Sad to hear that Micah True is still missing. To me, he epitomized the childlike wonder of running trails, setting yourself an impossible task and enjoying the challenges of distance running. At this stage, I don't see much hope for him. I wonder what will become of his demise?
Started a running group at Honda, called the ISD Elite Running Team. My department is Information Systems. The idea is to strike fear in our opponents. Until they see us run, that is! Some members have prior running experience, but everyone is training for the Barrie 5K. I'm running the half. The race is on my birthday! This week, we wimped out and ran on the treadmills at the Honda rec centre.
This morning I ran with my wife Lee Anne Cohen and Dawn Hamel. I should say we ran down the same roads. Lee Anne and Dawn were much faster than I. This comes as no surprise. Lee Anne has won her age category at the Toronto International marathon and Dawn Hamel is perhaps Canada's fastest ultra runner in her age category. You can argue with me, but look up the results of last year's Canadian Death Race. 5th women overall? Looks like some chick from Ontario, named Dawn. Hmmm... Her age must be a typo.
I first noticed Dawn when reviewing the top runners of the Creemore Vertical Challenge. I was almost convinced I had made a mistake in the 2008 25K race, when I noticed some 50+ woman had posted a 2:15. Her time is not that great for a 25K road race, but the CVC has 2 hills, perhaps 3? Before anyone drives over to kill me, I should be a bit more honest and state it has 4 hills, 1 valley and several grades, ascents, inclines and cliffs... Not a course that can be run easily in 2:15!
Right off the bat, my back let me know what it thinks of 20K runs. I ignored it, but the pace was slow. After 5K, the back eased up a bit and I was able to manage a decent pace. Decent for me just now is 6 minute K's, running with a torn cartilage. My surgery has yet to be scheduled. The bad knee (actually, my good knee. Hmmm... might have to start calling it my other bad knee) acted up at 12K, which is fair, since 12K is currently a "long" run. I was tired after 20K, but happy. I will reach for 25K next week and then decide if I have what it takes to enter the 25K at Pick Your Poison.
Hope to see a bunch of you at the Spring Warm-up in 2 weeks!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
Running long tomorrow & pulling taps
Well, I have never been an ultra snob, one who considers a marathon something you do when injured. Or reminisce about being young 40 years ago, the last time you ran less than 5K...
I am attempting to ramp up from very low mileage, to something that would make entering a 25K trail race (Pick Your Poison) seem like something plausible. Tomorrow I hope to run 16 - 20 K. It has been an adjustment to consider 16K a long run. At the juncture at which I became injured, my weekly total diminished and my wife's went up. Her "normal" week (sorry to those who are struggling to run 8K. This is going to hurt) is 4 X 17K, a day off, then 40K and 50K. Yes, that is per week. She has run 2 marathon+ runs almost every week since 2008. The rare exclusions are when she has a long race, or is injured. Weekly total is usually circa 150K. I ran 26K last week WOOHOO!!!
So, I now struggle with ramping up to 40 - 50K per week, while striving to run with a torn cartilage. It's not as easy as it sounds. To make the opaque horizon cloudy (sorry, kinda ominous wording) I will have to schedule surgery somewhere in the racing season this year. I'm not overly astute, but I think this means I might have trouble with a race at some point...
Tomorrow the plan is to drive the tractor (nope, no cab) to the property and pull 250 taps. Then clean and dismantle the evaporator and haul out all the equipment. I will try to forget that I did all this work for 36 litres of maple syrup. At some point (Sunday afternoon, exhausted) I am likely to remember how bad the season was this year. I might jump up and down and yell a bit. It helps the psyche.
The good in all this? Running takes precedence over cleaning taps!
I am attempting to ramp up from very low mileage, to something that would make entering a 25K trail race (Pick Your Poison) seem like something plausible. Tomorrow I hope to run 16 - 20 K. It has been an adjustment to consider 16K a long run. At the juncture at which I became injured, my weekly total diminished and my wife's went up. Her "normal" week (sorry to those who are struggling to run 8K. This is going to hurt) is 4 X 17K, a day off, then 40K and 50K. Yes, that is per week. She has run 2 marathon+ runs almost every week since 2008. The rare exclusions are when she has a long race, or is injured. Weekly total is usually circa 150K. I ran 26K last week WOOHOO!!!
