Training Log Archive: Bash

'Bent and I were feeling pretty whupped after yesterday's race but we wanted to get out and play in the snow while it's still here. We skied the Kolapore Church / Paradise Highway loop with a 2.8 km tempo section in the middle where we both earned Strava crowns. Kudos to us, lol. The snow was amazing. We probably won't be able to ski at Kolapore much longer because it's so rocky that it needs a lot of snow. Oh well, it's been a great couple of months. :)

Deep snow flounder around the north part of our property with the dogs. In addition to exercising the dogs, we were looking for LDD moth eggs because we have a mature, planted oak forest. We saw one caterpillar there last year. We didn't see any sign of eggs on tree trunks so it probably blew in on the wind. The last two years in Caledon have been hellish during LDD moth season and they're in Collingwood too. Ugh.

Dontgetlost "Not The Snowshoe Raid"
Copeland Forest
With Dee (Denise Rispolie)

It's been two years since the last Snowshoe Raid and today wasn't quite the same but it was lots of fun anyway. We got the map by email so Dee and I texted course planning ideas back and forth from our respective homes while drinking coffee in our jammies. Personally, I think every race should work this way.

At a civilized hour, we headed over to Copeland Forest where 'Bent and Timato headed out on their course-clearing effort. Dee and I planned a loop focusing on flatter terrain with the option of adding an extra control or two at the end if we had time. Because I haven't been running due to my Achilles, we weren't sure how much our previous races would help in planning our pace.

It was a beautiful day in the woods. I'd forgotten how much I like Copeland Forest. They've changed the rules so that fat bikers and snowshoers can travel on the edge of the groomed ski trails, which was great for us. We saw a few friends racing, which was nice, but I actually didn't mind the quieter experience of racing on our own.

We had no trouble with navigation and I ran slowly with occasional breaks. Dee is fitter and let me set the pace. We met 'Bent and Timato at one of the controls and saw 'Bent break through pond ice and go knee deep into frigid water. Yikes! Apparently, his feet stayed warm thanks to good footwear and waterproof socks.

About halfway through, Dee gave up on her snowshoes, which kept loosening. She ran the rest of the race carrying them. Unfortunately, most of our bushwhacking through deep, fluffy snow happened in the second half of the race and some deep holes lurked beneath the snow.

We were able to sneak in one extra control on our way to the finish but it involved a 500 m bushwhack that wasn't fun for Dee. We finished with 7.5 minutes to spare so we almost had time to squeeze in one more control - but not quite. Fun! As always, Dee was an amazing teammate.

I felt like we did the best we could have on the first day of the 16-day period when the virtual race could be run. Racers coming later will do less trail breaking and can review other teams' route choices in the online results. Having seen other routes, I know exactly what I would tweak if we did it again but I'm still happy with our race. Best of all, my Achilles was a bit stiff the next day but really not too painful. I don't know if it will translate to running on harder surfaces than snow but it would be awesome if I could get back to a little more running this year.

Late afternoon snowshoe in Kolapore with 'Bent and the pooches.
Finally remembered to turn off my Ambit about 5 hours later, lol.

Tomorrow is the Not-the-Snowshoe Raid, which switched to virtual as of this afternoon. For once, the issue wasn't Covid - it was a new parking by-law the permitting authorities hadn't mentioned. Dee and I will still do the course tomorrow, as will 'Bent and Timato.

I was weirdly nervous because I've done so little racing over the past two years but now I'm not. People can do the course over a 2-week period in a variety of conditions and they might find tracks or no tracks between flags. It's out of everyone's control and we aren't picking the most strategic time by going tomorrow in deep fluffy snow. So it's just going to be fun! I really feel for the organizers, who must have had a very rough couple of days.

Physio + additional weights

Vax Clinic report:

In the spring, we had 1200+ appointments/day at the Caledon clinic and I sometimes worked at a Brampton clinic with 7,000+ appts/day. Today there were 27 appts in 7 hours. They've just started giving 3rd shots to teenagers but after that, I'm not sure why they'd stay open.

I met Browner at HAFTA forest. She brought two fat bikes - hers and STORM's - and we had a great catch-up ride on a sunny morning that was just above freezing. To be honest, my previous winter fat bike experiences have been merely OK but this was fun and actually felt like biking. These trails are rocky and technical so it's easier to ride them when they're snow-covered. The snow got softer in the last 15-20 minutes, which made things a little more kamikaze but neither of us had a fall. The occasional foot down, definitely. So glad this worked out!