Westbrook Snowshoe Race

WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER Road Race

OUT past the streets

Off of the asphalt

CAN'T run the same old route THIS TIME

WE ARE the ‘Shoers

THE first GENERATION

WE ARE all tired of that grind

No one even thinks we’re all that strange

Running out into the woods ‘til no street lights remain

WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER Road Race

WE DON'T NEED TO KNOW THE mile splits

ALL WE WANT are snowy trails at

Westbrook DOME

LOOKING FOR trails 

WE CAN just play ON

SOMETHING BETTER to give this long winter a lift
Snow and exertion

Come try out our version

Without snowshoes you’d be headfirst in a drift

No one even thinks you’re all that strange

Running out into the woods ‘til no street lights remain

ALL THE ‘Shoers SAY

WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER Road Race

WE DON'T NEED TO KNOW THE mile splits

ALL WE WANT are snowy trails at

Westbrook DOME

SO WHAT DO WE DO WITH OUR time

WE LEAVE ONLY A trace

When we loop back to the start

With a quickening pace

Or maybe just our heart rate

WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER Road Race

WE DON'T NEED TO KNOW THE mile splits

ALL WE WANT are snowy trails at

Westbrook DOME

~ Tina 'Deep Cleat' Turner

Results and Links to many additional photos

Scally Event Photos

Scally Event Photos

Scally Event Photos

Sean Hickman/Low Light Photography

Scally Event Photos

Scally Event Photos

Sean Hickman/Low Light Photography

Sean Hickman/Low Light Photography

Sean Hickman/Low Light Photography

Scally Event Photos

Scally Event Photos

Kicking off Another Year at the Summerstown Forest Snowshoe Race

On Saturday we traveled to the Cornwall area for the second year of the Summerstown Forest Snowshoe Race which kicked off the Dion Eastern Ontario Snowshoe Series for 2014. Thanks very much to Gilles Parisien and all of his volunteers for putting on another great race. The trails were in great shape, and it was a very fun and pretty course. Rain eventually started falling on us, but the super delicious chili at then end kept us warm. 

          

Derrick handing out demo Dion 121 snowshoes for racers to use

Race start

Cool finish line rocks

Talking snowshoes with Deborah Berry (3rd master)

 

With Emma Saaltink (1st) and Lise Meloche (2nd) for the awards

Full results

Arrival of Winter

After the storm

Sparkly world

Lost in the ice

New trail

Faster than a speeding Siku

Jesse screeching to a halt

Iced in

Half full?

Training buddies

Looking East

Heading West

Batawa 25K, Last Race of the Season

I was excited to return to this race after running it last year, and with Derrick being in Peru for a few weeks it was a good target to have while he was gone. It had rained a lot the night before, so I knew the trails would likely be a bit slick in places, but even with that I hoped to run it faster than last year as I know I'm fitter than I was then. To handle the mud I decided to wear my Anakondas, and they proved to be amazing in the mud. People were sliding around like crazy in the slick sections but I didn't have any problem at all thanks to the ridiculous traction I had.

A taper can be dangerous though, which I found as I started off and my legs felt ready to fly. Proving that execution trumps fitness, by the end of the first 7.5 km loop I had already started paying the price. By dialing down the effort I recovered a bit and then went into 'ultra mode' and reeled off the remaining distance to the finish. It was a bit disappointing, but there was a lot more to be happy about as it is a really fun race on awesome trails, and I was proud of myself for hanging in there as best I could. I still finished 2nd, though well off Leslie Reade's winning time. In ultras I get ticked at myself for going out too hard, but in a race of this length I'm more forgiving of myself as the pace isn't something I'm currently very familiar with so it is tricky.

Next up is a bit of a pause in training before switching it up for snowshoe racing. I'm feeling a bit burnt out, so a few weeks of just running when I feel compelled to will do a world of good.

Keene Valley

Last weekend we were in Keene Valley, NY for some running, steep hiking and scrambling in the High Peaks of the Adirondacks. The leaves were at their peak, but the weather wasn't ideal and we didn't get views from up high. It was still a very fun and satisfying trip.

On the first day we started at the St. Huberts Trailhead and took the West River Trail to Wedge Brook Trail and went across some of Lower Range: Upper Wolf Jaw Mt, Armstrong Mt, Gothics Mt, Pyramid Peak, then back Weld Trail to Lake Road. It was an awesome loop with beautiful views lower down. We had a huge and delicious meal of soup, nachos, black bean burger and good local beer at the Ausable Inn afterwards.

The second day we started at Round Pond TH and went to Dix Mt and back. It was a fairly runnable trail until the last mile approach to Dix where full-on scramble requiring hands from the slide up. It started to rain so the trail was very sketchy. It was cold, socked in, and very isolated so I felt relieved to get back down to the flatter trail after a long, careful descent.

Start of first day

Upper Wolfjaw

Armstrong

Gothics

Towards Pyramid Peak

Lower Ausable River

Chapel Pond near our campsite

Start of second day

Snack break

We are here, check

Large slide near the base of Dix

The steep ascent begins

Another socked in summit on Dix.

Snack in the rain

Not wanting to leave

Recipe File: Roasted Tempeh and Veggies

If you've been curious to try tempeh but aren't sure how, I've found that cutting it very thin and roasting it is super easy and a great way to enhance the natural nuttiness and chewy texture. This is a recipe I make all the time because it is easy, tasty, healthy, and adaptable to endless variations.

1 package tempeh, cut into four sections and thinly sliced (3 mm, 1/8 inch thick)

1/2 cup almonds, whole or chopped

1 sweet potato, diced

15 brussels sprouts, cut in half

Any other chopped veggies: red peppers, zucchini, broccoli

1/4 cup melted coconut oil (or olive oil, or a mix of both)

1 tbsp lemon juice

Spices, e.g. cayenne, red pepper flakes, paprika, cumin, rosemary, coriander, ground pepper.

4 cups cooked brown rice or quinoa

1. Spread tempeh, almonds and vegetables in a thin layer on greased baking sheets. Roast at 400°F for 20-30 minutes until lightly browned, turning once.

2. Meanwhile stir together oil(s), lemon juice and spices in a small bowl.

3. In a large bowl, mix together roasted items with cooked rice or quinoa, and then dump the liquid on top and stir to coat. Optionally add hot sauce to taste.