X-country Skiing

I saw this video on A-Russ's blog.

The Canadian men's X-country ski team has taken over the, very high, mantle from the Canadian women the past couple of years. Guys like Alex Harvey, Devon Kershaw & Ivan Babikov have been sticking their noses at the front of the international race scene.

Although this training camp video is a bit on the "over the top" side, it is great to see them confident and having fun with it. With 111 days to go until the start of Vancouver 2010 , they are in the thick of training, while still trying to balance the need to be healthy and fast in February.
I am getting quite excite to watch the progress and follow the early season results, although I know that for most of them only one event really matters this year:

Dear diary

I came to the conclusion last week that I need to try to write more. It has always been a good outlet for me, so I might as well work on it. This first blurb will very selfishly be about me (in case all the "I's" in it is confusing).

I have been doing lots of thinking recently about where I "slot in". It's an interesting process of self-reflection and future planning, not something I am entirely comfortable with. Most of time I feel like I just wing it. Some of it is informed, some of it instinctual, mostly it's a mix of both.

I have been relatively(very)lucky about the opportunities and experiences that I have been able to pursue. I am not so humble as to think that I haven't put myself in some of the positions to explore these opportunities, but am also aware that a lot of them have come from luck (i.e. where I was born, who I was born to...).

I know that I haven't explored all of these options to their fullest. In fact, it would be fair to say that a lot of these experiences have been fleeting. My resume is a smattering of part-time work and partial commitments. That said, I do have some consistent traits. I have had a long-time partner, I have a support network of amazing family, friends and mentors that I continue to learn from, I have a passion for moving and outdoor pursuits and I love reading & learning about almost everything.

Sometimes the last point is a bit overwhelming. I envy people with a singular passion and pursuit. While I have my passions, my interests are varied. Maybe that is an unfair thought. I am sure that no one has a truly singular passion, if they did, I doubt that they would maximize the experience of it.

The one thing that I do find is that my various interests and experiences inform my passions and vice versa**. In exploring the limits of my passions, be it choosing a personally challenging event and objective to train for, exploring a new trail, I'll often use outside experiences to help me push the boundaries. For example, reading mountaineering books has influenced my decision to try and run mountains, watching the triathletes training has convinced me of the benefits of swimming and biking to help my running etc...I know that these are far from revolutionary concepts, many others have done them before me, but they are new to me, so it took some courage and a bit of a leap of faith to try them the first time.

I guess, what I am indirectly getting to, is that I think I will try (most) things once. I won't go against my personal ethics, although I might explore the edges on occasion, but a bit of exploring, even if it is only changing a routine, has always served me well. Whether the experience is positive, negative or neutral doesn't matter, since I learn from the process of trying and from all the outcomes.

If nothing else, I can't say that my life hasn't been interesting and enjoyable.

(Yikes, this is a bit of an "I am Awesome" post-oh well, give me a break, I have a giant ego to feed. Plus, this is a blog after all, aren't they mostly ego boosters disguised as "information sharing"?).

**I was convinced vice versa was spelled vis versa, but my mom told me otherwise. After debating it with her, even accusing her of using an "Americanism", convinced of my superior spelling abilities and worldy knowledge, the "Definitive Authority of the English Language", the OED proved her correct and me wrong. I should know better than to try to argue with mom!

Wheel truing?

Yikes! (as seen at The Telegraph)

Barefoot running

Rainbow Lake success

Lauren and I have tried, unsuccessfully, 2 times to get to Rainbow lake up at Whistler.
On the first attempt, we started much too late in the day and too late in the season. A key suspension bridge, Gin & Tonic bridge, was out and although we tried to find a river crossing, we ran out of time and had to head back.
The second attempt was a snowshoe hike with Lauren's sister and brother in law that same winter. The snow was waist deep and after 2 hours plus of uphill slogging, we were still quite a ways away and the crew were getting tired and hungry, so we headed back to the warmth of a hot tub.

By all accounts the views are spectacular up there and with two previous failures, it had become a must do. It is not an overly hard hike/run, although it does have some steady ascents and some root sections, it is more of what I like to call a "stop and smell the flowers" run. A run where you just enjoy being out there. Having a destination in mind makes it all the better.
(*I will admit that Lauren and I can be a tad competitive, so although we like to stop and appreciate the views along the way, we definitely spend more time appreciating while moving at a steady pace).

With Lauren's season over, the weather cooperating and no other notable excuses, we were both quite determined to finally get to the lake.

We got an early start to the day and other than almost running into a very large foraging bears, who guffawed quite loudly at us before taking off into the woods and a bit of frost on some of the trestles, the run went smoothly.
We were both a bit overdressed at the start, despite the frost on the ground, 1100m of ascent keeps the old ticker beating and warms the engine nicely.

The lake was beautiful and Lauren and I kept going for about 20-30 minutes beyond the lake. We were looking for the trail to Madely Lake, but turned up on a boulder field scramble instead. We actually ended up with a spectacular view of Garibaldi Park, so it was a worthwhile wrong turn. Maybe next time we will run with a map!

Total time (from car to car): 3:35
Elevation high point: 1663m
Total elevation: 1083m

7systems @ frontrunners Victoria

GO AND CHECK OUT 7SYSTEMS athletes tomorrow (saturday oct 10th) at FrontRunners Victoria.

Kyle Jones and Jen Maclean will be there from 10-5 giving away free samples of the product and answering questions.

Sorry ladies, I am up playing in the mountains this weekend, so you will have to make do with Kyle.

Words worth repeating

"Fill every golden minute with sixty seconds worth of distance run".
- Charles Graham William Hornett, "Guy"
As seen at: http://www.boomgoesthedynamite.ca/

Nordic snowborading

I hear it's huge in Norway:

1000 words