Training Log Archive: Bash

'Bent and I met Dee for a run around Pretty River Provincial Park. Conditions were icy, muddy and very uneven. It was my longest run since... I don't even know. I'll have to look it up. It might have been my longest run of the year? It tested all the things that bother my right Achilles so it will be interesting to see how I feel tomorrow.

It was great to catch up with Dee. 'Bent ran ahead for a while with Mr. Logie, then we met up with him after Mr. Logie had to head home for Dad duty. I missed logging most of it on my Ambit so I borrowed Dee's track.

Just the basics.

Merry Christmas to all!



'Bent, the dogs and I went out to clear a section of the Northwest Passage trail that hadn't been checked since the last wind storm. We made it a loop and cleared small debris from trails that had already been checked by another crew.





Last year on Christmas Day, we broke trail through deep snow during a 4+ hour snowshoe trek with the dogs from home to Duncan Escarpment Provincial Park. We didn't see another human all day except on Zoom.

Crossing the river in 2020.



Crossing the river in 2021.



It will come as no surprise that I preferred 2020! Ski conditions are poor. I can't think of a wax that would work. I'd recommend water skis for some parts of the trail.

Family Christmas Eve hike - 'Bent, BazingaDog, AdventureDog and me. It's going to be a very quiet holiday but we've got lots of trails, food, books, games and projects to make it fun. Too bad about the rain tomorrow, though. We'll have a white Christmas but not enough snow to ski or snowshoe.



Big thanks to 'Bent who didn't grow up celebrating Christmas but has tried his best to make it festive for me in recent years since I lost my parents. His fashion choices are inspired.

Physio, foothab, etc.

Report from the Vaccine Clinic:

We are taking walk-ins for 1st and 2nd shots and for kids aged 5-11. No walk-ins for boosters since we can only handle hundreds of people each day, not hundreds of thousands. I'd guess that most clinics take walk-ins for 1st and 2nd shots if you know anyone who is thinking about taking that step in light of the record new case numbers. Those are the immunizations that make the biggest impact.

I spoke with two people getting their 1st shots. One was a professional who would need it eventually to return to the office. The other was an octogenarian who couldn't book or attend an appointment alone, and her next of kin didn't think it was important so a younger friend brought her. There are still unvaccinated people who aren't anti-vaxxers - maybe someone in your orbit who could use your help?

It was oddly quiet for the first 90 minutes then we had a long line-up, as expected. Everyone was cheerful (well, except for some of the kids), polite and patient. Many were happy to chat while they waited. There were a lot of N95 and KN95 masks. I'm required to wear a "baggy blue" surgical mask provided by the clinic but I put it on over my own N95. By definition, everyone I deal with is under-vaccinated.

Many people I talked to - especially the ones under 40 - were computer savvy and talked about how many times they refreshed the appointment booking screen until something popped up. The average person getting a booster at our clinic now is privileged (like most of us here): good technology skills, flexible work hours or retired, access to a vehicle, fluent in English, time to hit a "refresh" button over and over. Most essential workers aren't coming in. The couples who won't see anyone over the holidays are boosted. We have much work to do. Dr. Lawrence Loh, Peel's Medical Officer of Health, is asking younger people to wait and leave appointments for older people - like giving up their seat on a bus.

So far we haven't been hit by the Pfizer shortage but the last shortage in July was the only time our clients got really grumpy. With Moderna's effectiveness reported in the mainstream media recently, some clients seem more open to taking whatever is offered. Until the final 15 minutes tonight, people requesting Moderna were in a much shorter line. I see that some clinics are moving to Moderna only for age 30+, saving the Pfizer for younger people who aren't given Moderna anymore (because of its higher dose and higher chance for side effects, especially in younger people).

I would volunteer for this study. (Unless I get put into the control group.) #CaffeineVsCovid
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34067243/

I miss our Thursday night core and yoga classes, and my body is missing them too. I'm going to try to do more of this.

'Bent and I did more trail clean-up at Kolapore after Thursday's wind storm. We were assigned the section of Bruce Trail from Grey Road 2 to Metcalfe Rock, which we did as a run/hike with numerous stops. Most of it was clearable by hand so 'Bent used his Sawzall on a bigger log so the chainsaw crew wouldn't need to come.