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Page 2 of 3 2008 Individual Race Summary ... Jan. 19 - Mt. Washington Snowshoe Race - 3rd Jan. 27 - Steveston Icebreaker 8K - 5th Feb. 2 - Mt. Seymour Snowshoe Race - 5th Feb. 10 - First Half Half Marathon - 6th Feb. 16 - Grouse Mtn. 10K Snowshoe Race - 1st Mar. 8 - Cyprus Mtn. Snowshoe Race - 1rst Mar. 15 - St. Patrick's Day 5K in Vancouver - 4th Mar. 16 - Comox Valley Half Marathon in Courtenay - 3rd Mar. 29 - Spring Classic 5k - 1rst Apr. 6 - Sunshine Coast April Fool's Half Marathon -2nd July 26 - SAAB Salomon 5 Peaks (Cypress) -3rd August 23 - SAAB Salomon 5 Peaks (Whistler) -1rst Sept 6 - Seven Summits Trail Race -1rst (Course Record) Sept 13 - SAAB Salomon 5 Peaks (Buntzen Lake) -1rst (Course Record) Sept 21 - Grouse Grind - 12th Place Oct 12th - Royal Victoria Marathon - 3rd Place Oct 25th - BC Cross Country Championships - 21rst Oct 26th - Shawnigan Lake Half Marathon - 1rst Nov 15th - Bear Mountain 10k - 3rd Series Summary... Winner of YETI Snowshoe series - '2008 King of the Mountains' 2008 Championship Race Summary... 2008 Canadian Snowshoe Champion - Mar 8 Race Recap... November 15th: The Bear Mountain 10k is billed as Canada's Toughest 10k with three major hills on the golf course course. I had signed up for this race a month earlier and even though I ended up spraining my ankle at a local relay run on the tuesday prior, the morning of the race I thought I would go out for an easy 10min and see if the legs felt like they could withstand a race. After not running for 3 days, the legs felt a little squimish but I felt like they could withstand the 10k distance. So with no time to spare I left for the race and just made it in time, having to run to the start line while pinning the race number on. Hahahaha. I was so surprised to find myself leading at the start but everyone was being real conservative. Ended up third overall despite the leg cramping and having to take it easy to not get reinjured. Now need to prioritize finally getting healthy and starting a consistent build up with an easy base of mileage... just run danielson! Oct 12th: Royal Victoria Marathon. Although the challenges of the past month have had their tole on my training and energy, I decided to run the marathon to celebrate the birth of my son. At the half way mark I was leading and knew I had better ease off or I wouldn't be able to survive. The legs were done but I was able to keep going. It sure felt so slow after the legs tightened up. All of that pain was gone but for the last stretch I all of a sudden heard Taeko and my mom cheering on the side. I smiled and took a couple of steps but then stopped 100m from the finish. I went back to her and she passed me Shouken. I then ran with him in my arms for the last 100m kissing him as we crossed the line. Only because I know how stable I can be with my upper body did I dare carry him and continue to run. Wow 1 week old and already a third place and 2:31 marathon! Sept 21rst: Grouse Grind and grind I did. Ground into the ground that is. I ran faster in all except one of my multiple ascent training sessions running to the top. Oh well. I also got passed by everyone as they powerhiked past me. Chalked up as a recovery week after the two weekend 26klm mountain races, I needed this race to put me in my place. Only human but dare to dream. Happy to say the legs are returning. Sept 13th: The Buntzen Lake 5 Peaks race was the last of the series and included a 26klm race that included both other race (enduro 15k and Sport 11k) courses. As part of my build up for the Victoria marathon I wanted to ensure it was a solid effort. I also wanted to use it to prepare for my next race coming up... the Grouse Grind. This course has the Diez Vista climb right from .5klm so I pushed right from the start aiming to keep that pushing going up to the summit. The down is technical but fun and my aim to better both winners of the enduro and sport race times ended up happening as I went through the enduro mark at about 1:13.. with a sport time of about 42min! Sept 6th: Seven Summits Trail Race - Red Mountain Rossland BC. This trail was rated as Trail of the year by mountain bike magazine in 2007 and it fit. It was awesome and one of the best mountain racing courses I have been on. It was the second year and I was aiming for getting the course record if possible. I took off from the start and tried to maintain a pushing effort. The altitude and terrain makes it both tough and interesting. Can't wait to run it again. 1rst Place and new course record 1:47:41 August 23rd: SAAB Salomon 5 Peaks - Whistler Mountain. In 2004, I raced my only race in Whistler and it was actually the last time I was there as well. I think I won that race by at least a couple of minutes and keep telling my wife that this mountain has a special place in my heart. I guess it my return to racing after getting my 'legs back' as JP - the Salomon BC Territory Manager mentioned to me after the race. The course was inspiring as it was a true 'mountain' race like I have ran over in Europe with steep ascents, descents and terrain in the upper alpine. The finish line was crossed in 1rst place with a lead of 4 minutes. It was a tough course to test out the fitness and totally inspiring to see so many other runners enjoying the challenge.
