No biking for me:(

Happy Thursday!

Yesterday I loaded my bike in the car with plans to ride with my Weds eve crew in Cumberland after work. Well...my forearm would have none of that. By 3:30, even the tensor bandage and IBP couldn't hide the fact that I have tendinitis in my wrist extensors on the right hand. Although I was rip roaring ready to go and my bike was looking up at me anxiously I had to accept reality and bite the bullet. When I tried to write at a meeting just before the planned ride and found I couldn't write my name as well as a 4 year old- it was an easy call. So...I shouldn't spend too much more time typing so I can last the day today...

But wanted to blog that I came home and went out for a FANTASTIC run in my back trails...sun came out...ran my viewpoint trail...did a hard time trial in pure anaerobic threshold land...and my legs felt sooooo good:) The best part were the tunes that kept me pushing that hard pace and didn't let me skip a beat so to speak: DJ Champion...check it out on Limewire or Itunes!

Gotta go find my wrist gaurds to splint this arm...

S

MOMAR Shawnigan Last Word

Well, there was some serious confusion around the penalty for missed checkpoints on the O-course this past weekend at the MOMAR Shawnigan. Reading another Blog I noted the author was also under the impression that missed CPs on this section would not affect your ranking, but rather just dock you time. So...I checked the racer information package and under the rules section it quotes:

"*Please note that for the Shawnigan MOMAR, the Orienteering Stage has time penalties for missed CPs (20minutes per CP) and does not factor into the total CP count."

I noticed that I had been ranked below teams who were slower (7 teams to be exact) but who collected all the O-course CPs. So...I emailed Bryan (race director) to point out the discrepency. He was hit out of left field and had not realized his mistake- stating he would correct the rankings and update the results. But... he has decided not to make the changes after all - remembering that he had not outlined this detail in the pre-race briefing. Hmmm.

All I will say is I am... um...disappointed but what can you do? I have heard many stories of misunderstanding and miscommunication between race organizers and racers in the past and I suppose this is one more variable in the crazy world of adventure racing. There are so many things that are out of your control that sometimes you just have to let them go...

The good news is I hold the 1st place solo female title...so it really isn't a big deal but...7 places!

Anyways..that is my final gripe...and it is really the ONLY complaint I have ever had about a MOMAR race in the 6 (or 7?) years that I have been racing in these excellent events. I guess Bryan is human afterall.
Esta bien.
S

MOMAR Shawnigan Update

The full race results and photos have been posted on the MOMAR website...
And...2 things have been revealed...

1. I managed to snake 1st place in the solo female category! Even after all my drama on the O-course.
2. It appears that we were penalized in ranking for missed CPs on the O-course. I was not aware of this change in the rules and unfortunately skipped a CP as part of my strategy-with the hopes of it improving my placing...not dropping places!

Argh c'est la vie. Welcome to the wild world of Adventure Racing...where nothing is as it seems!
Check out the results and pics:
http://www.mindovermountain.com/momar/past_races/past_races.htm

Gotta go ice this arm...this 2 finger typing is killing me!
S

MOMAR Shawnigan Race Report

I survived MOMAR Shawnigan! And although it was not my best performance to date I still really enjoyed the race and have plenty of awesome memories from my (close to) 7hour adventure.

The GOOD:

• Found a horseshoe and packed it out:)
• Didn't cramp!! First time for everything!
• Had a fantastic rip on my bike- super fun long flowy single track XC trails had me grinning the whole way.
• No mechanicals-other than my beener and nipple- more to come on that!
• Had enough food (lucky I packed extra cause I was out there way longer than planned)
• Met lots of great people on the course! Strange encounters occur on the race course -very unlike everyday life- instant conversations ignite at checkpoints and helpful tips are exchanged with complete strangers who are united with a common goal of reaching the finish. Hello to my new race course friends! Whoever and wherever you are...see you next time!

