Training Log Archive: Bash

Today's planned Hockley Loop with Dee and Mrs. Gally was cancelled due to too many people feeling sick. I went running from home with podcasts for company instead - over to the Glen Haffy stile on the Oak Ridges Trail, then some out-and-back on the Bruce Trail. Same distance as the Hockley Loop, not as much climb.

I took a break at the farthest point, partly to avoid running back past the man who called me "dear" - the only human I encountered in 3 hours. I found this thing hanging in the forest in Glen Haffy. Does anyone know what it is? Timato, maybe Mrs. Tiny knows? It's about 1.2 m high. It said "Government of Canada" and "Plant pests" on it. Maybe something to do with the Emerald Ash Borer? It contained some plastic-wrapped disks that looked like loonies.



Apparently I trust Phatty and Salomon a whole lot since this was my first run in Speedcross Pros and I didn't leave myself any bail-out plan. This route didn't test the super grippy sole too much but I liked them.

Caron was mean to us tonight. ;)

Tonight's class was a departure from our regular style, just for fun - a modified yin class, which meant we held stretches and balance poses for a really long time until things got sore. Not my favourite but probably very good for me, especially the hip flexor stretch.

I'd totally forgotten that I'm allowed to have a hot fudge sundae after every big race. (Otherwise, what's the point of all this exercise?!) I took care of that today with a DQ Peanut Buster Parfait so my recovery is officially complete.

We were honoured today to have a visit from Shelly Ryan, who rescued AdventureDog (aka Logan) and nursed him back to health after he was discovered alone and starving in frigid January weather in northern Quebec. "Thank you" isn't enough for saving his life but it was nice to be able to say it in person.





Our friend Jan Hannah of IFAW's Northern Dogs Project brought him south and helped A-Dog join our family, as she has done for so many dogs in need of homes. If you are ever looking to add to your family, I can put you in touch. She brought over some cute ones today when she came with Shelly.

Here's a photo from this morning, playing with a new toy Shelly gave him. He's really changed since she last saw him. :)

Fresh from a week in the Tucson sunshine, Caron had lots of new ideas for boot camp. Everything quad-related was a bit harder than usual - not pain, just fatiguing more quickly. Great to be back!

Sorry, Mrs. Gally, it's official now: According to a recent report in the Canadian Field-Naturalist titled Evidence Confirms the Presence of Cougars (Puma concolor) in Ontario, Canada, the big cats are roaming around Ontario’s wilds... It was believed since the early 1900s, due to intensive hunting, the Ontario cougar was extinct. The increase in sightings over the last few years seems to indicate a significant increase in the population.
http://www.caledonenterprise.com/community-story/3...

First long-ish run since Leatherwood and I felt pretty good. I'll try boot camp tomorrow night to see if my quads feel back to normal in a strength workout.

I ran through Palgrave Forest to the village, along the rail trail to Albion Hills, around some trails in there and back home via Duffy's Lane, private land and Palgrave West. It's not one of my regular routes because there's not much climb for the distance but it was nice to do something different close to home. The last 24 hours were stressful and brought some bad news so I needed to clear my head. Not something I can discuss online but we and our families are healthy, which is the most important thing.

Albion is in terrific condition for biking so come up and visit!

AdventureDog and I ran around Palgrave West in damp conditions. A week out from the Leatherwood 50 miler, things seem almost back to normal. I feel great when running but certain strength exercises, like lunges, remind me that my quads are still healing from 3,000 m of downhill running.

As we crossed our property line, I glanced at the field at the back of our property and was surprised to see a big coyote running parallel to us about 50 m away. There was no sign that he was aware of us although maybe that's why he was running. We were all headed toward our house but when we came out of the forest, he was nowhere in sight. Even though we see coyote tracks, scat or beds most days, and we hear them howling at night, we rarely see them in the woods here. They really don't want much to do with humans in spite of the fear mongering articles that occasionally appear in the local paper.

After an energetic dog hike and swim party with Browner and her pooches, 'Bent, Browner and I left all four dogs together in the house as a test for an upcoming weekend adventure. If we returned and the house was trashed or a dog was missing, we would have to adjust our plans.

We went for a tour of Palgrave East, mostly single track. What a gorgeous spring day! The trails are in great shape. 'Bent's fancy new carbon recumbent bike is holding together pretty well so far. My bike really needs to be tuned but it's probably more important that I just ride it before STORM. If you're there, you may hear me going kachunk-grind-clank through the woods. Speaking of STORM, Browner was wearing one of their cool new jerseys, hot off the press. I ordered one this year for the first time and I'm glad I did!

There was no sign that the dogs did anything except nap while we were away. Without humans to perform for, I think they lost their motivation.

(Bike Computer distance/time)

STORM The Trent is coming up and the trails are finally dry so I went for a fun ride around the Palgrave East single track. So happy to be able to mix biking and running again! (Bike computer distance)

Coach Jeff Workout #1 plus some legs and Dr. Bell-xercises.

JURY DUTY DEFERRED!!!!!

Phone call came exactly 24 hours after I dropped off the letter. I told them they were really efficient! They are mailing another summons for a later date. So travel plans for our 20th wedding anniversary will have to stay on hold for awhile.