tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39795759404670287042024-03-05T22:02:22.375-05:00Patins de rodasValdir Jorgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14407310251287625559noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979575940467028704.post-64303189131472550562019-09-22T16:25:00.002-04:002019-09-22T17:12:47.005-04:00The day the Défi died<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For me it was in 2019, the day before the Défi actually happened. On the Friday before the Défi we received an e-mail message from the organizer telling us that due to a shortage of volunteers to man the stations, there would be only one water station in the course instead of the usual four.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For me, at least, this was the death knell for the Défi. I'm a slow sk</span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">a</span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">ter who needs all the help he can get; one water station in the whole 128 Km course just doesn't cut it. When I registered for the event I was counting on the four water stations at the end of each phase that we always got in the past. And with less than a day to prepare for the lack of support on the course, my chances of finishing the Défi were doomed. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I don't want to slam the organizers too hard on this, but if that is the level of support I'm going to get, then I'll prefer to do the event by myself on the day of my choosing and starting from my house (I live near Km 115 of the race course) and finishing at my house as well.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Anyway, I still tried to be optimistic and decided that I would at least start the race. Who knows? Maybe this year things would go my way and I would have a good experience after all.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I had not done the Défi last year and I was eager to try it again, even if I were not going to finish it. I left home on Saturday morning before 6 am with plenty of time, so even if the metro took a long time to arrive I would still be on time.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, the metro took ten minutes to get to the Pie IX station. I was still ok, still plenty of time to get to Verdun before seven am, the official starting time. But while I was in the metro my memory started playing games with me. I knew I had to go to the Verdun Auditorium, so that should be near the Verdun station, right? Why was my mind trying to convince me it was the De l'Église station? Funny...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So I got out of the metro at the Verdun station and started walking, but nothing seemed familiar. I walked for three or four minutes before I realized I was in the wrong neighbourhood. I ran back to the metro station (well, as much as it is possible to run carrying a large, heavy bag containing all my skating equipment) to go to the De l'Église. And the train took another ten minutes to arrive, so all my buffer time was gone, I would arrive late at the start line. Damn my bad memory!</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I saw the Verdun Auditorium I almost wept. What a sad façade it is presenting now. They are doing renovations on the building, so in some future year it will probably regain its old glory, but today it looks really bad, a ghost of its glorious past.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Because of all the construction around the auditorium, the regular starting place was gone, so I circled around the building looking for the organizers. It was 7h05, so I imagined that the skaters had already gone off, but the organizers should still be there, I thought.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I did the entire perimeter of the building looking for anyone, but there was no one in sight. I considered putting on my skates and doing at least a few kilometers in memory of the good old times, but ended up deciding against it. It felt to me that the Universe was telling me that this was not meant to happen, so I let go.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Over the years I have had a recurring dream where I'm at the beginning of the Défi, getting ready to start and then I find out that I forgot to bring my skates and have to run back home to get them. I always wake up relieved when I see that it was just a dream. But what happened today was a little bit like those nightmares. I did not expect my relationship with the Défi to end like this, with a DNS because I couldn't even find the organizers.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I went back home, logged in to Facebook and saw the video of the skaters beginning this year's Défi where they say that they started a bit late, at 7h05! So when I was looking for them, they were all still there. But because of the construction they had to move the starting point further down the path, close to the river, and I did not see them at all. What a shame!</span>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, now this is final: from now on I'll do the Défi on my own, using my CamelBak to carry the water and supplies; I'll choose a day when the weather and other conditions are more appropriate for me; and I'll start and finish from my house, which will save me some of the hassle.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If some day in the future the Défi returns to its former glory, with dozens of participants, tons of volunteers, four support spots and all the rest, I may consider re-joining. But until then, I'll prefer to do it on my own.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I want to wish the organizers and future participants of the Défi all the luck in the world, I feel no ill toward anyone. I just don't want to be part of such a bare-bones event. Skating 128 Km is already hard enough, I don't need the extra struggle.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Good luck, good skating and be happy!</span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>Valdir Jorgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14407310251287625559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979575940467028704.post-41792437100903621822017-09-24T09:36:00.003-04:002019-09-22T16:25:36.447-04:00Défi 2017: probably my last one<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Rant post Défi</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have been doing the Défi for fifteen years now, I started in 2003 and have not missed a start ever since (I did miss the finish four times, but at least I tried...). And this year I came to the realization that maybe this is not for me anymore. Don't get me wrong, I still love inline skating and intend to continue rolling for as long as I can, but to subject my body to the torture that is the Défi, I guess the time has come to say "no more!".</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">On my first Défi I finished with great difficulty in 11h23m. This year, fourteen years later, I finished again with great difficulty in 11h25, so it will probably go downhill from here... During the Défi this year two volunteers (at the end of phases 3 and 4) told me that the important thing was to enjoy yourself while doing it. I didn't have the heart to tell them I was thoroughly not enjoying myself at all. I was in pain, multiple pains, really, so it felt more as a chore than something I would do for pleasure.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I know that pain and blister are part of the Défi experience, but this year it seems that I got a bit too much of them. I have never seen such big blisters on my toes before! And the pain on my lower legs, specially where the skates where grating my skin, were close to unbearable. The heat and the sun's brightness that I got all day long didn't help either.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And now, the proper review of this years Défi...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Phase I: they destroyed the bike path!</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I woke up before 5 am, got all my stuff ready and left home at 5h50 to catch the metro at Pie IX. I missed the train by a few seconds, the next one came only ten minutes later, but I had plenty of time.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I arrived at the Verdun Auditorium I saw that they had totally destroyed the bike path! It was closed off and there was heavy machinery all around. Rocky start we would have... :-)</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We were only seven skaters this year, but I got the bib #16; I guess the organizers were reusing the ones that had not been used last year...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I put on my skates and protection, did some warm-up skating and was ready to roll when the organizer called us to the start line. At the seven am mark he rang the bell and off we were...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There was a small patch of gravel connecting the parking lot of the auditorium to the bike path, I was the last one of the seven skaters to cross it and that was a good thing, because I had some problem with it, my skates blocked and I had to put my hand on the floor to avoid a fall. What a good way to start the Défi... :-(</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But then everything was fine when I got to the bike path. I even passed one of the skaters (Pierre Lamy, I believe) and joined with Raymond Savard and Eduardo Viadas, we rolled together for a while. Eduardo and I left Raymond behind and after a few minutes more Eduardo had to stop to take off his jacket, so for a few minutes I was in fourth place, with three skaters ahead of me and three behind.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There was a place with some construction where we had to skate on the sidewalk. Eduardo was slower on this one, so I left him behind. Raymond was faster to handle that trick part and put some distance to us.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Later on, when I was alone, I had a little "incident": an old woman in a car absolutely wanted me to go to the sidewalk to pass me and I indicated that she should go around, as going to the sidewalk at that point was not feasible to me. She honked her horn a few times, but there was nothing I could do about it. Eventually she did what everybody else was doing and went around me. Phew!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The first phase was very good, the temperature was still quite bearable, the skating was easy, I had no pain at all. The fact of having two other skaters with whom to share the road was also a plus. We went together for a few kilometers, right to the end of phase 1. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My average speed at the end of this phase was 18.8 km/h, pretty good for me.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Phase 2: nobody at the end!</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">After passing the end of the first phase Eduardo and Raymond left me behind, I was already starting to feel the heat and the pain the skates were beginning to create in my lower legs. But the skate was still good nonetheless.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">At Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue I passed Eduardo, who had stopped to rest a bit. Then I stopped right before the </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Senneville hill and he passed me back. We kept doing this a few times during the early part of the day.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The hill was not so bad, the downhill right after I could also manage (I'm always afraid of falling there like I did on my first Défi); the day was beginning to warm up, but it was still manageable. I started feeling the skates grate against my skin and I knew what was coming, nut for now it was still good.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Things started to fall apart close to the end of phase 2, around 10 am. The heat increased, the sun brightness was on my face the entire time, the grating on lower legs got to a point where it was starting to annoy me.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I did not find anyone at the end of phase 2 (Avenue du Château Pierrefonds with Boulevard Pierrefonds), there was no volunteer in sight. I thought that maybe they were at the other location, further north, that had not been used in the last three or four years.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My average speed for this phase had been 15.6 km/h, which brought my overall average to 17.1 km/h, still good.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Phase 3: things get rough</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I stopped at a gas station two kilometers after the end of phase 2, took out my skates and applied second skin to four places in my legs that were causing me pain. I also rested a bit from the heat. And I continued, slower than before.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And I had to start making stops in the shadow every ten kilometers or so in order not to overheat.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We met some construction at the end of the Pierrefonds boulevard, but that actually helped, because it closed the end of the boulevard to the cars, so I could skate in all security in the middle of the street for a short stretch.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The beginning of the Gouin boulevard was too dangerous, I skated mostly on the sidewalk, the cars were going way too fast, way too close to the sidewalk, there was no point in trying to skate on the street. Also, because of the construction everywhere, I didn't even try to get to the Lalande boulevard, which in previous years had provided some shelter from the speeding cars on Gouin.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I stopped under the bridge of road 13 for another session of cooling down. Eduardo passed me one last time. I never saw him again for the rest of the day. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The heat was starting to get me delirious. I would be skating and would get sleepy, I just wanted to stop and have a nap.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I reached the end of phase 3 at 12h25. Another skater (Guillaume, I believe) was ready to go, so I took his place at the chair. I stayed for at least twenty minutes. The volunteer there was such a nice lady, her name is Pierra and she is an instructor at the VLR Club. She offered me water, juice, even a cold compress.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My average speed for this phase was 12 km/h, which brought my overall average to 13.9 km/h, which was already looking bad. I only had less than fifty kilometers to go, but it was not looking pretty...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Phase 4: Pain all the way</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was going slow, but even at this easier level I was suffering. I had to stop many times to let the heat go away. One of these stops was at a ice-cream place on Gouin. It wasn't the best ice cream I ever had, but considering the heat outside, it was very welcome.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Not much else to report on this phase other than that the heat by now was just killing me. I was so pleased to get to the end of it and find another very helpful volunteer with some cold water and juice for me.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My average speed for this phase was 10 km/h, which brought my overall average to 12.6 km/h. I knew the last thirty kilometers would be awful and I was not disappointed...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Phase 5: I'm going to finish this, no matter what</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">By this point I had already decided that this would be my final Défi (even before seeing the giant blisters and all), so my only thought was to finish, no matter what.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I did not take the 81st street because it was under construction. I continued on the shoulder area of the Sherbooke street. There was a nice long stretch there that it is not marked as a bike path bu may well become one in the future. I went through it for quite a while and when it finished I turned left to try and find the bike path that I was supposed to be on.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I did not find it right away, but I found a newly renovated street called Montigny that was very nice to skate on. I followed it for a while, until that one also got some construction. I turned here and there and soon I was lost. I knew more or less the general direction I should go, but after so many turns I was not sure I was in the right path.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I don't know exactly what I did, but I somehow ended up on Notre Dame, where I was supposed to be and continued through the path that is so well known to me from so many other Défis. By now I was stopping at every five kilometers to hide from the sun and rest a little bit.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Pierre Lamy passed me somewhere around km 115. I was having another stop to rest from the heat, I just waved him good luck. I got up soon after that but I never saw him again. I knew he was suffering too, but not as bad as me, it seemed.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">After a final stop in the old port where I almost fell asleep, I finally arrived at the Verdun auditorium at 18h25 for a total time of 11h25, one of my worst times ever in a Défi.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My average speed for this phase was 8.2 km/h, which brought my final average to 11.2 km/h.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Pascal and Olivier were there to greet me, they even had a folding chair for me to sit on. Here is the medal that I received:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicjwbWMyusk8JpEIRJB1QgLUpbIJ1qKJosyXdMRkrKDj6MOoOWXlOohzrCFl7yg0TdpTNY1yi_SqYsbixmWKNaPFAiEIrLytoxiCNcL_L4CB2Dg9CqFTF4kOWU09mESiLCrZtoAxRJVXc/s1600/DSCN4627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="1600" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicjwbWMyusk8JpEIRJB1QgLUpbIJ1qKJosyXdMRkrKDj6MOoOWXlOohzrCFl7yg0TdpTNY1yi_SqYsbixmWKNaPFAiEIrLytoxiCNcL_L4CB2Dg9CqFTF4kOWU09mESiLCrZtoAxRJVXc/s640/DSCN4627.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And the reverse of the medal showing my time:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqnVMp_T0QiWH2ZcQCG_NS-rMTmksuIR8PGQdRiYudN4Ys8Xp5MWNCEfzcdXtzqSMewVI71xXfWOHivVDlT8kzSHMxEjC_A882yjcjksujEX4DwTyONZvVtP9RlY3GZh32BCgJjfNMWSI/s1600/DSCN4628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqnVMp_T0QiWH2ZcQCG_NS-rMTmksuIR8PGQdRiYudN4Ys8Xp5MWNCEfzcdXtzqSMewVI71xXfWOHivVDlT8kzSHMxEjC_A882yjcjksujEX4DwTyONZvVtP9RlY3GZh32BCgJjfNMWSI/s400/DSCN4628.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I took out all my equipment, put my shoes back on, confirmed that I was still able to walk (difficult at the beginning), thanked them for all their patience and went home slowly, very slowly.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My wife was waiting for me because the organizers had called home short after 6 pm to see if I was still going to finish, so she was a bit worried about me.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I took a bath, I saw my gigantic blisters, drank a beer and rested a bit. Details of my blisters here (sorry if you are squeamish...):</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmxhXOkH4-4k3lqlKqUvPw4VyQeLGokojlvP-XqguKYxPvl4ZrvJg-gmkHVF0qGPn8OooRkJb9dK2E6dh54IqJfYGuqIUDCY6NIQL0r8K3xNucCeXtNlVjtyKP0Lq7cnmiLVVFbHsymJA/s1600/DSCN4631-dupla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmxhXOkH4-4k3lqlKqUvPw4VyQeLGokojlvP-XqguKYxPvl4ZrvJg-gmkHVF0qGPn8OooRkJb9dK2E6dh54IqJfYGuqIUDCY6NIQL0r8K3xNucCeXtNlVjtyKP0Lq7cnmiLVVFbHsymJA/s640/DSCN4631-dupla.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My wife told me that the Montreal marathon (that was supposed to happen the following day) had been cancelled due to the heat that was hitting the city. Maybe the Défi organizers should also consider postponing the event in case of extreme weather like we had this year...</span><br />
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Valdir Jorgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14407310251287625559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979575940467028704.post-31137717107145154282016-09-17T18:18:00.000-04:002016-09-18T22:12:04.313-04:00Défi 2016: under new direction<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Pre-race</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">After last year's <a href="http://patinsderodas.blogspot.ca/2015/10/defi-amical.html"><i>Défi Amical</i></a>, four young skaters took upon themselves the organization of the Défi. They created a new web site called <a href="http://www.defi128.com/index.php">Défi 128km</a>. They took two very good decisions: first, to bring the Défi from October to September; and second, to move the start time from 6 am to 7 am. Two huge improvements.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The temperature was much better, hanging around 20 degrees Celsius (in previous years we got even negative temperatures!). And the fact that we had</span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> one hour more to sleep really helped.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For the first time I could go to the Défi by metro, which is a nice change. I arrived there at the Verdun Auditorium at 6h30, with plenty of time to get ready for the 7 o'clock start.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As I had been the first to register, I got assigned the number 1. Later on I would comment with one of the volunteers: "I'm the fastest on the registration and the slowest on the course"... :-)</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We were only nine participants, eight men and one woman (one of the organizers). I knew they were all faster than me, so last place was a given for me from the start.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Phase 1</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">At 7 am the organizer gave the go ahead and we went off. He told us that he had painted a sign on the pavement at every 10K to indicate to the skaters how much they had already covered. I did a quick mental calculation and saw that I should pass each 10K mark in 40/45 minutes if I wanted to finish around 9h. To my surprise, when I passed the 10K mark it was only 7h32, I was going considerably faster than I thought.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For a few kilometers I passed one of the other skaters, so for a very short time I wasn't last. But soon he passed me and I never saw him again.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I passed the 20K mark, another 32 minutes had gone by, so I was keeping my speed, I was quite happy.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Around km 26 I met the first volunteers at the end of phase 1. I sat down to rest a bit, they gave me water, which I added to my CamelBak. I took off my jacket and they offered to take it to the finish line for me. That helped quite a bit, I didn't have to carry it the rest of the day.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Phase 2</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In phase 2 I started slowing down already. The day was still great, sunny, the best conditions ever for a Défi, but my legs started feeling the lack of training. This year I devoted most of my time to running and didn't take care of the skating. Today I was paying the price for that mistake.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I arrived at the end of phase 2 at 9h50, one of my best times in all my Défis. There were two volunteers there, I sat down in their chair and rested for a good ten minutes. The feet were already hurting, despite the second skin and the cloth band around my lower legs.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Phase 3</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />I had gone just a few kilometers on the Pierrefonds boulevard when I got a bad case of cramps in my left leg. I had to "walk" for a few minutes, not putting much effort on the bad leg. Fortunately, the problem went away the same way it came in and I could resume normal skating again.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Many parts of Gouin were under construction,</span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> with just one lane for the cars. Therefore, I was forced to skate on the sidewalk, which was not always easy. The streets may be badly kept, but the sidewalks are even worse...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was already having problems of my own, my legs were getting really tired, and the bad sidewalks didn't help at all. I started sweating cold, I was having a bad day and began thinking about giving up.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I stopped under the bridge of highway 13 and ate some pickles that I had brought with me. The salt and the acidity of the pickles gave me the boost necessary to continue a bit more.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The rest of phase 3 was quite uneventful. One good thing that I noticed was that there were practically no leaves nor branches on the bike path. On previous Défis they had been a big nuisance, but this year, because we were doing it a month earlier, they were not a problem. That helped a lot.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Phase 4</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I arrived at the end of section 3 at 12h15, a full hour behind the last group of skaters. I sat down on the volunteer's chair and had my longest pause of the day, fifteen minutes to have my lunch.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">After this point I had to stop every five to seven kilometers to rest a few minutes. My skating was suffering a lot, just going forward was hard enough. Fortunately this is the shortest section of the Défi, it didn't take as long as the other ones.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There was heavy construction on Gouin, it was completely closed at a certain point. I had to take the parallel road for a few minutes in order to get back where I wanted to go.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Phase 5</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For this year they moved the end of phase 4 some 500m from its usual location. The volunteer was there with his car, I could stop and sit down for a while.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Soon after I left him, I hit a gravel patch and a small pebble lodged itself in my right skate and I could not continue. I had to sit down, take off the skate and force the pebble out.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As it is usually the case, this was the slowest section for me. My lower legs were really hurting, I could barely continue. I stopped four or five times in this section.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">At 16h20 a light rain started. The pavement got wet, but that didn't affect me much. I was already going so slow that the wet pavement didn't hinder me at all.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I had agreed with my wife that she would go to the Verdun Auditorium around 5 pm to get me back home. We met by chance on Berry, we exchanged a few words and we both continued our way to the auditorium.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The rain returned in force and now it was really pouring. On Wellington I had some close encounters with a few angry drivers, so I had to go to the sidewalk a bit more.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It was 17h23 when I finally arrived at the finish line. Pascal, one of the organizers, was there waiting for me with my medal. The poor guy had waited for two hours for me...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Afterthoughts</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The last Défi always feels like the worst ever because it is the one that we remember the most, but this one was particularly hard on my feet, even with all the precautions I took.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I also didn't like the fact that I made the volunteers wait hours for me. Everybody was absolutely great, super nice, they all told me not to worry, that the Défi is not a speed contest and all that, but I know that if it wasn't for me, everybody could have gone home a lot earlier, so I feel bad about it. So bad that I mentioned to my wife that this may have been my last Défi; I don't want to repeat this kind of experience again. The Défi is already hard enough without me having to worry about the volunteers.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For next year I'll wait to do my registration. If I see that there are only a few participants and they are all much faster than me, I won't bother. Or I may tell the organizers upfront not to wait for me after section 3. I can get my medal by mail later... :-(</span>Valdir Jorgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14407310251287625559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979575940467028704.post-21621037753738348422015-10-18T09:29:00.002-04:002015-11-01T14:37:41.450-05:00Défi amical<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">The Défi is dead! Long live the Défi!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">At the end of August, we got the bomb via Facebook: M. Fortier would no longer organize the Défi. But instead of letting the event just die like that, a group of skaters took charge "unofficially", created a FB page for the <i>Défi amical (a new version of Défi) </i></span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">and in just a few days we had more than a dozen people confirmed to once more skate on the third Saturday of October.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There was some discussion about doing the Défi in September, because the weather would be better, but as we were already in September, the organizers preferred to keep the traditional date, with the understanding that for next year we would discuss more about the date.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Personal Défi</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">After some consideration, I decided to do my Défi starting and finishing at my own house. I live near the km 115, so I could do the last 13 km first and then meet the other skaters for the "départ amical" at the Verdun Auditorium. There was no point in forcing my wife to take me to the starting point by car and then have her get me back at the same place at the end. If this was going to be unofficial, then for sure I could do it my own way. I announced that at the event page on FB and got a positive reply from the organizer, so I was set.