Bastion Club Photos

Club photos are posted in the "what's new" section of our website at www.bastionrunning.ca. More photos can be see in the "photos & archive" section...enjoy!

Ross Reports on Hatley

Dear Sluggies

The sun was bright, the ocean was magnificent, the trees were beginning to blossom, and I was just thinking how I wish all of you were here... running this damn race instead of me. How was the race? I don't know because I was too tired walking from the parking lot to the gym to run it. But those who did said it was tough. The food was great though and as Dave D says it's the food that really matters.

Ross

Notes from Dan the Trail Guy #12

Trail Bits and News Bits

NOTE: New 7:00 AM Start time

Last weekends run of Humility/Abyss saw another large turnout of runners who finished the run with lots of rave reviews of the route. We broke up into three groups with the two main groups heading off in different directions of the circle route in order to meet each other along the way. It worked! The conditions on Saturday were amazing; dry trails, amazing sunshine and cold crisp air. The only thing we didn’t need was the ice at the start/end as a couple of people took a nasty fall on it. Both are recovering well at last report.

1. Your Annual Runners of Compassion Membership Fees Are Now Due. For most members, your annual Runners of Compassion membership fee is now due. The cost again is $10 for an individual or $25 for a family membership. There are two preferred methods of payment. First, you can mail a cheque payable to Runners of Compassion to PO Box 456, Lantzville BC V0R 2H0. Alternatively, if you are a Saturday morning trail runner you can bring a cheque (preferably) or cash and either Dan Brady or Owen Carr will collect it in an envelope each week. We will have a supply of registration forms for new members or existing members with new addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers etc. We look forward to getting the renewal process done as quickly as possible, and thank you for your cooperation.

2. Message from Ross Palfrey, the ROC Newsletter Editor ……Dear ROC- I have not received any items for the buy and sell. That no one has anything lying around the house that they may not need anymore but someone else would love to have is not possible. The average house and property is teeming with them. Ken had hoped to take this to a wider scale (all of Nanaimo) but we have to be able to show it will work inside ROC first. There would be no effort required of the seller, just post your items with me for the newsletter and hopefully, I was thinking a very small transaction fee would go to ROC as a fundraising venture. So, I would like everyone to take the time to hunt up some hidden treasures and send the description to me at rosspalfery@shaw.ca before the March 1 deadline. Thanks, Ross

3. Trail Etiquette, it is extremely important that people remember a few important rules when running the trails.
· Always be friendly and courteous. Smile at others; introduce your self to the new runners. A simple hand shake and a “Hi, my name is ___”, goes a long ways towards making the new comers feel welcome. We were all newcomers at one time.
· Anticipate other trail users around every corner and blind spots. Yell to others that single file running is needed when coming up to other trail users. Running two and three across when coming up to others is extremely bad running manners. Make room for others.
· Whenever possible, run on the right, pass on the left and always tell others you are passing. ONLY pass when safe to do so. If there isn’t room, don’t pass. Clowning around will get you and others hurt.
· Stay on the trail. Creating your own trail or cutting switch backs creates erosion, damages habitat and causes new trails. Especially important in Morell as we start up Rocky Knoll.
· Bicyclists should yield to runners (and most will). But don’t assume they will. Be prepared to pull over in the name of safety.
· If we come up to horses, the horse always gets the right of way, they are bigger and can demand it.
· Downhill traffic should yield to up hill traffic.
· If coming up to other trail users, always advise them about the number of runners in the group, so they know what to expect.
· Don’t think of using headphones if you run with us. Too dangerous, you can’t hear warnings
· Always try to warn others of dangers. I.e. Ice, deep water, slippery rock, etc.
· Run in the appropriate group. Running with the wrong group can affect the run of a large number of people. You will either be responsible for slowing down the faster runners or responsible for pulling along the slower paced runners at a pace that will over tax them. If you are not sure which group you should be with, please ask one of the leaders.
· Leave no trace. Pack out your garbage.
· Please Remember to volunteer to sweep at the back of the group every once in a while. The back off the pack is not sacred ground; you are welcome to run at the back. The view is just a good at the back as it is at the front!