The BAD:

• Ran out of water 2 hours before I finished. Dizzy with thirst.
• Messed up my right forearm -on the kayak- which I cannot use today as it is flared up and screaming to the touch. This race report is my final suffering then I must rest and ice it...

The UGLY:

• Royally *&^%^@ up on my 2nd CP on the orienteering course and completely blew my race with one crucial mistake.

The Play by Play:

Saturday awoke at 6:00am for breaky, tea and a nice slow wake up.

7:45am Arrived at race central and got dropped off with my bike, race gear and paddle. Rain started at this moment.

8:10am Picked up race map and checked out the new course. Plenty o biking with some long gravel road sections linking into downhill XC biking routes. I was correct when I foresaw that it would be much longer than last year.

9:00am Water start on the kayak leg- down and back on Shawnigan Lake in a warm summer rainstorm. Uneventful 1:10 paddle other than a few fish jumping, a river otter traversing through a mass of kayaks and a nice rainfall. Fell slowly to the back of the pack with the other solo paddlers and couples in plastic or tub double kayaks. This is always a mental challenge for myself as a solo racer...watching all the fast boats take off and knowing that you have to work your way up through the packs of people over the coming hours. But, I had to just let them go and find my own rhythm or risk burning out half way down the lake!

10:10 back at race central I jumped out of the boat and ran to the CP to grab my first punch of the day. Then I grabbed my bike and took off. I was already in my bike shoes, wearing my pack and had already pulled out a fruit bar to eat on the road. I was stoked with a v. fast transition.

10:13 Bike leg...till? 1pm? Lost contact with my watch and the minutes flowed into hours after this. I think we were on and off the bikes for 3-4 hours but can't be sure until I see the split times. Rode out of transition and headed towards the Cowichan Valley Trail.

10:14 Minor incident- one of my mini caribiners popped off my map bag while I was leaving transition. This was an 'oh crap' moment as I struggled to come up with a Macgiver style solution to a dangling map bag. Managed to loop my water hose through the map bag D-ring and secure it through a backpack strap all while riding as hard as safely possible.

10:16 Medium incident- I fell backwards off my bike into a small crowd while trying to squeeze through a boulder and step on a slippery section...I lost my footing and had nowhere to go but ass over teakettle so to speak. A full 3 minutes into the ride I was covered in mud from head to toe. Nice. Mental note- multitasking is not always a helpful skill.

Rode the trail and then a section of road until we reached Burnt Bridge and picked up CP2. Then it was into the trails for over 2 hours of unmarked mountain biking navigation. I got off course right away with two short wrong turns and then got my act together to pick up CP3. Saw a steep climb back up to the road on the map...then came around the corner to witness a scene out of MadMax- 8 or 10 racers were trying (with not much success) to push their bikes up a 100foot sandhill cliff while sliding backwards and even falling under the weight of their bikes. "Oh this is awesome!" I yelled- looking for a laugh but no one took the bait. Soon I too was sliding backwards in the deep soft sand and trying to maintain some forward momentum. I hucked my bike onto my back and kickstepped my way up- leaning forward and scrambling with my free hand. 2 guys dressed in black stood at the top reaching out with helpful hands to pull up girls who were struggling to make it over the lip and up to the road. Although I didn't personally need a helping hand, this was a great show of sportsmanship and I give kudos to these guys for helping out those in need!

Back on the gravel road for a big climb that put us up in the middle of nowhere. I was second guessing myself because a huge landmark- major powerlines- was not on the map. This really messed with my mind as I thought for sure these would be on the map. But I charged on as this was one of my goals for this race- commit to a decision and go full speed with it. In the end I was right on course and found the next CP without issue. We cruised downhill on a fun single track section made up of 1/2 a foot of dust. I learned a new riding technique that I had been afraid to try until yesterday- Ride the Slide as i like to call it. That's right, I had to just go with the flow and ride out the fishtale as we slid down a sandune like line back to the road. I didn't fall over the edge so it was all good in the end!