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Mother nature is a b!@#$!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">One week before the Défi I did my last long training session, I skated 38 km around Montreal. It was glorious, the weather was perfect: it was a bit cold, but it was dry, it hadn't rained in days, the pavement was just right for some skating.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But then the temperatures started falling and the winds got stronger. The leaves of the trees fell down in tons, it was really hard to skate in those conditions (I go to work through part of section 5 of the Défi and could see the conditions worsening day by day).</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then on the day of the Défi it rained non-stop overnight. The tons of leaves transformed in one immense mess...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Nevertheless, at 5 am on Saturday morning I was ready to go:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I left my house under some light rain. </span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Skating was already hard from the start. It was cold (the temperature was barely above zero, which made the light rain feel even worse).</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I must have skated even slower than my usual pace. I had imagined that I would have a few minutes to talk to the other skaters when I arrived at the Auditorium, but when I got there the organizer said "So, we're all here? 3, 2, 1, go!" and off we went for </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the first </span><i style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Défi amical</i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Mudslide</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As usual, I was one of the slowest skaters, most of the others just went off and I never saw them again. I only left behind one female skater. I don't know if she had had other experiences with the Défi. She did not seem to have even a lamp with her. Skating in the dark, alone is not something I would like to do. I never saw her again either, so I must assume that she gave up at the first stages of the event.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So I was skating in the dark, with just my head lamp to help me, when I got to a place where I was not sure where to go. I continued forward and ended up in a mud patch. I fell sideways. My only fall of the day, but pretty annoying considering I was all dirty now. Then I looked around and saw that the bike path at that point does a hard turn to the left. Oh well, I cleaned myself the best I could and continued on my way.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Snow!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I had seen some snow in 2004 or 2005 but it had been very light stuff. This year, it snowed for real! We had some real snowing in the first hour or two. I had never seen that during the last thirteen Défi events in which I took part. What an experience!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The rain did not stop at all in the beginning, I got thoroughly wet inside and out.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The path seemed longer this year. By now I almost know the Défi path by heart, but everything seemed to take longer to show up. For instance, I got to the end of the first section at 7h51, one of my slowest times ever for this section.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">DNF again! :-(</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Going through the second phase of the Défi under the rain and the cold was painful. Around midway of the second section I had already decided that I was going to quit once more, there was no way I could finish the Défi under those conditions.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Around km 45 another skater showed up; she said her name was Catherine and she had started later. She asked me how I was doing, I told her I was going to quit, I was just looking for a public phone to call my wife. She was gracious enough to lend me her cell phone to make the call.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I talked to my wife and we agreed that we would meet at my regular "quitting point", soon after the end of section 2 at the corner of St Charles and Pierrefonds.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My fellow skater went on by herself, I continued as well, but much slower, because it would be some time before my wife could come and get me.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is me when my wife (and my daughter, what a surprise!) </span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">arrived to take me home:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJLGIe-GfhiaXHg26jqYiwJGJUILA8x78wZrk1X-kSWI22Sr2tAbVVCT7k0Ry5OkqOs7os03HsIftM7Vjdt0oDG28UmbfNhOWdnfc8v97LYRCcjsuStprz5lPHkURm9L0pS5BqGg_L7Wg/s1600/DSC03339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJLGIe-GfhiaXHg26jqYiwJGJUILA8x78wZrk1X-kSWI22Sr2tAbVVCT7k0Ry5OkqOs7os03HsIftM7Vjdt0oDG28UmbfNhOWdnfc8v97LYRCcjsuStprz5lPHkURm9L0pS5BqGg_L7Wg/s400/DSC03339.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My hands are black because my gloves started releasing a lot of dye with all the rain I got. It would be days before that ink would disappear...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">At home, after a good shower and a nice meal I went to check the computer to see what had transpired. In the end only five of the ten or twelve people who started the event finished it. This is what they got at their arrival:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3VNSiePIL_hCCEyinpqw1ZJSd8htRlzpL1bRdBg8UQOycSLFOjRiSXuYLAMJ5ajdEg63oPHdXvp1G9i2aa8C_JHpW3soaN1U77BggguQh677cputGdE80hAtlFQTegqgfeJ_xZciyrxA/s1600/Chegada+do+Defi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3VNSiePIL_hCCEyinpqw1ZJSd8htRlzpL1bRdBg8UQOycSLFOjRiSXuYLAMJ5ajdEg63oPHdXvp1G9i2aa8C_JHpW3soaN1U77BggguQh677cputGdE80hAtlFQTegqgfeJ_xZciyrxA/s640/Chegada+do+Defi.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yes, it snowed enough to get some little snowmen on the bike path! Wow!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I announced my DNF on the FB page and told them that next year I'll do my Défi in September. There is no point in waiting for so long in the season.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Thank yous</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thanks to Christine for organizing the FB event page; to Pierre for the yellow arrows and all the info about construction; to </span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Catherine for lending me her cell phone; </span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">to all the other skaters and friends that one way or another made this event possible; and, of course, to my wife for rescuing me from the cold and bringing me home.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Plans for next year</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As I said before, there are talks already about doing the Défi in September, which is a good thing. For my part I intend to do the Défi more than once: I'll do it in May/June, then again in September with the rest of the gang and if we have dry weather on the third Saturday of October I'll do it once more. I just won't skate in the rain and in the cold anymore. It's absolutely not fun at all.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>Valdir Jorgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14407310251287625559noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979575940467028704.post-57989468704122448722014-10-18T12:35:00.000-04:002014-10-26T09:42:50.528-04:00Défi 2014: another failure... :-(<br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">0. Before the race</span> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This year my family decided to accompany me part of the way. My wife, my son, my daughter and her boyfriend were there with me at the Verdun Auditorium right before six am for the start of the Défi.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We were only eleven skaters in total, the lowest number of participants since 1996 (the first year, when there were only eight people finishing the Défi).</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Before the start we had a small ceremony where M. Belisle (who no longer runs the Défi, but is now volunteering) presented a commemorative plaque to M. Fortier, the founder of the Défi.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1. Phase 1</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Two minutes after six am M. Fortier did the countdown, I said goodbye to my family and we started the Défi.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It had rained the previous days, the pavement was wet most everywhere, dangerous conditions to be skating.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In less than five minutes I was already by myself. Most skaters were already far in advance, there were only two behind me that I could no longer see.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The first half of the phase 1 was all fun and games despite the dangerous pavement, my pace was good, I was feeling quite well. But the troubles started around km 15, my skates were already "eating" at my feet and legs, even though I had generously applied moleskin everywhere.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I was not carrying my Camelbak, I had agreed with my wife that she would be waiting for me at the end of phase 1 and I would take it there. I did feel a bit thirst, but nothing that could not wait until meeting her there.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Unfortunately for me, when I arrived at the St Jean checkpoint (at 7h28), my family was not there. I talked to a volunteer, he gave me water and I continued.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">2. Phase 2</span> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My ankles were already hurting a lot, I wanted to apply more moleskin to them, but they were in my Camelbak, with my wife. So, I continued limping ahead...</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">At around 8 pm my wife reached me and parked the car in a small street to wait for me.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I sat down in the luggage compartment of the car and surveyed my legs: my skates were hurting me even on the places padded with moleskin, so there was no point in doing anything, I would have to face the pain.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">At this point it started raining a lot. It was a quick shower, but I was totally wet now. What a wretched day to skate.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I got my Camelbak and continued forth. I saw my family once more under the bridge of the 20 a few minutes later, but we just waved, I did not stop there.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I did my traditional stop right before the Senneville hill to eat my first bar of the day.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The hill was not so bad this year. I did it very slowly, of course. With the wet pavement and all the pain in my lower legs it could not have been different, but it wasn't particularly difficult.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When I was approaching the end of phase 2 I was already thinking of giving up, but then I looked at my watch and I saw that it was just 9h10. I thought "I have done much worse than this in previous years and I finished, so there is no point in giving up now".</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I stopped at the end of phase 2 and talked a little bit to M. Belisle, who was the volunteer at that point. I also checked my lower legs again to see the damage done so far by my skates.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">3. Phase 3</span> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I continued through the Boulevard Pierrefonds but when I was getting to the end of it, I had enough and called it a day. I called my wife and she came to pick me up on Gouin and we went back home. Another unfinished Défi for me... What a horrible feeling it is...</span></span></span>Valdir Jorgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14407310251287625559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979575940467028704.post-69828442931229802662013-10-19T17:12:00.000-04:002013-12-07T06:10:02.117-05:00Défi 2013: I still got a silver medal!<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">This year, a special feature for the TL;DR crowd: the really important parts appear in this font</span>, while the rest of the text is in a lighter colour, so that you can quickly skip to the good parts. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">0. Pre-Race: where I twist my ankle</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">On August 25th</span> I went out to watch the first edition of the <a href="http://www.demimarathonlachine.com/en">Lachine Canal Half Marathon</a>. I was considering doing it next year if I saw that the event was well organized. I went on rollerblades...</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Everything was fine until I hit the green bridge near the Dollard avenue, less than two kilometers from the place where the half marathon was happening. This green bridge has a very nasty turn, it's 180 degrees and it goes down two meters or more.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I tried to do that turn and it did not turn out too well. I started falling and tried to stop it, <span style="color: #274e13;">I twisted my right ankle pretty badly.</span> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Long story short: <span style="color: #274e13;">I could not skate for the rest of the season</span>, I had to go for physiotherapy, so I didn't have high hopes for the Défi.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1. Phase 1: where we skate in the dark</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDnorbR8pf872H0Umtfu99nxWpeVtEmISiYjt-uThDGnJX9WgLFhL0pNna_cglplXIn6n-EarOQOW7yEusNJqVT0cOlSWc9ubDNKQTDrjWQFkFVL9PlJJwjTos7CMYxfAoCGLUQVsIMMg/s1600/DSC01053.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDnorbR8pf872H0Umtfu99nxWpeVtEmISiYjt-uThDGnJX9WgLFhL0pNna_cglplXIn6n-EarOQOW7yEusNJqVT0cOlSWc9ubDNKQTDrjWQFkFVL9PlJJwjTos7CMYxfAoCGLUQVsIMMg/s200/DSC01053.JPG" width="200" /></a> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">This year it was not going to rain during the Défi, so the prospects were good.</span> If my ankle could hold, I would be ok.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My wife and I arrived at the Verdun Auditorium at 5h30 am, I got my race pack and got ready for some real skating.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7NGB7AGv2KQ3KfYhAOPGUFNRKNcbjvNPbhjlIjpLDJ74XQzppnJUAuayjqqh1f52Jf4Uga2vQCu3yX43C4KugoSJuPTVURNxC2DAPzqn6bSEQWyuwxnwZ81imAT_DmtyLLWrgKWec8I/s1600/DSC01059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7NGB7AGv2KQ3KfYhAOPGUFNRKNcbjvNPbhjlIjpLDJ74XQzppnJUAuayjqqh1f52Jf4Uga2vQCu3yX43C4KugoSJuPTVURNxC2DAPzqn6bSEQWyuwxnwZ81imAT_DmtyLLWrgKWec8I/s200/DSC01059.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDnorbR8pf872H0Umtfu99nxWpeVtEmISiYjt-uThDGnJX9WgLFhL0pNna_cglplXIn6n-EarOQOW7yEusNJqVT0cOlSWc9ubDNKQTDrjWQFkFVL9PlJJwjTos7CMYxfAoCGLUQVsIMMg/s1600/DSC01053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Even though our bib numbers were in the 60 to 80 range, <span style="color: #274e13;">I don't think I saw more than thirty people at the starting line.</span></span></span></span> <br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Mr. Fortier did the traditional countdown just before 6 am, my wife and I said goodbye and off we went.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This year I had gotten a small lamp from MEC, it helped me quite a bit in that first hour until the sun came up.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">I met a group of three skaters (numbers 69, 70 and 71) and a cyclist and stayed with them for the first twenty minutes or so.</span> Then the girl (it was one woman and three men) had a problem on her skates and I left them behind.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">But I was going slow, I didn't want to force my ankle, so they caught up with me by the middle of phase 1, right where we cross the Lachine Canal.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We had to go on the street because the bike path was closed there. I was less than fifty meters ahead of them and I missed the point where we should retake the bike path. The group of skaters shouted to tell me</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">that and then I wasted a few precious seconds to find how to go back to the path. They took off and I didn't see them anymore for a few hours.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So, by then I was alone, I did the rest of phase 1 by myself. When I got to the end of phase 1, a nice surprise: the volunteer told me it was only 7h33, so <span style="color: #274e13;">I had done the first phase in just 1h33.</span> This is one of my best splits. Considering that I was not forcing the pace because of my ankle, this was a great result so far.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2. Phase 2: where almost nothing happens</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Phase
2 was mostly uneventful. Mr. Fortier filmed me a little bit on the
Senneville road, asked me if everything was ok and I continued to the
hill.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">At the end of phase 2 there were three nice volunteers, one of them a very young girl (she couldn't be older than 10) on roller blades. They offered me a chair, so I could rest a bit.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">When I took out my left skate</span> to survey the damage so far I got a bad surprise: <span style="color: #274e13;">there was a sizable red stain near the bottom of my sock.</span> I didn't even feel the pain there, considering all the other pains I was feeling around my legs and feet.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Anyway, one of the volunteers helped me with changing my second skin and I could put sock and skate back to continue.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">They told me it was 9h05, a very good time to complete phase 2, one of my best actually.</span> Later I learned that many people got a new PB this year at the Défi, the conditions were really great.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><br /></span>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">3. Phase 3: where dogs attack me and I fall</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">At the Pierrefonds boulevard I got attacked by a dog. It didn't actually touch me at all, because his owner restrained him at the last possible instant.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Later on, another big dog also came running in my direction and stopped short of hitting me. Several smaller dogs were restrained by their owners while I passed them. Do you guys have experiences like that? <span style="color: #274e13;">What makes the dogs not like rollerblades?</span> Is it the sound of our wheels on the pavement?</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">I met skaters 69/70/71 at the beginning of the Lalande boulevard, they seemed to be a bit lost.</span> When they saw me continuing through Lalande, they took it, too.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I had to stop again at a park on Lalande to take care of my feet. The pain at this point was past the point of bearable. I used up the rest of my spare second skin. For next year I want a full sock made of thick second skin!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">This year there seemed to be more traffic than usual on Gouin.</span> On many spots I had to skate on the side walk, the cars were whizzing by dangerously close to the pedestrian area for me to skate on the road.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">At the Parc de la Merci (around km 70 or so) I had my only fall of the day.</span> It was nothing important, but when I tried to stop the fall, the cramps showed up on my left leg and I had to stay down for a while massaging my calf.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">At the end of phase 3 I met two nice volunteers (</span></span></span><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="entity _586o" data-fulltext="Claudia Thibodeau" data-group="all" data-icon="null" data-select="group" data-si="true" data-text="Claudia Thibodeau" data-type="ent:user" data-uid="674915404">Claudia </span><span data-si="true">and </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-si="true">Mélissa</span>) who offered me a chair, water, chocolates and even sandwiches! Nicest break of the day, for sure.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">They told me it was 11h19</span>, so I was still doing pretty good, all things considered.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span></span>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">4. Phase 4: where I meet a new friend</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And then I started the real limping phase. They say the real Défi starts there, under the Pie-IX bridge at the end of phase 3. And it is so true. With almost 80 km of skating behind you, it's really hard to face the next 50 km or so.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">At this point the pain in my legs and feet didn't allow me to properly skate, so I was mostly just trying to go forward with minimum effort, which slowed me down considerably.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There was some construction on Gouin, so I had to go up the 52nd or 53rd street and ended up on 3rd street, which is parallel to Gouin. It's wider and much better maintained, so I stayed on it as long as I could and only got back to Gouin when I really had to.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">When I was going down on 68th street, I saw a skater passing by on Gouin.</span> We went for a few minutes like this, him ahead of me some fifty meters or so.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">He was on the other side of the road, so when he saw me he came to the left side, where there was the bike path and we skated for the next few kilometers exchanging a few words here and there.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">When we stopped at the end of phase 4, he told me it was 12h58. </span>There were no volunteers there and no water either. I started worrying about not having enough water to get to Verdun.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">5. Phase 5: where two old men limp ahead</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Later I learned that </span></span>my new friend was called Randy.</span> I
told him that if he
wanted, he could go on ahead, because I would go very slowly in this
phase, due to all the pain everywhere.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">But he was not in much better shape than I was, so we stuck together for the next three hours. Yes, it took us almost three hours to complete the last thirty kilometers...</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">We stopped many times along the way to catch our breaths, drink and eat. In one of these times, at the Bellevue park, he let me use his cell phone to call my wife.</span> She thought that I was calling to ask her to get me because I was giving up. She was quite happy when she understood that I was going to finish the whole thing in the next ninety minutes.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrajaYsUYQwgyM6UmNyuRAiIs9m1lRwgyh03-AVpP985hti1khdQ6whDkI1CqK4EBlcunguDiyB3tmWZ-No5MpGdD2b_mKwCTj7Asf8P4u8_mAWkOs5EzEhQjvAvNZ6vE2-x_EM7uevgA/s1600/DSC01062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrajaYsUYQwgyM6UmNyuRAiIs9m1lRwgyh03-AVpP985hti1khdQ6whDkI1CqK4EBlcunguDiyB3tmWZ-No5MpGdD2b_mKwCTj7Asf8P4u8_mAWkOs5EzEhQjvAvNZ6vE2-x_EM7uevgA/s200/DSC01062.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Randy and I continued in our struggle, stopping here and there. My wife took this picture of us while we waited for the light to turn green for us.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Our last stop was just at the end of the Comune street. At this point two other skaters caught up with us and we continued for the last four kilometers more or less as a group.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In the final stretch Randy got some distance between us and was the first of the group to arrive at the finish line. The other two skaters also left me a bit behind and finished half a minute or so before me.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSn4Gd-rV39YINTJGIivxNb10SBwkE_OGmoss8Z-7Zrrk_RyD9gkH1pi2D5ddsjeKErAmkQZiyaD1ZSeKTWlafmn1YtmHARYLKHwU7KwqPQOIXYGL1LoAeIieNTmcSCpYChOgFuWZwJJo/s1600/DSC01063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSn4Gd-rV39YINTJGIivxNb10SBwkE_OGmoss8Z-7Zrrk_RyD9gkH1pi2D5ddsjeKErAmkQZiyaD1ZSeKTWlafmn1YtmHARYLKHwU7KwqPQOIXYGL1LoAeIieNTmcSCpYChOgFuWZwJJo/s200/DSC01063.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When I got to the end my wife was there to greet me and she took pictures of my triumphal arrival. <span style="color: #274e13;">Mr. Fortier told me that my total time was 9h53, good enough for a silver medal.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I was so happy to take off those skates...</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgLeExeeQFjB_P1D3huzlTvrhUfTLCfBPPJtFm3v-Iq4V2n0xaRiIEFNwQpg_pR4RXqad1wOb5aopCscxYSOljo2vyFJbnmulDL1w5p-Kgkxvg6sDM7kM5V0ljER3uPrlYOlbS63MmFgY/s1600/DSC01066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgLeExeeQFjB_P1D3huzlTvrhUfTLCfBPPJtFm3v-Iq4V2n0xaRiIEFNwQpg_pR4RXqad1wOb5aopCscxYSOljo2vyFJbnmulDL1w5p-Kgkxvg6sDM7kM5V0ljER3uPrlYOlbS63MmFgY/s200/DSC01066.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And here you can see how utterly tired I was...</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Going back home I was completely normal. Last year I had had a weird reaction to the electrolytes and shook pretty badly in the car, scaring my wife and my daughter. This time I just had the usual pains that are part of the Défi.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">6. Thanks</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Thanks to Mr. Fortier and his team of volunteers who made this Défi a success once more.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Thanks to my wife for all the help. This is our eleventh Défi together, she's always there at the start line
(struggling with the cold temperatures) and at the finish line
(cheering up for me and taking the last pictures!).</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And, finally, thanks to Randy for being there on those last few hours of the Défi. It was quite a nice change to have someone to share the pain and the struggle that are the final kilometers of this madness of ours.</span></span></span><br />
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<br /><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">7. A month later...</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I've got my medal and my diploma:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
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Valdir Jorgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14407310251287625559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979575940467028704.post-46486721870604908672012-10-20T20:14:00.000-04:002012-10-22T06:08:22.628-04:00Défi 2012: personal best!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span id="internal-source-marker_0.02306607135547778" style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Personal best!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This
year I finished the Défi in 8h48m, shaving off five minutes from my
previous best time. And considering the wet pavement that we had in the
morning plus the wet leaves all day long, that’s quite an achievement!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A different kind of report</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For
this year I’ll do something quite different for this report. Instead of
doing a blow-by-blow of every phase, I’ll just make some general
comments in a more relaxed fashion. I’ll try to follow the order of the
phases, but it won’t be a 100%. So here it goes...</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Are quads even allowed?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For
the first time ever I saw someone at the start line on quads. I thought
those things had disappeared during the 80’s... :-) And I also thought
they were more for exhibitions, not for long distance runs.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">C'est parti!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In the action:</span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnLGp0PnzeJGQBKZ4dQm7bIzI9n04S0jRyIlIv5GgGrFiZSV_Lk8yD-VrLsmZNynvJhU7Q0c3a1nf4bWHtRsiUT1D4-yzbFzxMgmHGHgXsFQgxMokhOxSuGxoI1DGJ11Tlr7fw-MFU214/s1600/DSC00019.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnLGp0PnzeJGQBKZ4dQm7bIzI9n04S0jRyIlIv5GgGrFiZSV_Lk8yD-VrLsmZNynvJhU7Q0c3a1nf4bWHtRsiUT1D4-yzbFzxMgmHGHgXsFQgxMokhOxSuGxoI1DGJ11Tlr7fw-MFU214/s400/DSC00019.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The safety pins are not optional</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I didn't have the time to put on the safety pins on my number tags. The front one fell off before I had gone through half of <b>phase 1</b>, the back one soon after. For next year I have to find the time to put them on, I just have to.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Splashing water all over the place</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This
year I bought a CamelBak to be more independent in terms of food and
drink. I tried it during the summer and I even used it in two </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">foot races (</span>half
marathons) that I did in Mt. Tremblant
and in Montreal. So I was quite used to it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Right
before leaving home to go to the Verdun Auditorium I filled my Camelbak
with 1.8 litres of electrolytes that I had just prepared. I also put
power bars, chocolate bars, gels and other stuff in it that I would need
during the race.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">By the middle of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">phase 1</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">,
when I wanted to drink a little bit of the electrolytes, I pulled the
tube of the Camelbak a little too hard and the little faucet that
controls the flow of the liquid got ripped off, so that now I had liquid
coming through the hole. This would annoy me for the rest of the day.
