Day off ? – 42:58

Monday - April 30th, 2007

Today was supposed to be a day off but my mileage was not all it was supposed to be this past weekend so I ditched the day off and got out at lunch.  My run took me through town and along the water past the Laurel Pointe Inn then up Dallas past the Breakwater, turning by Mile Zero and taking Douglas back into town towards work - a short, quick one today.

Not much else on the go, T and I have spent the evening at home getting some dinner and just relaxing.


Found a good picture of Pan-Pan and I from the Inaugural Fletcher's Challenge in the Frontrunner's Nanaimo Gallery

Times Colonist 10K – 1:04:58

Sunday - April 29th, 2007

Met up with Packman and Scooter about 20 minutes before the race this morning, and we got geared up with our packs and wandered down to the Start.  I am always impressed by the sea of bodies that turn up for the TC, 8533 finishers this year.  We got our selves in the line up near the 50-59’ marker and waited for the start.

We ran well, sticking together as a Team.  Scooter struggled some; she is still battling the sniffles and got a side stitch at about the halfway mark.  She ran through it all and we finished strong, holding hands across the finish line.

After the race T and I met James R and Sarah at Mo:lè for breakfast and then T spent some time with Shawna this afternoon.  I swung by Packman’s and picked up our gaiters and some EAS stuff before coming home.

T and I spent the evening with a walk down to the Breakwater and some warm drinks and then some games and geek time at home.

T’s Day – 3:01:48

Saturday - April 28th, 2007

It has been another whirlwind day for T.  She was up and out early going to Jazzercise with Roz, I met them and Miss Smith at Mo:lè later for breakfast.  After breakfast T and I wandered back home through downtown doing some shopping on the way.  Once home we both laid down for a nap but T got a call from Haley after just a few minutes, Haley and her mom were in the neighborhood and called to see if T wanted to join them for a walk out on the Breakwater – T was out the door in a flash.  This evening T was treated to a ‘Girls Night Out’ by the Ladies (Linds, Jules, Roz, and Miss Smith) they did dinner at Café Mexico and then a movie at Silvercity.  T got seriously spoiled today

Jules brought  T home and then we spent some time looking over the 'Lonely Planet - China Guide Book' and some websites looking for some tour and activity ideas for them while they are in Kashgar.

While the ladies were out doing their thing I got in a longish run, up to Dallas then along the water out past Willows and the Uplands, turning around and coming back through town and then out on the Breakwater to finish up, ran with the pack, maybe 15-16lbs in it.  A good warm up for the TC tomorrow.

Bon Voyage – 48:39

Friday - April 27th, 2007

A picture from our Team track night with Coach Carter



It’s been a busy day - Team Gobi received some exciting news we were awarded some grant money from the VIRS which Scooter accepted at a press conference at UVic this afternoon, we were also given some entries into the TC10km that is happening this Sunday (we’ll use it as a Team training run and see if we can get some more people tuned into what we’re doing), I got in a late afternoon run out to the Breakwater, our EAS stuff arrived today (Woohoo for protein powder!!!) and then tonight T and I joined the gang at Sauce for a ‘Bon Voyage’ dinner for Michelle and Nick who are taking off to Vietnam for a year to teach English.  It was kind of a whirlwind afternoon and evening.

Was visiting the Gobi March 2006 site earlier and ran across this amazing video: Dune Diving

Was also visiting Dean Karnaze’s blog site this afternoon and saw that he has been nominated for one of TIME magazines Top 100 Most Influential People of the Year.

He posted this on his blog;

"While running is a solo sport, I have always felt that I belong to a larger community of likeminded individuals. As kindred spirits, we runners have always banned together and offered help and support to our brethren. Today, I am asking for your support.

If you feel so inclined, I am asking for your vote. I know making the TIME Top 100 is a long shot, but who knows, if we get enough support maybe we can make it a reality.

To vote, click on the link below. Select the rating scale, from 1 to 100, and hit the Submit button. If you want to pass this link along to others runners, you have my vote : )"

CLICK HERE TO VOTE

Singing Sand Dunes – 48:39

Thursday - April 26th, 2007

Scooter posted this picture on her journal a couple of days ago and I was awe struck by its beauty and its stark contrast, the lush greenness of the trees is dwarfed by the enormity of the dunes behind them.

