Chasing my Tail

That stupid thing? Yeah, that was Saturday.

The Tail Chaser Challenge

I'd signed up for the 12 hour version, which meant I'd run 5 miles (8.05km) four times at 3-hour intervals. Well, mostly run. The event rules permitted running, walking, hiking, or any combination of the above, and the route didn't have to be the same each time. You just had to cover the distance at the set intervals, without anything assisting your progress (like a bicycle, skateboard, or piggyback ride). It all had to be done in one shot (not spread over multiple days), and had to be completed before May 31st.

Everybody got the same bib - 9 lives for everyone!

With a total of 3 runs under my belt - for a whopping sum of just over 11km - in the three weeks since messing up my back and then running for 3 hours, I figured I'd better give it a whack before the last weekend of the month, in case things went sideways on me and I had to abort & try again. So, on Saturday morning I dragged my butt out of bed and tried to steel myself for the hot day to come.

I was already feeling a little dead.

I was lazy about getting up, so I didn't even get any caffeine into me - just a small cup of cereal with cashew milk, and a medjool date with maca root powder and a bit of almond butter - before heading out at 9am for a road loop in the blazing sun. I was suffering already, and it was still early - both in the challenge, and the day! I was bound and determined to run every step of the first 5 miler, though, even if I ended up having to walk all of the subsequent ones.

My kingdom for some shade!

I had a brief respite from the scorching as I trotted down a ~200m section of trail past the halfway mark - a mere neighbourhood pathway connecting some catwalks, but lined with forget-me-nots and mature trees just barely in leaf.

Brief but enjoyable

I might look happy there, but it wouldn't last - due to my lack of training and the heat, I had to stop to drink water and catch my breath an embarrassing number of times. I also really, really needed a washroom for the last ~2.5km; I might not have had any coffee yet, but all the jostling of running had definitely mobilized my digestive tract. Fortunately I did, eventually, make it home without incident.

(Garmin data is here)

Run 1 - 8.05km in 49:21 @ 6:08/km

(Moving time only - actually took me more than 54mins with all the stopping!)

After waking Tanker up to make coffee ('cause he brews up a fierce mug, and it was now 10am anyway), I made the best discovery ever: WE HAD FREEZIES! I wrapped a soaked cooling towel around my neck and dove into a grape freezie like my life depended on it, then knocked back a cup of coffee - *cue angelic choir* - and a pineapple/orange/spinach/frozen banana smoothie. For something a bit more solid (as I hadn't really had breakfast), I also noshed on a bit of smoked turkey lunchmeat and a cinnamon raisin bagel (half with honey and almond butter, half with dairy-free cream cheez), then put myself together a little cooler bag of stuff for after the second leg. 

Tanker and I loaded up and headed over to a local trail tract, getting there about 10mins before my next start time at noon. Unfortunately my GI issues persisted even before I set off, probably due to dehydration - I'd woken up that morning in a puddle of sweat, and drank a full hand bottle (~600ml) on run #1, plus another litre or so at home before and after the first outing, but I believe I'd started off the day dehydrated and was having real trouble catching up. Not to put too fine a point on it, I ended up having to cathole not far from the trailhead before starting run #2.

So I didn't end up covered in #2..

Anyhoo, enough of that - off I trucked into the breezy forest at noon sharp, grateful for the shade and the hills giving me an excuse to walk....erhm POWERHIKE, yeah! 

Well, "power" might be overstating things a bit.

SHADE THO

My back was holding in, and my right ankle wasn't whining too much - not going to lie and say everything was rosy, but pain levels from both were quite manageable and it felt AMAZING to be moving efficiently (if not what you could really call fast) over technical trails again.

It had been rather a long time..

Oh, the brilliant green of spring on the trails..

I wasn't pushing anything hard - just running when it felt good (mostly downhill) and walking the rest, while slurping on my hand bottle. I kind of wish I'd brought either a bigger, or second bottle along; I ended up having to ration my sips a bit, which wasn't ideal. My belly still wasn't feeling great as I continued to battle dehydration, but I didn't need to go off-roading at any point, so we'll call it a win.

It was only getting hotter, though.

With all the walking - plus occasional stops to take photos, and one to give Tank (who was out hiking) a smooch when our paths crossed - it took me significantly longer to finish off the second leg, especially since it ended up being a smidge longer than I needed. Trail running is not a precise science!

