Training Log Archive: Bash

'Bent and I hiked up Mount Lady MacDonald, the mountain in the Carbons' back yard. The trail climbs almost non-stop with a couple of vague, scrambly sections through rocky areas. There are terrific views of the Bow Valley and the town of Canmore.









Most people stop at an abandoned wooden helipad to see the views and take a break before the steep descent.









We hadn't gone above the helipad on our previous trip so we continued up the scree to the first big knoll. This is the view looking back toward the helipad.



And the view if you turn left 90 degrees.



This is the view looking up toward the summit of Lady Mac. Even getting to this spot, the small scree was slippery so this last bit looks sketchy.



We ran down - at least the parts where it wasn't slippery or extremely rocky or rooty.

A short distance from the parking lot, we met two women clutching a can of bear spray with the safety catch off. "Tell me, is it safe?", asked one of them, pointing up the trail.

"What do you mean by 'safe'?", I asked.

"No bears. No cougars."

"Well, there *are* bears and cougars but we didn't see any. We also saw a lot of people." I demonstrated a call they could make on the trail to scare animals.

She was shocked, "Really?!"

As I left them, 'Bent was coughing hard about 10 meters away. We think he inhaled some of their bear spray! To make him feel better, we went to Le Fournil bakery and followed that up with some craft beer and dinner with Myka and the Carbons.

'Bent and I had a big day planned with Carbon, Carbon's Offset, Myka, Slice, Steve and several other Canmore runners. Starting at Dead Man's Flats, we were going to head up Centennial Ridge to Mt. Allan and possibly do a lollipop route including a scramble up and down Mt. Collembola.



The weather couldn't have been more perfect and the temperature was blissfully cool after the last week in Ontario. Rain was forecast around 2 p.m. but we got on the trail in good time.



Most of the group



A photo by Carbon's Offset to prove I was there



Two of Canada's most successful female adventure racers, Slice and Carbon



We ran together in the early section of double track. When the trail started to climb, the group split up as planned. Carbon, Myka and I maintained a more civilized pace in the second group. The lead group turned off and started the scramble up Collembola, which turned out to be more of a bushwhack than expected. By then, some clouds had rolled in so we decided to stay on the main trail toward Mt. Allan, figuring that we could turn back more easily if the weather got bad. If the weather stayed good, we could meet the other group on the peak and run back together.



After climbing, climbing and more climbing, we were near the treeline when rain started to fall, and we heard a loud crack of thunder. Carbon whirled and started running downhill. Myka and I followed as the thunder continued. Then the hail began - so big that it hurt. Myka put on a second jacket.





There was only one thing to do.



Slice's partner Steve is a co-owner of the Canmore Brewing Company - a much better place to be on a stormy day.



But I'm getting ahead of myself. We ran down the mountain, getting passed by 'Bent and Steve near the bottom. Naturally, the weather had turned sunny by the time we reached the parking lot. We'd had a good workout even without reaching our goal so we headed for Sunday brunch, where we had a good chat with Jason Cagampan! He lives in Vancouver now and was sitting at a nearby table. Crazy coincidence.

Then we went to the brewery. Training weeks are tough. The End.

Our day got better. This is the morning coffee view from our balcony in Canmore.

Grrr, got to bed early before our flight but my stressed brain kept me awake.

I've mentioned my Town building department woes here from time to time. Coles Notes version: we asked our contractor to obtain a permit for a small deck/balcony, which he wouldn't normally do. He got the permit for what was built in March 2018 - or at least he thought he did. If you saw it, you'd probably agree it's a nice little deck.

Then the Town took a closer look and started picking at all kinds of new things. They gave us a list of tasks to complete, and the design was almost done when a new manager arrived and started everything from scratch. At one point, the Town insisted that an engineer stand in our yard to witness something. I explained that I have two degrees in structural engineering and a current P.Eng. so I could do that. No, they wanted a different engineer to stand and watch - not that any actual engineering would be done. That alone was $450 and accomplished nothing.

Today I got the estimate from the contractor to meet the Town's latest requirements to turn our tiny deck into Fort Knox: $16,006. Un-frickin-believable.

It's a good thing there is chocolate in the house. And wine. P.S. Don't ever live in Caledon.

Runner’s World has listed its 20 favourite running documentaries.
https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a2085...

Where are some other good lists or individual documentaries? Funderstorm, I know you’re always finding good ones.

I ran to the mailbox today. My legs feel semi-normal after being unable to walk straight down stairs on Sunday and Monday.