I have never been one to really think things through. I like the spontaneity that life can throw at you, forcing you to take up juggling in the spur of the moment. Yet I'm not a fan of juggling because it makes me think of clowns, and if you're part of the human race, you can only agree that clowns are fucked up. This year however, I seemed to gain an ounce or two of common sense. Through both injury and race decisions, it's like I became an adult, making responsible choices.
This was the year I was determined to work on my uphill. Fellow runners kept telling me to start tackling Mountain Highway. Why would anyone suggest this? It is the most godawful boring section on the North Shore. I mean, Fisherman's Trail is more exciting and that's not saying much. I get it, it's runnable. But when you already dread going uphill and your mind automatically tells you "Hill. Stop. Walk." when you come to a climb, the last thing you want to practice on is a boring fire road that winds up a mountain with no view. Sure, it goes on forever, which means you can get in ample climbing time, but...it goes on FOREVER. I don't necessarily need to like something to do it. But I'm way more likely to WANT to do it if it's going to be somewhat enjoyable. Enter Good Sir Martin. I kind of accidentally on purpose stumbled upon this trail one morning. And like usual, my mind said "Hill. Must walk." When a couple ran by me part way up I shook my head. But it was immediately followed with a wondering, 'Huh...actually..." Of course I kept hiking up, anticipating getting to the top so I could turn around and fly back down. But I made a rule with myself that the next time I climbed it, I would run the whole way. And one week later I did. No matter how slow I needed to go, I wanted to keep that running motion going. I had 2 MTB'ers in front of me and just kept them in sight the entire way up. At the top, bent over trying to catch my breath, I was giddy. If I can run that, then why in the world can't I run other hills? So began my short love affair with uphill running. 9 days later, still excited to climb, I did some hill repeating in the UBC trails. Once again, I ran up each hill with not one ounce of my usual negativity or rests. It felt awesome. The next day, I woke up with foot pain that lasted a full week. The following week, after a Halloween adventure that went sideways, I rested for two weeks before the WRM Anniversary Run. With only a slight stretching pull coming down Griffin, I didn't give it much thought. So began a 3 month hiatus from trail running. And a 4 month dysfunctional relationship with Plantar Fasciitis.
After a lot of masochistic bruising by my PT and the evil stick, I'm on the mend. I told my PT that I needed to be running consistently by April 1st in order to be confident for Squamish 50/50. I thought that was plenty of time, but now I'm not so sure. I need to know by April 30th whether or not Squamish is feasible. Training begins April 11th, and as it stands right now, I won't be lining up in August. But I have two months for that to change. I would rather live with the attitude that it's not going to happen but still have that glimmer of hope, than to be constantly worrying in the next 61 days as to whether or not I'll have to drop. If I'm so focused on the can I or can't I, it's going to take the fun out of running. And there's nothing worse than your passion becoming monotonous worrisome work. There will be no official decision until April 30th, but as it stands, Squamish is a no go. Knee Knacker however is a full on go go go! Even if worse case scenario pops its ugly head and I can't fully train, I know I can wing a 50 km, but I can't wing a 130 km weekend. It may not be pretty, and my original goal of finishing with any time that starts with an 8 could go out the window. But that's worse case and not my focus. It's about getting out there and having fun. It's about experiencing the camaraderie that is our trail community. And most importantly, it's about enjoying yourself.
And it's also about raising some funds for North Shore Search and Rescue Team. This is the 4th year that I've been fundraising for them with my racing. For me, there is no greater cause. Every time I set foot in the trails, they have my back. The least I can do is step up and try to have theirs. I am currently $1,605 away from raising $10,000 over the past 4 years which blows my mind. These volunteers are my superheroes. They sacrifice their family time, their regular jobs, and their personal lives in order to rescue us when we get hurt, when we get lost, or when we pull a dumbass move and go out unprepared without looking at a clock and thinking that maybe, just maybe, the sun will set today and it'll get dark. They come out on race day for the Knee Knacker and give back to our community. They marshal us across the roads, they load us up at aid stations, they sweep the course, and they're on hand from start to finish with medical aid. Again, they give back to us. The least we can do is give back to them and go out prepared with the TEN ESSENTIALS.