So, I now struggle with ramping up to 40 - 50K per week, while striving to run with a torn cartilage. It's not as easy as it sounds. To make the opaque horizon cloudy (sorry, kinda ominous wording) I will have to schedule surgery somewhere in the racing season this year. I'm not overly astute, but I think this means I might have trouble with a race at some point...
Tomorrow the plan is to drive the tractor (nope, no cab) to the property and pull 250 taps. Then clean and dismantle the evaporator and haul out all the equipment. I will try to forget that I did all this work for 36 litres of maple syrup. At some point (Sunday afternoon, exhausted) I am likely to remember how bad the season was this year. I might jump up and down and yell a bit. It helps the psyche.
The good in all this? Running takes precedence over cleaning taps!
Saturday, March 17, 2012
MRI Results
March 17, sunny and 23 degrees. Too hot to run! Seriously, 23 degrees? Mid-March in Creemore is usually when the snow banks go above 8 feet. I'll try to dig up a picture of my old Integra against such a snow bank in mid-March.
Ran 5K yesterday. I'm not going to push it for now, but would like to ramp up to a short race, such as Pick Your Poison 25K. During yesterday's run, I found 2 garbage pails that had gone MIA during a wind storm. Lucky to find them! But it meant a half K of running holding on to two pails - not so simple!
I spoke with my sports doctor on Thursday about the result from my MRI the previous week. Torn cartilage. A bit of a relief, as it can be "trimmed" with arthroscopic surgery. When I had the cartilage in my left knee worked on in 1973, they took the whole thing out! Sports medicine has come a long way. In fact, if I can find a video, I might do the surgery myself. My close-minded doctor thinks it's a bad idea, and that some surgeon should perform the operation, but how hard can it be? I've already got a chainsaw (incision) and a Dremel tool for trimming. I just need to find a small camera. Perhaps the one in my wife's old cell phone. I could duct tape it to a Bic pen and prep the pathway with the Dremel tool. I figure it would be a 4 black russian project...
Maple syrup: Very very very very bad.
I tapped 250 trees. I was expecting between 180 and 220 litres of syrup. This year is simply the worst on record. I started boiling last Sunday and tomorrow will be the end of it all. I should pack it in today, but I am going to pull all the sap out of the sap pan tomorrow and feed it into the finishing pan. While the finishing pan is boiling, I will need to add an estimated 400 litres of water to the sap pan, to avoid burning the sap pan... Maybe I should do my knee at the same time.
So far, I have 24.5 litres of maple syrup. This year's investment (I'm adding taps as I approach retirement) including new equipment, cutting firewood, repairs, bottles, jugs and rum, was $800. I don't have enough syrup for the CVC race! Lee Anne has agreed to make 16 extra bowls. I will give the AC winners an option of syrup or extra pottery.
I was foolish enough to mention that I wanted to bottle 200 - 250 ml jugs for the race kits. That is what likely jinxed the year. Mother nature has a perverse sense of humour when faced with presumptuous maple syrup producers.
Using the same tactic in reverse, I have officially scoffed at the north wind. I called it lame, spineless, timid in the face of a superior southwest wind. I must have below freezing tonight or tomorrow night, or the season is over. If we get 4 feet of snow over the next week, I'm sorry for spoiling your beautiful Spring, but I will be rejoicing!
OUS Spring Warm-up: Lee Anne has agreed to make a few extra bowls, to replace the non-existent maple syrup prizes... Sorry. I plan to take a course on altering the climate, once I find said course.
Running: The plan is to slowly ramp up to 25K and attend PYP. Plan B is to volunteer at PYP for the morning. I am prepping for a wedding with my chainsaw in the afternoon. Yes, the wedding involves ultra runners, how did you know?
That's it. Shortest sugaring season on record, or at least since I started making maple syrup in 1972. My running will improve this year, and I am secretly and guiltily enjoying the warm Spring.
Ran 5K yesterday. I'm not going to push it for now, but would like to ramp up to a short race, such as Pick Your Poison 25K. During yesterday's run, I found 2 garbage pails that had gone MIA during a wind storm. Lucky to find them! But it meant a half K of running holding on to two pails - not so simple!
