Italy Race Newspaper Brief

This just came out in the Squamish Chief this week. I know it says it in there but just to say it again - "THANK YOU everyone for all your words of encouragement and support. You've made a DNF a little easier to swallow."

I will Adventure Onwards.........

Mojave Desert Hot Times

So perhaps not one of my smartest planning moves to date, I’ve crammed the calendar a little too much. I returned from Italy last Friday night feeling down in the dumps, frustrated and pretty low. However, there was little time for self pity, I had another race to get to and I had to focus on maximizing my recovery. Since getting off the course in Europe, I went right to my compression socks, feet up and elevated. Hydration, good food, pumping the elecrolytes, Udo’s Oil and just eating LOADS of fruits and veggies, most of which through various VEGA products that I had stocked my car with. Cat picked me up in LA and took good care of me. Saturday morning she gave me an early B-day present to the spa where I enjoyed a full leg flush! I think it worked wonders – THANK YOU CAT – so appreciated. Then it was onto a full day of driving towards Vegas and Bolder City to meet up with my DART nuun Multi-Sport team to prepare for the Desert Winds Adventure Race.

I arrived into Nevada feeling pretty good I gotta say. My lungs were still flemmy and I had the cough but overall, the leg swelling was controlled and energy levels w

ere increasing rapidly (I credit that 100% to the food.) It was nice to be back in Bolder City, the race HQ, right in the heart of the Mojave Desert. We spent Saturday and Sunday preparing for the race and overall, it was pretty low stress. Team Bones was in attendance and we knew this would be our biggest competition – great crew of people who were going to make us work. And sure enough…….that is exactly what happened.

The race started at 8pm on Saturday night despite a whole fiasco of encounters with park rangers who were determined to stop the race. I will re-cap how this race went.:

100km Run/Trek - crazy foot section that involved slot canyons, rappelling and pack rafting. This leg took us about 24hrs to complete.

160km Bike – epic!!!! Super hot to start, loads of climbing, I wanted to die! Night came, temperatures cooled and we went into like a 6hr climb – moving at approximately 2km/hr – ouch!!!!

38km Run/Trek – feet destroyed, this was hilly and hot!! Huge canyon descent, wide open high desert and into a 6km pack raft section.

80km Canoe – 4 of us in 1 canoe!! HA – it was epic! 2 of my team mates we would drop on land to go up and over and down canyons and then the other 2 of us would paddle around and pick up!

How did it end? Well, we were back and forth with Team Bones the entire race!! We saw them lots, we passed them, they passed us. After a mandatory stop and some unusual race situations, it came down to a sprint to the wire in the canoe after 4 days of racing!! This was the most intense finish that we have EVER had in an expedition adventure race. Hard to believe but we crossed the line 48 seconds ahead of them!!!!! It was awesome!!!!

But………we decided in the end to call it a tie – we both would take 1^st place. There were just too many things that happened on the race course (that I won’t go into detail about) as to why we agreed on this. It was great to have that team out there – it kept us all moving forward, focused and competitive. This was an extremely difficult course, worthy of being a world championship event! Congrats to all the teams and to Druce and Robert for putting on such a great event!

As for my health, I say I felt about 75% out there. I struggled a bit in the heat but I think the fact that we got about 7 hours of so helped (ha – ya that sounds low but usually we get way less J. It was great to race with my team mates and friends – always lots of laughs on the course. Lungs are feeling as good as they can I suppose. I was lucky that this race was warm and although we hit some altitude, it wasn’t too cold being desert and all

I now find myself back up in Lake Tahoe, crewing for Norm at a SUP race and then headed out to the coast for a few days. I may or may not be Spain bound for world champs, YTBD in just a few days. Lots on my plate right now with a major project launch which I look forward to sharing with you soon. Have I taken on tooo much lately? Hell ya. Will I get through it? I’ll do my best……..

Adventure Onwards………..

