City to Peak and Back

Two dudes in Buffs. They're all the rage these days. Thanks to Gary for the hard push up BCMC. It was nice of you to stay awake while I neared heart attack zone. I thought I was a fairly good climber until yesterday. Gary and his shaven legs talked the whole way and comforted me to the chalet. Thanks.

Looking north toward Goat and Crown Mountains.

The view to the west on Cypress.

Just before an ankle freezing, fast ripper of a descent. The descent took us right down Paper Trail to the base of Screaming Eagle chair and into Skyline. Skyline was a bit post-holey at the entrance but someone has really cleaned it up with a chain saw and the route down is smooth sailing.

A Commitment to Four

Calendar's filling up for next year, folks. I've got four races on tap between now and September 1st. One of them is over already. One is a mountain bike race. One isn't even a certainty as I haven't yet registered and I expect it to fill up quickly. And the final one I am registered for, can't wait for and hope to safely train for. 

Alena and me pre-mud Diamond Trail Mud bath

The First is already over. 

Last weekends Dirty Duo saw the dawning of new socks, a new partner and yet another win of the relay. A third partner in as many years and yet another win with an even faster time. In 2011 I ran the 25 km course in 2:21 and partnered with the great Kim Steed of Steed Cycles. Our combined time was 4:14. Last year, with Nomad and fellow Marx Conditioning disciple, Arthur Gaillot, I ran 2:25 for a combined time of 4:03. With yet another Marx Conditioning/Nomad, Chris Johnston, I ran 2:23 for a combined time of 3:58. My times are relatively stable but the bike times keep improving. Eventually someone will get themselves a real fastey of a runner and rattle my relay successes. Until then, I'll keep racing. This year the power was in the socks as Monika Marx watched her athletes succeed in every discipline. Special thanks to Monika and Arthur for all your support that day. 

The second isn't a certainty. 

On March 25th registration opens for Rainshadow running's Sun Mountain 50k. This classic is timed with the bloom of wild flowers in the Methow Valley, near Winthrop. It comes highly recommended by trail legends like Adam Way and Josh Barringer. I do believe Dave Papineau even enjoyed himself down there. Everything is crossed at this point in hopes that I am able to register and get in to this one. The race itself is scheduled for May 19th. After last years 4:40 at Baker lake, I can't wait to see what I can do over 50k this year.

Handles like a Lotus - looks like a 29'r

One is a mountain bike race. 

Attempting to add some variety back into my training life, I registered for a classic. One I've done before and one that is either loved or hated by many and nowhere in between: Test of Metal. Late last month I entered back into the world of mountain biking by selling my 2007 Yeti 575 and bringing home a Specialized FSR Comp Evo 29'r. Yesterday's bombing decent of Ned's was all I needed to feel confident that my decision was right. And I used the command post like a rented mule. On-the-fly seat adjustment is a great addition to biking... along with 29 inch wheels, of course. As for Test of Metal, I am yet to break the elusive 3:30 barrier and would love to. I've been close before so perhaps 29 inches of rolling steam will help make up the time I need. I'm really looking forward to the training variety that this will bring to my running brain. 

And the final one I am registered for.

To finish my season in serious style, Meet Your Maker. This 50 mil'r was such a huge success last year and I loved being involved in the relay. Although the elevation gain and huge distance is daunting, the course is second to none and can only be described as beautiful. Where else can you take an 11 minute break on a Peak to Peak Gondola? 

After a month in the French Alps, I arrive back in Canada on August 29th with very little time to reset my internal clock. I'm hoping my time overseas will be as much a family stay-cation as it will be a time for some quality long training runs in places I've only dreamed of or looked at on Google images. 

Although it's not a busy season I am very excited about my commitment to:

• racing less
• mixing things up with variety
• running for adventure and resting more
• and staying healthy and energized by eating well and getting plenty of massage

The end of last season left me absolutely trashed and depleted of all energy or will for running. Burnout? I don't know. DK and the Lazy Trail Runner think I have a case of O L D coming on. 39 isn't that old is it?

I'm looking forward to using my time to help out at races in as many ways as I can and also continuing to put people in amazing Salomon gear at 5 Peaks events.

Forgive me, Runners...

Forgive me, runners, for I have rested.

It's been over two weeks since my last run and I cannot deny the joy it has brought me. Only three days  since I started considering running again, and already I have registered for the Squamish 50k. This event will undoubtedly be well organized, over spectacular terrain and among beautiful people. Just registering has seemingly lit that proverbial fire I needed to get excited about running again. 

This picture from last years hellish (I say that fondly) 50 mil'r, is another reason to get running in Squamish on August 10th. There's nothing like hearing your kid shout your name as you plod by in an ultra-haze, whilst shoveling god knows what down your throat. 

