Your favourite trail race? 

Ellie Greenwood just asked this question over on her blog and I didn’t hesitate to leave a comment and put in a little plug for Stormy.  Its at the perfect time of year, a great mix of trails, well organised and more importantly distances ranging from 10km to 100 miles to satisfy everyone’s appetite.

Last year, I ran the 50 miler, this year due to injury I was fortunate to find myself on a relay team, and had picked out a challenging yet fun 11km leg.  I was set to head up with Katie and Brad, tour the aid stations and relay exchanges, support some friends running the 50 miler and generally have a good old day out on the trails.

And a good old day it turned out to be.

Our team was a good mix of runners.  Two ladies with newborns whom I have never met, Kev and Linda, fresh from a solid summer of Knee Knacker training, both fit and with some good mileage going on, then B-Rad and Coo, both also fresh from solid Knee Knacker performances and who are both running really strong right now. 

We started the day off a lot later than most and met for the drive up at 6am in Vancouver, with the goal of getting to Alice Lake at 7am to meet Tom Craik, whom Katie was crewing for.  We had no problem on the way up and met up with a few others all milling around the aid station and then when the first relay team came through, I didn’t think much of it – they were flying through while Kev was waiting around to be tagged in.  I figured we were easily back by at least 30 minutes, probably more.

After the first few 50 milers came thought, including Tom, we took off to meet everyone at the next aid station at the top of Perth Rd.  I left the gang there after sharing a few laughs and made my way over to my relay exchange point.  The nerves had kind of kicked in and I went in search of some bush, only to quickly be called back over as Linda was running super strong and charging up the hill.

A quick high 5 and I was off – game time.

My leg was an uphill slog, followed by a short fast return down some mountain biking trails, then some fast road and a bit of undulation back to the powerhouse aid station.  I was kind of glad to be starting up hill as I knew I couldn’t go too fast off the bat if I was going up, then I could recover and have fun coming down and then bring it home.

And that was pretty much it.  I took off, HR shot right up and the work just started in.  I thought back to last year and how I was hiking this section, very glad to be fresh on it this year.  It wasn’t long before I spotted Dave Papineau and Dario Herrera up ahead, and I knew that I had to catch them.

It didn’t take long for me to close the gap, I was on fresh legs and determined to do the hard work up this hill.  Then almost too soon, I was right behind them before passing with a few plesentries.  Then it was back to head down and continue to work the climb. 

The back stretch felt like it went on forever and I was thankful when I came across the markers to head back down.  This section was so much fun, good fast rolling banked mountain bike trail and I bombed it.  All I could think of was “this is how 190lbs comes down a hill”.  It wasn’t long before my fun ended and I burst out of the trail head and back onto the road to run this one in.

There was quite a crown gathered, and I had a ton of momentum.  I guess I could have looked a bit menacing when I blasted out of the trail into the aid area.  The fellas call me ‘Trail Rambo’ now so picture that coming at ya full speed and I guess you get the mental picture of how that went down.

I used the little bit of leg speed I had from here to blast back down to the university and then back in the trail to make my way to powerhouse.

When I got there, I couldnt see Duncan who was next up on the roster, I think I even yelled out “Coo!” and then saw his head pop up from the trunk of his car (napping probably..).  I ran over tagged him and he was off.

Coo is running so strong right now, I would be suprised if he didnt run the fastest time on the day for his leg, out of all runners.  He was down in about 1:47 and had Brad tagged in and runnning scared in first place, where he also ran out of his skin and increased a 6 minute lead to around 11.  Over this distance, thats relatitive to about a K!  Talk about strong finish!

We were all so stoked to have won, and I think out team name ‘Trail Mix’ really sums up our team so well, such a good mix of strengths, sizes, sex and characters, all come together for the love of running and cleaning up too boot.

Turn’s out not only did we win but we set a new course record of 6:47:48 – WOOT!

Well done to everyone out there on the day as I know there were many individual challenges faced.  Congrats to Tom, Jeremy and Jess who all ran their first 50 miler and congrats to Hoz who (tied?) the win on a training run.

All in all a smootly run event that has me pondering which distance to run next year.

Where to start? How about …

3am wake ups just really don’t appeal to me, like really who in their right mind wants to pull that one off …

So it began, the battle to wake up and get my ass to finish line to get that shuttle bus at 4:30am.  Luckily I used my working side of my brain pre-3hr nap to remember “get disposable cup from Starbucks” so that I would have coffee on the bus … filled that sucker up with my finest brew … grabbed some eats and got my ass in the truck. 