I did a bit of Google and Wikipedia research and found that it was taken in China’s Gobi desert and is one of about thirty-five desert locations around the world where they have discovered the phenomenon of "musical sand".  Singing sand dunes produce a sound described as roaring, booming, squeaking, or the Song of Dunes.  This is a natural sound phenomenon of up to 115 decibels lasting as long as several minutes.  The sound is similar to a loud, low-pitch, rumble, and it emanates from the crescent-shaped dunes, or barchans. The sound emission accompanies a slumping or avalanching movement of the sand, usually triggered by wind passing over the dune or by someone walking near the crest. In 2006 Scientists announced that they had discovered how the singing sand phenomenon works: collisions between grains of sand cause the motions of the grains to become synchronized. The outer layer of the dune resonates like the cone of a loudspeaker. The particular note produced largely depends on the size of the grains.

Running on tired legs has been the focus of my training week so far and wanting to keep that focus I tried something a little different for my run this afternoon.  Left the pack behind and went out hard and ran hard for as long as I could hold it.  It did not take too long about 20’ before the legs blew, thoroughly fatigued.  I had to put in a couple more short bursts of speedy running to keep the legs fatigued and it was definitely a struggle during the latter part of the run to keep my form intact and keep some sort of pace going.

The run taught me a least one thing; I can keep moving, maybe not very fast, on legs that feel like total crap.

I’ve got a Storm whistle : ) – 41:07

Wednesday - April 25th, 2007

Was running late this afternoon and missed the lunch gang but I did make it out for a run, ran with the pack (14lbs) to Westbay Marina and back.  On my way out I crossed paths with Ased and Steve B who were cruising back into town on the Songhees.  Before heading back to work I took a short detour up to MEC to pick up my Storm whistle, it’s big and orange!

Tonight was a Youth Centre night for T and while she was there I got our laundry done and a few other errands run.

53 days until Gobi March 2007 – 2:02:01

Tuesday - April 24th, 2007

Work mate Robby joined me for the lunch run today, we cruised through town then out onto the Breakwater at a fairly leisurely pace finishing the run in just over 51’.

Tonight’s run in Beacon Hill was of a different class all together.  With legs that are still holding some of the weekends runs in them I belted on the tow rig, hooked up the tire and started the workout; 4 sets of 4 laps of the inner loop in the Park, approx 2 miles of tire towing per interval.  For each rest I spent enough time to get a good drink and get my breathing back under control before heading out again, probably in the 2 – 3 minute range.  The intervals were all in the 16’ – 18’ range with my last being the slowest and I was finished at the end, I sat down on the back of my car for awhile before getting things unhooked, unbelted and put away.  I then sat in the car for a few more before heading home.

The evening has been a quiet one, another salt bath, some dinner and soon bed.

Packman has started a Gobi March blog you can read it here: "Notes from the Edge"

Sore, sore, sore

Monday - April 23rd, 2007

I’ve been told that the second day is always worse and today lived up to that.  My legs felt like lead weights and every time I moved them they complained all I can say is “Thank-you for a day off!”

During work today I attempted to get away from my desk as often as possible even if it was just to stand up for a few seconds, if I sat down for too long the legs just seized right up.  Hopefully another Epsom salt bath tonight and a good night of sleep will have the legs feeling better tomorrow.  I will be attempting a double tomorrow, something easy at lunch to clean the legs out some and then a tire drag after work around Beacon Hill.

There was a G-Girl sighting in James Bay tonight, she appeared to be flying a patrol over the neighborhood, but thankfully I don’t think she recognized me - I didn’t want there to be an epic battle in James Bay Square.

Other than the G-Girl sighting and the Nucks game the evening has been fairly uneventful.

Mitchells or Matticks, I'm so confused? – 1:29:22

Sunday - April 22nd, 2007

I drove out to meet Pan-Pan and Lindsaylator this morning at Matticks Farm but had a bit of a brain gap and went out to Mitchells Farm instead.  Once I got there and pulled in the parking lot I realized my mistake, turned right around and made my way back to Matticks.  Even with the little detour I made it in the parking lot before Pan-Pan, he’s always late.