(Garmin data is here)

Run 2 - 8.13km in 1:08:19 @ 8:24/km

(Moving time only - elapsed time a hair over 1h15m)

I had tucked a couple of freezies into the cooler bag in the car, and while they were definitely no longer frozen by the time we got to them - barely even slushy - they were cold and delicious. I also had a freakin' MAGICAL smoked turkey sandwich with lots of mustard, both for some protein and sodium. I hadn't used any electrolytes all day, and that may have contributed to my difficulty with hydration.

In any case, I hoped to catch up a bit by taking a different approach to leg #3. Tanker and I had talked before the event about the possibility of signing him up for the 6-hour version (you could do 6, 12, 24, 36 or 48-hour permutations), so he'd end up hiking 5mi twice, and we were going to do it together. We never actually got 'round to registering him, though, and when the chosen day came up hot and sunny (in which weather poor Tank tends to suffer quite a bit), he decided that 10 miles might be a bit much. Nonetheless, he'd hiked while I ran leg #2, and for the third outing we were going to hike together for a bit!

Though why he'd want to hang out with a dork like me, who knows?

I'd only changed my shoes, top and hat between runs #1 and #2, but did a full change - including into a cooling shirt - for #3. We hit another bit of trail very close to home (fortunately, as my laissez-faire pace for the second leg didn't leave us much time to get home, change clothes, re-pack the cooler bag and get to the trailhead!) right as the clock struck 3pm, having grabbed my 0.75L water bottle to bring along and attempt to re-hydrate while I hiked the first loop with my sweetheart.

MOAR SHADE

A red trillium along the trail

We wandered along while I slurped on my bottle, once again running shy on water and having to ration my sips while we hiked. I was happy to have my squishy hand bottle stowed in the car for the second loop, as well as another bottle for afterward!

The trout stream bridge

Checking out a trail loop we hadn't done before meant that the hiking loop ended up almost exactly at 5k, which meant I could cut off an out-and-back section after we returned to the car so I could pick up my hand bottle and drop off Tank. It was time to run again!

Or something approximating running, anyway.

Visible difference in cadence and pace, anyway!

It actually went better than I expected - the soft trail surface was forgiving on my back, and my ankle was grumbly but generally cooperative. The heat remained an issue, though, especially as much of the trail was not nearly as shady as it could be.

*panting*

There's also a big stinkin' hill, then a dip and another decent-sized hill on the way out to where we parked (as the other trailhead parking area was occupied when we went past) - I somehow managed to run the latter, but definitely walked the former.

Errhh powerhiked..

I had to do a little loop on the sun-drenched road at the trailhead to make the last few metres, but I got it done, having drunk another 400ml of water in the ~20mins I ran.

(Garmin data is here)

Run 3- 8.05km in 1:27:31 @ 10:52/km

(This was full duration - I didn't stop my watch)

More freezies from the cooler bag in the car, plus a homemade oatmeal raisin cookie each. A quick jaunt home, a slice of toast with sunbutter and raspberry jam, a change of top, hat, sunglasses, and shoes, then back out the door at 6pm on the nose for the final leg of this madness.

Still hot and sunny, though the heat had passed its peak

My back hated running down Shantz Hill, my neck and shoulder were getting very tight, my right ankle was whining a lot, and nothing felt particularly good. So, I took it as easy as I could, drinking liberally from my hand bottle as I went - I'd had the bright idea to add a scoop of eLoad this time, and I think that finally helped get me over the dehydration issue. My belly finally settled down, after spending entirely too much time in the washroom in between runs. 

Nice that someone has cleared the flood/ice jam debris from the trail

As I made my slow, rather beat-up way downstream along the Grand River, some cloud cover began to move in to give me a reprieve from the sun's merciless assault.

Cooler and shady - yes, please!

While I can't really say I finished strong, I'd hazard that running at all at this point counts as a win - with as de-trained as I'd become in the last few weeks (since learning I had a spinal injury, that I'd recently made much worse), the injuries I'm still working through, and the sudden heat and sun that day, I was surprised when I found myself powering up the last little rise at the bottom of the Grand Trunk Trail to meet Tanker in Riverbluffs Park. Once again, my route had ended up a touch long - by a whole half-kilometer!

