Training Run — Sunday, May 16, 2004
Grouse Mountain to top of Grouse Mountain, 18+ Km
I hope everyone paced themselves well on today’s run. Our route from the base of Grouse to Mountain Highway and up Old Grouse Mountain Highway is a good challenge and a test for how well you know your limits. Remember, the goal with our training runs on Sundays is to teach our bodies to be on the trails first and foremost for extended periods of time. Leave the speedwork and specific conditioning to your other weekly runs and in the end you’ll be healthier and happier.
We had another large turnout for our 8:00 am start. Francine convinced me there were over 50 people by the time we headed out. You’ll notice that we start right on time as best we can because the runs are getting longer and I know many of you have other commitments after training. So I’ll keep up the short preambles and encourage you all to show up a few minutes early.
Weather conditions today were again ideal. And, as predicted, it was chilly as we approached the top of Grouse Mountain. The gloves came out and the extra shirts and coats were donned to keep out the chill factor. Fortunately it was not too windy and in fact I just kept my short sleeve shirt on and just added gloves around the 15 km mark. That was perfect for me.
If you did the run today, you may have seen Ean Jackson and his group returning down the gravel road back toward the top of Mountain Highway. Ean operates Club Fat Ass (www.clubfatass.com) along with his wife Sibylle. If you’re looking for more and some longer challenges, check out their long list of events.
I know that some of our group also returned via the same way we came up or went down the St. Georges Trail. However, most of us took the knarly BCMC trail down, down, down, for a quick trip to our cars from the top. We passed a fair number of people coming up but they were all courteous to stop and let us scoot past them. There are certainly a lot fewer people there than on the Grouse Grind … and did you notice how friendly everyone was too?
Also, you may have noticed I had my new Montrail Leona Divide trail shoes on for their first long run. Montrail is a new sponsor for the Knee Knacker and I can highly recommend their shoes. They have tons of experience with off-road footwear of all types and continue to support the trail running community very well. Visit them at www.montrail.com and try the shoes on at another of our sponsors, North Shore Athletics.
Something I wanted to mention today but forgot was that our Trail Work Party is now scheduled for June 5 at 9:00 am. We are meeting at the Grouse Mountain parking lot and will be doing work in the McKay Creek area. Coffee and treats are provided by Delany’s but please come self-contained with your own water, gloves, and appropriate footwear and clothing for a good and fun workout. In the past we’ve done a variety of projects in various areas of the Baden Powell Trail and I hope you’ll all find a way to contribute either on June 5 or at some time to the upkeep of our amazing trail system.
Next week’s run is The Last Half. We will meet at Deep Cove, Panorama Park, at 8:00 am, and carpool to Cleveland Dam. And in case you haven’t figured it out, we’ll then run the race route from there back to Deep Cove. This is about a 3 to 4 hour run and will let you start to get your mind around what the race will truly be like on July 10. However, keep in mind that the section from Cleveland Dam to Lynn Canyon tends to be quite a grueling test on race day since you will have already gone 24 Km and will be feeling the effects of dehydration and potential heat challenges. This can be a mentally difficult quarter so be thinking about how you will get through the large climb up Grouse. Pacing yourself is the key ingredient.
As always, have fun and take care on the trails. See you next week.
Craig Moore
trainingruns@kneeknacker.com
