Average Adventure Addict

till my favorite sporting event of the year, the Shawnigan MOMAR! Even better because the (always killer) after party is being held at one of our favorite places in the Cowichan, Merridale Cidery (it’s ALL about the Merri-Berri Cider…. only select pubs and private liquor stores here in Victoria carry it so I’ll definately be sampling the product!!) I’m a little worried about my fitness, the last 2 weeks I’ve been struggling with either allergies or a summer cold (either way it sucked!) and didn’t put in as many bulk hours as I would have liked. I did get a lot of hiking and LSD time in tho, which was a nice change.

Hard to believe our wedding is 3 weeks away as of this Saturday (race day!) there is still so much to do. The stress of running around like a chicken with no head probably helped with the whole cold issue too. This next few days before the race are going to be divided (hopefully relatively evenly) between some light training, final bike tune-up, work, and, dum dum dum, wedding stuff.

This morning at work I saw on the news that racer Marty Lund of Saskatchewan passed away during the Race the Rockies in Golden this past weekend. My sympathies and condolences to his family during this time. I remember getting the phone call that my father had passed away a few years ago and there is no other way to describe it other than it feels as if your heart has been wrenched from your body. Definately the worst moment of my life.

Thursday July 17th - hike along Juan de Fuca Ridge
Friday July 18th - hike along Juan de Fuca Ridge
Saturday July 19th - unplanned rest (worked all day)
Sunday July 20th - 1 hr LSD
Monday July 21st - plan: run w/ Rosheen
Tuesday July 22nd - plan: run w/ Rosheen
Wednesday July 23rd - plan: ride w/ Kitt
Thrusday July 24th - plan: run & planned paddle w/ Rosheen
Friday July 25th - plan: light run or ride
Saturday July 26th - **RACE DAY**

0700 - Wake up
0730 - pick up Rosheen and start north bound on the Malahat
0830 - park at the Provincial Park on the west side of the lake, unload and the fun begins!

Rosheen and I decided that with the great weather, today would be an ideal day to take the bikes up to Shawnigan and I could show her the general area that the race might cover next weekend. Being that this was my old stomping ground, I remembered most of the bike route and the orienteering section. We started in the provincial park parking lot, took a look at the kayak launch and bike transition area from last year, hopped onto the Cowichan Trail and went north towards the Kinsol Tressel.

As we stood at the top looking down towards the river it brought back memories of the pain. It was a LONG way down, nice cooling water crossing, a LONG way up to the check point at the top of the other side. Take a quick breath, repeat. Studies say your body doesn’t remember pain, but standing at the top looking down, I beg to differ! Instead of going down and leaving the bikes unattended we just looked and said “Soon enough!” I had heard from sources (who will remain nameless) in my old running club, Ceevacs, that the bike trail specifically cut for last year’s race was now in really good condition. I was stoked at this news cuz last year, most of the trail was unrideable for me. Walking my bike then didn’t prove any faster as the silt averaged about 6 inches deep! Let me just say that 5 minutes up the trail I thought Rosheen was never going to speak to me again! But, I am blessed with a great friend who just smiled beautifully the whole way and said “This is great” when really, it wasn’t!

2 and a half hours and a lot of hike-a-bike later we popped out right at the quarry. We both wished we brought swim suits but kept pushing on. Out onto the pavement it was a 30 min slog on the road back to the truck. Just before the quarry I had drained the last of the water in my hydropack bladder and was working on my half full bike bottle when we started to really hear grumblings from our stomachs. We knew it was time to crank it up a notch and started to really push it. Rosheen took the lead and before I knew it I was falling seriously behind. She is brilliant on the hills and I just stuck my head down and struggled to keep up. Thankfully we arrived at the truck, both ravenous enough to nibble on our own arms, threw the bikes in the back and took off for the bakery in Cowichan Bay as fast as the law would allow!

MUCH to our dismay, the brilliant little organic bakery and cheese shop was closed!! The single thing that kept me going thru the last 30 minute push was now a daydream. Fortunately (especially for me!) the Rock Cod Cafe next door was a very tasty replacement. 45 minutes later, fuelled and full, we were cruising thru Mill Bay on our way home. A much needed shower and I was on the bed, barely keeping my eyes open before I hit the pillow (my excuse is I’m working nights tonight!

