Last post before the BIG DAY!
So I haven’t been as stellar as I thought I was going to be about posting about my Squamish 50 training; but now that it is only 3 days away, I felt that I should try to write one last training post. Last Saturday we successfully summitted Welch Peak, in the Cheam Range of B.C., and it turned out to have the most sustained exposure I have had on a scramble to date. After a success like that I was feeling great. I really thought I would be up for one last long-ish run on Sunday, but my quads ended up being surprisingly sore and I was feeling more fatigued that I expected. It might have something to do with the fact that Saturday ended up being a 20 hour day. We were up at 5am at our camp on the logging road and didn’t get back home that day until 2am! I woke up the next day with full intention of running but it ended up being an R&R day instead. In all honesty I am glad that I took the day to give my legs a break. However Monday came and I knew this would be my last chance to a long run in before the race. So I got home from work, geared up and headed out. I knew I wanted to get at least 18km in, but my legs felt like lead from the start…”this is not going to be a fun run”, I thought to myself. My quads were still, surprisingly, feeling the effects from Saturday. But if there is one thing I have come to tell myself during the last 6 months is that any pain or discomfort I feel during training is nothing compared to what I will have to push through on race day…just keep moving! Then to top it all off, I started to feel some GI irritability, which is really strange for me. At that point I just wanted to get the run done. So 19.4km later I was at my front door, stretching and feeling the effects of making a few rookie mistakes during that run. First of all, all I had for lunch was a large salad, which means a lot of fiber sitting in my system. Next mistake, only drinking water on my run when it was hot and I was sweating like a sinner in church. I am a pretty salty sweater and I think this run really put my electrolyte balance out of wack. I was sick to my stomach, extremely fatigued and stiill experiencing GI discomfort. Geez…I should know better!! So it was an evening...
Good Days and Bad Days
So I should be stretching right now, but I wanted to write up a quick post while I am still sweaty and still feeling the sting of being slightly frustrated during my run. That’s right, today was one of those days with running. I think it’s important to talk about the not so great days, because it gives me focus to see what I can work on and helps me to remember that I am just human after all. There is usually a reason for the bad run - not hydrating properly, not eating adequately or eating at the wrong time, not getting a good nights sleep, along with a whole myriad of other reasons. However, the reason I bring this up is not to highlight the fact that if you run long enough you will experience those bad days, but to highlight the mental consequences of these runs. When all we look at is the achievements of other people it can be very inspiring; but it makes it hard to understand the process both physically and mentally of getting to that state. Which is why it is valuable to share when everything doesn’t just fall into place. This helps us to analyze the process, stop trying to explain away the poor performance and really learn from the mistakes which in turn makes us a better runner. Sometimes there is simply no reason for a bad run, other than the fact that it was bad run. I stopped trying to convince myself that running is always fun, it’s not. I stopped trying to convince myself that running should be easy, it’s not. That’s right, I said it. You are going to have the days where you don’t feel like running, where you don’t meet the distance you set out to or when you stop midway in a run and just turn home. But it’s ok! We are all living bodies and we are not some machine that can be turned on and off when required to work. It’s just a part of life and we are all subject to life’s little hiccups, it’s what keeps it interesting. Part way through my run today, I was feeling tired, my legs were heavy as lead and was I frustrated I couldn’t run up the hill that only last week I flew up. I closed my eyes, took a few deep breaths and reminded myself where I was. Opening my eyes I could see the sun stream through the giant pine and cedar trees, lighting up the ferns blanketing the ground below, the sweet scent of summer leaves in the air. I could...
My 3 Day Food Cleanse Experience
I recently started a new job working for an organic grocery delivery company. As someone who tries to be as active as possible and has a goal of running a 50km trail race this summer, I focus a lot on how I fuel my body, so organics seemed right up my alley as I truly believe in clean, natural sustainable produce as the best form of food. Fast forward to 1 month in at the new job and there was discussion at work about doing an office cleanse. I have never actually done a cleanse before and was intrigued at the thought of it. In the past I have read articles about cleansing and discovered that a lot of people spoke of a clarity of mind and intense focus that came as a result of doing a cleanse; this interested me enough to want to give it a try. However, I knew that I couldn’t do it for long as I didn’t want it to interfere with my training…I can’t run without food in my body! After talking it over at work we decided that we would all choose the cleanse of our choice, I opted for a 3 day juice cleanse. I made sure to research to ensure I was doing it right, such as drinking alkaline juices in the morning/evening and a juice with a higher sugar content in the afternoon. Recently my other half and I have been adding veggie juices almost daily to our diet (partly motivated from watching the documentary Fat Sick & Nealy Dead) so the thought of juicing wasn’t new to me; but could I do it for 3 days straight, that was the question. Here is a quick look back at how I did over those 3 days. Day 1: As a 1 cup a day coffee drinker it was a bit tough to start the day without a coffee and it was a Monday as well *ugh*. As I read when researching for the cleanse, a cup of hot water with lemon is a great way to stimulate the digestive system, flush toxins and re-hydrate you after an 8 hour night of fasting; so this is how I decided to start my morning. To be honest I actually felt a little bit queasy after this drink, but went ahead with making myself a morning juice. I was making a juice with mint so hoped it would settle my stomach a bit. Mighty Mint Juice 1 Lemon 1/4 Cucumber 1 Handful Chard 0r Spinach 1 Bunch Mint 1/2 Apple I left for work not feeling too bad, but my head...
