Training Log Archive: Bash

Need. More. Sleep. But the painters start at 8.

Thirty-one years ago today was Ontario's most prolific tornado-producing storm in recorded history, usually called the Barrie Tornado although it was much more widespread than that. When it hit, I was with a friend who phoned his Dad in Barrie just as he was heading to the basement. It was a short conversation! Except for the basement, their house was destroyed.

Ontario Tornado Watch has put together some photos and maps to show exactly what happened that day. Many of us live in places that saw some damage.
https://www.facebook.com/OntarioTornadoWatch/photo...

Lots of stair climbing and furniture hauling over the past two days. Most of our main floor is getting painted this week, so everything had to be carried upstairs or piled in the centre of each room. How did we end up owning so much fragile stuff? On the bright side, I've been feeling good post-50K - just a little Achilles stiffness that went away by noon on Sunday.

TD mistakenly cancelled my credit card while I'm waiting for a new one to arrive. Now I await the fun and games as my preauthorized payments fail one by one and make me look like a deadbeat! Amazingly, I can't even back up my iPhone with an invalid credit card and that's how I found out. #Firstworldproblems :)

Sulphur Springs Trail Run 50K
"HTFU in 38C Humidex" edition

Super tough racing conditions today! Even the DontGetLost relay runners were coming in way over their estimates, and they are usually accurate within a minute or two.

The first 10K at 7:30 a.m. wasn't too bad - warm and humid but not unpleasant. I ran flats, downhills and gentler uphills. Lap time 1:05.

The next 20K lap was when it started heating up, especially in open areas. The forest was still manageable. I ran some gentle uphills in the first half but not so often in the second half. I ran 10K with Lorie Miller from Brampton and had occasional chats with Hans Maier, an avid ultrarunner in his late 70s. Impressive.

I'd planned a big break after 30K to put on new sunscreen, switch out my drink flasks, add some food, switch my visor for a hat, stop by the aid station, etc. It ended up taking 7 minutes but it wasn't a day to mess around.

Timato kindly offered to get me ice so I gave him a large empty ziploc bag, not knowing how I would use it - just that I really wanted it. That ended up being the key to my next 20K lap. I put some of it on my head under my hat (the reason I switched from the visor) and ran off carrying the bag. I got out my Sugoi cooling sleeves and a little sponge from a side pack pocket and stuck them in the bag of melting ice. A few minutes later, I put on ice-cold cooling sleeves - awesome! They really did work. I have some other cooling clothing from Columbia that hasn't impressed me as much.



The sponge was an idea from a Swiss ultrarunner last summer; the idea is to dip it in streams and stick it under your hat to cool your head but that's unnecessary if ice is available. So I kept it in my melting ziploc of ice and periodically squeezed ice-cold water down my back, front and neck. It was incredible. It ran out about 2K before each aid station but I replenished it and filled my hat each time.

Even with the ice water, it was a tough lap. In the open Orchard area, it felt like breathing in a sauna - really unhealthy. This was a long run for me, not a "race", so for a little while, I only ran sections that were both downhill *and* shady. It improved when we got back into the forest again but I still did way more walking on this lap until the final few kms. It averaged out to 1 min/km slower than the previous 20K lap, not counting transition time. I sure hope it's not this hot at Lavaredo!

It was a wonderful surprise to meet Mrs. Gally at the bottom of the final hill. She encouraged me, took photos and ran (and walked) with me. Thank you!



I'd estimated that my time would probably be around 6:45 so I'm a really good guesser. I was almost exactly midpack overall, within the female category and within my age category. My goal was to finish 50K feeling good and feeling like I could run another 50K. I did feel good but there's no way I could have talked myself into another 50K. The high heat and humidity were just too hard on my cardio system.

It was great to see some relay runners on the race course and back at the DontGetLost canopy tent - Frankenjack (and Tara doing 25K), Sudden, Harps, Super, Hansel, Hermes, Bender, Griz, Tarno, Turbo and others I'm forgetting. Captain Trav had bravely herded the cats into three relay teams this year and they finished 1st, 2nd and 5th.

That is my last big run before Lavaredo in four weeks. I'll still do some running but it will be more important to sleep, eat, drink, pack and plan well. No training plan turns out perfectly but I'm happy with the way things have gone. I've stayed healthy for the past few months, I've done lot of strength and mobility work, and I haven't had an injury in a long time. I did a bunch of races between January and May. In theory, there is more I could have done. In practice, it never would have happened.

