Foot Pain = Cuboid Subluxation

After the Suburban Rush race last weekend, I went home, had a good sleep, and was up early to participate in the largest Victoria running race of 2008; the Times Colonist 10km. While I was a little sore from the Rush, I was feeling like I could leave it out there and have a solid run. My 'goal' was a mid to low 36 minute time and even with the hard race the day previous, I still thought that I could perform.

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However, after getting out of the car and starting to walk to the start line, I realized that my foot was starting to hurt again. I say again because it was the same type of pain that I felt after my disaster at the Diez Vista 50km. It wasn't too bad at first but by the time we got close to the start, I knew that I wasn't going to be able to run. What started as a slight pain increased to the point that I could no longer walk properly. I turned around, limped back to the car, changed, and limped back - to the finish line this time - wondering what this would mean to my training and to my season as a whole. The only thing I could think of was that I had a micro fracture in my foot that had flared up again and would take many weeks to heel with no running. I was bummed.

On a positive note, the finish of the race was great! Man, the leaders came in so fast. Just over 30 minutes for the winner with a big pack all close up front. Super fast finish.

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I obviously had to have my foot checked out so I booked an appointment and saw my physio today. Is it fractured? How long will it take to heal?

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After many questions and doing a few tests, she figured out right away that my pain was caused by a subluxed bone in my foot (the cuboid). Apparently, the cuboid (which is cube-like in shape) is a common culprit that becomes shifted which makes proper movement impossible and results in pain. There is a tendon that runs down the side of the foot and then wraps under which stabalizes the foot and prevents rolling. The problem with the cuboid happens when the tendon is suddenly engaged (like slipping and tweeking the ankle quickly on a root like at Diez Vista) and causes the bone to shift. So, I've been walking around with a subluxed cuboid for the past three weeks; no wonder my foot was always sore.

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The solution; push the damn thing back in!

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After resettling the cuboid, my physio wrapped it with tape and advised me to keep taping it over the next week to prevent the problem from happening again.

My foot is already starting to feel better and in a few days, I should be back on my feet again. Barb is the best.

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TNO

Suburban Rush Race Report

This past weekend, Gary Robbins and I headed over to Port Moody to take on the Suburban Rush Adventure Race. Both of us will admit that we did not give this race much credit heading in. As the race is geared as a beginners event, we thought that it would be arrogant to go over and race this race hard to win. With Bryan Tasaka trying to persuade us otherwise and listing competitive teams that would be at the start line, we both reluctantly agreed to race. Man, were we wrong about this event!

The Suburban Rush is a 30km event which consists of running and mountain biking on a primarily flagged course although some navigating is required in sections. The race is in its 4th season and is put on by Dean Wutke and Shawn Leclair.

While this event is geared toward beginners, the course had us climbing some serious elevation and riding some very technical mountain biking trails. Both Gary and I were very impressed. The course started with a short flat run by the water before heading straight up a trail to a bike transition area. From here of course, we continued to climb. We connected onto some rough hydro line trails which we both recognized as part of the Diez Vista 50km course that we had run just a few weeks prior. The course was definitely designed to build up as much lactic acid as possible at the start and then punish you in the end!

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Once we hit the top of the climb there was a rough downhill road section before heading into some great downhill singletrack. As much as I tried to keep my speed here, I was just getting bucked around on my hardtail and was fighting just to make sure that I didn't bail. I just couldn't keep up to Gary although I later found that he was seriously surprised at how well I handled the trail considering my current ride.

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I've never owned a full suspension and have been happily riding a ti hardtail for quite some time now; but after riding that section of trail, it finally instilled in me that it was time to move onto a dually. With Test of Metal and BC Bike race around the corner, I just cannot afford to get beat up on a hardtail and slow down the team. A new ride is in the works :)

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We had led the race through the running section but was passed by Team Helly Hansen Vancouver Island on the bikes due to a much needed piece of missing flagging. It appeared that someone had 'sabbotaged the course' and we ended up losing our hard fought time gain on the run in an instant. We followed on the bikes and hit up the transition area to a fun navigation section beside Bunsen Lake just behind the leaders.

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Once we figured out that the controls were placed just off the trail, we went out and cleaned up the rest of the controls with little issues and came back to our bikes in first place. We knew from here that we just needed to keep a good pace and without any bike issues, we should be able to get to the line first.

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I was having some cramping issues due to the all the lactic acid built up from the start of the race and really just wanted some nice swoopy trails. After a short climb up from the lake, some good trails are exactly what we got! Nice flowy trails with good downhill speed and a fair share of short climbs.

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In the end, we pushed for the line and took home our first adventure racing victory of 2008! It was a great feeling to race again and especially to race on a team with Gary. With the MOMAR Squamish just in two weeks, it was a good measure to make sure we are good to go. Now, hopefully Gary can at least walk after the Miwok 100km!!!

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Thanks to everyone at Suburban Rush for putting on a great event that ran smooth and for holding the race on such a nice weekend!

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If you missed the Suburban Rush this year, I would highly recommend that you give this race some serious consideration in 2009.

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Thanks also to Bryan Tasaka for helping Gary and I get to the starting line and for giving me a ride back to the ferry terminal!

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TNO

Determinator #2 - Beaver Lake Park

The Victoria Orienteering Club is putting on the 'Determinator Series', a fun Wednesday evening series for all levels of abilities.
See the Website for more details.
Hope to see you there!

Determinator 2- Beaver Lake Park

DATE: Wednesday 23 April, 2008

WHAT: Determinator Series - Determinator #2
Five weekly training sessions disguised as fun competitive events

WHERE: Beaver Lake Park - Paved main parking lot near the beach.

WHEN: Wednesday, 23 April, and the following three Wednesdays
6:00 P.M. Registration for newcomers needing a bit of instruction
6:30 - 6:45 P.M. Registration for regular Determinators
7:00 Mass Start

COST: $7 each week
plus $5 all-year-Membership for newcomers
(Club Season Passes and First-Meet-Free-Memberships not applicable)

DETAILS: Goat Format, same as last year.
Mass Start, skip one control (you choose which one)

At least two cash prizes each week, and many, many prizes at the Final Race, May 10th.

After their first race, everyone receives a handicap for their subsequent races; giving everyone an equal chance at winning.

Snow, Cold, Windy & Warm

After the prevous weekend of steller weather, I awoke early on Saturday morning to get in some miles on the legs. I geared up and by 6:30pm I opened the front door to be confronted with falling snow. Here it is mid April, on a weekend that not one week earlier topped 19 degrees, and it was starting to drop minus degrees on me.

