LIFE BEHIND THE SCENES

Kaslo SufferFest - Are You Ready to Suffer?

2011-10-03T23:34:00.000-07:00

Well, all I can say is that the Kaslo SufferFest lived up to its name...It's Monday, and I'm still wading through the fuzz - ugh.

Ever been to Kaslo? If you don't know where it is, look it up. I've never actually taken the time to drive through the Kootenays before, and after such a great weekend spent running on the local trails, I honestly wish I had more time to play (but with fresh legs!).

After a long day of driving, I pulled into the quiet little town at around 11pm...seemed like most of the 1,000 residents were fast asleep. The only place that looked remotely open was the Kaslo Hotel & Brew Pub - I guess it's time for a pint! Despite the local band's 'talent', it was time for bed - lucky for me, it was only 2 sets of stairs above!

Happy to be catching up on some Z's after a busy week, I was looking forward to a bit of a sleep in...but it was not to be. Instead of my alarm, the hotel phone rattled beside me.

"Sir, is that your big (ass) brown Dodge pickup parked out in front of the hotel?"

Half asleep..."Uh...y-yes..."

"Oh, good. I guess nobody told you...but that's our finish line today, and your truck is parked in the way of our kid's race course!"

Oops.

The view of Main Street from my hotel room...right above the finish line!

The rig parked in the kid's finish lane... I guess I better move it now.

In case you didn't know, the Kaslo SufferFest is actually a 2-day multi-disciplined stage race that includes various combos of XC mountain bike race (40km or 100km), a trail race (10k, 25k or 50k) and a DH mountain bike event. Like most of the 300+ participants, I decided to take part in only one of the many events...the 50k trail race.

So, while I was snoring away in my comfy bed, the mountain bikers were covering some hard kms on the trails. By the time I was back from a tasty breakfast at the local coffee shop, the town was alive and anticipating the big guns - who in this case ended up being a couple of friends of mine from Canmore - way to represent boys!

The Cafe boys in the spotlight - Leighton (right) took the win, with John (left) in 2nd

Onto the trail race...
With a quick fly-by on the important bits of the course, I was as good as I was going to get. I typically like doing a course recon when I can - always good to be familiar with key intersections, check points, etc...Also allowed me to get the kinks out after the long drive and see how the body would feel after my 4 Peaks epic less than 7 days prior...

As I prepped my gear, I realized I forgot my Suunto watch...Funny how we get used to key pieces of gear when we race...Felt odd to not have a watch - I normally set it to gauge my pace or to see how much altitude I've covered (or how much I've got remaining!). But I survived.

Suunto data a la PV: Elev Gain: ~ 1,500m Not a ton of gain, but the course still took it's toll with lots of singletrack, up/down terrain and few hard technical bits.

At 6am, huddled under the street lights of Main Street, a small crew of runners (50k participants) set off into the night...After a quick run through town and it was up the grunt climb of the day - a straight up, 500m gain stair-step climb known as 'No Brakes' hill... I settled into a steady rhythm, shining my light up the track and pushing on my quads to get the best efficiency out of my stride. In behind, strongman Peter Findlay pursued. Despite having placed top 5 in the 100km mtn bike the previous day, there he was lingering...Damn that old-man strength.

Up and up we climbed...I pushed on in the night.

As daylight broke, the climbing eased off onto the Buchanan Access Trail, one of the best singletrack traverse I've done in a while. I didn't know how far back Peter was hiding, so I switched off my AY-UP light, put the pedal to the metal and disappeared around the bend...

For the next 10km, I was giddy...the track was simply amazing - Aside from a few up or down switchbacks to detour around natural obstacles, it was a beautiful flowing descent into the aid station. At the Wagon Rd turnaround (15km) I had gained 5min on Peter...but it's a long race so I kept my head down and kept the pace up.

Besides a bit of confusion due to missing signs at key intersections (found out later that they had been taken down by locals - I was lucky and guessed right, others weren't so lucky!), the rest of the run back down to town was fairly quick - Next thing I knew, I was cruising through town. A quick resupply, and I was off for loop #2!

Kaslo River Bridge: The link between the North & South trails...

Dodge this! The race course zipped right through the Kaslo local airport...Had to look right, left, and up!

The second loop looked a bit confusion on the map (hence my recon the day before), but it actually turned out to be relatively easy to follow... There was lots of aid stations out there, so lots of opportunities to fuel up if needed. Although there wasn't much elev gain (on paper), I definitely found this section challenging. My body was still feeling good, but I could start to feel that I wasn't fully recovered from the 4 Peaks. The slow consistent singletrack climbing ate away at my energy... My pace slowed in the twisty mossy singletrack. The short/steep up and downs were taking their toll...The mind started to wander... Where was Peter? Damn that old man strength...

At the 40km mark, I started passing runners that were on their first mini-loop of the second half of the course...good timing. Chasing bodies perked me up and my pace quickened. I was on the home stretch. Once last pass by the airport (a quick look up!) and it was all the way down back to town.

One more lap around the town's shoreline and I crossed the line...Happy camper!

Ever been to Kaslo? You should...with 7 different events (in 2 days) to choose from you don't have an excuse! A big thanks to Janis for putting on a great show - and the entire community for supporting this exciting weekend of events. Can't wait for next year!

The hardware: Carved by a Kaslo local artist...Not sure what inspired this guy...could it be the real thing?

Canmore 4 Peaks Challenge

2011-09-25T14:14:00.000-07:00

It may not look like much, but it's no easy feat...

The Canmore 4 Peaks Challenge is simple - Summit all four local peaks in a day. Using cars, bikes, etc...to move to/from each trailhead is not allowed. So you choose...you can run, walk or crawl, either way, it makes for a long, long day on the trails.

The peaks include Grotto Mountain (2,706m) which is the steepest of the bunch + Lady MacDonald (2,605m), with its sketchy knife edge summit + East End of Rundle or EEOR (2,530m), a slow scree ridden climb and Ha Ling (2,407m), the 'easiest' of the four...

Easy.

As far as I know, only 3 people have done this prior to my attempt... Jack Firth at the age of 50-something, completed the four summits in a day (20hrs give or take) and was joined by his son (Ben) for the final ascent up Ha Ling...

Sticking with local mountain men...Ernst Salzgeber completed all 4 Peaks at the age of 60! I couldn't find many details on this attempt, but word is it took him in the 17+ hr range...

The latest to complete the 'quad' is climber and local Canmore Crossfit owner, Greg Thazuk, who's built a reputation for tackling any worthy challenge that is thrown on his plate. Greg completed the mountain mission in around 14.5hrs (not sure on exact time)...A solid effort for a self proclaimed 'non-runner'!

As for me, I'm just happy to tick this 'beast' off my list... Huge respect to Jack, Ernst and Greg - It's an honour to be part of the select that have completed this challenge!

**Note: If I've missed someone and/or you know of anyone else that has completed the 4 Peaks Challenge please acknowledge them in the comments section - I'd love to know!
A few bits in case you were wondering:

- Which summit was the hardest? All 4 peaks were unique in difficulty, but the most physically and mentally demanding was EEOR. By that point, I was close to 8hrs and I was tired. Having never climbed Rundle, I ended up losing the trail twice and had to bushwack my way through steep terrain to find the trail again. As I got higher up the peak, the loose scree made you lose 1/2 a step for every one you took...Add in some tough route navigating and I was just about to lose my shit.

- Easiest summit? Ha Ling... I've run up this one many times. I knew it wouldn't take me more than an hour and it's as close to a mountain hwy as you can get. However, Fitzy and I had run out of water halfway up (poor planning on my part) but thankfully a very generous couple hiking down shared some of their water with us!

- Scariest moment? The 10-15m knife edge on Lady Mac was super sketchy...I definitely felt out of my comfort zone as I clung onto the edge with both hands, feet half dangling over a massive cliff trying to find an edge to step on...I had a few moments where the wind was howling so hard I had to stop and hang on...not good.

-  Freak occurrence... At the top of Grotto, the wind was howling like crazy. Despite tightening the draw strings on our visors, a tornado like wind simultaneously blew Andy and my hats off our heads. I was lucky, my hat was blown 10m in the air, and fell back to my feet... Andy wasn't so lucky, his visor was catapulted about 50m out in space...lost forever on the back side of Grotto.

- Best moment of the day... Fitzy 'found' a nectarine at the bottom of his pack at the top of Ha Ling. By this time, we were parched from not having brought enough water...The sweet juiciness of the fruit brought me back to life for the last stretch home...

- Running on Flat: 1h45 min (most of this was spent running through town)
- Time spent climbing: 5h33min of speedy pole walking
- Time spent descending: 3h18min (yes my quads are sore today)

- Breaks along the way? At the 5h30min halfway mark (at my house), I took 30min to refuel, eat, drink, change socks and shoes. Otherwise, random water/food break along the way, and twitter posts... of course.

- Fuel? 4 ham/cheese tortilla wraps w a bit of honey mustard, 2 HoneyStinger gels, 1 Pro Bar, salt vinegar crispers (salty goodness!), Salt Stick electrolyte tabs, Tumbs (4), noodles w/ oil/salt (at home), 1L of ginger ale (at home), 2x 1.5L bladders + lots of water from creeks (I'll probably pay for this one later in the week - yikes!), 1 coke (that Fitzy brought to me on EEOR) and the most amazing nectarine on the planet!

- Best piece of gear? Ski poles... essential for all the up/down.

- Body damage? Quads are beat, small blister on right foot from all the side walking on steep scree slopes...that's it.

Suunto Movescount Beta: Forgot to recalibrate the altitude on my watch at the start so the base altitude is about 100m off (should be 1325m, not 1428m)...Start - halfway - finish point was my house in downtown Canmore, I took a 30min refuelling break at the halfway mark, otherwise was more/less trying to keep moving most of the day.

View from the top of Grotto - #1: Was psyched to have Andy Reed with me for most of the day...Thanks Andy! Canmore in the backdrop. You can notice Spray Rd that cuts into the side of EEOR (Rundle) - Had to run up that road to get to the last 2 trailheads of the day.

View from Lady MacDonald - #2: Great view of Canmore on a perfect day! In the center of the photo is Ha Ling Peak (left of center valley) and EEOR (right of center valley). Spray Rd cuts up the slope...

Top of Lady MacDonald: Super windy conditions made for some tough climbing on narrow summit ledge...

Lady MacDonald's knife edge summit - Difficult to see but most of this section is only 1 to 2ft wide ... Hangin' on for dear life - white knuckling it all the way across - Didn't feel very comfortable up here!

Taking a water break in Cougar Creek after 2 peaks...Andy takes a bit of gravel out of his shoes.

View of Ha Ling Peak midway up Rundle - #3: If only I had a squirrel suit... Hit a low point going up EEOR, and was looking for any excuse to take a break!

One more to go: Taking a quick break in the reservoir in between EEOR and Ha Ling. Having lost Andy, I was happy to be joined by Fitzy for the last climb of the day.

Don't do it! A twitchy chipmunk hangs out on the top of Ha Ling...He wasn't too pleased when we left without leaving him any crumbs-

Rockwall Traverse - Fast VS Light...

2011-09-05T21:13:00.000-07:00

Suunto Movescount Beta...

PV: "I don't know...what do you feel like running?"

Martin: "Well, if you had to pick one trail to run, which one would you choose...?

PV: "Rockwall... no question."

Martin: "What's 'Rockwall'? How long will it take?"

PV: "Not sure...It's 52km w/ 2,500m gain. My fastest time is 8hrs, but we could easily cut an hour off that. Maybe two... Hikers typically do it 3 to 4 days."

Martin: "OK then... it's settled. Let's go for it!"

And that was it.

Despite having run this trail twice before, I was eager to show Martin aka the 'Goat', one of the most scenic and classic trails of the Canadian Rockies - And with my injuries finally behind me, there was no excuse not to test the body and take advantage of all the high altitude training we had done over the past 3 weeks :)

With near perfect conditions, we set off in an attempt to see what we could do as far as putting a new benchmark on the table for this challenging trail...and after the smoke had settled, we were left exhausted, but content with the effort.

No matter how well you think you're prepared, playing in the mountains can be a humbling experience - You have to be prepared for anything, and anticipate the unexpected. Blue skies can turn grey in an instant...dry trails can become muddy...your trusty pair of trail shoes can give you the worst blisters ever...water bladders can burst...food can run out...I think you get the picture. Bottom line, if you're not careful, the mountains will slap you around like a cat playing with it's pray...

So going for a 'fast' time sometimes means you have to make sacrifices - but where? In order to move quickly, you have to be light...But what gear to you leave behind? How much extra food do you bring? Despite all the planning, you still end up riding a fine line and can only hope that nothing goes wrong. With those thoughts in mind, I think we prepared adequately for anything weather wise - all the 'survival' essentials were present in our packs. I think where we were a bit ambitious was in regards to our expected time, and unfortunately ended up a bit lite in the food department as both Martin and I ran out of 'fuel' with 8k to go. And that's where the real fun began...

I'll stop there and let the video speak for itself... In the meantime, the high alpine window is closing quickly and there's only a few weeks of running up high left... is there another attempt in the forecast...?

Enjoy!

Rockwall Traverse Video

Road Trip!

2011-09-01T21:55:00.000-07:00

photo: Klaus Fengler/www.klausfengler.de

Where to begin...

Calgary, Salt Lake City, Park City, Moab, Leadville and finally Buena Vista to Beaver Creek...A monster of a road trip, yet a perfect lead-up to run across the Colorado Rockies...or at least that was the plan!

Speaking of which, I've never been big on planning things, so when the 'Goat' (Martin Gaffuri) and I left Canmore, I have to admit that there wasn't much of a travel 'plan' in place...we were headed to Salt Lake City, then Leadville to pace for Ryan Sandes...and finally TransRockies, but for the 2 weeks in between... who knew!

What we did know is that we wanted get in lots of running volume at high altitudes, and run in very hot temperatures...These key ingredients would help prepare us for the 2011 Gore-Tex TransRockies Run.

I won't repeat myself too much here since I wrote about my running in the previous posts, but the combination of SLC/Park City for high altitude volume and Moab for heat was almost perfect. Temperatures never dipped below 30C+, reaching highs of 38C! And the running...well...two words: simply. fantastic.

Welcome to Leadville, CO - Home of the Leadville 100

Leadville 100 Recap:

What an experience! After 2 weeks on the road, the final prep for TransRockies couldn't have been more perfect than to pace for Ryan. I was so dialed up for this event that I actually put more focus on being 'fit' to pace Ryan than for TransRockies - funny. Of course, by the time I picked up Ryan, he had about 100km more running in his legs than me...so needless to say that the pace would be manageable.

Heading out to the Fish Hatchery @ 7am to join Vanessa (Ryan's girlfriend aka crew chief)

Since most of us (Martin, Anna and I) were running in the TransRockies Run the following day, we slept in a bit, and skipped out on the 4am start, and joined the support crew at 7am as Ryan reached the Fish Hatchery...

It wasn't long before the front runners were rounding the corner, Ryan was sitting 5th, and in the mix! In he came, out he went... We packed up and headed to Twin Lakes for the next CP...

Coming down the trail into Twin Lakes CP... still sitting 5th overall

In he came... out he went... although he did mention something about his quads being a bit sore - no shit buddy - you've been running almost 65km! Hope Pass (take 1) was on tap...

In the ghost town of Winfield we waited...

"Runner!"

"Holy Shit!!" A surge of adrenaline burst through my body as I spotted Ryan's white Exo kit bounding down the road..."Wow!" At 80km, he was in the lead, had taken control of the race and was moving well...

Anna (Frost) was ready to go for her 'mule' duties. At Leadville, pacers are allowed to carry "everything except the runner"... so all the water, food, gear would be handled by the pacers from now on...Being one of the best hill climbers in the business, Anna was eager to mentally 'drag' Ryan back up the 3,600m high Hope Pass for his second time that day. And did she ever...

On the flip side I eagerly waited for my turn... I loaded up with gels, bars, random snacks, water (for him) and more water (for me!). Off we went...

For much of the 25km, I did my best to keep Ryan as alert and focused as possible...He was tired and running all over the place, so my job was to maximize his efficiency on the trail. Everything from breathing, keeping the chest up, relaxing the shoulders/arms, to eating/drinking regularly... cue words were thrown out every few minutes...if you had been standing on the sidelines, you would have said: "man, that guy is annoying... Shut the hell up already!". I even asked him at one point what he was listening to music wise (he had his earphones on) "I'm listening to you...". "Oh...OK...You can listen to music if I'm too annoying or talking too much you know". "No, no... keep going...it's good".

So I kept talking.

My 25km section flew by... we covered it in 2h25min or so...give or take. He was on pace for 16h...

The Salomon Rigs waiting for Ryan at the 150km mark...

I had done my job, now it was Adam and Josh's turn...

The waiting was painful...Standing at the finish line staring in the distance, waiting to spot Ryan and Josh's headlamps...yet nobody was coming. "Where are they?"

Time was ticking...

At the finish line...30min before Ryan arrived!

And then 2 little flickers of light appeared in the distance...Next thing we knew, Ryan was bounding down the street, steps away from posting the 3rd fastest time in Leadville Trail 100 history: 16h47min... Wow. What a day! What an experience to be part of...It was truly an honour and privilege to have been part of such a special event, with a great crew of runners - thanks team!

TransRockies Run

Well, after a long day and night of quiet celebration, it was back to business... this time for myself - gulp! As much as I had told myself I was going to take it 'mellow' this year, my competitive drive was on overdrive after a great 2 weeks of running. I was tired, yes. But the desire to do well is a tad hard to ignore...

Aside from a few post-beer-pizza-celebration-stomach-issue-pitstops along way, stage 1 ended up ok...All the heat training we had done came in handy as the 35km BV to Railroad Bridge leg is always a hot one! But I should have practiced running with lots of beer and pizza in my belly - might have come in handy!

No, these aren't prison buses - Heading out to my favorite, stage 2 up Hope Pass!

Stage 2 has always been a favourite of mine, and so I was putting all the chips down on this one... The grind up to the top was as painful as ever, but a steady rhythm set with my poles had me top the summit with the lead solo runner (Justin Ricks) and after a fast run down the steep slopes, I bottomed out in first, with 5km of rolling singletrack flats to go...

But there was nothing to hold back a hard charging JR... with a 2:20 marathon under his name, even if I had gained another km on him at the bottom of the descent, I would have been hard pressed to keep the lead... so I (happily) settled for a 2nd place on the stage, a good 2min faster than my time last year, and moving up into 2nd overall in the solo standings by a very slim 10sec margin!

Despite 3 good days of running in my legs, I managed to extend the lead over the course of the 39km stage 3 by using Rickey/Anna (Open Mix Team) to pace me in the first half (and help ward off the previous night's excessive 'consumption' in my system!!) and then put it in overdrive in the second half to solidify my overall standing...

All in all... a fantastic week of running, shared with like minded friends... How can you not have fun at an 'all-inclusive trail running camp'?

See you next year TransRockies!

Smokey the Bear... ripping it up in Red Cliff for stage 4!

No visit to Denver is complete without a stop at Outdoor World's weapon section!

