#2 Highlight From This Morning’s Run

On our way to the trail this morning Conny, Colin and I met LaFawnduh.  For those of you that didn’t get the reference (myself included), LaFawndah is a character from Napoleon Dynamite who has style, poise and access to sweet mixed tapes.

#3 highlight from this morning’s run was it being over! I will always pick a trail run over a road run, but today should have been an exception to my rule. Running in 8-10 inches of snow for 45 minutes was equivalent to running for 45 minutes flat footed with high knees on unstable ground, and I am going to pay dearly for it tomorrow.

#1 highlight from this morning’s run was the coffee and hot tub that followed! Tuesday mornings suck. 

Sit and Slide?

Eating On The Run

Nothing like a strategically placed water break to enjoy the scenery and indulge in the fruits of late summer!  Reason number 29 of why I run.

Tuesday

How can something hurt when you walk but not when you run? It seems to be a bit of a pattern for me lately…maybe it’s this whole aging thing, I don’t recommend it!

I met Conny bright and early this morning, left my aches and pains at the side of the road and ran one of the most fantastic loops of Hayward Lake to date. The sun was shining, the air was warm, the pace was right (except when running through the construction zone on the dam, it quickened to the point that I felt a little left behind), the trails were peaceful and the water was a degree or two above refreshing.

Ahhhhh, I love summer runs.

Whistler Warrior Dash Recap

Warrior: a person who fights in battles and is known for having courage and skill

Dash: to move with sudden speed

Add in a kilt, a mini sombrero, velour leopard print cut off pj’s, 11 obstacles, a lotta mud, several flesh wounds, a nasty bruise, an eye full of mud, 2 trips to the medical tent, loud music, furry Viking helmets all around, oh and a mountain climb, sound like fun?  It was the most fun I have ever had in an afternoon!

We converged on Day Area Parking Lot 2 and made our way to Whistler’s (as well as British Columbia’s) very first Warrior Dash.  Emotions ranged from nervous to excited, I was a little disappointed that I had not opted for a costume (next year will be a totally different story) especially when we joined at the gondola line-up to take us up to the tube park where the race was being held.  There were Smurfs, ninjas, uncle-daddies and auntie mommies, but policeman in bootie shorts was my personal fav.

The line-up and the gondola moved very quickly and we arrived at our battleground in no time at all, and made our grand entrance to “Mama Weer All Crazee Now” (the Quiet Riot version), how fitting.  The venue was absolutely massive, tents everywhere, a beer garden, huge main stage and of course the Warrior start line.

Racer check-in was well organized and we breezed through.  The first wave of racers was already coming in covered in mud, and I couldn’t wait to get started.  The racer bulletin from Friday night had suggested we allow 2 hours to complete the parking, upload and check-in process.  Originally some of our group were to start in the 1:00pm wave and the others in the 1:30pm wave, but we were done in just under an hour and decided to join an earlier wave.

The anticipation and the energy at the start line was crazy.  In front of us was the steep hill that we had to climb; I was told that when it rounded the corner it just kept going so I was prepared for a good 20 minute grind.

At 12:30 our wave went out and charged the first hill.  As I was racing with Heckter, my plan differed a little from the others.  We hung towards the back of our wave and hiked the hill at a steady pace.  It was tough but completely doable and we hit the top in just over 15 minutes.  There was a bit of a bottle-neck at the first water station but the sun was hot and we decided to wait in line for a little hydration.

The first obstacle was not too far away.  It was a series of 4’ walls that you had to climb over or crawl under.  I’m not sure if the last wall was slightly taller than the previous or that my shoulders were being worked in way that they hadn’t before, whatever the case the last wall required a little more oomph to get me over.

A quick run down the hill and we hit the second obstacle.  At first glance, it just looked like you had to run through a mist of water, but when you actually ran through it, the mist was actually being blasted at you and you couldn’t see at all for about 10 seconds, we called it the blinding water and of course the ground was full on mud.  I liked this one, and it completely cooled you down, very well placed.

From here we made our way to the tunnel of terror.  You had to crawl under a series of 2’ ish beams.  I entered in on my hands and knees but after the first rock hit my knee I quickly developed a new strategy, kind of a side scuttle on my hands and feet.

