Upgrading

 I can be a bit particular about the stuff I use for running - not just shoes and clothing, but other items like hydration vests and bottles that can make a big difference to comfort and happiness over the course of a long day out.

Not limited to blister or chafing concerns, either

Almost two years ago, I picked up a new little vest made by Life Sports Gear out of Quebec. The Torrent 2.5L was exactly what I was looking for: light and meshy so it wouldn't hold heat, but with enough pockets to stash a bottle or two, my phone, and some snacks.

This poor sweat-drenched, bug-sprayed, salt-encrusted thing and I have had some TIMES since

I use it quite a bit, but I was always dissatisfied with the bottles that came with it. 

Two of these are included

The 450ml capacity is fine - it's about the maximum the stretchy pockets of the vest would support, anyway. The vinyl is sturdy, and I don't even mind that much that it seems to be the same stuff that waterbed bladders are made of, and imparts the same sort of odd flavour to any water left in it for any length of time. Ok that sounds a bit weird: Tank and I had a king size waterbed for years, and though I didn't make a habit of drinking from it the smell of the water is the same. I can live with it, though; I usually wait until the last minute to fill them, and when I'm on the trail I'm thirsty enough that I don't really care.

I also don't have any others that will fit in the tall, narrow pockets of the vest

What really torques me about them, though, is the valves. They use Hydrapak's excellent design, where you just bite the silicone sleeve around the hard plastic core to distend the seal enough that water comes out. The problem is the silicone they used is the stiffest I've ever encountered. Where a light nibble is enough to draw forth water from every other bottle I own with this kind of valve, it takes a solid gnaw to release the precious liquid from these particular flasks.

I will also say my experience with this kind of valve is not inconsiderable

I only recently picked up that Salomon Active handheld (mostly to test using a different kind of strap with a hand bottle), and noticed that Salomon uses the softer silicone - makes sense, since it seems the bottle is made by Hydrapak, like all the ones pictured above. I wondered about just buying a pair of Salomon soft flasks to replace the ones the Life Sports vest came with, but balked at the price - it would be a minimum of $50 + tax, and I'm too stingy to spend that sort of cash replacing something that's functional, if a bit annoying.

Then, I found an alternative for only $8!

MEC to the rescue!

For $7.95 + tax (and with a free shipping promotion), I was able to pick up a two-pack of just the part I wanted to replace. Since the valve itself is just a friction fit over a hard plastic tube that extends upward from the screw-on top, it was a simple matter to just pop the old valves off (you can see the one with the black core above) and push the new ones on.

Peel off the hygienic plastic cover, and voila! Problem solved in about 1 minute

Of course it would be an issue if they didn't fit snugly enough to stay on, but I've since done some testing and I'm confident these are a direct replacement.

Happy girl!

So if you - like me - have hated the bite valves on your Life Sports Gear bottles (as I know these vests are quite popular from having seen them on a lot of people at races), now you know there's an easy solution. 

..and if this is all just a bit too finicky for you, then feel free to hit the trail!

Happy long weekend, North Americans!

Multitasking

 The company that I work for throws us a summer party each year

Yeah, my workplace is pretty awesome

When I heard that this year's would be a picnic and was told where it was going to be held, I was pretty stoked. I know Laurel Creek Conservation Area fairly well, and my excitement for the whole thing only increased when I got my bike back from critical repairs last week. 

Now I could have fun on the way to and from the picnic, too!

I rode up to the office yesterday morning and entrusted my steed to the parking garage behind the office (which carries a $15/day charge, so I'm unlikely to cease taking transit as my usual way to get there), worked until 3-ish, then set off for the park.

Fortunately no-one seemed to have fussed with my ride while I was in the office

Despite some construction-related road closures, a light sprinkle of rain, and the gravel-strewn driveways in the park, I arrived safely for the picnic around quarter to four. 

Yes, the rain fell out of sunny skies. Just my luck!

I did hang out and chat with my coworkers for the actual event  - which was scheduled for 3-7pm - taking part in the big group photo, and having a burger from the grill (because the committee that plans the events specifically checked in with me to make sure my food allergies would be accommodated).

Right down to sending me an ingredient list to confirm, and serving the allergen-free food first
(there were also veggie burgers and halal burgers to accommodate other people's needs, too)

I took part in the the team challenge: we broke into 8 groups, then took on a few interesting tasks like assembling small items, completing a small jigsaw puzzle, guessing a list of terms that relate to our company's products, and - last but certainly not least - trying to thaw a t-shirt that had been frozen in a lump in a plastic bag enough to get it on one of our team members! Thanks to the knowledge and competitive spirit of my teammates, our group took first place overall - way to go Running Buffers! Our prize was first whack at the piñata.

..which turned out to be surprisingly resilient.

