IT'S HERE, and author Rich Wheater has been kind enough to spot me one of the very first books to hit the shelves as a FREE giveaway, right here, right now.
Vancouver Trail Running is a first edition guide book and as such it fills a massive gap in our local scene for relevant, accurate trail information. As with any first edition there is some room for improvement, but overall the pictures are engaging, the information flows nicely, and each route is accompanied by an adjacent trail map.
Elevation profiles are also added, though they are slightly small to get a fair estimation of exactly how much climbing each route really posses. Thankfully there is a fully functional legend for each run, which is complete with a heart (attack) guide, ranked from 1-3 and referred to as the 'burl factor'. This alone should clarify the possible need to pack your very own defibrillator.
My hat really goes off to Rich with what he's accomplished here, and I have no doubt that much like the 2005 release of Scrambles In Southwestern BC, this book will become a veritable bible for travellers and locals alike. In fact, these two books combined, would provide all the necessary information for one incredibly fun filled adventure/running summer!
ALL YOU NEED TO DO TO BE ENTERED IS,
tell me the square root of Pi...all of it...
(random draw from all comments will take place on Wednesday, April 20th at 8pm-ish)
I headed down to Sisters, Oregon this past weekend to attempt my first real racing experience since July of last year. In July I ran our local Knee Knacker 50k, but that race was just two weeks after Western States and I kinda consider Western to be my last real race. That's over NINE full months without a true test. There were of course two speed attempts and a few days on crutches thrown into that nine month span, but all in all, it had been a hell of a long time since I'd really tasted and savored the camaraderie of competition.
The Peterson Ridge Rumble is organized by Montrail teammate Sean (P-Diddy) Meissner and offers two distances to choose from, those being 20 and 40 miles. I had always known of the shorter version of this race as Sean allows for a DOG category and I'd dreamed for years of bringing my pooch Roxy along and tackling the race together. Heading into the weekend this did not seem like a reality though, as my dog had 'acquired' almost as much weight as I had during my extended hiatus - to the tone of jumping up from around 55lbs to over 70lbs, which is of course almost 30% of her own body mass. Since I see her on a daily basis it never fully dawned on me why so many people lead into their greetings with her with,
"You've gotten fat Roxy!"
Then I pulled up a not so long ago picture for my own reference and couldn't help but laugh.
My dog now had a bulging waistline and I did my best to ignore the fact that her winter ski jacket from just two seasons ago wouldn't even adhere to itself once stretched around her belly.
Knowing this and seeing her struggles to keep up on even shorter runs over the last month I had no intentions of running my dog in the 20mile race. The initial plan was to run solo before trucking her back out on course and allowing her to run the closing portion with my girlfriend. Once the anticipation of the impending race started to build however, with howls of excitement from all around, she peered up at me with an all knowing glare,
"You CAN'T SERIOUSLY intend to leave me here at the finish while all these other dogs get to run this race with their owners? I thought you loved me!?"
A backup plan ensued after I expressed my concerns with with Leslie Gerein's significant other Keith Brodsky. Keith was out for a leisurely scenic run and we agreed should my dog really start to suffer or fall apart I'd leash her at an aid station and Keith would grab her on his way past. I honestly lined up for the start assuming no other scenario to unfold on the day, and I was excited at the prospect of running even half the race with my pooch, as it was simply too far to drive and too cool a concept not to enjoy with my now five year old pup.
The full circle part about this on a personal level was that I had broken my foot and significantly altered my own path over the last six months, just 40miles from where I was now standing in Sisters. I saw a T-Shirt in town advertising the Mt Bachelor ski resort of which Sunriver services and I couldn't help but cringe a little. That fateful date in October started out like any other and I still struggle to understand how I could sustain such a significant injury over such buff terrain. Here I was, just down the street, on an almost identical surface, and about to attempt my first race back. Was there another 'one wrong step' awaiting me out on those plush Oregon trails once more? It wasn't trepidation as much as a simple recognition. I wasn't fighting to get back on the horse, but the horse was reminding me that it had bucked me once before without warning and that I simply needed a reminder not to take anything for granted.
The course is mostly single track with a few climbs thrown in and the Garmin showed around 1000 feet of gain and loss. There were a few fast guys and a few fast dogs all mulling about as we waited for Meissner to get the show started. Roxy employed her now perfected cool as ice persona to intimidate all other four legged competitors, yet as soon as the countdown hit one she bolted to the front of the pack.
I take great pride in how much effort I put into training her and as she realized she'd already dropped me I loved seeing her pull aside to find me in the crowd verses simply stopping short and/or freaking out in the excited energy of the moment. I witnessed more than a few dogs loose their minds and a couple of runners take aggressive bumps that I was surprised they stayed upright throughout. It was like Nascar, "bumpin' is racin'!"
(DAD! Let's GO already!!) (these two pics thanks to Janine Beaudry)
My goal with the race was to run as hard as I could for as long as I could and to take stock from there as to where my fitness was. Essentially I intended to run a smart race but fully expected to blow up at some point and I was fine with that. I've only been back on my feet for four weeks after the better part of five months off and I trying to be as realistic as possible with my goals.
The race opened fast, as was to be expected, and I drifted back to around 10th as I tried to compose myself and get my breathing under control. Roxy was making out fine and as we closed in on the 5km point where you duck into the forest and start enjoying some singletrack. I managed to bridge up to and pass a few runners in front of me right as we hit the junction.
We knocked down the first 10k in 42min, and the half marathon distance in 1h32m. During this span I had many thoughts floating through my cranium.
-Can Roxy keep this pace?
-Can I keep this pace?
-This is harder than I remember, racing I mean, this kinda sucks right now
-I don't think I want to run this fast anymore, can I walk now please?
-You pansy, shut up and enjoy the fact that you can even still do this type of thing
-Alright, here's the deal. We WON'T stop running due to mental weakness. Let's just keep this pace and when the legs truly give out your free to whimper and cry and walk
-Whoa, I think I'm finding a groove. Where did this energy come from? This almost feels good again!
