Training Log Archive: Bash

Hard Core Live with Caron. She was wearing orange - the traditional signal that tonight's classes will be tougher than usual. Crunches made me cough at first but luckily that didn't last.

Lots of strength, stability and endurance tonight - she made us work.

End-of-January Report Card: Although it's been a terrible training month due to stupid upper respiratory infections, I've planned a fun 2013 during the down time. Once I finally (!!) get healthy, I'm really looking forward to building my training around two major events that some good friends will also be doing:

Tierra Viva 6-day expedition adventure race - Argentina, late March

Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc - 168 km mountain run - France, late August

Flights and accommodations are all booked so now my priority is to drink more tea with honey, take Cold FX and Vitamin C, put oil of oregano under my tongue, etc. etc.! I feel very lucky and thankful to have these terrific opportunities, and to be blessed with friends who also think this crazy stuff is fun.

Quick paddle in between the contractors, dinner and the Orienteering Ontario board meeting. I'm learning that comedy podcasts are great for driving but don't engage my brain enough to distract it from the monotony of indoor training. I looked at my watch four times in 30 minutes! I'll have to dig up something more thought-provoking next time.

As expected, I'm paying the price for doing a high intensity workout with a chest cold. The doctors who advise against this know what they're talking about! Coughing fits started 45 minutes after last night's ride and kept me up most of the night. My cold is improving now but I'm totally exhausted since apparently sleep serves some purpose in our lives. Now that I'm regaining my sense of smell, I can better enjoy the subtle bouquet of fresh paint fumes from our home repairs. Ahhh.

Ladies' Night at RIDE Milton. I really should have taken another day off to get rid of Cold 2.0 but we'd spent a lot of time pulling this evening together so I wanted to be there. It was a great group - Funderstorm, Mrs. Tiny, WandAR, Sherpa and Jenna. Sherpa had the coolest bike (a fast-looking Cervelo), Jenna had the newest bike (never ridden before), Funderstorm had the highest wattage, WandAR had the best matching outfit, and Mrs. Tiny had the sexiest bib shorts.

Harps always says there is no time for conversation at RIDE Milton but we approached it differently. We chatted away and caught up on our latest news and only stopped to focus on riding if our wattage fell below 300, which rarely happened. When we finished the course that the guys had ridden earlier, we rode a second one to make it a full workout. I don't know what takes the boys so long.

Congrats to Mrs. Tiny on the win! :)

[Edit: Average wattage was actually 159! ]

Cold 2.0 has turned into a much nastier beast than Version 1 - foggy brain and unhappy lungs. I would have stayed in bed with a pot of honey tea and a warm dog except that contractors are working in my bedroom. I've been stuffed up since Jan. 4 so my 2013 training hasn't been too good. Patience, grasshopper. In the meantime...

Athletes and Blood Clots

Athletes may be at a greater risk for developing blood clots than the rest of the population. Here's how to protect yourself and spot symptoms.

Since several of my athletic friends have had blood clots, this may be of interest. If you're flying to/from a race, wear compression socks and go for regular walks around the plane.

We went up to Highlands Nordic today for the Haywood Nor Am races. Very cool to see many of the top skiers from across Canada on our trails!

I gave 'Bent my lucky cowbells after awhile so I could take photos of our Caledon skiers.



Goose was cheering along the course after getting up early to wax skis.



It was great to see our good friend and Tree Hugger teammate VO2Max racing for the first time in two years. (He's been doing lots of racing - we just haven't seen him do it!) The men's event was 15K of skate skiing.





Later in the women's 10K skate race, former Tree Hugger teammate Brittany Webster tore up the course and won 1st overall!





'Bent and I ran into her just as the trails were opening to the public and she suggested that we join her for her cooldown. Um, sure, why not? She's one of the top skiers in Canada and she was on skate skis waxed by a professional, and I was on waxless classics because I was feeling sick with my cold and hadn't planned to ski very long. It was actually great - we had a wonderful chat and caught up on her news.

'Bent and I continued on when she turned back, then Goose joined us for awhile, then I sent the two of them ahead so I could feel sorry for myself on my own. Conditions were stellar even though most trails weren't trackset or recently groomed, and the trees were puffy with snow. It was beautiful and I had a great time in spite of my trouble breathing. I ran into Brian Culbert, who will be doing UTMB for the 2nd time, so we had a nice chat.

(Time deducted for all the chatting!)

Through the forest to VO2Max's house by a route that involved lots of bushwhacking and skiing over logs.

And we skied home by headlamp, taking a longer route that kept us on trails.

VO2Max had invited visiting skiers and some Caledon friends for an amazing party at his family's place.

One thing you have to understand about VO2Max is that he wears the lycra and looks like a ski racer but he also loves country life. His grandfather's wetland flooded this year and created an oversized ice surface. Naturally, an enterprising lad would want to attach a snowplough to the ATV and clear it off. (All of these photos were taken by another top Canadian skier and all-round nice guy, Thomsen D'Hont.)



It was the most impressive private outdoor skating rink I've ever seen.



A hockey game broke out and as darkness fell, a few of us enjoyed conversation by the bonfire on the ice.





Then VO2Max's Mom Ruth served an excellent pasta dinner! Note Coach LD and Goose on the left.



We reluctantly tore ourselves away from the good conversation to go home and feed the dogs. Too bad we didn't have last night's full moon but skiing in the dark was fun.

How to UTMB - Logistics from iRunFar.com in 2010.

Broke trail through Palgrave West on touring skis - what a beautiful morning! Then our Tierra Viva team had a long planning lunch at Borealis Restaurant in Guelph (yummy food). Only 8 more weeks till Argentina! :)

'Bent got sick again a couple of days ago and the same thing hit me tonight. I never completely shook the cold I got 3 weeks ago and now it feels like a new bug has arrived. Ugh. Drinking tea. Taking ColdFX and Vitamin C. Mumbling bad words under my breath.

Today is Robbie Burns Day but our Caledon party was held on Monday night to ensure that Weeanimal could attend before she returned to France. She has never missed a Burns Dinner in her entire life and she's not going to start now.



Because we've been doing this for awhile, we decided to shake things up a little. This year's theme was Asian-Scottish fusion.

For example, the hairstyles were different this year.





Here we are in full Asian-Scottish regalia - Coach LD, Goose, 'Bent, Leanimal and Crash.



