Bastion Bits

It's been a while since I sent out my last "Bastion Bits" information so here goes:

ROC/Bastion Party...a reminder that we need to sell tickets to this event by November 8th so we can advise the caterer on the exact numbers. Tickets are $23 each which includes hot/cold hors dourves, desserts, DJ music and a chance to win some fabulous door prizes including a weekend for two at Middle Beach Lodge in Tofino and Howard Johnson Hotel in Victoria! You can purchase tickets at Frontrunners or by contacting on of the Bastion executive(see website).

5th Annual Thrifty Foods Frosty Footrace.....this walk, 5k or 10k run is scheduled to take place on December 4th, 2005 at 10am. There is also a 1k tot trot which starts at 9:45am. PacificSport is pleased to host this event and is looking for volunteers to set up, act as course marshals, registration and also assist with the finish area. They welcome your energy, experience and invite all volunteers to join the runners at the finish area for food and drink afterwards! Your name will also be entered for a draw prize. If you are interesting in helping, please contact Sherri Wade at 250-753-3245 ext 2649 or you can email her at swade@pacificsport.com.

Shawnigan Lake 1/2 Marathon....Good luck to all those members who will be racing this Sunday! Don't forget to change your clock and wear your Bastion singlet proudly.

Membership Dues....a quick reminder to bring your membership dues to the party on November 19th. The more dues we collect, the more we can give out next year in club donations!

That's about it and have a great weekend.....Steve.

Frosty Foot Race: December 4th in Nanaimo

5th Annual Thrifty Foods Frosty Footrace

Date: December 4th, 2005
Place: BowenPark, Nanaimo
Time: 9:45 am Tot Trot / 10:00 am main race
Distance: 10km Run 5km Walk or Run1km Tot Trot (under 10 years of age)
Cost: $5.00 for students / $15.00 for adults / $25.00 for families.
Course: Combination paved trail way, roadway and off road sections. Scenic,undulating course, Also: Draw prizes and great food.

Registration forms at Frontrunners or on line at www.pacificsport.com

For more information please call Sherri Wade at PacificSport 753-3245-1-2649

Notes from Dan the Trail Guy #44.5

Sorry to bother you yet again with another email, but there are a couple ofthings to pass your way which are time sensitive.

1. A group of Nanaimo Women are heading to the Haney toHarrison relay race next weekend, Friday Nov 4 and Nov 5th, their 8th runner has had to bow out and now they are hard pressed to find a replacement.They have exhausted their group connections and wondered if any of you ROC gals might be interested in joining up with them. The H2H Relay is a lot of fun. The team members are Janet Oxler, Denise Tierney, Deb Epps, MaryManton, Lou Barnum, Betsy Stringfellow, Doris Frank and we need an 8th. The relay legs are approximately 13-15 km in length. The team is out for fun. Any interested women please contact Janet Oxler, their fearless leader at janet_oxler@hotmail.com orthey can call Deb Epps at 755-3087.

2. Sean Lunny has asked me to remind you that know the next morning abs class starts Monday October 24th, runs for five weeks and costs$20, and that he has a couple spots still available. Contact Sean at seanlunny@shaw.ca

That's it.

Have a great weekend.Dan

Note from Ross: Bastion and ROC Dance

Dear Bastion

The year rolls by yet again and it is time for the annual year end social and dance. 2005 has been a good year and Saturday, November 19th will give us a chance for all of us to dress up and have a great night out. God knows we deserve it. This years Hoedown is at the Legion Hall near Bowen and Townsite with the doors opening at 7:00 p.m. I just went to inspect the Hall and it is plenty big with round tables seating eight to a table. Dancing will be in the middle with a D.J. on stage.Tickets are now available from the Exec or at Frontrunners for $23. The Exec is Steve Gagliano, Judy Orosz, Teri Lobson, Linda Irvine, Rick Harmeson, Janelle Hoddevik, Robert Cross, and of course myself.

They are a little pricier this year in an effort to break even on the expenses. The good news is that the drinks are very reasonable and you can purchase carafes of wine. If you have a favorite brand of beer or spirit you can email me and if there is a fair demand the bartender will make sure it's available. The caterer has to know by November the 8th how many will attend so she can have enough food ready. If you are not going to be seeing an Exec anytime between now and Nov. 8th and you don't want to head up to Frontrunners, you can email me and a ticket or tickets can be set aside for you.

Also, I will be stationed at the door to receive membership dues from those who usually renew at this time of year. The dues are still and always have been $10 for single and $15 for family membership. I look forward to seeing all the Slugs sashaying through the door and cutting the rug on the 19th.

Take care,Ross

Notes from Dan the Trail Guy #44

Trail runs now start at 7:30 am
Be careful out there.

As I mentioned last week, the leaves on the ground can hide a number of obstacles as one of the runners found out on the weekend. Please be extra careful with your footing. Even though the group was held back from venturing off to Hornby Island, the group did get in a good run ofthe trails and bluffs in the Linley Valley and managed to take in the later part of the sunrise when they reached the top of the bluff.

Tickets for theWinter Bash (Christmas party) were being sold at a very brisk pace as Brad can attest to. If you obtained tickets on Saturday, with the intent of paying at a later date, please remember to bring your money this Saturday. Tickets are available from Kathleen Richardson kathleenrichardson@telus.net or Judy Orosz janddorosz@shaw.caand/or Frontrunners. Don't delay on getting your tickets, they are going extremely fast. Your ticket also entitles you to enter a draw for a Weekendf or Two in Tofino at the Middle Beach Lodge, a draw for a Weekend for Two inVictoria at the Howard Johnson Hotel & Suites as well as a couple of other draw prizes.