-I LOVE THIS
-Is my dog still alive, I can't hear her dog tags?
-There she is, the tags are stuck to her drooping tongue
-She's actually SMILING! I'm so happy I brought her along for this
-It's going to take a bit to get used to gels again
-Oh yeah, I should probably take an electrolyte tab or two while I'm at it
-I'm catching people, SWEET!
-This is a REALLY NICE TRAIL, flat as f#@k, but nice
-Oh a climb! I'm gonna enjoy thi....uhhh, it's over. Hopefully there's another one or two of those in here somewhere?
Along with other ground breaking, earth shattering, axis altering, deep thoughts about the cosmos and all that resides within it.
Roxy was starting to fade, as I expected, but overall she was still holding tight. We hit an aid station right as we had caught up to another runner and I made sure to give Roxy her dues. I gave her a few minutes as we found the doggy dishes, of which she drained both, and then the doggy treats, of which she devoured a few. I looked down at her to ensure she was able to close this thing out. I could see it would be a push for her but we'd come this far and to my knowledge she was the second place pup, first place female. I certainly wasn't about to take that away from her so off we went in search of more runners and one speedy dog named Henry.
Within a few kilometers we once again caught up to, and this time passed the runner who'd eluded us during our last stop. Shortly thereafter I spotted Montrail teammate Joelle Vaught who was killing it in the forty mile distance. There was a short climb and descent of which we cheered each other through. I then ran scared as she pushed hard from behind, while running twice the distance as myself! She had effectively flattened my ego right as it was starting to feel good about how I was finally moving. (she went on to win the 40miler in 4h58m!)
I was now ready to close this thing out and somewhat surprised to discover I had fuel left in the tank after almost two full hours of high tempo running. Roxy on the other hand was drifting further and further back and had started shorting the switchbacks (don't DQ her, it's Euro style don't ya know!)
Unbeknownst to me, and more importantly to my dog, the race would finish with about 4km of completely flat and open terrain that was predominantly covered on a gravel road. I KNEW she was about to tap out on me and my grand visions of a sub 2h20m effort were disappearing by the stride. I employed my time tested strategy of basically lying to her and hoping for the best. I incessantly spit out words she knew and loved, mixed in with a few I could only hope she recognized,
"TREATS!"
"PUPPIES"
"WATER"
"HOME"
"Spa day cause I love you and don't want you to die on me right now"
"Massage...for me, but if you only knew what this meant you'd perk right up"
"TREATS, lots and lots of TREATS!"
"PUPPIES, oh I can see lots of happy puppies up ahead Roxy!"
"We're almost home Rox, you're doing awesome! Almost done! Treats, treats, treats!"
This worked, for about thirty five seconds. Fifteen minutes later and I could tell that if I stopped to wait for her she'd claw my eyes out on the spot.
By the time we reached the finish at the track I figured I had enough witnesses to prevent her from gnawing off one of my legs once I slowed down for her. She gapped up to me and then shut down on the spot. We had 400meters to go...her to me,
"WHAT the F#$K! SERIOUSLY, WHY are you still running away from me? Why are you attempting to walk in a huge circle right now when I can clearly see water and pigs ear treats just over there, and WHY are these people laughing at me!??"
I started walking the track with her and she still struggled to keep up. We made it about half way before Meissner grabbed his megaphone,
"JUST RUN ALREADY!"
I ran the last half, with Roxy nearly in tears as to why, and I then stopped short of the finish. There was no way I was crossing the line without her, and about fifteen seconds later we did just that.
(Roxy giving her version of a salute to the race organizers) (pics thanks to AJ Tauber)
Apparently we had the slowest closing split around the track...by minutes...I think it took us over three full minutes to circle the damn thing and once we finally stopped she simply collapsed with a look that said,
"YOU HAPPY!? NEVER again Dad, NEVER again! Now WHERE are my pigs ears?"
(Twenty miles for these hey? How bout next time I just give you $30 bucks ya cheap bastard!)
Unfortunately for the other pooch Henry his owner took a late race wrong turn which by default made Roxy the OVERALL Dog winner...to which she really couldn't give a shit!
Full Results
I'm confident I would have broken 2h20m had I run solo - I'm happier to have run 2h25 with Roxy in tow
Thanks to Meissner for an incredible weekend!
As always when I'm truly racing I have a song that plays on default in my head, and given we had just seen these guys in concert on the Thursday night before the race, this was the theme song of the day:
166km, August 26th, 6:30pm start time, 21.5hr Course Record, 9500 meters of elevation gain, 2300 runners, and a who's who of ultra runners from around the world. The countdown is on!
XS-NRG was a running project spearheaded by Ean Jackson back in 2004. Along with his buddies Wade Repta, Dom Repta, and Dave Cressman they attempted to become the first group of runners to complete the overly rugged 180km Sunshine Coast Trial, in a non-stop effort.
In the end only one survived...that's right, three of them DIED en route, though not in your typical end of life definition. I've since had beers with all of them and they're just fine, by all standard definitions, other than their running egos having taken a bit of a beating along the way.
There's also a little cameo by yours truly, though you may not fully recognize me as I'd honestly only been running for a few months at that point in my life. My running style could only be described as a full body workout, and I also successfully disguised myself under a full head of hair. This, combined with the fact that Dom Repta looks twelve years old, should not confuse the fact that we are indeed just seven years removed from this historic running accomplishment.
Good friends Shay Wilson and Angus Mclellan produced, directed, and edited the film and they've now posted it online for three day streaming rental for just $2.60! If nothing else, you can mock my running, marvel at my flowing locks, and witness one runner's never say die attitude that carried him through nearly two full days of relentless forward motion.
