Friday, February 09, 2007

Women's Pace: Say YES to Life

Exploring the Comfort Zone
I was running along the ocean road when a young man came alongside me and asked, " How fast are you going?" It was apparent that he expected an answer in minutes per mile. It was the question of a novice. I gave him the answer of a veteran. " comfortable."
My pace is not a matter of the distance I can cover or how fast I can go. I measure my intensity with my body, not with a stopwatch or mile markers. I dial my body to "comfortable" not knowing or caring how many minutes it takes me to run a mile.
In the beginning, I was like the runner who now questioned me. I wanted to know exactly how far I had run so I could calculate my speed. I would count laps on a track, or even retrace my route in a car so I could be quite sure. (sound familiar?)
At times, this scorekeeping was frustrating. I would lose count of the laps- I used my fingers and got mixed up going from one hand to the other-and not know whether it was 20 or 21 or some such number. So I gave up and concentrated on running at a comfortable pace.
So when this particular runner caught up to me, I honestly didn't know whether I was running 8 minute miles or 10 minute miles. Nor did I care. I had put my body on automatic pilot and had taken off into my head. This was my thinking pace, one I can hold indefinitely. Some days, my thinking pace is faster than others, but it's always comfortable.
I hoped the runner would linger to chat, but he sped on, and I let him. Trying to stay with him would have been hard going for me and rarely does my training require that level of effort. Training is for thinking or talking, for contemplation or conversation. Neither can be accomplished if I step up the pace.
There is no place in my daily runs for pain or shortness of breath, no room for pushing to the limits. My runs, however, are time-outs from all stress, physical and mental. They become retreats inside myself or opportunities for a revealing talk with a friend.
On another occasion, after I finished an out-and-back run on the boardwalk with another runner, he said to me, " That was the shortest hour I've had in some time." We had run at a pace that was congenial to communicating our thoughts to each other. We were in the world on the other side of sweat. There, competence and self-esteem make me feel at my absolute best, and thoughts and feeling ordinarily too private to utter leap spontaneously from my lips. Once , when I ran an hour with my daughter, we had the longest and best talk in memory.
How fast must I go to enjoy these unexpected gifts from running? Do they only occur at a certain speed, at so many miles per hour? No. All I need do is run at a comfortable level: fast enough to enjoy the workings of my body. And slow enough to let me observe the world around me. Slow enough to escape into the world within.
By a comfortable pace, I don't mean just physically comfortable. Comfort is related to my mental and emotional state as well. Comfort has to do with my entire person. When I am comfortable, I am finally at peace with myself. I am a animal happy in its own habitat. I have said "yes" to myself and to life." excerpt from "George Sheehan on Running to Win"

Isn't that just perfect? It says it all and is such a good reminder..please take it to heart and practice what George says, it makes all the difference in your enjoyment of our favourite sport.

What a great run last Saturday... What a nice gift to all of us. How are you feeling? Congratulations to all of you who ran your longest run EVER! You should be soooo proud of yourselves, I know we are.
Special thanks to Haz Beans, as well, for being such terrific hosts.
Just a note.... as I mentioned on Sat. AM that I have our Log & Daily Journal books for sale for only $20.00 incl. taxes, AND those AMAZING VESTS for $80....I will bring them out for you on Sat. AM

- we would be so appreciative if anyone has a friend or family member who would like to come out on a Sat. AM and set up a water station (everything is supplied) please contact me...713-WILD (9453)

Just a little reminder........( I found this on runnersworld.com)
The 10-Percent Rule

Increase weekly training mileage by no more than 10 percent per week.

Joe Henderson, the first editor of Runner's World, and Joan Ullyot, M.D., author of three women's running books, first popularized the 10-percent prescription in the 1980s. "I noticed that runners who increased their training load too quickly were incurring injuries," says Dr. Ullyot.

The Exception: If you're starting at single-digit weekly mileage after a layoff, you can add more than 10 percent per week until you're close to your normal training load.

The 2-Hour Rule

Wait for about two hours after a meal before running.

"For most people, two hours is enough time for food to empty from the stomach, especially if it's high in carbohydrate," says Colorado sports dietitian and marathoner Cindy Dallow, Ph.D. "If you don't wait long enough, food will not be properly digested, raising the risk of abdominal cramps, bloating, and even vomiting."

