50 Mile - Elk Beaver Ultra 2013

The night before I was to run 80 kilometers, non stop, for the first time in my life, I ordered a piece of thick New York strawberry cheesecake from the Elk Lake Restaurant in Victoria. I would need the extra carbohydrates. I felt excited, and nervous, going over a check list in my mind, making sure I had the things I needed to be able to finish the 26th annual Island Runners - Elk Beaver Ultra. My training was sufficient. I had spent 16 weeks in preparation, putting in the long runs on the weekend to build up the required base to attempt a 50 miler. My left knee had developed some inflammation problems midway through the training, and it had healed. I hoped that it wouldn't flare up again during the race.

Wearing my Team World Vision jersey, I joined fifty other runners at the 6 a.m. start. From the northern park on Elk Lake we followed a 10km, mostly flat, circular route counter clockwise that wound through woods and fields along the water's edge. I was to run this circuit eight times to complete the 50 miles. The path was still open to the public so as the day warmed we met up with local joggers, walkers and even some people on horse back. With fresh legs I ran the first 30 km in 3 hours. I thought since it would be cooler earlier in the day I would try to bank as many kilometers as I comfortably could.

The day did heat up around 11 a.m. and I wasn't prepared for it. When I headed out to tackle the 50km loop I didn't bring enough with me to stay hydrated. My muscles began to cramp. I had thoughts of dropping out, giving it serious consideration as my run turned into a shuffle as I headed towards the check in point back at Elk Lake to my aid station. A voice in my head told me to take some salt tablets and extra water first, before making a final decision to stop. I did that, and felt well enough to start off on the 6th loop, munching a Snickers bar. Within ten minutes I was back running again at a pace that helped me make up for lost time.
With three kilometers to go I whispered a prayer to finish in 10:55. A surge of energy came over me in the last 1/2 kilometer and I ran faster than I had in hours. The cheesecake from the night before was kicking in. As I rounded the corner heading toward the official timer's desk for the last time the digital clock read 10:55. Finishing a race never felt so good. I was surprised to find out that I placed 2nd in Men's Masters.

Saint Peter's Run - 40 Km

With my wife, Olivia, driving the support vehicle, I was able to do a 40 km training run from Courtenay to Campbell River, B.C., Easter morning. I decided midway through the run that I would call it "Saint Peter's Run" in memory of how Peter and John ran to the tomb looking for Jesus on that first Easter morning two thousand years ago.

A good portion of the route we followed, wound along beside the eastern coastline of Vancouver Island offering amazing views on this Easter morning. Below is a video I made of the journey.

Departing from the Canadian Tire store at 5 a.m., wearing a head lamp and reflective running gear, I ran uphill following old highway 19A, taking the scenic route to Campbell River. Every now and then I could see the brake lights of our van far off in the distance. The first stop to refill my drinking bottle was 6 kms into the run. It worked out well to have the support vehicle stop every 6 - 7 kms so I could get more power gels and top up my drinking bottle with Gatorade. This made the adventure much easier.

After an hour and a half of running in darkness I was able to take off my headlamp and leave it in the van. Things went smoothly until the heat of the day started to wear on me. I hadn't taken enough S-Caps to compensate for my increased sweating, so my sodium levels dropped around 30 - 35km. This caused me to cramp sooner than I should've. We reached the 7-11 Store in Campbell River, my goal destination 5 hours and 10 minutes into the run. I was planning on turning around there, to run back another 10 km, but decided to take Olivia out for an Easter morning brunch instead at a riverside restaurant. Still dressed in my flashy running gear, I helped myself to the all you can eat brunch buffet. Eggs Benedict never tasted so good.

Ultra Running Season 2013

Ultra running season will soon be upon us here on the west coast of Canada and I'm hard at work training. But Ultras aren't the only thing I'm interested in competing in this Spring, I've also applied to take part in the first Amazing Race Canada. A co-worker, Rob Herrett, and I, submitted an online video application earlier this month. We're both members of the Royal Canadian Air Force and want to compete under the banner "Team Rob". Have a look at our audition below.

If we're not accepted onto Amazing Race Canada I'm planning on running the 80 km Elk Lake Ultra in May, and the 56K Great Lake Ultra in September. All of these will be held at various picturesque places on Vancouver Island with courses on hilly logging roads and trails. Training so far has gone well. The wet weather and cold temperatures have held me back a bit with days off with leg cramps and chest congestion. Overall I'm feeling stronger as I get closer to doing the long four hour training runs required to get a good base for ultramarathon running. I think I'll do the Comox Valley 1/2 Marathon in March as a training run since the start for it is on the street just outside my condo in Courtenay.

