A Good Loop

I posted earlier about my 1/2 Tour de Cochrane on my bike. You can see that post here. Well my goal is to get that under 1 hour and I almost did. Last Saturday I headed out and biked it in 1:06:51. Data can be found here. It apparently took me only 914 calories to do. Mmmm, cheeseburger. Many of them :-)

This morning, being a Crossfit morning, we decided to head out for a run. I tend to follow the Marathon 250 blog, the fellow who is attempting to run 250 marathons this year. Well I noticed that he recently did the Retreat Road loop during one of his marathons. I knew there was a road there, but I did not know you could run it. So Mike and I did the loop.

Data can be found here. It is mostly gravel roads and tarmac, but at the end, it is an absolutely thrilling downhill as you run through the trees back to the cemetery. So much fun! I would have loved to have taken photos, but someone forgot their camera at someone else’s house. Ahem, missy :-)

Mike challenged me to enter the Crossfit games next year. In return, he is going to run the Powderface42 marathon next year. A good challenge. Crossfit will probably beat me up, but the full marathon at Powderface will be even more fun. I ran the half this past July, so the full should be even more fun!

Not too many photos to post today, but I will add a few from my trip last Spring to Yellowknife. Ahhh, memories.

Bullocks Bistro. Best fish I have ever had. Talk on your cell phone and they throw it in the deep fryer.

Flying over the old mines. So beautiful.

  Ice road to Detah. I just loved hiking around the on the lake. I was out till 930 at night and the sun stayed up the whole time! I love the north!

  Flying over Ft. Simpson along the McKenzie River. The closest I have ever been to the Nahanni. Someday Lorne, someday…

Bought me some snowshoes up there. Too bad when I got home all the snow was melted.

That’s all for now!

:-)

The Hunt Begins

So winter is coming up on us. Much to the dismay of others, but I for one delight in the arrival of winter. I love the cold. I love the snow. I love the perfectly clear nights. Nothing on earth can compare to a good winter. And the best part of all, when I’m done frolicking in the cold, there is a nice warm house and good of cup of tea waiting to warm me up. Ahhhhh…..

Manitobah Mukluks. Made in Winnipeg. Priced for New York.

Anyway, the hunt I am is not for animals nor things like that, but for a way to continue barefoot running in the sub zero temperatures, even all the way down to –40!!! I know, it sounds crazy, but those who know me know my love of winter. And being one who loves winter AND running, I would like to combine the two. Now I know if would foolishness to head out in sub zero temperatures in VFFs, so I am going for the next best thing; mukluks.

Redvers Mukluk. Made in Saskatchewan. Made of suede.

The natives have used them for centuries up north and all over North America, so why not me? They are perfectly made to run and hunt in the winters while keeping the feet warm in cold temperatures. The problem nowadays, however, is the fact that mukluks are made as a fashion accessory and therefore not very practical for taking a beating on the trails. Not to mention the price! Yikes!!! $300 to $400 for mukluks! Crazy! So I am hunting for mukluks, and if anyone who reads this blog (all 4 of you!) knows of mukluk retailers, let me know! I would love to keep up my barefoot running in winter. Trail running shoes and boots are out of the question.

Tecumseh Mukluk. Made in Calgary, I believe. Non-existent store-front (I think), and they too look like suede.

The mukluks need the following:

-soft, flexible sole

-full lacing up the calf

-wool lined

-moosehide or equivalent. No suede as it’s not durable and no canvas as it does not breathe

-some aspect of coolness, but this isn’t important.

I would even consider making my own pair if it came to it. Leather is easy to come by, and a needle and thread could probably go a long way. I’m trying to preserve my love of running and winter, both of which will never fade.

:-)

Le 1/2 Tour de Cochrane ala Bike in the AM before work cause it’s awesome to do yay!

Catchy title huh? I like it. It pretty much sums up my Thursday morning ride. Now that K country is swarming with bears and they are getting ready for hibernation, I figure it’s best to not to solo it in the morning. So out the front door I go to see what I can get done in the morning before work.

GPS data can be found here.

Exactly 22 km, so just over a half-marathon. Hmmm, to run this in under 2 hours would be a good accomplishment. I’ll try once the gash in my foot is healed.

The neighbourhood sleeps while Lorne prepares for his ride.

  In the dawn, there is light breaking the horizon, but barely enough to make out the surroundings.

Looking west, towards my beloved mountains. I know they’re out there somewhere.

Within minutes from the last photo, dawn is upon me and now I can see my surroundings.

At the southmost part of my ride, the sun is preparing it’s triumphant entry into a beautiful morning.

At the northmost point of my ride, the sun is up and the town awakens.

  My beloved mountains and homey cows. Good morning good ladies.

Within 10 minutes I would be home and getting ready to go to work. *sigh*…

I ride because I love to ride. It is a means into itself. No goals, no reasons, no motives. For the sake of moving, I suppose. Same goes for running. Just to feel the earth beneath my feet and the wind on my face. I’m in the right place!

