Blog | Muskoka Outfitters

TNF 50 miler at Bear Mountain

Ryan — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:39:59 +0000

A while back, I decided that I wanted to race another ultra marathon. Since my only other Ultra experience was a 50 km race, back in the fall, I wanted to step up the race distance, as well as the competition.

I settled on a cool sounding race, put on by The North Face. It is part of their “Endurance Challenge” series of races, not too far away (about 7.5 hour drive) and over cool terrain.

So, the race was on Saturday may 5th, and since my girlfriend needed to be back on Sunday, for her job, I knew it would be a long day. We left on Friday morning, and took our time with the drive. Got there about 6pm, set up the tent, ate some food, and went to bed. The race start was at 5am, so sleep was pretty important at this stage. I think I got to sleep around 9:30, or 10.

3:15 came pretty early. I got up, pounded some oats, and put my stuff on. After a brief freak-out, that I had lost my headlamp, I was good to go. We took a shuttle to the start. On the way out of the parking lot, the bus cruised by our car, and I realized that I left the lights on in the car. DARN! I hoped that by the time Liz got back to the car, the battery wouldn’t be dead. (don’t worry, turns out that it did start back up, and Liz made it to the 2nd aid station, like a champ!)

The race started right on time, and we all started running like fools in the dark. It became apparent that the batteries in my headlamp needed replacing. They were almost dead, and I had to run near other people for the first 40 minutes of the race. Around that time, it started getting light out, and I no longer needed the headlamp. I was running strong, and feeling great, but I was really trying to tone back the pace. After about the first hour, I had already done 6.6 miles, of fairly technical terrain. I found some people to run with, and just kept cruising.

My problem is that I really enjoy running technical trails, and I seem to increase my speed over this sort of terrain. Unfortunately, the trail was very technical, and so my speed was steadily increasing, as I danced through rock gardens. 1.5 hours in, and my pace was about 6.8 miles per hour, or about 8:50 mile pace. Seems kinda slow, but I can assure you, that it wasn’t. especially considering the terrain. Over half of the 7000 ft of ascent was over in the first 15 miles, and there was still nearly a marathon and a half left to run! about 2 hours in, I started to feel my legs getting a bit sore. I knew that I was going to pay dearly for my early race excitement. I reeled back the pace even more, starting walking even more of the uphills. I believe that too much damage was done. The Aid Stations, which were mostly 6-7 miles apart were further than this (according to Garmin, who usually under-reads!).

In one particularly bad case, the next aid station was more than a mile further. I was running with 1 small bottle (650ml) and budgeting my water very carefully. This oversight made it so that instead of running about 10 minutes without water, I was around 20 minutes. Dehydration, a lack of electrolytes, and gradual bonking set in. 32 miles into the race, my pace dropped to a crawl. my body was shutting down. My legs were in extreme pain, and I knew that I had quite a distance to go. On top of this, at the current rate, it was looking more like 52-53 miles than 50. I knew that Liz (my awesome girlfriend) would be there at the aid station at mile 40.7 (turned out to be mile 42), and my new goal was just to make it there. I transitioned from walking to running, back to walking, and eventually clawed my way there.

I met up with Liz, and hung out at the aid station for about 10 minutes. Eating, drinking (lots!) and eating more. I ate chocolate, chips, salt, mountain dew, more chips, m&ms etc. We walked along together for a while, then i kept going. I knew I had around 10 miles to go, and 2 big climbs left. After this, I started feeling really great. My pace picked back up, and I ran most of the last 10 miles, in about 1:40. I made it to the finish line in 9:35, which put me in 23rd place (232 people in my race). Not quite the result I was looking for, but still, I was proud. I made all the rookie mistakes, and still did okay. For the 54 miles, that I’m assuming we ran (Garmin quit at 8 hour 30 mins / 44 miles), this makes my pace to be about 10:40 per mile (6:36 per km).

I hobbled around the start finish for a while, then we got in the car, and drove back. Overall, it was a wicked experience, and It just makes me want to do more ultra marathons. It is a very cool and challenging sport, that I’d love to become proficient in. A big thanks to Muskoka Outfitters for supporting me in this crazy sport. Happy running!

