Need A Coach? Have Training Questions?

This is who I've decided to turn to. Mike McIvor over at Peak Centre For Human Performance has been someone I've heard about locally for years. After a brief sit down with him in early April I decided to cease self coaching for the foreseeable future, and I've handed over control to Mike.

The best part about going with someone like Mike, via a Centre like Peak, is that you have access to a full training facility. We did a VO2 Max and Lactic Threshold test to see where my fitness was at, and Mike was immediately able to tell me exactly how I had been training over the last few years.

We are going to address foot speed and climbing and when we retest in a few months time we will have full scientific data to reference. You just can't get this stuff from your average coach.

There are Peak Centre's across Canada and they have a huge list of very talented people behind the scenes. If you have any training questions yourself drop him a line at mike@peakcentrevancouver.ca

Here's a fun video I put together from my testing with him in April...



GR

POSTPONED: WCT In Worst Shape In Years!

It saddens me to have to post this, especially after how generous many media outlets have been towards helping with exposure of my 'Conquer The Coasts' challenge. The local North Shore News were kind enough to run a full page article just yesterday.

I already had the days off of work and the transportation and logistical nightmare issues figured out. Wednesday June 2nd was to be 'the day'. Thankfully I had a good friend who happened to be hiking the trail late last week and I asked for a full report in the hopes of simply preparing myself properly for what lay ahead. Instead I got this:

In a nutshell, the trail has been hit hard by dead fall and hit harder by neglect. That, coupled with perhaps worse rain than usual, has made it much more of a muddy slog than usual. While traditionally, the southern 1/3 has been the sloppy boggy part, the entire trail portion (including the 'easy' final 12K in the north) is a series of mini-mud lakes. Boardwalks have not been replaced over some creeks, let alone mud pits. Definitely possible to get around (we did while hiking) but not the exhilarating run that I did in August 2005.

The state of the trail is saddening. It is in much worse shape that when I hiked it in May 1996.

If you have an eye on breaking the record, you may wish to put it off until at least August has dried up some of the puddles.

Good luck on the run.

A big part of me still wants to head over and just go for it! The rational part of my brain is instructing me otherwise however. The financial investment alone is hundreds of dollars, but more importantly I would be relying on the generosity of friends with the logistics of it all. If I pretty much know in advance that I'll have to come back again in the summer to have a legitimate shot at the record, I'd rather not place unnecessary strain on others as well.

With Western States less than a month away that means the attempt will be pushed back into late July or early August. It's not ideal to have to do this, but all in all it makes a lot more sense. I was really dreaming for a spring similar to last year in which we had virtually no rain and even a decent heat wave in late May, and I knew anything less would probably throw a significant kink into my plans.

I PROMISE this will happen, unfortunately just not for a few more months. Again thank you to everyone for their support so far. I apologize that I do not have better news right now. Please don't forget my number one goal here is to help raise funds for 'Right To Play'. Anything you can donate to help out would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your understanding with this,
Sincerely,
GR

My 14,000 Foot Day

I was honestly shocked at home sore my body was following The MOMAR last weekend. The only good news was that the mojority of the soreness seemed to be from the bike crash early in the race, and the fall coming down The Chief late in the race. My actual muscle soreness was minimal, which was a hugely positive thing especially considering I'd pretty much had three full weeks off before the race.

Monday and Tuesday were write offs.

Wednesday I got out for my first real run since Miwok, a thirty minute time trial hill climb up 'Mountain Highway'. It was my first time attempting this in about five weeks and though I came up short in my effort verses the last time I ran it, overall I felt really good. Good enough in fact to head out for a second run later that evening, for a grand total of 25km/15miles with about 3000 feet of climbing.

Thursday however was BRUTAL! It began with a wonderful deep tissue massage from Lesley Anne-White, which is painful but incredibly beneficial. That evening however I could hardly walk without significant lower limb pain, and that carried over into Friday. I was hoping for some sort of effort on Friday evening but decided against it in favor of hopefully recovering for a solid effort today instead.

I honestly had very little interest in running for 5-6 hours today, mainly because it was a gray, misty, rainy, downer of a day. I DID however want to get back on my feet proper and put some pain into my legs, especially before I run out of time before tapering back down again for Western States on June 26th. As an alternative to coming up with a 50+km route that actually excited me, I decided to do laps on the local BCMC trail, which is counter intuitive to my usual thought process. The main benefits were that I could return to my car each hour for food, fuel, and dry clothes, and I could always pull the plug if I got bored or was feeling overwhelmed after a few hours.

In the end I had a fantastic day of really testing out my body. I ended up completing five full return laps, for a grand total of exactly 14,000 feet of climbing and descent...in five hours, ten minutes and thirty five seconds of movement. I took quick breaks to refuel, change clothes, and I ran into some friends out there and spent a few minutes chatting them up...the conversations got longer as the day progressed of course!


My lap times, as taken at the start of the BCMC where it intersects with the BP and up to the rope at the very top.

1) 39:15 up 23:33 down
2) 39:13 up 22:19 down
3) 39:34 up 21:01 down
4) 41:05 up 22:13 down
5) 41:59 up 20:23 down

I was very happy to sustain myself so regularly over the first three hours and to put in my fastest descent on my last lap. After four laps it would have been very easy to call it a day. It was really starting to catch up with me, but I set out to do five and I decided in advance that I was gonna make that happen no matter what.

Also worth mentioning is that because the Grouse Grind is currently closed, the traffic on the BCMC is ten fold, and with our rainy May the trail is in terrible shape right now. It was a slippery, sloppy, muddy, techincal mess out there today...and I loved every second of it!

All in all, I really am starting to feel good again. I wish WS was maybe a few weeks (or months) later, but at the very least I am slowly regaining my confidence and more importantly my energy.

Off to bed, I'm running the 25km Iron Knee in the morning...just running, not racing. I'm thinking I might be in for a tough few days of my legs hating me right now!

BCMC Trail Stats

A less crowded and slightly longer alternative to Grouse Grind (unless of course The Grind is closed). Often used as part of a loop hike to the Grouse Mountain chalet.

Total Distance: 3.3 km (one-way)
Average Grade: 25.8%
Elevation Gain: 853 m = 2,800 feet
Start Elevation: 275 m = 902 feet
Max Elevation: 1128 m = 3,700 feet

GR

Back On My Feet - Racing Squamish MOMAR

Well I guess I should start by addressing the obvious gap in my blog posts here. Last real post I had was about my DNF at Miwok, followed briefly by a slight update that I wasn't doing anything and my blood work results had confirmed the serious fatigue I was fighting. I will attempt to back track those updates in my next few write ups, but for now I'd like to simply recap my racing experience at this past weekend's Mind Over Mountain Adventure Race up in my old hometown of Squamish.

The Monday before the race was exactly seventeen days since I'd realized that I neededg some serious down time. In those 17 days I had run only once for exactly thirty minutes, and I hiked once for ninety minutes. Neither of those felt great and I gave serious consideration to telling my teammate Todd Nowack that I might have to give the race a miss. When I awoke on Tues morning however I was feeling distinctly more AWAKE than I had in quite sometime.This pattern managed to repeat itself throughout the week and by race morning on Saturday I thought I might actually be ready to tackle a 4+hr effort.

After numerous 5am ultras this season the 9am start thankfully felt like sleeping in. The 200+ racers were rounded up and at precisely 9am we were off on a

1km 'Le Mans' style running start

To our mountain bikes. Todd bolted to the front and by the time we hit our bikes we had a few hundred meter lead. Our transition wasn't smooth though and we departed on our bikes in third.


Bryan Tasaka is the creator of the MOMAR. He's been a great friend over the years and has been kind enough to lend me his sweet Berg mountain bike for the last two races. I sold my mountain bike in 2008 to fully pursue the endurance running. In 2009 I mountain biked twice, once at the Squamish MOMAR and once at the Cumberland MOMAR. After two and a half years without a bike I'd managed to hold my own up until this point in time...my worst fears were about to be realized however, for I was about to be dragged through 'the pain cave' kicking and screaming by my once slower than me teammate Todd Nowack.

