Perseverance Adventure Running!

 

Equilibrium Lifestyle Management’s (ELM) next session of ‘Adventure TrailRunning’

kicks off Thursday, September 4th with 8 weeks of fantastic fall trail running. This is the 3^rd and final session of the 2014 ELM ‘Adventure Running’ series and the clinic will feature a specific training plan to prepare racers for the 'Perseverance 10k' Trail Run on October 26th in Cumberland.

Race Report: Squamish 50 Miler

Thinking about running a 50 miler?  READ THIS FIRST.

"I'm retiring!  That is IT.  I am DONE.  It is OVER.  Never EVER again.  I'm serious."

And I was.  I really, really was.

Videos: Weekend Film Fest! RUN!

This one is dedicated to the runners...to Team ELM who are heading over to Squamish this weekend for the Squamish 50mile, 50km or 23km race!  Woot Woot!  Run hard and race smart!

Enjoy;)

Trails in Motion Film Festival Teaser.  There is a Trail Running Film Fest this weekend as part of the SQ50 festivities.  Here is the festival teaser...I might just have to stay up late enough to go to the show...looks awesome.



For the love. A love letter to trail running.  This is an awesome little film about the single most important reason that we run...

 
for the love from luis peña on Vimeo.


Lavaredo Ultratrail 2014.  To help you visualize your first Euro race...one day...


Lavaredo Ultratrail 2014 from storyteller-labs on Vimeo.


Zion Traverse.  Ready to run 53 miles across Zion National Park?  Go!
 Thanks to the Adventure Blog for sharing this one!

Healthy Double Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

It's that time of year again...what the heck are you going to do with all that zucchini??

The neighbours are only going to take so much of your limb length squash!  Grill it on the BBQ, bake it up zucchini stick style, fry it up like fritters with corn and smoked salmon, throw it in every sauce you make, top your pizzas and load up your quiche but first...

Make a triple batch of these beauties...

Warning: do not make these unless you like chocolate 

Healthy Double Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

1 cup almond butter

1.5 cups grated zucchini

1/3-1/2 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 egg or vegan replacement (ie flax eggs)

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Handful of dark chocolate or chips

Combine all ingredients well...place in parchment lined 8 by 8 pan...sprinkle with chocolate chips...  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  These get better as the day goes on...

Serve with my Natural Vanilla Ice Cream!  Yummmm...

Enjoy!

What do you make with your zucchini harvest?  

SS

Coaching Tips: Race Tapering

  The Team ELM 'River Runners', ready to ROCK their 1/2 marathon and 10k events this past weekend!  They are sooooo excited to run after their taper!  Woot Woot!  Congrats ladies!  You really did ROCK the course!

Videos: Weekend Film Fest! Adventure!

Happy Happy Friday!
Looking for a little adventure?  Here you go!
SS

Enduro Adventure from Mavic.  Ready to get off the beaten path?  Let this little film inspire you to start planning your next back country single track epic!  Kudos to The Adventure Blog for sharing this inspiring vid!

Sweet and Sticky: Maple Syrup Trail

If you are a mountain biker on Vancouver Island you have most likely heard whispers about 'that Maple Syrup trail'.  By now, you may have even gone to taste the Syrup for yourself.  So sweet hey?

If you haven't had a chance to sample the Syrup, here is a little taster for you...

I have been spending much more time in my sneakers than my bike shoes this year, and have to say that I came a little late to the party.  By the time I caught wind of the whispers this summer, the fabled Maple Syrup trail on Maple Mountain, had been well worn by thousands of wide grinning riders.  This 'new' trail was, in fact, officially opened last October by the CTSS- Cowichan Trail Stewardship Society.  Friends of friends had riden it.  Profile pics of wide spanning, 'rainbow' bridges appeared on social media.  Rumours of 'an epic ride' with a 5k climb and '10km of sweet continuous singletrack' got me salivating instantly.   It isn't very often that a south Island trail creates enough chatter to drag Valley riders out of our wonderful Cumberland cocoon.  It was time to check this trail out.

