Running on Empty...

2011 In Review & Looking Towards 2012

2011-12-21T09:16:00.000-08:00

2011 really wasn't that big of a year for me compared to others due to a couple nagging injuries but in the end what I did end up running had some pretty positive outcomes regardless.

Manitoba Marathon - June 2011

I ended up signing up for the Manitoba Marathon on June 19 on a last minute whim. I hadn't been running much or training specifically for the marathon so my goal was to just go and run as fast as I could. So I did and I ran a marathon PB in 3:41.

Lost Soul 100 - Sept. 2011

September brought the Lost Soul 100 in Lethbridge Alberta. After pulling off a win in 2010 in the 100 mile I vowed never to run the 100 mile again there...yeah don't we all say that at some point during and right after the race. Well that latest until I heard the race was going to be the ACU Canadian 100 Mile Trail Championship Race for 2011. With that carrot now hanging in front of me I had to go back and try to win that. I'm not sure why it was so important but that was my goal going into the race along with trying to run it faster in 2011. I had somehow managed to talk my friend Sarah into pacing me on the last loop. I was confident that Sarah could help me achieve my goal as she knows me and she knows the course. The 100 mile had some stiff competition this year and it made for a 100 mile race right from the start. The moon and stars aligned again for me and this year with the help of Sarah I was able to win the 100 mile trail championship and run 2 hours and 4 minutes faster than 2010 in 26: 23. I was thrilled beyond belief to have accomplished the goal once again that I had set for myself.

In October I ran again on a whim the Race For Your Heart 1/2 Marathon in Lockport Manitoba. It was a fundraiser for the Hi-Speed Greyhound Rescue. I wasn't fully recovered from the Lost Soul but my goal was to run 1:45...not 1:46 or 1:47 but 1:45 and that's exactly what I did. A 1/2 marathon PB and I was ecstatic. It is truly amazing what you can accomplish when you set goals and push yourself. One can do anything if one truly wants to.

That was pretty much the end of my running year as after the 1/2 marathon I felt like I was literally hit my a bus. I have never had tight hip flexors like I had after that race. It took me until December until I could start to run again and feel good so now I'm looking forward to seeing what I can accomplish in 2012.

So on that note I wish a very Merry Christmas to everyone and a Happy New Year. I look forward to seeing some of you out there at the races in 2012.

Merry Christmas to me...HOKA One One

2011-12-07T09:17:00.000-08:00

I'm not the type of person that caves into buying the latest fad but after reading many reviews and seeing great ultra runners like Karl, Dave Mackey and Diana Finkel pull out some great race wins in these shoes I was curious. I've had some re-occuring injuries that have been flaring up the last couple of seasons so I was looking for a shoe that had some cushion to it. I thought the sight of actually seeing the HOKA in person would make my eyes roll and it did but a good eye roll.

I ran my first 3 miles in them last night on my treadmill and I have to say "AWESOME". I couldn't feel my bunion, I couldn't feel my sore heel, hell I couldn't feel the treadmill under my feet. I was flying...ok not literally but you know what I mean. So far I'm hooked and the thought of going back to my Mizuno's really isn't appealing as I can feel ever pain, ache, lump and bump with them. The jury is still out but I'm thinking this could possibly be my new go to shoe.

Race For Your Heart - Hi-Speed Hounds Fundraiser

2011-10-04T08:38:00.000-07:00

Ever thought about adopting a retired racing Greyhound? Saturday October 1st I ran the Race For Your Heart 1/2 Marathon in support of this wonderful cause. The Race for Your Heart is the largest fundraising event for this organization. This year the event was held in beautiful Lockport Manitoba on the flat, fast and scenic River Road. It was a sunny brisk, gusty morning with alots of runners running in either the 10k or the 1/2 marathon event. There were also many Greyhounds in attendance to meet who where looking rather magestic and sophistocated.

For more information on this Organization and adopting a Greyhound you can visit their website at http://www.hispeedhounds.com/.

Lost Soul 100 - 2011

2011-09-13T09:48:00.000-07:00

I just returned from another fantastic Lost Soul Ultra. What an amazing race the RD's put on from start to finish. If you haven't done the race and are thinking about it I would highly suggest you put in on your "To Do" List.

I wasn't even sure that I was going to the race until about 4 weeks ago as I was flipping back and forth about Wales or the Lost Soul. I first thought I could do both...yah right. For a number of reasons I decided to go to the Lost Soul. Having it be the Canadian 100 Mile Trail Championship for 2011 it was another reason that I was contemplating doing it. This was my first ultra this year as I've been plagued by that dam soleous issue all spring plus some other issues with my dogs so I was pretty psyched to run. 3 weeks before the race the soelous/knee issue flared up again just as I was getting in the must needed higher mileage. So I pretty much had a 3 week taper going into the race and I really hadn't run much at all this year but I was still feeling pretty positive as I knew the mental aspect is what would really get me thru the race.

I had some tough competition this year at the race and I was pretty stressed out before the race knowing that I was going to have to run my ass off and run smart if I was going to have a chance at the win. The weather was Africa Hot on race day with temps in the 40's in the coulees and runners were feeling the effects. It's been really hot and humid in Manitoba all summer so a hot dry heat was perfect for me. I ran the first loop in 7:18 which was fast but not fast enough as I was running in 2nd place. I knew that pace was too fast and I backed off as I told myself that I had to run my own race and not someone else's. My goal was to be able to still be running on the 3rd and last loop, to beat my last years winning time and to take home the trophy. I guess the moon and the stars were aligned as I was able to accomplish all of those goals beating my last years winning time by 2 hours and 4 minutes in a time of 26:23.

I am forever grateful to my wonderful friend and pacer Sarah for running the last loop with me and making me run and to everyone who sent be positive thoughts and energy and to my fantastic crew and friends who came to the race with me.

Commonwealth Championships of Mountain & Ultra Distance

2011-07-19T08:09:00.000-07:00

The 2nd Edition of the Commonwealth Championships of Mountain & Ultra Distance will take place Sept. 23-25, 2011 in North Wales. They will be hosted in three spectacular north-west Wales locations - Llandudno, Llanberis (Snowdon) and Newborough Forest, Anglesey. The combined events of mountain races (Up & Down), ultra-distance races (24 hr event) and trail running (50+km off road) for both men and women will produce a long weekend international festival of running. It is anticipated that over 25 Commonwealth Countries and over 200 of the finest athletes in the world will compete in the 2011 Championships in North Wales.

Manitoba Marathon June 19th, 2011

2011-06-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

On a whim on the last day to register I decided to sign up for the Manitoba Marathon this past Sunday. It had been a long winter and a very long spring dealing with unmotivation and a soleous injury. I just felt I needed to get out and run a race...any race. This was the weekend of the Bighorn 100 and I wasn't going to be there and that was somewhat disappointing so I needed to find myself something else. I hadn't been training just a few miles here and there so I really didn't know what to expect or if my injury would flare up while running, but what the hell did I have to loose anyway. I decided going into the marathon that I was going to try for the elusive 3:30 which has always been way out of my reach (go big or stay home)...dam you have to run fast to get that time. The weather was humid, overcast with a damp cool breeze. Almost perfect minus the humidity. I started off slowly then decided to go for broke and caught up with the 3:30 pace bunny group and held on for as long as I could which lasted 13 miles then I had to drop back abit and catch my breath. The pace bunnies shirt said 10 and 1 but there wasn't any 1. I kept telling myself it's only 3.5 hours and not 24+ so suck it up girl and run. So I ran as fast as I could (in hindsight I know I could have sucked it up just abit more, ran even faster and got closer to that 3:30). In the end I finished the race strong and crossed the finish line in 3:41:43. A marathon PB and I was happy :) 3:30 next time! The power of positive thinking truly is a powerful thing.

Summer 2011 Mountain Trail Running Camp - Revelstoke BC

2011-05-20T13:08:00.000-07:00

In case your looking for something different to do this summer you might want to check out this Mountain Running Camp being offered by Chloë Lanthier. Chloë is the Owner/Director of The Sports & Outdoor X-Training-School. I'm going to have the opportunity to assist Chloë with this camp so I'm pretty excited about that.

The camp is based out of Revelstoke but will be held in the high alpine trail heads of the Selkirk and Monashee Mountains.

Dates: July 22-24 (2.5 days)
Friday evening 6pm-8pm (intro evening) Saturday & Sunday 8am-5pm.
Cost: $195.00
Focus: This camp is the ultimate mountain running experience! Do you want to increase your overall speed, aerobic capacity and running power? Run longer distances and in steeper terrain? Come and learn innovative drills and training techniques to increase speed on the flats, power on the climbs, confidence on the downhills, along with endurance and strength for the distance. We suggest you can run 90 minutes to 2hrs to benefit from this camp. This camp is non-competitive and lot's of fun, an unforgettable running experience!

The camps are innovative and exciting, uniquely designed to optimize trail running and overall athletic conditioning; expand training knowledge; maximize technique; and to inform and educate about injury prevention. Chloë shares her passion for trail running and her expertise in human performance, injury prevention, training/racing and mountaineering to offer the most premium experience available in trail running camps.

ALL CAMPS INCLUDES:
-Individual video analysis of running form, foot stride, postural control and muscle activation.
-Drills and training techniques to build running power, speed and endurance for the distance.
-Sport-specific conditioning and injury prevention.
-Fluid intake and nutrition, as well as how to avoid gastrointestinal distress.

Chloë is a very accomplished world class endurance athlete. She has been competing for more than two decades in ultra-trail running, endurance mountain biking and multi-sports races including multi-day & expedition events around the world. She has pioneered many races being the first Canadian and North American to take part. Chloë’s growing athletic success is due in part to her holistic approach to training including a balanced, healthy lifestyle.

Chloë has a Master in Science/Human performance and a Bachelor in Exercise Science with extensive post-graduate studies in anatomy and biomechanics. She is NCCP Level 3 Coach, Stott Pilate's Intensive Mat & Reformer certified. Chloe teaches Athletic Rehabilitation Programs and is a Consultant in Bio mechanics/Rehabilitation Sports Injuries at the Universite de Geneve, Geneva Switzerland.

Some of Chloë Career Highlights include:

Former World Champion, 24 Hours of Mountain Biking.
2000 Canadian Adventure/Expedition Athlete of the Year.
Iditasports Extreme, female course record 4 days, 23 hours, 50 minutes, and 4 time finisher and top 10 time overall. 350 miles winter mountain bike expedition race on the Iditarod trail in Alaska.
Challenged the Impossible Iditabike, 1100 miles non-stop, self supported winter mountain bike expedition race on the Iditarod trail to Nome, Alaska.Winner Iditabike 100 miles, winter mountain bike race in Alaska.
5th place finisher, Marathon des Sables, 7 day stage race - 160 mile ultra running marathon across the Sahara desert, Morocco.
Winner of Raid Delta I Ports, Pirennes, Spain. 180km High altitude Trail Running Race.

10th place finisher, Eco-Challenge Adventure Race, Whistler BC.

I had the pleasure to meet Chloë in Morocco at the Marathon des Sables in the spring of 2008 where she was one of my tent mates for the week. She has been someone that has inspired and motivated me over the years and meeting her in person was a highlight. She is one of the modest, classiest and strongest woman that I have ever met, I so look forward to assisting her at The Mountain Running Camp in Revelstoke this summer.

Sometimes life hands you lemons...

2011-04-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

and you need to make lemonade. This weekend life handed me some lemons when I had to make a decision to run or not run the Bighorn 100. Over the last couple of months I've been struggling with a soleous muscle injury that has inflamed the tendon attached to the inside of my knee or something like that. I stopped running for a week, cut back the mileage and actually went swimming instead. With treatment it's getting better but it's not 100% and to be honest I don't feel like I've put in enough long miles to run 100 miles again yet. Sure I could wing it and finish probably but I'm not the type that's just into finishing. I've had a very unmotivated winter of running and maybe this is just a sign telling me I need abit of a break. So I withdrew from the Bighorn yesterday and you know I'm really feeling OK about it...honestly I don't think I was really 100% into it anyway right now. I have a couple big races in Sept. and I want to be mentally and physically 110% ready to run those. So for now I'll sit back and drink some lemonade.

Bighorn 100 - 59 days and counting

2011-04-18T09:08:00.000-07:00

The Bighorn Trail 100 Mile Endurance Run is in its 10th year. Although it is a very difficult course, it has been a great success and participants have encouraged its continuation. This race is extremely challenging due to the rugged terrain of the Bighorn Mountains, and has become a favorite among avid trail runners. The course, an out-and-back, is at elevations of about 10,000 feet, among fields of wildflowers and breathtaking scenery. The majority of the course is on rugged mountain trails and 4-wheel drive roads. http://www.bighorntrailrun.com/

How to get yourself Motivated...

2011-03-22T11:55:00.000-07:00

First PUT DOWN THE COOKIES!!!!! You know who you are!!! It's mid March and it's still deep into winter in some parts of the country (my part anyway) and more than most of us have had enough!!! Enough is enough snow...scram...vammooze...get lost...for gosh sakes just friggen melt.