After the tunnel of terror we made our way up and over another little hill and down to the great warrior wall.  It was similar to climbing a 12’ wall ladder with every second rung missing.  There was even a rope to help you if you needed it…we scaled it.

A second and less busy water station was just steps away, and we took in a little more hydration.

From here we made our way down a very slippery downhill section that lead to a 35’ slip and slide.  The marshal said that we could go headfirst or on our butts, I followed Hecktor’s lead and went head first and as soon as my body touched the plastic I knew that it was a HUGE mistake.  I made it about half way down and my hipbone went over a rock SMF!  I jumped up in sheer agony and hobbled down the rest of the slide.  The girl behind me must have followed the same line because she did the same thing.  I think that if I were by myself I would have had a little pitty party at the side of the trail, but I put on my brave (grimacing) warrior face, clutched my wound and made my way up the mountain bike trails towards the next obstacle.

We called this one the low cargo net.  Still smarting a bit from the slip and slide, I navigated this one very gently holding onto the middle beam and stepping sideways.  It was all good until I had to climb out of it, I think I left some profanity on this section of the course.

Next was walking the planks.  The planks were narrow a little wobbly and about 5’ in the air.  This obstacle was a combined effort from Hecktor and I; you have got to love teamwork.

By this point we could hear the band playing on the main stage and we knew that we were close, and came upon the cargo climb.  Note to self for next time to climb in the centre along the beam, the ropes are way less wobbly.

As we rounded the corner we could see the spectators who were cheering us on as we entered the last stages of the dash.  Up another wall, and into the homestretch.

We jumped over the two rows of fire, they were small but hot!  With less than a minute or so from the finish line we were completely soaked but still fairly clean…but then came the mud under the barbed wire.

I am fairly certain that this was manufactured mud, it was the consistency of pancake batter, the kind of batter that has been left on the counter too long and then mixed with little tiny rocks, it felt like it could harden and solidify at any minute.  At this point I was glad that I wasn’t wearing a knee length kilt.  I managed to climb under the first few rows of barbed wire without having to completely submerge myself in the mud, but the last one made sure that nobody was coming out clean and I had to climb through on my belly!  It wasn’t easy climbing out either but once I was out there it was merely steps to the finish line.

What a total rush! I was absolutely filthy, I had even forgotten about my battle wound for a few minutes but once I remembered it I couldn’t wait to show it off.  Turns out I wasn’t the only one!

By the time I finished taking a few pics I could feel the mud starting to harden so made I my way up to the wash station.  Here it was all very civilized.  We lined up and one at a time we took our turn standing and turning from front to back as many times as we could possibly stand whilst being blasted/power washed with ice cold water from a fire hose…oh and it did the job too.

Once we were relatively clean, on came the furry Viking hats.

Our timing chip also doubled as a free beer ticket.  I don’t think that I was meant to ever get a free beer, because although I did remember to bring my ID this time, the line-up was insane and we were all hungry so we decided to head back down the gondola in search of a patio.

I’m not sure what visitors to Whistler must have been thinking as there was a sea of furry Viking helmets roaming though the Village….VICTORY!

A big thank-you to the race organizers, course marshals, volunteers and first aiders – job well done, and congratulations to all of the warriors, big and small.

Who should do this event?

• Anyone with a basic level of physical fitness.

Would I do anything different?

• Dress in costume.
• Not go head first down the slip and slide.

Would I recommend this event?

• Abso-freaking-lutely!

Check out the rest of the pictures

Run Like Hell Chris!

This is my friend/neighbour/teammate/running husband Chris, and today he will be tackling leg 2 of The Canadian Death Race.

A ‘lil about the race from their website…

The Canadian Death Race is a 125 km all-terrain extreme adventure race course on very challenging terrain including three mountain summits and 17,000 feet of elevation change.

The race begins and ends in Grande Cache, Alberta. The five legs may be run individually or in relay teams of from two to five members. The first leg is the shortest at 19 km, the second is the most technical, the third is considered the easiest section, the fourth is the longest at 38 km, and the last leg to the finish line is of (comparatively) intermediate difficulty.

