Training Log Archive: Bash

We're back home, and it is spring! I'm not surprised to have a bit of jet lag, but this "season lag" is strange. There was some good news in the mail that collected during our absence. Last year I won a category in an Oak Ridges Moraine photo contest with this photo, which has since appeared on posters, on a website, in a calendar and in a textbook.



I've just learned that I was a winner in this year's contest as well. The cool part is that I was forced to enter the professional photographers' category this time because a small portion of my income comes from photography. I didn't think I had a chance against the real pros, so I'm excited to get an award!

The Diamond Ultra racers finished today, and there was considerable excitement because Phil Villeneuve started the day just 33 seconds behind Mike Argue after 5 days of racing!

I was asked to comment live on CBC Radio News about the battle between Phil and Mike.



In the end, it was Mike who appeared first, about 3 minutes ahead of Phil. They'd traded the lead today, but Mike got away when he hit Great Slave Lake. (Which happens to be his back yard!)



Phil came in a strong second after a tough battle for the diamond.



CBC Television wanted to hear his story.



The boys are still friends!



A lot of great photos have been posted on Sleepmonsters, so I'll try not to be too repetitive here. Greg McHale, winner of the men's snowshoe race, was next.



Next came Andrew Cameron, who really poured it on in the 2nd half of the race, nearly beating Greg yesterday. He was soooooooooooo happy at the finish line! :-)









Denise McHale led Jen Segger to the finish line, claiming a 2nd diamond for the McHale family.



Liza Pye arrived a short time later, skating strongly. She was congratulated by race director Scott Smith as the 3rd skier across the line - and she will win the diamond as the 1st woman!

Today we discovered that Richard's 7-day stubble was hiding some dark patches of frostbite. Oops. Turns out my inexpensive fleece neck gator worked better than his fancy neoprene mask. Either that, or else I'm just really hot.



Now that the race is over, our primary role in Yellowknife is "aunt and uncle".



We visited the Snow King's Castle next to Matrix Village.



Richard chatted with the Snow King.



Unfortunately, we were too big for the slide.



The top Diamond Ultra racers finished in 2 hrs 20 min today! They're staying at Trout Rock Lodge, where they are being served hot food along with a cash bar. Nice!

The Diamond Ultra racers continued today with a 9 a.m. start from Matrix Village in Yellowknife. We came over to wish them luck.





At the gun, they headed south out of town on Great Slave Lake.







And then they disappeared into the distance. That is one *huge* lake.



After they left, I had another magazine photo shoot to do. It is *so* tough being a fashion icon, but I guess someone has to do it. (Phatty, you'll note that I wore Salomon as my outer layer!)

Rock & Ice Ultra - Day 3

Third and final day! I'd expected today to feel easy because it was the home stretch, but it was harder (for me) than yesterday. It was because the terrain was flat and mostly hard-packed, so it was possible for fast people to go fast. The snowshoe runners had a better day, and the top skiers got in some skating in a few places. I saw a few racers who hadn't normally been with me, so I constantly felt like I needed to push harder, and I didn't take as much time for eating and drinking. Yesterday felt easier - skiing up and down and twisting and turning, constantly changing my technique. Today was a flat-out hammerfest - not my forte, but good for most folks.

The weather started out overcast but became progressively nicer. The lake between Mason CP and Duck CP kept turning corners, and I wondered if it would ever end! (Very pretty - I'd love to kayak there.)



For the last 5 km, we skied on the main ice road that leads into Yellowknife. It seemed to take *forever* to get to town, since I could see it coming for an hour.



The snow cover on the ice road was thin, and my pole tips didn't always stick into the ice, so this was not as easy as expected. I'd thought I might do some skate skiing here, but my bad heel blister (left foot) and inflamed Achilles (right foot) made that seem like a bad idea. In any case, I was firmly set in my 4th place ranking (of 9 women, all of them from Yellowknife except for me), so I figured that I might as well just enjoy the end of the race.

There wasn't much traffic on the wide road, luckily. Richard and Alan drove out to snap some photos of me from the car.



They also found Andrew ahead of me. He's in 2nd place to Greg McHale in a large category - well done!



Richard crossed the finish line 2 hrs before I did, about an hour behind the winner, Thomsen. He had a great race, finishing near the front of the pack every day - but still ended up 4th in his category of 4 men, since everyone who entered the 3-day men's ski race was a fast skier!



What you can't see here is that he got several patches of frostbite under those whiskers. Tsk tsk.



Liza finished Day 3 looking good.



And finally I got there too. At 6 hrs 47 min, this was my shortest day, but yesterday felt shorter.





There were lots of photos and hellos and congratulations, and I got totally chilled within 2 minutes - the only time in the whole event when I felt that way! It was great to see our niece and nephew at the finish line along with Richard's brother Alan and his wife Miki.





Richard and I had a great time in this well-organized, safety-conscious event, and we'll be recommending it highly to friends. It's a great way to explore a corner of our country that most of us don't know, and it's fun to share it with such an eclectic international crowd. There was something satisfyingly Canadian about testing ourselves and our gear in tough winter conditions - especially since we spend too much of our winter watching satellite TV and overeating comfort foods!

Now it's time to hang out with family for a few days and - of course - cheer for our friends who are continuing in the 6-day Diamond Ultra event. The most interesting battle now is the one between the top male skiers. Phil and Mike are separated by just 1 second after 3 days! Denise McHale leads Jen Segger by less than half an hour in the snowshoe race.