Top 10 things to get you motivated:
1. set yourself a goal
2. find some inspiration
3. get excited about your goal
4. build anticipation
5. post your goal
6. commit to your goal in public
7. think about your goal daily
8. find a support network
9. stick with it

10. call for help when you fall off the wagon

Congratulations Greg McHale...1st on foot 430 mile

2011-02-15T06:34:00.000-08:00

1st to reach Finish on foot in 430 mile Yukon Arctic Ultra

The following was posted on race site Feb.14: http://www.arcticultra.de/
Greg McHale reached Dawson City this afternoon. He was obviously very tired and also very hungry but considering what he had been through he looked really good. It's a shame our race is so spread out that seldom an athlete gets the crowd at the finish that he truly deserves. This goes especially for Greg. Not only is he the first athlete on foot to finish the 430 miles this year (only two mountain bikers were faster). He also broke Enrico Ghidoni's record from 2009 by a long time. And that is after really bad trail conditions from Pelly Farm to Scroggie, snowdrifts in the dome area and extremely cold temperatures.
Well done Greg!

Yukon Arctic Ultra

2011-02-14T07:03:00.000-08:00

THE WORLD’S COLDEST AND TOUGHEST ULTRA

FEBRUARY 6TH - 19TH, 2011

The Yukon Arctic Ultra will follow the Yukon Quest trail, the trail of the world's toughest Sled Dog Race.
Quite simply the world's coldest and toughest ultra. 430 miles of snow, ice, temperatures as low as -40C and relentless wilderness, the YUA is an incredible undertaking. The Montane® Yukon Arctic Ultra follows the Yukon Quest trail, the trail of the world's toughest Sled Dog Race.

Choose to race the 430 mile, 300 mile, 100 mile or marathon distance either by snow mountain bike, cross country ski or by foot. The race begins 6th February 2011 in Whitehorse, Yukon, finishing (for those that make it) 13 nights later on the 19th February 2011 in Dawson, Yukon. The marathon finishes just off the Takhini River. The 100 mile competitors race from Whitehorse to Braeburn. The 300 mile racers continue relentlessly onwards going all the way to Pelly Farm. The 430 mile athletes continue on up the Quest trail to Dawson City.

The race trail is marked, however, fresh snow or a lot of wind can obliterate the route leaving it difficult to find the way. The threat of frostbite hangs over you like the sword of Damocles. The hours of darkness are brutally long clouding your judgement and playing with your mind. You struggle to eat enough to provide the fuel your body craves. Sleep is limited and you're alone, solo in a vast empty cold wilderness.

The YUA differs from the Marathon Des Sables and the Jungle Marathon in that there are no crews waiting at checkpoints to deal with aches and pains. You get food, encouragement and are told - if you have enough psyche - to get back out into the snow and race to the finish.

Congratulations to Patti Clune who finished the 100 miler, my good friend Denise McHale for winning the marathon version and setting a new record in 3 hours 14 minutes and to Greg McHale who is running the 430 miler from Whitehorse to Dawson City. Greg is presently about 25 miles from Dawson City and expected to finish in 1st place in the foot category sometime this evening Feb. 14th. Congratulations to Greg for an amazing accomplishment!!!!

If I had a million dollars

2011-01-04T18:38:00.000-08:00

I'd buy myself some shiny new running shoes
If I had a million dollars
I'd buy plane tickets to races
If I had a million dollars
This would be my 2011 Ultra list:

January - Annapurna 100 - Nepal
February - Yukon Arctic Ultra 430
March - Le Trail de Paris - France
April - Everest Ultra - Nepal
May - Adda Elephant 100 - South Africa
June - Enduroman 100 Ultra - England
July - Iceland Laugavegur Ultra
August - UTMB
September - Tor des Geants - Italy
October - Le Grand Raid - Reunion Island, Africa
November - Taranaki Steelformers 100 mile - New Zealand
December - Bruny Island Ultramarathon - Tasmania
If I had a million dollars...

Looking forward to the new year...

2010-12-30T12:20:00.000-08:00

Now with all the Christmas whoohah out of the way and the trinkets and bamboozles taken down and put away it's time to start thinking about new races and places to run and visit in 2011. I didn't run a qualifier over the past 2 years in order to apply for Hardrock like I wanted to so that's out of the picture this year and I didn't win the lottery (like I wanted to) so applying for Badwater is also out. Those 2 races are on my bucket list of races. I contemplated running the Yukon Ultra 100 miler and Arrowhead 135 this February but I just wasn't thrilled about the possibility of freezing my ass off . I know that there are many other great races out there to run but I'm not really feeling particularly excited about running many of them. I had better find some motivation soon and a race or two that excites me before they all fill up and I'm sitting home twiddling my thumbs instead of running.

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year...

Top 10 Dr. Seuss Quotes for the New Year

1) You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose.

2) Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.

3) From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere.

4) Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.

5) Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way.

6) If you never did, you should. These things are fun, and fun is good.

7) I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful, one hundred percent.

8) So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.

9) And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed.

10) Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2010-12-24T07:02:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to everyone and all the best in 2011!

Lotteries - the zillion to 1 chance

2010-12-10T11:58:00.000-08:00

Massanutten 100 - nadda, zilch, a no go. I can even find the entrants list but I know I'm not on it.
WS 100 - didn't even bother as not a chance in hell.
Next...

2011 Ultra Season

2010-12-06T07:40:00.000-08:00

Well it's that time against to start thinking about the 2011 ultrarunning season and what races I might want to run. I've taken the last couple of months off running just for a break. It's been a long time since I had a break that long from running but it's given me a renewed enthusiasm for running. Lots of races and lots of lotteries out there these days, it almost ridiculous at how many people are now running ultras and trying to get a spot in one of those races. The 24HR World Championship that was slated for Brugg, Switzerland in June 2011 is now officially cancelled due to logistics. The IOC is looking for an alternative venue to host the event so I'm hoping that comes through as I would like another chance to break the 200 km mark with the Canadian 24HR Team. With 2011 just around the corner I guess I had better start making a few plans before everything fills up. Anyone out there have any suggestions on awesome must do races that don't cost a fortune or require 100 to 1 odds to get in?

Happy Halloween

2010-10-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween weekend...

Not much to blog about lately. I haven't run since my last race on October 2nd. Thought I would take the month off to totally recover from the year's races before I start into training for 2011. It's been kind of nice just chilling out and walking the dogs for the past month but like all good things this has to come to an end and I have to get back out there running.

Can you believe she dressed us up?

Beaudry Lemming Loop - Race review

2010-10-04T11:52:00.000-07:00

What a great race on a great day! Thanks so much Dwayne for putting on such an awesome race. I went into the race with a handful of goals and managed to accomplish them all. I wanted to pace myself well so that I could run the entire 12 hours and run the last few hours well and so I did. I finished the 12HR race 1st overall in a distance of 113.635 km. I also wanted to try and beat the women's 45+ 12HR Canadian record held by Sue Kainulainen with a distance of 111.2km and so I did by the skin of my teeth. I'm just waiting for official verification of the course being certified by the RD, paperwork and then the official record. The 12HR race started at 7am under a cloud of fog and darkness. I used my headlamp for about 5 minutes but with the fog and the rising sun it was easier to see the trail without the light. Having never run on the trail before it was a pleasant surprise to find out how really nice it was. There were a few small rolling hills some flats sections and some roots. The first hour passed well and I was right on target with my 5km splits that I wanted to maintain for the race but by the 3rd hour my knees, hips and hamstring were screaming at me. The shoes I was wearing just were not working for me on that course and I was seriously not having a good time, thinking I hurt so bad I should just drop. I stopped on the 4th hour and changed into my Mizuno road shoes and immediately my body started to feel better and by noon I felt this wave of positive energy hit me so thanks to whoever sent me that. I managed to pick up the pace but I was still off of my 5k pace time that I wanted to maintain so I decided not to worry about it and just run as fast as my body would let me and hope for the best. Considering I just ran a 100 miler 3 weekends ago I'm amazed that my body ran so well. The course did beat up my legs pretty bad and I'm still feeling the effects today but in the end it was all worth it :) So now it's rest and recovery for the rest of the year which I am so looking forward to then planning for 2011.

TRAIL RUN MANITOBA - Beaudry Lemming Loop

2010-09-30T08:54:00.000-07:00

This Saturday I'll be running the Beaudry Lemming Loop 12HR event in Beaudry Park just outside of Winnipeg. This run along with the 3 and 6 hour events is put on by Trail Run Manitoba. The weather forecast for Saturday looks perfect with sun and about 15 degrees...really it doesn't get any better than that for me. The trail system at Beaudry Park is nestled in the nooks of the Assiniboine River and although narrow in some places, is never quite down to single track. There are no hills to speak of, but there is just enough variation to keep you thinking about where you're going and the loop is 5km long.
So if you are in the area and looking for something to do for the day why not come out and run one of the events. 12 HR starts at 7am, 6 HR at 9am and 3 HR at 10am. All information can be found at http://trailrunmanitoba.com/. I also hear that the course is going to be certified so there might be some records to break.

My Lost Soul Adventure...bringing home the rock!

2010-09-14T13:12:00.000-07:00

Finally the monkey is off my back and I brought home the rock! What an adventure I had pulling out a 1st place finish in 28:27 and 5th overall. The Lost Soul 100 miler is one incredibly tough race. It is the hardest race on the prairies!!!! 53 runners started the 100 mile race at 8am on Friday Sept. 10th with 33 dropping out over the course of the 36 hours and 20 finishing. When we arrived in Lethbridge the day before it was raining like cats and dogs the entire day, big cats and big dogs. I was seriously questioning the race even being able to start with weather like that. But the weather gods turned the table and we started out race morning with fantastic cool and sunny weather. The first loop was somewhat muddy and wet but not life threatening on the steep downhill coulees like the year the race was cancelled due to the storm blowing in. I decided to wear my Salomon Speedcross shoes because they are meant for wet muddy single track conditions and they proved to be the right choice as the grip on them was amazing and there wasn't any slipping on the slick slopes. I ran the first loop quite conservatively as I came into the race with a hamstring/piriformis injury and wasn't able to train much this summer because of it. I wasn't sure how is was all going to play out but in the end it really wasn't an issue. As always I find that people start like a bat out of hell and with 100 miles to go my plan was to start slow, pace myself well and be able to run to the finish line. I ended up having a fantastic pacer for my 3rd loop who paced me to a win. Thank you Alan you are the best!

2010-08-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

LOST SOUL ULTRA
Southern Alberta's Ultimate Trail Run September 10 - 11, 2010
Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
50Km 100Km 100Miles

"The Toughest Race on the Prairies" This will be my 5th time returning to the Lost Soul Ultra and I can tell you first hand that yes it is the Toughest Race on the Prairies. I've previously had 2 failed attempts at the 100 miler. My Ist attempt in 2004 I sprained my ankle badly falling into a hole at 95k having to spend the night in the emergency ward, my 2nd attempt in 2005 I DNF'd due to bad blisters and a bad attitude, 2007 saw a 2nd place win in the 100k while 2008 was the year of the rain. The race was cancelled due to a severe storm. Unfortunately I only had 5k to go for the 100k win :( So after a year away I'll be returning Sept. 10th to run the 100 miler and get that 100 mile finishers rock! There's no going home without it...time to get that monkey off my back! So if your looking to run a great ultra in the prairies the Lost Soul is one that you don't want to miss it's certainly one of my favourites.

Denise McHale - Canadian Death Race

2010-08-13T12:31:00.000-07:00

Here's a nice write-up about my good friend Denise McHale and the Canadian Death Race in the Yukon News.

McHale top Canadian in Death Race

Friday August 6, 2010
By Tom Patrick
Ian MacDonald/Yukon News

Whitehorse’s Denise McHale finished third overall in the Canadian Death Race in Grande Cache, Alberta on Sunday. Whitehorse’s Denise McHale decided not to defend Yukon River Trail Marathon title on Sunday, but not because she wanted to take it easy. It was quite the opposite. Instead McHale competed in the 10th annual Canadian Death Race in Grande Cache, Alberta, a 125-kilometre running race through the Rocky Mountains.

“It was a really nice course, it was a well-organized race and I would recommend it to anybody who wants to run 125 kilometres,” said McHale. “I was happy with my time. I think it’s the third-fastest time ever run by a woman. But it was hard to know what to expect with time, so I was looking at previous years and was hoping for under 16 hours.”

Her first time in the Death Race, McHale finished third overall with a time of 14 hours and 56 minutes. The top Canadian finisher, McHale came in behind an ultra-marathon champion for the US and the second-place finisher, a woman from Scotland, both of whom surpassed the previous course record.

“We ran together for the first 50 kilometres, but then I just let her go because I knew her and knew that the odds were that she was going to beat me,” said McHale of the top female finisher. “You have to do your own thing out there and I think if I would have tried to keep up with her I would have blown up.”

Starting in downtown Grande Cache at an altitude of 1,280 metres, competitors had to traverse three mountain summits, climbing a combined altitude of 5,180 metres, including a climb up Mt. Hamel at an elevation of 2,129 metres. It was during her accent up Mt. Hamel that McHale really started to feel the effects of the race.

“It was around mid-day and it was 22 degrees most of the day, but with no cloud cover, so I felt really hot most of the day,” she said. “You start to feel sorry for yourself at some point, where you really have a long way to go still and you’re starting to not feel so great.

“I think I was in fourth or fifth place overall and I just thought, ‘There are 250 people behind you that would be really happy to be where you are, so just suck it up and keep going.’”

Towards the end of the journey participants must present a coin to the “Grim Reaper” to get a boat ride across the Hell’s Gate canyon where the Smoky and Sulphur Rivers converge. If a runner loses the coin given to them at the start of the race, that’s the end of the race for them.

“If you lose your coin, you’re out of luck. You don’t get a ride and you’re disqualified from the race,” said McHale. “That would be horrible - at a hundred and something kilometres into it!”