I literally stood outside in an early morning haze trying to take in all in and decide what to do. I think I stood there for a least a few minutes despite the very cold air. I stepped back inside. What to do. Had I been still undressed, I think I would have crawled right back in bed. But here I was, all ready to go and the thought of backing out was just not strong enough. I think I knew that I was not going to be able to talk myself out of it but I still stood inside for a good five minutes before I was out the door again... this time to actually leave.

As I went, the snow continued and at times I had to stare my gaze downward as to not get hit in the eyes with the large flakes that were blowing down. I ran my normal flat run into the Colquitz River system and the trees overhead were a nice canopy to shelter me from the wind and blowing snow. Eventually I made my way out to the the Galloping Goose trail and headed over into Thetis Lake Park to meet up with the Harriers. It was a good 15km steady run and I arrived with enough time to fuel up and get my breathing down but not enough to get cold from not moving.

We had a good group run with Shane and Garth and I leading the way through some good rugged trails that Thetis has to offer.

Arriving back at the parking lot, the snow had somewhat subsided but this was just a teasing for what was to come. After a social breakfast, the snow really started to come down and soon, it was a winter wonderland out in Langford. Inches of snow had accummulated and it brought the highway speedlimit from 90 km/h down to about 50. Thanks to Lara for giving me a ride home!

The rest of the day was spent learning how to use an electronic punching system called Sport Ident or SI. This system is used in orienteering events and some adventure races and allows the organization to provide competitors with split times at multiple points along your route which is great for comparing results with other competitors. I'll be using this at the Camp Thunderbird Score-O event and needed to get a handle on how it all works. Leigh Bailey was nice enough to help me out and even had me over for supper which was very nice.

On Sunday, I managed to get in a good 2 1/2 ride with the Wheelers road bike ride and then spent some time with Kim on a nice but easy stroll through many parks around the area. In the end, we hiked around 12 km and saw lots of wildlife enjoying the sunny day that followed the cold (yes, it was now nice and all the snow was gone). There were many birds out including a large Pilated Woodpecker and a little hummingbird that treated both of us with a view of its nest!

Their nests are so small and so camalflaged that it is a pretty rare sight to actually see one. It sat in the nest and was extremely still as to not be seen.

After the hike, I got on the road bike again and did some hill repeats to work on my climbing.

Despite the snow, all in all it turned out to be a good weekend.

TNO

Sweet Weekend

What an amazing past weekend! With the weather being in the blah zone for the past month, the weekend, and in particular Saturday, was forecasted to be nice and hot at 19 degrees; it did not disappoint!

After Diez Vista, I wasn't feeling particularly destroyed (didn't have the Robbins shuffle) but due to my ankle, I wanted to make sure that everything was fine before I started running again. It took a few days before it was 100% again (which was weird since it went from absolute pain to being fine in a few days!) but my energy levels were definitely at a low. I spent the week eating like I'd been fasting for weeks and even if I was full, my body still felt like it wanted more. It's been a long time since I've felt like this and is probably attributed to going so far in the hole at Diez Vista; I depleted myself and was slowly replenishing my energy stores.

So, after a week of primarily biking to work and a group road ride with the Russ Hays group, I was looking forward to some good but not too intense weekend training.

I did my usual Saturday monring trail run with the Harriers at Thetis Lake and then after a good hearty breakfast, I was fuelled up for some long hours in the bush.

I headed out to Camp Thunderbird in Sooke to field check some locations for the following event that I'm doing the course for:

Event: Camp Thunderbird 3 Hour Score-O
Location: Camp Thunderbird, Sooke
Description: Collect as many controls as possible in a three hour time period
Info: Victoria Orienteering Club


One of the many Control Locations

Flowing Skunk Cabbage on the edge of Glinz Lake

This event is just one week before the Squamish MOMAR and is a must for tuning up your navigation or for just getting out of the City and into some gorgeous west coast terrain with some great views out across the Juan de Fuca Straight and to the Olympic Pennisula Mountains.

If you can make it to this Control Location, you'll get a sweet view!

After spending a good five hours in the bush and slicing open one of my fingers on a rock (don't worry, it's all bandaged up!), I packed it in and started to head home. Ok, I say five hours but a good 1/2 hour of that was spent lying on a rock outcrop in the sun with my shirt peeled off. Yeah! It felt sooooo gooood! Seems like a long time since last summer.

I was feeling pretty beat but suddenly decided to go up humpback road and check out Mount MacDonald. This peak is located just by Goldstream Provincial Park and right across from Mount Wells. I've been up Wells several times but had yet to go up MacDonald so... might as well be now then never. I had a great fast power hike up and up and up to the peak.

A large patch of Shooting Stars on the way to the Summit

The trail is nice and rugged but is mostly unrunable due to the steepness going up. The view from the top was definitely worthwhile as I had a great view from up to the highlands, to Victoria, to the south over the Juan De Fuca straight, and even out to the mountains in Sooke where I just was. I hiked and ran back down and then called it a day.

My Reward

Sunday I awoke again to some great weather. I geared up on the road bike and had a solid 2 1/2 hour road ride with the wheelers group. What started off as a decent pace and a large group soon turned into a faster and smaller and faster and smaller group. Eventually, we went down to just five of us and by the time we rode by my place, my legs were totally done.

I quickly refuelled and headed out again to Royal Road University for a middle distance orienteering event. This was a good event that had some good bushwacking, some mud, and some good open and fast trail running. Just under an hour of running and I was again done for the day.

I spent the rest of the day in a sleepy daze wishing to sleep but having to pack and make the ferry over to Vancouver to spend the next three days at a quality managment training workshop. With the ferry full, I cursed, fell asleep in the backseat of my car, and eventually made it over to my hotel by midnight! Arhh.

It was a good weekend! Ok, other than the ferry... :)

TNO

Diez Vista 50km Race Report

I never was really looking forward to this race. I couldn't figure out why but for some reason, I was not feeling good about going into the race. Was it a lack of motivation. No. Was it my current training schedule and how I had been set back a bit over the past week. Maybe a bit but I still was able to get out on three solid runs on Monday through Thursday and felt really good on my feet. So, what was it about this race.

I arrived at my friend Magnus's place in North Vancouver on Friday night (a good orienteering friend who is integral in the Greater Vancouver Orienteering Club). We had some good discussions about orienteering and event organization and then managed to pull out a North Van map and check out the area where the race was going to be held. I now realized what was bugging me so much about this race; I had virtually no idea of what the course was.