Bash and Goose.



Our meal was a little different too. Here's Crash's beautiful haggis - with chopsticks.



Traditional "tatties" (mashed potatoes) and stir-fried Asian "neeps" (turnips).



And the pièce de résistance - Coach LD's soon-to-be-famous oatmeal fortune cookies. Yummy!

While listening to a "This American Life" podcast talking about the Dogs for Defence program in World War II. Uncle Sam asked citizens to volunteer their pets for the military - thousands of them. The military promised to give them lots of "petting and cuddling" before they were sent home but they warned that the dogs' training may turn them into killers. Some people got "sorry, but Sparky was killed in action" letters; some of those dogs were buried in military cemeteries. "Bunker dogs" were given saddlebags with 40 lb of explosives and a detonator, then they were sent toward the enemy. Parts of this podcast made me cry.

If they won't let you in the front door, try sneaking in the back. I will be running UTMB 2013 in support of the charity A Chacun Son Everest associated with Rotary Chamonix. They organize activities and expeditions in the mountains for children with cancer or in remission. I'm excited to be able to help such a good cause and thrilled to have the opportunity to do the race this year. :)

Hard Core Live with Caron.

My new yoga mat is a little slippery which added to the degree of difficulty. Downward dog.....hands and feet getting farther apart.... whoops! Face plant! I'm hoping it just needs some sweat and dust to break it in.

This season has been a bust for skiing so far. I've been busy or sick on most of the snowy days and there have been far too many non-snowy days. Highlands Nordic is going to be closed this weekend for the Haywood Nor Am races so I snuck up there today. My car said -18C when I arrived so it wasn't surprising that the glide was poor today. I got lots of strength training from poling down gentle hills.

There was an air of excitement at the chalet since the race office was opening today. The finish line was set up, the waxing hut was draped in huge ski bags, and small groups of young skiers in identical logo-covered jackets skated uphill in perfect unison.

Except for the lower section where the races will take place, the trails were mostly ungroomed. Some hadn't been touched since the last major snowfall; others had been groomed more recently but still had a thick layer of fluffy new snow. I don't think I skied on any trackset classic trails. Most of the time I was following soft, crooked tracks made by other skiers. I got to make the first tour of the Woolner Loop (the last red black diamond loop), ploughing through 20+ cm of moderately dense snow on my skinny racing skis. It was slow as molasses and painfully awkward but loads of fun, and the snow-laden trees were spectacular.

I'd thought about finishing up with half an hour of skate skiing to work on mental toughness but that plan got quashed as soon as I learned that the snack bar staff were not baking their famous oatmeal chocolate chip cookies today. Mental toughness training without the prospect of dessert is asking too much.

Other than the few skiers training on the race course, the place was really quiet. I had a nice chat with Sean Bechtel when he passed me but I only saw three other skiers on top of the escarpment, which is where I spent most of my time. I love winter. :)))))) Wish you could have been there, Harps. ;)

Progressive Power Workout #1 - Carmichael Training Systems

Completing this 8-week DVD program was one of my 2012 training goals that never got off the ground. I've kept it on the list this year and have realized what the problem is. It starts with field tests to get a baseline for your power zones - five ranges of wattage and heart rates that will guide future training sessions. Ideally, I'd be well rested for these tests to get accurate numbers but that almost never happens so I never get started! So I decided just to do Disk #1, the Verification test, based on the field test I did two years ago. (I can see the Carbons shaking their heads sadly.)

Aside from warm-up, cooldown and recovery periods, there were:

- two maximum intensity 1-min intervals
- 10-min interval around lactate threshold (steady state)
- 10-min interval 10-15 watts above lactate threshold
- 10-min interval 20-25 watts above lactate threshold

By the end of the first long interval, I was ready to call it a day and postpone the test to another time. I'd already done two hours of training today so this had been a bad call. But I decided to make it a mental toughness workout so I was stuck with it. For some reason, the 2nd and 3rd long intervals felt easier - maybe because I knew I was getting closer to the end. The bottom line is that I need to increase my zones from two years ago, which is mostly good news but it means that future sessions will be more painful!

I was feeling shame as a Canadian after messing up the execution of yesterday's cold weather ski outing so when I woke up and saw the thermometer at -20C, I knew what I had to do - some HTFU training. I ran over to Palgrave East and toured the snowy single and double track. It was beautiful and completely pleasant after the first five minutes. (That's how long it took for my face to warm up.)

I noticed Pat-hectic's tracks on the Bruce Side Trail in Palgrave West but I nobly averted my eyes to avoid spoiling the surprises of O-Cup #4. Strangely, I noticed two places in Palgrave East where a runner had gone into the forest - a rare occurrence. Could the O-Cup be using the Palgrave East map too? Hmm...

Need to do this three times a week. The contractors arrived before I was finished.

XC ski fail. Since it was -16C, I figured I could go out for a quick ski without rewaxing my rock touring skis. Well, I certainly had enough grip! I had bricks on my skis within the first minute, plus I had forgotten which gloves I usually wear to ski at -16C so my fingertips were freezing. Too bad - it was beautiful in the woods but it was approaching sunset so I decided to hit the kayak erg instead.

Crazy week with contractors working in the house.

If you still have any energy left to read about Lance (I know many people don't), here's a well-written post-Oprah article that does a nice job of putting things into context. The final section is entitled, "If you think the Oprah interview was truthful, think again." http://www.sport24.co.za/Columnists/RossTucker/Sci...

I learned how to create a Wikipedia article with a photo. Hieroglyphics might have been easier.

Event: 2013 Salomon Snowshoe Raid
 

Another awesome Salomon Snowshoe Raid! For the second year, we were at Blue Mountain, and Getawaystix designed a race course with very different challenges from last year even though it looked similar at first glance. For teams who couldn't clear the course in 3 hours (which turned out to be everyone - but just barely), there were some very interesting alternative strategies to think through. Kudos to Getawaystix for keeping things unpredictable!

Dee and I were racing together again, trying for a three-peat in the Female category but knowing that the Salomon Bobkittens (Leanimal and Mrs. Gally) would be tough to beat on a course that favours stronger runners.



