All your base are belong to us!

Well with the last race of the season behind me its time to look towards the next season.
I haven't really decided what races I'm going to run next year but I have a pretty good idea of the ones I would like to do. From there, as the new year get rolling, I will start to make decisions based on the winter training and how I feel going into the racing season starting next April.
I have on the other hand given lots of thought to the base building I have planned for the winter months. I feel that my current level of fitness needs alot of work in terms of strength, or more specifically power endurance to aid in my hill climbing plus a little more speed couldn't hurt, but the best way to get these is to start by building a strong aerobic base with steady endurance runs over the winter with some supplementary strength and core workouts.
I've done countless hours of research on the subject and am no where close to an idea as to what would work best but I have a good idea and that is a start.
I'm hoping to do some cross country skiing this year as well as some snowshoeing to make the cold months a little more interesting in terms of training. Both have great crossover potential for running and they seem like loads of fun.

Do You Know What Would Taste Good With This?

Good lord its been awhile since I've updated my blog, guess I'll just dive right in and let you know whats been going on.
Jenn and myself went to Lake Placid for a few days about a week and a half ago. We've never been before and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. All the mountains for Hiking and Climbing (and running!) are really close, it seems almost impossible that I've never been here. Really looking forward to getting there next summer for some long runs.
I'm racing On November 15th at the Batawa ski hill, Its a 25km trail race run by the awesome ladies at Tri&Run Sports and should be really fun. I can't wait to get out there and enjoy these awesome fall temps!.
That race should bring to an end to my race season this year and I'm really happy with how thing went overall. I had some strong finishes that made me really happy with my progress from the previous year and pretty exited for whats to come, but all in good time, for now I'm just going to enjoy some down time just running the trails and have more than one dark coffee or beer as I'm still young enough to do that!

Cheers!

just don't know what to do with myself...

Its been over a week now since Haliburton and I feel great health wise but like my friend Aaron I just don't know what to do next.
I have signed up for a 25km trail race in November which has given me a few weeks to work on some speed and really try to burn one, so that has helped a little.
I do need to decide what I will do next year in terms of racing. I'm think of moving down in distance and racing 50km and 50mile races next year exclusively. I think this move will allow me to run more races as the cost is almost three times less than 100 miler and the recovery is faster.
Its something I've been thinking about for a little while now, but the 100 miler is just so awesome that I find it hard to think that I won't run a least one next year. There is loads of time before a decision must be made for that.
I have also decided to joining the ACU to hopefully make a national squad in the future which would be amazing.
I do have to thank Derrick for listening on Wednesdays run at Gould Lake. Thanks as well for the good advice you give so freely, your a good friend.
Cheers

Haliburton 100 Mile Trail Race Movie: The Year of the Fu!

Here is the video Jenn put together that we hope will give you an idea of how the race is in the eyes of the crew and runner. It may even give you some insight into ultrarunning in general. Just click on the link below.

Enjoy!

Haliburton 100 mile Movie: The Year of the Fu

Haliburton 100 Mile Trail Race Report

This year marked my third trip into Haliburton Forest to run the 100 mile trail race and would turn out to be a race to remember.

We left early in the day to enjoy a nice ride up through Bancroft to the Highlands. Its such a beautiful drive but what starts to hit you as you head towards the Wilderness Reserve (where this race is held) is the sudden steep hills that start to come at a frequency that makes me feel very uneasy.

When we arrived I was very excited to see many familiar faces roaming the grounds, this is my favourite time at races, all the energy and excitement seem to emanate from every person. You can talk to anyone and sense the magnitude of the adventure regardless of distance or time. It is very inspiring to see so many people taking on a challenge that for most is incomprehensible.

We soon settled in at the camp site we had last year right across from the finish line which is totally awesome for watching the racers come and go. Not long after we ran into friends like Daniel Judge (who would run the 25km) and Aaron Anderson (who would run the 50km and from what I just read this morning came in 7th! freaking awesome!) and his wife. They all came and sat down for a cold bevy with Jenn and I and soon Derrick and Sara showed up to join in the chatting and trying to stay loose.

The start of the race was very cool as usual with the piper and Helen's very inspiring prayer. We walk down the road to the start of the race and before you know it we were off up the road towards a great day of running.

The first 25 miles went by relatively well, as I felt strong and was hanging with some pretty impressive company in Derrick Spafford (last years winner and all around great runner), Glen Redpath (fast and running credentials that are too long and ridiculous to mention here) and my new Italian friend Pasquale Brandi (impressive international experience that kind of freaked me out when I looked him up after the race and I'm very glad I didn't know about them before the race!). I moved well through the aid stations with the help of my awesome crew, my lovely wife Jennifer. She attended to my every need and made sure I didn't linger too long.

