Training Run: Creemore Vertical Challenge

Is your schedule becoming more complicated, diverse and busy to the point of being ludicrous?  Scheduling a training run around other races, training runs, personal commitments and solar flares is becoming a nightmare.  I was sorely tempted to schedule it at 7:00 PM one week day this year, but I was booked...

I'm convinced it is not just me who is busy.  On a beautiful windy Sunday morning, only Maryka, Marylou and Ken made it for the training run.  Perhaps others were disappointed that it was not stupid-hot, so the training run would not truly reflect race day conditions?  Last night (and again during the training run) I was asked for a date to schedule something.  Last night, it was dropping a large dead tree in Orillia.  I said my next free day is Sunday, July 14.  My friend thought I was joking.  The sad part is that I believe July 14 is the ONLY free day before August 18...

Well, back to the matter at hand.

The wind was very inviting, temps around 18 - 20, sun and cloud and a hint of rain.  Don't like the weather?  Wait 5 minutes.  The 5 of us (including Lee Anne) started slowly and aside from a faster Poste trail, a 1.6K "U" through pine trees, the pace was easy.  Nevertheless, hiking O2 was still a challenge.  I don't think I will ever "race" O2.  It is not very steep and not very long, but has a gradient that seems relentless for about 800 meters.

At 17K, we all opted to take a shortcut, as Marylou and Maryka were running low on water.  I had already borrowed water from Ken, who had a hip bottle and a hand-held, my hip bottle being empty within 18K.  All of us were out of water for the final kilometer, on the cliffs with ropes.  The pace slowed considerably!  I'll have to make sure that aid station 2 NEVER runs out of water!

Well, Lee Anne and I are now off to see Peter Taylor's art exhibit in Dunedin, then to my brother's to steal asparagus.  Serves him right for planting a half acres of the stuff!  Then to Barrie for supper, back to Creemore to ready the kiln, then at least 17 minutes downtime before the work week starts!