Coach Jen

The journey has been a great one. Half a year ago, I decided to go full throttle ahead with coaching full time and really submerge myself it in. For many years, I only wanted to keep my "challenge by choice" business small. Trying to juggle my own training schedule with working a full time other job and all the demands of life, I wasn't able to handle too many clients. However.....after many requests and some very persistent people, I took some time this past winter to really analyze the direction I was going and the things that were important to me. I decided that coaching/training/conditioning others was something that I really enjoyed and got excited about. Why? Because most people I coach are stoked about some goal that they have set. They are driven to get there, excited about their journey and are ready to push above and beyond their own limitations, to challenge themselves in ways they at one point in time may have thought not possible. This is extremely motivating for me as well. I believe that life is about overcoming challenges, embracing new experiences and not putting off until tomorrow what you could go after today. I LOVE love love, to see people set goals and then embark on the journey to get there.

Coaching for me is like a puzzle, trying to design the BEST program that I can for each person with their individual goals, strengths, weaknesses and time available to train. I enjoy the personal relationships that I get to develop with each of them and when it comes time for race day, I tell ya, I think I am equally as nervous as they get!! I can't wait for Sunday's race reports to roll in and to hear the stories. My clients make me laugh, cry and overwhelm me with a sense of pride.....just getting to share in a piece of their path is amazing. I thank them for allowing me and trusting me to provide guidance, share my experiences and help them along the way.

So CHEERS to all of my clients and athletes who have chosen to challenge by choice! I can't think of a better job to have..........

A Hard to Top Friday......SUP4coffee

Still not sure how we managed to get a group of 11 people together on a Friday morning (does know one work???) to paddle from Nexun Beach to Brittania at 7am. Howe Sound was in mint condition - sunny skies, no wind, flat water. Norm and I were joined by a good crew from our SUP classes/lessons/drop-ins and we figured it was time to paddle to a destination. What better place then an ending location where hot coffee is available - ummmmm Britannia Beach - Galileo.

Everyone enjoyed a warm morning paddle on the SUP's and we got some great pics. We will be making this a regular event so make sure you check the website for all things SUP. Oh and an FYI note, the group was back for 10am and those who decided to work, still had the day ahead to do so (ya right:)

SUP racing in Vernon

1st annual Kalamalka Classic

Seeing that the summer has not exactly hit Squamish yet, Norm and I loaded up the car with some boards on Friday and took off to Vernon for the weekend. Apparently our timing couldn't have been better as we arrived to the hot and sunny interior on their first day of "good weather" as well. We stayed up on Silver Star Mountain with friends Sheila and Mike and enjoyed the quiet mountain resort this time of year.

Kevin and Michelle from OKSUP were hosting the 1st SUP Kalamalka Classic weekend of SUPing. Although a small crowd, the sport is definetly growing and paddlers from around BC and WA made the trip to Vernon to take part. Things got underway Saturday morning with the Kaloya Crossover - a 5km sprint race that had a 200m board carry through a park at the 3km mark. Good times despite not having a race board. As we've learned with this sport, equipment is everything. All boards have their purpose - some are good cruisers, other better for expeditions and then there is the fast and sleek race boards. Vow to self - get a race board!! Lina took first place and I grabbed 2nd. Cool with me, I've hardly been paddling and was really lacking paddling fitness. It was a great high intensity hammer fest. I hit the lake after for a water run/swim before we enjoyed an evening BBQ with all the other racers.

I awoke Sunday morning with a super sore upper back. Hmmmm, I wonder why. We geared up for the 10mile downwinder, a longer race from one end of Kalamalka to the other. No wind was to be found on race day so this ended up being a 2hr20min ish grind! Can't complain though, at least there was no headwind. I worked hard for the entire time to move my "tanker" through the water. It was great training and I arrived once again at the finish in 2nd place with an exhausted core and upper body. Norm also finished 2nd in both races, loosing to Bo from WA who races 24/7 and has an incredibly slick race board.

