Thetis Lake Relay

Man oh man, 5k's hurt... A Lot.

Kamal, myself, tyler and new found Lief put together a team for the thetis lake relay today. We came in 4th o.a, and 3rd in the 20 to 29 a/g. I think we were around 1:08 for our total time and props to the boys for an awesome performance.

But why is it that I'm soooo tired and require a nap after a 5k, yet i'm usually ok after an ultra? Not running hard enough, most likely the answer...

Until next time...

My dream race

Frustration

I was sitting in my American politics class today when two representatives from NO 2010, came in to our class to talk about protesting against the Olympic games and supporting government involvement in support other social policies such as affordable housing and free speech.

Now let me get this out of the way, I am a huge supporter of the Chart of Rights and Freedoms, and would defend it to the grave, but what these guys were arguing is bull*#@&!!

First of all, they argued that VANOC and the City of Vancouver have free speech zones and are imposing on the right of freedom of speech. As unconstitutional as this may same, it is constitutional. We have "freedom of expression" in Canada first off, not freedom of speech, and these protesters are still being allowed that right along with their right to protest, however none of this is being imposed on by the government. Just moderately maintained. For example, how would you feel if you were a bi-athlete from Germany, just spent 8 years of your life devoted to qualifying for the Olympics to have you event overrun by protesters (guys jumping in the pools in Athens in 2004, along with a excommunicate priest from Ireland nearly tackling the lead male marathon runner at the same games), or being potentially harassed or injured by this protest groups, which have not shown that they can protest peacefully. Such cases were protesters entering into the finance minsters office and vandalizing it, protesters cursing at the Governor-General greeting her as "your royal F*#&in' highness." I can see why the RCMP and the Canadian Armed forces are concerned about the security at the Olympics.

Secondly, they argued that the torch relay is costing tax payers over 150 million dollars to run. This is true, it is costing us that... for a once and a life time experience. What people don't realize in a country where being completely united is a huge issue, where it is easier to fly to Europe then it is to fly 3 provinces over, a simple thing as a torch representing pride and achievement is very symbolic to every Canadian and can unite us under that common vision. That we can be proud of our country, its athletes, its representatives who make this such an amazing place to live. Its not about the money, hell I would have chipped in a couple hundred bucks had they asked. Its about National unity.

Thirdly, they argued about corporate sponsorships and government tax payer money going into the games. Well I don't know the exact numbers, but think about how much these corporate sponsors are pitching in to promote and support the games. Without them, we as tax payers, would be left with ALL the burden. It seems like whenever a group is opposed to how the government spends the money that we so graciously hand over in income taxes, protest groups always go to the "spending tax payers money" because its easy. Personally, I think when the government uses the money for something illegal or stupid (examples: buying illegal drugs, inside deals which involve conflicts of interest or frivolous spending) then we can argue, but when a government spends 300 million dollars on a torch relay, to send a symbol across our nation to promote our unity in pride because Vancouver will be hosting the world, again its not about the money, its about national unity. Governments provide us with numerous social programs (I would argue they could provide more and inject more money into existing ones) but we live in a pretty incredible society.

The Olympics are supposed to be an event free of politics, war, and oppression. Its a celebration of sport and pride. I would argue the 99% of the people who will be in Vancouver during the Olympics will have no run-ins with law enforcement, like most people do every day. Its that 1% who decide that "their rights" are being infringed upon who create the problems. As previously stated, I am a firm believer in the Charter and everything it stands for, but I cant stand for people arguing that their charter rights are being infringed upon because the government had told them where to protest and God forbid requested that they behave appropriately for a single month in their lives. The 2008 Olympic games in China were different. China's human rights and environmental record are no where near that of Canada and they enforced these rules but its because who wants to have the world watching and see chaos with protesters. The way I see it, its like being a really great party, everybody is having a blast, and one or two people decide that they don't like how things are going or the music being played and have to protest and screw it up for everyone else. If your unhappy about the Olympics, then protest that. Don't show up and protest the environment, or low income housing, or a money spent on a torch relay and screw up the games for every one else. These issues are being addressed, they are extremely difficult issues to tackle. Poverty is another issue that governments (believe it or not) are trying to tackle. Since I have been volunteering at a downtown Victoria organization, I know this first hand.

