Squirrel Fartlek

A Swedish term meaning speed play involving a squirrel. A type of workout which allows the runner while on a continuous run with his dog to be dragged at an excessive pace for an indeterminate distance. Number of intervals is random. This workout is both aerobic and anaerobic and may involve cursing. A long leash is recommended.

Sometimes Tomorrow Never Comes

My Granny, Ruth Steeves, has always been close by. In my early years, when it was just my mom and I, she was our support system, particularly for my mom. Every night after I was put to bed (I got the bedroom, my mom slept on a futon in the living room), my mom would call my Granny and they would sometimes talk for hours. They talked nearly every day right up until my mom and step-dad left for Costa Rica last week.

When my mom needed a break from the single-parent life, I stayed at my Granny's for the weekend. It was a sweet set-up for me - Taso's Pizza and movies that I normally wouldn't be allowed to watch, two of which I will never forget - 48 Hours and Kentucky Fried Movie. Imagine my Granny's horror when she found out that the latter was bordering on soft porn.

Granny was married twice, divorced twice. However, that's a part of her life I really never knew much about, for as long as I knew her, Granny was a single woman, living in a one bedroom, then bachelor suite, just up from Ambleside.

She was one tough cookie. Since the early 80's, when she was diagnosed with Kidney cancer, we thought that every Christmas was going to be her last. Yet she made it another 25 years. Beat cancer, battled emphesema, kidney failure (other kidney), heart failure, loneliness, and a whole host of maladies which are probably pretty common when you're 87.

The emphesema was a direct result of the two-pack a day habit that I believe she picked up back in boarding school. Something like 40+ years. When they diagnosed her, they sat the family down and said that she had to stop smoking that instant, cold turkey. Imagine, 40 years of habit, then stop. They were worried that she might accidentally light a match in the middle of the night and blow up her oxygen tank (and her), so it was high stress for the rest of us for a while. I even stayed over at her bachelor pad a few times, sleeping on the floor next to her bed so I could prevent her from lighting up.

When I got in a huge fight with my mom at 17 and was subsequently booted from the house, I sought solace in my Granny. She would have none of it though, going so far as to call me a little jerk. That surprised me and probably hurt as much as I could ever be hurt by words. But it was the truth and she was giving it to me straight.

She retired in 1985 at the age of 65. Her first act of retirement was to take my cousin Kevin and I to Disneyland for a week. I had a great time, but it's only now that I realize how special that was, and how crazy it was for a 65 year old woman to take her jacked up grandsons to Disneyland on her own.

My Granny loved to sing. That's a part of her I'll never forget. After retiring she became actively involved in the music scene at the West Vancouver Senior's Center, joining a group called the Sweet Adelines in the process. It's probably from her that I gained my love of music. Nana Mouskuri's "Little Toy Trains" will always remind me of Christmas at my Granny's. That and Boney M.

When Granny couldn't make it to my University Convocation Ceremony, we smuggled out my cap and gown, drove over to my Granny's place and posed in front of the bushes outside her apartment.

Over the last couple of years, Granny grew increasingly disoriented and confused. About two years ago, I put together a surprise birthday party for my wife. As Heather pulled into the driveway with her mom, everyone hid. While they were coming into the basement, and with the rest of us trying to be completely quiet and still, my Granny politely asks in a relatively loud voice, "who's the cake for?"

For most of my adult life, and probably even longer than that, my Granny has been the glue in my family. We're a small family and we're all very independent, private people. If it weren't for her, we probably wouldn't have seen each other even half as much. She was our reason to be together.

As the years have passed, I've seen Granny less and less. She's always been no more than 15 minutes away, but I've always seemed to put off seeing her until "tomorrow."

Well, sometimes tomorrow never comes.

My uncle John just called from Pender Island to say that my Granny had just passed away.

I'll probably always feel sad and have some regret over the fact that I didn't visit her enough in her later years. She was cooped up for the last five years of her life in Cedar Village, a Senior's Home in North Vancouver. They treated her with kindness and compassion, but to Granny it was hell. I'm ashamed that I didn't do more to make her last years a little more enjoyable.

For as long as I can remember, Granny has joked about being "ready to go." I always told her that she had to stick around to see me get married and to meet her Great-Grandkids.

I always be grateful that she stuck around for both.

She was a good person. I will miss her dearly.

Gunner Shaw - Abbreviated Race Report

The race rocked. I ran well. Disappointed that I didn't have the courage to let it all hang out and go after Brad.

My feet, hamstrings, and hips are sore today. Combination of getting older and not having run hard in over a month.

Thanks to the Lions Gate Road Runners crew for putting on the kind of event that I like - inexpensive, no frills, awesome course, great volunteers and crappy weather. Bare bones racing at its best.

Eric

Gunner Shaw Memorial Cross Country

As I need a good butt kicking, I've decided to toe the start line at this Saturday's Gunner Shaw Memorial 10km Cross Country Race out at Jericho Beach.

Reasons to run Gunner Shaw:

1. It starts at 11:00 AM
2. It will be cold
3. It will be wet
4. You'll run through mud
5. You'll run on a beach
6. You'll run through a creek
7. You'll hurt
8. It's only $10

See you there!

Eric

2008 Race Schedule

As I've been running for nearly five months now without a goal in sight, it's time to dream big and lay it on the line for next year:

Dirty Duo 25km
- The ice breaker
Chuckanut 50km
- The "remember how much ultra's hurt?" race
Vancouver Marathon
- Another shot at redemption
Seek the Peak
- I'm going for the win at this one (it is my baby after all)
Comfortably Numb
- A necessary evil
Knee Knacker
- Taking a run at the big boys (I'm coming for you Simon)

Things I need to improve upon:

- Nutrition (the bain of my existence)
- Mental game (the other bain of my existence)
- Downhill running (I'm a terrible downhill runner)
- Focus

Now that I've put it out there, time to deliver!

