Fish Creek Park

Let's start with a hypothetical scenario:

If a marathon runner is the first person to cross the finish line and is given both a chip and gun time of 2 hours 45, and another runner of the same gender crosses the line as the 10th person but with a gun time of 2 hours 47, but a chip time of 2 hours 43, who is the winner?

IAAF rules of competition say that the official time is the gun time, and that awards or prizes are given on that basis. I was once informed that the gun time is used as this ensures everybody in the race has the same conditions and therefore nobody has an advantage - rumour or not, the use of gun or chip time is certainly a contentious issue when it comes to winners and losers, and one that no doubt causes a great deal of debate.

I've been a runner for well over 30 years now, and yet today was the first time I have experienced losing out on a podium position because 2 people that did not pass me in a race made the choice to start further back in the field,  and actually ran a faster chip time than what I did.  Yes, it was like a smack in the chops, yes I feel disappointed, frustrated and cheated out of a prize, but thankfully I've got enough trophies and medals, running shirts and gear to last me a lifetime, so much so that the bitter pill I was forced to swallow went down a little easier than most.

It was the penultimate race in the 5 Peaks Trail Running Series at Fish Creek Park, and I'd woken up feeling a little under the weather. I felt tired, felt a little icky, and I really wasn't in the mood. I couldn't decide whether it was just pre-race nerves at the thought of a shorter and no doubt faster trail race, or whether I had a bug or something - either way, I really wasn't looking forward to racing.

The race started at 9am and due to the narrow start and the single track trails about 2km into the race, the organisers made the decision to stagger the start, with the faster runners asked to go first. I'm not the best trail runner, but I still felt that I should start nearer to the front and so found myself lining up with the speedsters.

Pre-race and not feeling too good!

The start was indeed fast, and my first 2 km splits came in at around 4.20's. This was far too fast for me, especially considering there was another 14km to go which included plenty of steep climbs, winding forest trails, knee-deep grassy meadows, and a small stream crossing. My legs were already feeling heavy so I was surprised that I'd even managed to go off that fast, but to be cautious, I reigned myself in and started to run at a more conservative pace.

With starting at the front of the field, I knew that there were already 3 ladies ahead of me, and I was quite happy to settle into 4th for now, with the intention of waiting to see how the race panned out. However, the gap between us was starting to widen and I hadn't got enough strength to make up any ground.

Start of the race

A climb up through the woods brought us up on to the ridge and as I started to run along the narrow pathway above the cliff, I noticed that one of the ladies had now turned around and started her decent back down the trail towards me. I had forgotten that the sport and enduro events were starting together and I figured that she must be doing the shorter sport event, and sure enough, a different coloured number confirmed this for me as she sped past. This now meant that I had moved in to 3rd position, and with the thought that maybe I could make the podium after all, I found myself speeding up. A few minutes later, another lady was heading back on the return leg - whoo hoo! I was actually in 2nd place, and with that in mind, I started to push harder in an attempt to put as big a gap as possible between me and any chasing ladies.

I couldn't see the leading lady in the Enduro event - she has sped off up the trail shortly after the start - and apart from a couple of chaps that kept whizzing past me on the uphill only to be overtaken by me on the down, I never saw another soul anywhere near me for the next 10km. The trails were pretty tricky and required lots of concentration, but by now I had got my competitive head on and didn't hold back despite the sharp turns, tree roots and rocky sections.

With around 3km to go, I was starting to pay for the earlier faster pace, but I forced myself to keep working and overtook a few men in the process. As I made the final turn from the trail to rejoin the paved pathway, one of the marshalls said something that I didn't quite hear but for some reason made me turn and look behind - another lady was about 20 yards behind me and was giving chase!

I'd spent so long in 2nd place that I wasn't about the relinquish it now, and the sight of her put me into fight or flight mode as the adrenalin surged through my veins and my breathing became more erratic. Suddenly, I was doing 4 minute km pace and I was frantically telling myself to calm down, relax, stay strong and control the breathing. I had 2km still to go - a little over a mile - could I do this? My legs were saying no whilst my mind was saying yes, and before too long, I saw the finish line and almost collapsed in heap as soon as I crossed it. I'd done it - I'd held onto 2nd place and I was ecstatic. The chasing lady finished strong some 45 seconds or so behind me to take 3rd......except she hadn't - she'd won the race - or at least that's what the results said. And the next lady to cross line snatched 2nd place, relegating me to 4th.