Week in Review:

Monday - Rest (and dentist appointment - eww)
Tuesday - 1.25 hr ride at Hartland with Kitt and Panda (my 4 legged partner)
Wednesday - 45 min light run with Rosheen
Thursday - Heavy weight upper body workout with Rosheen, 30 min hike up to alpine cabin on San Juan ridge at night
Friday - about 2 hours of hiking along the ridge
Saturday - home sick, exercise: lifted a mug of Neo Citron repeatedly
Sunday - Crossfit leg & upper body workout
Monday - epic 3 hr bike ride (sore from Crossfit and the ride now!)

I’ve been dreaming about this moment for a while - I’m on a sponsored adventure racing team!!! That being said, it doesn’t follow that we’ll be on the podium (we sure as hell are gonna try!), but we do have BEA-UTI-FUL jerseys to wear!! If we aren’t on the podium it definately won’t be because of our bikes! I would like to introduce Kitt, Rosheen, Margo and I as team Marty’s Mountain Cycle! Our debut is at the Shawnigan MOMAR short course and Rosheen and I honestly can’t wait!

This is Rosheen’s first adventure race and my 5th (2nd race in Shawnigan) and I’m stoked that it’s on this course. Kitt and I lived in Shawnigan for a year and I took the opportunity to fully explore, but a home town advantage counts for nothing in this race. Bryan, the race director, finds the toughest trails available, and when there are none, he makes them! The people who did Shawnigan last year know what I mean, I think I still have silt in my bike shoes from that crazy hike-a-bike section after the tressel!

If you haven’t been to Marty’s, it is definately worth a trip! The shop is full of great clothing, gear and, of course, bikes! As both a Brodie and Rocky Mountain dealer I’m in the great place of being able to get parts for my 2007 Brodie Climbmax and drool over my dream bike, a Rocky Element Team, (any member of my family reading this and thinking about getting me the greatest gift ever - Kitt will know what size to get!)

The last week has seen me biking more than running, logging lots of time in Hartland and Lochside Trail. Tonight Rosheen and I went for a short run on Lochside trail but it felt like I was pushing a baby carriage full of bricks. I was sure I was going backwards at some point. 2 and a half weeks to race time!

I love big holidays! Everyone was dowtown Victoria and no one on the trails! Kitt and I had everything to ourselves as we rode the awesome singletrack for just over an hour before I had to go to work. It was another big day for me in terms of boosting my riding confidence. I became way more comfortable with ratchetting my way out of sections that my pedals bottomed out on (still have a LOT more to learn and need to log hundreds of hours of practice!) Kitt set up a mini course for me to ride and time to gauge my progress over the next couple of weeks. First time 2:22. Second time 1:57. Kitt rode it to the tune of 1:15. *sigh* at least I have some more goals now!

Then, my favorite moment, was on our way back: a boulder bridge that started between 2 (fairly narrow) trees. I was up onto the rocks no problem, but the left side of my handlebars hit the tree and next thing I knew I was off the bridge going down, down and further down into the brush. I was soooo happy my instincts are now tending towards sticking my butt back to balance and just riding it out instead of sticking my legs out and frantically trying to dump my bike! Once I realized I was still alive, it was kinda like ‘Hey - that was almost fun! Did you see I didn’t stick my legs straight out??’ Needless to say tho the adrenalin dump made me a little jittery and unsure of myself for the ride back to the car. A couple of times I chickened out at the peak of a rocky climb when my back tire started to spin out in the gravel. All in all, still making forward progress!

Happy Canada Day everyone!

The last week has seen me run around like a chicken with no head - it has been insane. And, to boot, I was sick. Still, I got out for a couple of short (under 5km) jogs around my house but definately nothing to be proud of! Trail time: minimal. Couch time: huge. Oh well, kinda served me right running around at mach 3 trying to do everything and be everything. By Friday I was feeling tons better and was stoked to be able to honor my promise to volunteer at Day 0 of BC Bike Race in Shawnigan Lake. It was awesome to go back to Shawnigan (just moved from there in January so I do miss it sometimes!) and especially on a hot, sunny day.