Fun ride around the Hydrocut with Funderstorm and (eventually, after a long work day) Mrs. Tiny. The single track and the company were excellent. It felt like a tropical evening, complete with tropical mosquitoes if we dared to stop. Next stop was dinner at Taco Farm - delish! I had my first Rhubarb Margarita while the other ladies enjoyed yummy orange-basil craft beer. The food was great too!



(My bike computer failed halfway through but I think this is the distance Funderstorm got. I forgot to turn on the Ambit after one stop.)

Final indoor boot camp of the season! Tiara Tuesdays are over until the fall although there will likely be some outdoor boot camp sessions at the quarry this summer.

AdventureDog decided to give us a grand finale of his own while we were out. Bye bye to my Salomon XA Pros and the buckle on my AR bike shoes. I don't want to think about how much tonight's free boot camp cost us. :(( Technically, it's our fault for trusting him. He hasn't destroyed a shoe in a long time.

Fascinating (long) article from "Science of Sport" featuring an interview with Joanna Harper, who describes herself as a scientist first, an athlete second and a transgender person third.

The issue is that last year, the Court of Arbitration for Sport suspended a requirement for female athletes to maintain testosterone levels within a very generous female normal range. With this rule change, Caster Semenya's performances, which had deteriorated since her early wins as a teenager, have now returned to their previous high level and she is expected to clean up at the Olympics this summer.

Ms. Harper suggests that although intersex (hermaphrodite) women are extremely rare in the population, it is possible that an Olympic podium or two in Rio could be filled entirely with intersex women.

And thus the controversy... Women's sports exist in a separate category because men have natural biological advantages, of which testosterone is thought to be the most significant. There is no question that Semenya was treated cruelly when she was outed and dissected in the media at 18 years of age. That was handled horribly and it's a fair human rights argument that sport should be open to all. On the other hand, one can argue that this decision removes the right of the overwhelming majority of women who are not intersex to compete in the category that has been created for them.

For those who won't have time or interest to read the full article, the transgender scientist believes that people have the right to identify as any gender socially but she supports the requirement for female athletes to have "female" levels of testosterone. Really interesting and there are no easy answers that will satisfy everyone.
http://sportsscientists.com/2016/05/hyperandrogeni...

Hike with Browner, 'Bent, BazingaDog and AdventureDog up the Village Way trail then down via ski slopes with a few big snow patches for the dogs to roll in.

Breakfast Hills to start the day! Browner, 'Bent and I went out for two more hill climbs before packing up. Once again, I'm calling it a run but we went at "Lavaredo pace", i.e. easy running on most flats and downhills, and power hiking uphill with poles. After checking out, we made a beeline for Espresso Post in downtown Collingwood to get yummy snacks and drinks for the drive home.

Speedy, dog-assisted 1 km run from our condo to Cascade Trail, then we climbed partway up the hill with a few swim and drink breaks in the creek (only for the dogs!) We descended on the ski hill and unfortunately 'Bent didn't notice when BazingaDog rolled over and rubbed himself thoroughly in a patch of newly sprouted poison ivy. Nice that the condo has a walk-in shower.

Browner came up to join 'Bent and me for some hill training on another spectacular day at Blue Mountain. We meandered up and down the mountain between Cascade Trail and the slope north of the Village Way. It was similar to yesterday but it was great to have new company and conversations to keep things interesting. We didn't have a firm plan for the day but when we started craving pizza and ice cream on our 5th hill climb, we decided to do just one more before heading into the Village for Beaver Tails - except for 'Bent who bought healthy food - boooooring. We all made up for it with a huge, wonderful meal with friends at the Gallys' lovely new vacation home - wow!

'Bent and I wanted to tire out BazingaDog and AdventureDog before our day of training so we took them on a hike to the top of Blue Mountain starting on the Village Way Trail. 'Bent got some help going up.



It was a beautiful morning. We all enjoyed the views from the top.





There are still some large patches of snow on the mountain.



The dogs loved them! A-Dog ate the snow. B-Dog lay on his back and kicked his feet in the air as he slid down the mountain.



We succeeded in tiring them out.

Part 2 of our day after dropping off the pooches at the condo. I'm calling this session "Running" but there was lots of power hiking because of all the climbs.

'Bent and I ran over to The Grind and went up. There is a ton of poison ivy springing up beside this trail. 'Bent is under strict orders from his physio to limit his running so this part was mostly a hike even though many parts were runnable. As the afternoon went on, he stretched his boundaries a little.





