I Laughed, I Cried...I Hematoma'ed My Hip

Well, here I sit, the day following the final stage of the 2008 BC Bike Race, and I'm still trying to come to terms with all that transpired in the last week. The short version is to follow right now, with a daily breakdown coming in time...which is exactly what I'll be taking right now, time.
Time to heal, time to deal, time to appreciate, time to relax, and time to find that fire again. It's been a tough season so far.

Here is my best, in hindsight, explanation of what lead to the premature ending of my BC Bike Race experience.

-My broken finger lead to an inability to properly grasp my right hand grip
-This in turn lead to an intense blister right in the palm of my hand
-This forced me into an altered handling position to try and alleviate the pain
-This was one contributing factor to my fall from my bike into a pile of rocks
-The fall lead to a hematoma of my hip and a strained abdominal muscle.



This all happened on day two, with just 3km to go in the stage. We were just over 200km into the event, with an additional 350 to go.

(This pic has been taken one full week after the initial fall)

I managed to make it to day five before officially calling it a race. The abdominal pains kept me up at night and would bring me to tears on numerous occasions. To cough or sneeze meant I had to completely compress the entire right side of my body, as it felt as though my lower right abdominal muscles would erupt from within me otherwise.

(This pic was actually taken just a few hundred meters after my aforementioned bike crash)

I can certainly take away a ton of positive experiences from this event, but for now, I just need to clear my head of any and all racing/training thoughts, ambitions and goals. I just need a bit of time to mentally relax and to physically recover. I feel completely destroyed on so many levels right now.

Todd should be posting blog reports in the coming days as well.

Thanks so much to everyone who made this race possible for us, Bryan Tasaka - Mind Over Mountain Adventure Racing, Marc Campbell - Helly Hansen, and Dean Payne - BC Bike Race. You guys all rock, and the race was a phenomenal experience, even with the issues I faced and the fact that I did not finish the entire course...357 days and counting...

GR

Suffer Fest!

Daily updates through the MOMAR blog

Gotta run...err ride!

GR

The Things That Go Unsaid

So here I am, on my way to BC Bike Race, finally!!

I don't know if I can fully put into words how stressful things have been since my crash at The Test Of Metal. What looked like a decent scratch to my leg and a broken pinkie finger ended up being worse, much worse.

No matter how close you zoom in on this pic, you can not make it look like a significant leg injury...trust me, I've tried!


In fact I doubted it's validity so much that I went for a 45min road ride the day after the test, and again on the Monday. My range of motion was limited, and it was pretty damn painful, but I told myself that it was simply a bit swollen and that I was doing myself some good by getting out there and spinning it out.

Well, come Tuesday the 17th it was very evident that this was in fact a bad idea on my part, and that my injury was far worse than it appeared on the surface.

Something...or someone, I have not yet included in my blog posts is my current girlfriend Jackie Muir. We have been together a few months now and I kinda eluded to her in a kayak post about a month ago. She is a physiotherapist...it's not how we met, but we both knew that if things did indeed work out for us that at some point she might end up as my personal physio. Neither of us thought it would be this soon or this severe. Jackie is herself a well rounded endurance runner and athlete and is currently training for her third Knee Knacker 50k on July 12th. I can now state beyond a shadow of a doubt that without her professional assessments and treatments over the last ten days, I would simply not be doing this race!

We knew my leg had taken a turn for the worse when it started waking me up at night. If I shifted in my sleep whatsoever I was left groaning and awaiting a dull pain to subside before falling back asleep again. In fact if I stood up and walked at all I was overwhelmed with a pain above my knee that demanded I stop moving for a few seconds until it subsided. This started mid week and continued up until this past Monday night. My leg was not showing any signs of improvement and Jackie went to work on the acupuncture, deep tissue massage, and stretching routines on an almost daily basis.

By this past Monday night, the 23rd, she had decided that it was time to add in ultrasound treatments twice daily. She did not say it, but her reaction could not hide it. She did not think that I was going to recover in time to line up for BC Bike Race. I called up Todd and asked him to find an alternate partner in case I had to pull out of the event all together. It was not as if I doubted my ability to suffer through a day, two days, or even three days, but seven days of racing hard on the bike just did not sound probable to me. Even a day did not sound probable to Jackie, but she refused to vocalize it. She later commented that the reason she did not go into sport specific physio is because she could not find the heart to tell an athlete that they were in fact too injured to pursue a racing goal...a racing dream. YES, BC Bike Race is definitely a dream race for me!! "The Ultimate Singletrack Experience"...need I say more!

Throughout all of this I still tried my best to get out on my bike and test out the leg, but fate had other plans it seemed. My ride still needed to be tuned up after its thrashing during The Test, and on Wed the 18th I was to learn the hard way that North Vancouver bike shops get busy...ridiculously f#$king busy!

"Did you make an appointment?"