Going into Chuckanut, I had studied the course maps, knew many of the twist and turns, knew where the aid stations were to plan out my nutrition, and knew when and where to expect the climbs and decents. For the Diez Vista 50km... I knew that I was signed up for a hilly 50km trail run; that's about it. No maps for the course are provided by the race and I could find nothing by searching through Google. While some people tried to give me some concept of what to expect, including Gary Robbins (who ended up going out too hard and blowing up two years prior), it really didn't help to prepare me for the event. I was going in blind.

Gary picked me up in the early morning and we headed out to Port Moody and more specifically, Lake Sassamat where the race start and finish was located. I say early because the start was at 7:30am which for a 50km race, seemed way too early for the both of us. Everything went fine on arrival and before we knew it, the race was on.

I was feeling really good but tried not to push it too hard, especially on the uphills. Gary and I were running around the same pace but once we hit the switchbacks up on the Diez Vista trail, he took off with his great power hiking.

The Diez Vista trail was absolutely awesome! Extremely rugged, lots of open rock, swishy organic soil, and more roots than you'd want at times. I was loving this section! Maybe I was pushing it a bit too hard this early in the the race but man did these trails feel good. I was eating it up. After passing several people, I lost my concentration for a split second, slid down a root, tweaked my ankle and slammed my right quad into a rock. I got up quickly, and kept running hoping that my quad would hold up fine. I thought that my ankle was fine...

The course unfolded with lots of hills and decents, lots of good single track, but a bit too much power line access road running for me. These roads were typcial for the area; rocky with lots of cobbles, and always going either up or down. I thought I was getting somewhat close to end of the race but really had no idea of how far I had ran. I had been hanging in 10th place for quite some time and maybe pushed myself a little too hard to stay in this spot. My legs started to slow. The flats (when there were any) were fine, and the slight downhills were good as well but the anything else, and my quads and hamstrings started to complain. I was well hydrated, kept up my calorie intake with some Carbo-Pro, and had a steady supply of electrolytes coming in via my Thermolyte tablets.

When I started up the last big switchback section of the course (as I found out later), my body reduced me to a crawl. Even when it nearly flattened out, I physically could not run any grade at all. This trail led out to yet another power line section that was again either a climb or descent. At this point, I knew that all I could do was to power hike up the hills, and run the downhills. Trying just to hold on to my race, I saw a runner coming toward me and I now remembered something about a powerline out-and-back and something about a long downhill followed by a long reverse uphill. Then came Gary! With a big peace sign signifying that he was in 2nd place, Gary looked strong and had a big smile on his face! I knew that he was in good shape and being not too far behind the leader, I knew that he had a chance at taking 1st!

I continued to struggle on the road and suddenly my quads completely gave up on me. I could no longer run downhill. With my legs trashed, and knowing that I had a ways to go on the course including a long downhill to the finish, I had no choice but to walk. My mind was all go but my body was at the end. I had pushed too hard, cracked, and my only option to finish was to suffer for the next two hours and walk the rest of the course in pain. While there might be some kind of macho, have to finish mentality to walking in and finishing, I just could not do it. If I couldn't run, my race was over. My race was over.

I walked down the final hill into the aid station and I think all of the volunteers knew what was coming.

"I'm done", I said.
"Are you sure you don't want to sit down for a bit, relax and maybe go out again?", said one of the volunteers.
"No, there's just no way. I cannot run anymore."

At this point, they could tell that physically I couldn't go on and then helped me out by wrapping me in blankets as the rain and snow that we faced on the course had soaked me and as I was not exerting myself any longer, I was starting to shiver.

It didn't even bother me to watch as competitors would come and go out of the aid station as I knew that physically I was shot, could do nothing about it, and would use this as a good learning experience to draw upon in the future. This would be my first ever Did Not Finish (DNF). I will remember this one for a long time.

As I got extremely cold, one of the volunteers drove me back to the start line with some good heat blasting and I was fortunate enough to see the first racers finish. While Gary didn't come in first, he closed what was once a huge gap on 1st place and ecstatically came in 2nd place (just a couple of minutes behind the leader who broke the course record!). A very big congrats to Gary as he had probably his best running performance ever.

It was weird being on such a low while Gary was on such a high. It was hard to really congratulate him and at the same time, it was hard for Gary to feel for me. On top of this, my ankle that I had tweeked coming down the Diez Vista trail turned from fine, to sore, to swollen, to extremely painful. I knew that it was getting bad when I started to get the blood pumping feeling in my foot, but when I got out of the car in Port Moody to get some sushi with Gary, I could barely walk. I ended up getting a tensor bandage and my mood turned from being down, to being worried about my ankle and what it might mean for the weeks to come.

I was going to take the bus back to Tsawwassen to the ferry but with my ankle as bad as it was, this was going to be a nightmare as I had too bags full of gear and a heavy resupply of Carbo-Pro product. Luckily, Gary tracked down Carlos for me who was kind enough to not only give me a ride to the ferry terminal, but to drop me off right at home in Victoria! Thank you so much!

Writing this post the day after the race, I can luckily say that my ankle is much better. By doing a lot of elevating and icing, I can now put weight on it and it doesn't hurt at all when I'm just lying down. It seems like it was just one of those weird tweeks you get that hurt like crazy, but go away quickly. On any other day it might have been fine but when you run for another 25km on it after you tweek it, it wasn't very happy.

In hindsight, I learned a lot from this race which was my main goal although I obviously wasn't planning on DNF'ing. My main lesson was this:

I will NEVER EVER run an ultra EVER again that does not provide a course map! Running blind for that kind of distance is completely stupid if you actually want to race. I went in racing a similar race to Chuckanut but since this race is tougher (yes, I think it is quite a big more difficult), it was just too much for my pace, and cost me finishing the race. Lesson learned.

TNO

AWESOME Training Weekend

I had such an awesome training weekend. Here's how it broke down:

Standing: 6 hours
Shopping: 4 hours
Walking: 20 minutes
Running: 0 hours
Biking: 0 hours
Kayaking: 0 hours
Watching the 1999 Eco-challenge Argentina: 4 hours
Dreaming of big expedition races: 3 hours
Meet Director for an orienteering event: 8 hours

Ok, so maybe I did jack all. I was actually planning on getting in a long run on Saturday and Sunday but last Wednesday, after a hilly interval session on Tuesday, my soleus had flared up for some reason. I ran into work on Wednesday, hit up the gym at lunch, and then in the afternoon, my left upper calf (I believe it is the soleus) was pretty swelled and not feeling too great. I have no idea how it became inflamed. It was like a wound that you get after a mountain bike ride and you think, 'now how the hell did I get that?' At the time it's nothing but after, the little tweak that happened starts to hurt. Anyway, it wasn't too bad so I took a nice 20 km run home. The next morning, my calf was even worse. The problem was, I had planned on another running commute that would put another 30km on it. While I should have listened to my calf,

'come on Todd, leave me alone, don't you love me?',

I decided to stick to my original plan. My calf wasn't too happy. The run to work was ok, but coming back was just barable. It was one of those times where you know you just made the wrong decision. I usually really listen to my body well but this time I didn't, and I paid the price by being set back further in the end.