We were five minutes into the biking stage and just over ten minutes into the race itself. Todd and I had passed second and could see Markez just up ahead leading away. There was a slight cross ditch in the forest service road and all of a sudden I just saw Todd go down HARD in front of me. I have no idea if I got caught watching him crash, or if I simply underestimated the cross ditch myself, but as I popped up out of the thing I was riding my front wheel. I ended up slamming my entire body onto the left side, culminating by the distinct feeling of my head breaking my fall and the thought of 'wow, I'm glad I tightened the chin strap on my helmet this morning'. I was completed stunned and everything hurt. Bart Jarmula was right behind us and he watched the whole thing unfold. I remember hearing his voice,

"ARE YOU OK? How's your head? Don't move your back. Lay down. Are you ok?"

I wasn't connecting at that moment that Bart is a Dr and he went straight into 1st Aid mode.

All I kept thinking was, "Oh God. I have to get back on this thing again don't I"

Team, after team, after team, were whizzing past us as we were still so early into the race. I told Bart I was fine and for him to get moving again. I peeled myself up and found that Todd actually looked worse than I did with blood streaming down his arm. We looked at each other, didn't say much, and then hopped back on, and got back to work again.


The timing could not have been worse though as the trail filtered into single track just a few hundred meters further along. The trail was technical with a slight continual climb. Todd, who's been riding strong for quite some time now, seemed to use his adrenaline to power past people who were on and off their bikes. I on the other hand was falling apart. I was on and off my bike and I even managed a second fall which didn't hurt but had now shattered my fragile biking confidence. Todd had already passed five riders and disappeared up ahead. The mental struggles were already upon me. I glanced at my watch to see how long we'd actually been racing for...my favorite $500 Garmin 310xt GPS watch...

"FU@KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK"

The screen had been smashed in my fall from the bike. On top of that I was carrying three bottles mixed with 1200 with me for the entire race. One had vanished in the fall, one cracked and was now leaking fluid all over me, and I had but one remaining source of fluid and calories for the next few hours of racing.

I was already having mental dialogue the likes of which I don't think I will ever fully appreciate.

One side of my brain was calling uncle and asking for another DNF

'Let Todd go. Who cares if he'll be un-ranked, you're only slowing him down. You've already crashed, your quad is killing you and you have a headache...those are perfect excuses to drop out. You don't really want to suffer today anyways. If you hurt yourself any further you might not be able to run for the next few weeks. Everyone said don't ride a bike. Don't crash your bike. Don't break anything out there!'

I was quickly searching for something deeper to counteract this completely deflating thought process. Something I couldn't find just three weeks prior in San Francisco.

'It's early, you'll get it back. Stop thinking, just ride. You can still ride Gary, you just got off to a bad start. Ten more minutes and I know you'll find your flow. You're teammate might be faster than you but he's still your teammate and he'll be un-ranked if you quit on him. Quitting is easy, and you didn't come here for easy today. Just stop thinking and ride already dammit!

Todd was waiting for me when we were spit out onto another short FSR. My only real contribution of the day was that Todd slightly missed the turn back into the forest to our right.

There was no doubt now that Todd and I were on different levels with our biking, the guilt of slowing down my teammate was getting to me and still preventing me from 'just riding my bike' and not thinking my way back off the thing and into another crash.

We came around a corner and could see Bart and Adrian Lasalle-Lowe just up ahead. At least my pace was sustaining us. A short walking section ensued and once we were riding again I spotted an elevated up and down style bridge in the trail just up ahead. My first thought was to get off and walk it, followed by, "RIDE IT DAMMIT!"

If you happened to stall at the top there would be an unavoidable five foot fall to either side. I needed to clear this. I knew I did. These are the types of obstacles I don't even question when I'm on. I jumped on the pedals and barely made it over without falling, my second guessing nearly cost me another crash, but I was over it and I could feel my confidence starting to return.

Shortly after this were some of my favorite trails in Squamish, the Pseudo Psuga's. They were recently buffed out and for the first time in the race I was starting to enjoy myself and riding just behind Todd.

After departing the Pseudo's we had another FSR connector climb that would lead us into the newly constructed and highly touted 'Half Nelson'. We could see Bart and Adrian just up ahead, but I I simply possessed zero climbing ability on my bike. I just couldn't spin my legs fast enough to make the damn thing move at a decent pace. Todd started pushing me from behind and then I grabbed his backpack as a tow whenever the trail allowed. We managed to close the gap and launch into Half Nelson just ahead of them.


Half Nelson was A BLAST and again the race felt like fun for a few minutes! At the bottom we were spit out onto a brief FSR before dropping into a secondary trail I had not seen before. It was a short technical drop and my confidence took another slight boost as both Todd and Bart briefly came off their bikes while I cleared it. This lasted all of sixty seconds until we were climbing again and Todd disappeared.

ONTO THE NAV

I would have previously stated that this was Todd's strongest suit, but he's just strong in everything now! Todd took care of the Orienteering course like clock work with numerous very efficient bush whacks. There was but one hiccup that cost us a few minutes in the 45min we were on foot and he still managed the fastest time for the stage. We started the nav in third, exactly seven minutes back of Markez, yet we now found ourselves in first as we departed.

As we rode away in the lead we were heading into one of the more famous trails in Squamish, The Powerhouse Plunge. I was surprised to find my biking confidence still in a fragile state and all I kept saying to myself as we approached the descent was,

"You love this trail! This was always once of your favorites. You've ridden this more than any other person in this race Gary. Just relax. Just ride. Don't think."

It wasn't the cleanest or fastest I've ever ridden it but for the most part it was a successful descent. We hit the water station at the bottom of the trail still in first, and there was a nice surprise as both Tamsin and Roxy were standing there while out on their own run! I simply had to get fluids into my now depleted body and as I was chugging and filling my singular bottle we were quickly caught by both Markez and Norm Thibault. (just for the record I always carry an empty 2Lt bladder in my bike pockets to cover the mandatory gear requirements)

There was now a ten minute ride to the base of The Chief and Markez being the great guy that he is actually pushed me for a second as he caught and passed us. I managed to find some biking legs on the flats, mostly due to my guilty conscience, and Todd and I altered the lead a few times as we approached the trek.

THAT'S A BIG ROCK!


We caught sight of Markez departing towards The Chief as we came off of our bikes in unison with Thibault. We ran to the base and I initially lead out the first portion of the climb. This lasted all of three minutes as my legs were now completely fried. A combo of not enough bike time, and a depletion in calories and fluid early in the race had now caught up to me and my legs felt like they were detached from my entire body. I probably could have gone faster on my hands and knees at that point. Todd easily hiked on ahead, and although we managed to drop Norm, Bart quickly caught up to and passed me. He and Todd hiked on ahead for awhile before Todd was forced to let him go.

We eclipsed the first peak of The Chief and I was too destroyed to even enjoy it. Todd grabbed the CP and I simply turned around and headed towards the repel sight. The repel sight is amazing and I had fun while bouncing on and off the rock while trying to get to the bottom as quickly as possible.

Once we were back into the grunt of the descent I felt like I could actually lead for a bit and try to make up some of the time I'd cost us on the climb. Again, it just wasn't my day and having done The Chief dozens of times before I had my first ever serious fall. The way it unfolded I managed to slam my bad ankle into a rock and it left me unable to even walk it off. I couldn't move my foot at all and at that moment I started regretting my decision to race, thinking I may have done further damage to an already weakened ankle that constantly concerns me. I know one day this ankle will kill my ultra running 'career' and the last thing I wanted to do was to exacerbate this issue any further. I was cringing back and forth just waiting for the pain to subside enough for me to start walking again. Time evaporated before I managed to get back to my feet and we both knew at that point that the race was all but over. In the end I was twelve full minutes slower than on that exact same stage just one year prior. The biking had killed me, and to my dismay we still had one short bike leg to go.