Now that I have made the tentative decision to pull out of Squamish, it's like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I'm making plans for some shorter spring races, not only to get back out there, but to represent NUUN. If you had told me in the past few years that there was a company out there that would back slow runners, my abs would still be hurting from the laughter. This year I thought, what the heck, give it a shot. Be your modest, shy self HA! and maybe, just maybe, you'll get chosen. I applied and here I am, part of Team Nuun 2016. I have always been very loyal to brands I love. This is a product that I have been using for hydration for the past 3 years. Over the last few years I've given other products a shot, but I always go back to Nuun. It works for me. Mixing the flavours to come up with a new combo is like walking into 7-11 and mixing up the Big Gulp flavours. Will it work? Is this the combo I'll drink forever? Kona Cola + Orange is my combo until the day I run out of the sadly discontinued Kona Cola. I'm currently hoarding it, and restocking with whatever I find on shelves. But there will come a day when I get to play the flavour game again. I love having my hydration separate from my fuel. I've tried products that combine the two and I'm always hungry. NUUN lets me eat my bacon wrapped dates without having to do any math to account for my hydration. Who the heck wants to crunch numbers on the trails? And for those who already crunch numbers with pace/heart rate/mileage, do you really want to add one more thing to the mix? Wouldn't you rather just think about mixing grape and orange and seeing what happens? Be spontaneous! And now there's an even better new formula for their products! The electrolyte profile has NOT changed. There are still minimal calories, which means you don't have to keep pulling out your hair trying to do math 8 hours into a run. NUUN is now using plant based sweeteners. It is gluten free and vegan for all you hipsters out there...and for those who actually have to be gluten free or vegan ;) On top of all that, the coolio tubes it comes in are waterproof and awesome for storing snacks, batteries, laundry money, candy...and they're super colourful like a rainbow of hydration. Plus, hello Nuuntinis! Think about it, you make a Tequila Sunrise Nuunmosa, you're getting hydrated while boozing it up. Puts you one step ahead of everyone else so you can mock their hangover in the morning. This has been a match made in heaven so far, and now they promote boozy cocktails with their products? What can't Nuun do?
Since being included in this awesome family, I have been blown away by the support of not only the awesome people working at NUUN, but all my fellow Teammates. There is so much joy for everybody's accomplishments, whether you finish on the podium or dead fucking last. Whether you run 5 km's or 100 milers, whether you're training for an Ironman or competing in the Olympic marathon trials, the enthusiasm for each individual is equal. I am so excited to be a part of this awesome team this year. And if you're looking for Kona Cola, apologies in advance. I have them all.
So if you've got some bucks to spare, and you'd like to throw some money at North Shore Rescue, here's a little link with some more of my ramblings to do so: KKNSTR NSR Fundraising. If you've had enough of my ramblings, just click this handy little link :)
Thanks for listening.
Booby out.
This was the year I was determined to work on my uphill. Fellow runners kept telling me to start tackling Mountain Highway. Why would anyone suggest this? It is the most godawful boring section on the North Shore. I mean, Fisherman's Trail is more exciting and that's not saying much. I get it, it's runnable. But when you already dread going uphill and your mind automatically tells you "Hill. Stop. Walk." when you come to a climb, the last thing you want to practice on is a boring fire road that winds up a mountain with no view. Sure, it goes on forever, which means you can get in ample climbing time, but...it goes on FOREVER. I don't necessarily need to like something to do it. But I'm way more likely to WANT to do it if it's going to be somewhat enjoyable. Enter Good Sir Martin. I kind of accidentally on purpose stumbled upon this trail one morning. And like usual, my mind said "Hill. Must walk." When a couple ran by me part way up I shook my head. But it was immediately followed with a wondering, 'Huh...actually..." Of course I kept hiking up, anticipating getting to the top so I could turn around and fly back down. But I made a rule with myself that the next time I climbed it, I would run the whole way. And one week later I did. No matter how slow I needed to go, I wanted to keep that running motion going. I had 2 MTB'ers in front of me and just kept them in sight the entire way up. At the top, bent over trying to catch my breath, I was giddy. If I can run that, then why in the world can't I run other hills? So began my short love affair with uphill running. 9 days later, still excited to climb, I did some hill repeating in the UBC trails. Once again, I ran up each hill with not one ounce of my usual negativity or rests. It felt awesome. The next day, I woke up with foot pain that lasted a full week. The following week, after a Halloween adventure that went sideways, I rested for two weeks before the WRM Anniversary Run. With only a slight stretching pull coming down Griffin, I didn't give it much thought. So began a 3 month hiatus from trail running. And a 4 month dysfunctional relationship with Plantar Fasciitis.