If you have a new trail that you would like to take us out on please e mailme and let me know. Any new trail runs should be at least 60-70 minutes inlength. I will be scheduling runs to Ammonite Falls, Top Bridge - Rathtrevor Park Combo, Holland Creek (Ladysmith) and the Nanoose Hills. If you want to lead one of these runs, please let me know a date that works for you.

1. ROC Toques, ROC Technical Shirts & 2006 ROC Calendars - are all now in stock at Frontrunners and will make great Christmas presents or stocking stuffers. The toques are embroidered with the "ROC- Every Step Counts". The shirts you have all seen by now. The calendar is really nice and has most of the races that happen on Vancouver Island listed in it. Please think of buying one of these items as they have been brought in and paid for by Norm and Stefan with Frontrunners making virtually no profit on any of these items. In fact, any profit they make on these items they split with ROC. This is just one example of the continuing support that Stefan and Norm giveto ROC.

2. Frontrunners News
1st - They have just received theirfirst ever shipment of Montrail Trail shoes. Really great trail shoes, check them out.
2nd - They will be having an Adidas Testing Day at Frontrunners on theTuesday night clinic of the 1st of November.
3rd - They have Gunner Shaw and Thetis Lake entry forms
4th - The FRN Party and Cyclo-Cross race are shaping up. See Norm for details on the race and party.
5th - There are now Petzel lights in stock for those of you that night run.

3. Runners of Compassion Notice Board - The Board is being updated with photos of the Golf Tourney (not all photos turned out.sorry) and photos ofPort Angeles. We will also be starting to post the location of the WeeklyTrail Run on the board as well as a copy of the Trail Bits.

4. This weekends trail run - This coming weekend - October the 29thwill be a 1:30 run (one hour and 30 minutes) of the Morell Nature Sanctuaryand a few of the connector trails from Westwood Lake....Start time is7:30am, Meet in the main Westwood Lake Parking lot. It will be wet and it maybe muddy so be ready. See you at coffee afterwards. Remember to startout slow for the first 10 minutes. Talk time!

5. Arrowsmith Bikes is the store and Robin Dutton (ROC member) is the owner- Arrowsmith Bikes which is new to Nanaimo will be opening very shortlyin the same plaza as EARLS. Robin (I am a survivor of a close encounter witha truck) Dutton along with Kebble Sheaff from Arrowsmith bikes in Parksvillewill be partners in the shop. They will be carrying Santa Cruz mountainbikes, Haro BMX and mountain bikes, Masi road bikes and Trek bikes. As I said they are located directly behind Earl's restaurant in Rock City Center and will be doing sales, repairs and clinics. Some of which Robin will leadwhen he is more able bodied. Maybe we need to start a cycling chapter. Theywill also be doing a full line of road and triathlon bikes which issomething none of the bikes stores in this town seem to do..check it out

6. There is no # 6.
Gotta go!

Early Warnings* OCT 30 Shawnigan Lake Half Marathon - check out the P.I.H.website for details http://pih.bc.ca/Calendar.php* NOV 11 Thetis Lake Relays - ROAD TRIP! - The Thetis Lake Relays($20.00 for a team) which takes place on Friday November 11th (RemembranceDay) is a 4 X 5km Team Relay all run on single track trails.* NOV 12 Frontrunners Annual Shop Party - November 12th, DJ, Lotsof Friends, Lots of Food, Lots of Fun, Scooter Racing, more details to comeeach week.* NOV 20 Nanaimo Track & Field Harbour Front 5Km - November 20th ,Location and time to be announced, this is a fundraiser for the Track &Field Club* NOV 26 Gunner Shaw Cross Country - Saturday November 26th,Thetis Lake Park Victoria, if you consider yourself a trail runner then youmust come to this race with us. It is one of the oldest x/c trail racesin BC. Draws a great crowd. Amazing course. It can be wet!!!! Put it onyour calendar right now, so you don't double book yourself.* NOV 27 Women Run Wild - Girls only. Annual fund raiser forHaven House. Details at Frontrunners or via Women's Pace website.* DEC 1 Nanaimo Give & Go! - Thursday December 1st is the dateof the 3rd Annual Nanaimo Give and Go!* DEC 10 Stewart Mountain Cross Country - 10 miles on a reallyclassic cross country course.* DEC 4 Frosty Foot Race - December 4th, 2005, Bowen Park,Nanaimo, 10 am start, registration 9:15, 10km Run, 5km Run or Walk, 1km TotTrot* JAN 1st Bastion Running Club's Run & Dip - New Years Day,Westwood Lake, Time - TBA, one lap or more of the lake, followed by a veryquick dip in the lake. Rain or shine, snow or sleet, it doesn't matter,Darrell and the Bastion crew will be there waiting for you. Great way to start off 2006.

Notes from Dan the trail guy #43

Trail Bits

Hornby Island Trip on Saturday is Postponed..sorry. As a result of the trail leader for this Saturdays Hornby Island Trail run being injured we are going to have to postpone the Road Trip until a later date. I apologize for any inconvenience that my being injured may have caused any of you.

