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One of my challenges(resolutions) this year is to participate in as many races (trail, snowshoe, adventure and mountain biking) as I can. I’ve tried to do this in years past and had a lot of fun doing it but it’s not quite . as fun when your placing is getting higher and higher as the year goes on. They should be getting lower as you train become a better racer. My biggest problem is sticking to my training. There are too many interesting things to do every day like sleep, that a lot of the time I shrug off training like it’s taking out the garbage.

That will end this year.

So far I’ve run 3 of my 5 times a week. I know it’s not much but it’s a start. Baby steps here, folks. The difference is that I’m really excited to get up in the morning to go for a run. It is the reason I want to get out of bed. How did I do that? What changed?

I did.

It’s all in your head, whether you make the decision to run or not. If I want to run, I run. If I don’t want to run, I don’t. I’ve given myself strong reasons to run and, yes, I have to give myself a little pep talk before I get out in the rain and wind to pound the pavement but so far that hasn’t been a problem. Hit every point on the list below and you can run whenever you want.

Make it a priority

This was a big one for me. What is most the most important thing in the world to me? More important than my job, my home, my car or my bike? My health. Health and fitness go hand in hand, if you are not very fit, you are not as healthy as you could be. I was treating it as an afterthought, something that could be done at the end of the day if I could squeeze it in if I had the energy. Not any more. My fitness is the #1 priority to me now. Now I get up at 6, go for a run and I’m happy for the rest of the day because I know I’m getting healthier, I’m getting fitter and everything else falls into place.

Set a schedule

Get a calendar. Write down the days you are going to run. And run those days. It is that simple(just don’t tell your brain that). Don’t run too much. Don’t run too little. Never, EVER question the calendar you’ve made. If it says run, you run. Schedule around that calendar. If you’re sick as a dog and can’t walk up the stairs, maybe make an exception. Aside from that stick to the calendar. It’ll be come a habit you’ll never have to think about again.

Have a routine

If you don’t have a routine, every morning is going to be different. It will be hard. You’ll have to get up and think about what you’re doing. If at least the first half of your morning activities are just plain habit, you won’t have to do any thinking until you’re awake. Better yet, make that habit the whole part of your morning and you won’t have to wake up and start thinking until it’s over.

Don’t look outside

You look outside, you won’t want to go out there. Don’t look until you’re already out there and don’t turn back. It doesn’t matter weather it’s sunny, raining, or windy, you should still run. My grade 10 gym teacher always said it builds character to run in the rain. After almost 10 years of running since that, I finally know what he means.

Get some good gear

If you complain about running every time you try, step back and take a reality check. There could be one of three problems.

One: you actually really don’t like running and you should take up a different hobby or sport.

Two: You should try a different running time. My favorite is in the morning. My fitness is the most important thing to me so it happens first.

And Three: Your gear sucks and it makes you really uncomfortable when it’s cold, wet or windy. Solution? Get better gear. There are so many better options out there than cotton t’s and sweat pants. I tend to run in OR Softshell pants, Icebreaker Tops and a light rain jacket. If it’s warm, I’ll be in my favorite shorts and a polypropelene shirt. I highly recommend the Icebreaker clothing. Try and make it smell, go ahead, I dare you. Can’t stand the wool feel? Put it over polyproplene.

Swing those arms

The first thing I tend to do when I get tired is move my arms less. This is the last thing you should do. Your arms keep the momentum going, keep your body moving. When all else false, keep those arms moving.

Rock out with your **** out

Obviously I means ‘arms’, right? In other words, get some good music and rock to it while you run. I find there is nothing more motivating than listening that your favorite song while you’re ripping up the trails.

Don’t die

If you get hit by a car, you’re running career is over. Heck, you might be over. Where something bright and reflective so people can see you. Most people are just as asleep in the morning as you are except they’re trying to operate a motor vehicle. Pay attention to the vehicles and assume they don’t see you. Better to chill and screw up your pace than to try and slow the car down with your head.