Back into the trails- took a brief detour and quickly relocated the correct trail I continued to pass multiple teams and made my way up towards the mid-front pack. More climbing ...more checkpoints...more sweet flowy long singletrack downhill and flats. Really loved that bike! Did I say that already?

Somewhere around this time I had another minor incident- riding up a big hill I suddenly felt water spraying on me and thought for a brief moment that either it was raining or I was peeing myself. Then saw my nipple had popped off my water hose due to the Macgiver map rigging. This time I had to stop for a second and put the pieces back together. Lost a bit of water but it could have been way worse!

Finally it was down to the river and off the bike for a river run leg. Downstream 200meters for the first CP then back to the start and upstream 100meters for the second river CP. River running is very dangerous but very fun at the same time. Let's just say we couldn't wear our bike shoes- but we had to wear our helmets. Slip, slop, crash repeat-all in knee to thigh high water. Made it to the CP area and saw that they had carefully placed it across the river. 2 choices immediately became apparent: a) continue running upstream and cross at a shallow spot or b) dive into the deep pool and swim directly across the river to the CP. Well- short cuts are always my favorite options so I jumped in and had a refreshing swim. A volunteer watching over the CP started yelling at the top of his lungs: "Adventure!!!" which really made me laugh:)

Ohhh that forearm is on fire. I better make this brief:)

Back to the bikes- push across river- ride and hike a bike...ride and ride and photo op at the lookout and water and snacks and ride...

Arrived at the quarry for the anticipated swim-which did not disappoint. I was handed a pool noodle and told to obtain 2 CPs from floats out in the quarry. "Do you really think this thing is going to stop me from drowning" I ask and jump into the aqua marine water. Very warm, very refreshing, very hard to swim with bike shoes, helmet, gloves, pool noodle, racer passport in the mouth and of course in full racing outfit. Didn't really think I was going anywhere and used a variety of strokes but eventually I made it across and back to my bike.

A short ride uphill took us to the final transition area-dropped the bikes, grabbed a cup of water (actually it wasn't water...it was some very strange cough syrup tasting drink that I had a hard time keeping down) and ran to pick up my orienteering map. "GREAT JOB! You are the first solo female!" the volunteers cheered me on. I had planned to take water bottles from this CP and carry them in my pack on the O stage but this was not an option. So...on a went knowing I was nearly out of water and just hoping I would fly through the O section. At this point it had to be nearly 5 hours into the race and I grabbed an energy gel, got out my compass and started trekking.

My plan was to take the CPs in the order of proximity and run trails until I was on the same contour then shoot a bearing and hit the bush. Got the first CP then took off for my second- full of hope and promise I might add here:) Took off down my handrail trail towards the next CP and bunched up with a team of 2 ladies and a solo guy looking for the same CP.

This is where the end of my race began. Instead of planning my fine navigation into the CP I ran with the others to the end of the trail and into a clearing. I should have stopped before the end of the trail and made my way into the bush heading across slope until I hit the gully-then directly uphill to the CP. Once I was in the clearing I was disoriented and unsure of my position. I had unknowingly looped back the same direction as I had come from while running with my head down and following the group towards the CP. This is where I broke a cardinal rule (ok ok I am telling you this so you can see I am only human!) of orienteering: As soon as you are unsure of your exact location STOP and return to the last spot you knew your location on the map. If I had done thatI would have saved myself an extra 60 minutes of frusrtation, wandering, confusion, random hiking and basically complete disappointment with myself. But instead I opted for that.

I had covered the entire mountain side (along with 8 other frustrated racers) and decided to screw checkpoint "J" and take the 20 minute penalty when I came withing 30 meters of the correct gully and received a helpful tip from a fellow racer who had just stumbled upon it. I raced to the CP and knelt down beside it with near tears in my eyes from the relief and pure joy that overcame me. 'Thank God' were my exact words. I can't tell you how good it felt to be 100% sure of my location again.