Equipment:
-Basic Running shorts and shirt
-New Balance Minimus MT110 shoes (awesome shoes, no blisters!)
-Defeet Wool-e-ator socks.
-Race Day waistpack (miles 0-40) Nathan Handheld (40-50)

Gear Review: Stohlquist X-Tract Lifejacket

Erick — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:56:13 +0000

A personal floatation device (PFD) is a central piece of gear for any one spending time on the water. You’ll remember the stern warning the lifeguard gave you just before she taught you the doggie paddle, the one about how you can drown in just a few inches of water? She was serious, and so is the issue of on-water safety. You might get away with using that pre-war pine paddle you found under the tarp at the cottage or even shoving off aboard that impossibly heavy aluminum canoe of questionable seaworthiness, but that is where the compromises stop. PFDs these days are the result of years of innovation and development and a far cry from the shady foam strangle-y scarves of yesteryear. Researching and buying a PFD that is properly sized and suited to your particular discipline (canoeing, stand-up paddling, kayaking, etc.) is worth the investment of time and money and not a place to cut corners.

I got my X-Tract PFD around the time that I started to get serious about canoeing and kayaking whitewater. I was spending weeks at a time in and around the water and was unhappy with the bulky and uncomfortable behemoths that every out-tripping program out there seems to stock. The switch from camp-issue lifejackets to my X-Tract was like upgrading from a rusty minivan to a tricked-out sports car. The jacket was light and fit me perfectly; all it took was a little fiddling with the cinch straps on the sides and I was set. It seemed to me that everything had been thought of: there was a mesh pocket to keep sunscreen and PowerBars, a clip for my river knife, reflective tape for visibility (very nice for twilight paddling) and even a catch for my cowtail. It even looked way cooler. So awesome.

And it continues to be an awesome vest. Stohlquist has made a few tweaks and adjustments in subsequent models, but not all that much has changed about the X-Tract. My favourite feature is probably the amount of room that you have to move your arms with the jacket on. The design is such that the floatation is kept away from your shoulders and armpits (see photos) and allows for a wide range of motion, making it ideal for things like kayak rolls, tricky canoe strokes and any swimming you may encounter on your adventures. You know that a PFD is functioning well when you can do all the things that a day on the water requires of you without feeling constricted by your safety device and feeling an urge to pull it off and toss it aside. Even the flashiest and most high-tech jacket is completely useless if you don’t use it or use it properly.

My conclusion: the X-Tract is a solid workhorse of a PFD. You can wear it all day and not get sick of it, the fit is dynamic enough to make layer switches without compromising function, and all the features are well thought-out and intelligently placed. It does not disappoint.

(Here’s me using my aforementioned awesome X-Tract on the Androscoggin River in Maine and loving it.)

Gear Review: Icebreaker Men’s 150 Ultralite LS Atlas

Erick — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:48:08 +0000

Trends make me nervous. Maybe nervous isn’t the right word; more like suspicious. When something gains popularity, like Beanie Babies or acai berries, I find myself becoming preemptively skeptical. I make a decision about something without even testing the water. How’s that for close-minded? Recently, though, I decided to revisit my aversion to things that are moving from obscurity to popularity at a prolific rate of speed (‘trending’, I believe, is what the kids call it these days) and give them a go. This experiment has led me to an epiphany regarding trends, which is that they can be divided into two categories: the inexplicably popular and the understandably popular. I don’t know why Nickelback is so huge; they sell out their concerts and a bajillion copies of all their albums, but every time they come on the radio, no matter where I am, there is a collective groan and a plenty of eye-rolling. I can’t think of a single person that I’ve ever met that is a genuine Nickelback fan. Ever. To me they are inexplicably popular. Same goes for ultra-skinny jeans (uncomfortable), goji berries (expensive and taste like bugs), fixed-gear bikes (so impractical) and planking (beyond my comprehension). But the speedy rise of wool clothing, specifically merino wool clothing, that makes perfect sense to me.

I started (as many do) with a pair of merino socks. I’d heard the buzz about them, but given my aversion to all thing trending, decided to hang back. Then someone gave me a pair as a gift and I tried them out on a hiking trip; they blew my mind. They were warm when it was cold, cool when it was hot, and I arrived home from my trip blister-free, which was something that never happened. Never.The year was 2001.