"Your wife called... She said you can buy whichever gun you want!"

The long drive home... Wind farm heading up to Judith's Gap, Montana.

Running Highs

2011-08-19T13:28:00.000-07:00

It’s been a while since I’ve felt good on the trails...It’s a nice feeling-

The urge to jump in the truck and hit the road to find and explore new trails came just at the right time, as my body was finally ready to crank up the volume a bit, and (allowed me to) squeeze in a much needed 4-day training block before tackling my 5^thGore-Tex TransRockies Run.

Moab Heat: Running the Porcupine Rim Trail

For years I used to sit down with my coach every spring to plan out the coming year. Every day, week, month and even coming years were planned – And I enjoyed every bit of it. These days, taking the time to write a plan is more/less chalked up as a ‘chore’ and usually involves a late night glass of scotch and some good tunes! More often than not, I end up wingin’ it – regardless of whether it works or not - it seems a bit more fun this way.

TransRockies will be interesting this year... An injury plagued summer isn’t the best for building fitness, so I decided a long time ago that if I did compete, the TR Run 3 (3-day solo event) would be my pick. As far as performance objectives go, I think I’ll adopt a Tour de France strategy (no, not doping!) and focus on doing well on one stage instead of going for the overall. In the big picture, I’m just psyched to run the event again...the atmosphere, the social interaction and overall quality of the event always makes for a memorable week –besides, isn’t that why we run?

Back to Leadville...

One look at my truck and they let me use the front door...

Yep, that's right... we live next to the blue building

But between now and Sunday’s stage 1 there’s another task on the menu, and that includes pacing duties for Ryan ‘the Sandman’ Sandes, who will be taking on the Leadville Trail 100! I’ll be joining Anna, Josh and Adam as part of the crew that will help Ryan cover the return second half (50miles/80km) back to Leadville. I’ve been psyched to pace for Ryan ever since he asked me back in early July... at the time, my season was a wash and I was just happy to have a goal for the upcoming months. And now the time has come –I’m psyched!

The Leadville course as a whole isn’t all that interesting or difficult for that matter (at least to a wanna-be ultra runner like me), but what makes Leadville ‘interesting’ is that its course’s average altitude is well over the 3,000m (10,000ft) mark! Let me put it this way...Leadville itself sits at a whopping 3,100m and the course only goes up from here – Not a popular event for asthmatics!

Aside from moving here (like Ryan did for the past 6wks), the best one can do to prepare for this altitude is to give your body a few shots of the thin stuff every few days. So for the past 2 weeks, my roadie crew and I have not only been logging in big runs, but we’ve been creeping higher and higher whenever we could. One of these runs included a 35km run on the Wasatch Crew Trail, which averaged 2,750m over 3.5hrs – topping the 2,940m mark at its highest.

Having arrived onsite a few days ago, I thought I’d do a few short pickups to see how the body would react to the altitude...A short ladder-type workout consisting of: 10sec, 30sec, 1min, 1.5min, 1min, 30sec, 10sec is all I needed to find out that yep, the air is in fact thinner up here.
If all goes well, Ryan will be back in Leadville in/around the 17hr mark (give or take) – Can’t wait to follow the action and see how his day unfolds!

Regardless of the outcome here in Leadville, there will be no celebrating for us as we’re requested on the start line in nearby Buena Vista for the start of TransRockies Run stage 1...a normally hot 35km run in BV’s desert-like micro-climate... Let’s hope those 38C training runs in Moab pay off!

Let the good times roll!

Yep, it reads 38C!

Delicate Art...uh, I mean Arch!

Can you say tourist trap?

Balancing Rock in my rearview

Why bother with a sauna, when you get get the real thing!

The Little Things...

2011-08-13T22:19:00.000-07:00

It's funny how the simplest of things can make you happy.

I lost my big toe nail the other day...it made me feel like a runner again.

You know you're a runner when...

It's been a bit of an odd summer...'odd' in a sense that I've probably done the least amount of running (due to injury) in a long time. Actually... scratch that - it's been just plain frustrating.

Summer has always been a bit more relaxed work wise, a time to recharge before tackling the busy fall/winter/spring seasons. In a sense, running is one of those 'things' that re-energizes me. It's like pressing the 'reset' button - letting me start fresh again. Of course, running just for the sake of running doesn't really do it all the time, I'm talking about those moments you have where you can simply let everything go, take a breath, look around...and smile.

-sigh-

Red Devil aka 'the spine'... bringing you up to 2,900m!

Wasatch Crest Trail - Cruisin' the red dirt...bliss.

Wasatch Crew Trail - Been There...

Earth to Phil...

Since I haven't been able to run much, I've actually spent a bit more time on my road bike - it doesn't quite give me that same sense of satisfaction that a run does, but in the right environment, it comes pretty damn close.

Lovin' the road bike - Always gets me to the end of some random road

So after 11wks of so-so therapy, trying my best to stay put (NOT and easy task!) so I can get my team to work on me on a regular basis, I've finally reached a stage where I can run 1, 2...maybe 3 days in a row of varying distance. Slide in a road bike ride here and there to switch things up, add in tons and tons of stretching...et voila - PV is back on the trails! At least for now...

I've been doing lots of this...

And just when I think that things are going well... I inevitably do a bit of this!

BTW, a big UPs to my 'team' for putting the broken bits back together... (Scott @ ActiveMotion, Torben @ Active Edge Chiro, Vanessa @ Back at It Massage and Missy/Heather @ Re:Focus Pilates - Thx!

So what next...? Well, with the tiniest window of opportunity open (it doesn't take me much ;), I decided to enter myself for my 5th TransRockies Run! And since I had done more or less NOTHING to get ready for TRR, I found just the right solution to whip me into shape...I'm talking about a (training) road trip of course!

ROOOAAADDDD TRRRRRIPPPPP!

One of the beauties of having a mobile 'office' is that I can do a lot of my work on the road... so I packed up all my pens, added a few sheets of white paper, grabbed my (red) stapler, my rolodex and along the way picked up a crazy Frenchman who was looking for a ride down to Salt Lake City to unload a few thousand GoodPeopleRun stickers-

SLC? Sure, why not...Not that I needed an excuse to leave town again, but with TransRockies Run looming only 2 weeks away, I figured I could use an extra week or so of touring the extensive trail systems in Utah/Colorado to log some km's and get used to the thin air before the big show.

Salt Lake City... Park City....check.

Park City - Mid Mountain Trail - It's hard to turn around when you have this around every bend...

Park City - Mid Mountain Trail - View of PC Mtn Resort...

SLC was hot... I would have needed 6 of these things blowing 24hrs a day!

Next stop? I'll tell you in a few days!

Spotted Along the Way...

2011-06-14T19:51:00.000-07:00

Late night show in Salmon Arm, BC - On my way back from Whistler...one of my many drive-through-the-night-to-sleep-in-my-own-bed missions!

My coffee is cold again.

-sigh-

People often comment on the fact that I drink a lot of coffee. In reality, once I sit down at my desk I get so distracted with work, phone calls, etc...that my coffee gets cold before I can finish drinking it. So instead of wasting a 3/4 full cup of Joe (and as taboo as it may seem, for all you coffee snobs), I simply warm it back up with my Espresso steamer and voila!

I love this ritual of feeling the warmth of my coffee.

...

My running is on 'pause' these days - The physio called it a clear case of the "burning-the-candle-at-both-ends-anitis"... I didn't disagree. Lucky for me, I can still ride...and so, except for a couple of painful sessions on the Pan Pacific hotel StairMaster machine, I've been hitting the road like a true wannabe pro...

On Sunday morning, I took advantage of the nice weather to ride with my Flight Crew teammates, Rumon and Munny. It was my first time exploring the Squamish Valley Rd, a quiet stretch of asphalt that meanders its way NW just outside Squamish, BC. With barely any traffic to worry about, we were able to ride side by side most of the way, chatting about life, laughing uncontrollably (most of time at Munny - sorry buddy!), you name it...all while cruising at steady 35km/h.

What better way to connect and get to know your friends...The best of both worlds!

My weekend in Whistler capped a great (work) week in Vancouver with the sales & mgmt teams - Product-wise, I'm excited about what's coming down the pipe...(sorry, no shop talk today) and psyched to work with group of individuals that are passionate about trail running. It makes all the travel and little 'PV-time' detours worth it. Sure I could have flown in/out of YVR and make it a quick 4-day trip...Instead, I decided to drive the distance and extend the trip to hang with friends. In a way, time on the road is quite similar to time on the trail...it allows me to think, to scheme, to analyse, to remember, to blank out, or to simply look around at the landscape...

The normally 10hr drive back to Canmore went by in flash...just like the road ride with the boys. Loved it.

And since I started things off with a great sunset from Salmon Arm, I thought I'd keep going on the 'hippy-moments' theme, all spotted along the way...

Split skies: This is quite typical of Canmore. You can usually see the storm coming from far away...makes for nice pictures if you can catch them, or makes you move faster if you're on the bike!

Just another snowy day in Canmore: This also became a normal occurrence this winter/spring...Caught a peek of Ha Ling through one my many spring blizzard runs!

Rundle Range: I always love popping out onto the 'mine scar'...Look left, it's a crisp and clear view of the mountains...look right, and there's are snow flurries dusting the peaks!

Early morning cloud: I posted this photo a while back but it still brings back great memories...I think I was chasing/looking for some friends I said I would meet for a run...I missed them because I was late. But once I topped out above the fog, I didn't regret being alone...

Run, Pack, Drive...and Repeat!

2011-05-20T15:37:00.000-07:00

Back and forth I go - Seems like that feeling of sand in between my toes is just a distant memory now...
(Note: I started writing this post about a month ago...I finally have a few minutes to wrap it up)

April was a blur...again.

Advance Week Update - What a week! A day after I stepped off the plane from Maui, I jumped on another flight bound for the South of France to test gear along the Cote d'Azur's beautiful red rock coast! For the past few years, I've had the privilege of attending Salomon's Advance Week, where 'promo' guys like myself get to rub shoulders with some of the best trail/mountain runners in the world. Of course, being that Salomon is one big happy family, they go easy on us - and besides, someone has to slow down the pace!

Adam and I compare calf sizes as Nikos and Patrick talk shop

In the spotlight: Providing a Salomon 'tip of the day'...or something like that

The main objective of the week is to give our 2-cents on the S-LAB (Salomon Laboratory) product line...Don't like the fit? the look? Is it too heavy? Good or bad, the footwear, apparel and bags R&D crews soak it all in, and tweek it as required to fit the 'racers' needs. It's not easy to compile and interpret all of our comments, but somehow they manage to put it all together and pump out some amazing pieces year after year.

Trying to look good for the camera after 40km of testing gear...

Having the same luggage as everyone else can sometimes be an issue...

So after countless hours of going around and around some fantastic 'test' loops and trails, the team wrapped up the week with the Signes Trail Race, a knarly 2-day event that saw us run over some very steep and technical hills of the Provence region. While most of the pros ducked it out in the 45km + 45km event, I settled for the more reasonable 25km + 25km event (1,600m elev gain per race!), and with the temperature hovering around the 30C mark, I was glad I did! Once again, I was humbled by the terrain and level of difficulty of the race...simply fantastic! Some of the ridges and descents used were so wild and sketchy that you simply have to experience it to understand...I can only wish we had access to such 'race' terrain here in Canada - For now, I'm content to keep making the trip overseas ;)

Signes Trail Race - The finish line was buzzing with happy runners and lots of bulls!

Door2Trail Tour - Back in Canada, a quick load of laundry, and I was back on the road again, this time to promote Salomon's new XR Crossmax, a 'hybrid' trail running shoe that simply holds it's own on the road! With tight timelines, I drove my fully pimped out XR Crossmax rig through the night to meet the team (JP, MVB and Salomon teammates Munny and Jen Segger) and catch a 12noon ferry ride to Nanaimo!

The XR Crossmax Rig getting suited up!

NOT a happy moment...Snow in the forecast for the Kamloops stop - Turned out to be a very good turnout!

Door2Trail Tour setup - Not sure where this is anymore...too many stops to count!

Wham Bam...setup/teardown...and onto the next stop we go! Tagging along for the ride, my partner-in-crime (Munny) and I cruised along on an easterly course making numerous 'Tour' pitstops along the way. In order to maintain some level of sanity, amidst our childish behaviour, we made sure to stop along the way to run and recharge on some of Canada's best trails. From Nanaimo to Vancouver to Kelowna to Kamloops to Calgary to Edmonton we drove...

(Where was I? ...And now back to present day!)

I've been on the road for 39 days now and honestly, I'm getting sick of hotel rooms and restaurant food, but most of all, I'm getting sick of running on the ROAD! Unfortunately, the XR Crossmax is an urban trail shoe, and so cities, pavement and small parks all go hand in hand. Ugh.

Munny's pimpin' Salomon ride - We had to cut the budget...so this is what he got to travel through the prairies!

After Edmonton, we crammed the gear into Munny's new ride, and left him to fly solo across the prairies under the watchful eyes of DJ Freeze. A few weeks later (after I squeezed in a nordic biz trip to Austria and a few days at home), and feeling not nearly refreshed, I hooked back up with the Tour in Toronto, thankful to have the help of MVB, Holmesy and ultra specialist teammate, Ryan Barrett. Together we cruised around the GTA, showing off the colours in our new ride!

Another all nighter driving marathon and I found myself waking up with a sore back, drooling on the truck passenger seat in the Salomon Montreal office parking lot...
Rain clouds loomed ahead - 11 more days to go...

Maui...After Dark!

2011-04-18T23:55:00.000-07:00

As my eyes strained to read the terrain, all I could think of was: “Shit, this is not good...”

The end of ski season was 2-days past and I was already lying on the beach, in dire need of some waves and hammock time. The destination this year was set for Paia, a little town in Maui, HI, with close proximity to some great surfing, snorkelling, beaches and of course, trail running!

With the trade winds pounding Maui’s North Shore, surfing conditions were a bit of a challenge, so after a long day filled with beach activities, I decided to head up to the Makawao Forest trails for an evening run. With about an hour worth of daylight left, I was eager to get going, rushing out of the house, I grabbed the essentials...shoes, drink, beta (map on iphone), light? Bah...won’t need it!

After a long twisty drive up to Makawao , I finally arrived at the park gate and set off on the short, steep run to the trailhead...Along the way I was ‘ran’ the math in my head: “It’s 6:15pm now...darkness is most likely around 7pm (give or take)...10km...”

I thought to myself: “If I run it fast, I should be back in time before it gets too dark...”

Time was ticking, and daylight was fading...

The excitement of running in a tropical environment filled my lungs with energy – The forest was alive around me – The thick tree cover was barely letting any light through to the ground, so the trail at ground level was not only very wet and slippery, but also getting very dark! I dug my SpeedCross’ in the mucky red earth and poured on the tempo, making a race with the light. It had been a while since my last hard effort, so it felt great to go hard again. I pushed harder as I climbed, one switchback after another...literally racing to get to the top before daylight disappeared.

“Should I turn back now?” I asked myself... “Where is the top of this thing...I should turn around...”

I kept running.

Up and up I ran, faster and faster until I finally reached the highpoint – The lights of Kahului flickered in the distance – It was 6:45 and it was dark outside...not good.

At this point, It felt like I had run more than halfway around the loop, but without an accurate map, I wasn’t sure...Either way, I figured that I only had 4km left, and thought that completing the loop would be my best option – Off I went...

But reality quickly set is as I was immediately forced to slow down as darkness blinded me – My eyes strained to see the ground. I tried to keep some type of speed, but after ‘soft’ rolling my ankle a few times, I had to back off again. A sign appeared...I squinted a foot away from it to read it: “Road” this way, “West Trail” that way.

My beta didn’t say anything about a ‘road’...What is this?? “Stick with the plan Phil.” I kept going on the West trail as my info told me...As I continued to zig-zag my way down, I crossed the ‘Road’ again, and again, until I finally figured out that the road was cutting a straight line down the slope. “OK, why not!”

Down the road I ran, further and further down: “Where is this thing going?” I started asking myself. At one point I even took out my phone to GPS my location...no reception, no help...argghhhh. Visions of Survivorman began creeping into my brain. I pressed forward...

What if I have to stay out here? NO WAY I thought...I’d keep walking down, and eventually hit a road...but what of all those critters and bugs, and...Another sign appeared at my feet. This time, I had to use my phone’s light to read it. “Road” this way (pointing back up the hill)... “West Trail” this way.

Yes! Back on track.

Five minutes seemed like forever. But I eventually found my way back to the trailhead. So happy...No sleeping with the spiders for this guy!! Back down the hill I sprinted, guided only by the glow of the city lights, and in the safety of my rental car...

Lesson learned...when in doubt, bring a light!

Random beach along the Hana Hwy - Beautiful!

Still posted on my fridge...

My 'couch' in Maui...Lots of books read on this beach!

Running on Fumes...

2011-03-13T21:41:00.000-07:00

As much as I enjoy writing updates on my blog, it just wasn't going to happen this winter...

We all have choices in life...and this winter, I (realize now that I) chose to invest in my work. I feel like I'm at a point where I needed to do this. The business of Nordic skiing is a tough, and whether it was to prove something, or push something, I'm not sure, but it was something I felt I had to do. As a result, many priorities in my life took the backseat...some of these decisions may come back to bite me, but for now...I've survived. Just.

In the big picture, it will be a year to remember...It wasn't necessarily all good, but memorable for sure. I probably spent more time in the air as I did on the road, barely had any time at home where I felt I didn't have to work, and definitely not enough PV-time to enjoy new adventures. The winter took it's toll on me...and now I'm tired.

I thought I'd share the above video as it's something that I do on a regular basis...just one of the many components of my life on the road...the on-snow demo/expo setup. In this particular case, we (Munny and I) set up our Salomon Nordic Lounge at the Sovereign Lakes Nordic Ski Club for 7 straight days during the Masters World Cup.

One of the good things about my job is that it involves a lot of variety. But at the end of the season, no matter how much I love my work, everything becomes a chore...Needless to say that after a full week on-snow, I was happy to take down our kit for good!

Salomon Nordic Lounge...lazyboy and all!

Munny putting a few lures out...

Despite the crazy winter, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and vacation time is imminent...yes, adventures are on the horizon, and I can't wait!

Stay tuned for more...I promise to update very soon!

Life's a Blur...

2010-12-27T11:34:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, there's not much you can do...just hold on, and wait for the ride to stop.

For someone who likes to blog, I can't say that I've been done a very good job at keeping the streak going...then again, it's not the only thing that has fallen through the cracks in the past few months.

How does one recap almost 3 months of pedal-to-the-metal activity in one blog? Only one option here...a photo gallery recap of course!

So in no particular order - here are a few random photos to give you a glimpse into the 'life of PV'...

Spent a bit of time in and around Silver Star Mountain...The idea was to try and coach a bunch of keen master skiers from all over North America, but it had been so long since I had been on snow that I failed miserably! Bah...at least I got to put in lots of hours on snow, do a few demos and drink a bit of wine ;)

Woke up one morning only to realize I was lost in China-Town...Took me a while to get my bearings, but after one of the best rice bowls I've had in my life, I found my way back to my hotel.