I had honestly never experienced being totally disoriented and out of touch with my location on the map before that moment. But- of course there are always lessons to be learned. Now I know that I never want to go through that again!! I have also realized that I have been used to racing clean races-without orienteering mistakes-and my expectations of myself are very high in this area. I was really surprised how disappointed with myself I was. But I did work through it and came to the conclusion that I am not a race result be it first or last, good or bad. I am much more than that:) Ok that was your sneakpeak into my psyche. Deep thoughts by Sarah Seads...

Back to the O-course: Good times on the rest of the course and I cleaned up all of the remaining CPs without any difficulty. I decided to skip one CP that I thought would take me longer than 20 minutes to climb up to and return to my elevation- and take the 20 minute penalty. It was an easy decision as I had been out on the course for 6.5hours and was ready to get er done anyhow. Ran for the last CP on the way to the finish and something on the trail caught the corner of my eye. A quick glance confirmed it was a lost horseshoe now half buried in the dry powdery trail dust. I had already covered 20meters of downhill when I suddenly stopped, turned around and climbed back up the trail to retrieve it. I would have kicked myself if I left it there! What are the chances of finding a horseshoe in a race! I figured it might bring me the good luck that I was so badly needing (wish I had found it earlier). Ran ahead, grabbed the last CP then a hard run to the finish. 6hours 40something minutes later - that was my longest time on a MOMAR course for sure. Happy to have completed the course but disappointed with my time I handed in my passports and posed for a picture with my horseshoe souvenir.

A big thanks to Dani, Cris and Brad for waiting patiently for me at the finish line. I was a bit later than planned and they stuck it out amongst the finish line chaos and constant loudspeaker commentating until I cruised through the finish.

Lessons learned. And really my race was 5.5hours of pure fun and only 1 hour of slight mental torture!

The race results have not been posted so I do not know my standing. I was the third female across the line but I had a penalty and I don't know if anyone else had any missed CPs. So...check back to the MOMAR site for pics and results tomorrow... http://www.mindovermountain.com/momar/past_races/past_races.htm

Adios!

S

2 Sleeps...

2 Wee sleeps till MOMAR Shawnigan and I am gearing down my training with the aim of feeling relaxed and rejuivinated come Saturday. Right now I could go for a nap. But that is not going to happen because I have a fantastic run to lead tonight in Cumberland for our Thursday night Adventure Running group. I can't tell you the route cause that would ruin half the fun...map reading brings the 'adventure' into Adventure Running! Cumberland...and a new trail on the other side of Perseverance creek! Stay tuned...

This week:
Monday ride 40minutes easy XC
Tuesday paddle 45minutes steady up river (saw a beaver swimming under my kayak in the slough!)
Weds bike 1.5hours easy XC
Thurs ARun 1hour (I hope!)
Friday tomorrow nothing but rest.
Saturday MOMAR!

From the MOMAR website...
http://www.mindovermountain.com/momar/schedule/momar_002/momar_002.htm
Saturday, July 26th, 2008
Start Time
REGULAR COURSE - 9:00am SHORT COURSE - 10:30am (note new time)
Location
Shawnigan Lake, BC, Canada, Vancouver Island (30 minutes north of Victoria). Click here to view a Google map.
Distance & Course Description
REGULAR COURSE:Distance: ~50kmEstimated Completing Time: 4-8 hours Disciplines: Mountain Biking, Kayaking, Trail Running, Orienteering/Navigation, Water Challenges, Coasteering, Bushwacking, and other great Mystery Challenges...

Time to GETERDONE.
Full report on Sunday or Monday!
S

Yummy Mummy's Exempt!

A big shout out to Laurel and Jen for such an awesome result on their military PT yesterday! You have worked your butts off over the past few months to get into serious military shape...after mat leave. Your hard efforts have definitely paid off!