At first, I couldn't comprehend it - I was on the front row at the start, and only 3 ladies had gone past for the whole duration of the race, 2 of which were doing the Sport course. I began to wonder if perhaps men had ran with somebody else's number, but no, they hadn't. They were both ladies, and it look like they had won based on their chip time rather than the gun time - and despite having never led the race, despite not passing me or the "leading" lady, they were declared winners.

I felt extremely let down and disappointed - crikey, I even felt embarrassed, especially considering my efforts over the last 2km to get away. I felt paranoid, convinced that the other lady already knew she had won and was laughing at me panicking and running away for nothing. I'm so used to doing races based on gun time that I never thought for a second that this would change - you race your competitors, not the clock, and the winner is the first one past the post - at least that's what I always thought.

In all fairness, the first 2 ladies DID run well to finish so close behind us at the end, but I can't help wondering why they started with the slower runners rather than with the leaders - did they consider starting later an advantage in terms of giving themselves space on the trails and not getting caught in a bottle neck? Who were they racing - me as a competitor, or the clock as a time trial? Maybe 5 Peaks should make it more clear how THEY determine the results - that way people won't be disappointed.

I've always been a fan of the 5 Peaks Trail Races but the past 2 events have left me wondering why I'm doing them. I won the ladies race at the last event, and yet they gave my prize to the 2nd placed lady and I would have walked away with nothing - again despite a sprint finish! - if it weren't for Andy and Alan offering to speak to the organisers to explain their mistake. I got a prize, but not what it was meant to be.

Today just took the biscuit and I didn't even hang around for the presentation to find out what had happened - I was far too annoyed and disappointed. The scary thing is, the first race in the series back in May this year was used as the trial race for the Canadian Mountain Running Championships - I wonder how those people were selected? First over the line, or the fastest runner? Was it even a race, or was it just a time trial? It makes a mockery of things for sure!

There is one more race in the 5 Peaks Series, and it's back at the Canmore Nordic Centre in September. I'm already entered as one of my goals for this year was to do all of the races with the aim of winning my age group category overall.

Much as I've loved these trail races and the courses they provide, it time to try something different and I think that next year is going to feature lots more on the trails, but over much longer distances.

For now though, I've graciously swallowed the bitter pill - kind of - and need to start preparing for another 50 miles on the trails next Saturday which if reputation is anything go by, is going to be pretty damn good :-)

Life is Wonderful :-)

The past couple of weeks have been pretty busy again, and there is even more to come! Firstly, we had news that whilst Andy had been successful in the job interview which would take us to North Carolina, visas to enter and work in the USA are extremely difficult to get hold of nowadays and it could potentially have taken up to 12 months before he was granted a work visa. Needless to say, whilst this was disappointing in some respects, it was also a relief as it now means that we are staying put in Calgary with no intentions of going anywhere - that is unless our permanent residency application to stay in Canada is refused!

With knowing that relocation in the next couple of months is no longer a possibility, I've been scouting around for events to compete in, which for me is often risky business as I usually end up entering things on a whim. The good news is that I have managed more self-control this time and the only thing I have actually signed up for is the Blitz Duathlon in September over in nearby Bragg Creek. I've never done a duathlon before – my main sport is and always has been running – but I’m always willing to try new things so a 7km trail run, followed by an 18km bike ride and then another 3km trail run to finish off doesn't seem too far beyond my reach.

By October, the cross country season will have started again, so other than Toronto Marathon on October 19^th, my focus during the winter months will be the cross country and I’m hoping that this will once again provide some motivation during the cold, dark winter months, and set me up nicely for a good spring marathon which will be either in Red Deer or London, UK.