E

Sky Running in the Italian Dolomites

Man, I wish I was there

Anton Krupicka - A New Breed of Runner

This guy is quickly becoming the new king of trail / ultra running. Check out this La Sportiva profile on him when you get a chance.

The dude does half of his training barefoot! I better toughen up.

Jon Brown kicked my ass and I liked it

Meeting Jon Brown back in the late 90's was probably the one and only time that I've been star-struck. I'm a huge Track and Field geek and Jon was, and still is to some extent, one of the greatest distance runners in the World.

At the invitation of Leah Pells (4th in the 1500m, 96 Olympics), Jon joined our group for a tempo run. He had just moved to Canada with his family, though still intended on representing Great Britain internationally.

The workout was as follows: 30 minute tempo run for Jon, while the three fastest guys in the group at that workout (Mark Bomba, Geoff Greaves, and myself) were to each run one ten minute section of Jon's workout in an attempt to "pace" him.

At that time, I was in about 15 min shape for 5km. As the slowest of the three guys, I was picked to pace Jon first. Now, I fully expected to be running hard but, holy crap, I was in a near sprint to stay ahead of him. I lasted all of 6 minutes (just over 2km) before I cracked and watched Jon float by me effortlessly. As thrilling as it was to run with / behind one of the best in the world, even if it was for only 6 minutes, it was still very humbling. When I found out later that afternoon, after a little research, that Jon had just run 27:18 for 10km a few months back, I didn't feel quite as bad.

After the workout, I joined Jon for a cool-down run which, incidentally, was run at a slower pace than I normally ran my cool-down runs. I asked Jon if he had run any races recently and he starting telling me about this crazy race in Italy called the Cinque Mulini and how he had finally beaten once of his cross-country arch rivals, Paul. Over the course of our cool-down, he's excitedly telling me about their battle. It took me a few minutes, but then it finally dawned on me who he was talking about - Paul Tergat. The very same Paul Tergat who is one of the greatest distance runners of all time. Former World Record holder in the marathon. Numerous medals at the Olympics, World Champs, etc.

So, this is the long way of getting around to saying that Jon Brown is a running stud and that I'm extremely pumped that he has just switched his allegiance from Great Britain to Canada. Nothing like having the guy who came fourth in the marathon at the last two Olympic games donning a Canadian jersey and leading the medal charge in Beijing.

8km, not 9 - the truth hurts

Like most people, I'm a creature of habit. I have a few standard routes and I run them religously. The shortest of these routes is a 9km loop that includes the infamous climb from the Khahtsahlano Race up Westport Road, a 3.5km stretch with nearly 800 feet of elevation gain. Without exaggeration, I've run this loop at least 150 times, if not more. 42 minutes is an average day. 40 if I'm feeling frisky.

The last couple of weeks have been pretty stressful at home (buying a house, selling a house), and last week I neared the breaking point. Frustrated and irritated to the max, I threw on my shoes and stormed out of the house, bent on purging the pent up negativity.

Within minutes, I was beginning to feel great, the combination of running and fresh air working together to defeat the demons in my head.

I fully expected the pace to take its toll and for me to stagger home, broken but happy to have worked out most of the aggression. However, that day was one of those days runners dream about, the "perfect day." I felt invincible. Light, quick, and strong. I was devouring the climb and when I crested Westport Road, I was on top of the World. Anything seemed possible; all I had to do was reach for it.

When I got home, I was pumped. 37 minutes, and that included a run into the bushes to answer the call of nature. After a quick stretch, I jumped into the car and drove off to measure the route.

By the time I reached the bottom of Westport Road, I knew that my 9km route with its 1000 feet of ascent was going to be short. Crap. I started to slow down, sub-consciously hoping that somehow a slower drive would add distance.

By the time I could see my driveway, I was deflated. 8km on the nose.

The realization that I'm not as fast as I thought I was, was deflating. Disappointed in myself, I made the decision to buckle down, toughen up, and train harder. No beer. No fries or chips. Everything natural and healthy. Lose 10lbs.

That commitment lasted just a few hours as I later sought solace in my holy trinity - burger, fries and beer - at Taylor's Crossing Pub.

Like Oscar Wilde once said, I can resist everything but temptation.

Eric

PS I think I better go measure the track where I set all my Personal Bests. Probably 50 meters short...

Snowshoe Power!

Simply put, adding snowshoeing to your winter training or wellness regime, even at the expense of one of your core workouts, is the single greatest thing you can do to improve your ability as a runner, Grouse Grinder, biker, hiker, etc.

If you're an athlete, regardless of whether you're recreational level or otherwise, why wouldn't you want to add the one activity that can make you stronger, faster, leaner, better looking, and improve the quality of your life all in one go?

Beginning Wednesday, December 5th, I'm going to be leading a weekly Snowshoe Training Night on the awesome trails up at Grouse Mountain. Each session is free, though you do have to get to the top and that requires a Grouse Mountain Membership (a wicked deal) or a General Admission Ticket. If you don't have snowshoes, they can be rented for $5 per session. Sessions start at 7:00 PM sharp and wrap up by 8:15.

Nervous about trying it out? Don't be. If you can run or walk, you can snowshoe. Still nervous? Come on out to Grouse Mountain's Snowshoe Demonstration Night which will be held on Wednesday, December 12th. There will be four complimentary (with admission) 30 minute "Introduction to Snowshoeing" sessions. This is a great opportunity to find out everything you need to know about snowshoeing in a safe, fun environment.

Details will be posted on www.grousemountain.com soon, however feel free to email me (eric@runthenorthshore.com) if you have any questions.

Here's a great article from the North Country Trail Association that was printed back in 2001 titled "Benefits of Snowshoeing are Limitless"

"Which exercise will burn more calories in one workout-- running, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing? If you said snowshoeing, you were right! Snowshoeing is a cross-training, conditioning sport that offers access to untapped winter environments and is great recreation with family and friends.
Snowshoeing is among a limited number of sports that almost everyone can participate in, no matter their age, fitness level, or expertise. The sport is shedding its backwoods image, becoming the most popular winter recreation and outdoor fitness activity today. A low-impact and safe form of exercise, snowshoeing is ideal for anyone interested in an aerobic workout combined with strength training and muscle endurance. The skills needed to start snowshoeing are very few-- if you can walk, you can snowshoe!