From the top, we ran north for a bit along the edge of the escarpment.



Then we descended via ski hills and came back up on the beautiful and very popular Cascade Trail.





We did another random descent and came up on the Village Way Trail, then we ran down and 'Bent decided to call it a day rather than push his luck. I went out for two more hill climbs, both on "Straight Up", which is a fast way to get in some vertical.

I'm doing the Sulphur Springs 50K next Saturday so I'll get in a long run then. This weekend is just about climbing with poles and hoping it will feel natural when I do 6,000 m of it next month.

Dog walk on Blue Mountain. We found snow for them to roll in!

Hard Core with Caron - one of her infamous "orange" classes.

A different class, alternating yoga poses and stretches with foam roller or massage balls on the same muscles. Less effort than a typical power yoga class but way more pain!

There are a lot of deer around here lately and our dogs noticed them at first light. So much for a good sleep!

I wanted to move my legs today so they wouldn't get creaky after last night's Hockley Loop so I did a quick pedal around Palgrave. It turned out to be my bike that was creaky; it's unhappy after I rode it through nasty mud and cleaned it up pretty well.

I've been browsing online lately... 27.5 or 29? Other advice? Specific models? I'm 5'6" with average riding ability - probably a little above average technically in Ontario terrain but below average physically. I want a bike that will feel fantastic on our local Albion Hills single track - rolling trails with lots of roots and a few rocks, tight turns and short, steep climbs. The other types of riding I do, including AR, happen much less frequently so it doesn't make sense to buy a bike suited to those purposes instead of my back yard trails. Outside of AR, I almost never ride roads. If I were to ride in real mountains, I'd probably rent a different bike. Ideas? Do you have a recent model bike that you love and would recommend?

(Bike computer distance)

Mrs. Tiny and I did a counterclockwise Hockley Loop tonight, just to mix it up. We used poles and hiked briskly up the bigger hills. Mrs. Tiny pushed the pace early on, leaving me no choice but to chase her so I wouldn't hold back her training. After an hour, we were back in my comfort zone - phew!

Since last week, the Bruce Trail volunteers have done the last bit of trail clearing and repair so we didn't have to do any bushwhacking for the first time since the ice storm. Yay, Bruce Trail Conservancy! Buy your trail memberships and make your charitable contributions - they've had a tough spring.

We made it all the way around to the north end of Hockley Provincial Park before we needed headlamps. We kept waiting for the moment when we would need jackets or arm warmers but it was a perfect cool temperature for running. The almost-full moon made it even nicer to be out.

Coming over a rise in the darkness, we met a porcupine who was adamant that he wanted to stay on the trail too. He jogged slowly ahead of us but refused to head into the woods. We were getting ready to bushwhack when he finally climbed a tree and let us pass by. He had an adorable face.

Great company and a beautiful night in the woods. :)

Boot Camp with Caron. 'Bent is back! He was able to do almost all of the workout.

Unplanned rest day due to computer problems.

Event: Storm the Trent
 

STORM the Trent, 15th Anniversary edition
Warsaw, ON
Trek Elite course, Solo

Coming to Storm feels like coming home - so many friendly faces and so much enthusiasm!

The weather forecast was perfect for toughening us up: high of 11C and 80-90% chance of rain every hour of the day. As always, it was worse looking out the window than it was to be outside. I debated clothing choices and was very happy with a polypro base layer under a Goretex jacket. There were a few moments when I was too warm but mostly I was comfortable, and I only felt cold after the race was over.

We started with a 4+ km paddle on the Indian River, out and back from Warsaw. This was shortened from the original 10 km paddle with a foot navigation section in the middle, probably because of the wet, chilly weather. Too bad because I learned today that training is a waste of time. The last time I held a kayak paddle (not counting a handful of winter sessions on our erg) was seven months ago, and it was by *far* my best discipline. It felt comfortable and I was able to hold a consistent pace for almost half an hour without feeling taxed. Mine was the 4th boat off the water, just behind the Long Sault Longshots. More importantly, I finished ahead of 'Bent. :)

However, I lost all advantage with a slow TA. Part of it was out of my control and part of it was just silliness. The first boats off the water had to be carried to the far end of the row, which was more awkward for me with a kayak than for two teammates carrying a canoe. My gear bag wasn't near my boat anymore, and I had to change shoes because I need to bend my feet to steer my kayak toe pedals so I couldn't paddle in stiff-soled bike shoes, as many people did. To top it off, I started out of the transition without a bike helmet, which Phatty Jr. thankfully noticed! I was wearing a hat so my head didn't feel bare. Oops, back to the gear bag!