These Yummy Mummy's kicked butt on their test (Beep test, Push Ups, Curl Ups and Grip Strength) and are are now exempt from fitness testing for 2 years! Personal goal...check. Now they are on to new goals which had me running them around the track this morning...it will be worth it I promise girls!

Way to go!

S

Yummy.

Ok Ok Marina here is the granola bar recipe you have been requesting (for months)! I have also included my most requested recipe for Energy Balls, my Breakfast Granola (you will never buy granola again) and a new Muselix recipe (that I have not tried yet) from Krista...enjoy!


Sarah’s ‘Open House’ Chewy Flax Lemon Granola Bars
350 degrees--9" pan parchment & greased

Dry
2 cups 7-grain cereal or oats
½ cup raisins
½ cup apricots chopped
½ cup almonds
¼ cup flax seeds
¼ cup poppy seeds
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour (or whole grain rice flour)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
½ tea salt

Wet
½ cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup brown sugar *optional
1 egg
1 cup apple sauce
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbs lemon rind


1. Mix all dry ingredients together.
2. Mix all wet together.
3. Combine dry and wet thoroughly
Press into prepared pan.
Bake 18-20 minutes
Cool completely and cut into squares.


Energy Balls
½ C chocolate chips or carob
½ C dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, etc)
½ C oatmeal
½ C peanut butter or other nut butter
½ C nuts and seeds
1tbs honey or maple syrup
Mix all ingredients together and lightly pulse in a food processor then roll into balls. Roll in wheat germ or drizzle with melted chocolate. Store in the freeze until ready to eat.

Sarahs (You will never buy granola again) Granola
350 degree oven- parchment or foil lined cookie sheet
4 cups large flake rolled oats
3/4 cup wheat germ
3/4 cup flax meal ground
1 1/2 cups nuts and seeds (slivered almonds, pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds)
1/4 cup veg oil
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup fruit juice or water
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 cup dried fruit (raisins, apricots)
Toss the oats, grains, nuts and seeds together. Heat the oil, honey, juice and cinnamon and pour over the oat mix. Mix and spread on baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes then stir and check every 5 minutes until you like the colour- watch it like a hawk so you don't burn your oats. Let cool then stir in dried fruit.

Kristas Morning Muselix
2 cups oats
juice of 2 lemons
2 granny smith (or whatever you like) apples
2 cups non-fat plain yogurt
1/3 or 1/2 a cup of honey (to the level of sweetness you like)
1/2 cup of various dried fruit (apricots, cranberries, etc)fresh fruit on top
1/3 cup roasted hazelnuts (20 minutes at 300 F will roast them)
The night before:mix together the oats, the lemon juice and 1/2 c of water
In the morning grate the apples (with skin) and add them as wel as dried fruit.
Sprinkle some fresh fruit and the hazel nuts on top and enjoy.

Stay tuned for the ELM cookbook!
S

ELM Superstars

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday!

I wanted to take a moment to congratulate some serious ELM superstars on their recent race accomplishments! Many of our participants are super stoked on racing this season and have been working and playing hard to meet their race goals.

Kuddos to Lo Lanning on her steller performance at the Victoria 1/2 Iron- shaving off precious minutes in her races this year and recovering that much faster. Way to go Lo!

Congrats to Lisa, Chris and Lynn for racing the Nanaimo Gutbuster at Westwood lake this summer! Lisa and Lynn both said the same thing...that was easier and I was way faster than last year! Superstars- thanks for showing your support for ELM by wearing your fast and furious jerseys!

Next Up...MOMAR this weekend (don't think there are any ELM participants joining me down there?)...XTC off road triathlon in Campbell River August 10th...Gutbuster Mt Washington Ascent August 9th (Connie W you are a sucker for punishment to do this the day before the half!)...Log Train Trail Race 1/2 marathon in Port Alberni August 17th... Looking forward to hearing your race reports and catching you in action!

