Adventures..

After much begging and pleading Luke has agreed to participate in a team with me in a muiltsport race held in wiarton in a couple weeks.

You see I really want to do this race. It is Kayak, MTN bike, trail run. On the Bruce Peninsula. Sounds fun right?? Except I can't kayak. Sure I paddle around once a year in a shallow lake, but there is no way I am going out on Georgian Bay by myself to drown. So I beg and plead and finally, after Luke realised just how short the race is, he agrees. The deal is we paddle together 4km  in a tandem kayak, ride separate Mtn bikes for 15k, and run 5.5k trail while staying within10metres of each other.

As of now the major issue is gear. We rent a kayak, already have gear for Mtn biking and running right...but WRONG. The gear list is tremendously long. We don't actually need to buy more then a couple items to assembling it and carrying it seems like a huge challenge.

The kids will most likely to the kids race in the afternoon, if you take a look at the website you will see Maya and her triathlon outfit from last year.

 

2012 MANDATORY GEAR

ALL PARTICIPANTS, FOR ALL STAGES:

•750 ml water carrying capacity

•Whistle (attached to PFD for paddling stages, readily accessible during all other stages)

•Area Map (provided in race kit) marked with transition locations if unfamiliar with area.

•Small First Aid Kit containing:

•Pressure Dressing / Sanitary napkin to treat a significant bleed if it occurs

•Emergency Blanket to treat hypothermia

•10 bandaids

•Tensor Bandage (min 3” width, standard length) to treat bone/muscle trauma

•Hat/Buff

•1 package of liquid energy (power gel, honey, etc)

•1 roll (min = 5 metres) of adhesive tape minimum 1” wide (duct tape, first aid tape etc).

•Recommended: knee high socks / long pants to reduce risk of contact with poison ivy

•Recommended: fully charged cell phone in watertight container.

ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT FOR CYCLING STAGES:

Each participant must:

•Wear an approved cycling helmet

•Use a Mountain bike in good condition with properly functioning gears and brakes

Carry a spare tube and pump

•Recommended: tire levers, chain repair tool, multi-tool

ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT FOR PADDLING STAGES

•Approved life jacket worn at all times when on the water*

•Use a Kayak, Sit-on-Top, or Surf ski in good condition. All other watercraft not permitted, except in the Youth Race.

•Bailer or pump*

•Whistle or signaling device**

•Throw rope (minimum 15 metres) as per Canadian Coast Guard Regulations*

•Properly fitted kayak skirt for boats with sit-in cockpit*

Sprayskirts are mandatory gear. You will not be given a race kit without presenting at Gear Drop with a spray skirt.

You must also keep the spray skirt in or on your boat at all time

•Properly fitting Polypropylene / Synthetic or merino shirt in a waterproof bag (in addition to clothing worn at start of stage)

•Waterproof jacket

•Recommended: spare paddle, wetsuit

 

ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT FOR TRANSITION AREAS

•TWO bags capable of carrying equipment for run cycle and kayak stages (not including bikes / kayaks). Bags must be packed

and dropped off Friday night for Challenger course participants and must be dropped off either Friday night or Saturday

morning for Explorer course participants.

 

What my Mother taught me...

Ok lets be honest, my mother is a terrible cook,  but she always put a tremendous effort in to her endeavors when taking a dish to a potluck. She agonized over what to bring and made her best homemade effort. Even if the food didn't taste the best at least I knew she tried her best. As in all of my lessons learned from my mother it was subtle but into adult-hood I went knowing that only those who took store bought items to a potluck where not those who dressed for success. Everybody has a busy life but sometimes you need to put your best food forward.

The photo is a random dinner of glazed carrots and cabbage turnovers- do not recall if I have posted it previously.

5peaks Duntroon

As this is my year of no commitment I did a race from the other trail series- 5peaks.
Went to register about 20minites to late for online registration and was screwed over for 10bucks. Cursed are the people who like to make last minute decisions.

Did the Duntroon Endro which means 12ish k. Which means not long enough for my liking. I actually liked the course and think it would make a great venue for a ouser race. Cause I have decided that's what I like. WHY??
- Food- most but not all,  ouser races pride themselves on feeding runners. Sorry bowls of bagels and fruit cut up do not do it for me. I am partial to a meal. Even the crappy bagged lunch that I hate from Hailburton is better. 

-So it is a short race and you don't deserve a meal says the race organizers in my head. I say make the race longer. My point... too short. Instead of two loops make it four. The infrastructure is there already, use it.

- No headphones. This would be fine if it was longer cause then I would be going slower then I could talk to people to entertain my ADD brain. So I kinda cheated and put my shuffle in my bra on maximum volume and heard snippets of songs here and there. Now don't give me that crap about needing to concentrate on the trail and being aware of other runners and wildlife. etc. blah blah blah. Seriously we drive tremendously faster than we run and  most people can concentrate on the road and the radio at the same time. If it is considered un- friendly to use headphones then why I am the only one talking??? I am paying for the privilege to be on the course, I should be able to enjoy it.