The Exception: You can probably run 90 minutes after a light, high-carb meal, while you may need up to three hours after a heavy meal that's high in protein and fat.

The 10-Minute Rule

Start every run with 10 minutes of walking and slow running, and do the same to cool down.

"A warmup prepares your body for exercise by gradually increasing blood flow and raising core muscle temperature," says Jerry Napp, a Tampa Bay running coach. "The cooldown may be even more important. Stopping abruptly can cause leg cramps, nausea, dizziness, or fainting."

The Exception: It takes less than 10 minutes to rev up on warm days.

The 2-Day Rule

If something hurts for two straight days while running, take two days off.

Two straight days of pain may signal the beginning of an injury. "Even taking five days of complete rest from running will have little impact on your fitness level," says Troy Smurawa, M.D., team physician for USA Triathlon.

The Exception: If something hurts for two weeks, even if you've taken your rest days, see a doctor.

The Familiar-Food Rule

Don't eat or drink anything new before or during a race or hard workout.

Stick to what works for you. "Your gastrointestinal tract becomes accustomed to a certain mix of nutrients," says Dallow. "You can normally vary this mix without trouble, but you risk indigestion when prerace jitters are added."

The Exception: If you're about to bonk, eating something new is probably better than eating nothing at all.

The Long-Run-Pace Rule

Do your longest training runs at least three minutes per mile slower than your
5-K race pace.

"You really can't go too slow on long runs," says RW "Starting Line" columnist Jeff Galloway, "because there are no drawbacks to running them slowly. Running them too fast, however, can compromise your recovery time and raise your injury risk."

The Exception: Galloway says you should run even slower on hot days.....( when you are on HOLIDAYS in MEXICO or something....)





REALLY READ THIS!! and TAKE IT IN...
"10 ways to be a Wild Woman"
1. Keep in touch with your inner rebel. (It's okay if the relationship is merely friendly rather than hot and heavy-we can't all be Madonna or Susan B. Anthony!)
2. Try to act in a way that is true to your deepest self, even if your mother, significant other, or society in general does not support your behaviour. ( Easier said than done...but highly gratifying in the long run.)
3. Befriend and nurture other women.
4. Befriend and nurture YOURSELF.
5. Speak up! Silence is deadly boring- and sometimes just plain deadly. Pouring out your passion in letters, emails, or manifestos is a fine alternative if you're not the type to scale that soapbox in public.
6. Learn as much as you can about women in history. The more you know about the accomplishments of others, the more inspired you will feel to challenge the status quo.
7. Take pride in women who defy, exceed, or trifle with conventional expectations.
8. Take one step ( even a baby one) each week to promote a truly female-friendly environment in your home, community, nation, or the world at large.
9. Raise a little (or a lot of), um, heck...whenever and wherever the need arises.
10. In the immortal words of Red Hot Mama Sophie Tucker: " Keep breathing!"

This Saturday, the Febuary 10th..we are meeting at Tim Horton's on Wallace for our scenic 10/13 Km run.This is a GORGEOUS route with all the necessary requirements to make us strong runners...


"Every memorable act in the history of the world is a triumph of
enthusiasm. Nothing great was ever achieved without it because it gives any
challenge or any occupation, no matter how frightening or difficult, a new
meaning. Without enthusiasm you are doomed to a life of mediocrity but with
it you can accomplish miracles."
-- Og Mandino, 1923-1996, Author and Speaker


Remember....if you're out on a run and your shoulders begin to feel tight, unclench your fists. Clenching your fists causes tightness all through your arms and can wear you down on your run. To fix this pretend you are grabbing for apples or oranges. This will help you keep your fists relaxed..also... try moving your arms in the same motion as if you were cross country skiing...sounds weird but it works!
"Mastering the art of living comes from a sure trust in the goodness and meaning in each of us and a strong faith that we can build our own lives- it may not come swiftly or smoothly or easily, but in this inner creation lies the greatest triumph of all, the realization of all we were born to be."

This from Sean Lunny

Core Essentials, 390-3160



Running Group Strength Building Home Exercises





“Just six weeks of strength training dramatically reduces the chances of runners knee, hip, and low back injuries.”



“Average persons ten kilometer time improves by over one minute with ten weeks of strength training.”



