Training Log Archive: Bash

Seriously cold outside - and major wind chill too! The current "feels like" temperature at bedtime is -32C but the lunar eclipse was beautiful.

Dontgetlost Snowshoe Raid, 13th edition
Loree Forest

Another creative course design by Bob! This year he managed to prevent anyone from clearing the course although Chad Spence and Greg Critchley came close.

We received Map 1 at race check-in. It showed a subset of the race controls worth about 2/3 of the points available. After one hour, we could pick up Map 2 at the Aid Station. It showed the same area as Map 1 with all the controls, including the ones shown on Map 1. If we stumbled onto a Map 2 control in the 1st hour before we allowed to see Map 2, we couldn't punch it.

Denise and I teamed up once again. She is dealing with a glute-hamstring injury that causes pain on uphills but she's so tough that it didn't affect our race until the final 30 minutes. She is always a rock star when it comes to race strategy. She had to give me a polite, much-needed reminder to stay back to help when a teammate is slowing down. I don't have much experience being strong enough to help a teammate, and I usually have my face buried in the map so I was glad she pointed it out.

Snowshoes weren't recommended so I used spiked Snowcross shoes with Kahtoola microspikes. This was perfect for the conditions. It would have been slow and slippery bushwhacking on hillsides and open fields either way but we were able to move quickly on packed trails. The forecast was frigid - about -15C, feeling like -23C with wind chill - but it didn't feel as cold as last year's race. I overdressed.

We followed our plan almost exactly, including the hurried plan we made at the Aid Station after receiving Map 2. As always, I look at our plan now and see ways to adjust it to get another 50-150 points. (We got 925 of the 1650 available.) But that's true of every team in the race and hindsight is enhanced by things we could only learn during the race. I was happy with what we were able to do.

The top Female team was AdventureGirl! and Hermes. Nicole and Mrs. Gally were the top Female Masters, and we were 2nd of 19. 'Bent and Mick were 5th overall and 2nd Male Masters behind Mr. Gally and Storm. Great performances by a number of friends and a fun post-race dinner at the Gallys' place. Always an excellent day. :)

Snow testing in Loree Forest with ‘Bent and the pooches. This wasn’t all snowshoeing; we were trying to decide what to wear on our feet for tomorrow’s Snowshoe Raid. Conditions are tricky.

On the way back, we all went to Yappy Hour at the Sidelaunch Brewery - a dog-friendly fundraiser for the local animal shelter. Lots of dogs and dog lovers showed up including Heather Arnold and Cait Foisy. There were some snacks and live music. They do this a couple of times a year. Fun!

Using a GPS watch for training isn’t for everyone. Hit men, for example.
https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a25924256/mark-f...

Hard Core Live with Caron

C3 Yoga class

Foothab

Chilly sunset run around Palgrave West with AdventureDog, who was on high alert for wildlife in K-Bash Woods. It was almost dark when we got back but we still added a final lap of the 1 km loop that goes through our neighbour's property.

I got thinking that we could have an abbreviated Last Man Standing event for friends at our place. Since it's a 1 km loop, the departure would be every 9 minutes to fit the 100 miles per 24 hours requirement. There are issues involved with the tighter timeframe, i.e. if you need a major washroom break, you're probably out of the event unless you're super quick. (No porta-potties so you'd have to go indoors. No pooping in our forest!) But this would just be for fun and there would be a BBQ and beer awaiting the losers so I don't think anyone would mind. Hmm. :)

3-Minute Mountain Legs!

I still haven't set goals for 2019 but one of them will be 80 hours of Strength, Mobility and Yoga. Upping the ante, I'm aiming to do at least 5 minutes every day since I should be doing physio-type exercises that often even if I don't get around to doing anything else. As of the 15th of the month, things are on track.

Up for tomorrow: Three-Minute Mountain Legs.

Trigger warning for Cristina: there are two active dogs in the video.
https://trailrunnermag.com/training/3-minute-mount...

Trail run around Palgrave East and West on a grey day. 'Bent said I wouldn't need Kahtoolas but he was overly optimistic. I crept along the edges of trails when they got too slippery and tap danced across glare ice on my spikes when there was nowhere else to go. Luckily, I stayed on my feet - a nice improvement from Sunday's skate ski, which left me with a painful bruised glute. I listened to Jenny Jurek on an old Ultrarunner Podcast. After taking an early phone call related to our deck disaster, I ran for 85 minutes without walking any hills so things are moving in the right direction.

Sad news from "downtown" Palgrave. The Church Pub is closing after receiving a large fine from the Town of Caledon for compliance issues with the building department. Mistakes were made on both sides but I have sympathy for the pub, which was much needed in a hamlet that could easily be overshadowed by the highway that passes through it. The Town's building department has poor communications, and most of its staff are bureaucrats who enjoy wielding power more than helping to solve problems of the tax payers funding their salaries. RIP, Church Pub.

Foothab

Full body strength + some foothab. If all goes well, I'll add some more foothab later tonight.

Dr. Thumbs-of-Death worked on both my feet today - OW. Although I had a high sprain on my left ankle in September, I have more trouble with one-legged balance on my right foot. The right ankle is my good one - mostly - but I sprained it for the first time in the summer of 2017 so like most of my body parts, its warranty has been voided.

Especially on my left side, Dr. ToD says it's my tight tibialis posterior giving me grief and causing pain around the bottom of the medial ankle bone. It's hard to massage or stretch but I can try rolling the little spiky ball around the sore spots on my calves and feet. Also, I can try seated calf lifts, turning the feet to different angles. When you're seated, you don't use the gastrocs as much.