People, lets be united and welcome to world to Vancouver in February regardless of what may be politically brewing. Show our athletes some support, who for the most part live in poverty while training to become representatives of our great nation. As for those who protest, be thankful you live in Canada and were given that right to protest, some nations aren't as lucky as we are.

Royal Victoria Marathon

So this past weekend was the Royal Victoria Marathon. As most people know, I coach the marathon clinic at Peninsula runners. I also have a few high performance girls I work with as well. Here's the results for those athletes that were racing at RVM:

Erica Summers: 3hrs 12mins 20s (half way split in 1:36:41, yes she negative split the marathon). She also dropped her previous personal best from 3:17 to this new pb. She's Boston bound in April.

Lindsay Cristante: 3hrs 39mins 49s (This newly wed who just missed the Boston qualifying time in May at the Vancouver marathon was out on a mission and squeaked a qualifying time, She's Boston bound as well)

Lindsay Delayen: 3hrs 19mins 16s (this eager 21yr old amazed me this summer. She had never ran a half marathon when she approached me about the marathon clinic. A few weeks into the trianing, injury struck but she stuck with it and ran a balls out race to also BQ. She's Boston bound as well)

Crystal Bergeron: 4hrs 33mins 30s (She dropped 18 minutes off her previous personal best. enough said, she's badass)

Kristy Wilson: 4hrs 39mins 16s (A first timer at the distance, she has a lot of potential to run fast, I mean really fast)

Chad Sergeant: 3hrs 24mins 54s (Big personal best for Chad, as he shattered the 3:30 barrier. He's only getting faster)

Ed Pratt: 3hrs 27mins 3s (he came down with a nasty cold a few weeks before the race which definitely took some minutes off him race day. But Ed is steady and is a definite sub 3:20 marathoner soon... very soon)

Jeff Aitken: 3hrs 19mins 43s (Jeff, to my understanding is first timer to the marathon. Well he definitely showed the marathon who's boss. Jeff Aitken, thats who.)

Joel Palmer: 3hrs 37mins 36s (This was my first time working with Joel. Lots of potential. He hopes to qualify for Boston in the near future. Book your ticket Joel, your going soon)

Mark Upward: 4hrs 28mins 26s (I never got a chance to talk to Mark, but his first marathon attempt is pretty impressive.)

Peter Demeo: 5hrs 15mins 20s (I didn't get a chance to talk to Peter either. Good preformance on his part!)

Freya Zaltz: 1hr 42mins 41s (I've been working with Freya for a few months now under the PT Performance Training banner. She's improving a lot and it set to run the Las Vegas Rock n' Roll Marathon in December)

Darren Lockyer: 1hr 38mins 53s (Darren ran into some IT band issues early in the marathon clinic and was forced to drop down to the half. Still with an impressive half time he's only going to improve)

Janelle Smith: Last but not least Janelle is my lone half marathoner I train at Peninsula Runners. She scored a 1hr 31mins 22s half. She was also at work til 1am the night before. H-core.

Congrats to all my marathoners and halfers. They all accomplished something most people either find stupid or insane. Well done kids.

What's next?

So its been a while since I last posted.

Lots has been going on in my end and I honestly haven't had enough time to post a blog report. Its been a very interesting couple of months and many changes have happened since Stormy in my running, school and personal life. Here's how it is...

Running:
Non existent. Since Stormy I have probably ran 5 or 6 times. Both my knees were banged up after the race from some pretty tight quads. I got a pair of orthotics from Bruce Turcotte and that has made a world of difference. His orthotics are different from most. He doesn't do an arch cast of your feet rather he looks at the wear of your shoes and such to determine how to balance your feet. He makes his running, walking, and biking orthotics custom to each sport. My feet now balanced I have a huge increase in power when I run... key word: when I run.