Okay, back to business; the Trail Run of the saddle on Saturday was very well attended as usual with lots of new and not so new faces in the crowd. Other than the fact that the route was far drier than we expected, which meant we weren't able to fully welcome all of the newbie's to the joys(water & mud) of fall and winter trail running, we did have a great time running through a little bit of water and deep blankets of leaves. The runwas about 1:20 in length. Believe it or not we still got attacked by hornets. Little buggers! One comment that was passed my way Saturday by a large number of the runners was the quickness of the pace in the very early stages of the run. A large number of folks thought it was too fast too soon. I think perhaps we should try and keep the early 5 - 10 minutes of the run at a real easy pace. This will give everyone a chance to properly warm up their muscles and to finish their entire chit chatting before we hit the main portion of the run. I was the one leading at the beginning of the run and therefore will take the blame for the pace. When you are the leader in the early portion of the run and are running in front of 30 people you get this subliminal push from behind. Your legs feel fresh and you can feel and hear the energy of the group behind you as everyone is catching up on the latest bits of gossip"Trail Bits". Feeding off of that energy, the pace just starts to get fasterand faster..sorry.

For those of you that help with leading the runs lets al ltry and remember to take it out at an easy pace. After the initial 10 minutes of running we generally try and regroup and then split up the group for the main part of the run. So let's take it easy at first, have a bit ofa chat and save the energy for the hills.

I have spoken with Nanaimo Parks & Rec and they will be opening the backparking lot at Westwood Lake on Saturday and Sunday mornings in order to ensure that there is enough room to park when both Bastion and Roc are running at Westwood. The lot was actually full this Saturday at 9:00am.

Trail runs now start at 7:30 am

1. Hornby Island Run - Trail, Beach and Bluff Run is Postponed

2. ROC Toques, ROC Technical Shirts & 2006 ROC Calendars - are all now in stock at Frontrunners and will make great Christmas presents or stocking stuffers. The toques are embroidered with the "ROC- Every Step Counts". Thes hirts you have all seen by now. The calendar is really nice and has most ofthe races that happen on Vancouver Island listed in it. Please think of buying one of these items as they have been brought in and paid for by Norm and Stefan with Frontrunners making virtually no profit on any of these items. In fact, any profit they make on these items they split with ROC. This is just one example of the continuing support that Stefan and Norm giveto ROC.

3. CHRISTMAS PARTY - The combined Bastion/ROC Christmas Party (FallDance) is confirmed for November 19th in the Legion Hall at Townsite &Bowen.

4. This weekends trail run - This coming weekend - October the 22ndwill be a run of the lower trails of THE LINLEY VALLEY. ..7:30am, please note I said 7:30 and not 7:35, please try and be on time. A number of people need to get to work after the run, so we need to try and start on time. We will really endeavor to keep the pace at the beginning of the run at an easy pace. Meet at the end of Burma Rd. Burma Rd runs off of Lost Lake road,which runs off of Rutherford Rd at the very top of the hill. Email me if youneed more directions. See you at coffee afterwards. I will need to leave upto the group leaders to figure out who can lead the groups on Saturday.

Early Warnings

* OCT 30 Shawnigan Lake Half Marathon - check out the P.I.H.website for details http://pih.bc.ca/Calendar.php

* NOV 11 Thetis Lake Relays - ROAD TRIP! - The Thetis Lake Relays($20.00 for a team) which takes place on Friday November 11th (RemembranceDay) is a 4 X 5km Team Relay all run on single track trails.

* NOV 12 Frontrunners Annual Shop Party - November 12th, DJ, Lotsof Friends, Lots of Food, Lots of Fun, Scooter Racing, more details to comeeach week.

* NOV 20 Nanaimo Track & Field Harbour Front 5Km - November 20th ,Location and time to be announced, this is a fundraiser for the Track &Field Club

* NOV 26 Gunner Shaw Cross Country - Saturday November 26th,Thetis Lake Park Victoria, if you consider yourself a trail runner then youmust come to this race with us. It is one of the oldest x/c trail racesin BC. Draws a great crowd. Amazing course. It can be wet!!!! Put it onyour calendar right now, so you don't double book yourself.

* NOV 27 Women Run Wild - Girls only. Annual fund raiser forHaven House. Details at Frontrunners or via Women's Pace website.

* DEC 1 Nanaimo Give & Go! - Thursday December 1st is the dateof the 3rd Annual Nanaimo Give and Go!

* DEC 10 Stewart Mountain Cross Country - 10 miles on a reallyclassic cross country course.

* DEC 4 Frosty Foot Race - December 4th, 2005, Bowen Park,Nanaimo, 10 am start, registration 9:15, 10km Run, 5km Run or Walk, 1km TotTrot

* JAN 1st Bastion Running Club's Run & Dip - New Years Day,Westwood Lake, Time - TBA, one lap or more of the lake, followed by a very quick dip in the lake. Rain or shine, snow or sleet, it doesn't matter, Darrell and the Bastion crew will be there waiting for you. Great way tos tart off 2006.

