Race NRG Recipes

HAPPY SATURDAY!

I have been a little storm in the kitchen this weekend preparing for next weeks race: 36hr Full Moon In June Adventure Race.

I LOVE to experiment and create my own natural energy bars packed full of simple and healthy ingredients- all things that I can pronounce! Packaged bars and gels are great for convenience, size and energy calculations but they are often extremely processed, over-packaged and contain alot of 'extra' goodies that you don't necessarily want to be eating all the time.

So, I have created a few favorite recipes (and borrowed a few) that I use in my longer training days and races- and they are all in this blog post! You ASKED and you shall RECEIVE...

COCONUT LIME CHEWS: Top Photo c/o Bree Wee

These are very simple tropical gems that are packed with energy (ie calories) and great when you need to pack a punch in a small package. No wheat, no dairy, no eggs, no butter...

SURVIVAL COOKIES: Classic- this recipe came from Joanne, one of ELMs trail running participants, and has since been passed across the country! Again, these are packed with energy and goodness! Classic oatmeal cookies meet trail mix...

NO BAKE NRG BARS: From ELM buddy Sherry! I have experimented with plenty of combos following the base of this recipe and my favorites are Oatmeal Raisin and Nutella Banana! Here is the base recipe and my Oatmeal Raisin substitutes...I don't add protein powder, instead I add nuts and ground flax but you could use any that you like.

If you can't read this the base is: 1.5c oats, 1c skim milk powder, 2tbs ground flax, 1/4c nut butter, 1/4 c water, 2-4tbs protein OR 1/3c nuts ... you add whatever flavors you like...

BREAKFAST BEAN COOKIES: From 'One Smart Cookie'. These cookies are a meal in themselves and are suprisingly hardy with the addition of a can of BEANS! That's right...boosts the fibre and protein and gives them a neat texture...

Send me an email if you can't read any of these!

AND stay tuned for the ELM NRG Cookbook!!!

Cheers!

More MOMAR

Here are some more photos from MOMAR this past weekend courtesy of Mark Teasdale (go there ) as well as a write up from the local paper the Comox Valley Echo below...

Going...Going...

GONE!

OOOOPS! I HAD to post this pick from the top of the Chief at last weekends MOMAR. He was fine in the end (but I bet his pants were a bit wet tee hee) - team 'More Crotch"...go figure...

Ready Set GO! Race starts and we are off around Alice Lake Park for a 4km trail run...

River Crossing! My bike is like a purse on my shoulder it is sooooo light:) But that didn't make the water any warmer....

Nice look captured for all eternity. You can fill in the blanks as to what I am yelling in this picture....

Buddies Michelle and Shawn (FMIJ teammate) posing after crossing the finish line. Way to go guys!

COMOX VALLEY ECHO ARTICLE

Adventure Racer Wins Another Title

Sarah Seads is on a winning streak. This past weekend Seads, owner of local fitness adventure company, Equilibrium Lifestyle Management (ELM) captured her 6th consecutive title in the solo female category of the Mind Over Mountain Adventure Race series. "It was a grueler of a race and took me 6 and a half hours to the finish. When we got our maps on race morning I knew it was going to be a challenging course-and I couldn't believe that we were going up the Chief on top of it all!" The race course included 45Km of single track mountain biking with long climbs and technical decents as well as 10km of trail running including an epic hike up the Chief and a 100 foot rappel off the face! Over 240 racers started the Squamish race which included a short Sport course and an Enduro course.

Stay tuned for Friday Q&A sometime this weekend...

Sarah.

MOMAR Squamish Post Race Report

Yup...you guessed it...that is the view from the top of the CHIEF! What a climb!

OMG that was quite a weekend!
I headed over to Squamish on Friday afternoon with team mates Andy, Shawn and fellow racer Michelle to race the MOMAR and get in one final training weekend before the FMIJ race in 2 weeks. The weather couldn't have been better and we had a fantastic time playing, training, eating, racing, laughing and sharing ridiculous race tales...