Well I must admit it was super exciting and pretty inspiring driving towards Deep Cove at that time and seeing the sun slowly creeping up in the horizon, it was finally hitting my dead part of my brain that I’m actually running 50km today. I would use this part of my brain to actually finish my run;)

My first 50km and the Knee Knacker to boot!

But really what could go wrong, I’ve got the Kiwi (Pricey) and later DK on my side as my fuel train and brother/parents on the sidelines to cheer me on, plus not to forget my coworkers whom had dressed up like Rasta’s

Go Time!!!

Getting on that bus was the sealing of the deal, no turning back now and seriously I was shitting my pants.  Seeing that I’ve never even run a damn marathon crazy thoughts were going through my head.  Well I was fortunate enough to sit beside a couple of humans that had some pretty great stories of their ultra running experiences to settle my mind, it almost made Knee Knacker sound like a walk in the park – hahah ok maybe not. 

So after a short bus ride we land ourselves at Nelson Creek Park where it was busy as ever, or should I mention the line up for the 1 “Port-a-pottie” was at least.  Of course the organizers had ordered more, but only 1 had shown up so this had left everyone scampering into the bushes all along the trail at the start – mmmmmm the fresh smell of RACE!

Yeh it was a sight for sure. 

I signed in ASAP and bolted away from the farm scented start line and went on a little warm up run/stretch. Returning, I ran into the Coaster Coo and the Craik along with Kev and Linda.  I must admit, I was pretty calm at that moment, I guess the proverbial calm before the storm.  It was super cool and everyone had a smile on their faces from ear to ear but it was more a nervous “HOLY SHIT ITS ABOUT TO START” smile … ahahhaha awesome. 

After some inspirational words from Tommy the Gun Craik (make sure to have fun!) we were approaching the line and we were off … it was super calm and easy and I immediately started to pass through some humans to make sure I was not caught up before the single track … we entered the trail and the working side of the brain took over and told me to “Chill Winston!!!!”

Lots of running to go.

Cranking up the trail good ole Craik was their cheering on and cow belling – too funny.  I thought this was great as it really set a great mood for all - to have some fun and relax into pace with a smile on.

It was a long climb up to the top of Cypress but I had Kevin Letchford there with me for some great morning banter,  it made the climb a breeze but not without some excitement.  One of the runners up ahead sent a soccer ball sized boulder rolling down the debris chute and with some serious luck it stopped wedged into another boulder to prevent human damage. 

So we crest the mountain and WOOT WOOT – what a view!  I took some time looking back as It was just amazing but not too long as apparently I was slacking a little on the climb.  A quick look at my watch I realized I was dragging my ass a little and poor ole Pricey would not be able to catch most of the front runners.  I pulled into Cypress bowl at 1:48:32 – 53rd place and with some ripping into from Keith Nicoll “you get lost or something??”  and some serious cheering from the humans at the bowl, it was a great site seeing the Price and Tom. 

A quick oil change and I was out and running knowing that I should pick it up a little, so I did, and started a quicker pace.

Cranking along I had one of my funniest falls I’ve ever taken running… somehow in my limb-throwing running style I managed to jamb my leg almost hyper extending my knee and pole vaulting myself over it and army rolling out.  I was laughing and wondering if everything was ok and sure enough it was – brushing off the scum I carried onto and down cypress to the dam. 

WOAH talk about sensory overload…MAD HUMANS!!! 

It was great and seeing all the vollies and people was really a sight. 

Not to mention my mafia (family) was there to cheer me on and pass along some jokes. Of course my dad tried to give me what I thought was water and really was coconut water, Pricey already had one to go for me so it was C-Nut overload.

3:07:38 – 43rd – Off trotting along I went and up towards good ole Grouse.  I felt great and was really in a good frame of mind.  I then passed some humans entering the Grouse Grind and just past the split to the BP …

BONK!!!! 

I could not believe it as I really and truly felt fine 30 paces previously to it.  I started to chow down on a ChocOvo (From the greatest Swiss Girlfriend one could have ) and a Gel and smash in some liquid and my legs started to become functional once again.  I managed to make my way to the next aid station and refill my bottle with coke and another Nuun with Ice …

SWEET feeling ok to go again! 