I put my name in the Western States 100 mile endurance run. As of last night (October 6th) almost 1300 had put there names in to the lottery that will accept around 300 people for the late June Boston-Marathon-of-Ultras event in Northern California. I'm also gonna put my name down for another. Most likely Angeles Crest 100 in California in early September of 2010. I haven't really looked at races for next year but I hope to do more races than this year.

School:
Please end this madness. Its tough being a student. I have really fallen off the "I love school because I dont have to work" bandwagon. I dropped a course because I simply want less school work and more time to enjoy life.

Life:
Well a lot has changed. As most people know, I was applying to become a Police officer with Victoria Police. However, that has been put on the back burner for now. As school nears the end I'm looking at possible career/job options and I'm a little lost as what to do now. Professional ultra runner has no salary, and my enormous amount of student loan debt needs to start getting paid off. But I would like to call these new beginnings. I have limitless options with pretty much every aspect to my life right now, which is awesome. I want to get training again, re-energize with school, and refocus my attention on whats needs to be done, rather than what I want to be done.

So if you have any race suggestions, let me know...

Stormy 50 Mile - August 8th

Where to begin.....

I'm having a hard time writing this post. I don't know why, I was out there for almost 8 hours.

Friday afternoon, Lori Herron picked me up and our other friend Jean Francois-Gagnon and headed up to Nanaimo to catch the ferry over to the mainland. I was my first time ever out in Squamish and the North Shore area. Beautiful. We got into Squamish and went straight to the start area to see if our race packages were picked up by Moe "The Eagle" Beaulieu. Moe is a household name in ultra running. We watched a few of the 100 milers head out on lap 2 and then went to our hotel. We got into our rooms and chatted for a bit with Moe and then it was lights out at around 10pm.

After lights out, I stayed up and got all my gear ready. Gels, Eload, Succeed S! caps and Amino, Sportshield and Bodyglide, Blistershield in my Injinji socks and got my drop bag ready as well. I was in bed by 10:30ish, set my alarm for 4:50am and stared straight up at the ceiling. This is gonna be interesting I thought....

4:33am came. I know because I stared at my clock until it changed to 4:34am. God it was early but my nerves and excitement were bursting. I got up and got changed into my race clothing (singlet and shorts) and gathered all my gear. I listened to some music (Fanfare for the Common Man - Thanks Coach Davies for that one). Got ready and ate some Sportbeans and a bagel and drank some water and got my two handheld bottles filled: one with water, the other with Eload. Lori and Moe went in his Jeep and Jean and I took Lori's car to the race start. We all gathered around the starting area, getting eaten alive by mosquitoes and subduing our pre-race jitters. I looked around and saw a lot of talent. Hassan Lotfi-Pour (Canadian 100k team member), Adam Lint (USA 100k team member, 2nd place at White River 50 in '08), Ellie Greenwood (Pro), and Tracy Garneau (Pro).

Start to Perth Road Aid Station (0 to 8k)
At exactly 6am, we headed out into what I would describe as an event surreal to the senses. Running thru the streets or Squamish and the small downtown park trails we all started jockeying for positions. I found myself behind Adam Lint and Tracy Garneau and a few runners on the relay teams. Hassan and Mike Palichuk caught up to us and we all started chatting and joking around. Hassan and Adam took off and Mike and I ran together going into the first aid station at Perth Road. I left the station without stopping but got about 15 feet and thought I should probably drink some Gatorade. To my surprise It was edge sport drink. I'm sure the product is good for others but for me, it tasted like chemicals or something. So I left with Mike and we continued on up the dirt road towards Alice Lake.