Back onto the bikes and now my legs were truly shot. They cramped so much that I was pedaling one leg at a time just trying to get the lactic acid to flush. Off the bikes for a river crossing, which actually felt good, back onto the bikes which definitely did not feel good. A small climb, which was tortuous, a descent through the Smoke Bluffs which was fun. Into downtown Squamish, a quick urban run and across the finish line in 4h26m for third overall.

C'EST FINI


It wasn't what we came for and I know Todd was disheartened when we exposed our bike discrepancies, however, on a personal level, other than slowing Todd down, I am actually happy with my race. It's been a tough month for me and this was the first real positive thing I've been able to draw from in quite sometime. I came out for a hard effort and had to dig deep. I had what I needed when I went searching for it and for a few minutes early on I thought I might still be missing the necessary drive and determination to get through the thing. Racing is NEVER easy, if you're pushing, it hurts...and it actually felt really good to HURT again!

Even better is that a few days after the race, outside of some lingering soreness from the crashes, my energy levels have sustained themselves. I only have a few more weeks to get myself ready for the biggie in California, and thankfully I'm feeling more confident than I have in the last month that I can actually pull that one off now.

Congrats to Markez, no one deserved it more than him as he's been right at the front for years now but this was his first clean race. Thanks so much to Bryan Tasaka for organizing such top notch events and to Jenn Segger for designing such a painful race course!

I have also refused to let Todd race with me in Cumberland. The guy is quite simply a beast right now and he has to be unleashed...you've all been warned!

FULL RESULTS and PIC LINKS

GR

MOMAR Squamish Results

I'll scoop Bryan T. on this by a few hours, hehe...here they are!



GR

Funny Fridays (Liquid Mountaineering)

Back for a one time limited edition installment, FUNNY FRIDAYS:)

I love this one! Thanks to Derrick Spafford for the heads up on this. The only thing funnier than the video itself is to scroll through the comments below...WOW people...really!??



GR

The 6am People (Downtime Update)

I'm stealing this from the most recent edition of Ultra Running Magazine, I hope that as long as I give credits here it's all good.

Substitute '6am people' for '100 mile runners' and I think I could pursue a case to be paid royalties on this one!

By Sean Ryan

The 6am people are never content
To follow the guidelines the trainers have sent,
If schedules say five miles, they'll surely run ten
They'll run the route once, then do it again.

When the main pack arrive and prepares for their run,
Some 6am people are already done.
With three months to go before the big race
The 6am people are max-ing their pace.

They double the mileage the trainers suggest,
Ignoring advice that they should get some rest.
The 6am people continue to push
Their feet and their limbs, their toes and their tush.

Their log books all show a steady ascent
Of increasing mileage without relent.
Like zombies that march along brainless and dumb,
They keep logging miles 'til their bodies are numb.

With one month to go and the race within range,
The 6am people begin to look strange.
Their faces are gaunt and their bodies look weak,
Their strides now are shuffles, their knees start to creak.

While the rest of the runners are starting to crest,
The 6am people are desperate for rest.
By race day, their training has lost all its fun
They don't care anymore and just want to be done.

When the pistol is fired and the field starts to move,
The 6am people all fall into the groove.
They amble along with the rest of the pack
Pursuing their goal without looking back.

But at mile 22 things go horribly wrong,
The 6am people no longer feel strong.
Their muscles lock up and their energy's drained,
A classic example of being over-trained.

While the rest of the field is crossing the line,
The 6am people sit curb-side and whine.
They utter some questions while others run long,
"How did this happen? Where did I go wrong?"

SINCE MIWOK

I still haven't run a single step, and I have confirmed numerous times, due to my energy levels that I'm definitely following through on the best thing for my own body at this point in time. What I have done is update my music collection with the likes of, Citizen Cope, Rural Alberta Advantage, Phoenix, Wolf Mother, Born Ruffians, Matt & Kim, Steel Pulse, The Gaslight Anthem, and TV On The Radio. ALL wonderful suggestions from friends. (I'm still trying to download all suggested music!) AND I've gotten back to reading again, which in and of itself has been very rewarding.

This afternoon I plan to go for my first hike since the race. That's ten full days without running a step. It's been increasingly difficult as the weather has been pretty much perfect since I got back from San Fran and there are no excuses not to be outside right now. However, since I'm still sleeping like a corpse most nights and not feeling 100% most days I'm not about to chance anything.

Yesterday was the very first day that I woke up with ENERGY in what feels like forever. I finished work at 6pm and was on my road bike by 6:30. I hadn't been on my bike in over three weeks, the evening was beautiful and I wanted nothing more than to get a good sweat going on. I started off on what was to be a 1hr ride, but within five minutes something just didn't feel right. My body wasn't happy with what I was doing. It felt like it was saying,

"HEY! WTF man, I'm just starting to feel good again, what the hell are you doing here? I wasn't giving you the go ahead for anything BUT TO start feeling good again. There's a hockey game on, go sit down and watch it dammit!"

And with that I turned around and was home within twenty minutes. I thought it would feel amazing to get on the bike again and when it didn't I didn't force it. I don't want to run or ride again until it feels effortless and FUN again. I have no doubt that will occur within the next ten days...it has to, cause that's all the rest time I can afford right now!

I haven't been completely dormant however as I've started in on my heat training for Western States...in an effort to prevent this from happening again...

(thanks to Glenn Tachiyama for ensuring I never fully forget how much the heat at Western hurt last year!)

I've been hitting up the sauna, hot yoga, and have even gotten in a couple of decent strength training work outs. This has felt good. I really missed the gym and have decided that when I get myself back to good again I'm going to forgo one run a week in favor of getting to the gym twice a week on a consistent basis. I have no doubt this will only make me stronger in the end. If anything I'm hoping to gain some perspective throughout this entire process. Speaking of which,

WOW, THANK YOU for all the incredible comments on my blog, personal e-mails, and phone calls. Everyone has had something to say, and it's all been very positive and supportive. I really can't express how much that has meant to me. I believe my parents summed it up best,

Hi Gary,

We really enjoy reading your blog and at times find it to be moving. We're proud of your decision to DNF because it shows that you kept your head when it would have been entirely the wrong decision to continue and do damage to yourself. But the most moving thing about it all is the comments from your peers.

Just finished reading your latest blog (for the second time today) and then the comments.

I already knew that the running community is close but it becomes more and more evident each time I read their comments and how supportive you are of each other.
It is certainly good for you to be able to build on each race and walk away with something learned from it.

Mom also wants to say how proud she is of you cheering everyone else on at the finish line and that she was really touched that you put a smile on your face and cheered everyone else in.

We're proud of you...win...lose...or draw (or I guess you could say DNF instead of draw).

But then again there are no losers in ultrarunning.

Couldn't have said it better myself Dad.

(Thanks to Keith Facchino for reminded me that adrenaline can override all pain, at least temporarily, and for giving my Father and I the souvenir picture of a lifetime!)

GR

And The Winner Of The Montrail Shoes Is...

FINALLY, after a considerable technology based delay (which involved purchasing a new camera) WE HAVE DETERMINED A WEINER...



*And for the record, YES she actually does play with tennis balls on a regular basis, just not when the camera is on apparently!

Oh yeah, and in case you missed the first video, as it was posted the same day as my San Francisco photo tour, here it is:



THANK YOU so much to all who have donated towards the Right To Play cause so far. Your support is greatly appreciated!

And in case you're wondering...days without running right now stands at eight...I feel like a recovering addict! I have started heat training for Western States though, so at least I feel like I'm doing something to help condition my body for the run next month...even if that only involves sitting in one spot, sweating my balls off and praying for each second to somehow be less painful than the last.

I'm up to an hour already, and have also been doing hot Yoga. I'm actually shocked at how taxing these very simple activities seem to be and am thankful that I currently have zero stress about having to run as well. All in all, as difficult as this is, I have reaffirmed numerous times in the last eight days that this has been the best decision for 'me' at this point in time. Who knows, WS might even be 'fun' this year as I'm approaching it with a completely different mind set than last year. We shall see I guess!

