The Mud Ballet a.k.a. Laura Secord Memorial 100K

and the excited, naïve runners pick up their kits

 

 

Plan A Plan B Plan A Plan B….

I fell up a hill, down a hill, in a creek, across a creek, I did the splits.

I ran through the mud, on the mud and in the mud.

I ran through the snow, both from below and above.

I cried like a little girl, sobbing with tears flowing, snot flying and shoulders heaving.

Diane. you ripped a strip or two off of me this time….you didn’t break me, almost but since there are no witnesses to  the poor me weeping session as I tried to shake off the betrayer know as my left ankle…DNF here I come somewhat intact.

40k in mud, cue scene from the labyrinth : .

Now its time to rebuild this swollen and broken body of mine and see how your next trail race treats me.

Dirty Girls 48, here I come!

Mendon Ponds 50K and the Art of Sucessful DNF’ing

1) Do not walk on a muddy slope, talking to an injured runner as a slo-mo fall may occur, twisting parts that aren’t really made to twist that way.
2) Do not attach self heating sticky pads under your breast, no matter how cold you are. This especially important when you are going for a mammogram a few days later, it is just not worth the raised eyebrows.
3) Do not automatically assume that the weatherman will be wrong, it turns out, he can be right some of the time. That said, no matter how much rain gear you have packed, pack more.
4) Do not under-estimate the power of beer and Advil when waiting for the other runners to finish the race but do find out where the closest WC is before the post race beer.
5) Do not suck it up to finish if it means that you will not be back at it in short order. Crack a beer, sit back and ice that baby. Live to run anther day.

Mendon Ponds and why you should run it:

1) I’ll be back
2) Great hills (from which you can enjoy the scenery as you struggle up to the top).
3) Distances for all, 5 to 50 k on offer so you can beg, bribe or strong-arm all your friends to join you.
4) The volunteers are great (they even gave directions to local micro breweries) and with 2 aids stations they have you more than covered.
5) Did I mention that I will be back?

Thanks to everyone that helped put on Mendon Ponds this year, its was rainy blast!

Race Post Script: Do not shave your legs and then slather on Rub A535 Cold, it takes a stronger soul than mine to withstand that sting.

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Turbo Turtle Dree attacks the Dirty Girl 48 Hour Race (and it bites back)

Flashback to summer 2012 and the first Dirty Girls 48 hour race…

Diane (Dirty Girl’s race director) sends word out that volunteers are needed for the newly introduced 48 hour division…brilliant, I think I can volunteer, meet some new people, pick the brains of some of the best runners that Ontario have to offer and get to see first hand how to approach such a race.

Since the first time I had heard that Diane was going to be adding this distance to the Dirty Girl race weekend, I was intrigued, the race would pop into my head on my longer training runs so off to the 2012 race I go and loved it!

I learnt so much, met so many gracious and fun people who gave me the insight I needed for 2013.

May 2013

I receive the email that I am indeed to be apart of the Dirty Girls 48 Hour run…hmm I wonder if I have truly kept my eye on the ball and trained well enough.

As the race date approaches, I start to organize all my gear, my newly bought tent and camping bed (and I really mean the night before we leave for the race).

The drive up to Mansfield was short and sweet, we were one of the first runners to arrive to the site. This is very good since putting up the tent may end up being rather entertaining for everyone but us.

In short order we have everything set up with a glass of vino in hand, I can relax, put the feet up and enjoy a bit of laziness.

After sleeping quite well (hence the glass of vino to help ease into slumber), I start to get ready for the race, eat some sarnies and drink a couple of coffees and it’s time to get weighed in

… And we are off for a 48 hour fun run amok in the woods.

My first couple of loops  go really well, my time is great a bit faster than the “average” I had used to plot out my race plan but its comfortable, allows me plenty of time to chat with other runners and to get some food in me at the aid stations and my camp. It was a pleasure chatting with Rhonda and her guide, Jennifer; you girls forgot to get your wine at my tent, next year maybe?

My clothes and my shoes are working well (a miracle, I have been having issues with chaffing this past year and nothing I was doing would correct it, it makes me a rather testy runner and I wanted to enjoy this race, not suffer through it).

As the day wore on, the runners were getting spread out, for the most part I am running alone, with glimpses of other runners spotted through the trees.

One loop rolls into another and I am still going, it helps that Kevin is there to get whatever I ask for when I get back to the camp, its amazing how much a hug can keep you going during a race like this.

As night falls, so does the temperature and as anyone who has ever seen me at a race, I am always cold  (yes, Bill, I actually ran the entire race in long sleeves, most of it in a lined winter running shirt…I know you are all jealous of my built in a/c).

