Funny Fridays

Since my Dad forwarded me this one I'll take it as his subtle hint that he didn't quite agree with last weeks posting! This is pretty damn good...



GR

My Mastercard Moment

Forgot to mention this about my recent trip back home to Newfoundland.

-Montrail Mountain Masochist Trail Running Shoes $120

-Mountain Hardwear Transition Jacket $170

-Injinji Trail Running Socks $22

-2XU Compression Running Tights $125

-Seeing the look upon my Mother's face with her first born son standing in front of her in full fledged spandex tights...PRICELESS!!!

("Where did I go wrong with you?")

GR

Public Speaking Engagement This Sat Night!

Quick update here, sorry been kinda lame lately but have had numerous friends visiting from outta town which is always nice and thankfully cuts down on my internet time! I'm getting back onto my skis on Tuesday which I can not wait for, especially since we've just broken all time snow records for November on the local ski hills!!

On another note, this Saturday, November 28th, I have the absolute pleasure of having been invited to give a presentation on my adventures over the last few years. Basically what I'll be conveying through speech and video is that it's really never too late to make a life shift and I consider myself a prime example of this. Prior to 2004 I'd only run more than 10k three times and could basically count on my fingers and toes how many times I'd ever run in my then 27 years on the planet. I was not a 'born athlete' and although like every Canadian kid I played hockey, I had absolutely zero background in any endurance activities. I had never trained for anything in my entire life and I was carrying around almost thirty additional pounds of body weight...and I'm not talking muscle here! Six years on, and I now find myself in the best shape of my life and living a lifestyle that I yearned for but feared for so many years. Decisions and sacrifices have to be made, but goals of any shape or form can always be attained when you dedicate yourself to them!

As nerve racking as public speaking can be I do thoroughly enjoy it once the butterflies subside a little...having some butterflies is of course a good thing as it lets you know your still alive and kicking!

If you're interested in coming out I'd love to see you there. It's only five bucks and all the info can be found here.

GR

Funny Fridays

Well, after a four-day weekend back home in Newfoundland (stories n pics to come), followed by a mid-week birthday (I'm old), this is the first time I've had a second to follow up on here. After a one week hiatus here's a link to one of my all time favorite funnies, MTV's Sextreme Clucking.

Unfortunately I have to precede this video with a Parental Rating and warning of funny sexual comedy with foul language (I.E. my niece probably shouldn't watch this one!)



GR

Tamsin Anstey, MTN MAS Race Report

Let me start off by stating that I’ve never written a race report in my life. Mainly because I never thought anyone, except maybe my parents, would actually be interested in reading it. But my wonderful boyfriend Gary Robbins has introduced me to a whole new network of blogging and, I have to admit, the concept is starting to intrigue me. Since I don’t have a blog of my own Gary has so graciously allowed me to post my race report on his blog. Here goes…. (editors note, I did not add those comments myself though I am tempted to spice them up even more! Hmmm, her incredibly attractive, sexy, and supportive boyfriend...not my words, hers! With his amazing prowess on trails, perfect physique, mesmerizing eyes...wow Tamsin I just didn't know...someone who 'I' can constantly turn to for advice, who understands me as a woman, who knows me better than I know myself and...Tamsin really, it should be more about the race, I know it's your first race report and all but c'mon, get to it here!)

MM was to be my first 50mile attempt. I’ve been running my whole life but this is my inaugural year of ultra running and had never run that far in one go to date. My background is in track and field and shorter distance trail races. The night before the race I got a bit anxious and didn’t sleep well, but not because I was nervous about where I would place in the field, I was genuinely concerned that I wouldn’t be able to run 50miles!

My doubt was in part due to the fact that I’ve been battling very frustrating chronic knee issues all year. I had half of the cartilage removed out of my right knee a decade ago as a result of a bad soccer injury and these longer distances are proving to be challenging for my “older than it should be” gammy leg. I can’t log in 100mile weeks like other ultra runners do because I have onset osteoarthritis in my knee so I always worry that I haven’t put in enough miles in training to go the distance.

Gary and I awoke at 2:45am. I would love to say that I brewed my usual strong cup of coffee but being that I was far away from home I instead settled for stirred instant coffee with powdered cream and ate a bagel with a banana and peanut butter for breakfast. At 4am all the athletes were herded onto 5 school buses and we were driven a 1/2hr to the start line.

It was a typical start to any race. All the competitors were anxious to start and you could feel the nervousness and tension in the air. It was freezing cold, everyone was under-dressed and there were massive line ups for the porta-potties which were getting more and more disgusting by the minute.

I love the start of any race. It’s the only time that you get to see and converse with all of the participants because everyone gets so spread out by the end of a race. I love the friendliness and camaraderie of the genuine exchange of wishing each other luck.