So, other than a commute on my bike on Friday, I took the last two days off to let my calf heel and will start running again tomorrow. I probably could have gone out today but with the orienteering event taking up much of my time, and frankly not being very motivated, I decided to not go out by not making a decision.

My calf feels fine now and it was just one of those times where I did something that my body didn't like, it hurt for a bit, and now it's fine. Funny how these things happen.

TNO

Oh, and a big congrats to Lina Augaitis on taking 3rd place down at the Baja Travesia! Nice work!

Dart/NUUN and Dart/NUUN - NW Kayaks Win Baja Travesia

Congratulations to the two Dart/NUUN teams who just won the 2008 Baja Travesia expedition race that takes racers from San Felipe to Ensenada Mexico.
Check out the race coverage here.

After a lead by Dart/NUUN - NW Kayaks, Dart/NUUN made a strong surge to catch them on the final trekking section. As both teams were sleep deprived and tired, they decided to work together and finish the race united. Due to strong winds and weather, the final paddle once again turned sour with both teams being pummeled in the surf as they were trying to exit for the final stage of the race in their sit-on top kayaks. Turning back, the race directors decided to cut the final paddle out and turn the last stage into a beach run which both Dart teams were more than happy to do rather than face the waves again. A couple of hours on the beach and they could finially relax at the finish line.

Looks like third place is still up for grabs though with Lina Augaitis of Yoga Slackers currently looking at clinching this spot. Good luck Lina and keep pushing!!!

TNO

Good Training Weekend

This past weekend, I hooked up with my racing partner Gary Robbins for some good times on the road bike and on the trails. As Friday was a holiday, I headed up to the ferry on the road bike, took the ferry across, and then headed up to North Van from the Tsawwassen ferry terminal. It's a good thing I checked out my route beforehand as I found out the day before I left that you cannot go through the George-Massey tunnel. There is a free shuttle that does transport cyclists from one side to the other but.... it doesn't operate until April. My other option at this crossing was to pay a two zone fare and take the bus. I just couldn't do it so opted for the longer route over the Alex-Fraser bridge and eventually the Second Narrows bridge into North Van. Everything looked so easy on the map...

Leaving the terminal, I was ahead of all the ferry traffic (cyclists are the first ones off :) ) when not two kilometers from the boat... pppffftttttt. I flatted on one of the many sharp pieces of gravel littering the shoulder. The wind was blowing hard so I layered up, fixed the flat, and was off again in no time. Then came the wind again. It was one of those days where you just can't seem to find the right balance in the layers either. One minute it was cold with a blistering wind, and the next it was calm with a hot sun. After a couple of stops to change up the layers, I eventually settled on a minimal layer and endured the wind when it hit me.

The ride was going well until I got on the Alex Fraser bridge. Because you can't ride on the road, you have to find your way onto the side bike path and then continue on the other side through a convoluted network of turns to navigate your way to the next bridge to get off Annacis Island. Then there were no signs. I even had a map but if your not driving a car and need to find the next bike route, sometimes you were just screwed if you hadn't done it before. It didn't take that long to figure things out but it did get frustating.

I think I started cursing how much I hate Vancouver pretty early in the ride when I was almost run off the road by a big Ford F150. Then came many more incidents where if I wasn't cautious in my riding, I might be typing this from a hospital bed.

In 2 1/2 hours of riding, I had more close calls with cars then I have had living in Victoria for the last 3 1/2 years! Yeah Vancouver!

I did arrive at North Shore Athletics in one piece and then headed up to Squamish with Gary. The next day, after procrastinating leaving on our bikes and where to go, I made the call that I wanted to go up to Whistler. It had been a route that I have wanted to do for a long time and even though the weather was not the greatest, we decided to give it a go and turn back if things turned sour. We had some full on headwind almost the whole way up to Whistler but knew that the way back would be worth it (mostly downhill with the wind at our backs!). It was also much better having someone to ride with as we traded off pulling frequently which made the wind more bareable. The ride up was scenic, not too busy, and quite enjoyable. Lots of climbs but none of them too steep that would make you curse. :)

After a good stop in Whistler for some sushi, we headed back at a much faster pace and pushed each other much harder. It was a sweet return and a great day on the bike!

That night, we went to 'The Best of the Vancouver Mountain Film Festival' which had some good videos but was a little too much climbing focused for my taste. Enjoyable nonetheless.

The next day, we hooked up with some of the Montrail Trail Running Team, did a 2 1/2 run in the Lynn Valley, and then I hopped back on the road bike to return home. Here I learned to not bike on the Trans Canada highway on the North Shore (at least the section I was on anyway). I got on (no warning signs for bikes), had no shoulder to ride on and thus had to impede on the right lane, and shortly therafter I'm screeming down a steep section of road hitting 70km/hour into a strong headwind that starts shaking my bike as traffic speeds by in the fast lane at 120km/hour and I have a bus on my ass that's getting pissed. Not the best way to start out my ride.

Navigating the return trip on the bike was much better as I now knew the route and didn't end up cursing Vancouver as much. Of course, once I got to River Road, now I had a full South wind in my face! Strong too. I was cruising along at 32-35 km/hour and suddenly I'm doing 24 km/hour for the same effort. It was definitely a weekend of wind. Getting off the ferry was the worst of all. It was blowing so hard that I was being moved all around the shoulder of the road while I was being pounded by sleet! Some crazy weather but well worth putting up with it.
Hope you enjoyed the long weekend.

TNO

Chuckanut 50km Race Report

Running downhill is just not my thing. To clarify, I like running downhill on trails; no, I love running downhill on trails. However, when you give me over 5km of old logging road to fly down, after I've already been running for 35km, I know that by the bottom I'm going to be shot. I had studied the race course prior to the event, but was unaware that this long downhill was all going to be on an old road with no built-up, squishy orgainic matter to soften the blows and no twists and turns and variety to make it a little easier on the body. I knew that braking on the downhill was only going to put more strain on the quads so I only had one option... open it up and get down as quickly as possible knowing that the last 10km of the course was going to be painful. It was.