Spotted this weird car following me...At first I thought it was a weird science project, but then realized it was the Google Maps vehicle! I tried pretty hard to get the driver's attention and get my funny looking mug on their 'street view' camera, but he was too busy texting.

I kind of like this photo...makes me look like I had something important to say...I don't think anyone was listening.

I came to the realization that getting caught in a Montreal snowstorm is only slightly better than being stuck in a Toronto snowstorm.

One of my top pet-peeves...road splatter - especially after you spend $7 cleaning your truck.

Went to jail.

My boat ride to jail.

No, this isn't my 'friend' in jail...(weird how these photos loaded themselves in this order)...Believe it or not, this guy was the security guard at one of the sporting goods store we did a running 'thing' at South of the border. I gave him the bat to fit the part.

Did 3x3min intervals on the Golden Gate bridge...at night.

Helped out a few competitor brands do some product testing. Check out these new booties they were testing - sweet!

Got lost on a few ski trails...

Bought some big tires, jacked up my truck, and now every time there's a snowstorm, I drive out to shopping mall parking lots and do donuts all night long.

The real reason I've got a big'ass truck.

Checked up on a few nordic shops to make sure they had enough stock to make it through our long winters...

I always wondered why the French designed their Exo product line with a honeycomb pattern...symbol of strength? Either way, now all I see everywhere is 'honeycomb' patterns...this was a cross-walk in Gatineau, QC.

Had the biggest plate of the "best ribs in the world"...I was full for days. Really.

Found one of the few remaining pairs of Bonna cross-country skis, Canada's only (?) ski manufacturer to ever make it big! I actually asked this company for sponsorship when I was 17 or 18...Got denied.

The Calm Before the Storm

2010-10-09T10:55:00.000-07:00

It's been a nice run...

I've really enjoyed being tucked away back home in the mountains these past few weeks. A nice change after a jam-packed summer. But after reserving a string of flights for my upcoming 10-day Nordic Retail Tour, it suddenly hit me...Winter is only a few weeks away!

YYC -> YYZ -> YUL -> Drive to Quebec City -> YUL -> YQT -> YOW -> YYZ -> YYC

Sounds like fun eh? And that's only the first of many trips...I think things start to ease up around mid-December -sigh-

My home away from home...the airport (and yeah, I'm the guy taking 3 benches while he sleeps!)

Despite the extensive travel schedule, I'm actually super excited to hit the road and do my thing - I really do love it - and feel lucky that I've been able to shape my business around my lifestyle and passion.
Seems like every year I (try to) tell myself that "This year, I won't travel as much...", and then the events, tours, meetings, clinics and races start popping up: "Wait a second...I thought I said it wasn't going to be a busy winter?" Let's face it - For those of you that know me, I'm always 'busy'. But I've come to understand that I actually enjoy having a certain level of 'busy-ness' in my life. Then again, sitting in my (yes, MY) hammock with a book in one hand and a cold Corona in the other isn't so bad either ;)
Anyways...

Fall running on the RockWall trail...pure bliss!

The fall running season is usually one of my favorite times of the year, but this mystery intercostal (rib) pull/tear injury I suffered a few weeks managed to put a big dent on my running plans, putting me out of commission for a good 2 weeks! On the flip side, since I couldn't do much except for work so I actually managed to get ahead of the game, and feel ready to tackle the final tasks before the snow flies!
I think I've accepted the fact that my trail 'racing' season is over - but that doesn't mean that there isn't lots of trail running still left to do. If the weather holds over the next few weeks, I've got some fun runs planned up high in and around my trips. And of course, I'll definitely be dragging along my dirty shoes so I can hit random trails along the way...

Poutine Trail Tales

2010-09-21T21:59:00.000-07:00

What does poutine and trail running have to do with each other? Not much...

The fall is always a busy time of the year for me. Trail running events put in their last hurrah, and nordic planning starts to get into high gear as the white stuff starts creeping down from the peaks...

With the Nordic season just around the corner, I took the PV roadshow East to attend Salomon's Hardgoods Sales Meeting, which gets everyone geared up and prepped for the winter season. In order to get the most of my travels out East, I usually put a few add-ons to my trips, and in this case, it was perfect timing to assist in 2 of the many new trail running events sprouting up in Quebec.

But first, a little history about trail running in La Belle Province...

Despite the incredible amount of outdoor enthusiasts out East, it's hard to believe that trail running is a relatively new sport in Quebec. As with the rest of Canada, road running has seen a huge boom in the past few years, and trail running has followed in its grandfather's footsteps. We've noticed, for example, a participation increase in all the 5 Peaks Series events across the country - to the point where caps have to be implemented! This in itself poses more questions? Are we looking at a shortage of trail events in the future? If we consider the population numbers of West VS East, we would assume that the number of trail running events + participants would follow suit out East, if not lead the way, but surprisingly, it's a completely different story.

Currently, there are a few 'core' events that have established themselves in the Eastern trail running scene - These includes epic races such as Xtrail (Sutton and Orford) and Ultimate XC, which not only attract about 500-600 runners each, but are technically beyond what 'standard' events offer across the rest of the country. This also seems to be the trend as smaller events are cropping up...

I did my first race in Quebec last fall at Mt Orford, about 1.5hr drive SE of Montreal. After completing the 21km XTrail event, I was blown away at the technical challenges of the course. Even its10km event, which included a straight-up-the-mountain course was sold out! Where I am...Europe? Then, this summer, I took part in the Ultimate XC, a multi distance event (13km, 21km, 35km and 56km) that blew my mind as far as its level of difficulty. There were chest-deep creek wading sections, beaver dam assaults, river running sections...oh, and not to mention the 3,000m of climbing (3 times up Mt Tremblant's slopes)! The interesting thing about all of these events is that runners of all levels were eating it up!

XC de la Vallee: 10km runners line up! (photo credit: E.Bonneau-Marcil)

XC de la Vallée...

With the success of Xtrail and Ultimate XC (Montreal area), an Adventure Racing organizer from Quebec City, decided to raise the bar with XC de la Vallee, and challenge its trail runners to a combined format event that showcased a 10km night race + 21km trail race, where runners have the option of doing either the combined (10k + 21k) or one of the individual events...

PV lighting the way - Not quite sure how others were able to see out there, but my AY-UP rocked it! (photo credit: E.Bonneau-Marcil)

Light Show - Running at night is fun...Racing at night rules! (photo credit: E.Bonneau-Marcil)

Chillin' out before the action starts - Etienne and I even hosted a little BBQ after the event too!
(photo credit: E.Bonneau-Marcil)

Nestled in the Vallee du 'Bras du Nord' located about 1hr West of QC city, this provincial rec area offers some of the best trails I've ever run on. And with the combined event on my radar, I hooked up with Etienne, the QC apparel rep, and I decided to hang out overnight with a few other adventurous souls and make it a weekend!

Throughout my travels, I've spent a great deal of time running or skiing at night, but I've never done a night race, let alone on a technical track - I was really looking forward to this. With our tents setup complete and a few daylight hours to spare, Etienne and I decided to check out the 3.3km loop, that would see 40+ dancing headlamps on it later on. A fast and flat start, a steep climb out of the grassy field and a long technical descent back into the field where a lap lane sent you back up for 2 other loops...

Have you ever raced at night?" I asked my neighbour setting up his tent...

"I've never trail raced before!" he answers.

If the 10k night race wasn't enough, a super fun/technical 21km followed the next morning!
(photo credit: E.Bonneau-Marcil)

Gaining some speed before we hit the hills, and singletrack! (photo credit: E.Bonneau-Marcil)

David Le Porho - one of Montreal's best all-around runners - not too shabby on the trails too!
(photo credit: E.Bonneau-Marcil)

Tough Character: QC version of Barefoot Bob...I'm impressed! (photo credit: E.Bonneau-Marcil)

Surprisingly, this was a common theme for the 40+ participants that took part in the night event, and a bit of an insight into the motivations of French Canadian trail runners...

5 Peaks Mt Sutton...

Off they go! 5 Peaks Enduro runners head up the hill... (photo credit: Luc Hamel)

Flight Crew's Marting Ladouceur (9787) leads the way, and on to take victory. I couldn't believe that ghost runner on the left jumping in with the leaders... (photo credit: Luc Hamel)

Fast forward a week of sitting inside a conference room talking shop with Canada's Hardgoods reps, and I was itching to get outside again. So, after a early wake-up call on Saturday morning, I hopped in the car with the marketing director and hit the road toward Mt Sutton, a small ski hill about 1.5hr SE of Montreal - site of 5 Peaks furthest eastern trail running event. The Salomon Team was on hand to help support the event, and let the 100 or so participants try out some of our trail running demo shoes!

The final stretch - Daniel Chartier finishes hard to take the Sport Category win!
(photo credit: Luc Hamel)

Fight Crew's Danielle De Guire wraps up a tough 21km (2x 10.5km) course - Meanwhile, teammate Junior Maheu (background) play the paparazzi for the Club de Trail Le Coureur
(photo credit: Luc Hamel)

After a quick setup, I took to the trails to preview the 10.5km course to get a little bit of exercise, and double check the track to make sure it was well marked. Despite the cool sunny morning, the trail was very muddy and slick - leftovers from all the rain we had received during week! I suppose one could say it made it even more 'fun'! I caught myself laughing to myself at how technically challenging the trail was...it even caught me off guard, resulting in a hard crash - but with a soft, mucky landing! - Nothing makes me smile like a little mud!

It took me about 1h20min to cruise around the loop, arriving just in time to watch the Enduro (10.5k) runners line up. I mingled for a moment, pondering whether I should change my mind and jump in the race...Quickly I ran back to the van to switch my top and put on my Exo Calfs - I couldn't help it, I had to go back around...What a treat!

When's the last time you had some poutine?

So if you feel like switching up your trail race routine a bit, sign up for one of these bad boys - You may not understand everyone around you, but one things for sure, you'll love their events!

A Chilly September Day...

2010-09-08T10:58:00.000-07:00

It's been cold and wet down in the valley - that means snow up high...ugh.

For now, the fall projects will have to be put on hold - but with 'real' work pilling up on my desk, I suppose it's not a bad thing to have a bit of a delay...

I'm pretty sure the sun will come out to play again...at least enough to melt this damn white stuff. And when it does, I'll be ready!

Putting on the Work Boots

2010-08-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

Another one bites the dust...

Not much to ramble on about this year's TransRockies Run...except to say that it was a fantastic week! After the disappointment of the Canadian Death Race, I didn't really 'plan' on putting much racing effort/focus on anything else, so instead, I took the opportunity to 'work' the event from a promotional side, and enjoy my time on the Colorado trails...

The TransRockies Run 3 actually turned out to be a perfect fit for me - and though it did manage to stir my racing 'juices', the late nights glued to my laptop as I wrestled with the task of editing my amateur trail running videos took their toll - By the end of a difficult 3 days of running, I was quite content to swap my bib for some 'work shoes'!

Gear Talk: Filming a short 'gear of the day' bit with Martin Gaffuri - See video here

For the remainder of the week, I focused primarily on pushing the Canadian teams' successes via social networks, 'producing' a few more You Tube flics, and even helped out the TRR TV production crew by sporting a GoPro camera in the last 2 stages - I took my time, and soaked in the terrain...

Chasing Marting in the final stretch to the line...figured I might as well get a workout in!

Now it's time for a bit of a break - to let the body and mind heal...(the dislocated/broken toe and body abrasions I suffered on the last-day-superman-crash while flying down a 'fun' singletrack into Avon will help this!).

- sigh -

What a great week!

2010 TransRockies Run - Stage 2 Report

2010-08-23T16:31:00.000-07:00

About time things turned around...

Today was a good day - But with all the damage I did to my quads (legs) over the past 2 days, I'm not so sure how tomorrow will turn out...

I love stage 2's profile...Not only does it remind me of my own Rockies' trails, but it also caters to my strengths - steep up, and fast, technical down. The only problem is that this year they added a additional 5km of flat after we bottomed out. I have to admit that this section had me a bit worried...time would tell.

After yesterday's performance, I wasn't quite sure what to expect today - My main objective was to go out easy, have a strong steady climb, and cruise down the backside but not out-of-control-blow-up-the-quads fast...just in control, and leave some juice in the tank for the flats at the end...Of course, I never follow plans.

Before I had a chance to catch myself, I was flying down the road with the leaders (idiot!), and followed them up the start of the steep grind...Oh well, might as well go with the flow! As I started climbing, I settled down and simply got into a cruisy walking pace, setting the tempo with my poles. It didn't take long for the lead teams to start walking themselves, and I slowly started picking them away one by one.

As soon as we moved above the treeline, Hope Pass (our target) became visible, sitting pretty at 3,600m! One switchback after another, I picked away at the poles, staying in contact with the leaders, who hovered 30sec ahead...After an hour of climbing, the flip side of the valley opened up with an amazing view, that I did actually enjoy for about half a second...

It didn't take long for me to catch up on the descent, and next thing I knew I was sitting 2nd overall - only the current TRRun-3 leader, Justin Ricks was ahead. I knew that if I totally let loose on the downhill I could do some serious damage to my quads (like last year!), so after passing the TRR teams, I eased back a bit, letting the steepness control the speed (as opposed to pushing the pace more). Max King and Andy Martin actually caught back up to me in this part of the decent, but after a few technical sections, I found myself alone again...

The new 5km of flats added to this years route actually turned to be quite rolling, and very similar to the Minnewanka trail back home - and that's what I used to motivate myself to keep up the pace. I was sitting about 2+min back of the lead at this point, and wanted to hold off Max/Andy...but the stiffness was starting to creep up.

"Tempo, tempo..."

How bumpy was the ride into Vicksburg? Very!

Not knowing the trail always makes things seem longer...and time was creeping by..."Where is that damn finish line!" Eventually, the forest cleared, and the finish line appeared in the distance...A quick look back...nobody there!

I crossed the line in 2nd overall, losing a further ~4min to Justin, who was absolutely flying. After losing over 30min yesterday, I was already at a big disadvantage starting the day, but this result helped boost me back in contention - Currently sitting 4min and change off 3rd. I'm hoping I can chip away more time tomorrow and 'eek' my way onto the podium...

So there it is...One more day to go! Tomorrow's 38km stage will be difficult as it's more rolling than I like, but you never know...

A few pics of post-Stage 2

At the start...Runners get ready to run up to 3,600m!

Martin Gaffuri: A man of many talents - Seen here adjusting his fancy poles for the climb up...

Les Filles Salomon - Le Coureur: Amelie and Danielle sporting their leaders' jerseys!

More ice cold recovery action - Ted and Ross getting chilled!

TransRockies Run - Stage 1 Report

2010-08-22T21:16:00.000-07:00

Well...that sucked!

Not exactly what I had planned for stage 1, but unfortunately, the 28C blazing sun did a bit of damage to my legs, and with so little time in the heat this summer, I simply didn't take enough electrolytes (yes, I took quite a few, but obviously not enough!) - The result were calf cramps that forced me to run/walk the last 10km of the race...

That said, it's probably not the only thing that contributed to my result - A zippy start out of the gate put me up in the Top 3 Run-3 competitions...idling just back of the main pack. But the quick start didn't help things...By the time I reached to top of the course at 13-15km's, I could already feel my energy slipping away. The next bit were long rolling downhills interspersed with short steep hills, the kind that sap the snap in your legs...They slowly took their toll, and by the time I got to checkpoint 2 (10km to go) I was already having to adjust my stride to avoid calf cramps...

After spending over 2hrs on some fantastic desert-like terrain, the trail popped out on the final stretch, a painful 5km of flat gravel road to the finish. By this point, I periodically stopped to stretch out my calves, allowing me to run another few hundred metres, and repeating the process again...

Anyways...I won't linger too long on that - The damage is done! Although I'm a bit stiff from today's effort, I'm looking forward to tomorrow's stage 2, which goes up, up and up to 3,600m, and then all the way back down on the flip side of the pass. The course crew has added an additional 5km to last year's course, which will make things interesting...So I'll see how the body feels in the morning, and adjust accordingly - And in case you're wondering, yes, I'm definitely bringing my poles!

On another note, I've been having lots of fun with the Salomon Flight Crew team down here in Colorado - Our women's team (Les filles Salomon - Le Coureur), Danielle and Amelie took the stage win in the Women's Open category - an awesome performance for a nervous duo!

I'll be posting regular daily updates (as technology permits) on: www.salomonrunning.com in the 'Insiders' section...

Here are a few shots of the day...It's been a long hot one, I'm off to bed!

The QC Flight Crew - representing Le Coureur running store: Danielle, Luc, Amelie, Junior

Dinner Time!

A few of TransRockies Expo: Gore-Tex and Salomon Relax Station - The clouds are coming...Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow's stage 2!

Open Women: Amelie and Danielle happy to be wearing the leaders jersey tomorrow!

Open Men's Podium - See full results at www.transrockies.com

TransRockies Time!

2010-08-21T20:01:00.000-07:00

So here we go again...

Can't believe how quickly time flies...I'm going to keep this one relatively zippy as tomorrow is the start of the 2010 Gore-Tex TransRockies Run - yikes! August has been a bit of a blur for me - with my main focus having been set on the Canadian Death Race, everthing after that seemed to just idle-on by...If you've followed along, you'll know that things didn't quite go as planned. My immediate (impulse) reaction turned to TRR, but with only 2wks to go, finding a partner would have been a bit difficult...so I opted for TRR's inaugural 3-day solo version instead.

Since 'registration day', I've pretty much thrown all 'plans' out the window and fully winged it - That said, I was sidelined for most of it, either injured or 'away' on planned weekend events. I ran when I could, when I felt like it, and however long I wanted to - So how fit am I? "As good as it gets" I guess I'll see after tomorrow's 35km stage!

Racing aside, I'm actually super excited to be here on more of a promotional role for Salomon this year, not only to support our Flight Crew Team members but also to help promote trail running in Canada! TRR is an amazing trail running event, and will be a great canvas to showcase trail running to everyone back home. I'm hoping that a bit of 'off the cuff' promo down here will influence a few more Canucks to swap their 'white' shoes for ones with a bit more dirt on them ;) Either way, after my little 3-day stint, I'll be strapping on the camera and doing a few short bits on various topics - Short, fun videos that will help give you a glimpse 'behind the (TRR) scenes'.

So stay tuned for daily recaps (where technology permits), as well as on SalomonRunning.com, Facebook, Twitter, etc...Here are a few sites to plug into your 'favorites':

Salomon Running - Insiders: www.salomonrunning.com

Facebook - Salomon Running: http://www.facebook.com/salomonrunning
Twitter: @Salomonrunning

My morning hangout in BV - Hooked up with Flight Crew runners Tom Craik and Duncan Coo for some java!

My essential tools for the week, in no particular order...Coffee, tennis ball, and the ever painful golf ball

Km 5 tomorrow...@ 2,547m! A typical backroad in Buena Vista Highlands!

View from Arrowhead Campground 'Resort' our home for the next few days...

Where's Smokey the Bear?

