trail running: featuring 'the eagle'

my trail running has started to take a more serious turn recently, thanks to a new friend and running coach: moe beaulieu.

for those of you who don't know moe, let me give you a little background.

moe is many things: a devoted father, a lively story teller, and yes, an athlete.

moe is passionate about running, especially trail running, and he will run for as long as he can. he's been running for over 28 years, exploring trails in 4 provinces, 18 states, and several countries, earning him the trail racing nickname 'the eagle'.

some of his past races include:

• ultras: 109 in total
• 100 mile P.R. (road): 21:20.
• western states 100 miler P.R.: 24:24:08.
• 100 KM P.R. (elkhorn, montana): 13:33.
• 50 mile PR (road): 7:33 (kelowna, bc).
• 52.4 mile california '49-er': 12:12.
• 40 mile P.R. (gravel road): 5:39:13 (gold river, bc).
• 50 KM (trail) P.R.: 5:31 (blackfoot, edmonton, ab).

a passion for running seems to be hereditary because one of his sons is also an accomplished racer. in an excerpt from his website, logan speaks about his running:

Hello, my name is Logan Beaulieu. I am an ultra-runner from Edmonton, Alberta.

I run competitively in this extreme sport. Running and living a healthy lifestyle today is not only a way of life for me, but also a growing passion and I have an immense respect for active lifestyles. I have a deep commitment to the sport that goes beyond my desire to compete. Mine is an inspirational story to tell about overcoming adversity, the importance of perseverance and beating the odds.

I was in a near fatal car crash when I was 16 years old. My best friend lost his life and mine was nearly lost when I lingered in a coma for over 17 days. I also suffered paralysis on my left side, as well as multiple fractures. I awoke on that seventeenth day. I have never stopped running nor given up, despite facing the biggest challenge of my life. The support of my family, pure tenacity, courage, inner strength and faith helped my recovery process. However, as only those who have had a personal experience with this type of trauma would truly understand, the road to recovery is long and arduous... physically, mentally and emotionally. As the impact is life long, my passion for running has been a beacon and has helped me deal with moments of self-doubt and despair.

check out logan's website for more information: http://www.logansrun.ca/index.shtml

logan is not only an athlete of significant accomplishment, but he is also a motivational speaker, and uses his success to help inspire others. this is something i truly admire. while i have yet to meet logan, one of my good friends, JU, had the pleasure of running with him during sinister 7 last year. a full account of her race can be found through her blog.

back to moe...

we started talking while training at the downtown y and quickly connected over our love for trail running and physical activity. when he suggested that we could run together, i wasn't even fully aware of the athlete he was, but i knew this would be a wonderful opportunity!

since that day we have been running twice and they were both spectacular training sessions. we have run trails in mount doug park and close to thetis lake and both runs left me with that indescribable lasting glow i get from running through the forest. i have much to learn though! my lessons include increasing my endurance (my last run was 1.5 hours) and my strength (hills are my weakest point, but maybe one day they won't be!). my runs are also complemented with countless stories from moe's past races, his family, his training theories, and his races yet to come.

it has been truly inspiring to train with someone who has so much experience in this sport and and passion for it. i can assure you there will be many more adventures to report on now that i am under the eagle's wing.

karate training: first class

ok. here it is. the post you were waiting for...

i have no experience with martial arts but i recognize it as a wonderful form of fitness and self defence that requires practice and dedication. i have always been slightly curious about martial arts, so when the opportunity presented itself, i signed up for a karate class.

yes. me. in a karate class.

as a teacher of fitness myself, i am also always curious about different teaching styles and interested to learn teaching and motivation methods that i can apply to my students as well. so, learning a new fitness skill myself is something i am striving to do more often.

as I entered the class, however, i felt more and more nervous. i have hinted in past posts that sometimes participating in a group fitness class is slightly outside my comfort zone and i quickly realized that i may be quite out of my element in the class. i introduced myself to the teacher and reminded myself why i was here. after hearing that all the other students were beginners i relaxed a little and found the enthusiasm needed to participate in the lesson.

as i suspected, karate is much more than a physical method of combat. the words ‘kara’ and ‘te’ are often complimented by ‘do’ to form the meaning: the way of the empty hand. 'do' refers to a way of life that is practiced by karate students, a way that includes physical, mental, and spiritual elements. there are five ‘tenants’ of ancient karate and our sensei, told us that his club states these at the end of every practice. these tenants are as follows: seek perfection of character, be faithful (in whatever form resonates with you), endever (to always improve oneself), respect others, and refrain from violent behaviour. the last statement seems contradictory in an art that uses punches, strikes, and blocks, but our sensei assured us that "there is no first attack in karate"; one aims to defend oneself before ever attacking another.