4. New things to do – The Tuesday afternoon trail runs are now back. Tuesday afternoon, 4:00pm, Westwood Lake. One Hour Maximum, A steady, easier pace run, with few stops, but there definitely could be some hill work involved, depending on where we go each week.

5. Saturday Morning Bike Rides. A group will be meeting at Chapters Starbucks: 7:30 am to bike since they are injured and can not run. The ride will be 1 to 11/2 hour and probably follow the Parkway and E&N trails. The bike group will meet back for coffee at Starbucks with the rest of the group.

6. First GutBuster of 2005 is coming up soon, only 3 more Saturdays. The Stewart Mountain 15k & 8k is Saturday, March 12th 10:00 am. For those of you that are coming down, which I hope is lots of you, we will be leaving from Tim Horton’s, Southgate Centre at 7:45 am. This will get us to Thetis Lake by 9:00 am. Is that okay with all of you?

7. Hornby Island I am going to go Saturday March 5th. Here are the details: Meet at Chapters for a 6:30 am departure, Arrive at Buckley Bay in time to catch the 7:40 am ferry, then ferry from Denman to Hornby to arrive on Hornby by about 8:30 am. The idea is to run the either the bluffs at Halliwell Park, which will include an amazing run along the bluffs and cliffs in the park and will include a run of Tribune Bay (sorry, no nudies on the beach at this time of the year) and Whaling Station Bay. OR we can run the cliffs that you see above the ferry dock on Hornby. The Cliff run is exactly that, you run along the tops of the ridge starting from near the Bakery and ending up in Fords Cove. Really high cliffs, very safe, great trail. We can talk about it on the ferry ride over. Coffee and snacks on the Island and then home. We should be back in Nanaimo by 2:00ish. Email me if you want to come. A couple of people are coming to mountain bike while we run.

THIS WEEKS RUN. Dumont Trails – Yellow Gate – 7:00am……that’s right 7:00am. It will be the usual hour and twenty minute run. Email me if you need directions on how to get there.

Ross Reports on Cedar

Dear Bastion

Sunday February 13 will stand in history as the best race the Island Series will ever see. The weather was perfect ( though I think God owes us a few on that one ), and Darrell ran a ticketyboo operation from start to finish ( he even baked the apple tarts himself ). There were more marshals than trees in the wood, the finish line looked like it could be raffled off by a Hospital Foundation, the food was excellent and I was particularly impressed by the crack registration crew. Even the runners seemed somehow stronger and nobler and the drivers more considerate and patient. Thanks to all the Bastion members who contributed to Sunday's success, either by volunteering or running.
Unfortunately, we did not have the number of runners we would have liked. And the expenses were more than anticipated. You would not believe the number of things you need to run a race. After you consider the school rental, the catering, the medals and ribbons, the ambulance, the back hoe operator, federal tax, provincial tax, municipal tax, school tax, road tax, bib tax and thumb tax we were left owing $34.27. But I think we can learn from this experience and become a better organization for it next year. Sadly, I must now bid my farewell from you as I have been offered a new job in St. Kitt's. As my last official act I'm appointing Kari as Minister of Spending. God bless you all. Oh, and make sure Steve G has a clean handkerchief Saturday mornings. He gets a runny nose if it gets too chilly.

Thanks for everything,

Ross

p.s. If anyone from Revenue Canada asks, you haven't seen me since last September.

Notes from Dan the Trail Guy #11

Trail Bits and News Bits

As per usual we had another great run up in the Lantzville Foothills. 32people showed up for a run that had a bit of everything; beautifulsingle track, water crossings, snow (crisp and untouched), a little bushwhacking, some open logging road running and some great scenery. This route is becoming one of the crowd favorites. Contrary to rumors you might hear, we did not get lost, we simply missed a turn. Once the mistake was noticed we doubled back, made the correct course change and continued on our way...that was not being lost, trust me.

A BIG THANKSto those of you that took turns sweeping at the back of the pack, it was appreciated by Owen and me and thanks to all of you for being so gracious when it came to regrouping. People really appreciate your waiting for them.

Great pictures and article about Outrigger canoeing in The Daily News onMonday. Karen, Nancy, Carrie, Terry and Darla were the cover girl modelsfor the story.

