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Saturday Jul 25, 2009 #
Adventure Racing 7:46:00 **
shoes: Salomon XA Pros - light blue
RockstAR adventure race, Bark Lake
When STORM Racing and Hark Events (ESAR, Trek or Treat) introduced this creative race format in 2008, the response was underwhelming - only 67 racers showed up for a terrific event. Luckily the organizers persevered, and the event sold out this year with close to 300 racers. Both a 4-hr and 8-hr version were offered this time, making the race more accessible to novices.
The race has two parts - a marked mountain bike course and a rogaine-style navigation section where teams can use any combination of canoe or foot travel to reach checkpoints. This requires more careful planning than a standard rogaine because racers don't know how much time they will have for the navigation section after they finish mountain biking, and the option of different modes of travel adds an extra variable. I love this type of challenge! 'Bent and I picked up our maps shortly after 8 a.m.
Bonus points right off the top... Each racer received his/her own copy of the detailed close-up maps so that everyone could participate in the nav. The main race map was based on a 1:50,000 topo map, yet thankfully there were no CPs described as "junction of two ATV trails not shown". CPs were placed in locations that were supported by the map, and control descriptions were sufficiently specific. We just had to choose a good route to get ourselves to the right area, then we knew exactly what to look for. No needles in haystacks.
Last year most of the top teams portaged north from Bark Lake to Koshlong Lake, then paddled 4+ km to YMCA Camp Wanakita to pick up some high-value CPs on the camp trail system. I had expected to do that again, but when I analyzed the points available on different sections of the race course vs. our time estimates for getting those points, I saw that it made no sense to go to Wanakita. It took me awhile to accept this conclusion because 'Bent and I were really looking forward to canoeing and portaging - two of our speedier AR disciplines - but the course favoured good runners this year - and that ain't us.
With 20/20 hindsight, it would have made things more interesting if about 150 more points had been assigned to the Camp Wanakita section to make it a viable option, thus messing with our minds a little more. (We experienced the same situation when most teams skipped the Matrix in this year's Salomon Dontgetlost.ca Snowshoe Raid.) Although the points assigned were similar to last year, the addition of the 4-hr race meant that there were more points near Bark Lake, which made it tempting to never leave. Having said that, with thunderstorms in the forecast, it was just as well that the optimum route choices involved less paddling. In addition to the lightning risk, teams worried about being forced ashore in some remote location during a storm and losing valuable race time. That alone might have tipped the balance toward staying closer to Bark Lake.
We devised a plan to hit most of the CPs in the Bark Lake area, then got bussed to the starting line.
The marked bike course was awesome fun! The first half of the ride is on an ATV trail. It was wet, but because it was sandy and rocky, it was fast. 'Bent and I loved this part of the course and kept pace with the top teams even though I had two filthy swims in puddles after my front wheel got stuck in the mud. It wasn't just me - Dog Runner had such an impressive yard sale on a rocky downhill that I needed to hear her speak before it felt right to ride on. (She was totally fine, even though it hurt my knees to watch.)
Things changed when we hit the road where fitness counts more. I think we may have been the first coed team to finish the technical riding section, but 4 coed teams passed us on the road section. Gack - would it help if I spent more time on the trainer? I don't like road riding enough to do it as training! 'Bent went through a bad spell around this point, suffering from a headache and stomach troubles that improved throughout the day.
Back at the Hub at Bark Lake after about 80 minutes, we dropped our bikes and headed out on foot toward the southwest. Then we crossed the road and moved west to east, picking up CPs 50, 42, 122 and 150. Compared with last year, we did a lot more bushwhacking, and the deer flies and mosquitoes made sure we kept our pace up.
There were some major mud puddles on the trails after all the rain, and it actually felt good to cool off our legs. In a couple of places, we followed snowmobile trails that led across narrow bodies of water to get to the other side. I reminded 'Bent that swimming was against the rules, so if the water got over our heads, we should just keep walking. ;-) Fortunately, it never came to that.
Note the mud on my face from my big bike splashdown.
After collecting CPs on the southeast and east side of Bark Lake, we had reached CP80 with the plan to return to the Hub. Then I had the bright idea to continue the rest of the way around Bark Lake, picking up several CPs on the way. The one weakness in our plan was the absence of a trail around the southwest corner of the lake. Since there is a trail running along or near the lakeshore everywhere else around Bark Lake, we knew there must be a good reason for this "missing link".