There was enough snow to make it feel wintry but not enough for snowshoes. The trails had turned icy earlier in the week, then they had received a layer of fresh snow on top of the ice - yikes. It was a great day for racers to test various traction systems. Yaktrax were a popular choice but Dee's broke, and she wasn't the only one. I've had the same thing happen so now I wear metal-spiked shoes in these conditions. This was my longest run yet in my Salomon SnowCross shoes (metal spikes and zip-up gaiters). They were awesome, and Phatty will be pleased to hear that both members of the winning team wore SnowCross too!

For people not interested in details of the race course, you may want to skip to the end... Dee and I had planned to do most of the controls in Loree Forest, dropping the two 10-pointers and three controls on the hilly east side, then south to 110 and 104, then along the plateau toward the Matrix, picking up all the controls on the way except #160, the 120-pointer that required teams to drop to the bottom of the escarpment.

Things went pretty much perfectly in Loree Forest; there were even a couple of times when we helped Wilsmith find a control - an opportunity unlikely ever to arise again! Btw if Bender is out there, I just have to say... WOW! I love your awesome new map.

Several good teams told us they didn't find #149, which surprised me until someone mentioned in their AP log that they couldn't see the nearby trail. Then I remembered that I hadn't seen the trail either (snow-covered) but we were navigating with contours at that point so it hadn't been an issue. After that control, we skipped #150 (10 pts) and climbed to the main trail where I hooked onto Dee's tow rope for the first of many rides; she is a powerhouse! We came out of Loree Forest after almost 90 minutes - a little later than we had hoped.

Although we didn't know it yet, we had messed up strategically when we scratched #155 (40 pts) in the final version of our plan, and we also should have picked up #150 (10 pts) since the trail south of 149 wasn't visible in the snow so we had to bushwhack anyway. We'd been cautious to limit our time in Loree since we wanted time to do a long stretch of running at the end, including 201/208 and as much of the Matrix as we had time for.

We headed south of the road and found Mike Van Den Bosch hiding in the trees near #110. He got a fun action photo of us which I'll buy and post later.

We arrived at #102 with 'Bent and Hammer. I'd figured that we should have an hour left by the time we hit #178 if we wanted to get 201/208 and dip into the Matrix at all. But we only had an hour left when we were above #160 (almost a km earlier) so we dropped down the escarpment for that 120 pts and ran around to the finish. Dee suggested that we do an out-and-back to #178 (30 pts) before descending but at that point, I still foolishly thought that we had a chance to climb up from the finish line to get 60+ points in the Matrix. Alas, Dee was right and I should have taken a moment to re-measure the alternatives.

So we slipped and slid down the precarious trail to #160, then Dee towed like a diesel engine to the finish line, where we arrived at the 2.5 hour mark. We started up the hill planning to get E and C, then check in and dash back down. The map in that area makes it hard to navigate with precision, plus it's a stupid big hill. We soon realized we were off-track and it was hopeless so we turned back, finishing with no points earned in the final 50 minutes of a 3-hour event. Oops.

It was great racing with Dee again. As her navigation has become stronger over the past couple of years, she has become very helpful in asking questions and suggesting ideas that make me better as our primary navigator. And of course, she continues to be our primary runner, towing my slow legs along trails and roads.

Today, however, belonged to the Salomon Bobkittens, who took the Female win with 560 points to our 550. Congrats, ladies! (Leanimal was using my compass and Yaktrax so I'm taking full credit for their success - ha!)



Our teams were 8th and 9th overall out of 100+ teams, which cheered me up when I was feeling mopey about blowing the strategy. In talking with other teams, including most of the teams ahead of us, everyone had a few things go wrong today. We just edged out BugsinTeeth with the same points total but a faster time. They're becoming pretty annoying to race against now that they're getting so good. ;) Right behind us in the Female category were the Milton Basement Racers, M&M and Red - great job.

[Edit: Results were updated 4 days after the race and we fell back to 11th while the Bobkittens went to 9th, and BugsinTeeth shot up to 7th!]



Team Batkins won overall with coed Foreigners (Nick and Ursula) in 2nd. Harps and Logie rounded out the overall podium in 3rd, followed by Pat-hectic and KatieMac in 4th. Amazingly, 'Bent and Hammer arrived 13 minutes late after several misadventures and still managed to hang on to 5th overall and 1st Masters!



It was a super fun day and an intense workout. Thanks to all the volunteers including FunRun, Mr. Reeder, the Yip family and others. Good event as always, GetawayStix and Dontgetlost!

Congrats to all 5 of our CCC applicants! Tiny, Carbon, 'Bent, Mrs. Gally and WandAR all have the chance to race in France!

And STORM was accepted into UTMB, Carbon's Offset will have to make do with Western States, and I will need to get creative. :(

While listening to STORM's interview on Adventure Race Radio. He's normally such a quiet guy that it was a real treat to have an extended half-hour "conversation" with him!

BazingaDog and I were heading out the door for a run when - gasp! - our contractor showed up just 27 hours late. We had a "frank and productive" discussion, then BazingaDog took the edge off things by licking him on the cheek. We had a good run around Palgrave West with the usual functional strength add-ons courtesy of the pooch. My cold is *still* not gone after two weeks but this feels like its final hurrah.

It is snowing lightly! :)

Only 12 hours until the UTMB announcement!

I'm guessing that 'Bent (and Mrs. Gally, who is linked to him) will get in, and I won't be selected this year. That would mean two trips to France, which isn't the worst thing that could happen. It would be helpful to become familiar with the race and all the hype surrounding it, without actually being in the race. But if I get in on my first try, I'll take it! :)

Andy Hourahine of The Active City made this great 4-minute video featuring Ilona Dobos - "Ageless Sport - Orienteering".

To borrow a Traveloney workout name, tonight was Wednesday Night Lights - a night ride on the frozen, bare single track of Palgrave East.

That wasn't the plan. It was a gorgeous, sunny day and I looked forward to sneaking out for an hour on the trails. But alas, I had a contractor to meet at 10:30 a.m. - and you can already guess how *that* went. Long story short... no contractor today in spite of rescheduling to 1 p.m. after I phoned to say, "WTF?" And still no word by 8 p.m. If a reliable, high quality contractor were to materialize in our neighbourhood, I could keep him/her working for weeks in our 40+ year old house. But the only one I know is Mike Van Den Bosch, and he won't do jobs this far from home.

Oh, and the bike ride was fun, if a little spooky. It was the first time I'd used my BashBlaster light for biking, and it took some fiddling to get the battery attached to my helmet. Once I did, it worked perfectly. By the end, I couldn't turn it up brighter than level 3 of 5, but I haven't charged it since November, so I can't really complain.