July 16th: SAAB Salomon 5 Peaks - Cypress Mountain. Well lets just say it was tough to walk for the 3 days afterwards. As my first run outside in over 2 months and my first race since an injury in April, I was inspired by the atmosphere. Runners (especially trail runners) are incredible people. The race started and I went to the lead pacing Shawn until a couple of minutes into the major climb. At this point I eased off to stay alive and was passed by about 6 runners. I started enjoying the scenery and the run but on the first descent it was like learning to trail run all over again. I almost lost it despite even going slow. After a little more climbing and some short flat sections, I started picking it up on the steep descent. It was tough as the legs were so tired it was almost as if they could of buckled. I passed 4 runners on this long descent and was told by a spectator that I was ' pushing just balanced on that edge of control'. Funny, this heart has just started to be the captain. At the awards decked out in my Salomon gear, I had the announcer say 'what a smile' and little did he know that this day was a return for my spirit.
Apr 6th 2008: Sunshine Coast April Fool's Half Marathon - 2nd Place 1:07:00. Well I am very happy with the time considering the length and intensity of yesterday's session. Their was some great competition with Mark Bomba and Ryan Day. Ryan pulled a gap on Mark and I starting at about mile 1. Mark also pulled a little gap on me leading until about 5miles, I then moved in front and we both closed a little on Ryan but then Mark faded a little at the end. Ryan finished 38 sec ahead and I ended up with the double zeros. Apr 5th 2008: Although I took part in the Diez Vista race, I guess in leading there was no one on the course to direct me in the proper direction. The course seemed to be marked ok. You often had to check on corners but I ended up on a road where it was marked with the proper pink ribbons and after a couple of miles, I noticed I couldn't see any ribbons along the road ahead, so I glanced into the woods and right there was the Diez Vista trail with a Pink ribbon, so I took it. The path took me right back to the start in an overall time of 2:11:24. Wow... super fast 50k! hahahahaha arrrrrghhhh hahahahaha... The road must of keep going but they did not have any visible ribbons on the road and after taking the trail it even indicated the proper
direction with white markings. Oh well, I'll chalk it up to perhaps the world looking after me as perhaps a shorter tempo mountain run was all that was needed and after the result from the half on Sun, I am so happy I got lost! Mar 29th 2008: The Spring Classic 5k race around Stanley Park was almost on the exact same loop as the 5k on the 15th but this one had about 150m added on for some reason. I never thought nothing of it as the start time neared. The morning began with a wake up at about 7am and then a coffee and some bread. I got to the registration booth at 8:20 and the race was set to start for 9. Did about 12min of warm up running as the weather was cool. By the time I got changed in my car and was at the start line I had about 2 min to the gun. The first mile went up a hill, had a 50m slight descent, up a 50m hill and then a 50m descent again with a 200m flat portion. I was first through the mile so got a little award and it was an incentive I never was aiming for but the start was so slow I had to lead up the hills. I held on to my pace after slowing abit after the mile and two other runners took turns catching up to me. The last one came close and with about 600m to go, he was right behind me. I knew who it was and that he was a great runner as many cheering would shout his name or say 'you can catch him'. Your mind makes a choice at this point like it does many times through a race, and the decision to not ease off and finish strong is important. Finding that extra gear at that point is the most valuable and although I picked up the pace a little, I was surprised to find that I gained a little ground and also won the race. The FVAC running club did a great job with even having baked goods available for the runners. Mar 16th 2008: It is 7 Pm and I haven't showered yet since the Half Marathon this morning that started at 11AM. OK my excuse is driving and I am on my way to sauna to sit in while I shake my head about the back to back racing. Just kidding... the racing provided a quality back to back session that indeed did prove my second effort was better than my first. Although I have incorporated mile intervals and some other shorter work as of late, the track speed sessions will need to be done in order for the next level to be reached speed wise. Strength wise, I am right on par. I hope the recovery over the next 2 days goes well. COMOX Half Marathon 3rd Place...1:09:00 Mar 15th, 2008: St.Patrick's Day 5k...4th Place 15:29. Ok I did feel good enough to go through the first mile in 4:49. The race had an incentive for the first person through and that was done in 4:37. As soon as I heard my time of 4:49 I backed off so that I could keep the effort as a build up for the half marathon tomorrow. I then got passed by 2 more runners to find myself in 6th spot up until the 4.5 mile point. Keeping my pace I squeeked by the 2 ahead of me and almost caught the third place runner. 