Great weekend. Got a tan. Got to SUP with some intensity and paddle a new lake. Met lots of great people. Feel super motivated to get training again on my board and hit a few more races this year.

1st Annual Women's CAMP in Tofino

What a weekend we just had! It has been my dream for several years now to get a women's training camp weekend in Tofino off the ground and rolling! I was ecstatic to finally make this a reality this past weekend. 6 amazing women from around BC were in attendance and I can't thank them enough for committing to this 1st annual event. Interest from across Canada has already begun and I'm sure next year we will see somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 woman making their way out to the west coast next June.

We kicked started Friday with a run on Uclulet's Wild Pacific Trail - awesome coastal running! After check in at Tofino's Long Beach Lodge (cheers to 5 star accommodations right on Cox Bay in our luxury cabins) the ladies participated in a bare foot running/technique development session on the sands. A salmon BBQ and beach fire (complete with S'mores) rounded out the day.

Saturday at 7:45am we hit the beach and with ultra low tides we were able to link Cox Bay right through Rosie's and onto Chestermans!! In all my years of coming to Tofino I have never been able to access Rosie's beach and see the caves that are there! This was amazing and can only be passed through for about 3 days of the year. A delicious breakfast overlooking the beach followed and then the group headed to Grice Bay for a SUP Paddlefit class with Norm and I. Hot and sunny, everyone worked hard and had a great time on the stand-up boards. And what better way to end a hard workout then with a yoga session! Oh yes, Natalie from Pacific Elements Yoga took us through a great strengthen and lengthen class. After some relaxing back on the beach, the group enjoyed a fantastic dinner inside the lodge's dining room. I ended the evening by sharing with the group the latest release of the Vancouver Island Quest video (thank you kindly 1iOpenProductions).

Sunday morning, some of us enjoyed another beach/outdoor conditioning workout while others chose to race in the Edge2Edge 1/2 marathon in Uclulet or focus on some photography! We enjoyed another private yoga session and some time exploring the town of Tofino before saying our goodbyes and heading to the ferry!!!

THANK YOU ladies for a wonderful weekend. I can't wait to have you all back there next year. THANK YOU to our camp sponsors Salomon, Udo's Oil and SOLE for the goody bags for the ladies. THANK YOU to Natalie for 2 great yoga sessions and the biggest THANK YOU to Norm to putting up with the "ladies" for the weekend, cooking our amazing salmon BBQ dinner, building campfires and introducing everyone to the sport of SUP.

See everyone soon, same place, same time in 2011!!!!!

Suunto T6

I've now had a few weeks to play with the newest addition to my training tools, Suunto's T6c watch. I've been using their watches for many years now and I can testify to the quality and durability of them. To be even more specific, I purchased my first one back in 2000 while living in Whistler teaching snowboarding and it continues to work like a charm today (and I've only replaced the battery 1x.) My AR team nuun Sport Multi have been long time users as well.

I'm now having fun familiarizing myself with the T6c. Initial thought that made me very happy: the HR monitor picks up instantly!!! This is huge for me as I can't stand having to go and wet the sensors of other chest straps in order to trigger a signal. I'm not a "techy" person when it comes to computers and electronics. I like things to "just work" and not give me a headache. Suunto's products hence fit the bill :)

If you haven't looked at the Suunto watches before, I highly recommend you do. They are user friendly and perfect for all us outdoor runners, bikers, trekkers, paddlers and adventurists. I'm using the watch in conjunction with the foot pod. Here are the key features that I am currently playing around with:

- altimeter (for hill and altitude performance)

- speed, distance and cadence (for bike or run)

- caloric measurements

- compatibility and easy downloading to my Mac

I'm also just starting to get connected with Suunto's online training log at www.movescount.com

If you are looking to invest in a quality piece of equipment to help you with your goals, then the Suunto watch deserves some attention - long time leaders in the industry and trusted by people around the world for supplying necessary data in an easy to access format.