(Used bike computer distance.)

Thanks to my lingering cold, the progress on my New Year's training goals is behind schedule but I've made *huge* progress on decluttering our attic storage area. Today I took a van full of recycling to the Re-use Centre, and it was the most amazing feeling of freedom. I'm not done yet but I rewarded myself with a colourful new yoga mat on the way home.

While listening to Mark Arnold interview his wife Heather Korol on the Adventure Race Radio podcast. Lots of smiles as I listened since I know them both well. If you're not familiar with this podcast, over the past few years, Mark has interviewed a number of people involved in the sport including Attackpointers like STORM (3 days ago), LegendaryRandy, LosDobos, Phatty, Gally, Getawaystix, Zoolander and even Bash.

A little strength to go with the paddling. My "warm-up" was two minutes of Level 5 tug-of-war with a BazingaDog gone mad. He sometimes gets frustrated that he has to stay on a leash, so he grabs it in his mouth. 'Bent has bought kevlar rope so he can't chew through it but the rope loop handle isn't the easiest thing to hang onto when an 87-lb dog is pulling as hard as he can. He also kept leaping and grabbing the leash closer and closer to my hand so there was about 18" of kevlar rope between me and his massively strong jaws. He would never hurt me but he *would* yank the leash from my hands if he could, then he'd take off into the countryside to chase deer, school buses, etc. I thought I was going to lose him since I wasn't going to be able to hang on much longer, but I started yammering about dog treats and gradually edged him over to the door. As soon as he came in, he became a gentle puppy again and fell asleep with his head in my lap. Sigh, crazy little guy...

A fun idea for Thursday. (I'll eat a square of chocolate each time.)

Lunchtime run around Palgrave East on bare, frozen trails, about half-and-half single and double track. I'd much rather be skiing but it felt great to run. I've given my body a break by doing less running over the past three months since the Oil Creek 100K. Today felt like Day 1 of my 2013 100-miler training program! It would also have been a perfect day for mountain biking. Unfortunately, some impatient bikers rode on the weekend, and now there are frozen ruts. Some light snowflakes were swirling down so with any luck, those ruts will be buried under the white stuff soon. :)

Inspired by the Carbons and their running-specific strength training, I spoke with the C3 triathlete who is best known for his attention to efficiency and proper technique. (Ang, it will not surprise you to know he is German! :) ) He recommended that we talk to Sheldon Persad, co-owner of Personal Best with Barrie and Caron Shepley. I googled and found that each month he offers a couple of 90-minute strength sessions in Markham for endurance athletes, including running skills and form drills. It seemed like a good way to become familiar with him so 'Bent and I are doing the session on Feb. 9. We'll ask him about the running analysis he does. If anyone else is interested, see Mini Days near the bottom of the page.

It was Bounding Babes night, and we usually do a lot of functional strength and agility with a little running in between. That's why I went for a trail run at lunch - to get in more running today. Well, I certainly succeeded! Crash declared that her current work day as a cheese maker consists entirely of strength training, and she wanted to go for a run. Coach LD agreed so we headed up (and down and up and down) the Humber Trail in the dark. My cold isn't quite gone and it gets worse as the day goes on, so this run didn't feel as good as this afternoon's outing. But it was still great to get out!

Post-run cooldown and stretch

It's official! The Tree Huggers will hit the starting line at the 6-day Tierra Viva expedition adventure race in Patagonia in late March. Now I have to brush up on my Spanish as *well* as my French! :)

Our team will consist of Paul Hingorani (Hingo), Chad Spence, Vince Trudelle and myself. Hingo and I have raced together since the beginning. Chad and Vince were half of Team Pullin' Foot, runners-up at Wilderness Traverse last summer. We're excited to share this experience with the Milton Basement Racers (Tiny, M&M, Simpy and Reeder).

All kinds of stuff! Added some extra weights.

Yesterday's anaerobic training may not have aided the recovery from my cold so I focused on lower HR / higher strength activities today. Podcasts for strength and paddle training included:

- CBC's Rewind - Martin Luther King doing a Massey Lecture for CBC just three months before his assassination. It wasn't the "I have a Dream" speech but there was a big "I still have a dream" segment in his talk. I'd never heard more than a sound clip from him before so this was an interesting glimpse into a different time in North America's history.
- Stories from Fireside Al
- CBC's Spark

Good article - Ultrarunning Off-season Considerations, including what to focus on during your annual down time (up to 2 months) and what to focus on when you start building up again. This would apply to any endurance sport. The training plan for our skier friend VO2Max always includes extended down time in the spring.

In case you haven't seen this, it's not one of those typical scam warnings... As per the Globe and Mail, the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security is urging Internet users to disable the Java plug-in on their browsers.

Nice spring day but crazy warm for January - it was all slush and fog when we woke up! 'Bent and I support the local C3 triathlon club by buying annual memberships but we seldom take advantage of the many workouts they offer. With the temperature around +11C, today seemed like a good day to check out their Saturday morning spin led by Hans Porten. Thanks to the power of New Year's resolutions and upcoming race commitments, the turnout was huge today: 31 people.



It was a hard effort and I am now feeling like I may have set myself back in recovering from my cold. But it was more enjoyable than expected with plenty of friendly banter and sweat. There was a lot of standing/seated alternation with long stretches of standing on the pedals. Hans can do that with no hands and tried to get us to put less weight on the handlebars when standing. "No hands" while standing and pedalling is an interesting balance exercise!

We capped it off by heading over to The Shed for lunch with Harps, who had arrived there the old-fashioned way: riding a road bike in January. Good for him! Nice to have excellent company along with our paninis and lattes - yum...

I'm still having coughing fits at night (sorry, 'Bent) but otherwise I'm almost back to normal, so it was time to address my Nature Deficit Disorder. It was one of those days with little to recommend it - just above freezing with rain drizzling down. Our snow (our *beautiful* snow!) is a mess. :( Grass is starting to show in our yard but most of the trail system is still coated with ankle-deep, wet snow or splashy, dark grey slush. It makes for sloooow running.