"Umm, no, sorry."

"Can you leave it for a week?"

"Umm, no, sorry."

I managed to find a shop in downtown Vancouver as I was over there picking up my latest Princeton Tec bike light, 'The Swerve' which is a very well thought out rear red light for biking at night or in traffic. Super easy set up and ridiculously bright, an instant hit in my books!

Right next door was SnowCovers, specializing in bikes during the summers, owned by good friend Christine Cogger out of Whistler, and the bike shop I purchased my first and only road bike through! I strolled on in, was told it would be ready in the morning and was off again.

Thursday morning (19th), on my mountain bike, leg not feeling so good but I don't really care, I make it all of two hundred meters before my derailleur literally swings backwards and seizes up my entire drive train...SHIT!

Bike back to shop on Friday (20th), fixed on the spot, was an unseen issue from my crash. Off to work for the day.

Saturday the 21st, finally, ready to ride! In the car, off to the trail head, Roxy freaking out as she hasn't really been digging the 'walks' so much lately. Three pedal strokes, yes three, I counted, SNAP, broken chain!
"SHIT, are you freaking kidding me!"
Back in car, back home, off to work for the day. Roxy glared at me as I told her to get right back into the car,
"You have GOT to be kidding me! I HATE you!!"

After all this I fully realized that my leg was messed up and I shouldn't have even been attempting to ride anyways. I didn't even fix or replace the chain, just left the bike in the corner and sulked for a few days.

When you are addicted to those little endorphins that coarse through your veins after endurance activities, you start tripping out when your body is denied access to them! I was not happy, not fun, not pleasant, and putting on a fake smile for anyone blind enough to believe it all. I could not run, could not ride, could not paddle due to my broken finger, and even walking the dog on hilly terrain reminded me of exactly why I was sidelined from everything to begin with...life kinda sucked! AND, Roxy wasn't helping AT ALL, as she was freaking out even more than I was!!

Where am I now? Sunday? Sunday sucked too!!

Monday the 23rd...Monday was the day where I think my body realized that it was now or never. I needed some form of improvement so that I could at least test out my body before Saturday morning's race start. Another acupuncture session and off to bed hoping for the best.

I awoke Tuesday morning and headed to the bathroom for my morning pee. I was midstream before I woke up enough to realize it,

"MY LEG, IT DOESN'T HURT!!"

"JACKIE, MY LEG, MY LEG, MY LEG!!"

After I calmed down we both realized that I was far from 100%, BUT, I was WAY better than I had been all week and the major stumbling block we were facing seemed to have been removed.

That brings us to Wednesday the 25th...which will forever be known as 'The Best Day Ever'!!

Sunshine, oh beautiful sunshine! Twenty five degrees and absolutely gorgeous outside. I was off to get my chain replaced and test out the bike, the body, and the lungs. Roxy was doing back flips in the back seat of the car as she was anticipating what lay ahead. I decided that with only three days until the start of the event, I had better get in a good ride and really see where I was in terms of recovery. I decided to do the 'Bridle Path' to 'Neds' loop which was just under a few hours of riding. This trail is a great mix of climbing, descending, and technical, so all in all I figured I'd get a good gage of what I was looking at in terms of pain and fitness.

The first twenty minutes really hurt, but it was more along the lines of having not ridden or done any physical activity for almost two full weeks kinda hurt. Once this worked its way out of my legs I started to feel pretty good. I could not feel any specific leg pain and as my ride progressed I continued to up the pace. 'Neds' is rated as a 'black diamond' downhill, but it is one of the more tame black diamonds out there. I lowered my seat and bombed down the trail, loving the fact that I was back to riding again, and enjoying a perfect day out on the trails, and away from work (my one day off before BC Bike Race)!

The only issue I faced was after one steep section that slammed my bike down a bit harder than I anticipated. I jammed my finger a bit and was forced to pull over and allow my hand to recover before continuing. It sucked, but I'm pretty sure that 'Neds' would be pushing the upper limits of what we might tackle during our ~550km of riding during BC Bike Race, so bring it on baby!

Thursday the 26th, noon start at work, back on the bike in the AM to try and get a bit more saddle time before Saturday's start. If I was 80% on Wed, I was 70% on Thursday. My leg quickly reminded me that it was still going to take a few days to fully recover, and after a decently paced first 30 minutes I was able to ride a medium pace for an additional hour to total a whopping 90 minutes on the day!

And that puts me at today, thanks to great friend and BC Bike Race Exec Melissa Pace, I am taking the scenic route to Victoria...via a whale watching tour through Prince Of Whales Tours!! Yeah baby, now we're talking, let's see some blubber!!

25 hours and counting, follow along, BC Bike Race. I've been told that with this years is much more competitive than 07 and a top ten placing would be very solid, so that's what we're shooting for, that, and an incredible seven days of riding BC's best mountain bike trails!!

