Training Log Archive: Bash

Event: The Chase (O-Cup race #2)
 

O-Cup #2 - The Chase
Canterbury Hills

Perfect December morning for orienteering - although a little snow would have made it even more fun! 'Bent and I were away for the first O-Cup so this was our kick-off to the winter orienteering season. Hammer designed us a great course with some fun route choices. I heard some comments about the tough climbs out of the steep valleys but compared to last weekend's ultra-muddy ultra-long race, I had a lot more traction today. However, shorter races are not my strength so this was tough!

Things went reasonably well from #1 to #3 (the boxpoint), then I did D-B-A in the box. On my way back to #3, a youngster stopped me briefly to show his map and ask where he was. What I gained in karma points there, I lost in focus. Even though I'd been to #3 before, I blew it on the return trip, heading in too early and losing more elevation than I needed.

After that, I planned to do the longer trail-and-road run route rather than heading cross-country toward the control more directly. The only way this route makes any sense is if you run the whole way on road and trail. Otherwise, you're just going a much longer way for no particular reason. And that's what happened when I somehow got onto a trail heading in the wrong direction and wasn't sure what was going on. I ended up bushwhacking up and down a steep valley and through some thorny stuff until I reached the road. Looking at the map with 20/20 hindsight, that valley was totally unnecessary if I'd been "in contact with the map", as the serious orienteers say. Grrr. The irony is that I appear to have lost only about 2-ish minutes on this long leg compared to people I would normally race close to. So I guess it would have been a good route choice if I'd managed to execute it properly.

Winsplits says that #5 was my worst control. I was trying to sidehill over to it on the south side but it was so steep that I got driven up higher than intended, then had to come all the way back down again. No drama on the last two controls except that as I ran to the finish, people were yelling, "Go Bob! You can catch Barb!" I didn't know if they were serious or just pulling my chain but it definitely made me run up that last hill! I was 12th and certainly didn't deserve any better. Oh, and I beat Getawaystix by 25 seconds. (The O-Cup races are handicapped, for those who don't know.)

Congrats to Backwoods (Nina Wallace) on winning the biannual GHO Service Award. Deserving Athlete of the Year nominees were AdventureGirl!, Getawaystix and Runit. The winner was Runit (Serghei Logvin) who has had a breakthrough year.

After the race, we had a fun club party with good company, yummy fajitas and excellent presentations by Getawaystix and Runit. It was really interesting to get inside the minds of these talented guys as they took us through their races.

The lottery for the 100-mile Western States Endurance Run took place today. This is arguably the most prestigious 100-mile trail race in North America. As a first time applicant, I had a 7.6% chance of getting in, which was perfect because I didn't *want* to get accepted in 2013. For each consecutive year I'm able to qualify, I'll get an additional ticket in the lottery, so I applied this year in order to get two tickets next year.

As expected (and hoped), I didn't get in. Neither did Ang or anyone else I know... except for Carbon's Offset! He had the same 7.6% chance of getting in but he must have been wearing his lucky long johns when he went XC skiing today. Very exciting... I don't think I know anyone who has ever been successful in the lottery. If I'm counting right, two Ontarians - and 12 Canadians in total - were accepted this year.

Leanimal and I ran the Humber Trail from Castlederg Rd. back to Bolton in rainy, muddy, chatty conditions. When we got to Goose and Coach LD's place, the time on my Garmin was 59:24. Obviously, we were forced to run up to the top of Sackville hill and back down again.

Goose, Phatty and 'Bent started their run at Duffy's Lane North. We had a great lunch afterward thanks to the culinary talents of Coach LD. Annette and Goose Sr. also stopped by. It was a terrific time! It's wonderful to have friends with whom you can just pick up where you left off, regardless of how long it's been.

Signs of the season in the middle of Palgrave Forest and Wildlife Area.

Hockley Loop run on a chilly day! I wasn't planning to get back to long runs for awhile yet but I couldn't resist a last-minute plan to do the Loop with Harps, Leanimal and Phatty. I hate holding people back so I started about 20 minutes early acting as the rabbit, giving them the chance to tire themselves out by chasing me down. Around the 13K mark, I took a 5-minute break to wait for them since I knew from our texting that they weren't far behind, and I was looking forward to chatting.



Great to spend time together on the trail and afterward at the Hockley General Store. We dearly miss our Phatty, Leanimal and Weeanimal but can't blame them for wanting to live in the Alps, eat pain au chocolate and drink wine.

Not surprisingly, I lacked energy today but felt good otherwise until the final 500 meters when the top of my gimpy foot started protesting. I'm not sure if it may have been related to an ankle turn - only a 2 on the scale of 1 to 10 - a few kilometers earlier. Too bad - I was thinking the foot might be all better after I got through last weekend's UltraLong Champs run (almost 4 hours) without feeling it. It appears that I've worked my way up to running 23 km - but not 23.5 yet. :) Patience, grasshopper.

