Training Log Archive: Bash

Ooooh, the legs hurt today. Actually, they started to hurt during yesterday's race, which has never happened to me, so I knew that today would be no picnic. Anyway, we rode around Albion Hills to see the finish line excitement at the Hot August Nights 24-Hour Mountain Bike Race. Congrrats to Tiny for placing 4th of 28 solo racers!! Several of our other friends had great races as well, so we were glad that we made the trip to do some cheering. Our bodies aren't good for much else today!

Iroquoia Trail Test, 32 km trail running race

Iroquoia Trail Test 32 km ultra-run on the Bruce Trail between Burlington and Milton: On the liability waiver form, I had to agree that I had "trained appropriately for this event". So I lied. I've never run anywhere close to that distance without significant walking breaks, and my training this year has been quite diverse - which is a good thing for a multi-sport athlete, but not ideal for a running event that takes most people the same time that they would take to do a marathon.

My first impression when we arrived was... wow, these REAL runners are built totally differently from us. Long, lean and light. But they were super-friendly, and the race swag was awesome, considering the $49 entry free. It included a huge fleece blanket that was being sold separately for $30.

Bent wasn't planning to do the race after re-injuring his rib muscles last night, which made it hurt to breathe. But he got caught up in the excitement and couldn't resist giving it a shot. We headed out at 7 a.m. and did an 8 km loop south of Kilbride School, then passed back through the school and went north and east for 12 km, then turned around and came back to the finish.

I'd assumed that trail running would be pretty tame compared to adventure racing - and I suppose it is. But it is a lot tougher than I expected. The organizers had us do a couple of ankle-deep river crossings near the start to make sure that nobody's feet were dry, and later there were sections where we were scrambling up and down big boulders. After the deluge of rain on Friday, the rocks were slippery-slimy, so it felt very kamikaze to run on rocky sections of trail. I launched into the air several times, but - fortunately - always landed on my feet. I noted that the real runners would pull away from me on the flat, easy sections, then I would catch up on the steep downhills or in the rocky areas. Obviously, I would do pretty badly in a marathon because I'm lousy at running on smooth surfaces with no obstacles.

I was lucky to end up behind Jackie, Tarno's wife, who runs a bit faster than I would run on my own. For 25 km, I made an effort to keep her in sight, knowing that I would take walking breaks if I didn't have that motivation. Then she dropped back and finished 2 minutes behind, but I really owe a lot to her for inspiring me to keep going.

Anyway, my goal was to break 4 hours, and I came in at 3:52, so I was really pleased. Surprisingly, that put me less than 5 minutes out of first place in the "medium-aged women" category, and I finished 4th/14 competitors. I'm really proud of Bent finishing in 3:06, as well as our speedy friends, Sudden (2:40, 4th overall) and Tarno (2:28, overall winner). I'm not sure if I'd do another ultra-run, but it was cool to try it once and see what it feels like.

A highlight of the day was the post-race visit to Hammer's hot tub. I can see why he does so well. If I could soak for half an hour in a nice hot tub like that after every event, I might start to win races too. :-)

Race pace:

First 8 km (the easiest section of trail): 6:13/km, Arrived 89th/143 runners
Next 12 km till turnaround: 7:26, 82nd/143
Final 12 km to finish: 7:47, 76th/143

Average pace for 32 km: 7:15

One of the best aspects of my spur-of-the-moment decision to enter the Iroquoia Trail Test this weekend is that I have suddenly gone from "ready to seriously ramp up the training" to "tapering for a race". Makes for a much more relaxing day, I have to say. Taper, taper, taper. Must go off and taper some more. :-)

Decided on the spur of the moment to enter a 32 km trail race this Saturday, the Iroquoia Trail Test. Should be an interesting experience. I've always said that I didn't want to do a trail race because I am such a slow runner. I usually figure that my best chance is to do races with navigation, since that slows down at least some of the competition! However, it's my birthday today, and I wanted to try something new. We'll see if I finish within the time limit!

Trail run around Glen Haffy Conservation Area. Nice to explore a different area close to home, and get a chance to practise running on bigger hills than usual. I was surprised to see how empty the park was on a beautiful summer's day. If anyone is looking for a quiet place to finish writing a novel, hold a volleyball tournament (there are outdoor nets), or have a romantic picnic with someone other than your spouse, Glen Haffy appears to be an ideal place. (Don't worry, Bent - I only went running!)

Not much energy today - not sure if it was all the hill climbing, the lack of sleep or the mild headache. This led to an attack of klutziness that was so silly, it eventually became amusing. I nearly killed myself laughing at me nearly killing myself. My most impressive pratfall occurred while crossing a stile over a fence. My foot hit a rung in the wrong place and I was launched unceremoniously into a swan dive, landing on both kneecaps and the palms of my hands. Ouch! The trail race this Saturday takes place entirely on the Bruce Trail, so I will need to deal with stiles and tree roots without grinding my face in the dirt every 500 meters. Better plan on sleeping more for the rest of the week!

Paddling at Island Lake with Bent, Hingo and The Gazelle. Tested different canoe configurations for the RTN Champs. Looks like we can sit wherever we like without any major differences in paddling speed between the two boats. The best configuration based on body weight, stern experience and paddling strength seems to be Bent in stern with The Gazelle in bow, and me in the stern of the other boat with Hingo in bow.

Weight Machine Workout #1. First strength workout since the Tour de France finished. I need to get back into the routine of 3 strength workouts a week, so I'll have to look for something else on TV that will entice me down to the weight room. (I can find a million excuses not to go.)