The benefits of snowshoeing are limitless. Today more than 6 million people are trading in their summer shoes for snowshoes, and many of them are summer hikers, walkers, cyclists, climbers, and other sports enthusiasts eager to maintain their conditioning and take advantage of their favorite hiking trails in winter. Whether you're looking to get in shape, maintain your fitness level during those winter months, or just enjoy the beauty of natural terrain and gain a mental connection with the outdoors, snowshoeing is an excellent sport for you and your family.

Snowshoeing is a great form of aerobic exercise that will improve or maintain cardiovascular fitness as well as burn calories. It uses major muscle groups at relatively high intensities for extended periods of time, thus requiring a high caloric expenditure. Your metabolic rate increases in cold weather, and the addition of the weight of snowshoes on your feet combine( with the resistance of moving through snow adds up to a greater demand for energy than simply walking or running. Snowshoeing can burn up to 45 percent more calories than walking or running at the same speed.

Research has shown that individuals who substitute snowshoeing for running during the winter actually improve their running fitness over those who choose running as their primary source of winter training. A study done by the University of Vermont determined that after a six-week training period, the snowshoe group showed a higher fitness level than that of the running group. Another study conducted by Indiana University determined that by adding poles to the workout, the energy costs were higher, resulting in faster speeds and increased potential for energy expenditure. "

Hallow's Eve Race Report

The graph to the right is Scott McMillan's Heart Rate from last Sunday's Hallow's Eve 1/2 Marathon with the elevation profile underneath. Looks nasty doesn't it?

The race, from a management perspective, was a lot of fun and a huge success. From an athlete's perspective, it was a real treat to finally be able to take part in an event that I've developed. I suffered, but I beat the dude in the afro wig and polyster shirt and that's the important thing!

If you're interested, check out the race reports from the following guys:

Scott McMillan
Brad Cunningham
Kim Steed

2008 Canadian Mountain Running Championships - Course Preview

One of my longstanding goals has been to host the World Mountain Running Trophy on the North Shore one day. A large step in that direction was taken when the Canadian Mountain Running Association recently asked if I would develop and host next year's National Championship Race and begin working with them on putting together a bid for the 2011 World Championships.

After saying yes, and thank you for the opportunity, I pulled out my map collection and started identifying routes that would not only meet the qualifying criteria (12km in length; 1200m in elevation gain), but would also be spectacularly challenging. In short, I was looking to put together another Seek the Peak (an event I developed while working up at Grouse Mountain).

In addition to identifying routes that would be challenging and fun, I also had to keep in mind a number of other variables key to the hosting of a successful event: risk management issues; permission from the various landowners; access to route for volunteers and spectators; user-friendly start / finish venues; etc.

After running a number of route options by a number of local trail runners and testing out each of the potential routes, I settled on the Mount Seymour Trail System as the venue.

After quite a few "exploratory" runs, I've come up with what I truly feel will be a spectacularly challenging course, one that is unique and will undoubtedly be fun (but maybe a little painful!) to run.

This race, which will forever be known as the Peak Challenge, will follow this route: Course Description

Last Saturday, Kim Steed and I tackled the course. Check out Kim's blog for some great pictures and a report on the run.

Seven Summits Race Kicked My Ass

While on a sales trip through the Kootenays, I decided to take part in the inaugural Seven Summits Trail Run held in Rossland, BC on September 1st.

I'll publish a detailed report of this epic event soon...

Gary Reed Wins 800m Silver at World Champs

Gary Reed (Victoria, BC) won the silver medal last Sunday at the World Track and Field Championships (Osaka, Japan).

Reed's medal performance was significant in that it was the first medal earned by a Canadian male in a distant event since 1964 (Tokyo Olympics).

Although Gary was only .01 seconds behind Alfred Yego (Kenya), he showed tremendous sportsmanship and an amazing attitude in his obvious happiness over winning the silver medal (rather than "losing" the gold).

Congratulations Gary!

RACE REPORT

Pikes Peak - One Hell of a Climb

The Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon events took place this weekend in Manitou, Colorado. Starting at an elevation of 6,345 feet, runners in the ascent race climbed nearly 8,000 feet in just over 13 miles. The Ascent Race takes place on the Saturday. On the Sunday, a full marathon distance is offered - 8,000 feet up, then turn around and finish with 8,000 feet of descent.

For the masochistic at heart, you can do the double. 39 miles, 16,000 feet of up and 8,000 feet of down. You'd definitely earn a couple of beers after that.

So, how many people do you think the race organizers are able to lure out to this crazy suffer-fest? Over 1,600!!!

And to think I thought Mark Shorter was doing well to get 39 people out for his Seymour Hill Run...

Gary Robbins is a nut...

When a long weekend rolls around, most of us "normal people" take the opportunity to sleep in, relax, maybe have a beer or two, but Gary Robbins is not "normal."

Apparently with nothing to do on the BC Day long weekend, Robbins set out to do what no one else (that we know of) has done before...attempt to run the entire West Coast Trail and Juan De Fuca Trail in one go. That's 130km of extremely rugged West Coast trail...and he wanted to do it in under 24 hours.

Well, Gary not only completed the run, he did it in under 24 hours. Congratulations Gary!

For all the details on his epic journey, including video from the run and a slideshow, click here

Scott Jurek's thoughts on Dean Karnazes

Dean Karnazes, the self-anointed "Ultra-marathon man" has been getting plenty of heat lately from the core running community for his recent grandstanding. When Karnazes first caught our attention, most wrote him off as an opportunistic novely act. The uproar over Karnazes reached the boiling point earlier this year when Outside Magazine anointed him "America's Greatest Runner" and put him on the cover of their magazine. The problem wasn't that the magazine made the claim, but that Karnazes, a mediocre runner at best, did nothing to refute or modestly deflect that claim (to put his ability in proper perspective, at last year's Whidbey Island Marathon, Karnazes finished over an hour behind me...and I ran 3:35. Nothing wrong with finishing a marathon in 4:30, but it certainly doesn't validate the title of "America's Greatest Runner.")