Strength training is an integral part of any exercise program. Without proper strength, the body is unable to cope with the new demands you are putting on it. Strength training can be done in a variety of places, and should rarely take more than 30 minutes. The following is a program you can do anytime at home or at your own gym. A true strength training program should be functional and show progression. The ideal program would use periodization to slowly develop your strength. These are basic exercises you should be doing two to three times per week to supplement your run training. For more information on strength training, please contact Sean Lunny at Core Essentials Health Services at 390-3160.



Core training exercises

Begin all exercises by first engaging your core stabilizers, (ie. pelvic tilt), or pulling your belly button towards your spine.



Single leg up/down

Dead Bug (opposite arm and leg down/up)

Crunch, with a punch (punch to opposite side)

Straight leg flutter kick

Straight leg crossovers

Supermans/womans (on Stomach)





Leg Exercises



Wall Squat (lift one leg and hold, build to 30 sec)

Lunges

Step Ups

Calf Raises



Upper Body Exercises



Push Ups Arm Curls (weights or tubing)

Pull Ups Dips (chair)

Shoulder Raises Rotator Cuff





Something to think about.......

We are all growing on the right path...though we may not have a choice as to the path...we do have a choice as to how quickly we grow or how much we delay it..

Oh, Oprah is doing a special on THE SECRET Febuary 8th at 4...I think channel 11...I have seen the movie and it is FABULOUS! If any of you would like to borrow a copy from me...let me know...I have a sign-out sheet...and will have them with me on Saturday...



FAST BREAKING NEWS!

Malaspina's 5 K run has been moved to March 4th at 10 am. This will
hopefully get us away from the snow!!! This will become the permanent home
for the run in case you want to add it to your plan for 2008. Same great
prizes and coffee from my sponsors Jumpin Java and Frontrunners. Hope to
see you there.

Mike James


" Drink your Java"

A new study by the Lausanne-based Nestle Research Company in Switzerland suggests that coffee contains a significant amount of health-promoting antioxidants. The study pitted coffee against green tea, which many researchers have touted for its antioxidant content. Turns out that coffee has four times the amount of health-boosting antioxidants as green tea." ( quoted from Runners World Feb/02)This makes me very happy and explains why I am never sick.

Hold a true friend with both your hands.

- Nigerian Proverb

Hi there! (this is an excerpt from a previous talk we gave)
Hope you’re not too overloaded with new information about running! Since we’re entering the more rigorous period of our training, we felt that these few things might bear repeating, so here goes....

I have noticed that a lot of you are taking in lots of water and that’s great! As the runs get longer, you will lose even more water through perspiration and so you must remain diligent about drinking those 150 - 300 ml of water every 15 minutes! So, here then are some of the reasons you need to drink:

- you need to sweat to cool the body

- for each hour of running in heat, you easily loose 1 litre of water..( not a huge issue, yet)

- every litre you sweat, your heart rate goes up 8 beats/minute

- when you are dehydrated, your blood thickens, your heart has to pump harder to move the sludge around

- it slows oxygen and nutrient delivery

- you WILL drag during a run if you don’t hydrate well enough both before and during the run.

- Women’s cardiovascular systems respond differently than men’s with increased demands on their cardiovascular systems. Men’s hearts respond by contracting with more force to increase their cardiac output, while studies have shown that women’s ventricles DILATE to allow more blood into their hearts, increasing the volume ejected with each contraction. You cannot do this if you are dry - if your circulating volume is low. Your metabolic demands (chemical reactions going on in your bodies) are vastly increased, as well as you need to replace the volume lost by sweating.

-don’t wait to drink until you’re thirsty - drink early and often.

Getting enough fluid?

- watch your urine

- if you haven’t gone for 3 or 4 hours after a run, you know that you were not hydrated well enough

- does it burn? Again, not enough water.

- weigh yourself before and after a run to make sure you had taken in enough fluid

Nutrition

Since there are finite amounts of glycogen stored in our liver and muscles (about 45 minutes worth) we need to replenish those supplies during a long run with glucose - or carbohydrates. I won’t go into detail about the different forms of nutritional choices during a run, but here is what you need to take in:

30 to 60 g carbohydrate per hour (for men and women)

equal to: 24 oz sports drink, 2 energy gels, 1 energy bar, 1 pkg. "sharkies" (1 every 40 min!)try try try try experiment experiment experiment

Post-run-Replenish your glycogen stores without stuffing yourself.

-20 minutes post run optimal time - especially if you are planning on running the next day.