No stranger to long-distance events, McHale is the current Canadian 100-kilometre women’s champion. Having defended her title last year, McHale will be on Team Canada for the IAU 100-Km World Championships this November in Gibraltar, Spain. “You can’t really compare (the Death Race) to the 100-kilometre road run because it’s totally different,” said McHale.

In May at the XPD Australia Adventure Race in North Queensland, McHale helped her Team Merrell/Akali, which she also represented in the Death Race, to a third-place finish. Included on the four-person team was her husband Greg. “It was a pretty tough miserable race,” said McHale. “It’s a tough country with all the stinging, poisonous plants and all the spiders, snakes and crocodiles - you name it, they have it. “It was definitely a challenge, but we survived.”

HURT 100 Lottery

2010-08-09T07:33:00.000-07:00

Looks like I'm in...the HURT 100 lottery was held Saturday August 7th with 183 hopeful runners looking for one of the 125 spots. The race is scheduled for January 15/16, 2011 at 6am in Honolulu, Hawaii at the Hawaii Nature Center :) The race is a very difficult 100 mile trail event consisting of 5 very rooty 20 mile loops consisting of 99% single-track trail with 1% of asphalt. There is over 24,935 feet of elevation gain and loss over the 100 mile course. Sounds like a lot of fun doesn't it :)

A Bucket List of Races

2010-07-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

The Bucket List...do you have a list of must do races or one special race that you think of more than you should and won't go away until you do it? I know I sure do. I'm the type of person that is goal oriented and must always have a carrot dangling on the stick. I thrive on a challenge and feel the need to always have something challenging coming up. I don't like the "NORM" don't want to be the "NORM" and don't want to ever have regrets for not doing something because it scares me. When I first started jogging (I won't even call it running) I had grandiose ideas and started a Bucket List of adventures that I wanted to do and as the years went on it's became longer and longer. I first wanted to run The Boston Marathon so on the list it went, after I conquered that marathon then it was onto Ironman Canada. After Ironman was conquered then I had to do another one just to prove that the first one wasn't a fluke. After that I had dreams of the Marathon des Sables. My running friends Kelvin and Steve and I would constantly talk about the MDS while running. Well I don't know about them but for me I was one day making it a reality and 8 years after the start of that dream I made it happen. There have been other races that were must do's on my Bucket List that I've crossed off over the years like the Leadville 100, the Canadian Death Race, the Trail Runner Trophy Series, winning my first 100 miler and being selected to the Canadian National 24 Team. I've been very lucky to be able to follow my passion and have the support of friends and family to help me along the way and to meet so many wonderful runners out there that share my passion. I have many, many more races on my list including HURT 100, Hardrock and Badwater to name a few. So do you have a Bucket List of races or a race that you want to cross off your list? If so make sure you make it happen...

CANADIAN DEATH RACE & my predictions...

2010-07-20T07:37:00.000-07:00

The CANADIAN DEATH RACE http://www.canadiandeathrace.com/ one of Canada's premier running events is less than 2 weeks away. The race is located in Grande Cache, Alberta 140 km north of Hilton on the Bighorn Highway 40. Grand Cache is nestled on a 4200' plateau and dominated by mountains on all sides. The course is 125 kms of extreme mountain trail, three mountain summits, over 17,000 ft of elevation change and a raft crossing at hell's Gate (Sulphur Gates) , the confluence of the Smoky and Sulphur Rivers. The Death Race is organized by the Canadian Institute of Extreme Racing. The Death Race was first launched in 2000 and attracted a mere 194 runners. The Death Race has adapted the Greek myth of Charon, the ferryman of the dead to add further depth to a thrilling race. According to mythology, Charon rowed the dead across the River Styx into the underworld. Ancient Greeks buried their dead with one obol, a Greek coin, in the corpse's mouth to ensure passage into the nether world. Charon, a grozzled old man with blazing eyes, a white beard and a hooded cloak was not well disposed to passengers who were still living, however, they had to pay or stay. Death Racers have the same ultimatum. To gain access to the raft to get across the Smoky River to conclude the fifth and final leg of the race they must present their death coin to the ferryman before being allowed to enter the raft. The very special coin is given to each team and solo racer at the beginning of the race. Relay racers must pass the coin from person to person, and summit to summit never losing sight of the fact that only when presented to the ferryman will they be provided safe passage across the river.

The Death race started with humble beginnings back in 2000 and today with The North Face as it's initial sponsor it has become one of the most sought after races in North America to run. I ran the race back in 2004 in my first year of ultrarunning in just over 20 hours so I know first hand what a difficult yet amazing race it is. So if your sitting out there contemplating about signing up for 2011 just do it...
This years race is bringing out some of the best Ultrarunners out there and is going to be quite the race from the get go with the likes of Phil Villeneuve, Greg McHale, Gary Robbins and Jack Cook in the men's race and in the women's race Denise McHale, Ellie Greenwood and Tracy Garneau.
Here are my picks for this years race:
Men
Phil Villeneuve - Phil has just come off some great wins of late with a 2nd place win at Powderface 42 this past weekend. He's fit , he's fast and definitely a contender to take the win.
Greg McHale - I'm putting Greg as the Wild card since he hasn't run a lot of ultra races but is one of the best adventure races in North America if not the world. Knowing Greg personally he has a killer attitude and there is nothing stopping him. Pain is not a word in Greg's vocabulary. If all goes well Greg could easily blow the field away.
Gary Robbins - What's not to say about Gary. He's pretty amazing in his own right and just coming off a 6th place finish at WS100, he's going to be taking a run for the win also.
Jack Cook - Jacks won the DR numerous times in the past and if he's feeling healthy he'll be one to watch.
Wayne Gaudet - Wayne has been the running the DR every year almost and has always placed in the top spots in the DR and all the other races he's entered. He'll be a contender again for a top spot in the race.
Geoff Linton - Jeff hails from Ontario and is an incredibly fast runner. Jeff was the 2009 ACU Men's 100 mile Trail Champion winning the Sulphur Springs 100.

WOMEN
Denise McHale - Denise has been training like a mad woman and has been wanting to run the DR for a few years now. She's fit, she's eager and she wants the win. I know Denise personally and besides being one of the worlds best adventure racers she is an amazingly fast runner. With Denise's talent and mental attitude there is nothing stopping her from winning the race.
Tracy Garneau - Tracy is a past DR winner and another amazing ultrarunner. She is just coming off some big wins at HURT 100 in January and WS100 in June. I think her and Denise will be running head to head to the finish.
Ellie Greenwood - Ellie is super fit and super fast. She's taken many wins already this year in the shorter ultras with many course records. I don't think Ellie has run a 100 miler yet so that's why I'm putting Tracy ahead with more 100 mile experience. Take nothing away from Ellie thou as she is more than capable of winning the race.
Petra Graen - Petra is one of the fastest 30k/50k ultrarunners out there. I've seen Petra run and she is fast. She certainly is going to be in the top 5.
Janet Findlay - One certainly can't count Janet out. She's has proven herself time and time again and has won many ultras that she's entered. See was the 2009 winner of the Lost Soul 100 and has run the DR before and placed well.

Self-Transcendence 24 HR Race

2010-07-16T12:29:00.000-07:00

I know, I know time for another post...I've decided to add another race to my calender this fall. I've been humming and hoeing about running the Bear 100 in late Sept. so that I could have it as a qualifying run to apply for Hardrock next year but I've decided that it's probably not the smartest thing for me to do since I already have the Lost Soul 100 miler on Sept. 11th. I'd have 2 weeks to recover and I don't think that's enough for me to run the Bear well and I don't like to do anything half ass so going to just finish really isn't an option. Actually it's probably not enough recovery time for me to do anything well but I've decided to run the Self-Transcendence 24 Hr Race in Ottawa instead on Sept. 25th. A flat 400 metre track in the Louis Riel Dome in Ottawa is probably a better option if I'm going to run another big race in that short of time. I picked this race because I'd like another chance of breaking the 200km mark this year and more experience in this type of event leading up the Worlds in Switzerland next year. Plus I never like to make things easy for myself :)

Hardrock 100 and Badwater 135

2010-07-06T07:43:00.000-07:00

A couple of great races are looming just around the corner. Hardrock 100 hardrock100.com July 9-11 and Badwater 135 badwater.com July 12 - 14. Totally different style of races but epics nonetheless.

Hardrock : "The Hardest 100" 100 miles and over 33,000 ft ascent in San Juan Mountains, Colorado. This will be the 17th running of the Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run which is scheduled to start at 6:00 am, Friday July 9, 2010, in Silverton, Colorado. In 2010, the course will be run in the clockwise direction - a big loop through the San Juan Mountains of beautiful southwest Colorado: Silverton - Ophir - Telluride -Ouray - Sherman (Lake City) - back to Silverton. 100-miles plus 33,992 feet of climb and 33,992 feet of descent for a total elevation change of 67,984 feet with an average elevation of 11,186 feet - low point 7,680 feet (Ouray) and high point 14,048 feet (Handies Peak). You can follow the race live on the Hardrock website on July 9th. I just wanted to wish one of our great Canadian Ultrarunners Bruce Grant all the best. Bruce has run Hardrock numerous times as has always placed very well. Best of luck Bruce! If you'd like to check out Bruce's amazing adventures and races check out his blog lonerunman.blogspot.com GO BRUCE GO!!! YOU ROCK MAN!

Badwater 135 Ultramarathon badwater.com is recognized globally as "the world's toughest foot race," this legendary event pits up to 90 of the world's toughest athletes—runners, triathletes, adventure racers, and mountaineers—against one another and the elements. Covering 135 miles (217km) non-stop from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, CA in temperatures up to 130F (55c), it is the most demanding and extreme running race offered anywhere on the planet. The 33rd anniversary edition will be held July 12-14, 2010. You can follow the race live starting July 12th. I just wanted to wish another one of our great Canadian Ultrarunners Iris Cooper all the best. Iris ran Badwater in 2009 (the year of the fire) and as she was climbing Mt. Whitney, the last leg of her135 mile journey she and her crew encountered the worst news ever that the finish line had been shut down due to the forest fire ahead of them. Iris by this time had been running for nearly 40 hours, non-stop through the desert and just about to finish the brutal four hour climb that drops you into the finish line chute but they had been shut down and unable to cross the finish line. With less than 2 MILES to go to the finish of her135 mile race she had to turn back. The next morning, she and her crew were allowed to cross the notorious Badwater finish line. She DID get the coveted Badwater belt buckle for finishing within the qualifying time limit and her official time, however, was 52:24. Due to the forest fire she had lost a disappointing 13 hours and 40 minutes due to the fire. Needless to say the SWISS MISS has some unfinished business to do at this years Badwater race. If you would like to know more about this Amazing Ultrarunner check out her blog swissmiss-iris.blogspot.com. Wishing you the best of luck at Badwater Iris...GO SWISS MISS GO!!!

IAU 24 HR World and European Cahmpionship 2011

2010-06-29T11:31:00.000-07:00

The IAU (International Association of Ultrarunners) http://www.iau-ultramarathon.org/ has recently made a couple of exciting announcements. First off the 9th IAU 24 HR World and European Championships will be held in Brugg, Switzerland on June 24-26, 2011 and secondly the Commonwealth Games Federation has sanctioned the 2nd Commonwealth Mountain and Ultra Distance Running Championships after a successful 1st edition of this event in Keswick, UK. A host city has yet to be determined and the event will either be scheduled for 2011 or 2013. How exciting all these International World Class ultrarunning events!

Fast Trax Split Times

2010-06-28T16:09:00.000-07:00

The results have been posted and these are my splits for the 100km.
Loop 1 - 52:10
Loop 2 - 53:50
Loop 3 - 59:20
Loop 4 - 1:02:01
Loop 5 - 1:12:14
Loop 6 - 1:11:44
Loop 7 - 1:10:16
Loop 8 - 1:09:34
Loop 9 - 1:09:02
Loop 10 - 1:08:16
So you can see that I good intentions to run my ass off but in the end got my ass kicked. I think the 52:10 is actually a 10K PB for me. In hindsight I guess I should have paced myself better in the first few loops but I figured one needed to to run hard from start to finish to be competitive in the race...unfortunately I just couldn't sustain the fast pace of the first couple loops. It was a great 100k training run. Time to recover now then to start training for the next one.

The not so fast Fast Trax race Report

2010-06-28T09:10:00.000-07:00

4th Place, 10:48...my Medium to Slow Trax race. Seriously what was I thinking...I'm not a fast runner and throw in one too many bathroom breaks and time filling water bottles and stuff and that's lots of extra time wasted in a race where there is no time to waste. The Fast Trax 100k was a 10k looped paved course run 10 times. It was in the River Valley in Edmonton and it was stated as a fast, flat course...with rolling hills. Well from a girl training on the flat prairies those were not rolling hills...they were big rolling hills. I learned fast that if I wanted to be competitive in the race I needed to run faster than I could, run all the rolling hills and not walk. Well that lasted for 2 loops and if I continued to run at that pace then I could have run under a 9 hour 100k but I am not Superwoman as much as I'd like to think I am. By the 3rd loop I needed to slow done and breath. By the 4th loop I wanted to quit. By the 5th loop I was dropping. The 4th and 5th loop were my slowest and lowest points in the race. I was tired and just wanted to be home. I needed to get those negative thoughts out of my head and start sucking it up.