This was the 16th annual Chuckanut 50km ultra trail run held in Bellingham, Washington. It was my first ultra and I had several goals leading into the race:
1. finish
2. finish well
3. race smart (don't blow up)

Now, all of these kind of go together. Of course I wanted to finish but I wanted to put in my best performance for my first race. In order to do this, I needed to race conservatively, listen to my body, and race my own race. This last point 'racing your own race' is probably one of the most important aspects of ultrarunning and I have been told this many times by different people. It sounds so easy but it is also so easy to let others dictate your speed and stray you away from your race strategy; this inevitibly leads to point number three (blow up). I studied the course map previous to the event and planned out my nutrition for the event, along with how hard to go in certain sections of the course. This helped out a lot as I knew where the climbs and decents were located and was prepared for each of them. Below is the official course map (click to make larger).


While the course is a 'trail run', it does contain several sections of fire road and includes approximately 10km of old rail bed which is the out-and-back for the course (10km out, lots of trails, 10km back). I decided that the first 10km was going to be the most conservative part of the course for me so that I could get the legs nice and warm, relax into it, and then start to push as we hit the first climb.
I travelled down to the event with my race partner Gary Robbins who is coming off of a calf injury and wasn't sure on what kind of performance he'd be able to put in as he hadn't been running much. Basically, if anything started to hurt, he was going to drop out. I must say that I was concerned with him racing and re-injuring himself but completely understood why he had to do it (his motivation was waining, not running was killing him, and he needed a boost to mentally give him a lift). So, as the race started, I caught up with him and we held together for the run out to the climb. While he was breathing pretty hard and fell back on me a bit, he seemed to be doing alright and I knew that by the time we hit the climb, he would be all over it.
I can really see how easily it can be to lose your game plan. Here Gary and I were running back around 35th place but just absolutely knew that we were stronger than the people passing us were. We just let them go and stuck to our pace knowing that this would pay off in the long term. It did.
Let me tell you. Picking people off all race long is not only uplifting but extremely satisfying!
We hit the climb and like I knew, Gary was off running and power hiking up the climb with authority. I was doing quite well myself picking off many runners that so easily passed us on the way out. The trails here were amazing! Really sweet single track, lots of squishy ground with mud (but not too much), and lots of roots and rocks. This terrain definitely separates the roadies from the trail runners! The top of the climb ended at a lake. A short perimeter run and we were soon heading down again on a super fast muddy and twisty single track. It was awesome! I ran so fast down this section that I was passing people like they were standing still. Seems like Gary had the same experience as well with one racer whom he passed, caught up to him again and noted that he had never seen anyone run downhill as fast as he did! That's what you get when Squamish is your training ground!

I was feeling pretty good out of the first aid station which led into a long fire road climb up to the peak of Chuckanut mountain. I could see Gary up the road not too far ahead and actually made up a bit of time on him and picked off several runners who couldn't keep up to him. At the peak of the climb was our drop bag and the aid station where I quickly filled up my bottles with some Carbo-Pro 1200 and was then running the Chuckanut ridge. This trail was great. Lots of technical sections and great views; everything you'd want in a good trail. I knew that the long climb up was going to hurt (and it did) so I stuck with my plan and started to approach the uphills on the trail conservatively with lots of power hiking. I also knew that there was still lots of racecourse left and I wanted to finish strong.
Of note on the race course were little signs that told you what was coming up. Some of these were typical (danger, steep) but others were little motivational signs for the runners. My favorites that I can remeber were 'Mud isn't that bad' and 'you are light and swift'. The latter sign was great as I was starting to hurt on the ridge climbs and when I saw this sign, I immediately laughed and I totally perked up. Thanks!
I ran the ridge mostly by myself but once we came down for a long undulating but mostly uphill section, I could see a string of runners that I slowly but surely picked off one-by-one. Many would try to hold-on longer than they should have (racing my race instead of their own) would crack, and suddenly be gone after being right on my heals. I caught up with Devin Crowsby-Helms (the top place female), exchanged a few words, but when she dropped me on Chin Scrapper (a long muddy downhill), I knew I was around where I should be. I hit the last climb to the peak, put on a push, and passed Devon and a couple other runners who seemed to have significantly slowed. I knew that this was the last climb of the race and didn't want to leave much left as I knew it was all downhill from the top.
This brings me to the downhill. I don't think I've ever ran a road downhill section that was that long before. About halfway down, I heard someone coming behind me. I think this sped me up even more and was able to hold on to my spot to the bottom and last aid station. I didn't actually see who was behind me until the bottom. It was Devon. We both left the aid station at the same time and agreed to run in the last 10km together. We were both hurting but I was definitely in worse shape.
For the next 5km, all I could think about was how much my legs hurt.
The downhill did a number on me and while my plan was to run the last section hard, there was just no way I could push it. I made it clear that I was hurting and that I would try to run with her but to take off if I couldn't keep up. I usually have very good mind control but after 40km, my body so wanted to stop that it wouldn't leave me alone. If I was by myself, I may have stopped running and put in some walking. I was so glad to have someone to keep me going and I know Devon did as well. She did a great job at trying to keep my mind off the pain.
During the run in, we managed to keep a good pace but caught no other racers and had no racers following. You could see far in the distance at times but even after shoulder checking, we both kept thinking that we would hear footsteps behind us. Devon in particular, was sure that the 2nd place female was right behind her and there was no way that she was going to lose this race.
As we approached the finish area I made it clear that I wasn't going to out sprint her to the line as I definitely needed the help more than she did. "No" she said, "we'll finish together". I thought it was pretty classy coming from the US 100km team member so we pushed together and crossed the line together.
I had no idea what my place was and was pretty shattered. After a post race flushing by a free massage service, I met up with Gary who had a strong race and finished 10th overall after a last battle in the last 500m of the race. Congrats! And me? I had pulled 16th place overall with a time of 4:40:28.5. Because of chip timing, I ended up ranking ahead of Devon since I crossed the start line after her (sorry!).
Chuckanut was a perfect event for my first ultra. I had a solid race, finished, finished well, and raced smart by sticking with my game plan. The event was put on without a hitch, had awesome volunteers, and was just a great race overall. Definitely signing up for this one next year.