Perth Road to Alice Lake Aid Station (8 to 15km)
Mike left me in the dust with his downhill running abilities and I soon discovered that this race would ultimately be won by the ability. I caught up to Tracy Garneau and passed her but looked down at my watch to see just over an hour. I hadn't taken a walk break yet so I did. She passed and asked if I was okay. My stomach was starting to act a little funny and it wouldn't take the Eload I had in one of my bottles. I had trained with this drink for weeks before this race, yet I couldn't fathom the idea of drinking anymore. So I continued to run with Tracy and we made our way around Alice Lake. Truly a sight to be seen in the area, it was beautiful. We made it onto a pavement section of the course and my legs were not liking the firm surface. we quickly dropped into a trail section of the side of the road and zig-zagged our way to the second aid station at the north end of Alice Lake. I got my bottles re-filled and took off. My stomach bothering me quite a bit.

Alice Lake to Edith Lake Aid Station (15 to 27k)
After Leaving the station I was getting desperate. I needed to find a bathroom, lucky for me I carry toilette paper with me on my runs. I told Tracy I was ditching and that I would catch up. After a few minutes in the bush, I headed back out and charged towards the mountain. I started up an incline dirt road which took me to Dead end loop and rock n' roll hill. Awesome trails to run on and was a blast. I managed to catch up to Tracy at this point and continued to work with her. She was struggling a bit with a hip injury but we chatted and worked together to get ourselves to the Edith Lake Station. After my pit stop, I was still having troubles getting the Eload down and I had forgotten to implement my nutrition plan. So I carried on trying to balance it out and got to Edith lake and emptied the bottle of Eload, ate some watermelon and carried on to Perth road for the second time.

Edith Lake to Perth Road Aid Station (27 to 39k)
I don't remember a thing from this section other than diving downhill trying to keep Tracy in my sights. Lots of downhill and technical parts to the trail. We Cruised along and continued chatting and working together but Tracy was beating herself up mentally. I tried my best to keep her positive but I know how difficult it is to do that when your hurting. She's tough, I mean she did win the H.U.R.T. 100 mile in Hawaii earlier this year and was top female at the same race two years previous in the 100 mile event. We got to Perth and she was contemplating dropping out. With the help of an aid station volunteer we managed to get her to push through til at least we saw her drop bags at the Powerhouse station at 50km.

Perth Road Aid to University Aid Station (39 to 42k)
Short section but all pavement. My legs were really not liking this but I managed to press on. Keeping Tracy with me. I had already learned a lot from her but felt dropping her would haunt me. I had never covered the distance and the only logical thing for me to do was stick with her and see how I felt at 50, 60, and 70k to go. We got through our first marathon in 3 hours 10 minutes.

University to University Aid Station (42 to 44k)
No way this section was only 2k because it took forever! Straight up a logging road and then up some more. After reaching the top, we headed down a super technical downhill section to be caught by some relay teams. I got to the aid station to realize I was almost out of gels. I grabbed some and refilled my bottles knowing soon I would have the luxury of being able to change socks, shoes and refill my pack with gels and other stuff.

University to Powerhouse Aid Station (44k to 50k)
En route to Powerhouse Tracy and I were talking about nine mile hill. Technically, we would only cover 6 miles of it but I had heard it was nasty. We arrived at the power house aid station in 3:57 (not a bad 50k time I thought). Tracy and I hadn't seen any other 50 mile solo runners in ages but continued to work together and got to Powerhouse ready to tackle to climb.

Powerhouse to Nine Mile Hill Aid Station (50 to 60k)
After refilling with food and water, and drinking copious amounts of flat coke we departed and made our way to the nine mile hill climb. We would climb almost 1600 ft over 6k but I wasn't surprised with the difficulties of nine mile hill. I actually found for the most part it was very runnable with parts that were not so runnable. There was a water drop half way up the climb where I refilled my bottle and washed my faced. It was so refreshing to do that after 5 hours to get all the salt and sweat off your face. We continued up and passed over the most amazing river turquoise river I have ever seen on probably the sketchiest bridge I've ever stepped on. We got to the top, and I figured Tracy was still lead women; however, she informed me that Ellie Greenwood had passed her. After stopping at the aid station and finding Mike Palichuk only 2 minutes ahead of us we pressed on up Lava flow hill to the actually summit of the climb.