When it was finally persuaded to give up its contents, it was nearly 7pm. While a lot of people were still playing lawn games - cornhole, ringers, monkeybones, and spikeball were all on offer, though there were unfortunately no suitable trees for me to set up the slackline I'd brought along - I had other plans.

The trails are calling, and I must go.

I'm not sure what it says about me that, when faced with the option of either playing fun games with coworkers (whom I actually like - it's a fun company to work for, and the culture is pretty great) or blasting off on my own to get eaten by mosquitoes, you'll see me loading up on bug spray almost 100% of the time.

I mean, it's probably to everyone else's benefit - they don't have to put up with me!

It's a wonderful place to run - with a number of campsites around the park, there are toilets and water taps at multiple points easily accessible from the trails - and a decent variety of groomed and less-structured bits.

Narrower path from the boat launch

Lookout over the far end of the lake from the picnic shelter

The wind began to gust and the clouds moved in, making me wonder if the few drops of rain I'd had on the way up to the park would bring reinforcements.

Boardwalk over a marshy area

A little bit of everything, really

I was in no big rush - still rather full of burger (with no interest in seeing it again), it took me about 45mins to ramble around the 4-ish miles of trails I could do without having to go for multiple loops or retracing my steps much.

..while also mostly avoiding the park roads.

By the time I got back, there were only a handful of people left, but at least my bags - one of which contained my work laptop, another of which had my slackline and leathers - hadn't been left unattended. I had a quick post-run snack and bade the last people goodbye, left to myself to get changed back into street clothes from my run kit.

No-one showed the least surprise that I'd bailed to go run

I actually ended up catching a few minutes of rain while I rode home, which wasn't particularly enjoyable - I probably could have avoided it had I not gone for a trot around the park.

..but what fun would that have been?

I still made it home safely - even managed to ride out of the rain, and the wind from the last few miles before home dried out my leathers nicely - so while it may not have been a perfect day, it was still a pretty heckin' good one. 

Old friends

 I've been having some reunions this week.

Though maybe not the way you might expect

First, some silliness. I've been a hockey goalie for almost 30 years, and still have the equipment I used when I was back in highschool. Having spent the last few months acquiring and trying to learn to use the schmancy new technology - like pads designed to rotate on your leg and slide across the ice, and new skates with narrower blades and taller runners - I decided to see what it would be like to go back to my old kit for our weekly Wednesday night game.

Here's one of my new pads, with a big knee guard under my hockey sock, and just a few velcro straps.
You can just barely see my skate, with it's 3mm replaceable blade.

..and here are the old pillows and skates, from 1994 and 1995 respectively.
About 800 leather straps on each pad, and big plastic cowlings on the skates with 4mm non-replaceable blades.

I fully committed to the bit, pulling out as much vintage kit as I still had. My old jill was gone, as were my old hockey pants, but everything else was going to be oldschool!

My ancient Bauer one-piece base layer, elderly velcro shorts, and knitted hockey socks with stirrups. I even dredged up an old stick from the garage and gave it a (mostly) fresh tape job - that thing is a serious piece of lumber!

Fortunately we got to the rink early enough that I had time to think through & remember how it all goes together; the leather straps also luckily still have their kinks in them to remind me where I liked to buckle them. I couldn't believe how heavy the old pads felt, even though empirical testing shows me that my new gear is only about a 1lb total weight savings versus my old kit!

I wore my old chest protector (which is actually lighter than my new one, but not nearly as protective) and even the jersey from the goalie school I attended in both 1994 and 1995

I wasn't at all sure how it was going to turn out, but since we don't even really keep score in our games - it's basically just pickup hockey, but with the same folks each week for 10 weeks - I didn't have much to lose, unless I managed to hurt myself.

Which - after stepping out on the ice in my old skates - felt like a very real possibility!

Nothing else for it, though - I had punched my ticket and would take my ride, with my little action camera suction cupped to the glass behind me to record the carnage.

Highlights (and low lights) from which you can watch right here

I will say I actually played better than the final score would suggest: a goalie has to rely on their defensemen to tie up players in front of the net and take away cross-ice passes, but since it's pickup hockey with a group who are mostly there to learn and develop their skills, things can be a bit chaotic. I do totally own a couple of those goals, though! I couldn't believe how awkward and clumsy I felt, despite this being the kit that I have played 99% of my hockey in lifetime.

Still a hilariously good time all round, though!
(and I don't actually seem to have hurt myself!)