Every time I would flex my knees to lower my centre of gravity, liquid
would come flowing through that hole. I must have wasted at least half a
litre of the electrolytes! Argh!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We’re following the leader, wherever she may go</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">During the second half of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">phase 1</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">,
I got together with three other skaters, two men and a girl. They were
going at a stronger pace than I usually go, but I decided to follow them
for as long as I could. We went together for quite a few kilometers.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We
would rotate the leading skater in a very informal way. At one moment,
close to the end of phase 1, the girl was in front and I was in second,
just a few meters behind her. With the very wet pavement and all that,
she eventually fell down. I had a split second to avoid a nasty
collision with her, the two other skaters who were a bit behind were
able to slow down and help her up.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Huffing and puffing</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Past the midpoint of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">phase 2</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
we have to face the famous Senneville hill. Usually I stop right before
it to eat and drink, but not this year, I just continued on and up. It
was hard... I was huffing and puffing all the way up. But I eventually
did it and got rewarded with a nice downhill right after.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Skater 39 and his friend on bicycle (who had been part of the group of four I mentioned earlier) had stopped at the top of the hill to rest a bit, they encouraged me saying the worst was over and wished me good luck for the rest of the day.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Dreams of gold</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I got to the end of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">phase 2</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
by 8h50, my first personal best of the day (four years ago I got there
at 9h10). So, fifty kilometers in 2h50, I did some mental calculations
and saw that if I could keep the rhythm, I would do the Défi in 7h20.
Even allowing for some slowing down at the end, I thought I had a good
shot at a gold medal. Yeah! Keep dreaming...</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Four-legged encounters</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">At the beginning of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">phase 3</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">,
at the Pierrefonds Boulevard, there was a small white dog walking right
in the middle of the bike path. As I approached him, I tried to look
for his owner, but he was nowhere to be seen. Odd...</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As
the dog heard my wheels on the pavement, he started running, but still
right in the middle of the bike path! When I finally passed him, I had
to skate with my legs wide open not to hit the little fella. When he saw
me he got scared and tried to bite me, but fortunately couldn’t reach
me. Phew!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Later
on, in phase 4 or maybe even 5, a white mouse crossed right in front of
me, I missed it by just a few centimeters. I could see it was well
kept, it wasn’t a street mouse, it probably had fled its cage...</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">At
least twice during the day I scared cats (one black, one white). They
were thinking of crossing the bike path but when they saw/heard me, they
ran away in the other direction.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And don’t get me started on the squirrels! Boy, so many squirrels!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cramps</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Right in the middle of the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Pierrefonds Boulevard, I got the first signs of cramps, so I had to go easier on my body. The cramps didn't </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">fully </span>develop, so I didn't have to stop, but they continued with me for the rest of the day: every time I tried to push harder, they would show up their ugly head and I would have to stop pushing. My pace got slower.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Trainspotting</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">During most of the Pierrefonds boulevard I was with another skater (I forget his number now...). Close to the end of the boulevard I opened some distance from him, he was some 50 m behind me.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Right after the boulevard, when we get back to Gouin, there is a train crossing area. When I got to that point I heard the warning bells indicating that the train would soon pass. Soon after I got through, the barrier came down. The other skater, instead of stopping to wait for the train, decided to circumvent the barrier and go through anyway! <b>Stupid crazy stuff!</b> Fortunately he went through unharmed, but that was a totally unnecessary risk on his part.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">First stop of the day</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">At the midpoint of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">phase 3</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
I sat down at a bus stop to eat some biscuits and rest a little bit.
During the less than ten minutes that I stayed there, at least half a dozen
skaters passed by.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Salut Lynne! Salut Crystel!</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Past the midpoint of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">phase 3</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">,
on Gouin, we got to a construction crew, they had blocked off some 200 m
of the road for their work. As Gouin is really narrow on that point,
they had people stationed on each end and they would let cars flow in
one direction only at a time.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Skater
44 and myself had to stop there and wait for the flow to go eastward
again. The woman handling the cars at our end told us to greet the two
other women at the other end with “Salut Lynne, salut Crystel”. Kind of
weird... :-)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And
by the way, when are we going to finish rebuilding this city? Every
single year we have tons of construction crews out on the day of the
Défi. This is not funny!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I’m dreaming of a dry Défi, just like the ones I used to know</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Wet leaves everywhere! And in the parks of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">phase 3</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
it was even worse, they would just pile up. If they were dry, we could
go through them just making a lot of noise, but as they got wet from a
full day of rain on Friday, they lumped together, creating veritable
barriers to our skates. In some places I had to walk sideways, it was
totally impossible to advance by skating.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How is that golden dream coming along?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I got to the end of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">phase 3</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
at 10h55. If we consider the total average (79 km in a little less than
five hours), I could still hang on to my dream of a gold medal, I would
need exactly three more hours, which is what I had. But if we consider
just my performance in phase 3, I would miss the gold by half an hour.
And I wasn’t getting any more rested along the way... At this point I
was already giving up on gold and just going for a personal best.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The sun is shining</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The weather got better, the sun had been shining for a while and now parts of the pavement were even dry, it was possible to skate normally again during <b>phase 4</b>. Unfortunately, I couldn't benefit much from it because my feet were already hurting bad, I couldn't push much. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Big pause of the day</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Phase 4</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
was quite uneventful. Gouin is still awful (if the guys in Senneville
were able to fix their “moonscape” of some years back, why can’t we have
a half decent bike path on Gouin?), nothing new there.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I
stopped at the end of phase 4 for another ten minutes to rest. It was
already 12h15 when I got there, so there was no way in hell I would make
it before 2 pm, so no gold for me this year. Therefore, I was no longer
in any kind of hurry. I got two new water bottles from the helpful
volunteer there, we chatted a bit for a while, I ate the rest of my
biscuits and left just as skater 39 had arrived. He was accompanied by a
friend on a bicycle, we had been crossing each other all day long.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Some new stuff on the last phase</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This year there was some new paths to follow on </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">phase 5</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">,
it was a good change. We avoided at least one other park, which I’m
sure would be full of leaves, so that’s definitely a plus. I hope we
keep this new way for the upcoming years.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ET phone home</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It
was a little before 1:30 pm when I got to a public phone on Notre Dame
and called home to tell my wife that I should be at the Verdun
Auditorium in one hour or a bit more. She was quite pleased that I was
so close to the end. After giving up two years in a row, nobody in the house (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">even myself</span>) believed I could finish the Défi ever again...</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Construction crew ahead</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Heavy
construction going on in at least two different places on Notre Dame.
But at least this time I got something out of it. Right after Pie-IX, as
the two ways of traffic had been jammed together on one side of the
street, I had the other half all to myself for two or three blocks. It’s
not always that you can skate directly on Notre Dame! :-)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A heart as dry as the pavement</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Every
year when I get to Wellington street I’m usually overwhelmed with
emotions. Not this year though. I don’t know why, but when I got there,
the only thing in my mind was just to finish this damn thing and be done
with it. No joy, no crying, just the will to see it through. Weird...</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Grand reception</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When
I showed up in the distance, people at the back of the Verdun
Auditorium started making a lot of noise, clapping, whistling, shouting.
What a grand reception!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBabNAdCnz52bvKOG6juYv7XVxhyhKvGzULJ3l26Rvn560vA5CYYEJHDtrPZvtOBQBCACDV0Te5IxAXZ3HJ7CrTyRR80QOAb5wcwDyioJ2OJx7-Wbdg-hRB_n90hIC7D1KTIQHsMH4k0/s1600/DSC00022.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBabNAdCnz52bvKOG6juYv7XVxhyhKvGzULJ3l26Rvn560vA5CYYEJHDtrPZvtOBQBCACDV0Te5IxAXZ3HJ7CrTyRR80QOAb5wcwDyioJ2OJx7-Wbdg-hRB_n90hIC7D1KTIQHsMH4k0/s400/DSC00022.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My
wife and daughter were there, they took some pictures of my arrival.
Mr. Fortier was there as well, of course, he filmed me too. He told me
my time had been 8h48m. Yay, personal best!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1h7Df2zf7bmnSRnfdVbAkCbNxhSjuJ5fjmLqTlzz03erRZDJfLtP7AnmVnfCmUpmvm0_OlcLYkMpZxa40Hvile7ft2gmL4vx9EZJwiItrTO8N1UkQwD8WYcbwh9nftu2QfTy-ztIvBKk/s1600/DSC00026.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1h7Df2zf7bmnSRnfdVbAkCbNxhSjuJ5fjmLqTlzz03erRZDJfLtP7AnmVnfCmUpmvm0_OlcLYkMpZxa40Hvile7ft2gmL4vx9EZJwiItrTO8N1UkQwD8WYcbwh9nftu2QfTy-ztIvBKk/s400/DSC00026.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Shake, shake, shake</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We
talked with Mr. Fortier for a few minutes and then we drove home. In
the car, I started feeling weird, my fingers and lips started
“vibrating”, as if there was electricity on them. Weirdest stuff.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I
thought I would faint, but eventually I got through. The only thing
very different this year was the electrolytes, I’m guessing I got a bad
reaction from drinking so much of the stuff and keeping it all in my
body for such a prolonged time. For next year I’ll have to do some
testing to see if it is really the electrolytes. I don’t want to feel
like that again at the end of a Défi...</span>Valdir Jorgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14407310251287625559noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979575940467028704.post-31161626991002631792011-10-17T14:07:00.006-04:002011-10-17T14:14:46.292-04:00Défi 2011: giving up less than halfway again...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span id="internal-source-marker_0.04030288655916825" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">0. Before the race.</span></b></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Two days before the Défi I was cycling along René-Levesque, just in front of the CBC building when I was stopped by a policeman: he gave me a ticket for not stopping at a red light! You know that red light in front of the CBC headquarters? <i>Nobody </i>stops there! I was very angry for getting a ticket there, I couldn't believe it! Argh!</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As you can imagine, this was my first ticket in almost twenty years living here in Montreal. I can't say I didn't deserve it (like everybody else, I have gone through my fair share of red lights...), but to have something like this happening to me just two days before our great event was really annoying.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Phase 1.</span></b></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When I got to the Verdun Auditorium, the inscription list had only fifteen names on it! This was the smallest turnout ever, excepting the first event back in 1996. My wife joked that next year it will be just Mr. Belisle and myself... :-)</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I got my number (lucky 7!) and got ready with some help from my wife. At this time an anglophone woman came to talk to me briefly, she said she read all my reports. It was her first Défi and she was a bit hesitant to do it in those horrible weather conditions, but she signed up anyway.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A few minutes before 6 am I went to the starting line. It was cold and wet, a horrible day to be outside. And to think that the week before we had a nice Indian Summer with the sun out and everything. Grr...</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">M. Fortier did the traditional countdown right before six am and off we went into the darkness. As expected, I was soon by myself, most participants just took off, much faster than I could go. A few latecomers passed me in the first thirty minutes or so, but after that I was on my own all the way.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The asphalt was wet, slippery, full of leaves and branches, not a good thing to skate on. And the headwind was just unimaginable. I thought in previous Défis that we had had bad winds, but this year most certainly was the worst of them all. It was a titanic struggle to go forward.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Right before the end of phase 1 it started raining heavily. The situation, which was already bad beyond description, took a turn for the worst. Even though I had impermeable clothes and more than one layer of plastic on me, I quickly got soaked. I thought: “great way to spend the day”...</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There was nobody anymore at the end of phase 1. That could only be a bad sign. I didn’t have a watch on me, but that fact told me that it was already past 8 am. With all my herculean effort to keep skating, I hadn’t noticed how slow I was going.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2. Phase 2.</span></b></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I was counting on getting a refill for my water bottle at the end of phase 1, so at the beginning of phase 2 I was getting a bit desperate: my feet and thighs were already aching, I already had the first indications of cramps (which in other years would only appear around the 40 km mark), I was thoroughly soaked by the heavy rain and I had no water anymore.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I stopped at a Dépanneur, bought a water bottle there and continued for a few kilometers more. I had to stop a few times to adjust the “second skin” adhesives that I had on my ankles. Even with them on, my skates were making my feet ache, so that’s why I had to adjust those pads to put them on the areas that were suffering the most.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">At around km 36, in front of the John Abbott college I decided that I had had enough and could no longer continue. The weather had cleared, conditions were improving, but the toil of the first thirty kilometers under heavy rain and bad pavement had taken its toll and I could no longer continue.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Other than that, it was almost 10 am already, I was going at 9 km/h. At this rate it would take me more than fourteen hours to complete the Défi. I could not do that to myself</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I called home, but my daughter told me that my wife had just left home to go to Costco. My options were: one, to wait for her to come back and then come pick me up (something like a two hour wait); two, try to get a taxi (yeah, right! I would never find a taxi around that area); or three, continue on my own to get to civilization (Pierrefonds, at the end of phase 2).</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I took a longer rest and then continued on my way. The skating was actually better at this point, the sun was out, even the wind was not so bad anymore. For a few seconds I toyed with the idea of going all the way, but I soon dropped that: my feet would not allow me ten more hours of effort.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It felt actually good to do the Senneville hill and the downhill right after it. Now that in my mind I had already given up, the skating was more enjoyable. I still had to stop a few more times to rest a little bit, but I eventually got to the end of phase 2. Needless to say, nobody was there anymore.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3. Giving up officially.</span></b></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I went to the same gas station on Pierrefonds/St. Charles where I stopped last year, called my wife and asked her to come pick me up. My daughter called M. Fortier to advise him that I had given up.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4. For next year.</span></b></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Well, after quitting two years in a row before the halfway mark, I definitely have to do something different for next year. For sure I’ll get new skates, these old ones that I have are good for my ten km run to work every day, but they are not fit for the Défi. I will also consider acquiring a <a href="http://www.camelbak.com/">CamelBak</a> to be more independent in terms of food and water. And I’ll do some training in the rain (I usually avoid training when it rains, but it doesn’t help to be fully prepared to do a dry Défi and then have to face wet conditions).</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Till next year, hoping for a milder weather on Défi day!</span></span></div>Valdir Jorgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14407310251287625559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979575940467028704.post-13673917271780781332010-10-17T10:07:00.007-04:002010-11-07T05:56:28.361-05:00Défi 2010: a short-lived dream<span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: bold;">0. Pre-race.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It had rained all day on Friday and for a good part of the early Saturday morning, which promised a very rough Défi for all of us.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As I would be going to Europe in the following week, I had already decided that this </span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk0uwQiW_ZKX05IbyhXfmaBeR_rv4jXQo0DMopEx_CuGoYUNIdZb54iAiszz6MbRqB0hN7ivbLBtkYf7pwUCbhGJtrQ8hUwalxVYqN-NblTfChkYJuokuVD4R9QBUgNPfAbgSMmG73Nbs/s1600/P1020029.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk0uwQiW_ZKX05IbyhXfmaBeR_rv4jXQo0DMopEx_CuGoYUNIdZb54iAiszz6MbRqB0hN7ivbLBtkYf7pwUCbhGJtrQ8hUwalxVYqN-NblTfChkYJuokuVD4R9QBUgNPfAbgSMmG73Nbs/s200/P1020029.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529017969528056642" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">year I wouldn’t do the full Défi, I would stop at the end of phase 3, so that I wouldn’t mess up my legs too much.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My wife and I got to the Verdun Auditorium a little after 5h30, I got my package (I’m #3 this year) and sat down to get ready. There were just a few people in there, I think this year was our lowest level of participation. The highest number that I saw was 35.</span><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLAU-koq0HEThi4aRhD_MqXxRh6j02oka2eVNj3lLxWZEvS0Fs6AnO7WRt3fLCxqS2zGJh50U2-F39vxyhhaoMHtf0pMKeQQcciHSZKhCM9XY3pwq_22ppqzAz03yI3EwhpSSSvHVjvOA/s1600/P1020030.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLAU-koq0HEThi4aRhD_MqXxRh6j02oka2eVNj3lLxWZEvS0Fs6AnO7WRt3fLCxqS2zGJh50U2-F39vxyhhaoMHtf0pMKeQQcciHSZKhCM9XY3pwq_22ppqzAz03yI3EwhpSSSvHVjvOA/s200/P1020030.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529017973703779970" border="0" /></a></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I was ready ten minutes before the start time and went out for some warming up. There was some very light drizzle and it was a bit cold, part of me wished I were in bed, under warm covers...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: bold;">1. Phase 1.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So a little before 6 am we all got together at the start line, Mr. Fortier announced that we would leave in two minutes, I said goodbye to my wife and she took some pictures.</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NqESQICr4Ea3_QreNBtEGdjoDiOwokaAeOW2cCtZ1BGXlE3F8yZPk4HGvbPbwbTh6oYWcNp0fPghJ_EsWCkZQN7Q_FnyUXyOLNoKszRMB5S3HTO0hq38xMbg-LNDyJfSHF-YBQ57uB8/s1600/P1020032.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NqESQICr4Ea3_QreNBtEGdjoDiOwokaAeOW2cCtZ1BGXlE3F8yZPk4HGvbPbwbTh6oYWcNp0fPghJ_EsWCkZQN7Q_FnyUXyOLNoKszRMB5S3HTO0hq38xMbg-LNDyJfSHF-YBQ57uB8/s200/P1020032.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529017977332199394" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" ><br /><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">At the beginning I stayed in a group of four skaters, numbers 5, 25 and 29 were there with me, we were all going more or less at the same speed. I stayed with them for some fifteen minutes. A few faster skaters who had started a bit late passed us in the meantime.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The wet pavement plus the leaves and branches made it quite difficult to skate. At a certain point our little group decided to go on the street because the bike path was unusable. I returned to the bike too early, didn’t see a manhole cover (covered by leaves, of course) and almost had my first accident of the day.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Due to this “close encounter”, I had to slow down and the group that I was going with left me behind. I was never able to catch up with them because my feet were already giving the first signs of pain, so I had to go softer on them.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Some ten minutes later I caught up with skater #5, who was by this time alone, the group had left her behind as well. She was not doing so great either, so I left her behind as well.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Short before the end of phase 1 Mr. Belisle (the only man to have competed in all Défis) caught up with me and we skated together for a few minutes. I told him I’m thinking of doing the <a href="http://www.marathondemontreal.com/fr/index.html">Montreal marathon</a> next year, he told me he had done more than twenty marathons in the eighties and nineties. As he’s twenty years older than me, there is some hope for me... :-)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: bold;">2. Phase 2.