After a lot of masochistic bruising by my PT and the evil stick, I'm on the mend. I told my PT that I needed to be running consistently by April 1st in order to be confident for Squamish 50/50. I thought that was plenty of time, but now I'm not so sure. I need to know by April 30th whether or not Squamish is feasible. Training begins April 11th, and as it stands right now, I won't be lining up in August. But I have two months for that to change. I would rather live with the attitude that it's not going to happen but still have that glimmer of hope, than to be constantly worrying in the next 61 days as to whether or not I'll have to drop. If I'm so focused on the can I or can't I, it's going to take the fun out of running. And there's nothing worse than your passion becoming monotonous worrisome work. There will be no official decision until April 30th, but as it stands, Squamish is a no go. Knee Knacker however is a full on go go go! Even if worse case scenario pops its ugly head and I can't fully train, I know I can wing a 50 km, but I can't wing a 130 km weekend. It may not be pretty, and my original goal of finishing with any time that starts with an 8 could go out the window. But that's worse case and not my focus. It's about getting out there and having fun. It's about experiencing the camaraderie that is our trail community. And most importantly, it's about enjoying yourself.
And it's also about raising some funds for North Shore Search and Rescue Team. This is the 4th year that I've been fundraising for them with my racing. For me, there is no greater cause. Every time I set foot in the trails, they have my back. The least I can do is step up and try to have theirs. I am currently $1,605 away from raising $10,000 over the past 4 years which blows my mind. These volunteers are my superheroes. They sacrifice their family time, their regular jobs, and their personal lives in order to rescue us when we get hurt, when we get lost, or when we pull a dumbass move and go out unprepared without looking at a clock and thinking that maybe, just maybe, the sun will set today and it'll get dark. They come out on race day for the Knee Knacker and give back to our community. They marshal us across the roads, they load us up at aid stations, they sweep the course, and they're on hand from start to finish with medical aid. Again, they give back to us. The least we can do is give back to them and go out prepared with the TEN ESSENTIALS.
Now that I have made the tentative decision to pull out of Squamish, it's like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I'm making plans for some shorter spring races, not only to get back out there, but to represent NUUN. If you had told me in the past few years that there was a company out there that would back slow runners, my abs would still be hurting from the laughter. This year I thought, what the heck, give it a shot. Be your modest, shy self HA! and maybe, just maybe, you'll get chosen. I applied and here I am, part of Team Nuun 2016. I have always been very loyal to brands I love. This is a product that I have been using for hydration for the past 3 years. Over the last few years I've given other products a shot, but I always go back to Nuun. It works for me. Mixing the flavours to come up with a new combo is like walking into 7-11 and mixing up the Big Gulp flavours. Will it work? Is this the combo I'll drink forever? Kona Cola + Orange is my combo until the day I run out of the sadly discontinued Kona Cola. I'm currently hoarding it, and restocking with whatever I find on shelves. But there will come a day when I get to play the flavour game again. I love having my hydration separate from my fuel. I've tried products that combine the two and I'm always hungry. NUUN lets me eat my bacon wrapped dates without having to do any math to account for my hydration. Who the heck wants to crunch numbers on the trails? And for those who already crunch numbers with pace/heart rate/mileage, do you really want to add one more thing to the mix? Wouldn't you rather just think about mixing grape and orange and seeing what happens? Be spontaneous! And now there's an even better new formula for their products! The electrolyte profile has NOT changed. There are still minimal calories, which means you don't have to keep pulling out your hair trying to do math 8 hours into a run. NUUN is now using plant based sweeteners. It is gluten free and vegan for all you hipsters out there...and for those who actually have to be gluten free or vegan ;) On top of all that, the coolio tubes it comes in are waterproof and awesome for storing snacks, batteries, laundry money, candy...and they're super colourful like a rainbow of hydration. Plus, hello Nuuntinis! Think about it, you make a Tequila Sunrise Nuunmosa, you're getting hydrated while boozing it up. Puts you one step ahead of everyone else so you can mock their hangover in the morning. This has been a match made in heaven so far, and now they promote boozy cocktails with their products? What can't Nuun do?
Since being included in this awesome family, I have been blown away by the support of not only the awesome people working at NUUN, but all my fellow Teammates. There is so much joy for everybody's accomplishments, whether you finish on the podium or dead fucking last. Whether you run 5 km's or 100 milers, whether you're training for an Ironman or competing in the Olympic marathon trials, the enthusiasm for each individual is equal. I am so excited to be a part of this awesome team this year. And if you're looking for Kona Cola, apologies in advance. I have them all.
So if you've got some bucks to spare, and you'd like to throw some money at North Shore Rescue, here's a little link with some more of my ramblings to do so: KKNSTR NSR Fundraising. If you've had enough of my ramblings, just click this handy little link :)
Thanks for listening.
Booby out.