:-)

Crossfit Wednesdays

This post was supposed to written yesterday, but my lunch involved eating about 2 pounds of lasagne at Van Gogh’s in Calgary. Highly recommended.
Anyway, to offset that energy intake, I do more than just run and bike. Once a week, I do Crossfit workouts. I met the owner of Crossfit when I first moved to Cochrane and before he even started the club when he was teaching spin classes at a local fitness facility. Push came to shove, and eventually he started Crossfit Cochrane and wanted someone to do workouts with (or with whom to do workouts). There actually was no pushing or shoving, I’m just being weird.
So yeah, here I am, putting out a shout out to the Crossfit club in Cochrane.

Generally, Crossfit clubs are usually garage-type gyms. None of that fancy stuff you see in other clubs. I like that.

The club is complete with squat racks, kettlebells, jump boxes, kids play area (nice touch M)…

…sledgehammers (still trying to figure out how to apply those to my workout), big overhead door…

  …rowing machines (gack!), medicine balls, climbing rope, chin up bars and rings. Notice that there are no mirrors in the gym? It makes you concentrate on your form rather than watch it. What a difference that makes! It’s weird to use mirrors after not using them.

  Owner M attempting a very heavy squat.

Good form! That’s 255lbs me thinks. We were trying to find our 1RM squat.

If you want to find out more about Crossfit, check out M’s site. I was intimidated by Crossfit at first, thinking that it is just hardcore-lift-until-you-die type workouts, but it’s not. Sure there are some that do that, but the exercises are very functional and very effective for everyday living. Under the right guidance and with proper technique, form and progression, it is a very effective workout style. I like it. M likes it. You may like it. Dunno who I’m talking to.

:-)

Run Guinea Pig, Run!

I am a product tester / guinea pig for Garmin products in Cochrane. Since March 2009, I have been going 1-2 times per week to the Spray Lakes Sawmill Track to run laps and do what they need me to do. So today was my first day back to it after a few months break from it.

Today, the run involved 4 x 1 lap walks, 4 x 2 lap jogs & 4 x 1 lap runs. Run a lap, stop, push some buttons, repeat. It’s inconsistent intervals, but I don’t mind. I found out my 1 lap running pace is well below the 3:00/km (fastest was 2:44/km) and my average jogging pace is 4:30/km. If I can get that jogging pace under 4:00, I’ll be able to try for my sub 20 minute 5km run. 

Run data can be found here.

This is the track. The outer lane is 232m long per lap. Not sure what the inner lanes are cause I never use them. So it comes out to 4.3 laps per kilometre and 21.5 laps per 5 km.

It is a fantastic facility as it has a gymnasium…

…windows to the outside where I like to be…

  …an indoor soccer field, also used for lacrosse I believe…

…and a gymnastics center. Often there are young kids there being taught gymnastics and it is so cute to see.

So the payoff for all this running that I do for them? I get free Garmin gear. Anything that sports the Garmin logo I can get after certain amounts of running.

I have also spent time in the pool testing stuff there and much running outside. Sometimes, I’ve got 4 or 5 watches on while I run, plus foot pods duct taped to my feet and ankles. I do really enjoy it as it keeps me involved with running and gives me days where my focus shifts from getting through a run to gathering data. Right now, I’ve got a watch that I need to wear for the next week as it collects data all throughout the day. Maybe they’re spying on me, maybe not. I’ll never know.

There is one older gentleman who is always walking at the track when I am there. Today he looked at me and said “Wow, you sure are tall. You must be REALLY good at basketball.” I told him I am probably the worst basketball player ever. He replies, “Well, then you must run like hell.” The guy who conducts the testing then says: “He sure does.” Made me smile.

:-)

Attempt and a PR

This morning I thought it would be great to go and run the Big Hill Spring Trail, only 10 minutes from my place. My wife and I (and our kiddo too) walked it a week or so ago and I thought it would make a good loop for technical running as there are roots, rocks and some inclines to deal with.

Off I went at 530am… in the pitch black… Usually, dawn starts just before 6am, but as August crawls on, dawn is slipping past the 6am mark into more of a 7am type. With low cloud cover, I got to the parking lot and there was just a hint of dark blue in the sky. I started the run, ran/walked for about 5 minutes then realized I was dumb for trying.

First of all, I didn’t have a bell, and I guess there is always a chance of bears being in the area, especially if they know delicious joggers are there. So that’s the first problem.

BUY ONE OF THESE MISTER! $1.75 from MEC.

Second of all, it was dark, and I had no headlamp. As much as I would like super night vision, dawn brings about weird tricks on the corneas. That’s the second problem.

One of these would be good too, $80 MEC.

Thirdly, roots. Lots of roots and rocks. In VFF’s, that can lead to stubbed toes / slips and falls. So after pussyfooting for a few minutes, it was best to head back to town and try out for a 5km test run. Not much I can buy to prevent stubbed toes, except “normal” runners, but that is a discussion I will not have for today (if ever).

Roots… lots of roots.

I drove back in to town and the light was becoming more and more. By the time I started my run, it was light enough to see everything well. I wanted a new PR for my 5km (currently 23:something), so I headed down to the river paths, which are flat and happily non-rooty, and gave it my best.