 

Totally Gunned

I've been waiting for these couple of "do-nothing" weeks for awhile now and it's every bit as dreamy as finding cash in your ski jacket from the previous season. Since last Saturday's Gunner Shaw, I haven't even run to get out of oncoming traffic. It feels fabulous and my energy is definitely springing back. I was a bit in the closet about the fact that I was putting some training effort into Gunner Shaw this year but I worked hard for close to seven weeks. With a whack of mile and two mile repeats at "this-sucks" pace, it seemed I had to be benefiting. That was until the third week when I realized I wasn't seeing any improvements and that my track times were actually getting slower and my niggly injuries weren't exiting this thing I pretend is a temple. Even worse, I started dreading every run. Even the short, easy 40 minute lunch runs were as unappealing as Killian-style white Exo on a hog. Running in the Santa Monica Hills over my birthday was even tough to get into. If it weren't for the novelty of a new locale, I'd have been happier sipping coffee and watching the very special crew at Venice Beach.

A beautiful Saturday morning heading back down from Topenga State Park near Santa Monica

After a couple days off, I thought I might surprise myself and run well at this years Gunner Shaw. That morning though, I awoke feeling the same dread toward running that I had in the days before. As usual, the event was excellent. On a super fun course with beach, mud, the return of the giant puddle and what I refer to as "unleapable duck shit leap", this event was a blast. As for me, I ran the two 5k loops in just over 41 minutes and was completely and utterly GUNNED!

Thanks Jan Heuninck for the great action shot. You've given me the illusion of speed which I had little of that day.

Other than the cinnamon bun I actually drove all the way over the Lion's Gate for, knowing that this was my last run for a couple weeks was the only thing bringing a smile to my face at the finish line that morning. I don't plan to run again for about two more weeks but I'm looking forward to some more weight work with Marx Conditioning and a couple more Cyclocross races in the Bellingham area. As Monika (Marx) says, "It's time to recharge".

X Border Clash

The first of my #'s in this series.

First lap in and I can't believe I'm in 5th place. I started right at the front but strongly questioned whether or not I could hold a spot up there. All I knew was that it would be crucial to be in a small but spaced out group of talented riders on the first approach to the "flyover" or else it'd be pile up city. Out of the curvy trees in 8th place and I could see it was going to be a clear approach so I generated some momentum, hit the transition and up I went to push the front of the bike over the top edge and glide smoothly down the other side. 

A couple "km" on the grass, across some energy sucking sand and into the single track and pump track section. Coming out of the first lap, I was in fifth place and feeling terrific. This was going to hurt but was going to be a good day. Over the course of the next two laps, I whittled away at the field and brought myself into third place. First place was about 15 seconds out front of me, but heading into the pump session on the last lap I was right on the wheel of second place, who was wearing pink socks. Pink Socks guy could spin on the pavement too, so had I to get across the skinny and out of the sand pit before he did to have a chance. I did it! Over the last hump and onto the asphalt toward the finish line. Pink socks hammers by me. "What the hell?", I said to him. "Is there another lap? I thought the last one was beer lap?" It was. The finish line is just ahead", he says.  CRAP! And I chase him into the chute for third place by a tires length. 

As my buddy Bob Welbourne said afterward though, "I'll never do that again". He's right. I learned a good lesson here, as I have with each of my races this year. Being new to the sport is great. It's an exhilarating sport. It gets the lungs burning and creates a perma-grin at the same time.

Yesterday's event in particular was right up my alley. Loads of tight corners, a skinny 2x6 over sand, a good size flyover that initially provoked some anxiety in me, and a brilliant single track section that ended on a loopy, little pump track.  Thanks for a terrific event Cascade Cross. I'm hoping to be at the Thriller Cross in December and the Chiller Cross in January. Check out the course below.

BorderClash2012-1

Huge Kudos and thanks to my bro-in-law, Mike Tunnah for kicking ass and taking 10th place and for pushing me to get on the cyclocross bad wagon in the first place. As well to the Lazy Trail Runner, Duncan Coo,  your fourth place Master this past Saturday. I likely wouldn't have tried CX without you boys.

Baker Lake 50

*Mount Baker - Southern Aspect from Start/Finish Area

Lately I've been staring at our local mountains in awe. Likely because the air is crystal clear and the sun is low making them extra vibrant and spectacular. On a day free of valley smog, I've always felt this way about Mount Baker and often wondered about the terrain just beyond it. 

My late, half-assed, registration into the Baker Lake 50 answered that question this past Saturday and has left me wanting more. The race route took racers up the south side of Baker Lake to the mouth of the Baker River through thousands of ups and downs and twists and turns. The elevation gained and lost was unassuming until the return trip home. Every little hill became a fight after 40k and the red-shirted Portlander in front of me was the carrot I needed to get it done. We pretty much ran the entire race together.