We rode a few kilometers up the road to a bike drop CP where we accessed a trail into Warsaw Caves Conservation Area. This meant a little more time on our feet compared to the original plan. Warsaw Caves and its trails mostly consisted of wet, slippery slabs of rock - an excellent test for the Pearl Izumi bike/trek shoes I use for AR. They failed. I've been using different versions of this shoe for 9 years without significant problems. My #1 goal for this race was not to injure myself and there were some close calls on this trek - but luckily also some good saves. I'm curious to know how my new Salomon Speedcross Pros would have done; Phatty says they're excellent on wet rock.

At each CP in this section, there was a map with a CP marked for a later trek section. As an orienteer, I figured that would play to my strengths but my glasses were so wet and fogged up that I had trouble seeing the rocks on the trail, let alone the maps. It all worked out eventually. I picked up my bike and headed back to the place where we'd left the marked bike route on the changed race course. (Turns out this wasn't required - oh well.)

I rode to CP3 on a mix of gravel roads, pavement and ATV trail, arriving around the 3.5 hour mark. This was where we used the CPs we'd drawn on our supplemental maps earlier. As I ran in, Double_Downon11 was running out so I knew he was doing well in first place with Mr. & Mrs. Wokitoki only a few minutes behind. Thanks to the out-and-back running, I realized I was in a head-to-head battle with Una Hall for the female solo lead. I think she is faster but my much-cursed Pearl Izumi bike shoes saved the day. I ran into CP3 a minute or two behind her, jumped on my bike and left immediately. The next short trail running section at CP4, Brookwood Wildlife Area, revealed that she was only a few minutes back so I had another quick transition. Yay, bike shoes. (They were fine on regular trails that didn't consist of rocky ledges.) For the next 2 hours, I imagined she was right behind me, which was accurate since she eventually finished 6 minutes back.

At CP5, we started a 10 km stretch of mucky, rocky snowmobile trail. I haven't done much biking this year so it took a little while to wrap my mind around the change in riding style. By the end, I was riding stuff that would have seemed crazy at the start. In addition to riding, we had to keep track of our location on the map and watch for two CPs along the route. I mostly used my bike computer for this, with a little help from the compass. That allowed me to focus on riding rather than watching the map all the time. My bike and I were slathered in mud by the time I emerged onto a gravel road. My front derailleur was almost non-functional.

Perfect timing since we only had 4 more km of riding back to Warsaw, including some fast pavement. Great to see that Double_Downon11 took the overall win - huge congratulations on a successful year to date! 'Bent was 2nd solo, 1st Masters, which was impressive since he can't run properly yet. I was 4th solo, 1st Female. Lots of friends were on the podium so it was fun to cheer at the awards ceremony. Big thanks to Storm, Browner and the great group of staff and volunteers. It's a ton of work but STT is always well organized and fun.



We had a bit of post-race excitement, both good and bad. As soon as we put our surfski on the van roof, a gust of wind flung it off; the back end hit me and I tried to catch it as the bow landed on my racing kayak, still on the ground. Ugh! It looks like everything is OK but it's hard to tell; I have red paint marks on my boat. Thanks to FB and Willderness for helping us with our second attempt! Then we went to Peterborough for a brief visit with Phatty Jr., Kim and their kids. So nice to catch up with them.

Tested bike map holder and other final bike adjustments and gear for Storm. Let's hope I don't have to do a repair on the trail this time. (Bike computer distance)

Short run around Palgrave West in my Pearl Izumi bike/trek shoes. They're not ridiculously heavy but they sure make me appreciate my Speedcross.

Took Mom to a Piano Guys concert - fantastic! So cool to see people of all ages enjoying piano/cello because of TPG's Youtube popularity. They played music ranging from Vivaldi to Disney to Taylor Swift to U2 to Mozart with talent and humour. They're touring Canada until May 20 - probably not many tickets left but since they use video in the show, even bad seats would be OK.
http://thepianoguys.com/events/

C3 Boot Camp

Short lunchtime ride in Palgrave East. Tested bike computer, sun/reading glasses and bike/trek shoes for Storm The Trent. Wanted to put on the bike map holder too but ran out of time. Next ride! (Bike computer distance)

Last-minute Monday evening Hockley Loop with Mrs. Tiny. We practised with our poles and (later on) our lights. Most of the ice storm damage has been cleared although the trail is still officially closed in the northeast forest where the *tches are. Good pace, cool weather, great to catch up!