Second leg, 27 km: Flood & Grande Mountain Slugfest
Includes about.1 km of pavement. The rest is dirt trail with rocky and swampy sections, and approximately 6 km of hard packed dirt road.. Net elevation gain is 500 feet, but the total elevation change is well over 6000 feet. This leg of the race is characterized by long sustained climbing with about 3 km of very rough terrain and two creek crossings. The trail from the summit of Flood Mountain to the summit of Grande Mountain is the roughest piece of trail in the Death Race. The power line down the front of Grande Mountain leading back into town is the most dangerous part of the entire course. This is due to the steep, rocky drop-offs and unstable footing while running downhill. The Slugfest is the most technical section and is rated the second hardest leg of the Death Race (although many rate this leg as the hardest of all). Cut off Time: 6 pm

Run like hell Chris!

Plantar What?

Turns out that my psychosomatic plantar fasciitis wasn’t in my head after all. A few years ago one of my friends who was also suffering with this foot problem told a group of very proper ladies that she had plantar fellatio…oh yeah.  And since I have been known to order my wine (on more than one occasion) in inches rather than ounces, when I tell someone about my foot I enunciate p-l-a-n-t-a-r f-a-s-c-i-i-t-i-s very slowly and carefully.

Last week I received the official all clear to get back out on the trails and log some distance before the half (not full) marathon.

Lesson learned last week, this morning Conny and I drove to the Reservoir Trail for my final long run, and her taper run.  We were both a little disappointed in the weather, I guess after three days of sun we just expected that it wouldn’t rain this morning; on the bright side I guess we didn’t overheat.

Once again we were taunted by the ravens cawing “back fat” as we walked through the parking lot.  I shot some footage this morning for the non-believers out there, and if I can ever figure out how to get video from my phone to youtube, you will be able to hear this for yourself, because I am not crazy.

So a little out and back to the floating bridge.  Whoever designs the signs for BC Hydro, we would love to meet you.  Although sometimes a little dramatic, the poor little stick figure always seems to be on the verge of a near death experience.

We thought that this one was very Wile. E Coyote

We always manage to find something of interest on our runs. Last time we ran at Hayward Lake we found the orange jumpsuit, today we found a random hip joint.

What did you do today?

Hey, Where’d All the Water Go?

This morning at Hawyard Lake…

Thinking that a loop of the lake may be out of the question after all.

A Running Nirvana

Surprisingly, I am feeling pretty good this week. I usually spend two or three days after a ½ marathon on light duties, taking the stairs backwards and “oof”ing each time I sit down or stand up…toilets are the devil.

Last night I broke my own rule of no running for a week, and ran (gently) with the Intermediate Running Group on an undulating route through Kanaka Creek. I got a bit of a tongue lashing from my quads on the downhills and the twang at the behind my knee magically disappeared when Conny said that there was nothing back there that could possibly twang….silly me.

On Saturday we move back onto the trails until the end of summer and I couldn’t be happier. I love the trail running season, and being able to run in the events as opposed to running the events is something that I really missed and am excited to get back to this year. So with five trail races and one adventure race already on the calendar you would think that I would be satisfied. But the urge to Rock and Roll again has not gone away mad or just gone away, so today I added one final race to my summer schedule

Well Hello February

Oh what a beautiful morning, and a run day to boot!  I didn’t even let the paint cans that have been added to the dumping grounds at the end of Matheson Avenue ruin my mood.

Only exposing the skin on my face, I hit the trails this morning with Conny.  It was also a great opportunity to wear my running glasses, which haven’t seen daylight since the Vegas marathon.  There is nothing like the sun hitting your face on a chilly and crisp winter morning…ah vitamin sunshine (I know, I probably didn’t show enough skin to absorb whatever weak rays were shining and it wasn’t enough to warm my bones, but for a solar powered girl it was more than a ‘moment’).

On an equally fabulous note, congratulations everyone, we survived January!  I like February (mostly because it’s not January), an am looking forward to what it has in store; hearts, flowers, chocolate and a ½ Marathon!

What are your plans for heart month?

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