Here's the trailer (that's my trademark "wooo" in the dark)
THAT'S RIGHT! I actually cracked 50miles of total running last week, and somewhat unexpectedly to be honest. In fact I had no intentions of running a 'race' last week but it all lined up so perfectly that I just couldn't say no. In the end I currently find myself on a nice little running streak that goes something like this:
15th Tue: 3.2k / 17min
Wed: 6.5k / 33min
Thu: 10k / 52 1/2min
Fri: 5.3k / 28min
Sat: 10.5k / 52min
Sun: 9.2k / 47min
TOTAL 44.7km
21st Mon: Gym w. Curb
Tue: 14k 1ST TRAIL RUN! An hour after an xray showed my foot was 100% healed!
Wed: 12k Trail
Thu: 11k Road
Fri: 16k Trail on Cougar Mtn trail system just outta Seattle. Great terrain!
That equals fifteen of the last sixteen days of getting to lace up the shoes, granted I only lace my shoes about once a month and simply slip em on and off for about four weeks till they loosen, but either way IT FEELS GREAT RIGHT NOW!
And I know what some people are thinking and I can only say thank you for the concern. Honestly I'm holding back so much right now I could burst and there has been very little physical fatigue or significant pain to push through to make all this happen. It really is just feeling RIGHT right now. I have pretty much zero pain in my foot and my ankle is feeling like I'm recovering from the worst sprain/strain you could imagine. It still hurts with every step but it tends to feel better and not worse after the runs so I'll continue rolling and see how it goes.
THE RACE
Dizzy Daze 13.1/26.2/50k/100k was started by my buddy Jonathan Bernard. I had no intentions of running a half marathon distance last weekend and especially not in the form of a 'race'. In the end a text message reminder while knowing I was in the Seattle area planted the seed. I figured that since it was a looping course over a three mile gravel trail, and completely flat, that the worst case scenario was that I'd do a few laps and call it a day if things went awry.
I kind of purposely ensured I was late for the start just in case there were any serious runners. I really just wanted to run my own pace and not even think about being in a 'race'...ok I'll stop putting that in parenthesis already! I officially started at 7:09am and the race itself began at 7am.
My goal was to simply stay under five minute kms / eight minute miles for the first three loops and then to try testing things out on the final lap and see where it left me in the days following the run. I was really happy with my splits given I was mostly just running by feel. I was even happier given I hit a 3m35s km pace / 5m45s mile on the final lap, though ever so briefly, and that after donning my super hot compression gear I managed to continue my short running streak without issue in the days to follow. My splits on the 5.17km loop
1) 24:42
2) 24:41
3) 24:15
4) 21:42 + just over a minute to cover the final extra loop to hit the distance
IT'S GOOD!! Mr. Jones Fracture has officially been put to rest.
(How I felt after seeing the x-ray yesterday morning)
Finally, finally, finally there is X-Rayed proof that my foot is 100% healed and ready to start taking a proper beating once more!
When I left the hospital on Feb 1st I was told it was 80-90% and that I could start back at things as long as I "Didn't Do Anything Stupid"...Who ME?? NEVER!
Those exact words played out in no fewer than a dozen different scenario's during my constant foot tweaks over the last seven weeks. I have finally had the weight of my own mind removed from my shoulders...wait a second, there's many different ways to interpret that statement...anyways, no more stressing out because of foot pain, it's all good pain from here on out!
The worst mental tail spin I ended up on was for a week while I was experiencing direct pain in that exact portion of my foot.
"I'm done. This sucks. I'm soft. I'm broken again."
I blogged about my 10k treadmill run, but I never really mentioned how much of a price I paid for that stupid move. The fact that I ran 10k wasn't the issue, it was that I did it on a treadmill and simply kept upping the speed and attempting to hang on. In the end I felt great, for about an hour, and then my right ankle felt like it'd taken a bullet. I was unable to even walk without a limp, let alone run. The only beneficial thing that subsequently transpired was that I got sick and ended up having to take nine full days off anyways. By the time I had gotten over the flu my heal/ankle had come around and my lesson was learned. On the advice of Curb Ivanic I hit the track and ran in fully self propelled circles, instead of a treadmill assisted speed workout. In the end I am undecided as to what sucks more?
I Ran A Marathon
Over a span of six days that is...and I couldn't have been happier to have knocked down a six day mini running streak!
But whatever, it's all about the small victories right now right!
My First Trail Run In Almost Five Months!
With the news of a healthy foot yesterday I finally got back onto the trails for the first time since Oct 26th! A 14km jaunt out to Norvan Falls and back felt like an ultra but for all the right reasons. (1h23m)
Thankfully my body was ok with the distance, pace, and terrain I covered yesterday and I managed another trail run today of 12km in 1h08m with the first 5km being all uphill. It was a fantastically beautiful day by all definitions and as I sat in the sun at the top of my climb I couldn't help but smile from ear to ear. It's been a long journey back to the trails but all things considered the timing of it all could not have worked out better. There's still a long road ahead before I manage to get into race shape, and I know it won't be an easy process, but, mark my words. I'll be 'Showing Up' at Western States and I'll definitely be 'Showing Up' at UTMB!!
Songs o Da Week (I saw these guys in concert with Bon Jovi in 97)
I had the pleasure last weekend of getting away to Portland for a few days. Unfortunately I'm still not even close to running an ultra again, but that didn't take away from all the fun to be had.
James Varner of Rainshadow Running was hosting the inaugural Gorge Waterfalls 50k, and along with the Orcas Island 50k he has now sold out each of his first two events for the season. There's a reason for this of course, as James is known for putting together incredible, and incredibly challenging courses. At the pre-race briefing he very boldly stated:
"I think this can and will become one of the best 50k races in the country"
Shortly thereafter the runners were off on a waterfall tour unlike any other. The course has something crazy like 30 waterfalls in thirty miles kind of numbers? As the runners started to trickle in 4h25m later the overwhelming sentiment was that this race had just become an instant classic. Many expressed that the race was harder than they expected, but not a single person could go more than a minute without talking about the pure beauty of the course itself.