Hard Core Live with Caron. Lots of dynamic work tonight and not much resting.

Power Yoga with C3 friends. It felt great. I almost fell asleep in the relaxation (which is never included in my logged yoga time).

I told Barrie Shepley about the nightmare I had last night inspired by his first Ironman in Arizona last month. We'd exchanged e-mails and he'd mentioned that the C3 club could help me with my swimming if I ever wanted to do an Ironman. In last night's dream, I was with one of the triathlon club members at the start of the course when I suddenly realized that the first leg of an Ironman is a 25 km SCUBA diving course. I was freaking out, explaining that I hadn't done any diving for 20 years. The second hand equipment I'd borrowed was really sketchy too. It was one of those times when I was *quite* relieved to wake up and realize it was a dream!

I considered a trainer ride but it was 1C and dry out so I rode the frozen single track trails of Palgrave, which was much more fun. The IMBA-trained trail builders from the Caledon Cycling Club have done excellent work in there this year. The trails have a wonderful flow now, and someone has been clearing off the dead leaves. The only seasonal challenge today was the dusting of snow on some of the logs and roots - a little slippery at the wrong angle. Amazing riding conditions.

Note to self: It seems that I need to re-learn my cold weather smarts every year. I remembered to wear warmer layers than I would for running or skiing at 1C but I forgot to wear warmer gloves. Sometimes when I was changing gears, I thought my frozen thumb might snap right off! Also, my new winter bike shoes need extra insoles or Sealskinz socks since they are too loose otherwise. I gave myself a sharp tweak in the left knee because it took such a big twist to unclip. Not a big deal - I'll get this stuff sorted out. Hopefully it will be an incredible ski season and I'll forget all about biking for awhile. :)

I copied Coach LD's strength routine that T-man helped her with on Sunday. I didn't have the benefit of T-man here to increase the degree of difficulty so I did the exercises near BulletDog just before her dinnertime. She got in the middle of things and added the extra challenge I needed. However... I know I cheated compared to Coach LD. I did girlie push-ups, for example, and I counted each leg of my mountain climbers whereas she probably only counts the left leg. And when I got down to 20 squat thrusts and 10 handstands, I decided that my upper body felt strong enough, thank you very much, so I replaced that section with 40 teapots (20 each side) and 10 push-ups. That will have to be close enough for a weakling like me!

Fortunately, my dating days are long over but this used to be so true! :)

Here's the scoop on applying to one of the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc group of races in August 2013. Pre-registration opens on Dec. 19.

I love the English translations, e.g.:

This excitement which is born in you is the sum of the promises that you will keep to reach your objective. If it is so beautiful and if life is good, as from today, it is because everything was built patiently, over time, through the values that we all share. Because the strengths of trail-running, are their values, and if they disappear through negligence, the whole building collapses: our races, the others, and just the same desire to practise a sport of exception. The mountain can't do anything...There is nothing banal about your choice of registration. It is a pact that you make with yourself, with nature, the volunteers, the natives and all those who contribute in leading you to the end of the road. When you sign up for this great adventure around Mont-Blanc, think that you will carry a piece of this precious state of mind. Keep it intact!

If you're going to the Dontgetlost/GHO O-Cup #2 at Camp Canterbury Hills in Hamilton this Sunday, consider sticking around for the club's annual end of year lunch and party, which is open to non-members. Tickets are $15 and you can buy them there but you need to send an e-mail to let them know you're coming. Online registration for the race closes on Thursday at midnight.

The party starts at the conclusion of the The Chase at 12pm. As well as food and a few games, there will be presentations:

-- Bob Miller, Canada's top adventure racer, will kick things off with a discussion of what it takes to compete at the top international level in expedition adventure racing. He will show pics and videos from this year's World Adventure Racing Champs.

-- Mark Adams will make a brief presentation on the expansion plans of the Adventure Running Kids program into the Halton and Peel regions.

-- And finally, Serghei Logvin will discuss the routes he took when he won the silver medal at the 2012 North American Orienteering Champs. Find out how he decided what routes to take and how he pushed through to the end of the race after almost breaking a rib. [Serghei also just won the U.S. UltraLong Orienteering Champs on Sunday but as a Canadian, he was not eligible to medal.]

Sounds like a great opportunity for a pre-Christmas AR get-together! :)

Rodney Yee power yoga for flexibility. Much needed after an 11-hour drive home (including 90 minutes at the border) following a 4-hour race.

For those who are interested in orienteering, I've finished my report and GPS tracks for the U.S. Night, Relay and UltraLong Orienteering Championships on Friday to Sunday.