1. Core Strength Training Clinic The cost is only $15.00 for the 6weeks. The clinic is limited to 20 people. Please contact Sean Lunny fordetails and to confirm your spot. seanlunny@shaw.ca ps...there areonly a couple of spots left, so don't delay.

2. Your Annual Runners of Compassion Membership Fees Are Now Due For most members, your annual Runners of Compassion membership fee is now due. The cost again is $10 for an individual or $25 for a family membership. There are two preferred methods of payment. First, you canmail a cheque payable to Runners of Compassion to PO Box 456, LantzvilleBC V0R 2H0. Alternatively, if you are a Saturday morning trail runner you can bring a cheque (preferably) or cash and either Dan Brady or Owen Carr will collect it in an envelope each week. We will have a supply of registration forms for new members or existing members with new addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers etc. We look forward togetting the renewal process done as quickly as possible, and thank you for your cooperation.

3. The Victoria Chapter of Runners of Compassion is holding a photo contest in order to select photos for the 2006 Runners of CompassionCalendar that they will be producing. If you open up the attachment you can get all the details of the contest.

4. First GutBuster of 2005 is coming up soon, only 4 moreSaturdays. The Stewart Mountain 15k & 8k is Saturday, March 12th 10:00am. The race starts and finishes in Thetis Lake Park outside ofVictoria. A fun 15km or 8 km course with gravel, puddles, branches,rocks and streams - but most of the course is very runnable wilderness trail. Not as much elevation gain as the other GutBusters but don't let that fool you. If you are interested in coming down with us, let me know and I will keep you informed in regards to car pooling and a couple of longer training runs that we are planning.

5. Hornby Island I am tentatively scheduling to go Saturday March5th. Confirmed details will come out next week. Come along if you want.

6. This weeks Run will be a run of the Humility Abyss trails. Wewill meet at 7:30 am on the side of Harewood Mines Rd under the powerlines. If the weather stays nice it will be the first time we have run it with out rain or snow, keep your fingers crossed.
Here are the directions to get there assuming you are coming off theParkway.
* Take 5th Street Exit off of Parkway - Malaspina College andhead down the hill
* Turn Right on to Wakesiah
* Turn Right on to Nanaimo Lakes Road - Travel for 4 -5 minutes
* Turn Sharp Left on to Harewood Mines Road drive past animalshelter
* Travel for very short distance. Park under the Hydro Lines

That's all folks, See ya Saturday.

Note from Kevin the speed merchant.

My first indoor experience turned out to be a good one. Dempsey indoor is a fast track, we were joking on the ferrie that its downhill. They were running 2 hours behind and it made it tough to warm up at the right time with all the waiting, finally around 6 or maybe later we got to race. What happened during the race I couldnt tell you because its all still a blur, all I knew when I finished was that it was the best i'd ever run, I checked online last night and my time was 8:32, my old p.b for 3k was 8:53 outdoors so running that was quite a surprise.
Later.
Kevin

Cedar 12k

Sometimes even a 12k run can totally cripple you. I am sitting at the computer afraid to get out of my seat. My legs ache like I have done an Ironman....perhaps worse!

Mike Jorgenson I will get you!!!

It was awesome to see SO many runners from Nanaimo out on such a beautiful day. Fast times were posted and sunglasses were needed. Even the Daily news got in there with next day coverage. Running is heading in the right direction on Vancouver Island.

There are some images posted on our Frontrunners Gallery www.frontrunners.ca/gallery/index.php as well as Tony Austin's Gallery at: www.pbase.com/autie

Hope to see you at Clinic this week....if you are not feeling like I am.

Normon

Core Strength Training

Core Strength Training Clinic

Most of us have a weak link in our body. It exists in most athletes and sports people -- and it’s weak because it’s neglected. In fact, it’s overlooked by almost everybody. The most common cause of weakness and injury in sport can be blamed on one thing: The failure to recognize that the majority of powerful athletic movements are either initiated or linked through the trunk area.