That's enough..Gotta go!
Dan

Notes from Dan the Trail Guy #42.5

This is without a doubt the time of the year for running the trails. Fresh cool air, amazing smells, lots of colour, soft damp (mud & water) trails and no wasps or hornets. Come out and enjoy, but please remember a couple of basic rules when you are running the trails this fall and winter:

1. Roots and rocks will be very slippery at this time of the year, so don’t step on them if you can avoid it.
2. Boardwalks will be really slippery!
3. Remember that the leaves hide a lot of obstacles, so be careful
4. Remember to leave lots of room between you and the runner in front of you. If you want to pass, call it out “passing on your left” and make your pass. But only do it when it is safe and do it after giving notice.
5. Remember that when running a steeper downhill section you need to keep your weight centered over your feet. Try and lean a little bit forward. Let your core muscles (abs) help you with the work. Don’t give into the temptation to lean back on your heels when going down hill. Your feet will kick out forward and you will end up on your butt!
6. AND Please remember to back check before expelling your nose….yuk!

Lastly, I have had some of you email me that you are coming to Hornby and a bunch of you have verbally told me you are coming to Hornby. I need email re-confirmation from all of you please that you are coming. I have included a couple of photos from the run in March as a teaser. Here’s the deal. The run is a combination of trail running, a little bit of beach running on hard packed sand, some running along the bluffs and finally a little bit of road running. If I remember correctly we were running for about 70 minutes last year. So, check your schedules right now, check with your better half and email me back.

October 22, Leave Chapters at 6:15am
Catch Denman Island Ferry at 7:00 am
Catch Hornby Island Ferry at 7:40
Hit the trails by 8:30am
Breakfast at Jan’s on Hornby – 10:00ish
Catch either 11:00 am or 12:10pm ferry off of Hornby
Return Chapters by either 12:45 or 1:45 depending on which ferry we catch

Pacific Sport Seminars

PacificSport Vancouver Island is please to present the fourth annual “SportMap Primer”
I would be happy to speak with you or members of your sporting organization via phone or email about the upcoming “SportMap Primer”.

October 15th
The SportMap Primer is an annual workshop for athletes, coaches and parents that introduces the concept of athlete development models and focuses on system-wide principles and applications. This is the fourth year that we have organized this one day conference for community athletes, their parents and coaches and we are working to ensure that we provide the best resources we can for Vancouver Island's athletes and coaches.

Time: 9:30 - 2:30 (registration at 9am)
Location: Malaspina University College
Fee: $5.00 for non PacificSport athletes / coaches

This year’s seminar topics include:
*Sport nutrition
* Speed and agility
* Tools for preparing athletic scholarship application packages


For more information or to register, please contact:

Sherri Wade
Program Coordinator
PacificSport - Vancouver Island

Tel: 250.753.3245 Ext. 1-2649
Fax: 250.740.6170
E-mail: swade@pacificsport.com

SPORTMAP, Oct. 15th
NCCP CBET Part B Nov.5- 6


PacificSport - Powering Sport Performance
PacificSport consists of two Canadian Sport Centres (Victoria and Vancouver) and eight Regional Sport Centres (Fraser Valley, Interior BC, Okanagan, Northern BC, Sea to Sky, Vancouver, Vancouver Island, and Victoria). PacificSport fosters a dynamic environment for sport performance at all levels via Three Waves of Excellence - strategic investment in identified sports, a world-class training environment, and quality athlete and coach services – working in partnership with regional, provincial and national sport organizations.
www.pacificsport.com

Tony reports from the World Triathlon Champs in Hawaii

Aloha FRN.................

AHHHHHH Well that was an adventure.... Windy, HOT, humid, Windy and nothing fun to eat after I finished.... well there was Bagels and Banana's and you know me... "just what I want"
What can I say.... I am dated.... lol the field was large... tons and tons of Americans who have a BIG PC (phyically challenged) kick on now... all young fast and with two good legs... (damn them lol)

Swim: it was still dark when they put us AWAD's in the Pacific Ocean.... but did lightnen up some after we all floated and sang the Star Spangle Banner.... the water was still crazy with swells that seemed to move us up and down, right and left...and before you know it we where off (but where... I chose to where my dark goggles...hmmm good choice again rocket man).... But that was not all that bad as the bottom was all good and by the turn at the other end it seemed light. I guess my swim was like always... I pushed it just to the point where I was having to work.... :) it was a two loop thing... and by the second loop we started to pass the HOT PINK W-55 plus ladies who were just a little slower then me... I swam to the swim exit and swam until I could touch with my hands... but then getting to my feet as another story.... I was a weeble wobbles and he does fall down... TWICE... not sure what my swim time was....

Bike... well it was windy all the way out... and up that ugly hill.... I wish I could ride faster and push harder... but after the first miles or so we where on a nice hwy and that was good riding... Had a problem with some French guy... HELLO BLOCKING>>>>>> so I would pass him on the right... he would not move over.... then he would suck off my wheel... then he would pass me... blah blah blah.... this went on for almost all the second half of the bike... Got ugly and had a freak-out on the way back... the men 60+ went after us so many of them passed us on the bike... zoom zoom zoom... the one guy in RED... no sure where he was from, but had his head down when he passed me... and like 30m up the road a little green car pulled out and he hit it.... not sure if he was breaking or not. But the sound of that and seeing him under the car... he did not go anywhere...he hit and just fell to the ground... I slowed but was told to move on by the police who I guess where not doing a great job of controling that intersection... Needless to say I tried to make eye contact with anyone at each intersection....