Nine Mile Hill to Powerhouse Aid Station (60 to 72k)
Cruising down the mountain we passed an old rusted car and cruised along and we caught Mike and Tracy with her phenomenal downhill running ability took off. I found this section really challenging because I'm not as strong running on technical switch back downhills like most of the North Shore trail gang is. After coming out of the tree with Powerhouse station in range I tried to keep Tracy in sight. I got to the station and refilled my bottles, reloaded with gels and set out again. Tracy had left a few minutes before I did but she mentioned she was cramping up. I left for the next aid station, knowing that this would soon be over.

Coming into Powerhouse (72k)

Powerhouse to S&M Connector Aid Station (72 to 75k)
This section and the remainder of the run would be really challenging for me. I tired and running uphill was challenging. After Tracy left I had lost a lot of energy. I see how in 100 mile races the importance of a pacer. I carried on walking the up hills and trying to keep Mike at bay. I got to the S&M Connector Aid Station and saw Mike right on my heels and the volunteers told us 4 miles to the finish. Yeah, right...

S&M Connector to Climbers Parking Lot Aid Station (75k to 79k)
4 miles my ass. This section between the two aid stations took me almost an hour. I carried my Nike+ Sportband with me and the section was at least 10k. I got to the climbing walls and saw some climbers who looked at me like I was a freak or something... weird. I looked at my watch and saw 7 hours and 30 minutes. I knew the finish must be close so I started pushing myself to get to the finish with a sub 8 hour clocking. I got to the Climbers Parking Lot Aid Station and the girls informed me that there was less than a mile left.

Climbers Parking Lot to Finish (79k to Finish 80k)
I hammered this section. Kinda had too. I was surprised I was running at this clip 7 and half hours into this event. I looked at my Sportband to see 3:55min/km. I thought "you gotta be kidding me" but I was feeling good. The trail was in the forestry service park which led to the finish line at Brennan park. I rounded the corner and saw a lady with a megaphone standing waiting. She yelled "Runner coming." Immediately, I knew I was finished and the race announcer began to talk and the finish banner was clear, even with my piss poor eye sight. I crossed the line in 7 hours 48 minutes and 26 seconds (Officially). My Sportband read 92.14km in the end but that doesn't matter.

I learned a lot that day. My strengths and weaknesses were showcased and my preparation thanks to Coach Noa got me to the finish in one piece. I was asked by my friend Heather Hollman who is currently biking across Canada en route to Chiropractic school in Toronto If I found this race harder or easier than Kusam Klimb. This was still easier. I met a lot of great people and Tracy, Ellie, Adam, Hassan and myself all chatted after the race. Ultras are incredible not just because of the race but the people who race, volunteer and put them on.

Thanks to Peninsula Runners, Syngery Health Management, Brooks, Coach Noa and the awesomeness that is ultra running.

Until next time...

My mom always said I had nice Feet

Mid-Summer Update

So Its set. I was supposed to do White River, but things don't always work out. I'm heading to Squamish for the Stormy 50mi. 6000ft of climbing and 6000ft of descent will put my training to the test. I managed to put in 3 hours in Mt. Doug park today and got in 4400ft of climbing and 4400ft of descent and according to my new Nike+ Sportband I logged in 31.05km in the 3 hours, which is pretty good considering Mt. doug is either up or down, no real flat sections.

So my first crack at 50 miles should be fun and interesting. I'm not really nervous but the closer I get to that 100k race I get a little bit more nervous but then again I think its more a curiousity about what I am capable of. 4 years ago, even a 50 mile week would have been unheard of for me, so 50 miles in one day will be an interesting... should I say event?

What remains in the summer after Stormy is the Juan de Fuca run. Depending on my recovery after Stormy, I will likely do the whole thing except there wont be any attempt on my behalf to go for the record. I'm currently half way through an acting course and this is my last course for the summer, which I am pretty pumped about.

peace homies