Training Log Archive: Bash

Raid The Hammer
Ancaster

Browner, Mrs. Tiny and I raced Raid The Hammer on a cool, grey Sunday before a Monday snowstorm. Browner and I have raced together a fair bit but it's been 11 years since the Coast Raid stage adventure race, the only other time Mrs. Tiny and I have teamed up. We approached that event as an adventure vacation so today was quite different!

All three of us are navigators so we all watched the map and terrain, talked about our route as we moved, and did different tasks at different times without any formal division of duties. Especially for our first time racing together, it worked very well. We were sloppy on #2 and #7 in the first section but other than that, we found everything where we expected it to be.

Other than one frigid stream crossing where we went up to mid-thigh deep, running conditions were about as good as they could be. The leaves were down so visibility was great and - except in the thorny sections - the forest was beautiful. It was a fantastic day to be running on trails and through the woods. Mrs. Tiny was our workhorse, pushing the pace. It was hard work but a lot of fun.

We ran behind the Speed Bunnies for quite a while on the long trail run between controls #8 and 10. Very motivating! There were a few long runs in this race, which reminded me that I should be training more. In the end, we were proud to get the Female category win. We'll be sore tomorrow!

Thanks to Anvil and his awesome team for another great day in the woods.

Although I'm calling it "running", this session consisted of a short treadmill warm-up followed by some action in the swimming pool with 5-year-olds who kept asking me to do "More!" It was more like jumping or gymnastics with a backpack than swimming. Fun. :)

Flew home to Ontario.

Our niece Talia had her Bat Mitzvah in Calgary today surrounded by 30 family members. She did a great job! It was my first Bat/Bar Mitzvah. It must have taken a lot of work to prepare for it. At age 13, she is very concerned about Internet privacy so I'll just post a photo of us with 'Bent's Mom at the evening dinner.

'Bent and I made it to Calgary with our carry-ons. Before 'Bent's family arrived, we snuck out of the hotel to meet Carbon's Offset and Flight for Happy Hour at Anejo, a terrific Mexican restaurant. The margaritas and guacamole were yummy; too bad we couldn't stay for dinner. It was so nice to see (and hug) good friends and catch up a little.

I’m packing to fly without checked baggage for the first time since 9/11 so tonight I’ve spent a lot of time googling “Can I fly with...?” questions. Things like a sewing kit, scissors and shampoo feel risky but so far I haven’t hit many “no” answers. Things have improved. In cold weather, traveling with a carry-on to a dressy family event will only be possible if I don’t plan any outdoor exercise. I’ll have room for a bathing suit and shorts for the hotel gym. I’m not sure about indoor running shoes though.