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Grouse Mountain to top of Grouse Mountain, 18+ Km
Sunday’s training run was almost perfect. The sun was out, the temperature was comfortable, the company was entertaining, & the route was incredibly scenic. I say “almost perfect” because it was Mother’s Day…& since I was here, I wasn’t affording my lovely wife the leisure of breakfast in bed & some extra shut-eye. Instead, I plunked the kids in front of the TV, set the coffee maker’s auto-timer, & headed out the door. If there was ever incentive to run faster, this was it… Among the 40 or so runners that participated in this day’s run, were several who’d had some very busy training in the prior week. Some had participated in the Vancouver International Marathon, others had been at Elk Beaver doing 50km, 50 miles, or 100km, or Club Fat Ass’ 6-Hour Enduro the day prior. Still, a few had managed a combination of 2 or 3 of the above! After the pre-run briefing we all headed out along the BP, briefly sharing the trail the new season’s Grouse Grinders. I started off the back of the pack & watched as the line of this year’s Knee Knacker hopefuls snaked up, over, & around the trail. The group really had a sinuous movement as the line would compress & expand depending on the topography. Within 20 minutes, runners had pulled apart enough to form small groups. As I caught up to people, it seemed that the conversation revolved around snow conditions higher on the trail. Craig had scouted out much of the trail earlier in the week, but nobody was positive as to where the snowline started. So far, the BP was dry & fast. Arriving at the junction to Old Mountain Highway, I found a group of 6 runners around the watering hole as they got ready for “just one more climb”…albeit 10km & 3000’ of a hill! Most people had paired up for this last section. Although it is virtually impossible to get lost on this gravel access road, running with a partner is a good idea…if not for safety in numbers (remember that we are in black bear country), than to relieve the boredom of the climb (where was Jackson when you really need a good story??!!!). I was training on heart rate, so I motored up at a consistent pace & turned on my MP3 player. It was still early in the morning so there weren’t a whole lotta other people on the road up, but once in a while there would be another group of runners or some mountain bikers (which 4 of us runners got a kick out of passing). At the 6th switchback I was moving along at a comfortable clip, when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye…Scott Riddell had caught up to me after leaving the parking lot 10 minutes late! It was welcome company & we slogged out the final km’s to the top. We reached the snow just past the quarry, but the mountain staff had cleared the road…it was an odd sensation to run on a perfect path while the snow on either side was piled 3’ high. We caught up to Harvey Nelson who was wearing his usual smile as he ran the upper part of Fromme Mountain. After we had rounded the pass that links Grouse to Fromme, another runner caught up to us. We had passed her earlier on, but she seemed to have gauged her effort more efficiently as she passed us effortlessly. The switchbacks came faster & as usual, I lost count & expected the final straightaway to be around the next one. It wasn’t. Eventually we hit the straightaway to the Cut & that’s where the snow began…not bad. Some runners were already heading down the same route via St George’s trail. Scott & I picked up the pace for a final push through the oatmeal/snow to catch up with one final group of runners. It was a great climb since we had managed to run the entire thing without walk breaks. I was feeling pretty smug…having caught up to the venerable Bill Dagg at the very end after giving him that generous lead (wink)…until I found out that he had just run 53km the day before!! Geez! Just when you think yer da shiz… So here we were at the top. Several people opted for the tram ride down, while some of us decided that a downhill was in order. The BCMC trail was covered in snow for the first few hundred meters, but it quickly dried out as the hill steepened. The downhill blast was an adrenaline rush after all that climbing, but this was not the place for mis-steps. Focus…focus…focus… just as important as the physical training, is the mental edge on these long runs. It seems that most of the sprains & injuries happen at the end of the longer runs when we let our guard down. Still…I found my heart rate elevated to 170 & my quads were fried at the bottom. Several runners were already at the parking lot & lounging in the sun. What a perfect day! Almost…now I had to zip back home to assume Dad duties. Next week’s run will require a wee bit of coordination since our Start & Finish positions will be different. We will be meeting promptly at 8:00am in Deep Cove at Panorama Park & we will carpool to Cleveland Dam. Because of this coordination issue, I ask that everybody be ready to leave Deep Cove by 8:05! We will save the pre-race briefing for Cleveland Dam. I hope everyone had a great run last Sunday. Remember to eat well, rest those achey parts, get out & do a little bit of speed or hill work (or both), & be ready for another great long run this Sunday.
Glenn Pacé
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