Training Log Archive: Bash

World Snow Day at Highlands Nordic - wow! Timato, K-Way and Aubrey were supposed to join me but got turned back by nasty driving conditions so I went for a ski on my own.

Snow had been falling for most of the past 36 hours so even the trails that had been groomed this morning felt pretty wild - especially with ice-laden branches hanging over them, sometimes at face level. It was slow and adventurous, and it was definitely hard work. Absolutely beautiful.

The time includes many photo stops.





Dr. Seuss trees

Event: Snowshoe Raid Adventure Run
 

Dontgetlost Snowshoe Raid
Pretty River Provincial Park

I think this was the 9th Snowshoe Raid that Dee and I have done together. After missing a checkin deadline at RockstAR last summer and getting DQ'ed, we were determined to plan a route that was compact and achievable. I'm often tempted by creative routes that are great if they work but disasters if they fail. On top of that, my plans sometimes exceed my declining fitness level.

So we headed out with what I felt was a boring, obvious, low-stress route plan that took virtually no risks and was unlikely to differentiate us from other teams of similar ability. But that's exactly what we were aiming for.

My first nav error was a failure to notice that we weren't leaving from the usual bus departure location. Since I'd left my snowshoes in my vehicle, there wasn't time to get to that parking lot and back to the buses. I phoned Bob and got permission to drive. Oops.

The Raid started with a steep climb of the snowmobile trail just west of the parking lot. Nice way to warm up!



The conditions were wilder than in any Raid in recent memory. Last weekend's storm coated the trees and branches with ice that still hasn't melted. There were snow squalls in recent days, and today was a blizzard with wet snow and gusty winds. Visibility was often poor because trees and branches were snow-laden and bent toward the ground. Even major trails could be hard to find. It was intense - more like an Arctic expedition than a race.



After the initial climb, we headed north toward 40, slogging through a field covered with 30+ cm of fluffy snow. Then we continued north to 41 and west to 38. (Click on the map to make it larger.)



Then it was a steep scramble up the escarpment - sometimes on hands and knees, sometimes sliding backwards. We grabbed at saplings and crawled over rocks. My gloves got soaked here but fortunately my hands never got too cold as long as we kept moving. We were aiming for 43 and planned to use the main Bruce Trail to confirm our attackpoint. We crossed the trail without seeing it and ended up on the blue-blazed Bruce side trail. We decided to head for 37 first since we'd already come that far east. We could pick up 43 on the way back.

We'd planned a decision point at 37. We wanted one full hour of race time remaining when we entered the Matrix at 31. Based on the time remaining when we reached 37, we would decide whether to pick up 42 (short route) or head west of the Matrix to 53 and 56 (long route). Conditions were so slow that we just headed from 37 to 42. Once again, we crossed over the main Bruce Trail without seeing it but balked when it seemed we were about to plunge down the escarpment. We scrambled back up through boulders and tangled branches and found the trail.

From there, it should have been a straightforward run to 42, which was on the trail, but the trail was blocked in many places by thick curtains of icy branches. We pushed them aside over and over; sometimes it wasn't clear where the trail went on the other side. It was tiring - like bushwhacking. At the top of the cliff, a gusty wind blew wet, gritty snow onto our faces. I had to take off my wet glove to warm my cheek when I felt frostbite starting.

Back to 43, then down the Bruce Trail to 31 in the Matrix, where Dee and I could split up. She went for 32 and 35 while I went for 33 and 34. We both had some nervous moments but found our controls and made it back to the mandatory Aid Station meeting point within 3 minutes of one another.

We had 29 minutes to run east to the finish with detours from the trails to pick up 36 and 39. That seemed about right but I was a little nervous since there was no time to screw up. Luckily, we didn't and we made it back with less than 3 minutes to spare. So our boring, conservative plan turned out to be at the edge of our abilities in these crazy conditions.



I've been feeling discouraged lately about injuries, aging and fitness so I was shocked and ridiculously thrilled when the results were posted and we were 5th overall of 80 teams! I think it was my best result ever in about a dozen Snowshoe Raids. We were 1st of 32 female teams. Apparently, "boring" is a good way for us to choose routes - at least on a day like this when the running ability of fitter teams was less helpful to them than it usually is.

Big thanks to Bob and the volunteers for all their hard work on this fun event!

Dee and I met for what was supposed to be about 90 minutes of gentle snowshoe hiking. We're racing the Dontgetlost Snowshoe Raid tomorrow so we wanted to take it easy. Turns out we've both had foot pain in the past couple of days so we were concerned about that too. Dee had a deadline to get to a physio appointment for some treatment.

We started at the bottom of Osler with the plan of finding Dee a link to the Bruce Trail at the top so she could do longer loops. The basic Osler loop is just over 6 km.



But the forest was incredibly beautiful after yesterday's snow squalls. It was crisp and cold, and the snow was deep and fluffy. Trees branches sagged toward the ground with the weight of last week's ice and this week's snow. The sun was shining and the sky was blue.





When we got to the spot where we should have turned back to our cars so Dee could get to her appointment, she hesitated. The snowshoeing seemed to make her foot feel better. Mine didn't hurt either. She phoned her physio from the middle of the woods to cancel her appointment, and we continued up the hill and did a short trail loop in the northeast corner of Pretty River Provincial Park.





Although I'm calling it "trail", we often had to search hard to see where the trail was. The branches were bent down so far that it was often impossible to tell what was trail and what was bushwhacking. Adding to the challenge, Dee dropped her phone in 30 cm of snow and it vanished without a trace. Luckily, it still rang! We returned down the southern Osler snowshoe trail.



This was the wrong thing to do before a 3-hour snowshoe race but it was totally worth it. :)

2020 wasn't supposed to have any zero training days. On the bright side, I got a lot of stuff done today. I'll take a mulligan and start again.

My right heel was super painful - ugh.

First trainer ride - and first time on a road bike - in almost 5 years so I eased myself in gently.

I forgot to calibrate the braking so the data is probably off. I'll need to raise the seat next time but otherwise I managed to get everything hooked up properly. The new iPad holder works nicely although we have a lot of CDs to use with the trainer so I'll have to find a way to set up a computer nearby.

I haven't missed the trainer at *all* but this heel pain reminds me that I need more options.

Another short foothab session - babying my sore heel before the Snowshoe Raid this weekend.

Interesting article on how to pace an ultra.
https://mile27.com.au/how-to-pace-an-ultra/?fbclid...

In other news, yesterday's run on uneven ground left me with a different painful spot on my heel bone - the upper outside. It really is time for a blizzard or two so I can ski and snowshoe instead.

I didn’t want to aggravate my sore heel so I did some foot strength exercises that didn’t involve it much.