The race started at 7am with overcast dark skies and light rain. It was nice and lasted about 3 hours before the clouds parted and the sun came out and it started to get hot. By the 6th loop I had resigned myself to finishing the dam race and changed my negative attitude to picking up the pace and trying to catch the woman in 3rd place. Over the 7, 8, and 9th loops I reeled her in but just didn't have enough time, I needed another loop but there wasn't one. So that's the way the day went. I wasn't ecstatic finishing 4th and with my time as I wanted to run under 10 hours but shit happens and it wasn't my day. I do know that I have no desire to run another road 100k...back to the races I love the 100 milers and the 24 HRs.

Cougars and running

2010-06-20T14:08:00.000-07:00

Interesting little run we had this morning...the plan was to get in one last long 18-20 mile run before the Fast Trax next weekend so off to Riding Mtn. National Park we went at 7:30am this morning. It's about a 10 minute drive from home and were we do our group Sunday am runs. The runs are always on the road and the park is just a nice place to do them in. It was just Ted and I this morning as others were away running the Manitoba Marathon and such. We had probably gone about 6.5 miles and decided to stop for a quick drink. For some reason I looked up the road to where we were headed and saw this HUGE animal come out of the bush and onto the road about 400 metres ahead of us. We looked at each other than back at the animal thinking what is that? A bear? No...A wolf? No...then we saw the tail as it started to slowly slink across the road. HOLY CRAP!!! I was a very large cougar. Needless to say we looked at each other and quickly decided that we really didn't need to run further in that direction. So quickly, very quickly, ok really fast started to run back in the direction that we came. Is that not one of the things that you shouldn't do when encountering a Cougar? The only other wildlife sighting was a young Moose and in the end we did manage to get 17 good miles in.
Cougars are not a common thing to see in Manitoba, lots of rumors about them around and killing livestock but not alot of mention of them in the park. Just when I thought it was the ole bear that I needed to worry about.
Here's some information that I found on the web just in case anyone out there encounters one on their run.

How to Stay Safe When Sighting a Cougar
Staying in groups, making lots of noise and avoiding smelly foods are ways to prevent cougar sightings when entering the wilderness.

Hiking, Running or Mountain Biking in Cougar Country
Runners and cyclists surprise cougars because their movements are so quick and silent they have little time to recognize human activity.

How to prevent a cougar encounter:
•Make lots of noise
•Stay in groups
•If hiking carry a walking stick as a potential weapon

Cougar Attacks
Although it is very rare to see a cougar there are ways to walk away safely.
•Do not run. Rapid movements trigger a cougar’s instinct to attack. Instead back away slowly
•Keep eyes locked with the cougar’s and do not turn around
•Do not crouch or hide, instead appear larger than the cougar and stand on a stump or log
•Look like a threat than prey. Create lots of noise and use rocks and sticks as weapons
•That being said do not advance on the cougar, instead move farther away

•If the cougar attacks fight back with all your strength. People have survived by punching, throwing sticks and rocks, using backpacks as shields and spraying pepper spray.
•Carry pepper spray with easy access to it
•Bells are hardly audible for animals instead carry a whistle.

Not too much to blog about these days

2010-06-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

The last few days here have been hot, hot, hot and humid...not that I complain about the weather much (ok I do) but it seems to be one way or the other around here. Way too much rain (which it's doing again today), gusty winds or too hot and humid. Why can't it just be sunny skies, mild temps and dry? Is that really too much to ask for? Obviously!
Last year I trained mostly from fall to spring then ran races all summer and never really ran much in between the races so I didn't have to train in the hot humid weather. It worked well for me. This year with lack of races this summer I'm finding that I have to spend more time training in the heat/humidity and rain/wind. I don't really like to train to begin with so this doesn't help much. If I don't like to train then some are you are probably wondering why I even run. Trust me I've asked myself that question many times. I love the races and the challenge so in order for me to challenge myself and run the races then I need to train. Plus it's just dam boring running around here and by myself for the most part. My dogs don't even want to run they just want to chase gophers, cruise the water filled ditches and then get home out of the heat.
I really don't even have anything to blog about, well of interest anyway as I'm not doing much. France and the World Championships seems like a lifetime ago already. I had grand plans of applying to Badwater (but I'm to cheap), Hardrock (but that race scares me)and I wanted to run the Grand Slam (but I didn't get into Western) but I'm not doing any of those. Ok now I'm just babbling so I should go for a run.

Here's a couple cute pictures of my dog.

Raining cats and dogs...

2010-06-10T13:30:00.000-07:00

There's just not much more to say than that...it's Monsoon season here in Manitoba right now. Seems like 40 days and 40 nights of rain, rain, rain...Training for Fast Trax is going well...well I'm running let's just say. Not huge mileage only about 45-50 miles a week if I'm lucky but all is feeling good. I much prefer the actual race than training for it and I'm lacking motivation right now for running most likely due to the weather. I did have a great hill run workout in the Park last night, 5 miles up and 5 miles down. Other than that not much more to say...

Ok the semi longer version of my 24 Hr World's report...

2010-05-27T07:10:00.000-07:00

Not that I was going to post anymore details but Sara thought I should post a few more details of the race so I'm posting the email version that I sent her. So here it is...

There really isn't a long version so to speak. I went into the race wanting to run 200k and be top Canadian female. Not that I'm competitive or anything :) One out of two isn't bad. I wasn't sure how fast or slow to run never having run this type of race before. Everyone was running so fast from the start, like they knew what they were doing. There was no way that I could maintain a fast pace like that right to the end. I wanted to run the entire race and not crash and burn. I never have any problem staying awake in the evening in a race and I always seem to get faster as the race goes on.

I had one two many bathroom breaks as far as I was concerned but what can you do. I had to change my shoes within the first two hours as I could start to feel a blister happening. That had me concerned as it was only two hours into the race. But in the end it worked out well. After about 10 hours my quads were starting to tighten and I felt a muscle tightening up at the top of my quad which had me concerned yet again. We had a massage therapist with the team and a 10 minute stop with him and he worked it out. After that I was good to go. I actually stopped again about 16 hours into it for another quick massage after that massage I started running faster and faster each loop.
People were dying and slowing way down (well except for Shingo and Jurek) and I just kept running and passing people. I did have a monumental moment when I passed Jurek running while he was walking...that was short lived thou as he continued to kick my ass after that :)

The sun came up and the last 4 hours flew by. I got to carry the Canadian flag for the last loop which was really cool. After the race the team packed up the stuff and the buses were there to either take you back to your hotel or take people to the awards and lunch. I was on the bus ready to head to the awards and all of the sudden felt nausea. There was no way in hell I could sit through awards and eat lunch, I needed to lie down asap. We changed buses and got back to the hotel. I laid on the bed fully clothed and crashed. Woke up a few hours later and we all went to supper then after supper some of us headed to the restaurant next to the motel to eat again.Next morning everyone headed their separate ways. Ted and I moved to a Hotel in the town centre stayed another night in Brive (walked a half million miles) then caught the train the next morning to Paris were we continued to walk another million miles in 5 days...
Needless to say when I got home on Sat. morning around 1am I was beyond exhausted and slept most of the weekend. Tonight was my first run (a big 3 miles on the treadmill). I feel completely out of shape..imagine that :)
Next up Fast Trax 100k in Edmonton end of June. I'm not a fast 100k runner but it's a National Team qualifier for the 100k team so I thought what the heck I give it a shot.

Anyhow that's the long and short of it hope I didn't bore you with the blah, blah. I'm concluding with a few pictures of Paris.

24 Hrs World Championship race report

2010-05-26T13:47:00.000-07:00

So I've been thinking about writing a race report since the race ended but haven't quite got around to it yet. I really don't want to bore any of you with alot of needless blah, blah so I'm just going to make it short and sweet. I had a goal going into the race to pace myself well so that I would still be running at the end of the race. I didn't know what to expect pace wise as I had never run this type of race before. When the gun went off everyone started running like a bat out of hell...way too fast for this girl so I slowed down to a comfortable pace which I hoped would get me through the race. I was thinking to myself " people you have 24 hours to run, this isn't a 10k"...hey but what to I know!
I felt great the entire race, had to stop for 2 quick quad massages as they were starting to feel tight but other than that the race went well. If I had known I was that close to the 200k mark I would have run that much faster sooner. The ole should have, could have, would have scenario. I could say that it all went according to the plan...but I really didn't have one. I felt more like a deer in the headlights going into the race but in the end it turned out well as I finished 22nd and top Canadian woman with 197.638 km. After the race I was informed by the Team Manager that I am now the proud owner of the Canadian 24 Hr distance record for my age group. Now isn't that the icing on the cake! Can hardly wait for next year...

Team Canada 24 Hrs Team

2010-05-24T19:36:00.000-07:00

Team Canada Men

(George, Sylvain, Paul, Ian, Charles)

Where's Bruce??

Team Canada Women

(me, Sandi, Theresa, Charlotte & Manon)

Congrats to everyone you all did an awesome job!

Bonjour from Paris

2010-05-18T23:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks everyone for your wonderful comments about my race at the Worlds. I had an amazing experience and ran a very smart race. My secret goal going in was to be able to run the entire 24 hours and have enough left in the tank to run faster in the last hours, I also wanted to run 200K. So all in all I pretty much accomplished my goals (197.632 kms so close to 200km yet so far away). Way to go to everyone on TEAM CANADA for your great performance (Charlotte, Theresa, Sandy, Manon, Ian, Paul, Bruce, George, Charles, Sylvain) and a special thanks to the CREW (Bonnie, Erlinda, Laura, David, Joan, Mitchell, Ted) and a special thank you to our Team Manager Armand for organizing everything and Team Massage Therapist Michel.
I'll post some pictures when I get back this weekend. I can hardly wait until next year.

Leaving on a jet plane... 4 days and counting

2010-05-04T09:12:00.000-07:00

My bag is packed and I'm ready to go...it's hard to believe that after all these months it's almost here. I'd like to say that I'm feeling fully trained and overly confident but that's not quite the case. I think the only time I felt that way was last spring heading into the McNaughton 150 and look what happened there...a first time DNF at 100 miles. I had a really good couple months Jan/Feb with some high mileage and then March/April not so high due to my hamstring issue. I'm happy to say that it's feeling almost 100%, I feel rested and confident...or at least I'm telling myself that :).

I've decided to become one of those people that fly with carryon luggage only. I vowed after my last flight never again to drag a 55+ bag of crap around with me on a trip. For as long as I can remember I was one of those flyers that had duffle bags loaded up to 75lbs...75lbs of needless crap that I never used. I had it "just incase" and even when "just incase" occured I didn't need half of it. So with todays long lineups, extra baggage charges and high security I vowed to fit all my stuff into one small carryon piece of luggage. Somehow stuffing 10 pounds into an 5 pound bag as the saying goes. 12 days in France including a 24 Hr race has been somehow fitted into a 18 x 6 x 14 inch suitcase on wheels. I'm just crossing my fingers I didn't forget soemthing important...shoes...yes they are packed 2 pairs in fact...you know "just incase".

I just wanted to say thanks ahead of time to all of those who have supported me over the years. I'll do my best to do you all proud. If you'd like to follow the race and see how all the Teams do here's the link to the race site http://www.24h-brive.fr/

The Petzel Ultra has landed...

2010-04-23T16:57:00.000-07:00

Thank you Heather. My summer is now going to be brighter than I can imagine...

SALOMON shoes and apparel...

2010-04-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

Look at those funky and fabulous colors...yes they really are that bright. These 3 Salomon items have become my favorites: the RX S-LAB (Relax shoe), S-LAB2 XT WINGS and the EXO ll 3/4 Tight . I think I've had more comments about these 3 products since I started wearing them then I have about anything I've worn running or non-running over the years. I think the initial color of the shoes is the first thing people seem to notice. You have to remember that I live in a small town where trail running/ultrarunning are not the first thing on people's mind so when they see something bright and unusual there always seems to be alot of comments and questions on where did you get those? Can I get those in town? Or can you get me a pair? Unfortunately, no you can't buy them in my small town and I can't get you a pair but you can buy these items in the bigger cities and towns...maybe not exactly as shown here but there out there. Here's a little info on the 3 products in case your wondering about them.

RX S-LAB (known as the relax shoe) is a shoe that you can slip on after a run that will help you recover faster so that you will be more efficient in your next run. It has a light, breathable, comfortable elastic mesh upper with a cushioned midsole and outsole. The shoe also has great stability. Beside being cool and funky looking it's easy on, easy off and easy on your tired feet. I personally wear them everywhere just because they are so comfortable and look great. I've cast my Crocs to the wayside...

S-LAB2 XT WINGS these trail shoes are incredibly lightweight and have a Contagrip outsole (this provides the perfect combination of durability and grip when running on mixed terrain). The lugs offer a mutidirectional design that offers greater traction. The mesh and nylon uppers of the shoe are breathable which helps to dry the shoe quicker. As with all Salomon shoes a Quicklace system allows you to tighten the shoe with one pull. This shoe presently only comes in men's but I've been wearing the men's and found they fit my foot very well and love I them!!!

EXO II 3/4 Tight these tights are made from high tech multi-density fabric to support leg muscles to improve performance. They are made as an extra slim fit so when you are trying them on make sure that they fit properly (TIGHT) so that they will work effectively for you. Sometimes tight is a good thing! I have been wearing these regularly on my runs and am really enjoying them. My legs actually feel less tired after a run and recovery seems to be faster. Plus they make me feel fast!

Gerbil runs, volcanic ash and hopefully a flight to Europe...