Then... came time to dismount.... lol All was good.. I could see Tom ako handler... he had a chair ready for me to take off my braces... but as I got close to the blue dis-mount line I moved over to the far left so I was out of the way and some official jumped out and yelled in my face... something about the blue line... well being in control of everything... I squeezed my front break to no end as I was starting to unstrap my braces... Tony or #2 to the watchers... goes flying over his handle bars to the ground and dismounts his bike the hard way... I was then (while laying on the ground) as to move quickly to T-2. Grunts and gasps I heard as I landed.... I then sat down took off my braces and helmet... as I wanted to see if I cracked yet another one..... hmmmmm then I put back on my helmet and made my way to rack my bike and move on....... You know the other sad thing about being first off is you only get to view the TRIANS on the other side of the road as the ones on your side have yet to form....

Run... HOT... and no that was not the way I was looking.... lol Hello which way is out please? still windy and the run was harsh... lol maybe it is the fact I only really trained 6 km all year... or maybe just because I really didn't do the best at getting ready.. but man did I row fast this summer... lol But it was all good... I had my Strawberry/Banana Power gels and I was set for a run around the park (twice) and then down the main street of Waikiki.... I made the plan not walk even the aid stations.... and managed to keep to the plan... just not all that fast.... Go Canada, Go Canada... go #2... I would just smile and node... I did get a few go Tony which is always nice... And thank god to the old guys who just had to walk.... I think I managed to pass 2 yes TWO guys on the run.... lol... then on the finish... I kept hearing: go, only 150 m.... yeah that was not true... BASTARDS... I don't think I looked like a 1,000,000.00 bucks as I got several golf claps coming in the final "150m"

But over all it is always awesome to run and take part in these events... 1000's of people, faces you think you know... others who know you who you have not clue.... "sorry Amy" and a chance to where your countries colours... Not sure how I did... I heard 6th... which could be DFL in my division... but I started, I worked as hard as my body would let me, and I finished with a "thank you... thank you very much..... smile on my face... In I think just over 3 hours... so about 5 mins slower then Nationals...

But man why could they not have watermellon or cookies... or Vit. C.................
It's all good... and if there is a next time.... I will "try" to do a little more with a little more intensity....

it's sunny and hot here... but Waikiki.... it's no Vancouver Island... nice place to hang for a few days... nothing longer.... but I'd take our island in the Pacific any day.

Cheers Tony T

Notes from Dan the Trail Guy #42

Trail Bits

Congratulations to Roberta and Owen on their wedding which took place on Saturday afternoon.

A “job well done” to all of you that ventured off to either Portland or Victoria for races on the weekend. There were over 325 runners from the central part of the Island (Ladysmith, Nanaimo, Nanoose, and Parksville) that went down to Victoria to run in either 8k, Half Marathon or Marathon. I won’t mention the results of any one by name as there are far too many of you to mention. Judging by the results, you all had great runs as did the folks that ventured down to Portland.

Those of us that remained in Nanaimo were given the honor of running with Owen and Roberta, just 6 hours before their weeding ceremony. What a great way for them to start their wedding day, a trail run with us.

The run (1hr & 15 min) of the Foothills (partly new route, thanks to Andrea) lived up to its name and delivered us a number of long hill climbs. The new route, was great and allowed us to take in a new viewpoint which gave us a spectacular view of the Winchelsea Islands. The long 15 minute downhill is a killer though.

Trail runs now start at 7:30 am


Hornby Island Run – Trail, Beach and Bluff Run is October 22nd. Car Pooling. There are about a dozen people confirmed so far. Let me know if you are thinking of coming…details below.

CHRISTMAS PARTY – The combined Bastion/ROC Christmas Party (Fall Dance) is confirmed for November 19th in the Legion Hall at Townsite & Bowen. I hope I will have more details this week to pass along to you.

This weekends trail run – This coming weekend – October the 15th will be a run of the Morell & Westwood area .….7:30am, it should be brighter at that time, we will try and keep the run at an easy pace for those of you that just ran the Marathon. We will be out for about 75 – 80 minutes. Meet in the Westwood Lake Parking Lot.

Early Warnings

· OCT 17 FULL MOON RUN – Only if the weather permits.
· OCT 22 HORNBY ISLAND - Trail, Beach and Bluff Run – (no, not a buff run…so keep your clothes on!) Depart Chapters 6:30 am, 1:00pm arrive back. I need to know if you are coming.
· OCT 30 Shawnigan Lake Half Marathon – check out the P.I.H. website for details http://pih.bc.ca/Calendar.php
· NOV 11 Thetis Lake Relays – ROAD TRIP! - The Thetis Lake Relays ($20.00 for a team) which takes place on Friday November 11th (Remembrance Day) is a 4 X 5km Team Relay all run on single track trails.
· NOV 12 Frontrunners Annual Shop Party – November 12th, DJ, Lots of Friends, Lots of Food, Lots of Fun, Scooter Racing, more details to come each week.
· NOV 20 Nanaimo Track & Field Harbour Front 5Km – November 20th , Location and time to be announced, this is a fundraiser for the Track & Field Club
· NOV 26 Gunner Shaw Cross Country – Saturday November 26th, 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.
· NOV 27 Women Run Wild – Girls only. Annual fund raiser for Haven House. Details at Frontrunners or via Women’s Pace website.
· DEC 1 Nanaimo Give & Go! – Thursday December 1st is the date of the 3rd Annual Nanaimo Give and Go!
· DEC 10 Stewart Mountain Cross Country – 10 miles on a really classic cross country course.
· DEC 4 Frosty Foot Race - December 4th, 2005, Bowen Park, Nanaimo, 10 am start, registration 9:15, 10km Run, 5km Run or Walk, 1km Tot Trot
· JAN 1st Bastion Running Club’s Run & Dip – New Years Day, Westwood Lake, Time - TBA, one lap or more of the lake, followed by a very quick dip in the lake. Rain or shine, snow or sleet, it doesn’t matter, Darrell and the Bastion crew will be there waiting for you. Great way to start off 2006.