3rd-4th and 5th were all only 1 sec apart. This race caught me by surprise in that with some hard work, I know that quite a bit of time can be taken off a time result such as this. The race was fun...looking forward to tommorow's Half Marathon! Mar 8th, 2008: YETI Cypress Mountain 10k - Canadian National Snowshoe Championships...1rst Place. I seemed to of taken quite a bit of identity in snowshoe racing despite only being on them for 4 times in the past two years. I guess looking back at the 2004 Billy Loutitt Winter Duathlon that I did as my last big snowshoe event in Athabasca AB, I knew my grandfather and great grandfather would of been proud if I could do well. That race was to honour my great grandfather and it was an event which was snowshoe running with x-c skiing in the middle for a total distance of over 40klm with 10+ lbs of canned food on my back with a pack on... dropping a little food off along the way. Today's race was one were I took off from the start because of knowing that I had to go for it and also from not knowing the course. In snowshoe racing if you get behind someone on singletrack with high snowbanks on the side... your race is done. Needless to say this course was laid out incredibly by the organizers and allowed for passing in many areas. Probably good I didn't know about that as taking off was the way I needed to run it. Some great competition was out on the course with the second place runner Colin right behind me after the first 5klm loop. I was getting a little worried and knew I just needed to get my pace up. The first 5klm was done in 25:30 with the finish time having the last loop at 25:05. The awards ceremony also rewarded the King and Queen of the Mountain for the fastest overall race times in the series. Wow... taking the title of the 'King of the Mountain' is something that represents my ability and everyone's ability to overcome those mountains in our lives. When running and snowshoeing there is nothing like the feeling you get when trail or mountain running amongst the peaks. Knowing and realizing how far you have come but leaving humbled knowing you'll have to climb back up every time is part of that magical sacrifice to be better. Can't wait to do it again! After 200m... the white hat thrown to Taeko: .jpg "Image")
Roundng the corner after the first 5klm: .jpg "Image")
On my way by going back up the climb: .jpg "Image")
Here was Colin Dignum right behind me: .jpg "Image")
The finish... .jpg "Image")
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At the awards with my great competitors: Although I don't drink anymore the trophies still are special. .jpg "Image")
The King and Queen of the Mountain!!! .jpg "Image")
Feb 16th, 2008: YETI Grouse Mountain Snowshoe 10k...1rst place. I was a little worried about how the legs would feel after a massive week of training with 6 quality sessions so I started slow. After about 2k I was in 5th but noticed I was catching a group of two in front of me on the climb. I decided to pass them. I remained in 3rd place for the next 3k while watching the two up in front who seemed to be pushing the pace and gained a gap on me. On the climbs again I looked up half way to see that I had caught one of the two and at the summit after a little descent and another huge climb I caught up to the leader. Although he was pushing proably because I had caught up to him, I decided to pass him on a big descent before an out and back portion of the course. I think that pushing the steady climb for .5 k and then the huge descent to the finish helped me have a good one. I believe my planning is on par and my main development goals are started to surface for phase one of my training... strength. Funny thing is... the workouts only now start to get truly tougher. Feb 10th, 2008: First Half Half Marathon...6th place. A tough race for me as I had been suffering from the cold that had hit me last week. I tried to take a couple extra days off and reduced my mileage to help but in the end it only helped make the race finishable. At the start I took off with a pack behind three individual leaders out front. I faded back from the pack at mile 5 and passed one of the runners at mile 9. Then held on to the pace and came in a slow 1:10:07. The best thing was overcoming the urge to drop out due to feeling so bad. Feb 2nd, 2008 : YETI Mt Seymour Snowshoe 10k...5th place. The man in the big white YETI outfit screamed to me that 'Hey man... you look more like a Yeti than me' refering to the huge snow face I had from my Goatee. I knew inside though that their was probably more of a relationship to my Yetiish pace than anything. Taeko and I