2010-08-18T16:24:00.000-07:00

No, that's not an incoming snowstorm in the background...

I've been resting lots these days. A few lingering injuries have forced me on the sidelines since CDR - not the best preparations for TR-Run 3, but as I've been saying lots lately, "C'est la vie!" Our body has a strange way of telling you when it's tired and injury is usually one of those signs. So I banked the 'forced' rest, put my feet up and focused on what will be a great last week of training!

I kicked things off Monday with my favourite intensity workout: 5X2min @ full-blast speed! This was my first fast workout since CDR and although it took my body a little while to adjust to the switch, I started craving more speed (and pain) as I counted up the intervals. Despite the lack of training in the past 2 weeks, the rest seemed to pay-off and I (almost) tagged one of my highest heartrates of the summer - Always a good sign!

After a good night's rest, I set up for a long run in the high alpine in an attempt to get a jumpstart on my hemoglobin production which will be required for Colorado. I also brought along a photojournalist/ultrarunner from out East, Oliver Fischer, who had made the trek out West for some promo work he had lined up for Travel Alberta. Hmmm....where to go? Believe it not, I actually had difficulty picking a trail that would meet his high expectation level. But after much debate, I settled on a 'best of' route that would take us from the Hawk Creek trailhead to Sunshine Resort, via 3 mountain passes in the heart of Banff National Park. The trail forced us to 'cheat' a little bit, as it actually started in BC's Kootenay National Park - but with the majority of the trail in Alberta, I figured this 'small' detail could easily be relegated to the fine print...

There's nothing quite like a 10km (9% grade) run through the remnants of the Kootenay's 2003 fire to get the day started! An hour later, we reached Ball Pass (2,200m) which sits right on the Alberta/BC border. What should have been a stellar view of the local peaks, was instead replaced by a hazy and blurred landscaped view...In fact, the extensive forest fire activity in BC was blowing a heavy blanket of smoke East, limiting visibility to more/less 5km - not the best for promoting Alberta's premier trails...

Oliver takes it easy down Ball Pass' steep scree descent - don't want to hurt yourself here!

Despite the smoke filled air, the immediate peaks offered up some amazing views as we cruised through the Whistling Valley trail on route up to our second pass of the day which would top out at 2,300m!

There's nothing better than high alpine singletrack!

From Whistling Pass, we cruised down it's fun, technical backside and popped out at the Egypt Lake trail crossing, where we refilled our water bladders for the remaining 12km stretch back home - oh, and up our 3rd and final climb of the day - Healy Pass (2,300m)!

Look at the difference from the same shot...The first photo was taken yesterday, the next one was taken a few years back while GPS'ing the route with Bob Walker, author of Mountain Running in the Canadian Rockies:

On a smoke filled day...

On a clear day...

The smoke coverage seemed to intensify as the day progressed, and what should have been the climax (in views) of the day on top of Healy Pass, turned out to be quite the opposite. Regardless, Oliver seemed to be enjoying his personal Rockies' tour, so we pressed on, down the long stretch to the Sunshine Resort parking lot.

All in all, a great day in the mountains, and some quality time spent up high, which I think will help as I tackle a few of Colorado's high passes - Take a look at the route profile from my Suunto's Movescount track: http://www.movescount.com/moves/move373663 (Click on the 'Altitude' tab to get the profile).

Stay tuned for more TransRockies updates very soon...

Another Quad burner? Why Not...

2010-08-06T21:39:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I had a good old fashion up/down workout...After my CDR experience I figured I'd let my quads know who was the boss ;) and let'em have it once again!

Mount Lady MacDonald, named after Susan Agnes MacDonald, wife of Canada's first prime minister, is one of Canmore's most accessible mountains around. For most recreational hikers, it's an 'easy' 3 to 4hr roundtrip hike to the old Tea House platform (I'm actually kind of surprised this business 'venture' failed...duh!). If you feel up to it, go ahead and continue along the narrow 'knife' edge to the summit (2,606m)... Just be sure not to look down!

Tonight, I wanted to add a bit of 'zip' to my 1,100 vertical metre trip up to Lady Mac's tea house so I took my ski poles to keep a relatively quick walk/run pace to the top. A few pics, a few silly videos and back down I raced in an attempt to beat the rain. Aside from a bit of wind at the top from an incoming storm, it was a perfect night! In fact, it was so nice I even considered doing a bit of 'yard work' up there...

Do as I say...NOT as I do!

2010-08-05T11:32:00.000-07:00

So, it's back to the drawing board for this guy...

It's been a tough week. Physically, my legs have been so sore to the touch from all the muscle damage (caused by extreme cramping), that I almost had to reinforce the hand-rails on my stairs due to putting too much weight on them (ok, maybe not...but they did creak a lot!). As for my mental state...well...to have spent so much time/effort focused on one big event, only to have the experience cut short due to a mistake in my preparation was a major disappointment to say the least. So enough said on that part. But like all my other 'learning experiences'...life goes on.

Until today, I haven't had much desire to hit the trails...But as my body started coming back to life yesterday, I started thinking about how unfortunate it would be to 'waste' my current level of fitness - After contemplating a few events, I remembered how much fun my TransRockies Run experience has been over the past 3yrs, and decided "What the hell - Why not!". So this morning I registered for TR's 3-day solo version, the Gore-Tex TransRockies Run 3.

It's not the first time I've made (big) mistakes in training. Looking back, I've had my share of training 'fumbles'. I suppose that it's one of the reasons I enjoy sharing my training advice and adventures - If I can help others avoid taking the same rough trails I did, then mission accomplished! Then again, if you prefer to stick to the rougher terrain, you're welcome to tag along on my next run...

Canadian Death Race...Afterthougths

2010-08-02T19:44:00.000-07:00

And that's that - The Canadian Death Race has come and gone...

If you've followed along, you know that things didn't exactly go as planned - forced to pull the plug after only 2 legs (or 46km). Disappointing to say to least...

So where did I go wrong? It's always easier to look at things after-the-fact, and although it's still not a clear case of 'this is what I did wrong', I think I have a pretty good idea...That said, it's unfortunate that my first CDR experience was tainted because aside from my own issues, this year's event provided some fantastic entertainment, and I'm glad (in a weird kind of way) that I was able to witness such amazing athletes at work!

But let's get back to some racing action for now...

Support Team: Sarah and Greg McHale (supporting Denise McHale) enjoying the sunny day!

Race morning couldn't come early enough...and although I was a nervous wreck, I was fully amped and ready to go. All the little aches and kinks were suddenly gone...I felt good. The energy at the start was awesome, it seemed like the entire town of Grande Cache had come out to watch the fanfare - I watched the RCMP officer point the 12-gauge to the sky...I grinned - Time to Rock and Roll!

After a bit of position jostling, I settled in behind 2-time Western State winner Hal Koerner, content to follow the experienced ultra runner. In the lead pack were the likes of Jack Cook (CDR record holder), Mathieu Page (2007-2nd pl), Adam Hill (2006-3rd pl) and a few young guns (Alex Magdanz and newbie Rick Reusser) looking at making a mark. In behind...were my AdventureScience.ca teammates (Simon Donato, Ellie Greenwood, Scott Ford, Sean Roper, and Co) and countless other experienced ultra runners, all looking forward to the challenge!

The pace was very comfortable and we were moving well. Before I knew it, Hal and I were out on our own, and leading the solo race - I smiled. About 5k in, I started feeling a hot spot on my heel - "What the..." A rock had made it's way in the heel of my sock and was irritating my heel...Despite stopping a few times to try to dislodge it, it was still irritating me. A blister this early in the game was not in the game plan. The good news was that I had planned a shoe-change at the end of leg 1, as I had been told that wet feet were inevitable due to large 'sink holes' - Lucky for us, this year's track was dry and very fast!

The first exchanged at 19km appeared before we knew it (1h18min!), a 'bit' ahead of schedule, but that was all good with me as a I was eager to switch shoes! A band-aid on my heel, and into my SpeedCross' I slipped. I quickly grabbed a few bites of food, pulled on my Advanced Skin pack and off I went for the start of leg 2's 27km ascent of Flood, and then Grande mountains...

My first leg exchange hadn't been as smooth as I would have liked and I ended up losing Hal, who had been much quicker - I ended up leaving with Jack and Mathieu - Ricky Reusser had also passed me in the mix zone. After a few minutes of climbing, I was back alongside Ricky and spotted Hal just up the track on a long straightaway...It's a long day, I thought.As I pulled away from Ricky, I started to notice that my groin muscles (on each leg) were tightening up...almost like the beginning of a cramp...Not Good! With only 20+kms in the bank, this was not 'normal'...

The more I climbed up the hill, the worse it seemed to get. Nearing the summit of Flood mtn, the course took a sharp right, up a narrow singletrack trail that would take us to the summit - This steep pitch seemed to accentuate the stiffness in my legs, and all of a sudden both of my quads started cramping above the knees. In a clearing on the summit, I took a few seconds to stretch them out, only to have my calves fire up in cramps as well! Argghhh...I didn't understand what was going on with my body. Here I was, barely 25km (2hrs) into a 125km race and my body was already shutting down. It honestly felt like I had been running down multiple mountains, yet I had only been climbing...

My nutrition had been good up until that point and I had taken in lots of electrolytes the previous day, and morning of, I had no clue why this was happening - frustration crept in...The connector from Flood to Grande mountain (called Slugfest) was riddled with steep pitches (down and up) that only accelerated the cramping process - In one of the steepest downhill sections, I almost fell flat on my face as my entire left leg fired up in a cramp, paralysing me. About halfway to Grande, rookie trail runner, Ricky Reusser caught back up to me, and generously offered a few of his electrolyte tabs - I figured it wouldn't hurt...

Philly buffet: A selection of tasty treats waiting for me at the end of leg 2...

The start of the climb up to the summit of Grande was somewhat of a relief as the consistency of the climb at least allowed me to walk cramp free. My state of mind was not good. I was confused and frustrated - Every time I tried to run, I'd cramp up, have to stop to stretch, cramp up again, walk it off...and repeat. The summit of Grande meant it was all downhill (not really) back to Grande Cache. The descent was ridiculously steep! As if my quads needed more abuse...

About 3/4 of way down, Adam Hill caught up to me "My legs are cramping like crazy" he passed on..."Join the club" I commented back - and looked on as he cruised past me. All I wanted to do at this point was make it to the end of leg 2. Just running the final kilometres through town were killing me as cramp after cramp riddled my lower half. It was pretty much game over for me at this point. Mentally, I wanted to keep fighting, but I was really struggling with the reality of the situation - I did not intend on walking the remaining 80kms...

Cramped Up: Not impressed...the look says it all

Back in town, sitting at my transition zone, I was spent - I told my crew I was done. Greg urged me to take a break, refuel, stretch...so I did. But every time I tried to stretch my legs out, another cramp would fire back...Nevertheless, I fueled up and as I watched my teammates and other runners come through the transition, I seemed to get momentarily re-energized...and after a bit of a pep talk I took off again - joining Mathieu Page as he passed by...But 300m later, my left quad/calf spazzed out again and I stopped. Not today...So that's it - I called it a day after 46km - disappointed...

For the remainder of the day, I joined the rest of the crews to help support and watch as the remaining Death Racers pushed on in hopes of achieving their goals to simply finish. The ones that were well prepared were rewarded with a finish, while for many of the other runners, like me, it was just a matter of time.

Afterthoughts...

Looking back (it's always easier to look back eh?), I can say to some degree of certainty that my early cramp spasms were most likely due to residual muscle fatigue, as opposed low electrolytes, or lack of downhill running. Another contributing factor was that in the days leading up to the race, I was still feeling quite sluggish, and attempted to 'spark' the system by doing short sprints (10x10sec) and a 5X1min workout, which I've done in the past with success. Although the workout did re-energize me, it also taxed my body, specifically, my legs. And since I hadn't done any sprints in a while due to my injury management, I ended up stiffening up from the workout, and remember still feeling its effect on race morning...shakes head-

Sigh...

Lots of think about during my next mountain run...

Hal Koerner: 2010 Canadian Death Race winner and new course record holder 12h47min08sec!! Not a bad way to celebrate your 100th ultra race eh?

Ellie Greenwood: On a mission...Wow is all I can say. Ellie set a new CR (13h30min) and raised the bar for women's ultra running!

Hubby Greg giving Denise McHale some fuel after 3 legs - Denise took 3rd Overall (2nd woman) and gave Ellie a great battle to the end...

Adventurescience.ca's Simon Donato ran an amazing race, finishing 4th overall in just over 15hrs - Must have been due to his training partner ;)

Adam Hill taking a breather after 3 legs...Unfortunately, Adam withdrew from the race after summitting Hamel on leg 4

3-time CDR winner Jack Cook lay it all on the line to finish but his back pain got the better of him on Hamel - Another victim...

Elite Adventure Racer Scott Ford get interviewed by AdventureScience.ca crew...Shortly after this photo, Scott's stomach got the better of him, and entertained the crews with a fantastic display of 'projectile' vomiting...Scott had to call it quits on route to Hamel

As Good as it Gets!

2010-07-26T11:32:00.000-07:00

By this time on Saturday, I'll be over 4hrs into a 125km run...

I can think about it all I want, but there's not a whole lot I can do at this point in the game that will make me run faster or last longer than I actually will. Come to think of it, I can probably do more harm than good if I'm not careful. So time to enjoy the well-deserved break because THAT'S IT - C'est fini. 4 more days to go!

With a reduced training load this week, my body has suddenly decided to stop pumping itself full of endorphins...All of sudden, it seems like I've got a few more (body) kinks than 'normal' this week...Or it might just be some pre-race jitters manifesting themselves - funny how the mind can play tricks on you!

Otherwise, I am feeling fit and mentally ready to 'survive' Death Race, and that's all I can hope for at this point. On that note, I thought I'd share a few goals I set for myself back in February...

Death Race 'Survival' Goals (back then it was all about surviving...):

1. Step onto the start line injury free: If all goes well in the next few days, I should (more or less) reach this goal...If you haven't caught on yet, some might say I'm injury prone...My Achilles issues went from the right side to the left and back to right in a severe way. I finally put that behind me after at the end of June and a freak trip/crash on my left knee cap while doing a photoshoot left me with a bruised cartilage. Scar tissue has developed now, and it entertains me with a growing dull pain as the hours tick away. And finally, a few days ago, a wonderful little kink has surfaced under my left foot (arch) - nothing very serious at this point (I think it's just a tight tendon/muscle)...Massage should get rid of it. Aside from that, I'm good to go!

2. Wrap my head around 125km of running...fast! - Be mentally prepared to suffer: This isn't rocket science. I know I can last, but can I run this distance at a zippy pace? I have to admit that I would have liked to have put in a few more longer runs, but there's a fine line between distance VS injury for me this year so I had to cap it somewhere. On a positive note, I did manage to 'race' a full 6.5hrs with 3,000m of gain at the end of June...and didn't feel like it totally kicked the sh!t out of me. The shape is another notch above that now...So we'll see I guess!

3. Performance Goal - Top 3: I fully realize that I'm an ultra running rookie and lots can go wrong out there, but all I can do at this point, is to focus on the things that I can control such as nutrition and pacing - not much else I can do about the rest. I've done my homework and if all goes well, the top 3 drawers should be well within reach. Now I just have to see how all the other 'socks' stack up...

Either way, it's been a hell of a ride...I'm going to enjoy every bit of this race!

PowderFace42 - Race Report

2010-07-18T19:08:00.000-07:00

No matter how well prepared you (think you) are, PowderFace42 always kicks your ass...

For the past 4 years, I've used PowderFace42 as my final prep race prior to the Gore-Tex TransRockies Run because it encompasses many, if not all the characteristics of a classic mountain stage. This year, I decided to keep it in the roster but as preparation for the Canadian Death Race. Sure, it may not be an 'ultra' distance wise, but it sure packs a hell of a punch - and that's exactly what I was looking for!

The Test Plan...
With 2 weeks to go until DR-day, the objective was not only to test the body, but to make final tweeks on my gear and test out some nutrition strategies - I'd say mission accomplished not necessarily because everything worked out fine (actually, it didn't), but now I know a bit more about what NOT to do before DR...

The Race Plan...
Do the math...with 2 weeks to go, you can do some serious damage to the body if you go too hard, so that's more or less what I had in mind as I set off for my 4th PF42. Run well, stay in control and don't kill yourself! I'll leave that up to the Death Race...

The Competition...
There's only one man I expected to set a fast pace off the start, and that was Taylor Murphy, who recently claimed the Canadian Mtn Running Championship title. Like me, Taylor is a relative newcomer to the ultra world, but with two very speedy 50km records under his belt (BlackFoot Ultra 50km, and the Run for the Toad 50km), he is a very serious contender in any race! Sure, I would have loved to try to stay with him, but the reality is that he's in another league...for now ;) My personal goal/pace was to run around the 4hr mark, which is still pretty zippy (for me) and would best my course record by 9min or so...

And they're off...
Taylor and I quickly set off, separating from the main group, which included ultra runners (and Bow Valley Harriers teammates) Blaine Penny and Carl Pryce (Calgary) as well as experienced trail runner and past PF42-er Kevin Masters (Edmonton).

The first hills didn't take long to appear...My body and legs were feeling good so I stuck with Taylor for a while...but the HR was creeping up...165...168...170...

"Time to ease off Philly, remember DR..." I reminded myself.

I eased off the gas...Taylor eased up the climb - such a smooth runner...

"Stick with the plan Phil!"

42km Course profile (bottom) goes right to left - climbing to the high point at 16km, then it's mostly (not) downhill to the end. Those 'little' bumps at the end are not so little...and hurt like hell too! Get a better look at the profile here

I caught glimpses of Taylor until the 10km mark, where I fell to about 3min back. I tackled the big grind up to high point of the course (2,000m) with a steady pace, keeping some juice in the legs for the second half, which I knew is always harder than it seems. As I neared the summit, I realized that my stomach 'gurgles', which had plagued me over the past days was getting worse...I ignored the discomfort and continued down the backside onto a steep/fun technical descent, all the way to Powderface Trail.

This secondary 'bump' on the profile was removed last year as a cougar had been feeding on a dead grizzly (wouldn't want to stumble on that scenario - yikes!), so it was nice to run on this relatively unknown section of trail again. A fast mucky descent on the flip side, a river crossing, and before I knew it, I arrived at CP3, marking the 24km mark of the course.

"You're 6min back of the lead..." Not bad I thought...

By this point, my stomach was not happy - Physically, I was actually feeling great and I was on track to run under the 4hr mark. But the gurgles were starting to get the best of me..."Why did I have to eat so much junk these past couple of days..." Eventually - nature called..."That looks like a nice spot!"

Although the course profile seems to show a gradual descent to the finish, the actual is anything but an 'easy cruise' to the end. The hills are steep and deceivingly long, and as is usually the case, the near 1,500m of descent up to that point start to become a factor. Throw in some other body-blows that may be affecting you at this point and you've got yourself a tough mental challenge!

As I tacked the last 10km of the race, my stomach was still giving me grief, but I trudged on. Mind wandering, only my Suunto's 1km lap 'beep' helped keep my head in the game and the pace up! We merged with the late starting half-marathoners, that cheered (urged) me on...Knowing the course was definitely an asset as I knew what lay ahead.