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I stopped at the end of phase 1 to get a new bottle of water and ask the time (it was 7h44), so Mr. Belisle continued without me.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Pascal Roy and two other skaters passed me by somewhere in phase 2. They must have started at least half an hour late because they were going much faster than me. When they passed me, Pascal (who knows me from other Défis), gave me words of encouragement. I believe he was also recording the adventure as he did it in 2008 (see his fourteen episodes starting with <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rKmf2tLQKQ&"> #1</a>).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">During phase 2 my feet really started to hurt, specially that small pointy bone right above the ankle. I felt that the skin was being rubbed hard there and skating was becoming a real pain.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Due to this pain I had to slow even further and skater #5 was able to catch up with me again. We went together for a minute or two, but then I could not follow her anymore and she took off.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I met Mr. Fortier just before the Senneville hill, sat down in his car to see if there was anything I could do for the pain. He suggested I put a padding in the region, so I used a paper towel folded a few times. It didn’t help very much...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The hill wasn’t as bad as I remembered it and after it the descent was also great. There were no cars, so I could do it in all safety. As I didn’t have to skate and just let gravity do its work, it was the best part of the race for me. More than ever, I wished it were downhill all the way to the finish line... :-(</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">They properly paved Senneville! The “moonscape” is gone and we can actually skate on that pavement! Fantastic!!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">By this time I had already decided that I wouldn’t even go to the third phase, I would stop at the end of the second one. There was no point in rubbing my skin bare for another thirty kilometers. I started looking for a public phone. Of course I found none in the wilderness of Senneville and Gouin.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: bold;">3. Giving up.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When I finally got to the end of phase 2 it was around 9h45. I told the volunteer there that I was abandoning the event. Unfortunately he didn’t have a cell phone, so I had to continue for another two or three kilometers until I found a gas station with a public phone.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I called home, explained to my wife where I was and waited for her to come pick me up. It was cold, so I sat in an abribus and waited. I couldn’t stop shaking; I was wet and the cold was really getting to me.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My wife and daughter finally arrived and my daughter took a picture of me:<br /><br /></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIrN1ULaDT0uPcI_Y9HzvuN-u3EeAmIfo4RumulXwqJdkHRzkhr3dD4-VuqWMpE6X0wAImHwSzSXPd_Dpuzdiyr7xK-2j1xnsCj2ZQOhN77mLW-34tPY9uuhDN3G0LAAFF0eQWGg84wHA/s1600/P1020033.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIrN1ULaDT0uPcI_Y9HzvuN-u3EeAmIfo4RumulXwqJdkHRzkhr3dD4-VuqWMpE6X0wAImHwSzSXPd_Dpuzdiyr7xK-2j1xnsCj2ZQOhN77mLW-34tPY9uuhDN3G0LAAFF0eQWGg84wHA/s320/P1020033.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529018526716526258" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We have this ingrained “training” that if someone is taking a picture, we must smile to the camera. Oh well...<br /><br />But then I asked her to take another picture of me to show how sad I was not to finish the event:<br /><br /></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-uPex82eohmK3mcBFa3elN1Me8c2OxKM7MKL9YK7gNJ2lYn3K8jdFZxOT00z8tNHYw_Uct4LnPIXlTXUIPTs-Go4VHtTxjCd8vqG40U0wH0Xbc-xadx4mq0oiYhMcMUBoIauwjmcB6E/s1600/P1020034.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-uPex82eohmK3mcBFa3elN1Me8c2OxKM7MKL9YK7gNJ2lYn3K8jdFZxOT00z8tNHYw_Uct4LnPIXlTXUIPTs-Go4VHtTxjCd8vqG40U0wH0Xbc-xadx4mq0oiYhMcMUBoIauwjmcB6E/s320/P1020034.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529018530015447218" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Giving up is never easy, but considering my trip the following week, I believe I did the right thing by stopping after fifty kilometers.</span><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: bold;">4. Next year.</span><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For next year I most definitely have to solve the rubbing problem that I had this year. I’ll have to try some strategies during the summer to see what works best. I don’t want ever again to be forced to abandon the race due to feet pain.</span></span>Valdir Jorgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14407310251287625559noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979575940467028704.post-26243283286146814692009-11-29T21:11:00.007-05:002009-11-30T09:04:02.813-05:00Medal Ceremony<span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">If you came here from the <a href="http://www.defimontreal.com/indexe.htm">Défi site</a> looking for my report on my Défi 2009, then click <a href="http://patinsderodas.blogspot.com/2009/10/defi-2009-worst-ever-thirty-second.html">here</a>.</span><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0); font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">=======================================</span><br /></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">On Thursday, November 26th I went to the Verdun Auditorium for the Medal Ceremony of the Défi 2009. We were only thirty people in total, probably the smallest group that I have </span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">ever </span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">seen in any of the seven medal ceremonies that I attended.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The food was good, the conversation interesting, it was a quite enjoyable event.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Mr. Fortier gave the medal first to the "winner"* of the Défi, who was in a rush to leave and then he started the ceremony the usual way, at the bottom and going up. I was, of course, the first one called to the stage because I had been the last one to finish the event. As I took more than twelve hours to complete the Défi, I didn't get a medal, just the certificate.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The funny part happened a few minutes later: one of the participants went to the stage, took his silver medal and those of some friends and after returning to his place at the table, he came to me and gave me one those medals! Wow! I wasn't expecting such a show of generosity! Thank you, thank you, thank you!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">=======================================</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">* I put "winner" in quotes because for me anyone who completes the Défi is a winner, it doesn't matter if you crossed the line first or last.</span><br /></span>Valdir Jorgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14407310251287625559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979575940467028704.post-54052450028877666212009-10-19T07:09:00.026-04:002010-06-11T20:55:20.627-04:00Défi 2009: The worst ever!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqa6cbd1FXNDYM_ZUX0bAdArbQtBIVNTp9VcUYPxqfzPAVpH5QmjVfbJg0CASsY9KkUWKwTzxXiyDPKjpCAN1NKMQg1RiL3XkTY9nLhyphenhyphenFIAWrHnS7TY45HuOgUzoVLs8r5g6IZq21iYE/s1600-h/1a.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqa6cbd1FXNDYM_ZUX0bAdArbQtBIVNTp9VcUYPxqfzPAVpH5QmjVfbJg0CASsY9KkUWKwTzxXiyDPKjpCAN1NKMQg1RiL3XkTY9nLhyphenhyphenFIAWrHnS7TY45HuOgUzoVLs8r5g6IZq21iYE/s200/1a.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394345741691271586" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">The thirty-second summary, for those in a hurry</span></span><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">This year, with all the construction going on in Montreal, it was really difficult to skate; there were way too many places with no pavement, just </span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">pebbles; and I felt cramps for most of the way. My total time was my worst ever: 12h16!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">-----------------------------------------------------------------</span><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >And here the full story, for those with a lot of time in their </span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >h</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >ands</span></span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExPl5SbrzXN1xmh-BlNrr_gBXmGPUiWcglzBRocmy7BH_GfZj1U7xW5CzOFQvodL594oDMhV6Z-j6suN9Cle_uUvR0KRLRWgHqzJztBPAtOOxchir996XyaN87oE34C81jhdk0qt9Bgc/s1600-h/1d.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExPl5SbrzXN1xmh-BlNrr_gBXmGPUiWcglzBRocmy7BH_GfZj1U7xW5CzOFQvodL594oDMhV6Z-j6suN9Cle_uUvR0KRLRWgHqzJztBPAtOOxchir996XyaN87oE34C81jhdk0qt9Bgc/s200/1d.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394345750091581266" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Pre-race</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">My wife and I left home at 5h and were at the Verdun auditorium a little afte</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">r 5h30. As I had pre-registered, I just got my registration package and t-shirt and started my preparations.</span><br /></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">The day started cold, we were at zero degree Celsius! Brrr! I had three layers of clothes on my upper body and two on the lower body. The temperature eventually got better during the day, but that was the coldest start ever for a Défi.</span><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv4mOASBMy_T-ktTkdegDGvTTgFzu4l8BVdM12d_m1HUsB4NT7MAEfMPpXWqnTMN3uAvyWC1G2it0mmcRXLt_ktGqcp3Deey2prLjAQfVTz2yVSRF4gtGFg7RXEjnuPJwotPSZR2dlhvo/s1600-h/10.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv4mOASBMy_T-ktTkdegDGvTTgFzu4l8BVdM12d_m1HUsB4NT7MAEfMPpXWqnTMN3uAvyWC1G2it0mmcRXLt_ktGqcp3Deey2prLjAQfVTz2yVSRF4gtGFg7RXEjnuPJwotPSZR2dlhvo/s200/10.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394345762249164402" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">I was ready ten minutes before the start, we took some pictures and I </span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">went outside to do some warming up skating. This year we had the smallest crowd ever,</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;"> the highest number that I saw was 59!</span><br /></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">When Mr. Fortier warned us that we would leave in one minute, I said goodbye to my wife and went to the start line with everybody else. As usual I got to the </span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7mYZl-B9DZ_QrDStOzTo1dFKLM5s52-DJ-bL8gXbuGuFeio1kPiPjLe8NM1hjVnrjZVH3e5kXbBdNzqDvORet5Gta_92gv1mfQooq81PWKtNZImekawzr4whGVhNbahdzqHdGHggctg/s1600-h/11.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7mYZl-B9DZ_QrDStOzTo1dFKLM5s52-DJ-bL8gXbuGuFeio1kPiPjLe8NM1hjVnrjZVH3e5kXbBdNzqDvORet5Gta_92gv1mfQooq81PWKtNZImekawzr4whGVhNbahdzqHdGHggctg/s200/11.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394345768736649826" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">back of the pack. We counted down from ten seconds and started our day of skating at 6 am.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Phase 1</span><br /></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">Skating in the dark is always a weird feeling, but by now I'm used to it. I could see a lot of stars, it was a magnificent view!</span><br /></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">Phase 1 was mostly uneventful. I quickly got into "cruise mode", there's no need to hurry, I passed some skaters, some others passed me, I was at a </span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0T0LEt3KsdzGcDI4ZGHijt0k1fbs6X0ong1hBfNn8_gxNPe1HKP6pKOsJYQA6pdEJIytFUGiScrNvoShmqfoulx4Gmra73TQnSmeKr19qgdOtniUJTyG-WiKsEoTmGOuyLYeEL7EPQsU/s1600-h/12.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0T0LEt3KsdzGcDI4ZGHijt0k1fbs6X0ong1hBfNn8_gxNPe1HKP6pKOsJYQA6pdEJIytFUGiScrNvoShmqfoulx4Gmra73TQnSmeKr19qgdOtniUJTyG-WiKsEoTmGOuyLYeEL7EPQsU/s200/12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394345779444295410" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">comfo</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">rtable pace.</span><br /></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">The one notable absence was the wind. Some years we had strong headwinds in this phase which made our lives difficult, but this year the air was almost still. Cold as hell, but still, which was a welcome change.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I got to the end of phase 1 at 7h30, which is my "normal". The problem is, I had already started feeling cramps coming up. I sat down at the end of this phase, drank some water, talked to the volunteer there. A few skaters passed by while I rested, some people that I had previously left behind. Little did I know that I would never be able to reach them again...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Phase 2</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I had to start phase 2 at a lower rhythm, in order not to upset my muscles, specially in the calves. Any sudden movement and I would feel a stinging pain. At this point I wasn't too worried because I had had cramps before at the Défi. Usually they start in the middle of phase 2 and go away after an hour or two, so I thought I would still be ok.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Up to Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue this phase was ok, even considering the pain in my legs. Here we met with our first detour. I say "we" because a little before another skater had caught up and stayed with me for a while.</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5vsC0sOC7wHrcoPQfXu7rFIUOcn-nUTM0CESOrqsCNbDvTxj1ppa6kYFePejwyoUnxAW1dvuGg_33RTA_64NxwJsEhbV1FrKvk0AvQFa5XOoBN_u6HPucO51Wqp6Fs2ZN9MhznrYSSU/s1600-h/21.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5vsC0sOC7wHrcoPQfXu7rFIUOcn-nUTM0CESOrqsCNbDvTxj1ppa6kYFePejwyoUnxAW1dvuGg_33RTA_64NxwJsEhbV1FrKvk0AvQFa5XOoBN_u6HPucO51Wqp6Fs2ZN9MhznrYSSU/s200/21.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394347333711223906" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I had been in this section the week before to check out the route, so I knew what was ahead and helped my colleague, telling him not to go too fast down the Lamarche street because there was a patch of pebbles down there.</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">As usual, I stopped right before the Senneville hill for some resting, water, food. My colleague continued. A few other skaters passed by. I wished them luck on the hill.</span><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14iJ5InUJTAW8NecSp7lkIIKaoOoR9sI2XvJbBtth81bHN-NHuWOMtd6pP26zwqbozgWmX3238NDZl0cr-nqC7_UMlCAsfMYDMj2KALcmLYCWCT55D9Hy32qffi3uCfxceCYv5BRHZhU/s1600-h/23.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14iJ5InUJTAW8NecSp7lkIIKaoOoR9sI2XvJbBtth81bHN-NHuWOMtd6pP26zwqbozgWmX3238NDZl0cr-nqC7_UMlCAsfMYDMj2KALcmLYCWCT55D9Hy32qffi3uCfxceCYv5BRHZhU/s200/23.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394347338409866898" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >I'm a movie star!</span><br /></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">When I finally decided to tackle the hill, I saw that Mr. Fortier was up there, filming my performance. Oh boy, I hope he doesn't put that in the next DVD, I was awful! :-)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Going up the Senneville hill is never easy, but this year was even worse due to my cramps. Usually the cramps start after</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRFtHHnZJftnjlRwezb9tCoAsfNtU_l7GpKEgXZ70W7bYZl16m_NI1ixGZUU42843Yn3Ag3Pi7UYem1h5N4bzkfb90pVh4K6pVk74wYKieyC4kymbjIX8sWJsyHnpPx6kZ9zVksiQta8/s1600-h/24.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRFtHHnZJftnjlRwezb9tCoAsfNtU_l7GpKEgXZ70W7bYZl16m_NI1ixGZUU42843Yn3Ag3Pi7UYem1h5N4bzkfb90pVh4K6pVk74wYKieyC4kymbjIX8sWJsyHnpPx6kZ9zVksiQta8/s200/24.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394347346998090754" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;"> I clear Senneville, but this year...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Well, if it goes up, it must come down, right? After the hill there is a nice slope downward. There was no traffic at all, I could go in all security, it was quite good.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >The Senneville moonscape</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">This year I was carrying my daughter's cell phone with me in orde</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQAvKq8pXfz7gAjAWoxDDPrPgRW1jIIpubILqVn96ymlVRmPWs-tNcRU-BQBYcs7euKiuO9OW4KtIcPTBRdGCbdEaK4uxBULvCIyCt6BLCEg1AbzNcuy5xLG0wpXYviguHCjdn7CWrFs/s1600-h/26.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQAvKq8pXfz7gAjAWoxDDPrPgRW1jIIpubILqVn96ymlVRmPWs-tNcRU-BQBYcs7euKiuO9OW4KtIcPTBRdGCbdEaK4uxBULvCIyCt6BLCEg1AbzNcuy5xLG0wpXYviguHCjdn7CWrFs/s200/26.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394347358223511666" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">r to facilitate communication with my wife (who had gone home and would meet me for lunch). Everybody has cell phones these days, Bell is taking down their payphones everywhere, it gets really hard for people without cell phone like me to place a call. But I digress...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">My wife called me exactly when I was going through what I call "the Senneville moonscape". That Senneville road is horrible, always difficult to skate on. And with cramps, it required quite an effort to get through.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Anyway, my wife called, I told her about my cramps, she told me that if I wanted it to give up, she could come and pick me up. I thought: "Me? Quit? Never!". I thanked her but said I would continue, I was still sure that the cramps would go away and I would go back to my "normal" skating.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Pebbles, pebbles everywhere!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">This year they are doing construction everywhere, but specially on Gouin. I had gone through the area the week before on my bicycle and I thought "we'll never be able to do this on skates!".</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">When I got to the main pebble section on Gouin, I fell. I hit a pebble when trying to slow down, got out of balance, tried to correct it with a sudden movement and this sudden movement sent a most horrible shot of pain all over my body and I could not control myself, I fell on my left side and hurt my upper thigh.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">A skater who was some twenty metres ahead asked me if I needed help. A man on a car that was just behind me also stopped and offered his help. I thanked them both but said I would be ok, I just needed to rest a bit.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I sat down by the sidewalk and rested for some ten minutes, waiting for the various layers of pain that were now crossing my body to subside a little.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >On a marché sur la lune!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Mr. Raymond Bélisle ("the only man to have completed all Défis") caught up with me when I was ready to go and we did the section ahead together.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The next three hundred metres was something like this: skate twenty metres, walk sideways five metres, repeat until you're totally pissed off and want to quit the damn thing.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">While we were going through that I told Mr. Bélisle "On a marché sur la lune!". I'm not sure he got my little attempt at humour... :-)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >I'm in heaven! But not for long...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">When we turned right on the Morandière street, I thought I was in heaven. The pavement is the best that I have ever tried anywhere. Skating there was like flowing on clouds...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">But the dream lasted for about three minutes. Soon we got to another patch of pebbles, this one a hundred metres long. And we walked on the moon...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Soon after that we got to the new and desert part of the boulevard Pierrefonds, the end of phase 2 was right before the Château Pierrefonds. I stopped there for some more resting and Mr. Bélisle continued on his own.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Phase 3</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">When I started phase 3 it was 9h45, which considering everything, wasn't so bad. In my first year at the Défi in 2003 I had passed by the end of phase 2 at 9h50, so I guess that this was ok...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The boulevard Pierrefonds has a good bike path, it was a nice ride. It did seem longer than usual this year, but I guess I can attribute that to my poor physical condition at this point.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I had never given much importance to the detour on the Lalande boulevard but this year this boulevard was closed (more construction...) and we had to continue on Gouin. Boy, how this part is dangerous! I skated on the sidewalk, the street was way too dangerous.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Like a walk in the park</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyEcOsIhGWDrTA_Oepbx_gKkv7YRKfBHdtPmU2zSZTgY4H4EDs4yBTQ-WqjqhoMfai4jbcW1_TVjxXcW7fHj88W2ILrdmnFqyjji4BzbHBbHbQxdu4DiScxixZ_Twzb9HUb1Ryfxyepmg/s1600-h/Photo-0012.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyEcOsIhGWDrTA_Oepbx_gKkv7YRKfBHdtPmU2zSZTgY4H4EDs4yBTQ-WqjqhoMfai4jbcW1_TVjxXcW7fHj88W2ILrdmnFqyjji4BzbHBbHbQxdu4DiScxixZ_Twzb9HUb1Ryfxyepmg/s200/Photo-0012.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397841393452093890" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">When I got to the bridge of road 13, there was no Gouin anymore! Constructions crews everywhere, heavy machinery and all that. I stayed for a few seconds there without knowing where to go when one of the men in the construction team yelled to me saying there was a passage. When I got to where he was pointing, it was the entrance of the Bois-de-Liesse park. And there was no pavement. Just rocks, wet ground and leaves...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">An elderly couple was coming out of the park, I asked them how long that would be. They told me it would be some six hundred metres before I would get back on Gouin. And there I went, marching with my skates on no pavement at all. This is not funny!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">After what seemed like at least fifteen minutes, I was back on Gouin. One nice thing was that there was almost no traffic in that part... :-)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Really late</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">When I stopped under the bridge of road 15 and checked the time, it was already noon. I was really late, I should be under Pie-IX by then!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I called my wife and told her that I would be at our lunch meeting point at 1 pm and continued on.</span><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJEyemw3D26fqKjsCeJMv5GKNh2zzVZZcnAY8EmfGYHqR6yqRW597SOWIQ1MjSaGPx9qcQT-tibYGPzYwGeB_B0KYUWTwuQdM0oaphX79QB8l7mQE1RthmRtlz0O1E91S0iraPOEIt9FQ/s1600-h/41.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJEyemw3D26fqKjsCeJMv5GKNh2zzVZZcnAY8EmfGYHqR6yqRW597SOWIQ1MjSaGPx9qcQT-tibYGPzYwGeB_B0KYUWTwuQdM0oaphX79QB8l7mQE1RthmRtlz0O1E91S0iraPOEIt9FQ/s200/41.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394347367416753874" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Lunch time</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I passed under the Pie-IX bridge at 12:50, there were no more volunteers there, of course.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I met my wife at a park two kilometers after the end of phase 3 and had my longest pause of the day, I ate the delicious meal that she had brought, drank some Gatorade and told her of all the horrors so far.</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZ2_APFZttyiWUOJTZpiZizBV5TkA1GItNLVN4vWHPRjLb19JiLy4_sQjikwENK8lu7PbW7mVQPXQJJ4WtvBlvWn7sStf5a2kSJHUgTsF6sJ5f2yA9H_YxPBtCid-bmcPsYP0fNPnH5w/s1600-h/43.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZ2_APFZttyiWUOJTZpiZizBV5TkA1GItNLVN4vWHPRjLb19JiLy4_sQjikwENK8lu7PbW7mVQPXQJJ4WtvBlvWn7sStf5a2kSJHUgTsF6sJ5f2yA9H_YxPBtCid-bmcPsYP0fNPnH5w/s200/43.