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Literally.
I was feeling sick all week and I knew that racing these shorter, high intensity races was not the best idea. I thought I could make it through them before taking it down a notch to get over this thing...I almost made it...
After a flat out sprint mtn bike race on Wednesday night left me hacking, and another on Sat morning had me light headed, I was hoping to recover in time to put in a decent 10k time at The Vancouver Sun Run this morning (being Sunday)...instead I spent all of last sweating up a storm on a friends couch in Vancouver (sorry Aimee).
It's now 7am and it's a bitter pill that I swallow to not be able to run The Sun Run this year...as low key as it is, with 53,000 runners it's more fun than anything, but there are always a ton of friends (most not runners) who participate, and I'll miss hanging out with them afterwards as I have to get some actual zzzz before driving back up to Squamish.
Hopefully next year. Fever's suck!
GR
So after a short recovery I am right back into the training again. With so many big races this year it's pretty easy to stay focused!
I took a few days off after Baja, enjoyed some beach camping and some barefoot beach running...my favorite type of running! I did a 90 minute beach run, two days after finishing The Travesia and was impressed at how good my body felt overall. I still needed a mid-afternoon nap each day, but I may have been using the race as an excuse for that one?
I have put in a least an hour for the last 6 straight days and am counting down to a few smaller races this weekend.
On Saturday I am teaming up with one of my race partners from last year, Aimee Dunn. We are doing a relay mountain bike event in Vancouver. I get to climb up significant grades for an hour and she gets to bomb down a technical descent for 30+ minutes...I always draw the short straw.
Then on Sunday it's the annual Vancouver Sun Run, the largest 10km event in North America attracting over 50,000 runners!
I have 'competed' in this event for three years now and it still stands as the only official 10km road race that I have even run.
In 2004 I finished the 10k in 42m21s...while seriously hung over. That was the year of Calgary's improbable NHL playoff run and in the first round they were playing Vancouver. I went to a pub in Van the night before the run and said I'd only have a pint or beer per period of hockey...it went to triple overtime! Couple that with the wings, pizza, nachos and sleeping in a car, and well, you have a 42 minute 10km run.
In 2005 I was a bit more focused. By that I mean that I did not get drunk the night before, but I rarely, if ever run roads, so I am never sure of how I will end up doing in this event. My only goal was to break 40m and I pulled off a 37m51s. Not too bad!
In 2006, having not run ANY road since the 05 Sun Run, and doing next to no speed work, my only goal was to break my 2005 finish time. Although I do not do a lot of specific training for this run, I do train quite a bit for longer distances and hence have acquired a decent amount of pain tolerance. I hammered out a 36m31s finish, which was way faster than I thought I had in me!
So now we are heading into 2007, having last run on the roads in the 06 Sun Run (that's a lie, I ran 25 minutes on the road in Feb with some NSA staff in Vancouver). I have absolutely no idea what to expect. My fitness is above last year, but I have done absolutely ZERO speed work in the last 6 months and truth be told, I don't feel that I am 100% recovered from Baja yet...or am I just making excuses again?
Either way I will run in the Sun Run on Sunday, with no pressure, and no idea of how I will do...my goal...to not pee on myself as I did last year!
Yeah, it's true, I couldn't hold it for 36 minutes...actually they kinda lock you in these starting gates 30 minutes before you start, so it was more like an hour...anyways, once the gun goes off there's no time for stopping until they call your name at the finish line!
GR
Oh yeah, and it's sunny and should get up to 15-20 degrees outside today! What a change from the 21 straight days of rain that we had right before I left for Mexico...although with the NHL playoffs starting tonight, I might still end up indoors on my bike trainer!
I took a few days off after Baja, enjoyed some beach camping and some barefoot beach running...my favorite type of running! I did a 90 minute beach run, two days after finishing The Travesia and was impressed at how good my body felt overall. I still needed a mid-afternoon nap each day, but I may have been using the race as an excuse for that one?
I have put in a least an hour for the last 6 straight days and am counting down to a few smaller races this weekend.
On Saturday I am teaming up with one of my race partners from last year, Aimee Dunn. We are doing a relay mountain bike event in Vancouver. I get to climb up significant grades for an hour and she gets to bomb down a technical descent for 30+ minutes...I always draw the short straw.
Then on Sunday it's the annual Vancouver Sun Run, the largest 10km event in North America attracting over 50,000 runners!
I have 'competed' in this event for three years now and it still stands as the only official 10km road race that I have even run.
In 2004 I finished the 10k in 42m21s...while seriously hung over. That was the year of Calgary's improbable NHL playoff run and in the first round they were playing Vancouver. I went to a pub in Van the night before the run and said I'd only have a pint or beer per period of hockey...it went to triple overtime! Couple that with the wings, pizza, nachos and sleeping in a car, and well, you have a 42 minute 10km run.
In 2005 I was a bit more focused. By that I mean that I did not get drunk the night before, but I rarely, if ever run roads, so I am never sure of how I will end up doing in this event. My only goal was to break 40m and I pulled off a 37m51s. Not too bad!
In 2006, having not run ANY road since the 05 Sun Run, and doing next to no speed work, my only goal was to break my 2005 finish time. Although I do not do a lot of specific training for this run, I do train quite a bit for longer distances and hence have acquired a decent amount of pain tolerance. I hammered out a 36m31s finish, which was way faster than I thought I had in me!
So now we are heading into 2007, having last run on the roads in the 06 Sun Run (that's a lie, I ran 25 minutes on the road in Feb with some NSA staff in Vancouver). I have absolutely no idea what to expect. My fitness is above last year, but I have done absolutely ZERO speed work in the last 6 months and truth be told, I don't feel that I am 100% recovered from Baja yet...or am I just making excuses again?
Either way I will run in the Sun Run on Sunday, with no pressure, and no idea of how I will do...my goal...to not pee on myself as I did last year!
Yeah, it's true, I couldn't hold it for 36 minutes...actually they kinda lock you in these starting gates 30 minutes before you start, so it was more like an hour...anyways, once the gun goes off there's no time for stopping until they call your name at the finish line!
GR
Oh yeah, and it's sunny and should get up to 15-20 degrees outside today! What a change from the 21 straight days of rain that we had right before I left for Mexico...although with the NHL playoffs starting tonight, I might still end up indoors on my bike trainer!
I just had these e-mailed to me. The last two are after the race when I hitched down the coast to a small beach for a few days of camping and relaxation.
GR
OK, it's 1am and in a feeble attempt to put some closure on this race report here it is...
We hit the desert floor at 3am and thought we would go straight to the Check Point for some well overdue rest.
Unfortunately the staff at the CP were not expecting us for another 3+ hours and they had all gone to sleep for the night, of course forgetting to leave out any glow sticks or anything which would actually allow us to locate them.
They were in a larger natural divot off to the side of the trail and we trekked right on past them!
After an hour we were all too tired and frustrated to continue. We pulled out our bivvy sacks and grabbed a quick 45 min of sleep until the sun came up at 5am.