2010-04-17T16:08:00.000-07:00

Today I decided to do a Gerbil run (thanks Edd for that reference) to get my mindset ready for France. You know the kind of mindless run that goes round and round the same loop for hours. Mindless for me anyway as I went round and round my 4 mile flat gravel road loop out in the country. Not much to see out there...oh yah there was a tractor plowing the field and some stubble burning. Other than that just mindless running listening to my iPOD...mindless just like a gerbil going round and round on his wheel getting mentally ready for my upcoming 24 hrs race. Well hopefully my upcoming 24 hour race in France but with no end in site to the volcanic ash I'm starting to think getting to Europe might be a bust. Time to start thinking about Plan B just in case.

This post is for you Kelly...

2010-04-13T09:48:00.000-07:00

Good Luck Kelly at Leona Divide this weekend...many positive vibes heading your way from me and my doggies.

Q&A with one of Canada's top Ultrarunners/Adventure Racers

2010-04-08T07:11:00.000-07:00

Recently I had the opportunity to chat with a good friend of mine who is also one of Canada's premier ultrarunners/adventure racers. Denise McHale I would consider one of the best out there. Besides being an amazing athlete who has proven herself globablly she is also one of the most humble people I know. I first met Denise in Whitehorse in 1998 when we both ran our 1st marathon at the now defunct Whitehorse Marathon. There were a total of 6 of us who ran that day and Denise did not only win hands down but she qualified for the Boston Marathon. From that day forward she has thrown herself into the sports of both running and adventure racing. Denise's incredible accomplishments and too numerous to mention but some include winning both the 50 mile and 100k Canadian Championships, running under 3 hours with a time of 2:58:05 in the Niagara Falls Marathon, Ist place at the Calgary Marathon and winning the Yukon Trail Marathon many times.

Q(Sue): What has been your best running event to date?
A(Denise): This is a tough question? A couple races that stand out to me are 1) the first time I broke 3 hrs in the marathon, at Niagara Falls in 2003 (okay, now I'm feeling old!), and 2) last years 100km championship at H2H. My ultimate goal at Haney was to pace myself well to average 8 min. miles, which would have been an 8:16 - 1 ran 8:15:56, so was pretty psyched about that. Now to break 8 hrs...

Q(Sue): Which race/event have you been the most proud of?
A(Denise): I'd have to say the 2006 Primal Quest in Utah. This was a major break through race for us as adventure racers. We had some heat illness on the team day one, which took us from running in 2nd place to 19th place by the morning of day 2. It took us 5 more days of intense racing to crawl back to finish 4th in likely the most competitive field to date at a race. I also have a little bit of a fear of heights and that course had 10km of rope, which I somehow conquered.

Q(Sue): How many years have you been running and what was your motivation to start?
A(Denise): I have been running since 1996. I started by joining a beginning running group. We ran 3 km the first night, which I was super proud of, b/c that was the farthest I had ever run before!

Q(Sue): What's on your racing schedule for 2010?
A(Denise): April - Baise Outdoor Quest - China (4 day stage race)
                 May - XPD Australia (700km expedition)
                 June - Le Grande Raid - France (4 day stage race)
                 July/Aug - Either Canadian Death Race or Leadville 100
                 Sept. - Wulong Mountain Quest - China (5 day stage race)
                 Nov. - 100k World Championship - Gibraltar, Spain
                 Dec. - Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge (4 day stage race)

Q(Sue): You're heading to the 100k World Championships in Gibraltar, Spain in November as the top Canadian woman for the 2nd year in a row. Do you find this puts added pressure on you to perform better than ever?
A(Denise): I don't know that it puts any extra pressure on me. I generally put enough pressure on myself either way and tend to focus more on racing my own race plan. The Canadian team is a great group of people who are really supportive of each other.

Q(Sue): You seem to get faster every year that you run/race. What do you attribute this too?
A(Denise): I think endurance sports like ultra running and adventure racing have such a strong mental component to them, which accounts a great deal for continuing to race well as I've matured as an athlete. I also think the fact that I do a lot of cross training for my adventure racing training and likely put on less running miles than most ultra runners may be a factor in minimizing injuries.

Q(Sue): You live and train in Whitehorse, Yukon, what are the trails like there to run on?
A(Denise): The trails in Whitehorse are amazing! We are a hidden little Mecca for trail running and mountain biking, just a shorter season than many other places in Canada!

Q(Sue): If you could run any race in the world what would it be and why?
A(Denise): Wow, where to start - I have a very long list of "to do" races, so too difficult to pick just one!

Q(Sue): What motivates you to get out and train everyday?
A(Denise): Depends on the day - some days are easy to get out and some days are a little more difficult. I'm lucky in the fact I have a great training partner, my husband Greg who kicks my butt regularly. I love to compete, so the thought that my competitors are out training often gets me out the door on those cold winter Yukon days.

The last question I asked Denise was what one word she would use to describe herself. She was much too modest to answer the question but I would have to say amazing... I've had the privilege to know Denise personally as a friend and watch her grow over the years into an amazing athlete. If you see Denise out on the trail or at a race stop and say hello. Denise is a member of Team Merrell Zanfel http://www.teammerrell.com/. If you'd like to follow Denise's adventures her blog is http://adventurechicrunner.blogspot.com/

31 days and counting...but who's counting

2010-04-07T09:44:00.000-07:00

31 days and I'll be boarding the flight to France. Funny last I looked I thought I still had about 3 months to go. Training went well from Jan - mid March running about 100 miles a week then the thing happened. My left hamstring started to bother me and so did my piriformis muscle. After many sessions with my great chiropractor and massage therapist still the issues persisted. Acupuncture was suggested to me so off I went last Saturday and I have to say it's 90% feeling better now. I no longer have the feeling of dragging my leg along with me while I run. I have another session on Thursday so I'm hoping I'll be 95% better after that. I've scaled the mileage way back as there's no point in making things worse before they get better and I have a race to run on May 13th.

Fast Trax 100k

2010-03-22T07:27:00.000-07:00

Wow almost a month since my last post...I've seriously been caught way up in training for France. I had this big plan that I would run 3 hard weeks of 100 miles and then 1 recovery week of half that mileage until it was taper time for France. Did it work...not! In my recovery week I ran 92 miles. I've been feeling tired and cranky lately... is that not maybe a sign that I might need to scale things back just a bit ???? I decided that I need to take a day or two off more often and just run once a day for fun with my dogs on those days. Don't get me wrong obviously I love it or I wouldn't be running this much I just need to scale it back a bit for a few days and get some sleep...
I also decided that I would go to Edmonton in late June to run the Fast Trax 100k http://ultra.fasttraxskishop.com/. It's way out of my comfort zone as it's a flat fast course and I'm really not a fast runner no matter how flat or fast the course is but it's a qualifier for the Canadian National 100k team and I've got that challenge on my radar. What's a girl without a challenge.

Canadian World Championship 24Hr Team Selected

2010-02-25T07:19:00.000-08:00

The final selection for the Canadian World Championship 24 Hrs Team for 2010 was announed on February 23rd. A delegation of 10 athletes (6 men and 4 women) will be representing Canada at the World Championship 24 Hrs in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France, May 13-14th 2010 http://www.24h-brive.fr/. Congratulations to everyone! I look forward to seeing you all in France in May. If anyone knows any of these athletes please make sure to wish them good luck. The selected members are:

Women
Charlotte Vasarhelyi
Theresa McGrath
Sue Lucas
Sandy Steil

Men
Paul Chenery
Andrew McLean
Bruce Barteaux
Ian Hobler
Charles Smith
Sylvain Bernier

OUS - Ontario Ultra Series

2010-02-09T11:40:00.000-08:00

I received a nice unexpected parcel last Friday with the following inside from the kind folks at the OUS (Ontario Ultra Series). It seems that I managed to acquire enough points from the 3 races I ran in Ontario last year to place 3rd in my age group in the ultra series. Along with the plaque I received a very nice hat. Thank you to all the folks who put on the OUS and to all the wonderful people I met at those races. I went to those races by myself and came home with many new friends. If anyone is thinking about doing ultra's this year but not sure which ones make sure you check out all the races in the Ontario Ultra Series.

What I see when I run...

2010-02-08T08:38:00.000-08:00

So you can see really nothing but snow and a lot of nothing for miles and miles...there's more snow now as it snowed and the wind blew all weekend. Now matter what the weather thou my dogs are great motivators as they always want to go. What would be do without our dogs?

World Challenge 24 HRs 2010, France

2010-01-20T12:38:00.000-08:00

Looks like I'm going to FRANCE...and I couldn't be more excited. I just got news from the ACU that I've been selected to represent Canada at the World 24 Hrs Challenge, in Brive-La-Gaillarde, France on May 13-14th 2010. www.24h-brive.fr/ . My 170km win last August at the Dirty Girls 24Hr Trail Ultra qualified me for a spot on the 6 woman team. I've never been to France let alone Europe so I've got some planning to do as I'd like to make a little vacation out of this after the event. I guess I had better get running also as May will be here before you know it.

Petzl Ultra Headlamp

2010-01-14T11:31:00.000-08:00

Here it is almost the middle of January already and time to start planning for the 2010 season. Actually I've been thinking about what races to run since last fall and really haven't been inspired to run anything until lately. Either the races I really want to run cost way to much money, didn't get a lottery spot, are full or logistically a nightmare to travel to. So what's on my agenda? Bighorn 100 June, TransRockies August (since I won the entry) and the Lost Soul 100 in September.

Now I need to find myself an awesome headlamp. I decided after last year that I am not going to run another 100 mile race until I find myself a beacon that lights up the forest. I don't know about everyone else but the 5 headlamps that I have really don't give off enough light at night. The Haliburton 100 race was the last straw as I really couldn't see shit with my light once it got dark. Yes I could buy a flashlight also but then you've got to carry that in your hand and a lot of times I'm already carrying the hand held water bottle, plus I'd really like to keep my hands free. So after looking around I've come across the Petzl Ultra . Yes I know it's incredibly expensive but if it works I'm willing to buy it.

If anyone has tried the Petzl Ultra can you leave a comment and let me know what you think of it.

Motivational quotes for 2010

2009-12-21T09:35:00.000-08:00

With the new year fast approaching it's a time for us all to look forward to another great year of following our passions and dreams.

Here's a few quotes to get you motivated for the new year!

Don't just dream your life live your dream.
The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.
Always do what you are afraid to do.
Who dares, wins.
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.
He that is overcautious will accomplish little.
The steeper the mountain the harder the climb the better the view from the finishing line.
Moderation is for wimps...extremism is for kings.
If it's worth doing...it's worth over-doing!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. All the best in 2010 and I hope to see you all out on the trails someplace. Follow your dreams and never look back.

HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY NELSON

2009-12-09T08:10:00.000-08:00

Western Out...What's on for 2010...

2009-12-07T11:52:00.000-08:00

So it seems that I wasn't one of the lucky lottery winners for the Western States 100 and that's just fine with me. With Western out of the picture I think my plans are to run the Kettle Moraine 100 in June and the Lost Soul 100 mile in Sept. Those races are both close enough to home that I can drive saving some cash and time and their entry fees are not huge compared to some. I'll also be heading to Colorado in August to participate in the TransRockies Run as I won the team entry thru Salomon's Flight Crew Team contest. Other than that I'd love to run a couple more 100 mile races but I'm just not sure as to what yet or when. As you can see by the picture above my dog is pretty much thrilled with my plans.

Western States 100 Lottery - Sat. Dec. 5th

2009-12-04T11:55:00.000-08:00

Well tomorrow morning at 9am in Auburn California is the start time for the Western States Lottery for 2010. Approximately 275 lottery spots will be availble with over 1500+ anxious ultra runners hoping for a spot. There's about 1 in 5 chance of getting selected. I've thrown my name into the hat with the rest of the folks looking for the chance at the infamous belt buckle. Wishing everyone the best of luck in the lottery.

2009 Trail Runner Magazine Trophy Series Winners Announced

2009-12-01T06:26:00.000-08:00

Chistmas has come early for me this year...not much more I can say.

2009 Trail Runner Trophy Series Winners Announced

25,000 trail runners vied for prizes in North America’s biggest points-based trail series

NOVEMBER 30, 2009, CARBONDALE, CO—The Sixth Annual Trail Runner Trophy Series, presented by GORE-TEX, awarded points to 25,000 runners for participating in 101* trail races throughout the U.S. and Canada. You can read about the male and female winners of each category in the February/March issue Trail Runner magazine.

Winners in the Non-Marathon Division (races less than 26 miles) are 51-year-old Brenda Gutman, 51, Borden, Indiana, and 42-year-old Phil Oreste, of Mill Valley, California. Winners of the Marathon-and-Longer Division (races 26 miles and longer) are 45-year-old Sue Lucas of Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada, and 44-year-old Glenn Redpath of New York, New York.

Many participants traveled great distances by car and air in an attempt to snag this year’s new prize, the Trail Fiend Award, which goes to the man and woman who run the most Trophy Series races. The female winner was Brenda Gutman, who ran 17 races, and 38-year-old Brian McKinney of Woodland, California, who ran an amazing 24 races. Both receive complimentary spots at the all-inclusive Get Your Running Legs On Trail Running Week at Nipika Mountain Lodge in British Columbia, Canada in May 2010. (Registration for the camp is available at www.nipika.com).

These overall winners plus the top-three placers in the Marathon-and-Longer Division and age-group winners in the Non-Marathon Division (listed below) will each receive a prize package containing gifts from Trophy Series sponsors Injinji, Julbo, Pro-Tec Athletics, Nuun, Zombie Runner, Kahtoola, Amphipod, Moeben, GoMotion, Wicked Fast Nutrition and Trigger Point Therapy.