I don't think it's an experiment I'll repeat any time soon, though: maybe pull it all out again next year for a skate, which would be the 30th anniversary for the pads, chest protector and gloves (I had a pair of goal skates I bought used for $10 from the late 70s until my dad bought those Bauer Supremes for me in 1995). While I may not be very good at butterfly style goaltending, the practice I've put in to work on the new techniques has changed the way I move such that I'm not really compatible with the old gear anymore: I truly hated the way my old skates felt (even apart from them making my feet hurt by being too narrow), and despite the pads not being built for it I was trying to slide anyway. That goal that went in over my glove as I tried to slide across? If I'd had the big, flat landing spot for my knee that my new pads have, I would have been able to keep my balance instead of falling forward, which would have kept my glove up and given me a much better chance to make the save.

I won't say I'm a good goalie in my new kit, but I'm better when the equipment isn't getting in my way

Someone in a vintage goalie gear group to which I belong commented that "it's just like riding a bike, right", to which I agreed - in that it can be a little painful if you haven't done it for awhile!

While that reunion was amusing but less than enchanting, I've just had the chance to get together with another old friend today that has been much more exciting.

SHE LIVES!

It's been almost 2 years - July 14th, 2021 - since the last time I got to ride my motorcycle. She'd fallen victim to a number of electrical issues, and wouldn't start at all. I had difficulty finding time to work on her, and eventually realized that her issues were beyond my meagre mechanical knowledge to fix. Then it became a matter of money: I figured it would probably be around a thousand dollars to have a shop work out the issues, so she sat in the garage like an accusation until I finally managed to get her in to a local dealer in mid May. They messaged yesterday to say that - after a stator & regulator replacement - she was ready to go, so I did the 90min bus trip from home up to Waterloo with a bag full of leathers to pick her up.

There's my girl! All naked without her saddlebags, windshield, or backrest..

I won't say she's running perfectly, because she's a little old and worn - I've had her since new in September 2005, and have put almost every single one of the 71,500km/44,430mi on her - but she's definitely running strong, and it felt so good to be back in the saddle!

WHEEEEEEEE!

I've only got a quick ride down to the office in Kitchener in so far, but she behaved herself well, and I sincerely hope this is just the first few of thousands of more miles together.

I brought the backrest with me so I could be more comfortable for the ride home

Now, if you'll excuse me....BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP awaits!

Smoked

 It's been a bit of a struggle lately

Feeling like it's all uphill

Between trying to push mileage up in a totally not panicked attempt to prepare for a really stinkin' long race that is now (*gulp*) next month and playing hockey a couple of times per week, the old body is taking a bit of a beating.

This is my "I just ran 13km, changed, then played an hour of hockey" face

I've also been trying to lift a little heavier while I don't have any immediately upcoming events.

Squats and deadlifts and walking lunges, oh my!

..and of course conditions outside haven't been helping. While it finally cooled off from that ridiculous heat at the end of May, June has brought something much more insidious.

..which does admittedly lead to some interesting sunsets.

While I know I've no right to complain compared to those who are losing their homes to the wildfires in Alberta, Quebec, and Nova Scotia, the smoke has been enough to give me headaches while just sitting at my desk in my home office. I'd close the windows, but without a central heat/air system (our house is...interesting) it's my only real source of cooling and air circulation as the sun heats the upper floor.

..which typically happens when the smoke smell is at its peak.

It makes my throat burn, too, when I'm out running. I try to go later in the day when the wind drops and offers a bit of reprieve.

But puffs of acrid air still persist into the night

As a result of all of this, I've been giving myself the grace to walk a lot more on my runs. It may not be the best thing for building fitness, but at least it's a bit gentler on my body and lungs as I approach peak mileage - more than I've run on a weekly basis since maybe 2019.

Is it enough? Only time will tell

I hope the smoke disappears soon, partly for my own comfort but mostly out of concern for those most at risk.

Not to mention all that beautiful forest

Today's rain has significantly reduced the smoke smell in the air, and hopefully more has fallen in those areas that need it most.

Though I hope they got more than the sprinkling we did

Hope you are all safe from the fires' destructive impacts - to both property and health.

..and that we all have lovely forests in which to play.

Blood donation

 Consider this a PSA

..as a result of a Pretty Stupid Act of mine.

It doesn't matter if you're running through a major metropolitan city.

Like Kitchener, Ontario for example

That has wonderful paved trails

Like the Iron Horse Trail

It doesn't matter how nice the scent of phlox is on the air

Or how abundant it may be

If you find a bit of singletrack through some woods

There will be mosquitoes

If you try to run from them

Which is advisable, since they can apparently fly faster than I can walk

..then there is always the risk of going splat.

..and possibly landing in a pile of broken branches.

If you're lucky, there will be some fuzzy little ducklings on the way back to distract you

Because of course you'll hurt yourself at the furthest point from your end destination

..but there is a non-zero chance you'll have to debride your wounds with nothing but alcohol prep pads

..and patch yourself up with dollar store plasters.

If you're especially lucky, you'll get to explain it to all your coworkers, too.

The icing on the cake

Be safe out there, folks!