On sites like www.letsrun.com, discussions on Karnazes end up in writing him off and saying, in effect, that he would get his butt handed to him by the likes of Matt Carpenter, Pam Reed, and Scott Jurek, all ultrarunners of considerable achievement.

For the lay runner, Scott Jurek is the runner most people think of when you talk about ultramarathoning greatness. 7 Western States 100mile wins in a row; 2 Badwater wins and course record (just broken); a win at the Spartathlon ultra in Greece, arguably the oldest, toughest, and most famous ultra in the world. If there is a runner out there who could justifiably lay claim to the title of "ultramarathon man" it would be Jurek. In addition to his considerable achievements, Jurek has consistently maintained a humble and grounded persona, seemingly shunning the spotlight.

Since many runners hold Scott Jurek up as the "anti-Dean" it should come as no surprise that Scott Jurek's recent comments on Karnazes has generated plenty of interest.

Here's the transcript, courtesy of Scott Dunlop and his blog (runtrails.blogspot.com), of the recent podcast:

"It's good we get attention for the sport, but sometimes I wonder what kind of attention is good for the sport. At times I think that some of the Dean attention can hurt athletes like myself and other individuals performing well. There are athletes like us doing all kinds of amazing things and somebody else is walking around and actually accepting these titles and awards. You wouldn't see that in any other sport. I can't think of a sport where this happens - maybe once in a while somebody a bit lower on the elite status might pop up there for doing something extraordinary."

The rest of the podcast can be viewed here

Alan Webb Breaks American Mile Record

In front of a tiny crowd of less than 1,000 in Belgium, Webb ran 3:46.91 to break Steve Scott's record. Webb is now the 8th fastest miler in history, and the 7 ahead of him are a who's who of track and field's all-time bad-ass middle distance runners.

Washington Post Article

Knackered - continued...

The other day a friend of mine had the nerve to suggest that I might have run the first half too hard and that was why, yet again, I had trouble over the last half of the course. Instantly defensive, I said that there was no way I was running outside of my comfort zone. But had I?

Running down the gravel road into Cleveland Dam I relaxed as much as possible and focused on what I needed to do at the aid station - look for Heather and Rhys, grab a new bottle from my drop bag, drank two cups of water, then back out onto the course.

I ran right past Heather and Rhys and realized this when I heard my friend Jill yell, "Nice haircut Langhjelm!" I turned and ran back to Rhys and Heather, gave them both a kiss, turned back around, found my drop bag, switched bottles, tossed my garbage, quickly drank two cups of water, then hit the road.

In each of my previous attempts at the Knee Knacker, I've run the 1mile section of Nancy Greene Way with an eye towards setting a good tone as I began the last half of the course. As this tactic has let me down every time, I decided that I would walk until I hit the base of the Grouse Grind.

By now, Mark Bennett had passed me and was motoring up the hill on his way to a 5:25 finish in his first attempt at the race. Great run Mark!

Halfway up Nancy Greene I started to worry about how much I was sweating. During the first of the race I was definitely sweating profusely, but I was too focused on not falling on my face to give it a seconds thought. But now that I was walking and the adrenaline had worn off, I started to stress a little. It was only 2:43 into the race at this point and I had consumed at least 2 liters of water / Carbo-pro, if not more. While I was trying to figure out how I was going to stay on top of the hydration issue, I remembered that I had two Advil in my bottle's side pocket. I've never taken Advil before a race before, but I've had a number of people tell me that it helps with the pain. So I popped two more Advil (I had two for breakfast).

By the time I reached the entrance to the Grouse Grind, I was starting to feel a little fresher so I decided that I would start running as soon as I hit the gate.

Now, Grouse Mountain was hosting its Trail Sense Day at the same time as we were passing through so there were a fair number of people milling about as I started to pass through. Someone yelled "runner" and everyone cleared as if I were Moses and they were the Red Sea. Well, I better start running I thought. So, off I went...for about three steps and then both of my adductors cramped on me and I was brought to a swift halt with all eyes upon me. Crap.

An interesting aside - the song that was playing on my IPOD when the cramping started? Karma Police by Radiohead.

The exact same thing happened to me in the exact same spot in 2001 and that race did't end well. As I was trying to massage out the cramp in each leg, Chris Downie and Aaron Pitt passed by. After asking what was wrong, Aaron offered up one of his salt tablets. Since this was only the second time in my life that I've had leg cramps, I didn't know if the salt would help the cause or hurt it. So I said thanks, but no thanks.

Within seconds the cramps abated and I was able to resume a steady pace again, passing both Chris and Aaron within the next few minutes.

The 3/4 mark of any race, long or short, is always my undoing. In the Knee Knacker, the section from Grouse Mountain to the Rice Lake checkpoint is where I have the most trouble, both physically and mentally. When people ask me about this section of the Knee Knacker, I always half jokingly refer to it as the tunnel of doom. I always feel terrible and the worst thoughts go through my mind. It is somewhere along this section that I stop caring about what my finishing time will be or how I will place. I just want to finish.

When you reach that place, the place where self preservation is your only concern, intimate knowledge of the trail before you is not a good thing.

In a way, the fact that I'd experienced a similar level of discomfort and mental anguish at this point in the race helped me cope and avoid the "drop out" thoughts.

I also call this section my "annual piece of humble pie." A very big piece indeed.

So, with my well documented relationship with this section of the trail in mind, I decided that I would focus on getting through one small section of the course at a time.

This strategy proved to be necessary almost immediately as the cramping started again and, to make things more interesting, a nice bout of nausea decided to visit.

