Introducing Fergus

 Here's Fergus - the new addition to our home. He is a Norfolk Terrier, now 12 weeks old.

 Fergus and I running at Hayward Lake - look closely he's there.

 He tried hard to get over this fallen tree - but he needed a little help.

Santa brought him this sweater which he wore with pride.

 

It's December 31st and we are celebrating at home tonight with family and relatives from Montreal and Australia. Well I did it - the Marcothon that is - it is not an easy thing to do but it is the best challenge to keep you moving through the month of December - thanks Marco it helped keep me energized!

 

This time of year also challenges us to look ahead to our goals for 2013. I'm excited about the upcoming year of running. Here are the goals I have set so far:

• Continue with the TRX classs every Tuesday night throughout the winter months.
• Ride my spin bike 2 times per week.
• Run back to back longer runs on Saturdays/Sundays.
• Run after work Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.
• Complete Dirty Duo 50 km (March)
• Complete Diez Vista 50 km (April)
• Complete Chuckanutt 50 km (March)
• Participate in Fat Ass events throughout the year
• Complete the Cateran Run in Scotland (55 miles - May)
• Complete Vancouver 100km (June)
• Complete the Knee Knacker 30 miles (if I get in! - July)
• Complete the Squamish 50 mile (August)
• Bag some new peaks in the Bagger Challenge
• No Whining (well maybe a little...)
• No Lollygaging
• Train Fergus for the trails.

Happy New Year!

 



Snow Shoeing at Whistler

Heading Out at Lost Lake Park

 Here comes Chris!

 Gordie and Kendall

 Kendall overtakes Gordie

 Nice trails to run on.

 Kendall styling!

A check of the map and a water break - Chris and Kendall.

Winter is Here! - Snow is on the Trails.

 The Powerline Trail - Buntzen

 Golden Ears Park - The Horse Corral Trail

 The Top of the Incline Trail - Golden Ears Park

Nice Flocking!

 

 

It was a  busy week! And wow fitting in the Marcothon is a challenge. It sounds simple - run for 25 minutes every day in the month of December. I usually run 4-5 days per week with longer runs Saturday and Sunday and shorter runs during the week. To add a run to those off days takes some planning especially during this busy time of year. I've managed to keep it up though!

We are really enjoying the winter conditions that have arrived in Vancouver. The snow is just minutes away up the mountains - a perfect place for it! 

Pure Satisfaction Run!

Today was the Club Fat Ass Pure Satisfaction Run! Craig is the RD but was away in Kamloops so Keith Nichol stepped in to take the reign. It was a cold and rainy day with snow not long after the climb out of Deep Cove - very nice winter scenes! Not long into the event Rachel joined me and we made the journey together. It was great to catch up with Rachel and all she has done the last few years and hearing her goals for 2013. This is a really knarly route that kept us out there for 5 hours. Awesome trainer!
It feels great to be back doing a longer run each weekend. Another event next weekend on the Seymour trails. I have managed the Marcothon, 25 minutes each day - although tough some days!...now I must plan for the week ahead.
Cheers!

Day 4 of the Marcothon

Today I managed 25 minutes of running after work prior to attending one of Neil's work Christmas parties. There is a run I can do from the house on the road that provides a good hill workout. This year Neil said he was going to try to participate in the Marcothon - try he did but unfortunatley he did not get his run done today. It's over for Neil but I'm sure he will support me along the way - I'm planning to run prior to work tomorrow morning - I have another Christmas party right after work tomorrow night. It's pouring with rain here which makes it a bit more challenging to be motivated to get out the door! Hope Dave Berg is still in!

Scottish Marcothon in Canada!

Well it's December 3rd and I've managed the Marcothon so far! Which means I must run for 25 minutes every day in the month of December. On Saturday we ran for 3 hours with Dave at the Buntzen Lake area. Sunday we ran for 1.5 hours at Hayward Lake and tonight we ran for 50 minutes on the dykes. All this despite a lot of "life" happening around this. The next 3 days are going to be tricky with Christmas parties and the TRX class we have been doing this fall - plans are in the works to squeeze in the runs. Looks like a couple of early mornings and I mean early as we already rise very early. On Sunday I attended my friend Maxine's annual Christmas Wreath making party where I create the only crafty thing I do all year - see the masterpiece in the photo!  Neil is going to try the Marcothon this year too - maybe we can keep each other going. Our running buddy Dave Berg is also giving it a go! The Marcothon is happening again this year in Canada - thanks Marco in Scotland for keeping us all moving during the month of December!

Seymour Super Fun Run

Saturday we participated in Club Fat Ass's Seymour Super Fun Run. The rain held off and the weather was perfect for a fall 27 km outing on the trails. Craig met us at the start and the 3 of us navigated our way to the finish. The route is posted on line and there are many places to take the wrong turn! The trails have changed since we last did this route ;-) (that is the story we are sticking to!) We found ourselves in places where we perhaps should not have been. When I asked ...are we on the route? Craig replied, we know our way back. Today we had a 1.5 hour run up the fire access road from Mike Lake in Golden Ears Park.
Exciting news this week....we have signed up for the Cateran 55 mile trail run in Scotland in May. When we first met Dario he mentioned that we would really like this event and suggested we add it to the must do list! Neil's family farm was in Blairgowrie where the route goes through. Graeme, Neil's middle brother who lives near Inverness is also signed up. Training...is well underway including the Marcothon for me in the month of December - you must run every day for 25 minutes in December. Last year I found it  really tough some days when the weather is terrible and the after work Christmas parties are calling - but I did it. It takes careful planning of the week to fit it all in. Looking forward to giving it my best!