Run data can be found here.

YES!!! A new personal record for the 5 km. 22:47! Pretty decent too as I haven’t trained at all for a 5k pace in, well, a LONG time! I’m hoping to get under 20 minutes, and not on a track, but on trails. Soon enough!

So after yesterday’s trail run and various other escapades that I have done, and not to mention conversations with Barefoot Neil, I’ve added an item to my want list. It is called a Contour HD, and it is a one-button HD camcorder that you can wear! Great for motorcycling, paddling, snowboarding (when I do), running, biking, etc… And at $299, it’s actually a decent price!

With Christmas only 116 days until Christmas, this is on my wishlist. That is only $2.57 a day, or Tim’s coffee (which I don’t drink but you may) per day. Also on that wishlist is a rugged camera for photos. My camera is GREAT outdoor photo quality, but when it comes to where I go, it tends to get wet and dropped and beat up and scratched and dropped again and dropped again. So I’ll have to do research on a decent rugged camera. I’m sure they’re out there.

:-)

Just How Hardcore are you feeling?

That was the first question I asked N after we exchanged formalities when I met him this morning for his inaugural trail run in the Powderface parking lot. It was the first time I’ve met N after chatting back and forth on Facebook and Blogger, and now I have found a barefooted cold weather kindred spirit runner.
“Well, I like to run in minus 35 degree weather, so I’m good to go!” was his answer.
That was all I needed as persuasion to start our cold, wet and absolutely unforgettable run on Prairie Link Trail this morning. The forecast called for drizzle and cold and drizzle and cold is what we got.
GPS data can be found here.
The drive out to Prairie Link Trail in Kananaskis. Rainy, chilly, wet, and snow at higher elevations. But the adrenaline was surging and I was hoping N was still up for the run.
Obviously he was up for the run, so we headed up the steep initial section of the trail.
N showed up decked out in KSO’s and black ninja pants, injinji socks, gloves, toque, rain gear, etc… I showed up in smartwool, polar fleece and shorts and VFF Sprints. He took one look at me and said I was crazy (or something along those lines). Regardless, barefoot runners tend to get that a lot.
As my initial drive in to the Kananaskis forecasted, higher elevations turned rain in to snow. No big deal though as running kept me warm and the cool air kept my adrenaline surging throughout this run. The part I love about barefoot running is that in cold weather the initial 5 minutes are cold on your feet, but since all the muscles in your feet are being used while running, your feet warm up and stay warm thereafter. It’s an amazing feeling, weird as that sounds.
Well armed with bear spray, bells and a realistic dose of caution, we tried to avoid the great hooved grizzlies of the area. Telltale signs of their presence were obvious.
There was one unmistakable tree on the path that I’m sure everyone stops to look at. N saw it as a stripper pole, I saw it as a seat (see below).
Comfy nature seat? I think not! More like upside-down question mark!
At the high point of the trail. I think elevation gain was 275 meters (900 feet or so).
See, elevation of 5857 ft, although that does not prove that the parking lot is 900 feet below.
N let out a couple of WOOP WOOP’s on this downhill section. You can also see that the snowfall picked up at the higher elevation.
I rode this trail a few years ago on my mountain bike, and this used to be a creek fording. Now they’ve built a bridge. The old path was still there which fords the creek (to the left), which we did.
Look at this guy. Running through a creek AND taking photos of his feet. You can tell he’s proud to be a barefoot runner!
Post fording foot shots. Look, they’re wet! Even with shoes, they would still be wet! But alas, we are not wearing shoes, we are wearing VFF’s. So proud to be wearing them.
Again, the advantage to outings with other people! Not only can I see photos of myself, I can also analyze my form and running gait. I think it looks pretty good!
The great part about running with other people is you can get some great shots of them in action. Good form N! Figure 4’s!
Ah, kindred spirits, both in running and in footwear :-) My squirrel friend who works for cashews and happens to be on every outing with me took this photo.
N couldn’t resist this VFF shot. Probably going to end up on their FB fansite.
More barefoot running technique. Figure 4’s!
This is such a fantastic trail, and I recommend it to anyone and EVERYone who likes being outdoors. The views are fantastic and the scenery is incredible, even with the low clouds, snowfall and greasy mud!
Coming out of the trail on to the main highway. The last time I was here I was halfway through my half marathon! This was the end of the run for us today, and it deserved a well earned high five!
Not sure if I will or N will post it, but this is post-run VFF shot for the Facebook fansite. Their site has many of these shots, each one telling a story of the individual’s own escapades in their 5’s!
All in all, a fantastic run! The cold weather keeps you moving while at the same time slows dehydration and keeps the adrenaline surging! At the same time, I felt I could have run for hours, and I think I owe that to the spirit that N brought along with him on this run. This was N’s first trail run (and hopefully not his last), and I was happy to lead him on it! If anyone is ever out in K-country and needs someone to hit the trails with (or with WHOM to hit the trails), look me up and I’ll be there!
:-)