DNF - A first time for everything

Bit of hard one to write about as you can imagine. Let me begin by thanking everyone so much for all your support for this race, both pre and post. The notes and emails that I continue to receive has been a bit overwhelming. I had no idea how many people were following this Italian epic that I chose to undertake, I hope you enjoyed the progress as much as I enjoyed the pain J

The story goes like this………

My original race calendar this year had me racing in Bolivia at a multi day staged TCC race. With the cancellation of that race plus my achilles issues during the summer, I needed to replace some runs and get back out there. This race caught my attention many months ago – it looked like pure adventure, a huge beast to tackle. When the opportunity from Salomon came up to participate, how could I resist. I had never been to Italy and so true to my reason for racing, this would be a great way to see the Alps!

Fair enough, the Aosta region did not disappoint. I can see what makes Chamonix so famous, Mont Blanc so spectacular. These are HUGE mountains, rugged, majestic and extremely difficult. The trails systems is complex and so unique. Hut to hut you can run/hike, drop down into villages, re-supply and then continue on your way.

It was a dream come true for the event organizers to put on this race so a huge congratulations to them. They had designed a 330km circuit that would start and finish in Courmayeur. 7 sections that we would tackle non-stop, sleep when we wanted to and thus control our own pace. Sleep deprivation and strategy was the name of the game for the Tour des Geants and I was stoked to be on the start line of the very first one.

So, I arrived to Italy and realized instantly that this was going to be the toughest challenge that I had ever faced. It was like the Hardrock of Ultras x 2. We would climb over 2,700m approx 25 times. Each ascent was followed almost equally with a descent of the same distance. To sum it up, this race had NO flats, it was UP or DOWN or UP or DOWN! You do the math – it was a hell of a lot of climbing. It was relying on your quadriceps to not fail you and to not blow them out early in the race either.

The race began Sunday morning at 10am. Italian enthusiasm in the town square was so awesome! These people love to cheer! Oh and lets not forget to mention, there was over 1,200 volunteers to support us 350 runners – HOW COOL IS THAT!!!!!! Almost immediately from the start, we were into climb #1. I took the lead for the women to start but at about 2hrs in, my fellow Salomon team mate Julia from Germany passed as did Corrine from Italy. I let them go and just settled into my own pace. This was not a race where staying on someone’s heels would be critical. I was content to just move steady, eat and hydrate. Now most of the race becomes a blurr to be honest. There were so many climbs, checkpoints, great views for photo’s and converstations with other racers in broke down English or French. Weather was great, never super hot just perfect for regulating body temperature. I was using trekking poles too and this helped my achilles significantly. I had no issues with it on the race course. I just paid close attention to it on all those climbs and used the guide step to go up.

For the 3 first sections I drifted between 2^nd and 4^th place. Us ladies were ever only about 1.5hrs apart. I was content with my positioning and pace. Now here is where I think I ran into issues. During stage 3, we hit one summit at around 3,300m (approx 10,000ft) and it was clear skies, freezing temperatures and snow on the ground. I was in shorts and short sleeve with just my jacket over top. I climbed this mountain through the early morning hours and hit the top around 5am. I was frozen the entire time. Ann-Marie had fallen asleep on the trail (she would eventually go onto win the race for the females) and as I went by her, she woke up and tagged on. Fine I thought, still along way too go. We then descended together, and I realized “yikes”, these women know how to hammer the downhill’s! I was impressed!

After hours of descending, we reached the town at the bottom. Ann-Marie decided to sleep an I decided to go on in order to maximize daylight hours. Off I went and 30mins out of the base, I went into what felt like a full on heart attack! My heart was pumping, and I couldn’t breathe. Each step upwards was pure pain, like someone was tightening a rope around my chest. I thought it was asthma and so super slowly, pressed on. Ann Marie passed me easily as I crawled my way up. I slept at the next hut and upon laying down horizontally, I began to choke up dark green flem from so deep in my stomach. I couldn’t control the coughs. They were deep and they hurt.

And that is how the rest of my race went. I finished section 3, went onto section 4 and 5 and just really took it easy and slow on the UPS. Any sleeps were matched with coughing and wheezing. At the end of 5 I saw a doctor who advised me to not go on. I struggled with this. I was sitting in 3^rd position. I knew that I had given 100% butI had not give 110% as I always promise to do. Bruce Grant from Canada had caught up at this point and he could see I was in trouble. He said he would stay with me and I could use his inhaler. So with that, on we went into section 6, chatting and moving steady but slowly. As night came and the cold set in and the rain came and we went high again, I began to really think that I was doing damage. I couldn’t breathe! With hours to think about it, I decided to make the call and quit.