GR

P.S. Thanks Jackie, couldn't have done it without ya!

Primal Quest Is Not...Cancelled That Is

The other big race that is normally scheduled for this time of year is Primal Quest.

PQ Utah 06, the last edition of this race, was my first ever expedition and an incredible experience from start to finish. This years teams are a few days in and it's just as exciting as ever to pull up the leaderboard and the GPS tracking.

Our good friends from just down the coast, Team Dart-Nuun are right in the thick of things and battling it out with some of the top teams in the world right now! My personal pick for the win, and I swear this is not just a patriotic choice, are Team Peak Adventure.com, which is formerly Supplier Pipeline and then Yukon Wild. This is Bob Miller's team out of Ontario, with Denise and Greg McHale hailing from The Yukon, and Scott Ford also from Ontario. How do those flat landers get so damn fast? They have been right in the thick of every major race they've attended over the last few years, including a sprint finish for 4th place at PQ Utah. I think they're ready for this one, and I know they have managed to out pace team Nike in a few races over the last year, so we'll see how it all plays out over the next few days.

Another team I'm rooting for is 'Dancing Pandas' our good friends from Southern California. They are currently in 20th, but I can virtually guarantee they will end up as a top ten team but the time they cross the finish line, as they have a ton of experience, rarely make mistakes, and follow a solid race plan from start to finish.

Good luck everyone, we're cheering ya on from the comfort of our couches at home!

GR

Western Is Cancelled!!!

The Western States 100 Mile Endurance run is the premier 100 miler in North America. It is virtually impossible to even get into the event as it is so oversubscribed that it goes to a lottery system each year, with more applicants applying annually. It is my dream to somehow 'win the lottery' and be able to run this race in the future, hopefully in 09 although that seems even less likely after this devastating news.



2008 was shaping up to be the most competitive Western to date with top names from across North America training specifically for this event all year long.

My good buddy Wade Repta trained his freakin ass off this year and is already down there spending some vacation time with his family before the race was officially supposed to begin on Sat morning. I feel for him, and the hundreds of other runner's who put in months of pain, sweat, and sacrifices to make this race happen for them. Whether they were heading down there to try and win, or to simply try and finish, my heart goes out to them. Something tells me there'll be upwards of 400 drunken ultra runner's taking to the streets of Squaw Valley, California tonight!

Here is the official announcement:

35th Western States Endurance Run has been Cancelled.
Dear Western States Runners,

It is with deep regret that we announce today that the 35th running of the Western States 100-mile Endurance Run has been cancelled, due to the unprecedented amount of wildfires that have struck northern California in recent days and the health risks that have been associated with these wildfires. The Board of Trustees of the Western States Endurance Run has consulted with many of our local and state race partners, including the U.S. Forest Service and the Placer County Air Pollution Control District, in coming to this decision. We apologize to our runners for any inconvenience this decision has created.

Since the beginning of more than 840 wildfires statewide, 312 wildfires in northern California and more than 3,200 lightning strikes in the Tahoe National Forest alone on June 21, the race's organizers have worked closely with a variety local, county and state agencies in determining the best course of action for our race. It has become apparent that given our race's paramount concern - the safety or our runners - holding this year's race would pose too great a risk to our runners, to our aid station personnel and to our volunteers. Given the close proximity of at least two fires that are within two miles of our race course and a critical access road, as well as the deteriorating air quality stretching from our start in Squaw Valley to Auburn, Calif., the board has determined that cancellation, rather than postponement or the use of an alternative course, represents the safest and most prudent decision for our 2008 event.

Our decision was based on three factors: Click here for the rest

Sincerely,

Tim Twietmeyer
Western States Board President

Greg Soderlund
Race Director

BC Bike Race, A Closer Look...

Here is the stage by stage breakdown of what we have gotten ourselves into...


2008 STAGE 1 SNAPSHOT

Course Director: Team SLS - Matthuw Ronald-Jones & Nigel Mayes
Distance: approx 89km
Start Time: 9am
Start Line: Shawnigan Lake School
Aid Station 1 Distance: approx 25km
Aid Station 2 Distance: approx 47km
Finish Line: Town of Lake Cowichan
Base Camp: Cowichan Lake Recreation Centre 309 South Shore Road, Cowichan Lake

2008 STAGE 2 SNAPSHOT

Course Director: Brent Chan
Distance: approx 125k
Start Time: 9am
Start Line: Lake Cowichan
Aid Station 1 Distance: approx 49km
Aid Station 2 Distance: approx 95km
Finish Line: Port Alberni Multiplex
Base Camp: Port Alberni Multiplex @ 3737 Roger St

2008 STAGE 3 SNAPSHOT

Course Director: Jeremy Grasby
Distance: approx 80km
Start Time: 8am
Start Line: Port Alberni Multiplex
Aid Station 1 Distance: approx 31km
Aid Station 2 Distance: approx 62km
Finish Line: Village Park, Cumberland
Base Camp: Village Park @ 6th St and Dunsmuir Ave, Cumberland