Big THANK YOU to:

• Bryan Tasaka for putting on another stellar course...the organization required for this event is mind blowing! Great job!
• Jen Segger Gigg for designing a fantastic course! Don't worry about all the whining...I LOVED the course! The longer and harder the better!
• The selfless volunteers who spent the day supporting us! You ROCK!
• Mountain City Cycle for putting me on the best little race bike ever! Giant Athem was born to ride this course!

Here is the short version for those of you who can't stand to be on the computer for more than 5 minutes at a go (I feel your pain):

Saturday

• 9am start with a 4km trail run around Alice Lake with a little climb in the middle.
• Transition to bike for some dirt track and single track and super fun brims...(sp?)
• O-course 3-4km...1hour with megga bushwhacking fun
• Get on my bike and go off course for 25minutes...GRRRRR....
• Tonne of biking...like 35more kms or something silly...bike to the CHIEF!
• Hike up the Chief- pathetic stair climbing attempt against the flow of thousands of tourists...
• Rappel off the face of the Chief!
• Hike back DOWN the chief...1hour and 3o minutes later...get sewing machine legs...
• Ride back to town ... via a waist deep river ... through a backyard ... away from a barking dog ... over a neighbouring fence ... into the wrong street ... back on track ...

Finish downtown ::

• 6hours 31 minutes of pleasure and pain
• 45km mountain biking
• 4km running
• 4km o-course
• 2km 650m elevation gain on the Chief
• 1 100 foot rappel
• 10 sweet blue bruises
• countless cuts
• 2 chocolate Gu's
• 1 Fruit bar
• 1 pack Cliffe Blocks
• 1/2 cup pretzels
• 2 coconut, lime, date chews (homemade...recipe to come)
• 3.5litres of water/gatorade (forgot my e-load at home)
• FIRST SOLO FEMALE!

Sunday

• Back up the Chief but this time over to Peak #2 and then up to Peak #3...2:20minutes
• Back on the bikes for a 2hour ride from Alice Lake back to the Chief via many of the race trails and roads...couldn't get enough:)
• Veggie Burger and Yam fries on the 3pm ferry home!

And now for the juicy details...

The map above shows CP1-CP5...what it doesn't show is this:
Leg 1: 4km Trail Run around Alice Lake, up a logging road and home via Jacks trail. I warmed up for this one cause I planned to giver full force on the 4km run. It's only 4k was my thinking. Well, when the gun went off EVERYONE seemed to have the same idea and it was a full on cattle run around the lake on a double track trail. Within 200 meters I saw a guy drop out with a brutal ankle sprain and I saw 2 more after that. My team mate Andy was another casualty and ended up completing an 8.5hour race on a badly sprained ankle. I can't say I love these mass starts into tight areas...a bit dangerous going top speeds, shoulder to shoulder, when you can't see the ground beneath your feet. But, I came out pretty quick and had a moderate transition to the bike...not record breaking by any means...

Leg2: CP1-CP3 Mt Bike to O-course was super fun. Up a road and then we were in the trails including some super fun birmed corner runs called 'Cliffe and Robs' corners under the power lines. If I lived in Squamish I would ride this trail over and over! It is super fun and helps with cornering big time! I let out a few whooooops and giggles catching air and leaning into the corners. I am not a speed deamon but I definitely have fun:)

Leg3: CP3-CP4 O'Course was straight forward. Followed the crowd for the first few CPs as everyone seemed to be running the same way. Then made a call to take a big bushwack down and back up a ravine to hit the last CP and it paid off big time. Got some serious cuts and bruises in the process giving new meaning to the orienteering HACC system. Kept on bushwacking and came out ahead of everyone who took the long route around. So the bruises were worth it.

Leg 4: CP4-CP5 This was where I LOST MY MOJO and it went wrong for a while...well actually for about 20 minutes. Came out on top of the O'course and made my transition to bike when I saw Gary Robbins coming into the TA at the same time. He beat me out of transition and started off down the logging road so I scrambled to get out and follow him as quick as I could. I did NOT look at my map. That's right. I broke one of my cardinal rules of AR: Don't follow other racers. And Mr. Robbins, I might add, would be the first to tell you not to follow him (without his teammate and superstar navigator Todd that is).