I crossed the line, content with the effort (stopped my watch at ~3:53) and pleased to have bested my past record of 4:09. Taylor blazed the course, setting a new record of 3:37:11!! Something to shoot for in the next few years...

Tale of the Tape: You can view all the deets at the Suunto Movescount site...

Post Race Notes...
So what's the deal with my stomach issues these past 2 races? I've realized that I have to be careful of what I eat in the days prior to the race and not let myself succumb to my cravings. I know, it's not rocket science: Eat well, run well. Simple. This will be my ticket to a strong belly in DR - Besides, I don't intend on suffering for 125k!

Nutrition-on-the-go...HoneyStinger gels (120 cal) + NST Endurance Formula mix (390 cal/500ml) seemed to work well - a good combo for the first half of DR at least...Despite the gut discomfort, my physical energy was constant. I'll have to improvise with real food for the latter half of DR - Regardless, all of this is 'theory' and hard to predict until I actually do something over the 10hrs - wait and see I suppose.

Gear...Overall, I'm happy with my kit. I had a bit of chafing action happening, but think I can resolve that with a bit of tape/moleskin applied in the right areas...

So that's it for now...2 wks to go - I'm psyched!

Feeling Deadly...

2010-07-14T21:28:00.001-07:00

I wonder if the Death Race organizers 'pepper' the course with a few skulls and bleached vertebrae - I think I probably would...just for fun.

Death Race looms ahead...Only 2.5 wks to go!

I just finished a good running workout up my own 'killer' hill, the infamous Georgetown Hill at the Canmore Nordic Centre. It's not the biggest bump in the world, but it does the trick! Tonight's menu included 5 X 4min @ Zone 4 intensity - In other words, 5 times up the beast at an uncomfortably fast pace. The G-town hill provides a good mix of flats (100m at the start), and gradually increasing steepness (to the 3:30min mark), only to level out in a false flat for you to have to push the last 30sec of your interval to keep the HR up. My goal is usually to go hard for the first one, make a mark on the ground, and then try to beat that mark every interval. Mission accomplished tonight...and I even managed to set a new 'recent' max HR of 185 - Not bad for an old man ;) As for my partner...he didn't fare so well-

My latest victim...Not sure what happened to the rest of him...Ok, maybe not. Thanks to Mike F. for joining me on this evening workout - After a long day in the city, it's nice to have some company on the trails, especially when you have to push to your limits!

I just cashed in a few Aeroplan points, and got myself a new Sanyo Xacti video/camera...So now you can look forward to more silly videos like the one below!

Post intensity (5X4min intervals) up G-town Hill: Featuring Mike Fitzpatrick and yours truly...I decided that I wouldn't bore you with the bad on-the-fly-bobbing video of me going up the hill - and skipped to the end for a bit of humour.

PowderFace42 is coming up on the weekend - This is one of my all-time favourite race courses. If you can manage to register before it sells out (150 racer cap), I highly recommend it! This is going to be my last big prep race before DR - not only a great opportunity to test the body (42km w/ 2,000m of climbing), but also to fine-tune my nutrition and gear for the big show. With DR just 2 weeks away, the plan was cruise through PF42, and leave a bit in the tank so that I can recover faster. I think that my shape is good enough that I can aim to run around the 4hr mark, and still feel like I could do another lap. At least, that's the plan...

Last weekend, while running the NorAm Mountain Running Championships, I found out that the freshly crowned Canadian Champion, Taylor Murphy, is going to be racing PF42 as well. I have to admit that I'm struggling with the idea of NOT trying to follow him - I'd love to see how I can fare against TM, especially now that my form is coming along...This is a guy that's literally squashed the competition at both the 2010 Blackfoot Ultra 50km and 2009 Run for the Toad 50km - I'm not saying I would/could give him a run for his money, but it would be fun to try...Argghh!

BUT, discipline will (most likely) prevail - I have to keep reminding myself that I've got bigger fish to fry...for now.

Damn I hate making hard racing decisions sometimes...

Big Days

2010-07-05T12:07:00.000-07:00

Night and day...that's often the difference between low and high altitude weather...

With two of my biggest challenges of the season behind me (achilles injury + Ultimate XC Race), I was looking forward to getting back into the training groove this past weekend. I hadn't planned on running such big days, but found motivation do tack on a few more hours when Adventure Science's Simon Donato, another Death Race competitor, convinced me to join him on his weekend running plans...

Upper Kananaskis Lake - The clouds loom high up in the mountains, dumping up to 5cm of snow overnight!

Plans are made to be broken...And after a last minute request by National Ski Team member Stefan Kuhn to pick him up at the Upper Kananaskis Lake parking lot, a new plan was born! Stef was planning to bail out early on the NST ski camp on the Haig Glacier as he was competing in the Canmore Triathlon on Sunday...He needed a ride back to town and we wanted a long run...a perfect match!

Simon climbing up 'Juan Valdez' switchbacks...on route to Turbine Canyon

After meeting Simon at the Stoney Casino on Hwy 40 (total amount of $ won will remain undisclosed...), we set off up the 18km trail to Turbine Canyon (campground), where we would meet Stef on his way down from the Haig Glacier.

The entire run was a blast from the past...Back in my ski racer days (from 1995 to 2000), I ran this trail at least 3 times/yr...We used to live on the glacier, trying to get as many on-snow hours as possible. But like most repetitive exercises, I got sick of it pretty quick, and after hanging up the boards in 2002, I never returned. Having not been up the trail in over 10yrs, it was fun to reminisce about the 'old' days and run up it again for 'fun'...

If you run high enough and you will meet snow! It was reported that 2 weeks earlier, it took the National Ski Team members over 4hrs to cover the 20kms of trail due to high snow levels! (It normally takes ~2hrs...)

A quick 'elevator' ride up via our dubbed 'Juan Valdez' section - a steep set of switchbacks that gain over 500m in a few kilometres - and there we were standing in snow! Snow in July? Evidence of a cool spring hit us hard as our feet touched snow at a mere 2,000m in altitude...What had been a nice warm day 'down below', had turned ugly on the high plateau. Out came the jackets and Buffs as we were met with a cold, wet drizzle...snow was falling up high. Good thing we weren't going all the way to the Haig or we would have had to bring snowshoes! With almost perfect timing, Stef appeared near Turbine Canyon - we padded the clock with an extra loop and turned back to the warmth of the valley below.

36km later - we rapped up day 1, saving some legs for tomorrow...

Looking East from the base of the Moose Mountain 'dome' - A long gradual open climb greats hikers (and runners) - Bring a jacket, because it gets chilly up there!

With the Canadian Death Race less than a month away, we were eager to get out on some high altitude runs, and simulate the terrain that would challenge us in-and-around the 'greater' Grande Cache area. For that, Moose Mountain seemed to fit the bill perfectly with it's long fireroad run-in to the summit!

Of course, an easy 30km return trip to the summit wouldn't be enough for today, so we kicked things off by adding the famed 16km Telephone Loop and a few other bits to bump up the k's! This first section turned out to be much harder than anticipated, adding a solid 700m of gain in 20kms - A good warmup! Back on the gravel run-in to the Moose Mountain trailhead, we opened up our stride and enjoyed the warmth of this pleasant Sunday morning. It had been a long time since my last run up the 'Moose', almost like watching an old movie you've seen before, but forgetting the main plot details...As we neared the top of the tree line, the weather turned sour again, and we were greeted with hard chilly gusts - We didn't linger up high very long...a few pics and back down we went! 46.5kms later, day 2 was over...The pizza waiting for us in the car never tasted so good!

It's not until you summit the first 'dome' that you see the Moose Mountain's true summit - ugh! Hang on to your hat...

Et voila! A big weekend in the books...A total of 83 kilometres in 8hrs20min (10km/hr pace)! If you're interested, check out my Suunto download of the Moose Mountain run on www.movescount.com site:

Suunto Details: Telephone Loop + Moose Mountain (you can change the graph profile by changing the tabs in the 'Body' or 'Speed and Distance' sub-sections). Fun tools...

Now all I have to do is keep this up for a total 125km - Easy!

Ultimate XC 56km: Race Report

2010-06-30T12:03:00.001-07:00

Where to begin...

I usually don't ramble on about my race reports, but figured that the Ultimate XC deserved one since it was such as wild race! So get comfortable, 'cause it's a long one. Here we go...

Race Morning
"Damn...That was short!" I was talking about my sleep...With a late night of equipment prep for the day's 56km 'adventure', the 4hrs of restless sleep I got had left me wanting more...oh well, I'm sure it's the same for everyone! A quick bite to eat, one last check of my gear-drop bag (to be left at aid station 14.5km/25.6km), a bit of pre-race socializing, some last words from the RD and we were off!

Km0 - Km14.5
As I lingered in in the pack of runners, I couldn't stop to think of my lack of preparation for this race...Would my achilles hold? Would I really drop out if I felt pain come back? Will this be another DV50? Will my stomach take in the required calories? Who are the strong runners here? Will my quads hold up to the 6,000m of +/- elev change? So many questions...

"Come on Phil!" I stopped myself - I picked up the pace and took off after the leaders...

A quick run through Mt Tremblant Village and onto the trail we turned...After a few kms, the pace settled, and I found myself around 6th place, content to stay around 160-165HR, a pace I knew I could sustain over long periods. With 35km runners in the mix until the 14.5km mark, I wasn't sure where I stood in the rankings - I knew I would figure it out eventually.

Aside from my left knee cap (which I bruised hard in a photoshoot last week - fell on a sharp rock!), my body felt great - my achilles was loose and that made me smile...I was cruisin'. After a bit of climbing, the trail took a hard right onto a 'bush' trail and the fun began! It must have been an old guiding or animal trail as it was barely broken in, with lots of forest litter, stumps, rocks, dead leaves, angled terrain, bumps, jumps...Simply - It was awesome! I was moving well and quickly caught up to a few runners that were struggling with the technical terrain - Before I knew it, I had moved into 2nd, and ran with one of the 35km runners - He saw how much fun I was having and quickly pointed out: "Oh, you just wait..."

Around the next corner, the trail took a sharp turn, and we found ourselves running straight into a creek! With no hesitation I jumped in, only to keep sinking to my chest!

This is the only photo evidence I have of the 'creek' section...a photo from one of last year's participants as he wades through one of the deeper sections. No wonder the average race time is so slow in this race...Crazy! (photo credit: Ultimate XC)

For the next 4km, we ran, crawled, walked and waded through varying levels of creek water, climbing over beaver dams, over/under sweepers (fallen trees in water)...and as we moved on from the creek to the river, the terrain switched to extremely slick rocks! (Note: In the pre-race meeting, the RD warned us to follow the markers and stay in the river as running on the shores would result in a 1hr penalty!) The river section seemed endless...the aid station was a welcome site...1.5hrs and 14.5km done!

Some of last year's participants enjoying (surviving) the slick rocks - I took a few good biffers here as well but managed to come out without too many damaging bruises! (photo credit: Ultimate XC)

Km14.5 - Km25.6
As I changed my socks and rinsed the sand out of my Speedcross', I noticed the lead runner (who I thought was a 35k-er, take off on the 56km course). "Who's this guy ahead of me?"

"Oh, he's the leader of the 56km!" A volunteer replied

"Shit" I grabbed a protein bar, and ran after him...

David Le Porho (I would learn after the race was over) was cruisin' about 30sec ahead...He disappeared around a corner heading uphill, and that was the last I would see of him for the next 30+kilometres!

This next section involved the first of 3 climbs up to the summit of Mt Tremblant. I felt good and kept a steady pace, trying not to push it too much, but also trying to close the gap on David. The body felt good, my feet were happy and most important, my achilles was doing great! As I reached the summit, the views opened up, exposing the surrounding hills - I took a quick peak...Beautiful! I reached Aid Station 3 (21.3km), and was told that I was 4min back of David...He was climbing well. I didn't linger, took a few sips of water, a banana, a potato and took off down the slope - only 4.5km back down the hill to the bag-drop station. But as I left the summit, I got confused by the signage and had to double back and recheck my direction...an arrow pointing one way, a flag in the other...hmmm, where to go? I figured we had to go downhill, so I took the obvious route, down it is!

What should have been a fast downhill, turned into a painful slog as my stomach started giving me issues from all the pounding. I contemplated taking a 'pit stop' along the way, but hesitated..."I'm losing time" I thought..."Do I stop now, or later"...I rounded the corner to find the Aid Station and a crowd of runners - I guess it will have to wait!

"You're 6 minutes behind the leader" I was told - ugh.

Km25.6 - Km31.2
As I started my 2nd ascent of Mt Tremblant, my stomach was really not happy with me...If it wasn't for passing a few 35k-ers, my mind would have wandered. I wish I had been 'fresh-er' at this point as the sweet singletrack would have been even sweeter! Instead, I walked, ran, walked some more...Eventually, my stomach got the best of me, I deeked off the trail to take care of business...

As I plowed through a freshly cut summit ridge trail, Aid Station 6 (31.2km) appeared in the middle of nowhere...a familiar face, some cheers..."How far ahead is the leader?"

"8 minutes..."

Not bad I figured, considering my pitstop. Off I went back down the mountain!

Km31.2 - Km45: Le Cauchemar [The Nightmare!]
You know it can't be good when a section of the race course is called 'The Nightmare'! That said, the section was hard, but not as bad as I thought it might be - I suppose that after the first creek section, I was expecting the worst - but the worst never came. Instead, a fun, freshly cut and very technical descent led us down the mountain, and out for a 14km loop in the 'sticks' of Tremblant's backside. Twists, turns, dodge, jump, hop, sink...this section had it all!

The 3rd and final assault up Mt Tremblant was painfully slow - My energy was ok, but my legs were starting to feel the length of the race. I plugged away at the climb, walking some steep sections, trying to run the flatter ones. I was in no-mans land. There was nobody out there...

I hadn't thought about my achilles in a while and it dawned on me that it was still holding very well - a bit tight - but holding nonetheless...good news. A few more corners, a little less vegetation - My only entertainment was watching my altimeter tick away at the remaining metres... 2,197m... 2,314m... 2,468m... 2,545m...

"Only 300 to 400m to go Phil - Come on!"

Through the thick bush, I reached Aid Station 8 (45km)- a few dazed runners sat refuelling - I knew only 10km remained..."How far is the leader" I asked.

"2 minutes..."

"Holy shit!" I exclaimed "...only 2 minutes?"

I chugged 3 cups of water - and took off.

Km45 - Km49.2: Ridge run to the final summit
"He's cracking" I thought...For the first time in over 5hrs, I thought I could really win the race! I charged ahead, refueling on the go - My body still had energy, my quads were aching, but overall, I felt good. After 3 or 4kms, I caught a glimpse of David through the trees and knew right away - This is it. I can win!

I ran smooth, making sure not to make any noise or spook him into going into a full on sprint...I was as silent as a singletrack ninja! ;) But the track was too narrow for me to pass and so I just waited...Eventually he caught a glimpse of me - he surged for a bit, but there was no way he would drop me. We popped out in the open on a service road to the summit where two very steep pitches remained to reach the final Aid Station - I pulled up beside David, looked at him and said: "Belle journée, heh?" [Nice day eh?]

He shook his head: "Je suis dans le vrac..." [I'm so done]

I pushed on the gas pedal, and ran up the final 2 pitches without looking back - I guzzled a couple more cups of water at the aid station, took an orange, and headed down the final descent - Mt Tremblant village waited below...

Km49.2 - Km56
As soon as I started down, my quads started cramping - my body was starting to tell me that it had had enough...I few stretch stops seemed to help, but I was running scared now - not sure how far back or how quickly David was going to run down the hill. I tried to keep a steady pace, and was encouraged to meet more and more hikers coming up the popular hiking trail - La Grande Brulée - "Can't be far now"

A few more turns and jumps down the fun track and the top of the village appeared - A quick look back - nobody was in sight...

I crossed the line in 6h34:13 besting last year's record of 7h18...Honestly, my big goal at Ultimate XC was to test my achilles, and come out of it without aggravating it more - so mission accomplished! The fact that I was able to pull off the win was fantastic, as any win is always good 'pour le moral'. As for the course record, well, I'll take that as the cherry on top!

Thanks to everyone for the emails, notes and encouragements along the way!

Full Results Here

Salomon Kit: From bottom to top...SpeedCross 2 trail runners, EXO compression calf sleeves, EXO short tights, EXO tank top, Advanced Skin 5 (pack), 2x 1.5L bladders (one on course), 1 extra pair of socks, Suunto T6 watch - Check out my movescount download of the race

David Le Porho, and myself post race...Smiling for the cameras.

Post race - Taking off the Exo is not as easy as you would think...As for my trail shoes, my Speedcross 2's took a beating, and after a solid 300km's of racing (only), I retired them in the local garbage bin!

Nothing like chillin' in downtown Montreal in the nice afternoon sun...Not much else I could do anyways!

Green Means GO!

2010-06-29T10:01:00.001-07:00

Wow...Now THAT, was a real mountain race!

Just a quick update for now as I'm still on the fly in Eastern Ontario...

Although my body and legs are slowly coming back to life after being violated by Ultimate XC's course, I'm still sporting a gigantic grin at the experience of having 'survived' my first crack back on the trail (A top-of-the-podium finish doesn't hurt either!).

If you ever thought you had run a course described as 'technical', think again...This beast was amazing, and it all started about 8km in as I jumped in a creek and started wading through belly-deep water, climbing over beaver dams, in/out of head high 'jungle' brush and up slick rocky river for about 4km! And that was just the beginning...

A few pics that I scammed off FB for now...More to come soon!

PV on the move at the start of the race in Tremblant Village

David Le Porho lead the way for the better part of the race at one point holding an 8min+ lead. I managed to catch up to him at the 50km mark and overtake him for the win!

Overall men's 58km!

Death Race Looms Ahead...

2010-06-23T21:32:00.000-07:00

Exploring new terrain is great - but I never get tired of this view on route to my favorite trails!

I was out riding with a friend last week...He asked: "How long is the Death Race?"

"125km..." I said.

"Holy s#!t that's long!"

There seems to be a general theme here...Why am I not concerned about the challenge that looms ahead? Is it over-confidence? or simply lack of knowledge?

There's 5 1/2 weeks left before DR-day and I have to admit that I'm getting a wee bit nervous...I thought that training was going so well and then blam! I got stung with a serious achilles injury that has taken a solid 3 weeks to recover from...Yesterday I tested myself up with a hard set of intervals on up/down terrain - and despite my (first) bear encounter, it all went very well. So now what? More intervals? Needless to say, I'm itching to enter a race as I need to boost my confidence level back up again...

But looking back at these past 3 weeks, I don't think I could have sped up the recovery process any more - I truly believe that I did the best I could...Massage, ART, Graston, physio, icing, compression, ibuprofen, self-massage, Tiger balm, Traumeel, Arnica cream, stretching, core, voodoo chanting...You name it, I've done it! So am I ready? I'm so paranoid about any little tweek I feel down there that I'm not sure if I'm ready of not - This patience 'thing' is killing me! If I could rate my achilles' strength/flexibility, it would be around 90% as of today...But is this good enough and strong enough to race?