I spoke with my sports doctor on Thursday about the result from my MRI the previous week. Torn cartilage. A bit of a relief, as it can be "trimmed" with arthroscopic surgery. When I had the cartilage in my left knee worked on in 1973, they took the whole thing out! Sports medicine has come a long way. In fact, if I can find a video, I might do the surgery myself. My close-minded doctor thinks it's a bad idea, and that some surgeon should perform the operation, but how hard can it be? I've already got a chainsaw (incision) and a Dremel tool for trimming. I just need to find a small camera. Perhaps the one in my wife's old cell phone. I could duct tape it to a Bic pen and prep the pathway with the Dremel tool. I figure it would be a 4 black russian project...
Maple syrup: Very very very very bad.
I tapped 250 trees. I was expecting between 180 and 220 litres of syrup. This year is simply the worst on record. I started boiling last Sunday and tomorrow will be the end of it all. I should pack it in today, but I am going to pull all the sap out of the sap pan tomorrow and feed it into the finishing pan. While the finishing pan is boiling, I will need to add an estimated 400 litres of water to the sap pan, to avoid burning the sap pan... Maybe I should do my knee at the same time.
So far, I have 24.5 litres of maple syrup. This year's investment (I'm adding taps as I approach retirement) including new equipment, cutting firewood, repairs, bottles, jugs and rum, was $800. I don't have enough syrup for the CVC race! Lee Anne has agreed to make 16 extra bowls. I will give the AC winners an option of syrup or extra pottery.
I was foolish enough to mention that I wanted to bottle 200 - 250 ml jugs for the race kits. That is what likely jinxed the year. Mother nature has a perverse sense of humour when faced with presumptuous maple syrup producers.
Using the same tactic in reverse, I have officially scoffed at the north wind. I called it lame, spineless, timid in the face of a superior southwest wind. I must have below freezing tonight or tomorrow night, or the season is over. If we get 4 feet of snow over the next week, I'm sorry for spoiling your beautiful Spring, but I will be rejoicing!
OUS Spring Warm-up: Lee Anne has agreed to make a few extra bowls, to replace the non-existent maple syrup prizes... Sorry. I plan to take a course on altering the climate, once I find said course.
Running: The plan is to slowly ramp up to 25K and attend PYP. Plan B is to volunteer at PYP for the morning. I am prepping for a wedding with my chainsaw in the afternoon. Yes, the wedding involves ultra runners, how did you know?
That's it. Shortest sugaring season on record, or at least since I started making maple syrup in 1972. My running will improve this year, and I am secretly and guiltily enjoying the warm Spring.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Maple Syrup: Ready!
Okay, Maple syrup is damn hard work... I think most people know this, especially those who buy a case of the stuff. I'm really hoping there are no militant maple syrup consumers (MMSC's) reading this, but these people know it is a tough row to hoe. Regardless, they want their damn 12 litres and they don't want any damn excuses, or they are coming over with their damn Uzi for a final discussion...
You think I'm joking. I laugh when I hear about maple syrup getting exorbitant prices in Tokyo, or the French culinary masters who would commit ritual sepuku if they could not source the maple nectar. (Nice tie-in, that Japanese connection, eh?) The media has yet to publish details on the dark side of maple syrup. I have had "customers" phone me twice a day, to find out exactly when their 18 medium and 6 amber litres will be ready. A "friend", who is currently working in Hong Kong, is expecting his 6 litres of light and 6 of medium, any moment now. His is combing the Ontario forecasts and maple syrup news bulletins to pinpoint when I will have produced the first medium batch... Joe: It is almost ready!
So I now play my maple syrup production progress cards close to my chest. I don't want to be the reason the dark side is made public information. "Oh he was definitely up to no good. The maple syrup production must have simply been a cover. Otherwise, the Albanian secret service would not have offed him in such a spectacular way".
I took 2 days off last week, to tap and ready the evaporator. Daryl, my son-in-law, was a huge help on Friday, tapping the remaining 150 of 250 taps and readying the main lines. Lily, my step-daughter and my grandchildren Hannah and Griffin, were also up for the day, although I don't think Lily had as good a time, giving the challenge of looking after 2 children out in the elements. I hope they come up when the evaporator is running and the parenting duties can be shared!