And then I discovered the 1 problem with my new bike: You can get REALLY off course REALLY fast on a FAST BIKE. HA!

Next thing I know there is Gary coming back up the BIG hill and yelling WRONG WAY! And I am yelling OH F*^#! Back track and still don't quite get it into my head as to what it is I am searching for. I climbed up a spur on my right thinking this was my way to the next CP based on a quick glimpse at the map at the last TA...and all the little clues around me are seeming to fall into place...up hill...creek crossing...pink FLAGGING! BUT no...this can't be right...there is no one here and where the hell am I? STOP. BREATHE. GET OUT THE MAP.

OOOOPS. Big ooooops. I just rode 20 or more minutes up some stinking logging spur when the road I was supposed to take was RIGHT AT MY LAST TA. That's right. GO BACK.

Can't BELIEVE the gals at TA let me ride away down the wrong road! They were giving me cheers and wishing me well on my race and I was yelling out big thank yous and have a great days and all the while I was riding away into no mans land...

Look at the map and you will say: How did she do that? It is SOOOO obvious....

Moron...moron...moron...moron...this was my little mantra for a while...as I had to try and find, catch and pass all of the SMART teams that I was ahead of out of the O'course. But alas..this is why the call it ADVENTURE racing:)

CP5-CP10 was all great biking through some super fun XC and downhill trails. I know when to walk so I didn't break anything BUT I saw and heard some major spills on those trails. I saw one guy cartwheel like 30 feet down a bank and his bike got hung up in a snag on the way down...he was fine but that freaked me out.

AND I saw a running shoe on one of the trails...one poooor racer lost a sneaker and wouldn't find out until he/she went to hike the Chief and switch from bike shoes to runners...I am just dieing to hear that story...so if YOU are the 1 sneaker racer please tell me what happened and how the chief was!

CP10-CP13 was killer. I got to the parking lot of the Chief 4hours and 30minutes into it and had a good laugh at what I was about to do. For real? Jen Segger was there and told me that the final leg- Urban Nav course - had been cut off cause the course was going over time. People were hurting, the biking was taking it's toll, and many racers weren't making the cut-off times.

With helmet and race bib on up I went to climb the mighty Chief! This was my first time up and I was just tickled pink to get to check out the Chief! We had planned to go up on Sunday but what the hell...why not do it twice?

It was a sunny Saturday afternoon and I was like a salmon going the wrong way upstream in both directions. I bet there were a thousand tourists on the trail. Flip flop wearing, Chihuahua carrying, camera snapping city folk everywhere. I think I terrified them...we all did really. Excuse me! Pardon me! Would you mind if I snuck through? Then...I'm in a RACE! if the others didn't work. Over and over and over for an hour and a half.

Haven't been up the Chief? 45minutes of steady climbing on my tired legs... It is one LONG stair climb. Seriously! I counted 140 stairs in the first 5 minutes! Wooden stairs...rock stairs...metal stair ladders... then at the top chains! The view from the top was stellar and gave me a good case of vertigo so I didn't hang out too long. The crew up top were working on some might fine tans that day!

Down to the Rappel - a few meters down and over to a ledge right on the face of the Chief. Yup, you know the one I mean...the one you see every time you are driving to Whistler and think Woah...that's one steep rock!

I didn't look down or try to sneak a peak at the view cause I didn't want to make myself sick. Instead I just focused on my guy- the kind and patient volunteer from Squamish Rock Guides on the far climbers right side of the 5 rappel ropes. He humoured me when I asked him for the 10th time...are you sure? Im good? Im good to go? Im all set? Just go? Are you sure? Oh they must have had a good laugh at all of us non-climbers that day:) You'd never guess I have rappelled out of hovering helicopters 300 feet of the deck a hundred or more times...but it's different I swear!

Down the rope I went slow and steady until I finally got the feeding right and then Wooopwoop! FUN! FAST and my hands were on fire:) The gal at the bottom was great, helped me off the rope and directed me to the next step...a little climb up to another ledge where we were clipped into a safety rope so we could scoot along a tight ledge beneath an overhang for 30 meters or so. Off the rope, out of the harness and helmet and then DOWN the Chief! WAY more fun and WAY faster too! I got to say hi and cheer on a mass of racers as they grunted their way up to the top...I could really feel their pain!