On a personal level I experienced a significant setback following my exciting 10k treadmill run the week prior, and when coupled with a decent flu bug, I had not produced a singular drop of sweat in over nine days. I seemed to have bruised some deep tissue around my ankle from that run, and in the end I was more than pleased to simply be able to hobble/hike five miles of the course and capture some pics and vid. It really is incredibly beautiful and I can't wait to get a chance to run it myself in 2012.
Last summer there was a guest speaker at one of our local North Shore Athletics Run Club nights. He was highly respected within the industry and had once worked as the team physiotherapist for the Toronto Blue Jays, back when they were winning no less...and yes there's still a baseball team in Canada eh!
One point he made throughout his presentation that really hit home for me personally, was in regards to the main differences in injury recovery rates of professional athletes verses weekend warriors. He simply stated that once a pro gets injured there's obviously a full team of people to help instantly diagnose them, a village if you will. When your non professional athlete goes down however, it can often take weeks or even months to properly figure out what has gone wrong and why. It's an incredibly costly and frustrating process. On average most people wait out their injuries at least two or three weeks before they even admit there's an issue. By that point you've only managed to dig yourself a deeper hole to crawl out of.
I looked at my own personal situation and couldn't help but feel incredibly fortunate that I had finally, after many years of searching, pieced together my own village of incredibly talented individuals. I've manged to tap into the substantial network of professionals we have right here in North Van, and right at the top of that list is my 'go to girl' Dr. Jenn Turner of Moveo. I called her a magician and I feel that if she had lived in the middle ages she would be flogged and stoned for possessing her powers of healing and recovery.
Jenn has been completely integral throughout my painfully lengthy recovery process and I wouldn't be nearly as far along as I currently am without her weekly attention. I recently sat down with Jenn and put together a short video. She works with Olympic Athletes and is constantly being flown around the world to keep our National Track Cycling Team on the straight and narrow. The girls got skills and her resume backs it up. If you're local to the area and tired of running in circles trying to get answers to your injury issues I can pretty much guarantee she can fix ya up! Check her out...
I've just completed the yet to be released 130 days to 10k training program! Here's the general outline of what you can expect:
The first six weeks of this program involves heavy drinking and partying like it's 1999. You will awake daily to a hangover the likes of which you've never dreamt possible and with the stark realization that you were actually born in the 70's, NOT the 80's, or more importantly the 90's. This trivial fact however should not dissuade you from attempting to out dance kids half your age while scaling dance floor speakers. (Side note, expect to be promptly removed by a nineteen year old bouncer who could crush you like a little girlie man. He may also drop you into a taxi against your will and direct the driver to the nearest old age home)
IF you can survive the first six weeks...only 7.3258% manage to do so, you will then be subjected to a monthly game of 'Build Em Up / SMASH EM DOWN' based around your own delusional expectations and belief that you're somehow deserving of a better fate, HA! You should feel lucky we didn't just amputate one of your legs from the start! This will continue for another ten weeks and though you may attempt to complete 10km in a similar fashion, it simply will not be the same:
(photo thanks to my fantastic running partner Debra Nicol. NYD 10k 1h28m)
Your final exam will be the most challenging part of this 130 days to 10k as you will eventually gain the freedom you've so actively yearned for. However you'll once more be subjected to the 'Build Em Up / SMASH EM DOWN' and without any prior warning. The big difference this time though is that the smash down will be completely internal, MWAH HA HA!! YOU and you along will have to come to terms with this and you'll struggle with the fact that you can no longer extol your anger towards a separate entity (an X-ray machine). YOU will have to realize on your own accord that you ARE in fact human and that you will not be able to simply pick up where you left off almost four months prior. Try as you may, your own body has been decommissioned with a purpose. This purpose at it's core has been disguised and designed to make you stronger both physically and more importantly mentally.
YOU once thought you loved the sport of running but did you ever really grasp or fully appreciate just how much a part of your life it had become? Did you ever stop to smell the roses as it were, to step back and think for two seconds how fortunate you were to simply be able to run, let alone afford a life and lifestyle of running around the world in the some of the most scenic environments upon the planet. Had you ever explored just what this simple act of a daily run truly meant to you? Though you would have emphatically answered YES to all of these questions just 130 days ago, you should now appreciate and understand all of these principles on a deeper level. A level that you were not even fully aware existed until we were able to strip you down to your absolute core, before attempting to build you back up again.
Your final exam will initially consist of completing the first 10km run you've attempted in over four and a half months (treadmill 1.5% incline, 45m58s, painful but oh so good). Your final grade however will be determined 100% around which song you are able to submit that best sums up your journey back to health. And KNOW THIS YOUNG JEDI, there is only ONE correct answer:
Hard to believe it's March 1st already, though I kinda find myself sayin that at the beginning of each and every month. In all seriousness though, having not been able to run through what are typically the worst months of the year I truly can not believe that spring is right around the corner (hopefully).
SO, the quick and dirty, though not nearly dirty enough, recap of my first month off of crutches...it still hurts, lots, though in all the right places from what I am told. In hindsight I still would not have taken the surgery option over the natural healing option, though what I am now dealing with is a direct result of being off my foot for three and a half months. Had I taken the surgery option, and had it been successful, I would more than likely be months ahead of where I am now in the recovery process. Conversely had the surgery gone wrong for any reason I might not have ever run again. Hence I'm very content with how things have gone to date.
What I was not fully prepared for or educated on was just how lengthy the process of reconditioning the specific musculature of the foot and ankle would be. I'm already four weeks off crutches and I still feel each and every step that I take, albeit in my ankle and not in my foot or more importantly within the bone fracture site. It's been painfully slow going, but it has continually moved in the right direction so I have zero complaints. I still feel that I will have a successful top ten effort at Western States in June and hopefully an even better race eight weeks later at UTMB in France. All in all the timing of UTMB is kinda perfect given where I'm coming from right now. It has distinctly become my A race for the year and I am weighing options on hopefully travelling to France a full month early in an attempt to develop an intimate relationship with the course, and with the absolute goal of having the race of my life come the August 26th starting date. THIS of course is a whole other side story...