Be the biggest loser

My friend, David recommends watching the show The Biggest Loser for some motivation towards your fitness goals. I say BE the biggest loser. Make a contest with your friends. Everyone put 50 bucks in, do a weigh-in, and 4-6 months down the road see who has lost the highest percentage of weight. Works wonders to have some competition.

Comment Rules: Have you tried running in the morning? Do you still run in the morning? When is your favorite time to run?

5. A popular post from 2008 about Playing in the Snow on Green Mountain

4. Lorne’s report about the Snow Cave at Century Sam Lake

3. Erik’s review of the 2009 Cumberland Momar

2. Trip Report from the hike to the Canso Bomber Crash Site in Tofino

1. 2010 Vancouver Island Event Calendar

I’m totally stoked about adventuring and writing next year. Stay tuned for reports on more awesome adventures. Happy New Years!

2007 Snow to Surf

2010 will be, as every hear has been, full of awesome events all over Vancouver Island.

Make sure you check back to this page as it will get better and better every month! I’ll be adding to it whenever I hear about a new awesome event. If you’ve got one for a different area let us know!

If you know of any that aren’t on this list, email us at pureoutside [at] gmail.com or head over to the contact page!

January

1st – Bastion Running Club New Years Run and Dip, Nanaimo

10th – Prairie Inn Pioneer 10k, Saanichton (Island Series)

11th – 15th – Kokanee Winterfest at Mount Washington

24th - Cobble Hill 10k, Cobble Hill (Island Series)

30th – Mount Washinton Yeti Snowshoe Race, Mount Washington

February

7th – Cedar 12k, Cedar (Island Series)

21st – Hatley Castle 8k, Colwood (Island Series)

21st - Historic Half Marathon, 10k and 5k, Fort Langley

27th – Mount Seymour Yeti Snowshoe Race, Vancouver

March

7 – Bazan Bay 5k, Sydney (Island Series)

14 -Victoria XC #1 Mountain Bike Race (Vancouver Island MB Races Series)

21 – Comox Valley 1/2 Marathon, Courtenay (Island Series)

28 – Victoria Populaire Road Ride by BC Randonnuers 50/100k, Victoria

April

2 – Fletcher’s Challenge 12k Trail Run and 6k Family Walk, Nanaimo (Trail Run)

4 – Merville 15k, Merville (Island Series) (Road Run)

10 – Tour of the Cowichan Valley 200k by BC Randonneurs (Road Ride)

11 – “Eau de Hell” Week 300k by BC Randonneurs, Chemainus (Road Ride)

13 – “Eau de Hell” Week 400k by BC Randonneurs, Chemainus (Road Ride)

15 - “Eau de Hell” Week 600k by BC Randonneurs, Chemainus (Road Ride)

18 – Sook River 10k, Sooke (Island Series) (Road Run)

24 – The Hills are Alive 300k by BC Randonneurs, Victoria (Road Ride)

25 – Comox Valley Snow to Surf, Courtenay (Multi Sport Relay)

25 – Times Colonist 10k, Victoria ( Road Run)

May

9- Sooke Spring Sprint Triathlon, Sooke ( Triathlon)

15 – Highway to Hell 400k, by BC Randonneurs, Victoria (Road Ride)

15, 16 Vancouver Island Paddlefest, Ladysmith (Paddling Exhibition)

29 – 600 km by BC Randonneurs, Victoria (Road Ride)

30 – New Balance Triathlon, Shawnigan Lake ( Triathlon)

30 – Gutbuster 2 Westwood Lake, Nanaimo (Trail Run)

June

5 – The Great Walk 63 k, Gold River to Tahsis

5 – Upsy Downsy 1000 (Diablo’s Triple 1000 Mini Series) by BC Randonneurs, Victoria (Road Ride)

9 – Eureka 1000 (Diablo’s Triple 1000 Mini Series) by BC Randonneurs, Victoria (Road Ride)

13 – Hare & Toroise 1000 (Diablo’s Triple 1000 Mini Series) by BC Randonneurs, Victoria (Road Ride)