Saturday was a short day at the shack (I had to weld a stay onto the snowblower during the morning) as there was a gale force wind and driving snow. I parked in my neighbor's driveway, as it was not safe to leave the car on the road, due to whiteouts.
Sunday was a day of final preparations, cleaning the totes (I have 3 - 1,000 litre containers used to store sap), checking the evaporator for leaks (and boil 120 litres of water for cleaning) and having that first rum & coke at the shack. When the evaporator is running, the rum is combined with near-syrup from the finishing pan for a lethal drink. Do not drink 2 of these, then try to operate equipment, such as your legs.
So, 4 days of snowshoeing in the bush. Believe it or not, the bush has 3 - 4 feet of snow! I also shovelled the roof, fire pit, under a mainline (so that snowmobiles can get through), some mainlines low enough to be touching the snow, totes, the Mad river (not the whole thing, just where I draw water for cleaning) and the 3 doors to the sugar shack... I should invite more people up before the season gets going! Mind you, it would be the last time I see them!
So, my best guess is that I will start to boil is this Wednesday! I have an MRI for my knee at 09:00 on Wednesday, then back to the shack to crank up the evap.
Running: Nothing this weekend (re-read the part about trudging through 3 feet of snow for 6 hours a day) but hope to get out tomorrow and Tuesday. Note! I have run trails throughout December, January and February, but in early March, the trails now have too much snow! I might still go out and tramp a trail, and win my obscure contest of trail running in Creemore - for bragging rights!
You think I'm joking. I laugh when I hear about maple syrup getting exorbitant prices in Tokyo, or the French culinary masters who would commit ritual sepuku if they could not source the maple nectar. (Nice tie-in, that Japanese connection, eh?) The media has yet to publish details on the dark side of maple syrup. I have had "customers" phone me twice a day, to find out exactly when their 18 medium and 6 amber litres will be ready. A "friend", who is currently working in Hong Kong, is expecting his 6 litres of light and 6 of medium, any moment now. His is combing the Ontario forecasts and maple syrup news bulletins to pinpoint when I will have produced the first medium batch... Joe: It is almost ready!
So I now play my maple syrup production progress cards close to my chest. I don't want to be the reason the dark side is made public information. "Oh he was definitely up to no good. The maple syrup production must have simply been a cover. Otherwise, the Albanian secret service would not have offed him in such a spectacular way".
I took 2 days off last week, to tap and ready the evaporator. Daryl, my son-in-law, was a huge help on Friday, tapping the remaining 150 of 250 taps and readying the main lines. Lily, my step-daughter and my grandchildren Hannah and Griffin, were also up for the day, although I don't think Lily had as good a time, giving the challenge of looking after 2 children out in the elements. I hope they come up when the evaporator is running and the parenting duties can be shared!
Saturday was a short day at the shack (I had to weld a stay onto the snowblower during the morning) as there was a gale force wind and driving snow. I parked in my neighbor's driveway, as it was not safe to leave the car on the road, due to whiteouts.
Sunday was a day of final preparations, cleaning the totes (I have 3 - 1,000 litre containers used to store sap), checking the evaporator for leaks (and boil 120 litres of water for cleaning) and having that first rum & coke at the shack. When the evaporator is running, the rum is combined with near-syrup from the finishing pan for a lethal drink. Do not drink 2 of these, then try to operate equipment, such as your legs.
So, 4 days of snowshoeing in the bush. Believe it or not, the bush has 3 - 4 feet of snow! I also shovelled the roof, fire pit, under a mainline (so that snowmobiles can get through), some mainlines low enough to be touching the snow, totes, the Mad river (not the whole thing, just where I draw water for cleaning) and the 3 doors to the sugar shack... I should invite more people up before the season gets going! Mind you, it would be the last time I see them!
So, my best guess is that I will start to boil is this Wednesday! I have an MRI for my knee at 09:00 on Wednesday, then back to the shack to crank up the evap.
Running: Nothing this weekend (re-read the part about trudging through 3 feet of snow for 6 hours a day) but hope to get out tomorrow and Tuesday. Note! I have run trails throughout December, January and February, but in early March, the trails now have too much snow! I might still go out and tramp a trail, and win my obscure contest of trail running in Creemore - for bragging rights!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Physical Inventory done, Maple Syrup Next!