Feb 1st till Mar 1st:
Week 1: Having finally been told I could start back at it I headed straight to the track (as shown earlier) to see how things would hold up. I ran/walked a total distance of 2km, with a mix of about 1km of very slow painful running and about 1km of very slow walking, alternating as my body demanded. This was both the stupidest and most beneficial thing I could have done all at once. In the days following this 'run' my right leg basically seized up and my right calf felt like it had been assaulted with a baseball bat, Nancy Kerrigan style. My body had dictated the terms of recovery very definitively and I was forced to immediately accept the fact that this was going to be a very long process.
T: 1hr spin session at home (so as to prevent another possible crash)
+ 30min trail hike
F: off
S: 1hr spin session
+ 1.5hr/8km trail hike
S: 1hr spin session (1st time really pushing hard & getting a great w/o)
+ 1hr/4km trail hike
Throughout these two weeks I was still unable to walk without a significant limp due to the overall muscle fatigue within my foot. It wasn't until almost three weeks out that I finally had a full day of being on my feet without once looking gimpy. Each day felt slightly better and stronger so I was confident it was just a matter of time and not something worth worrying about
Feb 14th - 20th
M: 1hr strength w/ Curb
T: off
W: Physio w/ Jenn Turner at Moveo
T: quick workout at home
F: 1hr spin session which was definitively my best to date as I was finally able to push decent wattage
S: 1hr/4km snowshoe hike in Whistler
S: off
Feb 21st - 27th
Having finally progressed beyond limping and also feeling like my overall upper leg strength had returned I focused on getting my first full and consistent week of training in.
M: 1h30m/7km snowshoe hike
T: 1h30m / 1800 vertical foot hike up Grouse Mtn to the 1954 F-86 Fighter Jet crash site on the trail known as Jetboy, followed by a gravity assisted run back down to fully assess my leg and ankle strength which I was pleasantly surprised with over the following 48 hours of basic and expected but not overly debilitating quad pain
+ 1hr spin session
W: My 2nd attempt at running. 30min/6km painful in ankle but overall ecstatic to officially run once more
+ physio session w/ Jenn Turner
T: 2hr road ride / 51km. Bitterly cold but stunningly beautiful day
F: 1hr road ride / 28km. Again bitterly cold but overall my best workout to date
+ 1hr hike up BCMC at night
S: 30m/5km treadmill run
S: 1h30m Jetboy hike up and run down
(this was taken on Friday afternoon and by Sunday morning everything was buried under a foot of snow, forcing the road bike to once again become attached to the indoor trainer)
All in all, things are definitively heading in the right direction and on an almost noticeable daily basis. When I left the hospital on Feb 1st the Doctor said,
"Your goal should be to run 10km within the next eight weeks"
This was immediately followed by my own thought of,
"TEN KILOMETERS?! I'll run ten by next week and fifty within eight weeks DOC!"
Of course I didn't voice this because I didn't want to get into trouble but realistically he wasn't too far off. I managed 8km on the treadmill this morning and will most certainly complete 10km in a similar fashion by the end of this week (5 weeks out)...though I'm still intending to do 50k by the end of eight weeks Doc!
First day back on my road bike in over four months...didn't quite go according to plan...
Thankfully my hand isn't broken which was my initial concern after the adrenaline wore off and the swelling set in. Amazingly the bike sustained only minor damage and outside of the 'delayed onset muscle soreness' through the following 48hrs I escaped with nothing permanently damaged other than my pride. Oh yeah, and I jimmy-rigged my GoPro to my bike for the first time but thankfully for my ego the camera wasn't actually rolling while I went over the bars, nor was the camera itself damaged in the fall.
On a funnier note, I did arrive home to my Grandma neighbor doing gardening to constant uncensored gangster rap.
15 Simple Ways To Improve Your Athletic Performance RIGHT NOW
Nutrition expert/author Steve Born will be in Vancouver tonight and talking about the number one thing most endurance athletes still struggle with, NUTRITION.
Don't squander months and months of training only to have your race go south due to improper fueling strategies. Steve is an expert in the field and will give you personal insight into what you may be doing wrong and how to hopefully fix it before your next big event.
Here's an excerpt from one of his presentations:
Proper fueling of the body prior to, during, and after exercise requires personal experimentation to find the ideal fit for you, the individual athlete. There is no “one size fits all” approach; we are all “experiments of one” when it comes to fueling during exercise. You need to determine, through trial and error in your training, what works best for you. However, there are some basic guidelines that will enable you to eliminate much of the guesswork, so you can more rapidly learn how to properly fuel your body, allowing you to enjoy higher quality workouts and better race performances. Some of these recommendations may seem pretty foreign to you, especially in regards to fluid, calorie, and electrolyte replenishment during exercise, where some “experts” tell you that you need to eat and drink at or near depletion rates...
There is seating available and although RSVP'ing is recommended, you could still show up without doing so and more than likely squeeze into a seat at the back.
Any questions please contact Donna Wanless: adrenalinmarketing@telus.net
If you happen to make it out, I'll be front row center taking it all in myself.
98: F-ing days spent on crutches / 14 weeks (Oct 26th - Feb 1st )
18: Pounds of 'off season weight gain' From 151 on up to 169 (topping out at 172) 00: Concern about the weight gain
13: New Musical finds
5: New Books (purchased, not read)
3: Left Shoes worn out while the right ones sat idle
35: At home treatments with the Exogen Bone Healing System (huge thanks to my Doctor Jim Bovard setting me up with this) 20: One hour, one legged strength training sessions with Curb Ivanic(video below) 7: Physio sessions with Dr. Jenn Turner at Moveo Sport and Rehab Centre 5: Acupuncture sessions with Kim Graham at Thrive Total Fitness 3: Acupuncture sessions with Vancouver physio / ultrarunner Jackie Muir
3.5: Flights out of BC (Return from Oregon, Banff-AB, Newfoundland, Hawaii) (flying with crutches is actually much, much friendlier!) 450: Total dollars spent on all trips (air miles are a wonderful thing) 60: Beers consumed in a five day span while in Banff (literally), utilizing a previous time tested life lesson "Drink Past IT!"