GR

Miwok Post Mortem, A DNF Story

So all I really want to do right now is run...fast...and long, like all that's going through my head is to somehow show up at this weekend's North Shore 6hr Enduro and try to add an additional lap to my CR from last year. I feel like I have something I need to prove, to myself and only myself, I feel like I need to bust one out right now cause I know it's in me somewhere, I just couldn't find it when I needed it during Saturdays 100km Miwok run, and therein lies the problem.

There have been over 1000 individual hits on my blog in the two and a half days since my DNF on Saturday. Stories are better told when things go sour I guess. The short version, I’m tired, I need a break, I didn’t have ‘it’ when I needed ‘it’. I had no desire to put forth the effort needed to achieve my goals once the going got tough. I dropped. For the first time ever I stepped aside and let a race continue without fighting tooth and nail until the end, and I was ok with it. That, more than anything else was what concerned me most.

The following is the long version. It’s a bit of a personal cleansing and self realization all at once. I spoke with a lot of people following this one and have really racked my brain about all that actually transpired for me here. If you’re truly interested in why I dropped, read on, but grab a coffee cause it ain’t brief.

I'm tired. Not from the run itself but overall. I've been fighting through a deep rooted fatigue for the better part of six months now. Honestly it all started at Mountain Masochist in early November. I was half way into it and though running well all I really wanted to do was to stop running. This is not unusual of course as anytime you run long distances your mind will undoubtedly start asking you to cease painful movement. To slow down. To walk. To rest. To do anything but push through your perceived limit and keep on pushing until some race director standing under an arch, or over top of a spray painted line in the sand, somewhere too far away tells you that you can officially call it a day.

During Masochist I nearly dropped. It was closer than I've ever come before and I distinctly remember making a pact with myself that I'd take an extended break immediately following the race. I finished third, missed a Western States entry by two minutes, and started my countdown to HURT in January. By the time I'd returned to North Van I already had my running gear on. I practically ran outta the airport and back into training again. I had good weeks and bad but kept pushing through December. Tamsin ended up in the hospital with her staph infection and I finally had a legitimate reason NOT TO RUN. I took six full days off and honestly it felt great, outside of the immediate circumstances of course. When she was finally released from hospital on Dec 24th I busted out 300km of running in the next ten days, then tapered for HURT, then had the race of my life. I was on cloud nine.

I felt no pain for weeks. Three weeks post HURT I laid down the most intense 100mile training week of my life, and I felt really good while doing it. The following week however it all changed. My entire being was exhausted. I kept running cause I wasn't injured. If I wasn't injured I had no legitimate reason not to run. By that weekend I was a zombie. I realized I needed some time off, so I gave myself two full days.

"48 hours should be enough time to fix everything"

I started hitting it again, faltered again, and took four full days off while Tamsin and I took a Seattle holiday together. Since she herself was still not able to run after her staph infection we left the run gear at home. It was a celebration weekend of her getting her six week, 24hr a day I.V. bag removed. We had an incredible weekend and I felt rejuvenated. I thought I'd found the answer, I tried to bounce back, and then promptly got sick. I contracted a bronchial infection which sidelined me for ten full days. I couldn't do any physical activity as even walking to work would bring on a coughing fit.

Chuckanut was only three weeks away before I was able to lace em up again and I managed a 60 mile week before a down week and then a slight taper into the race. When I was forced to dig deep in that race I found that I had zero reserves, and zero desire to suffer. I usually thrive in these circumstances but all I could think was,

"I just don't want to compete today. I'd like to enjoy this run. This hurts, I'm dying and I'm hating this right now."

I very nearly pulled up limp at an aid station but I wasn't injured and I'd never dropped before, so I sucked it up and trudged my way to the finish line. It sucked, but now Miwok was only six weeks away and that was a huge 'A' race for me, plus another top two shot at a Western States entry was on the line.

I had a down/recovery week and then busted out 450km/285miles of running in 20 days, and included in the middle of it all was a course record at our local Diez Vista 50k trail race. I had some tough runs. I had plenty of tired moments. There were days that I just didn't want to move, but I got out there and did it cause there was too much on the line not to. In my final run of that 450km I headed out with teammate Ryne Melcher. I honestly would not have even gone if not for him as I was just completely spent, but I never no show on a 'running date'. We ended up hammering out a 15km trail almost ten minutes faster than we normally do. I was utterly shattered, but I'd made it. Nothing left to do now but taper...

A down week ensued, with my 'weekend long run' consisting of a 20k mountain run from home. I ran it as a time trial and ended up a fifteen minutes faster than I expected, and the terrain mimicked Miwok perfectly. I felt like I was ready to dial in another race.

I arrived in San Fran on Thursday and was greeted by friend Devon Crosby-Helms. I spent the night at her place before transferring over to Running Stupid's Ken Michal's place. He had graciously offered to crew for me during the run and I honestly can't thank him enough for his selfless dedication to this role. There honestly was not a better crew person out there this weekend and I felt incredibly fortunate to have him there helping me out every step of the way!

I slept great the night before the race, got five full hours in. I did a warm up run at the starting area in the morning and felt surprisingly good. The 5:40am start came all too quick, but they always do. We were off.

Mike Wardian and Zach Gingerich shot to the front and I found myself in a secondary pack of 4-5 guys, including pre-race favorite Anton Krupicka. Although we weren't 'cruising' it honestly didn't feel like we were, scratch that, didn't feel like I was, going out too fast at the time. Once we hit our first few downhills I leaned into them and tried to bank some time verses the climbers in the field. This was my game plan going in as I knew I was not the best climber but I'd be one of the better descenders.

This was working nicely early on and after departing Muir Beach at mile 16(26km) I found myself running with Hal Koerner and Zach Gingerich. Wardian was leading and Anton was in second, both were 4-5 five minutes up. During the flatter section from Muir Beach to Pan Toll I was surprised to pull ahead of both Zach and Hal and gain a slight gap. Once the climbing started however Hal quickly distanced himself from both of us and right before we hit Pan Toll at mile 21.7(35k) local favorite Nathan Yanko came flying past looking fresh as well.

We hit Pan Toll in about 2h48m and it was already heating up nicely. I was dripping wet so I quickly changed shirts and was off again. The distance from Pan Toll to Bolinas Ridge is but 6.7 miles(11km) but it might as well have been in another State at that point. Up until Pan Toll I had been dialed on my nutrition. I was actually managing to consume slightly more than I had hoped for and hadn't faced any real signs that something wasn't right. Within minutes this all changed.

My energy had been completely zapped. I wasn’t cramping, I’d stayed smart and consistent on fueling up until that point in the race, and it wasn’t hot out, warm, but not yet hot, yet I had nothing left.

I continued towards Bolinas while my mind did cartwheels as to what had gone wrong. Maybe I’d get it back I thought? But the very next thought that entered my mind was...I don’t want it back, I just want this to be over with. This only served to further deflate me and I knew definitively that I was now staring down my first ever DNF. Right about this time Rod Bien caught up to me and we had a brief yet nice conversation with each other. He gave me a pep talk before disappearing around the next turn and I could see that he was running a smart race and would finish strong.
As we approached the forested section of trail that precludes the Bolinas aid station I caught sight of Nathan just up ahead (he had stopped to pee), the only thought that entered my mind

“Don’t catch him, you can’t drop if you’re catching people”

Pathetic

(and for the record I am not implying that I could or would have caught Nathan, quite the opposite in fact as he was running a great race an only getting stronger)

I descended the final section of trail into Bolinas Ridge still running in 6th. I had full intentions of calling it a day right then and there, but there was so much energy and excitement that I knew no one would let me do so. Ken, my incredible one man crew, ran up to me and gave me my bottles with a big smile on his face.

All I said to him was,
“I’m dying”

“NO YOU ARE NOT GARY! Look at this, it’s a Hawaiin aid station, just like at HURT where you hold the course record my friend!!”

