As I was quick to find out while trying to train and stay in shape, living in British Columbia means hills. Going up them, going down them. Many people have heard of the Grouse Grind which is a trail that takes you up Grouse Mountain (rather than taking the gondola).
I haven’t done that one yet, but there is also the Abby Grind in Abbotsford, which is more convenient, since Abbotsford is where I live. I’ve wanted to tackle this one for a while but I waited till I didn’t have the Cultus Lake Triathlon on the horizon. This weekend was my chance, especially since the weather was nice and dry.
The trail starts off steep, which is good preparation for what is to come. There are few flat or even gradual stretches to give you relief from climbing. And don’t count on stairs or ladders to make things easier either. There were times I don’t think I made more than 10 feet of elevation progress before I wanted to catch my breath. I did appreciate the signs marking the 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 marks.
Progress Markers
There’s at least one good lookout before the top, but I think it was before the 1/4 mark, so there’s plenty of time to wish you were at the top.
There were plenty of people of all ages, shapes and sizes making their way up and down the trail, so that’s encouraging to anyone who wants to try it; one just has to take one’s time. There aren’t a lot of markers to reassure you that you’re going the right way, but the trail is always obvious, and the right way is to go is up. Eventually of course, you’re treated to the glory of making it to the top and enjoying the view.
Going down seems easier at first, but I slipped a few times in the dust. I avoided falling on my butt, however my recovery was probably more dangerous since I ended up correcting by taking some steps forward onto uncertain footing and could have pitched downhill. I thought I spent roughly an hour going up and a half hour coming back down, but Strava makes it look like it was roughly equal time in each direction. I’d like to repeat the challenge again in a few months or maybe the new year.
Well, the first weekend of May was a busy one. We stayed in downtown Vancouver while my eldest went to a gymnastics competition on the Saturday, then a training camp on the Sunday. The Lightning Kid had an ultrasound at BC Children’s hospital, then on Sunday he auditioned (successfully!) for Vancouver Kids Fashion Week.
My big adventure was probably the Canaqua Sports MudSkipper Swim Run “Ice Cracker” Try It” event.
So, swimruns are events where you swim with shoes on and exit the water and start running immediately, without a transition of any kind. Everything you need for swimming or running must be on your body. I’ve been curious about this for a while, and I got so curious that I bought a pair of Solomon tech amphibians in anticipation of the event, after having tried to do a little swimming with a pair of Vibram Barefoot shoes – that attempt did not seem promising. The purchase was made in a bout of stress-related retail therapy, but sometimes buying something will prompt you into taking the plunge into a new venture so you can retroactively justify the purchase.
Swimrun seemed like a natural fit for me, since it’s an outdoor multisport endurance event, and it even takes out the biking from triathlon, which is probably my least favourite discipline. The Ice Cracker event was the first of the season and promised the coldest water temperatures, but since I play around with cold plunges and cold therapy and I have a killer wetsuit, I was less intimidated by that part.
What I was intimidated by was the technical aspects and the overall distance. Most of the events are described in total distance, so how much of it is swimming and how much is running seemed to be up in the air. The “try-It” event was a great idea for me, because it would give me a taste of it without me putting in too much extra training time to get up to swims more than 1km.
Due to the Vancouver Marathon occurring that same morning, we had some trouble navigating our way out of Vancouver, and when we got to Belcarra Regional Park, we couldn’t find the race site. Luckily, Chris the on-site race director was available and responsive by text, so we found ourselves at the race site with a small number of brave souls, many of whom were there for a pure open-water swim race (no running).
The pre-race briefing made it clear that it would be a 900m swim followed by a 2.6km run around Lake Sassamat for the total of 3.5km. I would rather that swim had been broken into 2 legs of 450m with a run between them because I think that represents the swimrun experience better, especially at higher levels (the other swimrun events were 6.5 and 13km) and also because I wasn’t confident about finishing 900m at a respectable pace.
The longer swimruns went in the first waves, whereas the Try-It athletes started with the open-water swimmers. I have to say, swimming with shoes is like torture. It’s common for swimrun athletes to use a pull-buoy and hand paddles (this is legal) so that their legs are inactive but floating while they get extra pull from the hand paddles. My wetsuit always ensures my lower body is floating, and I didn’t like the idea of the extra strain on my shoulders by using hand paddles for the whole race – I only train with them for 100-200m at a time. You’re also responsible for carrying everything with you on the run, so I didn’t want to do that.