our sensei also demonstrated a ‘ka’ or a projection of one’s spirit. this is equivalent to a shout, but not just any shout. the demonstration made the hair stand up on my neck and left the entire class speechless. was i going to have to make this sound? the thought terrified me. i am usually a fairly quiet person. sure, i may talk a lot, and giggle, and laugh, but i don’t remember the last time i raised my voice. i never yell. this was going to be quite a challenge for me and, to be honest, the first few times we yelled as a class, i didn’t make a sound.

i found the session a little challenging. i felt comfortable with the basic stances we learned and i felt that my strength training allowed me to stand in them for an extended period of time. the blocks we learned left me somewhat mystified, however. i rarely play sports and have never taken a dance class, but i likened the hand movements to some type of choreography that most students could comprehend, but not me. our sensei laughed, good-naturedly, and said he was thankful we had a few months to work on this. all the students had a good laugh at ourselves in the mirror too. i think laughing at myself is going to be a requirement for this class.
ok. i can do that, at least.

disclaimer: i do not intend, in any way, to miss represent karate if i have done so. this is mearly a interpretation of my humble learning experience. thank you for understanding.

training journal

o3.01.11: mon

am: 3.5 hour hike in east sooke park.

thanks to a good friend, DL, who not only drove us out there, but made sure i didn't get lost in the park (navigation isn't my strong point, as those who know me will tell you).

for more information on this specacular park, visit:

http://www.eastsookepark.com/
if you decide to hike, be sure to prepare yourself appropriately.

one of the many outdoor stores in victoria, such as mountain equipment co-op, is the perfect place to start. mec has a survival gear checklist with tons of additional information on hiking basics on their website.

http://www.mec.ca/

04.01.11: tue

am: strength training: upper body weights at Y.

05.01.11: wed

am: karate class (more about this soon!!!).

pm: strength training: lower body weights at Y.

credit to CI; i wouldn't have gone if she didn't push me to.

06.01.11: thu

am: strength training: upper body weights at Y.

07.01.11: fri

pm: 1 hr gentle yoga class. a wonderful way to relax an stretch out those muscles at the end of the week.

08.01.11: sat

am: a mini bootcamp and urban trail run along dallas rd in the sunshine. i wasn't feeling particularly strong today for some reason and that discouraged me. on a positive note: the waterfront was especially beautiful and bootcamp training partner, NR, and i stopped for a brief meditation on the beach before continuing our jog.

09.01.11: sun

am: CI and i walked around elk and beaver lake, taking our time to complete the 10km trail through the forest and along the water. these popular victoria lakes are beautiful anytime of year and the walk was a perfect way to warm up the body on a cool sunday morning. watch the ice!

i thought the week was successful and productive, as far as physical training goes. i have been doing more weight lifting recently and i am gaining strength and seeing improvements (which is exciting!) but i have been seriously slacking on my cardio training this week. i need to add this back into my routine if i want to achieve some sort of balance with my fitness....

something to work on for next week.

Finding Balance in 2011

01.01.11
new years day



this patchwork of colours, patterns, and words represents my goals for 2011. my new years consisted of sitting down with a good friend and discussing, dreaming, and challenging each other on our aspirations for the coming year, and then expressing these ideas through art.


i believe in the value of leading a balanced life (something i achieve sometimes and don't come close to other times) and i use a specific goal setting framework to help me with this.



i have divided my life into five prominent areas and i create at least one goal for each area. this helps keep my life moving forward in all aspects, instead of only in one direction. there are times in one's life where one area will definitely remain in the forefront and require more attention, but in general, i prefer to be striving for something in each area of my life.





these areas are:
PHYSICAL: exercise, nutrition, and self-care.
MENTAL: learning new skills, professional development, education.
SPIRITUAL: may include conventional and non-conventional spiritual practices, a feeling of purpose and meaning, feel connected to something greater than oneself.
ENVIRONMENTAL: immediate surroundings and how they impact you, environment at large and how this can impact you.
SOCIAL: friendships, family, intimacy, community.





ideally, each goal should be a SMART goal (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely) and there should be a mix of short, middle, and long term goals.
creating these types of focused goals speaks a lot to the power we have in our own lives. i truly believe (and have stated in many blogs) that we do have the power to take control of our lives and live the life we have always dreamed of.




this last year was amazing for me. with the beginnings of MOVEment and the MOVEment X 100 days event, i have become more and more confident in myself and what i am able to achieve in the fitness community. the support i have received from family, friends, and strangers has been outstanding and i have a lot of people to thank for that.


as 2011 begins, i hope to bring you more about my training schedules, my races and events, reviews of local fitness facilities, my own motivations and insights, and a few surprises along the way to keep things interesting.

i ask that you take a clear look at your life and ask yourself where you want to be this time next year, and then ask yourself how you are going to get there!



What MOVES you?