Cheers,

Sarah.

1 Week until MOMAR Shawnigan!

Less than a week to go until my second AR of the season- MOMAR Shawnigan! This was a new venue for MOMAR last year and it included more water events than any other race I have been in. Not really a swimmer or real water baby myself (yes, I am a divemaster and surfer but hey that's different than swimming!) I was pleasantly suprised by how fun and super refreshing these legs in the race were. If it is hot next weekend then I will be loving the river run and quarry swim I am sure. I haven't heard a call for mandatory 'floatation devices' this year but you never know what Bryan, the race organizer will pull out of his hat...
I am looking forward to the race weekend- spending Friday in Vic then hanging with my family at my Dads place in Crofton on Saturday after the race. BBQ and flip flop weekend...oh and the race of course! AR's are hard work but they are such an excellent way to spend a good chunk of your day that they don't seem like work at all. I am looking forward to the challenge of the orienteering section also- I just love a good scavenger hunt! Should be a fun day!

Racers in the 2007 Shawnigan race- swimming the quarry section with all sorts of personal floats.

So, my last week of training (before this weeks 'taper') included:

Monday- XC Bike 80minutes ... Resistance T.

Tuesday- rest?!

Weds- 1:45hr Mt Bike with big CLIMB up Cumberland then the downhill course- (cupcake, bakers dozen, DHC, spanker, mats trail, space nugget) ...Resistance T.

Thurs - Hill repeats at NE Woods with Adventure Running class...70 minutes...outdoor YOGA with my Yoga-Fit class and Sharon Daly...so good:)

Friday- Bike 90 mins XC Cumberland MOMAR course...so fun!...Kayak 60 minutes trying out race boats at Comox Valley Kayaks. Trying to decide between a couple boats...paddling them back to back allowed me to see the difference between them. Also, been using a friend, Jacks' carbon wingblade paddle which is super light and pulls a tonne of water.

Saturday- Bike 90 minutes XC

Sunday- Bike 90minutes XC then run 5km trail while leading my Half Marathon clinic!

Phew...time to make dinner...and fuel up!

What a beautiful week and relaxing weekend!

S

Good Week...Good Times!

Orienteering 101 & 201 at Nymph Falls park on Saturday.
http://www.elmhealth.com/multisport.html#ORIENTEERING
ELM participants had a great time at Nymph this weekend playing with map and compass and venturing into the bush with new found skills. This is one of my favorite workshops to teach and I am happy to pass on such important, yet simple skills to those who are interested. You go in the trails? You should know how to navigate through them safely! I would be happy to run another course this summer/fall if there is enough interest so please let me know if you want to try it out!


Quick recap from this week where I left off...after a 2 day forced break in my training due to a stiff neck and a shifted vertebrae


Thurs...great Adventure Run at the Dam checking out 'Easy Rider'...


Fri...great trail run in Nymph Falls Park setting out course markers for orienteering...


Sat...great class :: Orienteering 101 & 201 at Nymph Falls Park...


Sun...great Endurance Run at Seal Bay Park followed by a MTBike down 2 Sheiks, Cabin Fever and Dirty Jane...


= Good times!
S

Summer Schedule NOW Online!

Hola Amigos! I have just posted the summer schedule for all ELM programs during July and August. Check it out and feel free to drop in on any of our regular programs this summer! See you soon:) http://www.elmhealth.com/MONTHLYCALENDARWINTER2008.html
Sarah.

Womens Business Network

I have had the pleasure of being a member of the Comox Valley Womens Business Network http://www.cvwbn.org/ for 5 years or so. This is a great local organization which supports and promotes women who are interested in business. I have met some amazing women in this group and have gotten to know many of them through my clinics and programs as well. What I really enjoy about the WBN is the opportunity to learn more about the people behind many of the businesses in the Comox Valley. You would be amazed how many are women owned!