Okay, I know, where is the running in all this? I was supposed to go for a run tonight, but Lee Anne asked me to glaze (white dip) her student's work, as they are glazing tonight. I then had to get some water and supper from the store, so I had a glass of wine and searched very hard for some reason why I should not run...
Didn't find a reason, but it is after 7:00 PM and supper is in the oven.
Tomorrow I pick up my new car. A blue 2012 Civic Si Coupe. Actually, they will assess my old car (2008 Civic) as a trade-in, so it might be the weekend before I get the new car. Looking forward to it. With twin turbos and an intercooler, it might even have some thrust! The add-ons will wait a few years as insurance is sketchy on tricked cars.
Lee Anne is making soup bowls for the Spring Warm-up. I tap on Friday (250 taps, all lines) with help from my son-in-law and possibly my grandchildren. Should be fun. Hopefully the weather is not too harsh and Daryl (SIL) enjoys the time in the bush. Plan to visit the sugar shack in a couple of weeks - taste, stir, taste, skim, taste... You get the picture!
Didn't find a reason, but it is after 7:00 PM and supper is in the oven.
Tomorrow I pick up my new car. A blue 2012 Civic Si Coupe. Actually, they will assess my old car (2008 Civic) as a trade-in, so it might be the weekend before I get the new car. Looking forward to it. With twin turbos and an intercooler, it might even have some thrust! The add-ons will wait a few years as insurance is sketchy on tricked cars.
Lee Anne is making soup bowls for the Spring Warm-up. I tap on Friday (250 taps, all lines) with help from my son-in-law and possibly my grandchildren. Should be fun. Hopefully the weather is not too harsh and Daryl (SIL) enjoys the time in the bush. Plan to visit the sugar shack in a couple of weeks - taste, stir, taste, skim, taste... You get the picture!
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Mid February: The Awakening
Most people talk of the mid-February blahs. True, it has been 2 months of darkness in Ontario, typically enough snow to make any journey outside one of clothing logistics and for those who work, glimpsing the sun on rare occasions. I find the cold months a bit of a test, but in mid-February, the sun trades it weak, spindly nature for something more robust. When the sun peaks out from the clouds, it is suddenly BRIGHT! Toss in some reflecting snow and there is a dire need for sunglasses.
Daylight also starts to extend beyond the trip home from work. Short runs can be completed without a headlamp. In essence, there is life after work! With one exception... I am part of a small team that performs physical inventory for Honda. I say "small team", as we don't actually count all parts manually, known as a wall-to-wall count. To do so at Honda would require most of the workforce, about 4,000 people, to spend a Saturday counting parts for 8 hours. The computer counts parts, based on our orders. So, only 40-50 people are needed to prep, generate the reports and assist the auditors. This may seem way off the topic of running, but except for this long weekend (Family day in Ontario), I work every day from February 5 until March 2. I.e. there is little time to enjoy the trails during the day!
In a way, I enjoy the "month in the office". It is directly followed by maple syrup season (I usually tap circa March 10) and I don't really notice the lengthening days during the office hibernation. When I re-awake, the days are long and sometimes sunny!
So, Lee Anne and I are down in Niagara-on-the-Lake for the long weekend. She is out on a "short" 4 hour run along the beautiful Niagara river. I will join her in an hour and hope to run 20K. The sun is out (with some cloud), it is +2C and I am looking forward to a leisurely run along the Niagara trail. Lee Anne is no doubt thinking about this year's Niagara Ultra. For the 20th anniversary, Henri is adding back the 100K distance, which Lee Anne will be running. I will likely be forced into the half again this year, as it will be too late to ramp up to the 50K after the MRI.
Well, the battery is low and I am too lazy to plug it in, so I will sign off.
Next on the agenda: Prep for maple syrup! I checked the bush yesterday and all seems in order. My neighbors have not been snowmobiling on the property, so I will give them hell, as I need to snowshoe in the evaporator - something very difficult in 2 feet of snow!
Daylight also starts to extend beyond the trip home from work. Short runs can be completed without a headlamp. In essence, there is life after work! With one exception... I am part of a small team that performs physical inventory for Honda. I say "small team", as we don't actually count all parts manually, known as a wall-to-wall count. To do so at Honda would require most of the workforce, about 4,000 people, to spend a Saturday counting parts for 8 hours. The computer counts parts, based on our orders. So, only 40-50 people are needed to prep, generate the reports and assist the auditors. This may seem way off the topic of running, but except for this long weekend (Family day in Ontario), I work every day from February 5 until March 2. I.e. there is little time to enjoy the trails during the day!