The first loop in the dark went ok, I am not a good night runner at the best of times, I truly have a way too active imagination for effective running in the woods when the sun goes down.

I decide to use my iPod for the rest of the night loops, something I normally do not do as I wear a hearing aid in my right ear and do not like having what hearing I have cut off with music as I run but as I got slower and slower I knew I would have to distract the overactive imagination somehow.

The volunteers at the aids stations were great at keeping you motivated, fuelled and happy but that was for a few minutes every 4k (they made sure you didn’t stay too long and get too comfortable, thanks guys, I think).

At 1 a.m. I hit my camp and decided I would get some pasta from the aid station, eat and sleep for a couple of hours, I was still going slow so I might as well get some sleep, attack the trails with fresh legs and fresh light in a few hours.

3:20, up and at ‘em.

Off I go, loop 12 goes great, legs are getting warmed up and the brain is starting to wake up again, or so I thought.

Loop 13, it seems I am not as awake as I thought and my brain thinks I should be doing my impression of a bird taking flight. At long last the forest has gotten its own on me as I get my right foot caught under a deceptively skinny root, I take flight and feel a popping sensation in my foot.

Bloody hell, something has gone terribly wrong. I take the shoe off and try to figure out what has gone wrong. My big toe has decided to try to go a different route than the rest of my foot, before I can even think about it, I hit the side of my toe and it looks so much better, doesn’t feel so much better but I hope this will come…

It feels like I have slowed down to a crawl, when does the numbing effect kick in!?!?!

Advil time arrives as I hit the camp and head back out, it seems my back up goal of 100 miles is now my target goal.

The next few loops go slowly and painfully, this is were having family with you really, really helps, having someone to give you hugs, get your food and Advil ready takes on epic portions as you sit in your chair, feeling sorry for yourself and trying to muster the will to get back out there.

Happy Days, as I return to camp I find out my pacer Joan has arrived and will be going me after this loop. I still can’t believe that she has driven up from Barrie to pace me for what turns out to be to the finish.

I am cleaning my foot up (where the hell did all this sand come from and why is it only in the one shoe?), Tim arrives with his son. It’s great to see him and for Tim, it’s payback time for Sulphur. I paced him in for his last loop during his first 100 miler, pain, well I kept telling him to suck it up and get moving (he finished, painfully but he finished!)

Joan and I head out for our first loop together, about 15 min in we hear a voice behind, Tim has joined us to do the loop as recon for his 12 hour race (oh yeah, there is 24 hour and a 12 hour race that goes on during the week end). I am starting to understand just how pathetic I must look as Tim and Joan are being pretty easy on me during this loop; maybe the Lamaze like breathing had something to do with it. Joan has gotten me back on track, with a 1:45 loop.

At the 17^th loop, Diane and Kevin have decided that I need to see the St. John’s volunteers…poor guy.

I had no idea that he could not pull me and as he starts to talk, I try not to cry (mantra in my head, you will not be that girl who cries at the race, you will not be…). He tells me that I have set my toe at an angle and I need to get an x-ray taken, have the toe reset and rest BUT he cannot pull me from the race.

What?

Really?

Ok, I say as I clutch my socks and shoes, I will think about it. Around the corner I put on my gear and say to Joan, let’s get going, I will stop at 100 miles, only 3 loops to go.

She takes pity on me and does not allow me to run the down hills or the flat portions of the course but keeps a pretty good pace going.

We average 2 hours a loop.

Kevin tells me after the race that the medic came up to him after I headed back out and (this is the PG version) stated that I was nuts.

7:57 p.m. LAST LOOP!!!

As we hit the hill leading up to the 4k aid station, Kinga spots me and yells out that she has just what I need for the last leg of the my race, a cup of Creemore and chips. Its manna from heaven!

After 38:24:17 hours of running (plus 3.5 hours of naptime) I am finished!

Kevin, me & pacer queen Joan (who even battled a wasp attack to get me to the finish)

Bubbly in hand, I set off to the tent to rest

To my surprise when I get up to watch the other runners as they continue their quest for the 200 km buckle, Diane comes over to tell me that I have placed 3^rd female. Joan and Kevin it is all because of your help and support that I finished much less placed 3^rd.  I cannot express my gratitude for your help and support. Hugs and thanks can only cover so much.

Me and Diane (Dirty Girls Race Director) as she give me my plaque for 3^rd place female

Now I am off to plot my training plan for next year…200 km buckle here I come.

