Taking advantage...

Today is one of those rare days this time of the year in Vancouver…and I took full advantage of what mother nature had to offer.

It can be very difficult to rise out of bed at 6:00 in the morning on a Sunday to go and stand in the pouring rain directing runners where to go. It had been raining all night, but I got up with the blast of my alarm clock and dragged myself through the routine of getting ready for a day in the mountains.

In my morning haze, I was not paying attention to what was happening outside my window so when I walked outside to catch the bus I was pleasantly surprised that there was no rain.

After 45 minutes on transit I arrived at the end of the line cafe, grabbed a muffin and a coffee and walked the 2km to the volunteer meeting point. I was going to me a race marshall.

Myself and a fellow named Ray were takes with directing people at the turn off from the relative flat Lynn Loop Trail to the steeper Lynn Loop trail.

Where Lynn Loops trails breaks right and climbs.

Volunteering can be very tedious at times as you are standing out in the woods, shivering and wishing you were running the race. I certainly wish I was running, but my calf is not race ready. Despite these hardships it is worth it when you see runners go by and they all thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to help them in their endeavour. Makes getting up early worth it.

Ray and I shared 3 hours of great conversation centred around races, running, running clubs, running shoes, running trails and more stuff running. We shared info on great races we have done or heard off, awesome trails and we both came away with some new found knowledge.

After the last runners and the sweeps went by I hoofed it back the the cafe and sat down to do some work. I had 2 hours to kill before my own trail run of the day. So I marked and planned a Gr. 8 unit on Ancient India. Much more exciting than it sounds.

At 2 pm I met Aaron we did a fast 10k super technical route with major elevation gain in the first 3 km. You start off with 500 m of flat gravel before breaking right and starting the tortuous climb for the next 3-4 km. It is absolutely gruelling as it is over gnarly, rocky, root filled terrain.

We flew over roots, rocks, creeks, mud puddles, roots and climbed hills. The Lynn Loop long is super technical and you have to be careful. One could easily sprain an ankle or worse on the wet roots and rocks and steep stairs.

It was great to do a proper run as the last month has been building my running back up after my calf injury.

The run occurred in gorgeous sunshine that felt more like August then late October. It was a perfect day and cured me of my rainy week blues.

When the sun shines in Vancouver you don't know how long it will last…so you must tale advantage.

Running Frustrations

It has been a while since I have visited this site for several reasons. I have had a recurring calf injury this summer that has prevented me from racing, so no updates. Second, this summer and fall have been busy with adventures not associated with running, awesome. Third, I have started work again (I am a teacher) and September has been quite busy getting used to waking up early, 6:30 comes too soon.

I write last time that my leg was getting better and August actually saw a decent number of runs on the North Shore (around Lynn Canyon). I thought I was out of the woods so to speak until I did a pavement run in September and it flared up again. So, for the mean time I have going to physio, biking and trying to get through October without any running. I really want to run again and start working towards running my first 100km and 100 mile race in 2013.

Lady McDonald Trail

Of the runs I did in July and August I had two really nice ones in the Canadian Rockies. I did the 17km loop around Upper Kananaskis Lake and then ran straight up Lady MacDonald. Both amazing.

So, I leave you with very little right now. I have a post coming about my adventures this fall. And then when I am healed more running adventures to come. I am working on my race and adventure plans right now.

Back from the bench

I did my first trail in two weeks today…and it felt great. At the beginning my calf was feeling very stiff and I was worried it would give me problems. After 10 minutes under a tight pace the calf started to loosen up and I became more positive.

I continued up the trails of the Capilano Canyon and felt that all the weeks of anxiety over my calf melted away. It just felt very good to run.

Running is not the only thing in my life, so I do not dive deep into depression when I get injured. Yes it is hard but it is not depressing. I have my teaching, my social life, my biking and my photography to keep me occupied. Running is a big part of that mix but not everything.

What I am trying to say is that you should have a passion and follow it with all your heart. But, when you are sidetracked you must ensure that your life is well-rounded so that you do not go stir-crazy.

Fill your life with numerous activities, interests and people and you will be happy.

Now I can begin training for my summer running projects. More to come on that later.

Coming back from injury sucks...

This season started out in dramatic fashion for me as I won my first trail race and then two weeks later set a PB (personal best) in a 10k road race. The PB was more remarkable considering I did 15k the day before and 10k before and after my race.

All of this was done with an injured calf (injury sustained during trail race) that is still giving me trouble. Perhaps the best recovery was not doing a 40k weekend with a race included. My bad. I have been hesitant to run long and hard lately because I keep having recurring pain in my calf. I have only been running 2 days a week and it is driving me crazy. I hope to get out for a longer run this weekend to test out the leg. It is finally starting to feel better.

I am a naturally restless person and with working being very busy and stressful running is one of my salvations. This has been hard with a broken calf.

So I hope to be back running soon and positing some amazing stories.

Best running video ever.

An outside type of weekend

When the weather gets good I feel obligated to get outside and chase the sunshine.

This weekend was filled with numerous outdoor pursuits all geared towards chasing the sun and feeling good. I started the weekend off with a nice 10k trail run in my local playground. It was only my second run in the two weeks since my big win in the Seymour 10k trail race. I have been nursing a strained calf muscle back to health. The run felt good and my calf is 80% healthy.

The lake at the top of our hike. Not my picture though, I forgot my camera.

Capilano River. Where I spent my Saturday.

Saturday was one the most gorgeous blue-bird sky days that only Vancouver can get. After my run I went downtown and picked up my race package for the Sun Run on Sunday (today) and then met a friend and proceeded to go hiking and sun chasing for 5 hours in the rainforest.

Then we walked along the West Vancouver seawall and caught the sunset and watched people fish for crab. Amazing!

