Training Log Archive: ndobbs

A couple of helpings of this got me up every morning:


And the view




A few more photographs at https://picasaweb.google.com/neil.dobbs

C • Disgusting! 1

Sadly had to leave Banff today. Dozed through much of the flight to Newark.

The view from Wil and Katta's in Parry Sound at sunrise last week:

aggh

-34ºC this morning and a scratchy throat. Spent the afternoon in bed.

Below -25ºC... wore lots of clothes and still cooold. Happy to get in the sauna when we were done.

Hoodoos trail, sun had set where we were, but the mountains in the backdrop were lit up. Stunning.

Lake Louise
Up on top the temperature was about -26 or -28... one could take a gondola (cable car) up there, or a chairlift up halfway unprotected. Brrr either way.

I think it warmed up a little by the afternoon when we started flying down the blue pistes (instead of stop-starting gingerly). A couple of icy patches and the racing at the bottom definitely got the HR up. More fun than I expected.

Had a tough choice between (skate) skiing in Canmore or hearing about complex projective varieties with a large group of holomorphic diffeomorphisms.

Great area, slow snow.

Lovely out. Didn't see any moose. Had to rush back to have time for lunch, just as scrumptious as breakfast and dinner had been. Strawberry and rhubarb crumble with ice-cream was the highlight.

Sleep was very broken, the humidity is non-existent. Zzzz.

Not enough sleep, had to get up to drive to the airport. A wonderful breakfast kind of made up for it. Thanks Kata!

Event: Salomon Dontgetlost.ca Snowshoe Raid
 

Don't Get Lost - Snowshoe Raid

With Wil Smith :)

Weather: I think it was -10 or -11 with decent wind, -21 with windchill. Brr. I started with a toque on (for the first five or ten minutes until we got into more sheltered woods). It went back on the last 30 minutes and welcome it was. I didn't suffer much from the cold, strangely, especially considering the escapade in the stream.

Foodwise, had a decent breakfast, then when the start got delayed by an hour I ate a handful of licorice allsorts and a bit of candied ginger. I ate the same again out on the course. I had a litre of sports drink (2*Heed+1*nuun) in the camelbak, and ran out with 30 minutes to go. Another 2-500ml of water would have been good.

The maps were given out at registration, so we had time to plan our routes beforehand. We figured the first quarter of the race would be mostly on packed trails, so we started carrying the snowshoes. That lasted until partway to the second control (the first one we punched, oops)... it was good going down the hill, but we wasted a bit of time strapping them on only five minutes in.

Then it was uneventful for a couple of controls, we were breaking trail a bit. Then we had a choice, go around by big trails or go straight... we tried straight and lost a bit of time and lots of energy. It also involved hopping a stream... my foothold gave way and my left leg went in above my knee (I fell, it wasn't *that* deep), other foot and one hand got wet too, brr.

A couple of controls later we had some trail running to do so we decided to remove the snowshoes. I wasted a couple of minutes because there was ice under the clasp on the stream-snowshoe preventing me undoing it... so I battled on in snowshoes.

I took the three northern controls in the matrix, leaving Wil pussyfoot his way up and down two ski slopes before we met up again, with half an hour to get back. The legs were cramping up on both of us which slowed us down a bit, and there wasn't much energy left. We went directly back, luckily passing by the first control, and only made it with a minute and a half to spare.

Sixth place, one down on the top masters team. The top team got all the controls but were one second overtime :) We'd need to train some to do that.

Fun times. Thanks to Wil and the organisers!

C • Snowshoe Raid 5

So a couple of days ago I asked Wil how the roads were between Toronto and Parry Sound: Good and clear, says he.

So I set off for Barrie last night and the cross-wind is pretty strong, my fingers were tense holding the steering wheel holding the direction steady, especially going through bridges or when overtaking/being overtaken. And then the fun began, powdery snow made for excellent driving conditions. Anyhow, I make it without any real issues, just slower and tougher than expected.

Going to the race this morning, a local road was closed due to a partially down electricity pole, necessitating a detour. I was lucky to have got close the night before. The main road from Toronto to Barrie was closed so they delayed start times by an hour and still something like 15 teams didn't make it.

more snowrienteering (again without snowshoes)... the milder weather meant the crusty layer had softened, seemed like the snow was shallower too.

fun stuff, despite being v slow/tired (not enough sleep/breakfast?)

C • Toque 4

Snowrienteering in Blue Mtn. It wasn't fast. The Blue Mtn green is mostly white, so veg wasn't a problem. Rather horrible ice/snow conditions in places made progress painful. Navigation was easy at that pace.

Good to be back!

C • Whoop Whoop! 3

Proof golf isn't a sport:
http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/golf/2011/0214/12...

skit
actually put on running gear today, but still tired, put on the hrm... watched for a good while... didn't drop below 65... lay in bed for a couple of hours, did hit 60, but I think I should perhaps wait before running. Aghhhhh

C • Poor Neil! 1

Feeling a bit better, but perhaps that's because I haven't done anything today or yesterday, apart from collect some maps and do a bit of food shopping.

C • Snowshoes... 9

went to work for a couple of hours today

when I went down to the garage, there was some ceiling on the car... not impressed

Could Mubarak just have pulled a masterful stroke to leave Egypt unrulable by the evil Suleiman? If so, hats off and fair play. If not...
... fingers crossed for tomorrow.

Clearly shouldn't have gone to work the last two days. Today I stayed in bed until 6pm, apart from a total of maybe 30 minutes.

guh
I've had enough of this.

"As part of the J-1 visa program, you are required to participate in cultural activities while in the United States, (e.i. attending sporting events, visits to museums, galleries, art centers, historic sites, etc). At the end of each year, IBM is required to provide a list of cross-cultural activities done by our J1 visa participants. In order to comply with the Department of States regulations, would you please reply to this note with a list of cultural activities that you have participated in during your stay in the United States."

I have been neglecting my work.

C • What?! 11

Beautiful day, did go outside, but it would have been fun to do some exercise.

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot...

Also surprisingly good is the FCIC report, www.fcic.gov
Who'd have thought?

again, many hours in bed... nearly done...hopefully back healthy by Monday.

I'm not sure how to log sleep. Spent probably 14 hours in bed. And I'm not done yet.

Fighting a sore throat. Hopefully it won't develop further. Got some work done today.

Listening to npr on point talking about Egypt, I can't help thinking US foreign policy is horribly racist. Only one caller had some sort of voice of reason, asking why one doesn't care what is best for the Egyptians, and not what is best for the US and Israel. There were those saying that Mubarak would be missed; he accepted the 'renditions'... Maybe the next government won't support West Bank settlements. I want to tear my hair out. They say there is a conflict between US values and US interests. Values.

C • Neil! 13

Course consultants are great :)

Silly people in Chicago:
http://yfrog.com/f/gzm1twvj/

SLP, to Blue carpark.

A bit easier today, softer snow and I was sticking more to the partially trodden trails. It was still (un)reasonably crusty and new for today there were pools of water under the snow in places.

Forgot my watch so guessed the time.

SLP, W&Y

death by a thousand cuts on the crusty snow. What is the weather going to throw at us next?

Broken sleep last night, rested more this morning. Looks like the snow days aren't done yet. I thought drizzle was mild almost by definition.

White Plains, NY (10601)
Light Freezing Drizzle
-4°C (feels like -8°C)
Humidity: 85%, Winds: 10km/h
Useful Daylight: 6:36 AM – 5:42 PM