The swim course was triangular with the leg to the first buoy probably being well over half the total distance. Nowhere did I feel slower due to the drag of the shoes than going around the buoys. The open water swimmers had left us way behind, but I thought I was in second of the swimrun athletes doing the Try-It Course. It was a beautiful day, and the water temperature had been reported at 16.5 degrees Celsius. I was worried about my hands getting cold, but I hadn’t thought about my face! I stopped noticing the cold, or got warmed up after 200-300m.
When I reached the swim exit, there were no other swimmers exiting the water, so I gently clambered over the rocks to the trail. One of the volunteers warned me about “swim brain,” and sure enough, I felt a little off-balance on my first few steps. Once that cleared, I was on my way. The Techamphibians did fine on the trail, which was gravel in parts, but in others, a regular hiking trail with roots, rocks, etc. I had tested them out on a short run or two beforehand. Swimming with them counts as breaking the “nothing new on race day rule”, but the upper mesh ensured water drained out so I wasn’t sloshing around as I ran. They felt almost like sandals, but slightly more supportive. I did notice a lack of cushioning when I went over the cement “Float Walk” that spans the southern tip of the lake (people use it to fish off of), but for trail-running, they are reasonably suitable – overall, I’m pretty happy with my purchase.
I had taken off my swim cap and held it in my hand to stay cool, and I unzipped the back of my wetsuit, but I was reluctant to take off the top part for cooling, as that’s not what a swimrun athlete would do if they had another swim leg to look forward to. I think managing your pace to not overheat might be a fundamental part of the sport, at least if you wear a wetsuit. I felt the heat the most when exposed to the sun on the Float Walk. Eventually, I did take off the top part of the suit, not only for cooling, but my arm was itching something awful.
When I had rounded most of the lake and saw a beach, I thought I was done, but it turns out there are two beaches, so I did have to gut it out a little further.
I only got passed once on foot, which was by a bone-dry couple out on a fun/training run, not part of the Swimrun. So at the end I figured I had finished second. Not so, I was second last.
I’m a little unsure if I want to pursue this sport further. I have to get up to longer distances in both swim and run anyway, so maybe it’ll make sense to try a longer one that will expose me to the ins and outs (literally, in and out of the water) of swimrun.
I’ve sung the praises of the Etobicoke Creek Trail many times in this space. I use it for running, burbathlon, mountain biking and access to Centennial Park. It even figures largely into my route when I bike to work. When it was announced last spring that they would be doing some major construction to pave it, I should have been happy. I steered clear for the period of the construction, and like this blog, I wasn’t being that active anyway.
When I was reminded that the construction was scheduled to end in the spring of 2018, I decided to take an exploratory run. Where the trail begins from Fleetwood Park it has become a paved trail, which I have mixed feelings about. I guess it’ll be safer for bikes, and cleaner, but the gravel was appealing to give an off-road, in-forest experience very close to home.
I guess the good news is that this would give me a paved path to Centennial Park, and when I want to bike to work, I could connect to Eglinton Avenue, where they have expanded and improved a separate bike path. That means I could take a road bike which is lighter and faster than the commuter bike I’ve been using to avoid flat tires caused by gravel on this path and in my traverse of Centennial Park.
A little further up (i.e. going North) the trail there used to be a part that was not traversable by bike; you’d have to dismount and walk your bike past roots and stumps, etc. I always liked this part because it offered a great challenge to navigate and was good training for the coordination needed for off-road running. It looks like this part has been made more accessible by creating a smooth path by the creek shoreline.
After that, it used to be a gravel path all the way to Eglinton Avenue. It actually still is, but the construction seems to be intended to widen the trail, and its made a real ‘moonscape’ of the area.
The trail’s access to/from Eglinton is still closed due to construction, so I guess there may still be work to be done to improve the look of this stretch of the trail (photos were taken March 24th). Still, I feel a sense of loss, because I know running or riding this trail won’t be like the way it used to be. I have a lot of good memories from the trail the way it was – many of which have been captured in this space. I can only be hopeful that the end result will continue to make this an enjoyable space; the best case scenario is that the changes make it more accessible to more people, and help people be active and even aid in ecologically friendly transportation.