I’ve got to admit, there was more to my volunteering than just the desire to be useful. I wanted to see how this race was run, to see if it really is worth the $2000 per person. At first glance, this event was totally worth it. After volunteering for 8 hrs, it was still worth every penny. The free swag would totally make it for me! For over an hour we packed 450 awesome wheelie Dakine luggage with custom white Synchros bars, boxes of protein bars, multi tools, TONS of clothing and treats! Right from the time I got there to the time I left, everyone had a big smile on their face. There was staff for everything and nothing was left undone.

After helping with set up we were given a killer bagged lunch (delicious cookies!) and started to organize the main check-in area. Kathy, the woman I was working under, was simply amazing, unflappable and highly organized. I would take part in any event this woman organized! There were a few very minor gliches but she handled everything with a big sincere smile on her face and honestly wanted all racers and non-racers to have the best time ever. One of the best things about the day was people watching. There were racers from all backgrounds and all ages: from super fit 25 year old pros to my favorite, a couple in their late 60’s who had only been mountain biking a short while. I’m cheering for them! So, the long and the short of it is, aside from the price tag, I want to do this race with Kitt next year!

In preparation for the race nest year, we went for our first single track ride of the year yesterday afternoon at Hartland in the searing heat. My skills are just shy of non-existant (I am missing this pair of male anatomy that makes mountain biking so much easier!) so Kitt was extremely patient with me (as always) and laid out a sweet little figure 8 track for me to ride over and over again till I mastered it. The first lap some of the obstacles looked gigantic and scared the crap out of me, but on the 2nd lap I could bump through them, and the 4th time was fine. After about 8 laps I felt confident enough to try everything at as much speed as I could manage, and VOILA, I am still alive to talk about it! After we mastered if frontwards, it was time to try it in reverse. I think the worst part was riding the loop backwards and seeing how tiny the obstacles really were and I felt rather foolish. I guess that’s how we learn though eh? My biggest joy was bumping over enough rocks and roots and struggling up rock faces to gain the confidence to not rip my feet out of my clipless pedals when it got a little hairy. I had a nasty crash 2 years ago because I did just that and landed with my left leg straight. Word of advice: Don’t do it!! Overall a great day, but I think I am still rehydrating!

Whoever and wherever you are Cooper, I am NOT a fan of your test! If you dont know the test that I am referring to, the Cooper’s Test is:
- a timed 1.5 mile run
- timed 50 meter sprint
- as many pushups as you can do in a minute
- as many situps in a minute
- bench press your own body weight
- standing jump (distance counts!)

I originally ran this test 5 months ago so I’ve had some time to train to improve my results before I ran it again yesterday.

ORIGINAL vs YESTERDAY’S
1.5 mile run: 11min 55 sec vs 10 min 55 sec
50m sprint: 8.4 sec vs 8.47 sec
bench press 145lbs: 0 vs 0
pull-ups: 0 vs 2 (very hard won too I must add!)
situps in 1 min: 47 vs 56
pushups in 1 min: 36 vs 50
standing jump: 152cm vs 180cm

Overall a big improvement! The best part about taking the test again was the HUGE difference in the run and that’s what I am most proud of. Last time I felt like I was red-lining it the whole 12 minutes and I hurt for a few days after. This time I felt comfortably uncomfortable (that works right?) the whole time. I actually thought I was going super slow and my time was around 15 minutes, so I was astounded to find out at the finish line that I had taken a whole minute off and recovered super quickly.

The days leading up to the test were some of my best anaerobic training to date.
MONDAY - rest day
TUESDAY - 2nd rest day (2 super early days for work and feeling a little run down)
WEDNESDAY - warm up, 4 sets of 50m of stair sprints, cool down, w/ Rosheen, total time of 25 minutes and super hard!
THURSDAY - (worked all night so had to run on treadmill at 2am) 15 min warm up (at 5 mph) and 3 sets of varied flat sprints: 30 sec at 9mph, 60 sec at 5.5mph, 30 sec at 10 mph, 60 sec at 5.5mph, 30 sec at 10.5 mph. Then 15 min jog cool down at 5.5 mph, 15 min walk/hike at 3.8 mph
FRIDAY - 40 min easy spin on Lochside trail on my mtn bike then rest
SATURDAY - Coopers Test
SUNDAY (Today!) - on the books: easy 10km run around Elk and Beaver Lake w/ Danielle and Rosheen

Now the countdown is on for the Shawnigan MOMAR! A little over a month away and training is hitting critical - sweet!!

