, and I think we were 4th overall.
I rode my cross bike (yes, that was allowed) so was able to take my turn pulling as we hammered along. Drafting with 3 is even better than drafting with 2.

Totally awesome day, race, and teammates.

Update on June 26.....we were 2nd overall.

C • 4

South Coast Adventure Race

I first heard a rumour about this race a year ago, then it was crickets, crickets, crickets until just before Christmas when it got fully released. Huge kudos to the race directors Rob and Andrew Pula (experienced adventure racers from Windsor) and the Essex Region Conservation Authority for putting on this awesome event. It was a huge undertaking as there is not a lot of public land around here for tramping around for an O course and no single track out in the county (there's a wee bit in the city of Windsor). So they worked with what they had......a lot of gravel, tar and chip, rail trail and some pavement.....the local Scouts Canada camp....a local church camp.....some woodland corridors connecting scattered properties owned by ERCA......some generous owners of private property........and the Cedar Creek. And a huge number of volunteers, from teenagers to grandparents.

Almost 250 racers took part, in teams of 2 and 3. It was supposed to be 5-8 hour race. The top teams finished in just over 6 hours, and others spread out until after the 9 hour mark. Racers had the choice to do a long trek or a short trek, and based on the show of hands at the start, most were opting for the long course. The long trek wasn't overly long, but it wasn't easy to hack your way through the woods and marsh areas (the organizers did not want to make it easy for everyone, hence the ability to choose between long and short choices). And the controls were not obvious until you were very close to them (volunteers sitting very still, wearing green shirts, often behind a big tree or in a bit of a ravine). For a newbie, that part was very challenging, based on the amount of time people ended up spending in the woods. If someone over-estimated their trekking ability (which for a newbie, would be very easy to do), that would've set them up for a later finish, especially after the approx 25 km bike ride back to the finish which was AFTER the approx 6 km paddle. In hindsight, if racers could've been short-coursed after spending 'way more time in the woods than they had planned, thereby skipping the paddle and biking straight back to the start, more would've finished closer to the 8 hour mark. But the bikes had (generally) already been moved to the end of the paddle section, so that was not possible with this set-up.

The food and live band at the finish was pretty cool, and the complimentary adult beverage from a local brewery was a very nice touch.

There are other bodies of water suitable for paddling here in the South Coast, so there are more venues available for future editions of this race. The plan is to have another one in 2015. Watch out....it could very well sell out very quickly again!

Event: South Coast Adventure Race
 

Shake down ride with CX tires back on.

It is all about the paddling muscles now.

IT band machine, upper body stuff, themes and variations on squats

Mostly pilates DVD with some other core moves. Paddle strong!

Trying out the lighting system (s).
But there was a full moon so it was not a 100% perfect test.
Tried some knarly single track (it was really a twisty turny fisherman's hiking trail, but no one was there to tell me not to ride on it....and as it turned out, it was a hike a bike due to downed trees....live and learn).
Indigo buntings are beautiful as they fly through my headlight beam.

C • that would be cool 1

After breakfast, my husband and I set off on the Greenway rail trail. Rode to the McGregor cross trail, then headed NE on the newer trail that will eventually go to Essex. When it ended, we jumped on paved roads for a bit, then a LOT of freshly graded gravel roads. Wind was from the general south and east direction, and we were heading south and east. 10 mph into the wind on freshly graded roads is a humbling benchmark to use for planning for the Kansas Pony Express ride (it can't be any windier than this in Kansas, can it?)

Ventured out on the poison ivy-lined trails at Point Pelee again. Beautiful evening and the mosquitoes only caught up with me when I stopped to take a picture of a deer standing on the trail.