The Joys of Winter Riding

Last weekend we went for our usual cross country adventure to Cumberland on Sunday morning. The snow melt...freeze...melt...freeze patterns have added another interesting technical element to our winter riding...

Check out this cute video of our very own Sue Muldoon as she slip slides away in Cumberland...after about 5 minutes of sliding and public ridicule Sue's husband Tim came to the rescue and pulled her across this iceberg.

Tee Hee:) Sarah

ELM Members Snowshoe Event!

WOW!

What a fantastic evening at Forbidden Plateau! The first annual ELM Members Snowshoe Event was a huge success:) Thanks to all our participants for participating in this special event...sorry to those who couldn't make it (it sold out super quick)...we are booking again for next year so plan to join us then!

A big thanks to Andrea and the crew at Coastal Trek Lodge for putting together such a fine feast for our hungry snowshoers! Fireside appies...soup and main course at the GIANT dining room table that seats 20...dessert by the fire and mulled wine in the hottub...what could be better??

Check out coastal trek and give Andrea or Shane a call if you would like more information on the services that they provide. http://www.coastaltrekresort.com/

See you next year!

Sarah.

Chicks who Click Part Two

Hello!

Some of you may know that I took a 6 month photography course with Karen McKinnon last year and absolutely LOVED it. This program, for women only, is a great opportunity to meet other gals who enjoy taking photos, increase your knowledge of manual photography and most importantly give you a reason to take more photos.

Karen is starting up a new session at the end of this month with 3 times to choose from and there are still a couple of spots left if you are interested. Check out the details on the Mckinnon website and give Karen a call if you want to join in on the fun!

Cheers,

Sarah.

Photos, ramblings and more on the blog
http://mckinnonphoto.squarespace.com/
McKinnon Photography
http://www.mckinnonphotography.com/
(250 ) 890-9222

Seal Bay Park is the BEST

Hurray for Seal Bay Park!

I had a great time this past weekend playing in the trails of Seal Bay Park. It doesn't matter how many times I have been in SBP (and I can tell you it has been quite a few) I always leave rejuvinated and inspired by this magical forest. Check out my recent article on the ELM homepage for more info on great trails in this popular park... http://www.elmhealth.com/. And be sure to go to the regional district website for a map that you can print off and use to explore new territory in the park. I always manage to find new trails every time I go!

Saturday I ran from my home to the park via the Mitchell road entrance then made my way downhill to the beach-about an hour from my house...a short beach run gave me an amazing ocean view and led me to the base of the ' MIGHTY RAVINE' ( some of you know what I am talking about) where I paced my way up the 400m incline one switch back at a time. Then it was all the way back up to the top/west side of the Park for a couple of loops to the Fitzel Road entrance, where my 'knights in shining armour' -Brad and Yuki- met me for a cooldown and a hitch home:) Nearly 2 hours and never a dull moment. The IPOD playlist that made it all happen...priceless:: Madonna Confessions of a Dancefloor...don't laugh it has a super good beat! And of course a few of my other faves::Fleetwood Mac...the "Young Folks" song with the contageous whistle...and that great one from KOS- Crabs in the Bucket...I could listen to those over and over...and I am right now actually:)

Sunday was a girls ride from my house on a similar route to Seal Bay Park...just couldn't get enough so asked Pascale and Barb to join me for more SBP. The trails are super fun for fast non-technical x-country riding and we had a great time ripping along the outer 'horse-bike' loop. On the way home I convinced the girls to follow me on a short cut back to my place...ended up in knee deep black gooey-sticktoyourgumboot mud. Well...Pascale did anyways:) 2.5 hours later and it was home for a hot showers and blueberry wholewheat pancakes!

What will this weekend bring?

Stay tuned for photos from our Members SNOWSHOE EVENT this Saturday at Coastal Trek Lodge!! Can't wait:)

Happy Valentines...better get back to my deathbychocolate brownies:)

Sarah.

Only 2 weeks to go...

ELM Women take note::

The annual 10K Running Clinic begins on February 21st at 5:30pm!

“10K training forms the foundation of all-around fitness, because it includes ample amounts of the three core components of running- strength, stamina, speed. When you race a 10-K, you immerse yourself in near-mythical tradition.” Runners World

ELM is getting set to train women of all running levels in the 6th annual ‘ELM Women’ Times Colonist 10K clinic beginning Feb 21st.
This 10-week clinic takes place on Thursday nights from 5:30-7:00pm and will offer programs for both novice and advanced runners. Novice runners start by run:walking 3kms and work on building up to completing (and enjoying!) their first 10K. Intermediate and advanced runners are provided with a challenging 10-week program tailored to meet their 10K goal. Hills, speed work, pacing, mental training and race strategy will be the focus for the experienced runners program.
This special running clinic includes weekly discussions on running related topics specific to women. Learn about running form, nutrition, stretching, injury prevention, motivation, goal setting, and much more. New participants receive a training manual, log book, program, and weekly emails to help motivate them along the way.
Racing provides opportunities to set and meet goals, stay committed to a running program, boost motivation, and challenge your self physically and mentally. Some people race to win and others race against themselves and the clock to see what they are able to accomplish. Once you cross the finish line, you are destined to be a runner for life!
Register at Extreme Runners @ 436 5th St. or call ELM @ 338-8998. Check out http://www.elmhealth.com/ww_running_clinics.html#TENK fmi.