Fast-forward a few years. Merino wool begins to gain some steam in North American markets as more stores carry products made from it and minds begin to open to what was previously thought of as a material only used for winter socks and itchy Christmas sweaters. New products show up in the mainstream: hats, gloves, jackets, and long underwear. Everyone wants a piece of the wool game. Merino wool is understandably popular. Some companies did wool well, others not so much. We now find ourselves on the other side of the Wool Renaissance, with only a few companies left as consistent producers of performance wool products. Enter Icebreaker.

Icebreaker has been around since the beginning, making a steady rise to their place on top of the merino wool game. Their garments are intelligently designed and beautifully made. Excuse the hyperbole, but there isn’t anything they don’t make well: socks, underwear, all the way up to expedition-weight hoodies. Everything about the way Icebreaker gear is put together speaks to the thoughtfulness of its designers. And the merino wool itself is equally as impressive. It’s comfortable against the skin, doesn’t bunch (i.e. no wedgies) and it handles friction flawlessly (think rubbing waistbelts and shoulder straps and the kind of damage a day on uneven terrain typically does to your feet), and it doesn’t smell. Icebreaker makes a lot of bold statements about that last point (one of their popular taglines is ‘I Don’t Stink’,) but after wearing the same Icebreaker v-neck for 30 days on a sweaty hiking trip in the Coast Mountains last summer, I can personally attest to the truthfulness of this claim. The same cannot be said for just about every other non-Icebreaker item I brought along.

Needless to say, I’ve been adding more Icebreaker items to my closet, the latest of those being the 150 Ultralite LS (long-sleeve) Atlas shirt. The 150 indicates a lighter fabric which is perfect as a base layer or a stand-alone layer for high-output activities (running, cross-country skiing, etc.) and the name is accurate; the shirt feels incredibly breezy and comfortable even after you’ve been sweating into for hours. The cut of the shirt is designed to put the wool directly against your skin, so if you prefer extra room, be sure to get a size larger than you normally would.

Behold the beauty of wool from fuzzy sheep in New Zealand magically transformed into clothes that keep you comfy in all conditions. I was a wool skeptic; I thought it was for sock monkeys and those weird-fitting, wooden-buttoned sweaters Aunt Mildred used to knit for us when we were kids. But times have changed and so have I. Wool has arrived in all of it’s versatile, high-performing, and anti-microbial glory, and it’s here to stay. Get some.

Cool Rides? Try these great items from Gore!

Peter — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:48:39 +0000

This season we were nicely surprised with an early blast of amazing March temperatures to relieve us from our indoor trainers and get out to feel the road once again. For me any day I can ride outside is better than a workout spent on the trainer. If you have ever had a coach or read any articles about training for the season you will always hear that your early season should be spent putting on mileage at an easy pace. This seems much easier to do and is better training to do outdoors so as soon as the road is clear that is where I will be. Now this year, even though the weather has been nice it certainly has been very cool and unless you are able to get out in the peak temperatures of the day you are going to need good riding apparel to get out. I have tried a lot of different riding apparel to find what works and what has the best value. Building a good cycling wardrobe can be rather simple and painless if you buy the right items that offer great versatility. The truth in bike gear is if you buy quality items they last longer, fit better and keep you more comfortable. I have tried nearly every brand of cycling short, jersey, many jackets and I have yet to find any brand that measures up to the value in the Gore Bike Wear brand. Gore was developed by W.L. Gore the makers of Gore-tex, Gore Windstopper and other leading fabrics and membrane technology. Gore invented breathability in waterproof garments and sets the standard in the industry. Their membrane technology is also used in the medical industry as synthetic heart valves. Gore Bike Wear is fairly new to Canada but is the leading cycling brand in Europe. You won’t see them branded all over the Tour de France and that is largely because they don’t have to. All of their products are incredibly well designed pieces but mostly it is because of their fabrics and membranes which just work incredibly better than any others and because they make all their own textiles you are getting the best function and value.