toughed out another workout session with me making the choice despite the flu that kicked in 2 days ago and Taeko with just returning from Japan 2 days ago as well. The course was fun and I know now not to use the pants I choose because I was soaked and frozen with about 3k in. Chalk this one up to another learning lesson. I am so excited as I always seem to get myself these. I am sure they will steadily progress as I am planning. Progress as smarter lessons...hmmm not sure Yet.....I Jan 27th, 2008 : Stevenston Ice Breaker 8k - 5th place. Fun return to doing a road race on an out and back again course. No speed in these legs yet but despite the slippery streets, the run felt good. Taeko finished 4th, again with no speed work and even less strength work than I have been doing. Ba da bing... up next Snowshoe race. A morning snow storm hit New Westminster this morning so the long run Nanew and I are out the door to do right now should be hilarious and almost a snow shoe run. I shouldn't of bathed him yesterday. Oh well. Jan 19th, 2008: Mt Washington YETI Snowshoe race - 3rd place http://www.theyeti.ca/home.asp click on the main picture. I am in the red Canada touque with the white singlet! A last minute decision was made to snowshoe despite not being in them for a good two years. I finished 3rd and it was a great return to strength training for this upcoming season. Taeko finished 4th despite it being the first time ever she was in a pair of snowshoes!!! September 2007: Nanaimo Half Marathon - Taeko and I cross the line together in a fun celebration of our journey around the world! June - September 2007: Ran around the entire world. www.blueplanetrun.org May 19th, 2007: Jemez Mountain Half Marathon - 1rst Place (Course Record) http://www.highaltitudeathletics.org/jmtr/profiles/halfProfileLabel.jpg http://www.lamonitor.com/articles/2007/05/20/sports/sports01.txt Feb 11th, 2007: First Half Half Marathon - 5th place
The race had a change in the course which included Prospect Point. All in all it was a great day with the weather but all the hard training I have been doing has me not ready to perform up to par just yet. It was great to note that the top four runners have been or currently are Canadian champions at their respective distances, whether it be from the 10,000m to the full marathon distance. If your Canadian you know the names.. Hayden,Ziak,Osaduik,Bomba... then me. My training up to this point will hopefully be of value come time to refine it and build off of it. Ya I know the 90 min Bikram yoga class 2 days before the race would of knocked any runner out of the race as well. Not out of a lack of respect for knowing how good the other runners are but for the challenge in making myself perform despite... ok I'll stop judging myself and hope to have agooder in Boston on April 16th. 8^) Oct 8th: 2006 Royal Victoria Marathon - 4th place - 2:30:20
My decision to do this race 11 days before it was partly fueled by a need to generate a little income to survive. Coming in 4th was a damper to that but being able to run 2:30:20 off one week of training shows that the light at the end of the tunnel is indeed very bright. I finished with a time of 2:30:20 and am extremely happy with it! With one week of complete training, deciding to do the race 11 days ago, three weeks of diarrea in September and 3 weeks of no running in August... the result speaks for itself. The star of the show was Steve O though, as he smashed the course record and ran 2:16:54 or so giving him the top time for a marathoner for the past couple of years. Great job Steve!!! My time got me 4th and out of the money. I am peaked for my future in running and know that running another 2:30 or so off of another rash setup is the first step toward making a properly prepared lasting mark. September 17th - Italy Skyrace - I toughed it out and found myself feeling fine until I hit a wall halfway and nearly ran off a mountain or two. Glad to have raced it though and know that without dehydration I would of been in the mix for more than just the first half. See 2006 Europe Competitions at the bottom... September 10th - 2006 World Mountain Running Trophy - Bursa, Turkey - I had the wildest race and found myself close to last place until passing 20-30 people in the last 6k. See 2006 Europe Competitions at the bottom... September 3rd - Andorra Skyrace - I pulled out after 2 hrs due to a funny feeling inside that I needed to rest for World Mountain in Turkey next week. Never knew that this was the start of 3 weeks of diarhea :( See 2006 Europe Competitions at the bottom... July 15th: Aspen Run for the Cure 5k
http://www.aspendailynews.com/ July 16/2006 front page
http://www.aspendailynews.com/gallery.php
Photo Credit: Zach Ornitz/ADN
Jason Loutilt, a professional runner from Banff, Alberta won the 5K Aspen Race for the Cure (men's division) with a time of 17:51 on Saturday. Shanna Hutchinson of Aspen was the top finishing local woman, taking third place with a time of 21:03.