However, I still had 8hrs to hike out to a place where I could finish! It was a long 8hrs and I quietly ran with my Belgium friend Cedric and Bruce. I was battling inside my head as to quit or not, and pretty much, how sucky this was!!!! I was loving every moment of Italy. I was racing MY race, doing everything right and really just having a great time! I couldn’t believe that Italy would end like this. I felt like I was letting everyone down. So many people back home following, Salomon and all my friends and family who believed in me so much. This is the hardest thing to wrap my head around.

I know that I made a good choice to end my race. I had given it 100%, it was just not my race to be had. I am recovering well now and feeling good. I will re-look at how I handle elevation combined with cold for future races and adventures so that this does not happen again! Congrats to everyone who started the race and to those who finished – awesome!!!!!

Thank you all for SO much support!!!!! It means more to me than I can explain. I learned a lot from this experience, perhaps even more had I finished! I DNF’d in a beautiful place, I had a great time, I will be BACK FOR MORE ADVENTURES!!!!!!

Last Minute Gear Items

One of my favorite things to do during any multi-day race is to brush my teeth, makes the hurt seem so much better (kinda like putting on a new pair of socks.) So I jetted over to the "pharmacia" and this is what I ended up with. However, thought I was also buying gum, turns out thats not what it is. Ooops. And this is for sure not organic stuff but being that I couldn't read the labels, I'm probably lucky that I actually got toothpaste.

I will be carrying water in my bladder and then a bottle that I will alternate between VEGA sport (acai flavor) and nuun everytime I fill up.

For the most part, all my food will be real. No gels, no bars. Apparently all the major TA's on course will have bread, cheese and meat! Hmmmm......a little different then we North American's are used to! I have lots of dried fruit, nuts, VEGA bars, oatmeal, cookies and some trader joe salty things packed in my TA bag.

We went to race check-in today and all I can say is that it is SO much easier than an adventure race! Anyways, time to get down to business and get'er done......thank you everyone for your support! Will do my best!

This link should get you right to the leader board and then just hit refresh:

http://lnx.courmayeurtrailers.it/cronometraggio_2010_tdg/situazione_gara_utente_87.php

Adventure Onwards.........

Italy Race Prep

Smooth sailings for getting to Italy. Despite that I had somehow managed to book an illegal sequence of connecting flights (thanks aeroplan points), I made my 45min connection in Montreal barely and arrived to Geneva, Switzerland right on time. Greg from Salomon (our global team manager) was there to meet me and we headed to Chamnoix for a little tour, a little lunch and a great view of Mont Blanc. Stunning!!! It was then through the Tunnel de Mont Blanc (in which I fell asleep) and onto Courmayeur. After checking in to the hotel, Dan Probst and I headed out for an easy 40min run through the streets of the village. Great way to stretch the legs and enjoy the sunshine. Pizza dinner, a huge stomach ache and it was off to bed for a solid 11hrs.

I awoke feeling fantastic this morning, energized and alert. We went through our gear and then headed into the village for last minute things like a sim card for my phone and the mandatory "cup" that we had to carry. After lunch, one more run along the river to the next town over, some coaching online and a coffee in town. We ran into all the North American runners (I think there are about 12 of us in total) which was more than I expected. Dinner tonight was a great salad and a panini (ahh yes, much better.)

So, the race gets underway on Sunday morning at 10am. The live tracking should be really good. This is the same race organizers as the UTMB so lets hope for good course markings. The terrain is either up or down, no flats. My motto - "just keep moving forward." The mountains continue to amaze me, they are so vertical, so rugged!!! I can only imagine what they will be like from the top as we follow the trail around the Aosta Valley.

Enjoy a few pictures!

Tour des Geants - only days away......