Gore Phantom Jacket

There are few items out there as versatile at the Gore Phantom SO jacket. This has been a multi industry award winner and offers the widest range of any jacket I have used. With good layering this piece will take you to the coldest weather conditions. It is made using Gore Windstopper Soft shell with their thermo stretch fabric in the back and under sleeves. This provides a great combination of thermal warmth, windproof protection and high breathability. The key feature to it though is the removable raglan sleeves which reveal the thermo short sleeve making this a perfect jersey for the days when you need a bit more than a regular jersey and base layer. Often I combine just the jersey with either a full arm base layer or with just armwarmers. The Large back pockets swallow a lot of extras and give space for you to store the sleeves should you need to shed some layer. I have also found them ideal for ideal for holding a waterbottle on a winter nordic ski. There is plenty of reflective tape as well which you will find is also treated with a protective layer to ensure it down not wear off when washed with other garments. It is this attention to detail that makes every Gore item really standout and at only $199 this is a jacket that is one piece you will hold on to for a long time and likely pick out of your closet more than any other jacket.

Gore Thermal Arm, Leg & Knee warmers

Adding arm and leg warmers offers the cyclist or runner the best versatility to changing weather. It allows you to stretch your regular cycling apparel to a broader range and is something every cyclist should have next to a good set of shorts, jersey and a baselayer. Every cycling or running brand now has them and it is likely one of those things you only by once if your smart. Starting out I was not. I have tried a few and even though the price of most seem to be around the same and you would think they are rather simple it’s seems they are not. I have had many which either split at seams due to poor stitching or lose their fit or just plain don’t stay put. For a simple item Gore seems to have put a lot of thought into them. Firstly the gripper band is nice and wide and with a bit of silicon dots on the inside stay in place well and yet don’t constrict. The extra long zipper on the leg warmers meant my size 12′s had no problem getting them off, even over my shoes. They have even put a lot of attention into the 3M reflective tape beside the zipper which works as a wind flap and is laser cut for durability. Lastly it’s the thermo material offers a very close fit with 4 way stretch and just the right amount of warmth. For those needing warmer Gore also offers all their warmers in a Gore Windstopper version. So if your ready to get the mileage in or like to ride mornings and evenings these are great essentials. More on other apparel reviews to come!

Get ready for Tri Season, Part 1

Peter — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 01:52:51 +0000

One of the great things of working in this business is interacting with others who challenge themselves. This means different things to all people and all abilities. My last few weeks have been focused with people getting prepared to challenge their best this season in Triathlon and Time Trial. With so many triathlons happening in the Muskoka area and it being such a great place to train it is no wonder we get a fair number of clients looking for the edge to be their best. It is the job of great equipment and people like myself to try and make that happen. While we carry a wide variety of Triathlon apparel, running footwear, swim wear and wetsuits from companies like Zoot, Pearl Izumi and others the main “gear” a triathlete needs to cut time is the bike. Felt Bicycles is just one of those offering the best in the category and since it’s introduction of the DA model has quickly climbed to the “hot seat” of the triathlon market. The key difference in a triathlon bike is to offer the rider a position which offers best aerodynamics and a frame that also offers the same wind cutting shape. The result is less effort to hold a higher pace and in more comfort. Felt Bicycles was started by Jim Felt back in the late 80′s as he was working as an engineer for Easton. When contracted to design a bike for an athlete he designed aero tubing and with the success of the design was quickly building frames. Based in San Diego California, the Felt Brand is located closely to the SD wind Tunnel and spends a lot of time test their designs before bringing them to production. The new Felt DA is the latest culmination of their design testing and currently offers one of the most aerodynamic UCI legal bikes available. So Felt makes a great product which offers the athlete the best performance but the icing on the cake is value. Felt has some of the best designs available but also at some of the best pricing for what you get. The new Felt DA3, DA4 and DA4w (women’s) have been offering the top level at prices far below the competition and the result has been very few bikes still being available. Now there are all different levels of athletes and what each needs to be competitive in your own mind and we offer a model to suit every budget from our Spring special of $1499 for the Felt S22 up to these models. The other (and sometimes more important) factor is fit. The cyclists position on the bike is paramount. It is a balance of finding the best in aerodynamic position and what is the ideal comfort to ensure you are put out your best effort to the pedals. We have just redone our bike room and improved our fitting station to ensure every rider has the best set-up before hitting the road. Here are a few happy new Felt customers ready to give their best at this season’s Triathlons and some who just love the challenge of our 12 week Time Trial Series starting May 15th. Check our calendar for full details!

