Callaghan Adventures!

With winter upon us, even though there's no snow in Vancouver, I knew there would be some somewhere ... so I made some plans with some friends.

A SkyTrain and a SeaBus later, I picked up Rachel in North Van



We head to Destination Ski to pick up our rentals, then make the long (but fun!) drive up the Sea to Sky towards Whistler!

It was Christmas time at the Akeroyd cabin, so we sang some carols in greeting



The next day, we hit the slopes! Well, only kinda, because this was my first time Cross-Country skiing! I've skied downhill (or Alpine if you will) for as long as I can remember (mostly at Blackcomb, but also Mount Washington, Silver Star, SunPeaks). But, I've never tried the Nordic-style of skiing. But with the Callaghan Valley so wonderfully updated from the Olympics, I thought it would be fun.



And it was



Nicole was Skating on her own skis, Rachel and I went Classic



I did fall several times (those skis are skinny!) ...

[no photo]

Luckily I was carrying the camera.

We stopped for some breathers/scenic views ...



... and thought some crazy ideas (anyone have a Crazy Carpet?!?)



We went and skied around the Olympic Biathlon Centre. Being my first time I had to improvise with the equipment.





But Nicole was an absolute pro (notice the form with which her skis are splayed on the snow, and the crazy angle that the photo is taken at!)



But we weren't as good as these guys!



I'm going to have to practice!

~ liquid

Hallow's Eve Half Marathon

Just a quick post about last weekend's race.

Here's a link to the photo reel from the race (ended up chatting with Randy the photographer afterwards - really cool guy)



I ended up racing to 3rd overall. The racers who finished 1 & 2 were about 10 minutes ahead (3 km into the race, the volunteers said "they're just 2 minutes ahead." At the half-way point, "they're only 5 minutes ahead" - oh well, we'd lost them)

Trail racing is awesome, I suggest you give it a try!

~ liquid

North Shore Half Marathon

Thanksgiving isn't just about turkeys and pumpkin pie. For a lot of Lower Mainland athletes Thanksgiving weekend offers a plethora of racing opportunities: marathons in Victoria and Portland, Turkey Trots in Vancouver, and even the Ironman World Championships for those talented triathletes that qualify.

For me, Thanksgiving racing was fulfilled by the North Shore Half Marathon, a small event that spans some of my favourite running areas: from Parkgate at the base of Mount Seymour, the run follows the Dollarton highway across North Van, towards Park Royal in West Vancouver.

Here's the quick and dirty of the race:
Garmin Connect

I chose to go low tech for this run, using my Garmin Forerunner 60 (non-GPS) rather than my 310xt. My reasoning: for some of the cross-country and trail runs I plan on doing later this fall, pace-by-GPS will be less than useless, so I need to get back in the habit of running off HR and RPE feedback.

But mostly it was an opportunity to go for a run until I blew up (and hopefully that would happen after the finish line!)

Things I learned from this race:
1. Warmups can be fun as well as effective. Managed to get in a good 2-part warmup run with Rachel Kiers, and it didn't feel like extra work because we were just having fun

2. Don't go out too hard. Or, when you do, don't get depressed as runners pass you. If you look at the Garmin Connect file, that first split is Mile 1. 5:23 is pretty fast, even with the downhill. I'm not surprised that I couldn't maintain that pace

3. Being light doesn't mean you automatically fly up hills. I think it's something I need to work on

4. Plan post-race clothing and transportation better. I didn't think that I'd be hanging around the race finish like I did; luckily Elizabeth was able to bring me some warm clothes on her way to work at Park Royal

Next up: costumes and corners at the North Shore Hallow's Eve trail run

~ liquid

How a Wedding is like an Ironman

So, if you haven't noticed, I haven't been posting on my blog recently. And you probably haven't seen me out running or at the weekly club rides all that often. That's because all of my efforts have been going towards July 31, 2010, the day that Elizabeth and I got married.

And as the day got closer and closer, it occurred to me that having a wedding shares many similarities to doing an Ironman. I even included some of these in my post-dinner speech (which - and if you were there you'll agree with me - was definitely nota highlight of the evening)

1. Cardio.

2. They both take a ton of preparation. In fact, if you are not careful the planning will take over your life. Unfortunately, there's no system of periodization or "The Wedding Training Bible" written by Joe Friel. He should get on that.

3. The food afterwards is amazing, and there are aid stations along the way. My pre-service food consisted of eating snow peas out of a ziploc bag (I wasn't allowed to eat anything that was already plated). Okay, the food at our wedding was most definitely better than that served at the Ironman Finishers Dinner, but I think my point still stands.

4. They are both a team effort, and require the support of family and friends to whom I am eternally grateful. Here are just a few of the people who contributed to our special day.