Past St. Georges bench and into Lynn where I was feeling rough once again but able to rock the Zombie Shuffle with style … ok maybe less the style and more the Amazon jungle zombie with dripping wet rags …

I must say I do enjoy this part of the trail due to the fact I run this area almost every weekend and feel comfort doing so.  Rolling through Varley and up to the Demo check point 4:41:54 – 33rd and a nice group was waiting to cheer and feed the tired soul.

Seeing everyone was again such a boost and salty potatoes (thank Hoz) are the greatest things ever!!!  Some great laughs and a refill and I was off , feeling strong and full of life and energy … NOT.  I managed to pace along with another runner was doing his first 50km as well, moving along with another first timer helped for sure and we shared the pain of the strides. 

I managed to make my way to Lillooet Rd. where the Price and DK were waiting again – wow I needed to see them again.  What felt like hours was only 30min and I already had smoked through my supplies.  I sat on a rock at the side of the road and waited for my awesome crew to refill my bottles as it would be the last chance before the push to the finish.  I was still in great spirits and looking up I see my friends dressed ass Rasta’s in lawn chairs at the BP switch back – it was FREAKING AWESOME!!!  We were all laughing and I mentioned how my body was in serious pain.  Not a second later the Vollie that was helping to stop traffic said ”hey man you see that sign there??? That one is for you” 

Suck it up Princess……..ahahahahah killer!

So again some serious motivation and I was off and away – to HAyyyyyness Drive … ok it’s Hyannis, but anyway it was the best aid station I’ve EVER been too.  Upon arrival  I yelled with joy and mentioned how happy I was to see them.  The BEST lady in the world (aside from my Mom and Melissa of course) asked “would you like a sponge bath?” 

hahhahaha ARE YOU FUKING SERIOUS???? HELL YEH!!!!

Oh my that was the best feeling ever, freezing cold water being squeezed over my head and down my back … WOW …and I provided a serious Yeti style scream!!!  They all laughed and were having sooo much fun what great people!!!

Well off and away and the DREADED Seymour grind.  A week earlier Pricey and I had been out for a Pre-Knacker / Pricey come back run, we chose to add the S-Grind in so I could plant that one fresh into my head.  I knew it was to be the final grunt and at the same time a huge soul lifter once I reached the top.  We were actually running behind 3 VERY strong females that have had some experience running the K-Knacker.  I received the best words of encouragement when we were trotting up the grind … ”you know its only 15min … that’s all … so SUCK IT UP”… soooooo what was ringing through my head … well sure that its only 15min … BLAH BLAH … yeh 15min is your fresh and good to go or jacked up on jolt cola.  But in all seriousness it was all I needed to help get me that grind.

HOME STRETCH – hummm ok maybe not but after almost 6 hours of running I was just about to roll over and pass out on the nice cozy rocks

My legs were on fire and I was having a hard time being my normal nimble self over the loose rubble. Finally I made my way to the last aid station and started to chomp down on some need goods.  A couple runners I had passed on the grind had now caught me snacking.  One in to mention was Walter W/  He is seriously just a pleasure to run with in these races and he’s in the 50-59 Cat.   I was suffering so bad, actually we were both but I let Walter lead the way into the finish.  We had a great conversation going and it really helped.  I was lucky as Walter had actually taken a wrong turn early in the race and was set back 15min.  He made the real home stretch feel smooth even though it’s a technically overload with rocks and roots every millimeter. 

On the last bridge and climb another Work mate Greg and better half Kelly were there waiting – suuuppper cool they cheer both of us on and really helped to add to the taste of the finish line closing in, a welcome surprise

The final steps and my legs were fired up once again by the sight of the road and the cheering of the amazing crowd at the finish.  I had the steam to pass Walter and he even asked If I would like to go by but I really could not – what a class act!!!  

Running down to the finish I saw my brother and father – I high 5’d my eldest bro who has autism and he paced me for some steps – that was killer he felt sooooo excited and I for him!

After pulling me along for such a long time Walter and I crossed the finish line Walter just ahead – 6:33:55 – 35th

What a feeling … What an experience … What a great crew … Pricey /DK /workmates … my Mafia …and the VOLLIES!!!!
Wow! 

Click here to view the embedded video.

Thanks Pricey for being there and helping to make my first 50km a very memorable one!!!

And thanks for letting me spill my big mouth on your blog

(Seriously – anytime mate - Congrats! – Pricey)

Click here to view the embedded video.

8 weeks and 24 classes down we wrapped it up on Friday with some wicked results and personal achievements.  We are looking at running another 4 week course for the month of August and are in the process of putting the pieces together now. 