Once the sun hit us we realised that we had overshot the CP and started back the way we had come a few hours earlier. The CP staff were now up and awaiting our arrival and they spotted us before we spotted them. It was fun to hit the CP as the second place team because all the volley's had been waiting hours just to see another team. They even had some food stocked at the station and we devoured all that our bodies would handle.
From here it was onto our 100km desert Auto Rally. I am sorry to report that this was basically a desert auto drive and nowhere near as exciting as I had anticipated. It was nice to get off our feet, but for a few hours it did not even feel like we were racing. The driver had a truck with a fully enclosed bed...not just a truck bed, but an actual bed! Megan was asleep within seconds and Todd and I alternated the navigation seat in the front for a place in the back and some incredibly comfortable sleep. It was hard to believe we were towards the end of a 350km adventure race! Todd and I managed about a full hour, with Megan doubling up on us in that department.
After a few hours our driver dropped us off in the middle of nowhere. We had but a 10km trek to our final stage, an 18km paddle to the finish line...yeee haawww, almost home!
We ended up running most of the trek and hit the kayaks in high spirits, not only would we finish the Baja Travesia, my teammates' first expedition and only my second, but we would finish in daylight. Although we would not receive an official ranking we proved a lot to ourselves and to our peers. We came to compete and we did just that leaving it all on course...we were off in the kayaks.
It took us a full 3hr of paddling to cover the final 18km. Tides and currents significantly slowed our process and at times it felt like we were going in reverse.
As we approached the town of San Felipe we could not believe our eyes and ears. Hundreds of people had gathered on the beach to see us in! There was even a loud speaker announcing our every move. Everyone screamed at us when we came into view and we promptly screamed right back at them.
Time stood still as we paddled the final few strokes to the shore. We exploded from our kayaks ready for the accolades and congratulations to follow...but no one on the beach moved?
In our sleep deprived haze we had paddled right into a beach volleyball game! There were hundreds of people cheering for this event and having no idea where the hell we had just come from!
We swallowed our pride, re-launched our boats and continued the 400 meters down the beach to the finish line we could now clearly see in the distance. There were but a hand full of fellow racers, volley and friends to great us, but the feeling was no less sweet then it had been five minutes earlier.
WE HAD MADE IT! 350KM DOWN, A NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE BEHIND US, ONE LEGENDARY CANYONING SECTION COMPLETED AND AN EXPERIENCE THAT NONE OF US WILL EVER FORGET!!!
Team Helly Hansen / MOMAR was officially ranked as the 12th place team, being the first unranked team to complete the course, however, all involved congratulated us on being the 2ND team to finish the race. It stung, just a little, to watch the cheque for 2,000 get presented to another team at the closing ceremonies, but hey, we ended up with our kayak back and that alone is worth more than the 2,000 price purse.
We really did feel that we had the best gear of any team in the race. Our Helly Hansen jackets amazed us as they held up to every single thorn, spike and cactus that the desert could throw at us. We all agreed that the Helly Hansen Mars Jacket is a must for any racer, runner, hiker or outdoor enthusiast.
Our Princeton Tec lights lit the way for us through the canyon and allowed us to catch the teams in front of us. The Apex, with it's 3 watt light is quite an amazing piece of gear.
My Rudy Project sunglasses and bike helmet kept me safe, sleek and looking good throughout the race!
By consuming Nuun Active Hydration tablets we stayed on top of our electrolyte consumption without even having to think twice about it.
Our KINeSYS sunscreen made sure that our white Canadian sun starved bodies did not spontaneously combust in the heat, and of course we owe a big thanks to Bryan Tasaka and the Mind Over Mountain Adventure Racing Series for his continued support and exposure for our team.
It's great to be home in one piece...but I know within a few days I'll already be dreaming of the next big race...Raid The North Extreme, starting on June 23rd and now officially being broadcast in prime time on Global Canada!! Keep your eyes out for us.
GR
We flew through the 30km climb, working very efficiently as a team. In adventure racing teams use tow ropes to help keep everyone moving at a similar pace, and thanks to this simple piece of gear we were able to post one of the fastest times on this section of the course.
We started the ride at about 8pm and in under 4hr we had climbing the entire route to the next transition. However, upon arrival we were absolutely freezing. We were now at a high altitude, in an exposed and windy plain...an impossible place to sleep at midnight.
This was our worst transition of the entire race as it took us a full 1h15m to switch gear, fill our bottles, grab our food, reference the maps and get going again. There was a fire to keep people warm and it slowly sucked us in...we knew that we should have stuck with our original plan of sleeping at a lower altitude, with a more comfotable climate.
We were off to what looked like a 6hr trek into the famed canyon section of the race. When Paul and Karen, the race directors, scouted this course they discovered this completely untouched, pristine and very challenging canyon route to the valley floor. They were the first people to ever complete this route and once the race had finised and the ropes had been pulled back out, we would stand as a small group of the only people in the world to ever trek in this area!
Karen, the race director had decided to follow us up to the canyon entrance as she was going to redistribute supplies to the vollunteers who would end up spending days in the canyon waiting for all of the teams to arrive! We were mentally exhausted and Todd was struggling to find a decent route through the vegetation. He was perfect in his direction of travel, but we seemed to keep getting sucked into the worst bush whacking the area had to offer. Karen, having done this route numerous times and knowing it like the back of her hand, quitely followed us, but with the slightest hints of "It looks a bit clearer over here" or "Are you sure that's the best route?"
I could sense Todd's frustration growing as he was effectively having his every move analized by someone who could do this section blindfolded, and I did not feel it completely fair to have any assistance from the race director, although she was trying her absolute best not to do just that. I asked the team if they would like to sleep for a few hours until the sun started to rise, and we thanked Karen for hanging with us and told her she was 'free to leave us'.
It was now 2:30am, we were at over 7,000 feet above sea level and it was windy and cold. Our attempts at sleep were halted after less than an hour. Todd seemed to grab a few zzzz but Megan and I simply chattered our teeth and counted down the minutes until we were mobile again. It was a waisted hour with no physical benefits and we were growing ever more tired.
Perhaps that is what caused us to go up the entirely wrong ridge in our attempts to find the canyon entrance? Either way, our 6hr trek ended up taking us a full 12hr! Not to mention the fact that we climbed two additional ridge lines, adding unnecessary distance and worst of all stress to our bodies. By noon we were actually growing concerned that we might not find the entrance at all. We were down to almost no fluids and our food rations were meant for a 20hr stage, not a 30hr stage.
The sun was so nice on our faces that we finally gave in to the sleepmonster and grabbed a very refreshing 30 minutes of sleep.
Once awake again we went to work on finding the CP. After pretty much covering every square inch of land around the actual CP we finally managed to stumble across it, having taken twice as long as we had anticipated. It was already 3pm.
We checked in and waited to hear how bad it was for us...8th...9th...10th...how many teams had taken advantage of our mistakes???
"You are 10 seconds behind the 3rd place team who just left."
"WHAT! How? But..."