-Carbohydrate and protein combo better than just carbo by itself

Iron

Studies show that up to 50% of women runners are iron deficient, especially those who may have a vegetarian diet, or eat very little meat. Blood is lost through menstruation, GI losses, and destruction of red blood cells in the soles of our feet as we run. Symptoms are feeling cold and fatigue or shortness of breath with running. If you find that you feel as though you are dragging a sack of hammers behind when you run - GET YOUR IRON LEVELS CHECKED OUT. The most accurate test is the serum ferritin. Dr’s may be unaware that you will experience symptoms with a serum ferritin level of 18 or less. A serum ferritin level of 15 or less means that you have virtually no red blood stores! Write down your levels and check with me if you’re unsure. Please don’t self-diagnose and start taking iron without checking out your levels with your doctor. Daily iron requirements are 15 mg/day. Sources - meat (especially red meat) leafy green veggies, lentils. I have a sheet that lists foods containing Heme iron and, apparently, 3 oz. of clams gives us 25 mg's of iron! They are the star of them all...followed by liver, oysters, beef, shrimp, sardines, turkey, pork, chicken and finally fish.

"Mastering the art of living comes from a sure trust in the goodness and meaning in each of us and a strong faith that we can build our own lives- it may not come swiftly or smoothly or easily, but in this inner creation lies the greatest triumph of all, the realization of all we were born to be."


Please, remember to bring water! I can't stress this enough, dehydration is the leading cause of fatigue and a myriad of other things,as well. We have to take care of our body and it will take care of us...." Athletes lose more contests through not drinking enough water than any other nutritional cause, say many sports nutrition specialists.

About 60% of our body weight is water and our need increases greatly with exercise. Sweat acts as our body's 'air conditioner' and needs to be replaced or performances will be affected. The substances our bodies need in order to function are also carried by water. Adequate fluid intake before, during and following exercise is critical in preventing dehydration. Thirst is not the best gauge of your body's water needs. When you are thirsty, it is often too late to adequately replace fluids. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, more if you are exercising. Fresh fruit will also help get you that precious fluid along with vitamins necessary to keep the machine in top form. (loosely quoted from "The Runner's Lifestyle log")

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live ( and love) the life you have imagined."
----- Henry David Thoreau

Please let us know if there are any concerns you have regarding the training or injuries We are open to any suggestions as well and appreciate all input....is there anything I can do to make YOUR experience with WOMEN'S PACE more positive???? I am at Frontrunners and if I am not there...they are always happy to help!

WE HAVE A PLAN....March 10th is going to be the BIG SPRING CLOSET CLEANOUT....if you are going through your closets NOW..separate your technical clothes from your "regular" ones...MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW!!

You might find this interesting, I did..
"That time of the month" ( or even the few days preceding it) is not the time when women run their worst. The hardest time for women to run is about a week before menstruation begins ( a week after ovulation). That's when women's levels of the key hormone progesterone peak, inducing a much higher then normal breathing rate during exercise. The excess ventilation tends to make running feel more difficult than usual." this is from womens-running.com


I think that is just about all for today, it has to end somewhere, eh?
Take care of yourselves, friends

Donna xxoxox

p.s. remember to check out the website http://communities.msn.ca/womenspace for information updates or for previous emails.

p.p.s. just saw FREEDOM WRITERS at the Avalon....REALLY enjoyed it!

When I have a cup of coffee and a PowerBar, I feel that I can do anything!" excerpt from Galloway's book "Marathon"..here, here!

ROC Trail Bits 2007 #6

Trail Bits 2007 # 6

A great run of the GutBuster Race route on Saturday with a lot of new faces in the crowd of runners that ventured out. It is always great to get up on to the ridges and take in the views from up above the lake, surprisingly most of us managed to complete the run and still have dry feet.

Congratulations to Norm Thibault and Steve Osaduik on their winning of the Nanaimo Sports Achievement Awards on Saturday evening. Norn won the Master Male Athlete of the Year Award in recognition of his winning the Masters Division of the Canadian Cyclocross Championship. Steve won the Male Athlete of the Year for his accomplishments of not only winning the Canadian Half Marathon Championship, but also for his breaking of the 25 year old course record for the Royal Victoria Marathon.

I have attached a message from Charles Burrell, the new President of Runners of Compassion – Nanaimo Chapter

The course description for the Adventure Racing clinic is pasted in below. If you ever wanted to take a clinic to work on your navigation and mountain biking this is the clinic for you…read details below.