Yesterday I had a great time photographing the 2008/2009 board of directors for their marketing materials. Thank you for being such excellent models! 'Friendly, professional and fun!' Here is a sneak peak for you ladies...

Lined up and all business.

Cheers,

Sarah.

Womens Summer Hiking

This Tuesday at 5:30pm we kicked off our annual Womens Only Summer Hiking series at Seal Bay Park. This is one of my favorite ELM programs and I truely enjoy the change of pace that comes with hiking- it is a completely different perspective!

Leader Nicole along with participants Maureen, Mary and Sally overlooking the 'Swamp' at Seal Bay Park.

This summer we will be exploring some of my favorite trail networks in and around the Comox Valley including Comox Lake Dam, Cumberland and Trent River. Hikers are given 2 options each week and can choose from an introductory hike or a more advanced training hike.

Posing with a giant Cedar stump that tells tales of this forests past.

Not registered? No problem! You can drop in on us anytime this summer! Just check out the schedule for a list of our locations each week http://www.elmhealth.com/MONTHLYCALENDARWINTER2008.html .

Happy Trails!
Sarah.

Sunrise at the Comox Marina

This Tuesday we kicked off the sunrise session of our Summer Fitness Bootcamp program at the beautiful Comox Marina Park. Park neighbours woke up to the sight of sweaty recruits working their tails off at 6am before the heat of the day. This is a special time to be outside and a great time of day to get your workout in if you can. Check out the Bootcamp schedule online and drop in on us this summer! http://www.elmhealth.com/MONTHLYCALENDARWINTER2008.html

Maureen... pounding out playground reverse push-ups.

Lynn...still smiling during her crunches!
Tom and Maureen...smile right on cue during torso rotations.

Tom...working his agility.

Workouts are always different to keep things fresh and combat boredom...you never know what to expect! You can expect a full body, challenging workout that takes advantage of the equipment that the environment provides. Get outside!

Janine...doing her push ups at sunrise.

Chris... trying to keep up with coach Vicki on a shadow drill.

Hope to see you out this summer!

Cheers,

Sarah.

MOMAR 101

Yesterday I had a fantastic time teaching the MOMAR 101 course http://www.mindovermountain.com/momar/training/clinics.htm to a keen group of new Adventure Racers at the Comox Lake Dam. We were greeted at the Dam by a serious summer downpour which lasted a couple of hours. Luckily we were warm and dry under the cover of a tend on loan from Extreme Runners-http://www.extremerunners.com/ big thanks to ER for the tent and you special discounts for our participants!

Regardless of the weather the 101 crew showed up with a great who cares about the weather attitude and a desire to learn how to prepare for and complete a MOMAR race. We had a great time discussing training plans, equipment, nutrition, team dynamics and race day time saving tips and tricks. We spent a fair amount of time working on MOMAR navigation and the crew had a chance to practice their skills in the surrounding trails and forest. Great job team! All of the participants have now signed up for 2008 MOMAR races and I am sure they will have a fantastic and fun race!

Next 101 course: Saturday, August 9th 1-5pm

Cheers,

Sarah.

Canadian Running Magazine

http://www.runningmagazine.ca/

Announcing my first contribution to a national publication: July issue of Canadian Running! If you have not yet checked out the hottest addition to the Canadian running community then RUN down to Extreme Runners and pick your copy up...it is awesome! The Canadian version of Runners World, you will find articles with Canadian content from our own Olympic hopefulls to the best trail runs in Canada...SEGWAY...Featuring the Comox Valley in the July issue!! Check out the top trail runs and safety tips contributed by your very own trail running coach- shameless plug- me:) I hope you enjoy it and would love your feedback on the magazine! Thanks to Sarah Savage for putting me in touch with the auther- and thanks to the auther, Theresa Wallace, for including me in the project!

