Training Log Archive: 'Bent

Great ride up to the Shed with Coach LD and Bash.
Inglewood to Dominion Road through Forks of the Credit, then to the Shed for lunch and back via Grange and the back trails, which were a mud and bug fest.

Interesting article in Bicycling about a new innovation in helmets to reduce concussions.

Protection standards havent't changed in 30 years in North America- helmets are cooler-looking and can save your life, but are no better at reducing concussions- except for new MIPS certified ones. Swedish company POC sells one now, and Scott has one model, the Lin.

http://www.bicycling.com/sites/default/files/uploa...

C • Counterpoint 3

Fairly easy run up to Greg Y's place, then the big climb to Glen Haffy and back. Knee's pretty good, but felt the heel a bit. Ran into Slowrunner too.

Easy run commute with the big guy. Extras to avoid poison ivy.

Out with the big guy in the early am before the heat and FDFs come out, to the wheelies pond for a good dog swim and back.

Palgrave singletrack to work without the hound. Hot, but nice in the woods.

Would have been a good day to blast around Albion, but Coach Spaff has me on an easy ride today. Good thing actually- can feel the @#% knee a little.

C • Rail Trail in Palgrave 14

Scoot home on a beautiful evening.

Foothab, kneehab and workout 3

Rest day. Got Thumbs of Death to work on my foot- looks like a muscle thing which should come around pretty quickly.

Misc riding down to Albion to cheer on the 24hr racers, then to the office for an alarm call & home. Not much gas in the legs, so super-easy.
Knee seems fine but left foot hurts medially above the arch.

Long hill run session organized by Coach Dee.
We started from her condo, and ran with Tiny, Storm & MsGally to the first water station at 15k. Hot and muggy, and even though it felt OK I decided the guys were setting too hard a pace so MsG and I let them go. Started to feel off by the 20k mark, and was pretty queasy by 32k even though our pace had dropped. Knee was a bit touchy too. I spent a while at the Aid Station Dee had set up, refuelling and resting as Dee and MsG took off. Switched to Hokas too as planned, which felt like a nice change.
I felt much better, and had the best 10k of the day heading back. I was starting to feel funny again after the big climb from Pretty River, but Bash shuttled down to meet me with a cold coke, and I ran with her from there which felt fine. I had planned 75km, but no way today.
My left knee hurt on the switchbacks down, so we took it gingerly. I still felt pretty done after- thinking it was heat and humidity throughout the day, or maybe not 100% recovered from last week. Sure hope I feel better in France.
Dee set up an amazing event- many thanks.

Hydrated well, didn't get as much food down on the run but ate OK at the aid station. Note- Vitargo pre-made and frozen in a bottle turned to plastic sawdust. Must be made on the spot.

C • That's a lot of running in ... 9

Foothab, kneehab, workout 2 +kb.

Quick dogless ride to work, then to my meeting after, and a late night ride home. Rail trail tally- helped 2 kids move a particularly belligerent snapping turtle off the trail (tried to pick it up by the back of the shell as it lunged at me and pissed itself) got 1 bug in the eye, narrowly missed 2 Kamakazi Bunnies and ate about 3 more bugs. At least the clouds of bugs are easy to see by 'Bentblaster. Fine way to commute though on a nice night.

C • At least you got some protein in you:) 8

Foothab, kneehab, some pull-ups and cable press. All the running (And RAAM watching) is cutting into my workouts.

Bash suggests this should be my next race with Bazingadog.
They have 1-dog-1-bike and dog-runner categories!



PS Very nicely done video- good music, fast pace, well edited.
I want one of those racing tri-carts and 7 more Bazingadogs!

C • Just to be clear... 7

Easy run home. Gotta love the solstice- didn't turn on the headlamp!

Warm up with the big guy to the pond and back, then hill intervals around home- 1 long gradual, 1 short/steep alt. with poles. Bit short of time, so did some extra hills before and after, then to work with Mocha.

90 min on the clock, but autopause doesn't lie about dog-swimming breaks etc.

To work and back with some extras with the big boy, who has graduated from his spiky pinch collar. Didn't dislocate my arm when we saw cyclists, his friend Brock or two deer.

Maria Parker is now leading her category- sadly it looks like Seanna Hogan, 6x RAAM champion, had to DNF due to health reasons. She is gaining ground rapidly on the lone solo female 68km ahead of her, with half of RAAM still to go.

C • First place! 14

Easy recovery run with the big guy.
No gas in the tank for the first few minutes, but once I got going it was OK. Some sore muscles (ones that cramped yesterday) and a bit of a twinge in the knee but not too bad.

Event: ESAR
 

ESAR

ESAR- Beaver Valley

This time there were some strong younger teams, including Pullin' Foot with a pro triathlete on board. Wokitoki and I had to replace an injured Shedman so we were lucky to recruit Harps! I knew I had my work cut out for me keeping up with these guys on the bike.

We started with a paddle which we finished a boat-length behind Pullin' foot. Our boat system worked perfectly, except that all I could see up front was Mt. Chad, so Harps had to call out directions.

A quick run to pick up the bikes, and a fast T/A where we opened up a lead. Harps and I had run in bike shoes and had packs on the bike already, much to the consternation of the race staff, but it was legal as we ran with all the mand. gear.

We had a road ride next, where I was just able to hang on in the climbs but did OK on the flats and downhills. Next into the crux of the race- a large MTB section in the Kolapore Uplands. These are rocky, hilly singletrack trails originally designed as ski trails. I spent many weekends working on these trails as a student.

An early nav problem cost us our hard-earned 15 minute lead and we were passed by 5 teams, including the other Treehuggers- Bash, Dee and Ms.Gally.