13 – Edge to Edge Marathon, Half Marathon and Relay, Tofino

19 – Kusam Klimb , Sayward

20 – New Balance Triathlon, Victoria

July

21 – 25 Vanisle 1200k by BC Randonneurs, Victoria (Road Ride)

August

8th - New Balance Triathlon, Sooke

21 – Tour of Nanaimo & Cowichan Valleys 200k by BC Randonneurs, Nanaimo ( Road Ride)

September

12 – Fall Isle-Lander 200k by BC Randonneurs, Victoria (Road Ride)

October

10th – Royal Victoria Marathon, Half Marathon and 8k, Victoria

30th – Westwood Lake Relay, Nanaimo

No Date Set Yet

Gutbuster Trail Runs

Harbour City Half Marathon and 10k

Momar Adventure Race

More Info

Bastion Running Club

Possibly

Sala Hantle Africa Walk and Fun Run, Elk Lake, Victoria

If you liked this post make sure you check out Island Adventurer as well. Island Adventurer will be promote the best of Vancouver Island’s trails and events. Pureoutside will be focusing on general fitness, outdoors, and the rest of the world!

I’m an hour and a half into a 2 hour ascent to Century Sam Lake near the Comox Glacier.

A bead of sweat runs off my forehead and down my nose. I’m doubled over leaning on my hiking poles. My heart is hammering and my lungs are wheezing like an old vacuum. I’m thinking “Holy Crap, this is a steep hike”. I check my GPS, more to give myself a few more seconds rest than anything, but it’s given up the ghost claiming ‘no satellite reception’. Looking around at the steep and towering mountains surrounding me I guess I’m not surprised it can’t get a signal.

Glancing up the trail I see the smiling face of my dog, Chase. He loves this sort of thing and seems to draw a special smug satisfaction in staring down on me from up the trail silently saying “come on….lets go…what’s the hold up?” Ya, ya, ya…I’m coming. If I had his power to weight ratio, 4 wheel drive and built in crampons I’d be way up there too. If the smug little bugger comes any closer I’m going to grab his tail and make him haul me up the mountain!

For the 10th time I wonder how I managed to be here, in my own personal 9 km of vertical pain. It didn’t look this ugly on Google Earth!

The idea for this trip started several days ago. Reading a blog on the Vancouver Island Spine trail lead me to their website. There I saw a photo of some people hiking up near Forbidden Plateau. Thinking this looked like a very pleasant way to spend a day I did a little research on Google which lead me to post about the Century Sam Lake trail with some gorgeous photos. Making this destination even more intriguing was talk of snow caves in a small glacier at the end of the lake…how could I pass that up? A bit work on Google Earth and Fugawi Navigator and I had some tracks laid into the GPS. I was up early on Sunday morning and off to adventure.

A quick hour drive brought me off the Island Highway near Courtenay and onto the North side of Comox Lake. I was half expecting to be turned away by the guard at the gate but there was no sign of anyone. After a 20 minute teeth-rattling-bone-jarring-kick-the-crap-out-of-my-truck- haven’t-you-guys-ever-heard-of-a-Grader-stupid-rough-ride, the road turned away from the lake up Cruickshank Canyon and got smoother. Another half hour and I was at the trailhead. Most of the road would be fine in a 2wd but the last km was deactivated and heavily ditched so it was pretty well 4wd territory only.

By this time I was almost an hour into the bush and had only passed one other vehicle, heading out (not a good sign). Parking the truck and strapping on my hiking and photography gear I was feeling a little alone, wondering perhaps if it was such a good idea to be so far in by myself. The feeling was short lived, however, when I walked over a rise in the road and discover a number of other trucks at the trail head.

After my painful 2 hour ascent through mostly dense bush, I emerged out on rock outcropping near the lake….wow! The place was drop dead gorgeous! Towering peaks under a clear blue sky enclosed a beautiful aqua-marine lake fed by a small glacier. Fall colors provided contrast to the predominantly blue and green scene. Ascent pain forgotten, all I could think of is how lucky I was to have such a unique and beautiful place available on a day hike.