We picked up CP20, CP100 and CP40, then headed south to finish our circumnavigation. There is a rule in RockstAR that I don't like because of its impact on race strategy - a requirement to check in at the Bark Lake Hub between 4 and 7 p.m. even though the race doesn't end until 8 p.m. Interestingly, teams who miss this 7 p.m. safety cut-off are disqualified immediately, whereas teams arriving late at the end of the race lose 10 pts/min for 30 minutes before being disqualified. So it's a serious rule with major implications! Anyway... we realized we were at risk of missing the 7 p.m. cut-off. Around the same time, we realized why the camp hadn't built a trail all the way around Bark Lake. Swamp, more swamp and a little bit of wetland... thick shrubs, surprise chest-deep dunkings in brown water between little mounds of bouncy ground. We had to do this part as a sprint - and by now, the skies had opened, and the rain was getting heavier. Suddenly, it was clear why people don't always understand or appreciate my hobbies.
I'd almost written off our chances when we finally reached the dam at the south end of the lake. Back on a good ATV trail, we hooked up a tow rope, and 'Bent hauled me back to the Hub without my feet touching the ground. I think I just pedalled in the air like the Road Runner before he plunges off a cliff. We made it with almost 10 minutes to spare. Phew!!
As the rain pelted down, we hopped in our canoe for our only paddle of the day, taking a short trip around the swamp behind the dining hall to pick up two CPs. Then 'Bent put on his snorkelling gear to retrieve three marked CDs at depths of 8', 10' and 12'. These counted as three CPs - a fun idea!
Standing in my soaking wet clothes waiting for him in the pouring rain (only one teammate could dive), I got chilled. He found the disks quickly enough that we had just under 40 minutes left, so we went back out to pick up two more CPs on foot. (I was sooo ready for a hot shower, but we couldn't stop. You never know how you're doing compared to other teams in this race format, so you have to assume that every point counts.) With just over 10 minutes to spare, we crossed the finish line to the sound of great rock tunes. A nice thing about rogaine-style events is that everyone finishes around the same time, so the finish line was a lively place. Great to see volunteers PhattyJR, Mique, Joel and Luis from Breathe Mag, and the other racers.
Post-race dinner hit the spot and warmed us up - two nice pastas, veggies, garlic bread, salad bar in a canoe, and a make-your-own sundae bar - yum! Results were delayed while organizers and volunteers worked for a couple of hours to track down a lost team. They'd checked in between 4-7 p.m., then headed for CP150, a CP that was a fair distance away and required some skill to navigate back from. Fortunately, they were located and retrieved, and appeared in the dining hall with smiles. Great search & rescue by the volunteers and organizers.
Leading up to the race, there had been some trash talking back and forth with our friendly rivals, Team Beowulf. Last year the Tree Huggers edged them out for the Coed title at RockstAR, but this year the pendulum swung in the other direction, so it'll be best 2 out of 3 next year. Beowulf finished 1st overall (woo hoo!!) of 47 teams with 1400 pts, and we were 2nd overall with 1280 pts. A male team was 3rd overall with 1150 pts. So we were happy even though we didn't get the very cool RockstAR medals. Our friends on the Milton Basement Racers rounded out the Coed Team of Two podium in 3rd place.
Another excellent event by STORM and Mrs. & Mrs, Flatfoot - we're already looking forward to next year!
When STORM Racing and Hark Events (ESAR, Trek or Treat) introduced this creative race format in 2008, the response was underwhelming - only 67 racers showed up for a terrific event. Luckily the organizers persevered, and the event sold out this year with close to 300 racers. Both a 4-hr and 8-hr version were offered this time, making the race more accessible to novices.
The race has two parts - a marked mountain bike course and a rogaine-style navigation section where teams can use any combination of canoe or foot travel to reach checkpoints. This requires more careful planning than a standard rogaine because racers don't know how much time they will have for the navigation section after they finish mountain biking, and the option of different modes of travel adds an extra variable. I love this type of challenge! 'Bent and I picked up our maps shortly after 8 a.m.
Bonus points right off the top... Each racer received his/her own copy of the detailed close-up maps so that everyone could participate in the nav. The main race map was based on a 1:50,000 topo map, yet thankfully there were no CPs described as "junction of two ATV trails not shown". CPs were placed in locations that were supported by the map, and control descriptions were sufficiently specific. We just had to choose a good route to get ourselves to the right area, then we knew exactly what to look for. No needles in haystacks.
Last year most of the top teams portaged north from Bark Lake to Koshlong Lake, then paddled 4+ km to YMCA Camp Wanakita to pick up some high-value CPs on the camp trail system. I had expected to do that again, but when I analyzed the points available on different sections of the race course vs. our time estimates for getting those points, I saw that it made no sense to go to Wanakita. It took me awhile to accept this conclusion because 'Bent and I were really looking forward to canoeing and portaging - two of our speedier AR disciplines - but the course favoured good runners this year - and that ain't us.
