Hitting pause

 ..or rather, paws.

It's looking pretty polar out there

Yes, I know I was the one asking for winter - and now that it's come, I bet a lot of you are probably mad at me for giving it the invitation.

I didn't know it was gonna drop to -12c/10f for the daily high - I just wanted a little snow, I didn't think I'd suddenly need insulated layers to run!

Some of it has been super gross, too, since the initial snowfall turned to rain that soaked through. I headed out for my first real snow run of the season and ended up with absolutely drenched feet due to the hidden slush puddles.

NOT AMUSED

Once I was aware of them, I did my best to work around them...but sometimes that was a little difficult.

*laughs nervously*

By Saturday night the temperature plummeted and the slush began to freeze up, but I had trust issues so I broke out some assistance for second run.

It also started snowing again

Blizzard conditions while snowshoe running at night was an interesting experience

..especially with the wind whipping through the trees, causing branches to crack and fall around me

Having survived that, Sunday's sunny trail wander was practically a cake walk.

Except the wind was so bitter and vicious that I needed insulated shorts even to do a point-to-point that was almost all downwind

Through the early part of the week, it definitely wasn't just me that was feeling a little less than cheerful about the conditions.

Spotted on the multi-use path down the hill from my house

I wasn't about to argue: it was bitter enough out that my wool tubular gaiter frosted up around my face while I ran.

Keeping in mind I don't even bother with the gaiter over my head until -10c/14f or below

The deep freeze finally broke a bit yesterday - it was a near-balmy -5c/23f when I went out to hang with some cool folks in downtown Kitchener.

Not very chatty, but they gave me plenty of room to pass

Now, however, it seems like the early part of the week was just conditioning for tomorrow...when the 2024 edition of the Polar Paws Winter Trail Run kicks off at Long Point Eco Adventures, and the weather prediction looks like this:

Brrrrrr

The cut-off is just shy of 5 hours, so I may actually make it...but you can bet I'll be bundling up!

..and hoping for some sun

Stay warm, friends!

C'est Bon

After three years of waiting, Monster of Mazinaw is finally a go!

With views of Mazinaw Rock that will make these cliffs along the Grand River look like nothing

I've been looking forward to this since it was first announced in 2019, as Bon Echo Provincial Park is one of my favourite places in the world. While I'm registered for the 60k (the longest distance available), I plan to drop to the 30k - it will still let me see the whole course, but hopefully won't be quite as hard on me.

The trails around here aren't the only things that have taken some damage

I suffered a minor back injury in late August - just as I was starting to get back on my feet after Tally - during a hockey game. Some physio got me feeling much better, until the very last play of another hockey game.

The first injury happened early in the game, and I was able to keep playing; this time, I could barely get back to my feet after collapsing to the ice. I managed to very carefully get to the dressing room and change out of my gear, but on Saturday I could barely walk and the pain was relentless. I tried my inversion table, my TENS machine, stretching - nothing would settle it down. I finally resorted to some strong anti-inflammatory drugs we had on hand from when Tank broke his hand in February, and those gave me enough relief to exist without constant whimpering.

It would still be a couple of days before I'd attempt even a tiny run again

This particular injury seems to be more persistent than those I've had in the past, partly because I think it arose from some changes in the way my pelvis and spine interact after some chiropractic treatment the week before the hockey game in which I was originally hurt. Trying to unwind a chronic issue that's been going on for several years doesn't necessarily come without consequences, and I still have a lot of stiffness and soreness when I get out of bed each morning.

I have, however, successfully managed to play hockey again since without exploding!

So, given that the 60k course will just be 2 laps of the 30k loop (that will essentially cover all of the open trail in the park - most of the Abes & Essens backpacking trail is still closed due to damage from the derecho and tornado in late spring of 2022 which cancelled last year's race), I think the right thing to do is drop to the 30k. I won't have to worry about time cutoffs or darkness, so I'll have plenty of time to enjoy the course and take loads of photos, and I will hopefully emerge a little less beat up at the other end.

It will be a mix of camp roads and really gnarly trails

We'll actually already be in the park by the time you read this - I'm writing in the car at midday on Thursday as we drive up, with hopes to get out for a paddle on Mazinaw Lake tomorrow (when the post is scheduled to publish) and maybe a hike of the Cliffside Trail. 