Stay tuned for the details along with some exciting announcements.

In the mean time please take a read over some testomonials from some of our hardcore and most comitted boot campers!

“Whether you’re ready to take your fitness to the next level or just need a bit of a jump start, this is the boot camp for you.  The group is high-energy and supportive, and Marcus and Pricey are there 100% to offer advice, support, encouragement, and occasionally comedy to keep you going while you’re digging deep.”
- Amanda B.

“In a world where results are the bottom line, I was very satisfied with the Boot camp with Chris and Marcus. They made burning on average 800 calories fun by always providing new challenges to both brain and brawn. The classes had people of varying body type and athletic skill in the same class, and they effectively managed to customize the routines to fit skill / fitness level for each individual. They always encouraged us to push ourselves, but never forced it, which I think is a testament to their professionalism and exercise skill set. All in all, a job well done and would definitely recommend Boot Camp with them.”
-Gareth Barnes

“Chris Price and Marcus Stevens are great trainers! They motivate you to keep going when you want to quit, keep you sweating, and celebrate your fitness victories.”
-Stephanie Gilson

“After 8 weeks the boot camp that Marcus and Pricey put on is by far the most effective, enjoyable and rewarding fitness training I have ever been part of. With these boys I’ve achieved a new level of fitness and hope to improve more next round. They’ll never set an impossible task and with constant positive encouragement, you learn to dig deep and keep on going.”
-Clinton Barnes

“Pricey and Marcus’ Boot Camp is pure torture!  I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a great workout, can’t wait for the next session”
-Jacqui Dixon

“Overall, I really enjoyed the past 2 months.  I’ve done quite a few boot camps before and this does rank right up there with my favourites.  I like being challenged and motivated and I felt like you succeeded in doing this.  I don’t like doing the same thing over and over again and you guys were good at mixing things up and giving us some variety.  I think another triathlon may be in order soon!”
-Jamie Powers

“The most fun workout !!  Bootcamp was a great way to do a variety of exercises while getting a full body workout.  The guys where inspirational and motivational – which just added to the fun factor.”
-Gaynor Hepenstall

After my recent posting on protein shakes and eventually eluding to chocolate milk as a recovery drink, a couple of interesting articles have floated past my desk.

(ok, I really just wanted to post another picture of the ‘Shaker Weight’).

The first is a recent report with Canadian Olympic Gold and Silver medalist Simon Whitfield, where he identifies the role chocolate milk pays in recovery for Canada’s top triathletes.  

He then goes on to joke about the team jeering on the younger fellas in sculling competitions comparable to the rugby boys chugging jugs of beer in locker rooms around the world.

http://simonwhitfield.blogspot.com/2010/06/trican-powered-by-chocolate-milk.html

The second article is a much more alarming report from the reputable Consumer Reports web site. 

It goes on to outline potentially harmful chemicals lurking in major name protein powders which includes arsenic, lead and even mercury. 

Again, always best to use your own judgement on these things and believe sources you trust, but this article does a good job of again identifying the importance of knowing exactly what we put into our bodies.

Be sure to browse the full contents of the consumer reports article using the left hand navigation links on the site.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2010/july/food/protein-drinks/overview/index.htm

A little Q and A from my inbox today:

Q: Pricey,  In your professional opinion, is it better to drink a protein shake before or after a work out? Michelle and I were debating this the other day…

A: Ok, this all depends on your goals of course …

Protein shakes are classed in the ‘supplement’ genre, meaning that they are there to supplement an already well balanced and rounded diet, where you should be reaching you basic protein needs through whole natural foods.

Food is and always should be your number 1 source of protein.

A basic rule of thumb for a healthy active individual is 1g of protein per day per pound of bodyweight. So I’m 180lbs and should be eating round 180g of protein a day to maintain my body composition. The best way to measure the accumulative totals of food intake is over weekly periods (also the best way to track your weight), so it helps to already be clued into your weekly food consumption before considering supplementation with shakes and the likes.

Once you figure out how much protein you are already getting in your diet and find that you are coming in shy of the 1g per 1lb of bodyweight per day you need to look at how you can add protein. Food is always the first stop, try to incorporate lean meats, eggs, and dairy are good sources of protein as well as nuts and legumes.

If you are still struggling to meet your protein needs after this overhaul then you can look at supplementation with the likes of a good WHEY powder which is a relatively fast digesting milk protein. A protein shake should never become a staple in your diet, as the name and nature of this suggest, it is there to supplement an already protein rich diet.