Nutrition:
I raced Chuckanut foodless with no breakfast. I would have liked to have something like a bowl of cereral in the morning but we woke up on the later side of things and I didn't want any solid food that close to race time. I had 1 gel and two thermolytes just before the race, used ~700 calories of Carbo-Pro powder and ~800 calories of Carbo-Pro 1200. I think I used 10 thermolytes on course for my electrolyte input and grabbed a few onces of Coke in the aid stations for a caffeine and sugar boost. This combo worked great as I had no cramping issues and had plenty of energy throughout the course with no bonking and no stomach issues. Carbo-Pro rocks!
What's next?
Diez Vista 50km Ultra Trail Run in three weeks! Now that I have one ultra under my belt, I'm sure the experience will be invaluable in allowing me to know my limits better and run an even stronger race. Wish me luck!
TNO

Countdown to Chuckanut

One week to Chuckanut, and fully recovered from my last weekend run, I had a great weekend lined up of some good training and some full on relaxation. I had a good solid run on Saturday morning with the Prairie Inn Harriers and then found myself doing odds and ends the rest of the day. You know, all those things that you continually put off until you just have a good full day to take care of it. So, I finally put up what I've been wanting to put up for a long time... my sweat ass, family size (ok, Mexican family size), tight weaved monster of a hammock! Yes Gary, it even fits me! :)

Ok, so I wasn't going to spend all weekend with my old friend. I woke up on Sunday prepared for a good road ride and headed out the door nice and early to hook up with the group. This was only my second real group ride ever but I think I'm already getting addicted. Ten minutes out my door and I knew that I was dressed way too warm. I dressed exactly as I did the week previous (yes, I did 75km on the bike the next day after my long run to work out the legs), but the weather had definitely changed for the better. Man, spring has sprung in Victoria. I turned around, headed back home and took off some layers before I headed out again. I ended up getting my time mixed up a bit (as we justed changed the clocks forward) but still managed to hook up with the group. During the last ride, I bailed out (as most people do) once I got close to my home (we ride right by it). But this time, I wanted to put in a longer ride which meant continuing with the nice seaside route, finishing in downtown Victoria, and taking a nice and easy 15km spin home. Well, I've always considered myself a decent biker but for the first time, it really hit home today that I still have a ways to go. The ride picked up near the end - especially when we hit the hills - and right at the 100 km mark of my ride, I just started to die, couldn't hang on, and was dropped! What hurts even more is that we were within 5km of finishing in downtown! Man, it's a pretty bad feeling when that group pulls away and there is just nothing you can do to hang on. Definitely good motivation to improve. Mind you, this was only my second group road ride ever, I haven't been training on the bike much (nothing over 40 kms at a time), and was riding in the end with some very good riders including a two time olympian and mtn bike world champion. Ok, I'll stop looking for excuses... :)

In the end, it was a 125 km ride with the last ride home being torturous. I didn't bonk as I was good and fuelled; my legs just decided that they were done and that was that.

Then came Mr. Hammock.


Then came, "I can't lie around here all day, I've got to get out of here". Soon, I was geared up again - this time with my runners - for an easy 16km run around Elk/Beaver Lake to work the legs out. It's amazing how you can feel beat but really the best thing you can do is get out for awhile (easy of course) and when you get back, you feel so much better. It was a great finish to an already sweet day.

Hope your enjoying this weather as well or if you're back East and experiencing the record snowfalls, I hope the X-country skiing is still bringing a smile to your face!

TNO

SHWEEB - Monorail Velodrome

Check this link out!

A monorail velodrome bike race track!

On the Trail to Chuckanut - 60km Day

Today, my goal was to put in a long and hilly day of running; one last long run before heading to the Chuckanut 50km ultra trail run in two weeks. I've been putting in some good k's lately with several 120+ km weeks to build up to my first real ultra. I have been on my feet for long periods of time in adventure races but these almost always involve bushwacking which is a completely different animal. While I had put in some good k's, I still felt that I needed to put in one long run with hills that would simulate race conditions and let me know if I'll actually be able to race for this distance. There's no question in my mind that I will be able to complete the event, it is rather a quesiton of how hard I'll be able to push.

I've had a long route in my head for a long time that I have yet to do; until today that is.

I started the route in Cordova Bay and headed down the Lochside trail until I hit Emily Carr Park. From here, there is a really sweet route that connects various parks taking you around bogs and following the Colquits River which eventually leads all the way down to the Galloping Goose trail. From here, I took the Goose to Thetis Lake park where I met some the Saturday morning Prairie Inn Harriers trail runners and got a lift to the regular breakfast place that everyone goes to after the workout.

After a good filling breakfast, I got a short ride to the entrance of Goldstream Provincial Park for the second phase of my run.

Trailhead - Goldstream Provincial Park

Group Camping Area

So, my route for the second phase was to connect three parks that I've always wanted to combine - Goldstream, Gowland Tod, and Mt. Work. These all consist of some serious climb (especially Mt. Finlayson) and my goal was to keep in on the easier side and power hike the hills that were either too long, or too steep. Basically, if I started to huff, I took it down a notch.

Mt. Finlayson Summit looking down at the worst disaster in the history of Victoria;

Bear Mountain - aka Bare Mountain

While it was nice to make it to the top of Finlayson, it was nice to move on and get out of the view of the worst development project in the history of Victoria. Built over some beautiful areas home to sensitive ecosystems (and some of the best mountain biking in the area) the area is now desolate with not one but two golf courses. Just another very unsustainable project brought to you by the City of Langford - the best creators of urban sprawl in the area.

Keeping up the kick on the Gowland Tod Trail

The run down the backside of Finlayson was great and by the time I hit up the Gowland Tod trail, the sun was fully out and the clouds were clearing out even more. While the day started with some rain, it was sure turning out to be a very nice day.

Going up Mt. Work - Look at that gorgeous day!

By the time I got to Mount Work, I was starting to feel the burn but I think it had more to do with running out of fluids. Luckily, many other people were out to take in the nice weather and some people were nice enough to top up my fluids in Mt. Work parking lot. The first steep sections of the climb seemed difficult but once I hit the upper sections I was eating it up.

Mt. Work Summit

View from Mt. Work out to the start of Phase II of my run

Mt. Finlayson is the round hump

Unbeknownst to most people, there is a trail that connects the Mt. Work summit trail over into the mountain biking area. You need to do a bit of route finding but it's pretty straight forward especially on a nice day. From there, I ran some of the biking trails, headed out of the park to transition onto some roads, connected in to Elk/Beaver Lake for a 3/4 lap, and then home at last!

Almost home - Yes, I felt like I look

After a 60km day, I was ready for some good recovery. It was so good to finally do a route that I had planned on doing a long time ago and I was greatful to have such a nice day to enjoy it. Now, if I can just work up to the other routes that I planned!

