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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. 

I found the snow

It's like wearing nothing at all…

Nothing at all…Stupid sexy Flanders!

A couple of my runs in the last two weeks have had a purpose other than training — to test what it is like wearing nothing at all…nothing at all.

Before you let your imaginations wander too far, I am not talking about running nudie styles. Rather, I am tailing about running with my new hydration pack, the Salomon Advanced Skin S-Lab 5. This post details my first impressions of the pack. I have taken it on two runs thus far, and this is what I think.

Not flattering, but you can see the pack. Yah self-portrait.

I updated my trail running hydration system due to an extreme annoyance with bouncing backpacks, uncomfortable belts and heavy handhelds.

I hummed and hawed about this packs for months after seeing it used during my first Ultra Marathon back in September. I believed you had to order them online until a Salomon store opened up in Vancouver. I visited the store, tried the pack, left, visited again, tried the pack, left and finally after weeks (and much annoyance to the staff) I purchased said pack.

The first test was a rainy 20k jaunt around the Stanley Park seawall and then back to the North Shore via downtown. I did not do any adjustments on the pack except take the add-ons off. 

The view from the Lion's Gate Bridge.

The pack fit like a glove and I hardly noticed it. It hugged my body and I was free to move in ways my old hydration pack never allowed me to do — without swinging around on my back. The only complaint was the crinkling noise caused by the insulated sleeve for the bladder. Luckily, I can remove this. You do notice the water sloshing around a little bit when running, but not as much as conventional hydration backpacks. Which is a very nice plus. I'm sure adjusting the pack will help with this. If you want to know the specifics of the packs, components, and such check out the Salomon website.

Today, I took the pack out on a 12k trail run around the Capilano trail circuit.  The workout of the day was an "Out and Back". I ran 6 km through the trails and then turned around and raced my 6k time back. It is an amazing work out and provides some motivation for the second half of the run. You can do it with any distance. I like to do it on longer runs with 10k out and a 10k back. Exhausting.

 

This time I played with the pack, adjusted it to my liking and removed the insulated sleeve. The pack performed magically, felt snugger on my back, less sloshing and no annoying crinkling noise. It allowed me to dance around roots and rocks and not worry about the pack moving around. I need all my concentration to keep from tripping. It fits on you just like a vest, tight and unmovable. There were times in which I forgot I was wearing a pack at all. 

My only complaints is the lack of a hose hook on the shoulder strap and the annoying crinkling of the bladder sleeve (removable). I have found a way to tuck the hose under the chord, which works very well. I also will have to play with the chest straps to ensure the extra strap is removed, as they are quite long. 

Overall a solid pack and I will be switching to it full time. I love it and we will have many adventures together. So, if you like to run with a feeling of wearing nothing at all then this is the pack for you.

Flight of the Frenchies

Walking on Water (Liquid Mountaineering)