It did not matter. That is adventure racing. You never truly know where you stand until you confirm you position at a check point or a transition. We were all suffering from the agrivation that came along with being lost for so long, but I, as everyone, was impressed at how we handled it. We never got down on each other, just took it out on the landscape. The desert brush seemed like it was all entirely dead, and as we bush whacked our way along each of us took our turn at ripping off branches and dead trees and flinging them out of our way. It was actually fun to be able to move the landscape as necessary and helped each of us vent our frustrations.
We only had a few hours of light left so we went to work on the upper portions of the canyon. We quickly overtook the 3rd place team and once again set our sights on 2nd overall.
Todd lead through the first sections of the canyon and after a few minutes he paused to look back and see where we were. I was pretty much attached to his pack, as Megan was to mine. I could tell by the look on his face that he did not expect this at all. I have to admit, from my experiences of travel over terrain such as this I usually end up waiting for whoever I end up out there with. I think we were all amazing and relieved that we could all travel at such an efficient pace. Once we realised this we upped our rhythm to a near run over the strewn rocks.
The canyon section had 8 rappels, with everything from short and sweet, to full 100 foot overhangs and even a few that ended in water of which you had to swim across once off rappel. One of our mandatory gear items was a neoprene top for just such a thing and although we managed to hit the first water rappel right at dark, the following two would be done throughout the night. By the time we had hit the final water rappel I was sick of putting on my wet undies and socks...I did it with just my neoprene top on!
Thankfully niether the harness nor rope managed to 'grab anything' on the way down. I was only freaked out upon hitting the water and seeing a few frogs swim rather adamently towards my now shrunken parts.
"Hey little froggy, I don't know what the hell you think you're seeing, but I promise you THIS AIN'T IT!"
We managed to make it through the actual canyon in under 11 hours. The time estimations for this stage were between 20 and 30 hours. If we had found the entrance anywhere near the 6 hour expectations we would have completed this stage well ahead of the race directors guesstimates.
Oh yeah, half way down the canyon, we breezed past the 2nd place team. They were obviously in need of sleep even more so than us and we could see the lack of purpose on their faces as they struggled to stay awake.
After a full 24 hours of trekking, with but 30 minutes of sleep, we flew out onto the desert floor determined to find the CP and grab some rest until the sun came up. We had just our 100km desert auto rally, an 18km trek and 20km paddle to go. If all went well we would be finished before dark!
(One step at a time...more to come tomorrow!)
GR
I was somewhat amazed that we were able to acquire all our necessary gear to continue the race from the kayak to bike transition, and especially impressed that the backpack I was able to borrow was the exact version that I normally race in!
The race officials held us there for an additional 20 minutes as they were still trying to figure out what to do about the teams still stuck out on the water. It was dark out now and the marines had rescued whoever they came across...but there were still two teams that were unaccounted for...and rumour had it that their smashed up kayaks had been spotted.
Eventually the race directors realised that there was no further benefit in holding teams at CP 3 and in somewhat of a mass start, numerous teams were off within minutes of each other.
We were 8Th leaving this transition and as mentioned before, the timing, although somewhat behind where we should have been had we been able to finish the kayak, was close enough that we thought we could race as if we were still ranked and at least get an idea of where we stood up against the rest of the pack.
This first bike leg was 50km with some decent climbing involved and within an hour we were able to see lights in the distance and know that we were closing in on the teams ahead of us.
Eventually we were able to do just that and there ended up being a pack of three teams within meters of each other. In an attempt to leave these teams behind we decided to open it up a little on the downhill section. The bike route consisted almost entirely of dirt vehicle roads, but they were littered with random holes, sizable holes, along the way. Most were only a foot long and a foot deep, but one sink hole in particular would have easily swallowed an entire truck.
As we let the brakes go and started to build speed, one of these small sink holes jumped out of nowhere and grabbed my front wheel. The bike bounced and I had to drop one foot to the ground while doing about 40km hr. I managed to right the bike and get back in the seat. Megan later commented that she thought I had pull led it out. Unfortunately my rear wheel fishtailed and I hit the ground hard on my left side...exactly where I was carrying my brand new water proof digital camera! I did not care about the road rash on my body, the bike seemed fine, but my camera had a cracked casing. I was amazed it still worked at all, but it was immediately evident that there would be no water photos with this camera for the rest of the race.
This section seemed to go on forever. One additional thing that was lost at sea was our course descriptions. We had our maps, but our CP hints were gone and no one in transition, not even the race directors had an extra copy for us. We biked right past the CP, which was in a small town to our right. On our maps it looked like it would be right on the main road, but later, as we asked another team, we realised that it was indeed in this small town that we had passed.
There ended up being four teams at this CP together and It was hard to distinguish exactly where we were in terms of rankings at that point. Either way, we knew that we had made up time on the rest of the field. It was a fairly uneventful downhill into our next transition, an 18km trekking leg.
We were 5Th into transition and 6Th out. We were focused and efficient but almost every team in this race was more experienced than us, and a speedy transition is something that is learned over time, as a team.
Once on foot Todd navigated us perfectly through the dense brush. We managed a slight run where possible, but for the most part we simply hiked hard and fast while pushing through the thick desert vegetation.
We passed the team who had exited transition ahead of us within minutes for 5Th and had our sights set on the team who came off the water in 6Th place (Who were now in 4Th place, where we figured we should have been). They had started the bike stage a full 90 minutes ahead of us and after fivr hours of biking and an hour of trekking, we had made up the entire hour and a half on them. They took a high route, we took a low route, and that was the last we would see of them in the race.
We could not have been more direct in hitting the first CP on the trek. Dart-Nuun, the eventual winners, had taken 4.5 hr´s to complete the 18km trek. We had knocked down the first half in just under 2hr!
The second half of the trek did not go as smoothly for us. We had yet to sleep, coming up on 24hr or racing. This combined with the stress encured during our ocean ordeal was starting to take its toll on us. We ended up bushwhacking up the wrong ridge and spent a full 30 minutes trying to place ourselves. In the darkness of night the routes back down to the valley floor looked far more dangerous than they actually were, and we questioned our route numerous times before actually moving on it.
Once reaching the valley floor the 5Th place team, ´Dancing Pandas´, caught up to us again. They are a much more experience team then us, and although we may be physically faster, they are a smarter and more efficient team. I was constantly amazed at how difficult it would prove to distance ourselves from this team. (they were great people and it was actually a lot of fun to race with them, but after awhile it was frustrating us to not be able to loose them!
Between both teams we nailed the CP and only had a short trek back to our bikes and a 58km biking stage.
Again, Dancing Pandas were faster than us in the transition and we spent time chasing them down on the bikes. We ended up taking a small detour into a Cactus Farm, snapped a fun photo and quickly got back on track. This bike stage was broken up with a truly arduous hike a bike section of about half a KM uphill. Once up top, we...yet again...came across D.P. It was not until this bike leg hit the significant climbing section that we were finally able to make time on this team.
The climb was steep and endless, lasting well over an hour, but we hardly stopped and knew that we were again making up good time on the rest of the field.
We came flying into transition and were surprised to learn that we were now in 3rd place overall! With 2ND having left just 10 minutes ahead of us!