Has ‘progress’ destroyed/altered one of your favourite green spaces?
After missing the Albion Hills event in July, and no events in August, everyone was glad to see the return of 5 Peaks to the Heart Lake Conservation Area in September. And what a September! The summer heat came in late, and everyone needed to prepare.
The kids 3k timed race starts first. As a ‘Trail Crew Leader’ and slowpoke, it made sense for me to bring up the rear in case of stragglers. I spoke with another volunteer who helped sweep and learned that not only was the race centred around a different site within the park but naturally the course had been altered from previous years. That meant my favourite hill, which I always climbed like Spider-Man wouldn’t be there. Oh well, the heat would make it plenty challenging.
Dig the hat.
Photo courtesy of Sue Sitki Photography
The Kids course was an out and back, and I encountered Shark Boy a little later than I expected. He had the company of one of our Trail Crew Leaders, and I found out later that there were tears at the finish line due to an encroaching headache. It seems his late nights in competitive gymnastics catch up with him. A little more water and he was good to help his brother in the 1k fun run.
The Lightning Kid has been getting faster and faster on his feet but he also likes to use those feet to dance with Buffy.
As I had mentioned, Shark Boy got his second wind and wanted to keep his brother company. The Lightning Kid didn’t mind a big brother chaperone but dismissed his mother from the job. Apparently, he took a little spill but the community spirit at 5 Peaks is always huge, and he ended up picking up an adult guardian anyway.
For my part, the new Sport Course provided lots of shade, so I didn’t feel the heat too badly, and there were some nice views of Heart Lake along the way. I’m pretty proud of the cruising pace I maintained, though I forgot to stop my Endomondo app for tracking. My paces varied between 6:20/km to 7:16/km.
Courtesy of Sue Sitki Photography
The final race of the season is at the Kortright Conservation Area on October 28th. If you live in the area, consider signing yourself, your friends and your little ones up! Use the code ‘IRONROGUE’ when registering.
Well, the summer is almost over, I guess I should break the radio silence. I had previously recapped the 2 Kids’ Triathlons we did this summer, now it’s time to tackle our favourite trail races.
The season started at the Terra Cotta Conservation Area. This April race tends to have cooler weather, but on this particular day, I think we’d had some of the nicer weather of the Spring season. It was also my first race as an official Trail Crew Leader, so while I was nervous about fulfilling duties, it was exciting to deepen my connections with the 5 Peaks community, especially those excellent people who help make these races so fun.
Shark Boy did very well for himself and got himself all the way to the podium for the 3 km Kids Timed event; I think the concepts of pacing yourself and racing strategy (which at his age is mostly not looking behind yourself too much) might be getting through to him.
The Lightning Kid participated in the 1 km fun run, which he might think is some kind of parade considering how much he likes to ham it up for the crowds.
I hadn’t gotten a lot of running training in during the winter months so I limited myself to the Sport Course (5.4 km). Not only did I have a lot of fun (with a back of the pack finish time) but I got the sweet convertible running gloves to take home.
The Rattlesnake Point race took place in June, and I have to say the highly technical clambering involved on that course makes it one of my favourites. Of course, I did commit to the difficulty of the Enduro Course – at 12.7 km it is well over double the distance of the Sport Course on the same day (and most other races) – so I had plenty of time to rethink my decision on the trail…
But first, let me talk about the kids’ races. I volunteered to ‘sweep’ the kids’ races to make sure no one was left behind… and I got to witness the sweetest little girl (who was no bigger than the Lightning Kid) and was tackling the timed Kids’ 3 km. She was accompanied by her mom so my presence was mostly superfluous, but you know, safety first! Anyway, she completed that course with nothing but smiles, and I heard her chirp “I love this because of the challenge!”, or something along those lines. My heart nearly burst.
My own kids were no slouches either, of course.
Credit: Sue Sitki of Sue Sitki Photography
We had hot weather and plenty of exhausting climbs, but the scenery is gorgeous along the Niagara Escapement – don’t mind the Turkey Vultures… they won’t feed on you unless you run really slow. I slowed down enough to take in (and photograph) some beautiful wood sculptures.