5. People who haven't done it may think you're crazy. People who have know that you are.

6. You wake up the next day and have blisters on your feet. And you don't really know how you got them. And you're kind of proud of them.

7. It ain't cheap, and at a certain point you stop keeping track of how much you spend.

8. Your closest friends and family come out to cheer you on.

9. Staying hydrated is very important. Although at a wedding, wine and beer count as electrolytes (and carbs).

10. At the end of the day, when you cross the finish line, your life is changed forever.

We'll be posting pictures soon

~ Doug

Downtime

Not a whole ton to blog about on a year when I'm not racing, cuz when I don't race, apparently I don't train either.

I'm actually quite enjoying not having to wake up super early to go to the pool, and not having to don my winter riding gear for all these crappy days we're having in Vancouver.

If you didn't see the results for last week's Oliver Half Ironman, do take a quick sec to read them here. Special congrats to Nicole, Chris, and Katrina for their spectacular results at their first attempts at the half iron distance.

So if you see me out on the road and completely leave me in the dust, don't feel too bad - I'll be fine.

I"ll also give a shout out to Pure Athletics, the newly operated and renovated CrossFit North Van gym on Dollarton. Elizabeth and I are having a blast with our morning workouts, although my hands might never recover from the lifting, pullups, dumbells, kettlebells ...

Just takin it easy, having fun

~ liquid

2010 Vancouver BMO Marathon - Race Report

The quick read:

Overall: 36
Male: 33/1870
M 25-29: 7/224

Gun Time: 2:53:51
Chip Time: 2:53:45
Average Pace: 4:08

Average HR: 171 bpm
Max HR: 184 bpm
rTSS: 356.5 (which means I'll be out for a couple of days)
IF: 1.041

Splits
5 km         20:27  
10 km        40:33  
15 km        1:01:17  
Halfway      1:26:09  
30 km        2:03:14  
35 km        2:24:05  
42.2 km      2:53:51

Hells ya. So, if you hadn't talked to me in the past couple of months about my marathon, the basic plan was this. Most of my workouts were done at a pace that would push a 2:45 completion time (about 3:55 min/km) with my goal of racing the marathon to 2:55 (my previous PR being 2:58:59 set several years ago).

My basic strategy was to run an even race - 4:09 min/km would finish at 2:55 evenly. Knowing my strengths (a strong finish) and my weaknesses (racing waaaay too early, ie. in the first km) I knew this day would be a bit of a challenge.

Luckily, I had some great assistance along the way. First was simple math - using some online marathon pace calculators I figured out my 5 km, 10 km, 21.1 km, 28 km and 33 km splits. (These times were rounded off, and were to be used more as time checks that strict pacing tools - as long as I was +/- 30 seconds I knew I'd be fine)

Also helping was my Garmin 310xt. I'd set the main screen to display my current pace, current HR, and the elapsed time for the race (so that I would actually know my split times (above))

PS. If you plan on using a Garmin on your next running marathon, please don't set it to beep when you're under/over your goal pace or HR - it's really annoying!

Unlike any other race I've done, I also had the luxury of a great runner to run this "nice and easy Sunday run beside." In the weeks leading up to the event, Jeff Seeley and I knew that we were running for pretty much the same finish time, and so it really just made sense to work together after we passed through the crowds in the first couple of kms. Jeff finished with an amazing 2:55:29.

My race went nice and smooth through Stanley Park, over the Burrard Street bridge (I knew the 28km time split there would be a key one to grab), running through Kits (where the best spectators always are - thanks to everyone who braved the rain!!!)

At the final turn around at 33 km, there were 4 of us in a small group who had decided to work our best to get to the finish line fast. My initial race plan had me running steady until this turn around point, then trying to pull out a sub-40 10 km pace to the finish. Seeing as I was 1 minute up on the overall pace, I thought it a little smarter to just keep my average kilometer pace just above 4:00. I downed my last Gu Roctane (perfect for race day) and tried to hold on.

Back over the Burrard Street Bridge and down for the final 2 km, this is the time on the course where you think "okay, you're allowed to let it hurt, because you can probably hold on to the end." I heard Steve King announcing the finishers ahead of me crossing the line, saw the Finishing Clock ticking up past 2:53:45 ... 46 ... 47, and just put my head down to finish it.

So beat my goal time by a minute and 9 seconds; beat my PB by over 5 minutes; and finally figured out how to pace a marathon.

What did you do Sunday morning?

~ liquid

500 grams well worth its weight

With the BMO Marathon just over a week away and training moved full into taper mode, my mind has quite naturally started to wander towards other training goals for the season.

North Shore trails, here I come! So I bought a new toy

Yes the orange model.