1rst place - a quick change of plans had me whip off to aspen while I had a ride... to take part in a 5k race. The cost of this trip was that without having a ride to the Barr trail race tomorrow, it had to be my little quality run of the weekend. the fact that it was only a 5k unlike the 12mile Barr trail probably ended up being a good thing because of the marathon last week.
July 9th: HSBC Calgary Marathon
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ihaveseen/185792188/
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=dad27444-8cea-4dd4-9821-2c7e538a7954&k=9278
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/sports/story.html?id=31d94cce-23fd-41e9-9f2d-51f776a99956&k=24064
1rst place - The amazing part of running with the wolves comes from the fact that if some part of their running beside me remains in my heart or is at least acknowledged for always running with me...job done in every run.
July 2nd: Teva Vail Hill Climb (8150’-10,300’) 7.5miles
6th place - it was great to see simon, one of the top US mountain runners but i didn't see him for long. i ran with him for a comfortable first mile but as soon as the major climb started the intuition to hold off prevailed. i think it was due towards the marathon coming up this weekend and to the recovery still occuring from the slacker half.
June 28: June 28th - Nike Summit Trail Series#2 - 10k Breckenridge, CO
2nd place - Well, with the racing occuring more frequently in the past 3 weeks for me than any other time in my life i have taken towards using them as workouts with a specific focus on each one. this race had me give up a 1min advantage by the half way point and i am happy to have bridged the gap to a close 8 sec by the end.
June 24: Slacker Half Marathon - Highest Half Marathon in North America - Starts above 10,600'
1RST , 1:09:27
Yes, I am now officially a slacker! i think they mean the way your lungs explode and then fall slackingly against your ribs. with the start above 10,000' and a 2000' elevation drop, the race is a great way to get some quicker leg turnover at altitude. the first 5 miles were on a trail and then the rest was a mixture between roads and bike paths. i decided to do the race the morning of and determined that the effort falls in line with the type of workout i needed to get in this weekend. with no tapering and 13 hrs of running this week, i was expecting to have a demanding run but i was actually at the point of holding back. i went through the first 400m trailing last year's winner and then made the choice to go. the first mile rolled in 4:59 and then the miles flipped between 5min and 5:14 pace. once i got to georgetown, i jogged the last mile in 7min and jumped in the creek for recovery.
June 18: USATF 5k Colorado/Wyoming Championships - Stadium Stampede 5k
7th Place - overall with a finish time of 16:20.
June 14: Summit Trail Series #1 10k Trail at 10500’
http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20060614/SPORTS/60614004
1RST , 36:07 - The race was another step.
I feel about 85% health wise and am happy to have finished first overall.
The second place runner has run a 29:10 10k within the past couple of years and I managed to finish 1:35 ahead of him. The race was a 4mile climb on a dirt road and then a 2 mile descent on singletrack. The gun went off and I found myself just behind 2 other guys pushing the pace. I knew the one guy was the winner of all the races last year. After about 600m, I passed them and pushed the pace a little. They responded first by saying, ‘ look at this guy’ in a surprising oh oh kind of way. The other guy who was running the 5k leveled off with me and ran solid because the wind was tearing into both of us and he didn’t hide. He then pushed the pace and the other defending champion followed suit. I went with them for about 10 sec and decided that the amount of phlem I was producing could of made the world’s largest paper machay sculpture, that I would hold off. They kept pushing the pace eventually getting 150m ahead of me. At which point they settled into my exact pace. I then put on the gas a tiny bit at every corner and kept it in tempo mode despite the wind assisted coating of the thickest phlem in the world that couldn’t get enough force applied to it to propel it off of my body. So between wipping copius amounts of phlem off myself and slowly catching the 5k dude before his turnoff, I was able to notice the 10k guy looking back. Hmmm I thought and continued to push a little. I caught him a 100m on the single track and pushed as I went by him. He tried to follow and fell off. I them managed to bridge the entire 1:35 over him on the last 2 miles.
June 10: Run the Rockies 10k, Downhill 10k at 9000’ http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20060610/SPORTS/106100051
1rst , 32:55.
This race was great opportunity to get in a faster effort because of the downhill course despite the extreme altitude. The trail willowed through the valley between mountains that reminded me of the Bow Valley. From 100m in I was by myself and trying not to let up. I was concerned with how the legs would handle a downhill course after the marathon recovery but they proved to be ok.