Thank you to everyone at Dirty Girls, all the volunteers, the family the runners, you guys made the race into an adventure filled with laughter.

See you all next year.

return to the world of blogs

reboot time…more to come

Vermont and back again!?!Racing with the H2O part 1

Well, yet again; I am slow to update my blog (now if only I could make it a habit like my running, y’all would be sick of the daily babble that I would be posting all the time).

I had expected the lead up to Vermont to be a stressful one but had no idea just how stressful is was going to get.

My running partner called on the Tuesday before the race to let me know that after an extremely agonizing debate, she was unable to go with me to Vermont (with her went my crew and my ride down).  After hearing the details of her emergency, I was flabbergasted that she was even entertaining the idea of going to Vermont with me after all.

After hanging up from her call, I ran around the house like a chicken with its head cut off, muttering : “how, drop bags…drive, flight, how  , s@$% , F@!#, helig @#($@#(#$…”

After my partner in life handed me a rather tall glass of Syrah, I set about tackling the problem ahead.

Flight to Ottawa cancelled: check

Campsite to crash pre-race: check

Driving route to race site: kinda….well I thought it was all mapped out wonderfully and it was for the most part, I just overshot the turn left at the barn by a couple hundred barns….back to the checklist

Tent: check

Ability to put up:  check, its a pop up tent after all how hard could it be!?!

Note to tent makers: put the bloody instructions to step back when “popping” the tent up on the OUTSIDE of the tent, not inside. It truly is one of those times when the caution alert is needed. Too bad there wasn’t a photo of the people flying out-of-the-way, a few nameless ones landing on their backsides.

Pack for return trip: check ? (hopefully someone with longer arms than I shall be close by to assist)

Drop bags: check

Food & supplies: check

Pacer: “crap its probably too late to get one” I think  but I whip off an email to “John the pacer guy” in no time flat and he gets back to me with in a day, he does indeed have a pacer for me, who will meet up with me at the 70 mile mark to take over the lead and get me to the finish line…now its Vermont time.

The drive down went well and I did pair my H2O before heading out with a ComPilot remote/streamer so that I would be able to use my cell phone while driving if I needed to.

The ComPilot is a device that is worn around your neck that allows you to stream calls from your cell phone directly into your hearing aid(s) as well as working as a remote control if needed.

Race check in was quick but they really didn’t get it when I asked for the information to be entered that I wear a hearing aid, just in case  I become completely senseless at the same time the hearing aid battery dies on me.  Neither did happened, well ok, the battery never died, I on the other hand was another matter.

I attempted to get some sleep after catching up with old and new fellow ultra friends, nervously wondering if I could do and if this time around my hearing aid would not quit on me like the aid I wore the year before in the race.

The race start came quicker that expected but man was I ready and pumped for a great day in the woods.

The first 50 miles went amazingly well, it was so liberating to throw water over my head, fill my hat and buff with ice, and not have to worry that my hearing aid would quit working

AND IT DIDN’T!!!! It just kept truckin’

I was able to hear the horses as they came up behind me. Boy, oh boy it was so much less stressful with the horses without the worry of will they come up on my “good side”, will I get the “hello” out there before they get too  close to me and decide to stomp me to bits (I know but I grew up in the city and have only ever ridden on one horse before and that was with a wooden saddle equipped with ropes for the bridle, not an experience I would care to repeat. It did not leave me with  a fuzzy, feel good vibe when I think of horses).

Aid station after aid station, I was really getting into the ice in the hat thing, thanks H2O!

Well I have to go my next client has arrived, I promise to finish off the racing with the H2O report soon!

Phonak Solana M H2O trial start with a splash

Now first off I can honestly tell you that the virtually waterproof hearing aid from Phonak is just that.

Not sure if those in charge at Phonak arranged it but my first day with the Solana H2O aid, a flash storm hit while I was running home, the trail was not able to absorb or divert the water off the path way and I got soaked to the bone.

I was forced to cut my run short as the weather check in the morning had not predicted the storm, so I did not pack my wet running gear.  The puddles were well over my ankles and as it was one week out to my race in Vermont, I did not want to risk the pickle effect that the excessive rain would cause and I did what any sensible runner would do. Go to  the nearest pub, try to wring the clothes out, order a pint and call for a pick up.

For the first time I did not have to worry about getting my hearing aid into my ziplock bag I have stashed in my running pack for those “just in case” rainy runs.

The H2O not only kept going but stayed put during the mad dash to the dry harbour know as the West End Grill.