Is summer really here? 4 days of sunshine in a row must be a new record! Yesterday was picture perfect conditions for the annual Victoria Firefighter Trail Race at Elk/Beaver Lake. The field was small, about 45 runners, but the energy was high and the prizes were AWESOME! It was about as good as you could get: local venue, inexpensive race fee ($18 without T shirt), free post race food and tons of great prizes! Everyone who raced got a prize (ranged from Frontrunners swag bags with jerseys or new shoes to gift cards for Blue Fox and The Keg) and my gift card to the Keg did not last more than about 6 hours… I need to do more races like this!

The morning started at 0830 with Danielle and Rosheen coming over to our house for juice and a muffin, (or in my case, turkey bacon as well!) After some food in our tummies, we made our way over to the start line at the Beaver Lake parking lot. Kitt was volunteering, us chickies were warming up. The kids 1km race was so cute (except for the one poor kid who got lost and ended up running a 10km lap instead!) Our race started shortly after with the route going counter clockwise and took a turn right into the hilly side trails before settling out onto the normal track at the lake’s edge by the boathouse. Poor Danielle, she’d never been around Elk Lake before (or done a 10km for that matter!) and I had promised her up and down that it was going to be pancake flat! I think she’s forgiven me though. As usual, Rosheen was off with the front pack and Danielle and I made our way in the middle. The first 4 km hurt (as it always seems to lately!) but soon we realized we were actually exceeding our goal of 5:20/km and keeping a 5 min/km pace (for us that’s fast!) and thought we could hang onto it for a while. Initially this was supposed to be a training run for me so I could pace Danielle on her first longer trail race but she was game and it became a race. The shady parts of the trail were the perfect temperature but the sunny sections were brutally hot! It was good incentive to finish as fast as possible and jump into the giant sprinkler they had set up at the finish line.

We played tag with another woman from km 5 to 8 but then passed her and tried to reel in another couple that stayed about 50m out of our reach till the end. In the last kilometer we found Rosheen running back to see us and then we knew we were close. Danielle (she’s gonna be a great runner and I am so proud of her!) and I stepped it up and managed to run hard for 500 m, sprint the last 100m to the line. Danielle and I crossed it together and then walked right into the glorious sprinkler!

Finish time? 56 min 15 sec for roughly 11 km. Not too bad!! 10 months ago my fastest 5km averaged 5:20/km and I was gutted when I finished. This time I was roughly 5:10/km, felt solid, maybe could have even done it a little faster, recovered super quick and felt like I could have done another slow lap. It’s all one step forward! I ran up the observatory on Saturday morning with Rosheen and felt nice and solid the whole way up. Much to my astonishment it took me 12 minutes - my fastest ever in 2006 was 14:30. I LOVE this getting fitter thing!!

Next on the race list? Mt Doug Gutbuster short course on Sunday July 6th!

*sigh* It’s true, I loath snakes! I seem to be fine with them when we are in pet stores or I see someone holding one, but when I’m running or riding and I come across them - plug your ears! There are only 2 times you’ll ever hear me squeal like a little girl: when I step on/ride over a snake or the time I was bit by a tiny terratorial reef fish that looked Dorey in Hawaii this past January.

Yesterday morning was our first big MOMAR oriented brick workout of the year and it started with Danielle, Rosheen and I leaving my house at 0830 in the warm sunshine headed to Mt Doug Park. It was the perfect opportunity for me to try out my new Salomon pack (LOVE it because you zip into it like a vest and have easy access pockets in the front for food and other necessities!) for an extended period of time and so far the review is: perfect! It fit like a piece of clothing with more than enough room for any and everything needed for a sprint AR. Anyways, we hit the trails from the Blenkinsop Rd side and started a wicked single track ascent into the sun. 40 minutes later, sweaty and grinning from ear to ear, we exited and headed for home.