That’s enough….Gotta go!

Dan

Mike Vine Reports from Tahoe X-Terra

Hi all, thought i'd send my my account of the 2ndbiggest race in the world of XTerra, the USAChampionship in Lake Tahoe Nevada. It had been 3 years since my last visit here, and Iwas eagerly anticipating not only the race but thevisit to such a pristine area... the thick pineforests of Tahoe are something to behold. last time in2002 i'd arrrived last minute from sea level and racedwithout previewing the course. safe to say i luckedout placing 2nd b/c the altitude really affected me on the bike course, most of which is at 7400-8600'. This time i did it right - 2 weeks of altitude prep in SunValley ID , and an early enoughTahoe arrival to ride the course. Seeing as it's Oct now the buzz leading up was centered on whether we'd be riding in snow or not.turns out not, and it wasn't a bad day - save for the swim conditions. a steady blowing SW wind over thelast 2 days had whipped up sizeable chop on the northshore and a lake temp of 56 F. i did avoid going hypo (unlike at milwaukee in july ) however I did not escapethe swim unscathed.

Despite a decent start off the gun, i was the unlucky recipient of a foot to the face100 yards in... followed by a couple mouthfuls of laketahoe chop. my goggles were torn off and in aninstant i was near blinded and gasping for air with people swimming into me. i responded by flailing my arms for a while in the direction of the safety boat.eventually i found some space (and breath) and wasable to refit my goggles, only now they wouldn't sealbecause the strap had stretched. i was left to swimthe rest of the way sans goggles. turns out that wasbearable and i got going again on the 2nd loop, butthe time gap exiting on the beach was not pretty -4minutes down. bloody hell!!! now it was catch-up time.i madly sprinted the 1/2 km run to T1 where the official split was taken. 3:35 down it turned out tobe. onto the bike which is a pure grinder... norespite until the final 15 min of descent. it starts with a nasty sandy climb from 6250' up to the flumetrail @ 7400'. not long enough ! because i ended up inthe unfortunate situation stuck behind a coupleswimmers, ie slow riders, for the full extent of the 4mile flume trail - a no passing zone due to theperilous drops off the ledge it traverses. i'm quitec ertain i lost a minute to Conrad here. but, my heartrate did drop right down. once clear i let out myfrustrations by punching it on the flats along marlette lake, then drove it hard over the remainderof the climb to the 8600' summit. over the top i couldsee 2X triathlon olympian marceau just ahead. yes!! isoon passed him on the rim trail descent as it wasreadily apparent my new Fox fork was up to the task.also passed seth wealing and 2000' vertical drop lateri was in 3rd at T2. my bike split of 1 hrs 34 min was2nd best on the day, only 25 seconds off Stoltz.the legs were noticeably rubbery once on the run - nosurprise after the longest ride in xterra. with ITU standout wealing bearing down i had tosqueeze every drop out of the tired legs. fortunatelyseth blew with 2 k to go and i held my spot in 3rd.and the picture wasn't so grim at the finish - i hadmoved to within 1:11 of 2nd place stolz and the winner llanos was 2:13 ahead.Also moved up to a 2nd place finish in the pointsseries. a successful finish to what could have been a disastrous day.

Now i can take comfort in knowing everything's in place for maui World's, now comingright up oct 23. race report-xtri.com/article.asp?id=1565results w/ splits-www.xterraplanet.com/temp_results/championship.htmfor now,

VINEROC-Z

Notes from Dan the Trail Guy #41

Trail Bits

I left my house late on Saturday as usual and raced my way north in a
successful attempt on being on time for a Linley run. Thank god there isn't
lots of traffic on a Saturday morning. I made it just in time. What a sight
greeted me as I turned onto Burma Rd. There were cars parked bumper to
bumper on both sides of the road from end to end. In total I think we had
close to 50 people show up for the run, with lots of new faces in the group.
I have to tell you that you are all so predictable. As the temperatures
begin to drop and as the rain and winds of autumn begin to pick up in
intensity, out come the Trail Runners. Just like the swallows return each
spring to Capistrano, so do the trail runner's return to the woods of
Nanaimo each fall. It was great to see so many of you there.

We quickly broke the group up into three and away we went for about an hour and ten
minute run. Once again the group I was in got its butt kicked by a speedy 13
years old who never tires out. Next week Max is graduating to group 1. You
guys can try and tire him out. The make up of the groups seemed to work
really well. Each group that came off the trail at the end had lots of
smiles and lots of sweat. I hope that all of you people that are new to the
group enjoyed the run. I would, welcome any feedback, either positive or
negative that you might have.

I do need to speak in regards to the dogs. Dogs have always been a welcome
addition to the group and will hopefully continue to be a welcome part of
the group. Now that there are 5 or 6 dogs at a time showing up I think we
need to try and ensure that they do not become a bother to those of us that
don't have dogs. Can we try having those of you that bring your dogs not run
in the middle of the group when we are first starting out? This is the time
when everyone is closely grouped together and the dogs tend to be excited
and cut in and out of people. People are sometimes getting tripped up and
having to be careful of the dogs as we start out. If we keep the dogs and
their owners either at the front or back of the group to start with it might
alleviate some of the confusion. It's worth a try. Once we get a km or so
under our feet the group has spread out and the dogs have realized that they
are in for a run and settle down. The positive thing is that all the dogs
get along, as do the dog owners.