He’s good, very good.

I didn’t stop as I proceeded on through but I knew what lay ahead. A 24km out and back section with a steep descent at the turnaround that you had to obviously climb back up and out of. I ran till I was out of sight, then walked a bit. I started to run again but it only lasted a minute before I was again strolling along.

I shoulder checked to see Erik Skaden and Lewis Taylor catching up. I started clapping and cheering them on. Erik looked me straight in the eye and in what then sounded like a biblical voice, simply said,

“Come with me Gary”

There was no arguing with that so I jumped in and for a minute I felt like I might bounce back. I ran on Erik’s heels and Lewis fell back a step. This lasted all of about three minutes until we hit the first slight climb. My mind told me to let them go and I listened without question.

They were gone, I was alone, it was a beautiful day. I found a sunny spot and took it all in for a few seconds. I then returned to the trail and continued walking towards the next aid station at Randall turn around. A few seconds later and my internal voice became external,

“EITHER FUCKING RUN OR DROP OUT, BUT DON’T KEEP WALKING CAUSE YA AIN’T ABOUT TO WALK 50KM TO THE FINISH TODAY GARY”

My day was done, and I was completely alright with it. I stopped, turned back around, and proceeded to walk the entire 3km back to the Bolinas Aid station. I clapped and cheered for every approaching runner in the process. A few reacted like I was somehow still on course and leading the race...

“Way to...oh...”

It took thirty minutes to make it back to Bolinas and I contemplated running in like a man on fire and implying that I was indeed now in the lead. This would have been funny if I had not just spent half an hour coming to terms with my first ever DNF.

I strolled in with a sheepish look on my face and the distinct desire to be anywhere else in the world at the moment in time.

I spotted Ken before he spotted me, as he was still cheering people through as they were running in the right direction. I said his name and he jumped, ran to a bin, grabbed my bottles and started sprinted back towards me. Honestly there was no better crew out there on Saturday. He was half way to me before he noticed my hand waving across my neck.

“I’m done man, it’s over. Sorry.”

I chatted with a few people before managing to hibernate in the car for a few minutes by myself. I sat there in a self loathing state before looking at myself in the mirror.

“Alright G, no one here gives a shit about why you dropped today. There’s still a race going on and a lot of people are doing really wonderful things around you right now. When you get out of this car you’re going to wear a smile, swallow your pride, and you can deal with all of this when you get back home. You’re in San Francisco, it’s an absolutely perfect day, and you’re surrounded by old friends, new friends and soon to be friends. You can self loath all you want when you get home, but for now, let’s just enjoy the rest of this trip.”

I had a wonderful time watching the rest of the race unfold and cheering people on along the way. I made sure to get as much sun as possible so that when I return back to the rains of North Vancouver I will at least appear to have run in a far off sunshine all day long. We later made the joke amongst friends that I’d only be sunburned on the left side of my body since I’d only run North along the coast!

Ken and I followed the lead ten runners through the next few aid stations and to the finish. Hours had passed since Bolinas Ridge and I didn’t even look like I’d ever been in the race that was still unfolding. A volunteer at Tennessee Valley watched me chase a few lead guys and cheer them through,

“You seem to have quite a bit of energy, why aren’t you still out there running with them?”

I smiled and laughed. I knew she had voiced what many must have thought. It’s amazing what a few cans of coke and a bag of chips can do for an exhausted runner, but she gave me pause for thought. She was right. I probably could have stepped back on the trails and finished the run...just not in a racing scenario.

We proceeded to the finish line and as we watched the runners filter in one thing became very apparent to me. It’s not supposed to be easy, obviously I know this, but I was confronted by some of the most experienced runners in the world crossing the line with bloody feet, toe nails missing, legs that ceased to function immediately after crossing that ‘far off finish line’. Not a single runner gets through a race like this without a mind like a bear trap. When thoughts of pain and suffering enter your head you simply ignore them and push them back out. They may keep fighting back but you know you’re stronger than these pathetic thoughts and that you’re going to finish under any circumstances. You have to know that in advance of lining up.

I knew what lay ahead at the half way point, and I wanted no part of it. Experience had lead to a full understanding of consequence and I was completely unwilling to step over that line on race day. I’ve never been here before. I’ve never had to face these thoughts head on. I’ve always heard them, accepted them and mocked them as I pushed them aside.

‘The mind is weak, the body is a machine’ I used to preach to friends. 'Conquer your mind and you can control what your body does'.

As Scott Jurek said after Western States last year,
“I went to the well, and the well was dry”

I honestly had no appreciation of where he was coming from on this one. I just didn’t get it cause I’d never experienced it first hand before. Scott was volunteering at Bolinas where I dropped out. He chatted with me and asked what happened. I dropped that quote and he smiled,

“Oh! You can’t say that!”

Opps, I wasn’t trivialized anything, I just fully understood for the very first time. I’m done. I need a break. I started training for Western States 09 in January of last year, and though I haven’t hit consistent training the whole way through, I also have not taken a scheduled break and given my body, and more importantly my mind, the time that it needs to rest. Any breaks I’ve taken were forced upon me and each day was riddled with thoughts of ‘when can I get back out running again’.

There is a silver lining here, and it’s a big bright one at that. Last week Montrail were contacted by Western States and informed that they had a few extra sponsor entries to administer. I was offered on of these and though I was still hoping to win my way in this past weekend, I of course graciously accepted and intend to show up on June 26th.

I had a very candid and lengthy conversation with Lon Freeman at Bolinas Ridge. He helped greatly in offering advice and assisting to bring clarity to my then cloudy, confused, and dejected mindset.

I’m taking time off. I absolutely need to as I honestly don’t feel like I can survive the rest of my season otherwise. The next two to three weeks will hopefully be enough to help reset my focus. At that point I’ll only have a few weeks of running before needing to taper into Western. I’m going to show up with no pressure on myself and some pretty basic goals. Who knows what that will bring. More than anything I just want my head back in the game. I love this sport and all of the incredible people involved in it. I’d like to have a long and happy ultra career, and I certainly won’t make this mistake ever again.

I didn’t exactly depart San Fran with what I flew down here to grab, that being a hard earned top two auto entry into States, a sub 8h20m run time, and a sense of achievement and knowledge that my training is paying off and I’m stronger than ever. What I did end up with however was far more valuable than that. I finally learned a hard lesson, your body gets what it wants, every-single-time. It will speak to you constantly, letting you know how it’s truly feeling. At first the chatter will be subtle, and there will be room for error as you interpret what’s being said. But as you continue to push deeper and harder, and ignore what you finally understand as if it’s being spoken in clear and concise English, you will eventually face the consequences of your own actions.

“I’m not injured, so I must be fine”

If anyone talks to me about running in the next three weeks, they’re getting a shoe in the head!

GR

SAN-FRAN-CISCO!!

Got here safe and sound, thanks to friends Krissy Moehl in Seattle and Devon Crosby-Helms in San Fran.

Got out for a quick scenic run tour this afternoon, followed up by some lunch with Devon at a great gluten free spot just around the corner from her place.

Below is a quick photo tour of the day...oh yeah, and I guess my days of stealth attacks are over with!

And quickly, Taper Tantrums...I meant to voice something similar before HURT in Jan as remember going through the EXACT same issues...on my run today, only my right hamstring, ankle, and foot, and left glute med seemed to be significantly bothering me. That combined with a completely sideways stomach and I guess I'm right on track to have another great race come Saturday, at least I hope that's the case!! Thankfully after a few years of experience I know not to let these things freak me out any more. I think I'm good to go!

Photo Tour:

(I got to see the entire 100km course as I flew in. That's where it starts just to the left of The Golden Gate, and then up into The Marin Headlands!)

(1st stop, Whole Foods for ESSENTIALS!)

(The Coit Tower, just up the street from Devon's place, ie she has a stellar location!)

(There is this little place I LOVE where they house antique machines that still work. Some still work after more than 100 years! It's a must see in my books and hidden just off the main strip. This one is 'Laughing Sally' and she literally just laughs heartily for about a minute per .25)




(Hilarious! A saddened Father holding a crying man-child, for only a quarter!)