3, 2, 1 and we were off! We started running in the dark with headlamps which I’d never done before in a race. I enjoyed the first 10km on the road. I paced myself with Nicola Gildersleeve (fellow North Vancouver runner) and a local runner named Heather and we chatted, laughed a little and relaxed into cruise mode. I ditched my headlamp just before we hit the trailhead and started up our first little climb. The sun started to crest over the Blue Ridge Mountains and the view was spectacular. Although late in the season, the foliage was still vibrant, colourful and memorable.

I ran with Nicola for the first 3hours. Nicola and I have recently started training together sporadically and become friends. She has such a refreshing and positive personality and is the kind of person who is just pleasant to be around. Nicola had been battling a cold for a few days and starting coughing a bit and didn’t sound 100%. She stopped for a bathroom break and from then on we got separated.

Backing up a bit, about 2hours into the race I noticed that my quads were starting to cramp a bit which has never happened to me before. I popped a couple of electrolyte tablets hoping that would do the trick. My quads got progressively worse as time ticked on so I just accepted the fact that they were going to hurt all race. I just shrugged my shoulders and thought, “Oh well, at least I’m not noticing knee pain because my quads are hurting that much more.”


At the halfway point I felt good. Better than I had 2hours into the race. I knew that I was about to run up a big gradual climb on fire road which is my forte. The climb was hard but I felt strong. For the next couple of hours I really felt like I found my stride and ran well. Fluids were going in, GU was going down, the sun was out and it was the perfect temperature for a run through the mountains.


Gary told me that I’d probably hit the single track loop at around 6hrs so I was thrilled when I got to that trailhead way ahead of schedule. About halfway through the loop fatigue really started to hit me and I remembered what Nicola told me before the race and that was, “just keep moving forward.” So I put my head down, got into the zone and ran. I felt like I was slogging it and not maintaining a good pace but to my surprise I soon looked up and realized that I was gaining on another male competitor. Confidence boost!

Without going into boring play by play details of the last 2hours of my race I will sum it up in 4 words. I FELT LIKE CRAP! Fluids and GU were no longer going down, they were coming up, my legs felt like a combination of lead and jello and I got a nose bleed. Paints a really hot picture, eh?!

When I hit the last aid station and was told I had 3miles to go downhill I took a sigh of relief. I knew I was going to finish and finish well. I was running with 3 other gentlemen at that point and they all took off faster than me down the last decent. I kept looking back thinking that Nicola (who is a much superior downhill runner than me) would come charging around a switchback and I’d have to finish with a sprint to the line. As much as I love seeing Nicola I was really happy to not see her during those last 3miles.

Finishing is bitter sweet! I hit the road and knew I had only 1 mile to go. Yippee! I always find it so ironic that my favorite thing to do is run but that by the end of a race I can’t wait to stop running. I saw the finishers’ banner up ahead and a big smile broke across my face. I was going to win Mountain Masochist and qualify for Western States. Clark Zealand, the best race director ever, was at the finish line with his hands up welcoming me in. I crossed the line, Gary picked me up and gave me a big hug and kiss and told me that he was really proud of me.(cause he's like totally like the bestest ever!!)


I don’t say this very often but I was and am very proud of myself. This race was a great test of my own perseverance. I finished in 8hrs9min which is the 5th fastest female time ever on the course. I run because I love running and would do it regardless of the recognition I get but, I have to admit, it’s really nice to see that I am able to knock down times that are right up there with some of the top ultra runners in North America and it’s really nice to see my hard work pay off. I know that I have so much room for improvement and still feel really under experienced in the sport of ultra running and I am excited to see what I can accomplish in the years to come.


I don’t know where my running career will take me or if I am even talented to have one but this race opened many new gates of opportunity for me and I am very thankful that I had the opportunity to participate in it.


Thank you to all the volunteers, race director Clark Zealand, Dr.Horton, Nicola and Gary (you complete me) for making this such a great weekend for me!

MMTR Photo Tour

GR

Canadian's Invade Virginia!

I'll do my absolute best to keep this to a readable length here...

I was shooting for a sub 7hr run time which would have been a near 23 minute improvement over my 08 run time. The 08 race was my first ever fifty miler as I'd only started to fully concentrate on running, verses multi-sport, four months prior. The 09 version ended up being my second ever 50 miler and a much better race for me.

I obviously had to go out harder off the start verses last year but I was definitely surprised to find myself alternating the lead with Montrail U.S. runner Geoff 'The Alaskan Assassin' Roes (if no one else has referred to him by this name yet then I get to claim it when it sticks!) through the first 20 miles of the race. Lon Freeman was never more than a few steps behind and Valmir Nunes was always visible when we hit an exposed switchback area.

