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?
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.
As I head into taper, things have been getting a little wild out there.
A rare moment of peace
There was a deluge before last Saturday's run to the market, and rain with distant grumbles of thunder for a run Sunday evening.
..which did admittedly clear to quite a lovely sunset
Monday, though, was the worst of it. I set off out the door in sunshine, and almost immediately big, fat drops of rain began to fall.
The skies did not look encouraging
I had no other time I could go, though, so I kept pushing on. It got worse - a LOT worse.
Oof
By halfway through, it was absolutely bucketing down, with the wind whipping it sideways in gusts.
The deluge continued, with the streets awash in dancing rivers of rainwater.
The noise was astonishing
It continued to hammer down even as the sun came out
First just a peek through the clouds..
..then clearing further..
Me? I was absolutely soaked.
I left a huge puddle in my kitchen where I stood waiting for Tank to bring me a towel
As I got down to the last couple of hundred metres, the rain finally tapered off, leaving a huge rainbow - with faint bits of double-stacked colours, and even the shadow of a second rainbow - arcing across the sky.
Yowza
Once inside and accommodated with a towel, I had to deal with my footwear.
..and then quickly towel off and change, to head out to dinner with Tank and my mum. At least the weather saved needing to shower - happy birthday to me!
Grateful for Beertown having a covered patio so we could still eat outside, not to mention delicious allergen-friendly desserts
Hope you're all staying dry out there - have a great weekend!
I did something last night I haven't done for a really long time.
..and something I wasn't even sure I was capable of.
As everyone who is reading this probably knows, I tend to run races long enough that walking during them is pretty much non-optional - I'm sure there are plenty of humans out there who can and do run the whole way through a 50k, but I'm not one of them.
Walking the hills keeps me from blowing myself up and being unable to even drag myself to the finish
This means walking in training is a really good idea, because it uses different muscle engagement than running, and you should train all aspects of what you expect to do in a race.
Including eating and drinking the same things you intend to in an event, but that's a post for a different day
Thing is, over the past few months I've incorporated walking into basically all of my runs. I've been having a bit of a tough time with fitness this year, and sometimes it's all I can do to keep my legs turning over at a run for more than a minute or two, even on flat pavement.
..which isn't a great feeling, let me tell you.
Here's an example from a recent 8k run:
Blue are run intervals, green are walk intervals, and orange is idle time (usually waiting at a stoplight or pausing to take a photo)
I try to push a bit when I run down to the market on Saturdays - partly due to the fact I'm trying to get there before everything is sold out - so I try to force myself to run all the paved sections, but I'm too clumsy and unfit to run all the technical bits without hurting myself.
Tripping and hitting my head on a rock is not a good way to get to the market, or to the start line of a race
Sometimes it's not the engine - it's the chassis. Particularly as I've been nudging mileage up in the last couple of months, I've been walking more and more of my runs just to survive: intentionally setting a limit on how many steps I'll run before I walk (I kind of always count anyway), in an effort to limit the pounding and spend a little more time just moving.
As a result, I was left wondering - am I even still capable of running more than a handful of minutes at a time? I'd tried to push things a little earlier this week, but my longest run segment was only about four and a half minutes.
There were a couple of good-size hills that I never intended to run, but some good flat stretches as well
I mean, part of it has been due to heat and humidity: even after dark, the weather has just been gross for awhile. The heat drops, but the air still feels like trying to breathe soup. Before that, we had smoke from the wildfires that brought its own set of breathing issues.
I might like to run through cemeteries, but I'd prefer running not to accelerate my permanent residency in one
Last night, though, the humidity finally dropped along with the temperature. By the time I was able to get away from my desk and get out the door around 10:30pm - oh how I love year-end audit season - it was down to 17c/63f. While I was tired and sore from everything since my training week is from Saturday to Thursday (Fridays off!), I also just wanted to be done so I could eat and shower and go the heck to sleep.
Whether motivation or weather conditions or just plain luck, I was actually able to keep it going - I ran a little more than 4 miles, with no stops or walk breaks. My pace was nothing to brag about, and my legs are certainly more beat up than they have been for awhile for a run of such a short distance, but it feels pretty good to know I can actually do it.
Not super easy, but much more relaxed than I expected it to be
The output from SmashRun - which is a site I've used for years that gives you some pretty neat stats - was kind of impressive.
Fastest 6k in a year?
As I'm now getting close to a pretty big, scary race, I probably won't try this again any time soon - I like my walk intervals, and am now trying to let my body recover from the biggest block of running I've done in quite awhile - but I'm glad I can still control my pacing and truck along for awhile when I need to.
'cause what I've got coming is going to take every tool I've got to get through.
The lilacs and phlox of spring may be gone, but the lindens and clover are in full bloom and fill the air with scent.
You might almost mistake the heavy, sultry fragrance of linden for lilac, but is there any fresher, more wholesome smell than that of a sun-drenched field of clover?
It's also that incredible time when the trail provides a bounty for the taking, if you know where and how to look.
SNACKS
Unfortunately, flowers and berries aren't the only things growing like crazy. Several sections of local trails - particularly near water, and many of my favourite trails are in river valleys - look like this.
You can just see a sliver of the Speed River at top right
I haven't been able to positively identify this plant, but I've seen a ton of it in recent years.
..and am all too familiar with its effects.
My best guess is some sort of nettle, as these thing have hairy stems that cause nasty welts on exposed skin as you brush past them. I call them the itchy-stingies, and the effects last for days even if you jump directly in the shower for a good scrub-up after getting off the trail.
They also get rather tall
If that wasn't bad enough, other nasty species have taken hold of other sections.
Those yellow flowers? Wild parsnip, which causes rashes and blisters when combined with sunlight
Then, of course, there are the plants that do less harm to skin..
..but more to clothes and gear
This seems to be a form of Galium aparine, known by many names like catchweed bedstraw, grip grass, and stickywilly. It clings so tightly to other plants that it has made some sections of a local trail completely impassable without some kind of cutting implement.
I briefly considered bringing a machete trailrunning. Then I thought about my luck, and the odds of needing medical attention for a machete improvidently embedded in my own leg, and decided against it.
I had to nope out on that bit of singletrack and cut along another stretch to the main, groomed trail.
Through this. Fortunately I know from long experience there is a trail here, and it's only about 100 metres out to the crushed gravel path
Once there, I was able to find my way to some other, less complicated bits of singletrack that were delightful to run.
Even the groomed trail is pretty nice, really
..but the damage was done. The whole of the overgrown sections probably totaled less than 1km out of the 14k I ran that day, but left my poor legs looking like this:
Plus a few itchy blisters on my elbows
So it looks like my options are either to wear long sleeves and tights when I hit these trails..
..which is a bit of a trial with as hot as it's been lately..
..or to just forego them entirely.
..which is a shame, as they're so lovely and so close to home.
Or, I just deal with the itching, stinging welts and blisters as the price of getting to enjoy such beauty on a gorgeous summer day.
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