(The view back over the bridge)



(Devon's cool Mini with the crazy steep roads below. )

(Finishing it off right!)

GR

Roxy Draw PART ONE...

The rest will follow after Miwok, this is as far as I got with it yesterday...



GR

Miwok 100k Follow Along (Roxy Draw Update)

OK, first and foremost, the Roxy draw...it's 30% done...do I even bother trying to splain why that is?? Long story short, technical difficulties that I'm hoping to resolve before I leave tomorrow for Seattle and then San Fran, but I can't guarantee I'll get er done. SORRY, but I promise it'll be worth it when I get it all finalized!! If I can squeeze it in tomorrow morning I can edit it on the flight down.

MIWOK...HOLY SHIT IT'S HERE!!!


100km, this Saturday with lots on the line and an absolutely SMOKINGLY stacked field of racers!

I've run this race once before, in 2008. It was my first ever 100k and at the time I was still dealing with calf issues that forced most of my training onto the road bike. I was doing quite well for myself late in the race, around 85k, running in 8th and on pace for a sub 9hr run. I was running just back of Topher Gaylord who ended up 7th in a time of 8h51m...but I was finding it all a bit too easy so I decided to customize my own 105km course and in the end I finished 12th in 9h22m...I've pretty much been counting down the days since then to right this wrong!


Here's how to follow along live on Saturday morning. We start at 5:40am Pacific.

I'll also most likely have my awesome crew, Ken Michal from Running Stupid, hitting up my phone to update my Twitter Feed

The Race Itself:

Men's and Women's races are absolutely filled with top notch talent, here's my quick take on things.

In 14 years only two people have cracked 8h20m, Dave Mackey in 08 with the current course record of 7h53m and Lon Freeman in 07 with 8h09m, and only five total runners have eclipsed 8h30m. The record books will be rewritten this weekend.

FOUR guys will go under 8h20m, it's just a matter of who that is and how low they go. There will also be a massive pack of guys in the 8h30m range all pushing each other to their limits. As I see it right now, it's a bit of a two horse race at the front as Anton Krupicka and Michael Wardian are the alphas of the field. Hal Koerner looks to be the third favorite heading into this weekend, and from there, the list is just ridiculous

-Anton Krupicka
-Michael Wardian
-Hal Koerner
-Nathan Yanko
-Zach Gingerich
-Glenn Redpath
-Chris Downie
-Rod Bien
-Erik Skaden
-Brett Rivers
-Lewis Taylor
-Topher Gaylord
-Chris Rennaker
AND a host more guys who's names I recognize that will all be on that 9hr barrier

WOMENS
Again, too many to choose from. Apparently one of the pre-race favorites, Anita Ortiz, is out due to injury. Only one woman has cracked 9hr before, that being the legendary Ann Trason way back in 2001. Her CR is 8h55m, Kami has the next two fastest all time performances. With this much competition and an apparently buff course with perfect weather forecast, I think you might just see two women break the 9hr time frame!

-Kami Semick
-Devon Crosby-Helms
-Krissy Moehl
-Amy Sproston
-Prudence L'heureux
-Bree Lambert
-Helen Cospolich
-Darcy Africa
-plus many top ranked that I don't personally recognize

FULL LIST OF RUNNERS

Let the crazy fast ultra running times for 2010 continue to roll!!!

GR

NS Outlook News Article (Roxy Draw Up Next)

This is just a quick update with a link to a fun article that was posted in one of our local newspapers today, The North Shore Outlook.

Reporter Rebecca Aldous happened across my blog one day, and she said she laughed out loud that someone would actually compete in a 100 mile running race named HURT, so she had to learn more. Here's her article and many thanks to her for contacting me!

UP NEXT, now that I finally have a video camera and have it working, THE CONQUER THE COASTS - MONTRAIL SHOE DRAW - IN SUPPORT OF RIGHT TO PLAY! I'll be sure to take care of it this weekend and post it early next week.

So far the taper to Miwok is going well. I managed to log 450km of running in the last 21 days leading up to the taper and outside of the obvious fatigue, my body feels really good with no real issues to speak of at all. At 9am tomorrow I get tortured with 'therapeutic massage' that will probably bring me to the brink of tears...and I'll only have to pay $90 to get someone to do this to me, what a deal!

GR

Running Stupid Interview

Back in January while racing the HURT 100 miler in Hawaii I met a guy by the name of Ken Michal.

During the race itself this guy had a completely infectious energy about him and he seemed to know each and every person by name. Every time I saw him he was smiling from ear to ear and laughing out loud. He was stopping to give people encouragement hugs during the actual race, and in the end he claimed a coveted 100km belt buckle.


We chatted a bit after the race and exchanged e-mails. At the time I had no idea that Ken was a bit of a celebrity within the scene as he hosts his own program called 'Running Stupid'!

When he shot me an e-mail and asked if I'd be interested in an interview I was fully flattered and I jumped at the opportunity.

It was just posted on Thursday and Ken tells me it's been getting good 'download numbers' so far, so at least it wasn't a waste of his time!

You can either stream it via this link, or find it under 'Running Stupid' in iTunes itself, which you could then download to a portable device if you so choose.

Here is the link to Ken's Running Stupid website, and his Facebook page, be sure to follow along, just consider yourself warned though, if you do...you'll become an official STUPIDHEAD!

Oh yeah, and like most things involving me and story telling, it's long. If you commute to work however, you might get through half of it on the way in and the other half on the way home...or you might need two days if you live close to work...either way, if you listen to five minutes or the whole damn thing, I hope you enjoy it, and thanks again KEN!

All Day!

GR

XS-NRG (An Ultra Running Documentary)

In 2004 four very experienced Canadian ultra runners set out to lay down a speed record on an unchallenged 180km route upon BC's Sunshine Coast, aptly named, 'The Sunshine Coast Trail'. It was their second attempt to cover the terrain non-stop, following a failed assault the previous year. Thankfully for us, they were fortunate enough to bring along a professional film crew to catch all the action!

Dom Repta, Wade Repta, Dave Cressman, and Ean Jackson set out as a unified group to cover this grueling route in one non stop push. What they ended up with was more than they had bargained for, as initial time estimates proved far too generous, but did they bite off more than they could chew? Some of the most experienced ultra runners in Canada called it quits one at a time, until but one man remained. Who was left standing, and was he able to finally conquer this epic route?

XS-NRG is more than just a running documentary. It's not lost on us runners that watching people run ain't exactly the most exciting thing in the world to do! Thankfully the directors recognize this as well and what you end up with is an integrated education about the trail itself. The original trail builders are featured prominently throughout, and they end up being some of the biggest doubters as to the likelihood of someone surviving the entire trail in one go.

The coastline of British Columbia is some of the most varied, fascinating, and gorgeous found anywhere in the world. There are endless shots in this film that will leave you longing to experience this part of the country for yourself, and that's what this trail is all about. It was built with but one objective, to preserve this untouched beauty. The trail is so technically challenging because those tireless trail builders did their absolute best to weave it throughout each remaining patch of old growth forest. Unfortunately little remains, and even what's there is still in danger of being logged.

This film is about people doing what they love. People living with passion and pursuing true long term goals. The original trail builder, showing off his life's achievement to the world, and hoping to make a difference in the process. And the ultra runner, who is more at peace in the middle of a desolate forest at 3am than in the confines of his own home. Together, they both strive to achieve the same end result, to save this trail, by educating people as to its true natural beauty.

Check out the trailer

Check out the photo gallery


This film makes its official premiere later this month in Powell River on April 24th at The Patricia Theatre.

One week later Vancouver will host an evening on May 1st at The Vancouver Space Centre.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $17 at the door, but early sales are looking good so it's best to book in advance if you can.

OR you can WIN 1 of 2 FREE tickets right here and now...first two people to comment that they are able to attend THE VANCOUVER showing will be awarded the tics (one per person).