I think I was back down to the TA after 1.5hours but things were getting fuzzy by that point. I had skipped filling up my water at the TA before heading up and really knew that was a stupid move but did it anyways and ran out 1/2 way to the top. Silly silly girl. Once again I was caught trying to chew a mouthful of pretzels without one ounce of saliva in my body...it was like some stupid high school party dare...bad scene!

Filled up my water at the TA and had a good laugh at my sewing machine legs as they were shaking uncontrollably after the descent...HA! I was thinking...I am going to feel that tomorrow! That is where I ran into my buddy and FMIJ teammate Andy who was in bad shape with a huge swollen ankle and some deep cuts on his legs. I wished him luck and crossed my fingers for him as he was setting off to climb the Chief with a badly sprained ankle...in the end he made it but he has some healing to do now...

Back on the bike for the final leg from CP13-16 and the finish line! A short ride brought us to a river crossing and before I knew it I was waist deep in ice cold mountain water with my bike on my back. My new bike is 7pounds lighter than my Reign and she was like a feather over my shoulder! THIS is what these light bikes are made for! No more downhill bike on my back squishing all the air out of my lungs, this was like a purse on my shoulder:) Well...ok...maybe a little heavier than that ... but close!

After the river crossing I worked my way along the Dyke in search of a small trail that would lead me into the next neighbourhood and back to town. The first trail I found took me and a fellow solo racer right into someones backyard. Hmmmm. We thought about it for a minute...but their fence didn't seem to have a gate and it was like 10 feet tall. So we backtracked to the next little trail to try again only to come into the next persons backyard. Hmmmmm. The fence looked like it had a gate but ...there was a dog sleeping just inside an OPEN sliding glass door... this was not a good thing for my dog attack phobia (is there a term for that?)...the dude wanted to go for it but I FREAKED out and rode away as fast as I could yelling something like DUDE I DON"T DO DOGS! with visions of the animal waking up and taking a huge piece off my leg as I tried to escape. Sure enough I heard the aggressive bark of the guard dog behind me as the other racer made his move through the yard...good luck Dude...

Back to the Dyke I went , trying to reassess the trail situation. It HAD to be it. And I didn't want to waste anymore time standing around wondering. So I went BACK to the first Dog-Free yard and made a full on fence leap over the OTHER neighbouring fence and into the NEXT yard- carefully chucking my bike over and then doing a bit of a ninja roll over it before popping out in the front yard and unknown street. Left? Right? I needed to know where the heck I was before making a decision on which way to go next. Luckily there were 2 small children playing in their front yard across the street so I yelled HEY KIDS! WHAT STREET DO YOU LIVE ON?

At the time it seemed like a logical thing to ask in order to solve my predicament. But now of course I can see how that could of frightened a small child and got their Dads attention pretty quick. The poor child stopped laughing, dropped his pail and shovel, froze stiff and stared in horror at me jumping over his neighbours fence. Dad popped out and he filled me in and sent me on my way to the street I was looking for- guess I wasn't the only lost racer on his street that day...

The rest of the race was smooth and I made my way along the final few kms to the finish for snacks and post race stories with the other racers that I had met along the way (the dog dasher survived without any bites it turned out).

After some snacks I got back on my bike and rode back to the Dyke to pick up some buddies Michelle and Shawn...then back to the finish...then once more back to the river to pick up Andy...but that is another story...and you'll just have to ask Andy about that one...

It was a looooong and tough race but really that is just how I like them so keep em coming Mr. Tasaka!!!

MOMAR Blog report, Race Results and Photos to come...

Photos From MOMAR

Hello and Happy Monday!

I am home safe and sound after an unforgettable weekend in Squamish at the MOMAR! Here are some of my favorite pics from the weekend...


Andy, Shawn (both on Team ELM for the Full Moon in June race) and Michelle pre-MOMAR loading up the bikes before heading out to the race start at Alice Lake.

Race central: Bike Transition area which followed a 4km trail run start...

My sweet little filly...she was pawing at the pavement ready to rock out...