With not doing quite so many races at the moment, both Andy and I are spending a lot of time helping folks at the new Mahogany Running Club, as well as volunteering to help out at other local races when possible. Having been asked by a friend if we would like to assist at the Moose Mountain races in a couple of weeks, we're both looking forward to having another day out in Kananaskis, this time offering support and encouragement to other runners whilst resting and recovering from my adventures at the Iron Legs 50 miler.

Since making the decision to do Iron Legs 50 miler rather than Edmonton Marathon, training has been going really well and my mileage has increased considerably, peaking at around 120km for the past couple of weeks. Believe it or not, I've never really done much more than that anyway, not even when training for ultras, as I find that excessively high mileage doesn't really work for me and I tend to feel tired all the time and take longer to recover from training sessions.

Last weekend, I was fortunate to be invited to run with Joanna and a couple of other friends over in Canmore, and with the temptation of fabulous company and the opportunity to go on a proper mountain run, I jumped at the chance.

Summer hours at work are a distinct blessing and by Friday afternoon, I found myself running/scrambling up Heart Mountain near to Canmore with Joanna. I’d been warned that it was a steep climb and having done a little research the night before, I discovered that it stood at around 7000 ft and it looked like there was going to be some easy to moderate scrambling involved across rocks and scree. 

Heart Mountain - taken from public domain on the internet!

Joanna is an awesome runner and especially so when up in the mountains. She made the climb up Heart Mountain look so easy as she glided up the mountainside, and yet she still waited for me to check that I was ok. It was certainly rocky and it was definitely steep, but the views on the ascent were amazing, even with the Trans-Canada Highway down below. 

Despite the steep climb and the drops off to the side, I was pleasantly surprised not to feel wobbly legged when looking down, and in all honesty I was in my element as I clung to rocks and the occasional tree trunk whilst climbing over the steeper sections.

Heading up the scree of Heart Mountain (picture thanks to Joanna)

 It was pretty windy up there too but thankfully not too cold, and whilst the sun wasn’t exactly shining, we had splendid views in the opposite direction with a sea of mountain peaks stretching out for miles into the distance.

Summit of Heart Mountain at 7000 ft - Picture thanks to Joanna

It took probably around an hour to reach the summit, and after signing the summit book, we made our way through the trees, following the ridge that would enable us to complete the Heart Loop. I felt like I was reliving my childhood again and for pretty much the whole run, I had a big smile on my face.

Heading out of the trees, we faced the steep rocky section that would take us back down the other side. We made pretty good progress heading down and I think it’s safe to say that we were both having a marvellous time. I had no doubt that come the following morning, my legs would be paying the price from today’s adventure, but I was enjoying the moment far too much to be worrying about how trashed my quads would feel the next day.

Heading back down the ridge of Heart Mountain to complete the loop -
a steep and rocky descent!

A final couple of km through thick, dense trees brought us to the valley bottom and back to the car, and whilst we had only covered around 10km in 2 hours, I found it one of the most exhilarating runs I have done for a while and was truly thankful to Joanna for asking me along and being a great guide.

If Friday completely wowed me, then Saturday blew me away as 4 of us completed the 52km run from Sunshine to Shark Mountain via Assiniboine. 

Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park is located in British Columbia although the nearest town is Canmore, and with an average altitude of around 6,500 ft, it is the highest park in the Canadian Rockies. It is a true wilderness area - wild and remote and only accessible  by foot or helicopter. It has stunning scenery although the dominant feature is Mt Assiniboine which stands at over 10,000ft and is known as the Matterhorn of the Rocky Mountains.

I really didn’t know what to expect on this little jaunt, and whilst I already knew Joanna, I had yet to meet Emily and Sean. I admit I was a little nervous about spending a full day in the mountains with a couple of strangers – despite my silliness at times, I am actually quite shy – but I needn’t have worried as both Emily and Sean were absolutely brilliant.

Three outstanding (and very patient!) people - thank you to Joanna, Sean and Emily :-)
(Top of Wonder Pass)

The day started pretty early as we grabbed a coffee and left Canmore shortly after 7am for the half hour drive up to Sunshine. The plan was to catch the 8am shuttle bus up to the trail head, but everybody seemed to have the same idea with the earlier bus being a complete sell out, so it was almost 9 before we actually boarded and made our way up the private road for the start of our run.

