Training Log Archive: Bash

O Cup # 3 Toronto Orienteering Club
Claireville Conservation Area

Beautiful, sunny day with temperature around -12C. We've had so little real winter this year that I totally overdressed my upper body! There was virtually no snow but every once in awhile, we would cross a section of glare ice on a trail or in the middle of a field where puddles had frozen. I was waking up all the SI controls until #5 when I boldly left the trail to cross a field of hummocks, tangled weeds and Christmas trees. I didn't bother checking my compass because that's for wimps. When I'd travelled the correct distance, I saw a building to my right and realized how badly I'd aimed. I dashed away from the building on a trail and found the flag in a re-entrant but that's when I saw Pekka Toivanen and Christian Michelsen. I think Pekka was the overall winner. I took home a $20 gift card from Sportchek as the top woman though. :)

Foothab basics

In case you're getting bored with people drawing elaborate pictures with their GPS tracks, here's a woman who runs phallic routes - exclusively. It started by accident - as these things do, I suppose.
https://runningmagazine.ca/the-scene/meet-the-woma...

I couldn't fall asleep for hours last night. Maybe it was the caffeine in the decaf coffee and chocolate cake I had after dinner. (Yeah, I'm on a New Year's health kick.) I woke up feeling spaced out but figured I'd be able to function after coffee. Turns out the spaced-out feeling didn't go away, and I felt so unbalanced that I fell twice while skate skiing, which hasn't happened in years. The second time, I had to take off a ski to get up. Weird - I headed back to the chalet before I smashed into one of those padded trees.

Scenic Caves was a hive of activity with two tour buses and some lesson groups. I chatted awhile with Rick Sommerkamp and his family. 'Bent skate skied most of the network! After years of concerns about his knee, our "mandatory" 30 minutes of skate skiing has turned him into a real keener. :)

I still felt spaced out after switching to classic - hopefully from last night's lousy sleep - but at least I wasn't at risk of hurting myself. Conditions were spectacular and my wax was perfect. It was a sunny bluebird day and I couldn't stop smiling!

1-legged balance with eyes closed in honour of my balance problems while skiing today.

Today is the 1-year anniversary of our Tree Hugger Advanced Base Camp in Collingwood. I grew up in a family that never wanted a cottage so there's been a learning curve. I didn't want this to prevent us from taking vacations elsewhere, and 'Bent didn't want it at all! :) So far, I think it's working out well for us - getting us to explore some new places, helping us find snow to ski on, and giving us new opportunities to hang out with friends.

'Bent and I went to Highlands around midday to enjoy the balmy -10C afternoon weather. They'd received a nice dump of snow and it was a perfect bluebird day. The Doughtys were out on the trails but neither of us ran into them. I had a nice chat with Glenn Edwards. Hope lots of people come out this weekend to enjoy these fantastic conditions in a January that hasn't been kind to skiers!

Some one-legged balance with eyes closed. My left heel is super sore after skiing - ugh. Since I sprained my ankle in late September, my left foot has never been totally happy. Even so, it's usually my better side for balance but not tonight. I'm seeing Dr. Thumbs-of-Death on Monday.

Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc lottery results came out this morning. I was unsuccessful for the past two years so I was allowed to register in the 101 km CCC race in December. 'Bent was accepted today for OCC, the 50 km race, and I'm grateful he won't just be there as a spectator. However, we had 8 Canadian friends in the lottery who were all refused. Boo.

Foothab basics

Trek around Forks of the Credit with Mrs. Gally, Patty, Connie, Michelle and Pete Dobos. Great company and conversation with a yummy lunch afterward at the Tin Roof Cafe in Erin (formerly The Shed Coffee Bar).



We had heavy snow flurries part of the time but the main excitement came from the glare ice on the trails, which had a few steep hills and a scary section running along the side of the gorge. I had Kahtoola Microspikes over Salomon Spikecross shoes. Except for Pete, the others wore Yaktrax or Yaktrax Pro over their footwear. We decided we could have made a great commercial for Kahtoolas today. While the others crawled, clung to saplings and slid on their bums, my Microspikes maintained their traction. It was like being 5 years old again except for the profanity. Awesome fun! :)

A running film festival in our basement

Plankety plank plank.

Great feature article on our local superstar, Angus Doughty.
https://www.what-moves-you.ca/blogs/news