Cheers,

S

Back at 'er

Meow. If I do get to come back again...I better be a cat. Sleep for 15 hours a day and roll around in patches of sunshine for the remaining time. The good life. And yes, if my cat looks crazy...that is because she is. Tesu: 'Trouble' in Japanese.

Ahhh...it has been a great week...I am back on the horse (aka bike) after Kusam run training and a couple of rest weeks pre and post race. A long weekend makes for a short week and there was plenty of time to fit in training this week. Here is where I am at so far:

Sunday: The best ride all year. Cumberland 2.5 or 3 hours. UP the road to the top of Bucket...to the lake... then down the new Bucket downhill trail. Since Timberwest logged the old Bucket trail 2 very hard working Rats (Al and Terry Kudos to ya and a BIG thank you:)) have all but rebuilt a route from the top connecting to Broadway. But this trail is BETTER- in my XC opinion:) sorry Tim... as it descends in a forest band right on the edge of the Perseverance Creek with views worthy of a momentary pause. This trail is still under construction and needs some riders to pack it down but it sure is a beauty...super flow:)

Monday: Run 60 minutes Trail Speed intervals. Resistance Training

Tuesday: Best ride all year...I swear! We actually oh my gosh i can't believe i am writing this Shhhhh...shuttled....up to Forbidden and enjoyed a wicked 2 hour downhill XC ride feeling fresh as daisy's after avoiding the 1hour road climb in the hot hot sun. Do you forgive me? This was a first for my biking gang but in the name of our great nation on Canada Day we opted for twice the fun and half the work! Hurray! Took 2 Sheiks to Cabin Fever then linked onto Dirty Jane and then home via the Plunge...best new route! Home for lunch then down to Comox Valley Kayaks http://www.comoxvalleykayaks.com/ for a quick training paddle out to Comox and back...1.5hours of sun and fun:)

Wednesday: Best ride- well ok it was really good...you get the idea:) 2 hours Cumberland BIG climb and hikeabike up to the lake...sweet DIP in the lake...for the record Cumberland residents I swear I did not pee in your water source:) Then down the new Bucket and over the creek into NEW territory for me...Tea Pot! These trails were introduced during the BC Bike race http://www.bcbikerace.com/ Cumberland stage this week and they were also just introduced to me! Soooooooo super fun. I must go back soon!

Thursday: Trail Run/Trek Cumberland 2hours. Up up up to the new trails above Allan Lake (which link into Tea Pot and Steam Donkey) then across the creek (reverse of yesterday) then up up up the new Bucket- sorry Terry and Al I don't think you have named this one yet? To the lake for a splash (been here alot this week) and back downhill all the way home. Scouting out routes for the summer Adventure Running clinic! http://www.elmhealth.com/running_clinics.html#ENDURANCE Get set for some great views...well worth the climb:)

Friday: Sunrise bike Cumberland 1.5hours Lower XC trails...super fun:) Then straight out for a paddle with friends from CVKayaks to Comox...1.5hours then the weather blew up on us and we had to hightail it out of there!

Saturday: REST and MOMAR 101...details to come...

Phew...16km run with the ELM Half Marathon Clinic tomorrow morning...http://www.elmhealth.com/running_clinics.html#ENDURANCE

Gnight.

S

Relay For Life a BIG Success!

Hurray Team ELM!
Thank you so much for your support in the 2008 Relay For Life! Your time, energy, fundraising and baked goods helped our Team Raise $2269.19 and counting!

The bakesale raised $190 alone! I am sorry that I couldn't be there this year to share in the experience as it sounds like you had a great time down at the track. Thank you for encouraging your friends and family to join you at the track- and gold stars to Vicki's boys for running the bakesale and keeping watch at our camp all night!

This year, the Comox Valley raised $108, 840 during the Relay For Life! These funds will go towards the research, prevention, treatment and education provided by the Canadian Cancer Society.

http://www.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=255586

A big Thank You to Rae and Vicki for ensuring a smooth flow for Team ELM at this years event. See you next year!