Now just what is the H2O, you ask…its a rather neat hearing aid that Phonak has introduced to the market that is virtually water and dust proof (it hasn’t quit yet, even after I dropped into a full glass of water while I made dinner, just in cause the run in the storm wasn’t taxing enough for the hearing aid seals and yup, she kept working!)

I have worn Phonak in the past so the set up and programming is well-known to me but I did use the quick fit option for the first week as I did with the Widex aid. One modification that I did do, was to heat up the tubing so that I could get a more comfortable fit. I find the tubing to be a bit thick, not very flexible and uncomfortable without the quick heat to customize the form of the aid to my ear.

Phonak uses a wireless system called the iCube for those who want to program the hearing aid without wires and I must admit, I like this better than the Widex wireless option (it has a hard, fixed loop while the Phonak system is flexible and more user-friendly for getting over the clients head)

Now for a bit of technical info for those who want it:

My H2O is a Phonak Solana H2O

I am using a  slim tube (55/126) it is billed as an  “Advanced Water-Resistant” hearing aid,  and takes a size 13/orange battery.

The H2O aid must be checked every year at a Phonak repair/manufacturing facility to ensure that the seals stay intact.

For those who use an FM system there are few things to consider if you want to keep the level of water resistance at a maximum, you must use the design integrated FM boot.

…and lastly when using the H2O in water if the air flow is interrupted or cut off from the batteries, they can lose the ability to power the aid and have to be exchanged for a fresh battery and if chemicals are present in the water , the aid must be rinsed in clean fresh water and dried off to prevent the chemicals causing the breakdown of the seals.

I have my aid paired with an iCom remote and streaming devices which I will be honest, I do not foresee me using much as I do not like to carry remotes with me as I tend to be on foot, not in my car.

Off to run around some more now that the rain is back again.

 

“All the sounds of the earth are like music.” -Oscar Hammerstein II

Catch up time with Widex Hearing Aid Trial

SO first, my apologies about not posting sooner, I will spare you the reason and excuses and throw myself on your mercy!
Now for the some thoughts on the Widex trial (I have kept a journal the old fashion way where I jot down any and all thoughts, I just need to get into the habit of doing the same in the virtual world, guess I am more old school than I had thought!)
I wore the Widex aid through thick and thin, humidity that is and it never failed me.
I ran races from 1/2 marathon distance to 100k and it never crackled, never stopped working, the only draw back was when the rain started in the last 2 k of one of the races and I had to put the aid into my pocket.
I fine tuned the aid a few times over the trial, using Widex sensogram, a programming tool that allows the programmer to really make the listening experience of wearing a Widex hearing more personal in nature.
I found the sound quality of the Widex Clear 330 one of the best I have worn thus far, granted the programming aspect takes a little more other hearing aids at first but I think that is more due to my newbie status with their programming platform than the Widex product.
As for the Zen program, the Widex answer to tinnitus, I can honestly say it did indeed reduce my constant companion I have nicked named “the pulsator”.
Time will tell if the pulsator will return louder than ever when I switch to the next hearing aid for trial.
I will be adding more comments and insights a bit later about the overall experience for me with the Zen and welcome any questions about it!
Until then…
“Such an exploit have I in hand, Ligarius, Had you a healthful ear to hear of it.”
William Shakespeare Quotes
Source: Julius Caesar (Brutus at II, i)

Widex 330 and my first migrane

I wanted to do a quick post about this past week, so here it is:
I had my first migraine (and last, I hope) this week and it has knocked me for a loop. I have slept more in the past few days than I have in the past decade!
As a result of the migraine, I am still very sensitive to noise and light so I am going to extend the Widex Clear Fusion 330 trial for a few extra weeks to allow for a better trial.
I have a 50 miler race this Saturday so cross your fingers that the light/noise problems go away and I wear the 330 throughout the entire race.
I have received some feedback via linkedin about the trial time that I am using for the aids (30 days) and well some valid points have been shared with me why a longer trial period would be a better choice, I think the overall purpose of what I am attempting to do is served rather well by a 30 day trial period…a snapshot, if you will, of what a new user  experiences during the first phase of using new aid(s).

Will I experience the all of same things that the end user will, of course not …hearing is so very personal .  If you are tired, if you have a migraine, if you have other healthcare issues, your perception of everything around you changes.

BUT…

if I can get a snapshot of the experience and share it, I’m  happy with that.

Now I am off to a dark, quiet place…maybe the sound booth

Andrea

“A migraine is like a tornado.  It attacks fast, usually without warning, and wreaks havoc regardless of what’s going on in your life at that moment.”