The slippery slope to becoming “those kind of people”
We’re those kind of people now aren’t we? Spring said this as we sat down to watch a nature documentary and drink a liter of some kale, ginger, beet and other various fruits and vegetables concoction she had made with our extremely expensive masticating juicer. We’d just spent the weekend Skiing, Rock Climbing, Mountain Biking, Trail Running and felt a little anxious that we hadn’t crammed in more to do. Our spare bedroom has never seen a bed since we moved in, we have racks of our gear strewn about the place in various states of being dried out, aired out, packed or unpacked. We haven’t bought a piece of non-technical clothing in years. It doesn’t matter what garish color it comes in, if it wicks sweat and is quick drying, or has a high heat retention to weight ratio I’m sold. In fact, the more obnoxiously colored the better. I buy my clothes now based primarily on the assumption that I want a search and rescue helicopter to be able to see me better if I have an accident deep in the wilderness. Yup, we’ve become “Outdoorsy!” I used to hate people like me. They made me feel lazy. I’d go play soccer on a Sunday and as I was making my way home from my one bout of aerobic exercise for the week I’d see that guy. That guy who I’d see biking on a Tuesday, running on a Wednesday, carrying a tennis racket on a Thursday. I hated him. How did he have that kind of energy? Like everything, our progression has been a slow process. I’ve heard others say to us: “Wow! You guys are progressing quickly” but to us it feels like we are moving at a snails pace. I guess because we can see each link in the chain it feels slower, like the adage “a watched pot never boils”. We just try to learn something new each time we do something we love outdoors. Our “comfort zone” is something we actively try to find ways to get outside of. Without even noticing it, through doing this, we’ve completely overwritten our past way of life. When I used to see “Outdoorsy” folk and overhear them talking about chia seeds or a new Hot Yoga class they were attending and how strenuous their coming weekend was and how excited for it they were I always thought: “How do people become such a cliché? I mean don’t they see it happening?” Well, as a recent convert I can enthusiastically say, “no, we did not, until now”. It’s only in retrospect that I can see the process. Like dominoes toppling...
Chivalry in the Mountains
This post may ruffle a few feathers but it’s written with the intent to start a conversation rather than create an argument. I want to be very clear from the outset that I’m not saying people shouldn’t be chivalrous. I am saying that a male should be equally chivalrous to other males as well as females when it comes to being in the Mountains. The Modern Western male is all about gender equality. However, some men still make caveats to this equality. They feel it is necessary to hold on to the old gender roles that they tell themselves “benefit Women”, we like to call this “Chivalry” or “Gallantry”. You might say that if it isn’t hurting anyone then why stop? The male wants to do it and the female appreciates the kindness and attention. In a normal social context I’d wholeheartedly agree. Facing the elements and risking your life in the mountains is not a normal social context however. The problem is that in an arena (eg. Mountaineering, Climbing) were a female needs to be equal to a male not only socially, but mentally and physically it does hurt them. It stunts their progress. Progress a male easily makes because nobody is trying to be “nice” to them and inadvertently holding them back. My wife, Spring, is strong. She can run farther and faster than me. Carries a greater percentage of her body weight than me on her back when backpacking and rarely complains about the cold even though, as a female, she feels it more than males. But, even though she has all of these qualities, she frequently confides in me that she doesn’t want to feel like she is a “burden” on the male members of our groups. I often questioned why I don’t feel this way. If I’m slower than some in the group I accept it. If I’m faster I make allowances for those that are slower. I carry my share of the weight and look after myself. Why would Spring feel she could be a burden on the males in the group? Then I seen it. At times some males in groups we would be in would offer to assist or help Spring way more than they’d offer to help other males (even the ones that appeared slower or weaker than her). When we’d take turns carrying our ropes up a mountain some males would insist that Spring should not have to carry it. Now, I know all of these males meant well and our society has brought men up to feel they need to be like this to be a “Gentleman”, and, like I said, in a purely...
Look how far you have come!
“Every pro was once an amateur. Every expert was once a beginner. So dream big and start now.” - Robin Sharma Sometimes it’s good to look back at the point you started from to appreciate where you are now. The other day on my long run I was thinking back to where I was, in regards to fitness and running, about 4 years ago. Back then I couldn’t even run 1 mile without stopping several times. Even 10-15 minutes of constant running felt like such a challenge. Running a marathon had not even crossed my mind and to be honest would have seemed like a pretty crazy idea at the time. Fast forward to today and I am running hours non-stop as part of a training program that will hopefully have me running 50km this August. Everybody starts at the beginning. This is so important to remember. When decided to get back into running I discovered a lot about myself and hit a few personal roadblocks on the way. Several runs ended in tears of frustration and utter disappointment in myself. All I could think about was why couldn’t I run faster, better, longer? I was pushing my body to try to do something I had not taken the time to train it to do and I was getting angry at myself in the process. “Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.” - John Acuff Today, I am happy to say that I have mellowed out quite a lot in my expectations of myself (notice I didn’t say completely mellowed out, of course I still have self doubting moments). Time (and inevitably getting older in the process), I believe, has a lot to do with this mellowing process. My focus has shifted from trying to be fast for the sake of being fast, to asking myself what I get out of running. Now it is more about the joy that it gives me, the personal satisfaction I feel and the feeling of solitude and freedom. “Set goals you can achieve, and do not fear walking or simply taking a day off from the sport if you feel you need a mental or physical break. Even at the top of my racing form, I walk steep uphills and take 5 minutes during a long run to enjoy the view atop a hill.” - Ultrarunner Nikki Kimball I have slowly discovered how to get my body to do things that I never would have imagined possible just a few short years ago. All it takes is time and a lot of effort! Never stop because you feel like you can’t...