(Garmin data is here)

Run 4 - 8.55km in 57:53 @ 6:46/km

(This is again just moving time - total duration a little more than 1h2m)

Why would I run a point-to-point for the final leg of this thing? Because it spat me out only a mile or so away from ICE CREAM.

We're so lucky to have No Udder scooping dairy-free ice cream so close to home!

So I made it though 32km - plus a bit - in a day, and actually didn't feel too awful afterward. I'm sure I had an easier time with this than many other people would due to my commitment to running multiple times per day during the 100 runs in 100 days challenge every year; at no point did I have any trouble convincing myself to head back out, even as things started to break down and hurt. 

Which I attempted to assuage by rubbing an empty cider bottle on it...after finally having a shower!

Oh, and just to make things extra dorky, I took a series of photos - one after each of my runs - to pay homage to the race logo, which appears on the awesome tubular gaiter I'll receive as my registration gift!

I'm not as cute (or flexible) as the kitty, but I did my best.

This was a fun challenge, and supports a great cause - the proceeds will all be donated to the Etobicoke Humane Society. Since there's still time to register and run or walk - you have until this Sunday - why not give it a shot?

Not-So-Rugged Raccoon

More like ragged raccoon, really.

Definitely some kind of trash panda, though.

Saturday, May 2nd was to be raceday for Rugged Raccoon - the Happy Trails Racing 25k night race that had been such a fun mudfest at Wildwood Conservation Area last year. This year's version had to be virtual due to the pandemic, but I was resolved in trying to duplicate the race conditions as best I could within the restrictions of the trails I have available from my front door. I also decided to do it on the actual day the race was to be held...or rather that night. We were permitted to complete it at any time between May 2nd and May 16th, but the weather looked good for the night versus the return to winter predicted for the following weekend.

The actual conditions - notice the swing in the wind direction.
Still better than 3c and snow!

Regardless, I didn't exactly set myself up for success with this - as if I ever do. However, this time it was a bit more than just lack of sleep. You see, we'd finally managed to get all the pieces in place to sort out a problem: our old (non-running) car had 4 wheels on it with our all-season tires, and our newer car still had 4 wheels with our snow tires on. Since the old car will eventually be towed away, we picked up a set of 4 rims to mount a selection of mis-matched all-season tires we had sitting around, and got those tires mounted on the loose rims Saturday morning. After brunch, we tackled the job of swapping the 12 wheels around so we'd end up with a full-size spare, 3 junker tires and a donut on the old car, and our winter tires (still on rims for easy seasonal change-over) tucked comfortably away in the garage.

*Cue the Benny Hill theme*

No big deal, right? Well it wasn't, until I was crouched down with my hands wrapped around our breaker bar, reefing on a lug nut...and something went pop in my lower back. An explosion of pain - I collapsed to my knees and crawled to the lawn, where I laid for a moment before carefully trying some stretches to see if I could loosen things up.

After a time, I was able to stand. Oddly enough, I actually started to feel a bit better once I very carefully lifted and carried a couple of snow tires to stow them under the workbench in the garage. Movement became easier as minutes went by - I was able to mount some wheels on the old car, go from standing to kneeling and back, spin wrenches (though not the breaker bar; heck that!), and make myself marginally useful.

Still, I didn't know if running would be a thing that evening. Or that month.

After we buttoned up both vehicles, I did a bit more stretching, and applied a "Deep Relief" heating patch to my back. Then Tanker and I went for a bit of a hike, because we'd planned to do so and I wanted to see how it felt to move.

We even found some new-to-us trails!

AND THERE WERE FUZZY LITTLE GOSLINGS

By the time we returned home, we'd wandered more than 5km, but my back was feeling...ok. Ish. I definitely wasn't going to be practicing any contortionism, but I could walk just fine. I tried running up and down the length of the livingroom, then up a few stairs. When I didn't die, I decided it was on.

Of course, since we hadn't got back from our hike til 7pm (not having eaten since noon) and I had some preparing (not all of which was stuffing my face) to do, it was gone 9 by the time I strapped on my hydration pack.

If you're thinking this was a dumb move, you clearly haven't been around here very long.
Stupid stuff is sort of my entire oeuvre.

With my pockets stuffed with fuel and plenty of water onboard, I bade farewell to Tank and set off.