NUTRITION:

Carbo Pro Powder

NUUN - electrolyte input

EAS Energy Gel

PRODUCTS OF NOTE:

Helly Hansen Lifa - awesome next to skin layer

MEC Dervish Vest - a great MEC product

Montrail Continental Divide Shoes

MEC Kinetic Tempo Waistpack - a great waist pack for those who don't want anything on their back

TNO

Gear Review - SealSkinz Waterblocker Socks

Product Features and Impressions:
SealSkinz makes waterproof/breathable socks that, unlike Gore-Tex, are stretchy. The Waterblocker socks are advertised by SealSkinz as being the saviour to adventure racers in that they are totally submersible which allows you to walk through streams and wade across rivers without getting wet feet. I had been looking for a product like this for awhile and when I found out about these socks, I was completely stoked! I ordered some off the internet, along with a pair of gloves, just in time to race in the 2007 Baja Travesia expedition adventure race. In Baja, there was a canyon section that would take over 12 hours to get down and consisted of numerous unavoidable swims. This would be a good test for these socks but would be nowhere close to what the manufacturer claims they can do or of the countless testimonials on their website (ie: submerged periods of over 10 minutes with no leakage. I felt so smart. In fact, another competitor had done the exact same thing as me. He bought the socks specifically with the canyon in mind and dry feet would be had by both of us and we would all live happily ever after. The end.

But wait, after a couple hours of exercise, the socks felt pretty clammy and after the first dunking, they felt downright wet. It must just be the feeling, I thought, as sometimes your feet can feel wet when the outside is wet (a feeling that I get when using my Rocky Gore-tex socks). After the second dunking though, I needed to check for myself. Not only did I have water in my socks but lots of it. In fact, I had a good 1/2 litre from both socks which means that I was running around with a pound of water on my feet. Not only were my feet wet, but they were also macerated due to the prolonged submersion inside my socks. I'd agree that these socks were totally waterproof as none of the water that came in was leaving anytime soon. Cudos for not completely making false claims. I took out a regular pair of socks, put the SealSkinz in my backpack, and their next move was to the Hartland landfill. Funny thing is, the competitor who also used these socks had the exact same issue as me (lots of water in the sock and macerated feet from submersion).

Weaknesses:
These socks are completely useless. They did not keep water out and were very warm which makes them completely useless for any type of exercies (especially running). If you submerge them, you're left with bags of water on your feet. The only use that I can possibly see these having is if you are standing in ankle deep water and not moving so that you don't generate any heat and thus, don't sweat. However, if you're going to do this, you might as well have gum boots on.

Overall Impression:
Please do not buy these socks. Please do not waste your money. This is such a terrible product for what they are advertised for. If you want something to help your feet when it's wet, use a product like Vasoline or HydroPel to prevent foot masceration; if you use these socks, you're going to have to use a product like this anyway as your feet will still get soaked from sweat build-up and water getting in. I tried to contact someone at Seal Skinz but they never got back to me. Who knows, maybe the birds at the landfill will be able to make a good nest out of these socks.

Gear Review - Montrail Continental Divide

Product Features and Impressions:

This the best trail shoe I have ever used. Period. Many people consider the Montrail Hardrocks the best trail shoe and I used to agree; but in comparision, the Continental Divides are just a step above. The level of comfort and fit of these shoes (for me) is unreal. Almost any other shoe I have ever used had to be laced up tight in order to prevent heel movement; not with these babies. I lace these nice and light and have no heel play whatsoever. They molded to my feet from day one and have got better ever since.

In comparison to the hardrocks, these shoes are lighter and are a bit more flexible which makes running in them more enjoyable. Don't let the lighter weight fool you though. You still have a solid shoe with a full protection plate. The uppers are lighter duty (than the Hardrocks) but the Hardrocks were overkill anyway with the uppers looking great even after the sole was completely destroyed. The mesh in the uppers allows for cooler feet and better water drainage if you get them soaked. They also don't absorb as much water when dunked.

I was a little concerned with the grip on these shoes at first as the Hardrocks gripped wet rock and roots like nothing else. So, as the Continental Divides had a different sole, it took me a bit of time before I trusted them like the Hardrocks. My conclusion? These things grip like no other. They call their soles 'gryponite' for a reason. For those of you using shoes like the Saloman XA Pro 3Ds (as reviewed below), you have no idea what you're missing. No idea! Ziltch!

Weaknesses:

Functionally, I can not say anything bad about these shoes. Go for the gold/grey colour over the blue/red. That's all I can say.

Overall Impression:

This is an awesome shoe for anything from off-road ultras, to good hikes through rough terrain. If you want unparalled grip over a variety of terrain, look no further. If you're big and like to trail run, these shoes are for you. If you're looking for a light race shoe for sprint trail races, you may want to look at some of Montrail's lighter race shoes.

Gear Review - Salomon XA Pro 3D

Product Features and Impressions:

This is a very popular shoe that has some reason to be so. Most people will tell you that the fit of these shoes is awesome with blister free perfomance. I tend to agree as the shoes felt comfortable even during their first use; however, I find that in order to prevent heel lift, I have to tighten the quick lace system too tight which causes some foot discomfort. Thus, I would never use these shoes for long runs (>15km). I hear many people who have these shoes say that they're suprised that all shoes don't go to the quick lace system. My opinion is that there are benefits and some drawbacks to the quicklace. The benefit, obviously, is that it takes no time to tie up your shoes which is great for multi-sport sprint races like the MOMAR where time is critical. It is super fast but if you don't want the excess lace flooping around, you have to tuck it in the little tongue flap which adds time and doesn't give you much time benefit over a regular lace up. I find the main drawback to be the limited adjustability of the system. Adding additional tension tightens the lace everywhere. With a good lacing setup, you can customize the tension to your foot (ie: a loose toebox with a tight upper).

Weaknesses:

The grip on these shoes are terrible. Absolutely terrible. If you're running on something OTHER THAN roots, rocks, snow, leaves, road debris, loose gravel, branches, logs, wet pavement, wet concrete, wet anything, off-camber terrain, etc., than these shoes are ok. (read this as my road shoes grip way better than these shoes)

Overall Impression:

The fit and comfort of these shoes are very good. The quick lace system is great for multi-sport races where a few seconds saved in transition could win you the race; however, this type of lacing does not give you the level of fit as a good standard lacing system. The grip on these shoes is really terrible. No, extremely terrible. I still can't believe how many people wear these shoes and put up with how bad the grip is; especially on the west coast where it's going to be wet on the trail most of the time.