Happy Training......

Rainier to Ruston 50km

After a great week of visiting with family and teaching lots of SUP and outdoor conditioning classes, Norm and I hit the road early on Friday morning for the border. ZERO delays and we were through and on our way to Tony's for breakfast and coffee. With no agenda but non-stop rain, we passed on SUPing in the Bellingham area and made our way down to West Seattle where we caught up with Erik from 1iOpenProductions who is working around the clock right now to get my Vancouver Island Quest video finished for it's showing this month. We then ate a fabulous restaurant with our friends Cathy and Michael (who was fresh off from guiding an Everest expedition) and enjoyed some good catching up and stories. Eventually, we rolled into a state park near Mt.Rainier to set up camp for the night and relax!

Saturday morning it was bluebird skies as we drove the 25mins to the start line of the annual Rainier to Ruston Rail Trail Relay. I had my coffee and some grub from Trader Joe's and with no stress walked to the start line for a 10am go. The views of Mt.Rainier were incredible!! Too bad that I would be running from there and towards the ocean town of Ruston. I had signed up for the 50miler but with a bit of an aggravated right foot, I cut it to the 50km. However the 50miler and relay runners had already set out at 7:30am that morning so I knew it was only time until we all crossed paths somewhere soon.

Talk about a course that doesn't favor me one single bit! 40 of the 50km were all paved as we followed an old rail way bed, can you say FLAT!!! The other 10km was dirt path but very awkward and slow to move on due to some lake size puddles that had formed. However, it was just about getting some mileage in so I took it in stride and enjoyed running away from traffic but with lots of entertainment from all the passing by cyclists and other runners. My music was on (but I am SO DONE with whats on my i-pod - HELP) and I cruised. I didn't see too many other racers out there. From the start, I had a 50miler runner in my sites who was moving so that held my attention for the first 25km or so. Steady 14km/hr pace, I was careful to not push above this just for the sake of going faster. My right foot acted up a bit but surprisingly enough, the left achilles felt GREAT!!! Somewhere around 32km I passed the 50miler guy when he hit the wall hard! I knew his pain and encouraged him and his pacers onwards. Over the next 18km I had to stay focused on staying on the correct route as we worked our way into the industrial areas and eventually down to the busy waterfront in Ruston. I lost a good 15mins of time from 32 to 39km as I chose to bushwack through thick grass instead of going up to the road (wasn't sure if we were allowed there or not). Norm and the monkey kept me fed and hydrated at each aid station, my salomon compression socks worked like a charm and I was stoked to finally be down to a tank top and my Ryders sunglasses for a race this year!!!

Final result - 1st place overall (50km)

Overall, I enjoyed the race. If road is your thing, I highly recommend this race for next year! The crew that puts it on are fabulous and really welcoming. You won't see too many inclines along the way so it's a great way to tune up that leg turnover! Oh and I almost forgot....every time you hit an aid station (and there are lots of them) you get to ring the bell as you run through the tressel!

Now it's time to re-focus back in Squamish. This weekend is my first annual (can I say that??) hosting of a women's trail running and conditioning camp in Tofino!!! The weather looks great and I'm stoked to hit the west coast. Ray and I are working hard on my training program for some upcoming races and I will have to give a bit extra attention to this right foot new issue as well.

Congrats goes out as well to so many clients who just killed it at their races this weekend. Kyle my rockstar AR athlete took 1st place in Virginia at a 24hr with his team and Linda from Whistler did incredible in the Oliver 1/2 Ironman. Shannon and Tammy both had great weekends past at the 25km IronKnee in North Vancouver. I gotta say, I'm loving coaching so many wonderful and dedicated people. You all motivate me so much and I can't wait until those Sunday night race reports arrive in my inbox!! Thank you for allowing me to apart of YOUR journey!

Adventure onwards.......