I made my way past the lake to reach my true destination…the snow cave. The glacier sits in a pocket of the surrounding mountains. It was high noon and yet I was standing in shadow at the mouth of the cave. Could it be true…had I finally found that most mythical of places…‘where the sun don’t shine’…funny, this wasn’t how I’d pictured it.

The glacier has a large cave hollowed out in it, presumably made by snow melt. As I entered the cave I heard a large, heavy sounding ‘thunk’. A small warning to keep an eye overhead perhaps? A couple of quick pictures and I got out of there. I had no desire to be some future anthropologists ‘20th Century Man’ a few centuries from now. On my way back out I couldn’t resist the temptation to walk on the glacier….bad idea. I hadn’t gone 4 steps before I was on my arse sliding back down. Momma, your boy’s going to be sore tomorrow!

A glance at my watch let me know that it was time to head back down. An hour later my shaky legs finally brought me back to my truck and the trip home. From front door to glacier and home again in time for dinner….you have to love Vancouver Island!

Gear for this trip:

GPS:  nice to have but not essential.  The trail is well marked but the GPS was very useful in sorting out which logging roads to take in.

Hiking Poles: almost essential.  This trail has only 2 states: up or down.

Camera:  essential.  How could you not take pictures of a place this gorgeous?  For this trip I carried an SLR body, 10-22mm, 24-105mm and 70-200mm lenses but ended up only using the 10-22mm.  A tripod would be nice since many photo ops in the bush and in the snow cave have low lighting.

Hiking Boots:  nice but not essential for when I went (Oct 4).  The trail was pretty dry reflecting the recent weather so there was only a couple of muddy places.  However, if the weather has been wet I could envision this trail being very muddy.

Travel Times:
Nanaimo to Trail Head: 2 hrs
Ascent to Century Sam Lake: 2 hrs (less if you are fit)
Descent from lake: 1 hr

Links of Interest:
Other photos by Tim Penney
Directions to the trail head. This links describes how to get the the Comox Glacier Trail but the trail heads are the same.

My Flickr site.

If you’re familiar with my work at the Squamish MOMAR you’ll know that while I vowed to always participate in the MOMAR’s from then on, I had a lot to learn about training, strategy and racing in general.  It was therefore with great trepidation that I made the trip to the Comox Valley to participate in the 2009 Cumberland MOMAR last weekend.  This particular race commands a large amount of respect; I’ve never spoken with a past competitor who hasn’t raved about the killer mountain biking, beautiful kayaking, lung destroying ascents or crazy afterparty.  I’d been hoping to experience this course first hand for many years now and finally ran out of excuses not to.  I had competed in the Squamish race, had the offer of a partner and my knee was feeling good.  This is my story:

My friend Helen and I spent about a month going on bi-weekly training rides and even went for a run before we registered for the race.  We had the intention of ramping up the training for the final couple weeks prior to the race.  Then, continuing on the tradition of the FUBAR Squamish race, immediately after I officially registered I hurt my knee.  Ironically, the very reason I felt as though I could do the race was that I hadn’t re-injured my knee in quite some time.  Initially, I wasn’t worried; this had happened before and I recovered quickly.  I figured I could lay off the high impact training for a while, get on the road bike to keep up strength and fitness then walk into the Cumby race all rested and ready, fit as a fiddle.

While this plan worked out well in theory, my knee injury coincided perfectly with my birthday which meant lots of beers and lots of cakes.  Yes, cakes with an s; I ate several of them over the course of the next week.  I didn’t get on the bike once.  Despite this total lack of physical activity and knee functionality I continued to plan for the race and made an agreement with my boss to borrow a demo kayak from the store.  I booked a room in a beautiful hostel on Comox Lake and examined maps from past races to hone my navigational skills.  My still painful knee (and excessive birthday-related caloric intake) was weighing heavily on my mind.  I was troubled with the decision I knew lay ahead: do I do the smart thing and cancel in order to save my knee or do I race, not knowing what kind of damage I risked.  I booked appointments with my doctor, physio and athletic therapist hoping that they would make the decision easy by making it for me.  Unfortunately for me, my knee injury isn’t serious or complete enough to justify special treatment (it’s a compression injury, nothing is torn, simply compressed and therefore painful) but it’s not minor enough to ignore.  They left the decision up to me but worded it in such a way that I felt kind of guilty when I decided to race irregardless.