Or at least it *would* have been slow if I hadn't had the bright idea of taking BazingaDog and BulletDog with me to tire them out. BulletDog is free to roam but I need to hang on to BazingaDog's leash for dear life. It's not consistent, like being towed by an AR teammate; in fact, I often have to nudge him to get going after sniffing a deer or coyote bed or sticking his head into an interesting log. But every once in awhile, he switches from polite, trotting mode into insane, ballistic, chase-the-deer mode. When that happens, my grip had better be tight, knees bent, centre of gravity behind my feet and upper body ready to pull hard. It's a really nice functional strength workout, as long as he doesn't get away. Some people in town pay a lot more to do CrossFit. ;)

I guess I *could* have paddled outside too but the basement seemed more appealing for this workout. I listened to a fascinating interview on NPR's Fresh Air podcast. The guest, Tom Diaz, was formerly involved with the NRA but now works on the other side of the issue with the Violence Policy Center. He explained a lot of interesting/frightening stuff about the difference between automatic and semi-automatic weapons, how and when certain laws got changed, how gun manufacturers get around the lawmakers, and how the NRA evolved into a mouthpiece for gun manufacturers.

I'd heard that the Center for Disease Control is not permitted to do research into any health issues that might reference the possibility of gun control, even though they collect the data. I didn't know that the U.S. government also compiles detailed national data about gun crimes but a pro-gun politician managed to get an amendment passed 20 years ago that prohibits them from releasing that information. For example, the government knows whether certain types of weapon are disproportionately used in crimes but it is illegal to provide that information to the American citizens who paid to get that data collected - the same citizens who are getting shot. That is why we often hear about gun statistics being compiled one at a time from media reports, which seems so inefficient and ineffective - and of course, it is. It's supposed to be. Diaz said, "The NRA knows it won't do well in arguments where facts are allowed."

The name of the piece was "Assault-Style Weapons in the Civilian Market" from Dec. 20.

Hard Core Live with Caron. She's decided to be harder on us in 2013! I was able to breathe OK - getting healthier.

C3 power yoga class. Considering how fuzzy my head has been this week, my balance poses went pretty well.

My cold is in my lungs, so paradoxically I feel better because I can breathe but this is when I could really mess up my recovery. Yoga and core class tonight should be OK since they're not high intensity activities. Patience, grasshopper. It's better to wait. Sadly, the snow will be gone soon. :(((

UTMB organizers report a record number of 10,092 candidates for the 4 UTMB events. Nope, increasing the qualification standards wasn't enough to solve their problem!

Ultrarunning Tips for the Very Average Runner
(Warning: long!)

Since I need to take a break from training to shake this cold, I've been thinking. (Dangerous!) Top orienteer Marie-Cat Bruno once said that we should identify what we do right so we can repeat it. Most of us focus only on fixing our mistakes, which is also important but misses a key part of the process.

So although my inclination is to obsess about what I could have done better over the past year and a half of ultrarunning, many things have gone right. Over thirteen months, I ran my second and third 50K races, my first and second 50-milers, the 125K Canadian Death Race and the Oil Creek 100K. Next up is a 100-miler. So far, I've finished every ultra feeling reasonably good. Sooner or later, one of these ultras will kick my butt; it happens to everyone eventually. I'm still a newbie but I've been lucky so far, even in races with high DNF rates. My age group rankings have been good and I've been in the top 15-20% of women overall in my 100+K races.

This has little to do with being a good runner because I'm *not*. If you're reading this, you are likely a better runner than I am. Paddling coaches say that women sometimes pick up technique more quickly than men because they can't rely on upper body strength. I think that may be a good analogy for my ultrarunning. I knew that I couldn't get by on running ability so I've had to focus on other aspects of the sport. I'm sure it would be a very different experience for a good runner getting into ultras.

I thought it might be useful for future reference (and maybe for other newbies) to write down a few lessons learned, some of which I learned by doing things the wrong way first. If you're a *really* good runner, please ignore my list and talk to an athlete at your own level.

1) Race Your Own Race

- Set race goals that are realistic for you and independent of other runners, e.g. "finish before the cut-off" or "under 12 hours". Compete against the race course and conditions, not against other runners. Of course you will be proud if you win your age group or place in the top 10% overall or whatever may happen, but don't think about those things too much on the race course. Don't let it change what you're doing.

- Don't let other runners distract you from your plan. I genuinely do not care or react when someone passes me, except maybe in the final kilometer. People who push hard to pass me early in the race sometimes appear later at the side of the trail - but if they're able to stay ahead, they deserved to beat me. Say "Good work!" when someone passes you, and sincerely mean it.

2) Embrace Solitude - if that's your thing

It's great to share outdoor activities with friends but I also genuinely enjoy running (and biking, skiing, etc.) alone. If I'm trying to focus on some aspect of training, it works best if I'm alone unless it's something like intervals where we can each do our own thing. Enjoyment of solitude may not be a characteristic one can learn, or maybe you can develop it by training alone - I don't know. It is neither good nor bad in regular life but if you feel lonely or bored on a long solo bike ride, or if you find it hard to train without a class or group to motivate you, then ultrarunning may not be your sport.

As weird as it sounds, I think this is one of the key reasons I've finished all my ultras. You need to be content with and even entertained by your own company for hours on end - with occasional help from an iPod where permitted, although I seldom turn it on in long races. You need to be able to appreciate beauty, see the humour in things and enjoy a laugh on your own. I sometimes compose my Attackpoint entry in my head to pass the time. You need to be objective enough to recognize your own silliness, mistakes, dehydration and moodiness and talk yourself back into the right frame of mind - as if you were a third party observer watching yourself race. Of course, this doesn't preclude having great conversations with runners you meet along the trail, as long as that doesn't interfere with racing your own race.

An exception to this rule is the type of training and racing partnership that Dee and M&M have forged, but that is rare and special.

3) Take Ridiculously Good Care of Yourself

Take good care of yourself early in the race when it feels silly to do so and when other racers may be less cautious. Get food and drink in the bank while it still seems appealing - before it feels like work to consume it. Be easy on your body. Take the early uphills and downhills much more gently than you think you need to. I've seen runners go down hills sideways to use different muscles. Keep your feet dry if the race course makes it feasible. Don't launch yourself off rocks; step down from them. Go more slowly than you want to until you're at least halfway through the race. Consider trekking poles. Tape and lubricate your feet, your back (under the pack) and other chafe-prone body parts before you run. Remember the basic outdoor accessories like sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, insect repellent, gloves - whatever is appropriate for the conditions.