Today was the real test of how my calf muscle was doing. I ran the Sun Run today. This is a massive 60,000 person event held in Vancouver. This would be my second year running it. I planned to run slow to make sure my calf could handle the strain. I also hate running on cement and this is my only road race of the year.

As soon as the gun sounded, I hauled ass out of the start to gain space and but soon I quickly settled down in a nice relaxed pace. I figured I would finish in 45:00 and that it wold be leisurely but I looked at my watch for the first time at 3km and I realized I was going faster than I planned. I said fuck it and decided to maintain that pace and make this race my own. After 10 gruelling kilometres of pounding pavement I crossed the line in 40:34 which is fast for an ultra marathon man such as myself. My fastest time is 39:37, so I was not quite there. But not bad for being dehydrated, overdressed and having already ran 10k to the race that morning.

The race was fun and it was good running it with my buddy Travis. He also put up a blistering time after shooting out of the starting gates super fast.

So, my weekend was filled with time spent outdoors and that to me is a perfect weekend. But now I have to get to work and begin marking my students tests.

Race Day

I'm going to work so that it's a pure guts race at the end, and if it is, I am the only one who can win it.
- Steve Prefontaine

My entire strategy for the race was to go out fast and not stop until I fell down. I did just that.

Luckily, I fell down after the finish line. This race was a guts race and came down to who had it on the final big climb. Luckily I gutted it out and managed to pull out a win.

It was my first trail race of the season and it was a pretty good one. I managed to take first place overall in the 10k event. Not bad for someone who is used to running 50k races and is nursing a calf strain. The race was a series of gravel trails, bridges, skipper rocks, stairs and a punishing climb at the end. Every a good trail race should be. It had been raining for the past week and the puddles were everywhere. We all got muddy and I had way to much fun jumping in as many puddles as I could find.

My race number today.

Right off the gun, I jumped to the front and for the first 200 metres got into a nice fast pace that I knew I could hold. Suddenly, this runner blows by me and set an unmanageable pace. I did not play into his game and I kept up my pace. I was soon joined by another runner and we both kept a steady pace while keeping the front runner in our sights. I knew that if I tried to join the front runner I would die very quickly. By the 3.5km mark we managed to overtake the front runner and at the same time the three of us separated from the rest of the pack. It was going to be a three man race for the finish.

At 4k we laboured up the hill rising from Lynn Valley and crossed the finish line in 20 minutes, not bad for the first 5km. I knew that the race would come down to whoever was going to be the strongest on the final climb of the day. I led for the majority of the second lap and my strategy was to continuously increase my speed on the flats and rolling hills to try and wear my opponents down. I felt great and knew I had lots in the gas tank to fly up that final hill. When we hit the final hill with 1k to go and there were two of us out front. I blew by my bearded opponent on the climb and managed to increase my speed in the final kilometre for the win.

I crossed the finish line and immediatley felt like passing out. Which is a good feeling. It was a guts race and the fastest trail race I have ever done. My right calf felt numb which was bothersome but other than that I felt much better than expected.

A massage and some food afterwords made my leg and mind feel much better. This race was a good way to start off the season and will help with my speed work during 50k events. I do not know if i will do many more 10k races. The speed is exhausting and I don't really get to enjoy the experience before it is finished.

Now I can take a week to recover before stepping up my training for my May 12 race in Oregon.

Vacation time!

I made the most of my first day back in Vancouver in two weeks. I had to, it was sunny and the forecast is not looking pleasant for the week.

I walked along the river in the morning to get groceries and look for a blender. After failing in the latter I went back home, watched Californication while eating breakfast and then took to the trails for a 22 km run through the forest. The long run gave me plenty of time to contemplate my vacation.

For the last two weeks I split my time between Calgary and Montreal. The former being where I grew up and the other a place I had never visited. Calgary was great as I visited with family and old friends. I went running numerous times along the river valley and even got in a long run with my friend Morgan. My friend Brodie and i contemplated buying cross bows but unfortunately they were a little pricey. Whenever I go home it feels like I never left. My family and I settle into a routine and everything goes smoothly and is very relaxing.

Montreal was anything but routine but was equally as relaxing. I flew in with a nasty case of food poisoning and after a mile high puke, my first impressions of the city were of their lovely washrooms. Which are nice and thank goodness quite clean. I spent the rest of the Saturday sleeping and drinking ginger ale.

The best bagels in the world, the only thing I could keep down on Sunday. 

The rest of the week was spent running on Mont Royal, exploring the numerous cafes, drinking holes, bagel places and bookstores of the city. I discovered there are as many hipsters in Montreal as in Vancouver. The city has a great vibe and I can't wait to visit again. I don't think I got to bed before 3 am any night but somehow always woke up refreshed in the morning. 

People in Montreal love to protest. This one was about tuition.

I did several runs on the "mountain"and it was a mixture of steep trails, gravel paths, stunning viewpoints and muddy creeks. I had fun exploring and getting very dirty. I was blessed with +26 weather and I even got a little bit of a tan. I mainly ran to keep the base up and only did one really strong tempo run. 

The necessary self-portrait. This one in the Old Port of Montreal.

Luckily, I got back to Vancouver and was able to do my long run today. I went up and played on the Baden Powell trail above North Vancouver. In 22k I climbed 1000m and kept up my race pace. Not exactly a slow long run but I felt like going fast and so I did. I was very happy about the run and now I ramp up my training as my first ultra marathon of the season approaches on May 12. I need to work on my climbing.

I am ending the weekend and recovering from my run with some delicious chocolate milk and a some homemade flat crust pizza. Ground beef, peppers, green onions and four cheeses on top. Homemade pizza is the perfect food.