Hail to the Trail

Saturday July 24th marked my first trail run at home.  Back in March, Tim and I did a trail run in Nevada but this trail race was VERY different.  Much bigger elevation gain and loss, plus some very technical roots and rocks.

This race was the 4th in the 5 Peaks BC series and reportedly the most difficult one.  Of course, I didn't know that until the end of the race.  

All I could do at the end of the race was get myself home, showered and into bed for the rest of the day.  Most of Sunday was a write off also.  So tired!  Not to mention the black and blue bruise on the bottom of my left forefoot from full force impact with a sharp rock.

Overall, it was a TOUGH run but very rewarding.  It took me 2:08:35 to complete the 11km route and I placed 180/186 who ran.  Not a great showing but certainly gave me respect for the trails.  Give me an Ironman any day!  

Getting ready for the race

Chair lifts

Less than 1km into the race, looking strong.

End of the 1st loop, feeling it. 

6kms into the race

Rock N Roll San Diego 1/2 Marathon

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Originally uploaded by erinlesleylee

I have to say that this photo sums up my Rock N Roll San Diego experience. It was all about the trip to San Diego, staying at the Hard Rock Hotel, The RNR expo, having FUN and of course, the 1/2 marathon.

Even with having a MG64 at the expo I was able to pull off a 2:05:18. The weather was hotter and more humid than I have been training in. The route was pretty much along a highway and not very scenic. However, in typical RNR style, the expo and post race party were excellent.

Next race...TBD.

I will be at the RNR Seattle at the end of the month to cheer on Tim (www.twitter.com/acmedragon337)

PS, if you are wondering who the guy behind me in this photo is, it is Michael (www.twitter.com/AZ_Michael)

ORBIS Plane Pull

Now for something completely different.  Me and 19+ of my coworkers at Clearly Contacts spent the morning pulling a plane for charity.  Check out the news video of the event here

Vancouver Marathon 2010 Race Report

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Originally uploaded by erinlesleylee

Weil, the weather could have been better and my time could have been faster but who can complain about a PR?

No, it was not the 4 hour marathon I had hoped for but I did manage to pull off a PR at 4:23:05. This was about 1 minute faster than my December 2009 marathon in Clermont, Florida.

The day started with a long port-o-potty line and me being in the port-o-potty when the gun went off. No worries, I have my Garmin and the timer doesn't start until you cross the start line.

As I left the port-o-potty and started my Garmin, the worst happened. My Garmin (which I had charged all night) was at 0% battery. Yikes!

OK, plan B...look for the 4 hour pace bunny on the course. Because I started late, I had to quickly catch up to the bunny. I passed the 4:30 bunny then by about 5kms found the 4:15 bunny. At the 10km mark I found 2 friends who I was planning to run with from the beginning. They said they hung with the 4 hour bunny for a while but he took off and they never saw him again. Oh well, I didn't know my time or pace but I was now with friends who were well equipped.

All was going well through the first 1/2 of the race and well into 30kms I was still feeling good. By the time 36kms came around my left hip was crying foul and begging me to stop. My run became a run/walk then a shuffle/walk. With about 4kms to go I passed a great band and I tried to pick up my pace but it was no use. My legs were done.

It is a story that marathoners often tell "everything was going great until 36kms". That is why it is a marathon and not a 36km race. If it was 36kms it would be easy. LOL.

Even with the mess ups and hip pain, I still managed a PR by a minute, I ran with great friends and had a wonderful dinner with wine after the race.

Next up is the San Diego RNR 1/2 Marathon at the beginning of June. Who else will be there running with me?

My goal time for this one will be 1:55:00. My current PR is 1:58:15

Wish me luck!

Happy Training.

Delta Tri 2010 Race Report

I believe that 2010 marks the 5th time I have completed the Delta Sprint Triathlon.  It might be 6 times but 5 for sure.  Every year it marks the beginning of tri season for me and I look forward to doing the race.  I love seeing the all of the tri newbies mixed in with Elite and Pro triathletes.  This year the Race Director was Tracey Shelley (my swim coach) and it was the best run year so far.  Great job Tracey!!!

I really felt no pressure going into this race.  I have not had as much structure this year as I did last year with my tri training.  In fact, I have only been outside on my bike 2x in 2010 including the race yesterday.  I did do a spin class once a week from January - March to maintain some of my bike fitness, but we all know that spinning isn't really like getting outside with your bike.

My game plan...ok, I didn't really have one.  My husband asked me the night before the tri if I was going to PB the race.  I thought about it and said "oh yah, I have a tri tomorrow, I should pump up the tires on my bike".  Again, this is very different than my obsessive behaviour of 2009.

The swim started off with a few foot cramps then I settled in.  My lane was not very busy so I swam the first couple of laps free of being kicked and bumped.

After running outside into the cold, rain and wind I was quickly on my bike and riding.  The wind worked our favour as there was a head wind on the way out and a tail wind on the way back (2 loop out and back bike course).

Pretty quick transition to the run an I was off.  The run felt really good and I kept a steady pace.

Then, because it is a Sprint and not Ironman, it was all over.  Gotta love the sprints.  I guess keeping up with my swimming and running was beneficial because I beat my time from last year in both.  The bike was about 2 minutes slower but I was expecting that.

All in all, a great day and a great event!  See you all there again in 2011.

Swim:  11:42
T1/Bike/T2 43:46
Run 25:10
5/28 in the 35-39 Age Group
Total time 1:20:37

Hail Trail Runners

Desert Dash
Originally uploaded by erinlesleylee

Ok, so I now have a new respect for Trail Runners. I knew the 1/2 Marathon Trail Run at Bootleg Canyon in NV was going to be tougher than a road race but....whoa!

Even though it was super tough and I hurt for a week after, I am hooked. Good thing we have so many beautiful trails in the Vancouver area to explore.

Click on this photo to check out our trail running adventure from a couple of weeks ago.

Desert Dash - Boulder City, NV

Next weekend we are headed once again to Las Vegas.  Our warm weather and relatively cheap escape from reality for a weekend.  Of course, what do we do when we go to Vegas?  Yes, we do have some great meals and a few drinks.  We even gamble a little bit.  Of course we find a community running race and go for it.

For this trip we found the Desert Dash in Boulder City, NV.  There is a 5km, 10km, 21.1km, 30km or 50km trail run option.  Now as tempting as the 50km run is...we are running the 21.1km distance.  The run starts at 9am.  The temperatures in Las Vegas are already reaching 25C so the weather will be warm.  From what I know, there is no support on the course so we are packing the Fuel Belts, Gatorade and PowerGels.

Check out the route map for the 1/2 Marathon here.

Anyone else going to be there?  Tweet up anyone?

Viva Las Vegas Desert Dash!