4) Don't Give Up Multi-sport Training for Ultrarunning

Dee once told me that if you're training for adventure racing, you don't need to run that much to prepare for ultras. Sure, there are things you can only accomplish by running such as technique drills, downhill pounding and fatigued runs. But you can build strength and endurance by going for a long, hilly bike ride or spending a day on cross-country skis. You can simulate a longer run by biking for a few hours first, then bricking it with a run. This keeps you ready for adventure racing and also reduces the chance of overuse injuries.

Top ultrarunner Anton Krupicka, who has been plagued with overuse injuries, points to Kilian Jornet’s ability to train and race extensively without injury and credits the fact that Jornet skis almost exclusively for half of each year. Jornet also agrees that switching between skiing and ultrarunning changes the stresses on his body, gives him variety and limits injury.

5) Rest, Recovery, and Healing from Injury and Illness are Important

These are essential components of an effective training program - not annoyances that compete with our training. They're just as important as long runs or core strength sessions. As adventure racers, we're sometimes guilty of thinking that more is always better - longer distance, faster speed, heavier weight or extra races. It feels weak to take a day off. But the body becomes stronger as it rebuilds between training sessions that push our limits. Injuries are all too common among endurance athletes because we like to ignore them and push through them. I've done it a few times and it has never gone well (but it is *so* hard to be patient!) Many ultrarunning training programs include two rest days per week. You can still be active on those days but you're not supposed to train for running. I've taken more days off training since I started running longer distances.

6) Analyze Races in Detail Beforehand

I've seen photos of top Salomon runners studying elevation charts and topo maps before races. They know where the aid stations will be, what will be served, where the big climbs are, where they can make up some time, where they will need to carry more water, where they need their lights, what layers they'll want, etc. Some events provide a lot of pre-race info. Read it, look at the maps, distance charts, photos and videos, and visualize what the race will feel like at different points. Look at past results and find runners who can give you an indication of what your time should be. Estimate your arrival times at key checkpoints, using splits from past races if you can get them. I carry the map, pace chart and estimates with me, although I rarely look at them since I study it beforehand. The only race course I didn't review in advance was the Sulphur Springs 50K and, as a result, I did two loops out of order when a volunteer sent me the wrong way - an easily avoided error if I'd prepared properly.

7) Use Other Ultrarunners as a Resource

Listen and learn! We're lucky to have some fantastic ultrarunners here in Ontario, and a number of them are accessible on Attackpoint or Facebook. Dee, M&M, Mrs. Gally, Trav, Baloney, Zoolander, Turbo, Slowrunner, STORM, Philly Cheesesteak, Ken Niemimaa and more - they're an experienced and generous bunch. Not everything that works for them will work for you, and they won't always agree with one other. Ultrarunning is *very* individual but you can still collect different ideas. You may hate someone's shoes but love his pack. You may not be able to stomach his favourite sports drink but think he has the best snack ideas ever. If she logs on Attackpoint, you can see exactly how she trained for a race and read her race report. I had a race application with a cheque ready to mail until I re-read Funderstorm's account of a particular ultra. I tore up the envelope and am glad I did. Lots of runners blog so you can search for other race reports to learn more about an event.

8) Test Gear, Practise Techniques. Train like You're Going to Race

Don't use anything new in a race that you haven't tested in similar training conditions - not shoes, underwear, food, drink, socks, trekking poles, hat, sunglasses, pack, foot taping, headlamp, hydration system... nothing!

Running the Hockley Loop as fast as you can is a great training run but doesn't simulate what you'll be doing in a long ultra. Do some training sessions where you choose the types of uphills you're going to walk in the race, then practise speed hiking them. The uphill walks are not "breaks" but they do change the stresses on your muscles. Charlotte Vasarhelyi, who recently set the Canadian 72-hour ultrarunning distance record, practises this by turning up the incline on her treadmill and hiking faster and faster while slowly increasing the speed. She can glide up hills without running - it's worth asking for a demo.

For me, multi-kilometer downhill runs were a major weakness since we don't have that kind of terrain around here, so I did drills where I purposely pounded my body on downhills. It reduced the post-race quad and hip pain I used to get in my early ultras. I'm going to need to start doing that again soon since I'm sure the training effect has worn off! Other race-specific training conditions might include rocky trails, steep climbs, hot weather, rainy weather, etc. Getawaystix runs up creek beds to practise agility on uneven terrain. Test yourself and your gear in race-specific conditions as much as you can.

9) Respect Trail Karma

It's a long race so take a few seconds to ask a fallen runner if they're OK or offer a salt pill to someone with cramps. It could be you next time. You may be repaid when someone sees you taking a wrong turn or if your headlamp battery runs out. Ultrarunning is a collegial sport, and the vibe is, "We're all in this together so let's help and encourage one another". Even Kilian Jornet has been known to wait for runners behind him so they can work together. And *always* treat volunteers like rock stars.

I've undoubtedly forgotten lots of things, and maybe some of this stuff only applies to me. Please jump in to share lessons you've learned or to vehemently disagree with me! I'm getting excited about planning my season after the UTMB lottery is decided next Friday. :)

Get the gear! "You know, you never know with the lumens - how many lumens you're going to need." "It's more fun this way."

Pre-registration for Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc is closed, and organizers said they will not bother recalculating the lottery statistics they released last week, as there has been little change:

- 30% chance of getting into 168-km UTMB for a first-time applicant (STORM, Carbon's Offset, Bash)

- 50% chance of getting into 100-km CCC ('Bent, Mrs. Gally, Carbon, Tiny, WandAR)

- It appears that no lottery is needed for the 119-km TDS.

Results will be announced at 10 a.m. Paris time next Fri. Jan. 18. And so we wait...

This excellent Twitter conversation involving Commander Chris Hadfield is *only* for Star Trek fans.
http://www.cyberbuzz.com/2013/01/05/the-single-gre...

P.S. Nope - started to go downhill as the day went on so no strength training today. Hope to become functional tomorrow!

Update: The Grudge Run, which some of us were discussing in the fall due to its unique format, large cash prizes and conflict with Wilderness Traverse weekend, has been postponed. They may organize a smaller 1-day event later in 2013. If there is enough interest and commitment, they are willing to organize a more limited event using the original course but not at the large scale they'd originally planned.