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394348328450405090" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Skater #40 passed by while I was there and at that point I knew I was the last skater, there was no one else behind. All of them were either already on their way to the finish line or had had the good common sense of quitting...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">My right toe started hurting and I knew that this could only mean a bad case of blister. Add another layer of pain to </span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrtZ_9iPaYCDa4VtCmojt8SLVuqpMDjN2jVYfygOJMwYZn7uflp6LQuHjC1ZstCbLJDdMPyoIujxd_N8ZpTotamWHf6NETnU_7XLEMQP4nhqhnQmvhlVSKM3mkWtn5rQIV4uqeP_OX1k/s1600-h/45.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrtZ_9iPaYCDa4VtCmojt8SLVuqpMDjN2jVYfygOJMwYZn7uflp6LQuHjC1ZstCbLJDdMPyoIujxd_N8ZpTotamWHf6NETnU_7XLEMQP4nhqhnQmvhlVSKM3mkWtn5rQIV4uqeP_OX1k/s200/45.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394348337020890386" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">everything else that was already going on...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Phase 4</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The bridge of road 25 is not yet ready - it doesn't seem that it ever will, after a year there is not much to see there, but I digress again - so there I go for another detour.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">After some five hundred metres on the boulevard Perras, more construction, only one lane for the cars, I had to walk on unfinished sidewalk. And then I had to hurl myself over the concrete barrier to go back to the boulevard. What an adventure!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">But after that the boulevard was quite a good ride, I stayed longer on it because I knew that the bike path on Gouin is pretty bad at that point. I eventually got back to Gouin at the 24th avenue; later on I saw that I could have stayed on Perras a lot longer. Oh well, for next year...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I eventually got to the end of phase 4 at 3h15 pm. Skater #40 was there, resting and talking to the volunteer. In a few minutes he was good to go, I stayed a bit longer, got some water from the volunteer and rested before facing phase 5.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I asked the volunteer to tell Mr. Fortier that I would arrive after 6 pm, but that I had all the intention of completing the Défi.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Phase 5</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It was probably 3h30 pm when I said goodbye to the volunteer and started the last </span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpVD8OwCfz0lifAawpTPoo2_n-SAY68jawDu5OBChv0hmf4hRqGzKbibxXkcxcRmugU_m2bV7_hDjG66lBbHHWtQrWts3c19YWk7-BlSNF7HTFHbB3HBvn6Vq-m55foFr7fr7XLMv_7lA/s1600-h/52.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpVD8OwCfz0lifAawpTPoo2_n-SAY68jawDu5OBChv0hmf4hRqGzKbibxXkcxcRmugU_m2bV7_hDjG66lBbHHWtQrWts3c19YWk7-BlSNF7HTFHbB3HBvn6Vq-m55foFr7fr7XLMv_7lA/s200/52.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394348347226764370" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">phase of the Défi.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In this phase I was so utterly tired and achy that I couldn't skate for more than five or six kilometers before taking a break. I did quite a few five-minute pauses in there.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">When I stopped at Pie-IX it was already 5h10 pm. I called my wife and told her to be at the Verdun auditorium in 1h15.</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp57xm0kQ35eKX13Pccqyie2oIipRAEAzU670tNokptpqSVUyyezpOIFpbaJQIhF-IuAoQg3rcrq00YtrwOZM4-x5XK8a3tjmAvzfpvnTmOLdXrViOMOKykWsd_0p0Dn6mO1ErjO7rS4o/s1600-h/53.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp57xm0kQ35eKX13Pccqyie2oIipRAEAzU670tNokptpqSVUyyezpOIFpbaJQIhF-IuAoQg3rcrq00YtrwOZM4-x5XK8a3tjmAvzfpvnTmOLdXrViOMOKykWsd_0p0Dn6mO1ErjO7rS4o/s200/53.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394348354827526514" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The rest of the way was absolutely uneventful, I was just doing it to complete the Défi, nothing more mattered.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">When I was at the corner of Wellington and Henri-Duhamel waiting for the lights to turn green, I saw my wife and my daughter pass by on the car. We waved at each other, in five minutes we would be together.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">At the last light before the baseball diamond, an old man saw </span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDUnCSRaYWwlP2vj1tRlNMc1oglXpVB74U8Pdq7aafuj-jsnuHb0zbNTBZOo1YUANrcpf9q1_RZFC0IA4TRfhwIZUOc5HpFadnDJCCZ2NMCVK0ZsD3R7Cv8Z-b1lvgI2bX1O8FL0aKws/s1600-h/54.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDUnCSRaYWwlP2vj1tRlNMc1oglXpVB74U8Pdq7aafuj-jsnuHb0zbNTBZOo1YUANrcpf9q1_RZFC0IA4TRfhwIZUOc5HpFadnDJCCZ2NMCVK0ZsD3R7Cv8Z-b1lvgI2bX1O8FL0aKws/s200/54.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394348357414000162" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">me and asked me if there was a competition going on. I said yes; he asked if it was close to the end. I could only say "One kilometer more! One kilometer more!".</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I got to the finish line at 6h16 pm with a total time of 12h16, my worst ever. This most definitely will be a Défi to forget!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Thank you, thank you, thank you!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">My usual words of thanks to Mr. Fortier and his incredible team </span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxpMbN2N8eV-QBWd29VtWIceb9RlH06yd6qz-1LIEryu1bJsR0CuMD-a8aCzbU7Q-UGWO0iaeMLTBLT_-VxOeTaVduVnHAvrby-edX-Poa1DDoL5Z6C9bnyNrVzxfqqCeZ4zZX2lWVY2k/s1600-h/55.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxpMbN2N8eV-QBWd29VtWIceb9RlH06yd6qz-1LIEryu1bJsR0CuMD-a8aCzbU7Q-UGWO0iaeMLTBLT_-VxOeTaVduVnHAvrby-edX-Poa1DDoL5Z6C9bnyNrVzxfqqCeZ4zZX2lWVY2k/s200/55.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394348908021475234" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">of volunteers for putting up this amazing event year after year.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">My thanks to my wife, who was there when I needed her.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">And finally, to my daughter, for lending me her cell phone. It proved to be a good advantage to have it with me.</span><br /></span>Valdir Jorgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14407310251287625559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979575940467028704.post-42966026432514836982008-10-30T10:31:00.005-04:002013-10-22T20:52:42.007-04:002008 Défi report<style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { margin: 2cm } P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm } </style> <br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">Défi 2008: I've known hunger and I've known pain!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"><br /> This year for the Défi my family and I decided to do something different. Usually my wife would follow me in the car all day long but my son volunteered to do a big part of this work this year. His girlfriend had given him the idea that they could follow me part of the way on bicycle and thus free my wife from the burden of spending her day on the Défi track.<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">The week before the Défi I went with Ivan (my son) through the bike path in phase 3 to show him the way that I would follow, so that on the day of the Défi he would know the way and avoid missing me because of a wrong turn. He agreed to meet me at the end of the Pierrefonds boulevard and follow me most of the way. It would be a big help and good encouragement.<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">So, on the day of the Défi I woke up at 4 am, we left home at 5 am and were there at the Verdun Auditorium a little after 5:30 am. As I had pre-registered I just had to find a free spot and get ready. The day was cold, but dry, very good compared to previous years.<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">A few minutes before 6 am we went to the starting line. We were fewer this year, the highest number that I saw was 71. M. Fortier gave us some last minute info: we were not to enter the Visitation Island Park as its bike path had been totally destroyed; and we were to do a big detour in the middle of phase 4 because of the construction work going on for the bridge of road 25.<br /><br /> He announced that we would be departing at 6:02 precisely. I said goodbye to my wife and waited with the others. M. Fortier did the fifteen-second countdown and off we went into the night. After a few minutes I got behind a couple of skaters who were going a bit slower than I could go, but considering that the Défi was still young and the night was still dark, I stayed with them for some ten minutes or so, it was a gentle pace, I kept my strength for later.<br /><br /> At a certain point the girl in the couple had problems with her skates and they had to stop to take care of that, so I left them behind. By now I was already alone, so I could go at my own rhythm. I started pushing, not as hard as I could, but harder than those first fifteen minutes and I started passing skaters here and there. It's always a good feeling to pass other people... :-)<br /><br /> The sun came up, the darkness went away and skating got better. At this point I saw a skater in front of me, he should be some three hundred meters or so in front. I was going faster than him but just a tiny bit faster. Our speeds were almost identical because it took me almost twenty minutes to bridge those three hundred meters that separated us. As I finally caught up with him, I saw that he was #12. We went together for a while, chatting all the way. He told me it was his first Défi. We crossed the end of phase 1 together and continued on.<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">A little later we met up with two other skaters and stayed with them for another ten or fifteen minutes, until we got to a street crossing in Ste. Anne de Bellevue where the pavement had been turned into gravel. Each one took a different route out of that mess and we got separated.<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">I met skater #12 once again a few minutes later and we continued together up to the Senneville hill, where I did my first stop of the day, to eat a bar and drink some water before tackling the hill. Skater #12 continued on and a few others passed by while I rested.<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">The hill didn't seem so bad this year, I did it with some puffing and with some huffing but it was otherwise unremarkable. The downhill thereafter came as a relief to my already tired</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">legs.<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">I felt the beginning of cramps at the 45 km, which is usual for me, I get it almost every Défi. I just had to slow down a little bit and the muscles got better.<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">There was nobody at the end of phase 2, but the organizers had left a long row of water bottles in the middle of the street, so I took one for me, to replace the bottle that I had just finished.<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">Unfortunately, I hadn't gone more than one third of the Pierrefonds boulevard when this bottle fell off my bag and I only noticed when it was already gone. With no time to waste and knowing that my son would be at the end of the boulevard with more water for me, I pressed on without any worries.<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">Two older skaters caught up with me, so I went with them for a while. However, close to the end of the boulevard they crossed on a yellow-turning-red street light and I preferred to stay behind.<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">My son and his girlfriend were not at the end of the Pierrefonds boulevard. At first I wasn't too worried, because I knew I was going faster than expected, so it was normal that they had not arrived yet. I continued on with the certainty that I would meet them somewhere in phase 3.<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">Well, the kilometers piled up and there was no sign of them. The thirst started to bother me</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">a bit and there was no sign of a water fountain either. This kept going for many kilometers.<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">I finally found a water fountain in a park, drank all that I needed, took my third Advil</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">of the day and continued on. By now my problem was hunger. Other than my regular breakfast at 4:30, I had only eaten a granola bar the entire day.<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">I wanted to find a public phone to call home and try and find out what had gone wrong with my son but there was no phone available anywhere, so I just kept going. I started considering buying something at a depanneur, but even those were non-existent in that part of Gouin.</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">It was 10:50 when I got to the Pie-IX bridge, where a volunteer gave me another bottle of water. Unfortunately, she told me, the car with some food had left a few minutes before to go to the end of the fourth phase.</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">Phase 4 was an ordeal to me. I was so hungry I could not concentrate on anything, let alone skate. One or two skaters passed me by, I couldn't compete with them.</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">The detour near the bridge 25 was what saved me. Due to this detour I went through some streets that I would never even consider in a regular Défi and in one of them there was a small shopping area, where I finally found a depanneur, where I could buy some junk food. I never ate anything as delicious as those Tostitos, believe me!</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">After having eaten I called home and talked to my daughter. She told me that my son had a flat tire and because of that could not meet me in phase 3.</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">Anyway, now with the power of Tostitos running in me, I took to the road with renewed energy. Some skaters had passed by the depanneur while I ate; I not only caught up with them but even left them behind without much effort!</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">It was 12:30 when I got to the end of phase 4. Another water bottle from a volunteer and some more resting under the sun (the sun was shining, it was a glorious day).</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">Phase 5 was easier this year because we almost had no wind, which is a first for the Défi. Usually we have to face strong headwinds in this part of the event, but not this year. This was a welcome change.</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">I stopped at a public phone in Notre Dame to call my wife and tell her to come and pick me up. Unfortunately there was some problem with the machine: I could hear my wife but she could not hear me. I tried again, using the last fifty cents that I had and once again the communication was one-way only. I had no way to let my wife know that she should go and pick me up. There was nothing else I could do, so I just skated on.</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">The rest of phase 5 was uneventful. Other than the hunger that was coming back (well, you know, a little bag of Tostitos will only go so far...) I had a very pleasant ride.</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">My last stop was at the beginning of Wellington, where I drank the rest of my water and rested to have the best possible finish.<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">It was 2:55 pm when I crossed the finish line, with a time of 8h53, another silver medal for me! And another personal best. I improved my time by fourteen minutes, which is not so bad, considering that a big part of the way I was running on no food at all.<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">M. Fortier offered me some fruits and cheese. I ate a lot of them! I was so hungry you wouldn't believe it!<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">M. Fortier was also nice enough to lend me his cell phone to call my wife. She got there half an hour later and we could finally go home. Another Défi completed for me. Yay!<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">I would like to thank M. Fortier and his organizing team once again for his wonderful efforts to make another successful Défi. I would also like to thank my wife and my son for their efforts in making this Défi possible for me. My son couldn't fulfill his part of what we had arranged but he should be acknowledged anyway.<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">I hope next year we'll have as good a weather as we had this year and that I won't feel so much hunger as I did. Maybe then I can do it in 8:30? Who knows...</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /></span> </div>
Valdir Jorgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14407310251287625559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979575940467028704.post-65742967087789771972007-10-30T06:43:00.000-04:002009-05-18T10:29:26.764-04:002007 Défi report<div id="doc-contents"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">As they are no longer publishing skaters' reports in the <a href="http://www.defimontreal.com/indexe.htm">Défi site</a>, here it is, my report for 2007.<br /><br />=========================================================<br /></span></div><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:180%;"><b><br />It's silver! It's silver!</b></span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" >For this year, I'm doing a double report: the long one, that you guys are used to and the short one right beside, for those who don't have a lot of time for reading. I hope you enjoy it!</span><br /></div> <table class="zeroBorder"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="10%" style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >The weather was great! I improved my time by an hour and a half!</span></td> <td><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" ><br /><b>I) Intro</b><br /><br />It was all due to the temperature: in previous years the temperature in the day of the Défi was usually close to the freezing point, it was always very hard to skate because it was difficult to keep warm. But this year we had an absolute great weather with us, the temperature was around fifteen degrees Celsius most of the time, which allowed us to spend our energies on skating and not on keeping warm.<br /><br />I was amazed at how much of a difference the temperature made. In my case I was able to improve my personal best time by almost one hour and half! Up to last year my best performance had been 10h32 but this year I did it in 9h07! And I can say that it didn't feel as tiresome as in previous years.<br /><br />But let's go in order, shall we?<br /><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="10%" style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >Many accidents during the summer... In one of them I got hit by a truck!<br /></span></td> <td><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" ><br /><b>II) Summer preparations: too many accidents</b><br /><br />This year was specially bad for me in terms of accidents during the training period:<br />1) in April I went down on some late snow while biking back home and broke a rib; I had to stop all exercise for a month and go on a diet of painkillers to bear the pain in my chest;<br />2) in July I had a minor accident at the Vieux-Port, my left elbow got scratched and bled more than I like to remember (for me any accident involving blood is a big accident, even more when the blood is mine!);<br />3) in early September a small pebble brought me down on Guy street below René Levesque: shoulder and chin bled quite a bit; I didn't skate for many weeks while recovering, which put a dent on my preparations for the Défi;<br />4) and finally, in late September I got hit by a truck while biking to work! Fortunately we were both going very slow, so we were able to avoid the worst; but I got really shaken! It's not fun to see a monster vehicle like that coming on to you...<br /><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="10%" style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >Long range weather forecasting is a joke!<br /><br />And I get the first hint that people read my reports.<br /></span></td> <td><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" ><br /><b>III) The great day finally arrives</b><br /><br />Someday, someone will write a thesis about how useless long term weather forecast is. Me, I have this same experience every year: two weeks before the Défi I start checking daily the 14-day forecast at the Meteo Media website and every day it's a different story. It looks like those guys roll dice to determine what will be put on the site, there is no logic! One day the forecast was of full sun the entire week of the Défi; then the next day it turned into rain all week; then it went to cloudy all the way! There was no rhyme or reason!<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" >Anyway, i</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" >t rained a lot on Friday night before the Défi, so we all knew that the pavement would be wet. But the forecast was sunny for the entire day Saturday, so we would be mostly ok.<br /><br />My wife and I woke up at 4 am and were leaving the house at 5 am; we drove to the Verdun Auditorium and were there before 5:30 am. I got my race bibs and t-shirt from Mme. Fortier, went to a corner and got ready for the event.<br /><br />While I was doing this, skater #65 (</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;">Nathalie Trépanier</span></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" >) came to me to let me know that she had read my previous reports and that they had been a good inspiration for her to take part in the Défi. Wow!<br /><br />We went to the start line where other skaters were already warming up. It's always a wonderful sensation to be there with the small crowd of fellow skaters waiting for the 6 am signal to start the Défi.<br /><br />This year M. Fortier must have been a bit behind the schedule because he didn't have time for his usual words of wisdom to the skaters. He just started the one-minute countdown and at zero, we all departed for the big event.<br /><br /></span><br /><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="10%" style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >It was dark.<br /><br />And windy.<br /><br />I had my first fall of the day.<br /></span></td> <td><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" ><br /><b>IV) Phase 1: Creatures of the dark</b><br /><br />As usual I started slow. My biggest concern in the very beginning is always not to cause an accident. Can you imagine someone falling at the very beginning? At least a dozen other people would be involved in such an incident! I surely don't want to be the causing factor of this! :-)<br /><br />It all went pretty well after the countdown, the fast skaters were soon far away and the vast majority took care and went on without much problem.<br /><br />I met Melissa </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;">Vézina </span></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" >and her sister </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;">Paméla </span></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" >after a minute or two of skating. At my first Défi in 2003 I met Melissa and a friend close to the end of the day; in the intervening years she has done much better than her initial 11h30 time, she has even gotten a gold medal! This year, however, she said that she was with her younger sister, so she would go just for the fun, she would take her time.<br /><br />I met skater 48 (</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;">Sophie Lachance</span></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" >) for the first time at this point. She was easy to recognize: both her and her bicycle friend were wearing a yellow t-shirt that could be seen from afar. We crossed our paths many times during the day.<br /><br />Some places in the bike path had big water pools created by the rain of the previous night. Fortunately I didn't get my feet wet. It would be horrible to spend the day on wet socks...<br /><br />I had my first fall of the day while it was still dark. It was right after the Mercier bridge, the pavement was wet, full of leaves and it was dark, a perfect combination for an accident. Fortunately it wasn't anything important, I only had to stop the fall with my hands (always protected, of course) and stopped at a garbage can. Not a great way to start the day, but I have had worse falls... For the next kilometer or two I skated on the road because the bike path was full of leaves. I only returned to the path when we crossed the Lachine canal.