Tunnel vision...A long corridor in the Frankfurt airport links two terminals...Not something you want to see when you're late for your flight!

Time flies when you're having fun, and since I couldn't really train back home, I figured I'd pass some of the recovery time (3 days acutally) doing something a bit more productive...like let's say...go to France for the new Salomon XR Crossmax launch and Exo (compression) apparel Re-Launch! The trip also came at the time I was starting to run again, so enough to do a few laps and test some of that new rubber Salomon was flaunting!

La Vieille Ville d'Annecy was a little busier this time around...

Dinner with the crew in Annecy - The Canadian group was excited to test the new shoes the following morning.

Little do people know that many of 'us' wear compression garment under our regular clothes...I've spent the better part of the last month with Exo calf sleeves under my pants to help accelerate my injury's recovery.

Exo land...Dealers from around the globe got a chance to test the new XR Crossmax (samples), as well as get fitted in the new Spring/Summer 2011 Exo (compression) apparel lineup - What a difference it makes!

So here it is...the moment of truth - Ready of not, here I go! I've made the decision to race in the upcoming Ultimate XC in Mt Tremblant (Saturday, June 26th), and will suffer the consequences of my actions. If the achilles is not ready or if I feel any discomfort at any time, I'll pay the price and WILL drop out to limit the damage. The thought of being sidelined for another 3 weeks does not sit well with me (at all), so I won't be taking any unecessary risks out there...Ultimate XC is a tough course, both mentally and physically challenging, and I don't want to sacrifice a no-show at DR. But, since all signs are showing 'green', I'll go with my gut on this one, and push my luck - It's time to race!

2 Week Penalty...for Lack of Patience!

2010-06-06T14:50:00.000-07:00

I miss the trails...

I've been sidelined for a week now due to an Achilles tendinitis injury, and I'm already chomping at the bit to get back out there. Patience Phil...patience!

Over the past 15yrs, I've been plagued with tons of little nagging 'old-man' injuries, that for the most part, I blame on my poor body mechanics (the other reason is simple stupidity!). Like it or not, as much as I love to run, I'm prone to injuries regardless of the effort I've put into building a strong base. Chalk it up to one of those facts-of-'running'-life for me. But, it occured to me a long ago, that if I can't dodge the injury train - I might as well learn to deal with it!

One of the (only) positives of going through all these injuries every spring/summer is that I've now built a good recovery program that revolves around a fantastic team of therapists that work as one to piece me back together, and back on the trails as soon as possible! The other part of the recovery 'recipe' is PATIENCE - I don't think I was at school on the day they were passing around the bucket of patience 'pills'...Might have been out running I think...Anyways...

I think it that the main reason for an injury's failure to recover is due to a runner's lack of patience in letting the injury heal - meaning that they try to run too early in the recovery process...Fair statement? Looking back at my injuries, past and present included, I would tend to agree.

Here's another exert from my log, and the sequence of events to give perspective/context on the cause of my injury, recovery process and tools...

Wed May 26: 50km trail run (5hrs) - Did ABC's to warmup and loosen up the hips/legs. Great long easy run, felt good all the way around Mt Rundle running clockwise (easy way). Legs felt good afterwards, but noticed a slight irritation after shower/stretch session in right Achilles. Uh-oh...

Thurs May 27: Easy Core + spin bike - Stayed off the legs today. Lucky to get appointments today with both Active Motion Phsyio (massage) and Active Edge Chiropractic (ART+ Graston - note: watch the cool slideshow on GT...very cool!). Great treatments to get on top of this 'could-become' injury ASAP!

Fri May 28: Easy Core + spin bike + short test run - A tiny bit of tenderness in achilles...probably from yesterday's treatments - should be good to go for tomorrow's race!

Sat May 29: Crazy Soles Nipika Trail Race (25km) - Great race, body felt super strong, lots left in the tank! Unfortunately, ankle was not ready for tough technical twists/turns on the trail and Achilles got aggravated about 15km mark...Crepitus set in later in the evening - not good! Lots of icing + Vitamin I (ibuprofen) in the evening. Slept with compression sock.

Sun May 30: Easy road ride - Good to get off legs...still a bit of crepitus. Lots of icing today, stretching and Vitamin I. Slept w/ compression sock again.

Mon May 31 - Sat June 5: Core and Spin/road bike only - Took advantage of injury to take a rest week (since my body was telling me it was tired anyways!). A quick recap of the week's treatments:
- Massage (2): Monday and Thurs
- ART + Graston (2): Monday and Wed
- 10min icing session: 2 times/day with Japanese mint oil
- Wearing compression sock all day to increase blood flow to area
- Vitamin I: 600-800mg X 2 times/day
- Flax Seed oil: 2tbsp/day
- Traumeel/Arnica cream...Note: There's a lot of controversy on Traumeel...but why not try it!

Sun June 6: 3h20 min Long-easy ride. Body is feeling very good - Achilles is much better but still a bit tender in one spot.

So that's that...Looking back, I jumped the gun and raced too soon, and on a course that pushed the limits of the ankle. The severity of the injury could have been avoided for sure...Looking at the positive side, the timing was as good as it gets as far as getting an injury. I had planned a rest week, perhaps not so 'restful' but lower in volume nonetheless. This way, I will be able to start off the next cycle fully charged!

I leave in a week for France again...Salomon's launching a new trail shoe called the XR! If all goes well in the recovery process (which I know it will), I'll be running on some trails again very soon...

Patience Phil, patience...

Hey Bear...Hey Bear!

2010-05-27T21:51:00.000-07:00

I got your attention didn't I...

Bears...cougars...wolves...These are the 'scary' ones I always get asked about: "Aren't you scared of bears?"

"No, not really."

I've been trail running in the Rockies for the better part of the last 15 years and have limited my bear sightings (not including in-car sightings) to 1 in every 3 years - on average - and most of the time, the bear in question, doesn't even get a chance to take a look at me before I disappear around the corner...Truth is, I've been lucky...NOT! On the contrary, I'd like to think that I'm very 'bear aware' (knock on wood!).

The reality of the situation is that they are out there. I know they are because I see their tracks and marks, their scat and even smell them sometimes...Am I scared to run into them? Sure I am. But it doesn't prevent me from doing the sport I love.

Bears, like cougars, big horn sheep, elk, coyotes, wolves, moose and all the other critters that live in my backyard are part of what I love about running. Exploring, adventure, nature...wildlife - Don't worry, I'm not going to start singing Kumbaya just yet - But, in a weird kind of way, I do wish I could see more of those damned elusive furballs. Seriously. I call it my backyard...but it's actually their home, and for the amount of time I've spent outdoors, why haven't I run into (or sighted) more of them?

The answer (for me) is simple. I respect them.

A few days ago, I took off from home on a 50km loop of Mt Rundle, which spans from Canmore to Banff. It's a loop I've done many times, and I'm quite familiar with the terrain. Although it's not so far from home, it's still considered bear country - That said, not much land around hear isn't considered 'bear country'...

With my can of bear spray fastened on my chest pocket, I took off up Spray Rd, choosing to run clockwise around Rundle. On the way up, I spotted a few sheep chillin' on the side of the road - they spotted me, jumped the fence (see photo above) and climbed the cliff to get out of 'danger'. I snapped a few shots and continued along...

I was 10km from home and cruising...I turned East onto the Goat Creek trail towards Banff - a fast 15km of fireroad running lay ahead. Once in Banff, I would cross the Banff Springs golf course, and return via Banff Trail (Rundle riverside) for another 15km of technical forest trail back home via the Canmore Nordic Centre. It was a cool, wet day in the mountains - no tourists or hikers out today - just me. I normally try to recruit a partner for my long runs as it makes for good company - easier to make noise too - but no such luck this time. Despite the fast pace, I kept an active eye out for wildlife activity...no (fresh) poop mounds, no big paw prints (other than dog that is)...nothing. All clear!

After all these years of trail running out here, I think that my subconscious is always in wildlife-scan-mode. If I jump over a mud puddle, I look for paw prints. If I see scat on the trail, I assess which animal it's from, and how fresh it is. As I approach a corner or a stream, I hear myself yell: "Hey Bear, Heeeeyyyyyy Beeeaaaarrrr, Hey Bear!" I ease up on the pace...peak around the corner...coast is clear! Every once in a while I'll get spooked a bit, and look around, behind, or up high towards a cliff...I'll yell over and over again...just to make sure...Besides, it's always a good opportunity to practice drawing my bear spray - In fact, I bet I could challenge Clint on a few bear spray duels. "Come on Clint...Don't make me peppa yo ass mo fo!"

OK, so it may not be a bombproof system - but it's worked for me so far...

...Knock on wood!

Trail Running...En Francais SVP!

2010-05-18T15:48:00.000-07:00

I think I'm going to need my own personal travel agent soon...

Another (extended) weekend trip just wrapped up, this one to Mon-Tre-Al...and no, it wasn't to catch the hockey game, but rather the 'Festival Plein Air', and outdoor expo where Salomon was teaming up with the 5 Peaks Trail Running Series to pump their expansion into La Belle Province!

The 5 Peaks Trail Running Series has seen great participation in most of English-Canada, up to 600+ runners at some events! But (there's always a 'but'!), expanding into Quebec's budding trail running market is not as easy as it may seem...

To get the job done, 5 Peaks recruited the crew at Origin Design to build and translate some key promo pieces in order to help spread the trail running wor(l)d in QC. Add a few bilingual trail runners (JD and me!) et voila! The corridor between Ottawa and Quebec city encompasses a very active target group - so the task to get them psyched on the concept of running off-road wasn't all that hard, at least once we got past the "is it going to be too hard for me" scenario! Lucky for them, 5 Peaks' event directors have done a great job to ease runners into the sport with courses that will challenge runners of all abilities. Overall, it turned out to be a great weekend, with strong interest on the part of the Festival attendees.

Expo 67 - Situated on Ile Ste Helene in Montreal, it has been the host site of the Festival Plein Air for a few years now...

In typical fashion, no work-related-trip would pass without another planned adventure on local dirt! My destination this time around: Mt Orford, a small alpine ski resort near Magog, just East of Sherbrooke (QC). Last fall, I took part in the XTRAIL Orford trail race (21k) which was showcased by a 10km section called 'Sentier des Cretes', a super fun technical section with lots of rock-hopping, a bit of scrambling, some mud and...oh yeah, about 1,000m of elev gain! The trail was both an amazing and humbling experience (I got fully worked by the trail and competitors alike), and I vowed to return this coming fall to race it again, but with a few more practice runs under my belt!

Mt Orford in the distance - It doesn't seem like that big of a bump, but it packs a good punch!

My running companion these days...Suunto T6c (on wrist) and Suunto Foot pod (on shoe)! I've also been playing with a fun site called http://www.movescount.com/ where you can download all your training beta and compare against other Suunto users - interesting to see what others around the world are doing...

Upon arrival, a few Salomon Flight Crew team members were waiting - anxious to get out. I quickly pulled on my shoes, and strapped on my new Suunto T6c + Foot Pod , eager to gather a bit of beta on the trail...(this info will come in handy in my specific training efforts for this race). After a short warmup loop, we reached the trailhead, marked by a series of rock 'stairs' that take you up, up and up for the next 30min! With a busy weekend on the forecast, I wanted to use this run as an intensity workout so once we hit the stairs, I pushed the pedal down up the first major climb...

Video: Sentier des Cretes (editor: Marco Lebel) - Two days after I ran it with the Flight Crew guys, a few of the 'boys' ran it again, and took along a video...You'll know you're hooked on trail running if this video makes you envious that you missed out!

So what makes this trail so technical? After your legs are turned to mush from the steady climb to the ridge, you continue on the singletrack trail dodging trees, roots, rocks and other brushy debris...add in some rock to rock, to rock hopping sections, some mud bogs, some 1m+ drops, jumps and leaps, all while trying to follow painted markers on the rock ridges sections, and you've got yourself a challenge - This is one of those courses where locals' knowledge pays, and can literally save you minutes. After a solid hour of running, you pop out onto a 'blue' run midway up Mt Orford's ski hill, and are left with a grueling grunt of a climb to the summit. Check it out...

Bird's eye view - That white strip is the last climb of the XTRAIL Orford 21km race...(photo: Marco Latendresse)

You can't go to Montreal without having a Montreal style smoked meat sandwich - It may not be the best post-run fuel, but it's fuel nonetheless - and what an impressive stack job!

It's not even June and I'm already looking forward to doing XTRAIL again. That said, I suppose I should start by tackling another beast first...10 weeks left - yikes!

A Plan is Born!

2010-05-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

Short and sweet - Blog posts or traning plans...either or - that's how I like it!

Now if I could only figure out what it says...

Planes, Trails and Priorities?

2010-05-01T22:18:00.000-07:00

Now where was I...?

I can't believe it's already been 3 weeks since DV50 - Time flies when you're having fun (or travelling too much!). I suppose that having been away from home 12 out of the past 21 days doesn't help either. So much for having a quiet spring...

Training for Death Race has been going relatively well, despite all the travel thatis. Either way, it's definitely time to crank it up a level - More volume and more intensities are on the menu! But, the reality of the situation is that as much as I would like to make training my priority, like you, life and work commitments often take over as priorities - that's just the way it is...so we deal as best we can.

(Instead of coming up with excuses as to why I haven't posted more regurlarly), I thought it might be interesting to give you an inside glimpse at my training log over the past 12 days, to see how I've adapted my training while on the road (work)...It may not always be pretty, but I've tried my best to get the job (training) done, in and around my hectic travel schedule. Hold on tight...here I go!

Phil's Training Log: April 21-May 1, 2010

Wed April 21st: 2hr road run including 8X3min
Location: Canmore (home)
Notes: Hooked up with a few of the Bow Valley Harrier Crew after work for a great interval session. Picked a fast/flat section on the Bow River path and pushed the body every more and more so I would max out on the 7th and 8th interval. Long warmdown helped pad the volume.

Thur April 22nd: 1.5hr mtn bike ride
Location: Canmore
Notes: Legs still feeling heavy from yesterday's interval workout so I decided to hit the mountain bike to switch it up, plus it will give me a bit of a rest for tomorrow's travel day. Unfortunately, it started raining immediately upon starting - and poured the entire time. Ugh...that was a wet one.

Fri April 23rd: Travel to Toronto + 45min night trail run
Location: Canmore - YYC - YYZ - Hamilton, ON
Notes: Picked up my rental car at YYZ and drove to Dundas Valley Conservation Area (just outside Hamilton) to check out the 5 Peaks course. The sun had long ago set below the horizon so I cracked out my trusty AY-UP headlamp and cruised the trails amidst the critters starring back at me. Made for an interesting loop!

The masses collect near the start of the 5 Peaks Race in Dundas Valley Conservation Area

Sat April 24th: 1.5hr trail run (w/ 12.3km Race) + 1.5hr easy run
Location: Dundas Valley 5 Peaks
Notes: Up early AM to help the S-Crew setup the expo. Look at all those shinny new demo trail runners! After a quick warmup, I was waiting for the Sport (5km) waves to start and my attention was steered away by the RedBull girls who were giving away samplers of their new drink. In the middle of a requested photo op, I realized that the Enduro (12km) elite wave was starting...s#%t! I blasted out of the start and ran through the field moving up within grasp of 2nd place, but lost energy in the final kms...finished 3rd. Good thing there was chip timing to keep track of my late start! With lots of action around the Salomon booth, I didn't get much of a warmdown, but I did get to chat live with iRun's The Running Show to talk shop!

PM workout: Drove up to Bolton, ON to stay with friends for the night - took the legs out for another spin around Humber Valley trails to build volume - Amazing singletrack out there!

Trail running in downtown Toronto? No more excuses for all you urban trail runners - the secret is out!

Sun April 25th: 3.5hrs trail run downtown Toronto
Location: Downtown Toronto
Notes: Who knew you could run in downtown Toronto for this long - all on some sweet singletrack! Ran around a 10.5km loop with Flight Crew member Ryan Barrett who guided me around his hometown trails - Feeling a bit sluggish from yesterday's race, but happy to be out exploring new terrain in such an urban setting!

Mon April 26th: Day off - Travel to Geneva - Annecy, France
Location: Markham, ON - Salomon meetings
Notes: No time to train today due to a crammed schedule and meetings all day - Late afternoon departure for Nordic/Trail running meetings in France.

Tues April 27th: 1hr road run
Location: Annecy, France
Notes: More flight delays...arrived late in Geneva - Quick transit to Annecy for late afternoon meetings, then a short run to get rid of long travel day in the legs. A beautiful evening to run along Lake Annecy. Very tired...

Wed April 28th: 2hrsw mtn run (w/ 750m elev gain)
Location: Annecy - Mt Veyrier
Notes: 11hrs stuck in a meeting room!! Exhausted. Back at the hotel at 7:30pm...hungry. Recruited the Austrian and German Product managers to come running with me after work as I needed the extra motivation to get out. Ditched them at the end to add a 750m hillclimb up Mt Veyrier, which helped make the time fly by - Found myself racing back down the mountain to beat the darkness that was quickly engulfing the forest. Deadlines back home in Canada forced another late night of work...caught myself nodding off in front of laptop. Need sleep...

Thur April 29th: 1hr Orienteering Session (group activity) + 1hr trail run
Location: Annecy - Mt Semnoz
Notes: Another 10hrs in meetings. Having a hard time to focus...Need a coffee IV. Jumped in a fun orienteering race organized by HQ - fun to do something different. Added a bit more running at the end as we waited for all the teams to come in.

A view from Mt Veyrier, and the far end of Lake Annecy (France). With the looming rainy weather in the short term forecast, the clouds started rolling in late Friday night, but the rain held off until my assault on Semnoz the following day.

Fri April 30th: 2.5hrs mtn run ( w/1,500m elev gain)
Location: Annecy - Mt Veyrier and Mt Baron
Notes: Wrapped up the meetings with an 8hr day on my butt. So happy to be done...Made a date with the Global Sports Marketing Manager to head out for a hard mtn run after work. Struggle to keep up as he hammered up the first big climb, and danced down the backside. Felt better after 2hrs of running (just warming up!). Great day with a solid 1,500m of climbing - Amazing views!

Trail markers on the way up to Semnoz - This trail system is a virtual maze and only a few hundred metres from downtown Annecy! A great playground.

Sat May 1st: 4.25hrs mtn run (1,500 elev gain)
Location: Annecy - Semnoz
Notes: Feeling great after much needed long sleep-in. One last long run for the books...It rained the entire time, but the new trails/terrain was spectacular. My route left Le Vieux Annecy, and climbed steady for 2.5hrs to the summit of Semnoz (1699m). A quick bite and turnaround back down the track to town for pizza and beer! Looking forward to going home tomorrow.

Sun May 2nd: Day Off - Travel back to Canmore, AB
Location: Annecy - Geneva - Montreal - Canmore
Notes: Home sweet home...