If some of this (fun for kids, beautiful scenery, hustling your butt along a trail…) looks like fun, the next race is at the Heart Lake Conservation Area in Brampton, ON on September 16th. Please consider joining me by clicking on this link and using the code IRONROGUE for a 10% discount. There’s even a free water bottle as take home swag!
And if you can’t make that one, the Kortright Centre Race is on October 28th. Register here with the same IRONROGUE discount code.
While the Terra Cotta event is already sold out, you can still get a jump on the second race at Rattlesnake Point. See my recap for my first time here, and some stories from last year here.
If you want to sign up (and you do), be sure to use the code “Iron Rogue” at checkout to save 10% on all race entries (and if you’re in another part of Canada where 5Peaks races occur, you can still use that code. My top 5 list of reasons to sign up for this race apply to every one of their events anyway.
Low(ish) Impact: Running is bad for your knees! NOPE. However, if you are worried about impact on your joints, natural ground like wood chips, dirt, grass, etc. is much softer and springier and easier on all those joints, so trail running is an excellent way to have the cardio and movement components of running without pounding the pavement.
Higher Intensity: The biggest trend in fitness over the past 2-3 years is High Intensity Interval Training. The idea being to go super hard and intense for short bursts with slower recovery periods in between. With its up- and downhills, trail running naturally fits into this kind of profile. Most people compare a trail race with a road race of at least 10% (though I’m used to hearing more like 25-30%)longer distance, and you only have to do one big hill before you realize managing your heart rate is going to be fundamental to finishing your race strong. Rattlesnake Point fits this profile especially well, as stepping up some of the big rocks is like a lunge or split-squat.
You need to address your nature deficiency. From Wikipedia: “Nature deficit disorder refers to the phrase coined by Richard Louv in his 2005 book Last Child in the Woods[1] that human beings, especially children, are spending less time outdoors[2] resulting in a wide range of behavioral problems.” Though the legitimacy of this condition is in question, you will probably agree that you (and your family – see below) might not be getting enough fresh air. If you’re a runner, a lot the fresh air you might be getting is on sidewalks, below streetlights, etc. rather than a forest canopy. Hearing the birds and listening to the leaves rustle in the wind are things we don’t get to do enough of in our current lifestyle…
You don’t like crowds. If you’re used to running races like 10k’s, marathons (or half-marathons), you might recognize the following: slot yourself into a crowd of people of similar pace, according to posted signs you can hardly see through the masses, and wait several minutes after the gun goes off to cattle drive yourself through the start line. 5Peaks events are much smaller than road races since the condition of the trails has to be protected. Though there are starting waves (divided by expected speed/pace), and the single track can mean waiting behind someone slightly slower in the early stages of the race, it’s not long before it’s just you (and any pace buddy you might have invited to join you) and the trail. And if you consider yourself slow, or would even rather power-walk than run the course, use the last (and always least populated) wave as your start.
Family. Last but not least; in fact, probably the most important and the reason we keep coming back. My favourite photos of my sons are those of them running in the kids’ fun run. Before the adult races take place, they always have a 1km (approximately) fun run. Parents can run alongside (or even carry) their kids and cheer them on – it’s non-competitive and just a great way to introduce them to the joy of movement and physical outdoor exercise. It’s not uncommon to see toddlers who are barely walking give it a shot, and they love soaking up the admiration of cheering parents – you can see it on the smiles of their faces. I’ll admit, some kids don’t finish and have meltdowns, but I feel it’s important to keep introducing kids to new experiences; growth happens outside the comfort zone.
There is also a timed race (3 km or so) for older kids which is a little more serious. Shark Boy started competing in them last summer, and then this fall competed in cross country running for his school. After the kids’ events, there are snacks, meeting Buffy the Tiger, and generally having outdoor unstructured play in a wide area, the way kids should.
The Rattlesnake Point Race takes place June 10th. The Sport Course is 5.3 km and the Enduro Course is 12.7 km. Sign up using code ‘Iron Rogue’ for 10% off!
Well, race season has started! It looks like this is not going to be a season of great personal accomplishments in endurance or fitness, but I’m happy to report we’re keeping active as a family. Our inaugural race for the warmer months was the 5 Peaks Trail Run at Terra Cotta.