Which will also put our local trail views to shame, lovely as they are

All being well, I won't wear myself out or damage myself too much before the race, and then afterward I hope to be able to join Tank at Aid Station 1 at the head of the Shield Trail to cheer on those who are brave enough to take on a second lap of Bon Echo's rugged beauty.

Me, though? I've got a hockey game the next day..

..so I'll be taking it easy.

If you're one of the 250 of us lucky enough to have a spot in either the 10k, 30k, or 60k, I'll hope to see you out there! If not, I'll be back next week to tell you all about it.

Wakey wakey

 In the tradition of all things ill advised, I got to try something new this week.

On a beautiful day, in a gorgeous place

At my company's holiday party back in December, each member of our leadership team put together a gift that would be raffled off to employees. There was a weekend at the CEO's vrbo on an island in BC, theatre tickets, spa treatments - a whole range of items and experiences. The VP of Operations is a passionate wakeboarder, so the gift he offered was a day of wakeboarding and wakesurfing for the winner plus 2 other people since the boat holds four. My colleague Katy from the Finance team won it, and invited myself and another fellow from the Operations team (who is also a member of the Nicoya hockey team, and a really good guy) to come along, and it was scheduled for last week...until the risk of powerful thunderstorms was predicted, requiring a change of plans. We hoped for Tuesday of this week, and fortunately the weather was absolutely perfect!

Brian at the helm, Katy centre, Clayton's knees, and myself

I brought my action camera - the same one I use for recording my exploits as a washed-up goalie - and faint memories of my last wakeboarding experience, which I realized were now 25 years past (and could thus be considered "classic" in car terms). I was, however, roundly nominated to go first as my stand-up paddleboarding, teenage waterskiing, and general water-based-activity level was considered the highest among Clayton, Katy, and myself.

Heading out to a sheltered bay on Conestoga Lake

Brian suggested we wakeboard first, as he'd need to fill the ballast bladders for wakesurfing. So, I strapped into the bindings of the smaller of the two wakeboards (which was for up to size 8 men's feet, so I was about at the top end of the range), and hopped in the water.

Having ditched my sun shirt, hat, and sunglasses

Here goes nothing..

Nothing, indeed - it took me 3 tries before I could even almost get up, then a few moments to try adjusting the bindings' position to see if that helped. Another 3 tries (and a bit of correction of form) had me nearly get it, but it wasn't until I'd done a full 15mins of flailing and was on my 8th try (after nearly giving up) that I finally managed to stand. Once I did, though..

I got a nice ride in, actually ending it intentionally as my hands & shoulders were very tired from my prior attempts, and I wanted to give someone else a shot.

Almost lost it going over our own wake, though!

I said "the bar has been set low" when Brian pulled 'round to pick me up, and he countered by saying I'd done a full lap up and down the bay...so I guess I did ok? 

Good times!

Katy was up next, and she had a much easier time getting up - she definitely was not near the high end of the foot size or weight for the smaller board, and was on her feet on her second try, though had a bit more difficulty staying there at first. She got a really good run in on her third attempt, though.

Wheeeeee!

Clayton was up next, using the bigger board - he did great, getting up to his feet on his third attempt and getting a great run in before losing it riding off the centre of the wake.

I will point out that I was the only person over 40 - both Katy and Clayton are in their 20s, and I've got 5 years on Brian

When Clayton had enough, Brian taught Katy (who has a boating license as her family owns a pontoon boat) how to drive the GPS-guided craft so he could get some time in on the water.

Imparting knowledge

Brian is - predictably, since he owns a $20k boat plus hundred of dollars of boards and associated gear and heads out a couple of times a week - really good at this.

Carving hard on heel edge

Massive spray from his toes

This is why he wears a helmet (he offered it to me, but I declined)

When Brian was done, we stopped for a bit to fill the ballast bladders with a 12v pump, so the boat would sit lower in the water and create a larger wake. Brian also attached a wave shaper via suction cups to one side of the hull, and I was once again nominated first to wakesurf.

I was not confident it would go well

Fortunately, I actually found this way easier to stand up - I had watched some YouTube tutorials in the days prior, and actually made it on my first attempt!

..though I was down almost as quickly as I'd popped up.

I tried 3 more times, but kept falling - I think that wakeboarding first might have made me a bit too reliant on the tension in the rope to sort of pull myself back into balance, and wakesurfing tends to lead to a very slack rope; the end goal, really, is to be able to let go and have the wake just push you along.