Check out the UPCOMING RACES at the bottom of the page. There are lots of new additions, plus I have added in web links for all of the races.

People have been asking me if they can bring their friends and visitors along with them on the Saturday runs, even though that person is not a member. The answer is yes they can run with us, BUT they must bring a signed waiver with them. I have attached a copy of the Waiver in Word format so you can save it in your computer and print it off when company arrives. Please do not assume that I will have waiver forms with me as I don’t usually have them in my vehicle….Thanks

If you are going to forward this email along to your friends, you must remove the information about the run location from the email before doing so. Liability, liability, liability!!!!


The following email was sent to me on Friday. I hope you enjoy reading it. The note reminds us that the work we do does have an affect in our community.

Hi Dan,
At my Rotary Club of Nanaimo meeting at the Howard Johnson at noon today, Kathy Smith stood to tell a story of success made possible by the Runners of Compassion, Nanaimo Chapter. She was a guidance counselor at one of the local Senior Secondary Schools last year when they received a consignment of new and gently used running shoes from ROC.
Coaches and physed teachers made regular visits to her shoe stash, but she made comment about one day when a teacher came up and showed her a pair of shoes held together, not of duct tape but of scotch tape. There were no insoles, no protection and it was pouring rain outside. The student, a tall, six-foot 16-year old stood to one side with his head hung low obviously embarrassed.
Kathy said, "Come with me," and they went to a closet with rows of shoes provided by ROC. The student tried on several pairs and finally settled on startlingly white shoes which apparently fit perfectly. He was weeping with his good fortune at finally replacing the shoes which had literally fallen off his feet.
Kathy said she saw him regularly and the student said - and showed her proudly - that he had been keeping the clean white shoes still clean and white even though it was a wet and muddy season.
The Runners of Compassion programs do make a difference in Nanaimo, one person at a time. Best of luck continuing the great work. Bill


o Cedar 12km – The Nanaimo stop on the Island Race Series is the Cedar 12km, which is scheduled for February 11th, 11:00 – Registration details available https://www.vira.bc.ca/upload/docs/3_Cedar_2007_final.pdf If you can help with volunteer duties on race day please contact Ross Palfrey at rosspalfery@shaw.ca

o 4th Annual Kusam Klimb Endurance Event – Saturday June 23rd, 2007 Sayward BC - Picture an endurance challenge where sensory overload from the beauty of the surroundings kills the pain you feel in your body while at the same time fueling you to push on even harder. Imagine yourself surrounded by old growth forest as you scramble up inclines into the alpine to awesome views of the ocean and snow capped mountain peaks. http://www.kusamklimb.ca/index.htm

o Joga4Life Clinic – Starts Wednesday Feb. 21- Wednesday April 18…….(6:00pm - 8:00pm) …..Location: McGirr Elementary……Cost: $100
Goal Runs: Vancouver Sun Run 10km or Sooke 10km - both are April 22 OR Victoria Times Colonist 10km The Clinic: The focus of the clinic is to attract runners that are looking to get to another level in their running. Weekly workouts will focus on speed workouts and Tempo runs. Runner's only need to be able to run at steady state for 40 min.(this means they may not be at the 10km distance just yet...8 weeks will get them there!). They may also be doing 10min.jog/1 min. walk. The intent is to notch it up regardless of where they are at now. Yoga will start with a beginners program with the option to try more challenging poses. The poses are mostly runner focused. Registration forms are at Frontrunners or people can email me btaylor@sd68.bc.ca or phone Bobbie @ 729-3870