This is your chance to eliminate that weak link. Sean Lunny is offering another Core Strength Training Clinic starting on Thursday March 3rd at 6:30 am. The clinic will again be in Frontrunners. For those of you taking the marathon training session, I have checked with Stefan and his comment was that, other than making for a long day, it will be fine to take the core work out in the morning and follow it up with training session in the evening. The cost is only $15.00 for the 6 weeks. The clinic is limited to 20 people. Please contact Sean Lunny for details and to confirm your spot. seanlunny@shaw.ca

C-X pictures from Europe up in the gallery

Check out our gallery at http://frontrunners.ca/gallery
Norm has posted dozens of photos from the trip to the World C-X Championships. Try out the slideshow feature on the gallery (you'll see the link on the top-right of the page to the slideshow feature once you're in the gallery you want). Viewing the races as a slideshow is wicked - it almost seems like the riders are in motion at times. You can have the option of a full-screen slideshow with the applet (you'll see the link for that - it will download to your machine if you click on it) and the regular slideshow within your browser.

Notes from Dan the Trail Guy #10

Trail Bits & Other Bits of News

1. Last reminder
The Bastion Running Club Cedar 12k is on Sunday February 13th. Please contact Darrell Orosz at janddorosz@shaw.ca if you can volunteer?

2. NALT is Boardwalk Building in Linley Valley Friday February 11th and Saturday February 12th 10am-4pm - Get out your hammers, your rubber boots & come on down to Linley Valley and help to cover up the mud!! NALT is in need of a building team, and need people who know how to build boardwalks; those with a sense of direction and discretion will be welcomed with open arms. If you are interested and have a couple of hours you can spare. Contact Carra Simpson, Nanaimo Area Land Trust, volunteer coordinator at carra@nalt.bc.ca or 618-1940.

3. First GutBuster of 2005 is coming up soon, only 7 more Saturdays. The Stewart Mountain 15k & 8k is Saturday, March 12th 10:00 am. The race starts and finishes in Thetis Lake Park outside of Victoria. A fun 15km or 8 km course with gravel, puddles, branches, rocks and streams - but most of the course is very runnable wilderness trail. Not as much elevation gain as the other GutBusters but don't let that fool you. If you are interested in coming down with us, let me know and I will keep you informed in regards to car pooling and a couple of longer training runs that we are planning.

4. Energy Bars – If you have a questionnaire for Alex, bring it to this weekends run.

5. This weeks run: This week we will be running the Westwood Ridge Valley Trail or the Saddle as it is also known. This is the trail system that runs in behind the Westwood Ridges, not on top of the ridges. If you have a SDM (speed distance monitor) GPS or some other sort of measuring device, can you please bring it with you? I need help in getting a rough measurement of this section of trail as it will be part of the Westwood Lake GutBuster Half Marathon course that is taking place on July 9th. Meet at Westwood Lake parking lot 7:30 am………. As you can tell I have returned to the basics in regards to the trail runs. It was becoming too large of a chore for me to try and take into consideration all the email comments I was receiving. Therefore we will do what we use to do…..run the trails…..the fast ones will go faster and the slow ones will go slower….simple!

Also of note:
Don’t ever let them tell you that abdominal work outs are a breeze. I showed up for last Thursday’s 6:30 am workout with Sean Lunny, one week behind the rest of the gang due to illness, but still ready to go. How bad could it be? Little did I know how bad it could be or what I was walking into. First thing, 30 push ups. For one hour we worked and worked, flexed and stretched, no breaks, just good hard work. I had to sneak off to the washroom, just so I could wipe off the sweat and catch my breath. For the next three days I thought I had the flu due to the lingering muscle cramps in my stomach from the workout. I kept feeling I was going to be sick. But here it is Tuesday night I have done my homework every night and I am anxiously looking forward to the next Thursday morning workout. The pain or the flu which ever it was has gone and I feel great. Apparently I am now on the road to being a better runner. Core Strength is what it is all about. That’s what they tell me. Anyways, next time you hear that Sean Lunny is putting on a core Strength Training Session, register and take it. Hard work? Sure it is, but only after one week of following the routine I can feel a difference….either that or I really had the flu.

I am in awe of all of you who make it look so easy.

Take care,

Dan