Training Log Archive: bensmith

Just entered Sage Stomp. Looking forward to a quality weekend of coaching!

Spring/summer skiing on Blackcomb!

I had one day left to use on my pass, and this was the only time I could fit it in. It was super slushy (obviously) and torture on my thighs. Quite liberating to ski without layers or gloves, and absolutely stunning views!

Short run around Lost Lake Park.

It felt Mediterranean out there - hot (30C), dry and smelling of dusty pines. Delightful!

From Park Royal, up Capilano Pacific to the Dam, then west on Baden Powell to the snowline on Hollyburn. Back down, then up Nancy Greene Way and east on BP to Skyline Drive. Back via Powerline and Capilano Pacific.

This was incredibly slow going in parts:
1) I'm very bad at running uphill if it's not a smooth and consistent surface
2) I left my extra tailwind in the car, so only had 500cals of tailwind + a Clif Bar. I called into Starbucks at Grouse on the way down to grab an Apple Fritter! Rookie mistake.

On the plus side, I found another bit of the Baden Powell trail that I like! The descent off Hollyburn was really fun (the Knee Knacker people were calling it Hollyburn Chute on Tuesday). I've covered most of the trail now, and I think I actually enjoyed running on ~10% of it...

Super chill around PSP, keeping the impact on knees as low as possible. Front of left knee a little tender.

TRIUMF yoga

Recovery-pace orienteering at King Ed West. Really fun, with a nice amount of bush-whacking.

11 min warmup
6/5/4/3/2/1 min @ 10k pace with 1 min rest
10 min cooldown

Very happy with the paces. Sub-4 for everything, and finished with 3:30 without feeling too bad. Legs actually started feeling better throughout the workout. Lovely running in the forest.

Grouse Grind. It's been ages since I last did this, and it was more interesting than I remembered. In my mind, most of it was stairs. In reality, there are some more interesting steps, and even a few slightly technical patches.

I was carrying way more than I needed. In particular, the top is now completely clear, so I didn't need my microspikes at all. There might still be a bit of snow on the top of BCMC, but unlikely to be much.

Splits based on the 1/4 marks on the trail:
16:13 (0.82km, +264m)
10:08 (0.39km, +138m)
12:22 (0.47km, +216m)
11:18 (0.45km, +151m)
The scientist in me is unimpressed! The 1/4 mark is over 1/3 of the way up, in both distance and elevation gain!

C • Grouse Grind 3

I went to the "Knee Knacker Night" at Salomon in Park Royal. It was a really good mix of panellists - from veterans to a physio who is doing it for the first time this year but has lots of ultra patients.

The key things I picked up were:
* I'm not weird for doing so many of my runs alone. 3/5 of the panellists did all their long runs solo, the girl ran with one or two others, and the last guy organises the training runs so has 60 people with him.
* Core strength is really important for going longer distances.
* Good sleep hygiene is important for recovery. I'm already quite good at this, but now I have science to legitimise the amount of time I spend asleep.
* Everyone had good anecdotes and positive experiences with the KK. If my legs survive this summer, I might enter the lottery next year....