With 20/20 hindsight, it would have made things more interesting if about 150 more points had been assigned to the Camp Wanakita section to make it a viable option, thus messing with our minds a little more. (We experienced the same situation when most teams skipped the Matrix in this year's Salomon Dontgetlost.ca Snowshoe Raid.) Although the points assigned were similar to last year, the addition of the 4-hr race meant that there were more points near Bark Lake, which made it tempting to never leave. Having said that, with thunderstorms in the forecast, it was just as well that the optimum route choices involved less paddling. In addition to the lightning risk, teams worried about being forced ashore in some remote location during a storm and losing valuable race time. That alone might have tipped the balance toward staying closer to Bark Lake.
We devised a plan to hit most of the CPs in the Bark Lake area, then got bussed to the starting line.
The marked bike course was awesome fun! The first half of the ride is on an ATV trail. It was wet, but because it was sandy and rocky, it was fast. 'Bent and I loved this part of the course and kept pace with the top teams even though I had two filthy swims in puddles after my front wheel got stuck in the mud. It wasn't just me - Dog Runner had such an impressive yard sale on a rocky downhill that I needed to hear her speak before it felt right to ride on. (She was totally fine, even though it hurt my knees to watch.)
Things changed when we hit the road where fitness counts more. I think we may have been the first coed team to finish the technical riding section, but 4 coed teams passed us on the road section. Gack - would it help if I spent more time on the trainer? I don't like road riding enough to do it as training! 'Bent went through a bad spell around this point, suffering from a headache and stomach troubles that improved throughout the day.
Back at the Hub at Bark Lake after about 80 minutes, we dropped our bikes and headed out on foot toward the southwest. Then we crossed the road and moved west to east, picking up CPs 50, 42, 122 and 150. Compared with last year, we did a lot more bushwhacking, and the deer flies and mosquitoes made sure we kept our pace up.
There were some major mud puddles on the trails after all the rain, and it actually felt good to cool off our legs. In a couple of places, we followed snowmobile trails that led across narrow bodies of water to get to the other side. I reminded 'Bent that swimming was against the rules, so if the water got over our heads, we should just keep walking. ;-) Fortunately, it never came to that.
Note the mud on my face from my big bike splashdown.
After collecting CPs on the southeast and east side of Bark Lake, we had reached CP80 with the plan to return to the Hub. Then I had the bright idea to continue the rest of the way around Bark Lake, picking up several CPs on the way. The one weakness in our plan was the absence of a trail around the southwest corner of the lake. Since there is a trail running along or near the lakeshore everywhere else around Bark Lake, we knew there must be a good reason for this "missing link".
We picked up CP20, CP100 and CP40, then headed south to finish our circumnavigation. There is a rule in RockstAR that I don't like because of its impact on race strategy - a requirement to check in at the Bark Lake Hub between 4 and 7 p.m. even though the race doesn't end until 8 p.m. Interestingly, teams who miss this 7 p.m. safety cut-off are disqualified immediately, whereas teams arriving late at the end of the race lose 10 pts/min for 30 minutes before being disqualified. So it's a serious rule with major implications! Anyway... we realized we were at risk of missing the 7 p.m. cut-off. Around the same time, we realized why the camp hadn't built a trail all the way around Bark Lake. Swamp, more swamp and a little bit of wetland... thick shrubs, surprise chest-deep dunkings in brown water between little mounds of bouncy ground. We had to do this part as a sprint - and by now, the skies had opened, and the rain was getting heavier. Suddenly, it was clear why people don't always understand or appreciate my hobbies.
I'd almost written off our chances when we finally reached the dam at the south end of the lake. Back on a good ATV trail, we hooked up a tow rope, and 'Bent hauled me back to the Hub without my feet touching the ground. I think I just pedalled in the air like the Road Runner before he plunges off a cliff. We made it with almost 10 minutes to spare. Phew!!
As the rain pelted down, we hopped in our canoe for our only paddle of the day, taking a short trip around the swamp behind the dining hall to pick up two CPs. Then 'Bent put on his snorkelling gear to retrieve three marked CDs at depths of 8', 10' and 12'. These counted as three CPs - a fun idea!
Standing in my soaking wet clothes waiting for him in the pouring rain (only one teammate could dive), I got chilled. He found the disks quickly enough that we had just under 40 minutes left, so we went back out to pick up two more CPs on foot. (I was sooo ready for a hot shower, but we couldn't stop. You never know how you're doing compared to other teams in this race format, so you have to assume that every point counts.) With just over 10 minutes to spare, we crossed the finish line to the sound of great rock tunes. A nice thing about rogaine-style events is that everyone finishes around the same time, so the finish line was a lively place. Great to see volunteers PhattyJR, Mique, Joel and Luis from Breathe Mag, and the other racers.