Heading back to the 50 mile turn around I pulled ahead of Derrick and Glen. That would last for about 3km, and I knew deep down that I could never maintain that kind of pace and finish in one piece. So I eased off my pace but some damage had already been done, and I was feeling the stress of that sustained push.

After heading back out at the turn around, I simply could not shake the feeling of wanting to quit at every aid station I got to. I even tried to convince myself that I was injured and that it was perfectly acceptable to drop. Lucky for me my crew came through again making sure I was taken care of and a little tough love never hurt as well (just keep swimming, just keep swimming).

With every aid station into the 75 mile turn around Jenn was there to pull me in and sit me down, talk me up and when it was need stand me up and push me out. If she was so willing to be out here and do all this I would have to continue with a little more effort than what I was showing right now.

I simply told myself I was better and had a heart to heart with my legs, we agreed that I would only push them on flats and take it easy on them during the hill sections. With an accord struck, off I went trying desperately (and in vain) to catch the leaders. I pushed my pace through sections I knew had good footing and took care on the technical ones in the night. As a side note those of you that have never run at night you are truly missing out. Nighttime in the forest is magical, your headlamp is creating all kinds of shadows and there is a sense of calm in moving along a trail at night that you don't seem to get during the day. Try it sometime you won't be disappointed.

Anyhow, I continued to slowly pick up my pace through some tougher sections as I knew my race was coming to an end. Pasquale was some where behind me but I was unsure of how far back he was. I didn't want to give up my third place position this late in the race, it really pushed me to run strong those last 25km.

I rolled into aid station 2, got some water and Heed, and laughed at how really great I felt even after running this far. I was thinking maybe Sara thought I was kidding when I said it but I really did feel amazing, so much stronger than the middle of the race. With my strong spirit and deluded mind I took off to finish my last loop of Normack. I heard screams coming from the aid station and saw head lamps rolling up quickly behind me, all I could think of was that Pasquale had caught me. So I started to pick up my pace on the hill to the start of the trail, as it turned out it was Derrick and his pacer David Bohn on their way to a freaking insane 17:52.

I picked my way through Normack as quickly as possible under the circumstances. I knew all that was left was road sections so I really pushed my pace. I came through the last aid station running very strong and simply tossed my water bottles to Jenn and said, "I'm dropping the Hammer!" At that point I was running as fast as I could muster, Jenn was ahead of me in the car shouting words of encouragement that made me so glad that she was there with me. I crossed the finish line in 19:05 into the arms of my crew/wife Jenn, its the best finishing award I could have ever gotten. She was shaking so much and talking so fast I couldn't really understand her I could only laugh and look around.

It really didn't occur to me 'til much later while thinking about this post how much the volunteers and crew play a part in your success in ultrarunning. I was blessed that my crew is also my best friend and my wife. I'm a pretty lucky guy!

When the dust settled Glen had destroyed the CR running 17:18 and Derrick ran under the old CR as well in 17:52, bettering his time by almost an hour! Well done! I must say that placing third in that company feels pretty damn good.

Cheers to everyone that made the race possible and to my friends on there amazing achievements. But most importantly to my wife Jenn I could not have done it with you!

Haliburton Update...

Well as I put on my pants very slowly to head to work this morning I thought I should write a quick note about the race. Finished in 19.05 in 3rd place behind Derrick and Glen who both ran ridiculously fast times. I will write a longer report when I get home tonight.
Cheers to all the great runners and new friends I met this weekend I can't tell you how nice it was to see you guys there and even cheering me on.

PS. Aaron Anderson did awesome in his first 50km race! running around 5.5 hours on a very difficult course! good on ya buddy!

The Haliburton 100 mile Trail Race and Hay Barn Fires...

As Haliburton looms on the horizon I can't help but wonder why I'm putting myself through this each year, running 100miles through the wilderness?.

I think for me running this race is more about the mental challenge than the actual physical one. I love the idea that I will relentless move forward when everything else says stop. The first year I ran Haliburton I dropped at 80miles. I was completely wasted, drained, I could hardly walk, my spirit was crushed. I would think about this for 365 days till next years race. I was so upset with myself that when I was faced with a challenge I back down, I gave up. Most people said how proud they were of me, that even getting that far was an amazing achievement and I agreed but deep down I felt I had let everyone down, especially myself.

My second attempt at the 100mile distance went I little better as I finished the distance in just over 24 hours hobbling over the finish line with my wife at my side unable to understand the magnitude of the accomplishment I had just achieved. Even now as I think back at that race I don't remember the physical suffering as much as I remember the mental ones. Trying to stay awake at dawn, trying not to think about the glowing eyes in the forest at nighttime, holy crap what the heck was that sound and headlamp spiders!!.

It would seem to me that everyone has different reasons for running an ultra but at the heart of the matter its really about connections the most important one is the connection to yourself. What kind of life could you say you lived if you never tried? given yourself to fail spectacularly or succeeded triumphantly? I for one don't want wonder what could have been.