It's great to finally be at home for a weekend. Although life has been extremely busy, I'm still looking forward to 3 more epics to round out this calendar year. By Thursday afternoon this coming week, I will find myself landing in Geneva, Switzerland. From there, it's onto Italy to participate in the Tour des Geants, a 330km non-stop ultra in the Valle d'Aosta! I'm so excited to participate in this inaugural event and to see the Alps. I was sold on it the day I caught wind of the promo trailer. I haven't raced or visited too much of Europe so I thought that this race would be an incredible way to see Italy. In addition, my race schedule completely fell apart on me as I tried to heal the achilles. Planning and preparing for this race has kept my motivation level high.....yes, I'm eager to hit the trails.

Athletes from around the world will be in attendance! I'm hoping to improve my French while on the race course and maybe pick up a word or two of Italian. This event suits me probably more than any other race that I have attended yet. I love the fact that it is all single track, long in duration and non-stop and I will have to rely on me pushing me. My years of sleep deprivation practice will hopefully serve me well as each competitor plans their own sleep/rest strategy. I will spend some time looking at the maps while I travel to decide on my plan of attack. I'm prepared to suffer however, I think the scenery surrounding me for 3 days will keep me humble, awake and in awe. My inspiration to push through when things get tough will be my new little niece Ela. She has turned over a new leaf for me through her entry into the world! She is strong and amazing. Ela Bella, the Tour des Geants is for you!!!!!

You will be able to follow the race live via this link: www.tordesgeants.it/tordesgeants/index.php/eng/

Back to the gear prep. I demo'd a new pair Ryders glasses during this mornings run which I think will work great. I'm still undecided between the Salomon Speedcross or the S-Lab for my choice of shoes and will most likely have a pair in my gear drop bag in case I need to change it up. Will be using SOLE socks and I'm charging up my Light & Motion "stella" so that I have super bright lights through the night section. I'm not sure on the weather just yet but will probably go with salomon's compression 3/4 tight and the Minim Paclite Jacket. Undecided on which pack to carry so I will throw a few in and decide upon arrival. Food will be a mix of VEGA products with a good mix of "real food" as it is accessible.

I will continue to post from Italy before we get going!! In the mean time, I hope everyone enjoys the month of September - it is by far my most favorite time of the year to be out on the trails. Goodluck to all sea to sky locals who are hitting the "month of pain" - so many great races to choose from. Adventure onwards.........

Great Bear Rainforest Expedition

I felt very fortunate to be apart of the 1st North American SUP expedition ever! Norm asked me to co-guide with him and together with 5 paddling clients,we headed back up north for a week of play in the most amazing and pristine environment ever. With 2 days of travel on each end of the trip, we enjoyed 5 days on the SUP's, touring around, interactingwith wildlife, other boaters and residents, exploring inlets and estuaries, watching the beginnings of the salmon run, viewing spirit bear cubs, looking for wolves and eating fresh salmon. Essentially, we just took it all in and enjoyed every minute of the trip! Here are a few pics I wanted to share but I think between the 7 of us, there must be several thousand. We plan to run 2 trips next year and space is filling fast already. If seeing the GBR is on your life's wish list, consider doing it via SUP with MountainSurfAdventures next year. Norm also did a blog post for the expedition and included some great pictures along with the daily itinerary.

Cornwall Inlet Longhouse (night #1 accommodations)
Cornwall Inlet on day #2 UNREAL sea life!
Sea Lion Rock Rookery Accommodations for nights 2 - 4. Cameron Cove.

Flip Flop the Comfy Way

2 weeks ago I had very similar discussions with a few people in regards to achilles tendonitis and another person suffering with shin splints. One thing that really helped me along this summer with the stress fracture was making sure that I was always in a supportive and cushioned shoe to minimize impact during daily movement. Funny because I seam to spend most of my days in my runners but of course, it's also flip flop/sandal, hot weather season. With that said, I can't recommend enough the SOLE flip-flop. Super comfortable, they feel amazing. Why is it that we tend to spend tons of money on purchasing great runners for our athletics but then go and buy the $10 flip-flop to walk around in all day? It doesn't really make sense. I fell in love with the SOLE flip flops a few years ago and continue to swear by them. My crew was wearing them throughout Badwater a few years back (and yes, running in them in 55 degrees on pavement from time to time as they crewed.) I know lots of my athletes have already grabbed a pair and are loving them! Send me your SOLE flip-flop stories and tell me why you love'em. I'm keen to hear. Happy flip-flopping.......