The Ice is IN!

Peter — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 01:54:26 +0000

There are a couple of things you can always depend on. Muskoka will always get snow and the Ice will always form. With few days this season hitting really hitting low temperatures the Ice Climbing conditions this weekend were still as great as always at this time of year. There are a couple reasons for this. Firstly, it doesn’t really need to get that cold to form ice on cliffs. If the air temperature is just a few degrees below zero you are going to see the ice form. If there isn’t much snowfall we are still getting moisture in the form of regular precipitation and that is keeping the ground wet and allowing the water to run onto the cliff faces. The last few days having some very seasonally cold temperatures has firmed up the lake ice on the smaller lakes and travel to the popular climbs is fairly safe. This weekend we spent a beautiful day at Lake Kushog instructing on our favourite routes. We love this area as it offers a wide variety of climbing. Follow the ridge off the lake and you will find many different climbs to challenge you and on a good year each of these routes offer multiple different lines to challenge you. The climbs are easy to access and set ups for top roping are straight forward and also easy to access. The area is popular with climbers and we have groups at this area every weekend from January through to the end of March. The position of these climbs keep them out of the sun until early afternoon so the conditions continue to grow well into March before the longer daylight hours take over. We have in the past climbed this area well into April but we do not recommend Lake travel after the March season. This weekend we were out with Seattle Dredge, a blogger who has been documenting her travel adventures over the past year. Check out her page at www.seattlestravels.com and her upcoming coverage of her climbing experience. If you would like to try this great adventure of Ice Climbing check out our adventures page and get your self signed up. Courses are booking up from now until late March!

Winter Biking – Fat or Not so Fat?

Peter — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 02:29:16 +0000

As someone who loves getting outside and try to enjoy the best of every season I will say this year is a trying one. The desire to keep fit after a week of Turkey and treats is there but with a desperate lack of great snow conditions the typical winter sports are not currently having many of us thinking Winter! I love nordic skiing and snowshoeing and while opportunities are out there to enjoy those activities without new snow for the past week it doesn’t really put it to mind and action So what to do with this weeks current conditions? Lows of -3c and crusty old snow. Answer: Snow Biking! Snowmobile trails abound in Muskoka and with no one using them with the current conditions why not get out for an off road ride!

Depending on conditions anyone can enjoy winter biking with your regular mountain bike but larger volume tires and running a lower PSI pressure are desired for maximum grip and comfort. Today the Snowmobile trails were hardpack and with no new snow for a while they were crusty and a bit icy in some sections which would be great with a set of studded tires. So just like summer mountain trail conditions there is a tire that is ideal for each type of snow and trail. My winter bike is a Niner EMD9 fitted with thier Carbon rigid front fork. this makes for an ideal commuter, a summer bike when I want to ride something different from my full suspension, and just an all round versatile ride. Like all Niner bikes this bike runs 29″ rims and tires whose complete benefits are enough for another post but smply the tires have larger volume and a longer contact partch. This translates to better traction and lower rolling resistance. For todays ride I chose the tires I had been running so far this winter which are 2.2 Kenda Nevegal, a great grippy freeride tire and was able to keep these at 20R/18F for PSI which is fairly low. After over 30km of trails today these were ideal for all but the icy sections where it would be nice to add some studs. For softer snow I have some Maxxis Ardent 2.4 coming which I am looking forward to try out which should be able to run even lower pressures.

When the snow gets really soft or you plan on forging through some serious untracked trail there is no question the fatter the better and there are now many different Fat Bikes on the market from Surly, Salsa an a few others which with a modified frame are able to run 3″+ super high volume “balloon” tires. There is no question these bikes are great fun to ride for snow riding but at close to 35+ lbs it takes a bit of effort moving those tires and you won’t be riding up many inclines. I’ll take my 24lb Niner and get more winter mileage to burn off that extra holiday gift.

Welcome to the new MO blog!

Muskoka Outfitters — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 02:12:21 +0000

We’ve still got plenty of work to do, but we decided to get the blog up so we can let you all know how the progress is coming along.

You can also expect all sorts of other cool posts, including tips from our pro staff, product reviews and recommendations, store news, contest announcements, events, sales and tons more!

In the meantime, bookmark our site because there’s a lot of cool stuff coming.