2008 STAGE 4 SNAPSHOT

Course Director: Rod Camposano
Distance: approx 60km
Ferry Transfers: Little River-Powell River & Saltery Bay-Earls Cove
Start Time: 11am
Start Line: Earl's Cove Ferry Terminal
Aid Station 1 Distance: approx 23km
Aid Station 2 Distance: approx 44km
Finish Line: Village of Sechelt
Base Camp: Kinnikinnik Elementary School 6030 Lighthouse Avenue, Sechelt

2008 STAGE 5 SNAPSHOT

Course Director: Rod Camposano
Distance: approx 65km
Ferry Transfer: Langdale-Horseshoe Bay
Start Time: 8am
Start Line: Sechelt
Aid Station 1 Distance: approx 25km
Aid Station 2 Distance: approx 45km
Finish Line: Langdale Ferry Terminal
Base Camp: Brennan Park 1009 Centennial Way, Squamish

2008 STAGE 6 SNAPSHOT

Course Director: Team Corsa - Dave Heisler & Sandra Brull
Distance: approx 65km
Start Time: 9am
Start Line: Garibaldi Highlands, Squamish
Aid Station 1 Distance: approx 32km
Aid Station 2 Distance: approx 43km
Finish Line: Squamish Civic Centre

2008 STAGE 7 SNAPSHOT

Course Director: Grant Lamont
Distance: approx 47km
Start Time: 10am
Start Line: Whistler Creekside
Aid Station 1 Distance: approx 25km
Aid Station 2 Distance: approx 42km
Finish Line: Spruce Grove Park, Whistler

YEEEEE HAAAWWWW!!!!!

GR

B.C. Bike Race...The Countdown Is On!!

HOOOLY, just five days until Todd and I, of team Helly Hansen-MOMAR, toe the line at the second annual B.C. Bike Race! It's taken me some time to get my head around the fact that as of this coming Saturday, I'm off on a week long journey through some of the sweetest mountain bike trails in the world!



We'll cover just under 600km of terrain in a seven day stage race, with a camper's village type set up in a different town at the end of each day...SWEET! After trying to rip each others lungs out for 4-6hr we get to sit down and enjoy some eats and treats with our fellow racers, compliments of the race organization. In fact they truly take care of everything, from transport between towns, to breakfasts, dinners and a campers village, it's all included in the race fee! They also have mechanics and massage on hand after each day, for a nominal fee. Rumor has it that our racer packages have been spiced up by the big name sponsors, and last I heard a set of branded BCBR handlebars, bike tool, and sunglasses were just a few of the items we are to expect! I LOVE free shit!



It should be an incredible event with over 400 riders from around the globe signed up and ready to go. Although Todd and I didn't fare so well two weekends ago at The Test Of Metal, he has since resolved his bike issues and my injuries are healing up decently well. The finger should not be an issue, but the quad was much worse than any of us first realized. I've since had three acupuncture sessions, with a fourth scheduled for tomorrow evening, and I am also getting ultrasound treatment over the next five days to help loosen up the remaining tightness and bruising that remains. I haven't been able to ride since The Test, but I think the rest and recovery has done me good and hopefully come Saturday Todd and I will have all of our bike issues for the season behind us in one fell swoop from our previous race.




Bring on "The ultimate singletrack experience!" Even if you are never intending to partake in an event like this, you should hit up the B.C. Bike Race website and check it all out, it's pretty incredible. Just scroll through these pics from last year!!








GR

Photos From Luke's 100 Miler

Sometimes I think I race too much and don't have enough time to properly reflect back on great experiences. Such is the case here, where I have not been able to fully recap my incredible weekend of running, visiting old friends, and making new friends, while down in Wisconsin two weekend's ago. Here is my photo montage, Luke is currently working on his own blog report, and I'll be sure to get my recap on here before next weekend...cause then I'm off to race B.C. Bike Race for seven straight days!!

BC Bike race is only one of the coolest mountain bike stage races on the planet right now. In only its second season they have long since sold out the 200+ slots for teams of two, which means each day will begin with over 400 riders toeing the line, ready to rip each others lungs out!

This will be a super sweet, dreamy singletrack experience, and I will go into more detail about how incredible this event is and how damn excited I am to be a part of it, in the coming days. For now, here's that slide show from Wisconsin...



GR

PQ, Latest Update (making more sense of the GPS controversy)

Primal Quest and the Use of GPS
Posted on 06/17/08 11:24 PM| by Kraig

There has been a lot of discussion regarding the decision by the PQ Management Team to allow the use of GPS devices in this year’s race. The decision was not one that was made lightly or without careful consideration. The PQ Staff understand that navigation is an integral part of what puts “adventure” into the race. But above all else, the safety and security of competitors remains paramount at all times.