Post-race dinner hit the spot and warmed us up - two nice pastas, veggies, garlic bread, salad bar in a canoe, and a make-your-own sundae bar - yum! Results were delayed while organizers and volunteers worked for a couple of hours to track down a lost team. They'd checked in between 4-7 p.m., then headed for CP150, a CP that was a fair distance away and required some skill to navigate back from. Fortunately, they were located and retrieved, and appeared in the dining hall with smiles. Great search & rescue by the volunteers and organizers.
Leading up to the race, there had been some trash talking back and forth with our friendly rivals, Team Beowulf. Last year the Tree Huggers edged them out for the Coed title at RockstAR, but this year the pendulum swung in the other direction, so it'll be best 2 out of 3 next year. Beowulf finished 1st overall (woo hoo!!) of 47 teams with 1400 pts, and we were 2nd overall with 1280 pts. A male team was 3rd overall with 1150 pts. So we were happy even though we didn't get the very cool RockstAR medals. Our friends on the Milton Basement Racers rounded out the Coed Team of Two podium in 3rd place.
Another excellent event by STORM and Mrs. & Mrs, Flatfoot - we're already looking forward to next year!
Wednesday Jul 22, 2009 #
Running (Trail) 35:00 [2]
shoes: Salomon XT Wings - Tomato
Easy run around the Palgrave West trails. The temperature was cool and beautiful, but it was super-humid, so it felt hot anyway.
Mountain Biking (Trainer) 52:00 [3]
Well, I said I wasn't going to do this, but apparently I lied... I lugged my trainer upstairs to watch part of le Tour on the nicer TV. So far, very little mud has fallen off the bike onto the living room carpet. (This was my outdoor bike until 10 days ago.) I don't think Mom would approve.
Tuesday Jul 21, 2009 #
Strength & Mobility (Core) 40:00 [2]
Hard Core DVD - it's been a long time since Caron has given me a tummy ache, but it's time to get back into it. Some of the other stuff I've been doing must be hitting those muscles because it wasn't as insanely difficult as it sometimes feels after a lapse. Maybe the paddling is helping. I meant to do my leg strength routine too, but the day got away from me.
Monday Jul 20, 2009 #
Mountain Biking (Trail) 1:05:00 12.1 km (11.2 kph)
Rode mostly tight & twisty single track in Palgrave West - still getting used to my Specialized again, since it doesn't climb quite like my Gary Fisher (but makes up for it in other ways). Trails are in excellent shape! Today's ride was penance for watching le Tour yesterday after we got home from up north, even though we hadn't done the requisite hour of training. Luckily, today is a Tour rest day, so now I'm all caught up!
Awhile ago, Spaff mentioned on his log that he knew a bear had been in the area because of the strong BO smell. I filed that away for future reference, and on today's ride, I got a jolt! Now... I've been adventure racing with boys for 7 years, so I'm no stranger to major BO. But the blast that hit my nose today was several orders of magnitude beyond what you'd get from any team of four after a long bushwhack on a 30C day. I stopped about 30 meters down the trail to look back. There was no noise, and I didn't see any telltale black shapes in the bushes or high in a tree. So I don't know for sure... but I've never smelled anything like that in nature before, and I'm fairly certain I was the only person on the trails, since the parking lot was empty. For those who use these trails, it was on the single track in Palgrave East within 100 meters south of the Duffy's Lane Bruce Trail entrance.
Continuing in an olfactory vein, the milkweed flowers smelled fantastic today. I've never noticed it before. If I were a Monarch butterfly, I'd definitely figure it was worth the flight from Mexico to get to Palgrave.
Awhile ago, Spaff mentioned on his log that he knew a bear had been in the area because of the strong BO smell. I filed that away for future reference, and on today's ride, I got a jolt! Now... I've been adventure racing with boys for 7 years, so I'm no stranger to major BO. But the blast that hit my nose today was several orders of magnitude beyond what you'd get from any team of four after a long bushwhack on a 30C day. I stopped about 30 meters down the trail to look back. There was no noise, and I didn't see any telltale black shapes in the bushes or high in a tree. So I don't know for sure... but I've never smelled anything like that in nature before, and I'm fairly certain I was the only person on the trails, since the parking lot was empty. For those who use these trails, it was on the single track in Palgrave East within 100 meters south of the Duffy's Lane Bruce Trail entrance.
Continuing in an olfactory vein, the milkweed flowers smelled fantastic today. I've never noticed it before. If I were a Monarch butterfly, I'd definitely figure it was worth the flight from Mexico to get to Palgrave.