May 28: ING Ottawa Marathon ‘Canadian marathon championships’. 2nd Canadian , 6th overall. I was running by myself and then at mile 2, the 2:16 pacer came up and asked if I was shooting for 2:16 to which i replied that I was. He then led me until the half and I found the experience to be a dissapointment. My cadence was off of his and his pace was fluctuating. I also put my trust in him and didn’t monitor the pace at all. When I hit the half mark and it read 1:10:00 I was quite dissapointed. My next klm was an extremely undisiplined under 3:00min klm on my own! I felt fine until about the 35klm mark where I died horribly. The race was another learning experience in tactics and being truthfull about health...as I was dealing with the flu and tried talking myself out of it...to no avail :( I know my fitness will be ready for the summer but I am going back to building an ever bigger fitness base before my next race. For me, the Mexico Skyrace had an impact as I ended up with a major infection in my toe that is still healing in June. This caused my immune system to weaken and a bronchial infection took hold that has also hung around for the entire month. Perhaps it was for a reason as if I was to peak too early , I might end up sacrificing my end August/ Sept performances. For all of you who had sent e-mails wishing me the best I thank you and hope to honour your support with some major breakthroughs this summer. May 7: Skyrace 1 - Mexico, Hidalgo Video http://www.buffskyrunner.com/videos/mexic-ok.html 30klm ascent/descent at altitude in the mountains. I finished 3rd overall and there were runners from Mex,Spain,Italy,Venezuela and other countries. The 2 in front of me were Mexican and I got lost three times during the race but finished 16sec behind the 2nd place runner. He has ran a 2:15 marathon and with that sort of time for Ottawa... It would have that person finishing as the top Canadian. At one point during the race I went from being in 3rd position to being in 7th position because of going the wrong way. It was a fight to get back up to the front and it was a great lesson to get ingrained. This race puts me in third place so far in the series...so it is a good start. I also finished ahead of last year‘s Pikes Peak Marathon winner. You’ll also find more information on the race and the series in my links area. Feb 21rst: The first race of 2006 - The First Half Half Marathon 1:06:47 On a sunny but slightly chilly February 19th, I froze my nipple running. Well just kidding but it was a cool one. The thought and idea of having made my first step towards reaching that next level took awhile to sink in. Actually I think it took a couple of hot coffees. The fastest I had run a half marathon was in 2004 at 1:09:49. Being able to take 3min off of it was due to a number of factors. Amazing to think that it also occured entirely off of exclusive strength work and through coaching myself. I believe that with the latest time, it would of placed me 10th in the Country last year on a year when more runners ran the half because of the World Championships being in Edmonton. I was so busy planning my speaking for the week after that I forgot to phone my friend Ryan in Vancouver and tell him when I was coming in. This found me at the airport figuring out a way to get to a relatives to spend the night. The next day I was able to connect with Ryan and stay downtown close to the course. Everything was set. Funny that it was Ryan who has also made a huge jump in performance over the last year. The race started out ok but slow through the first mile at 5:15 with Nick pushing the pace leading out front. I believe that for the first while it was Nick, Steve, Ken and myself wondering through the streets together. Part way through the 3rd mile or so, it was down to Steve and I with me staying out in front by a step until Mile 12.5 when Steve surged ahead to finish 15 sec in front of me. I’m happy with running strong and leading for the majority of the race. 2006 Europe Competitions
It has been awhile since I last updated the site and I hope that you may enjoy the updates to come over the next month.... I will be in Paris, Andorra, Barcelona, Istanbul, Bursa, Milan and the Italian Alps!
The races coming up include the SKYRACE ANDORRA, the 2006 WORLD MOUNTAIN TROPHY and the SKYRACE ITALY.
UPDATE #1 - The Sheraton shower and the Paris Train
***Change*** Toronto layover of 7hrs enabled me to go for a run and to get a great seat to Paris. Thinking that the run would have to be followed up with a sink shower, I was able to get access to the Sheraton fitness room because of the first generous soul on my journey.
In Paris and regretting not taking french in school!
Well here I am and to think that after losing all my ID/passport/laptop last friday that I still made it...WOW!
I then get to the Van airport to depart and find out that all of my tickets were not fully put through. When I think of running through mountains I've done more training in the past week than in my whole life. Getting into Paris and going by the seat of my pants was wild. It was great to meet a fellow Canuck who had just dropped his grandson off at the airport though. To you sir, I again thank you for your advise. Tonight its an overnight train to a bus that will whisk me over the Andorran mountains eventually getting to Ordino, Andorra tommorrow!!! This was my first train trip ever and to think it was to go across France.