On rainy days and Sunday mornings I'm still writing, working on my next novel, entitled - In Heaven. The main character is a soldier who has died in Afghanistan, and is recruited to join the angelic army of heaven. His first assignment as a heavenly warrior is back on earth in semi-angelic human form as an ultra running guy who saves a teenager whose life is in danger. My wife and I traveled to Woss, B.C. to do some research for the book after Christmas, as this is a town mentioned in the story. It's amazing how when you're in the actual location you're writing about writer's block is broken.

Big Run Recovery Drink
1 peeled banana
1 peeled orange
1 cup milk (soy or normal)
1 scoop chocolate Protein Powder
2 table spoons, Greek yogurt
Blend well for 20-30 sec. Enjoy.

Run In The Rain Goes To The Dogs

I was getting cabin fever after three days of heavy rain in the Comox Valley which had kept me from running. Much of my route shares the road with vehicle traffic in the countryside so I was leery of heading out to run in the down pour with drivers distracted by the weather. But Saturday, I had to go out and do my half marathon route. By mid morning the traffic wasn't too bad. I decided to wear a tuque to help me stay warm with the cool weather and rain. Even though it was December 1st, I wore my running shorts, and after a couple of kilometers I felt fine. The river along Dove Creek Road was running high, swelled from the days of rain. Five kilometers or so into the route, as I passed a couple of hobby farms, three husky dogs joined me. I don't know who they belonged to. They seemed friendly. The three of them ran along with me for seven kilometers, and after one took off, two continued with me all the way home covering a total of fifteen kilometers. It ended up being one of my quicker 1/2 marathon training runs, as the dogs helped to keep me on pace. I got worried when they wouldn't turn back as I got closer to my home. I guess we had formed some sort of bond during the run; a pack mentality of something like that, and I was the leader of the pack. So they stayed with me until I reached my condo in downtown Courtenay. My wife, Olivia, was surprised to see me returning from my wet run accompanied by two huskies.

She gave them water, some left over cat food, and chunks of chicken. I called the SPCA to tell them about these dogs who had followed me on my run. They both didn't have collars, or ID tattoos inside their ears. We let the dogs inside our tiny condo, dried the rain off them, and made arrangements to bring them to the SPCA. I had a quick shower and grabbed some lunch before taking the dogs there in the van. I later posted a photo of them on Facebook and a friend of a friend seems to know who they belong to, so hopefully they'll soon be reunited with their masters.

The 56K Great Lake Ultramarathon 2012

The 56K Great Lake Ultramarathon went better for me than I expected, especially since the start I had was awkward. I was up front near the start with the rest of the runners beneath Youbou Town Hall, and somehow after we all sang "Oh Canada" and were let go, my visor was flipped off by the start ribbon, sending my headlamp flying out of sight. I scrambled around, avoiding getting trampled to retrieve my visor, but couldn't spot the headlamp, so I made a quick decision to run on without it. It was 5:00 a.m. totally dark, I followed the rest of the runners out of the town. We quickly came to a gravel logging road shrouded by forest. The lead pack thinned out. I saw bobbing headlamps ahead of me like fireflies stretch into the distance.

Every once in a while a support vehicle would pass by giving me some help with their headlights, but for about an hour I was running in complete darkness. I managed to pass a couple runners before sun rise, but had no idea where I was placed until near the 3rd aid station where someone told me I was in 4th place.

The friendly volunteers at the aid stations quickly helped me to refill my Gatorade bottles, and at certain ones, find the drop bags I had prepared, containing power gels, electrolytes and snacks.

Near the halfway point I was passed by a runner and her support vehicle. I was slowing the pace because I knew a big hill was up ahead and I would need some gas in the tank to handle that. My quads were already feeling the distance. When I left Aid station 8, at what I thought was the top of the hill, I was encouraged by reaching the marathon distance marker in just under four hours. My joy didn't last long though, when I came around the next corner I saw how the hill still ascended.

Finally I was able to run down the long winding descent to the A&W Aid Station where the course joined pavement and followed fairly level ground again. I knew it was around 12 km from the finish because I had measured it with my car the day before (a sign was there too indicating this) the home stretch. My only concern was that I was down to my last power gel. I would've liked to have a couple of more for the final push.