o Adventure Racing and Navigation Clinic: This clinic is designed for those wanting to try Adventure Racing for the first time and for those of you that have a couple of races under your belt and now want to start honing your skills in order to have a higher finishing placement. This clinic starts Saturday April 28th and runs every Saturday morning until June 16th. The goal being to have you race ready for the July 7th MOMAR at Shawnigan Lake……………………. Your instructor for this clinic will be Sean Lunny. Sean is a certified personal trainer and a 3 time MOMAR champ. Sean has competed with Team Helly Hanson in major races like the Eco Challenge NAC, Explore Sweden, Raid the North, and most recently in the Raid World Cup as a member of Team Supplier Pipeline………………Over the 8 consecutive Saturday mornings (1.5-2hours each) you will cover all three disciplines that will be thrown at you in any MOMAR - (Kayaking, Mountain Biking and Navigation) with the main emphasis’s being to develop your navigational skills, the place where most MOMAR races are won and lost………………………………….. Sean will teach you how to understand and read a map, how to orientate yourself and your map to your surroundings, how to correctly use a compass, set declination, take a bearing and how to choose the route that will hopefully get you from A to B the quickest. You will also get lots of opportunity to work on improving your technical mountain biking skills and learn how to make trail side repairs. One of the Saturday sessions will include kayaking and instruction on proper paddling technique. (There may be an additional charge for this class)……………………………… This course is very limited in numbers so don’t delay. All clinic members must have their own mountain bike and their own compass (or one per team) For more detailed information please contact Sean at seanlunny@shaw.ca or at 760-0211

Upcoming Races

o Cedar 12k – Feb 11 www.vira.bc.ca/default.aspx?PageID=1002
o Hatley Castle 8k – Feb 25 www.vira.bc.ca/default.aspx?PageID=1002
o Malaspina 5km Run – March 4 www.nanaimo.frontrunners.ca/events/index.php?monthnum=3&year=2007
o Bazan Bay 5k – March 11 www.vira.bc.ca/default.aspx?PageID=1002
o Comox – Half Marathon – March 18 www.vira.bc.ca/default.aspx?PageID=1002
o GutBuster #1 – Royal Roads – March 24 www.gutbustertrailrun.com
o Sunshine Coast April Fools Half Marathon www.foolsrun.com
o Merville 15k – April 1 www.vira.bc.ca/default.aspx?PageID=1002
o Diez Vista 50km Trail Run www.diezvista.itgo.com
o Sooke River 10k – April 15 www.vira.bc.ca/default.aspx?PageID=1002
o Whidbey Island Marathon & Half Marathon – April 15 www.whidbeyislandmarathon.com
o Boston Marathon – April 16 www.bostonmarathon.org/BostonMarathon
o GutBuster # 2 – Mount Tzouhalem (Duncan) – April 21 www.gutbustertrailrun.com
o Port Alberni Paper Chase 10km – April 22nd http://arrowsmithradicalrunners.com
o Vancouver Sun Run – April 22 www.canada.com/vancouversun/sunrun/index.html
o Times Colonist 10km – April 29 www.tc10k.ca
o Elk & Beaver Lake Ultras (50k, 100k, 50miles, 100 miles – May 5 www.pih.bc.ca/elk-beaver-ultra.html
o Vancouver Marathon & Half Marathon – May 6 www.vanmarathon.ca/hm
o Mind over Mountain Adventure Race – Squamish – May 12 www.mindovermountain.com/momar/schedule/momar_001/momar_001.htm
o Oak Bay Half Marathon – May 20 www.peninsularunners.com/events/oakbayhalf.htm
o Victoria International Triathlon – May 26 www.lancewatson.com/VictoriaInternationalHalf-Iron.htm
o Iron Knee 25Km Trail Run – North Vancouver May 27 www.ironknee.ca
o Tender Knee 12km Trail Run – North Vancouver May 27 www.ironknee.ca
o GutBuster #3 – Mt Douglas (ROC Victoria) – June 2 www.gutbustertrailrun.com
o Port Angeles Marathon & Half Marathon – June 10 www.nodm.com
o Edge to Edge Marathon – Tofino to Ucluelet – June 10 www.edgetoedgemarathon.com
o New Balance Half Iron (Norms Race) – Victoria – June 16 www.island-multi-sports.com/Half%20Iron/index.htm
o Scotia Bank Half Marathon & 5K – June 24 www.canadarunningseries.com/svhm
o Mind over Mountain Adventure Race – Shawnigan Lake – July 7 www.mindovermountain.com/momar/schedule/momar_001/momar_001.htm
o Squamish Thunder Trail Race -10k or 16k trail race July 14 www.ironlung.ca
o GutBuster # 4 – Westwood Lake Half – July 15 www.gutbustertrailrun.com
o Iron Lung 10k & 20k trail races North Vancouver August 19th www.ironlung.ca
o Nanaimo Daily News Harbour City Half & 10K Road Race – September 9 www.harbourcityhalf.com
o Run For the Mountain 6k – Westwood Lake – September 22
o Yellow Point Pant & Paddle – September 23rd www.pantandpaddle.net
o Mind over Mountain Adventure Race – Cumberland – Sept 29 www.mindovermountain.com/momar/schedule/momar_001/momar_001.htm
o Haney to Harrison Road Relay & 100k Ultra http://www.bcathletics.org/H2H

Testing Avaiable

Some good feedback and testing available in Courtney.

