Training Log Archive: Bash

'Bent and I paddled on Island Lake with a couple of stops to cheer for Goose's Mayfield Mavericks in their rowing regatta. I used my Eclipse and 'Bent was in the Epic V8. There was light rain about half the time. Water levels are good right now. I think I'll do most of my paddling at the C3 quarry this year to avoid Island Lake's geese and prolific underwater plant life later in the season.

As we were putting the boats on the van, the rudder cable on my kayak sliced my wrist. This was rather disconcerting as I imagined what might ensue... "She seemed to have so much to live for." "What message was she trying to send by slitting her wrist with an expensive racing kayak?" "Why did she bother doing all that training this weekend anyway?"

So while 'Bent put the boats on the van, I focused on first aid and got the bleeding stopped. Never a dull moment.

Slept much better with Mocha home. :)

'Bent and I ran the Bruce Side Trail to the Glen Haffy stile, then went 1 km south on the main BT - down to a creek and up the other side of the valley, then back home again the same way.

It wasn't easy finding a pair of shoes that didn't put pressure on my raw big toenails. The Salomon Fellraisers saved the day with their tall toe box. I felt pretty good running and maintained a decent pace for me, although I could feel the fatigue from yesterday's strength workout and the 14-hour "run" last Sunday. I had mild pain around both kneecaps after awhile, a reminder of the steep downhills last weekend. My right glute got sore too; I wonder if that's from the strength workout since I haven't noticed it this week.

Beautiful day on the trails and only one patch of poison ivy in a place where we knew to avoid it, so no need to scrub our shoes. Good thing since we already have a few pairs lined up on the patio waiting for attention.

We had a rare negative split on this out-and-back route since I realized I was cutting it way too close for an appointment in town. I ended up hopping into the car immediately upon my return. Later I had to keep a straight face as people stared at the crazy lady running errands in a sweaty compression tank top, calf sleeves and running skirt - none of which I would normally wear out in the real world of normal people.

I'd rather be paddling on water but this is all I had time for today. I'd like to try to fit in at least two paddles a week since (a) it's fun, and (b) it's great training for using poles, now that I'm not skiing anymore.

Since I'm still trying to limit my time in shoes due to my raw big toenails, I did a fairly intense running strength session instead. Talented ultrarunner Charlotte Vasarhelyi told me on the weekend that her climbing and descending have improved greatly as the result of a daily strength training program that she started because she (like me) lives in a place where the hills are small. Good to hear.

The level of difficulty was increased considerably by Mocha's triumphant return from the Animal Cancer Centre. She was full of beans during my workout - licking my face, lying on the mat under my chest while I was in mid-pushup and jumping up on me. Most of her remaining treatment will happen this month, and she'll only be home on Tuesday nights and on weekends. We're excited to have our little BulletDog home where she belongs.

Throwback Thursday, June 2004

Raid The North French River, the first 24+ hour adventure race we finished as team Tree Huggers. Bob came up with a fun course design, and ThreePinJim did a great job of supporting us.

L->R: 'Bent, Bash, ThreePinJim, Hingo, TheMinister

Easy ride, mostly on Palgrave East single track. This was the first time I've worn shoes since Sunday's race; the blisters under my big toenails are still sore.

I felt great and would be ready to run again except for the shoe thing. Maybe this is my big chance to become a barefoot runner. ;) I'd have to try hard not to bump into any pine cones or sticks along the trail though. That would really hurt right now.

I could still feel my quads a little as I went downstairs yesterday but I feel recovered today. I know that's not really true; the physiological impacts of a 50 miler will last for awhile. I'm grateful that my body seems to have handled the distance OK. My injured foot just felt a little stiff on Monday and my injured knee felt fine. Hopefully I can soon return to calling my *right* knee my bad knee - like the good old days. :)

This gives me confidence that I might be able to prepare for UTMB in 12 weeks, however, I don't know if I'll be able to put in sufficient training with everything else going on. For now, I'll assume that it's happening.

Used bike computer distance.

Strangely, all the exercises felt a little better than usual - as if I were stronger. This even happened with the balance beam, which would seem unlikely to be improved by a 50-mile run.

Running 80 km is a cakewalk compared to being 80 years old. I'm helping my parents for a couple of days. No training accomplishments to report but I figured out their wifi password for them and found the right place to break through drywall to access the hidden shut-off valve for their only outdoor tap, using only a kitchen knife. So I'm a bit of a rock star right now. ;)