Good luck to all of you that are venturing off to either Portland or
Victoria for racing this coming weekend, travel safe and race strong. We
will look forward to your race reports when you return.

1. Abs Class "Second Session" - Couple of notes about Abs Class....
Due to Thanksgiving and the Royal Vic marathon there will not be a Monday
morning class on October 10th. That date will be made up on the 24th of
October. New sessions of Sean's Abs Class will start on Thursday October
2oth and Monday October 31st. Both sessions are five weeks in length and
cost $20.00. They are starting in different weeks due to the make up date.
If you want to re-confirm your spot or you want to join the Abs Class for
the first time email Sean at seanlunny@shaw.ca as soon as you
can. The classes always fills up quickly.

2. Nanaimo Give & Go! - Thursday December 1st is the date of the 3rd
Annual Nanaimo Give and Go! Runners of Compassion in partnership
with The Nanaimo Daily News, Chek 6, and the Nanaimo Salvation Army stage
this annual event that is put on in order to help fill the food bank and to
collect warm clothing for those people in need. ROC has the fun task of
directing the vehicle traffic as it enters and exits the drop off area of
the Give & Go! It's always lots of fun so please mark this date on your
calendar to either help volunteer or to drive by and drop off some food or
clothing. I am already having people sending me their names offering to
volunteer, so please drop me a note if you plan on helping out.

3. CHRISTMAS PARTY - The combined Bastion/ROC Christmas Party (Fall
Dance) is confirmed for November 19th in the Legion Hall at Townsite &
Bowen.

4. This weekends trail run - This coming weekend - October the 8th will
be a run of the Lantzville Foothills...7:00am, yes it might be a little by
dark at that time, but I still think we can give it a go. Here are the
Driving Directions. Take the Island Highway to Ware Rd. Turn left if you are
coming from town, turn right if coming from Parksville. Follow Ware Rd to
the end. You will come to a T Junction. This is Harwood Rd. Turn left on
Harwood Road. We will be right around the corner. Please notice that I said
foothills. This might be a hint that there could be some incline to run up.
Nothing really steep, just typical Nanaimo stuff -gradual climbs.

Early Warnings

* OCT 17 FULL MOON RUN - Only if the weather permits.
* OCT 22 HORNBY ISLAND - Trail, Beach and Bluff Run - (no, not a
buff run.so keep your clothes on!) Depart Chapters 6:00 am, 1:00pm arrive
back. I need to know if you are coming.
* OCT 30 Shawnigan Lake Half Marathon - check out the P.I.H.
website for details http://pih.bc.ca/Calendar.php
* NOV 11 Thetis Lake Relays - ROAD TRIP! - The Thetis Lake Relays
($20.00 for a team) which takes place on Friday November 11th (Remembrance
Day) is a 4 X 5km Team Relay all run on single track trails.
* NOV 12 Frontrunners Annual Shop Party - November 12th, DJ, Lots
of Friends, Lots of Food, Lots of Fun, Scooter Racing, more details to come
each week.
* NOV 20 Nanaimo Track & Field Harbour Front 5Km - November 20th ,
Location and time to be announced, this is a fundraiser for the Track &
Field Club
* NOV 26 Gunner Shaw Cross Country - Saturday November 26th, 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.
* NOV 27 Women Run Wild - Girls only. Annual fund raiser for Haven
House. Details at Frontrunners or via Women's Pace website.
* DEC 10 Stewart Mountain Cross Country - 10 miles on a really
classic cross country course.
* DEC 4 Frosty Foot Race - December 4th, 2005, Bowen Park,
Nanaimo, 10 am start, registration 9:15, 10km Run, 5km Run or Walk, 1km Tot
Trot
* JAN 1st Bastion Running Club's Run & Dip - New Years Day,
Westwood Lake, Time - TBA, one lap or more of the lake, followed by a very
quick dip in the lake. Rain or shine, snow or sleet, it doesn't matter,
Darrell and the Bastion crew will be there waiting for you. Great way to
start off 2006.

That's enough..Gotta go!

Dan

Sean Lunny's Core Conditioning Class

Next Set of Core Classes Start

-Thursday, October 20th at 6:30PM OR Monday October 24th at 6:30AM

These classes are perfect for people looking to improve their core strength, their running and maybe even their figure!

Classes are one hour in length and focus on Core Strength, Flexibility and Overall Body Strength.

Sessions run for 5 weeks and cost $20 (for the 5 weeks).

Classes are held at Frontunners in Nanaimo

The only equipment that you need is something to lie on like a yoga mat (available at Frontrunners) or a towel (editors note: a mat is much nicer).

Contact: Sean Lunny at seanlunny@shaw.ca for more information.

Run Wild

The Women's Only "Run Wild" is scheduled for Sunday, November 27, 2005 at 9:00am in Cedar. This is a 10k event that raises money for Haven House.

Entries are now avialabe at Frontrunners in Nanaimo.

The field is limited to 400 runners.