From one side of the Atlantic to the other - and back...One of the biggest challenges I have with training is getting out the door when I'm tired. But once I'm out there, I'm always so glad I 'forced' myself to get out! Sure you may feel sluggy, heavy, tired or even lazy after a hard day's work, this is completely normal! The key is to understand how your body/mind works when you're tired - This is as important as the training plan itself.

So I ask you now...How are you feeling? Is it a 'good' tired, or a 'bad' tired? Learn to tell the difference!

That said, I fully admit that I've been burning the candle at both ends - So it's time for me to rest!

Here are a few more pics to pass the time...

My tour guide for trail running in the big TO - Salomon Flight Crew member Ryan Barrett and his neon 'art' mobile!

At the top of Mt Veyrier with Annecy in the background. With mountains all around Annecy, this city is a great playground for all outdoor enthusiasts, wet weather or not!

Flight Crew member Patrick Goeres talks shop with a few 5 Peak-ers. Runners were eager to try out our shinny new demo fleet! With 400+ starters on hand for the first event of the series, our 40-odd pairs of demos didn't stay clean very long!

Kilian Jornet, Mountain Running superstar signs autographs in the Salomon HQ lobby - promoting his upcoming Kilian's Quest season.

Sitting outside Salomon HQ in Annecy, Mavic support vehicles await their next 'Tour' supporting the pro teams. Mavic, along with Suunto, Wilson, Arc'teryx, Precor and Salomon is also part of the Amer Sports family...

Diez Vista 50K: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

2010-04-15T19:58:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you need to get your @ss kicked to know how much you need to improve...

"Well this sucks" I said to myself as another runner ran past me somewhere around the 37km mark...There was nothing I could do - mentally and physically - I was drained...my gas tank was completely empty. I suppose there wasn't much else to say at the time - but one thing was for sure...the Diez Vista 50 had just kicked my butt in gear!

It's always easier to analyse one-self after the fact. Then again, you would be surprised at the revelations that come up when you're walking for 7kms along a powerline...

Before I take a deeper look at the Good, the Bad and the Ugly, let's go back 4 weeks, so you can better understand the situation.

After a fantastic 'Advanced Week' of training in France, capped with one of the most technically challenging races I've ever entered (up the slopes of Ventoux) - I was flying! Looking back, I think I barely had my feet on Canadian soil and was already planning my season leading up to the Death Race. "What can I enter that will get me ready...? What's this Diez Vista 50 all about? 50 kilometres...hmmm...Why not..."

Fast forward 3 weeks later, add in a couple of good weeks of running including two 3hr+ back to back runs to get some volume in the weekend prior, and there I was on the start line of DV50! Was I well prepared for the event? Not really. Did I jump the gun in entering a 50km race this early in the season? Most likely, yes. Would realizing any of this ever change my mind? Probably not...

As I said, it's always a bit easier analysing after the fact.

Diez Vista 50: Check out the website for more info and results

Here's a full recap my DV50...The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, as I lived it! To help you follow along, I've added the course profile (above) and map for you to follow along (and feel the pain!).

~Pre-race: Feeling good, legs feeling peppy, breakfast food is digested and I'm ready to go!

~KM 1 - 2.5: The pace goes out easy. Gary Robbins (GR) led the way, with Chris Downie, Jacek Doniec, Mike Palichuk and I all tucked in behind, content to follow.

~KM 2.5 - 8: GR led the way up the first big climb - I tucked in behind. The climb was steep but I actually felt very comfortable. My only issue was that my pack was leaking all down my back/shorts due to a missing bladder clip, which I had rigged with ducktape. So I ended up taking my pack off a few times to solve the issue - letting GR gap me a few times - but quickly pulling him back in once I was back on track. These pre-season races are always a good oppotunity to test new gear as you don't want this kind of mistakes to happen during your big focus event!

~KM 8-12: Super fun, very technical decent! I was happy to have had some good technical running under my belt in France - not to mention a lot of downhill running. The beating my legs took would have taken me out much earlier had I not had some decent training. I was quite comfortable behind GR, content again to follow a few strides behind as our feet danced over the roots. However, we ended up exchanging the lead a few times as we each would overshoot the course and go off track - felt great!

~KM 12 - 25: This flatter section was quite rolly, and GR was pushing a steady pace - Again I followed. Body still felt good, I was eating well and felt in control...so I thought.

~KM 25-30: First signs of fatigue on this section as we cruised on some open gravel roads. GR was running smooth and I was pushing to hold onto the flatter sections. Every little hill (believe it or not) was a welcome relief as the pace would slow.

~KM 30-32: The start of the big out/back climb let me know that the end was near...uh oh...My 'wheels' just all of a sudden fell off!

~KM 32: The accordion breaks...PV lets GR go...

~KM 32 - 32.5: Not good...

~KM 32.5 - 35: My pace slows more and more...down to a jogging pace - At this point, I knew my race was over both physically and mentally. GR passed me on his way back out - he had already gained 4-5min on me at this point... I cheered him on. (Note: Gary went on to break his own course record - Congrats Gary!). The feedstation at the turnaround was a welcomed site. I ate a bit of salty food, sweets but wasn't feeling super hungry. It wasn't a bonk that I was experiencing, it's simply lack of volume, the realization that I had not trained enough finally sunk in. I debated asking for a ride back...but I didn't.

~KM 36 - 43: I walked most of this section, with a few short stints of jogging. CD and JD caught me in this section, both looking fresh...I didn't even try to hold on. At this point, The only thing I had on my mind was finding a ride back to the finish line!

~KM 43 - 44: After stocking up with 50 M&Ms, 4 glasses of Coke and having a good chat with the folks at the Feed Station, I started up the last climb. It was actually a nice hike, with the birds were singing and all...

~KM 44 - 48: Just about the same time as the M&Ms sugar rush started kicking in, Mike Palichuk came up behind me, so I tucked in - He was worried about another runner coming behind him so I offered to 'pace' him down the final hill...why not! So away we went. I even felt like I was actually racing again - Mike was on pace for a PB, I was psyched for him!

~KM 48 - 50: At the base, reality hit again (that or my sugar rush died)...I cheered on MP to hammer, and I returned to a steady jog, happy I didn't have to trade a set of my Exo Calf III for a ride back, and thrilled to have made it to the finish line!

So there you have it...From amazing highs to scary lows...

The DV50 was an amazing race. Kudos to the George and his crew for putting on a fantastic event! I loved every second of it (yes, even the powerline walking section!). The ultra-world is a great community of trail runners and they welcomed me with open arms. Aside from a bruised ego, the event was a huge learning experience for me, and only left me wanting more.

Besides, at least now I know which plates to spin!

A peaceful moment on Sasamat Lake, the night prior to the race. I always make a point of running the start/finish of the course to familiarize myself with the area.

Up we go! A steady and steep grind greeted runners in the first 10km - oh, and you had to come back down this boulder-fest in your last 5km!

Halfway up the first climb - The course went up to the top of the ridge and followed the Diez Vista trail, which (I'm sure) would have displayed some great views of the Coast. But I wouldn't know, Gary didn't want to stop and look. Guess I'll have to go back.

Nothing like a Bratwurst to help dull the pain of a bad crash - Ouch!

Trail Running 101: Keepin' It Simple

2010-04-01T16:05:00.000-07:00

Time is ticking...

I have less than 4 months to get fit for the Death Race (DR), so needless to say that training discussions have monopolized a bit of my mental real estate lately...

The EASY thing to do would be to go hire a personal coach, tell him about the good, the bad and the ugly...Et voila, you've got yourself a training plan to follow...On the flip side, if you prefer the 'do-it-yourself' approach there is no shortage of resources on the topic of getting 'fit' for trail racing!

Looking for something different? Try running/speed hiking up a local mountain (or hill if you don't have any mountains!)

Now before I start yapping about my own training philosophies, there's an important concept you need to understand called periodization. Like it or not, this fancy concept is important for you to grasp as the base of every training plan follows this template. Periodization is the segmentation of the training year into 3 main training 'periods'. Of course, I'm not taking into account your 'off-season' segment, which, if your lifestyle choice mimics mine, it usually lasts about half the year! Anyways...back to these 3 segments:

1. The Base Building phase (which I should have started months ago), where you re-focus on general training, contemplate reducing the amount of alcohol you consume (or poor diet choices!), increase your running volume or simply just entertain the idea of reacquainting yourself with a structured program.
2. The Pre-Competition phase (I'm definitely into this one now), where you dive into specific trail running workouts and scramble on a weekly basis to find a training partner that will suffer with you as you tackle harder intensities.
3. The Competition phase, where you finally tell yourself, "Hey, I've trained tons lately, I deserve a beer!" and taper your training only to realized 2 days before you big race that you should have trained more!

OK, aside from the obvious buffoon descriptions, I think you get the idea. Oh, don't worry, I'm not going bore you with the science (or should I say the 'art') of training, if you want to learn more about this, there's tons out there! But as I said, it is an important concept for you to understand...The problem with us Canadians is that we tend to wait until spring to start running again. This means that if you're trying to 'get in shape' for a race in June or July, you have to manipulate a year-round training schedule into a 3 to 5 month cram session! Nothing like skipping a few steps eh?

So with that in mind, here are a few PV training philosophies that I keep in the back of my mind when building a plan:

1. Keep it Simple: I've seen enough complicated training schemes to drive me nuts. The more fancy bells and whistles you have, the greater risk you have of screwing something up. Regardless of your training 'knowledge' it won't take long for you to understand your needs as a runner. The basic requirement to become a good trail runner is...to trail run! (quite the earth shattering statement I know!). If you run every day with little to no structure you will inevitably get fit. Now, take the next step by adding a little structure to your weekly program template (includes: 1 long run + 1 interval/speed session + 1 hill workout + core/strength + 1 rest day). Want more? Fine-tune by focusing on your weaknesses and you'll continue to make gains. Simple.

2. Variety: 'THEY' say that variety is the spice of life...'THEY' are right. Variety is the key to staying motivated! Spice up your training and get out of your training ruts (I suppose you could say the same about a relationship - ha...). Get out of town and discover new terrain, switch up your training loops and vary your training speed or, call up a few buddies to help you push the pace in your next workout. Don't be afraid to be creative in your training.

3. Fatigue: No matter what training plan you follow, you will get tired. Being tired is good - it means you're pushing your body. Learn to identify a 'good' tired (training effect) versus a 'bad' tired (not enough rest days or over-reaching effect). I usually ask myself: "Am I just being lazy, or am I really tired?"

4. Magic Pills: Here's a news flash for you...There are no secret training programs or 'magic pills' that will make you go faster. You simply have to get out there and run. "But there's got to be something out there that will make me go faster?" Unfortunately...the answer is "No". But don't take my word for it, go ahead and surf that 'net. Start flipping through the countless Get-Fit-in-10-days training plans, documents, scientific research, opinions, bla, bla, bla. Take notes, soak it all in. Do your due diligence. And when you're ready, sit back (take a deep breath) and ask yourself these questions: "What do I need to get faster? What are my strengths? What are my weaknesses?" Is it hills, downhills, flats, technical terrain, false flats, speed, etc...? Write it all down...

5. Rest and Recovery: The closest thing to a secret training weapon is called REST. I'm serious! It's very important to plan rest days and recovery weeks into your schedule. Believe it or not, rest actually makes you stronger - really. Rest can come in many forms...It can be a day off training, an active rest like taking a walk, an easy bike ride or even a long stretch session. If you don't give you body a break once in a while, you risk losing all your training gains. Not a good scenario!

6. Circus Act: I see training kind of like a circus act (Just bare with me here...). Remember that guy doing the balancing act with all the plates. He took a plate and spun it on a pole, moved on to another plate, and spun that one, until there were 6 plates all spinning at the same time. Every time a plate slowed down, he gave it a bit of a spin to bring it up to speed, and on and on...In order for this character to deliver a successful performance, it was crucial that all the plates kept spinning! See where I'm going with this?

So let's put this in the context with trail running...

Plate #1: Running Volume - It's spring time. You've just bought a pair of trail runners and you - are - psyched! The winter ski season has kept you fit but you quickly notice that you have heavy legs. Solution? Increase your weekly kms and start spinning the first plate...
Plate #2: Uphill training - A week later, running is going well, you decide to venture out on the hills...ouch! Where did that piano come from? Time to tackle some hill climbs to build specific leg strength. Plate #2 is going now...
Plate #3: Downhills - Another few weeks and you are feeling better and better! You decide to drive to Canmore and tackle Ha Ling Peak...a big hill and a good challenge, but no problem! At the summit you take a moment, enjoy the view and blast back down, only to be rewarded with sore legs! Adding downhills will not only increase your technical efficiency, but it will also strenghten your quads. #3 is up and spinning...
Plate #4: And on, and on...For every running skill you add, you spin another plate and the better your fitness and performance gets. Go back and read over your strengths and weaknesses...make them your next plates! It's also important to go back and check on your plates and give them a 'spin' to work on that specific skill. Does this make sense to you?

So that's it. So much for not rambling...

The scary thing about all the above is that I'm barely scratching the surface! Training 'talk' is a big topic that can quickly get overwhelming...That's why I like to keep it as simple as possible. The bottom line is that there's no secret to trail running. Layout a simple structured plan that targets your objectives, and go running with a purpose - Oh, and remember to keep those plates spinning!

Sometimes it's good to just go out and run - enter a race knowing that you're not ready for it, use it as what it is...simply a good, hard workout!

The (Training) Plan

2010-03-29T13:55:00.000-07:00

The coffee machine just purred...I think it's calling me. I need another cup anyways.

At this time of the year, I'm usually contemplating a trip down South to recharge my batteries by the water. I'm tired. I can feel it. It's been a long and busy winter with a ton of travel. But something is holding me back...I'm not so sure anymore - I can't stop thinking about this running thing, weird I know.

The official Death Race countdown has begun...D-Day is only 4 months away (yikes!). I suppose it's time I put some thoughts on paper, or as some of you may refer to it: a training plan.

Sigh...

Maybe it's because I followed a VERY structure training plan for the better part of my life that the thought of following a 'plan' once again has me cringing. It's not because of the workload, it's more about the discipline required to follow it. I started following some higher level of training structure at the age of 14, and kept the pedal to the metal until I was 29...With 1 month off a year (more or less), the mental strain adds up and eventually, you simply can't do it anymore. Then again, I suppose you could argue that I've had 8 years off since my 'retirement' and potentially ready for more...?

So maybe it's time I tried it again...Besides, 4 month of following a plan...sure, I can do that. Why not.

Sigh...

The upside to this past lifestyle choice of mine is that I have gained 'some' knowledge of general training habits, or more so, about my own training habits (good and/or bad), and what I need to do to - not only get to the finish of DR, but to challenge for the win. Oh, yeah...did I mention I wasn't doing this for S&G's? I suppose that this alone is reason for the need to follow a training plan. I'm sure I can train, get fit, and do well. But to train, get very fit, and win...well that's an entire different beast.

OK...4 months to go...(gulp!)

One more coffee and then it's time to go for a run, and think about this training plan.

The last strip of skiing left at the Canmore Nordic Centre - It's kind of funny skiing around the CNC these days...Aside from the yellowing man-made snow, it's brown everywhere else! But if you're eager enough to get up in the early AM, then skiing is actually very good and fast.

Now this on the other hand, is great skiing! Mt Shark had great skiing last weekend during the annual Sharkfest. Not bad for end of March criss-cross skiing!

What's on tap? I registered for the Diez Vista 50km in Port Moody, BC. Call it the excitement of coming back from France, call it fear of not having done an ultra yet (or ever!), but I need to do this one, more for mental reasons than anything else - Not sure how 10 days of prep will show up on the results board, but hey - I'm sure it will be a great workout regardless...

Transition Time

2010-03-25T17:07:00.000-07:00

You're tired, you're jetlagged, you want to be home. You come around the corner...and the mountains greet you...

What a great week! Everything from the testing opportunities, to the camaraderie to the final race up Ventoux - loved it!

With the formal part of Advanced Week having ended, a few runners decided they wanted more, or maybe they just wanted to postpone their return to 'real' life...hard to say. As for me, I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to enter a true trail running experience, le Trail du Ventoux, where 1,200 fanatical trail runners were eagerly waiting to get their season underway! The main event, featured a 44km run up to the summit of Mt Ventoux, with 2,500m of gain...

As much as I wanted to torture my body with this early season challenge, I figured the 'tourist' version, a 24km, 1,200m+ of gain circuit would be good enough for this guy...and really - Why wouldn't the guy?

Pre-Race photo op: The Gripmaster and yours truly, ready to go...more or less. Stephan ran the long course (44k), while I settled for the short course (22k).

Ricky Lightfoot (UK) leading the field about 45min into the race. The course was a 10/10, taking us up along the main ridge to the summit. Beautiful open singletrack, technical rocky terrain, steep grinds and amazing views - perfect really! Unfortunately for me, I was suffering too much to look at the stunning vistas - Note how far we've already climbed from the valley bottom...

What a way to quick off the season! Francois D'Haene showed great form , winning the main event, 44km, in 3h37min. Francois was in my test group all week so we had a chance to chat quite a bit - A super friendly guy, races ski mountaineering races in the winter and a new member of the French Salomon Trail Running Team. Canuck teammate Jen Segger finished 3rd in the Open Women category! Full results: 24km and 44km

Post-Race: My stomach was quite upset from the effort (dehydration maybe?), so I just found a chair at the finish line and tried not to move...Ricky, on the other hand, was more intend on spying on the local residents of the nudist camp - our finish line venue for the Trail du Ventoux! I was told by a local that this 'nature' camp swells to over 5,000 in the summer months...

So what now...Well, it's back to business for me. My 'to do' list still has a few unfinished items in the Nordic department, but otherwise, it's transition time - And with all this running in my legs over the past week, I'm ready for the trail running season to get under way.

Now if only this white stuff would go away...

Advance Week Day 5: Mellow Days

2010-03-20T13:29:00.000-07:00

The calm before the storm...

After a week of beautiful blue blazer days, the rain is headed our way, just in time for the Trail du Ventoux - nothing like adding a bit of mud, snow, rain, slick rocks and potentially snow to a mountain that's already going to make life difficult for a few hundred runners...close to 1,200 to be more precise!

Chess anyone?

Vino to Ventoux...Sunday's Trail du Ventoux will zip by a few vineyards before heading up via the summit of Ventoux, then back down, and hopefully for a bit more vino (to celebrate - having survived in my case!)

Funky knobbly fat tree...aching to be climbed!

This puppy went up in 1704...was used to hold about 200 prisoners in the mid 1700's, burnt down in the late 1700's and rebuilt. If only those walls could talk!

Thought this guy was pretty cool (on left)...so I hung out for a while.

Race entries anyone? Just part of the trail running 'circus' out here this weekend.

Just in case you missed the wall of flyers outside, here a few more 100 entries to satisfy your recycling needs for the year...

Sunday's 47km course profile, which I've just heard is reduced to 38km...You can check out the course HERE.

The Gripmaster doing a photo profile in the Sandman - who just won the Atacama Crossing...Just a few of the personalities hanging out at Advance Week...

Advance Week Day 4: Mt Ventoux

2010-03-18T07:32:00.001-07:00

I suppose it would be strange to come all this way and not climb up this beast...right?