Stephen Silberstein, M.D., Director of the Jefferson Headache Clinic in Philadelphia

Hearing Aids, fine tuning and the wind…Widex 330 gets the treatment

Thanks to some pointers from Angie, I solved the irritating problem of the lost connection to the hearing aid while programming!!!

After the initial trial with the 330, I decided it was time to fine tune the aid, sure I really liked the sound but as you all know I did not like nor could I hear the voice prompts (note to self: always play background music when demonstrating the prompts).

I decided to first change the volume levels that the prompts are presented at and to change the language to German, next week who knows?

I then remembered all the talk from the Widex people about the sensogram and how much of a difference using this programming tool would make to the overall sound quality.

SO off I go and attempt to use the sensogram and I mean attempt. It took me a bit to realize that the sensogram was working, it was me who wasn’t.

The programming tool works in a few different ways, it is a tool that allows you to present tones via the hearing aid to the user across various frequencies. The options include a smaller range or a more detailed range. You can have the tones presented manually, automatically or via mouse click.

I had decided to use the automatic and this is where is all went wrong, the programming platform  didn’t realize that I am power-hungry and when the tones were being presented, I just didn’t hear them and of course thought, well, I really write what I thought but I think you get the idea.

After a bit of panic and frustration, I also remembered that I can increase the presentation tone (see, told you it was me, not the machine, we all have those brain fart moments, I hope and it was a Monday).

The sensogram takes very little time (once you figure out the correct sequence, that is) and seemed to make the sound crisper when I went into the fine tuning screen. I really did not have to make many adjustments here because I really was so pleased with the overall sound of the aid from the quick tuning that I had done when first trying out the aid.

I had gone from the 3 day conference in the Falls to a one lifestyle show without any real listening problems. I was amazed even talking to people at the trade show booths with all the background babble, I could still hear well.

Now to see if the fine tuning would improve or ruin the sound quality…

Before I could do a quick once over of the programming changes, a client came in and I had to quickly save the fine tuning to the clear 330 and to the computer, I really should have gone back in after the client left and did the double check but I didn’t.

Closing time arrived and it was time to run home, I forgot to pack one of my socks so I had to find a store open in the area that had running socks or I would be stuck running for the hour and half without it.

I did eventually find one and must admit by that time, I was not in the best of moods so once I got back out there and the aid was picking up the wind noise like it has never before, I did what I shouldn’t do, I took it out and put it in the pocket on my handheld water bottle.

Ahhh, I thought now I can relax and just run.

That I did but when I put the aid back in post run shower, no program button function, what the…the nice little “Haupt Programme” voice over but nothing else. Crap what did I do?

Did the water bottle leak? Did my keys do something horrible to the button? In case it was the water bottle leak, I took out the battery and closed the door, popped it into a container with some rice and prayed.

The next day I got up, put the battery in and rush off to work, hoping.

No dice, no button. Hmm, when in doubt re-connect to the computer and see if there is anything that can be done at that level.

In this case, quite a bit, seems I kicked out the programs when I was doing the fine tuning (hence the cardinal rule ALWAYS CHECK THE HEARING AID AFTER PROGRAMMING), not sure how I did that but suspect it occurred because I worked “backwards” from changing the program prompts to the sensogram.

Tonight I will be out and about running again, hopefully I will have solved the wind noise problem (and I will pack an extra pair of socks, just in case).

Now which language should I try next week for the hearing aid program prompts?

See you on the run,

Andrea

“One advantage of talking to yourself is that you know at least someone is listening.” ~ Franklin Jones

Hearing Aid Test Drive…one week in with the 330

Its been abit over a week, apologies to all that I am late with this post. It took longer to catch up after returning from the conference and I am happy to report that I did not get lost!

I had used a new mapping system and had invertly added 10 km to my route so I can honestly say that the 330 stands up to the rigors of a good sweat (almost 50 k of it).

Wind noise was not as much of an issue this run as it was the last time I did a long run with my 330 in.

The 330 performed well overall from one on one meetings to the larger presentations. During one of the dinners the entertainment was 6 violinist and the 330 did not distort the sound as some aids can if you are not in a specific music program.

Over all I am pleased with the aid, I will post more in a few days after I have fine tuned the hearing aid.

Just wanted to let you know that I have found a new way to challenge the hearing aid, after a long search, I have at last found a mandolin teacher and will be embarking on joining the world of the musician. I figure if this hearing thing doesn’t work for me, the ability to go busking just might come in handy.

Remember to let me know what you think!

Andrea

“Music is perpetual, and only the hearing is intermittent”  Groucho Marx