The three of us went for a very easy run down the Lochside Trail out towards Island View Beach, my legs were hurting today so thankfully both Lindsaylator and Pan-Pan were not into going very fast - they would have dropped me fairly quickly.

After the run we grabbed a coffee and then I had to head home.  Once home I soaked in an Epsom salt bath for as long as I could and then napped on the couch for about an hour.

I spent the late afternoon and evening with James and Sarah getting a massage, dinner and a movie – talk about spoiled!

The massage was intense, I’ve some nasty knots in these legs and they are still hurting quite a bit.  Tomorrow is a day off from training and it is going to feel amazing.

Team Gobi and Gowlland Tod – 3:58:12

Saturday - April 21st, 2007

The Team made plans to car pool out to Gowlland Tod Park this afternoon so my morning was nice and lazy.  I left the house around 11am and made my way over to Packman’s place stopping at Starbucks on the way to pick up a couple of coffee’s.  Packman jumped in and then we headed over to Scooter’s place and picked her up.  We ended up getting out to the park around noon, got geared up and headed out.

For our first out and back we ran from the Caleb Pike parking lot to the bridge just above McKenzie Bight, the round trip taking us around 3hrs.  For the second out and back we ran the other direction towards Mt.Finlayson and made it part way up before having to turn around and head back to the parking lot.  It was a pack run for the three of us, my pack had about 15-16lbs, and we were able to keep a very consistent pace.

I am definitely tired now and with plans for another longer run tomorrow decided to bail on plans to join some friends at Music Bingo tonight.  Will have to make up on all this social stuff sometime later…

Don't forget about the Flora London Marathon, it starts early tomorrow morning our time, 1am(ish).  Two of the Three Rogues will be running, The Flying Finn not being able to make the trip .

You can track their results from:
http://live.london-marathon.co.uk/2007/

Their numbers are:
Michael Lord - 991
Rumon Carter - 990

The stairs are lingering – 50:09

Friday - April 20th, 2007

I could still feel Wednesday’s stair workout in the legs this morning so doffed the pack for today’s lunch run and took it easy on my cruise out to the Breakwater in an attempt to flush the legs out some for tomorrows run.  Tomorrow we have the opportunity for a Team run so are going to get in our long run together, the training schedule is calling for 42km with a 16lb pack – should be fun

We found a pack! – 1:12:07

Thursday - April 19th, 2007

At lunch I ran up to MEC and met Scooter to see if we could find a pack for her that would fit and feel comfortable, she tried on a couple but we could not find anything that work well so moved on to Raincoast.  She tried on a few more at Raincoast and after making some small adjustments to the straps found one that fit really well, while she was doing her thing with the cashier I ran out to get a couple more errands done.  I may have got in around 20’ of point to point running in at lunch with the pack, all of it at a decent pace.

After work I made it out for another pack run, a cruise along Dallas and around Beacon Hill with a stop at Thrifty’s on the way home to pick up something for dinner.

T had a date with her Big, they did dinner and a movie this evening.

Stairs instead of Hills

Wednesday - April 18th, 2007

As I posted yesterday this one will get right to the details and then you can head to Donna's Gobi Journal to read my guest blog there if you like.

The Details:
Wednesday's are supposed to be our Hill workout but I couldn't make it this week so ran a stair workout instead.  It consisted of 5 sets with 3 climbs in each.  The first 3 sets went; 1st climb, every step - 2nd climb, skip one - 3rd climb, skip two (these climbs frickin hurt!).  On the 4th and 5th sets I skipped one step on each climb.

I ran the stairs with a pack(12lbs) tonight and it was insane!  By the end of the 2nd set the legs were starting to burn a bit and by the end of the 4th I thought my legs were on fire but I wanted to push thru for one more set.  I was finished at the end, all I could do was sit down on the top step and stare down at the bottom.

Team Gobi Track Night – 1:30:02

Tuesday - April 17th, 2007

Another double day, got in run #1 during lunch with my work mate Robby.  We ran an out and back on the Songhees to Westbay Marina, it was another steady paced run.  I ran with the pack with some extra weight put in it, we weighed it just before we left the store and it came in at exactly 12lbs.  Will run with it at this weight for my next few weekday runs and let it settle in.