In a way, I enjoy the "month in the office". It is directly followed by maple syrup season (I usually tap circa March 10) and I don't really notice the lengthening days during the office hibernation. When I re-awake, the days are long and sometimes sunny!
So, Lee Anne and I are down in Niagara-on-the-Lake for the long weekend. She is out on a "short" 4 hour run along the beautiful Niagara river. I will join her in an hour and hope to run 20K. The sun is out (with some cloud), it is +2C and I am looking forward to a leisurely run along the Niagara trail. Lee Anne is no doubt thinking about this year's Niagara Ultra. For the 20th anniversary, Henri is adding back the 100K distance, which Lee Anne will be running. I will likely be forced into the half again this year, as it will be too late to ramp up to the 50K after the MRI.
Well, the battery is low and I am too lazy to plug it in, so I will sign off.
Next on the agenda: Prep for maple syrup! I checked the bush yesterday and all seems in order. My neighbors have not been snowmobiling on the property, so I will give them hell, as I need to snowshoe in the evaporator - something very difficult in 2 feet of snow!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
The Creemore Snow Run Race Report
I am a big advocate of the expression "be careful what you wish for". Although grammatically incorrect (you should never end a sentence in the preposterous tense), it does convey that wishing for more snow in Creemore in February is a tad reckless. So, although it would have been fun to run through 1 foot of fresh snow, then pack the trail as the day progressed, wading through 3 feet of snow would have put a damper on the day. As it turns out, although the snow was old (read hard, icy and at points leaning towards dangerous) the footing was better than worse and running the trails was quite easy and a bit relaxed.
Lee Anne asked me how many would be making the trek to Creemore to run the trails and, drawing on my vast experience (the 2010 CSR) I predicted 8 - 10 people. Ken, Marylou, Scott and 2 others (please recall I have no memory) showed up at 07:15 to get a couple of loops in early. By the unofficial 09:00 start, there were 13 cars. 25 - 30 people were on the trail at one point!
The weather was near ideal for a winter trail run, hovering at the freezing point, making it pleasantly warm, yet avoiding the adverse effects of softening snow. For those who might hypothetically (hypothermically?) get too warm, the outdoor aid station had ice cream with maple syrup. Many people commented on the humorous aspect of ice cream that was not melting, but I noticed there were not too many fueling up with ice cream, until after their last loop!
I run the 7.2K loop several times per week and enjoy the beauty of the Mad river (I always envision it as a "Rave Run" in Trail Runner - must email a photo one day), the challenge of crossing the beaver dam and the fascinating contours of a residual moraine, which gives the loop its name, the ridge run. One of Creemore ancient legends has the ridge as an original wagon trail, to avoid climbing the Niagara escarpment (back then it was called a big hill) on the way west. I do recall the wheel ruts where about 4' 5" (the width of a standard Roman chariot) back in the 1990's, before the ATV's overlayed the original ruts. I consider "good" trail running years those in which I can run the ridge run at least once in every month of the year. Until this year, "success" meant I could run it in early January and again in late February. This is the first year EVER, that I have (so far) run the ridge run on a regular basis. We had 16" of snow in January, but it melted soon thereafter and I was on the trail in one foot of snow about a week later.
Based on feedback from the CSR runners, others also found the loop to be a great run; varied in terrain, interesting topographic formations and beautiful vistas. For those who were not fortunate enough to be invited to run the CSR (It is limited to runners in Ontario and areas no more, but no less, than 42.2 time zones in ONLY horizontal directions), the course follows the Ganaraska trail along the Mad river from my house to Avening, Airport road south to Conc. 3/4, west to 3rd line, north to the ridge run trail, then up and down some cliffs back to the house. The country roads provide some recovery from the Ganaraska trail, before hitting the ridge run trail. I did get into some difficulty (actually smacked upside the head! Now we see the violence inherent in the system...) as I mentioned the small gradient (cannot in good conscience call it a hill) was the recovery portion. I was almost more circumspect in my comments thereafter...