Apparently some teams had trouble navigating the 58km bike section and we managed to benefit from this. However, the people running this transition were not expecting to see us so soon and they were without all of our gear! We ended up having to wait a full 2hr for it to show up, but since we would be credited for this time, it was free sleep for us! We all managed about 30-45 minutes of rest, although no one managed to fully sleep. It was the middle of the day and not ideal conditions for doing so.
The next stage was another ´short´ trek of 17km. It was a virtually straight line on the map, but littered with cactus and scrub along the actual route.
Todd, has found a new nickname. CACTUS BUTT! This man, as many of you know is large. Well I guess his sheer size makes it harder for him to avoid the cactus out on course, because I have never seen someone get hit by so much cactus before. He screamed when it first hit him in the foot and I told him that he would get over the pain within ten minutes.¨
But it feels like there are barbs in my foot!
Don´t worry, there are no barbs on these...of course I had no idea, I just wanted to keep him from stopping!
Within ten minutes he had forgotten about the pain, and I was thankful that there were no barbs in these cactus.
At our next transition we knew we were getting into the toughest sections of the course. A 30km bike ride, with thousands of meters of elevation gain awaited us. We had originally intended to sleep here, at a lower, warmer elevation, but the 30 min power nap before the trek seemed to keep us going.
We were greeted by the most unbelievable surprise at this transition...our kayak!!!
Somehow, as unlikely as it seems possible, our boat had drifted towards the next rocky outcrop in the ocean...and snagged itself on a buoy! It sat there for hours until the marines were able to come along and haul it out for us. Absolutely everything was still attached, right down to our paddles which were worth 800 alone!
My grandfather was a fisherman in Newfoundland. He raised 17 children in a three bedroom home while fishing for North Atlantic Cod. I have never seen him so evil as when he used to take me fishing, watch me puke, laugh at me and direct the boat into harsher seas. I know I heard him chuckling at me when I vomited on myself in the kayak, and I´m pretty sure he managed to convince the ocean to spare us our boat out there. Maybe it was the hypothermia, but I swear I felt his presence on the water.
We opened up our boat like it was a huge Christmas present. My Helly Hansen Mars jacket was inside, of which the entire team agrees is our favorite new piece of gear! My altimeter watch still worked, my pack was there, Megan even had a few MP3 players still in tact. I am proud to say that when we left the boat behind I did not stop for even a fraction of a second to contemplate how much it was all worth to us financially...but later that night while biking it had hit us hard. The kayak alone would have cost us 3,000, paddles almost another 1,000 and all up it would have been close to a 5,000 loss...and now it was all right here in front of us! AMAZING!!
We knew we sat in 3rd place, and that Dart-Nuun were already well out of reach. We had half a race left to try and get ourselves a 2ND place overall finish...we were off...without sleep...something we would end up regretting...
I just sat here trying to do a quick update and after 30 minutes of typing I was just getting into our near death experience on the boats...so until I can get a proper update done, here is a quick cap of the race.
The race started on calm waters as we were in a sheltered cove, but just 10 minutes out the ocean was thrashing. We hit 10 foot swells instantly and had to paddle to an island for CP 1. It was super sketchy and although we were freaked out we managed to stay in control and actually paddle quite well. We had established 6th place by CP1 and 4 of the 5 boats in front of us were triple kayaks, verses our double and single combo.
As we headed away from CP1 the water was now behind us and I simply could not handle it any longer. My guts decided to get the hell outa dodge and I spent a few minutes dispersing of every single calorie that I had loaded before the race. I vomited 5 times and the water was so intense that I could not break stroke, so I ended up just turning my head between paddle strokes and trying to stay focused on a piece of land in front of us after that point.
The huge water from behind finally had its way with us and between the two boats we flipped 6 times. Each time we flipped we ended up drifting closer and closer towards a rocky bay. We managed to get Todd up and empty his boat and told him to go for help. CP2 was less that 1KM away, but we simply could not break through the water to get there. Megan and I were floating on top of our flipped Necky Amaruk and discussing what our options were. We had been in the water struggling for 20+ minutes already, I had lost all feeling in my toes and my fingers were like pieces of dead wood. We realised that we had to make it to shore, and pushed off from our boat to try and make it in.
We ended up caught in a current and stuck somewhere between our kayak and the shoreline. Megan is a lifegaurd and was yelling at me to kick harder, but I had lost all my energy from vomiting earlier and my body was reaching it´s limits. My legs were cramping and I was starting to get confused, I knew hypothermia was starting to set in. At about this time a half a dozen locals had spotted us from some houses and a road up above. They had made their way down and were waiting for us to hopefully make it out safely.
Megan got grabbed by a current and was gone. We were right next to each other one second and she was 30 feet away from me the next. I had lost sight of her as she was washed 90 degrees to my right and into some rocks. I was trying to focus on where I would hit when I caught a glimpse of her running up the rocks! I had no idea how she had gotten out so quickly, but I was incredibly relieved to know that she was alright. As the water was surging me towards shore I was doing my best to envision how to go about this. I knew that I would only get one shot, for if the waves bashed me once and pulled me back out again I would surely be too spent to fight my way through a second time.
The water threw me onto a rocky outcrop and I grabbed on for dear life. I had only found grip with two fingers on my left hand and I was screaming at myself to hold on. The water retreated over me and was tugging on my pfd and legs as I struggled to stay attached to the rock face. The second that I felt the water retreat I started climbing. A second wave hit and I grabbed on again. Once that water passed I was able to make it up above the water line. I was struggling to move my body, My feet were like planks of 2X4 as I could hear them hitting the rocks but could feel nothing. I knew I had to keep moving and as soon as I made it up to the locals who had watched in fear throughout the entire process they started stripping off my layers and putting their hoodies and pants on me. We had to clambor up a steep trail to the road and they directed us into a minivan and covered us in blankets. I could not feel my body at all, my teeth were chattering so visciously that I ended up biting my tongue to stop the noise. My feet were completely white and was having trouble processing exactly what had just occured.
The locals were aware of our event and drove us a few km down the road to CP2. It took me about 45 minutes to start to warm up and one of the english speaking locals came up to talk with me when he realised that I was coherant and aware again.
Did you notice all the crosses on the rocks when you were washing ashore?
No.
We loose someone every year in those waters, and that is the roughest seas we have seen in a long time around here. You are both very lucky to be alive.
It took us a few hours to figure out what was going to happen. Our kayak was still offshore somewhere, although we assumed it was broken on the rocks by now. All of our mandatory gear was still inside, including our backpacks, headlamps, jackets, etc, etc.
I asked the race director via radio if there was any kind of time penalty we could encure while still staying ranked.
The answer was no. I even said we´d take a 12hr penaly, anything to keep us ranked, but to no avail. We had taken 4hr to get to CP2, we were half way to bike transition, sitting in 6th...and our race was effectivly over.
As we tried to figure out our options we watched team after team after team come to CP2 and refuse to return to the water. We were the first people to experience serious troubles and due to that, it seemed most involved with the race could not fully understand what our problem was.