When the 2008 course was designed, it was expected there would be much less snow in the area at the time of the race. These projections were based on historical data. However, record snowfall over the past two weeks has left 4 - 10 ten feet of snow covering many of the higher elevation areas on the course. The excessive snowfall has increased avalanche and snow slide hazards in the remote wilderness, causing serious concern for teams who may veer off-course or who may not recognize these dangerous areas. Considering that all but approximately 10 miles of this year’s course is in the deep back-country, there is a lot of potentially treacherous ground to cover.

While time trialing sections of the course, we found that most of the roads, trails, and many of the natural landmarks above 6000′ were covered by 4 - 10 feet of snow. PQ Director Don Mann, Course Director Chris Caul, and Course Designer George Rice were forced to use a GPS device to pinpoint their location on numerous occasions. This was the only way they were able to positively identify their location and not venture into potentially hazardous areas. It was for this reason, and with the safety of teams in mind, that the decision was made to allow racers to carry a GPS during the race. This decision has been accepted by some athletes, disputed by others, and misunderstood by some. However, nearly all respondents recognize the safety concerns expressed by race management.

As stated in our message dated 7/16: “Primal Quest Race Management has made the decision NOT to prohibit the use of GPS units in PQ Montana. This decision was made due to the fact that the course still has a great deal of snow covering trail and road markings, and we need to ensure that competitors do not wander into avalanche and cornice hazard areas.”

Since this decision was made, the snow melt has been dramatic and the immediate forecast calls for continued warm weather with a chance of rain. As conditions are rapidly improving, the following guidelines regarding the use of a GPS device have been established.

• All teams are highly encouraged to bring a GPS unit.

• All GPS units will be sealed in a specially designed, tamper-proof bag by race staff. Re-opening the bag leaves physical evidence that the device has been used. Once sealed inside this bag, it will be up to the team to decide when, or even if, they will use their GPS.

• Any team electing to use the device will be charged a time penalty at the end of the race. The decision to take this approach allows teams to still rely on their navigational skills, but have the safety of a GPS should they feel the need to use it.

• If conditions continue to improve throughout the remainder of the week as expected, the use of a GPS will be limited to only specified areas of the course, or maybe not at all. The PQ Management team believes it is better to err on the side of caution and allow GPS units as a back-up safety device for all teams. As already stated, safety is our utmost priority.

• For teams who do not have a GPS unit and are having difficulty in obtaining one, they are available in Bozeman, MT and we will be happy to assist you in locating a local retailer.

Primal Quest, Controversial Call

"Primal Quest Race Management has made the decision NOT to prohibit the use of GPS units in PQ Montana. This decision was made due to the fact that the course still has a great deal of snow covering trail and road markings, and we need to ensure that competitors do not wander into avalanche and cornice hazard areas."

My personal opinion? I don't believe this is best solution to the safety issues they are facing and I am thankful that my team did not drop $12,000.00 to do an event that will essentially end up as a glorified, off road triathlon. This is not to take away from the sport of triathlon, or the incredible efforts it will take each team to complete PQ Montana. This is simply not in line with what the sport of Adventure Racing was founded on and I truly hope we do not see any future events trying to mimic what PQ has decided to go with this year. I feel bad for many of my friends who are competing in this event, as they have just had their advantages of time tested experience and map expertise ripped out from under them. The GPS tracking will certainly loose some luster as everyone follows the exact same line of travel for 800km!

GR

DNF, All The Cool Kids Are Doing It!!

This will be brief and to the point, even though i would like to tell a somewhat detailed story i am currently having troubles typing.

TEST OF METAL race report, best year the course has seen in quite some time, dry fast conditions, with a sun cloud mix that allowed for many PR's on the day, in fact the course record fell by almost ten full minutes!

I was battling crazy karma issues from the second i woke up until the second my race came to an early end. Even as i was in the line to start the race i found that my bottle holder had snapped and would not hold an actual bottle, hence i ended up with my water bottle in my jersey pocket. Not a huge issue, but when coupled with the race not having me registered for the event, my new bike shoes having not arrived, still riding a frame size that is too big, etc, etc, i was really starting to wonder if i was supposed to be there at all!

After the first large climb that starts the race i was beginning to find my groove, and right around 'the corners' area of the event i couldn't help but notice that the race seemed to be unfolding almost exactly as it did for me in 07. Last year i finished in 3h14m00s for 29th overall. My goal this year was something sub 3h05m (ideally sub 3hr) and top twenty overall. I felt that i was on pace for this as i seemed to be higher in the pack then i was one year prior and with a new electrolyte system on my bike that allowed for easier intake i was confident that i would not cramp this year as i have in my two previous TOM experiences. As i was accelerating down the double track section known as 'Mashiter', i called out for the track,

"On your left"

Three riders peeled to the right and i opened it up even further to overtake them. At this moment the one rider who was already on the right started to peel left.