By the time I had reached the bench dedicated to Carolene Simpson (Michael Simpson's Mom), I had become a mess. The cramps were visiting different places now - left hamstring, adductors, the occassional shot to the quads. There was a minute or so section that was so disasterous it was almost comical. Like a shot from a gun, my adductors cramped, sending me to the ground. I got up, started to run, then my left hamstring cramped, sending my flying again. The last fall was the one that hurt. Thankfully the only thing that was hurt was my ego.

As I descended down towards the Mountain Highway Aid Station, I felt like I was coming out of a thick mental fog. I was extremely grateful to reach this point; the worst part of the course (in my opinion) behind me.

After a quick rinse at the tap, I was off at a decent clip, thinking that I might actually be able to recover well enough to finish fairly strong.

Turning left onto the Lynn Headwaters Access Road, I saw Heather and someone I've never seen before jumping up and down and screaming encouragement. I was pretty dam tired at this point, but they still managed to give me a boost of adrenaline.

Heading onto the Varley Trail, Heather told me I was in seventh. Someone up front must have dropped! That gave me a lift for whatever reason. That lift was shortlived as I heard Heather yell "go girl" to who could only be Suzanne Evans. Shit. I figured that Suzanne might have a chance at catching me near the end if she had a great race, but not this early.

Within a minute, she was hot on my heels. I knew then that I didn't have a chance against her. I looked at my watch, which read 3:58. I knew she ran the final 1/4 last year in just over 1:14 so I knew she had a shot at her own record if she could stay focused and strong until the end. As she went by I tried to encourage her by telling her to go for it, your record is in reach.

She modestly protested, then sped away from me, the perfect blend of grace and strength.

The tiny amount of adrenaline I had at this point was gone and it was back to survival mode.

At the end of the third quarter, Chris Downie and Aaron Pitt caught up to me again. The three of us ran rather awkwardly, but still relatively quickly down the Suspension Bridge Trail towards the BP.

As we began the climb up toward the BP junction, all three of us stopped within seconds of each other to work out a cramp. It was definitely an amusing scene.

I was the longest of the group to get back to a trot, so that was the last I saw of Chris and Aaron (Congratulations Guys!). I managed to run / shuffle all the way down to the bridge that crosses the Seymour River. I was now 4:30 into the race with a very long 9+ km to go. Thoughts of breaking 5:30 were long gone as I gave into the fact that I would probably be hiking the whole Seymour Grind section.

At 4:40 I finally reached the Hyannis Aid Station and saw Heather again. No Rhys this time. Sound asleep in the car. Crap. I was hoping that he could give me a smile or something to motivate me.

I hear a vollie telling someone that Kevin must be close to finishing...

I stalled for a few more minutes, drinking a couple of cups of flat coke. Pat Love, another vollie, asked me I wanted a sponge. I said no thanks and that Heather would be giving me a sponge bath soon enough. No laughs. Bad joke I guess.

Back onto the Baden Powell and up the Seymour Grind, the last cruel hill of note. I'm in 10th at this point. As I reach the crest of the Seymour Grind, I look behind me to find Keith Wakelin slowly gaining on me. Now, one of my goals each of the last three attempts was to beat Keith Wakelin. After he beat me my first year, he was quoted as saying that there was no competition. I took that personally and vowed that I would take him down. I failed the last two times, with Keith passing me somewhere during the third quarter. It looked like I was going to fail again. I've got no hard feelings against Keith. Heck, it's only running. But, still. I want to beat the guy.

"Good work Keith. Go get 'em." "Thanks Eric. Dig deep."

Bastard. (just kidding...sort of).

Heading down the Baden Powell towards Mount Seymour Road is not fun when your legs are fried. Strong legs that danced around obstacles just hours earlier can now barely navigate the smallest of rocks. The only word running through my head: Ouch, ouch, ouch, etc.

Everything was starting to bug me, my shirt and water bottle in particular. I put my water bottle down at the next main intersection, hopeful that the course sweep would pick it up (thank you!). A few minutes later, off comes the singlet, absolutely soaked. Like a petulant child, I threw the singlet on the ground. It was my lowest point, feeling defeated and disappointed. That being said, I rarely sulk for more than a few minutes. Life's to short. And to be frank, the only person who cares whether I come first or 200th is me.

The pity-party over, I prepared myself for the final push. The Mount Seymour Road Aid Station was a welcome sight as always. The next 1.5km section of the BP, oftern refered to as "wheel chair accessible" because of the lack of obstacles, passed without problem.

The energy level started to pick up as I hit Indian River Road, though the legs had zero lift or spring to them.

Then, WHAM. Cramps again. Crap. Less than 2km to go and I'm hobbled again. As I'm standing on the side of the trail trying to work out a hamstring cramp, two other guys go by, including my friend Tom Craik who was having an awesome race (Congrats Tom!).

Cramp subsides and I'm off and running (sort of) again. Back to survival mode. Just get to the finish. I can hear the MC's voice at the finish as it carries across the waters of Indian Arm. It sounds minutes away, but I know better.

Behind me I hear someone else coming. I look and it's Nicola Gildersleeve, the early 20's girl from North Shore Athletics. Wow! She finished her first Knee Knacker last year in about 6:40, so she was having an awesome race...and was going to beat me!

There was nothing I could do but watch her pull away from me. At this point, my only thought was "oh well."

As I crested the last hill, relief washed over me, as I'm sure it does for everyone who does this race.

Approaching Panorama Drive, emotion starts to bubble beneath the surface. I think back to my first year when I burst into tears when I crossed the finish line. A lot has changed in my life in the six years since I first ran this race.

The Knee Knacker really changed my life that first year. As I approached the finish line of my fourth Knee Knacker six years later I thought about how grateful I am for what I have - a beautiful wife, a wonderful son, and so many other things that probably wouldn't be a part of my life if I had never taken up Keith Nicoll's offer of an entry into the Knee Knacker.

Words truly can't describe what it meant for me to see my family at the finish line this year and to be able to carry my son across the finish line with me.

I wanted to run well so that Heather and Rhys would be proud of me. I hope they are, not just of me, but of everyone who took part.

