Sun Mountain Race Cap to come...

The Watermark speaks for itself. Always amazing photography by Glenn. Thank you.

With about 2 miles to go and all the climbing out of the way, I was on a downhill high. My legs were cooked and I was thinking it might be a possibility that I break the 4:30 barrier. I had 18 minutes from the point in the picture above.

The only place to be last Sunday, May 19th

False peak after false peak after false peak - If you weren't so beautiful I'd hate you, Patterson Mountain.

Many Miles

A few months ago I reported that I was racing only four times this year to stay healthy and get involved with other aspects of the sport. Thus far I have stayed true to that. 

Race #1 Dirty Duo - DONE! And won relay.

Race #2 Sun Mountain - This weekend.

And in the "other aspects" category, my daughter and I were course marshals for the Capilano Crusher and I marked the My First Trail Race course with a great group of friends.

Sun Mountain
Under some guidance from an amazing athlete and friend, I have approached my training for Sun Mountain a little differently. It seems I've tried a wide variety of strategies and training and little has changed for me. My speeds typically stay the same and thus my times do as well. "What did I have to lose?", I thought, when I asked Gary for some help. This guys having a killer season so he must have a few choice words of advice for me. 

He did. There's much more to it than simply much higher mileage but that's the bulk of it. For him and others the mileage I've been running may not be much but it has been really tough getting in 60 and 70 mile weeks while teaching, parenting and being a husband. Thank god my Lara is supportive and understands ultrarunning. 

The temperatures in the Winthrop area look to be amazing this coming weekend and my fingers are crossed for a good race. Having never run any of the course before, I don't know what to expect but I'd love to run another 50k under five hours. Success for me will be to run under five hours and feel great. I know very few names on the registered list so I have no clue what placing might look like. A top 10 would be a dream. 

Race #3 Test of Metal - June 15th and on almost no mountain biking. Despite my beautiful new 29'r, I haven't been out a ton. Too much running I suppose. 

That's all for now and with that I'll sign off with a few amazing shots by Rob Shaer. We met up a few weeks back  in the trees below Mountain Highway on Griffin. It was 9:00 am and the sun was coming through the trees from the east. As the forest started to heat up, moisture began to float up from the foliage. A cool mist. I love being there but I'm usually enjoying it through the lens of a runner. That morning with Rob however, we really slowed things down and I got a chance to view my environment through an entirely different lens. Then I went running. Thanks,  Rob.

1st ed. Cross Max - XA Short - Fast Wing II Jacket

This means so much to most of us on the North Shore

A moment between shots.

The rock work put in by the mountain biking community in North Vancouver is incredible especially on Fromme.

And of course the woodwork ain't so bad either.