If you run on trails that you mountain bike on with slick tires pumped up to 60psi (not semi-slick, slick), then these shoes are the best.

Hatley Castle 8km Race Report

What an amazing weekend! Some fantastic weather will always put a smile on my face! I got a pedicure at the Aveda institute as part of a Christmas gift from Kim, did some errands and shopping around town (picked up a sweet new hoodie), watched a Capoeira perfomance at the McPherson theatre, and ran in the Hatley Castle 8km road race. This race was the 4th race in the Island Series and the second race that I was able to do. Kim and I hopped on our bikes in the morning and cycled the 25km out to the race start at Royal Roads University. It was really nice to cycle my old commute on the goose and revisit the school that I attended not so long ago. We arrived with just enough time to spare which was good as I don't like waiting around for long and was thoroughly warmed up from the ride. In no time, it was all go.

To put it bluntly, this race fn hurt. The Hatley race is the not much of a 'road race' compared to the other courses as at least 3km of it is on gravel and/or trail. Also, it probably has the most elevation gain/loss of any other course in the Island Series. I knew the course, had a race plan, and stuck it out as best as I could; this consisted of going really hard for the first 3km which is where most of the hills are, getting into a grove as best as I could for the next 4km, and leave a bit left to not die on the last two small hills before the slight downhill into the finish line.

I took off the start line and let the slight downhill take me as fast as I could to get a good position in the field. I felt really good and found myself hanging in around 10th place before our first climb. I found a comfortably hard pace and stuck it out until we reached the 'big hill'. I basically kept pushing hard and just tried to make it to the top without my lungs exploding out of my chest. I started to hurt but knew that as long as I could reach the final crest, without totally blowing up, I'd be able to recover on the flat. This strategy worked out really well as I was now in around 10th spot, had 3km of the hardest part of the course under my belt, and just needed to hang on to a pace that I could manage to keep till the finish. Over the next 4km, I had only four people pass me which I knew meant that I was just where I should be. I typically go out a little harder in races and tend to get caught by a handfull of people before the finish. While I've been told that it is best to keep your second half of the race faster than the first, I still haven't found that line although I'm getting better at it.

After a super fast downhill run on gravel, I hit the bottom and my legs became blocks of lead. My pain moved from hurt to suffering. I knew the race was almost over but also knew that there were a couple small hills left before the line. I had a small pack of runners ahead and some chasers in the distance which made me start to think, 'you can just walk the hill. Come on, you're dying here.' And I was dying. I was breathing so hard at the bottom of the hill that any harder and I thought I might collapse. After realizing that if I made any effort to slow down that I would be extremely disappointed in myself after the race, I pushed up the hill as best as I could, hit the crest, and ran down into the finish shoot. I say 'ran' but if you saw me it was more of a dazed and sloppy non-sprint to the line.

Kim came over and congratuated me but I couldn't even look at her let alone talk. I was huffing hard and knew that if I didn't lie down immediately, that I would lose consciousness and be lying down soon regardless. I spent the next two to three minutes in this post-race daze until my breathing subsided and I got back some mental clarity. I have NEVER died that hard after a race before!
I definitely did not leave anything on the course and came away with my best Island Series finish to date;
14th overall and 2nd in my age category in a time of 29:21 on the tough hatley course. I couldn't have been more happy!
TNO

GVOC Sprint Training Camp

This past weekend, I attended the Greater Vancouver Orienteering Club's (GVOC) Sprint Training Camp. It was a weekend of hard work and fun and consisted of 10 solid events to help everyone become a better orienteer. You can't help but be beat after this camp; when do you ever red-line it more than once in a day let alone five times like we did on Saturday? There was some good competition with several national team members and some fast Europeans (read this as European=reading maps in the womb).

All the events, with the exception of a race at UBC on Friday, were held on the North Shore in Vancouver. Some of the maps were brand new and all of the maps were new to me which made for some good events.

While I smacked my knee pretty bad on a sharp boulder early on Saturday - causing me to drop out of the first event - I was lucky that it wasn't serious and I was to continue over the weekend.

Here's some photos of the action:

Red-lining it in Deep Cove

Benoit, Nickoli and Magnus discussing their route choices

Thomas pushing hard off the beach

Benoit checking his route in the Dog bones event

A steamy finish!

I did well in the races consistently placing 5th overall which I was quite happy with. Compared to the top places, my times were much closer than in last years camp which shows me that I have made some good progress. I made no serious mistakes in all of the events and just need to refine my small route choices and work on being smoother coming into and out of controls. Running faster would also help!

A big thanks to all of the GVOC members who helped put on this awesome weekend and for making it so successful. I'll see you next year!

TNO

Hard At Work

Every month, I'm lucky enough to get out of the office and do some work that involves flying around to the Gulf Islands and over to Gibsons in a Cessa floatplane. I also seem to be quite lucky in that the day I have planned to go always seems to turn into a gorgeous day. Here are some photos to prove it!

The Crofton pulp mill

Overtaking a Beaver

Looking back at Salt Spring

The edge of Howe Sound

Howe Sound leading to Squamish

A BC Ferries Spirit Class vessel navigating a very active Active Pass

Mount Tuam - a predominant symbol of Salt Spring Island - overlooking the valley

Tofino Time!

It's hard not to have a good time in Tofino. While the drive up from Victoria takes a good 4 1/2 hours, it's definitely worth it. Soon, you find yourself on 'Tofino Time' where things just go a little slower and there's no rush to do anything. While we were anxious to get out for some surfing in the early morning, we all found ourselves sleeping in a bit, walking the beach to check out the conditions, and then go surfing... after a good breakfast of course!


While the conditions were not very favourable for surfing, it was still nice to float around in the ocean in warm and bouyant neoprene hugging your skin. Neoprene is never very fun to put on and take off but when you have a hot tub.... it makes it all worthwhile.

A couple taking a stroll on Longbeach

Myself, Kim, Andrea and Mike on Longbeach

It was a very relaxing weekend made up of a bit of surfing, some hot tub soaks, some good food, and lots of European sytle board games including Carcassonne, Puerto Rico, and the now infamous 'Power Grid'! (a game based on market trading and buying of power plants and resources). Oh yeah, I just turned 30 as well!!! That being said, I never thought 30 was old nor did I think that I would be 'over the hill'. In fact, I'm in the best shape of my life and still have people in their 40s keeping up with me! I want to be one of those dudes when I'm 45!

Cheers,

TNO