Shark Boy was participating in his first timed event. He’s quite fixated on numbers and quantifying things; it’s always a big deal who’s older, who’s bigger, etc. I’m a little apprehensive about introducing him to more competitive events – he seems to be the fastest kid in his own schoolyard races, but I don’t want him to get upset if he’s not the biggest fish in a bigger pond, if you follow my meaning.
Luckily, 5 Peaks seemed to have no problem with parents running alongside their kids at this event; I guess there was plenty of space on the trail. Though plenty of kids took off in front of us, I tried to get him to reign in his pace and save the best for later on. I’m really glad he listened, because he got to trade in his disappointment at being in the back of the pack for the thrill of passing others on the uphill climbs, who had already blown up. He did give me a good scare when he tripped and landed practically on his face, but he got up again and kept running without any tears, so no blood, no foul, I guess. He ran the entire 3 km and ended up in 20th place overall.
The Lightning Kid did the 1 km ‘fun run’ with his mother. He’s picked up some speed from last year, and I think the concept of racing is starting to sink in, but he still does take his time to smell the roses on the course. I think he just loves all the attention he gets.
I participated in the Sport course race. Since the race was some time ago, I don’t really recall too many details, but Terra Cotta isn’t the hilliest course in the series, but it is still very pretty. I came in 22nd in my age group, which I was happy enough with, considering I wasn’t really training prior to the race.
I mostly wrote this recap to entice readers to come join us next time at Rattlesnake Point. You can use the discount code of MARK (courtesy of my friend Mark Sawh) or JESSICA (courtesy of lacesandlattes) for $5 off each registration. The 1 km fun run for kids is free. Hope to see you there on June 25th!
“This race is the longest course in our series, so you guys are all bad-ass for finishing!”said Erin Dasher (I’m paraphrasing at best) during the awards presentation at the 5 Peaks Heart Lake Trail Run Race and she wasn’t kidding. When I put the Enduro race at this event on my race calendar, I was expecting a 14 km course. I didn’t sign up till the last minute, and we found out less than 24 hours before the race it was going to be… 16 km thanks to a detour. Oh boy. The pre-race bulletin said to get there early since there would be a line-up to pay the park entrance fee, but we were able to drive straight in. We were coming in from the parking lot when we ran into our friend Steve, who we last saw at the Lakeside Triathlon. We also ran into our friend Peter, and were glad to find out I might have some company at the Barrelman Triathlon in September. We grabbed our respective bibs (this would be Shark Boy’s first timed race) and posed for our obligatory pre-race pose.
The biggest prize in the pre-race swag was either a cool coffee mug that said “I eat mountains for breakfast” or this flexible cup good for insulating hot or cold beverages that is basically unbreakable. We have too many coffee cups at home, so I took it.
Shark Boy seemed cool with the idea of not only going long (3 km) but running on his own (the rule is for adults to stay off the course during the race, though some alongside running is expected), and I didn’t want to step on that with my own nervousness on his behalf, but I still thought it might be a good idea to scout out the first part of the course with him and show him the orange flags he’d have to follow as well as signs for direction. The timed kids’ races on the 5 Peaks series vary from 2 to 3 km, so at 3 km, Erin’s quote above applies to the kids too.
Shark Boy attentively listening to pre-race instructions.
Pre-race instructions were given (including a check to see if everyone knew their right from left, which is why he has his hand up in the picture). I positioned myself at a fence about 25 m from the starting line to cheer him on. Ready, set, go! He took off with the other kids at a good clip, and it didn’t seem to chaotic as all the racers gave each other safe space. I took a short-cut path down the shore of Heart Lake to see him go by.
The little guy toward the back is Shark Boy
Then there was nothing left but to go back to the starting line and wait nervously for a while. The Lightning Kid had been eagerly chanting “GO! GO! GO!… FASSSST!” for probably the last 24 hours, and was taking practice runs from the starting line. Of course, no 5 Peaks race is complete without saying hi to Buffy the Tiger.
When I saw the first of the 3 km racers cross the finish line, I figured I’d head back to the shore and see how Shark Boy was coming along. I had to wait a bit, but sure enough, I saw him, completely red-faced, huffing and puffing and giving it his all.