10: Kilometers 'raced' on crutches at the CFA New Year's Day run (1h28m) 3: Total sets of rubber crutch tips 4: Face plants. Two in Banff on snow and ice in the same night, one on slick water soaked Vancouver grass, and one during the Ra Ra Riot / Wintersleep concert at The Commodore 2: Sets of hand grips 2: Sets of custom made armpit protectors (packing tape and hand clothes)
5: Times my crutches magically attempted to fly on their own (think Happy Gilmore) 1: Unfortunate garbage can assault via my right crutch, inflicting a permanent wobble into my sticks
7: Hours of spin sessions once I was cleared to do so 4: Hours of water running...even one additional minute and I'd have put myself out of my own misery 33: F-bombs after initial spin sessions lead to three days of swelling
4: X-rays before they finally got it right (definitely the x-ray techs fault)
1: Coffee cup/beer holder and matching wallet attachments...built to last I tell ya!
1: Breakdown after my six week x-ray, which I captured on video SPECIFICALLY SO I can personally reference it come June 25th (Western States) and August 21st (UTMB). This process WILL NOT prevent me from accomplishing what I initially would have set out to do in 2011, it will only make it that much sweeter when I finally get there!
Thank you so much to everyone who helped me throughout these past three and a half months! From the medical/physio/acupunture, to the twice weekly personal training sessions that kept me motivated when my preference was to simply lay in bed all day, to the numerous friends who raised a beer(s)/coffee(s) with me, to the people I don't really know who left endless kind and funny comments along the way, I am forever grateful. I promise to think of at least three of you specifically when I make my coveted starting lines down in Squaw Valley and across the pond in France. It's been a journey, I've learned lots, though I'm not completely sure what just yet, and though I hope I never have to go down this road again...I now know I could conquer it much more confidently with the amazing network of people I've met along the way.
And I leave you with me in an air cast trying to stay fit. Curb Ivanic shot some video during one of our workouts that he recently posted to his column on BC Living. Feel free to mock me relentlessly as I'd be insulted if you didn't.
The list has sparked debates across the board and every single runner I've spoken to thinks they completely f-d it up this year. I'm sorry, but someone just has to come out and say what the rest of us are quietly whispering to each other. They dropped the ball. They messed it up. They took the pure sport of UltraRunning and dragged its reputation through the mud like it was an under card on a locals only Friday night fight club.
WHO PAID FOR THIS POLL?
Basically what I'm hearing most, and this is from everyone I've spoken to (me, myself and I), not just from my parents, though they totally agree as well. I WAS COMPLETELY ROBBED!
I mean who's even heard of half of these characters, Geoff Roes? Did he even win a race in 2010? Anton Kuerprichka, is he even legal drinking age yet? Dakota Jones, named after a truck and not even close to being legal drinking age yet. And ME, Gary Frikkin Robbins drolling around down in fifteenth place with names like Hal Koerner...what is that Russian? Max King, can he even spell Ultra Running? and Karl Meltzer...isn't he like 100 years old already? Seriously people, seriously it's time to take your heads out of your sphincters and look at the actual numbers.
Chuckanut 50k 12th place overall! 1st in the open-mixed-non gender specific ultra runners from Newfoundland category...but you probably didn't even bother checking that did you?
Miwok 100k, DNF, BUT I was totally like in 3rd or something for like three miles around the five mile mark...did YOU even notice, esteemed members of the panel, did YOU even notice?
West Coast Trail 75km, FIRST PLACE OVERALL! In fact this one was so tough I was the ONLY finisher! That's right ONE person finished the race...ok, ok, fine, it was a 100% finisher rate but still, do you even know where The West Coast Trail is?? I'll give you a hint, it's aptly named and designed for MEN, and women and children, but STILL, it's too tough for you so don't even bother.
How bout the East Coast Trail? I was so good on that trail that I walked half of it and still won, but oh noooo, it's not on your hallowed races list like The Yukon Arctic or Iron Horse, or Zumbro. Well I got news for you voters, not everyone can get into Zumbro!
Alright, alright, I'm being a sore loser, but I hate losing, so much in fact that I NEVER LOSE! Sure I've let some runners finish ahead of me in some of the more 'competitive' races, but really that was more for them than me, I could easily had won had I cared enough to eat during the race. That's right, I didn't eat anything during Western States, nothing, not even a singular gel, nor did I drink at all either. Sure I didn't pee for a month afterwards but for me it's all about stepping it up, making it real. Let's face it, hundred milers are easy, I'm just taking it to the next level right now.
I'm THAT GUY, the guy you're about to start reading about in GQ Magazine. Why? Not because I'm fast enough to win anything I don't sandbag, but because I'm f-ing HARD CORE MAN! If there's one thing I've learned after three years of running 100's, it's that you don't need to win races to get rich and famous, you just have to convince everyone who doesn't know a stain about the sport that you're the best in this sport that they've never heard of and will never ever follow or be the slightest bit interested in.
SO THERE, I said it, I didn't want to but really did I even have a choice in the matter? I...AM...THE...BEST...now where's my cheque? (yeah that's how we spell it in Canada!)
And how much to buy one of those obscene cougar trophies? Roes? I'll give ya twenty bucks...Canadian, check the exchange rates.
Peace out, but not really cause Peace is for pansies! Later pansies.
Vote Gary Robbins 2011!