Within minutes of finishing my first Knee Knacker I was asked if I would ever do the race again. If I remember correctly, my answer was a very definitive no.

Guess who signed up already for next year...

Knackered!

It's been three days since I staggered to the finish of my fourth Knee Knacker and I still feel a little out to lunch. Perhaps I'm still in shock over how damn tough that race is...

On Friday, my confidence was soaring and my body was twitching with pent up energy. I was well trained, well rested, and I had a solid game plan, one that called for me to hold back and run a smart, controlled race.

However, I was definitely concerned about the weather report for the day - warm, but high humidty (mid-80's). None of my many long runs this season had taken place in similar conditions, so I knew I had to adjust my fluid / fuel intake somewhat.

For the first time in years, I slept soundly the night before the race. Usually I lay there for hours, thinking myself into oblivion. Instead, I was out like a light and had no problems jumping out of bed at 4:00 AM.

Breakfast - toast (awesome "cale seed" bread from Cobs) with a lot of peanut butter and honey. coffee (lots).

Three trips to the bathroom and I was out the door and up the road to meet Kim Steed for a ride to the new start line.

When I get to the start area of any race, I start to get nervous. Everybody looks fit, fast, and confident. Things were no different this time. Most of the runners looked fit, fast, and confident. Others looked very unrunner-like, but after having been beaten pretty soundly by all shapes and sizes over the years, I'll never underestimate another runner ever again.

The one constant, the runner's constant, was the excuses. Everybody had them, and everybody was sharing 'em.

The beauty in having a great excuse is that if you end up performing well, it was in spite of the obstacle you had to overcome. However, if things don't got well, you've got your excuse to fall back on! Rarely do you ever hear someone say "I feel fit, fast, and confident. I'm going to run great." I did, once, and my words blew up spectacularly in my face.

Another runner's constant, is the need to pee at least 8-10 times in the hour before the race starts. My personal nightmare is the holding pens at the start of the Vancouver Sun Run. Without fail, I have had to pee every single time I've been in one of those holding pens. Invariably, I always end up jumping off course and behind something to relieve myself.

If I remember correctly, I believe I peed at least 6 times in the 30 minutes leading up to the start and two of the times I surprised another runner trying to go about their business in the bushes!

As we were called to line up for the start, I looked around at all of the guys and girls at the front and thought, holy crap is this going to be a fast race.

The race starts and I watch the first 15 or so practically sprint off the line. Relax, I told myself. No one cares what place you are in at the beginning of the race, only at the end. So I eased into a comfortable pace, preparing for the first short, but steep climb. When we hit the hill, the only two people in the immediate vincinity to slow down were Suzanne Evans and myself. As she is the current women's course record holder, I figured I was being smart to do what she was doing.

It didn't take long, however, for me to start passing people. I live near the start line and train frequently on the first 1/4 of the Knacker with Angus (our terrier). Plus, I love running up hills (the same can't be said for running downhill).

Within 15 minutes we were onto the Baden Powell and beginning the long climb up to the bluff. At this point, there were about 5 of us running together - Aaron Pitt (Mtn Biker), Chris Downie, Mark Bennett (Mtn Biker), and Greg Inskter (Mtn Biker). Mark and I quickly dropped the other three as we settled into a steady pace. By now, we were all drenched in sweat, the humidity proving to be more challenging than the terrain.

At 23 minutes running gave way to fast walking / hiking. The challenging part of Black Mountain is actually relatively short in distance / duration. It took us just over 37 minutes from when we started walking to reach the bluffs and an amazing view.

Mark was about 30s ahead of me at this point. I kept telling myself to relax and to not focus on what place I was in yet. I was also focusing on drinking as much and as often as possible.

In the week since I was last through the Cabin Lakes section, the snow had almost completely disappeared. I was expecting sloppy conditions, but the mud wasn't bad at all. That, combined with the fact that I felt awesome, gave me a shot of confidence and adrenaline.

Just before the Heli-pad we ran past Barry Chilibeck, a course marshal, whose head was literally being eaten alive by bugs. There must have been about a hundred bugs within inches of his hair. I was grateful that there was someone there to direct us, but man that must have sucked. Thank you Barry!

As I started the descent into Cypress Bowl, I could see that I was catching up to Mark Bennett. It looked like he dislikes downhills even more than I do.

I took a gel once we reached the Yew Lake Trail, with a reminder to myself to grab water at the aid station.

In all three of my previous attempts at this race, I've spent way too much time hanging out at aid stations, partly for the break, but also for the social aspect. Aid stations are a lot of fun and the people who volunteer at them are some of the most enthusiastic, cheerful people you could ever hope to meet. This time, however, my plan was to be out of every aid station within 15s.

In my race plan, my goal time for the 1/4 was 1:35, a time I felt would set me up for a great run on the next 1/4 and beyond. When I heard my time at the checkpoint, 1:28, I panicked a bit as that was roughly the same split I had in year's past where I had blown up. But I felt great and didn't think I was pushing the pace at all, so I relaxed a bit and started the next 1/4 feeling good about how things were going.

By this point I had caught up to Mark Bennet and we ran together over to the Hollyburn Lodge, a.k.a. Black Fly Central.

Mark appeared to be slowing a bit and I was feeling great, so I decided to pass him. In hindsight, I'm not sure if this was a good idea because as I passed him my mentality switched from passive (following) to somewhat aggressive (leading). Also, I started to look at my watch and extrapolate what my time at the Dam might be.

There is a vast difference in effort between running to complete and running to compete. Up until the point where I passed Mark, I was running to complete. I wanted to have a solid run from start to finish, irregardless of where I might place or what my time might be. Yet, once I passed Mark, I was running to compete. I like Mark, but I wanted to beat him and even catch some of the guys that were in front at that point.

That being said, I really don't think I was pushing the pace at all. I felt great and was running relaxed, in control. The Hollyburn Chute, the bain of my existence in races past, was enjoyable this time around. It was like I was simply flowing down the trail; I was definitely in a "zone."