He’s nearly spent
I cheered him on, and got him to give what we call in German an Endspurt; that burst of energy and speed you get when you’re nearly finished. I ran ahead to let my wife know he was closing in for extra photo opportunities, and he finished the race strong – probably one of the youngest racers in the timed race.
In spite of all that effort, Shark Boy wanted to join in on the 1 km ‘Fun Run’ for younger ones that he’d done at the other 5 Peaks races; he said he wanted to help his younger brother. As much as I’m proud of Shark Boy’s grit, determination, athleticism and sense of adventure, his generous heart is his best quality. I’ve seen these Kids’ Fun Runs vary from 600 to 800 m; today, of course, it was going to be a whole kilometre. Again, every racer on that day was a bad-ass, even the little Lightning Kid. I managed to get this great video of him running in the beginning.
He did start to flag after a bit; I’ve found with both boys that they start to lose interest in going as fast as they can without a reward – keeping up the distance running is more of a question of mental focus than physical fitness. All it took though, was a reminder to “GO! GO! GO!… FASSSST!” and he’d break into a run again. It definitely helped having Shark Boy there for encouragement.
Toward the end, I had Shark Boy take the same short-cut that I had used in his race to get back to the finish line and warn his mother that we were on final approach. We crossed the finish line to loud cheers; in fact, they cheered loudly for Shark Boy on his finish too. It’s always a super-supportive vibe at the 5 Peaks races.
If the splash pad had been open, my wife might have kept the kids at the park while I raced, but we had made a last minute plan that would let Shark Boy attend his dance lesson (for those keeping score at home, that’s a 3 km race, a 1 km race and a dance lesson on those little 5 year-old legs!), and I could pace myself without worrying. To try to force myself to take it easy in the beginning, I seeded myself in the fourth wave, but I couldn’t help but try to get to the front.
The race starts downhill, and though I knew it was going to be a long run, I couldn’t contain my excitement and went a little fast; the first kilometre was my fastest. I tried to watch my heart rate the entire race and keep it in Zone 2 (with exceptions for some hills and stuff). As we went by the shoreline of Heart Lake, I noticed how chummy and chatty my little pack of runners was; we talked about how beautiful (yet hot) the weather was, and when the guy behind me saw me jump a log (rather than go around it) he joked it was “the scenic route”. I answered that you have to have some fun on these things.
Shark Boy had told me that his race involved a “forest tunnel”, and I chalked it up to his overactive imagination, but they did make a few features with logs and fallen trees that put a ceiling over your head. The “maze” he also mentioned did prove to be part of his imagination though. The nice part about an Enduro race is when I see things I want to take pictures of, but I’m not sure whether I want to sacrifice the time to stop, I know I’ll probably be begging for a rest on the second loop, so all I do is take a mental note on the first loop.
The 4 km mark had an aid station in a sunny clearing. I didn’t need water since I had it in my pack, but I sipped some (what they were calling) Gatorade for the calories, and prepared to be on my way. I saw a woman dump water on her head, and remembered that was something you could do. A relief, but not one that lasted.
After being in the shade for another 2 km, the 6 km mark came as we entered another stretch of sun-exposed terrain. I noticed my legs felt heavy; and promptly tried to un-notice that. 6 km is not long enough to have any real signs of fatigue yet; you are in better shape than that! I told myself. Despite being bad at meditation or any other kind of more passive mental activity, I did forget about my legs for a while. On the last kilometre of the first loop, I even picked up some speed for a bit and passed a slower runner. Before that loop was over, she passed me again while I took a walk break and encouraged me to pick up the pace as it was “almost over”. I didn’t correct her, but I did laugh about it with another Enduro course runner as we took the right-hand fork away from the finish line and onto the second loop.
“That’s the nice part about the Enduro,” he said, “On the second loop you can run your own race and not have anybody nipping at your heels.” He’s not wrong, but by the time I had cleared 9 km, I couldn’t help but notice how lonely and quiet things got. My mind wandered in the worst way, and I lost track of how long my walk breaks got, or what kind of pace I was really keeping. After neither catching anybody for a while nor being passed, I began to wonder if I was in last place, and all kinds of other negative self-talk. My entire lower body began to complain, checking in one muscle group at a time: hamstrings, glutes, calves, quads, even hips and lower back. The complaints went from screams to whines to whimpers as they competed for my attention and drowned each other out. Also, my hydration pack was empty; the first time that had ever happened, in fact, I used to wonder if I was wasting effort carrying so much on my back.