Luckily, my 'bent works well on this type of terrain, so I could keep up with the lads and we worked our way back. I had a feeling the Tri guy on PF would have trouble on the advanced CPs on the most technical trails and indeed he did. My chain snapped at one point, but we did a 3.5 min fix with 6 hands and made it to the start of the next running section in first with some good Harps nav and technical riding.

I must have worked pretty hard on the MTB section, because I started cramping up on the run, which was supposed to be my strong discipline. Luckily Woki's nav was clean and we got back to the bikes with a good lead. From that point we never saw another team. We had some more hilly road biking, (which was pretty awful on cramped legs but my powerhouse teammates gave me some good shoves uphill), some mucky swamp riding, then a lot of running down the Beaver valley and back up and down the ski hill on the opposite side, where luckily my legs revived.

With the cramping I hadn't been able to contribute as much as former years, and slowed the team at times.

We ended up finishing in 4:51, winning overall with enough time for a swim, change into clean clothes, meal and a beer before second place finished at 5:37, and Bash's team was in 5th overall not far behind.



My teammates were superb, the strongest ESAR combo I have raced with yet, and great navigators and team players. The biking was some of the best yet in ESAR, and as always Storm runs a precision race.

C • wow! 20

C • Photo 2

Bah- Maria Parker's support vehicle was rear-ended very near where Hammer Lane was run over last year near Tuba City reservation.
Both her custom alternate bikes and the van are totalled- even with flashing strobe lights, large orange triangle and bright yellow bikes on the hitch rack.
Luckily the van stopped the car from killing Maria, who was just in front. The crew is mildy injured.

That's not what RAAM stands for :(

http://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/showpo...

She's listed as a DNF on the leader board now, but I did see an emergency plea for a loaner bike of the same model.

C • RAAM rules 10

Foot/kneehab pre-run.

Had one of those nasty nauseating headaches last night and this AM but some coffee and Vitamin I sorted it out.

Watching Maria Parker solo at RAAM on this bike:
http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx4/jparker914/...

C • Maria's cooling system for RAAM 4

Out with Bazingadog for a fairly easy hill run.
Various hills with ponds at the bottom so the big guy could swim.
Didn't hammer the hills- in taper mode.

C • Amazing that you can start ... 3

Another soggy night commute run. What is this, Scotland?

C • eee, 2

Quick commute in the rain with a heavy pack but no dogs.

Easy 2-dog commute, drowned rat edition.
Some solid log-hauling at the end too.

Easy spin on the trainer to loosen up the knee.

A bit disappointed my knee is still a bit touchy after an easy week, while my buddies are putting in big days...

Foothab, kneehab, some pull-ups and some log hauling.

Out to the Quarry the C3 club uses for swim practice.
Very nice and clear, and bigger lap than we thought.

Event: Cayuga Trails 50 - Ultra Marathons
 

Now this is cool- forget powerful dogs, this is what MTBikers need as a pet to take on a ride.

http://youtu.be/jTJYc8O1ocM

C • Cool 4

Took the little 'bent with roadie tires down the entire length of the Don bike path to Lakeshore then to the end of the Leslie St. Spit & back, using the Toronto Bike Path app.

Probably rode 1km of quiet residential streets in the whole 2 hours, and the rest was on dedicated bike path.
Lots of good fast empty sections, some spots where I had to walk the bike through Edward's Gardens, or stop to pat dogs, and I even had to hike-a-bike across a creek when I found a non-road return trail. Surprisingly good outing. The little 'bent is a rocket with the low position and fast tires.

Misc forest fit- tree pull ups, hill decline push ups, log- hauling...

C • Nice 2

Nice flat cruise on the rail trail. Concentrated on technique, and seemed to be a decent pace for a fairly easy run.

Easy commute with Bulletdog- still cool and rainy enough for her.

Easy spin to work with Bazingadog. He was full of energy for the night run home, which he did at a decent gallop.

Hilly road loop down to rail trail, up Centreville and across to the Dingle, then a rocky hilly bit through the dingle and back.
The hills seemed a lot less noticeable than last time.

Super-easy ride with Mocha on a nice cool day. I let her set the pace, as she had a hard workout Sunday.

Easy run to work. Should have been an easy bike but the 'bent's in the shop.
Felt tired, and left ankle and right knee are a bit sore- ugh. Spaff has a very easy week planned for me.

Easy jog back with lots of Bazingadog stops.

Stopped by Running Free hoping to pick up another pair of Cascadias. They're my go-to AR and Rogaine shoe, and I was planning on using them for CCC with the Hokas in the drop box. Brooks keeps changing the models. The 5s were great, my latest 6s not so much but I heard the 7s are excellent. Too bad all RF now has are the 8s, which seem higher and clunkier, not to mention hideous. eBay time for some 7s.

Definitely not running CCC in my Sense shoes, even though they're great for light fast dry running.

C • Athletic locker 10

Foothab, kneehab, workout 2 + core & kbs.
Felt the knee a bit on 1- legged ball hamstring curl.

Hydrocut with fellow CCC racer Tiny. Warm, muggy, buggy day, but far cooler than yesterday, and we missed the rain.
Nice trails! The Northeast had some slick mud where the Sense were like banana peels, but it was good in the pine section. Few bikes as the website had listed the trails closed due to wet conditions.

As per Coach Spaff, 45 min warmup, solid hour in the middle and easier final bit. I didn't feel too fast and light even in my Sense shoes, coming off some biking hills and a long lung-burning sauna run yesterday, but things went OK.
Felt my knee a bit by the 2 hour mark, so was glad to wind it up when we did.

Had 1/2L vitargo, 750 ml water, 3 S-caps and half a large pocketfuel.

GPS likely not accurate in all the twists and turns.

C • Missed one :-) 3