Got run #2 in after work, went to the UVic track for a speed session with Packman and Scooter and our guest Coach for the evening Mr. Rumon Carter.  We were also very pleased to have Brenda B join us for the session to take some pictures and chronicle the evening for us.

Coach Carter put us through a great workout starting with a good warm up then some stretching, strides and our A’s, B’s, and C’s to get all the muscles limber and firing.  The workout was 2 sets of 6 times 200m with a descending rest between the intervals and a full recovering between the sets.  We ran one 200 to set our pace time and then Scooter led the way for each interval with our goal being keeping the pace consistent on each interval.  Scooter was a machine!  She ran the first set of 6 all in 45”-46” with the last two rests being 30” and 15” respectively.  Then on the second set of 6 Coach Carter had her turn it down a notch with the goal time being 50”.  She blew us away running the first one bang on and then descending each interval after, going faster than the last with her last 200m (after the shortest rest) being her fastest of the set.  After catching our breaths and saying thank-you to Brenda we went out for a short cool down and then we were done!

With the London Marathon only a few days away and a schedule that I am sure is full-on until he leaves we are incredibly grateful to Rumon for taking the time to come out and guest Coach us for the night - Thanks Coach!!!

If you’d like the opportunity to chat with Coach Carter or possibly one of the other Rogues, Mr. Jim Finlayson, they will be at the 2nd Annual Club/Clinic Night at Frontrunners Westshore tomorrow night.

Tomorrow will be a short and sweet entry as Scooter has asked me to do a guest blog on her Journal so keep your eyes peeled over there for some sweet photos of my day and Packman’s feet

Double Packed – 2:04:37

Monday - April 16th, 2007

I got two pack runs in today, the first one at lunch out to the Breakwater and then one tonight along Dallas Road to Trafalgar Park and back.  Ran both at a nice consistent pace probably right around 5’ per km.  I’ve got 5-6lbs in the pack for these weekday runs and it has already got to the point where I don’t really notice it any more, will have to add a few lbs for the next run.  I’ve yet to get my water bottle carriers attached and there are some minor adjustments I would like to make to some straps but other than that my pack has been great.

T’s night has been exceptionally busy.  She had Mountain Biking Club right after school, they went riding out at Hartland, and then she went with Roz to Jazzercise this evening.  That girl was beat when she got home!

Snoozed

Sunday - April 15th, 2007

I spent some time last night laying all my gear out, getting some water bottles ready, loading the pack up and even had my shoes waiting for me right by the door.  All I was going to need to do was wake up and walk out, but that proved to be a problem this morning.  I had set my alarm for 5:10am thinking it would take me a couple minutes to get up and out, then would be able to drive to the Caleb Pike parking lot for a 6:00am start on the trails, run for 4+ hours and be finished in time to pick up T around 10:30 – 11:00.  It went well - until the alarm blasted off at 5:10 at which point I rolled over and hit the ‘Snooze button’, or at least what I thought was the ‘Snooze button’, in my fumbling about I ended up hitting the ‘Off’ button.  Of course I promptly fell back asleep and didn’t wake back up until almost 10:00am, I guess I got my sleep in morning after all…

Was a bit disappointed at missing out on the run but quickly got over it and went and picked up T and Shawna, who joined us for the day.  We came back home and just goofed around for a couple of hours and then walked downtown to meet with Jules and get our Chinese Visas in order at Globe Travel.  After getting them all organized we all went to the Pita Pit for an early dinner and then went to Jules place.  The girls and Jules took Jules dog Riley for a walk and while they were out I did a bit of work in Jules bathroom, replacing a few broken tiles in her shower.

After Jules drove us back home T and Shawna spent some time geeking in T’s room.  Our only other outing was driving Shawna home and a quick stop at Thrifty’s to pick up some Froot Loops.

Shopping help – 2:13:20

Saturday - April 14th, 2007

T woke up before me this morning and after jumping on my bed to give me a quick hug wandered out to the living room and let me sleep in for awhile, at least until Roz called.  We had plans with Roz to meet for breakfast after her Jazzercise but she ended up not going so called to see if we wanted to go earlier.  As much as I was looking forward to sleeping in, the thought of a Mo:lè breakfast was far too appealing and had me out of bed in seconds.