A few showers came and went which was a nice way to cool off, but they didn’t put any real fuel back in the engine, so the trudging continued.
When I reached the 4 km aid station from before (for a total of 12 km), the volunteer told me that the finish line could be reached just a few hundred meters away if I wanted. I hope he was just trying to light a fire under me (which he kind of did) because I’d hate to think anyone in my position would take him up on the offer and quit. I told him I knew, because I could hear the music and P.A. system, but I wasn’t ready to stop yet. I told myself I could simply watch the kilometers tick off as I went along… 13, 14, 15 and done. Of course, I also reminded myself that same distance had seemingly taken forever on the second loop already. Still, I saw my Garmin distance numbers go up (by half-kilometres in intervals that felt like they should be whole integer kilometres) all the same. I even picked up the pace to real running for the last 2 kilometres, and crossed the finish line to loud cheering (some of that might have been for the awards ceremony which had already started).
I had barely crossed the finish line when I saw my family, returned from the dance lesson and a trip to Tim Horton’s. With the kids crowding me, I barely got a chance to get any post-race treats. Not that I minded, I didn’t have that big an appetite somehow, I even turned down a cookie Shark Boy offered me. I found a shady spot on an embankment near the parking lot and collapse; they had to come find me because I hadn’t even said where I was going – I wasn’t feeling too talkative. I think everyone suffered in that heat, but Peter managed to come in at 1:43 (to my 1:54) and Steve killed it at 1:36 or so. I didn’t know then, but my friend Paul had an even worse race.
I tried to look at it as a net positive from a training perspective. I had put some real strength and staying power into my legs that day, and even more importantly, I got to visit the dark places where I’m sure I’ll be during the Half-Iron race, and learned a little bit about how to get myself out of them. And before I could wallow in it too much, I got an ambush hug from the Lightning Kid.
Shortly after that, the thunder rolled in, and we had a good laugh at our hurried retreat back to the car. I secretly suspect the Lightning Kid had something to do with it by living up to his namesake – he even took the time for one of his trademark wild hairstyles!
Though the race was a visit to the pain cave for me, the 5 Peaks events are always a great experience for the whole family, and I’ll always come back.
Having skipped out on the Yonge Street 10K in favour of watching the kids and cheering on the runners, this last weekend was my chance to get a bib on and race. It’s the first race of the 5 Peaks Ontario Trail Racing season and I was pumped – pumped to try my legs out (especially while carrying less weight) on a new trail and push them as fast as they could go, pumped to get the kids running around their fun run, pumped to see friends.
We arrived at Terra Cotta Conservation area around 9:30 AM with plenty of time to park, pick up and our race bibs. I was pleasantly surprised to see we got some swag before the race, because I’ve missed out in the past when they’ve handed it out well afterwards, and I’ve already long since gone home.
I got to see Janice from Fitness Cheerleader finish the competitive 3 km kids race with her eldest daughter. I found Krysten from The Misadventures of a Darwinian Fail (and her husband) as well as Paul from Paul’s Inane Ramblings Then it was time for the 1 km (or 600 m in this case) fun run for kids of any age. My wife wasn’t feeling too well that morning, so we opted to encourage Shark Boy to run it on his own, while I stuck with the Lightning Kid. Shark Boy seemed a little upset at not being near the front of the starting crowd, but knowing how he dislikes standing around waiting, there was nothing for it except to encourage him to nudge his way forward before the official “1,2,3 GO!”
The Lightning Kid has been getting faster and faster and I’d already noticed in the past few months, so I was glad to see him put that to use now. I’d experienced this phenomena with Shark Boy a few years ago, but when racing with a 3 year-old, the limit isn’t so much their fitness, but their attention span. He’d stop to see who was coming up behind him, glad-hand with new-found fans (a repeat of last year at Albion Hills), and generally smell the roses. I’d be cheering and chanting “Come on! Go, Go, Go! Faster” the entire way.