We said good bye to Danielle and Rosheen and I hopped on our bikes for a spin out to Sidney on the Lochside Trail. As we approached Mt Newton X Rd the trail took a more rural turn with grass crowding it and branches across the path. I looked down in case I got a stick thru the spokes and started to make notes: stick, big stick, stick, snake, stick.. Aahhh!!! As I rolled over it the snake made a lunge at my foot and I gave a gargled scream and tore both of my feet out of my pedals and stuck them out to either side. Passings cyclists gave me the weirdest looks, but at least my feet were safe from the tiny garden snake that could possible try and touch my foot! Once we were about 50 feet past the ‘incident area’ it was safe for me to clip back in and the ride continued, my heart rate a little higher than it should have been for our speed.

Rosheen keeps a killer pace so before I knew it we were turning around (I kept a close eye on the ground in front of me when we passed thru snake land again!) and headed to Matticks Farm for a mid-ride caffine and fuel break. Soup and raspberry Italian soda down the hatch, rain jacket on (was getting very very chilly!) it was a nice easy spin back home. Rosheen and I said good bye at my driveway and it was straight into the shower to warm up! I spent the rest of the afternoon sipping a big mug of tea, watching favorite Brit-comms, checking under the couch for slithery things and napping. Aside from the snake? A perfect day!

Every year I make a list of athletic events that I would like to do. I think it’s pretty normal; it helps me focus and helps me fill up my daytimer so I look busy. The difference with this year? I’m actually knocking them all off and am injury free! (knock on wood)

2008 List:

April - Royal Roads Gutbuster, TC 10Km
May - Tzouhalem Gutbuster
June - Firefighter 10Km
July - Mt Doug Gutbuster, Shawnigan MOMAR
August - my wedding : )
September - Cumberland MOMAR
October - Shawnigan Lake 1/2 Marathon

2009 WISHLIST:

-All MOMARS (I am determined to try and win my catagory at least once in my lifetime!)
-All Gutbusters
-Race the Rockies Adventure race (will be my first 24hr race, gonna try a longer distance on for size!)
-Kusam Klimb
-Canadian Death Race Ultra
-Gearjammer Mountain Bike race
-Yeti snowshoe race
-Mill Bay 10Km

2010 WISHLIST:

-All MOMARS (really now, it’s all about the KILLER after party! It’s addictive!)
-All Gutbusters (they are just so accessible here on the island and so much fun!)
-Marathon des Sables (hence the reason for all the preplanning! Danielle and I intend to go in really really well prepared! the training has already started!)

I am always on the lookout for fun and crazy events to drag my sister to so this list will definately get longer! Sorry Danielle, just remember: you thought is was fun after we finished and ate some food!!

After taking on a fairly heavy volunteer commitment back in February, it’s finally almost over and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! Between volunteering and full time shift work finding time to get in some solid brick workouts has been tough, but now things are starting to work out again. I’ve got to admit, I can get a little grumpy when I miss my workouts, but to miss a training session and be stuck inside on a sunny day = definately grumpy!!

So, here’s a little rundown of the last week and a half, not one of my better weeks by any stretch, but 6 night shifts in 8 days left me little time to do what I really wanted!

WEDNESDAY 21st - weights (started w/30 min core exercises, then weights 2 sets: 1 min of light high reps and 2nd set 10 reps of heavy weight)
THURSDAY 22nd - easy 6km on trails behind the house
FRIDAY 23rd - Rest Day!
SATURDAY 24th - 6hrs martial arts course and 30 min run on the little trails at Elk Lake with Rosheen
SUNDAY 25th - 5km run w/ stairs and sprints along Dallas Rd and the waterfront, followed by another 4 hrs of the same martial arts course
MONDAY 26th - MUCH needed rest (a few bruises to tend to before I wear shorts and a tank top!)
TUESDAY 27th - road ride from house to downtown and back, followed by a nice 30 min trail run with Danielle and Panda near Mt Doug
WEDNESDAY 28th - weights (2 sets of light weight and high reps over 60 seconds)
THURSDAY 29th - 40 min trail run thru Royal Roads with Danielle and Panda (perfect run!!)
FRIDAY 30th - Rest day - but went to Cirque de Solie with Kitt - AMAZING show, I’ve always wanted to see it and it was brilliant!
SATURDAY 31st - 60 min paddle on the Gorge in our new canoe (Bell Northwind Carbon Fibre - SUPER light weight! I’m still learning to paddle it but I love it!)

And now, here I am, at work till the morning… Best piece of advice right now - never, ever take your pillow for granted!