Witnin 2 hours of our incident the Marines told the race directors that no more boats were allowed on the water. Everyone behind us from that point would race un ranked.
Before the end of the kayak leg, later that night, 8 boats would be completely destroyed, people would be telling tales of 20+ foot waves between CP2 and the bike transition, and two teams would still be unaccounted for. It was a nightmare that continued to get worse and everyone who raced here this year is amazed by the fact that no one was killed on the water section. It was pure insanity.
Eventually we sorted everything out and found transportation to the bike transition, and hour away. We arrived as it was getting dark, with two thirds of our mandatory gear still floating in the ocean. I jumped out of the truck and started asking everyone in sight if they had any gear that they could spare for us. In less than 10 minutes we had pieced together every single piece! From backpacks, to toques, gloves, first aid, bivvys, and on and on and on, somehow we managed to borrow it all. Adventure racing really is the best sport in the entire world!!
The team that was in 7th on the water came into the bike transition about 90 minutes ahead of us, so as a team we agreed that we would continue to race as if we were ranked. Had we been able to complete the kayak section, we would have been very close to where we were at that point anyways, so it was game on for us!
There is so much more to tell of our story, but all I can say right now is this. Megan and Todd ROCK! We have an incredible team and battled hard throughout the rest of the event. We only slept for 2hr in 3.5 days and were the 2nd team to finish the course. It as all summed up for us by the race directors at the final transition.
¨You guys are doing amazing out here! It breaks our hearts that you were not able to finish the kayak leg, cause you battled hard to come in as the 2nd place team. Congratulations guys, you should be very proud of yourselves!´´
It will be a few days maybe even a week before I can do a proper race report...it´s just too damn nice out there to be inside!
We are all well, amazingly well actually, with very little blistering, some decent sleep deprivation and stories to tell for years to come.
I am not flying home until it stops raining, so if someone could let me know when that is, it would be greatly appreciated!
GR
Helping to refresh my ropes skills to keep from gettin dead in my big race next week, that's what! (Thanks Ashley)
Another typical spring day of continuous rain did not stop us from getting out there and hopping off the rocks a few times...it's never really as bad outside as you tend to think it is while sitting inside anyways and after a few minutes we didn't even notice the rain coming down...and how could I when I was staying warm and dry in my brand new fully waterproof and completely breathable Helly Hansen Zone Jacket and Helly Hansen Packable Hybrid Pants!
This will be the last posting before I fly out on Sat afternoon, so wish us luck!
I will do my best to post a race report from Mexico, but I may be too busy laying on the beach and drinking tequila's...we'll have to wait and see I guess.
You should be able to track our progress, Team
Helly Hansen/MOMAR on the following websites.
It may not be as exciting as the GPS tracking from Primal Quest last year, but they should have written updates throughout the event. We'll do our best to be in as many of them as possible!
Crazy, huge thanks go out to Helly Hansen for sponsoring our team this year and providing us with the absolute best racing gear on the planet! Check out the Helly Hansen Mars Jacket if you have a free second...pretty unbelievable!
GR
Only 5 full days till I head to Vancouver, then fly to San Diego, drive to Baja, and see the sun for the first time since late October...you think I'm joking, but it's not far off the truth. It's been a brutal winter out here, record breaking snow for the ski hill and near record rains for most other areas. It's to the point now where if it doesn't rain for a full hour in a 24hr span, we call it a gorgeous day.
I am just going through all the final things that need to be attended to and only today was I able to get my hands on our boats for the race! The race organization supplies boats for one stage and you have to bring your own for the other. Thankfully the race organizers have been amazingly helpful and genuinely concerned throughout the entire process. In fact I think she was more relieved than I was when we finally booked them today. (I guess there is a big kayak race around S.D. the same week that we need them. Not to mention that most companies are not too fond of foreigners renting their gear and then heading off to Mexico with it!)
So I just have a few easy runs, rides and paddles left to go. Oh yeah, and some rappelling on Thursday to get my mind refreshed with everything again...the ropes section of this course is going to be absolutely EPIC!!!
Anyways, it's 12:30am and I really should head to bed...I know that I am just going to lay there for an hour and think about the race anyways, but off I go.
GR
I am just going through all the final things that need to be attended to and only today was I able to get my hands on our boats for the race! The race organization supplies boats for one stage and you have to bring your own for the other. Thankfully the race organizers have been amazingly helpful and genuinely concerned throughout the entire process. In fact I think she was more relieved than I was when we finally booked them today. (I guess there is a big kayak race around S.D. the same week that we need them. Not to mention that most companies are not too fond of foreigners renting their gear and then heading off to Mexico with it!)
So I just have a few easy runs, rides and paddles left to go. Oh yeah, and some rappelling on Thursday to get my mind refreshed with everything again...the ropes section of this course is going to be absolutely EPIC!!!
Anyways, it's 12:30am and I really should head to bed...I know that I am just going to lay there for an hour and think about the race anyways, but off I go.
GR
In lame ass point form...
For anyone who has been following my posts for the last three weeks or more, this will all make sense,
-21 hours of training the week following the Dirty Duo, which I was damn happy with considering I could not walk, let alone run, for almost three full days.
-Basically four weeks 'off' from training!!! Two weeks of 'tapering' for Baja, followed by the race, followed by some serious recovery.
-House levy got shot down, GREAT NEWS, I'm not broke for the next decade.
-My identity was stolen...poor bastard, should have chosen someone with more money than me! After lots of paper work it appears I will get my funds reimbursed in a few weeks.
-The house was not even up for sale when the realtor called and said that if possible, in 5 hours we could show it to two couples...oh yeah, no problem, I haven't vacuumed it in two weeks, the dog is shedding like she lives in Hawaii and you can count how many hours of training I have put in since January by the rings in the tub...it should also be mentioned that it was the nicest day of the entire year! Somehow it was pulled off, including a trip to Home Depot for plants, flowers and art work...I was putting random holes in the walls five minutes before they walked in.
-24 hours later and the house is sold!!!! Must have been the art work.
-8 days, 12 hours and fifteen minutes till Baja...
GR
Some excerpts from the recent competitors update...sounds like a ton of fun!!
The Ropes/Canyoneering course at this year’s race is serious business. You must
be prepared to rappel and use your ropes gear in many challenging and potentially
dangerous situations. Do not come to the Baja Travesia with less than 20 rappels
under your belt (not just gym rappels). You must know your gear and your
teammate’s gear.
The Ropes Skills and Gear Check will be very strict. Any team that shows any
doubt in the use of their gear or the demonstration of ropes skills will NOT be
allowed to race. Do not take this information lightly, we cannot and will not let
any team start the race who gives us any reason to doubt that they are 100%
prepared for the ropes section you will encounter.
Now all that being said, if you take the time to prepare and come with ropes
experience you will enjoy the ropes and canyon like no other race you’ve ever
seen. The canyon will test every team’s ability to work together and problem
solve. If you are all prepared to help each other you will have the absolute time of
your life.
We made the first descent of this canyon and it was absolutely incredible. You
will be some of the first human beings ever to descend this canyon, an
opportunity you won’t want to miss.