All participants can find their ranking, points total and other Trophy Series information on Trail Runner’s website, http://www.trailrunnermag.com/.

Non-Marathon Division
10-19 Age Group
Andy O’Grady, 19, Littleton, Colorado, 100 points
Codie Barron, 19, Chelsea, Michigan, 85.1 points

20-29 Age Group
Dennis Flanagan, Breckenridge, Colorado, 182.5 points
Caitlin Smith, Oakland, California, 114.8 points

30-39 Age Group
CJ Hitz, 36, Findlay, Ohio, 501 points
Joan Matthews, 31, Owen Sound, Ontario, 262.9 points

40-49 Age Group
Phil Oreste, 42, Mill Valley, California, 574.6 points
Carla Stoner, 47, West Des Moines, Iowa, 417 points

50 and Over Age Group
George Aitkin, 57, Cambridge, Ontario, 155 points
Brenda Gutman, 51, Borden, Indiana, 547.2 points

Marathon and Longer Division
Top-Three Male 
Glenn Redpath, 44, New York, New York, 986.4 points
Patrick McGlade, 20, Richmond, Virginia, 868 points
Zach Gingerich, 29, Aurora, Illinois, 800 points

Top-Three Female
Sue Lucas, 45, Dauphin, Manitoba, 1321.6 points
Jenny Chow, 45, Long Valley, New Jersey, 900 points
Iris Cooper, 50, Toronto, Ontario, 762 points

Team Salomon & TransRockies Run

2009-11-27T12:57:00.000-08:00

After having such an amazing running year yesterday I recieved an email from Salomon Canada that put the icing on the cake. I was picked as one of 2 grand prize winners of their Team Salomon Flight Crew contest. Salomon was looking for 2 people to join their Flight Crew Team for 2010. Along with this the 2 winners would recieve free team (2 people) entry to the Gore-Tex TransRockies Run
http://transrockies.com/transrockiesrun/news/. All the info can be found on Salomon's site at this link http://www.salomonflightcrew.com/contest.html . I am thrilled to have been chosen and can't wait to be at the start line in on August 22nd in Buena Vista Colorado for the start of the TransRockies Run. Thank you Salomon for this great opportunity.

Green Smoothie

2009-11-13T11:54:00.000-08:00

I've been reading alot lately about people eating raw food diets and to be honest I was curious about them so I went to the library and found a book on the subject. In theory it all sounds good but do I want to do it...nah not really. Well ok part of me does but I have a few habits that I just don't want to give up. Namely coffee (good coffee) I totally agree with you on that one Derrick http://www.derrickspafford.blogspot.com/ the occasional good beer,
toasted spelt bread with almond butter and my egg whites to name a few. Yes I do love my egg whites. I've already given up the sugar, the white flour and processed foods but I'm not yet willing to give up rest. I realized that I really need to incorporate more green veggies into my diet. Not a big fan so I decided to try out a green somoothie recipie that I found which contains organic kale, apples and lemon. Seriously I didn't even know what kale looked like until last week. Anyhow the smoothie tasted amazing and I'm hooked on a blender full everyday.

Here's the recipe if you want to try it.
5 organic kale leaves (remove the white stalk)
4 organic apples
half an organic lemon (juice only)
2 cups of water
blend to smooth

There's a few others that I'm also going to try and I'll post the recipe later.

On a running note I've got the Badwater bug bad. It's on my to do list but being frugal it's hard to think about spending the $$$$ to run it. Plus I'll need a crew and it's hard to get people to committ to that and of course there's the lottery to get into the race. So if anyone out there might be interested in crewing if I do get a spot drop me an email.

Retirement

2009-11-12T11:27:00.000-08:00

I know I'm a few years off but when I'm not thinking about what running adventures I want to do next I'm thinking about my retirement and that involves an Airstream. I sure do like the looks of this picture. You can probably tell that I don't have any running adventures planned for 2010 yet. I'm not one to do things small so if I'm investing time, energy and money into something I want to go big. The big races seem to be the most popular and therefore have the lotteries. I'm waiting to hear about the lottery results for Western States 100 on Dec. 5th. The chance of getting a spot in the race is slim to nil but if the moon and stars are aligned and I do get a spot I'll seriously think about doing the Grand Slam (Western States 100 in June, Vermont 100 in July, Leadville100 in August and Wasatch 100 in Sept.) if not then I'm throwing my name into the Lottery for Hardrock 100. Again a slim chance of getting a spot but better than Western States. I'm also thinking about Badwater 135 and applying but I just don't know if I can justify spending serious $$$$ on the race, plus I need a small crew and it's hard for people to commit. So until the lottery results are out I'll keep thinking of my little Airstream.

Life in an Airstream

2009-11-10T12:22:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been thinking alot about selling my house and living in an Airstream. I could hook it up at the drop of a hat and head out on an adventure. Just big enough for me and my 2 dogs to live comfortably without any crap, clutter, trinkets, whoo hoos or bamboozles. Ah that would be the life! Houses, yards, reno's, clutter, maintenance so overrated to me. The simpler things can be and less uncomplicated the better for this girl.

Manhattan Island Marathon Swim or MIMS

2009-11-05T06:14:00.000-08:00

I know what your all thinking and no I'm not planning on doing this crazy adventure. Rob one of my amazing friends emailed me yesterday to let me know that he was one of 25 swimmers from across the world that got a spot in the race for 2010. So on June 12, 2010 Rob will be swimming 28.5 miles in the Hudson River around Manhattan. This is the longest and premier event of the season, a full counter-clockwise circumnavigation of the island of Manhattan.

So what is it all about? In 1993, Morty Berger started a not-for-profit organization, the Manhattan Island Foundation (http://www.nycswim.org/), a charity set up specifically to help underprivileged children in the New York area Lo get into sport, and more specifically into swimming. The first event was a swim around Manhattan Island. They now hold several events a year but the Manhattan Island event remains a mainstay of their calendar.

Rob has quite an extensive athletic background swimming to a silver medal at the 1986 National Championships and qualifying for the 1988 Olympic Trials. In 2006 Rob attempt to swim the English Channel, his swim lasted over 12 hours and over 30 km in 60 degree water, but unfortunately he was pulled out unconscious and suffering from hypothermia and pulmonary edema, only a few kilometers from France. Talk about crazy Robbie!!!! Outside of swimming Rob has run over 20 marathons, including the Boston Marathon and NYC Marathon, many Ironman triathlons several ultra-marathons, including "the toughest footrace in the world", the Marathon des Sables in 2008. This is where I had my first encounter with this crazy funny man.

Best of luck to you Robbie, I'm envious as hell :)

Toronto Marathon Sunday Oct. 18th

2009-10-16T13:46:00.000-07:00

Sunday October 18th is the Toronto Goodlife Fitness Marathon. I just wanted to wish my good friends Sonia and Scoob a great run. http://www.torontomarathon.com/

My running buddies...

2009-10-16T13:30:00.000-07:00

Since the weather has gotten cooler and my high mileage training days have come to an end this year I've had a lot more time to run for fun with my two favourite running buddies. They never complain and their always eager to go...more than eager I should say. This will be our 32nd day of running in a row since I returned from the Haliburton 100. Most weekdays we put in 10 miles afterwork and about 12 miles a day on the weekends. Makes for happy, well behaved and tired dogs :)

When the going gets tough the tough go running...

2009-10-09T12:05:00.001-07:00

Gumby and Pokey just so cute! Nothing to do with my post but just so cute they are. So I woke up to winter today. October 10th and winter already. What's a girl to do? She has so many plans still for the fall; lawns to mow, lawn furniture to put away, plant pots still full, leaves to rake and the list goes on and on. It's a miserable sloppy day period!!!! So to save my sanity I'm headed out of town after work to run with my dogs. If you can beat the weather then the next best thing is to embrace it. Enjoy your long turkey weekend.

Frugality and ultrarunning...is there such a thing?

2009-09-29T13:21:00.000-07:00

Well I'm beginning to wonder as the cost for races seems to be going up every year and living in the middle of nowhere I have to fly or drive to every race. The last couple of years I've spent a little fortune on traveling the country to exotic (Marathon des Sables) and non exotic races. This year I was planning on cutting back on the number of ultras but then out of the blue came the Trail Runner Trophy Series. I was running well and winning races so I decided to go for it knowing that I would never get this time back and that the opportunity probably wouldn't be happening again. So in the end I decided to throw all caution to the wind and do five 100 milers which took be flying and driving across the country while still trying to live a frugal day to day lifestyle.

I've been contemplating races for 2010 having thoughts like applying for Badwater 135, the Grand Slam and Western States then reality sets in with the cost of doing such races. My priority theses days is paying of my mortgage in the next 2 years while still trying to do the things that I'm passionate about like ultrarunning. So on that note it looks like I'll be sticking a little closer to home next year and running a couple less 100 mile races than I did this year.

As for the 12HR Beaudry Lemming Loop this weekend in Winnipeg I think I'm going to take a pass. My body is still feeling tired from the Haliburton 100 so I think I'm just going to stay home enjoy the weekend with the dogs, eat some birthday cake and chill.

Another race on the horizon...

2009-09-25T11:28:00.000-07:00

OK, so I thought I was done for the season but it seems this girl can't pass up an opportunity to get some more race schwag. On October 3rd, Trail Run Manitoba will host the inaugural Beaudry Lemming Loop 3, 6 and 12 HR Trail Ultra. The races will take place on a 5k loop along the Assiniboine River in Beaudry Provincial Park just west of Winnipeg. More information can be found on Trail Run Manitoba's race site http://www.trailrunmanitoba.com/ .

End of season wrap up.

2009-09-22T12:10:00.000-07:00

And what an amazing running year it was. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined it would turn out the way it did. I met some fabulous people, went to some new places and ran my ass off. My first race of the season at McNaughton Park didn't quite turn out as expected as I trained so hard putting in 100+ mile weeks to run the 150 mile race. In the end I came up short and finished 100 miles. Not that running 100 miles at McNaughton isn't enough anyway but I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed when my knee swelled up to the point that 5 more loops was just not possible.

Sulphur Springs 5 weeks later was a last minute decision as I was feeling that I needed to redeem myself from not finishing the 150 miler at McNaughton. I went into Sulphur Springs feeling good and told myself that I was going to win it. Of course that was just between me, myself and I and realistically I would never have bet money on myself but I went alone and I ran as fast as I could. I had some ITBand issue at 80 miles but in the end I finished 1st in 21:47. It was an added bonus to find out that the race was the ACU 100 mile trail Championship race also. My plan after Sulphur was not to run again until late August at the Lean Horse 100 but a couple weeks after winning Sulphur I was notified by Trail Runner Magazine that I was leading the Trophy Series in the Ultra division. Having this challenge in front of me to try and maintain the lead led me to look at other races in the series and the Dirty Girls 24 HR trail race in Ontario seemed logical on August 8th. I went there knowing that there would be some fast girls there (Laurie and Theresa McGrath) so I set my sights on placing 3rd and getting a few more points for the series. I managed to win the race outright with 170 kms in 23:40 or something like that.

My next adventure sent me to Hot Springs, South Dakota for the Lean Horse 100. Not knowing any of the women runners in the 100 mile race my goal was to just finish and get the 100 points for the series. The weather was cool until race day when it soared to over 95 degrees. I knew from the start that it wasn't going to be a pretty race for me as I don't do well in the heat and the course is completely open to the hot sun and run all on gravel and the Mickelson Trail. I do much better in a race where there are hills or mountains and shade. I had some knee issues starting at mile 20 until pretty much mile 64 which left me power walking until I was eventually able to run again at mile 64. It was a tough race but in the end I was able to finish in 22:29, 5th woman and 2nd in my age group. Good enough for me!

I hadn't decided to go to Haliburton until I got home from South Dakota and assessed how I felt. After checking out the Trail Series points I wasn't feeling confident that I could win the ultra division series with the points that I had so I decided to run Haliburton and I would get at least another 100 points for finishing. I went into the race tired with no expectations but to finish. In the end Iris Cooper and I crossed the finish line together in 1st place in 24:20. It was a tough race for me and the finish line was the most unbelievable sight.

So now with all my races wrapped up I'm feeling that post race blues. You know the feeling, the one you get as a kid waiting months for Christmas then finally it comes, the presents are all opened, the day is over and that's it. It will take probably until late October before the official results of the Trail Runner Trophy Series are known so until then we'll have to wait to see who the winners are.

I met a lot of great people this year at the races, ultra runners really are an amazing group of people. I'd like to thank all those who supported me over the year and helped make this an amazing running year for me.

I have some thoughts for next year but at this point nothing is planned so keep posted.

Haliburtion Forest 100...the good, the bad and the ugly.

2009-09-15T07:12:00.000-07:00

Well the Haliburton Forest 100 has come and gone. There was alot of Good (meeting some awesome people, crossing the finish line in 1st place with Iris Cooper (aka Badwater's Swiss Miss) and staying in the Hilton and not my rental car. The Bad (Edd not being able to finish the 100 miler due to his knee) and the Ugly, well that would have to probably go to Martin's chaffing. Not that I've seen it... but I can only imagine. It was a tough course from start to finish for me. Could there be anymore roots or rocks? By the end of the race my feet where screaming. It wasn't until yesterday that I actually took a good look at them and to be honest I wish I wouldn't have. Nasty blisters and it always amazes me how one can do more than they think they can.