@Americans: Pack your valuable U.S. dollars and come up north to join us!
http://www.theglobeandmail.com//opinion/dear-ameri...

If you need further convincing...
Twenty-three people have been shot by toddlers in the U.S. since the start of 2016 — exactly 23 more than have been shot by Muslim terrorists over the same period.
https://mic.com/articles/142348/in-2016-toddlers-h...

Ontario Orienteering Championships
Long Distance
Mono Cliffs Provincial Park

Chilly morning for mid-May with a mix of sun, cloud, rain and hail. Luckily, the last two waited till I was done!

Although Mono Cliffs isn't far away, I don't get there often since Hockley Valley is closer and hillier. It's scenic, varied and quiet so I will try to get back here before too long. We parked in the main lot today, which is a 22-minute drive from our house but I'd never been there before.

We got started late due to communication problems caused by poor cell coverage. It was worth the wait. Because Mono has an extensive trail network, I expected some long legs on trail but I spent about 90% of my race off trail. Very cool! Lots of different features and vegetation. It always stayed interesting. I had been expecting more scrambling on rocky terrain but there wasn't much of that. Instead I had several long runs on bumpy, abandoned farm fields. There was a time when my ankle couldn't have handled that, so yay.

I lost 25 seconds (according to GPS) on a control that had the wrong number on it - not bad compared to some other people. I continued running when I saw "227" but I was sure it was in the right place so I came back and punched it anyway. Then I saw the tiny ballpoint "213" - phew! I lost another 20 seconds when I passed below #9 and had to backtrack a little.

Otherwise, it was about as perfect a Long Distance race as I've ever had on a standard orienteering course. Typically, I count my mistakes in minutes, not seconds. Although it seems that the Long *should* be my strongest event because of my endurance sports, I've traditionally lost focus partway through and wrecked my race by doing stupid things. It undoubtedly helped that I was running my age group today so the course was shorter and didn't give me time to fall apart.

Because the Ontario Champs have traditionally been held on Thanksgiving weekend when I've been unable to attend for family reasons, I haven't competed very often. Since it's only my 2nd year in a 10-year age group, I thought it would be fun to push hard and see if I could earn an Ontario championship or two. Mom sent me an encouraging text on her way to church this morning: "Hope you have a threesome!" !!! :)) And now I do.



Many thanks to the Stars - a small club that took on a big job (with much-appreciated help from Ian Sidders) and gave us all a terrific weekend.

Ontario Orienteering Championships
Middle Distance
Waterloo

I can't remember the last time I did a formal orienteering race but it was great to see so many familiar, friendly faces. I wish we all got together more often!

Control #1 went pretty well. Woo hoo! Orienteering isn't so hard! Then I got very lost on my way to #2. Fortunately, I forgot to turn my GPS on for the first 12.5 minutes so there is no record of my stupidity, other than a long split Basically, I chose to follow something that looked slightly creek-ish instead of following my compass, and I got what I deserved. If there is a bright side to #2, it's that I somehow managed to relocate.

I was tempted to consider the race a total disaster and lose all competitive motivation but I've done enough orienteering and AR to know that races with errors often turn out better than expected. I pushed hard for the rest of it and didn't have any problems. Physically, it felt great since I've been running so much this year. The forest was spectacular. Apologies to any trilliums I accidentally stepped on. Age group win!

(Estimated distance.)

Ontario Orienteering Championships Sprint
University of Waterloo campus

I had a disadvantage in this race - local knowledge! I did two degrees at UW when there were fewer buildings and before some of the original buildings were expanded. These days, the campus is just familiar enough to be really confusing. I wondered if I might whip around a corner and smash into a brick wall where I expected to find open space - but that's Mick's thing, not mine. ;)

We started with a complex, clever sprint around the Village residences. I've never had enough practice with sprint symbols to get comfortable with them so I avoided the most complicated part of the map whenever possible even though it probably meant running farther. As Hammer said, the best route choice is not set in stone; it's whatever is the best route for you.