See you there!

Sarah.

This Weeks Favorite Things...

Favorite Soup
OH YUM. You have to try this soup from the REBAR cookbook (my personal recipe bible). A good Sunday afternoon recipe that warms you from the inside out...
African Yam & Peanut with ginger and pineapple (thanks Pascale)
8 cups veggie stock
2 tbs veg oil
1 large onion diced
2 tsp salt
6 tbs minced ginger
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 red bell pepper diced
4 medium yams chopped and peeled
1 14oz can pineapple
3 ripe tomatoes chopped
6 tbs natural peanut butter
1 bunch cilantro chopped
juice of 2 limes
hot sauce to taste

Cook it all up except the pinapple juice, lime and cilantro. Simmer 30 minutes or until yams are tender. Blend with food processor or hand blender. Add pineapple juice if needed and top with cilantro and lime. To die for.

MUSIC on my favorites:
""Young Folks ""(Feat. Victoria Be 4:37 Peter Bjorn And John....SO GOOD...just try not to whistle along...

Have a great weekend!
S

A DAY IN THE LIFE

So here it is...a typical Monday in my life...

6:00am...rise and shine for breaky...stoke the fire...feed the pooch...look outside and see a beautiful but crisp morning...check the weather channel...minus 2 hmmm...put on another layer.

7:15am...client body composition assessment at Sports Centre...assessments are an excellent way to stay on track with training and nutrition.
7:30-8:30am...semi-private personal training at Vanier Track...what an amazing view of the mountains in sunrise we get every monday morning! Cardio and full body strength and endurance combo with individual attention...shared training is a perfect way to get personalized attention without personalized cost.
8:30-9:00...Pack up the car/office...quick gear change...head to my next session...
9:20-11:20...Seal Bay Park, Womens Off Road Trail Running. 3 different Groups, 3 leaders, tonnes of fun navigating through the trails. Chat on running gear for winter then head out with my group for a 1:15hour run from Fitzel down to the ocean and tackling the mighty ravine!

11:30-12:30...Home for a hot shower and lunch...
12:30-1:30pm...Hot mug of tea and time for computer work (returning emails, creating programs & class workouts, putting out fires etc), returning phone calls...

1:30-2:00...zip to My Tech Guys and pick up my new computer! Out with the old in with the new...

2:00-4:00pm...Personal Training Clients at Fitness Excellence Gym on Moray Ave. Push, motivate, correct technique and challenge my clients to sweat their way to success!

4:00-4:40pm...Squeeze in my own 40 minute strength workout at Fit X. Efficiency is the key when you are short on time-the 'cage' maximizes strength, balance and core co-ordination.
5:00-6:15pm...Fitness Bootcamp at Comox Marina Park! X-training at it's finest, this is the all in one workout that pushes our participants to reach their upper limits. This workout included 4 Dynamic circuits including cardio, dynamic strength, endurance and sability. We were super happy to have daylight to start in and took our first couple of circuits out onto the Pier for the most inspiring scenery. Don't know if they actually stopped to look around, however:)
6:45-7:45pm...home for dinner and prep for Tuesday training sessions and SCORE class!

8:00-9:00...settle into my book and curl up on the couch to quiet my mind before bed...

9pm goodnight and see you at 6am tomorrow!

Sarah.

Wonderful Weekend

Hello Friends!

GREAT NEWS...my new Dell computer is up, running and my entire hard drive was backed up and is now fully functioning! Can't tell you how relieved I was to have all of my email addies and sent/received emails recovered! The ' MyTechGuys' in Comox were fantastic and I definately recommend them for fast, friendly, tech service. And they are self proclaimed computer geeks so their passion is fixing your technical difficulties.

Anyhow...had a most excellent weekend of climbing, hiking & biking in the snow. There are so many fantastic things to do in this Valley...I never run out of adventures to keep me happy:)

Climbing in Cumberland...There is a great little climbing wall at the Cumberland Rec Centre that is a bit of a hidden gem. On Friday nights Arran and I have been playing around on the wall and trying to get our climbing fitness back after an extended vacation...so fun!

Trekking at Forbidden Plateau...we were out on Saturday scouting out a route for our members event on Feb 16th...snowshoe and feast at Coastal Trek Lodge!

My silly pooch Yuki is in heaven playing in the snow. Since retiring from Avalanche rescue he doesn't get to spend as much time in the white stuff.

My boys trekking along at Forbidden...

Stomping out a route to Coastal Trek Lodge...

Biking In Cumberland...aka Sunday church

Here is my home made camera mount rig...worked like a charm!My Sunday morning biking crew- the River Rats- gearing up for a ride in Cumberland.

Andy cruisin down the bridge at the entrance to Shaker...Dr. John navigating an icy decent on Buggered Pig.Tim takes the log ride...daring!