Training Log Archive: Bash

Storm the Trent
Trek Elite - Solo
Haliburton

I always look forward to Storm The Trent - a well organized event where we see AR friends after a long winter. But my mind has been preoccupied lately, and my training has been sporadic - mostly running, and not that much of it. I considered staying home but on Thursday night, I finally started packing with the plan of stopping or skipping sections of the race course if I couldn't handle it physically or mentally.

I did some things that I would advise an AR newbie not to do. I decided to paddle our Epic V8 surfski for the first time since last summer, adjusting the foot pedals while sitting on our lawn and hoping for the best. I'd only ridden my bike 12 km on a rail trail since last fall, and it's overdue for a tune-up and some Stan's in its tires. I used a shiny new Salomon Skin Pro 10 pack that had never been on my back. I installed my bike map board at the last minute at the bike drop without testing it on bumpy ground. I totally forgot the bento box where I normally keep food for easy access while riding.

On the bright side, the forecast promised rain - occasionally heavy - for much of the day. Our former teammate Shifty (Mike Schaffel) used to say cheerfully, "Bad weather *favours* the Tree Huggers." He would say that about any type of adversity, just to keep morale high. Whenever I see a horrible weather forecast, that line always runs through my head and makes me smile.

We started with an 8 km out-and-back paddle heading west from Head Lake Park. It was cloudy with a strong breeze, and we had a blast of heavy rain less than half an hour after the start. I was farther back on the paddle than usual due to the combination of increased age and decreased training, although I was still probably in the top 25% since my boat is faster than I am. Hammer and 'Bent paddled together near the front of the race and looked strong.

I had a slow transition since I changed from water shoes to AR bike shoes, which I wore for the rest of the race. I also had to take off the rain pants I'd worn to sit in the wet surfski. That took extra time but it kept my bike chamois relatively dry.

We ran on roads and a little trail to CP3 at Glebe Park, where we headed into the XC ski and mountain bike area to find 4 CPs. I somehow ended up on the wrong trail and veered southeast as I was trying to head south to the snowmobile trail from the first CP but at least that meant I knew exactly where I was when I hit the muddy main trail. After the 4th CP, I bailed out for a longer road run back to CP3 since I figured it would be less work and less risk to my ankle. I had to bash through a very wet, forested swamp to reach the road so I'm not sure it bought me any time.

Next we had a wet, muddy, out-and-back ride, mostly on ATV trails, to CP4. There were a couple of CPs to find along the way. At one point, we were trying to ride through thigh-deep water - and some racers succeeded. It was definitely spring in Ontario! I met 'Bent and Hammer coming toward me, riding near the front of the race. Sadly, Hammer said he was fatigued and planned to drop out at the CP.

'Bent waited for me at CP3/5, which was sweet since I've been stressed out and he thought it would be nice to keep me company. However, I'm not a fan of people registering solo for a race then purposely racing with others and gaining advantages over other solos, like drafting bikes or sharing the navigation. So I made the poor guy ride behind me (except when he flew past because he couldn't help himself) and banned him from discussing anything related to the race course. His heart was definitely in the right place though!

We had a long, hilly road ride. Browner mentioned that she thought I would hate it but the road was quiet enough that it wasn't scary. It was nice when we turned off onto a quiet dirt road, and things felt even more familiar when we got back into the good ol' slimy mud and rocks of snowmobile trails and single track leading to the Sir Sam's ski area. The rain had been coming and going all day, and I remember a blast of cold rain here that made me think about putting on a jacket at the next CP. I ended up doing the entire race in just a Helly Hansen polypro top in on-and-off rain with temperatures in the 12-15C range, I'd guess.

At Sir Sam's, we had to draw 4 CPs onto an aerial photograph of the ski area and find them on foot. Navigating along ski slopes without contour lines is a bit challenging but this section went quickly and felt relatively painless after climbing the escarpment near Collingwood a bunch of times last weekend.

I was soooo muddy when I crossed the finish line! My shoe buckles were so dirty that they wouldn't undo; I had to force my feet out. 'Bent (who had biked ahead on the singletrack and trekked solo) waited for me while I changed into dry gear then we took a school bus back to A.J. LaRue Arena in Haliburton. It was great to enjoy a post-race beer and chat with friends, many of whom were on the podium at the awards. I won some cider and Kicking Horse coffee as the 1st female solo, followed by Arthurd and Olga.

Given the two ultras I have coming up over the next three months, it was encouraging to see that base level fitness can partially compensate for inadequate training and sleep. I'll need to work on speed and strength but it felt like my endurance was still there - at least for this distance. It was also good to feel my mind start to focus on the race after a couple of hours. Given that I haven't even had the attention span to watch a movie lately, I wasn't sure I could stay focused for 7-8 hours.

Thanks to Storm, Browner and all their amazing staff and volunteers for another fun, well-organized event!

Started to pack for Storm The Trent last night. Not exactly the most prepared I've ever been for an event but I will start and see how it goes.

Last day of working in Mom's apartment after another night of difficult sleep. The apartment isn't empty yet but we've been able to give away a lot of art, jewellery, clothing, office supplies and furniture to my parents' close friends after setting aside some memories for ourselves. It's easier for us knowing that people who knew Mom and Dad will enjoy most of their things. My brother and his partner will finish things up next week. Meanwhile, my house is stuffed, and we can look forward to months of sorting through photos and papers. As executor tasks go, that's the one that brings the most smiles.

So far behind on everything.

It's surprising how hard it is to make plans with only one car at Tree Hugger ABC. At home, there are many days when 'Bent and I leave our cars parked. We're realizing that when we do drive, we often go different places at the same time. I'd always assumed we'd downsize to one vehicle in retirement but I'm not so sure now.

Since 'Bent, Mrs. Gally and Tarno had planned a long run at 8:30 a.m., I could either stay home or run home from their starting point, Mrs. Gally's place. I chose the latter. I did two escarpment climbs, including "Straight Up" at Blue Mountain, which became slapstick with the steep slope and slippery mud that didn't provide any grip in places unless I grasped at tufts of grass. I got mud up to my wrists and down the front of my body from falling - typical adventure racer look. Other than a few ups and downs around Blue, I mostly followed the Bruce Trail. The wind was insane so I ran quickly past the oldest trees.

After coming down The Grind, I decided to try Mountain Road to the George Christie trail network at Eleventh Line. I'd thought there might be an off-road bike trail parallel to Mountain Road but there wasn't, and it was super busy and unpleasant. I guess the boring rail trail is the best option for running home from Blue Mountain.

My body seems to be dealing well with this sudden burst of training. No significant aches and pains. I'm not fast but the hills are feeling OK.