The plan was to do a point to point run, starting from Sunshine and finishing at Mount Shark where we had left the other car. Heading via Assiniboine, we would encounter emerald green forests, crystal clear waters, alpine meadows and some beautiful mountain pass trails, covering a distance of approximately 52km in the process.

About an hour or so into our run and just some of the fantastic views :-)

I could go on and on describing all the finer details about our 8 ½ hour run but I'm pretty certain that I would run out of adjectives to describe what a remarkably beautiful run this was, especially when words simply cannot fully describe the true feeling of actually being there.

For the best part of the run, we were at around 7,000 ft and whilst I wasn’t struggling too much, the altitude was certainly having an effect on my breathing - even the slightest of inclines felt like we were attempting to run up a sheer cliff. I got a little dizzy and headachy at times, but drinking plenty of fluids and not rushing helped my body to cope with the extra demands I was placing on it. 

Using up some vital energy ;-)
Top of Wonder Pass

The route itself was amazing and varied – single track trails across alpine meadows blanketed in brightly coloured flowers , thick dense forests, glacial moraine from thousands of years ago, turquoise blue lakes and crystal clear waters where we refilled our water bottles, and all with mountains towering around us as we ran through the valleys and up the passes. We even got to taste wild strawberries – tiny little things they were, but full of flavour and certainly appreciated as we got towards the end of the run and started to run out of steam.

Mt Assiniboine from the lodge (about 3 hours or so into our run maybe?)

Marvel Lake and yes, we were heading down there and much further beyond!

It was a truly wonderful day, made all the better by the company and the surroundings, and after tasty poutine once back in Canmore, I certainly headed home feeling extremely tired but suitably relaxed – perfect preparation for Iron Legs!

The next couple of days, my legs were extremely achy from all the steep ups and downs, but I still managed to get out for a run and even sneaked a speed session in with our good friend Alan – 4 x 1 mile reps doesn’t half hurt when you’ve been practising more for a long trail race! 

With another long weekend looming and having extra time off work, Andy and I made the decision to go camping again last weekend, and so headed over to the Okanagan region in BC with Wilson and Brandy in tow.

We’ve been to BC numerous times but never to Kelowna and the surrounding areas, but we knew that it was renowned for being hot and sunny – perfect for vineyards and fruit growing, whilst surrounded by rolling hills with plenty of hiking trails and plenty of lakes for swimming and water sports.  It reminded us of being in the Mediterranean to some degree.

Kelowna, BC - a little like Spain and other places in the Med

Being there for just 2 nights wasn’t really enough and there are still plenty of things to go and see, but I did manage a little trail run with both the dogs which they absolutely loved, followed by a nice hike with Andy and the dogs to a thermal spring high in the hills overlooking Kelowna. Photos on the web indicated that we were in for a treat but on arrival, it looked like the area had fallen victim to either storms, a landslide or some other unfortunate disaster, and we were greeted by lots of fallen trees and the springs hidden beneath them.

En route to Angel Springs - Kelowna BC

It was hot and it was very dry, and we certainly had some fun with the dogs at one of the local beaches alongside the lake, but in all honesty, whilst it was a beautiful part of Canada, it made me realise how much of a mountain bird I am. It was great to get away for a couple of days though and to have a change of scenery, and with Iron Legs now just a mere 10 days away, I am starting to get the nervous anticipation I usually get before a big race.

Rolling hills, vineyards, scorching weather, beaches and lakes - Kelowna BC

I’m no mountain goat and I certainly won’t be on the podium - I’m not even sure whether I’ve done enough hill work to prepare for 50 miles in the mountains with around 15,000 ft of ascent – but what I do know is that I’m going to give 100% effort to do the best I can and hopefully get to the finish line before the cutoff time.  Andy will be out on the course supporting where he can, and I know that friends that aren’t running themselves will be a welcome sight at the aid stations – that alone will help me to keep going.

For now though, I have another trail race this weekend – race 4 of the 5 Peaks Trail Running Series at Fish Creek Park. It may only be around 10-15km, but it’ll allow me to have one last blast before the real challenge the following week, and I have to say that I’m pretty excited.