<br /><br />The wind on this first section was quite something. When we got to those areas where the river was fully in view, we would get gusts of lateral wind that were enough to destabilize me, I had to fight to stay on. The areas where we were protected from the river by houses or trees were easier to handle, but still you could feel the wind.<br /><br />Less than a kilometer before the end of phase 1 I passed by a skater who had had a bad accident. Some volunteers and other skaters were there to help her.<br /><br />I got to the St. Jean checkpoint at 7:32, eight minutes before my scheduled time. And I wasn't so tired as in previous years. I even felt that I could have done better. But with the dark and the wind it's better not to go too much beyond your abilities.<br /><br />I met my wife at the parking lot at the end of phase 1, rested for ten minutes or so, took my second Tylenol of the day (not that I felt I needed it, it was just a preventive measure), drank some water, chatted with my wife about the event so far and then I left to tackle phase 2 after agreeing to meet my wife at the end of phase 2 by 9h30.<br /><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="10%" style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >Way faster than I expected.<br /><br />Senneville moon landscape.<br /><br />The Senneville hill, always a challenge.<br /></span></td> <td><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" ><br /><b>V) Phase 2: Way faster than I expected.</b><br /><br />I met skater #20 (</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;">Ariane Croteau</span></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" >) at the beginning of this phase. She was accompanied by three people in bicycles! So many people without anyone to help them and she had three! Wow... :-) While she and her group were with me I almost fell. It would have been bad because two of the bikes were right behind me. Fortunately I got a grip of myself and kept going. She was going faster than me, so she and her group left me behind after a few minutes.<br /><br />This phase was mostly uneventful for most of the way. I met a few other skaters here and there but other than that it was a quiet phase.<br /><br />I did my traditional stop before the Senneville hill to drink some water, eat a chocolate and rest a bit. Some skaters (including our now famous backward skating wiz) passed by, I cheered them on on their way to the hill.<br /><br />The hill was as hard as I remembered it, but it was ok. A volunteer was there at the end of the uphill to cheer us on and say that the rest of the way is flat.<br /><br />I felt the downhill right after more dangerous than in previous years. In my first Défi I had a bad fall here, so now I'm always very careful not to gain too much speed. The problem is that I have new breaks that are not yet properly worn, so it was difficult to control the downhill. I managed to do it, anyway, not without some scares, but I did get to the bottom of it unharmed.<br /><br />Senneville is always Senneville. It has gotten a bit better over the years, but it is still a moon landscape, totally horrible to skate on. I skated most of the time in the middle of the road, because the yellow line separating the lanes was the only spot that was more bearable on that horrible road.<br /><br />It's always a good feeling getting to Gouin and leaving Senneville behind. The surface is much better, we can actually skate here. However, it can also be discouraging: Gouin is such a long avenue, it crosses the entire island on the north, so we stay on it quite a while.<br /><br />It's also at this point that every year I get the cramps. But miraculously, this year I didn't feel anything. I kept skating and my legs didn't hurt at all. It was a great feeling to be able to complete phase 2 without suffering with cramps as I always do. Again, I believe this is due to the weather.<br /><br />When I got to the end of phase 2 I asked what time is it, people told me it was 9:10 am! I couldn't believe it, I was a full twenty minutes ahead of my revised schedule and half an hour ahead of my original schedule. I was really impressed with myself.<br /><br />Of course, my wife wasn't yet there, so I kept going, I couldn't wait for her.<br /><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="10%" style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >People really read my reports!<br /></span></td> <td><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" ><br /><b>VI) Phase 3: People read my reports!</b><br /><br />I met my wife in the boulevard Pierrefonds a few minutes after completing phase 2. She was going to our meeting spot, she saw me and turned around to stop at one of the intersections. She was as surprised as I was at my performance, I had shaved half an hour off my original schedule and I wasn't that tired yet.<br /><br />Again I rested for a few minutes, changed my bottle of water, ate a granola bar and then I continued my way.<br /><br />I met Pascal Roy and his group at this point. He recognized me (I guess from the pictures posted on the Défi site), introduced himself and told me that he read my report from a previous year; he even mentioned its title! I was impressed: people read my reports!<br /><br />I stayed with them to the end of the Pierrefonds boulevard. When we were about to re-enter Gouin I almost had an accident with one of them: we crossed the boulevard at different angles, he got a bit unstable and we almost crashed into each other. Once again I was lucky and we were able to avoid the worse.<br /><br />I was feeling strong, so I left them behind before entering the Lalande boulevard. A group of skaters was right behind me, it felt great to push and push to stay "in front"... :-)<br /><br />I met my wife at a tennis court place right after bridge 13 at the halfway point of the Défi. It was 10 am. Usually I get here close to 11 am! I was almost one hour in advance to other years.<br /><br />After some rest, I took the road again. Some parts of the bike path are in parks, with lots of trees, which means wet pavement, leaves, branches, a whole mess. In one uphill spot I had to stop skating and walk sideways to be able to get to the top of the bike path. One day I'll do a completely dry Défi. I have been telling myself this for the last five years...<br /><br />Anyway, this phase also didn't feel as bad as it had in previous years. I remember that I suffer a lot in this phase, I'm always hoping to see the Pie IX bridge at every curve. This year I was amazed when I got to the Sophie Barat school. I asked myself: I'm already here?! Wow!!<br /><br />When I got to the Pie IX bridge and asked the volunteer for the time, it was 10h58 am, one hour better than my previous attempts.<br /><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="10%" style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:85%;">Lunch break.<br /><br />Phase 4 is short.<br /><br />Some fun with fellow skaters.<br /><br />Second fall of the day.<br /></span></span></td> <td><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" ><br /><b>VII) Phase 4: Ok, now I feel the pain...</b><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" >I kept going for two kilometers more to meet my wife at a small park where we always have lunch. I remember last year I was trembling so much due to the cold that it was hard to eat. This year it was sunny and agreeable.<br /><br />I had my biggest break of the day, ate well, rested well, it was great. And I still left the place before 11h30, a time at which I'm usually not even finished with phase 3.<br /><br />However, not everything was flowers. My skates had started to grate my legs, I was now feeling some pain from the effort. And, I can't deny, the piling up of kilometers was beginning to weigh down on me.<br /><br />Fortunately phase 4 is the easiest beause it's the shortest, so it's not so bad.<br /><br />I met skater #48 once more with her fellow yellow biker friend. We spent a few kilometers together passing each other many times in the way. It was funny: on the smooth surfaces, where sheer strength was king, I would leave her behind; however, on the hard spots, where you must rely on technique rather than muscle, she would pass me by... :-)<br /><br />I had my second fall of the day here: again wet pavement, leaves, branches and I had to stop my fall with my hands. Nothing major, just annoying.<br /><br />I met my wife once again at the park near the 87th street. Here I took out my skates to apply Bloodstop to my legs, a product I had recently bought at the pharmacy. I wasn't sure it would work, but it was worth trying. It didn't work: my socks by now were soaked with my sweat and washed away the product before it could help me much. I had to endure the pain the rest of the way...<br /><br />The rest of phase 4 was totally uneventful. Gouin has some bad pavement at this point, it's not an easy ride, but I have done this so many times that I'm used to it.<br /><br />I met my wife at the end of phase 4 at 12h27, one hour and a half before my usual time. Even with the pain in my legs I was still gaining time over my previous years.<br /><br />It was clear to me at this point that I would get the silver medal I had been after for so long, so I could rest here in preparation for phase 5, which is normally the worse one.<br /><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="10%" style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >The wind!<br /><br />The pebbles!<br /><br />The pain!<br /><br />Some "train"ing.<br /><br />I couldn't break on the Berri downhill.<br /><br />No water is no fun.<br /><br />9h07, new personal best!<br /></span></td> <td><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" ><br /><b>VIII) Phase 5: the wind, the wind!<br /><br /></b></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" >I left the Avadeo restaurant at 12h40 with Pascal and his group (yes, the same guys I had met at the Pierrefonds boulevard). I kept with them for a while, but when we got to the Notre Dame avenue after Georges V they stopped to talk to some friends, so I continued by myself.<br /><br />Notre Dame is always the hardest part of the event because your energy is already all drained and you have to face the unbearable headwind all along the long avenue. It's decided: for next year my training will include skating in a wind tunnel!... :-)<br /><br />This year was slightly better for me because I could see some skaters a hundred meters or so in front of me, so that gave me the incentive to keep going. And I even eventually caught up with them, we formed a small train for fifteen minutes or so. Any help is welcome at this point...<br /><br />The other problem that we faced this year on Notre Dame was the ridiculous amount of pebbles on the pavement. In some spots I went to the area reserved for cars because it was really hard to skate on that surface full of pebbles.<br /><br />I stopped at a street light, got disconnected from the "train" and could not catch up with them anymore. Then I stopped before Pie IX to eat my last granola bar and drink some water. I could see that I would have a problem on that front for the finish: my water bottle was running dangerously low, I wouldn't have enough for the rest of the way...<br /><br />After crossing Pie IX I didn't meet any other skates until the end of René Levesque. When I passed under the Jacques Cartier bridge I saw that it was 2:25 pm on the giant </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" >clock of the </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" >Molson brewery. I knew for sure it would be silver, so I took it easy, there was no reason to force anything now.<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" >Going down on Berri with all the pain in my legs was very difficult. I could not manage to break properly to stop at the street light, so I had to do an emergency right turn, continue a few meters and then stop completely to resume in the proper way. It wouldn't have been any fun to have an accident this late in the event...<br /><br />By this point I had no water anymore and I was really needing it. Fortunately for me, my wife and kids were going to the Auditorium to pick me up, they passed by the de la Commune street, saw me, honked and I made a sign for them to stop. My daughter brought me the water I needed and I could continue without a problem.<br /><br />The rest of the way after the Vieux-Port was pretty uneventful, I was going real easy, making sure nothing bad would happen. The clear and sunny day at the end was very welcome.<br /><br />I finally got to the finish line at 3:07 pm, with a total time of 9h07, my new personal best, 1h25 better than my previous best time. I'm sure it was the good weather that allowed me to improve my time by so much. In the previous years it was usually cold and rainy, the weather was always against us. But this year we had a great day to skate and so I had my best Défi ever.<br /><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="10%" style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:85%;">Thanks to M. Fortier and my wife.</span></span><br /></td> <td><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" ><br /><b>IX) The usual words of thanks<br /><br /></b>I would like to thank the members of the Academy... Hey, wait, wrong speech! :-)<br /><br />Many thanks to M. Fortier and his team of volunteers who once more made our lives so much easier in this grueling event. Last year M. Fortier had mentioned that he wanted to retire as organizer of this incredible skating event, I'm happy that he has decided to continue with it.<br /><br />Of course, many thanks also go to my wife, who was there to greet me at our many meeting points during the entire day and to give me the water and food that I needed. Without her to ease the way for me, the Défi would be ten times more difficult.<br /><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="10%" style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >We'll do it again next year!<br /></span></td> <td><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" ><br /><b>X) Next year, we'll do it again!<br /><br /></b>I'm </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" >already </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" >counting the days for our next meeting. I hope to see you there! Thanks for reading.<br /></span><br /></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </div> </div><script><!-- viewOnLoad(); var urchinPage = "/View"; function getXHR() { if (typeof XMLHttpRequest != "undefined") { return new XMLHttpRequest(); } try { return new ActiveXObject("Msxml2.XMLHTTP.6.0") } catch(e) {} try { return new ActiveXObject("Msxml2.XMLHTTP.3.0") } catch(e) {} try { return new ActiveXObject("Msxml2.XMLHTTP") } catch(e) {} try { return new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP") } catch(e) {} return null; } function reportAbuse() { var req = getXHR(); if (req) { var docid = 'dg29842w_11cqcjmw'; var posttoken = 'x2-41yABAAA.UKc1PbT8VSvtsgpDS4exIDUiTI-jzbdFaqfgtjtfDZ0.WfS_q9FcDl3-jNni4Gq__w'; req.onreadystatechange = function() { try { if (req.readyState == 4 && req.status == 200) { var button = document.getElementById("report-abuse-button"); button.value = 'Thank you!'; button.disabled = true; } } catch (ex) { } } try { req.open('POST', 'MiscCommands', true); req.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded; charset=UTF-8'); req.send('command=report_abuse&abuseDoc=' + encodeURIComponent(docid) + '&POST_TOKEN=' + encodeURIComponent(posttoken)); } catch (ex) { } } } --></script>Valdir Jorgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14407310251287625559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979575940467028704.post-42592787923455493802006-10-30T07:05:00.001-05:002011-03-03T04:40:35.784-05:002006 Défi report<div style="margin: 1ex; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;"><div><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Note: I sent this report to be published at the <a href="http://www.defimontreal.com/indexe.htm">Défi site</a> but the webmaster no longer published skater's report, so I decided to write my own blog to keep these things...<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">======================================<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">I don't want to sound like the proverbial whiner, but let's see:</span></p> <ul><p><span style="font-size:130%;">·</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> too much gravel on the pavement (those four hundred meters in Beaconsville were deadly!)</span></p></ul> <ul><p><span style="font-size:130%;">·</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> the wind against us (section 1 was <i>really </i>hard!)</span></p></ul> <ul><p><span style="font-size:130%;">·</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> the cold!</span></p></ul> <ul><p><span style="font-size:130%;">·</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> construction work everywhere!</span></p></ul> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">Were there no good things to talk about this year? Yes, of course there were. The partial asphalting in Senneville was definitely a plus, it helped a lot. The sun showing up in parts of the way was very welcome, too. Meeting skaters for most of the day was also uplifting.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">But I'm getting ahead of myself, let's start from the beginning. This year my kids wanted to be there with me and my wife in the first half of the way, so we all woke up very early, between 4 am and 4:30 am. We were ready to leave home at 5:10 am and arrived at the Verdun Auditorium in a little more than twenty minutes. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">I took my first aspirin of the day in preparation for the pain that would certainly come. I had no idea of the amount of pain I would endure during the day and that no amount of pain-killers would help...</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">Mr. Fortier announced that some sections this year were better (like the new asphalt in parts of Senneville) and others were worse (like Beaconsville and the detour in Rivière-des-Prairies). At 6:02 am we were ready to go. I said goodbye to my wife and took the bike path after the traditional ten-second countdown.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">As usual I started slow, in order to avoid accidents. No one needs a fall right at the beginning, right? And anyway, I know I have almost eleven hours of skating in front of me, I'm not in a rush at this early hour.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">I stayed with a small group of skaters for a while, they were going at a good pace, so I saw no point in passing them. And the conversation was a good distraction from the enormous task ahead of us.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">It didn't rain this year on the Saturday of the Défi but it had rained heavily on the previous day, so the pavement was wet everywhere and there were huge amounts of dead leaves on the ground that made advancing very difficult. At some points the bicycle path was totally impracticable, we had to use the street instead. In one of these points I had a minor fall. I saw some skaters leaving the bike path and going to the street, but I insisted in continuing on the path. There were just too many wet leaves, I couldn't control it and fell. Of course, I went to the street right after that...</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">Close to the end of section 1 I met Raymond Bélisle, the only person to have taken part in all eleven Défis. We chatted for a while, until we reached the end of this section. He is such a nice person that I hope to see him again next year.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">I arrived at the end of the first section near St-Jean Blvd at 7:43 am, way behind my schedule. My wife and kids were there waiting for me with the car in the parking lot. I got a new bottle of water and some food and rested for a few minutes before engaging section 2.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">The gravel in Beaconsville was everything Mr. Fortier had said and more! How I hate to have to stop because of construction work! We do this event of ours this late in the year because supposedly the construction time is finished, but this year looked like election year, there were construction teams everywhere. I'm all for road improvements, but not on the day of our big event! :-(</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">Other than the Beaconsville gravel, section 2 was mostly uneventful until I reached the Senneville hill. I did my traditional stop before the hill, ate a granola bar and drank some water. A few skaters passed by and continued to the hill. I followed them a few minutes later when I was in better shape.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">After the uphill we're entitled to a nice downhill, where we get some good speed. It's dangerous (in my first attempt, in 2003, I had a big crash there) but if done properly, it's a lot of fun. I remember that while going down I thought "if just all the rest of the way would be like this, a nice downhill...".</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">Senneville this year was not as hellish as usual because some good parts of the way had a nice new asphalt. And even the bad parts didn't feel so bad, probably because we had good parts in between. I just hope that for next year they put asphalt everywhere in that area. Then it will be that much easier to get through section 2.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">This year the traditional cramps that I get around km 45 didn't happen. I was very happy for that. Every year I have to stop a few kilometers before the end of section 2 in order for my muscles to get back to normal, but this year I was able to continue without problem.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">My wife and I were supposed to meet at the end of section 2, but, unfortunately, they were not there when I passed by. I learned later that they got there a little after 10 am, some fifteen minutes after I had crossed that area.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">Therefore I had to face the never-ending Pierrefonds Blvd without the usual help of resting in the car and all that. At this point my skates were beginning to grate on my ankle and lower calves, the pain started to set in and I had to compensate for that, which meant that my skating went from bad to worse.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">I was completely alone all the way in the Pierrefonds Blvd, I didn't meet any other skaters. It was the first part of the Défi that I was all by myself this year.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">After the bridge of highway 13 I finally met my wife and kids again, so I could sit down, eat something and chat about our adventures so far. It was already 10:40 am, I was a bit behind my schedule. The skates - that I praised so much last year – were now killing me and I had to put a band-aid to try and ease the pain.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">I met a few skaters on Gouin here and there, which was a good change from previous years. Usually at this point I'm completely alone but this year there were a few people that I was constantly meeting, it was good.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">Once again the bike path in the parks was horrible, the leaves and branches made skating truly hard. With the rain from the previous day, those leaves and branches were very treacherous!</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">At some point in one of the parks there was a van from the city of Montreal parked right in the middle of the way. I thought I would be able to pass on the side, but when I saw that it wouldn't be possible, it was already too late and I had my second minor fall of the day. What a stupid idea to stop a van right in the middle of the bike path!</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">At the Île de la Visitation I met skater 27 (whom I had met a few times during the day); he didn't seem to be in good shape and was limping ahead. I told him that the end of section 3 was really close and that he should continue.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">I got under the Pie-IX bridge at 11h53 am, only seven minutes before the deadline! After checking the time with the volunteer parked there, I went on to meet my wife for lunch at a park nearby.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">It was cold, too cold for me. During all the time I ate my lunch, I was trembling. My jacket was not enough for the cold of the day. This was my longest pause of the day, I stayed there for almost twenty minutes. After I had rested and eaten the good food we had selected for today, I left for the shortest section of the Défi.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">We had agreed to meet again at a park near the mid-point of the section, but due to some more construction work, that was not possible. I had to do a long detour from Gouin and when I came back to it, the bike path was closed for even more construction work!</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">I met skater 27 again very close to the end of section 4. He showed me his map and asked me where we were, he wanted to call someone to come and pick him up, because his legs would not take him any longer. I told him that we were less than a kilometer away from the last checkpoint and that he should continue up to that point, the volunteers there would be able to help him.