I couldn't quite stay on the thing long enough to find that butter zone

After 4 tries - all of which led to me standing, then falling off backwards, though apparently I was only out there for a total of 11 minutes - I figured I'd inhaled enough of Conestoga Lake for the time being and let Katy have a go.

I was sure she'd rock this

Unfortunately, her experience was similar to mine with the wakeboard, but I think for the opposite reason: while I was toward the high end of the wakeboard's capacity, I'm not sure Katy was heavy enough for the 100lb+ recommended for the wakesurf board. Since you need to push the edge closest to you down into the water in order to stand, I think she may have lacked the weight to get it to flip up to her feet. After a number of valiant tries, she decided she'd had enough and passed the board over to Clayton.

He immediately got up, and had nearly a 4min ride!

After Clayton's amazing run, Brian handed the wheel off to Katy again so he could wakesurf - he never actually got to the point of ditching the rope completely, but he certainly ended up with a lot of slack!

Definitely showing us how it's done

Katy decided to have another go at wakeboarding with the bigger wake from the ballast, and with the rope tied off shorter (which apparently helps with getting up; maybe that's what I needed off the start?). She did way better this time, with some really great rides!

While looking every inch like an advert for some boardsports apparel company

Clayton had another go as well, and even caught a bit of air off the wake a couple of times!

I declined any further attempts - I had so far escaped hurting myself, and wanted to keep it that way!

Brian had another twirl around the lake once Clayton's legs got too tired for him to continue, and once again showed off his skill.

Throwing rainbows

..and catching loads of air

When everyone had had their fill of wakeboarding, Brian emptied out the ballast bladders and we all hopped in the water for a swim in the evening sun.

We all knew we'd be sleeping well that night!

Just after 6pm - around 3.5hrs after we left the dock - Brian pointed the bow back toward the launch ramp as the sun began to dip in the sky.

We really had the perfect day

While the timing could have been a little better - which would have allowed me to be a bit more daring - I am so grateful to have had this incredibly fun experience. I'm thankful to have come out without injury, too, though my hands, forearms, and shoulders have been a bit beat up by my unsuccessful wakeboarding attempts. 

I even managed not to get sunburned!

Hopefully I'll have another chance to try wakesurfing - and maybe a little more than 11 minutes to practice - in the future. For now, I've got a little something on the go for tomorrow...and most of the next day, too.

Alternative methods

I did not run that much in the month of April.

Even though it's getting pretty out!

Between the goalball tournament at the beginning of the month and the hockey tournament on the penultimate weekend, there just wasn't really much time...though admittedly I did get out for a little bop the Sunday of the hockey tourney.

On the same trails I usually run down to the market every Saturday

I know I should be getting some big hours of training in with some of the lofty goals I have for later this year, but there's a caveat here: just because I'm not running a ton doesn't mean I'm not doing a lot of aerobic work. Consider these two heart rate records:

Each about 90mins, averaging 144bpm and 142bpm respectively

We see some spikes and drops in each, indicative of periods of high output with short recoveries in between. The top one was actually from a 12.5km run down to the market on Saturday morning, on a mix of paved paths and singletrack trail.

Oh, and some rather soggy boardwalks

The bottom one? That was a little different kind of workout.

I didn't get quite as much work in at stick & puck on Sunday - it's only 50mins as opposed to 90mins - but my average heart rate was even higher, with much less recovery as I faced breakaway after breakaway.

Avg 146bpm: Garmin classes this as a "tempo workout"

The grey graph at the bottom there shows the other aspect of goaltending that had previously escaped my notice: temperature. While hockey is played on ice, the massive amount of equipment I need to wear to keep me (mostly) impervious to injury by pucks - when added to the hard work of actually trying to stop them - means I cruise around 30c/86f while I'm in net.

I checked the video - you can't actually see my hand steaming when I take my glove off to grab a drink, but it happens.
Instead, you get this screencap of Tanker trying to score on me.

So basically I'm not only getting and extra hour or more aerobic work in while playing hockey once or twice a week, I'm also getting some heat acclimation...maybe?

Not to mention some extra strength training from lugging all my gear around

So I guess I'll find out quite soon whether or not this actually translates into any running resilience: the Rugged Raccoon 50k starts tomorrow afternoon, and I haven't run for more than 90mins since early March. With rain most of this week, the course is likely to be a giant mud pit, so I'll just go wallow around, eat some cookies, and see how she goes!

Time to ride - or at least run - off into the sunset