We had a wonderful breakfast and visit with Roz and then she joined us for a shopping excursion in MEC for T.  With Roz’s help (I am no good at the shopping for girls thing) T found a couple new outfits that will work very well for her trip to China.

T spent some time this afternoon with her Big, they were heading out to Hately Castle to explore and then she went for a play date and sleepover with Shawna.

With the afternoon open I thought a run was in order.  I made a couple of phone calls to see if either Packman or Scooter were up for a run - couldn’t get a hold of Packman and Scooter had already been for her run so I went out solo.  Ran Dallas Road along the water winding my way up Hollywood, Crescent, King George and Beach Drive out past Willows Beach then turned around and went thru town back down to the water and finally out on the Breakwater before making back to the house.

Spent the remainder of the day resting and will be heading to bed fairly quickly.  I am going to get out early tomorrow and get in my long run before picking T up.

Sleep is calling – 50:09

Friday - April 13th, 2007

Out with the pack running today, with maybe 5-6lbs, to the Breakwater and back during my lunch, and will from here on out run everywhere with the pack.  Lighter weights during the week and will continue with the heavier weights for the longer weekend runs, try to get the body used to how this is going to feel.

T is off at a concert tonight with friends and I have spent the evening doing my best potato impersonation on the couch fighting off sleep which really wants to take over right now.  I am looking forward to a sleep in tomorrow morning.

Titanium Sporks, Storm Whistles and Ladybugs – 43:17

Thursday - April 12th, 2007

I did my gear shopping a couple of days early, tied it in with my run this afternoon.  Ran out to the Westbay Marina at lunch with the pack and on the way back to work made a small 2 stop detour downtown.  The first stop was at Raincoast Adventure Sports where I picked up a knife, the "Spyderco Ladybug".

I know what your thinking, most knifes have names like “Adventura”, “Kabar” or “Firestorm” and here I’ve gone and picked one with the name “Ladybug”.  It is small (much smaller than the picture) but it is also a folding, lock back, serrated blade knife and is incredibly light which makes it a great choice for taking to the Gobi.  Although I think I will rename it, just call it “Bug”

My second stop was MEC, picked up a compass, an emergency blanket (bag type), a titanium spork (that is such a cool word!) and a MEC Gift card for myself so that I could order a Storm brand whistle from MEC’s website.

The Storm whistle is a required piece of equipment for the Gobi March, you can’t have any other kind of whistle, you have to have a Storm whistle.  Apparently the Storm whistle is the loudest whistle in the world; it can even be heard underwater, up to 50 feet away.  My problem was that after calling five different outdoor/adventure stores this morning there was not one of them that stocked the Storm whistle.  I did call MEC Victoria, and while it is shown on MEC’s website, the Victoria store does not stock them but you can order one online and get it shipped free of charge to the Victoria store.  So my option was the Gift card and a quick online shop and order once back at work.

After work T and I swung by the “Y” and got her all set up for her stay at Camp Thunderbird this Summer and then treated ourselves to a dinner out.  We went to The Reef on Yates Street, our main meals were okay but our appy was great, we ordered the Yam Fries and they were incredible, on my list as one of the best in town!

We spent the rest of our evening at home geeking.

Calorie Deficit – 2:00:18

Wednesday - April 11th, 2007

Out for a cruise of the Songhees with the Andrews (G & H) this afternoon and then another from the Youth Centre this evening - both good runs.

Later this evening we had a Team gathering at Packman’s place.  We had a few agenda items to go over and then spent the rest of the night just hanging out and talking.  We’ve come a long way since last year at this time, some days it really hits me and I feel very blessed to have met these two incredible people.

One of those incredible people, Packman, sent out some information the other day that has me a little frightened.  It goes something like this; A person weighing 175lbs running a mile every 9 minutes burns approx 153 calories every 10 minutes, that’s 918 calories an hour!  So lets use that example and assume that the winner of last years Gobi March, Byeung Sik Ahn, weighs 175lbs and ran a 9 minute mile average over the 6 stages on flat even terrain and did not carry a 18-20lbs pack.  Below are his Stage times and the approximate amount of calories he burned.  We are also going to assume that he carried and ate the required minimum of 2000 calories per day.