(Goeff Roes leading, me in second, RD Clark Zealand poaching the course!)

At the half way point of the race I was nine minutes ahead of my 08 pace and right on target for a sub 7hr effort. Geoff had managed to distance himself from me over the previous climb and he hit the mid-way aid just three minutes up. As I departed I could see Lon coming in just a minute back.

After departed the mid-way aid you venture into the longest climb of the fifty miles. In 08 I had to walk most of the climbs, this year I'd trained myself to be better on the climbs and faster on the runnable terrain. The course is 90% fire roads so I actually did some road mileage and my first road race in over 5yrs while preparing for the course. Although I did manage to run the entire course, save one section of about 200 meters, both Geoff and Lon had proved to be better up-hill runners than myself. Knowing this I had prepared for Lon to catch and pass me, which he did within about ten minutes. He managed a larger gap than I anticipated though and eventually he gained five full minutes on me. Little did we then know, Geoff was on a constant acceleration and while the rest of us just struggled to hang on Geoff simply ran the second half of the course faster than anyone had ever dreamed was even possible.

At about the 33m mark (55km) you hit the first real singletrack terrain of the course. Last year I nearly died through here, so this year I made sure to have something left in the tank for it. Once you complete this 5m/8k loop the course is predominately downhill to the finish line...which has always been my strength. I wasn't even two miles into the loop when I heard a runner from behind. Valmir was still lingering and with foot speed the likes of which I will simply never possess, he scared me enough to push my through the undulations of this loop. Thankfully and surprisingly I would not see him again until he crossed the finish line.

I exited the loop and was told Lon was four minutes up on me. I was feeling way stronger than I thought I would this late in the race and I vocalized that I thought I might still be able to close that gap over the final 10m/16k of the race. The next few aid stations told a different story though as the splits coming my way were growing, not shrinking.

As I hit the final aid station of the day, and with but 3.5 miles to go to the finish line, I was given one more split,

"Lon left here...exactly...two minutes ago."

I chugged a cup of fluid and rocketed outta there. It was almost all down till the final 1m section of road to the line. In the end this information was not accurate, as Lon had a closer to 4min lead at that point, but it was the perfect fuel to allow me to go with an all or nothing approach to end the race. Whether I cramped up and had to walk didn't matter at that point, only top two went straight into Western States and that was my primary goal at the starting line. My final km split times, gravity assisted of course but none the less my legs still had to turn over and absorb the punishment, were:

-4m17s /6.54mile
-4m27s /7.10m
-4m12s /6.45m
-3m37s /5.49m
-3m42s /5.57m
-2m44s (700m of flat road to the line) (3m48s pace /6.07m)




I crossed the line in 7h00m28s...missed out on a sub seven by under thirty seconds and an auto WS entry by two minutes...both tough pills to swallow, but by far and away this was my best performance south of the border, and my first major race that I'm truly happy with the time I laid down. Clark Zealand, David Horton, and the hundreds of others who make this race possible and can somehow convert a 50m fire road run into an incredible trail racing experience, THANK YOU SO MUCH yet again!! I might just have to return again next year and claim those missing 29 seconds.


In the women's race, the girl I've been flattered to call my girlfriend, Tamsin Anstey, in her first EVER 50 miler and just third attempt at running an ultra, laid down the 5th fastest woman's time in the 27 year history of the event!! She has promised me that she'll do a race report that I'll proudly post on here for her...till we get her up and going on her own blog in the near future.


Fellow North Vancouver runner and close friend Nicola Gildersleeve was also there to represent the Red and White. Even though she'd been battling the flu and ended up with a bloody nose and even puking on herself a few times, she really toughed it out to cross the line as the second place female finisher and claim the coveted auto entry into Western States!! I'm super proud of both of the girls and as a group who all live within a very short distance of each other I feel we did ourselves and our North Vancouver running scene proud. It was a great thing to be a part of!

Other Canadian's in top ten men were Adam Hill and Glen Redpath tied for 7th/8th!

-Special thanks to my amazing friend Hays Poole who drove 2.5hr from Raleigh, North Carolina to help support me during the race. He was a ROCK STAR who I can't thank enough!!

GEAR:

-Montrail Mountain Masochist shoes, rocking out their name sake race!

-Princeton Tec Eos headlamp for the first five miles in the darkness

-Carbo-Pro 1200 and Thermolytes as my primary fuel source during the race

Full results here, oh yeah, and I forgot to mention, Geoff 'The Alaskan Assassin' Roes...well he kinda destroyed the course like no one thought possible and ended up with a new course record of 6h27m!!! That's over 21min faster than the legendary Dave Mackay's run time, and in my humble opinion, solidifies Geoff as the outright U.S. Ultra Runner Of The Year for 2009...congrats Geoff, it was a pleasure and an honor to meet you this weekend!