As I passed Collingwood School (about 1km from Cleveland Dam), I remember telling myself to start conserving energy, readying myself for the last half of the race. The first half is always easy, especially if you're well trained. But the last half breaks nearly everyone. As the race shirt this year stated: pain and suffering are inevitable.

Cleveland Dam is always my favourite aid station. The body is still functioning as you hope it would and your outlook is still positive and upbeat. The Dam is also the first place where you get a fairly big turnout of family members and friends. It's nearly impossible not to get a boost of adrenaline when you run through this aid station.

I was particularly excited about getting to this point because I knew my wife and son would be there to cheer me on. At first I didn't see them, but some comment about my recent bad haircut captured my attention and I turned back to see the two of them, my son in the baby bjorn, chubby arms and legs waving about. Seeking inspiration and motivation for the hard work that was about to come, I ran up to them and gave them both a kiss.

Little did I know that would be the last good feeling I would have until I reached the finish over three hours later...

PART TWO COMING TOMORROW

Odds on Favourites - Knee Knacker

This year's Knee Knacker is going to be a barn-burner, literally (the heat) and figuratively (the competition).

No disrespect intended to the rest of the competition, but Suzanne Evans (Course Record Holder - 5:18) is as close to a sure fire thing as you can get these days on the women's side. She is an incredible runner and is improving with age. Assuming her fitness has improved since the Ottawa Marathon where she ran 2:46, Suzanne has a shot at making it into the top three again this year, if not an outside shot at winning it all. Wouldn't that be cool?

On the men's side, there are no less than ten men contending for the win:

1. Kevin Titus - the course record holder is 50 now, but is apparently as fit as ever. The guy is tough as nails.
2. Peter Findley - the six or seven time winner and former course record holder is back for another crack at the title.
3. Mark Bates - this former world class triathlete has won the last two races fairly handily and has just as good a shot as anyone at taking it again.
4. Kevin Vallely - this guy is a monster athlete. two years ago he dusted the entire field at the Kusam Klimb by 15 minutes and looked ready for another round when we ran into him later that day. Kevin is one of the legendary three who once ran the West Coast Trail in just over 9 hours with only six power bars to speak of!
5. Keith Wakelin - Keith won his first and only KK back in 2001 where he spanked me by over 16min. Built like a bull dog.
6. Oliver Utting - this former national track and field team member (Marathon, Edmonton World Champs in 2001) has a 2:19 Marathon PB to his name. Apparently isn't so nimble on the downhills, but with wheels like his, I'm sure he can make it up in other ways.
7. Gord Corby - he's a bit of a dark horse as he rarely races, but when he does, watch out. He somewhat famously came out of nowhere to win STORMY four years ago. Apparently he's got a pretty quick Ironman (sub 9) PB to his name.
8. Chris Downie - 190lbs of solid trail runner. This guy can climb with the best of them and he absolutely rocks the downhills. Top 5 for Chris.
9. Kim Steed - although this is Kim's first Ultramarathon (at least as a runner), he is an aerobic machine (and a wicked guy). He doesn't have the front end speed, but he's tough both mentally and physically. Could finish as high as seventh, depending on how badly the front end beats itself up.
10. Me (Eric Langhjelm) - of course I have to include myself (whether I warrant mention or not...it's my blog!). "My" year to win it was 2002, but I had a complete mental collapse and ran like a rookie. I have few regrets, but wasting my fitness (and nearly a year of complete focus and dedication) that year has never sat well with me. I don't have the 31-32 min 10km speed that I had five years ago, but my stamina is vastly improved. If I run smart - controlled and patient - I have a shot at top three. But who knows, I could break 5 hours and not even make the top 3.

In addition to those mentioned above, there are at least 10 other guys with previous top 5 performances to their name who could wreak havoc this weekend. Sorry guys...be nice if you pass me.

I'm excited and can not wait to get up on Saturday morning. It's going to be hot, it's going to be fun (in a weird way), and the beer at the banquet is bound to be amazing!

Run Strong!

Eric

Knee Knacker Training Run - First Half

50 or so brave souls showed up at the Knee Knacker start line just off of Westport Road to tackle the first half of the course.

Reports from last week's first 3/4's training run were of deep snow, buried trail markers, and some runners approaching hypothermia at the highest elevations.

With those reports in mind, I seriously considered not tackling Black Mountain and the Hollyburn sections of the course until race day. I hate snow, I hate being cold and my new trail shoes hadn't arrived from the US yet.

However, while laying in bed last night I tried to remember as much as I could about my only three times going up the "beast" - Black Mountain.

I really couldn't remember much other than a spectacular view from the Bluff and cramping up fairly significantly coming down the ski run into the first transition. Oh yeah, and suffering over the last 3/4's everytime because I tried to be the hero just a tad too early.

I resigned myself to the fact that today was going to be another early wake up call. Thankfully my wife took one for the team by getting three times through the night to feed our son so I could get as much rest as possible.

My goal today was to run / hike at what I felt would be as close to race effort as possible. I had run 10 miles up in Squamish at a relatively hard pace the day before, so I knew that I would feel a little rough for the first 15 minutes or so.

True enough, I felt sluggish and even a little queasy as we headed up the Trans Canada trail towards the new connector trail that takes you across Nelson Creek and over to the Baden Powell (BP). As an aside, this relatively new start to the Knee Knacker is much more enjoyable than the old route which would have you run down the on ramp to the highway, then straight up Black Mountain.

Within minutes, it was down to two of us - Chris Downie and myself. Now, Chris is a pretty quick runner, having put the boots to me a couple weeks early at a 5 Peaks race by more than 3 minutes. However, Chris is 190 lbs and I'm 145ish so I figured he was going to have to eat my dust on the climb. Apparently appearances are deceiving as Chris promptly started pushing the pace, me hanging on for dear life, questioning whether I should let him go or not.