Then we ran south past the Campus Centre and crossed Ring Road. After a short run, I went over a little grassy hill to cut a corner, rather than following a paved trail. Well, *that* cost me 50 seconds! I cut the corner so tightly that I ran between the wrong two buildings and panicked when nothing looked right. I ran back the way I had come and saw the woman I'd passed a few minutes earlier. She was going the correct way - sigh.

We had a few more controls south of the Math buiding, then a big run along its edge to the Go control and finish line just to the north. I felt like I ran well - definitely faster than I was navigating at times - and I only had one serious error. Age group win again - yay!

Sending best wishes to our poor friend Wilberto who slipped on a hockey rink today, broke his hip and had emergency surgery to become a Bionic Man. So sorry. :(((

Today's planned Hockley Loop with Dee and Mrs. Gally was cancelled due to too many people feeling sick. I went running from home with podcasts for company instead - over to the Glen Haffy stile on the Oak Ridges Trail, then some out-and-back on the Bruce Trail. Same distance as the Hockley Loop, not as much climb.

I took a break at the farthest point, partly to avoid running back past the man who called me "dear" - the only human I encountered in 3 hours. I found this thing hanging in the forest in Glen Haffy. Does anyone know what it is? Timato, maybe Mrs. Tiny knows? It's about 1.2 m high. It said "Government of Canada" and "Plant pests" on it. Maybe something to do with the Emerald Ash Borer? It contained some plastic-wrapped disks that looked like loonies.



Apparently I trust Phatty and Salomon a whole lot since this was my first run in Speedcross Pros and I didn't leave myself any bail-out plan. This route didn't test the super grippy sole too much but I liked them.

Caron was mean to us tonight. ;)

Tonight's class was a departure from our regular style, just for fun - a modified yin class, which meant we held stretches and balance poses for a really long time until things got sore. Not my favourite but probably very good for me, especially the hip flexor stretch.

I'd totally forgotten that I'm allowed to have a hot fudge sundae after every big race. (Otherwise, what's the point of all this exercise?!) I took care of that today with a DQ Peanut Buster Parfait so my recovery is officially complete.

We were honoured today to have a visit from Shelly Ryan, who rescued AdventureDog (aka Logan) and nursed him back to health after he was discovered alone and starving in frigid January weather in northern Quebec. "Thank you" isn't enough for saving his life but it was nice to be able to say it in person.





Our friend Jan Hannah of IFAW's Northern Dogs Project brought him south and helped A-Dog join our family, as she has done for so many dogs in need of homes. If you are ever looking to add to your family, I can put you in touch. She brought over some cute ones today when she came with Shelly.

Here's a photo from this morning, playing with a new toy Shelly gave him. He's really changed since she last saw him. :)

Fresh from a week in the Tucson sunshine, Caron had lots of new ideas for boot camp. Everything quad-related was a bit harder than usual - not pain, just fatiguing more quickly. Great to be back!

Sorry, Mrs. Gally, it's official now: According to a recent report in the Canadian Field-Naturalist titled Evidence Confirms the Presence of Cougars (Puma concolor) in Ontario, Canada, the big cats are roaming around Ontario’s wilds... It was believed since the early 1900s, due to intensive hunting, the Ontario cougar was extinct. The increase in sightings over the last few years seems to indicate a significant increase in the population.
http://www.caledonenterprise.com/community-story/3...

First long-ish run since Leatherwood and I felt pretty good. I'll try boot camp tomorrow night to see if my quads feel back to normal in a strength workout.

I ran through Palgrave Forest to the village, along the rail trail to Albion Hills, around some trails in there and back home via Duffy's Lane, private land and Palgrave West. It's not one of my regular routes because there's not much climb for the distance but it was nice to do something different close to home. The last 24 hours were stressful and brought some bad news so I needed to clear my head. Not something I can discuss online but we and our families are healthy, which is the most important thing.

Albion is in terrific condition for biking so come up and visit!

AdventureDog and I ran around Palgrave West in damp conditions. A week out from the Leatherwood 50 miler, things seem almost back to normal. I feel great when running but certain strength exercises, like lunges, remind me that my quads are still healing from 3,000 m of downhill running.

As we crossed our property line, I glanced at the field at the back of our property and was surprised to see a big coyote running parallel to us about 50 m away. There was no sign that he was aware of us although maybe that's why he was running. We were all headed toward our house but when we came out of the forest, he was nowhere in sight. Even though we see coyote tracks, scat or beds most days, and we hear them howling at night, we rarely see them in the woods here. They really don't want much to do with humans in spite of the fear mongering articles that occasionally appear in the local paper.