Those are actually snow pants. The morning was not warm.
We were well on our way to the turn-around point (a small loop around a pond) when we saw Shark Boy already on his way back. He was smiling and really moving, so I knew he was managing the course fine, and having a good time doing it.
Then, a few minutes later, we saw him again! He had done an extra loop, and I don’t think it was exactly by accident, because I saw him try and avoid the final stretch back to the finish line only to be corrected by some marshals. Apparently he asked “Is that all?” when he crossed the finish line, so I think it might be time to enrol him in the competitive Kids’ 3k next time. I got the Lightning Kid to run the final stretch with the promise of seeing Mama and there were smiles and high-fives aplenty.
After that nice little warm-up it was time for the main event. I seeded myself at the back of the third wave and listened to the final instructions. The course was going to be a muddy one thanks to the rain and cold temperatures we’ve been having, and they asked everyone to stick to the trail and not try to go around which would widen the existing trail and erode the very forest that the area is trying to conserve. It was generally pitched as, “don’t be afraid to get dirty” and you shouldn’t if you’re trail running, but the thing is that deep mud can actually suck the shoes right off your feet (as nearly happened to a woman right behind me) and your shoes start to get really heavy as they get clogged up with mud. I still stuck to the trail, as instructed, but I found myself doing the Remo Williams run (see this video around 3:13, then watch what happens to the guy following Remo) whenever I encountered deeper mud.
Terra Cotta seems like it’s going to be a flat course, but there are definitely some hills, enough of them were wide enough to allow me to pass when other runners wanted to walk up the hills (and I didn’t, which wasn’t necessarily every time). There were a few boardwalks which the more clever runners used to scuff off the soles of their shoes as they went along and lose some of the mud weight (not to mention regain the traction provided by their treads that had been hidden by a layer of mud).
I finished the first lap of approximately 5 km feeling strong with a smile on my face. I took a gel and was determined to negative split the race. As it turns out, I did the second lap all of 3 seconds slower, and I know I really pushed myself on the last kilometre, so I’m not entirely sure what happened.
Shark Boy wouldn’t let me rest until I had seen the play area he’d discovered (which amounted to a dug out area of clay/earth), then I helped myself to snacks like Clif bars, chocolate chip cookies, potato chips and bananas. I also managed to catch up a little with Jessica from Laces and Lattes (who not only pulled a 3:15 Boston Marathon the Monday before this race, and did the Enduro course, but also did Paris to Ancaster the next day!) as well as my friend Mark Sawh, a great Toronto community runner. My official finish time was 1:09:52 with an average pace of 6:29, which I think I’m happy with. The other runners seem to set the bar pretty high, as I was the 101st man to finish and ranked 34/47 in my age category.
As always, 5 Peaks put on a fun day of running for the whole family, and though I thought we wouldn’t necessarily be able to make it to another race, we are currently pushing things around our schedule to be able to make it to the Heart Lake race on May 30th. Hope to see you there!
The trail running season starts on Saturday April 25th, at Terra Cotta Conservation Area, and the entire Iron Rogue clan will be there. Unless you’re new around here, you should be no stranger to the 5 Peaks Race series (recaps: here, here, here, here, here and here). They’re a fun event, and super family friendly. Let me break it down for you…
They are friendly to beginners. There are two course lengths, Enduro and Sport which are 10.8 and 5.4 km respectively. If you feel you’re a slower runner, or are intimidated, you can simply seed yourself in one of the last waves, and then you don’t have to worry about being passed.
They have Clif Bars and Kicking Horse coffee on site.
Terra Cotta is a beautiful conservation area, but not as well known as some in the Greater Toronto Area. Running this race affords all kinds of ‘Terra Cotta Warrior’ puns/jokes.
Kids can run the competitive 3km race or the fun 1km race.
You will get a free high-five from the Lightning Kid
Trail running is the purest form of running; you’re closer to nature than when you’re on a sidewalk or road, and ditching the headphones means tuning into the experience of finding out what your body can do.
Thanks to me, you get a discount on your registration! Use the code AxelsTrailPals when registering online.
Not good enough? What about a free entry? One random winner will receive a discount code. You can put several entries in and the winner will be announced on Monday April 20th.
So… do you want to give trail running a try with me?