A few weeks ago a group of us managed to merge our schedules and book it down Island on a Friday.  The drive is about 2 hours from the Comox Valley and the trailhead is on Maple Mountain, a couple of kms south of Crofton.  'A 2 hour drive to ride a trail' you say?  I can now say that it is well worth the drive!

There are no other trails like it on Vancouver Island.  If you have ridden one, please correct me.  You can either ride about 5kms up the logging road, which is a good grunt with a few steeper pitches on it, but entirely rideable.  Or, you can ride up the new 'climbers trail' which has been crafted at the perfect slope for an enjoyable and very smooth single track ride.  The climbers trail was about 2/3 complete and it only left a short climb to the radio tower at the top.  I was impressed already!  A climbing trail!  The lovely, wide, 'green' trail wove it's way through shadey Arbutus forest, open grass fields and over rocky bluffs.  100 times more enjoyable than riding the road, having a trail to climb makes any ride that much better IMO. 

The view from the top gave us all some perspective on just how much elevation we had gained on our ride up.  The Village of Maple Bay, complete with tiny boats, appeared in miniature, far below. After a snack and a drink it was time to hit the 10k descent.  10k!

Maple Syrup is really like 3 trails in one.  The trail covers so much real estate that it actually travels through a very wide range of terrain from top to bottom.  It offers a combination of Hornby flow, Nimby 50 gnarl and Jughead/Blue Collar woohoo.   As it winds it's way back and forth across Maple Mountain, the trail morphs from steep, technical, rock at the start to mellow, flowy birms at the bottom.  All levels of rider will find something they love on the trail. 

The very top of the trail includes the most technical terrain, with plenty of rocky drops and steep roll overs.  The sun bakes Maple Mountain and by mid summer the dirt turns to powder, making steep pitches loose and challenging.  Quickly, the natural rocky drops disappear and the trail flows into big turns, fun descents and sweet rolling bridges (I call them rainbow bridges), reminiscent of the few park trails that I have ridden.  It is definitely a thinking trail.  After every long descent there is a punchy little climb.  Around every corner is a gnarly rock to navigate over or around.  The trail definitely keeps you on your toes.   By the time Maple Syrup merged into 'Solar Coaster' my body and brain were working overtime.   I loved it!

The trail transitions to more flow and less work over the final kms.  By then, it is a welcome break and an enjoyable way to finish the ride.  Beginners can jump in off the road to experience the lower 'Loggers lane' section of the trail, Intermediate riders can start half way up on the flow of Solar Coaster and those looking for more of a Challenge can tackle the entire trail from the steeps at the top.  Brilliant.  Helmets off to the trail builders who had the vision and even more impressive ability to execute the idea.  They have created a world class trail that will have riders returning for seconds...and thirds...and...

But don't take my word for it.  Go ride it for yourself! 

Still not convinced?  Watch this video of other people having fun riding it...and see if you can resist a road trip...


Happy Trails,
SS

Augerpoint Trail

I think I'm going to lose a toe nail.  Or three.

Videos: Friday Film Fest- Inspiration

Happy Friday...again!
Here are a few video's that I hope will inspire you to dig a little deeper and climb a littler higher this weekend...ready..set...go!
SS

Women of the Mountains.  Help 'Kickstart' this documentary about women who live, train and compete in the mountains by overcoming obstacles.  Looks like it will be very inspiring and take viewers to some beautiful spots on the globe.   Thanks to the Adventure Blog for sharing this.




Vancouver Island in timelapse by Gavin Hardcastle.  Islanders will swell with pride and gratitude after watching this spectacular series of timelapse scenes on VI.  We really do live in the most beautiful place on earth.  But don't share this with too many of your friends who live out east...remember... "it always rains out here"...;)  Thank you to the Adventure Blog for sharing our little paradise!




The Lion and the Gazelle.  Arc'teryx promo video featuring ultrarunner, Joe Grant.  A wee bit cheesy but the scenery and fluid running are inspiring!  Lately I have been feeling like the Gazelle - with long solo runs in the mountains and close encounters with mama bears and even a cougar this year... How about you?  Lion or Gazelle?

Elk River Trail

Holy moly.  I found another piece of heaven in Strathcona Provincial Park this past weekend...