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">It was around 1:40 pm when I got to the end of section 4. As I accepted the water offered by the volunteers, my wife arrived and I could rest in our car. I took the fourth and last aspirin of the day, just for taking it, because by now the pain in my right leg was so intense that no amount of pain-killers would help me.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">At the beginning of the fifth section I met a couple of skaters and stayed with them for a few minutes. Unfortunately the girl fell down and they stayed behind while she recovered a little, so I continued alone.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">There's not much to tell about section 5, it's long and boring, just kilometers and kilometers by the railway, by the river, in the parks. At this point I was so utterly tired and in so much pain from the grating my skate was giving me that I was basically limping ahead, oblivious to anything that was going on around me.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">Unfortunately I didn't see my wife at our last scheduled meeting point at the Honoré-Mercier park near the mid-point of the section, so I just kept going through Notre-Dame and its bad sidewalks. More construction here forced me to take the other side of the avenue, which, surprisingly, was not as bad.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">I met some volunteers in this last stretch of the way and they cheered me on. Two volunteers were under the Jacque Cartier bridge and offered me a Gatorade and a granola bar. I did my last stop of the way to consume these, it was a welcome treat.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">In the park of the Verdun Auditorium there were three big poodles of water, I had to “walk” around them. I ended up crossing the finish line at 4:55 pm with a total time of 10h53. Not too bad, considering the excruciating pain in my lower legs.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">My wife was there to greet me and take a picture of me arriving. Mr. Fortier was filming me as I came, so I may end up in some future release of the Défi DVD... :-)</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">What a fantastic Défi we had this year! Yes, there were plenty of things to complain about, but it always feels good to cross that finish line, no matter how bad the pain and how tired you are.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">As usual, I would like to take the opportunity to say a big thank you to Mr. Fortier and his team of devoted volunteers for organizing the Défi and making it run so well. Other than that, many words of thanks go to my wife for being there the entire day and carrying all my things for me. I said it before but it deserves saying it again: without her help I could not possibly have crossed that finish line!</span></p> </div> </div>Valdir Jorgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14407310251287625559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979575940467028704.post-84676380778493351102005-10-30T12:35:00.000-05:002009-05-18T10:26:36.985-04:002005 Défi report<span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family: arial;">Note: this report was originally published at the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.defimontreal.com/indexe.htm">Défi site</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> under year 2005 (it's the last one in the list). Go there to see reports by other skaters!</span><br /><b style="font-family: arial;"><br />-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /></b></span><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRnvlJiJH_hfDIUt2RW7bN-vSSOE8qG4RedKadMMA1YYvsDg2tsR3hQUOxJUgstf_gI6x14pRF5mDraGQ0GU-coCeo5el5NK3zhzKRbOxabzzmo_R8ZIy5UAFMzf2-KE6rnyh6Is6qCFU/s1600-h/PC220021.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRnvlJiJH_hfDIUt2RW7bN-vSSOE8qG4RedKadMMA1YYvsDg2tsR3hQUOxJUgstf_gI6x14pRF5mDraGQ0GU-coCeo5el5NK3zhzKRbOxabzzmo_R8ZIy5UAFMzf2-KE6rnyh6Is6qCFU/s200/PC220021.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299746442754453346" border="0" /></a>On Friday night I set my alarm clock to ring at 4 a.m. but I woke up at 3:30! That's how much I was tuned to the Défi!! </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">My wife and I left home (near the Olympic Stadium) at 5:10 and in just twelve minutes were at the Old Port, the streets were so empty that not even drunks were in sight! The light rain that was falling was probably the main reason... </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1eA0DtTTJrNsLKqk6-vAVnIQW0kX2SwI5nj_oozm27eyEUwhTCcbssnJGJeoooIYR7XH9qnwt6YBMs3U78Ki4M4V-wCMmzGT9vjYzwU-oGKzEATOzOJrNd8UsLl1jKT-kXUjZWpIMlYo/s1600-h/PC220022.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1eA0DtTTJrNsLKqk6-vAVnIQW0kX2SwI5nj_oozm27eyEUwhTCcbssnJGJeoooIYR7XH9qnwt6YBMs3U78Ki4M4V-wCMmzGT9vjYzwU-oGKzEATOzOJrNd8UsLl1jKT-kXUjZWpIMlYo/s200/PC220022.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299746446683317218" border="0" /></a>When we arrived at the Verdun Auditorium there were already quite a few people there, all getting ready for the big event. I found an empty space, sat down and put on my skates and protective gear. This year, as I knew we would have a Défi under a lot of water, I put a plastic bag around my feet to protect the socks from getting wet (thanks Rod for the tip!). <i>[Actually the plastic bag should go around the whole boot... <a href="http://www.roller-montreal.com/html/ent/raingod.htm" target="_blank">Click here</a> for the article.]</i></span> </p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJMMQOPzv1zxaDR-fA3AU__yE77ogv7xNILTEmWJ4mw2sCSN1itoZ0SVbkTwZcbJhWAbGWXlxcdu3SQxKxeqt_E9339yiJodwh897-9_cYZZiYPyEw1TAJuKUGj9UulUMYLDTX1xj1JtM/s1600-h/PC220025.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJMMQOPzv1zxaDR-fA3AU__yE77ogv7xNILTEmWJ4mw2sCSN1itoZ0SVbkTwZcbJhWAbGWXlxcdu3SQxKxeqt_E9339yiJodwh897-9_cYZZiYPyEw1TAJuKUGj9UulUMYLDTX1xj1JtM/s200/PC220025.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299746447439252162" border="0" /></a>As I was finally ready, one of the organizers announced that we were ten minutes away from six o'clock, so we should go to the start line. I took my first aspirin of the day (during the year I never take pain killers, but on the day of the Défi I have to take four!) and went outside. The light rain was still going on... </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">The first surprise of the day was to see a CBC van nearby. We'll be TV stars! Yay! :-) </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_vrQ3Q15Gi1LYBiFJELa-Lnd4Ej1kWkDFkPifWBjJnKcTg4UGnFN7HV3rTPKM8RnGYi2b2IEQHa59e6y7IOqmoKRNJ9Ligy9KqVD1QluNE2a_qapyiyBktg0Zo_YA4FX3zjayKWBtjck/s1600-h/PC220027.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_vrQ3Q15Gi1LYBiFJELa-Lnd4Ej1kWkDFkPifWBjJnKcTg4UGnFN7HV3rTPKM8RnGYi2b2IEQHa59e6y7IOqmoKRNJ9Ligy9KqVD1QluNE2a_qapyiyBktg0Zo_YA4FX3zjayKWBtjck/s200/PC220027.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299746446307273106" border="0" /></a>We had the traditional last-minute review of the rules (always on the right side, yield to the cars, respect the red lights, etc), did the ten second countdown and off we were. I said goodbye to my wife and took the bike path. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">I always let everybody go in front of me, I fear that I may fall right in the beginning and bring down a ton of people with me. I know I have some eleven hours of skating ahead of me, so at this early hour I'm not exactly in a rush... </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">For the first ten or fifteen minutes I stayed with a group of ten skaters that were bringing up the rear of the Défi. But then I decided that they were going a bit too slow for my taste and pushed a little, leaving them behind. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Soon after that, I met another small group (five or so skaters) and stayed with them for a few minutes. I left them behind as well. The pavement was wet everywhere, so everybody was being ultracautious, which is quite understandable. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUUyLJ4KTMLINChBKhLRBztzH7COV_h9rJUQRV9GDm1BXbj8TDdliu0AO1_sMsyHJkEDKTsq1nLvGj_Xl5hWQA8IIp9AKGrHznt6sNs5m-qPityzJ3ckbGJyNXLbgBsuZ7aMVzjIFvq0/s1600-h/PC220030.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUUyLJ4KTMLINChBKhLRBztzH7COV_h9rJUQRV9GDm1BXbj8TDdliu0AO1_sMsyHJkEDKTsq1nLvGj_Xl5hWQA8IIp9AKGrHznt6sNs5m-qPityzJ3ckbGJyNXLbgBsuZ7aMVzjIFvq0/s200/PC220030.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299746448934326450" border="0" /></a>I arrived at the end of the first section near St-Jean Blvd at 7:35, ten minutes behind my self-imposed schedule. My wife was there, waiting for me with the car in the parking lot. She gave me water and a granola bar. I sat down and rested for a few minutes. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">As I started the second section I joined again the group that I had just left behind before finishing the first section, this time they seemed to be going a little faster (or was I already slowing down?...), so I stayed with them. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">I had my first fall of the day at the beginning of this section. The pavement was not that good, I had had many close calls during the first hundred minutes but this time I couldn't avoid it and went crashing down. It wasn't too bad, my left hand was hurting a little bit and the shoulder, too. Skater 101, who was just in front of me, stopped a little bit to ask if everything was ok with me. I told him I was good and quickly joined him again. I was feeling some pain but nothing that couldn't be endured. Well, that's the Défi, anyway, isn't it? </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">After this fall the second section was uneventful until I reached the Senneville hill. On my first year (2003) I had tried to tackle it as it came but had not been able to get to the top without stopping twice on the way up, so I learned that stopping before it and having some water and food was indeed a good idea. I did that last year and this one, too. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">While I was resting there, M. Fortier showed up in his car and filmed me for a short while. I hope the sequence makes it out of the editing room! :-) Two volunteers in a van also stopped to ask me if everything was alright; I said all was fine, I was just getting ready to face the hill. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">As I got myself prepared once more to take the road, a couple (skaters 14 and 15) were also going up, so I joined them. Even rested and fed, it was hard. Going up is normally difficult but with the rain, it's doubly so, you can't skate as usual, otherwise you glide sideways instead of going forward. Anyway, after a lot of effort I got up there with them and was able to breathe normally again! </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">The downhill immediately after the Senneville is also quite dangerous. In 2003 I went crashing down; last year I went with my brakes on; this year I went all the way in a nice crouch, I didn't have to slow down, so I was quite happy when I arrived in one piece at the other end. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">But then comes the hell that is Senneville... It's the part of the Défi that I like the least, the pavement is just unusable. Fortunately there were not too many cars on the road, so we could choose the best parts of the street to skate, but even the best was truly bad. I'm always happy to get out of Senneville. Gouin feels like polyurethane after having skated through Senneville... </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Every year around km 45 or so I get cramps. Maybe it's the effort to go up the hill or just the general tiredness that sinks in, I don't know, but the fact is that the muscles in my calves start acting up, I feel like they are "dancing" inside my legs. In the first two years I just slowed down and the threat of cramps subsided; however this year it was really painful, I had to stop. Fortunately there was a van with volunteers nearby and I could sit down in their car to rest for a while. We talked a bit while I waited for the pain to go away. They told me that this was their third Défi as well! </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">The cramps diminished enough to allow me to start once more the long road, I again thanked the volunteers, confirmed that I was feeling ok and went out. They told me that we were only four kilometers away from the end of section 2. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbYNepgw3hXjBbi3StAPvXLTYlKuW6KJgvjb0DYEtK09S1Lvmk3tjhPhgOlXRCRuShA_2JbaCRp3lcdao1_lJtSGWXtcGh5_AKKZoDZ7IC_f2wPK1EVda7WU-4_hFBvHmVR2HKnvxgjh8/s1600-h/PC220031.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbYNepgw3hXjBbi3StAPvXLTYlKuW6KJgvjb0DYEtK09S1Lvmk3tjhPhgOlXRCRuShA_2JbaCRp3lcdao1_lJtSGWXtcGh5_AKKZoDZ7IC_f2wPK1EVda7WU-4_hFBvHmVR2HKnvxgjh8/s200/PC220031.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299746607840626306" border="0" /></a>I met my wife right before taking Pierrefonds Blvd. She told me I was faster than expected. Even though I had been ten minutes late for section 1, I was on time now, meaning that my section 2, even with a fall, the hill and my cramps had been easier than I had foreseen. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">I took my second aspirin of the day, got some water and another granola bar and faced Pierrefonds Blvd. Here I had my second fall of the day, a minor affair when going up and down on the bike path. I just got up and continued forward. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidHk2fs8cTupUwDgxIbY8X2QCXs3gtazxZLrVCsGnqnFKhUBp2EiQtyzXvTJsMf9o2TYqKCPvSft7_UCDtXQrNkmDOsUVQuTqmTGrR3HLnUDlmCXxqUjEmMe8IVgYtKb-MFH2CK4JZYjY/s1600-h/PC220032.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidHk2fs8cTupUwDgxIbY8X2QCXs3gtazxZLrVCsGnqnFKhUBp2EiQtyzXvTJsMf9o2TYqKCPvSft7_UCDtXQrNkmDOsUVQuTqmTGrR3HLnUDlmCXxqUjEmMe8IVgYtKb-MFH2CK4JZYjY/s200/PC220032.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299746611554431842" border="0" /></a>At the end of Pierrefond Blvd I met three skaters who were lost and were asking for directions. I told them to join me, because I knew the way pretty well. We stayed together for a good part of section 3, I showed them the entrance to Lalande (the small Défi sign was a bit confusing, it seemed to indicate not to take Lalande...) and we continued together through Gouin until the bridge at Hwy 13. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhggw5e3kn_RMa_VPRFYGctnIhbWOLBNHjucGxwLhPp2nTkYHZ3Exx1KQXjtjkewUMKxizzR5F8num-LTn1ZbC5I4p1k5QUyy1I_iLAD4RqhIDVwfBkmzM8qoh8d6SKZ-JeO6xKnrSoYA4/s1600-h/PC220033.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhggw5e3kn_RMa_VPRFYGctnIhbWOLBNHjucGxwLhPp2nTkYHZ3Exx1KQXjtjkewUMKxizzR5F8num-LTn1ZbC5I4p1k5QUyy1I_iLAD4RqhIDVwfBkmzM8qoh8d6SKZ-JeO6xKnrSoYA4/s200/PC220033.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299746611778640274" border="0" /></a>There I met my wife once more and sat down for some more resting. She told me that I was ten minutes ahead of schedule, so it seemed I was going even faster than before. I'm sure my better performance this year is in big part due to my new skates. My previous pair of skates hurt my feet after long sessions, so they were not appropriate for the Défi. This year I finally bought a new pair and my feet didn't hurt anywhere as much as before, I could skate better for longer periods. Good investment, I would say! </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Going the rest of the way through Gouin was mostly uneventful. But once again the bike path in the parks was horrid, the leaves and branches were scattered everywhere. With the rain, it was like skating on soap! Just going through without falling was already an achievement... </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Soon after passing Christophe-Colombe I met skater 50 (or was it 52?) once more; we had crossed each other many times during the morning. We went together through the area of Île de la Visitation, she told me her ankles were hurting too much, she just wanted to get to the Pie-IX bridge and she would stop there, she couldn't go any further. Hey, eighty kilometers is already a lot... </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0WZ913LHsPPiJ0n3MMMuHnQAukMDHk3n8OUF9CnI2I3LPDlLzXsoBOQwN2LcV5SWJZvS98wtqG_fSp-ctxK-vMW9iie_FA5JuwNX8y3yWXRBzQJAXaJCX4MOarDDzziCff2rRk8J-NrA/s1600-h/PC220034.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0WZ913LHsPPiJ0n3MMMuHnQAukMDHk3n8OUF9CnI2I3LPDlLzXsoBOQwN2LcV5SWJZvS98wtqG_fSp-ctxK-vMW9iie_FA5JuwNX8y3yWXRBzQJAXaJCX4MOarDDzziCff2rRk8J-NrA/s200/PC220034.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299746612226745778" border="0" /></a>I was under the Pie-IX bridge at 11h45, my best time ever! I accepted the water offered by the volunteer and went on to meet my wife for lunch at a park nearby. I had my longest pause of the day, I stayed there for twenty minutes or so, rested and ate some delicious food she had just bought on the way. While I was in the park I saw only two skaters pass by, which seemed to indicate that once more I was one of the last ones. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcOxNl1qYs1xXKQrIPSrWMM-kg4a_GH_JdZYtpbuegtww4_hEK0ChU-mepU66CcQvzsa6aXg0JMp2bfsdsH4AEXWL7ZpY7lrzZTrk1MW4-FVYswTQ2kp9fMm59Lk2lbjwaGR7VlnZK5X4/s1600-h/PC220035.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcOxNl1qYs1xXKQrIPSrWMM-kg4a_GH_JdZYtpbuegtww4_hEK0ChU-mepU66CcQvzsa6aXg0JMp2bfsdsH4AEXWL7ZpY7lrzZTrk1MW4-FVYswTQ2kp9fMm59Lk2lbjwaGR7VlnZK5X4/s200/PC220035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299746615897609394" border="0" /></a>Well, fine as everything was, it was time to take to Gouin again, to complete the shortest section of the Défi. The rain had stopped and I even saw some spots where it was beginning to dry, I was able to skate more or less normally for the first time in the day. I had a short stop at the mid-point where I met my wife for what would be the last time before the end. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Around 1:20 pm it started to rain yet again, quashing all hope of a drier Défi. It was 1:35 pm when I got to the old site of the Farago restaurant (now a beauty salon, it seems), which marks the end of the fourth section of the Défi. I was a lot earlier than my scheduled time, so I did not meet my wife at this point unfortunately. One more aspirin and I was ready to take the road under a persistent rain. When I left the restaurant area there was a couple arriving, but I didn't see their numbers. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuuN5g9VF6uNLBCtQUu2ZGgAD8hIwDcKcHzHdPZjr0zU5RluUC_8j3NV5H4hUMH3NkdO3PyKZqhjpzhGlHKKEcgnq-tiNquhqqxVY8IR3kBNUlbDh4OLIIVFZ_zs0G0wzAGFrbg_Mh9NM/s1600-h/PC220036.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuuN5g9VF6uNLBCtQUu2ZGgAD8hIwDcKcHzHdPZjr0zU5RluUC_8j3NV5H4hUMH3NkdO3PyKZqhjpzhGlHKKEcgnq-tiNquhqqxVY8IR3kBNUlbDh4OLIIVFZ_zs0G0wzAGFrbg_Mh9NM/s200/PC220036.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299746663642377042" border="0" /></a>As usual, the fifth section was the hardest. The winds were quite mild this year, which was a welcome plus, but the bad pavement and the rain made it truly difficult to proceed. I had three small falls in this session, all due to the bad pavement and the tiredness that was setting in. None of these minor falls were important, but with the first one the cramps returned and I had to stay on the ground, the pain was just too much. A resident even came out and asked me if everything was ok... </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">The fifth section is long and boring, you see kilometers ahead of you and there is only road after road, it takes a lot of strength to keep going all alone under the rain, feeling pain everywhere, going on bad pavement and all that. At this point you're no longer thinking anything, you just keep going and going because stopping is just unthinkable after all you have gone through. The Défi is most definitely not for everyone... </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">My last scheduled meeting point before Verdun was the Honoré-Mercier park near the mid-point of the section. But once again I was too fast and got there way before the scheduled time. When I called home, my daughter told me that my wife had just called from the previous meeting point at the end of section 4! I saw that it would be impossible to communicate again before the end. I told my daughter that they should be there at Verdun between 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. She was impressed, that would be an hour less than last year! </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">The bike path on the sidewalks of Notre-Dame were as bad as I remembered them, I had to slow down to avoid accidents. Anyway, I was not in a hurry. I knew I couldn't make it for 4 p.m., so there was no point in rushing things, I took my time and enjoyed the way. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Just after the military base there was some heavy construction work going on, it was dangerous to skate around those areas, I had to share the route with trucks and tractors, heavy stuff... </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">I know the way after Pie-IX quite well, I take this bike path every day to go to work, so I was "at home" in this area. I felt great, I knew I would finish in under eleven hours, something I had been trying since my first Défi two years ago. The silver medal was unfortunately out of reach, but that can wait for a drier Défi some year in the future, right? </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Right before entering the bike path that leads to the Verdun Auditorium, more heavy construction on the road and I was scratching my head on how to get to the end. Definitely election years are bad for the Défi, the incumbent party wants to show off how much they are working for the people and the city becomes one huge construction area... </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">It was 4:36 p.m. when I finally got to the Auditorium. Mr Fortier, some skaters and volunteers were there to cheer me on. Unfortunately my wife and children arrived only ten minutes later, so they didn't see me coming in. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">I ate an apple and some grapes while I waited for my family to arrive and then we went home for a small "after Défi party" with some friends. On Wellington Street we saw the last couple of skaters going towards the Auditorium. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Well, that's it for this year. As usual, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Fortier and his team of volunteers for organizing the Défi and making it run so smoothly. Also many words of thanks go to my wife for being there the entire day and carrying all my things for me, easing a lot the incredible task of completing the Défi. <b><br /></b></span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /></b></span></p><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Medal ceremony<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkJ1-Tm_q0kRC9o0AkF5ibchunduXLvG7HE_b17q1DOOFra9qvK-1nHDbQntpxiwT-Ay4d09wdnek-X0MU-EYo6ekFi2LXotX3ItMjM5OyT-qMGHdgrnmvxSi9rXw_WKWbEBFqSRTkVU/s1600-h/P2010005.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkJ1-Tm_q0kRC9o0AkF5ibchunduXLvG7HE_b17q1DOOFra9qvK-1nHDbQntpxiwT-Ay4d09wdnek-X0MU-EYo6ekFi2LXotX3ItMjM5OyT-qMGHdgrnmvxSi9rXw_WKWbEBFqSRTkVU/s200/P2010005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315973472679550802" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Mr. Fortier and his wife at the bar of the Auditorium:<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_D6MxgMMdUjLovREHF25dR9MDrT-Jde7nkd4KTlEevKukWiKQ0NALGH4H0yGke3WZtik7Yt4kJEUg8TOT6fIXc_m84olqkYqaA6ZqnFk8T2iQOX76uhOYXmaRu5k-GfPA_SW-v_jHkcA/s1600-h/P2010006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_D6MxgMMdUjLovREHF25dR9MDrT-Jde7nkd4KTlEevKukWiKQ0NALGH4H0yGke3WZtik7Yt4kJEUg8TOT6fIXc_m84olqkYqaA6ZqnFk8T2iQOX76uhOYXmaRu5k-GfPA_SW-v_jHkcA/s200/P2010006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315973479978169234" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />A few words before the medal ceremony:<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcEX3itpOAEVWr36dTHRatSb_cUEnApany5ICtVzEktrZcI4OUjPv-6oeuS5Lma6uYzSsMU8VyvMFPPvbxlaPQVQ5izOepk-glti9bkp19rtJ0icqfYau-gwv-a-p19SGqJF9FZy8GMnE/s1600-h/P2010007.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcEX3itpOAEVWr36dTHRatSb_cUEnApany5ICtVzEktrZcI4OUjPv-6oeuS5Lma6uYzSsMU8VyvMFPPvbxlaPQVQ5izOepk-glti9bkp19rtJ0icqfYau-gwv-a-p19SGqJF9FZy8GMnE/s200/P2010007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315973478933802482" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Raymond Belisle praising Mr. Fortier and his team:<br /><br /></span></div></div>Valdir Jorgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14407310251287625559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979575940467028704.post-90854357067918062172004-10-30T12:42:00.001-04:002010-12-04T08:27:35.064-05:002004 Défi report<span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">Note: this report was originally published at the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.defimontreal.com/indexe.htm">Défi site</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> under year 2004 (it's the last one in the list). Go there to see reports by other skaters!