"ON YOUR LEFT!"

He kept drifting,

"ON YOUR LEFTTTTTT!"

Before i had a chance to brake or react he hit the front half of my bike! I was easily doing 35-40km an hour and the next thing i knew i was doing cartwheels off the left side of the trail. For anyone who knows this area, it is NOT where you want to be tumbling out of control.

The rider who took me out simply kept on trucking, while one of the guys i had just passed stopped to ensure i was alright. He shouted at me from above and i thanked him but told him to get moving. Shortly after this, as i was climbing back up to the trail, my AR teammate Todd rode passed and shouted at me,

I responded with, "Some F#$KER cut me off!!"

With that he knew i was alive and was off on his own racing adventure. I stumbled back onto the trail and hopped onto my bike but the chain was off. I could not simply shift it back on as it was off on the over side, so i hopped off, fixed it, then climbed back on and went to ride...except my right leg would not seem to function properly. I tried to pedal and practically fell off of my bike. My leg was bruised, swollen and bleeding. My race was over before it even got started.

I had a walk of about 200 meters to the intersection before 'Roller Coaster' where i knew there would be volunteers on hand. As i stumbled on in, two people i know from the running community where there to greet me. Jim and Catherine sat me down, put a jacket over me and fed me some fluids. Within a few minutes, as upset as i was, i was making lame jokes. Jim commented that when i arrived i was completely white in the face and looked as though i was in shock, he followed that up with,

"Ya know Gary, maybe running is more your thing!"

They live in the Highlands area of Squamish, which was right around the corner from where i fell, and they graciously offered to walk me back to their place and drive me back to the start finish. I was insistent on making it back down there in time to see the top finishers. I peeled my bike gloves off, noticed a bit of blood, but did not think much about it. By the time we reached the finishing chute i had to have my hand splinted and later that evening, while at the Lion's Gate Hospital, i had it x-rayed and casted with a removable brace as i had in fact broken my right pinkie finger. My leg seems to have suffered nothing worse than a deep charlie horse, and many friends were in agreeance that i managed to escape my crash in pretty much the best case scenario.

From here i awaited the arrival of my good friend Dwayne Kress, who had been training his ass off all year and was poised to have his best finish ever. Last i heard he was up in 7th place and on pace for a sub 2h50m! He never showed up, and i would later learn that he ripped a hole in his tire and was forced to drop. I watched Helly Hansen rider Jeff Reimer come in in about 2h55m and Justin Mark at just over 3hr. I figured Todd had to be right around the corner, and also Team Mergeo adventure racer Aaron VanderWaal who Todd and i were riding with down the 'Bob Mac' trail shortly before my race came to an end.

I stood at the finish area, camera ready to go, for almost a full hour. At 3h50m i knew that even if Todd or A.V. had run half the course they would have been in. Aaron had to drop due to health reasons as i believe he nearly collapsed from exhaustion, and Todd's bike frame snapped in half!! Hit up his blog for his full story.

Team Helly Hansen Vancouver Island, two solid finishes.

Team Helly Hansen - MOMAR, two solid DNF's

B.C. Bike Race, two weeks and counting, redemption to be had, and hopefully our biking issues are behind us!


GR

The Rains In Wisconsin

I just uploaded a short 20 second video of the torrential rains we faced during the Kettle Moraine 100 Mile Endurance Run this past weekend. Check this out!! It was only 5:30pm, not later as the lack of daylight would suggest, and you can see competitors calling it a day.
Full results here, race report n stuff to follow.

GR

Kettle Moraine 100 Miler Quick Cap

With 123 starters, and just 37 finishers, this race had one of the most blatant attrition rates that I've ever seen! The race started out with temps that stabilized at over 90 degrees and 100% humidity, which ripped apart the field within the first 30 miles alone.

Working support with Luke's wife Emily, 10 month old son Spencer, and best friend Doug, who just happens to be one of the top acupuncturists in the entire country, I sat idly by as the field continued to shrink with every passing mile. At the 31 mile aid station we watched over twenty runner's call it a day due to the heat and humidity. Then came our boy Luke, who's new nick name is Mr. Consistent, trucking along and looking strong.

Shortly after this point the skies opened up like I've never witnessed in North America before! I had seen truly torrential downpours in Central America, but nothing compared or prepared me for what was about to unfold. Within minutes roads were flooding, lightning was flashing and thunder was a crashing. We had 'one count' thunder as we awaited the arrival of our runner at the 47 mile aid station. Again we watched as runner after runner arrived, checked in, and then jumped in their car and simply drove away!