GR

Funny Fridays (Congrats Meb!)

Well as of this posting I'm already in Lynchburg, Virginia for tomorrow's Mountain Masochist 50 miler! (I time dated this post on Wed night) Not gonna say much right now outside of the fact that I know by Friday I'll be super nervous-excited and just hoping to be able to get a few hours sleep before the race start on Sat morn.

For this weeks funny vid I decided to go with a more relevant rather than downright funny posting. Congratulations to Meb Keflezighi on an outstanding win at this years NYC Marathon.



There's also a relevant article about Meb here if you are unaware of exactly who he is and the struggles he's faced while being an American citizen since he was twelve years old.

GR

Mountain Masochist (How To Follow Along)

K, it's Wed night and I'm still way behind on my actual packing! Tamsin Anstey, Nicola Gildersleeve, and myself depart North Vancouver at 5:30am tomorrow and fly out of Seattle at noon. I think this could be a very good weekend for all three of us, and our sights are unified and set upon making our way into Western States 2010. Wish us luck!

Here's how to hopefully gather as much live info as possible as the race unfolds:

-MMTR Blogsite Updates (currently has the RD's pre-race rankings)

-MMTR Twitter Feed

-My Twitter Feed (which will hopefully be updated regularly via my awesome friend and crew member Hays Poole)

And I leave you with this...Tamsin and I enjoyed Halloween as Dimitri and Nadia, the worlds top figure skating duo who just happened to be in town early for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games...





GR

It's Official, New 100 Mile & 100km Race In B.C. Next Summer!!

Let me be one of the first to officially welcome the 'Fat Dog 100' to the ultra racing calendar!

BRAND NEW FOR 2010 and guaranteed to be a must do!! I'll go on record right now and say that by the third year this race will be selling out in a hurry, and well on its way to epic status within the ultra running community! Located in B.C.'s gorgeous park systems and easily accessible to anyone in the Pacific North West. Almost all singletrack, point to point, stunning mountain vistas, and an ass kicker of a course, The Fat Dog 100 is sure to become an instant classic.


Thanks so much to the very experienced race director Heather Macdonald for putting in the leg work to ensure this thing got off the ground and rolling. Although I somehow got an official thank you on the website I honestly did very little outside of encouraging the efforts of those behind the wheel. Special thanks should also be extended to Peter Watson of North Shore Athletics, and his girlfriend Nicola Gildersleeve (pictured above) for stepping up and helping out in every way possible.

DETAILS:

When: Friday July 23 to Saturday July 24, 2010

Why: Stunning alpine views, very runnable trails, challenging profile, sumptuous aid stations, great organization, enthusiastic volunteers, and a lake at the end for soaking.

Distances: 100 miles, 100 km, and 6 relay legs that cover 100 mile route.

Where: 100 miler and relay start near Keremeos in Cathedral Provincial Park. 100 km starts in E.C. Manning Provincial Park.

How to Get There: From Vancouver, take Highway 1 to Hope, then Highway 3 to Manning Park. Follow the signs to Lightning Lake "DAY" parking.

Here is the official thank you mention off the website. My hat goes off to each and every one of these people. Depending upon my own schedule I'll either be racing the inaugural edition of The Fat Dog, or heading up a full blown party all night aid station...where costumes will be mandatory! Either way you'll see me there in 2010.

This race could not have happened without the encouragement of three stellar individuals: Peter Watson, Gary Robbins and Glenn Pace. Some other fabulous people who helped with GPS and 'trail discovery' included: Laura Woodward, Cheryl Johnson, Mike Heiliger, Judy Sullivan, Nicola Gildersleeve, Lara Taylor, Amber Ringers and Tamsin Anstey. That great photo of Nicola on Heather Trail above was taken by Peter Watson. Another amazing person that must be included is Kelley Cook of the Ministry of Tourism, Sports and the Arts who was instrumental in helping us navigate Trapper Lake Trail

And finally, a few more teaser pics...






SWEET!!!
GR

Funny Fridays

This is just downright hilarious! Not laugh out loud hahaha, but funny in that mocumentary movie kinda way. I first saw this about three weeks back and just remembered it a few days ago. Number one piece of advice, having now tried it out for myself...

"Don't get SKOOTCH leg!!"



I figured I'd add this one on as well. You may have already seen it...apparently 3.385 million others have! It's a quick three minute recap of the top 100 YouTube vids...funny, amazing, shocking...



Have a great weekend!!

GR