I'm cautiously optimistic that yesterday may have been rock bottom for this cold. Although the "rules" say that you can exercise with a head cold, the rules are probably thinking of a 30-minute treadmill jog rather than a 2-hour ski and a 75-minute orienteering race. :) I don't want this to drag on so I'm going to take one more day off cardio and try some strength work later today.

So... I guess more rest and recovery time is needed. Felt hit-by-a-truck awful today. :(

Here's a way to include more paddling in my training this winter! (Old school video but it's amazing what Warren Miller could do back then.)

Year End Review, Part 3 of 3 - 2013 Training Goals

1) Events:
- Compete in two or more 24-hr to multi-day races with navigation
- Finish my first 100-mile trail ultrarun - a UTMB qualifier, in case I need points for 2015.

2) Getting Healthier:
- Lose 6 lb by March 31.
- Average 7 hrs sleep. (Per *night*, not per week!) (Oh, the irony of writing these words after midnight!)

3) Some Targets (don't want to be overly specific here)
- 200 hrs of running - including race-specific skills like technical trail, uphill and downhill
- 50 hrs of strength training - legs, core, upper body (in that order)
- 550 hrs of total training

4) Some Strategies (ditto - this list should evolve throughout the year)
- Continue multi-sport training suitable for long adventure races - also useful as cross-training for the 100-miler.
- Complete bike "power builder" DVD set on the trainer.
- Continue emphasis on improving running form - maybe a Chi or POSE course?
- Morning training 2 days/week.

Non-training goals include dusting off my French in anticipation of UTMB, reviving my piano and guitar, and making progress on decluttering my home study.

O-Cup #3 TOC - Eldred King Woodlands

Historical Note: I went through engineering school with Eldred King's son, Jeff. Eldred was a cattle farmer, a 2-term Mayor of Stouffville and 5-term Chair of the Region of York. He passed away in 2011.

This was a perfect winter morning - snow gently falling and a forest with fluffy snow everywhere. There was an excellent turnout and it was great to see so many friends after the holiday season.

There was a Thomass Box right from the start, then another Box after #2. At the finish, there appeared to be a good mix of handicaps in the top 15, so the design seems to have worked. The only change I would make would be to have the same number of controls in both Boxes. There were 7 in the first box and 8 in the second, which may have confused some newbies. (A few experienced racers asked me to clarify as well.)

Other than that small quibble, it was loads of fun. I did d-e-f in the first Box but hit the trail backstop behind control e because I was too imprecise in my route choice. After that, things went smoothly for a long time with an A-B-C-D route in the 2nd Box. It was a good course for fast trail runners which was not an advantage for me, especially with a cold. Even so, I loved running around the snowy trails and bashing through the forest. My Salomon SnowCross are the perfect winter orienteering shoe, as hoped.

I ran into 'Bent just before I reached #5. I congratulated him but he said he had mispunched. The race was still young and I was near the front, so I said, "Just go back and fix your mispunch then!" It turns out he was doing the course backwards for practice at that point - but for some reason, he had failed to find #5, which I could see over his shoulder when I met him. Once you mentally check out of a race, it's hard to focus!

There was a mandatory route from #6 to #7 around the west end of the lake. Coming from the east on top of the ridge, it was out of bounds to descend to the lake until reaching that point. I saw tracks bushwhacking down from the trail I was running and decided the person had gone down too early. I continued on to be legal - but I was wrong and they were right. I lost 2 minutes there, then it was a long run to the finish with a couple of easy controls on the way.

I tried to be smart by following the single track east from #8, then bushwhacking northeast to the main trail. Turns out someone had pushed over a bunch of trees in my way. and it would have been so much faster to run 100 m farther on the trail - oh well... I beat Pat-hectic by 39 seconds, and that's all that counts. ;) I spent much of the race trying to catch Val Duca but she is running really well this season, and I finished right behind her. I think Ilona was the 1st woman, a minute or two ahead of us.

Fun race, yummy squash soup and a great post-race lunch crowd - FunRun, DoubleDown_on11, Escondido, Squirt, Eco, BugsinTeeth and 'Bent. Nobody had a perfect race so we all felt better after comparing notes on our various screw-ups. :)

'Bent and I had planned to go up to Highlands today but now that he's recovered from his cold (brought home from my Dad after Christmas), I'm the one feeling like my brain is full of cotton balls. Supposedly, it's OK to exercise when a cold only affects you from the neck up, so I decided to try skiing - but closer to home at Mansfield in case I had to quit early. It wasn't a bad idea to go there in any case since we're doing the Stars W.A.R. event there next month.

The parking lot was *packed*. I've never seen so many cars there. Not that it was an ideal day for skiing... The temperature was +3C, the base was thin, and the the tracks were icy and peppered with debris from yesterday's heavy wind. But even with all of that - and my cold - we had a fantastic time. The tracksetting was good even though the tracks were dirty. We did the blue + yellow trails, which is the standard long route around Mansfield. I managed to go 11 km without seeing another skier even though we were crossing other trails and skiing faster than anyone else we saw. It wasn't until the end that we found all the people who belonged to those cars in the parking lot. They were skiing along the base of the escarpment and on the flat novice trails south of the entrance road. I guess they were avoiding the hills.

They had a point. The hills - up and down - were packed down hard as concrete with occasional choppy bits, churned up soil and body part-shaped divots. I really, really didn't want to fall today because it was going to hurt. That plan was going really well for me until the final big downhill. I was thinking about Urthbuoy and Anna's experience yesterday. I was in good control halfway down when I had to veer a little to get around some dirt and pine branches. The outside edge of my left ski caught and my skis turned to the right. I'm still trying to visualize what happened because it went so fast. I hit the ground hard on my left side with my skis up the hill but a second later, I was on my right side with my skis on the downhill side, and I was able to stand up easily and continue. I have no idea how I ended up in that position but I guess it was a sideways somersault with the left side of my head as the pivot point. (Yikes.) About 5 minutes later, my neck and upper back got sore (and still are) but I felt nothing at the time.

Other than the wipeout, it was a great ski. We were back at the ski rack when I noticed that my Garmin time was 1:57 and the distance was 19.13 km. Someone was going to mock me for one or both of those numbers, so I made 'Bent go up and down the escarpment with me one final time. :)

Finally caught the family cold... :(

It was another perfect winter day with snow swirling down. BazingaDog and I went out for a late afternoon snowshoe with him on leash as always. Well, whaddaya know, he suddenly thinks it's a great idea to pull as hard as he can when he hits a snowy trail. 'Bent, any idea who may have taught him that? ;) As a result, this was a mix of relaxed snowshoeing, yoga balance poses and extreme upper body strength and power. I came close to losing the little guy a few times but he eventually calmed down - sort of.