There will be some swimming sections that are unavoidable.
We have made it very clear in the race description that Canyoneering will be a
major element of this race. This section will take from 20 to 30 hours and the
good news is that water is abundant throughout. Most teams will opt for a sleep
during this section and there are many, many nice camping options (nice is of
course relative).
As we have mentioned this is completely unspoiled, virgin terrain that will require
the utmost care in low impact and haul out your waste ethics. The only piece of
trash we found in this canyon was the remains of a helium balloon. We want to
find it that way following the race.
Your altimeter will be a very, very important tool in this section. A back up
altimeter is required and a third is highly recommended.
You will likely spend a good deal of time sliding on your butt in the canyon
section to scramble down some of the slick rocks. We recommend you get your
team mates to wear some sturdy shorts or face looking at their bare butt during
this long section.
Desert Auto Rally - The sport has put Baja California on the map. The Baja 1000 puts drivers, navigators and cars to the ultimate test. And now the Baja Travesia incorporates the Ultra Endurance Car Rally into international expedition racing. Get ready for this truly unique portion of the event as teams cross the barren landscape of the Baja Desert in Baja race vehicles. Surely a discipline to get every team member's heart pumping. Racers will navigate an open/rail vehicle driven by car's owner, through barren desert. You would be smart to do this section with day light! We have secured a whole new line up of cars, and the auto section will be much more involved in 2007.
The first day of the year that I wore my actual biking gloves rather than my ski gloves while out riding.
It got up to 10 degrees and I even managed to find a flurry of mosquito's...albeit with my teeth, and I am sure this will be the only time in 2007 that I will have been happy about such a thing.
Recovery from the race has been painful to say the least, but is going well.
The day after the Dirty Duo it was all I had in me to walk my dog for two hours and follow that up by hitting the pool for some swimming and water running, which is great for helping out those sore muscles. I finished off the day with a form of masochism known as stretching.
On Monday I suffered through a 30 minute treadmill run and once again cried my way through 30 minutes of self inflicted pain and contortion.
Tuesday morning I hit the bike for 2hr and was fortunate enough to have a friend hook me up with a free hotel room in Whistler for the night! I spent the evening rotating between the sauna, steam room, hot tub and pool...ahh recovery.
It's Wed now and I guess I have no further excuses not to get back to training again...17 days till I fly to Mexico baby!!
GR
It got up to 10 degrees and I even managed to find a flurry of mosquito's...albeit with my teeth, and I am sure this will be the only time in 2007 that I will have been happy about such a thing.
Recovery from the race has been painful to say the least, but is going well.
The day after the Dirty Duo it was all I had in me to walk my dog for two hours and follow that up by hitting the pool for some swimming and water running, which is great for helping out those sore muscles. I finished off the day with a form of masochism known as stretching.
On Monday I suffered through a 30 minute treadmill run and once again cried my way through 30 minutes of self inflicted pain and contortion.
Tuesday morning I hit the bike for 2hr and was fortunate enough to have a friend hook me up with a free hotel room in Whistler for the night! I spent the evening rotating between the sauna, steam room, hot tub and pool...ahh recovery.
It's Wed now and I guess I have no further excuses not to get back to training again...17 days till I fly to Mexico baby!!
GR
Dirty Duo, 50km ultra marathon, first place overall!
I didn't get any pictures at the event, but hopefully there will be some on the race website in the coming days.
Heading into the event on the weekend I was actually feeling surprisingly sore. I really dropped down my training hours heading into it yet found that my legs were not nearly as fresh as I would have liked. I slept fine the night before but wondered during the 6am drive to the event if my body was ready to battle it out over a 50km course.
The Dirty Duo ultra is the first in the Montrail B.C. Ultra Trail Running Series and although I do not have specifics on the elevation gains for this event, I can tell you that the climbs were endless and the descents technical and steep...exactly what I love!
The race began at 8am sharp and I kept telling myself that I had to race smart and play to my own strengths. I eased into it and let the leaders go about getting their heart rates up early. I hung back for the first 1/2 hour, while running some rooty (I don't think this is actually a word, but if there was a picture of 'rooty running' in the dictionary, it surely would have a picture from the North Shore), undulating single track through the forest. After the first thirty minutes or so we ran past a Gazebo that would be our bag drop area for the race (you are able to pass along, before the race starts, a drop bag of supplies including food, fluid, clothes, whatever you need, at the approximate half way point of the race. There were also four aid stations stocked with food and fluids that everyone in the ultra run would pass twice each for a total of eight aid stations).Immediately after passing the Gazebo the course takes a lengthy dip down a forest service road to a large bridge across a river.
My strength is my downhill running and I waited until this first sizable downhill to really start to run. I was surprised that I only caught up to one other runner, but did not stress over it as I realized there was still a hell of a lot of climbing and descending to go.
The course goes flat for about 1km after the bridge, and then the real race begins. The climb from here is virtually endless, lasting upwards of 30-40 minutes. With every turn you think the climb has to be over, only to discover it is leading up yet another side track to gain even more elevation. We were in the snow for the top portion of this climb and I knew that the higher we climbed the better off I'd fare on the down side of the trail.
Very few ultra runners will actually run up steep sections of trail like this. It is not that we can not, but just that verses a high paced hike, you will only gain a minimum amount of time, if any, and end up dispersing twice as much energy in the process. Some of the top ultra runners in the world will not run up hills at all in a race with serious elevation changes. I was a hiker long before I was a runner and I went about power hiking up this entire section. I managed to close the gap on the group in front of me, most of whom were actually trying to run it out.
As soon as the trail crested, I was off! I LOVE DOWNHILL RUNNING, and although I have met plenty of runners who are much more talented than myself, I have met very few who are able to run faster down technical, rooty, slick, steep descents. It's like free momentum if you are confident enough to lean into it and trust that you can react to the terrain quick enough. Heading up the last section of the climb I was told that the leaders were a few minutes ahead of me, yet after just 10 minutes of downhill running I had not only taken the lead for the race, but I was actually passing many relay runners (running 25km before tagging their partners to ride 30km).
By the time we emerged back onto the flats before the bridge I had a full minute over the rest of the ultra field.
They slowly chipped away at this as we ran a few kilometers of flat terrain before heading up a different set of trails back towards the Gazebo and our drop bags. I came into the half way point with about a 30 second lead and jumped into the Gazebo to grab my drop bag and change my shirts. It was misty rain and after 2hrs of running I was needing more than just a vest over a long sleeve. As I tried valiantly to switch layers as quickly as possible, I just managed to catch a view of two runners passing me.
The race started with a group of runners who were competing in three different events (The 50km ultra run, the relay and the solo event where they run 25k then bike 30km)so it was actually tough to keep tabs on who your exact competitors were in the first 1/2 of the race.
I thought that I had been passed by two runners in the ultra category, and after getting my dry clothes on I shot off after them. They were just out of sight but I knew which way they had run...it didn't seem like the right direction, so just as I was running past some volunteers I shouted,
"50k?"