Sports and diet supplementation is a massive multibillion dollar industry that uses basic human insecurities to market and exploit its products with simple quick fixes and easy solutions that promise whatever it is that you want it to promise. If these claims were actually true then there would be no obesity problems in the North America and everyone would be walking around jacked in swim trunks.

So, to answer your actual question… when is the best time to drink a protein shake?

Before or after the gym?

There is unfortunately no right answer for this one. If you are on the go and haven’t eaten for a few hours I would recommend to add protein to a smoothie with a piece of fruit or some frozen berries before you hit the gym as a meal replacement and to give you some energy for your workout.

However, after your workout your muscles are more receptive to receiving nutrients and will use the protein ingested rapidly for muscular repair and growth. They essentially act as a sponge for nutrients and will be in their most receptive state for about 30-60 minutes after stress.

 Now, couple this protein ingestion with an increase of insulin (induced by some high glycemic carbs such as simple sugars) in the bloodstream and the protein is shuttled to the needy muscles at a rapid rate. The body is essentially switched from a catabolic state (breakdown) into an anabolic state (growth) which is the desired result from weight training.

However – is a protein shake necessarily the answer?

No.

Not unless you are being sponsored by a supplement company or entering any body building competitions.

A simple glass of chocolate milk contains the perfect ratio of simple carbs to protein at around 4:1, tastes fantastic, is cheap and easily obtainable, transportable and definately my preferred post workout drink.

My advice is to steer clear of protein powders, save your money and spend it on better quality meat and dairy, round out your diet with top quality protein and indulge in a chocolate milk post workout.

Atkins, South Beach, The Zone, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Low Carb, No Carb, High Fat, Low Fat, No Fat, Reduced Fat, Saturated Fat, Unsaturated Fat, Polyunsaturated, Monounsaturated, High Protein, Macronutrients and Micronutrients… even for a fitness professional, it’s all just a little bit too much.

So where to start when there is simply so much information on diet and nutrition out there? It is quite simply a chore trying to filter though the crap and find real helpful advice for everyday busy individuals like you and me, and who do you trust?

Regardless of your health and fitness related goals if you follow my simple foundation that I outline below you will find that not only are you are eating a variety of healthy, nutritious and delicious foods but you will be sleeping sounder, have boundless energy throughout the day, recover from hard workouts faster and start to look and feel a whole lot better about yourself.

Please read on and allow me to take the guess work out of it.

1. Don’t eat sugar.
Sugar is evil and when digested, it is directly responsible for a hormonal response in the body that primes it for fat storage, a highly undesirable result from eating.  Unfortunately sugar is everywhere and in almost every food item you eat.  Make sure that you read all food labels and reduce your sugar intake as much as possible.  Often sugar content is the only thing of value on nutritional labels.

Tip: Watch especially for low and reduced fat labelled food.  Fat is flavourful and when reduced food companies compensate for the lack of flavour by increasing sugar content.  Fat doesn’t make you fat – clever marketing tricks and sleight of hand does.

2. Don’t eat processed carbohydrates.
Don’t listen to anything anyone says about carbohydrates.  There are simply way too may theories out there on the intake of carbs and worrying about it will just complicate things, so save yourself the trouble.  DO however worry about the quality of your carbohydrates and become a carb snob.  Do NOT eat processed carbs like white rice and white bread.  As the name suggests they are heavily processed and stripped of nutrients, in turn, their digestion promotes a similar hormonal response to that of eating sugar so stay clear.

Only eat whole grain breads, pasta’s and brown rice.  They contain more fibre and nutrients and will supply the body with a steady stream of energy as opposed to the blood sugar highs and lows of highly processed carbs.

3. Don’t eat food that contains ingredients you cannot pronounce.
A simple product comparison can demonstrate my point on this one.

Let’s take 2 big name snack bars and compare the main ingredients.

Kashi – Go Lean Oatmean walnut bar.

Ingredients:
1. Brown Rice Syrup (fancy word for sugar)!
2. Soy Protein Isolate
3. Crystalline Fructose (hmm more sugar)

Top 3 ingredients and 2 of them are sugar.  If you dig deeper into the list… and it’s a long one, you will be presented with wonders like:

Mechanically Fractioned Palm Kernel Oil
Cane Juice Crystals (more sugar?!)
Calcium Carbonate, Magnesium Eacetate, Mixed Tocopherols, Asorbic Acid, Zinc Oxide, Folic Acid, Ferrous Fumarate and Pyridoxine Hydrochloride … (anyone take chemistry…  my spell check doesn’t even know half of these words?!?)

