The following is the running program that the Youth Ambassadors completed in their buildup to the expedition.

Impossible2Possible Expedition Utah Running Training

]]> http://healthandadventure.com/2013/05/i2p-expedition-utah-training-plan/feed/ 0 http://healthandadventure.com/2013/05/race-updates/ http://healthandadventure.com/2013/05/race-updates/#comments Thu, 23 May 2013 14:39:39 +0000 Derrick http://healthandadventure.com/?p=4838 [Continue Reading]]]> The past month has been a good mix of some decent training and also my first race since Yukon Arctic Ultra. Race you say? Well, yeah sort of.

Sara and I had heard about the Beachburg Spring Chicken 50km. The race was primarily a mountain bike race, but had opened it up to trail runners for the first time this year. We wanted to get in a long run on the weekend anyhow and the thought of running new trails was appealing.

I would write more of a race report, but in all honesty, it would turn out similar to what Sara wrote on her blog. Short story was that Sara and I were the only two runners signed up for the 50km. Kind of strange when you finish first and last in your division in the same race?!? Here is my Movescount data from my Suunto Ambit.

I will say that the course was very nice with a wide variety of different terrain, and I’d definitely recommend it to others looking for an Eastern Ontario Ultra this time of year. I’m sure that once runners find out about it, this will become a much bigger event.

After Beachburg I took a few light days and then got back into training fairly quickly. I actually felt pretty good, which makes sense given that I didn’t push it too hard in the race. I even did a solid tempo run a few days later. Looking back on it now, I realize that I might have jumped back into training a little too soon as my problematic achilles is barking a little right now. I expect I’ll be able to deal with it though and won’t slow me down too much.

Having gotten the first race(?) out of the way, I find myself thinking a little more about what’s next. I don’t feel as though I’m in great shape right now, but do feel like I’m heading in the right direction. Race plans have me currently thinking of targeting the New Hampshire 100km in August. I would love to go back to Haliburton again, but think it might be just a little too close to the Impossible2Possible Expedition that I’ll be going on in September. I expect to be hitting either the Creemore Spring Challenge or The LimberLost Challenge as a good test before NH100. I had even thought about running the Kingston 6 hour race with it being so close to home, but not really sure how my body would hold up to that much pavement.

I’m actually finding myself looking most excitedly towards winter races for next year and doing a lot of pondering about which to do. I’d love to do the Iditarod Trail Invitational, but have missed the deadline and it’s already full. In reality, another year of learning a little more in a shorter distance before tackling 350 miles might make sense anyhow. There are some amazing options in the north, as well as Scandinavian countries, but find myself leaning towards possibly Arrowhead 135 miles in Northern Minnesota. It would be tough not to return to the Yukon this year, but still some time to decide.

Well, enough about winter races. Time to get back out in the Eastern Ontario heat and humidity. Good luck to everyone in their upcoming races!

See you on the trails!

Some technical trail running at Frontenac Park

Spring is here,
But it is clear,
It’s still too soon,
To run shirtless I fear!
- A spring running poem by Derrick Spafford (ok, I never said I was a good poet!).

From a guy who loves winter running and races, it feels a little strange to be admitting enjoying this recent stretch of warmer weather. The feeling though of shedding the winter layers is a wonderful thing. I’m really looking forward to those warm days in the summer when I can hit the trails with nothing more than a pair of shoes and shorts…shoes optional at times too.

Even though there’s been a sense of lightness as we transition the seasons, I’ve found that it’s taken me longer than expected to recover from the Yukon Arctic Ultra. This sort of surprised me as I felt that since the last portion of my race was so slow, that the less pounding on my body would have allowed me to recover that much more quickly. This wasn’t the case though and the long slow slog ended up leaving me pretty beat up. February was a busy month with organizing snowshoe races too, and I didn’t really start to feel like I was getting back to normal with good energy until mid-late March. I’ve had a few niggling injuries during this time that I’ve worked through, but began to feel structurally strong once April rolled around.