"No 50 is back that way!"
I turned back around, and headed off down a side road that lead to more single track trails. As I approached the next volley, a few kilometers later, I asked him,
"There two guys in front of me?"
"Nope, your first!"
Instead of being elated I was left wondering if my fellow competitors had taken a wrong turn or not? You always size up your competition before an event and I kinda knew what one of the runners looked like...maybe it wasn't him? Maybe he was doing the 25km course today? Maybe he's right behind me?
After about ten minutes I figured out that they must have gone wrong but I could not for the life of me figure out how. This guy was a local, had gotten lost the year before in this exact race and had somehow managed to do it again? I didn't even know the trails in the area, yet got a pretty good idea of where the course would go from the map they handed out in the pre-race package. (trail races are flagged courses, but when you cover 50km of trails through the forest, there are inevitably people who take wrong turns at every event. I've done it plenty of times myself and as much as it sucks, it is a part of trail running)
Now I was left wondering where my competitors might be. Did they discover their mistake early and recover from it or did they go all the way back to the start finish area and drop? Were they right behind me again, or gone? I was now leading the race and in the unenviable position of never knowing where the rest of the pack is. Whoever was behind me could check in at every aid station and find out exactly how far ahead I was. Even if the two people who took a wrong turn did not recover, there were still some solid athletes left in the pack, so I simply put my head down and tried to keep my lead.
I do not run with music, although I find that I always have a song in my head...generally one song for my entire run, no matter how long of a run it may be.
For this race I had recently listened to an old 'EverClear' album and had "We could live beside the ocean, leave the world behind..." going through my head for 4+hrs. It's never continuous, just in between thoughts that I fill the void by singing to myself. I am always surprised at how when when I stop moving I seem to find it amazingly quiet around me, because I stop thinking as soon as my feet stop turning. I'm sure there is a joke in there somewhere that I am missing right now...
Anyways, it's no easy task to run solo in a race. Generally you have other people to feed off of and work with throughout an event, and every runner knows that you will undoubtedly be faster while tracking someone else rather than running on your own. I tried my best to stay as focused as I could, and at every straight patch of trail I made sure to hustle my way through it in case there were others tracking me closely. Nothing will speed up a runner more than when they spot the leader of the race just in front of them. There are a lot more mind games involved in this sport than most people realize.
I was really starting to suffer once we hit the steep technical downhill section of the course for the second time. I was nowhere near as fast as my first time through, but I did manage a steady pace in which I was confident that I was not loosing time to any of my competitors.
Once the downhill was behind me I knew that I was closing in on the home stretch. My first victory was within reach, but there was still plenty of course left for someone to catch me and I put an end to my finish line dreams as quickly as I could. I had to stay focused, for my legs were starting to cramp up on me and I needed to work within myself to keep moving as efficiently as possible. There was one big climb left and I power hiked through it as best I could, continuously shoulder checking as I ascended the route.
I made it to the top of the climb without spotting another runner and passed by the Gazebo for the last time. I did my closest impersonation of a smile and thanked the volleys as I hit the 4km home stretch.
My legs were screaming at me, but I could not hear them over the sound of the finish line racing through my head. I practically stumbled over every fallen tree, and hiked bow legged up the final 50+ stairs that ascended once again from the river.
It was out onto a trail next to the road and the final km to the end of the race. I could hear the finish line announcer on the loud speaker and after one final shoulder check I knew the race was mine...I accelerated through the pain and screamed for joy as I crossed the finish line!
50km, 4hr25m of suffering, my first ever trail race victory, pure elation!!!
My good friend, training partner and co-worker Jen Segger-Gigg managed to finish 3rd overall, easily winning the women's ultra, and my adventure racing teammate Megan Rose raced to a 3rd place finish in the solo (duathlon) category. All in all a very solid weekend of racing!
(some people have asked about the Club Fat Ass events and although they can be very competitive, they are not 'official racing events' but rather low key group runs with friends. They are always great training, but I have yet to try and beat someone outright in one of these events, for that's not what it's all about. I generally pair up with a lead group and run hard for whatever distance the event is scheduled to cover. Club Fat Ass is more about the camaraderie, pure love of the sport, and testing your limits if you so choose, and for that reason I do not consider a 1st at a CFA event as qualifying as my first official racing win.)
I ran the entire 50km on just one bottle of Carbo-Pro 1200(diluted into two bottles), one gel, and a 1/4 slice of orange. I have had the best running results of my life since I discovered Carbo Pro in early September.
My Injinji socks kept my feet blister free and my Helly Hansen Mars Jacket (the lightest jacket in the world) kept me warm on my second lap and allowed my body to utilize it's fuel for running rather than generating body heat.
The best part about the whole experience is the knowledge that just one year ago my body would have cramped up and fallen apart on me not 35km into the 50 with the pace I ran on Saturday. My training is going great and it is really rewarding to have noticeable improvements from all the hard work I am putting into everything. It certainly makes it all seem worthwhile, and Saturday's Dirty Duo is one race that I will never, ever forget!
Thanks to the race director Heather Macdonald and all the staff and volleys for putting on another incredible event!
GR
I woke up feeling damn good this morning and with a greater appreciation of the fact that no matter how bad I think this house sale may end up going, I am a pretty damn fortunate soul.
This is probably due to some reflection over some old travel photos, but hey, whatever it takes right!
Not a whole hell of a lot to say today, but wanted to post some more photos...it's all about the pics for me lately, cause as they say, they're worth a thousand words...I actually tried that in grade school, but it didn't go over so well with the teacher.
I've also added some shots to the right column of the blog as you scroll down. Just some favorites from the past few years...and yes, that is me, and I am naked...
Awesome paddle this morning, even though it was snowing, to cap off a 22hr training week. This leads me into a recovery week of just 12hr and coincidentally enough, another race!
On Sat March 3rd I will be racing the 50km ultra marathon known as the Dirty Duo
This race is unique in the fact that it is really 5 races all held on the same day. You can choose running distances of 15km, 25km, or 50km, or you can do 'The Duo' as a solo or relay, which consists of a 25km run and 30km mountain bike ride.
Last year I raced The Duo as a solo and finished 5Th (although I was never actually passed while in 4Th place...long story and I'm certainly not still bitter!), this year I am running the ultra for the first time and feeling great with just six days till race day.
Hopefully I'll have a great race report to post next weekend...
GR
(A picture from the latest Club Fat Ass event I participated in this past weekend)
I thought I liked roller coasters, but lately I have felt like I'm stuck on that big roller coaster of life and can't seem to get off.
Too much to cover tonight, but I had a great week of training with 21hr and a solid 10hr training day on Sat alone (1.5hr kayak / 5hr mtn bike / 3.5hr run). I have lost four pounds since the New Year's Day Fat Ass 50 and have never felt so physically fit before.
Monday was fun in the city with fellow North Shore Athletics co-workers. Free shoes, free food, free drinks, what more can a guy ask for!
I got home to Squamish at midnight (I only enjoyed two free drinks) and was greeted with the latest strata document from my town home complex.