I finally got on my road bike and discovered that riding in the saddle was fine, but for some reason as soon as I left the saddle going up a hill or sprinting my knee began to hurt.  Luckily there’s no hills in MOMAR’s hey…

If you have never heard of the Vancouver Island Spine Trail, you’re in for a nice surprise. The proposed 700km trail from the north tip of Vancouver Island, is getting geared up for some major action. Some of the trail utilizes current trail system but there is still a lot to be done. This is the progress report for September 9 2009. You can find out more on the website, vispine.ca

Vancouver Island “Spine” Trail Association is now constituted as a registered non profit society. VISTA is now happy to receive support of interested persons, and membership is $20 cash or cheque (or PayPal soon on our website) that entitles you to receive the progress reports, to vote at the AGMs for 2010, and to brag about your support!

Snail Mail: VISTA, 325 Irving Road, Victoria, BC, V8S4A1

VI Spine trail will be part of “Hike BC” network, the B.C. wing of the National Hiking Trail. We’ve applied for Federal tax free status. Our trail association, VISTA, has an active Board of Directors:

Gil Parker, retired engineer/writer, President

Bill Feyrer, retired engineer, Treasurer

Robie Macdonald, oceanographer, Director

Ray Parks, CEO Provincial Capitol Commission, Director

Peter Berrang, retired businessman, Director

As a result of media reports, we have had a tremendous response to our concept and volunteers offering assistance in several specific areas.

We have a committed Task Force with active representatives up and down the Island.

Don Watmough, ex CRD planner, Victoria We also have several helpful

Robert Gunn, president AVOC, Port Alberni consultants and volunteers

Ken Rodonets, president CDMC, Courtenay along the route of the Spine.

Tak Ogasawara, Campbell River

Jerry Davidson, Port Hardy

Positive Steps:

All hiking clubs have been contacted. The Spine has been endorsed by many clubs and regional and municipal institutions. See our website.

Jen Segger of “Challenge by Choice”, outdoor athlete extraordinaire, has just run and cycled the length of Vancouver Island in four days. We expect a hiker to take about a month!! While her route is different from that of the Spine, many parts are the same. Jen promoted our VI Spine in her radio interviews and on her website. Thanks, Jen!

All regional districts have been contacted and these liaisons will be continued. Meetings in Victoria have resulted in endorsement by the CRD Parks Committee. A presentation to the Association of Vancouver Island Coastal Communities-AVICC resulted in expanded communication with Port Alberni officials, and with mayors from other Island centers.

Meetings are scheduled this fall with Capitol Region and Cowichan Valley Region to expedite the southern portion of the Spine (actually the long-incomplete Trans Canada Trail from Langford to Shawnigan Lake) for a probable start of construction in 2010.

A recent announcement of $450,000 from ICET provincial funds will allow the section from Headquarters Bay on the Alberni Canal to proceed east to Francis Lake. In general, the trail planning is following the (1913) historic Canadian Northern Pacific Railway from Victoria to Port Alberni, still quite visible along the Canal south of Port Alberni.

VISTA is working with the Kwakutl nation in Port Hardy to assist in their funded study of the route from Port Hardy to Shushartie Bay. We are still trying to decide on a simple system of field coordinates and mapping to permit definitive mapping of the route, a system that all sections can utilize.

Next Tasks for VI Spine

In addition to the on-going activities (above), VISTA will focus on completing a brochure and revising the website to give a more complete virtual tour of the VI Spine.