</span><br /><b style="font-family: arial;"><br />-----------------------------------------------------------------<br /></b></span><p style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">What an experience the Défi this year! According to the meteorological forecasts we would have a little bit of rain in the afternoon; in the morning we would even get some sunshine! What a joke! The rain started a little after 5 am and didn't stop for at least two hours! </span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Anyway, minutes before 6 am I was ready, I had my number 20 glued to my pants and I went to the start line with all the other participants. The highest number I saw was 138, so I think this year we had a lot less people taking part in this craziness of ours. I guess the rain was in good part responsible for the low number of participants... </span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Before the start we listened to some words of advice (about how dangerous the wet pavement was, etc.), did the traditional countdown and off we went into the dark and cold of the night. </span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Last year I finished the Défi in 11h23 so for this year my goal was to complete the event in less than eleven hours. I mean, that <b>was</b> my goal, because ten minutes into the race I had already changed my mind: now I just wanted to get to the end in one piece. If you were not there you won't believe how treacherous the wet pavement was. Skating in the dark, cold, wet and windy Section 1 took a heavy toll on me (and I imagine most everyone else). </span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I only fell once this year and it was a very minor thing. Just before mid-section of Section 1 there were two volunteers, they told us that the wooden bridge ahead was very slippery. So, I went very slow, took a lot of care, got onto the bridge and... <b>Bang! I fell anyway!</b> :-) But nothing other than my pride was hurt, so I just stood up and kept going. On the next bridge I didn't even think twice, I just grabbed the guardrail and pulled myself by hand to the other side... <i>Editor's Note: The trick is to put on a real burst of speed *before* entering the bridge, so you can roll straight across without pushing.</i></span> </p><p style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">My wife was once again with me this year, she was in our car and every fifteen or twenty kilometers we met, she gave me water and food, carried some of my things, it was a great help. </span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Last year I got to Pie-IX bridge four minutes before the limit (noon), this year my intention was to be there earlier than that but all the effort done in Section 1 made me arrive even later: it was already 12h13 when I finally reached the checkpoint under the bridge. </span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I continued for two kilometers more and met my wife for lunch. My daughter was also there. This year we had agreed that my wife would do the first three sections with me, and my daughter would do the other two on bike. </span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">So, we had lunch, said our good-byes and off we went through Section 4. By now the pain in my feet was already slowing me down. It wasn't as bad as one year ago, but it was bad enough to make me go slower than I wanted. I also had to stop many times to rest and drink water. </span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Anyway, I got to the end of Section 4 ten minutes before the 2 pm limit and by now I knew that I would be able to finish. I sat down, accepted the water offered by the volunteers and rested for a few minutes. </span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Right before 2 pm we started the last phase of the Défi. It's the longest and usually the hardest. The wind blowing against you makes it very difficult to go forward and on top of that, all the pain and effort of 100 km start to feel very heavy on you. </span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I live near the Olympic Stadium, so when we got there my daughter and I said good-bye, she went home and I continued alone. This last part of the way I know very well, I take this bike path every day to go to work during the summer months. </span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Less than two minutes after leaving her I almost had a serious accident. The lights on Pie-IX are multi-phasic, so I patiently waited for the green light and then went on. At the same time someone in a car coming from Notre-Dame wanted to turn onto Pie-IX! He was totally wrong, the lights were red for him, but he came in anyway. Fortunately he saw me, had the time to react and turn away from me. Phew! </span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">It was a little before 5h30 pm when I got to Wellington Street. I stopped at a bus shelter and my wife and kids appeared in our car, just like that! They gave me water and told me they would wait for me at the Auditorium. </span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">After this final rest, I took to the street and did those last three kilometers. Only one thought was in my mind: to get to the finish line. Nothing else mattered now, just to get to the Auditorium! I finally arrived there at 5h41 pm, with a total time of 11h41. Mr. Fortier, his wife and another gentleman whose name escapes me now were there with my wife and kids to greet me. What a relief to get to the end unharmed after such a dangerous day! </span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">We chatted a little while, the organizers gave us some fruit and we said good-bye. On the way back, on Wellington Street, we saw skaters 82 and 83 (who I had met a few times on the way) and 62. They were going to the Auditorium, but it was already past 6 pm, so they were too late for a medal. But they kept going anyway, it was their Défi and they wanted to finish it. Congratulations to them for having done that!<br /></span></p><center style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Words of thanks</b></span></center> <p style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Once again I want to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Fortier, his wife and all the volunteers who stayed in the rain, gave us water and guidance and cheered us on. What a wonderful group of people you all are! </span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Many thanks also go to my wife and my daughter who accompanied me and without whom I could never even think of undertaking such an event. </span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;" align="right"><span style="font-size:130%;"><i>Valdir Jorge, #20</i></span></p>Valdir Jorgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14407310251287625559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979575940467028704.post-4601477125680475552003-10-30T07:07:00.000-05:002009-05-18T10:23:45.350-04:002003 Défi report<center style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Note: this report was originally published at the <a href="http://www.defimontreal.com/indexe.htm">Défi site</a> under year 2003 (it's the last one in the list). Go there to see reports by other skaters!<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><br />Part I: Preparing for it</b></span></center> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">I first read about the <a href="http://www.defimontreal.com/indexe.htm">Défi</a> in the Gazette last year (2002). However, it was already September and there was no way I would be able to prepare myself for such a challenge in just one month. I'm not a very endowed skater and I had never skated for more than two hours in a row, so I let it pass, without thinking about it for the next six months. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">But then the snow was gone in May and the idea of doing the Défi came back to me. Now I would have enough time to prepare both physically and mentally for such a grueling event! The first task was to read all of Rod's very instructive web site. When I read the skater reports commenting on the non-stop rain and winds they had had in 2002, I thought "it was a good thing I let it pass, I would never have been able to do it in those conditions". And I started wishing for a warm and dry day for the third Saturday of October... </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Next in line was to get to know the path. I did this survey mostly by bike during the months of May and June. As I live near the second half of section 5, I got to know that section quite well, but I also visited all other sections. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Anyway, by the end of June I knew the path and I thought I was mentally prepared to do it. Now I had to prepare physically for it, so I started skating longer than usual. And I also started going to work on my bike in August, taking the bike path through part of section 5. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">At the end of August my wife told me that she was willing to accompany me in our car to provide me with the water, food and clothing that I would need on the day. What great news! I had been doing all my skating with a backpack to carry my things and it slowed me down considerably. After long stretches it seemed to weigh a ton, so my wife's offer was really very welcome. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">So, we got to go through the entire path, but this time by car to decide on which spots she would stop and wait for me. Other than the five official checkpoints, we also decided to have one stop at the mid-points of every section except the first. So we prepared a map for her with indications of mileage, time I expected to reach them, etc. After going through the path twice, we knew we were ready. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Unfortunately, the end of August also brought a forced halt to my skating: in one of my outings I went over a manhole cover, fell down and hurt my tailbone. I could barely walk, let alone skate, for more than two weeks. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">When I was able to skate again, it started raining every weekend, so I couldn't do much training in the last weeks leading to the big event. But I was ready. Or so I thought... </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"> </p><center style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Part II: Doing it</b></span></center> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">So the big day came! I woke up at 4 am to get ready, we left home at 5h10 and were at the Auditorium a little before 5h40. Just enough time to do a little bit of stretching, put on my skates and all my protective gear (let me tell you, having fallen as many times as I did during my training, I knew I would need it...), do some warm up skating and go to the starting line. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">What a feeling to be there, minutes before the start with all those skaters! It's just indescribable! The organizer talked to us in those last few minutes, asking us to start gently to avoid accidents. When he asked who was doing the Défi for the first time, I didn't see too many arms showing up... </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Anyway, 6 am came, we did the 10-second countdown and off we went. It was dark, the lights on the park didn't help too much, but it was an incredible feeling to be there in the dark with so many people starting a skating marathon. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Since the beginning of my training my goal was just to finish the Défi, the total time was not important. Twelve hours you say is the limit? Very well, I'll be happy if I can do it in 11h59! Therefore I had set very achievable goals for each section: 1h50 for each of the first two, 2h20 for the third, twenty minutes lunch break, two hours for the fourth section and 3h30 for the last one. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">The first section went without much stress, I was skating faster than I expected and when I met my wife at the first checkpoint, she told me that I had done it in just under 1h30, so I had gained twenty minutes on my schedule, I was very happy with myself. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">A few kilometers before the end of section 1 I met skater number 133 [Sylvain Bourdon] and his wife for the first time. She was on a bike, carrying their things, and she followed him all the grueling way. As they were going at basically the same speed that I was, we went together for the next twenty kilometers or so. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">But then came Senneville. And the light drizzle. And the hill. Talk about reality check... I couldn't handle the uphill, I had to stop twice on the way up, it was just too much for me. But downhill proved to be even worse. As I started gaining speed I knew I would fall, there was no way I could handle all that speed. And after two thirds of the downhill, it finally happened, I went crashing down like a rock. I was well protected so I only got some minor scratches and light bruises. I stayed on the ground for a while, let a few skaters pass me assuring them that I was all right and then I got up, composed myself and took to the road again. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Whoever got the idea of skating through that next part of the Senneville Road? The Défi manual says "the road is very rough". Talk about understatement! That is just plain unskatable! What a nightmare it was... </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Anyway, somehow I survived all that and got to checkpoint number 2 in Pierrefonds at 9h20, still twenty minutes ahead of my scheduled time. Here I changed my jacket for a lighter one as it wasn't as cold anymore. My wife helped me transfer my numbers from one jacket to the other (note for next year: apply the numbers to the pants to avoid all this hassle!) and off I went. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">I knew that section 3 would be longer than the first two and I was also getting the first symptoms of fatigue, my legs were sending hints that cramps were on the way, the muscles started behaving strangely, I felt like they were twitching and turning inside my legs. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">But somehow I got on. Through Pierrefonds Boulevard, which seemed like it would never end, then Gouin and Lalande and Gouin again, to finally meet my wife at the mid-point of the section, a little after the bridge of Highway 13. I met her ten minutes ahead of schedule but I was so utterly tired and sore that I had to lay down in the car for the next ten minutes. After this rest and the first of four Tylenols of the day, I got up and went, knowing very well that all the extra time that I had gained in the morning had just vanished. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">The second half of section 3 was almost uneventful, just long stretches of lone skating. For the slowest ones like myself, the Défi is almost invariably a lone affair. After the first fifty kilometers or so, I rarely passed or was passed by other skaters, I was just skating on my own, which can be a bit depressing. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Two or three kilometers before Île de la Visitation I was passed by Sylvain and his wife. They saw that I was limping ahead and gave me words of encouragement. She also told me that it was already 11h40 and reminded me that the checkpoint was at twelve under the Pie IX bridge, so I had only twenty minutes to do it. I thanked them and away they went. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Getting to see the Pie IX bridge after a curve in Gouin was like a miracle. When I finally got there, Sylvain and his wife were there, they told me the time: 11h56! I had barely made it! </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">I skated a bit more and met my wife at a little park two kilometers after the Pie IX checkpoint. There I had my lunch break and rested for twenty minutes. We exchanged stories about the Défi so far and by 12h30 I was again on my feet and going, rather slow, to continue on section 4. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">This section is the shortest one but the tiredness had set in, I was skating badly and I knew it. Nonetheless, I reached the end of section 4 at 2 pm, half an hour before my schedule. However I had to sit down in the car for more than ten minutes to recover from the effort so far. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Sylvain and his wife were also at the end of section 4 when I arrived. According to my wife he was limping badly when they got there, he had sat down in a bus shelter and hadn't moved for more than five minutes, he seemed to be in bad shape. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">At 14h15 I went on to tackle section 5. I met Sylvain and his wife (who had left a few minutes before me) after a few kilometers. She said that his feet were badly hurt, he could barely skate. I stayed with them for a minute or two and then I went on. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">I met my wife for the last time before the end at the Bellerive park, took my fourth and last Tylenol of the day and kept skating. It was 15h20, I had just fifteen kilometers to go and more than two hours and a half to finish, so I knew I could do it. The problem is, at this point the pain in my feet and legs was so excruciating that I couldn't skate anymore, I was basically "walking with skates". It took me two hours to cover those last fifteen kilometers! </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">On René Lévesque I met two 13-year old girls, numbers 124 [Mélissa Vézina] and 125 [Valérie Lelotte], sitting on the sidewalk. They asked me if I knew how many kilometers they still had to go. When I said "five to seven", they jumped and said to each other "just seven kilometers? Let's do it!". We went together for a minute or so but then I got ahead of them because of a street light and I didn't see them again until the end. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">At the Old Port I sat down, I was beyond being tired. At exactly that moment my daughter showed up to say some words of encouragement! My wife was in the car nearby, they would be waiting for me at the finish line. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Getting to Wellington Street was such a relief, I knew that the Auditorium was less than three kilometers away. The sight of the Canadian Tire store marking the last kilometer almost brought tears to my eyes. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">In the end I got to the finish line at 5h23 pm, with a total time of 11h23. Pretty good for someone who was just looking at finishing it, even if it took all the twelve hours. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">As I got off my skates and protective equipment, the two thirteen year olds arrived with another skater [Benoît Beaupré]. While I was going home through Wellington Street, I saw one other skater limping towards the Auditorium. I don't know if number 133 got to finish the race, I hope he was ok in the end... [<i>Ed: He passed you somewhere in those last 15 km.</i>] </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"> </p><center style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Part III: Words of thanks</b></span></center> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Well, that is it, this is my report on my first Défi. I would like to thank Robert Fortier and his volunteers for all the cheers and encouragement along the way and all the hard work they put into bringing this event to life. Warm thanks also go to Rod for keeping such a wonderful web site, it really helped me a lot. I thank also my fellow skater Sylvain Bourdon and his wife, it was good to see a "familiar" face every twenty kilometers or so. But my biggest thanks go to my wife for being there every step of the way. Without her I just could not have done it. </span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);" align="right"><span style="font-size:130%;"><i>Valdir Jorge, #88</i></span></p>Valdir Jorgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14407310251287625559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979575940467028704.post-68462841899326115432002-12-10T05:53:00.000-05:002017-09-24T09:39:08.413-04:00Index<table cellpadding="3" rules="all" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0.5em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="background: rgb(13, 94, 175);"><b><span style="background-color: #0b5394; color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Year</span></b></td>
<td style="background: rgb(13, 94, 175);"><b><span style="background-color: #0b5394; color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Result</span></b></td>
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<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://patinsderodas.blogspot.ca/2008/12/2003-dfi-report.html">2003</a></span></td>
<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">11h23m</span></td>
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<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://patinsderodas.blogspot.ca/2009/01/2004-dfi-report.html">2004</a></span></td>
<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">11h41m</span></td>
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<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://patinsderodas.blogspot.ca/2009/02/2005-defi-report.html">2005</a></span></td>
<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">10h36m</span></td>
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<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://patinsderodas.blogspot.ca/2009/03/2006-defi-report.html">2006</a></span></td>
<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">10h53m</span></td>
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<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://patinsderodas.blogspot.ca/2009/04/2007-defi-report.html">2007</a></span></td>
<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">9h07m</span></td>
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<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://patinsderodas.blogspot.ca/2008/10/2008-defi-report.html">2008</a></span></td>
<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">8h53m</span></td>
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<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://patinsderodas.blogspot.ca/2009/10/defi-2009-worst-ever-thirty-second.html">2009</a></span></td>
<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">12h16m</span></td>
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<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://patinsderodas.blogspot.ca/2010/10/defi-2010-short-lived-dream.html">2010</a></span></td>
<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">DNF</span></td>
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<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://patinsderodas.blogspot.ca/2011/10/defi-2011-giving-up-less-than-halfway.html">2011</a></span></td>
<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">DNF</span></td>
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<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://patinsderodas.blogspot.ca/2012/10/personal-best-this-year-i-finished-defi.html">2012</a></span></td>
<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">8h48m</span></td>
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<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://patinsderodas.blogspot.ca/2013/10/defi-2013-i-still-got-silver-medal.html">2013</a></span></td>
<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">9h53m</span></td>
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<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://patinsderodas.blogspot.ca/2014/10/defi-2014-another-failure.html">2014</a></span></td>
<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">DNF</span></td>
</tr>
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<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://patinsderodas.blogspot.ca/2015/10/defi-amical.html">2015</a></span></td>
<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">DNF</span></td></tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://patinsderodas.blogspot.ca/2016/09/defi-2016-under-new-direction.html">2016</a></span></td>
<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">10h23m</span></td></tr>
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<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://patinsderodas.blogspot.ca/2017/09/defi-2017-probably-my-last-one.html">2017</a></span></td>
<td><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">11h25m</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Valdir Jorgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14407310251287625559noreply@blogger.com0