the trail - a new speed record

My friend Denis has been joining me on the trail this week. It helps me keep a normal pace and we have plenty of conversations, Scouting, hockey, all kinds of stuff. Today (day ten on the trail for me) though, we were both facing a super crazy busy day.

Normally, we meet at about 7:30 in the morning and do the loop. Well, Denis wanted to meet at 7:10 to get a jump on the day. No way José. The boy's bus comes at 7:08 usually. I told him the earliest I could be there was 7:15. I also told him that if I was not there by 7:15, just go and I will catch up. I figured I would just power it.

Well, the bus was a couple of minutes late. Then I almost left my phone behind, blah, blah, blah. So, by the time I get there, it is about 7:25. I figured that he must have waited until 7:20, because that is what I would have done.

I get motoring down the trail. I mean I am moving along. Whoa, everything has frozen back up, a bit slippery. Be careful. I make it to the spillway and no sign of Denis. Just as I enter the woods. Splat. I land on my right side. See stupid, I told you it was slippery. Be careful.

On I go, I am getting pretty hot. That is why I fell. I was futzing with the zipper on my jacket and hit a bend in the trail and the left side was higher and blam. Anyway, I am building a head of stem now. I actually have to take my watch cap off. Okay, in the leadup to the shelter. Surely, I will run in to Denis there. Nope.

I stop long enough to take a screen capture of my tracking app and strip two of my four layers off. Man it is fresh out, but I have built up to much heat, I have to shed it. On I go and still no sign of Denis. On every straightaway I look really, really hard to hopefully catch a glimpse of him. No dice.

even standing still I am moving pretty fast

26 minutes to the shelter & averaging 5.7 km/h (3½ mph)

a new record

Wow, this section is even more slippery than the beginning. Be careful. You already fell down once. I know what I am doing. Oh yeah. Yeah. Splat. Again. This time on the left side. My whole left side. Same thing, a slight bend with one side of the trail higher than the other. What a dummy. Dust myself off. I know how far I am from the trail head. No way am I going to catch up to Denis.

I bet he left before 7:15. I find out later that he had about a fifteen minute lead on me. No way I should be able to catch him over a 4 km (2½ mi) stretch. Too bad, but I am still pounding along. I said I would catch up to Denis and that is exactly what I am going to do. Every straightaway, no sign of him.

Now, I hit the final stretch. I can see the gate, but the parking lot is obscured. 150 metres to go, I do not see Denis. He must have already cleared out. Wait! I see his truck. I know it is his truck because it is parked in the same spot when I headed in.. Weird? I doubt he took that bypass I showed him. Just as I approach the gate, there is Denis, putting his stuff away.

See, I knew I would catch up to him.

Well, I set a record pace. It cost me two spills on to the ground though. I better save that pace for dry, no snow conditions. Otherwise I may break something next time.

wow, 45 minutes and still averaging over 5 km/h (over 3 mph)

oddly, it shows i burned fewer calories at this killer pace than an easygoing one?