Stage 1 - 4:44:46

• Calories burned = 4360.5
• Calories eaten = 2000
• Daily Total = -2360.5
• Cumulative Total = -2360.5

Stage 2 - 3:44:10

• Calories burned = 3442.5
• Calories eaten = 2000
• Daily Total = -1442.5
• Cumulative Total = -3803

Stage 3 - 5:13:25

• Calories burned = 4773.6
• Calories eaten = 2000
• Daily Total = -2773.6
• Cumulative Total = -6576.6

Stage 4 - 6:20:07

• Calories burned = 5783.4
• Calories eaten = 4000 (Two day stage)
• Daily Total = -1783.4
• Cumulative Total = -8360

Stage 5 - 6:16:50

• Calories burned = 5737.5
• Calories eaten = 2000
• Daily Total = -3737.5
• Cumulative Total = -12097.5

Stage 6 - 1:27:23

• Calories burned = 1377
• Calories eaten = 2000
• Daily Total = 623
• Cumulative Total = -11474.5

And I think I am having difficulties now with eating enough…  this is going to suck!


Lets move on to something much more exciting.  I received and email from Rumon C this evening announcing the launch of the Three Roads Blog where Rumon, Michael and Jim, during the final two weeks leading up to the race will be posting updates and chronicling the last few days and miles before hitting London’s historic streets on April 22nd.

Stairs – 45:52

Tuesday - April 10th, 2007

The weather is playing some serious games with us, one day cold, wet and windy, the next warm and sunny – I’m so confused!!!

Out for a stair work out at lunch, this week was four sets.  The first three sets were three climbs, every step, skip one step, skip two steps and then the last set was four climbs skipping a step for each one.  The legs were on fire by the time I finished.

It was a very pleasant evening so T and I took advantage of it and went for a great walk down to the Breakwater and along the beach and then stopped in for a snack at the Café before coming home for the rest of the night.

69 Days – 48:41

Monday – April 9th, 2007

As I sat in the office and stared out the window watching the wind blow and at the insane amounts of rain pound down my motivation to head out for a run was slowly getting drained from me.  I waited and waited hoping for it to ease up and it eventually did and I got out just a few minutes later than normal.  I wanted to brave the Breakwater today, thinking that the wind would be creating some awesome waves and splashing surf, so headed out through town then along the Causeway and stuck close to the water the entire way out.  They didn’t have the Breakwater locked up and that was probably due to the fact that the wind was coming from the wrong direction to create the BIG waves but it was still crazy windy and a ton of fun.  I struggled with trying to keep the pace up on the way out but once around the lighthouse and heading back I flew, ran into Andrew G and his wife who were out for a walk on the Breakwater so stopped briefly to chat with them but then got right back into it with the wind at my back.

After work I had to drop some school stuff off to T, and then it was laundry time, Uncle Jimmy met me for dinner at Sabri’s while I was waiting for my clothes to dry.

Scooter posted it on her journal first, we’ve 69 days to go until race day and I feel like there is still so much to do and more gear to get for the Gobi March.  I am hoping to get T’s and my Chinese visa taken care of this weekend which will take one more thing off the list and I might be able to pickup a couple pieces of gear.  The Team would like to start doing some practice packing and runs with race gear packs by late April or early May.  I need to get my ass in gear and get the rest of this stuff!

Happy Easter – I am sooo full!

Sunday – April 8th, 2007

T woke me up early this morning excited to get down to St. Ann’s for the 3rd annual Easter Egg-stravaganza and the pancake breakfast.  We wasted no time in getting ready and heading out the door and once there ran into Ased and his family and saw a bunch of other familiar faces.  We enjoyed the breakfast, a couple cups of coffee (for me) and T took part in one of the Easter Egg hunts and she got very lucky finding one of the “Golden Eggs” which when she turned it in got her a huge white chocolate egg.

After the Egg- stravaganza I dropped T off at her mom’s place and then came home and was seriously thinking of throwing some clothes in the pack, putting on some gear and running out to Pan-Pan’s parents place for their Easter BBQ.  I was quickly talked out of it though when Pan-Pan told me that he was already enjoying a beer and BBQ and I would not be able to catch up if I ran out there so instead I arranged for a ride with Squintch who was leaving right away.