MOMAR #4

Monday, October 3, 2005

Nanaimo Athlete Scores Solo Victory at last Mind Over Mountain Adventure race of 2005

It has been over four years since Nanaimo’s Normon Thibault (Frontrunners-Helly Hansen) has recorded the fastest time for a Solo Racer at a Mind Over Mountain Adventure race (MOMAR as it is known). The last time was way back in May of 2001 at the first race of a new island racing series. Since then he has raced almost all of the races that Bryan Tasaka and crew have put on and come very close to winning many times but something has always happened to snach victory from him. Many times it has been navigational errors that have taken him from the lead. One race it was a time penalty for a missed orienteering checkpoint. At another a lost bear bell cost him the victory. Last year in Seachelt, while leading, he was directed off course by a volunteer just 200 meters from the finish line and ended up 4th after getting back on the right course. At the Cumberland race in 2004 he brought the wrong MTB shoes which were not compatible with his pedals and spent the mtb leg slipping off his bike and onto his top tube numerous times (guys will know how much this can hurt) and still came 2nd. Every possible error has kept him from winning.

Thibault did not have a perfect race in Cumberland at the last race of the season and series of MOMAR last Saturday. In fact he flipped his boat in the choppy water early in the paddle section when his equipment pack came loose and caught a wave. It took a while to right himself and he found himself near the back of the pack early. During the trek section his map was near destroyed from being soaked from flipping his boat so he had to rely on other teams to get through that section. Latching on to teams that seemed to know what they were doing and had strong navigation skills. Entering the second paddle section Thibault was with 2 other quick solo male competitors across Comox Lake. Once onto the mountain bike leg he distanced himself from other athletes to take the individual title in 4:07:16 (11:04) over Darrell Sofield 4:18:10 (Bellingham) and 11:58 over last years winner, Jeremy Grasby 4:19:14 (Cumberland).

The race for Solo Female was won by Lesley-Ann Marriott of Vancouver (6:12:21) over Lisa McBain of Victoria (6:25:24).

The coveted “Spirit Award” in which teams are judged by how good their costumes are and how much fun they have on the course was won by a team containing two Frontrunners Team Members from Duncan; Jason Sandquist and Alison Keple along with their team mates from Victoria; Catherine Hamilton and Dodie Cox. Their team name was “The Royal Tennen-bums” and their costumes represented characters from the movie, “The Royal Tenenbaums”.


Other Nanaimo Results:Justin Mark with North Vancouver’s Denis Fontaine (Frontrunners-Helly Hansen) were 2nd in the Team of 2 Male
Sean Lunny and Stefan Jakobsen (Frontrunners-Helly Hansen) were 3rd in the Team of 2 Male
John Briant of Nanaimo was on Team “Hang Over Mountain” from Vancouver and placed 5th in 4 person Co-Ed.
Carey Sather and Mary Mark of team “Karma” placed 5th in Team of 2 Female



Nanaimo Results Team Name Kayak 8k Trek 7-9k Kayak 1.5k Bike20k Total
Normon Thibault Frontrunners-Helly Hansen 52:03 1:22:17 18:57 1:33:59 4:07:16
Justin Mark-Denis Fontaine Frontrunners-Helly Hansen 46:40 1:36:29 19:21 1:36:57 4:19:27
Sean Lunny–Stefan Jajobsen Frontrunners-Helly Hansen 54:49 1:35:14 19:59 1:41:54 4:31:56


Notes:
The Mind Over Mountain Adventure Race series started in 2000 with one race in Duncan. It was expanded in 2001 to a series of races on Vancouver Island. In 2004 a race on the Sunshine Coast was added. The series is extremely well run by Bryan Tasaka and Crew. Not only do they have an excellent reputation for event organizing but the after party had a reputation all it’s own.

The events can be raced as a solo (Male or Female), Team of Two (Male, Female or Co-Ed) or Team of Four (Male, Female or Co-Ed).

Fastest time for each of the events is usually around 4 hours with a range from 4 – 8 hours.

Bryan’s MOMAR series is recognized by racers all around the west as exceptional events with excellent organization. They usually have great mountainbiking and take in the best features of which ever area they are held.

Quotes:Thibault, “On the trekking leg of the race I was totally bluffing with teams as I would meet up with them. Most of my map was destroyed from flipping my boat so I was only sure of small sections of the trek. I would see a team and catch them and then follow them to the next check point and then try to catch another team to do the same. If I ended up on my own I would still be out there trying to find my way”.

Thibault, “Once on the bike I dropped Darrell and just put my head down to distance myself from him and Jeremy. Jeremy is from Cumberland so I knew he would know the fastest way through the trails and not make any mistakes. I had to keep my eyes open to try to limit my errors”.

Lunny, “Our Kayak Rental company made a slight error in the boat calculations for the event so until 2 minutes before the start we were without our rental boat. We had just got into the boat, launched and were paddling up to the start line when the gun went off. We were literally dead last at that point.”

Thibault, “There are so many things that can go wrong in an adventure race that it is almost impossible to have a perfect and error free race. This one was no exception as I had more than one error out there on the course but I just kept telling myself to keep going harder”.

Jakobsen, “Bryan puts on such great events that you don’t notice how hard you are going. The beauty of adventure racing is that you could be in first or last in a certain part of the race and you don’t know it until later. It is totally different from a lot of races we do because you have to use your brain as much as your body”.


For more information on Mind Over Mountain Adventure Races:
www.mindovermountain.com
Bryan Tasaka: 1-250-715-8933