Instead of easing up, I started talking, hoping to drag Chris into a conversation which would hopefully slow the pace down. Im not sure if it worked, but we carried a great conversation all the way to Cleveland Dam.

The Cabin Lakes section of the course, which is just a few minutes past the Bluff, was a mess. The options were mud, snow, or lake. Since there was no way around the muck, we just plowed through. There was some flagging up to help us on our way, but we still managed to get turned around a few times.

Because of the construction on Cypress for the Olympics, a new section has been built for the Baden Powell which takes you down the west side of Black Mountain and connects with the Yew Lake trail. Although this section is probably shorter than the old route down, it's considerably harder, our quads feeling like hamburger by the bottom.

I was excited to see that we made it through the first 1/4 of the course in 1:31, just a few minutes off of my best time from my second attempt at the course. And I felt great.

After a short water break, we were off to tackle the second 1/4 - Cypress to Cleveland Dam. Although Black Mountain can be challenging, it's the 2nd 1/4 of the course, with it's nearly 3,000 feet of downhill terrain that can be difficult at times.

I'm a terrible downhill runner, so I always approach this section with trepidation. Others, like Kevin Titus, the legendary course record holder, eat this section up. A few years back Kevin absolutely rocked this section, running it in 58min!

Fortunately for me, the snow and downed trees slowed the pace down a bit. That being said, there were some pretty sketchy sections heading down to Hollyburn Lodge. Hopefully we will get 10 days of smoking hot weather to melt the snow enough to make passage relatively easy.

My plan was to turn off at Brother's Creek and head down to Millstread Road, then find a pay phone to call my wife to come get me. However, I was enjoying the company so much I decided to go all the way to the Dam.

We finally reach Cleveland Dam in just over 2:44, a great pace considering the conditions and that Chris ran from his house in Kits to the start of the run!

Feeling a little fresher than I had hoped for, I turned onto the Cap Pacific and ran to Ambleside, then over to John Lawson Park (17th and Marine) where I finally caved and called my wife. So that I wouldn't feel like a total wimp, I had her meet me half way...

With the last long run out of the way, it's taper time!

Enjoy the sun.

E

Inaugural Lonsdale Mile - July 1st

The Inaugural Lonsdale Mile takes place this Sunday, July 1st. With the goal of raising funds and awareness for the BC Professional Firefighters Burn Fund, Bob Hanlon, a North Vancouver Fire Figher (bhanlon@cnv.org), has put together a course that is accurate and will undoubtedly be fast.

The race starts from firehall at 13th and St. Georges at 9:30 AM and finishes at Mahon Park in North Vancouver.

Here's the Event Brochure

Slaying the Dragon

Only 15 days, 16 hours, and 37 minutes until the start of my fourth attempt at conquering the infamous Knee Knackering North Shore Trail Run (www.kneeknacker.com).

2001 - I had never run trails and didn't think 50km with 8,000 feet of climbing would be any problem at all. Halfway up Nancy Greene Way my cockiness was replaced by the stark reality of what I was facing - a broken spirit and another 25km of punishment. Let's just say that I gained a healthy respect for the trails after that race.

2002 - I decided that I was going to get serious about my training, focus on becoming a monster climber, and set my sight on taking down local legend Colin Dignum at the Knacker. When I accidentally won that April's Diez Vista 50km by a considerable margin, I started to believe I had a legitimate shot at achieving that goal. The night before the big race I was so excited and wound up that I didn't sleep a single second. Needless to say, the adrenaline was pumping by the start of the race. My game plan was to run steady, but not to quick for the first half and not focus on what place I was in until the last half. However, within minutes of the start, there I was throwing caution to the wind and chasing after Colin Dignum and Kevin Titus, the 46 year old (50 now) monster of the trails. By the quarter mark, my race was over. My legs were so heavy from chasing them up Black Mountain that I had nothing left for the last 40km! Kevin managed to set a course record and finish 48min of me. Humble pie indeed.

2003 - My hope was that I had learned from my first two experiences and that I would finally be able to conquer the course. By conquer I mean beating the course, running strongly over the last half. Training was going well until I signed up for the Vancouver Marathon at the last moment ($110! what a rip off...). I ran wonderfully...until 18miles. I was in 6th or 7th place at the point. I managed to get to the 20mile mark in just under 2 hours, but I took nearly an hour to run (well, actually it was a shuffle / hobble at that point) the last 10km. Although it was tough going during the last 10km, it was the month after that I spent injured that hurt the most. So instead of being well prepared for my 3rd attempt at the knacker, I started the race with only one run longer than 3 hours in the bank. I figured, incorrectly, that the best strategy would be for me to get through the course as fast as possible since my body hadn't had a chance to adapt to 4 - 5 hours of pounding. For the 3rd year in a row I was 3rd at the Dam, but the last half ended up being the worst of the three. My splits are good indicator of how things turned out: First 1/4 - 3rd; Second 1/4 - 8th; Third 1/4 - 19th; Fourth 1/4 - 97th! The wheels came off just before the top of the Seymour Grind and I ended up sitting on a stump contemplating my existence while at least 10 runners passed me, some silently, some supportively, and one who apparently was quite happy to be passing me! My Opa (Grandfather) was on the BP that day and walked with me for a while. When we hit Mount Seymour Road, he asked me if I wanted anything. I said "beer," he said "ok" and got into his truck and drove away. About 1km to the finish, with Enzo Federico's voice carrying over the water, my Opa came up the trail towards me with a brown paper bag containing two cans of Kokanee! To be honest, the beer definitely wasn't what I needed or wanted, but I drank one can as I didn't want to disappoint him.

That 3rd knacker was my worst, in terms of time and placement, but it ended up being one of the best days of my life as I met my future wife at the awards banquet that night.

Now, four years later, I'm going to be able to show off Rhys, our five month old "Knee Knacker Baby."

I know what I have to do to get through the race in one piece and I know what I have to do to perform my best. But, knowing me, I'll probably throw caution to the wind yet again and run hard until I blow up.

See you at the start line.

Eric