Let’s compare to my favourite snack bar:

Larabar – Peanut Butter Cookie

Ingredients:
1. Dates
2. Peanuts
3. Salt

That’s it.  3 ingredients.

I’ll let you decide on which one you would rather eat.

4. Do eat whole foods.
Building on from the points above, you can see how important it is to base your diet around real, whole foods.  Make it rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, berries and a variety high quality meat like grass fed beef, free range chicken and wild salmon.

Shop at local farmers markets and try to eat locally produced fruits and vegetables.  When in chain supermarkets ‘shop the edges’ and avoid the processed and packaged foods in the aisles.  All the good stuff, the ‘real’ food is in the edges, veg’s, fruit, dairy and meats.  If it’s in the aisles then that means it has a shelf life … the food you want to eat does not. Simply, eat real food.

5. Do eat clean.
When preparing and eating your unprocessed, natural, local whole food always think about eating clean.  The best way to explain this is to imagine eating your food as natural as possible.  Don’t smother delicious natural foods in sugary sauces such as ketchup, excess salt, artificial flavours or preservatives.

Enjoy food as it is intended as close to its natural clean state.

6. Do follow the 80/20 Rule.
Food is meant to be enjoyed and often shared, so it’s important not to beat yourself up about ‘cheating’ or ‘indulging’ on occasion.  Numerous studies have reported that following a diet or lifestyle plan to 80% adherence is as effective as following it 90% or 95%.  More importantly having some room to move with your eating plan ensures that you are not depriving yourself of the foods you love and enjoy.  Allowing yourself  20% moving room ensures that you can eat out from time to time, enjoy a desert or slice of pizza and even indulge in a few brews.

A great way to implement this rule is based on numbers.  If you eat 5 meals a day (3 meals, 2 snacks) that is 35 meals a week.  20% of those meals is 7 meals, so based on the 80/20 rule, make 28 meals clean, nutritious and delicious and then you have 7 free meals which can be whatever you want.

When the new week begins, you can start the meal count all over again.  This way you will be getting about the same nutritional effect as if eating 90 or 95% clean without depriving yourself of any of your old favourites.

At the end of the day is really all about knowing your food. If you take care with what you put in your body, your body will take care of you.  Avoid sugar and processed carbs and eat clean, whole, real food while not depriving yourself to the things you enjoy.

Please feel free to offer suggestions, questions and comments.

Where's Pricey?

A good question… and worthy of a lengthy blog post as there has been a lot going on.

Firstly, since Chuckanut I have only logged a measly gimped 5km of running.  An emergency visit to my physio after this effort warranted a 1 week rest/recover period which has now turned into a 8 week stretch with no real end in sight.  I was faced with a tough decision on whether to run the Miwok 100k or not.  Miwok was a big goal race for me and while I know that I may have been able to train adequately for it and complete the race and distance, there were too many questions surrounding my injury, and health for me to risk my summer/future on short sightedness.  In the end, my quest for greater health and a strong body won out and I have been in recovery ever since.

Recovery.  I have been struggling with a knee injury for close to 6 months now and have traced the incident back to the Hallows Eve Half Marathon of which was a hard fought battle and a highlight of my 2009 race season.  I can recall clearly blasting up the Baden Powell, hot on the heels of the speedy Coo, when carelessness, tiredness kicked in and I bailed pretty hard, bloodying up my knees on some tree roots.  At the time, I recall the internal battle to quit.  My legs hurt, I had lost position (probably a measly minute or 2) and the whole idea of just walking back down sounded pretty appealing.  Alas I decided to walk it off and hiked for a few minutes, mad and aching until I just got back on with it.  I ended up running a blinder of a race, got towed all the way back to the cemetery by the lazy trail runner, then pulled a swifty and snuck past him on the final stretch.  It was a good day, but not without its price.

I didn’t think too much about my knees, until a few weekends later when a crew of us decided on a 30km loop of the Chuckanut course.  It was a great day out, but I did notice the niggle in my knee, but pushed it to the back of my mind.  I am strong and it will just go away after a few ks.  For reasons not associated with my knee, it was unfortunate that I ended up with a pretty back ankle sprain that day and was off for 6 weeks while that recovered.  That all happened over Christmas, and I was happy to take time off and indulge in some wobbly pops and associated festivities. 