It's definitely worth checking out...you might even catch a glimpse of yours truly...just a few months after I laced up my first ever pair of Montrail trail shoes...as you'll undoubtedly notice by my then patented 'funky chicken' arm swing running style. Oh how much I've learned since then!

GR

Confidence Boost - Diez Vista 50k CR!

First and foremost, you have just three days left to possibly win a free (for a donation of $5 or more) pair of Montrail Mountain Masochist trail shoes! All you have to do is help support the Conquer The Coasts goal of raising $5,000 for Right To Play. Currently you have about a 1 in 35 chance at claiming this $100 prize!

Diez Vista 50km

I've told this lead in before, but I love it cause it's still so vivid in my memory. In 2004 when I was first getting started I headed into a shoe store in downtown Vancouver. A brief conversation with the employee ensued in which I proclaimed that I was about to start trail running.

"Oh cool" he says, "What about Diez Vista? Will you sign up for that one?"

"Sure, I guess. What's the distance?"

He very nonchalantly responded with "50k"

"Did you say 15k?"

"No 50k"

"Fif.." I literally stuttered "Fifty kilometers!? Umm, no, no I'm probably NOT going to run for fifty kilometers...do people actually run that far!?"

I eventually DID sign up for DV50 in 2006. I ran like an idiot, blew up like a puffer fish, and walked like a scarecrow to the finish line. My legs cramped so bad I couldn't actually flex them at all, but I finished, in 5h13m. That year they offered up $500 for new course records. This short little American guy with big curly hair ran an astounding 4h23m to smash the CR and grab the cash. He weighed 100lbs, he ran in bright red shoes, and his name was Phil Kochik. I thought out loud to a few friends,

"How the F#@K can ANYONE cover that course in 4h23m..."

It took me two years to return and in 2008 I managed to cover the course in 4h22m50s, unfortunately Aaron Heidt was a minute further up on me as he set the new CR.

I came back a third time last year, determined to try to finally win the damn thing and to stamp my own name on that course record book. I ended up having to push solo from the top of the first climb (45 minutes in) until the finish line. Aaron being a good friend I trash talked him prior to the race and then pretended he was chasing me all day long. I finally got my CR in a time of 4h15m21s. I was immensely proud of that one as it seemed things had finally come full circle for me.



DV 2010

Heading into this edition it looked to be a much more competitive year, which would be a very good thing. Almost immediately following DV09 I told Heidt I intended to take another five minutes off of my time by 2010. It was time to deliver...

A slight course change to accommodate some road construction was added to ensure accurate distance. After talking with new RD (he was actually the original who started it all) George Forshaw he said it would add a bit of time to the run as it took out some flat forest service road in favor or more technical stuff. Since I thrive on technical I wasn't complaining!

GO!

I was fully aware that Salomon runner Phil Villeneuve was going to be pushing the pace from the get go. We looped the parking lot, then the lake, and then started in on the first and biggest climb of the day.

Going into this race I intended to do a few things differently than in the past. Mainly I was going to RUN the entire course. No longer is it acceptable to hike climbs. That was some of the first advice I received a few years back from some of the top runners, "walk the climbs", so I did, and I learned to power hike better than anyone. No longer is this sufficient, the sport is too damn fast, guys are too damn talented. Learn to run the steep shit or be left behind. Even last year two guys lead out over the first climb and I didn't catch them until we started our first big descent.

Secondly, I was going to force myself to consume more calories. This is a whole other blog posting that I simply have to address.

I lead into the first climb, Phil was breathing down my neck, and I was about to see that this was how most of the day would go.

I pushed hard up over the climb and a few times gained a slight gap, but Phil kept jumping back on. I did walk a few steps near the top, but honestly it was so steep at that point that running was pretty much impossible. I had figured that once we crested the climb and I could initiate my descent upon the infamously technical terrain leading away from the Diez Vista ridgeline, that I'd drop Phil and be on my own for a bit. I could not have been more wrong!



Phil shocked me with his technical abilities. I've never had someone match me stride for stride over terrain like that and for a brief moment I felt like we were working together rather than against each other. We danced down the ridgeline exchanging the lead a few times, as the front guy would slightly overshoot a turn here or there. It felt like a breakdancing competition where one guy lead, stepped aside, and asked the other guy to challenge. We went back and forth throughout the entire descent and I loved every second of it!

Eventually we were spit out at the bottom and after a slight out and back on the newly altered section of the course it was apparent we were on our own at the front of the field.

We ran stride for stride.

We were separated by less than a few feet. We spoke little as we were both digging deep and pushing hard. We hit the mid way aid station, I stopped to grab my drop bottles and Phil took the lead. Phil stopped to pee and I took the lead back. We passed a volly at a junction and all she said was,

"Are you guys attached by a rope?"

I know Phil to be a great 25-30k runner. As we approached 30k I was honestly shocked that we were still together. I had put in numerous surges between 20-30k, many of which gained me a lead, all of which were quickly closed by Phil. We hit the switchback climb that leads to an out and back section. I consider this to be the crux of the course and where it can be won and lost. Last year I hiked most of the climb, this year I intended to run it.

It was like Phil and I were breathing as one cohesive unit, though I kept telling myself that I HAD to have more endurance than him. I've been logging bigger miles and it was Phil's first official ultra! I was digging deep and hoping I didn't crack first. We eclipsed the switchback climb and were approaching 35km when all of a sudden there was silence. I shoulder checked. Phil was walking! I wasn't sure if he was just stopping to pee or if he was actually done, so I surged right then and there and by the time I shoulder checked again I realized the race was mine. Phil was gone. I checked my watch. Two hours and fifty minutes. Five minutes up on CR pace.

I spoke to myself, "Just hold this till the line and you should crack 4.10! Just finish like you did last year!"

I hit the turn around knowing there was pretty much exactly 1h05m to go. Still unsure of how Phil was doing, or what was happening further back I made sure to run efficiently and look strong on the way back up. By the time I saw Phil I had five minutes on him. By the time I saw Downie I knew he'd catch Phil. I was surprised how much of a gap there was to fourth but Jacek was still running strong.

"Hi, hello, nice work. Hi, hello, nice work. Hi, hello, nice work."

Out and backs can suck

when your hurting and guys are catching you. They're just fun when you know you're having your day!

Back to the top of 'the crux', knowing there was exactly 45min to the line. Another time check to see that I was still exactly 5min up on last year. I unleashed into the descent and my legs didn't flinch. It felt amazing. Through the last aid station and into the final, lengthy climb. I had forgotten how steep it actually was and although I told myself pre-race that I'd run it or die, I choose to hike most of it as the previous promise to myself may have ended up a little too literal had I actually attempted to do so.

Harvey Nelson was smiling and directing traffic at the top. I knew there was only twenty minutes to go. Twenty very painful and destructive downhill minutes until the finish line.

To myself (internally) "Twenty minutes, sub 4h10, let's go, let's go, let's go you pansy!"

I literally grunted and groaned as the terrain grew steeper and more challenging. I felt like my quads were like the finely tuned strings of a fiddle. They were right on the edge of being over tightened and simply going TWANG, but I continued to push.

Sub 4.10, sub 4.10, sub 4.10

Across the road, onto the flats, around the lake. Checking my watch, pushing hard, checking my watch, yelling at listless packs of hikers blocking the trail PLEASE MOVE! Watch check, so close, stairs...about forty of them...as always...I tried to run, double steps, then single, then leg cramps, "F#@K YOU GEORGE!!" Cresting the stairs, seeing the clock, nearly getting tackled by Roxy, ohh so damn close!!!

4h10m38s NEW COURSE RECORD!




THANK YOU so much to George Forshaw for ensuring the Diez didn't disappear during a time of uncertainty last year. It's great to have you back at the helm!

The volunteers were amazing, as always, and it was great to see so many familiar faces out there!

I'm not about to promise another five minutes in 2011...but 39 seconds...well I'm sure I've got that in me somewhere!