Other family members may have been part of the "start line festivities" as well.

With it already full dark out, I began with my headlamp on, but didn't need it for the first couple of kilometres as I ran out of my neighbourhood and along the streetlit multi-use path. Once I hit the trail, though, it became apparent that I probably should have checked the batteries in my headlamp before I left. Or brought spares. Or something smart like that.

(This was taken with flash)

Being rail trail for the most part, I wasn't too concerned about footing - especially since it's all trail with which I'm rather intimately familiar. I know where I need to look out for the washed-out ruts that were carved by rain and meltwater in March. I know where the boardwalk is missing a bit of wood. I know where the bedrock sticks out of the trail in a way that could turn an ankle.

Speaking of which, my right ankle had been a bit cranky since the latter part of our hike. It was not improving on the run, though strangely enough my back actually seemed to feel a bit better after the first couple of kilometers. I'd peeled off the heat patch before leaving, as I didn't know what sweating heavily in it might do; some stuff like that warns against getting it wet as it can heat up enough to cause skin damage, and I hadn't read the instructions other than "don't leave on for more than 8hrs". Also, the top of it had already started to roll up a bit from the hike, and I didn't want to risk a nasty bout of chafing on top of everything else I had going against me.

Might as well try to be intelligent about ONE thing.

I also tried to stay on top of nutrition, hydration, and electrolytes. Having munched some snacks before I left, washed down with some delicious mocha cold brew coffee (because I was feeling in need of a nap before I even started!), I waited until about 35mins in to have an Endurance Tap maple gel and an S!cap. I'd been sipping water steadily from my pack, which carried 2L in the bladder plus another 600ml in a soft bottle in one of the front pockets.

Let me tell you how much I looked forward to that weight slowly disappearing as I ran..

Around 7.5k I turned onto the Devil's Creek Trail for a ~2km spur heading due south - straight into the wind, and almost all uphill. Fortunately I wasn't in much of a rush; I was in no shape to push hard, so walked when I pleased and just enjoyed the song of the frogs in the creek and wetlands. I had yet to see a soul.

For some reason there weren't many people about on the trails at 10pm on a Saturday night.

There were a few unexpectedly soft, muddy spots along the trail - presumably from the rain that had fallen earlier that day, which caught the finest meteorological minds (and us) off guard. My back twinged as my foot slipped a little, so I took note of where the mud was and resolved to go carefully through those bits on the trip back to the main trail. 

Eventually I completed the out-and-back, downing another Endurance Tap and S!cap around 1h18m as I passed Devil's Creek Falls before passing under George Street and rejoining the Grand Trunk Trail for the last section down to Riverbluffs Park. 

Just as charming at night.

I walked the pothole-pocked gravel driveway up out of Riverbluffs - passing the halfway point of my journey - and steeled myself for a long road section. The shoes I'd chosen were ones that had been making my ankle fairly happy recently, but had a lot of mileage on them; I could immediately feel the difference when I made my first transition from pavement to trail around 2.5km in, as my whole body sighed with relief at the reduction in pounding. Now I was heading for cement sidewalks, and the shoes hadn't even managed to keep my ankle from whining. So, another error in judgement for which I'd pay the price.

Might as well have tied a cinderblock to my arse as well!

It was around 14km that I hit the pedestrian bridge and crossed over to the east side of the Grand River. I even saw a couple of people at long last - a pair out for a stroll and reaching the bridge at approximately the same time I did.

Looking upriver, which is where I was headed next.

This was a significant milestone, as I had finally reached my furthest point from home and would now draw closer with each step.

The bridge - opened the day of Sulphur Springs in 2018 - is also kind of neat, and always lit with coloured L.E.D. strings at night.

I still had a fair bit of road running to go until I'd hit the next bit of trail, but at least it was a mild evening and the riverwalk is lovely at any time of day. What was less awesome is that the wind had now swung to the west, meaning I had a headwind AGAIN.

It was picking up, too.

I heard the clock at city hall toll 11pm as I came up Water Street, while every part of me started to complain. I reached the Mill Race and decided it was time for some more nutrition, about 1h50m and close to 10 miles (16km) in.

Inaccurate: it was only about 11:05pm, and I had slightly less than 10k left.