It was wonderful to talk to old friends, meet a few new people and talk about plans for the 2012 race season. Kinga and Stephan (thanks for the soup!) gave some details about their most recent race, the HURT 100 miler (Hawaii Ultra Race Team) where they both placed in the top 30 of 109 starters. Although the Miklos (they are married to, and deserve each other) are seasoned 100 milers, no one takes on HURT without serious training and logistic preparation. I must confess that although I am not eager to undertake the training, they make the benefits of running a 100 miler considerable, such as seeing headless children (I fervently hope it was a hallucination) or simply the joy of being on your feet for 34+ hours without surcease!
Race Report
I had planned on running only 2 loops, so I "led" the 09:00 group for the first loop. The trails were quite easy to run as the snow was hard enough to support most foot strikes. There was some lateral movement, which meant paying some attention to the trail, but it was possible to look up at times and enjoy the scenery. Since the trails were easy to run, the small gradient on the road required a relatively greater effort, which likely was the reason for my being abused physically. Although the Ganaraska trail is beautiful, along the Mad river, it is the ridge run that offers more spectacular geological formations, with steep cliffs to either side. Running on the first loop was relaxed and my knees gave me no problem.
The second loop showed my lack of training, as my back started to tense. The pain was minor and manageable, but I was tired before the end. Neither knee proved to be a problem, which is encouraging. I am getting an MRI in March to determine if the ACL is torn. Strangely, my ankle acted up after the run and is still sore today. This might be an indication that I continue to age...
Recovery
After the run, I supported the aid station and chatted with the runners as they completed between 2 and 6 loops. Each runner received a finishing medal and for fun, we had a draw for some of Lee Anne's pottery and 2 half litre jugs of maple syrup, the last of the 2011 vintage.
Overall, a great day for a winter trail run. It was also very relaxing to stage a run as opposed to the stress of organising a race. I look forward to holding the CSR in future years and at the risk of tempting fate, I also hope that one year, there is 2 feet of snow on the trails and the struggle is epic!
The weather was near ideal for a winter trail run, hovering at the freezing point, making it pleasantly warm, yet avoiding the adverse effects of softening snow. For those who might hypothetically (hypothermically?) get too warm, the outdoor aid station had ice cream with maple syrup. Many people commented on the humorous aspect of ice cream that was not melting, but I noticed there were not too many fueling up with ice cream, until after their last loop!
Based on feedback from the CSR runners, others also found the loop to be a great run; varied in terrain, interesting topographic formations and beautiful vistas. For those who were not fortunate enough to be invited to run the CSR (It is limited to runners in Ontario and areas no more, but no less, than 42.2 time zones in ONLY horizontal directions), the course follows the Ganaraska trail along the Mad river from my house to Avening, Airport road south to Conc. 3/4, west to 3rd line, north to the ridge run trail, then up and down some cliffs back to the house. The country roads provide some recovery from the Ganaraska trail, before hitting the ridge run trail. I did get into some difficulty (actually smacked upside the head! Now we see the violence inherent in the system...) as I mentioned the small gradient (cannot in good conscience call it a hill) was the recovery portion. I was almost more circumspect in my comments thereafter...
Race Report
I had planned on running only 2 loops, so I "led" the 09:00 group for the first loop. The trails were quite easy to run as the snow was hard enough to support most foot strikes. There was some lateral movement, which meant paying some attention to the trail, but it was possible to look up at times and enjoy the scenery. Since the trails were easy to run, the small gradient on the road required a relatively greater effort, which likely was the reason for my being abused physically. Although the Ganaraska trail is beautiful, along the Mad river, it is the ridge run that offers more spectacular geological formations, with steep cliffs to either side. Running on the first loop was relaxed and my knees gave me no problem.
The second loop showed my lack of training, as my back started to tense. The pain was minor and manageable, but I was tired before the end. Neither knee proved to be a problem, which is encouraging. I am getting an MRI in March to determine if the ACL is torn. Strangely, my ankle acted up after the run and is still sore today. This might be an indication that I continue to age...
Recovery
Overall, a great day for a winter trail run. It was also very relaxing to stage a run as opposed to the stress of organising a race. I look forward to holding the CSR in future years and at the risk of tempting fate, I also hope that one year, there is 2 feet of snow on the trails and the struggle is epic!
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