-Individual feel. Every race in the ouser series has its own personal branding, feel, and mythology. Even though there are different venues 5peaks feels like I am at another Gap. You know one with port-a potties and water crossings.

Soo perhaps why I am so negative is the fact I had a awful race. You know the heat wave that Ontario has had? You know how I am a better cold weather runner. Yep both of those do not mix. Have been doing alot more cycling than I ever have- but despite the clams that cycling helps ones running, apparently that does not ring true for me.
The race starts on a uphill, and due to my overly tight hamstrings , yah it wasn't pretty.  Most of the two loop course was great wonderful single track which was a joy to run on. But the course was dry dry dry. There were a few sections of double track which I find really mentally draining.  Mud would have made it tremendously funner.
Did the course around 1:09. Or 5:48ks... which I am better than that. Sucks that I have not been run training and thus this disaster of a race happens. Didn't even win a door prize.

Dairy Milk Dash

 

It all started with a 1kg bar of chocolate seen on clearance at Zellers, and a snide comment about if I wanted a race at Mishawah why didn't I run one?

So I did.

I set up a 2.5k loop around the camp. In the process I cleaned up a nature trail that had been neglected for years, and if west Nile virus was in the area I got it.  I most likely spent at least 12 hours over the week on the race. I had to map it out on garmin, clear the trail,(Whipper sniping takes a long long time) and mark the course. When it come down to it Mishawah is a small patch of land so there was no way around not including the trail ..... and I love trail. Although Luke and I did our best to mark the course still people got turned around and the leaders came in to the finish the wrong way. Next year I will come with prepared spikes and arrows to go into the ground. I will also have a map available for preview. AND I am bring my own whipper snippier!

 

I think Maya is channeling Bree wee here. Apparently the girls ran the whole way!

Despite being given a 4pm time spot by the camp director I think we got a reasonable turn out. Wasn't impressed with the directors attitude about the race. As in I got one announcement. Funny his kids showed up?? Seems his kids like activities 'a little different eh.'?

These ladies had a blast, and were so cheerful. Willing to try even though they are not runners.

I was overwhelmed with the amount of Hanover people who came out to walk. Even people who limped through the whole thing. Really it gave me so much joy seeing my friends  running and walking. Like I birthed another baby!

Everybody got a as many freezzies as they wanted. There was door prises for the dairy milk and some Oh Henry's. I actually forgot to make metals so look for them next year.

Honestly it was the highlight of Mishawah for me. I have been asked numerous times to resurrect the Chesley community classic which benefits the hospital foundation....and it is looking tempting.

Levitating

Personality I like this flying photo better. It reminds me of this photographers work.

Levitating children remind me of Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children. Which brings me to the point of the fact everybody has a super power, but it is often subtle, difficult to assess and determine, and not necessarily powerful. It is unique though.

Throw Me

One thing Ever and I discovered at Mishewah this year was that he loves to be thrown as far and high as possible if the water isn't too deep.
It's a lot of fun. 

Barrys Bay Triathlon

Cause I can't go on vacation and not do a race.

The Barrys Bay Triathlon is a small race with the tag line 'Challenging race in the beautiful Madawaska Highlands'. Seems to attract an accomplished field of competitors. Many of the competitors were wearing gear from iron man or 70.3 races, and all the conversations I listened in on seeamed to be about the next big race. Reviewing the results shows impressive results from the other female competitors. So basically I felt pretty intimidated.

The swim I knew was going to be bad, bad, bad. Lack of swimming due to my shoulder and my overall lack of swimming skill. Thus 18:34 for 750metres- 2:30/100m. The good was I didn't panic, just swam. The bad was I swam with a fellow wearing bright red boy shorts doing the breast stroke for all of it. Initially I thought I found somebody who would be good to draft off of but he wasn't wearing goggles so hence I settled for boy shorts.

The bike was a whole lot of hills. As in thank god for my granny gear. No bike computer to know how fast I screamed down the hills thank goodness cause I am sure it was in excess of 60km/hr. It was challenging but such a confidence buster to know that it wasn't that bad and I didn't have to walk even the 7%grade one. 1:12 for 32km. 26.5km/hr or in other words,  room for improvement.

Run was good- 8k in 37min. 4:40km off the bike which I am pleased with.

Overall good race experience. Small but I never felt completely alone out there. Good door prizes. Including the $10 git certificate to the local bakery which provided me with donuts.
My goal was under 2:10 and I was 2:08something. I was the 10th female out of 34. The  female winner beat me by 21minites, but her resume is pretty impressive. I wish i had won my age group cause then I would have gotten a pizza cutter shaped like a bicycle. But you can't win them all, well actually I have never won a triathlon.