The BBQ was astounding, there was a ton of food and I think I sampled it all – twice.  Mar-Mar and Maestro came out as well and there was no shortage of needling, pinches and pokes at one another, although I must say that Pan-Pan had some really good ones today and probably would take the trophy for best ribbing.

I got a ride home with Mar-Mar and Maestro and have spent the evening wallowing in my fullness, I ate so much…

Double Birthday Party

Saturday – April 7th, 2007

It was a busy morning, breakfast at Mo:lé, coffee with James R and Sarah at Union Pacific, some window shopping at MEC, picked up T, a few chores around the house and all of a sudden it was early evening and time to head down to Swan’s for Jules and Ryan’s joint birthday dinner.  T and I had a good night, lots of catching up with great friends that we haven’t been able to hang with on a very regular basis lately.  T and I were the first to leave, the rest of the gang were heading out for drinks and dancing after dinner.

It looks to be another busy day tomorrow, St. Ann’s in the morning for the Easter Extravaganza, then T is off for a visit with her Mom, and I am heading out to Pan-Pan’s parents place for a Greek Easter Feast – I am already hungry!

No time for training today and it is looking like none tomorrow either, will get back into it on Monday.

Fletcher’s Challenge 12km Trail Race – 54:29 (2:35:41)

Friday – April 6th, 2007

After dropping T off at her Big’s this morning I picked up Lindsaylator and Lise and we made our way to Westwood Lake for the inaugural Fletcher’s Challenge 12km Trail Race.  We got to the lake around 9am and after quickly registering and finding Pan-Pan, who was all wrapped up in his blankie in his car, we got in our gear and went for a quick warm up before the start.  They had a great turn out for both events, there was a 6km Family Walk as well, and with people still lined up to register at 10am the start was postponed while the last few people finished registering.

When the horn did go off to signal the start Pan-Pan and I went out together, keeping pace with one another for the first few km.  After about 15’ at Pan-Pan’s pace my slow twitch fibres kicked in and Pan-Pan started opening up a gap on me, which steadily increased until he was out of view.  I ran solo for about another 10 or so minutes and then a pack came up on me, a group of three, the first two ladies and a guy. I was able to get pushed and pulled along by them for a couple of minutes before they also started opening up a gap on me but once we got out onto the Hydro Corridor I was able to stretch the legs out some, pick up the pace and was slowly reeling them back in.  It was short lived though because we turned back into the forest and onto some more single track.  A quick duck under some trees and a short bit of flat single track and then right into one of the last climbs and I was doggin’ it, having left all my fast twitch muscle fibres somewhere back on the trail about 30 minutes ago.  Of course it was at this point that I hear “PETERSON, I know you’re not walking this hill!”  All I could think was “Shit, I’m busted…” but what came out of the mouth was “Damn you Rumon!” and I got the legs running again and did catch back up to the pack of three.

Along with Rumon came Norm T and Wendy S making us a nice pack of seven and we stuck together fairly well until getting back out onto the Hydro Corridor where we started to stretch out some, Rumon, Norm and Wendy getting out in the lead.  From the second stretch of Hydro Corridor we jumped back into some single track and winded our way onto a wide, very nicely groomed walking trail and finished up by taking that all the way back to the beach and the finish line.  It was an incredible run, one that I hope they repeat every year, will definitely be put on my race calendar!

Results are here: Fletcher’s Challenge 12km Trail Race

Took off fairly quickly after finishing, dropped Lise off at her car and then before heading home stopped in for a visit with the Westshore Boys.  I delivered a couple of ‘Buffs’ to them to get screened for Team Gobi and they hooked me up with a couple new pairs of shoes and a new pair of underwear.  Now I would not normally openly discuss my underwear but this new pair does deserve some mention.  Since getting the CW-X shorts I have been wearing cotton briefs underneath them, they are not very comfortable and the thought of running 250km across a desert with cotton briefs is not a very good thought at all.  Mark and Nick set me up with a pair of tech fibre boxers that I am hoping will get rid of those cotton nightmares I’ve been having.

I picked T up on the way home and we spent the rest of the afternoon geeking and getting some dinner.  T was invited for a sleepover this evening and with the night free a couple of scenarios were playing in my mind.