If anyone is interested in doing LT and VO2 max testing.

We have the crew from peak performance coming over to our clinic on the 17th and 18th to put members of both the running club and the cycling club through the testing. It cost @$135 but apparently worth every penny.

Dave (Dave Nowak [nowak"at"futurewest.ca])

Notes from Bastion Ross: On with the show. This is it.

Dear Bastion

Just three days to go to the Cedar 12 K. It's going to be great. Everything is falling into place for volunteers, but now the hard work is about to begin. Patrick is warming up his vocal chords, the lead cyclists are doing sprints and even as I type I'm placing a couple of hundred or so labels on race bibs so if everybody could please stick out their tongue for a sec and give a good lick on one, it would save my mouth from going completely dry. Equipment and material will be loaded onto a big truck Saturday to be driven out to the Cedar Junior Secondary School on Sunday to be unloaded for the big day. Finishing frames, tents, tables, pots and pans, km signs, water stations, food and drink and much, much more have to be set up. Then it's all up to you people. Volunteers and runners will come together, do some magic and make it truly an event. So here's the deal. All those who haven't volunteered or already filled out a race entry will show up at the aforementioned school on Gould Rd. before 10:00 am and fill out a race entry form in the gym and then run the race. That's all I'm asking. The run will be a good indicator of how good of shape you're in and the food will be fantastic. Volunteers should bring rain gear and a bag to stash it in near them if it doesn't rain, which I'm praying for.

Thanks to the Wednesday night track gang for the champers and cake for my birthday. As I hit the first quarter century of my life, I'm starting to reflect on what is behind and what lies ahead.

One thing I do know is that the next three races of the Island Series, the Hatley Castle 8 K, the Bazan Bay 5 K and the Comox Half Marathon are happening on Feb. 25, March 11 and March 18. Comox is a good training race for the Vancouver Marathon or the Eugene Marathon. The Gutbuster Series is gearing up now and you can get a good price break for a package if you are planning to do all the races. First race is at Royal Roads on March 24. You can get details and online registration in the Events page of the website.

The Malaspina 5 K looks like it will be rescheduled for March. I'll have some details next week but you can get info and forms at Frontrunners.

Thanks,
Ross

Thursday, February 01, 2007

ROC Trail Bits #5-2007

Trail Bits 2007 # 5

If you are reading this email it is because you are a survivor. You have either paid your 2007 membership fees or you have emailed me and convinced me that your membership is actually in the mail. The main thing is you survived the purge.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Runners of Compassion - Nanaimo Chapter and those people that will receive the benefit of your being a member of Runners of Compassion I want to thank you. With each of us paying our membership fees we quickly raised over $ 2000.00……… $ 2,000.00 that will go directly back into your community to help a wide range of people who live in our community that need our help…..Thank you. You will be happy yo know that in the four years that ROC Nanaimo has been in existence we have fund raised and put back over $ 40,000.00 into our community.

The AGM on Saturday was very well attended and in typical ROC tradition 55 people showed up when only 35 of you emailed me back stating you were coming…Oh well the more the merrier. I have attached the minutes from the AGM for you to peruse. The AGM on Saturday saw three new Directors come on to the Board. The new Directors are Charline Sinclair, Janet Oxler and Suanne Watson. These three directors will be replacing Kelly McKee, Lisa Crucil, Ken Jones and Rod Croome. A big thanks to these people for their hard work and support of ROC this past year. I would especially like to thank Kelly, who sat on the Board of Directors of ROC since our inception a number of years ago. Kelly was part of the original group of eight or ten people that met one cold night in the rugby clubhouse to see if there was enough interest informing a Nanaimo Chapter of ROC. Obviously there was! Even though Kelly will not be on the Board, I know he will be around helping out and volunteering at the events we put on. The AGM was also the last official function for the illustrious Lisa Crucil who has stepped down from the board and from being President in order to focus on finishing her Masters degree.