The 'test' portion of AW is over now...time to relax - not! As we all sat around letting dinner digest last night, a buzz started circulating around the room - Group run up Mt Ventoux at 8am tomorrow. 8am...? Great. If tomorrow's run is anything like the past 3 days' training speed, then I'm in trouble - the fatigue is slowly creeping in...

I woke up this morning still sitting on the fence...Should I run up? Or should I simply run around the local trails? Can I really go back home and say that I had Ventoux in my sights, but never summitted? Kind of like stumbling on a 1.2L of Corona in Mexico last fall - Can't really tell you're friends that you saw the Mega Corona there in the cooler, but didn't drink it - I didn't think so either...

The Ventoux crew - Nothing like a 1,700m run/climb up to the summit of Mt Ventoux with some of the world's best mountain runners eh - right...

Setting off in the morning chill - Ventoux lingering in the distance.

Ricky, Andy and Anna decide how best to tackle this beast. The maze of trails at the base of the mountain made route-finding a bit of a challenge. As the run progressed, 4 groups were formed, each finding a different up and then back down - made for some entertaining discussions at lunch!

Hanging out with the girls at the first pit stop - Jen, Caitlin and Devon (we decided it was time to let a few girls join our crew...see Day 3's blog comments to follow along...)

Gaining elevation...Ricky and I got stuck in no-man's land - so we took a few pics of the local landscape as reference points for the way back down.

If you go high enough, you'll hit snow - Ventoux getting closer! The weather was awesome, we couldn't have asked for a better day to go for the summit!

You know you're up high when...We ran into this AT skier out for a tour on Ventoux' snowy summit. He was a bit surprised to see us running up, wondering what the hell we were doing! He also warned us about the strong winds just up the hill near the summit...

Getting closer...Ricky sets a mean pace up the final pitch - The hard crusty snow made for good traction, but the legs were definitely getting tired...

Oh...THAT wind! Wow, we both just about froze taking these shots - We scrambled up to the main building and took shelter in an open garage. Good thing we brought our Fast Wing Hoodies and Buff's to keep warm...then again, some gloves would have been nice too!

The road up to Ventoux, Alps in the background...ok, enough with the photos - time to head back down!

"Bravo! Vous l'avez vaincu" - Damn rights we did. Ugh

Advance Week Day 3: Exo Photo Gallery

2010-03-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

It's not often you get a chance to rub shoulders with some of the best trail runners in the world...

Day 3 was a doozy - I have to admit that following today's dual session, I'm wiped. With a couple of good days under my belt chasing the UK boys (Andy and Ricky) around Ventoux, today's footwear test day felt...well...it was hard. So instead of spending half the night reviewing my proper grammar and sentence structure, I figure I'd make life easy for myself and just put up few pics of the day - So enjoy!

12 countries were represented in this morning's run - la creme de la creme - This Exo clad group hooked up for 2 fantastic canyon runs, for a total of 3hrs of hard running - all while comparing the S-LAB family...S-LAB 1, 2 and 3.

Blurry Canyon or blurry photo? No time to stop with this lot...ok, no stopping until the team leader stops! As we climbed up the canyon, we ran under a few cool rock formations like this one. I'll have to go back tomorrow and stop for some more photos!

Canadian Running Mag editor, Michal Kapral (far left) joined us last night and was eager to hit the trails with our group. The crew takes a pit stop as we made our way up one of the lower summits of Ventoux.

Top of the world? Not quite...Just another photo op location as we waited for a few runners to catch back to the pack - There are so many trails on Ventoux that one could easily get lost...or make their run a bit longer than planned...

Not just another pit stop - Felix (at right, black shirt/socks) asked for 'on-the-fly' feedback on the S-LAB 3. Felix is the main tester for all of Salomon's footwear products. So if you have any issues with your shoes, blame him! (ha)

What goes up, must come down! After a long grinding uphill, the downhill was a welcome relief.

I caught this photo on the fly...Felix chased me for a bit because I made fun of his shoes! Ok, not really...I broke out of the pack to get a photo of the group but he thought I was trying to sprint away, and chased me down.

Back at the ranch - time for some homework!

Advance Week Day 2: Back to the Sheep!

2010-03-16T09:50:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've ever run into a herd of sheep before...I guess there's a first time for everything!

Most of the A-dub crew has arrived now - but all that really means is that I'm almost permanently distracted now. Not only am I distracted by the amount of talent surrounded me (runners that it ;) but now blogging is made increasingly difficult as there's always someone around to chat with, or an interesting conversation to listen in on - training, cool adventures, personalities, you name it...chances are you'll hear it!

Distractions et al, I ended up going to bed at around 1am last night - That said, with jetlag still lingering, it made for a very good quality 6hr sleep. My biggest concern was tip-toeing into my room hoping not to wake up my roommate for the week, 6-time World Mountain Running Champ, Jonathan Wyatt - thought it would be a good idea to give the boy a bit of respect!

Day 2's rotation involved us moving on from apparel testing to a promo photo shoot. But the photographer took one look at my bad hair (bed head) and waived me off, rescheduling me for the afternoon session - ok, maybe not...I was actually pencilled in for a bio-mechanical assessment with Salomon's in-house Podiatrist so I had to ditch the morning shift. So what did Mr Podiatrist have to say? I've got super narrow feet - they actually measured and compared (hence why I love the Speedcross' fit) and a few mechanical issues that can be sorted out with new orthodics. I actually thought my current inserts were superlight, until he called them tanks...He also rambled on about how Salomon would be making me custom S-Labs to accommodate my narrow feet..."Thanks for the nice gesture, but need I remind you that I'm simply a 'promo' guy..."

Ok, enough chit chat...time to go running!

Stunned and confused - wondering how far this canyon is going up the mountain. My 45min run turned into 1hr45 as I kept going up and up...just as I was going to give up, the sky appeared around a bend, and I popped up halfway up Mt Ventoux. A least there was a nice view!

The view from the top - Looking down the canyon, the town of Bedoin in the distance.

Just as I arrived in town, I rounded the corner only to be stopped dead in my tracks by a massive herd of sheep! They must have been on their way back from a shawn (...or being shawned? or from sheep shawning...? Not sure how to spell this - anyone?) Anyways...they looked like giant hairless things - very attractive! The lot was being guided by a sheep herder dude and 2 massive Great Pyrenese sheep dogs that eyed me up and down (twice) with a "Don't even think about buddy...or else". I didn't interfere...All I could do was remember the TransRockie Run training..."Back to the Sheep!"

Back ot the Future or retro...Which is which? Ricky showing off some mad shoes...and a slick Exo kit!

Our photographer for the afternoon, Yves-Marie did his job very well, scopping out some cool locations and made us look good - or at least made the others look good. I on the other hand...

Showing off my downhill skillz...

Vineyards cover the landscape all around the base of Ventoux - I thought this particular farmer did a great job at picking all the weeds in this particularly well manicured lot.

Fitting that I end this blog with this shot...This is what the crew does every time we get a 'break'...in this case, Jen, Anna and Jono (my roommate for the week) update their own blogs. Just a few laptops in da house!

Advance Week Day 1: Apparel and Bags Testing

2010-03-15T14:09:00.000-07:00

Let the running begin...

Day 1 of Advance Week kicked off this morning with some of the world's best trail runners hitting the trails at the base of Mt Ventoux! Oh don't worry, I'm far from considering myself as one of these select few, but I am feeling VERY fortunate to be one of the promo runners invited to attend! So let's put it in perspective...Just how good are these athletes? As the Global Footwear manager mentioned in the intro meeting this morning..."Under this roof today, there are literally a few hundred course records holders!"

I attended Advance Week 2 yrs ago for it's inaugural year - joining a total of 12 core runners from a few select countries. After missing last year (skipped AW to compete at the Rock and Ice Ultra where I received a very good handshake for finishing 2nd place - instead of a $7K diamond for first! - not bitter...at all.) Anyways... This year I'm back once again with Flight Crew teammate Jen Segger, representing the 'voice' of Canada as part of a group of 32 athletes from 12 countries - impressive. For Salomon, this is a great opportunity to refocus on R&D, and pick our brains in all 3 categories: footwear, apparel and bags.

It's interesting for me being here as I suddenly feel immersed...uh, wait a second...I shouldn't say "feel"...I AM immersed in a very elite world of trail runners, all of them very focused on their running objectives...I on the other hand simply hope to survive the week - injury free if all goes well - and hang on for dear life as I build back my running 'fitness'! Uh...I wish I was kidding...

But regardless of where I actually 'fit', I'm taking my role here very seriously...seriously! Not only do I get the opportunity to take part if the testing/feedback process, but over the course of the week, I'll get a chance to get prepped for my new role with Salomon Canada as Trail Running Community Manager - to sum up, I'll the be link between the brand, and the 'trail running community'.

My running partners for the day: (From left to right) Ricky Lightfoot - UK...You don't have much of a choice to being a runner with a name like that! Francois D'Haene - France, Andy Symonds - UK...Won the 2009 TransAlpine Race, Nikos Kostopoulos - Greece and Bernd Weberhofer - Austria. Others will join our crew tomorrow...

The Exo Crew - Ricky, Andy and I sporting next years Exo Short/top prototypes - The purpose of this morning's run was not only to 'wear' the proto Exo gear, but to be conscious of the products' performance in varying terrain. Immediately following the run, we were debriefed by the apparel/bag crew, providing 'constructive' feedback on the gear we tested.

Andy and Bernd cruisin' up some sweet singletrack at the base of Ventoux! Don't ask me how I got ahead of them...

It's not all play out here...believe it or not, we did have to put in a bit of 'work' after all the running fun! I joined the 'french' focus group for discussions on the S-LAB 3 vs S-LAB 4 versions.

Check out the Grip-mobile: Germany's Community Manager, Stefan Repke, knows how to travel in style!

A sneak peak at a proto SpeedCross - Ricky Lighfoot (UK) was sporting this lower profile model of the current retail version. But the word on the street is that Salomon is coming out with redesigned version next summer...

So that's it...the end of Day 1 nears...and although I tried not to overdo it, I think I might have push it a bit too much - kind of hard not too when you're surrounded by such like-minded personalities. Today started off with a brisk morning walk/run to get the kinks warmed up, a hearty euro breakfast was followed by a fast 1h25 with Andy and Bernd - Lunch, a bit of real Monday (weekday) work and back out we went for a painful 53min with Andy and Ricky a.k.a Pedal-to-Metal Lightfoot. All in all, it wasn't a huge mileage day, but long enough to make me feel like I'm just one of those 'lucky' guys.

Looking forward to a good night's sleep...

2010 Advance Week: A Long Day...

2010-03-14T06:38:00.001-07:00

It's been 28hrs since I left yesterday morning...

The fatigue is setting in now...but I'm determined to stay awake until (at least) 9pm tonight...jet lag sucks. So if I seem a bit 'off' my normal style...you'll know why!

So where to begin...

Why not start where I left off...the O-Show. The days following the Games were jammed packed playing catch up on 'real' work. My Olympic experience was a treat, but the reality of the situation is that the business of Nordic skiing trucked on as usual while I was gone - leaving lots of catch up on. As always, I managed to cram in most of my 'to do' list before leaving, all in order to get ready for this next project - Advance Week!

In addition to playing 'catch-up', I was desperately trying to fit in as many running workouts as possible to get my legs up to speed. I definitely didn't want a 're-run' of the last time I came to Advance Week (2 yrs ago), where I paid the price for not having 'running legs' under me...

An early morning run with the crew to make sure I was good and stiff before hopping on my flight to Marseille. The 'Harrier' crew seen here taking in the scenery on top of the Highline - Overnight flurries left the Rockies covered in a dusting of the white stuff.

Not much to see here...I thought I would see much more snow on the ground in the South of France as the entire region was hit by a 40+cm snowfall earlier in the week!

Flight Crew member Jen Segger catching a few Z's in transit to Bedoin. Upon arrival to Marseille, we hooked up with Camille, Advance Week organizer, as well as Didier and Christine of Reunion Island...

Don't know where Reunion is? Thought I'd save you the research...Don't worry, I didn't know either.

The final pit stop of this very long day - Mt Ventoux in the background - site of many Tour de France finishes. If the legs hold up, I'll get to run up this sucker a few times this week...Can't wait.

All in all, despite being very tired, I'm excited to be here. A few of us are plugging away at our laptops trying to sneak in a post before dinner - mine is taking forever. Most of the runners have arrived at the hotel - A few more are still to come...Tomorrow kicks off with product testing at 8am.

I'm tired.

PV Relocation Program

2010-02-12T23:51:00.001-08:00

It's busy here...so I'm moving.

Actually, I've already moved - more like relocated for the next few weeks...to Whistler for the 2010 Winter Olympics Games (yes, I'm excited a bit).

I'm doing my usual day-by-day behind the scenes ramble on my 'other' blog...Salomon Nordic News - Yes, I know, it's been a bit static lately, but I'm getting ready to give a 16-day blogathon so I had to rest!

Enough chit chat...See you on the flip side!

Its' Time for a Night Run!

2010-02-01T22:07:00.000-08:00

So in the end, I caved and registered for this big scary Death Race...Figured I'd better start running.

I've never spent much time running in the winter before...Most winters, I ski - period. The main reason for not running has more to do with a healing process which I kind of need due to the heavy pounding my body takes in the summer. I've always had issues with my biomechanics, leaving my body screaming for a break by the time winter comes - so I listen to it. The winter break gives a chance for my bones, tendons and ligaments to heal, and by springtime, I'm ready to go.

For the most part, I find winter running to be very restrictive - there's nowhere to run! The road? There is no way I'm going to run on the road - not gonna happen. I know, I know...most of you year-round runners are saying: "What wrong with the road?" Well, it's flat, it's hard, and boring. Did you read the above? Well, read it again...and read between the lines...'bone on bone'...not good for Philly's knees - and the pavement doesn't get any softer in the winter either! "Why don't you try snowshoeing?" Uh...not gonna happen either. I've tried it, it's ok. It's kinda like snowboarding...I tried it - I didn't like it (don't take this personally, but it's just not my 'thing').

So anyways, back to winter running...Lucky for me, Canmore hasn't had much snow this year so I've been running on the high traffic trails about 3 to 4 times/week (or whenever I can), just trying to get the legs turning and skip that painful ski-to-run transition when the dirt turns to mud in the spring. Last winter, I bought myself a wicked AY-UP headlamp, making running (or skiing) at night a dream - What a difference! I've actually been looking forward to training at night just so I can use the headlamp - it's super light, and almost as bright as Big Blue's high beams, lasting over 7hrs!

If you've never run single-track at night, it's time to give it a try...I find it incredibly exhilarating. The terrain is never the same, like a new trail every run! Your focus is 100% on the 'beam' of light in front of you. Your legs and body give the illusion of running at warp speeds, your adrenaline surges through your body, most of it fed from the complete darkness around you. You dodge branches, cruise on the flats, and put all of your trust in your SpeedCross' to hold on to the sharp corners or steep descents...The cold dry snow grips well. You stop...You see your body heat rise. Your breath becomes visible in the light's glow...You look around deep in the forest. You spot two glowing eyes peering at you motionless...

You start running...faster now.

You stop to look back...and see nothing. You take a deep breath and start running again.

Time to go home.

Death Race: To Run...or Not To Run

2010-01-07T20:31:00.000-08:00

I've been having this recurring (bad) dream that I entered myself into the 2010 Death Race...125km of pain - that's all I can think about.

The photo above sort of describes how I think I would feel...On this particular day, my trail running partner in crime - head-injury Bob - and I underestimated the loop we had planned out, turned out to be an 8hr + day. Bob snapped off this shot after 7hrs of running. Ugh-

The distance itself doesn't really scare me...it's the pain my bones will feel from pounding the ground...The longest distances I've run have all been in the 8 to 9hr mark. I've probably done this distance half a dozen times in the past few years - but another 5 to 6hrs on top of this is hard to imagine.

The other factor on my mind is would I be able to recover in time for TR which takes place only 3 weeks later...hmmm.

If you've got any worthy words of wisdom, fire away...

PV Year Review

2009-12-27T20:16:00.000-08:00

Deja vu...

It seems like I've been packing (and unpacking) lots over the past year. Actually, most of the time I barely unpack - I simply wash the dirty contents of my duffel leaving the 'unused' portion for my next departure only a few days away...I'm not kidding.

I thought it would be interesting to put down a few highlights of this past year to see if it really was as busy as I thought it was. So here it goes, in no particular order...A few random digits a la PV:

Number of flights within Canada (round trip): 12

Number of flights across the border: 2

Number of flights across the pond: 1

Number of missed flights due to a lost passport: 1
Number of lost bags in transit: none
Kms driving: too many to count

Furthest drive for a trail run: Whistler, BC (10hrs)

Biggest detour due to road closures (avalanche): Road closures in Golden and Salmo, forced me South where further closures forced me to detour through the Idaho-US to get to Kelowna for an on-snow demo day. Managed to pass through customs without a passport and a truck full of ski gear - Drove all night and arrived on-time at 9am at the Telemark Ski Club.

Speeding tickets: Luckily...only 1 ($175)
Parking tickets: 1 (I'm more irritated about this one...$45)
Real Estate: Bought my first rental property in Calgary
Number of ski marathons last winter: 6

Prize for 2nd place at the Rock and Ice Ultra: handshake... (1st place was a diamond)

Finished a 12hr Adventure Race in 12h30min...

Number of trail running shoes I have on rotation: 8 pairs

Number of trail races I completed: many
Number of road race I entered: none
Number of sport related injuries: 4

Number of non-sport related injuries: none

Most number of nights at home/month: 22 nights (May, June and October)

Least number of nights at home/month: 7 nights (December)
Number of months where I skied on snow: 9
Number of days surfing: 12 (definitely not enough!)
Number of Work related Sales Meetings: 5
Number of events organized: 4
And finally....Number of blog posts this year: 49 (including this one)

This is all I could think of off the top of my head - I'm sure there are countless other numbers floating around that would put an entire different spin on this year...Busy? Damn rights it's been busy...But no matter how I read the numbers...It's been an amazing year.

I can't wait for next year...

New: Salomon Nordic News Blog

2009-12-09T00:17:00.000-08:00

I figured it was time to find a new little project...

So I've decided to kick off another blog! Yeah, like I needed more work- Regardless, I figured that now (1:22am on Dec 8th, 2009) would be as good a time as any to launch the 'Salomon Nordic News' site - which will feature some up-to-date results, product news, team news, and little tidbits on the Salomon Nordic world - Got a question? Got an comment or concern with our product (this could be fun...) Well, go ahead - simply fire away, and I'll do my best to answer it for you!

In the lead-up to the Olympic Games, I'll do my best to provide as much interesting content as possible, and give you some fun 'behind the scenes' look into the Salomon product line - Want to know what Ivan Babikov will be having for breakfast in his Canadian Olympic debut? Want to know the difference between the skis you buy in stores and the ones our top racers our winning on? Now wouldn't that be interesting...Well - You'll just have to tune-in to find out!

Until then - thanks for following!