When I returned to running in the new year I was geared up, had big goals in motion and ready to get serious about my training.  My knee was a bit niggly, but I put it down to association with my ankle, got lactate tested, put together my training plan and was off and at it.  My knee was a pain, but nothing I couldn’t grin and bear, so I kept at the it started to hit up the physio once a week.  I got to the stage where I was increasing training volume and intensity, but managing my injury to a point where it wasn’t getting worse, but it certainly wasn’t going away.

Patellar Tendonitis is the diagnosis, with the impact of my fall the cause.  Overuse also playing into it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patellar_tendinitis

So what have I been doing in my downtime?

Strength training primarily.  I’ve been hitting the gym pretty hard focussing on heavy compound lifting.  Unfortunately I have to stay clear of heavy squatting but I have increased my 1RM on the following lifts nicely in the last 6 weeks.

Bench Press: 215lb
Deadlift: 280lb
Clean and Press: 155lb

I have 2 weeks left in the program before its time change up and shift the training in the muscular endurance and hypertrophy direction.  The time off running has really given me a new focus in designing a strength specific program and allowed for the time to follow its progression with a solid focus.  I’m excited to plan the next 8 weeks and hopeful that some runs can be part of it, but won’t be overly disappointed if they are not. Right now, I’m just listening to my body and doing everything I can to stay fit, strong and active.  I want to fill my summer with adventure runs and outdoor play and don’t want to be hindered with niggling injury’s.

In personal development, I have been investing time into a new group training venture and trying to grow my personal training business.  If you follow this blog at all you would have seen the flyers for a boot camp that I am partnering with friend Marcus Stevens.  We will be focussing on high rep, circuit style exercises, in the natural environment, using primarily bodyweight.  These classes are going to be a ton of fun, get people moving outside and foster a fun competitive spirit.  The goal is to improve general fitness, burn fat, and get people looking and feeling great!

So, right now pricey recovers and trains all in anticipation of an epic summer playing outside in beautiful BC.

Please contact me for more info.

Over the last few months I have been fortunate enough to be asked to help around half a dozen friends with what some would call the ‘chore’ of moving.  They could be right in choosing the word ‘chore’ in the sense of the practicalities involved with the relocation of the entire contents of one’s life, but I personally see moving in a different light.

For me moving is a primal activity - a natural human re-habitatition behaviour that has been with us for thousands of years.  It calls upon functional strength and is always a close family and community affair. 

However in the modern world moving is one of the most painstaking labour intensive jobs, with little to no reward for those ‘roped in’ to help.  It would be easy to look at it this way and try and come up with excuses or dodge the phone calls, but if you take a step back and look at it from the other side, you can approach it with a far better perspective.

Think about it.  You have a large, tedious, unrewarding  job ahead of you and you are going to need help.  Who do you call and who can you rely on the help you with all of your worldly possessions?  It’s usually not your workmates, gym or drinking buddies, its your close friends and family.  The people who you can rely on and trust.   

This is why I am always honoured when someone asks me the help them move.  Its never an easy thing to ask, and demonstrates respect for the friendship.  If you commit to your friends and family, it gives you a great opportunity to reconnect, share in their new community and life milestone and guarantees to bring good people together.

Not to forget that moving is a great way to use your functional strength, dexterity and problem solving skills.

So next time a friend asks you to help them move, don’t sigh a try and squirm out of it.  Understand what your time means to this person and help a fellow human out. 

Oh and if you really want to enjoy it – don’t do it the day after a Christmas party or a critical Canucks playoff game … no matter how I try to sell it, moving hungover is never fun.

I was training a client today and during the cool down process they expressed some concern about keeping up with their program while on the road for business next week. 

My advice, was to ensure they took the time early in the day to get their workout in and out of the way.  This way they could be freed up for any lunch or dinner offers that may or may not pop up.  Either way, getting the workout in early before they started their day is the sure way to ensure it gets done.

Now, although it wasn’t spoken, I could almost sense the ‘dislike’ at my suggestion, as this most certainly meant getting up out of bed an extra 30-45 minutes earlier in the morning.

Upon feeling this, my mind immediately wandered to an article I read this morning, written by Ryan Andrews and posted on the Precision Nutrition website that I felt the need to share with my client directly. 

