Mud and Sweat

The past few weeks have been incredible as far as training goes. I was concerned about my experience (or more like 'lack of') for my upcoming 'Run the Juan' event in mid July, so I have been trying to focus more on my running. I have been fortunate to make it out to the Juan de Fuca trail twice in the past few weeks to run with my own team as well as some amazing trail runners from Mountain Equipment Co-op in Victoria! My team and I logged a solid 10 km in 02:11:00 hours on our first JdF exploration and I completed 24 km in 06:18:00 with the MEC crew! I had never run that far in distance or time before and I felt like I had really broken through a barrier during that run especially. I was also able to run about 12 km while lapping Thetis Lake and about 16 or 17 km in 03:12:00 around the Diez Vista Trails at Bunzen Lake in the lower mainland.

I know I am not a very fast runner, but I have been feeling better and better about my endurance abilities as my training progresses. I still have to walk up many (if not all) the hills I encounter on my runs, as I find my power and strength are relatively weak. This has been very discouraging at times, but if my goal remains to simply finish the 47 kilometers of the JdF, then I have to be satisfied with where I am at. I won't be setting any speed records on this attempt...but that is OK! My recent 6 hour run on the JdF was at a very sustainable pace for me. There was lots of power hiking and food and water breaks. At the end of the run I did not feel defeated or exhausted, but still strong...despite being a little tired. This is GOOD news! If that pace is sustainable than unless there is any injury, I may be looking at 12 hours for Run the Juan. I am anticipating anywhere between 10-15 hours, so this would be more than acceptable to me!






I am also testing out more gear, such as types of clothing for comfort, breathibility, and chafe, and food sources for energy, ease of carrying, and compatibility with my stomach! There is still a lot to experiment with and i have not made any final decisions about the gear or food I will take yet.

As this is a team event, we are also testing out the compatibility of our personalities! My team mates are comprised of my brother and several friends of mine, and although they are forming their own connections, I am a common denominator between most of them. Team mates are interesting as I truly believe they can make or break a trip. I have been extremely lucky as the people I am running with have been incredibly supportive and they are putting themselves through some pretty rigorous training in order to help me achieve my goals. I couldn't be more grateful. I will profile my team mates soon, in an upcoming entry, so you know who I will be with and you can get a sense of our dynamics.

I'm sure the next month will reveal more realizations, strengths, and weaknesses, as I continue running and increasing both my distance and the time spent on the trail. This adventure is becoming quite a process and I'm sure I will have learned just as much through my training as I will during the actual run.

Thank you for all the support and encouragement I have already received from the MOVEment community! That is truly an amazing advantage and I could not be tackling this challenge with out it!