2019 Black Spur Ultra 54k

Well one thing I'm finding with racing is the total lack of photos. Oh well eh!

So this was a pretty important race to me because it had alot of personal bests in it and alot if knowledge was gained. A new respect for my body, grateful to have discovered this sport at a time when the competitive nature has nothing to do with winning and if there is a podium it's just a bonus that leaves me wondering where all the fast ones are, being in the 55yr old group competition, well I'm a mid pack runner who does it for fun and health not competition, the competition environment is the toughest training run with others and what really draws me to it it ??? Because I can, because it's there, because my body sayes it can and because they said it would be fun.

I dont even know how to describe this even, beautiful, not super technical, great mix, also my first ultra.  I was looking for another event as one I had entered got canceled, internets a great place to stumble across things. So I entered.

I started way back in the pack as I figured it would help me slow my pace in the begining. I've only run if I'm lucky 28 to 30kms by this time, so alot of new ground would be explored inside and out. And after 55 years theres still a hell fo alot to discover both inside and out, and that made for a very entertaining run. Back of the pack yes that's right, pacing with the crowd, passing people,  fun.  And chatting for a bit  and even getting past, it takes a bit to sort itself out and I don't think it does but the whole process again, very entertaining. And a bonus for me is listening to people share their knowledge and bits of there story, the bonus part is their secrets are always pretty much new to me or at least good reminders.

Another thing for me as far as entertainment in a run is the dreamy state, where my mind drifts off, usual trying to pace back a bit, then not paying attention my body goes for the lazy approach to stride efficiency, or dust regard of, till my toes hits a rock and I wake up from said daydream entering crash protocols.  Only once this race.

The second loop was a faster loop and less elevation, I had finished up loop one more comfortable going fast downhill again and this would  also help me in loop two, I really did not know how much energy to use up or how to use it but I added a little bit more speed work to it overall, or so it seemed,

Loop 3 favored the fast approach as it was down to the lowest point of the race and then back up, a seemingly gentle climb, I favor the climbs, my heel by this time didn't, blister management during the race paid off as did knowing loop three was not only well into personal record mileage, but also put a finish line in a very attainable reach.

I never had to use my drop bag, I fueled with what I carried and at the aid stations, my water consumption was about 5l  and a lot of that was in loop 3. I went a little harder here and there throughout the race but tried to back off and save the miracle for the third loop, by the 3rd loop it was a miracle I was still moving.

The finishers Spur and a Beer printed with my name and 9:18:59

My first Ultra: Black Spur Ultra 54km  9hrs 18min 59sec, it was also the Canadian Trail Running National Championship race and had some of Canada's fastest 50k runners,  I gratefully showed up 70thish of the 120ish runners.

After race excitement!

Crowsnest 100 -10 or so

It's really difficult writing about a
100 km mountain bike race when I only finished 90km and why not the last 10km. To me it seemed at the time a lack of caring, by all means it was definitely a challenge I had put a lot of myself into it, enuff anyway for a bike race 2 weeks earlier I never knew existed.

I had come to a point slightly beaten and battered and I made a bad decision and took a wrong turn, I knew to check my gps but it was a downhill and I realized at the bottom what I had done,  even without this off course tour I was not going to make the cut off. I actually knew two days earlier from a ride that my times on muddy trails were gona put me 30 minutes over the limit. So i was gona have to hustle the whole course,  the distance didnt bother me but I've only a very limited time to re figure out muddy trail riding. Its been over 20 years since I rode a bike till a few months ago and iI have not been in the mud at all except for Thursday.

O.K. here it is the thing about mud, might be dirty heavy slippery mean but bottom line is it's so much fun.

Oh and my sons loaner bike, apparently old technology from what I was led to believe at the start line faired me well, the shifter up front quit working on the lil ring but I managed without it fine.

So back to my DNF, by choice, I just didn't care enough knowing I missed the cutoff and having to climb up the hill to get to where the last course marker was; sore from crashing, and just had enough. It was over.

Would I do it again, yes I would not hesitate, it was a super nice event in between two other events out here.

It taught me alot, I dont kniw why my neck is not nothing me after or now but I'm just gonna go with it.

Carpe Diem

On course the previous Thursday, which was far worse than race day.

All cleaned up

Bike on Thursday O-hagen turn off prior to the cloud burst.

The Minotaur 2019

Well the ride to Alberta went very well, the first race here, Meet the Minotaur 2019 was a great twist to a trail run. Vertical gain like none before. 1839m 19.5km course, it's taken me a bit of time to collect my thoughts on this one given the true nature of what started as a bit of a joke with my youngest son and a misconception of my oldest son and I. The later could well have been my own thought reconstruction of two conceptions. (I got some details of two different races confused?) So my orginal thoughts of the Minotaur were ultra distance and vertically(I would never venture to the vertical here) . That was the misconception but the joke part was me saying Tell everyone its I'm training for the Minotaur as my reason for all the recent running and health obsession.

I did at one point early on Google the race looked at the photos (I probably had not trail run yet) so yea I looked at the photos looked at the runners in the photos, looked at the mountians and went "that's all cool but not for me, not into heights no reason to go there" .

The race itself was amazing, well put together and orchestrated, After realizing the distance was much less than Ultra, the evolving elevation, and my fear of were becoming a reality.  I climbed, focused on the the path/task at hand and ran it for myself. A short enlightening break before cp3 and the real climb was to start somewhere after the safety check point I found a bit of comfort and was able to get myself and my empty water bladder back in gear.

It was gut buster climbs and alot of elevation in a course, lotsa log hopping and a super great work out, lots of rocks in the shoes and lotsa door prizes, good food and a 3rd place in the Masters  for me. A super good time that I still am not sure I really did it or dreamt it. My shins dont lie!

3rd 

We ran along that ridge up there, which means we got up there to run then got down to the finish.