The meat of the article is that you always need to keep the big picture in mind when taking the small steps required to get there.  We all know that once we have our goals set, there is a series of smaller steps required to pave the way and while some of these steps may not be enjoyable, it is the reward of the end goal that gets us through them and keep us going through the more difficult times.

Below is copy from the article (full article can be read here) exampling how successful people may not always like the path it takes to get there:

These people don’t always “like” it

• The successful CEO doesn’t always “like” taking on extra projects… but they “like” running the company and providing a reliable product/service.
• The sustainable farmer doesn’t always “like” staying in the fields until late at night… but they “like” showing up at the farmers market each week with crates full of fresh produce.
• The fit 50 year old doesn’t always “like” eating vegetables instead of chips… but they “like” waking up each morning without having to rely on prescription medication for high blood pressure.
• The person about to hit the beach doesn’t always “like” the idea of eating until 80% full… but they “like” how that bathing suit looks on them.
• The plant-based eater doesn’t always “like” ordering beans instead of steak… but they “like” knowing their food choices can improve the lives of animals.
• The stay at home parent doesn’t always “like” cleaning up after the kids, doing laundry and prepping meals… but they “like” raising a happy and productive family.
• The weekly volunteer doesn’t always “like” showing up with a smile on their face… but they “like” lending a hand and boosting morale at the dialysis center.
• The single person with a job doesn’t always “like” taking time to balance their finances and budget… but they “like” having enough money to afford food and housing.
• The young professional doesn’t always “like” putting 10% of each paycheck into savings and tithing 10% more… but they “like” the idea of retirement and karma.
• The athlete doesn’t always “like” going to practice instead of watching TV… but they “like” winning.
• The fit person doesn’t always “like” waking up for the morning workout… but they “like” the energy boost it gives them all day.

At the end of that day you need to always keep the big picture in mind and remember that you don’t necessarily have to like everything you do to get there, you just have to like the end result and if your goals are in line with your passions then you will get there.

Its an unfortunate thing that I have been slowly letting frustration creep into my life.

Chuckanut and the Dirty Duo as much fun as they were, certainly did a good job of beating me up. It took me 4 days before I managed a 7km recovery run after Chucky and it was a tough one.

More than the usual post race aches and pains, my major concern was my right knee which had flared up on Saturday night (again) and failed to settle down at all this week. My recovery run yesterday was laboured, painful and I honestly did not enjoy any of it (except for the 5 minute chat to Linda and Lucia on the sea wall).

And this is where the frustration has been creeping in.

Running of late has become more than just throwing on my shoes, hitting the trails, and shooting the shit with friends. It has become a far more methodical process, too many indoor workouts in the hurt locker, anti inflammatory drugs post workout, anti inflammatory drugs pre workout, stretching, yoga, foam rolling, ice packs all day long, weekly physio appointments, acupuncture, muscle stimulator’s, prescribed strengthening exercises (the clam?!) – you get the point.

Now don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the role that all the above play in a balanced and well rounded training program, my frustration lies with the fact that even though I am diligent in all the above, I am still lacking that primal enjoyment I know and love by hurtling my body thought the woods at full speed with no concern for lingering injuries, pace, time, or distance covered. I am frustrated at my inability to just run.

Without getting too dramatic, the root cause of said frustrations really is the issue I have with tendinitis in my right knee.  A friend told me in an email when I mentioned tendinitis early in the year;

‘Better get that one taken care of quickly as it’ll stick around and haunt you all year otherwise’

Well … I didn’t … and now it is …

I am now starting to weigh up my options as it is not only the freedom of running free that is frustrating me right now, there are other sacrifices I have made due to my knee. My cross training has taken a considerable downturn in volume as I have been avoiding old favourites like burpees, squats, cleans and a while variety of full body functional exercises in favour of ‘saving’ my knee for specific targeted run workouts.

I now need to seriously evaluate my wider spectrum of short and long term goals and start to make steps in the right direction. One thing for certain is that I am looking forward to a long summer of adventure running and hiking with friends and I know that I want a fit body to be able to do it in.

I need to be smart about my body and listen to what its telling me.

Staying fit, healthy and strong is far more important to me in the long run that hitting short term goals and breaking myself in the process. I know better than that.

So for now, a week off. No running. Perhaps a swim, plenty of body weight work in the gym, foam rolling and ‘the clam’ will fill my time. I wont be getting in the training I need for Miwok, but I will be getting in the rest and recovery that my body needs to function and carry me around this beautiful earth, and that is number one in my books. 

Less work – more play – yes please.