Fitness-wise, I always tend to come out of the winter feeling relatively slow anyhow after having focused on strength oriented workouts that include a lot of sled dragging. Things are starting to turn around a little now though. I’ve started getting some decent longer runs and quality workouts in this month, so I feel like I’m in shape to start getting into shape.

As for races, we had considered running Bear Mountain 50 miler in New York, but with it coming up in the first week of May, neither Sara or I feel ready to run it. There are many runners out there who like to use races as focused training towards their goals, but personally I’d rather spend the time training and doing what’s necessary to put me in a place where I’m comfortable and know that I’m ready for a good race. I guess for me it comes back to I’d prefer to ‘train to race’ not ‘race to train’.

So, race plans are being bumped back for the season with the goal of hitting one or two 50 km or shorter distances over the next month. I’d then like to race a 50+ mile race early in the summer and then a 100 km or 100 miler a little later in the summer too. I’m just not sure what the fall will entail yet however as the plans are right now that I will be joining Impossible to Possible for a fall expedition…which I’m also very excited about.

Good luck to everyone in your spring races.

See you on the trails!

Overlooking one of the many beautiful lakes of Frontenac Park

Classic view of Slide Lake from the Great Rock

Love this shot of the beaver dam built into the footbridge.

Spafford Health and Adventure sells only the highest quality gear that we have fully tested and trust. Our online store includes Dion Snowshoes, UltrAspire Hydration Systems, Drymax Socks and S!Cap Electrolytes. Great products, great service and great prices!

Can’t wait for the snow to fly again!

DATE:

Sunday, November 17, 2013

RACE START:

10:00 am (Sydenham Track, Sydenham, ON)

RACE DAY KIT PICKUP:

8:30-9:45am at the Sydenham High School Cafeteria, Wheatley St and Rutledge Road (only a few blocks from the start/finish). Washroom facilities available in the school.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

The start/finish line is located at the track in Sydenham. This picturesque 8km runs along the north shore of Sydenham Lake on the Cataraqui Trail. The course is relatively flat and fast with the exception of two small hills on the way out and two on the way back. The surface is a combination of 80% trail and 20% road. The turnaround is just past the bridge at Eel Bay. Course Map and race site location.

RACE DETAILS:

Race entry is capped at a maximum of 300 RUNNERS. We expect to sell out again this year, so register early to avoid disappointment. There will be no race day registration.

FACEBOOK:

Visit our Facebook page for the latest race updates.

RACE SOUVENIR:

Register before October 15 to guarantee commemorative race souvenir.

ENTRY FEE:

EARLY BIRD ENTRY (before Sept 15) – $35.00 (includes race souvenir)
STANDARD ENTRY FEE (before Oct 15) – $40.00 (includes race souvenir)
LATE ENTRY(after Oct 15 until race is full) – $50.00 (*sorry…no race souvenir)

ONLINE REGISTRATION: www.RunningRoom.com

POST RUN AWARDS (Sydenham High School Cafeteria):

- First place male and female will receive $100 cash, plus a free entry to the 2013 race. There will also be an additional $50 bonus if they break the course record!

- Second and third place male and female will receive merchandise awards from our sponsors.

- First place master (over 40) male and female will receive merchandise awards from our sponsors.

- Age category medals (male & female: 15 & under, 16-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+)

- No duplicate awards.

- All runners and walkers eligible for numerous draw prizes.

- A great selection of post run food and beverages provided. (Please bring your own mug/cup to cut down on waste. Thank you)

COURSE RECORDS:

Male: Taylor Murphy – 25:09 (2007)

Female: Jodi Wendland – 30:30 (2010)

~ First place male and female to break the course record will receive an additional $50 bonus.

SAFETY:

The trail is narrow in places. Be alert. For the safety of yourself and others, please no running strollers or headphones!

RESULTS:

2012 Results
2011 Results
Previous results posted at www.RunningByDesign.ca

PARTNERS:

Proceeds from the race will benefit Impossible 2 Possible Youth Expeditions and Experimental Learning Programs. A donation will also be made to the Cataraqui Trail. Please consider making a donation to the Cataraqui Trail to assist in the upkeep of this wonderful trail.