I took the ramp up past the Cambridge Mill, then it was up the Dan Spring Way, where I ran into some more people - one of whom, off to the side of the trail, was courteous enough to let me know he was there so he (in his own words) didn't spook me. Much appreciated! While I don't really fear running alone in the dark, my headlamp beam was so pathetically dim I was having real trouble just making out the trail ahead of me, let alone anything outside its 5' circle. I probably had the most trouble with footing here out of the whole route, as the trail is covered in elderly, broken pavement that would probably be best removed entirely, and I was having difficulty seeing its contours in the pathetic glow.

Back onto pavement to climb up to the Delta, then up past Cambridge Memorial Hospital with its painted-rock-studded gardens. Nice to see those with time and talent are offering messages of hope and thanks to our healthcare workers as they work so hard to fight the pandemic, so we can all continue to live our lives happily with our loved ones.

Walking up a gentle-but-long, sidewalked hill close to 20k in, I took another S!cap around 2h20m, but didn't feel like anything further for calories. I was grateful to be back in streetlights, but feeling really beat up from the cement and pavement...and maybe a back injury and 5+km hike earlier in the day. At the same time, I was also trying to hustle a bit, hoping I could bring in the last 5k in a bit less than 40mins to finish under 3hrs. It was taking a lot of effort to move with any kind of purpose.

Hard left at Bishop, then down the steep grade to river level on the Linear Trail with the wind now gusting in my face - I was pleased I'd worn a light longsleeve wool shirt, as I think anything less and I'd have got quite chilled. The eastern end of the trail suffered a lot of damage over the winter, and has been largely filled with soft gravel; totally energy-sucking and a bit difficult to see in the waning light from my headlamp, so I ended up walking a lot of it, which didn't help keep me either warm or on schedule. As I drew closer to the west end, though, I noticed I could see my own shadow on the trail - the moon had appeared over my shoulder, shining at least as brightly as my headlamp on the much-better-packed gravel and dirt below my feet.

Beauty - let's make some time.

I tried to turn on the jets once I hit the street on Chopin and headed downwind out to King, then up past the Preston Springs Hotel on Fountain to the bottom of Shantz Hill. Here's where it got complicated: I knew I wasn't in any sort of shape to push myself into a run up the sidewalk, and my 25k route involved taking the singletrack trail up the hill to cut through Ravine Park and home. As I turned to face the final bit of trail - turning my headlamp to its highest setting and despairing slightly as it failed to illuminate much more than a couple of feet ahead of me - I knew I'd have to run as much of the hill as I could, in spite of the fallen trees blocking it and treacherous, side-sloped, death-to-the-right section near the bottom.

I did the best I could, and actually ran more than I really expected, but the 3-hour mark ticked past before I reached either 25k or the house. I had made it out of the park and onto my street, but every bit of me hurt. I'm not cut out for this road running stuff; I'd rather play in the mud.

Though technically it's my fastest Rugged Raccoon by more than a 20min margin.

No fanfare or medals when I arrived home, exhausted and hurtin' - just my sweetheart telling me he's proud of me, and offering me one of the best inventions ever:

Chäir

In the best Happy Trails Racing tradition, my course was actually a touch long - so my "official time" is even slower.

Gee, guess where the out-and-back was?
(Full workout data here)

I wasn't even hungry afterward - just tired and sore, though it didn't really feel like I'd made anything worse. Hot water felt great on my back, and cold water went a long way in making my ankle happier again.

A shower cider helped with the rest.

So, I haven't actually run since, though I've been doing a lot of walking. For once I'm trying to do something right and get a little bit of rest and recovery before I fully cripple myself. I do have one more virtual event for which I'm registered (mostly because it's for an excellent cause), but I have until the end of the month to complete it, and it can be accomplished by walking. Still doing that daily, along with some gentle yoga and sitting with a heat pack in the evenings.

If I'm not mistaken, the injury I sustained is a more acute version of something I've been trying to work through for more than a year now, so I may be facing a "forever" kind of thing as I can't currently see anyone for treatment; the pamdemic has not been kind to RMTs, chiropractors, or physiotherapists, nor those of us defective humans who rely on their knowledge and skill to keep us reasonably operational. 

Fingers crossed I can get back to running long distances once the trails begin to re-open...just don't ask me to twist to my left.

Also, COULD IT STOP FREAKIN' SNOWING PLEASE? It's May for heck's sake!