Continue and expand contacts with RDs, especially with their planning of recreational trails. Through the RDs, make contact with timber companies. We need to eventually secure occupiers’ licenses for our trails. VISTA expects a meeting with MOTCAs Island representatives at an early date. (This Ministry was responsible for the BC Trail Strategy in 2009, and they are the lead administrative organ for trails on Crown land.)

The on-the-ground work of locating the VI Spine has been hampered this summer by road closures due to fire hazard and for other reasons. As much as possible in fall and winter, we will continue with our trail crews for route identification and location.

Our major media event in the near future will be a Torch Relay (or with something more appropriate to hiking, maybe a Backpack Relay). Probably in the spring or early summer we hope to have individuals and clubs (hikers, service clubs, schools), hike the route of the VI Spine as near as possible to the proposed route, the complete length of the Island. We won’t do it in four days, like Jen Segger, but more likely a month, with many media events en route.

VISTA will begin serious PR and fund-raising work. So far, all the press that we have received has been initiated by the media.

The VISTA Board is open to your ideas!

What if you lived in a city that offered you exactly what you wanted in your outside sanctuary? Senden Blackwood, a climber from Australia, does exactly that and is having a fantastic time. I caught up with Senden while I was in Australia to see how he was doing.

Climbing at the Grotto

Where do you currently call home?

Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, N.S.W. Australia.

Where would you like to call home?

Actually Katoomba is satisfying all my current needs. It’s nestled in amongst beautiful National Parks which house some of the best (sandstone) cliffs for climbing in Australia, as well as canyons and bushwalks. It contains the whole gamut of personality types, which results in a fantastic melting pot of possibilities. It’s small so as to encourage community but large enough to allow a certain level of anonymity

What do you love doing most outside?

Climbing with friends.

Senden at Point Perpendicular, Australia

How did you get into it?

Pulling on plastic in city climbing gyms. Just trying out something new, I guess. I found that my mind and body responded well to the challenge of gravity.

Why do you like it?

I love the gymnastics of climbing, the pure movement separated from thought. It can be quite meditative at times. I’ve also found a great sense of community and mateship in climbing. It’s awesome to spend a day scaling a cliff with friends, overlooking beautiful places, sharing lunch on a ledge in really unlikely places. I also love the challenge and the fear though, you certainly know you’re alive sometimes… I also love climbing because it balances my body. I carve stone sculptures so climbing helps to strengthen my opposing muscles. Check out www.sendenblackwood.com.

Where is your favorite place to climb?

Mount Arapiles in Western Victoria, (Australia) is a mecca for trad climbers. The rock is superb, the setting is beautiful and the climbing is perfect. I could easily live in my van in the campground if I didn’t have other things I also wanted to do…

Bouldering in the Arapiles www.davebatemanphoto.com

What would be your perfect day?

In terms of climbing, my perfect day might constitute a long multipitch trad climb with a good friend on a cool, calm day. I love climbing with my partner Laura. We’re so familiar with each other’s processes and limitations. We know when to encourage, when to stay quiet and when to move. So yeah, maybe a few pitches with her followed by dinner with friends and a music gig to wind down…

Senden’s latest projects can be found at www.sendenblackwood.com

And so the Pureoutside search for the Awesome Athletes of the World begins.

In trying to find motivation for myself and others to get outside and do the coolest things in the world, I found myself wondering where all those awesome people out there do what they do it and why they do it.

In our new series, Awesome Athletes of the World, we’ll bring you interviews from people across the globe kicking ass and taking names in whatever they do outside be it climbing, snowboarding, running, kiteboarding or mountain biking.

If you want to be featured on Pureoutside or if you have any questions or athletes that you’d like to be added to our list, shoot us an email at pureoutside [at] gmail [dot] com!

Make sure you check back in the next few days for our first featured athlete: Senden Blackwood.

On Tuesday last week I re-injured my knee pretty badly playing ultimate.  It has happened a few times over the past couple years and this time has given me cause to think back to all the times I’ve hurt it to see if there’s some kind of avoidable pattern.  While I haven’t come up with any pattern yet, I did think of the time I first injured it: