Training Log Archive: Browner

Long slow road run with Lynn. Same plan as last week but I picked a lousy route around the Escarpment (Appleby and Dundas north to Killbride). The weather was gorgeous but this packed the windy country roads with so many cars that we were often running in ditches. I had to stay well in front of Lynn to prevent her from strangling me. This may drive her back onto sloppy trails with me (with any luck). The man at the variety store in Kilbride did not seem to recognize us from last week despite us commenting that we had loads of money this time to buy all the candy we wanted.

Trail run in Halton Forest.

Short urban run with Scout.

1 mile climbing 5% to 15% on the treadmill
1 mile/50 stories on stairclimber

I reluctantly agreed to make a big jump up to 32k with Lynn. She needed the distance for the Paris Marathon, and I said I would do it if we took her real easy. It was an awesome toodle around the backroads. We stopped at Flying Monkey bike shop for water and looked at the $125 heated socks (no thank-you, you wimpy roadies!). Over in Killbride, we bought 3 giant sour keys with the loonie in my pocket, and gnawed on them as we worked our way home.

C • Great run! 7

First solo run with the fur babies up the bicycle path. They are amazing to trot with. Scout prefers to lead and Contour is happy to stay behind me, so the conga line is nice and clean and the leashes don't get tangled!

C • Contour 2

First trail run with my new fur babies, Contour and Scout! Thankfully DD11 agreed to help me out and led us through a short trot around Halton Forest! I can't believe we forgot to take a selfie on this momentous occasion?

C • Momentous 1

Oracle Trail Race

Kathie and I were both signed up for the 25k, but decided we would only attempt 15k - on account of the Unmanageable Cold. I am fairly certain I have never run in such cold conditions before! We arrived at the start with 3 seconds to spare and took off with the pack into a steady pace line through the fat tire packed down singletrack. I am not sure if we missed a critical instruction at a briefing about how to follow the markers, because man-o-man, we got off course, not once but twice! After about 8k I came across a pack of runners coming out of a section that had no flags and we figured we turned right when we should have turned left....the pack went back and then to the right, and unfortunately got spit out at the finish (prematurely, I'm afraid). I looked at a map and figured we were very off course and that anyone wanting the full 25K would have to go waayyy backwards to find the course again. Mrs Gally was sure we could pick up the course if we ran up the road and crossed over into Walkers Woods and she was correct, but we would have missed at least 4k of the full course. Most of us didn't want to fuss about it for too long and decided a fun run option was the best choice, and took off up the road.

When we got to Walkers Woods Aid Station we tried some sub zero maple syrup shots, which were delicious, and then decided that for 15K total we would just do an out and back into Walker Woods and then follow the main course home from the aid station. That worked out fine, but we confused the heck out of the top 25k racers who had managed to stay on course the whole time. We saw Bash back near the start of Walkers Woods and no surprise she had managed to stay on course too. We stopped for a nice chat and then let her finish the race properly.

When heading home from the Aid Station, the volunteer wanted to direct us onto a "safer" route home, but I was offended and we set out on the proper course home. Well, somehow we took another turn wrong, and ended up at Aid Station #1 (which we had never been to in the first place). An Angel in a puffy red coat offered to drive us back to the finish, and we gladly took it!

I suspect the navigation problem might have been due in part to us following the fat bike tire tracks, and no arrows to keep us from acting like lemmings.

The forest was beautiful, the skies the best of blues and hot breakfast never tasted so good as we basked in a pub with a sunny window seat in Uxbridge. Kathie had a beer and I had a pot of coffee. I would never would have enjoyed such intense weather conditions if not for the company of a crazy group of runners that will show up in any conditions!

And those amazing volunteers, they are truly rockstars for showing up in the first place!

C • Breakfast 2

1 mile on the treadmill working up to 15% incline then
50 stories on the stairmaster

Flat urban run. Just beat 6 min km ghost runner!

C • Speedy! 1

Fantastic day in Pretty River Provincial Park with Bash. Climbing, climbing, lots of climbing!

Unmotivated, I went out to do 14th side road hill repeats solo. I decided this time I would only do the lower steeper half and really try to go harder. So, I found this very difficult and I wanted to barf at the top for the second and third repeat. By the fourth one I could not push myself into the barf zone.

This section was a 30m ascent over 340m on pavement.

1 2:15
2 2:18
3 2:20
4 2:34

After the fourth repeat, I decided to "screw this" and just went for a jog for another 40 minutes.

Pace went from 641 on the first to 731 on the last, so clearly I need some work in this area. On a positive note, when I do the full hill, my pace is around 830.

Flat urban run, but saw a shooting star!

New workout at the work gym, trying to stimulate a big mountain climb:

Power hike on the treadmill for a mile at 15% incline then
50 stories on the old fashion stair master

All I have to do is imagine I am in the Alps, and not a stinky basement gym.