Notes from Dan the Trail Guy #35

Trail Bits

Sadly, I need to start the email off on a bit of a serious note. This past Saturday we actually lost a runner in the woods and were not aware of it until we got back to the parking lot. We originally had thought the person who got lost had decided to turn back on their own, which wasn’t the case. The person had simply stopped to attend to their dog and when they looked up the group was gone. There are a couple of things that need to be addressed so that this can’t happen again.

1). If you are running with the group and need to stop for no matter what the reason, you must tell the person ahead of you that you need to stop. That person will relay the message up through the group to the trail leader who will stop the group.
2). we will be more diligent at making sure we have a trail sweeper in place for all runs. This past Saturday we got lazy and didn’t have a sweeper in place due to the level of experience of all the runners present.

ROC Digital Camera – Thanks to the kind generosity of Kathleen and Brad Richardson, we now have an “official ROC camera” that we can take on trail runs and to ROC events. If you are representing ROC at a function and need to use the camera, please email me well in advance so I can make arrangements to get it to you.

ROC Golf – Don’t forget Thursday night at Winchelsea Golf Course; be at the course by 4:30. If only eating show up at 6:30pm.

Hikes of Mt. Benson Summit and Westwood Ridges – The Coalition to Save Mt. Benson hikes are a huge hit and are booked well into the later part of September. This is a hike, not a run. If you want to come along or have friends that want to come along please pre-register through the Nanaimo and Area Land Trust Office at 714-1990. This hike is one of the awareness hikes that The Coalition to Save Mt. Benson is staging prior to starting of our fundraising efforts to buy the summit of Mt. Benson. Summit hike are coming soon.

This week run – RUN & DIP Again by popular demand we will be returning to Westwood Lake this Saturday – 7:00am. I know we are running out of Westwood a lot, but it is nice to take advantage of the water for a swim while we can. Bring a towel for a quick dip afterwards. We will be out for about 80-90 minutes.

News - Line Couture has just returned home from a successful trip competing in Denmark for the world triathlon championship running at the same time the world track and fields were on in Helsinki. The weather was terrible. (Don't forget there is a 9 hour time zone change and multiple airports) The water was 15 degrees and the air was around 10 degrees. They did not even know how far the swim was going to be until the morning of the race. It was shortened from 4 K to 3 K. This is very cold water even with your suit on. Line swam well even though she was stung in the face by a jellyfish. Then a slow transition with frozen fingers and chattering teeth she continued on to the 120 KM bike portion. At this point it started to warm up and she was actually a bit hot on the bike. Then on to the run (30 K) under sunny skies. Line placed 4th in the ladies 50 to 55 class. For results check out www.fretri.dk. Congratulations Line

Adventure Racing Clinics – Sean Lunny is going to be starting his next Adventure Racing clinic for the Cumberland Momar on Saturday, August 27th and running to September 24th. The clinics will cover everything you need to know about doing a Momar, but especially mountain biking because of the technical course.

Ab Classes – Time to start getting in shape for Sean’s Ab Class which will start some time in early September. Further details will come out in the next week or two.

A little Humour – Confessions of a Runaholic – Behind your wistful desire to run each and every day are the following symptoms shared by confirmed runaholics. A) Weather, be it snow, rain, heat, hail or mild hurricane is not really a consideration. B) You run nearly as many miles per week as you put on your car. C).Your dog refuses to go running with you anymore, and hides when you put on your running gear. D).you have lost the ability to function socially and vocationally without talking about running. You might notice that all of your conversational analogies are running-related. E). You missed the Super Bowl because you had to go for a run F). You routinely eat meals four times the recommended serving size, but you are still skinny, G). You own more running shirts than dress shirts H). You have without a doubt become a rock bottom Runaholic if: you have learned to pee on the run without stopping, You think a 100 miles a week “isn’t that bad”, you get a stress fracture from running too much, have to get it casted and run the next day in the pool, And finally you are given a choice between having sex or going for a run, and you check your watch to see if there’s time to do both….Trail Runner Magazine July 2005 Issue

Early Warnings:
· Frosty Foot Race - December 4th, 2005, Bowen Park, Nanaimo, 10 am start, registration 9:15, 10km Run, 5km Run or Walk, 1km Tot Trot
· Nanaimo Track & Field 5Km – November 20th , Location and time to be announced, this is a fundraiser for the Track & Field Club
· Gunner Shaw Cross Country – November 27th, Thetis Lake Park Victoria, if you consider yourself a trail runner then you must come to this race with us. It is one of the oldest x/c trail races in BC. Draws a great crowd. Amazing course. It can be wet!!!! Put it on your calendar right now, so you don’t double book yourself.