But before I hit the trails, safety Doug sayz that all runners should take some precautions and back a little extra weight. Sure, when you're running on the road there'll probably be a good Samaritan close by if something goes wrong, but out in the woods, you're on your own. If you plan to go out in the woods this summer, consider packing just a little extra weight.

Here's a list of what I keep in my bag, beyond water, food, and some extra clothing

First aid kit (including mole skin)         - 119 grams
North Shore trail map (waterproof)          - 83 grams
10' lightweight Rope                        - 21 grams
Whistle and Waterproof Matches              - 35 grams
Space Blanket                               - 53 grams
Orange Garbage Bags (x2)                    - 89 grams
Knife (probably too tiny to actually
       cut anything)                        - 21 grams
Duct tape                                   - 7 grams
One Step hand wipes (several)               - 17 grams
Instant Hand Warmer                         - 35 grams
LED Light                                   - 11 grams

Total weight - 491 grams.

Be safe out there kids!

~ liquid

Spring is here!

which means many more glorious rides outdoors, a spring marathon, and maybe even some open water swims!

Unfortunately, it also means that there are a lot of drivers on the road, who - for some reason I can't figure out - are always 30 seconds late to where they need to be. And me and my bike are apparently in the way.

Today I took a nice spin out to Whytecliff Park, a ride that many who live and cycle in Vancouver are familiar with, and that I've ridden for some 7 years.

One Lexus near the park came out of a side road, blew through her stop sign, and continued her turn out of Horseshoe Bay. Meanwhile I got in touch with the back half of my saddle and was happy that I had installed new brake pads yesterday.

One Translink bus (I know!) cut me off in order to pick up his passengers. After being forced up on the sidewalk, I rolled by his open door and thanked him for the stop.

And 6 blocks from my front door, while stopped at a stop light, I heard behind me "ride on the sidewalk dumbass!" I think riding on the sidewalk is illegal, not sure though.

Now, I'll be honest: when I ride and when I drive, I don't always come to a complete stop at stop signs. But you can be sure that any liberties I take on the road are after your standard decelerations, blindspot checks, and gradual creeps to make sure that everythings good to go. And it's not like I'm out there "Critical Massing" the road - I'll usually wave drivers by after 20 or 30 second if I'm impeding their drive.

Unfortunately, if you're reading my blog, you're probably also the type of person who contends themselves if a similar manner on the road.

If you do, however, see yourself in any of the above motorists, perhaps you should take a bike out on the streets sometime. Who knows, you might become a better driver

Be careful out there

~ liquid

ps. if you haven't seen the news, one of triathlon's great athletes and one of my personal role models Jordan Rapp was in an accident yesterday. You can read about it here. My thought go out to Rappstar and Jill.

Back to black

So after a year and a half of having the most awesomeness coloured bike in Vancouver, an unfortunate series of events has put my Orca back to "normal" colours


1. My orange hudz wouldn't fit on my new Ultegra 6700 shifters (no, I didn't try)

2. Orange bar tape with black hood covers looked weird (yes, I did try)

3. Large gash in my tire made me replace my Vredesteins; intrigue led me to try Continental's this season

4. Orange demo Fizik saddle looked very strange without matching orange hoods, bar tape, and tires, so I put the black Fizik Arione back on

Okay, I admit, the bike's still very awesome, and I guess now my Speed Theory kits won't clash

note: pedals, bottle cages, seatpost, stem, bars maintain orange highlights

Love the Bike

~ Doug

Love the Run

Starting next Monday, January 18, I officially enter "Marathon training mode" where every workout is carefully executed, recorded, and evaluated in my leading to the BMO Vancouver race.

So that I can hit the ground running - so to speak - I figured that I should actually start running again after a long (but well deserved) break from the running grind.

New Year's Day I started with Run 1 - 2010


After last Saturday's Toonie spin at Speed Theory I ran down to see the folks at Forerunners with Nicole to buy some new shoes for the season

This is actually my 3rd pair of Saucony's Grid Fastwitch 3 shoe, and I really like the weight, last, and heel profile of the shoe. New Shoe Day happened Sunday January 11 with the great folks from the Steveston Athletic Association at Granville Island

Love the Run

~ liquid

A New Year Begins

At the risk of writing a cliche, here's my list of things for 2010

1. Update my blog more often (been busily on a training vacation)
2. Get back running
3. Life is more than swimming, biking, running
4. At home, at work, clean up as I go
5. Stop buying lunch at work all the time stupid, you're a pretty good cook
6. Figure out how insurance works and get some
7. Help Elizabeth plan a wedding. Maybe that way I'll be invited
8. Hit 1000 watts for 5 seconds

I didn't reach 10 things, but I'm okay with it

~ Doug