Training Log Archive: Bash

After a *big* snowfall overnight (which still hadn't finished this morning), I headed out to vet the section of Thomass Glen Haffy controls that were put out by other volunteers last night. The new snow was deep and fluffy, and even the Bruce Trail would have been hard to follow if I didn't know where it was supposed to be! I had time to check 7 of 10 controls, then I had to race back to the start because I had the registration list. Good thing too, since two of our key volunteers had a flat tire and couldn't make it until close to race time - with all the maps - phew! Amazingly, we had a big turn-out - I'd thought the challenging driving conditions would keep people away. We started 20 minutes late to accommodate the larger-than-usual number of late arrivals.

Needless to say, it was an extremely hectic pre-race scene, since I was also supposed to be learning SI software to handle the downloads. As Sid left me with his Mac (eek - a Mac!), I gave him extremely heartfelt wishes for a good race, in hopes of seeing him finish early so he could help me!

Thomass seemed to go well. After last night's storm, the snow was probably as deep as last year, so the race went longer than we'd hoped (winning time 1:08), but it wasn't cold, and people seemed to be in good spirits - except for a few of the smallest kids who found the novice course difficult in the snow. The majority of racers used snowshoes; the top ten included people running with and without snowshoes. Best of all, the first five finishers had five different handicaps - including a male elite. That's what we aim for in Thomass, but it's an inexact science, and it doesn't always work out.

As I waited for the first finishers, I recognized someone approaching with a familiar side-to-side running gait. 'Bent was leading the race!! Woo hoo - his first Thomass victory!



He was closely chased by none other than Prez Rocky herself!! Kudos to the #1 Woman in the Race!



Excellent post-race goodies made by Chef Crash. Thanks to all my fellow CN volunteers - and a big thanks to GHO and Sid, who provided us with SI gear and expertise.

It is *really* snowy here - yahoo. Here's 'Bent on our shed roof clearing off the solar panels. Good luck with that!

While watching The Daily Show. Finally - I felt a little stronger than last time.

Fun ski orienteering on and off-trail at Mansfield with Tiny and Pixie. We did last year's Ski-O section from the Stars Winter Adventure Race - some of it at race pace and some at social pace. I think this is the most fun way to ski classic at a ski centre - I should design ski-Os every time we go somewhere! My new Nordenmark ski-O map holder worked perfectly.

It was another chilly day, but I got the layers right this time. We revisited the "scene of the crime" - the place where 'Bent disappeared into a black hole for the better part of an hour while ThreePinJim and I waited at the appointed meeting spot following the Matrix.

The only downer was that I had regular stabs of nasty pain on the front of my left foot when I bent my shin toward the foot - as one does constantly when classic XC skiing. Over the past month, I've had no more than 2-3 jabs of this pain per session, but today it happened a few dozen times. Time to see Leanimal - I think a bone needs to be rearranged.

Excellent lunch with T&P at the Italian place south of Mansfield. Inspired by Goose's incredible post-surgical recovery, Tiny took a shift on the paddle trainer before heading home.

As daylight started to fade, I headed to Glen Haffy to hang flags and SI controls for tomorrow's Thomass event. Luckily, I only had to do part of the course, which gave me time to take devious, circuitous routes to each control, heh heh. I'm glad I had snowshoes! It was close to -20C with a stiff breeze and fine snow coming down most of the time I was out. What a fantastic feeling to be outside and feeling comfortable in harsh weather conditions! I love winter.

Snuck out of Glen Haffy, took off my snowshoes, and ran on the road back to my car. It was getting dark, and I didn't want to be out too late.

Easy morning ski around Palgrave West on a chilly morning. This was my first "before breakfast" workout, following up on one of my less-likely-to-succeed New Year's resolutions. (I'll admit it was a late breakfast, but at least it was an attempt!) The forest was crisp and beautiful, and I came back with ice in my hair and on my face. Stoopid breathing! I got my upper layers all wrong - too warm, then too sweaty. Doh. Everything else worked well though, including a much lighter hat than usual, even though it was close to -20C. The challenge for the Rock & Ice Ultra will be staying cool enough to avoid sweat.

Here's Goose's leg, 24 hrs after surgery for a broken ankle and torn ligaments.



And here he is resting post-surgery. (That's our paddle trainer.)

'Bent says it's cheating to start on my tiptoes. Oh well...

Goose did a bunch of chin-ups too, with his newly repaired ankle drifting dangerously close to the floor. Not that he seemed to be having any trouble.

Hard Core Live with Caron.

Power Yoga class.

I'd hoped to get out skiing today, but the geothermal guys are here - and based on all the toys they brought with them, I think they might be here to stay. They'll be coming every day for the next week at least. We sure picked an excellent time to be without a full heating system while the switch from our propane furnace is completed. Tomorrow is forecast to be -30C with the wind chill. Good thing we have two warm dogs to hug!

I tested my Rock & Ice Ultra sleeping gear last night when the mercury dipped below -20C. I just put out a ground sheet - no shelter. We'll probably be sleeping in floorless teepees up north, and they'll have heating stoves - although from what I've read, we shouldn't rely on them working. The cold wasn't an issue, but the near-full moon was soooo bright that I woke occasionally. At 2:15 a.m., my body was finished with the hot chocolate that had warmed me up at bedtime. Since I was making a trip indoors anyway, I declared the experiment a success and crawled into our toasty bed.

Just to remember:
- ground sheet + blue foam sleeping pad + winter Thermarest
- Goose's down sleeping bag + my black Thermax liner
- 3 prs socks
- long johns under North Face fleece tights (could use another layer if it's any colder)
- light polypro turtleneck under MEC green fleece under Marmot Driclime jacket
- balaclava (could use a toque too)
- fleece mittens

'Bent woke early to do his own experiment - skiing at -26C to see if his layers would work. He was warm enough, but he looked a little frosty when he got home.

Snowshoe run around Palgrave West just as the first stars were becoming visible. Some sloggish trail breaking through deep snow and a good pace on the BT where Slowrunner has beaten the trail into submission. Nice variety and a good workout. I was tempted to skip this, given how late I got home, but after talking to broken-ankled Goose, I was reminded of how very, very lucky I am to have the choice of whether or not to go snowshoeing on a busy day. So I did.

While watching an old Air Farce re-run. They were making jokes about the "upcoming" Liberal leadership convention. They had no idea how strange it would actually be!

Sunset ski around Palgrave West, heading through Koturbash Woods to take advantage of the little trackset loops on the Wheelwrights' property.

Now I'm trying to get warm enough to gain sufficient nerve to sleep outside tonight. Forecast is -24C, -27C with windchill. This would be a good test for my Rock & Ice Ultra sleeping gear. If it's not warm enough for tonight, then it won't be enough for -40C. Unfortunately, 'Bent is borrowing a sleeping bag when we get to Yellowknife, so I'm on my own with this scheme.

The start of a new year is a great time to donate to Attackpoint. As some of you know, Attackpoint is not some anonymous corporation with big bucks. It's very capably operated and regularly updated by Ken Walker Jr, an athletic guy with a day job and a young family - and, I'm guessing, not very much spare time. Unlike PBS, Ken will never bug you to contribute toward the server and software, not to mention his time, and I don't think he could make the "donate" link less conspicuous if he tried. Suggested annual donation is $25/yr. If you're a regular AP user, think about making your relationship "official" - and you'll also get access to an additional feature or two.

My Snowshoe Raid partner is doing *way* more running than I am, so I headed out for a twilight trail run. In some places the snow was so deep that I slowed to a walk (slog), but it was still a good workout.

While watching the Colbert Report