UPDATE #2
Well lets just say that at the last minute in Paris I decided to go for a run and vent because I had to pay 117 euro for my train trip to the Andorra Bus when the internet site I found mentioned the cost to be 40 euro. The run was amazing as I ran right underneath the Eiffel Tower and around some of the other sites after jaunting down the Paris canal. What an amazing opportunity and honour to see the sites of the world.
All I had when getting off the train at the french/Andorran border was some American money after buying food after my run, so when it came time to get on the bus to go to Andorra I had no way of paying the driver! The mostly french speaking crowd must of thought I was swearing as I frantically yelled ´Does anyone speak english´. To which I got no response. Starting to worry, I waved an american 20 dollar bill and yelled, I want to trade for 10 Euro! The bus was only 8 Euro... like the internet site had said. Thank god for the amount being correct but even better in that Frank, the man behind me started taking out his wallet. You speak english?, I ask.
It turned out that Frank spoke great english and in fact had just got his law degree in New York and he was from Andorra. We sat together on the bus and talked. He not only helped me find my bus station but we had breakfast and talked about the world and our adventures. Another great person met along the way!
Finding myself in Ordino, Andorra about to take part in the BUFF skyrace, I see that over 6000 feet of elevation change will occur over 34klm starting at 8 AM tommorrow.
UPDATE #3
If your seeking the Andorra result and do not see my name it is because I was forced to step aside after 2.5 hrs of running. The financial stress and jetlag just was too much. I knew that if I was to perform for the next 2 races that I would have to do this. After the first 10klm I was in the lead group of 5 but over the next 10klm my mind started drifting off as to where I was going to get the money to even make it to my next flight. It was amazing to summit 2 of the highest peaks in Andorra and the view was inspiring. I want to thank the BUFF Skyrunning organization and FSA who are both filled with class act people. I hope to redeem myself at their next event in 2 weeks in the Italian Alps just north of Milan. I also wish to thank my family who again have come to my aid.
Today I am off to Barcelona to make my flight for the early morning on Tuesday at 7 am. I even think that I might be able to find a place to sleep now instead of my plan to sleep in the airport. I will update with info about my Barcelona run and experiences later today.
UPDATE #4 Close your eyes North Americans....
Leaving Andorra through the main city LAVERRA, the shoppers come from far and wide for the no tax spend while your still alive break. For some reason I keep having the urge to speak Italian although I only know 3 words.
Well, if it is the character of adventure to be put in a situation of discomfort and insecurity...I am right on track. Probably the only one smiling after sleeping/ one eye watching in the Barcelona Airport overnight last night! All in all it only ended up being an hr of sleep but the cost of hotel/ taxi in the early morning could not be done. When I got into Barcalona at 5pm, I decided to head downtown and as soon as I was on the coast it was off a running I went. With 5klm of beaches and seeing on the net that they mention one of them is often a nude beach, I was surprised to see that the first person I saw on the beach was free as can be. it applied to all the beaches except one that I saw and I bet that one was even for getting a burn where there hasn't been one before. It was great to see that even on the some of the same beaches were families and young 8-10 yr old soccer teams practising. Forever hidden and shun in Canada it is no wonder they are more sexually secure than us North Americans. I had the thought of running free for the first time but don't worry ... the people of Barcelona are still safe. My excuse was that being on the boardwalk would of been unsafe with people diving off as I went running bye at under a 6min mile... hahahaha.
Altogether a 50min tempo around 5:30 pace with 30 sec surges. And no the surges were not to look for my next girlfriend. Right now I find myself at the Prague Airport waiting for my flight tonight to the Middle East - Istanbul. I have a feeling this will be a life changing event.
UPDATE #5
I made it to Bursa and Mt. Uludag. The Istanbul experience was wild. The markets an experience to be remembered as the endless stuff and sellers were hilarious. My trip started with a 3 hr wait at the Istanbul airport when I really could of just went straight to the hotel. Oh well, It was fun to be followed around by security endlessly as they probably were wondering if I was Turkish because of my eyes and skin colour. The language is very hard or imposible to comprehend but the people are friendly and helpfull.
Yesterday I took the 2 gondolas --made in 1963!!!---down to the start for the men for the 2006 World Mountain Trophy. See Links area for more info. In running the course I was surprised at how good I felt despite having to take 3 weeks off from running at the start of August. All in all it is great to see familiar faces of the fittest people in the world and I hope to have fun on Sunday pushing my body to the limits. Where they have us staying there is no Internet so my next update might not be until after the race but I will see what I can do.