Thank you Martin and Edd for entertaining me and saving me from a awful night sleeping in my rental car. I can't tell you how much I appreciated that tent trailer and spending time with you both. Another big thank you goes to Iris Cooper and her pacer Jim. Without them I wouldn't have been able to finish the race the way I did. Iris was on fire and she pushed me further than I thought I could go feeling the way I did during the race. This was my 5th 100 miler this year and I can't tell you how glad I am to now be finished for the season. It was an amazing running year for me and I met some amazing people.

Haliburton Forest 100

2009-09-02T09:06:00.000-07:00

9 days and counting to the Haliburton Forest 100 (http://www.ouser.org/races/hali.htm). I'm looking forward to visiting Haliburton again as it's been many years since I've been there. The race is actually in the Haliburton Forest and Wildlife Reserve. The Haliburton Forest is home to a Wolf Centre which consists of a 15 acre enclosure home to a pack of captive Timber Wolves. The forest is also home to many other furry creatures including the black bear...which I hope I never see. I have somewhat of a little fear of the bear after being charged by an angry mother in the Yukon after my dogs chased her cub up a tree. Not a good thing. I'm reminding myself daily as the race nears closer that there's nothing to fear but fear itself. As for race strategy I hoping for a time under 22 hours but then again anything can happen in a 100 miler. I feel good but my legs are still abit tired from the 2 100mile races that I did in August but I'm going to give it my best shot. Knowing that there's a few furry creatures in the forest will also be incentive for me to run that much faster. Wish me luck...

Lean Horse 100

2009-08-27T08:45:00.000-07:00

What can I say about the Lean Horse 100...Hot,hot, hot!!!! I realized the race was run on the Mickelson Trail but what I didn't realize is that it is totally exposed to the sun and it's just like the terrain that I run on here at home and hate so much. Ok, so hate is a strong word but after 100 miles of gravel my feet hated it! Even today the bottoms of my feet are still alittle sore. But no blisters thanks to Drymax socks. The run didn't go quite as I had hoped as my knee started to hurt around mile 16. Why I didn't buy that IT band strap that I saw at the expo I don't know. Anyhow I powerwalked or powerhiked or whatever you want to call it as fast as I could from mile 20 to mile 64. The thought of powerwalking 80 miles made me seriously question DNFing at the mile 34 aid station. But you know me I sucked it up and kept going. I thought I could get away with one hand held water bottle as the aid stations were only 5 miles apart. Wrong! Not in that heat as I ran out of fluid a few times about 1 or 2 miles from the aid stations. I found myself having to ration it and becoming slightly dehydrated and lightheaded because of the heat. I noticed that my hands in particular were swelling up at an alarming rate. I was starting to have "Man Hands". I had extra bottles but I'd have to get to the 50 mile turn around before I could get them. When I finally got to the turnaround it was 4:36pm, 10 hours and 36 minutes after I started, abit slower than I had hoped. I left the aid station still power walking and desperately craving a Starbucks Frappachino. Finally at mile 64 I got my Frappachino and somehow I willed myself to run and run I did. I managed to run more or less the rest of the way to the finish line. I was hoping for at least a 21 hour race but crossed the finish line in 22:29. All things considering I was happy with that as I had just run 106 miles in a 24 HR race 2 weeks prior. I won 2nd place in my age category. Another one to cross off the list. One more to go in two weeks then my season winds down. Good thing as I'm starting to get a little tired.

3 times a charm...or is that 2?

2009-08-11T09:43:00.000-07:00

Whatever it just doesn't matter. Another 1st place win at the Dirty Girls 24 Hr Trail race this past weekend in Mansfield Ontario. That's 2 in a row and I'm totally blown away by that. I ran 170km or 106.25 miles in just under the 24 Hr cutoff. The official results are not posted yet but I think my watch said 23:46 or something. I was more than over the top excited to cross that finish line running the most miles of anyone. I ran the fastest 2.5km that I could have to the finish line. How I was able to do that I don't know as I was unable to run the first 7.5 kms of the 17th loop due to my screaming quads. I tell you I willed myself to run telling myself that I'd be a bridesmaid again if I didn't run my ass off. So I took a running step and just kept running faster and faster and surprisingly nothing hurt. Honestly the adrenaline must of erased the quad pain I had. Totally mind over matter. I was completely trashed after the race and the 1.5 hour drive back to my sister's house in Pickering was pretty scary. Driving exhausted on the 400 and 401 in a downpour when you're beyond exhausted is nothing but a white knuckle ride. I know that I really don't need pacers for these races but a driver would be awesome. Next up the Lean Horse 100 in two weeks. Off to Colorado Thursday for some R&R first then back to racing on the 22/23rd. I'll post the results of the Dirty Girls race when there up. I have to give a big Thank You to Drymax http://drymaxsports.com/socks as they once again saved the day and my feet and of course all the people that support me along the way.

Dirty Girls 24HR Trail Run

2009-08-05T08:24:00.000-07:00

Well it's that time again that I hit the big city to fly to Toronto for my next ultra race. This time it's the Dirty Girls 24 HR Trail Run http://www.dirtyrunnerproductions.com/trail_race/ in Mansfield Ontario on August 8 & 9. The plan is to run as many miles as I can in 24 hrs around a 10k loop. I'm hoping for 100 miles. I've calculated it so that I can 100 miles in the 24 hrs by running a 1.5 hr loops. Now of course that's in theory and as the time goes on and I get tired or things start to happen then it might be longer per loop so I will probably run faster at the start to make up for this. So far the forecast looks like a little rain might fall. Environment Canada says 70% chance and the Weather Network says 40% so it's really a crap shoot but I'll deal with whatever comes my way. I'll be back Monday for a couple days then off to Colorado on the 13th for a little R&R. Then onto South Dakota for the Lean Horse 100 on the 22/23rd. Send positive vibes and good luck my way this weekend.

Drymax Socks

2009-07-31T12:01:00.000-07:00

Speaking of sponsors...I got a very nice email from Bob MacGillivray at Drymax Sports last week. He has gladly offered to provide Drymax socks to me for training, competition and most importantly wear testing. Hopefully I'll get the box of socks he's sending before I head out to the Dirty Girls 24 HR Trail race next weekend. I've also been looking around for new trail shoes and ordered a pair of Salomon's from MEC then found the same shoe at Sierra Trading Post in the US for less than 1/2 the price. Needless to say I sent the MEC pair back and recieved the 2 pairs from Sierra Trading Post today at lunch. With the amount of shoes that I find myself going through if I can get them for $38.00 I'm stocking up. Last weekend of running then taper time. Wish me luck at the races.

Trail Runner Magazine Trophy Series

2009-07-14T12:48:00.000-07:00

Just when you think you had your running season planned you get an email and things change. Last week I got an email from Allison Pattillo at Trail Runner Magazine that said this:
Sue,

Congratulations on your great showing at the Sulphur Springs Trial Race! Your run earned you top spot, to date, in the Trail Runner Trophy Series Marathon and Longer division. I’m working on a press release for your other Trophy Series competitors and was hoping you might have a story, quote or observation to share. What other races do you have scheduled for the season and are you planning to try and maintain your leader status?
Many thanks and keep up the good work.

Allison Pattillo
Associate Editor
Trail Runner Magazine

So now with that carrot dangling in front of me I want to try and win the Marathon and Longer division http://www.trailrunnermag.com/ So in order to do that I need to head to a few more big races in the series. So I've booked myself a flight to Toronto for the Dirty Girls 24Hr race in Mansfield on August 8th. I'll get 1 point for every mile that I run and if I place 1st, 2nd or 3rd I'll get some more points. Then it's off to the Lean Horse 100 which is thankfully already on my plan and in the series on August 22/23. I know what your thinking not really much time in between for recovery...I know I've thought of that but sometimes you just have to throw all caution to the wind and go for it. Right? Walking the dogs everyday I walk by this store that has a little plaque in the front window. The saying on it says "Don't just dream your life, live your dream". I'm adopting that as my new motto and taking my passion to the next level. So I'm looking for sponsors, ok a sponsor... Anyone out there interested in sponsoring me???? Socks, shoes, anything...anyone?

Manitoba Marathon - June 21

2009-06-16T06:38:00.000-07:00

What does it take to run a 3:18 marathon? I've been thinking a lot about that as last years winning time for women was 3:18:49. http://www.manitobamarathon.mb.ca/ Now that's somewhere between a 7:30 and 7:40 minute mile. So it's pretty dam fast is what it comes down to. So if I plan to run that I'm going to need a miracle, the moon and stars to be aligned and a magical fairy or pace bunny to draft off of. Ok so a girl can dream can't she? The weather forecast is for sunny skies and hot weather around 30 degrees so since I'm not really a fan of running in hot weather I guess I'll have to run fast.

Sulpur Springs 100 - 2009 ACU 100 mile trail champion...

2009-05-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

And the Winner is? Me...finally after all these years of running and training the moon and the stars aligned. I secretly wanted to win but then again when haven't I. This time finishing just wasn't good enough for me. I really, really wanted to win. I ran hard and fast from the get go and never looked back. The weather was perfect and the conditions were amazing. The course consisted of 8 - 20k loops through the Dundas Conservation Area in Ancaster, Ontario just outside of Hamilton. What a fantastic small town. The trail was something that you dream of running. Groomed, wide and mostly in shade cover from a canopy of tall trees. The day got hot so I'm glad there were only small portions directly out in the sun. The race started at 6am on Saturday May 23rd and I finished 21 hours, 47minutes and 28 seconds later at 3:47am. I was stoked coming in as 1st female and 5th overall out of 62 runners. Not only was it a win but the race was the 2009 ACU (Association of Canadian Ultrarmarathoners) 100 Mile Trail Championship race so I won that also as the top female. The weekend in a word was amazing...here's to the rest of the season.

First long weekend of the summer...

2009-05-15T06:59:00.000-07:00

and you wake up to this! Well at least one of my dogs was excited to see the white stuff. On another note 8 days until Sulphur Springs 100. I'm excited about leaving town and heading for the big city and running 100 miles. The infamous Monica Scholtz will be running also so I'm looking forward to meeting her in person.

Drymax Socks...

2009-05-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

What can I say about those Drymax Socks???? They are fabulous...I wore them for the entire 100 miles at McNaughton through 20 knee+ deep creek crossing and more mud than one needs to see in a lifetime. My feet were wet and muddy for 28 hours and not one blister! Not one!!! My feet are prone to blisters as I've had them so bad that they stopped me dead in my tracks in a previous 100 mile race but not this time. I have to admit that I have tried almost every running sock out there to no avail until I tried the Drymax trail socks. When I got back to the hotel and took off my socks my feet were in perfect condition, they hadn't even swelled. Unfortunately I can't say that about my Salomon trail shoes which I just had to throw out as they must have weighted an extra 10 pounds covered in mud from the race. So to Drymax thank you for making such awesome socks. For those of you who have never tried them I recommend that you run out and buy some right now. http://drymaxsocks.com/

1st Annual Riding Mountain Coffee Drinkers 1/2 Marathon

2009-05-04T09:04:00.000-07:00

Sunday May 3, 2009 was the 1st Annual RMCD 1/2 Marathon with 5 keen and eager runners ready to run. The run started with an unofficial start time at approximately 8:31 am. Temps were fairly warm (ok about 5 degrees) with abit of a breeze but warming up by the minute. It was a great early sunday morning run followed by a tasty brunch put on my Sonia and Scoob. No awards but great swag bags for everyone. Here's a photo of the group (minus me taking tha picture).

Call me crazy...

2009-04-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

cause I just signed up for another 100 miler! Does that make me certifiably crazy as the race is in less than one month? Sulphur Springs 100 in the Dundas Valley Conservation Area in Burlington Ontario. I'm finally feeling recovered from McNaughton, back to running and more than chomping on the bit to do another race. Why running for just "fitness and fun" isn't enough for me I'm just not sure. I'll be flying into TO a couple of days before the race and visiting family and friends while I'm at it. Well better get running...

Recovery

2009-04-27T07:44:00.000-07:00

Well it seems that I am almost recovered from my run at McNaughton. It seems that I got a little more beat up at this race than I ever have before, hence my recovery taking a little longer than I thought it would. I guess all these years of running races and not getting an injury of anysort except maybe a blister or losing a toenail had to come to an end. I had some serious calf swelling (HUGE CALVES) this time and with that rash/burn or whatever it was it took longer for the swelling to subside. I've run a measly 8 miles over the past 2 weeks and I'm starting to get a bit cranky not being able to run. With everything feeling back to normal today I'm heading out for a short 4 mile run with the dogs afterwork and crossing my fingers that all goes well. Next up the Manitoba Marathon on June 21.

Some photos of McNaughton

2009-04-16T11:50:00.001-07:00

McNaughton 100...

2009-04-16T06:33:00.001-07:00

What do they say about the best laid plans? Sometimes life throws you a curve ball? I did have full intention of running the 150 race but due to a couple complications (weather, mud, a little injury) things changed around mile 80 and I opted for the 100 mile race. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but when shit happens you just deal with it. I ended up with some sort of swamp rashy thing my friend calls it. Not sure if it was a reaction from the water in the creek or what's in that water, the mud, or whatever but it caused my calves to swell almost double in size (like I need that as mine are large enough) become inflamed and it's almost like the skin became thin and the blood came up through the skin causing it to look like it was tiny scratches. There wasn't any bushwacking and I wasn't walking backwards so it's not scratches and it's not a sunburn. My 10th loop mile 90-100 my left calf had become so swollen and so did behind my left knee causing me so much pain and reducing me to a snails pace walk. That 10th loop took me just over 4 hours compared to my 1st loop mile 0-10 of 1:58. I knew the 150 mile race was not happening for me so I opted to finish the McNaughton 100 in 28:12:43. When I got back to the hotel it was like my calves were on fire and walking for the next couple days was shall we say somewhat difficult. All in all the weekend in Pekin Illinois at the McNaughton Trail Ultra was a great time and many thanks to Race Director Andy Weinberg for putting on such an awesome race.