In 24hrs I went from thinking I was going to pay off all my debt by selling the home to realizing that not only will this no longer occur, but I will actually be loosing money on the damn house. It all boils down to some renovations to the complex that are going to cost 3X what they told us it would...you could buy a home in most markets for what we are going to pay for a new roof, siding and windows!
Life...one day at a time...stick with what you can control such as training, fitness and work...and let the rest play out I guess. I will know definitively in the coming weeks how bad this will end up for me. If it stays as it sounds today my whole race season will have to be altered, and I will be buying a thong to work the street corners of Squamish after hours to pay down my debt (that's a joke Dad!)...most people end up with a college education for stuff like this...I end up buying shingles and siding on a home that I still need to sell!
GR
I guess I had some free time today, what is this my fourth posting of the day?
Just a quick update on the training side of things. Currently in the midst of a 25hr week, the second of my three week build (three weeks of building intensity followed by a 'recovery' week of 12-14hrs)
Feb 5Th - 11Th
Monday: (The day after our winter adventure race, which was basically an intense 4hr run) Body obviously sore, gym for an hour in the A.M and bike for 1h15m in the P.M.
Tuesday: Bike for 2hr A.M. Trail run for 1hr P.M.
Wednesday: Kayak for 1h30m in A.M.
Thursday: Gym 5:45am, mountain bike 7-9am, road bike 10-noon, kayak 1pm-3pm, run 6:30pm-7:30pm. As you may have guessed I had this day off! 8 hours of training and honestly I struggled through almost all of it.
I could not place my finger on it till late in the day. I felt tired, but knew I wasn't, felt sick, but knew that was not it either. I was edgy, frustrated and just generally hating everything. I was miserable and really struggled through the entire day while constantly questioning why I even bother with all this racing and training stuff. I came up with 101 better ways to spend my money and free time in five minutes flat...but I kept on going, cause I knew I had to get it all in.
By the time I hit the kayak I had realized that I needed to do something a bit different. I drove into town, instead of walking to the river from my house, to change my launching point, and headed into Howe Sound, rather than going up and down the Squamish River.
It took ten minutes in the boat before I started to come around. I perked up a little and felt my energy coming back. I started to feel like myself again.
During the 2 hr paddle I had lots of time to think about things and what I realized was this:
-Training and racing ain't easy...but I love it more than most anything else in my entire life. I honestly believe that without the adventures I experience through running, biking and kayaking I would never achieve happiness in our modern society...bare with me here...I travelled continuously for a few years and was fully addicted to this lifestyle. The more I travelled, the more I wanted to travel, the more I experienced the more I desired to experience, the more countries I visited the more passport stamps I needed to get. With all the answers I discovered in each day of travel there were a hundred more that evolved along with it, and it did not take long before I started to question the principles we are 'taught' in today's developed world.
Work hard, acquire stuff, get bills, build your credit rating, grow your equity, acquire more stuff, have a family, diversify your portfolio, work harder, acquire more expensive stuff, save for retirement.
While travelling you exist on a minimalist budget, own only what you need, meet new and interesting people on a daily basis, are free to leave a place that you are not happy with and stay in a place that brings you joy. You do whatever makes most sense to you on that particular day and acquire life experiences instead of debt and essentially useless stuff.
You live in the moment, every moment, which few people ever truly experience.
I think there is a lot to be learned in this simplistic existence, and one thing that stands out from my travels was how people in poor countries, who were born with nothing, will die with nothing and have absolutely zero opportunity to change this, as a whole seemed happier and more content in their lives than almost every single person I knew, including myself. Why? How could that be?
Have you ever heard the saying "The people who have the least, give the most?" Well it's true, 100% true in every aspect. These people who have so little have a greater appreciation for what they have been given...life, family, friends, health...does anything else REALLY matter?
Unfortunately for most of us it takes a near tragedy to come to terms with this. You have absolutely no idea when your time will expire. If you are lucky you get to live until you are old and gray, but if you are smart you will accept that this is not a given and that you'd better make the most of it while you are here, because
"Tomorrow is promised to no one"
Walter Payton(one of the greatest Football running backs of all time)
My training day wasn't going so well, I needed a change of scenery more than anything, but I WAS doing exactly what I loved most. I was and am pursuing the goal of being a fully sponsored, internationally competitive athlete. Whether this ever comes to fruition remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, I will be able to look back in a few more years and know that I gave it my all, that I fully pursued my passion, made plenty of sacrifices and that in the end no matter what the outcome, I will unequivocally have no regrets.
So that was Thursday!
Friday: Day off (somewhat ironic)
Saturday: Host my Club Fat Ass Snowshoe Race, The Squamish Scrambler. Intense snowshoe run for 2.5 hrs.
Saturday night was the party of the year in Squamish. It was a SORCA bike club sponsored Casino Night / 'James Bondage' party.
There was everything from a lingerie fashion show to pole dancers and drag queen singers. People were dressed up, or down, in as little as body paint and a vine wrapped around the essentials.
The MOMAR sponsored one of the gambling tables and the athletics/running shop I manage in Squamish, North Shore Athletics donated some prizing.
I recently confirmed my allergy testing results and as it turns out I am allergic to Gluten, Wheat, Rye (Some friends from Banff will get a big chuckle out of this one. Never could put my finger on why I blacked out every time I drank a few bottles of the stuff) and Almonds...but NOT Barley...what does this mean?
I CAN drink a wheat free beer...which only leaves me with Budweiser or Coors Lite for the most part(made with rice), but since I had gone over two months without consuming a single beer, and I thought I would never get to taste a 'decent' beer again, those Bud's were damn near the best beers I have had in my entire life...all 14 of them!
Sunday: I was supposed to kayak for an hour...but for the previously mentioned reasons this did not happen.
I was very happy with this week, I worked 40hrs, put in 17 1/2 hours of training, had some good times with some good friends and worked through some mental struggles. I've since changed up all of my training routes as they were becoming monotonous. It's just so easy to schedule in a 3hr bike ride and go "oh yeah, this was a good three hour loop, I'll head there again". After you do this with every discipline the training can start to resemble work more than play time and exploring.
Things are good. Donna and I are trying to figure out our options with the house (I am trying to buy out her 1/2) and once we finalize everything it will eliminate a big financial stress for both of us.
My team just booked their flights to San Diego for our expedition race in Baja at the end of March...in less than six weeks we'll be smack dab in the middle of a 400km adventure race, and at THAT moment in time, all of these little life struggles will have finally made sense and will certainly have paid off.
WURD!
GR
Just found this cool link on another website.
It highlights where you've been on the planet (although half of the world disappeared when I uploaded it. Sorry Aus and N.Z.)
I've been through 14 countries...just 6% of the world!
And here I thought I had done some serious travel...I may have to plan another extended trip after looking at this...
create your own visited countries map
It highlights where you've been on the planet (although half of the world disappeared when I uploaded it. Sorry Aus and N.Z.)
I've been through 14 countries...just 6% of the world!
And here I thought I had done some serious travel...I may have to plan another extended trip after looking at this...
create your own visited countries map