CONTACT:

For more information, please contact info@HealthandAdventure.com

SPONSORS:

I’ve blogged about Puzzle lake before, and about what a unique and beautiful area it is. I discovered some new trails there in the fall that I was only able to get part way in on before being turned back by a wide river crossing and darkness. I returned in January to try to see if I could get further on them, but had to turn around earlier when the conditions were a little too dangerous to climb up the rocky cliff to get to the new section.

Yesterday seemed like the perfect day to try our luck again. Sara hadn’t seen the new section yet, and I was excited to show them to her while hopefully being able to explore the new trails. Siku, our Alaskan Husky, was also keen to check them out.

Well, the conditions were ideal and we got in over twice as far as I had been before. Totally out in the middle of nowhere. Very wild, remote and rugged. We found ourselves not wanting to turn around, but knew that our run would be over 4 hours as it was by the time we got back to our car, so thought we’d better since that was longer than either of us had really planned to go.

Rather than talk more about the trails and what they are like, I thought I’d share some of the photos (Sara took most of them). Also, here is the link to my Movescount Map from my Suunto Ambit.

African Garbanzo Bean Soup. The real name is African Chickpea Soup, but I just like saying GARBANZO!

Since the Red Barn Snowshoe Race, Sara and I both have had a lot of requests for the recipe of the soup that we served. It’s our favourite soup that we have often at our home and were happy to share it with everyone at the race.

It’s pretty flexible and you can add certain things and subtract other things. We tend to usually make it quite hot and spicy, but toned it down a bit for the race.

Ingredients & Instructions:

2 tsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 large sweet potato, chopped

1-2 red peppers, chopped

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

4 cups vegetable broth (add more, or water, depending on consistency desired)

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tbsp cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 14-oz. cans diced tomatoes

2 oz. spinach, chopped (about 2 cups)

Saute onions and garlic. Add all remaining ingredients except spinach and simmer until heated. (Or add everything to a slow cooker and cook on low for several hours.) Stir in spinach just before serving.

Enjoy!

]]> http://healthandadventure.com/2013/03/african-garbonzo-bean-soup-snowshoe-style/feed/ 1 http://healthandadventure.com/2013/03/dion-snowshoes-contest/ http://healthandadventure.com/2013/03/dion-snowshoes-contest/#comments Mon, 04 Mar 2013 01:54:45 +0000 Derrick http://healthandadventure.com/?p=4576 [Continue Reading]]]>

Congratulations to our Dion Snowshoes Contest Winner…

Thank you to everyone who entered the Dion Eastern Ontario Snowshoe Running Series Contest for a free pair of Dion 121 running snowshoes.

We thoroughly enjoyed reliving the series of races through your words and what the races each meant to you. The judging panel had a difficult time making a decision, but have declared Jenn Ross the winner of the contest and Dion Snowshoes. Below is Jenn’s submission for you to enjoy once again…

Snow…lots
Pace yourself
Atlas snowshoes suck
February 9 2013
Friendship
Open field
Run with heart
Deep cleat

Heart thumping
Eastern Ontario
Ass over tea kettle
Lost hat
Trails
Hydration pack ultrAspire

Winter wonderland
Endurance
Shortened course (phew)
Too cold for shorts Sebastian
Beer glass
Rosemary’s best socks ever
Ouch!
Outdoor fitness
Kicking ankles

Derrick home YAU100
Iskiw first male
Opportunity seized
Next pair… DIONS

Sara first female
Never again!
Okay, that’s a lie
Walking not allowed
Second place female, me
Hillside coffee
Objective: finish
Experience of a lifetime

Recovery is for sissies
Almost beat my husband
Chili
Early to bed

A huge congratulations to Jenn, and thanks again to everyone for submitting your entries. To see all the awesome entries, please check the contest details page or the Spafford Health and Adventure Facebook page.