Leaving on a Jet plane..

2009-04-07T08:54:00.000-07:00

As race day approaches I find myself reflecting on past races and mentally trying to prepare myself to run 150 miles. Really how does one prepare to run 150 miles in 52 hours? Seems like a daunting task doesn't it? But like anything else I've challenged myself to I always seem to find a way. I know come hell or high water (or in this case creek) I will finish the race in under the allotted time limit. If you need some motivation for your next run or race have a look at this link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrlmLvPFdg8 it's a video of David Goggins running the 2008 McNaughton 150 trail race. Motivating and inspirational and guaranteed to get you up and out running. I'll post a race report when I get back next week. Here's to good weather, good running and the Finish Line.

McNaughton & the weather

2009-04-03T11:51:00.000-07:00

So with only one week until the start of the race I find myself constantly checking the long range forecast for Pekin, Illinois and daily it changes . One minute it's rain all weekend, then sun, then a mix of both then this then that. One minute I'm stressing over the thought of 150 miles in the mud and pouring rain then smiling with the thought of no rain and sunshine. Really it just doesn't matter as the show must go on. I'll prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Looks like 54 runners will be towing the start line come noon on Friday April 10th and at 6am on Satruday the 100 and 50 mile runners start. All with the hopes of crossing the finish line before the 52 hours are up. Send all positve energy my way come Friday...

The taper begins...

2009-03-23T06:23:00.000-07:00

18 days until the start of the McNaughton 150. I've run all I can so now it's time to start my taper. What exactly I plan to do I'm not sure. I thought I would just play it by ear, cut back the running mileage and do a little stairmaster and of course walk the dogs. The weather has gone to the dogs here so I probably won't be doing much running outside this week. Massive rain storm yesterday with thunder and lightning. Thunder and lightning in March with snow still on the ground... just abit crazy. Anyhow back to my taper. My plan is to have my legs feeling totally fresh when I hit the start line on April 10th. I still can't imagine running 150 miles so I'm not going to think about it. I have to admit that I'm feeling abit lost not having to run mega miles each day. Here I thought I couldn't wait for the taper to begin so that I could cut back the running mileage to a normal amount and chill out. Guess I'm really not that good on chilling out and being normal.
On another note it seems that my good friend Denise McHale and her husband Greg are both in the lead in the men's and women's division in the Rock & Ice Ultra in the Diamond Ultra. it's going to be a great race between Denise and Jen Segger from Squamish. For race updates check out this link. http://www.sleepmonsters.com/racereport.php?race_id=7276

My love affair with my Brooks Cascadia's...

2009-03-17T06:23:00.000-07:00

has finally come to an end. It was short and sweet with no regrets. It's not that I didn't try to love them. I loved their funky color, their low to the ground feeling and their lightness. They made me feel fast even on days when I know I was dragging. The more I tried to make our relationship work the more they started to annoy, irritate and pinch my bunion. We tried to suck it up, to pretend it wasn't hurting but in the end it just became to much to bear. So goodbye my Cascadia's...

End of an era...

2009-03-13T06:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I sold my Trek 5000 road bike, the last of my road cycling stuff. It had all been sitting unused in my basement since my Ironman days back in 2000 & 2001. In this day and age of down sizing and frugality I told myself use it or loose it! Since my passion is ultrarunning I decided it was time to loose it. Am I sad to see it all go? No. Actually I find it liberating not to have stuff hanging over my head that I don't use or need. Now I just need to sell a Yamaha CJ12 Acoustic Guitar and a Lendrum Spinning Wheel so if you know of anyone that is looking for either of these items let me know as they are part of my use it or loose it items.

29 days until the start of McNaughton...Do I feel mentally and physically prepared for the 150 miles? I sure hope so after all these months of training. I hope I'm not just in denial about how far 150 miles really is. I'm feeling ready and anxious to get the race going as I'm starting to loose my motivation and feel myself getting tired. I had a good 8 mile run outside with the dogs even thou the wind was about 35km/hr. Enough is enough aready... I went to the gym to run another 10 but only managed 7 as I felt that my heart rate was really high and I was sweating more than I normally do. I'm planning for 8 miles outside today, 30 miles Saturday and 20 Sunday. One more big week to go then taper time :) Can you see the smile on my face :):):):):):)

Marathon des Sables

2009-03-10T07:02:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that almost 1 year has passed since I ran in the 23rd Marathon des Sables in Morroco. On March 27 - April 6 the 24th Marathon des Sables will be taking place.

Instead of heading to Morocco I'll be heading to Illinois for the McNaughton Trail 150. Totally different races yet both challenging in their own way. Somehow I'm thinking that the 150 mile race will shall we say be more of a challenge for me. 150 miles in 52 hours, that means running through 2 nights and the course is a 10 mile loop which you run 15 times. Mentally challenging for sure. I tallied up the miles I've ran since I started my McNaughton training at the end of December and so far as of yesterday I have run 994 miles and have another 13 days of running left before my taper starts. I am so looking forward to the taper as me and my legs are getting tired. I stepped back into winter this morning with -30 temps. Hard to believe that the first day of spring is only 11 days away...I hope it's spring in Illinois by the time I get there.

Spring is in the air...well for a couple days anyway

2009-03-05T09:06:00.000-08:00

So what does sunshine and warm temperatures in early March mean?

DIRTY DOGS...

And that was just the start of our run! 8 miles later I went home with a chocolate lab not a golden retriever. How can two dogs go to the same place and run the same amount and yet come home looking completly different? Oh summer cannot come soon enough.

My review of the Asics Arctic Gel WR

2009-03-03T06:38:00.000-08:00

It's been just about a week now that I've been running outside in my Asics Arctic Gel WR's. When I bought them I had a fantasy that they would grip to ice like melted wax does to something you spill it on. Well that wasn't exactly the case after my first day of running in them. I've been running on dirt roads that are completly covered in ice with a thin layer of snow on top. I still found myself slipping on the glare ice and was somewhat disappointed that my fantasy shoes were not perfect. I went home thinking that I'd give them a 6/10. The 2nd day that I wore them they were somewhat better, maybe this was becuase I didn't put so much pressure on them anymore to perform 110% on the ice. I got to thinking what is really going to grip that ice, maybe some ice crampons or skates. Well since I'm not running in either of those I gave the shoes a break on the ice and found that the traction was actually pretty dam good on the spots with a slight snow cover and by the time I got home I had bumped them up from a 6 to an 8/10. After yesterdays run outside I bumped them up another notch to 9/10 for winter running. Since they are water resistant I found them to be very warm especially when it's windy and the GEL cushioning system provids a very cushioned ride. I also like the fact that the spikes are replaceable. Overall I would highly recommend them to anyone who is running outside in winter in areas where it is slippery.

High mileage running

2009-03-03T06:22:00.000-08:00

High mileage runners truly amaze me. Running high mileage continueously over months and years. I'm been running what I call higher than normal mileage for me (100-110 miles/week) but only since the beginning of January and I can say that I'm starting to get a little bit tired of it. It's starting to become a job for me and we all know what I think of a job! (exhaustive and life sucking). Don't get me wrong I love to run and I know this feeling shall pass in a few weeks when the training is done and the taper is on. In the end I'll be glad that I ran this much. I'm starting the last of my 3 big weeks of training and then I'll start to taper as I want to have the freshest legs possible heading into McNaughton. I can't believe that there are actually 48 runners signed up for the 150 mile event. I can't even imagine how the race is going to play out. All I know is that I am somehow crossing that finish line before the 52 hour time limit runs out.

Shoe mission accomplished

2009-02-27T08:28:00.000-08:00

So I came back from the City last night with not one but two pairs of new running shoes. In the end I decided to go with the Salomon XA Comp trail shoe and also came home with a pair of Asics Arctic WR studded shoes. I've been risking life and limb for the last 3 months running outside with the dogs as it's been incredibly icy out of town where we run. Last weekend I decided to try and make my own studded shoes by adding some screws to the bottom of my Hardrocks. Really it was a mickey mouse effort and not really working so I bit the bullet and bought the real McCoy's. I figured it's still -30 outside with no sign of spring insight and I've got another 3 good weeks of outside running to do before McNaughton and I don't want to chance slipping and pulling a hamstring or something like that. My one dog could use some studded doggy boots as he loves to run as fast as he can then slide past me on the ice. Telling him to slow down and be careful doesn't seem to be working. Will keep you posted on my review of the Asics.

Trail shoes

2009-02-25T06:17:00.000-08:00

Trail shoes...so many to choose from...which ones to pick? The million dollar question. So I'm still on the hunt for a pair. Presently I'm wearing the Brooks Cascadia 3 but with my left foot bunion I can really feel my forefoot rolling inwards and the bunion seems to be pinching on the side of the shoe after about 8 miles. So those are not going to work for McNaughton. I bought a pair of Muzino Wave Ascend last week to try and they don't feel right either so I'm taking them back and I'm back to the drawing board. Heading into the City tomorrow so I'll be on the hunt again. Anyone out there have any suggestions????? It's amazing how a little thing can be so complicated.
Mileage wise this was suppossed to be a hard week for me but it's not working out that way so I guess I'll make it a recovery week and next week will be harder. 6 weeks until the race and I'm starting to realize that yes I actually did sign myself up for 150 miles. Seriously how ridiculous is that. Must stay postive...

My Chiropractor

2009-02-23T07:03:00.000-08:00

Well I gotta say my Chiropractor is a miracle worker. Seems that the hip butt pain that I developed last wednesday when trying my new trail shoes has all but disappeared thanks to a 30 minute visit to my Chiropractor. He suggested that I might not want to try any new shoes or my new orthotics before I head to McNaughton. I have to go back to the City this Thursday to get fitted for my new orthotics so I'm looking forward to another day off of work and heading back to the City even if it's a 3+ hour drive. I didn't get to run as many miles as I wanted this past week when I was on vacation but I still managed a decent 94 miles even with the little derailment that I had. I pretty much have 5 full weeks of training before it's taper time so I had better put the pedal to the metal so to speak.

On vacation sort of...

2009-02-19T10:01:00.000-08:00

So I've been on vacation this week, a stay in town vacation hoping to run mega miles as McNaughton isn't very far away. Some how it's not exactly turning out that way. I ran a good 30 miles on the treadmill on Monday then went to the City Tuesday to get fitted for some orthotics and to buy some new trail shoes. Honestly how can buying new shoes be so exhausting. It seems to be the bane of my running. I did buy some Mizuno trail shoes but after 5 miles on the treadmill with them I just wasn't loving them so back they go next week when I go back to the City to get the orthotics fitted. Back to square one with the shoes. I've also go this little hip pain happening since yesterday, well not really a pain just a non pain feeling if you know what I mean. We'll see how far I can run this afternoon without it flaring up. Not too much else happening except my one dog had another one of her little adventures this morning on our walk after a good roll in some garbage. Some dogs will just never learn. Well I'm off to run...

Not so good peanuts

2009-02-11T06:17:00.000-08:00

About a week ago I was sent an email from Mountain Equipment Co-Op (MEC) concerning a product recall. It seems that some of the Clif and Luna Bars that I purchased in early 2008 are being recalled. Some of the bars containing peanut products may have been contaminated with salmonella. Well isn't that just a great thing to know after the fact? I purchased about 100 bars early last year for my Marathon des Sables Adventure and most of them were the chocolate chip peanut and toffee ones to name a few. I got severely sick the night before I had to fly to NY City to catch my flight to Morocco...the head in the toliet kind of sick for most of the night. I blamed it on the shrimp that I ate that night but now I'm wondering if it could of been one of those bars...

(Ashley and I laughing at MDS and me eating one of those Clif Bars...)

I was chatting with my friend Denise from Whitehorse yesterday, she and her husband Greg are heading to the Rock and Ice Ultra in Yellowknife again this March. They are both amazing athletes and are competing in the Diamond Ultra solo. Greg won last years race and the diamond and Denise is one of the top contenders to win the women's division this year and the big diamond. I wish them the best of luck. The race is March 21-26.

I managed to get a good 18 miles in yesterday.

102 miles

2009-02-09T07:30:00.000-08:00

102 miles...I can't believe I ran that many miles this week. My first ever 100+ mile week. I've had 2 months of really high mileage (90+ miles) and I wonder how people do it on a constant basis. It's so time consuming and I'm starting to feel really tired. On a different note I finally got to try the Drymax socks that I've been wanting to try. They seem to be all the rage these days and being prone to heel blisters I had to try them. They were very comfy and so far so good. I think they will be my sock of choice from now on. Recovery week this week so I'm looking forward to doing only 50 miles this week.

2009-02-06T07:39:00.000-08:00

Well today is the first day of writing on a blog...my blog...about my crazy adventures, my training and of course my dogs. So I've been training this winter for the McNaughton 150. Yes I know what your thinking 150 miles??? That's what I'm thinking also or maybe I'm just in denial about it but I've been running like crazy all winter putting in miles that I never thought I was capable of. Here's a couple pictures of my crazy running dogs Nelson and Boober that have been helping me train this winter. Don't let those cute faces fool you!