FULL RESULTS

Finally, congrats to my bud/training partner/Montrail teammate Ryne Melcher for also nailing his goal this weekend of lowering the Mt. Si 50 Mile course record. He ran an incredible 5h54m15s to take down a nine year old record from former Montrail stud James Kirby...maybe, just maybe, we'll go a little easier on each other come our Wednesday morning training/hammer-fest climb up mountain highway.

GR

Training Through It - Diez Vista 50k

Didn't I just race a 50k yesterday? Kinda feels like that, but with Diez Vista being exactly three weeks prior to the Miwok 100k in San Francisco on May 1st, it makes for the perfect tune up race heading into the biggie!

What initially looked like it might be a two horse race, with myself and Chris Downie both competing at Miwok and both training through this one, now appears to have turned into a fairly competitive outing!

With a solid high intensity 130km of running last week, and an additional 160km this week, with 90km pre-race and a hopeful 20km on Sunday, this might be a bit of a leg burner for me...but I'm still shooting for nothing but an improvement upon last years course record of 4h15m.

How I think it'll break down:

Phil Villeneuve: Trans Rockies stud and recent course record setter upon the 25km Rubble Creek Classic

Chris Downie: Solid all rounder who trains as hard as anyone out there

Jacek Doniec: Recent winner of the 50k Dirty Duo in a very respectable 4h09m with a snow covered course

Darin Bentley: Plenty experienced on DV and ran solid 4h20 at Chuck three weeks back

Dustin Heidt: Last name HEIDT, need I say more! Used to consistently be at the top of the 5Peaks trail races. Yes it's Aaron's brother and YES they're ALL FAST!!

Mark Bennett: Third overall last year, but closing in on 50 now...an ageless wonder?

Last year I ran completely solo from the top of the first climb until the finish line, this year looks like I might get to visit 'the pain cave' early and often. I'm really looking forward to running against another good field of runners. Like I said before, this sport is getting faster by the day! I hope I can still keep up this weekend.




GR

One Year

Almost exactly one year ago I made my way from North Vancouver to Port Alberni on Vancouver Island via my road bike. The distance was just over 100km each way, and in late April the weather could not have been better for the journey. I made the jaunt to join my extended family in congratulating a first cousin on his University Graduation, which was to be followed shortly thereafter by an overseas excursion of four full months.

I had a wonderful weekend, as I always do when we all find an excuse to get together like that. As I was enjoying the ninety minute ferry crossing I noticed a few things. First and foremost, as I was clad in a black head to toe spandex cycling suit, I can be perceived as strange from just outside of my 'lifestyle circle'.

In North Vancouver I would not garner a second glance. Upon a ferry full of 'normal people' I felt like I would encounter fewer stares had I gone completely naked! I disappeared into the newsstand and perused all the outdoor magazines. Within a few minutes I had come across articles in three different publications either written by or about people I knew fairly well within the scene.

Tracy Garneau brandished the cover of the Canadian Running Magazine 'Trail Special'. Jen Segger was featured in another, and The Mallory Family had a huge write up in a third magazine. I do not know the family intimately, but I did get to meet them while competing against them at the Raid The North Extreme expedition adventure race in The Queen Charlotte Islands in 2007. They became the first FAMILY to scale Mt. Everest together last year! There were also a few other pictures of or by people I recognized/knew throughout these magazines.

My first reaction was. Wow, I've managed to dig myself pretty deep into this scene within five short years. In 2004 I didn't know a single soul within this world because I myself was not a part of it in any way, shape, or form. Yet there I was in 09 picking up magazine after magazine and going, "Hey I know her!" "Hey I know him!", "Hey I recognize them!" It was a pretty cool sensation, and realization for me.

The very next thought I had, as selfish as it is, was 'Hey, I'm doing some decent things within the scene right now, I want in on this stuff!'

By the time I hopped back in the saddle to pedal my way off of the boat I had but one thought going through my head. "Just keep doing what you're doing. Your time will come. Just keep believing in where you're going and doing exactly what you're already doing."

I just returned from an Easter family get together in Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island this past Saturday night. Almost a year to the day since I had these thougts. I kept doing what I was doing. I kept training my ass off and continually improving, never settling for less, and recently Derrick Spafford out of Ontario contacted me and asked if he could do an interview for Canadian Running Magazine...and there it was! Almost a year to the day, after I vividly remember standing in the EXACT same spot and simply saying to myself,

"Just keep doing what you're doing. Just keep believing in where you're going."



GR

PS You currently have about a 1 in 30 chance of winning a BRAND NEW pair of Montrail Mountain Masochist trail shoes IF you donate just $5 (or more) to Right To Play via this page

Oh THAT'S What That Feeling Is...

I was having trouble understanding why I've been feeling so damn good over the last six days? I kept awaiting the inevitable fatigue factor to set in, then it hit me, I'm fully healthy for the first time in what feels like forever! That damn bronchial infection stuck around a lot longer than I'd like to admit, and it was still affecting me, especially after my runs, up until last week.

In the last six days however I've put in some pretty intense runs, including a VO2 Max-Lactic Threshold test on Saturday via Peak Centre Vancouver.ca

This was followed up by a 20k run on Sunday, a tempo hill climb 15k on Monday, morning and evening fast paced 10k's on Tues, and then a 15k hammer fest climbing session this morning. I hadn't planned on much more today, but the weather was so nice that a few hours later I found myself out running a second 15k, in just over an hour...then I headed to the gym for an intense 45min workout. It wasn't until the final 10min of this that it hit me, I HAVE ENERGY, I FEEL GREAT, I'M NOT FATIGUED, I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!


This really does track all the way back to HURT Hawaii in January...well that combined with the fact that for the first time ever, I did not have an off season last year. I started training for Western States 09 in January of last year...and I haven't really stopped since. The only breaks I've taken were forced breaks around Tamsin's hospital stay in December, and getting fully sick for the first time in two and a half years in late Feb. Each year prior had seen me take a break from training of at least six to ten full weeks!

Just looking back over my training since HURT shows me that I've only really had one, yes one solid week of consistent running. Everything else has been compromised by serious fatigue or feeling sick. This has been happening for so long that I'd almost considered it normal...until today!

Mike over at Peak has me on a specific training program that I just initiated this morning. Although there are obviously only four weeks left until the biggie, the MIWOK 100k in San Fran, I honestly think that there's enough time to fully get back on track and have MY race down there. What that means In terms of overall placing I'm not quite sure of, cause like every other ultra these days, IT'S STACKED!

All that to basically say, DAMN I FEEL GOOD RIGHT NOW, and damn it feels good to finally feel good again!!

GR

Win A Pair Of Montrail Mtn Masochists, Right Here, Right Now!

Alright how's this for a contest, I'm willing to give away one of my very own pairs of Montrail Mountain Masochist running shoes, only worn 137 times and in your standard size 11...just kidding, this is for real, I'll be giving away a BRAND NEW pair of Montrail Mountain Masochist shoes, and I'll even let YOU decide what size you want, how crazy is that!

In case you hadn't heard The Mountain Masochist is pretty much the hottest thing since sliced bread. I work at a running store and we're having trouble keeping them in stock these days. The shoe won Outside Magazines gear of the year in 09 and are available in even cooler colors for 2010!

I must first thank the coolest running store in B.C.,North Shore Athletics as they are allowing me to do a stock exchange on one of my own personal 2010 allotment of these shoes so that I can ensure the correct size for the very lucky winner. And of course Montrail themselves for supplying me with the shoes in the first place!

Before you go jumping to the comment section, there are slightly different rules this time...

I'm going to take all the names of those kind enough to donate any amount to Right To Play via the 'Conquer The Coasts' donations page. All I'm honestly asking for here is a $5.00 donation and your name goes in the draw.

To all who have already donated THANKS and obviously you'll be added as well.

NOW, I'll fire up ROXY for the hopeful increase in entries and figure out a new way to determine the winner!

THANKS again for your support with this!
Oh yeah, contest will close on April 15th.
GR