Training Log Archive: coach ld

Not really "training" but it was a nice paddle down the Humber with Goose. We thought we'd encounter ice jams after the big flood last Thurs. but they were all up on the banks since the water level dropped again. It was kind of cool actually to see so many ice blocks and sheets and shards all piled up. It was like cloud -watching. There was a weird 2-level slab that looked like a set of teeth, ice dentures. There was a perfectly cleaved block with beautiful perpendicular lines and a pure white sparkling layer on top that could have been a wedding cake. Another huge sheet looked just like a dock that had become unmoored. There were no trees across anymore. The ice had scoured all the strainers and piles of debris off to the sides. Clear canoeing, from Pops' and Susie's to the burnt-down bridge, didn't have to get out except when we finished.

So much for winter. It was pretty mild and windless, dry roads so I road my mt. bike on the Duffy's Lane-Castlederg block with a bit of subdivision. I certainly wasn't going fast but I guess I'm in fairly good shape because it felt easy for a first ride:)

Ofsaa sprint relay day. Always exciting! Conditions were different but still icy and fast. Rain/freezing rain/sleet came down for a while but the 800m course was fairly flat and fun for the racers. My girls moved up from 12 to 10th as a team so we were happy. It got quite damp and I needed to ski some hills to get warm between heats, then finished with a longer loop since I knew it would be my last ski for a while. It was quite depressing to move further south and see more and more brown instead of white:(

C • You should have hitched a r... 2

Beauty day. Bright blue sky, started at -15 but rose steadily all day to -4. The very ball-bearing-like snow stayed like ball bearings. Hard title ice balls that were rocket fast but also easily scrubbed out where kids tried to snowplough to slow down. It wasn't easy skiing for inexperienced skiers but it was fun if you let your skis run:). Lots of coaches' intervals to get warm and a good loop after the races in the sunshine. There was some impressive racing too.

Drove out of heavy rain, some sleet into blue skies and dry roads near Parry Sound. Arrived at Laurentian to pretty nice conditions really. Some ice underneath, but good grooming and a bit of new snow meant for fast fun skiing as we checked the courses for tomorrow's ofsaa distance races. They'll be some wipeputs fro sure, and broken poles - already have a few.
But it'll be quick! and not -25 like the last time we were here and had to delay the start times until it was -19.

Yet another blue sky morning and it was still below 0 so Mrs. Huet and I went back to the Gatineau trails for one more ski before the rain moved in. It was gorgeous. We were not long after the groomer and the corduroy was like butter. We felt fantastic despite being a bit tired. We stayed off the big hills and off the parkway, just rolled through the woods with big ol
smiles on our faces. Too bad we needed to head home and had tired legs otherwise I think we'd have skied until we dropped. So sad to be leaving such glorious snow conditions and going home to rain:(

Another bright sunny morning, not cold and great grooming for the skate event at the Gatineau Loppet. It was the first time the skate event was point-to-point and it was gorgeous. Loved it. Didn't hammer but skied at a very strong steady pace, felt great on the uphills, my skis were good until the last 10 km or so when the warm temps and dirty snow in spots had combined to make slightly stuttery skis but for the most part the gliding was good:)
Such a difference from the last time I did it at -27 on sandpaper snow. It seemed ridiculously easy - the first 25 km anyway. It was sing-songy flowy, rolling terrain, through open fields then back into the woods. The hills were not monsters, yet. The we headed up out of Meech Lake and that lyrical, lovely rhythm died as the monster climb rose and kept rising. A good 2 km of very challenging steep climbing. That's where some people started dropping off. It was hard work but still so beautiful in the woods. Finally we came out to the parkway and thought "phew, glad that's over". Wrong. The climb continued, it was just a wider trail. Eventually we were on the top and then it was a steady gradual net descent past Pink Lake and down to the trail back to the CGEP. One goal had been not to cramp so I made myself stop and eat at all the food stations and drink Eload at 21 km, before the climb. It worked. Until I missed the cup at the last station with 6 km to go and just kept skiing. Then suddenly at 49 km I got shaky and on the verge of cramping just as a 75 yr-old blew by. Arghh. I put on a sprint for the last km and showed her a thing or two, outstepping her at the line. It was 4 hours later when I cramped but overall I felt great and had an excellent race in fantastic conditions. Mrs. Huet did too. Didn't get lost, won her division and was 3rd overall in the 27km race - behind to 25-yr-olds, beating another 25-yr-old by 8/100 of a second!

C • Another highlight for your ... 3