Training Run – June 13, 2010
Well…the weekend started off promising enough…seasonally warm & sunny, unlike the past…oh….6 weeks!!! Even the pre-run car shuttle in Deep Cove had everyone ready for a warm & sunny training run. Unfortunately, once we arrived at the start of our run….Cypress Mountain’s cross country ski area…there was a heavy mist falling from the sky. This has got to be the wettest training year on record! Although the sky didn’t completely let loose, the drizzle was enough to send a few of the early arrivals on their way. The remaining 45 runners waited a few more minutes for directions & tips & were off…..off to Deep Cove.
The rain didn’t last all that long, & the temperatures were actually very comfortable. We made our way down the Hollyburn Chute & into Cleveland Dam within an hour & it seemed that the group was moving at a very comfortable pace….Nancy Greene Way looked eerily similar to race day as a long line of runners made their way up towards the trail.
I managed to hang out with August for quite awhile & we chatted about various adventure runs on the West Coast & in Europe…eventually I had to let him go as I felt that I needed to slow down & he sped up. Although he won’t be racing the Knee Knacker this year, you should keep an eye on this seasoned veteran…his climbing ability is almost effortless…as his sub-6 hour PR proves.
Race day is very different from a training run in many ways. Today, I had the luxury (or excuse) of stopping & chatting with a variety of people that were also on the trail. Some of you may have seen a fellow in a green jersey running the opposite direction on the Fromme section of the trail….it was 10 time finisher Rick Arikado. We caught up for a few minutes….turns out he was in the middle of one of his training staples….what he calls the “Two Bridge Run”. He starts at home in Kits, runs over 2nd Narrows, then up to LSCR & onto the Baden Powell, where he pops out at Grouse, & then over Lions Gate bridge via the Capilano Pacific.to home.
I turned back towards Deep Cove & plodded along…admittedly somewhat sluggish still….not sure why, but August seemed to think it was remnants of the Juan de Fuca trail 2 weeks prior. I’m not sure what it is, but I found it ironic that I had mentioned the importance of recovery in my last post. A group gathered as we made our way through Lynn Creek & eventually up the Seymour Grind. The sun had started to show itself & life on the trail was good. Although that last climb is a bit of a brute, I take some solace in knowing that there is a great downhill towards the finish (despite those nasty climbs in the last 2 1/2km). As I closed in on the final 10 minutes of the course, I saw Sue heading back out….”just going back to Grouse”, she said. !!!! Another Fat Dog 100 hopeful in mid-training.
No sooner had I made into Panorama Park among many others of our group, than 1st time hopeful Christian finished as well. We rested for a short while & chatted with the group, before heading back out to retrieve his car. I managed to make it home in time to get ready for a birthday party for twenty-four 13 year olds….if the running doesn’t kill me, it’ll be something else!
I’d like to throw out a special thanks to all for cooperating in making the car shuttles possible. We wouldn’t be able to do this kind of training without the coordination of the group.
Rod will be coordinating next 2 week’s training run as I am involved in the 24 Hour Relay this week, & the following week I’ll be enjoying the 34 degree heat of Squaw Valley as I have the honor of pacing a friend at the Western States 100.
Have fun!
Glenn Pace