Ohhhhh....Andy's sprained ankle being checked out by fellow racer Dr Roger at the post race celebration...Andy went over on his ankle less than 20 minutes into his 8.5hour race...

Sunday: 2nd day of training....

Back up the Chief...but this time we stopped to enjoy the scenery and take pictures! Look at this waterfall that I completely missed on the way up during the race! I heard it but didn't see it...

Up to Peak #2 on the Chief...yes, we went back up there on Sunday morning....

Cheerio! What an odd spot to find an umbrella! at the top of Peak #2!

SPIDERMAN! Here is Shawn crawling up to peak #2 with nothing but sheer physical strength...and to think he was a complete couch potato only 1 week ago- look what 1 week of training with ELM can do for YOU! HA!

A cute friend at the top of Peak #2

The view from the top looking towards Squamish...we had to slither on our bellies to the edge cuz we were all super chicken...

The view looking south...AMAZING!

The view from the saddle between Peak #2 and #3...that is Quest University in the foothills...

The summit of Peak #3!! Well done:) Now we go back down...then get back on our bikes...epic but OHSOSCENIC!

Wednesday Wisdom

Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow.
-Doug Firebaugh

Well Hello Little Filly

Please welcome the newest edition to my family....the Little Blue Filly!

And don't forget little blue Gregory pack of course:)

A HUGE shout out to super local bike shop Mountain City Cycle for making my XC dreams come true! I would not be riding this amazing Giant Anthem without their generous support. Thank you for believing in me! I look forward to rippin up the trails at more and more mt bike races over the coming year:)

THIS WEEK:

Bootcamp scenery at the airpark this am was stunningly beautiful...

HALF MARATHON CLINIC

on Sunday was a fabulous morning in Seal Bay Park...

Cute car...wonder if I could fix it up?

REST, NRG BARS, TUNE UPS AND MAPPING

I had a very low volume weekend of training which let me get some STUFF done that has been piling up...house stuff like weeding and cleaning...and fun stuff like:

MAPPING THE 18K (well it is actually 17.75k) Puntledge River loop from the Dam all the way around via Duncan Bay Main. I am volunteering to map and post markers along this fantastic riverway loop as part of my service on the Active Comox Valley committee. The GPSing and mapping is complete...now I just need to find some shop students who might be able to make up some little metal signs for me...

ORIENTEERING IN NYMPH FALLS PARK
I set out a short course in Nymph Falls Park on Monday, as did my teammate Andy, and then we swapped maps and ended up having a tonne of fun in the park...

ENERGY BARS!

I made 3 batches of different energy bars this weekend to try out on my team mates and in my own belly on training runs. Some were really good and some were terrible actually:) But all were fun to make and now I have the BEST combo ever...and here it is!

Oatmeal Raisin NRG Bars

1.5 cup uncooked oatmeal (large flake)

1 cup skim milk powder

2tbs ground flax

1tbs cinnamon

1/2 tea seasalt

3/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup sunflower or other seed/nut

1 tbs maple syrup

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients by hand and kneed into a sticky but firm dough.

Press into a 8*8 square dish lined with saran wrap. Chill, then remove from pan and slice into 9 bars. Soooo good..

Per bar approx:

196 cals, 23g carbohydrates, 8g fat, 6g protein

Wait till you try my chocolate almond bars...stay tuned for the cookbook!

Cheers,

Sarah.

Friday Q&A Fat Facts

Happy Saturday
I am behind as usual but here is your Friday Q&A on FATS!

Here is an excellent snippit from a fantastic professor and presentor Dr. Len Kravitz about common weight loss questions...
Kudos to Dr. Kravitz: http://www.drlenkravitz.com/Articles/fatfactsdlk.html

It all Begins with Energy Balance Basics.
A kilocalorie (expressed as calorie throughout the rest of the article) is
a unit of energy, and since energy is neither created nor destroyed (First Law of Thermodynamics), the calories we eat will either be stored somewhere in the body or expended for fuel in metabolism (all reactions of the cell for life) for daily activities, occupational tasks and/or exercise.

This basic caloric theory fundamentally specifies that if a person consumes more energy then what s/he is expending, it will lead to a positive energy balance and weight gain. When energy expenditure exceeds energy intake, a negative energy balance exists and weight loss will occur. However, due to individual differences in our body’s neurological, hormonal and metabolic regulatory systems, this caloric balance concept does not work precisely that same in all persons.

When a person is in a negative energy balance, the weight loss may come from three body sources: water, adipose tissue, and muscle tissue.
Under most circumstances, body water will remain relatively normal as long as regular hydration is followed. Consequently, the goal of the weight loss plan is to lose fat while preserving muscle mass.

Is Low Intensity Exercise Better for FatBurning?
We’ve all heard a number of ‘fitness claims’ that the best type of aerobic
training to burn fat is lower intensity exercise, referred to as the ‘fat
burning zone’. Thompson and colleagues (1998) have confirmed that at lower intensities (50% VO2max) there is a greater ‘percentage’ of energy from fat than at higher intensities (70% VO2max).

However, at the higher training intensity the TOTAL energy
expenditure will be greater, and a person will almost always burn the
same amount (or more) fat calories as s/he would exercising at the lower intensities, providing the workouts are the same length in time. Another way of stating this is, the selective use of fat as fuel, such as in low intensity exercise, does not translate into greater fat loss. More importantly for weight loss plans, fitness professionals should focus on the exercise regime that yields the greater total volume of calories expended from the exercise bout.

For those clients and students who are sedentary and/or perhaps at
orthopedic, cardiac or health risk, high intensity exercise may be
contraindicated. For their weight loss exercise plan, lower-intensity exercise, for a progressively longer duration would be recommended. In fact, since most people can’t do ‘high intensity’ exercise on a daily basis due to potential overtraining and over use concerns, perhaps the best strategy is to integrate and balance the long duration workouts with the high intensity workouts for optimal calorie (fat) burning.

Thanks for clearing that up Len!
SS

Bootcamp Clip

Sunrise Bootcamp on Thursday morning was at Simms Park and I shot a bit of video cause it was just so darn beautiful out!

Check out this little clip I put together of yesterday's workout...I could have a lot of fun with this...

Let me know what you think! Oh...and crank up the volume for this one!!!!

Cheers,

Sarah

Happy Friday!

Friday is here and a long weekend awaits us...Yippeee!

What are YOU doing this weekend? I am taking it EASY. Really... I am!!!

Taper week has begun and I am ready to kick back, relax and do normal life stuff. Like plant tomatoes, dig weeds, vacuum and mow the lawn. And I am actually looking forward to it! Every spare minute of my time off seems to have been spent on the bike or in my sneakers over the past few weeks (of which I have LOVED every minute:) but I have really let the real life stuff slide...time for a spring clean up and reconnecting with my family (Brad and Yuki of course)!

TRAINING this week started intense and has tapered down since Monday.

Monday I had a great long hill rep run in a beautiful patch of afternoon sunshine:) 3 5min on:easy hills in the middle of a 60minute run.

Tuesday was a rest day...just commuted on my bike for bike to work week!

Wednesday was a 99% mental training day. Ugg. Sometimes I wonder what the heck I am doing in this hemisphere with the wet and cold dragging on and on. I am a snowbird at heart and dream of spending my days in a warm sunsoaked tropical paradise...

It was a run:ride in Cumberland starting with a 45minute trail run in Cumberland then transitioning to the bikes for a 2hour XC ride.

It was absolutely and completely pouring down with rain when I arrived at the parking lot. I was psyching myself up for the run and hopelessly searching for another layer to put on or a toque or hat to keep my head dry (note: visors are excellent during downpours if you are trying to capture and save water for drinking later on your run- moron!) when my teammate Andy pulled up beside me. YEAH! Misery loves company and my heart lifted knowing that I wouldn't be suffering through the rain alone.

After a nice 45minute mud stomping trail run we transitioned onto our bikes and were joined by 3 other brave souls for the muddiest ride of the year. The 5 of us wound our way through XC trails and searched for hills so that we could get our core temps up. Once we were climbing it was all good and we were warm enough- even though the wind and rain were just pounding us from the side on the logging road! It was that wind....ooooohhhh.

On the way down Bear Buns things changed...as exertion decreases so do heartrate, breathing rate and temperature. Add the 'wind chill' from heading downhill and you have the perfect combination for mild hypothermia. And man was I so there! The funny part was that because I was soo wet and cold, I didn't want to stop and get off my bike so I actually made a 'new ride' down a ramp that had always scared me! I was super stoked on that! And, it was EASY (you know every says that when they want you to try something you are scared to ride...'Oh it's so eeeeaaasy.')

Half way down Bear Buns I lost control of my bike as my hands had gone completely numb and I had zero dextarity and grip strength. I couldn't grip my handlebars let alone squeeze the brake levers or change gears! My flimsy mesh summer riding gloves were no match for the rain that was turning to snow not too high above us. I had to walk pushing (well pulling really cause it was downhill) my bike with one hand while stuffing the other hand in my armpit to try and get the feeling back.

It worked for a while but the numbness returned, everyone else got super cold too and we decided to pull the pin and save ourselves before it got too much worse. We rode out (close to tears from the cold finger pain that increased on the road) and after washing off our bikes at the bike wash at Riding Fool Hostel we were all shaking from the cold. I stopped talking to my buddies as everything started shutting down and I concentrated on tolerating the PAIN in my hands. You know that finger (or toe) pain I am talking about if you live on the west coast of Canada and play outdoors!

2 hours later: In the car, cranked up heat, deep breaths, dark chocolate....hot shower, hot meal, hot tea and the deepest sleep I have had in a long long time followed.

Thursday: Adventure Running through some technical terrain on TWISTER trail and trail speed intervals in Nymph Falls Park for 70minutes...f.u.n.

Friday Q& A to come...FAT FACTS....

Sarah.

Wednesday Wisdom

HAPPY BIKE TO WORK WEEK!


A big shout out to all those wonderful volunteers who got up early to support local cyclists on their morning commute this week. Here is a pic of the crew down at Simms Park on 5th st ready to serve up a hot brew and yummy snacks to cyclists on their way by. I love to see such fantastic community support!


WEDNESDAY WISDOM

(Better late than never I say!)

INGENUITY

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will suprise you with their ingenuity.

- George Patton

Cheers,
Sarah.

Another great weekend!

Happy Monday:)

Shin...meet mr. spiked pedal. OH! HELLO!!!!!!!!! Just went to hang up my bike in the basement and managed to drop it and smash my flats into my right shin. Ooooo. That's gonna leave a mark!

Was just surfin and thinkin about some cool races that I just learned about today that you might be interested in:

Intermontane Challenge:: 5 day staged mt bike race in Kamloops this summer

This is why I love the blog world...I just got an update via Google Reader that Jen Segger Gigg of Challenge by Choice had updated this race info on her blog...and next thing you know I am drooling all over my keyboard.
http://www.intermontanechallenge.com/index.php

Looks cool...wheels are turnin...

Campbell River 50 Trail Challenge:: Run/Bike/ 12/25/50 km of beautiful forest trails this fall

Run or Bike Solo or Team, 54Km in two laps, 95% single track, described by former participants as fast, fun, gnarly, scary, no climbing, no descents, rocky, many logs, muddy, wet, dry, tough climbing, steep descents, long, and the hardest event with the best trails anywhere. This may or may not be true, but we offer you an event with a focus on fun and challenge. Free camping, Homemade Wood fired Pizza post race.
http://www.cr50k.com/

Weekend of Training:

Saturday my local teammates for the FMIJ, Marc and Andy, and I went for a 3 hour trek/run from the dam up up up to the lodge at Forbidden and then some before descending ALL the way back home via a mix of logging road and trail. Good times! A short ride before and after made my mini brick complete. Sweet golden sunshine...burned my forhead! I couldn't believe it!

Marc, Andy and Matilda stop to see if anyone is home on 'Cabin Fever'...

Came across a new trail for all of us on our exploration...WHO THE HECK rides this stuff?

Overhead by like 10 feet?! SCARY!

We hit snow and got some nice snoopy snowcone feet during the top of our trek at Forbidden...another great use for my knee high compression socks! I tried to convince the boys to wear them but didn't have much luck...

SUNDAY:

It was a 9k run with the new ELM Half Marathon Trail Clinic from the pipeline up towards the Bevan Trails on a fun out and back route.

Then the 3 of us got on the bikes and went back up to the lake...then up up up towards Forbidden to 'Upper Monkeys'...home via all the good tire munching XC Dam trails...and...

We found another NEW trail!

Yipppeee! Someone kindly cleaned up Transmission trail all the way out towards the bottom of Peckerhead (below Cable Hill) AND put in a new SUPER FLOWY track that veers off to the right and comes out beside the exit of Easy Rider. It will be a definite addition to this years Adventure Running clinic! Great uphill or downhill running or riding trail... THANK YOU to who ever you are who built it with your own hands:)

After that we rode back to the pipeline via Nymph Falls and Twister which always gets my heartrate up as I have to CARRY my bike over a tonne of wicked 'toys' that the boys like to play on. Sometimes toys break...

Nice landing...could have been worse;0

A good training weekend and lot's of time spent planning, strategizing, guessing, and chatting about our upcoming exp adventure race. We are running out of weeks to train and my tapering must begin this week for MOMAR Squamish so....that is it that is all! I am out of time...so...it is what it is! Although I am disappointed that I lost over 4 weeks of my training this spring after my surgery...I have to accept my reality and say that I am soooo grateful that I have healed as fast as I have. I am so lucky to have these legs and truely know that they are a gift...not a given!

Have a great week!

Rain or shine,

Sarah.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Hello and Happy Friday!

Thanks for checking in...it has been another great week in the Comox Valley...albeit a WET one!

NEWS:

ELM Spring/Summer Gear Order is underway...
Get the gear you need to train outdoors this spring with ELM! Thanks to our super sponsor EXTREME RUNNERS we are offering great deals on workout gear from Sugoi that is printed with the new ELM logo! *All prices include clothing, printing, shipping and taxes!
Email ELM or order at your next class before Monday May 11th.

GEAR FOR WOMEN:
SUGOI RS SINGLET IN BLACK...$50

GEAR FOR MEN:
SUGOI RS SLEEVELESS TEE IN BLACK...$50

GEAR FOR MEN & WOMEN:
ELM CUSTOM RACE JERSEYS IN BLUE AND GOLD PRINT...$50
*Currently Women's Sizing S-XL Only

NEW!: ELM CUSTOM CYCLING JERSEYS IN 2 TONE BLUE … $80
*Front ¾ zip and 3 rear pockets.
*Unisex sizing XS-XL

NEW BANNER ON THE BLOCK!

A big THANK YOU to ABC for creating this beautiful ELM banner! They have this super cool machine that prints in full vibrant colours...check them out if you need any printing done! http://www.abcprinting.ca/

ADVENTURE RUNNING IS FUN (AND HARD:)

http://www.elmhealth.com/running_clinics.html

We kicked off the first of 3 Adventure Running clinics last Thursday and MAN is it awesome to be back in the TRAILS!

Last Thursday We ran the classic Cumberland XC trails and did a 10minute full out trail speed interval to the back of Allan Lake...killer lung burner!

Here is my group at the back of Allan Lake in Cumby last week...

They don't even look tired...too much rest time...

LAST NIGHT we ran in the Comox North East Woods and managed to find a really BIG HILL to trail on...Full out effort for 60/90/120seconds up the super steep Queens Ditch Hill made not only the lungs but the LEGS burn (for me anyways!). Great running crew!

Post hill cooldown...wait a minute...that is on an uphill too...ooops I forgot about that one! Great run!

What next? One more weekend of heavy training and trekking for me before my MOMAR taper begins...2 weeks until Squamish MOMAR http://www.mindovermountain.com/momar/! Plans to trek and ride and trek and ride all weekend...

AND it is official...I just signed up TEAM ELM HEALTH for the 36 hour FULL MOON IN JUNE expedition adventure race http://www.fmij.com/! We were one of the very last teams to squeeze and there may only be 1 spot left before it sells out. "Sleepmonsters' here we come...

Have a great weekend:)

Sarah.