A Return to Saskatoon

Last week we travelled to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Neil was invited to teach at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan for the week.We lived in Saskatoon for 4 years while he studied there. We have been back once prior but only for a couple of days. We enjoyed our week and managed to embrace the winter conditions. We ran most evenings despite the temperature dropping well below zero. We enjoyed catching up with friends and faculty. On the Friday a snow storm developed across the prairies and not only delayed our flight from Saskatoon but also from  Edmonton on route to Abbotsford. We arrived home very late but were pleased to have a long weekend to enjoy. 

 Ron, Marilyn and me!

 Neil and I freezing.

 The Berry Barn where we went for lunch...brrrrr....

 The Bessborough Hotel where we stayed. It's a beautiful hotel on the river.

 Stranded at the Saskatoon Airport - view from the Pub. Note the label on the window.

Home sweet Home! 

Baggers Banquet and a Halloween Run

The 2012 Club Fat Ass Baggers Challenge has come to a close. It was another great year! Thanks to Julia and David for their administration of the event and for hosting another great Baggers Banquet. Bill Maurer and I won for the male/female for the most number of peaks. Bill is also the first to complete all 57 peaks in one year. Well done Bill!

The Birthday Bag!

Celebrating on top of Mt. Harvey on a beautiful Fall day - it was a spectacular day on the Howe Sound Crest Trail.

Happy Baggers!

 

Neil and I - nice early evening on the Peaks!

Below is Harry, the Junior Champion - he has defended this title several years in a row.

























The prizes, the Quaichs were piped in to Scotland the Brave. Thanks Alan!

 

Ean Jackson also became a "compleatist" this year by now having climbed all the peaks in the Bagger Challenge. Congratulations Ean! That's Tundra the Ultra Dog with him in the boat on the Dicken's trip. Tundra has won the canine division each year and only has two more peaks for herself to become the first canine compleatist.

This year the  Twisted Quaich was awarded to 2 families with young children who were getting the next generation out bagging - Congratulations to the Dagg's and the Healey -Thorpe's.

This weekend we also participated in a trail 1/2 marathon. I'm proud of this one! I have spent much of the late summer/ fall climbing 21 peaks. Running and bagging are 2 different sports! The fall is also a difficult time of year for me with my asthma. Neil signed us up for this trail event and despite me having the best excuse in the world such as not able to breathe while sleeping - he really encouraged me to try the event. I used a lot of Ventolin out there today but was very pleased to see I was second in my age category! Big Birthdays do have some advantages! It was also nice to catch up (literally|) with trail buddies (Baldwin) ;-) Well done everyone! We are signed up for events most weekends prior to Christmas - looking forward to them!

 

Here Comes the Rain Again!

Dave and I - wet!

This weekend the rain came after the driest summer/fall in 117 years. I haven't been around that long but have found myself trying to adjust. That might sound strange for someone who was born and raised in the Vancouver rain. It's amazing how you become accustomed to the fair weather. The rains were torrential all weekend - we even lost our power for most of today (thanks generator!)

 

Being hard core baggers we tried to bag a peak despite the weather on Saturday. It was a bit of a scramble in the house locating the necessary rain gear, hats and gloves. We picked Dave up and drove up to the Mt. Seymour parking lot - the weather was terrible. We could hardly see the buildings in the parking lot and the wind and rain were nasty. Team decision - not wise so we jumped in the car and went lower down on Seymour to do a 2 hour run on the trails. Today we managed a 2 hour run at Hayward Lake during a calm in the rain storm in the late afternoon.

 

Fall is a great time to set some plans for the upcoming winter to keep us moving. There are a number of events we are considering locally throughout the fall/winter and we have our eye on some international events for the spring.



Thanksgiving Weekend Bagging Fever

This past weekend was our Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend. The weather was spectacular! Bagging fever hit many - there was plenty of activity on the North Shore mountains. Photos, emails and text messages were live from the peaks. Here are some photos of our spectacular outings. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

 Early in the day, starting the climb up Brunswick Mountain- Craig and I.

 Working our way up! It's quite exposed and steep.

 Craig and I on top of Brunswick - Neil is taking the photo.

 Heading down from Brunswick to connect with the Howe Sound Crest Trail for more peaks.

 Neil and I on Fat Ass Mountain

Neil pointing out where we are going next! On our way to Hat Mountain.

Hat Mountain 

Gaiters helped with the brush - good tip Craig!

 

 Hat Mountain's Communication Tower.

 The view!

 The view of Mt. Harvey from the Howe Sound Crest Trail - it's next!

 Going up Harvey - it's steep and exposed!

 Very steep and Exposed!

 Neil and I on top of Mt. Harvey

 Did it!

 3 Happy Baggers with the Lions in the distance.

Neil and Craig enjoying the views.

 The next day, riding in to the trail head.

 Stashed the bikes in the woods.

 Paton, Coliseum and Burwell-having a rest.

 The route down on the Paton trail - steep and gnarly.

 The ride back to the truck -almost dark!

 Day 3 - Craig's Bagging Glove repaired with duct tape.

 Craig doing trail maintenance on the Mt. Fromme Trail.

 Baggers delight - left over Pizza.

Craig and I at the top of Fromme Mountain. It was here that I received a message from Neil - he was going to be late for Thanksgiving dinner - indeed he was - by 2.5 hours. Neil went on a trip up Indian Arm by boat and bagged Mt. Dickens with Ken and Ean.

Well done Baggers! It was fun.