By this time I was in 8th place. I refilled and holstered my drinking bottles and pushed on. I could feel the heat of the beautiful day rising from the street, as I passed homes and small businesses. At some street corners small groups of people clapped, encouraging me to press on. With 10km left to go I took my last gel. My legs felt like cement. I counted down the kilometers. In the last couple of kilometers I was passed by three runners, two of them in the final two hundred meters or so. We were so close. But by that point my place didn't seem to matter to me. I was just so glad to see the finish line. The cheering happy people. Ringing the finish bell. Coming in eleventh place with a time of 6:03 was better than I had expected. And to top it all off when the first aiders checked my feet at their station in the Lake Cowichan Hall, they couldn't find any blisters.

Check here for the Great Lake Ultramarathon Results

Running the Sky Line Trail, in Jasper, Alberta

I had planned to run the 44 km Skyline Trail from start to finish while on my summer vacation in Jasper Park, Alberta. I thought by the middle of July the snow would be melted on the summit, but after ascending 15 km up the winding trail on the side of Curator Mountain from Maligne Lake I was stopped by a washed out trail and snow drifts. If I had brought my gaiters along I probably could've continued. I was being cautious though because the staff at the Parks Canada office in Jasper had warned me that snow was still a problem at those altitudes, and if I encountered it I was to turn back - risks of avalanche still in places.

A family of Marmots met me where I stopped to turn around. I was able to catch them on video, and shared a video blog of my thoughts after reaching the summit. The view was worth the trip, even if I couldn't continue. The run down was a blast, leaping over roots and rocks on the switch backs. I met up with some backpacking hikers and warned them of the snow on the summit. They seemed undeterred by the news, wearing hiking boots that would help them get through the deep snow. I hope they made it.

You can view the video blog of this running adventure below:

Burning Boot/Great Walk 63.5 K Ultramarathon 2012

When I reached the 538 meter summit at 5:30 a.m., running in fourth place, I let out a celebratory hoot, knowing this was the highest point in the Burning Boot ultramarathon. The next ten to fifteen kilometers were down hill - some hills dangerous with 16-18% declines. We had started in darkness at 4 a.m.. At 5:30 the rising sun was still hidden by mountains, casting dim light across the cloudy skies overhead. I took special care going down the steep decline at 20kms, walking at the steepest parts while I ate a banana and a Power Gel. This was where I was injured the year before so I took it easy.

Continuing on, running down into the mist filled valley I was kind of disappointed because the amazing views I remembered from the year before were hidden. After aid station five, 25 kms or so along, I was informed that I was in tenth place. As I ran across a flat stretch of gravel road, the fog ahead parted, revealing a narrow waterfall cascading hundreds of feet down the mountainside.
The lead group of runners I was part of was making good time, reaching the halfway point of 32 kms between 7:00 - 7:30 a.m.. When I came through, the volunteer crew at the aid station were still trying to fix the "halfway point" banner up between the trees across the road. When I stopped there to change my socks and add more Vaseline to the bottoms of my feet (I was developing a blister on the ball of my left foot), the official told me we were going too fast, and that they wouldn't be able to get my drop bag to stage 9 before we would get there, so I had to take an extra set of power gels and protein bars with me in a plastic bag, carrying them by hand.

The weather improved as I came to Heart Attack Hill, near Aid Station 8. Aid Station 8 is where my first attempt at completing the Burning Boot Ultramarathon ended last year. I felt joy passing through it, refilling my drinking bottles with Gatorade and water, and grabbing a banana to go.

My first experience of Heart Attack Hill did a number on my quads. I power hiked up most of it, but running after it was a chore. Descending, I quoted the Bible verses from Isiah 40 under my breath, "Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not grow weary..." I felt like I was taken to a place outside of time, where there is just the next step, the next stride. I stayed in this place until I made it past aid station 11, eating 1/2 a protein bar and another Power Gel along the way.

The last big hill, before the final aid station, maxed out my quads. They stiffened up like watermelons and couldn't take the pounding of the descent. I was forced into a brisk walk, and watched as three guys came flying down past me. I recognized one of them as my friend from work, Russ Green. I had spotted him far behind me before aid station 8, but hadn't seen him since then.

Once I was down on the flats again I could run, and ate another Power Gel. A burst of adrenaline came over me as I rounded the corner and saw in the distance the public school gym roof next to the finish line. I ran the final kilometer into Tahsis, welcomed by the sound of Fire Fighter Sirens, cheering villagers and volunteers.

My final time was 7 hours and 40 minutes, close to what I was aiming for when I started out. The expected rains never came, and the day maintained cool temperatures, making ideal ultramarathon running conditions.

(Update) All the finishing times are now in and I ended up in 12th place, at 7 hours 40 minutes. Two groups of finishers ahead of me tied, so it brought my final finishing position up in the standings.
Big thanks goes out to all the cheerful volunteers who helped out along the way, manning the aid stations and the final First Aid centre.