Rob Sargeant's Blog, page 5

Training for Elk Beaver 50 Mile Ultra 2014

My wife, Olivia, was a great help this ultra training season as she drove the support vehicle on my longer runs. Twice we left while it was still dark, early in the morning, heading along the 19A coast highway. Once, up north 45kms to Campbell River, and another time, 47kms down to the Denman island ferry station and back. Olivia drove ahead of me 8kms or so, prepared my drinks and energy gels, and always offered an encouraging word. Early in the mornings the highway traffic is low. No convenience stores, or gas stations are open though at this time, so it would've been impossible for me to find the calories and water required to complete these runs alone.
March 9th, the first day of spring, as I ran beside the ocean approaching Campbell River, the sunrise was amazing over the Rocky Mountains peaks to the east. Starting off at 5 a.m. running in fog, I had wondered how the day would progress, was the weather man's prediction for rain true?. Thankfully it wasn't - only an hour of fog to run through. Later we had clear skies, sun, and spotted eagles in the trees, and comorants on the tidal rocks. My training pace was faster than the previous year, and I wasn't experiencing the leg cramps I had when I attempted this before. Maybe it was the new, Hoka One One Stinson Tarmac, running shoes, or the mix of Power Bar/Cliff energy gels I was using for calories. Whatever, it was a great feeling to arrive in Campbell River, and celebrate by going out for a delicious brunch at Banners Restaurant with Olivia, who had helped me along the way.
At midnight, March 29th, I left the house, running south along highway 19A. Olivia was going to catch-up with me in the van and meet me 8kms down the road at the edge of Royston. I felt a sense of issolation with just my headlamp for illumination along some of the long stretches of road. When we reached Union Bay, beside the ocean, the sea lions were active, in a frenzy barking to each other. One must have been right up near the edge of the road, as it gave me quite a scare when it barked out as I ran by. I sped up my pace for a few hundred metres to get away. I safely made it to the Denman Island ferry terminal, where Olivia was waiting with the support vehicle. She had the video camera out and was making some commentary. We even managed to get a photo.
My quads felt cramped at the turn around point, so I took in extra salt capsules and Gatorade. I told myself to run in the now, that time was just an illusion, and slowly got back into pace. 4-6 hour training runs are essential if you want to be a successful ultra distance runner. There's no short cut to building up endurance. I had a low point, on a very dark section of road, and felt like stopping, but as I came around the corner I saw the dome light of the van in the distance where Olivia was preparing my drinks. I pushed on, and was encouraged by my wife that this was the last aid stop before reaching the edge of Courtenay. I made it home just as the city was coming alive, glad to have missed the traffic, and even gladder to have a hot shower.

I'll be running for the Sick Kids Foundation on May 10th as I take part in the Elk/Beaver 50 Mile Ultra. Donations can be made here: Sick Kids Foundation

Run with the Wounded Warriors B.C. relay team

The goal the Wounded Warriors B.C. Relay Team set out to accomplish was to run 600 km in 6 days following the eastern coast of Vancouver Island to raise support for soldiers suffering with PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). When I found out that they were open to having runners join them, I checked their route on Google maps, and saw a 22km section from the Parksville to Lantzville legions scheduled for a 2 p.m. start. It looked doable for a co-worker, Sal Barrie, and myslef to complete. As the team came through the Comox Valley I met with Dan Bodden, one of the organizers of the run, at the local legion to find out if we could link up with them for the Parksville segment of the relay. To do this we would need to sign a waiver, and get permission from our chain of command at work to have the afternoon off. We would also have to take two cars, and leave one in Lantzville so we'd have a way to return when we were finished.

Aside from a small set back with my running gear (I discovered, just before leaving, as I was putting my running gear on, that my cat had peed on my gym bag the night before - soaking my two Dry Fit tops), everything went according to plan. When we arrived at the Parksville start we were greeted by the mayor, and the president of the legion. The media was there to catch the runner's arrival. We had a quick introduction to the team, and then departed, heading south, along the edge of old Coast Highway 19. Steve Kobayashi was our first Wounded Warrior running partner. Having already covered close to 60 kms the previos three days, his IT band was giving him problems. We let him set the pace. The sun was out, and the air was still cool, so it was perfect running conditions. Steve told us of how they were hit with heavy snow the first two days on the north of the island, and were dodging snow plows. The segment we were on was timed to be about a two hour run on the schedule. A long gentle down hill about 6 kms in helped to speed us along as we leaned into it and picked up the pace. Unfortunately what goes down on Vancouver Island usually goes up. The second half of the run included several big hilly sections that put some burning into our legs. George Beatteay, a SARtech from 19 Wing Comox, met up with us around 10km in. He took over for Steve. With all of us being from the same Airforce Wing we had a fun time talking, and were looking forward to finishing together.

We got lost in the last few kilometers of the run by following the directions of a lady in a mini van at the side of the road who told us we were going in the right direction to get to the Lantzville legion. I thought she was a volunteer for the race so I didn't question her. Turns out she wasn't. The police escort we were supposed to meet, finally did link up with us just before we hit a big hill that climbed up toward the finish. With police siren tooting ahead of us, and and fire engine with lights flashing at the rear, we approached the legion where a good sized crowd was gathered to greet us. I couldn't have imagined a better welcome. They presented us with a check for $300 to the Wounded Warriors Foundation. There was coffee and and a spread of desserts waiting for us too. We finished the 22kms in around 1:55 hr, ahead of the scheduled time. My thanks go out to all the volunteers who helped to make this happen, and to the courageous runners, Allan Kobayashi, Dan Bodden, George Beatteay, Jeremy Buckingham, Steve Kobayashi, and Steve Deschamps. Donations to the Wounded Warriors Foundation can be made HERE
Thanks.

Night run to Comox Lake dam

It was raining like crazy yesterday so I didn't go for my usual long Saturday run after my protein powder-banana pancake breakfast. Instead, I headed out early this morning at 5:30 a.m. while it was still dark. Trying out my new Nike dry max running tights, I had my headlamp on, and hit the trail around 6 a.m. leaving from the Fish Hatchery in Courtenay. Following the dirt service road running parallel to the hydro water tunnels I noticed my headlamp wasn't as bright as it should be. It illuminated a small patch of ground up to five meters ahead of me, plus it was lightly snowing, so visibility was poor. The first half hour I found my mind wandering, remembering a long conversation I had with a mountain man in the summer who had had several bear encounters in the area. He always carried a can of bear spray, and recommended that I have some too. I didn't have anything like that. Not even bear bells. The trail is in a secluded area, but it gets steady traffic from dog walkers, and the odd horse back rider. I told myself that all the dogs marking the trail side would probably discourage any predators. I was pretty sure of this. I remembered watching it on one of those survivor shows. I hoped I was right.

Nymph Falls trail from Rob Sargeant on Vimeo.

Running in the dark forest, after reaching the power station near Nymph Falls, the trail twisted and turned. I recognized where I was since I had passed through the trail so many times during the day. But it did seem like a different world. It definitely felt riskier in the early morning, before sunrise. It felt so good to get to the Comox Lake dam after an hour or so. The morning was breaking, but still dim with the clouded skies. I had to keep my headlamp on until I reached Nymph Falls, running on the other side of the Riverside Trail. By the time I reached the trail under the Highway 19 overpass the sun was fully up, its light sparkling off the wet ferns, and evergreen trees around me. Running in darkness has its challenges, but it makes me appreciate running in the light even more.