Luke never gave serious consideration to quiting, but after running with a pack of people who had spent the last hour talking about dropping, and then followed that up by doing just that, he wasn't sure what was safe, and what he fully intended to do. We were just under an hour away from the official allowed starting time for a pacer, of 6:30pm, and I asked permission to jump in there early and to start playing in the puddles. We got the ok, and before I was even changed into my own running gear Laga was gone, saying he knew I'd catch up to him pretty quickly.

What ensued was just over 13hr of actual run time and 53 miles of crazy ass weather. Every time we thought we were clear, like the time we started singing,
"Here comes the sun, da, da, da, da..."

CRASH, WHOOSH, instant downpour!

The race director said these were the worst race conditions he's ever been a part of, and my boy Luke Laga, in his first ever 100 miler, and just his second ultra race, crossed that line in 27hr16m07s to finish 24th overall!

Bar none, one of the greatest running moments of my life. Pics, vids, and stories to follow, assuming this rain lets up at some point and that my flight home tomorrow isn't canceled as apparently Milwaukee is pretty much completely under water right now!

Time for beers, food and some serious celebrating of an amazing accomplishment!!

GR

Wisconsin Here I Come!

First a quick cap of the last week of training, in which I did indeed hit my scheduled 20hr.

Mon: Work 8hr, day off of training
Tue: Day off work, 1hr run, 3hr mtn bike as mentioned earlier...severed...45min run, 1h15min kayak race, dinner and drinks
Wed: Day off work, Road Bike 1h15m to start day. Was intending to head to SQ to race the local 'toonie mtn bike race'. Stuck on hwy, turn around and ride my wind trainer while watching the NHL playoffs on t.v. 2h15m
Thur: Road ride 90km, 3hr15m, nasty headwind, work 12-8pm
Fri: Mtn bike with Roxy, 2h30m, work 12-8
Sat: Road Bike 1hr, solid pace, 30km, work 10-6, again hit up wind trainer for NHL game, only last 1h15m though. House warming party for a friend
Sun: Knee Knacker training run, 8:30am 25km 2h45min, work 12-5, dinner with a few friends, capping off a solid fun filled week!

Hours:
Biking- 14.5hr
Running- 4.5hr
Kayaking- 1.25hr
TOTAL: 20h15m

WISCONSIN, the countdown is on until I see two of my closest and dearest friends Luke and Emily Laga, and their relatively new addition to the world Spencer Gary Laga...ok, maybe, just maybe, his middle name ain't Gary...but maybe it is, you don't know the difference so I'm sticking with it!

I originally met Luke and Em while working on my P.A.D.I. Dive Master certification down in Honduras in 2003. Luke was doing customized dive videos and Em was teaching English. We hit it off immediately, and got to know each other incredibly well over the next four months. Since then we have kept close contact and in 2005, although i knew they were intending to visit, they surprised me at the finish line of the 50k Knee Knacker Trail Run. My finisher photo is one of my all time favorite pics as I am 1/2 celebrating my race and 1/2 completely shocked that they appeared out of nowhere to cheer me on! The next two weeks were jam packed with incredible experiences.

We enjoyed a road trip to the Washington Coast to do a hike-camping trip in Olympia National Park for three days, and then along with my girlfriend at the time, we competed as a team of four in the 05 Sechelt Mind Over Mountain Adventure Race. It was the first adventure race for the three of them and we spent more time collectively working on our outfits than actually training for the event...refer to pics. There was a mid course cut off time of 6hr and we were the last official team to make it, by just two and a half minutes! They all toughed it out to the finish line from there and at over 8hr we were the last people to cross the line as a ranked team. We walked away like bandits though, claiming the 'team in most need of a beer award' (a dozen beer and four t-shirts), the 'team spirit' award (a sea kayaking trip for two), and we even snagged a few draw prizes to round out the whole experience! It still stands as one of the greatest racing experiences of my life.

(Luke in Yellow, Em in Red)

Anyways, this weekend Mr. Luke Laga, always trying to one up me, will be competing in his first ever 100 mile endurance run, the Kettle Moraine 100. Hundred mile running events allow people to acquire a 'pacer' after the first 100km of running. This serves many purposes from a safety stand point on up to helping to push the competitor to the finish line as quickly as possible. Laga's goal is to finish, and I'm confident we're gonna make that happen this weekend. I am so excited to catch up with close friends, meet their son, run on some new terrain, and help punish my good buddy as he tackles 160km of non-stop running! This is one of the most exciting weekends of the entire year for me and I can't wait till I fly out tomorrow night, for the overnight flight of course. Hell, I figure if Luke is gonna run for 24+hr non stop, the least I can do is stay awake on an airplane overnight so as to maximize our time together.


I will obviously post a run report early next week. Right now I should get my ass to bed so as to concentrate on my own training hours tomorrow morning.

GR

Deals, Deals, Deals!!

Spring 2008 Mountain Hardwear Sample Sale.

When: Thursday June 19th from 4:00 PM to 8:30 PM.