Scenario One:
Call a couple of buddy’s
Head out for drinks
Meet a nice girl
Get a date with that nice girl

Scenario Two:
New shoes
New underwear
Head out for another run

While Scenario One was incredibly appealing (it has been a long time since I have been out on a date) Scenario Two won out and is what ended up happening tonight.  I laced up a new pair of Nimbus, slipped into a new pair of Sugoi FinoStretch Boxers, put on the CW-X shorts and a shirt then ran out into the darkness along Dallas Road.

The Evening's Outcome:
Nimbus – wonderful!
Sugoi Boxers – a little piece of nirvana…
Me – pathetic loser

Happy Birthday Packman – 52:30

Thursday – April 5th, 2007

I ran the Breakwater at lunch with the pack, maybe 5-7lbs of weight, at an easy pace and with lots of dodging as it was very pedestrian busy downtown today.  I took it easy today with the hope that the legs will be somewhat fresh for the 1st Annual Fletcher’s Challenge Trail Race tomorrow in Nanaimo.  Will be heading up Island early and picking up a couple of passengers on the way, both Lindsaylator and Lise will be joining me for the ride and we’ll be meeting Pan-Pan up there.

After work I had time to come home, cut my hair, get cleaned up, have a small snack and then T and I were on our way to Packman’s place for his surprise Birthday celebration that Mrs. Packman had planned.  There was tons of great food and even better company, we had a good night!

10 Hills – 1:29:17

Wednesday – April 4th, 2007

I got in a very quick run at lunch, to the bank and back with my pack, probably around 3 or 4km.  After work I met Scooter downtown and we tackled the hill route that Coach Mike had shown us last week. It was a good run we took a few minutes off of last weeks time and that was with Scooter making a pit stop behind some bushes while we were going up Oakshade.  We made one other quick stop on the run and posted some literature on a ‘Secret Super Hero Base’ that was recently discovered near Oak Bay.

This evening we had a Team meeting at Packman’s place, mapped out the next couple of weeks and made a commitment to each other to get in a weekly Team run.

Stair running and Volunteers needed – 49:27

Tuesday – April 3rd, 2007

I met Ased at the Blue Bridge at lunch and we ran together to the stairs just past the Selkirk Trestle at which point he continued on to Switch Bridge and I hit the stairs for another ‘Stair’ workout.

The workout was much the same as the last one; done in four sets, each set being three climbs.   The climbs going, every step, skip a step, skip two steps.  I did that for the first three sets and then was expecting Ased to be coming back soon so amped it up some and ran the next set of three climbs skipping a step on each climb.  The descents were all run easy and again I ran a short out and back at the bottom for a quick rest and to build up speed for the next climb.

The timing was almost bang on and just as I was finishing the last descent Ased came into view and we ran back to the Blue Bridge and then went our separate ways back to work.

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Team Gobi needs some help and we’re sending a call out for volunteers…

We are preparing for our Silent Auction in May and could use your help. We are looking for volunteers to help us organize and execute the event. We have nearly secured our location and have been collecting items (Gift certificates to Ocean River Kayak, Cactus Club, Crystal Pool, a weekend at Mount Washington and many others). We anticipate the time commitment to be two or three 1 hr group meetings before the event (depending on schedules) and possibly attending the event (likely a Sunday) to help it run seamlessly.

We would be very grateful if you could help us!

Please email us directly: teamgobi(at)chaosweb.ca

Running home – 1:26:04

Monday – April 2nd, 2007

After last weeks recurring run route today it was time for a change of scenery from the Breakwater, so switched it up a bit and ran a loop around Macaulay Elementary at lunch and then ran home down Cook Street and along Dallas Road after work.  The runs felt good, although it is really nearing new shoe time, both calves are getting tight after the runs now.  I am thinking that I may have to pay the gang out at Frontrunners Westshore a visit this weekend.

I may incorporate the run home more often in the next few weeks, it’s a great way to fit in a second or, dare I say it, even a third run to the day - that would be new territory for me a ‘Triple’.

Dinner with the McBrides

Sunday – April 1st, 2007

Had to pick up T fairly early this morning but did have just enough time to sneak in breakfast with James R at Mo:lé before picking her up.

T and I spent the day hanging near home and did not get up to much at all.  This evening we joined Jules at the McBrides for dinner and a look at Shaun and Dini’s vacation pictures.