Race start was 8am so I rose from the tent to sip my smoothie, nibble a bagel avec Pocket Fuel and light a coffee fire in my ass under lantern-lit cold and darkness. It was uncomfortably perfect. Being a self supported race, I packed two Salomon Advanced Skin bags. One was for the first 25km and the other for the drop zone and route back. In hindsight, a work of genius. 

In a bit of a daydream we wandered through the camp site discussing the day ahead. We had about 10 minutes to lay down our drop bags, yak with fellow racers and get moving... so we thought. The moment my drop bag hit the back of the pick up, I heard the RD shout, "GO!". A quick, "What the f#*k?" came out of mouth and off I went in last place.

*That's me third from the right in last place leaving the start line at 7:56am

Quickly I snaked my way up toward the dam crossing to immediately slow and stare at the ass end of Mount Baker. I hadn't seen it the night before because we arrived in the dark. After a quick look, my good friend Graem and I started making our way through the pack where we eventually hit what we'd come for: SINGLE TRACK HEAVEN. 

*Heading west along Baker lake back to the finish.

Not being able to help it, I let my legs roll immediately and left my rookie friend in the dust. He had never run anything this long before and I figured he was being smart and settling into a comfortable position. I was anything but comfortable by the time an hour had gone by. My right hip flexor started yelling at me and the toes on that foot went to sleep with the occasional lightning-type pain shooting through them. Being in the middle of nowhere, my only choice was to continue to the turn around and drop out. I've never dropped from a race in my life and I had a little over an hour to come to terms with it. Permanent damage wasn't worth it. A gorgeous landscape in all new terrain and I was wallowing in self-pity. Things couldn't have gotten worse...until they did. My "first time ultra runner" buddy, Graem, comes on to me like a train, yaks me up a bit and plays on through. Again, "what the f#*k!?". I was already into my 50k pace and I knew I was doing it right so I let him go. "Rookie mistake", I kept reminding myself. I ran about 100 meters behind him and two others to the turn around at which point I dropped my Advanced Skin pack, saddled up another and was gone. He later said he looked up from his own transition mess and I had disappeared.

My foot and hip flexors hadn't gotten any worse by this time, I think because I focused hard on my technique immediately after being run over by my buddy. I made sure to shorten my strides, stand tall and really engage my glutes to be as efficient as possible and avoid loading my hip flexors. With things being no worse, I had no choice but to continue my race. Now I was running scared though and I fought the entire way back to avoid another mental beating by Graem. Having left the turn around with a great runner from Portland named Todd was a blessing. We pushed and towed until about 48km at which point the wheels came off my bus and I entered survival mode.

Todd took 5th place by about 1 minute and I settled for a, not too shabby, 6th place in a time of 4 hours and 40 minutes. Graem had made a mistake in running by me early on and finished in 5:32. Nonetheless, a damn brilliant time for a first timer.

Again my Speed Cross III's treated me right as did my Fast Wing Hoody and Advanced Skin packs. My splits were 2:19 and 2:21. Unfortunately the first 3/4's of my return trip was a touch too fast and I paid for it with a 2 minute positive split. Super proud of my overall time though. A perfect way to end my season.

*Thanks to Solana Leigh (Klassen) and Hubby Photographer for the pictures.

A Two'fer Weekend

It's been awhile since I had a loaded weekend like this past one...let alone one this great. Not only was the weather brilliant, but the events were even better.

As usual, 5 Peaks put together an amazing show at Buntzen Lake on Saturday. It was amazing to run the Diez Vista trail again too. This trail really seems to suit my strengths in climbing and technical, rocky, rooty dancing. My time of an hour 30 was good enough for 11th overall.

Sunday too was outstanding. Over the past few years I've been sidelining Cyclocross races and thinking I'd love to try it. This year I got on it. Of course I was nervous as most people are with new things. I had no idea what I was doing, but saddled up and got in line to start 40 minutes of lung seering craziness. Vanier Park CX, put on by West Coast Racing, was a super fun, albeit dry, course. It was windy and fast with a few short steep hills and barriers. Thank god for warm up laps so I knew the lines to ride.

Here are a few pics from Vanier, thanks to Sam Gilchrist.

Jumping the barriers after a crap dismount

Jumping the barriers

Remount

Next weekend I'm off to Concrete, Washington for my final Ultra of the year, Baker Lake 50k. The weather is promising with higher than normal fall temperatures.

P.S. Thanks to Salomon West Vancouver for my new riding kit. You absolutely must get in there and try'em on.