Category: Salomon

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Race Recap: 5 Peaks Mount Seymour

To close out racing season, I had the choice of doing this 5 Peaks Race, or maybe another SwimRun at Lake Sassamat. The latter was tempting from a multisport adventure point of view, but we have a lot of loyalty and history with 5 Peaks as a family, so we opted for the former.

I found they had added a hiker’s division, which let’s people enjoy the marked, marshalled course without regard to timing or competition. So for the first time, my wife would be participating in the event, instead of just cheerleading – I desperately wanted her to be able to enjoy herself, so I went out and bought some poles from Mountain Equipment Co-op. I was also running in a brand new pair of Salomon SpeedCross that I was excited about.

The Lightning Kid would be running the 3 km timed kids run.

The race was sponsored by RunGo, a Canadian developed runners’ app. My wife and I downloaded it and used it to see each other’s progress. The race courses were also pre-loaded so that you could get turn-by-turn directions. Unfortunately, when installing I denied it the recommended permissions because I’m cautious about these kinds of things, and that ruined its ability to track my progress during the race. I’ll be doing a full post about RunGo in the near future.

My race started (even with me seeding myself in the 3rd wave) before either of them made it back, but I did see them during my first few hundred metres. It started with going up some of the ski slopes, but quickly turned into very narrow forest trails that demanded a walking pace at best. While I started at the back, during the initial climb my ‘slow but steady wins the race’ approach allowed me to pass a few people for a while.

Once I got into the middle parts of the course, I was delighted by finding little ponds and lakes – I had to stop for selfies, and I wasn’t the only one.

Not my best work. I didn’t take multiple tries.

There were times I had to slow down to yield to hikers that were there for the day; the race course was not closed to the public. The volunteers were always super friendly and cheerful, which makes for a nice day out even when you start to get tired.

Courtesy of @javelinomedia

When I got directed onto the road, I knew I was nearly done. I figured I’d just follow it into the parking lot and descend to the finish line – Nope! There was another bushwhacky climb before I was able to see the Lightning Kid who loves to accompany me across the finish line.

So my first Enduro course was a success; I noted there was a ‘Grit’ 14 km distance – maybe that’ll be my goal for next year.

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Gear Corner: Reviewing the Salomon XT Wings 10-3 Hydration Pack

While running, I’ve most often handled my hydration needs with a belt and large water bottle. I’ve had two different belts (from Running Room and the North Face) both with large bottles in a diagonal holster, both are fairly good products.

Some of the challenges I faced:
1.) Not enough liquid stored: Whether it was for longer efforts, or in hotter weather,or simply because all the colds I seemed to catch this off-season redirect any fluids towards snot/phlegm production – I seem to need more water than a bottle can provide.

2.) Pockets: So many running shorts and pants lack pockets, and though a running belt will usually have space for keys or a wallet, a gear-head like me always has storage needs that are hard to meet. I bring my Blackberry, sometimes an iPod, sometimes even an extra camera (for blogging or whatever). I also need my keys, my work security card when I’m doing lunchtime workouts… it’s always something.

3.) Dynamic motion: I speculated that the sloshing and jostling makes it uncomfortable going over rougher terrain during trail runs and/or Burbathlon. I’d prefer things to be as integrated into the normal shape of my body as possible; a bottle bulging out over my butt can feel unnatural.

After a little research, I selected a Salomon hydration pack; they seemed to get good reviews and I’m already a big fan of their shoes and cross-country ski gear. I selected the XT Wings because it’s more like a vest than a backpack (satisfying criteria #3). It had enough pockets to keep me happy, too.

I bought the Medium size as it was the only one the store had left, and I wanted to ensure a snug fit so that it would really wear more like a vest than a pack.  I bought a Camelbak reservoir to insert into it.

Installed properly, the reservoir hose goes up under the arm with the nozzle secured in the right-hand strap, near the top of the chest.  This makes for easy access; I like my nozzle as it’s sealed when not in use, to get it to open, all it takes is a little bite.  Water doesn’t taste the greatest coming out of the rubber reservoir, but that’s more of a Camelbak problem than a Salomon one.  There’s also the problem that the first sip (from the water in the hose) is cool and refreshing, while the next is warm and tepid (probably because it’s come from the bag being warmed by my back).

I’ve been able to make good use of the pockets storing my Blackberry, keys, camera (and even a tripod!).  That’s just using the front pockets.  If I used the large pouch on the back, I could have a waterproof shell, or goodness knows what else.

My only real beef with the XT Wings 10-3 is that the zipper doesn’t stay completely closed.  My chest seems to be bursting out.  Much as I like doing Superman impressions, I’d rather the darn thing stay closed.  It’s possible that the next size up would have been better, but like I said, I wanted a snug, functional fit.

I don’t regret the purchase, and I’ve gotten good use of it so far.  If I end up going longer (runs or rides) or expanding into more off-road/adventure type events, I’m sure I’ll like having it even more.