G to the R
I guess I have to start by saying I love living in North Vancouver. We all have the choice in where we live and I very distinctly chose North Van because the balance of life I have here is beyond anything I've ever known before. Mountains and ocean, running and skiing, paddle sports and mountain sports, the ability to snowshoe, mountain bike, kayak, and golf all in the same day if you really wanted to. Trails out my back door, work just down the street and a major city center just twelve minutes away via a 'sea bus' (water taxi). Yes, I love it here...99.9% of the time. However after basically swimming on into work this morning I was left with a head space solidly stuck on a Hawaiian Island out in the Pacific Ocean. I'm officially suffering from HWS.
I posed this question via Twitter this morning,
"Does spending a week in Hawaii in January make it easier to withstand a Pacific Northwest winter or does it make it harder?"
The feedback was overwhelmingly 'harder', however I'm completely confident that not a single one of us would trade our incredible experiences in Hawaii for the rains we missed out on here at home. I think my biggest self inflicted torture I've forced upon myself in recent years is to leave the Hawaiian forecast loaded onto my iPhone.
"Oh it's hammering down rain here in NV today...I wonder what it's doing in Hawaii..." This is inevitably followed by quietly sobbing to myself in the corner as my dog licks the tears from my face. "Yum electrolytes!"
Anyways, there is no better feeling after a trip than to fully desire to return again as soon a humanly possible. At the very latest that will be in just under twelve months time for the 2012 version of HURT.
It's tough for me to say this given that I'm still recovering from my broken foot, but it was a slight blessing in disguise to have been unable to run this year. I had an absolute blast hanging out at the race for the full 36hr, and from the tears of laughter from about 10pm till 2am, to the surprising tears of pride while watching people squeeze in just under the 36hr cutoff, I had an exceptional and unexpectedly fulfilling experience at this years event. Obviously I was dying to run the hundred miles, but the memories of watching it all unfold from the sidelines will stick with me for a very long time. My hat goes off to every single runner who was brave enough to toe the line. If you've never watched the final few hours of a hundred miler before I'd suggest you do so in the very near future. I'd wager to bet that those runners, those stories, those tears of joy that every single one of those runners shed are in fact the real reason why Race Directors put so much love into their events and continue to come back to them year after year. It's like John Salmonson said to me at the awards banquet,
"People don't believe me when I tell them we put this event on for ourselves. On a personal level we get more out of this race than most people would ever understand or believe."
And that alone is what makes HURT so special. It is a family. Unmistakably so. I am suffering from HWS, but more than anything I just can't wait to get back to see my Hawaiian running family again. Whether I adopted them before they adopted me or not, they're simply not getting rid of me anytime soon. Pencil me in for the next ten years please.
There are plenty of stories to be told from an incredible week in Hawaii, with most obviously centered around the HURT 100 race. I had an absolute blast from 'almost' start to finish on my trip (I'll explain that later), for now though a quick recap of my final day on the Island of O'ahu.
I woke up on day seven having spent the night in a hostel. My travel/racing companions had all moved on to other islands or returned to winter and the only person I had met in my eight bed dorm room the night before could only be summed up as a bit of a tool.
Come Wednesday morning I had actual thoughts of heading to the airport to see if I could just catch an earlier flight home. This was shocking to me. I thought about it for a second and realized my hostel experience hadn't been what I was hoping for. I've travelled a decent amount and hostels have always acted as a central meeting place that would usually preclude amazing adventures with complete strangers, many of whom I still have contact with to this day.
SO, I hadn't met anyone cool and there was the slight let down of flying solo for the first time all week. I simply gave my head a shake and headed to the beach for a few hours to take in the amazing day. Around noon I headed back to check out of the hostel and to store my bags, as I had a 10:30pm flight. As I'm packing my things a girl walks into the room wearing an Arcade Fire t-shirt. Alright I think, she's probably Canadian and likes good tunes. We get to chatting and after informing her that I was on my last day, verses her being at the very start of a six week stint she simply said to me.
"I guess you can't do much on your crutches can you? I dunno, think of something fun to do and I'll do it. I'm up for anything..."
Is that a challenge???
I walked around the corner from the hostel and glanced at the scooters. Meh, not my style. Then I noticed the Harley Davidson Fat Boy...and there was very little convincing on my part beyond that that.
I've owned a half a dozen rides in my life, but it's been awhile, far too long to be honest. I of course decided to ignore possible set backs such as broken foot (which is pretty much healed now anyways...right...)
"I bet you've never rented to a guy on crutches before."
"Actually, we have."
"Alrighty, so no additional waivers to sign then."
Since Hawaii has no helmet laws, and as the saying goes, when in Rome...
Oh yeah, and my partner in crime Angela Parks is an ER Nurse, so I could almost make an argument insinuating that I'd really thought this whole thing through properly.
Either way, if I had an official bucket list, this would have been right near the top. It was a fantastic end to yet another great trip to Hawaii. I can't wait to head back again next January...though I'd trade the Harley ride for a 100mile run almost any day!
Oh yeah, and I swear we didn't get up to 115km an hour, it just looks like it Dad...it just looks like it...
Well that latest update in the world of Jones Fractures is that THEY SUCK. An independent study confirmed this by an overwhelming 98%, though it was only Roxy and me in that poll and it's fair to say that she didn't completely understand what I was crying about.
Here's a comparison of my last two x-rays. The immediate coming one week ago and the second image being my initial six week follow up in December.
What was never fully vocalized in December was that my recovery up until then wasn't just disappointing, it was completely negative. There were no visible signs of any healing having occurred and the fissure had actually gotten worse. My Doctor decided to give my body one further month before forcing me into surgery, and thankfully this seems to have paid off.
For all intents and purposes the bone seems to be about 65-70% healed and the hope is that just four more weeks on crutches should do the trick. This will end up bringing my total time on the sidelines hopping around on metallic sticks to three and a half months. I must admit had that time frame been pitched back in October I may have lost my little mind while trying coming to terms with it all. As funny as this might sound, it almost worked out better that the process has been broken down into stages. It's no less frustrating of course, just a bit more manageable, kinda like running aid station to aid station in a 100 miler so that you don't actually have to wrap your head around the total distance all at once.
Thankfully the next seven days of my recovery will be spent in HAWAII!! Unfortunately and obviously I won't be running the HURT 100 miler this year, instead viewing it from the sidelines. I have two goals in attending this year's race.
1) To provide as much vocal support as possible to all the runners on course, especially as the race goes through the night
2) To prevent anyone from stealing away my course record in my absence...
"Oh your drop bag? Hmmm, haven't seen it. Can I make you some warm tea, maybe massage your feet for you? You look like you need a nap before heading back out there again."
"Yeah I know it's totally weird right, but the fifth lap is COMPLETELY different than the first four. Seriously, just follow this paved road till you hit the ocean, then take a right and I'm sure you'll figure it out from there."
Last but not least, if you're interested (Dad), I recently did an interview with Chris Russell over on the RunRunLive Podcast. You can find it in iTunes under RRL on Dec 23rd (wow, no idea it was that long ago already) OR, assuming this worked, you can stream it right here(it didn't) My endless chatter goes from about 10min in until 28min or so. Check er out, and bring on the beaches already!
Well, I think Sue Lucas summed it up best in her last minute comment about the poll:
Hey Gary Sue here, make sure you give that UROY award to Ellie she truly deserves it. I'm just flattered that I was in the running. It seems that my fan club in town here goes overboard once again.
Sue definitely owned the popular vote taking 53% and a shocking 140 personal votes, which is just shy of our total votes cast in the performance of the year poll! That's an impressive and loyal following to say the least Sue!
Ellie lead the way early and I think it's fair to say that based on her 2010 resume she was the 'run away' winner of the Canadian Ultra Runner of the year, for a second year 'running'. (yeah I know, these running puns are just pure genius on my part)
My personal thoughts, since you asked and were dying to know. It's tough to argue against The World 100km Champion and someone who set a Course Record it all but one possible CR event, that being Ellie and her second place finish at the Chuckanut 50km in March. Tracy Garneau had only three races but all were victories, and they were pretty huge events, capped off of course by taking the crown at Western States. Beverly unfortunately had an injury riddled season, otherwise her resume would have stacked up against the best of the best. The biggest surprise to me however was the lack of love towards Monica Scholtz. Not only did she break her own World Record for most 100 mile races in a calendar year, tackling twenty four of them, but she was top two in nearly 50% of her races! Monica won three races, finished second in seven others, and was third once as well. It's as if her resume was just too large to even comprehend and many of these outstanding performances were simply lost in the sea of 100's listed below. I mean consider that Monica ran more miles, 2400, in a total of 24 days than most runners were able to eclipse in the entire year. As they say though, speed wins, and no one on this list is nearly as speedy as Ms. Ellie Greenwood. So congrats to her!
On the men's side Glen Redpath was rightfully voted the Male Canadian UROY, and for the second straight year. He outpaced yours truly by 13 votes and 13%. Glen won the Master's Crown at Western States in June, ripped off one of the fastest 100's in Canadian history in March (14h27m), and set three further course records, at three different distances (50k/100k/100m) in the fall. As I mentioned in a comment on Melcher's blog, Glen just shows up every single time, and at every single distance. The guy is a machine and at 44 years of age he just seems to be getting faster on an annual basis.
Here's how the final women's vote broke down:
Beverly Anderson-Abbs
8 (3%)
Tracy Garneau
16 (6%)
Ellie Greenwood
79 (30%)
Sue Lucas
140 (53%)
Laurie McGrath
1 (0%)
Theresa McGrath
0 (0%)
Denise McHale
1 (0%)
Monica Sholtz
15 (5%)
Votes so far: 260
AND THE MEN'S
Adam Hil
1 (1%)
Chris Downie
1 (1%)
Gary Robbins
36 (36%)
Glen Redpath
49 (49%)
Ryne Melcher
13 (13%)
Votes so far: 100
Thanks to everyone for taking part and keeping it fun. Year two of these polls is now in the books, with Greenwood and Redpath refusing to relinquish their titles. Best of luck to everyone on a fun filled and injury free 2011 running campaign!
Aight, let's get this party started! In what could likely parlay into similar voting for North American UROY, here are the candidates. As before Melcher is hosting the men's vote on his blog.
We will leave these postings up and invite comments to help fill in any blanks up until Sunday afternoon. At approximately 6pm we'll roll out a FOUR DAY POLL for UROY voting. Here are our known results for the top Canadian performers of 2010. Please take a second to review the entire list as it's in alphabetical order and no one should overlook anyone on here.
Beverly Anderson-Abbs
1st Woodside 50km (4h22m)
1st CR Pony Express 50m (6h14m)
2nd Way Too Cool 50km (4h29m)
1st Mad City 50km (3h44m)
Tracy Garneau
1st CR HURT Hawaii 100m (24h06m)
1st American River 50m (6h43m)
1st Western States 100m (19h01m)
Ellie Greenwood
1st CR Frozen Ass 52km (3h48m)
2nd Chuckanut 50km (4h19m)
1st CR/WR Elk-Beaver 100km (7h36m)
1st CR Scorced Sole 50m (7h58m)
1st CR Knee Knacker 30m (5h06m)
1st CR Canadian Death Race 125km (13h28m)
1st CR Run For The Toad 50km (3h37m)
1st World 100km Road Champs (7h29m)
Sue Lucas
22nd World 24hr Champs (197.638km)
4th Fast Trax 100km (10h48m)
1st Lost Soul 100m (28h27m)
1st Beaudry Lemming Loop 12hr (113.635km)
Laurie McGrath
1st Kingston 6hrs (41.02miles)
1st Niagara On The Lake 50km (4h15m)
1st Creemore Vertical Challenge 50km (4h51m)
1st The Limberlost Challenge 50km (6h26m)
1st Haliburton Forest 50m (8h38m)
6th Self Transcendence 24hr (93.611miles)
2nd Run For The Toad 50km (4h37m)
3rd Vulture Bait 50km (4h47m)