Your Board of Directors for 2007

Charlie Burrell - President

Charline Sinclair – Vice President

Suzanne Watson – Treasurer

Ross Palfrey – Recording Secretary

Dan Brady – Membership & Communication

Bob Patrick – Promotion of ROC

Eric Sundby – Funds Distribution

Janet Oxler – Social events

Derek Riley – Trail Maintenance & Bikes for Tikes

Lisa Crucil – Past President

In next weeks Trail Bits I will give greater details from the Board in regards to what our goals are for 2007. One goal will be to increase our profile in the community and another goal will be to fund more projects. We will need your help with these items.

o Filling the freezer for Natalie and the girls – Anyone can contact Kathy at kgrabher@shaw.ca or 751-8517 if they are interested in making a contribution. I can’t remember who asked for the Fletcher Trust Account information, so here it is for everyone to view. Donations can be made at any branch of the TD Canada Trust Bank; reference Branch 043, account number 6357524

o Gavin Memorial Plaque – last Thursday night a few of us ventured off into the darkness with the goal of mounting the “Gavin Fletcher Memorial Plaque” that Scott Barron did such a great job of making. When you run this weekend you will see that plaque mounted high in one of the trees at the junction of the Baby Head Trail and what we know refer to as Gavin’s Trail. FYI- We ran the GutBuster route from the lake in reverse (not backwards) up to the trail head as this was suppose to be the shortest route in and out, but once at the trail head the spirit of Gavin took over and in his spirit we decided to run the whole 12km GutBuster Route (both ridges) in reverse. No sense running back out over terrain you have already covered once…………I hope Gavin had a good giggle watching us as we climb and tripped our way up and over both ridges in the dark….we did have headlamps!

o Joga4Life Clinic – Starts Wednesday Feb. 21- Wednesday April 18…….(6:00pm - 8:00pm) …..Location: McGirr Elementary……Cost: $100

Goal Runs: Vancouver Sun Run 10km or Sooke 10km - both are April 22 OR Victoria Times Colonist 10km The Clinic: The focus of the clinic is to attract runners that are looking to get to another level in their running. Weekly workouts will focus on speed workouts and Tempo runs. Runner's only need to be able to run at steady state for 40 min.(this means they may not be at the 10km distance just yet...8 weeks will get them there!). They may also be doing 10min.jog/1 min. walk. The intent is to notch it up regardless of where they are at now. Yoga will start with a beginners program with the option to try more challenging poses. The poses are mostly runner focused. Registration forms are at Frontrunners or people can email me btaylor@sd68.bc.ca or phone Bobbie @ 729-3870

o Registration for the Adventure Racing Clinic is now open. Email Sean at seanlunny@shaw.ca to reserve your spot. This will be posted on the MOMAR website next week, so don’t delay. I can guarantee you this clinic will fill up immediately after being posted on the MOMAR site….Watch for exciting news about a Short Course Adventure Race coming to Nanaimo in August. This will be great training for that race as well.

o

This week the run route is weather dependant. IF, the weather stays sunny we will run the original GutBuster Route (both ridges). If the weather turns crappy, we will run the Saddle/Gavin’s Trail. Either way, meet at Westwood for an 8:00am departure.

Upcoming Races

Cedar 12k – Feb 11th

Hatley Castle 8k – Feb 25th

Bazan Bay 5k – March 11th

Comox – Half Marathon – March 18th

GutBuster #1 – Royal Roads – March 24th

Merville 15k – April 1st

Sooke River 10k – April 15th

Whidbey Island Marathon & Half Marathon – April 15th

GutBuster # 2 – Mount Tzouhalem (Duncan) – April 21st

Vancouver Sun Run – April 22nd

Vancouver Marathon & Half Marathon – May 6th

Mind over Mountain Adventure Race – Squamish – May 12th

Oak Bay Half Marathon – May 20th

GutBuster #3 – Mt Douglas (Victoria) – June 2nd

Port Angeles Marathon & Half Marathon – June 10th

New Balance Half Iron – Victoria – June 16th

Scotia Bank Half Marathon & 5K – June 24th

Mind over Mountain Adventure Race – Shawnigan Lake – July 7th

GutBuster # 4 – Westwood Lake Half – July 15th

Nanaimo Daily News Harbour City Half & 10K Road Race – September 9th

Run For the Mountain 6k – Westwood Lake – September 22nd

Mind over Mountain Adventure Race – Cumberland – September 29th