Caron welcomed us into 2013 with a tough core class. If 'Bent doesn't log this as level 2 or maybe even level 3 in parts, he is not being honest. I saw his face!

First class of the year. Also a tough one. Is she trying to scare us off? ;)

Congrats to Charlotte Vasarhelyi on setting a new Canadian 72-hour distance running record over New Year's at Across The Years in Arizona. She ran 250.9 miles in 72 hours - on a 1.05 mile track!

"Here is an update on the registrations for the 2013 The North Face® Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc®.

To date, 8000runners, representing 70 different nations are candidates.

The UTMB®, today, stands at 160% full and there is really no more than a 3 chances in 10 success of being drawn.

The CCC®, today, stands at 115% full and there is really no more than a 1 in 2 chance of being lucky.

The PTL™ is full, registration has closed. [This is the team race.]

The TDS™, with almost 1000 runners already registered, confirms its popularity. It will not need a draw and is therefore the only event in which there is a certainty of being able to participate in 2013. But it is also sure that there will not be the capacity to accommodate all those who are unlucky in the two draws (*).

We would like to remind you that pre-registration closes at mid-night on January 8th (Paris time) and that the results of the draw will be published at 10:00 on January 18th (Paris time).

(*) runners who are unlucky in the draw for a place on the UTMB® or the CCC® who choose to transfer their registration to the TDS™ renounce the benefit of a coefficient of 2 in the draw for 2014."

Note from Bash: In case the odds don't look right to you, it's because a number of registered runners have confirmed entries (3rd time applying) and do not need to participate in the lottery.

Year End Review, Part 2 of 3 - Report Card on 2012 Goals
Executive Summary: I did OK but it's not an amazing report card that you'd race home to show your parents!

PASS

1) Do one or two 24-hour rogaines. Run the Canadian Death Race in 22 hours. Qualify for UTMB. Train appropriately so that a multi-day adventure race would be possible if the stars align.
--- Did Eco-Endurance Challenge and planned a 2nd rogaine but RD confirmed the event too late.
--- Canadian Death Race - 21:45.
--- Qualified for UTMB.
--- Trained for long AR but no opportunities arose.

2) Quality training: Focus on becoming stronger on uphills and (especially) downhills, and throw in occasional speedwork.
--- Didn't do much speedwork but the focus on downhill running helped, as ultras don't hurt as much as they used to.

3) Running - 150 hrs. Work on form, cadence, drills, etc. Include some longer long runs.
--- 190 hrs. I'll never be a natural-looking runner but I made some progress on technique, e.g. metronome for cadence, focus on posture, etc. My longer long runs were mostly races.

CONDITIONAL PASS

4) Become stronger overall - upper body, legs, core. Lower body strength is the top priority.
--- Did OK but certainly didn't earn an "A".

FAIL

5) Improve biking strength and power, completing the power tap trainer program over the winter and increasing mountain bike hours in 2012.
--- Nope. Didn't even try.

6) Stay healthy: sufficient sleep and recovery time, good diet and hydration, maintain appropriate weight, etc.
--- Didn't sleep enough, gained 6 lb. Maybe this imperfect lifestyle agreed with me since I wasn't sick very much in 2012! :)

Around Palgrave West in fluffy new snow. Big flakes had been floating down for hours so it was like skiing through a Currier and Ives Christmas scene. Time has been deducted for chatting with a few other skiers and making a fuss over their dogs.

I'm feeling chuffed since I can take *full credit* for these beautiful, wintry conditions. This is because (a) I don't have my snow tires on yet, and (b) I bought my first-ever membership at an XC ski club up north in anticipation of another lean snow year around home.

In case you haven't seen it on 'Bent's log, here is the video he made of skijoring with BazingaDog. I did some camera work but he did a lot of this solo like Survivorman.

Year End Review, Part 1 of 3: Training (AP makes this so easy!)

2012 Training Hours by Activity
Total Annual Training Hours = 505

Top 5 activities were:
1) Running + Snowshoe Running - 190 hrs
2) Mountain Biking + Road Biking - 77.5 hrs
3) Orienteering + Snowshoe Orienteering - 66.5 hrs
4) XC Skiing (Classic, Skate, Roller) - 55 hrs
5) Paddling - 31 hrs

Some observations:

- Annual training hours increased significantly in 2010 and 2011 (>600 hrs), largely due to the impact of multi-day adventure races, i.e. additional logged hours of racing - not additional training. I didn't do any multi-day races in 2012, and my logged training is down by 100 hours - almost exactly the number of hours I spent doing multi-day ARs in 2011. Total training hours are still ahead of 2007-2009.

- I did more running in 2012 than in any other year although it only worked out to an extra hour per week on average compared to 2011 (my 2nd biggest year), which doesn't seem like a lot, given that I ran 3 ultras. I spent almost 40% of my training time running. Previously, it had never been much more than 20%.

- Although I continue to think of AR as my primary sport, I only did four AR events last year. It looks as if I trained for AR as much as ever but didn't race as much. Hmm, not good...

- Training hours for most activities are in the same ballpark as past years with the exception of paddling, which dropped to less than 50% of 2011 hours. That's still more hours than I paddled in 2009 and earlier years but with all the nice boats we have, there is no excuse.

Up next: Report card on 2012 goals, then plans for 2013!

Fantastic, sunny, chilly New Year's Day! We'd considered skiing at Mansfield but conditions are still great here so we opted for some family ski play on the ungroomed trails in Palgrave West. 'Bent and BazingaDog were set up for skijoring. We were out for well over 2 hours but time has been deducted for GoPro video, chatting with our neighbours, greeting a nice older dog and his people, etc.

We lunched at The Shed with Myka, Eco and WandAR, who had also been playing in the snow up here. We discussed our tentative 2013 plans and goals, and now I'm feeling excited! Next up in our New Year's celebration is The Hobbit with Crash. My New Year's diet doesn't start until *tomorrow* so dinner will be popcorn in spite of the nutrifacts. :)

Happy New Year! :)