Where: Best Western Capilano Inn and Suites in the Boardroom building on the North East corner of their property, 1634 Capilano Road North Vancouver.

What: All Spring and Fall Clothing, Tents, Sleeping Bags, and Backpack samples 50 to 70% off.

Please remember that ALL SALES ARE FINAL!!!!

Cash Only! No Credit or Debit Cards!

ENJOY!!!

GR

The World Needs More...

STREAKERS!!




That was the quote of the day yesterday, and was uttered by yours truly as I was viewing pictures of this weekends Iron Knee 25km and Tender Knee 12km trail races.

Streaking seems to be more of a European thing to do, or at least it's more common outside of the confines of North America. As I was discussing with friends we exchanged the following dialogue:

"In the States you'd be tackled, beaten, arrested, and the threat to national security would be raised to code amber/orange/purple."

"In Europe you'd be cheered on by the crowd and have drinks bought for you afterwards."

"In Canada we simply pretend not to notice what's happening and there is an uncomfortable silence that ensues."

"In Australia or New Zealand there'd be six people doing it together and more would join in with each additional stride!"

Anyways, all this to simply show a half naked dude on my blog. Whoever you are naked runner, I applaud you and your efforts this past weekend. As much as I ain't into naked dudes, I hope to see you, or someone like you...women can streak too...at future trail running events on The North Shore!

Here's a short photo montage of my own naked experiences in the past...those who have known me for awhile, know that public nudity, in the right context, is always high on my 'to do' list!

(Baja Travesia, rapping into water at night, clothes were useless anyways!)
(There is a toque and elastic band combo hiding my actual bits and pieces)
(They took three days to return...)
(Lost the toque in the water...didn't care at this point!)
(Many, many moons ago in Australia)
(Just remembered another one...I'm sure my folks are loving this blog posting! Be sure to read the shirt as you will at least understand why I choose to do this one)

GR

Quotes Of The Day

For quite some time now I've been meaning to throw 'quotes of the day' on here, and not just your typical motivational quotes that you can find on numerous websites as it is, I mean the actual words that I hear in conversation with people throughout my day to day life. I find myself saying "that's the quote of the day" quite often and will do my best to remember them and get them right. Here are two examples from the last two days,

"I said he's my buddy, I did not say I liked him!"

"Any day above ground is a good day son. I don't think anyone who was given another shot at life would ever find issue with a rainy day again."

On another note, congrats to all Iron Knee and Tender Knee runner's today, especially my buddy, who I even like, Aaron Heidt, who yet again managed to set a new course record at an event. He has single handedly been rewriting the local trail running record books since he strapped up his first pair of trail shoes just one year ago. Keep an eye out for him at the Cascade Crest 100 Miler in late August...could he possibly set a course record in his first ever 100 miler...

GR

Mapmyride.com

More internet toys to play with! I thought my route was longer today, but I don't currently have a working odo on my roadie. I woulda squeezed in the extra 12k to get that nice three digit ride if only I had known! This was my road riding route before my noon - 8pm shift at work today...if anyone is interested in this kinda thing. (double click on map to zoom in, click and drag to move map itself...Dad)

My Play Day In The Sunshine...Finally!!

Is it too repetitive to blog about how much I love where I live? Is it too obnoxious to keep speaking of the pure beauty of my B.C. backyard? Is it too much to ask for a God Damn day of sunshine on my days off of work?!!

FINALLY, after having nothing but rain and cloud on my days off of work for the last few weeks, only to be stuck AT work during our back to back impeccable weekends of sun and heat, I got my day today!

I had a buddy down from Whistler and after I logged a 1hr, 13km run to start the day we headed out on the mtn bikes for 3hr. After some significant climbing we decided to descend a trail called 'Severed Dick'! My riding partner Chris asked why it was called S.D. and proceeded to figure it out all by himself within a few hundred meters. Riding with Chris was great because he's more of a downhill guy, and quite simply I would not have ridden half the terrain I did today without him pushing me along. It felt incredible to be clearing log rides and steep drops that were most certainly a step above what I have ridden to date. Lots of hooting and hollering in celebration by both of us out there today!

From here Chris was off to dinner with his girlfriend and I was off to kayak with some friends. I arrived in Deep Cove a few minutes early and decided to log a second run of 7km over 40min on the steep Baden Powell terrain before hopping in the boat. I paddled a double Passat with my friend Jackie as I was once again subscribing to the notion that if I can't win these kayak races, I might as well look as good as possible while I'm out there! It was Jackie's first official paddling race and we ended up doing pretty well for ourselves against the double kayaks, we even had a few surf skis drafting us towards the end of the 1hr paddle. As always the kayak races are followed up with beers and food, which put an end to a perfect day of training...umm playing, for me, and I even got a bit of a suntan...finally!

GR

My Pics From Miwok