On Monday after the race I will be going back to Istanbul for 2 days and then it is off to Italy and the Alps north of Milan for 7 days. I am so inspired again for working towards getting in a great marathon in December or January.
UPDATE #6 The race wıll start ın under an hour!!!
I am at the ınternet cafe just about to leave and get ready for the race. Last nıght we had the openıng ceremonıes and marched through the streets of Bursa for a bıt and then took ın a couple of performances. I was told by Hussan ( our Team Canada Turkısh offıcıal who ıs lookıng after us) that the symphony we saw was the oldest ın the world wıth orıgınal datıng way back. The gondola lıft here ıs beıng used quıte abıt as no one wants to take the wındıng bus up the mountaın for the 1.5 hr bus rıde. I wıll try to update as soon as the race ıs done....
UPDATE 7
The race was particularly particular... I just couldn;t even get into a tempo pace never mind race pace. This had me in last place at the half way mark and having to face one of the biggest mental mountains in my life. It would of been so easy for me to just step aside and not want to even have anything to do with finishing so slow... so I found that place inside to draw some thing that said don.t quite, something that said you will never let yourself stop trying and in the last half I passed 30 other runners on the steepest sections of the course. I will try to deal with stomach problems that perhaps might have had a little food or water poisioning which is just keeping the water flowing out of me. On my way to Italy today... update via Italiano later.
UPDATE #8 The forcast calls for either a 43klm Skymarathon or a partial 28klm Skyrace!!!
The trip out of Istanbul and into Milan was greated by Ascanio, the Italian race delagate who met me at the airport. Poor guy thought I was on a direct flight from Istanbul and was there for quite a while I believe. Ascanio is 64 and has 7 grandchildren. Amazing hospitality greeted me in Valsassina as the hotel is also a restaurant owned by a family where the grandfather was an Olympic cross country skier. With no engish speaking skills on their side and no Italain aside from an Accent skill I tap into where as in whatever country I am in, I am able to egt theri accent down to a tee. Believe me this helps for the communication and to make the english speaking friends with me almost pee their pants. Scheduling a runthe very next morning with the father and owner to check out the race couse, we were both up at 530 am to see rain rain rain. Trying to reschedule to 3 pm int he afternoon and still rain, we set off, the father, his daughter and myself. We were able on an hour run to get to the town of Pasturo where the Skymarathon will start on Sunday. I also found out that the race will be shortened from 43klm to 28klm if there is rain on Sunday. Not sure what I want right now as I have suffered with dehydration due to the foods movind right through me in fluid form. Despite this I am still filled with energy from somewhere and am looking forward to the race. Afetr a day at the accomadation, on thursday night another Skyrunner Tanya from Venezuela came in which made it a little less lonely. Dont get me wrong though the hotel and their family define exactly just what it is of Italy and the human spirit I love so much.
UPDATE #9 The Skyrace Italy / Seinterro delle Gringe
The race was a great re-introduction to Skyrunning at its finest with an amazing gorup of people that gather to put on a quality event. I recommend it if you have the chance as a runner. The extreme terrain and views were amazing. Although we only did the 28klm version, the event did see some sun especially at the summits of some of the mountains. I knew going in that with my stomach problems for the entire Europe trip and with my fitness not being the best it could be that it would be tough. I still decided to give it a go and found myself in the lead pack at the first gate 5k or so and in 5th by about 40 seconds at around the halfway point. I was feeling fine and even reserved fitness wise but then all of a sudden whammmmm... dizziness, numbness of arms/hand, and wekness of muscular contraction for the legs hit me like a tonne of bricks. I barely made it to the finish but ended up being 38th and pround of what I had done. I will be back and have been invited to do such a thing by the great Buff and the Skyrace organizers. My dedication to life and sport with finding balance in my heart, body,soul and spirit is back.The morning after the race saw the departure of the athletes and organizers. I still am able to stay another night and almost decided to forego it to go to Milan but think I will stay to save money and for the hospitality. The Hotel/ Restaurante de Cessarino will beat anything I will find in Milan. Tommorrow I will make my way to Milan and might have to stay in the Airport because of an early flight and how far it is away from town. I will update though on the trip.
UPDATE 10
Yup I made it to Valsassina for an hour run last night and am now in Milan but will make my way to the airport soon. I do miss Canada and will be glad to be back and get settled for a winter of hard training. More stories to come in the next day or so...
Until next time...take care and...Stay tuned, clothed, happy and free. Oh ya....Happy Running!
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