2009 Fitness Goals

I've been rather timid announcing any athletic goals for 2009. After my injury streak from last year, I didn't want to jinx my training with any lofty aspirations...

But, I guess I should put my plans for 2009 down, it's so easy to loose track:

Goal #1: Vancouver New Years Day Fat Ass 50km, ideally beating my time from 2008 (please note, because of the adverse conditions we will experience for this event, I will give myself credit for partial completion)

Goal #2: Marathon under 4h. I would like to find a spring or fall marathon somewhere less than 1h drive from Vancouver.

Goal # 3: Increase my running pace. Speed workouts 1x a week

Goal # 4: Participating in following other events/races:

• Squamish Scrambler Snowshoe Run
• Capilano Canyon MardiGras Night Run
• Mountain Highway Madness (2 laps)
• XTC 50K
• Bill's Great Peak Ascent
• Capilano Canyon Midsummer Nite Night Run
• Go Deep or Go Home
• Sunshine in September
• M&M's
• Pure Satisfaction

Goal # 5: weight training in the gym 2x a week

A Tight Dilemma

Don't you love running during the balmy days of spring, summer or even those crisp, sunny days of fall?

Unfortunately, it's monsoon season on the wet coast. It's also getting cold. With a heavy heart, I have tucked my shorts into the back of the closet. Problem is, I don't like running in tights. I don't like the restrictive feeling and the heaviness when they get wet.

Well, the tights have been out for a while now and got some good miles in during the CFA fall events I was able to participate in. Poor Arthur got the brunt of my rant on my "old" tights during the M + M Fun Run. It was raining on and off and the fabric got so heavy, it stuck to my quads and drove me to distraction.

Now, I have to come clean here: my tights are a men's size S. As my running buddy, Caroline, pointed out, "What do you expect, they are men's tights". I bought them a few years ago at the MEC (I am a MEC kinda girl for most of my outdoor gear). All their women's tights were flared and I didn't even give them a glance - who wants wide cut pants for trail running? The men's S seemed to fit. They are what they call mid weight and they are great on dry days...but when it rains, they just get heavy and since the fabric doesn't have much stretch they feel restrictive. My old pair needed some repairs and last Christmas I got a back-up, this time in men's M. Again, they are great dry, but when wet they are even worse than the small ones, as they get so heavy, they slide off my hips.

Browsing through the MEC Fall/Winter catalogue, I noticed a pair of women's tights, midweight and narrow cut. Had MEC clued in (when I bought the men's S they were down to the last pair, probably not because a bunch of small men purchased them). Unfortunately, when I looked at them at the store and tried them on, they were not what I was looking for in a pair of tights for running in our wet, but mild winters. They were rather thick (better suited for snowshoe running) and the legs in both the L and M sizes were way to long on my average height frame. Reluctantly, I turned my attention to the wider cut styles and ended up buying a very nice looking pair of Dash Pants. The product info praises them as a great garment for those who aren't fond of tights (yeah, right) but want quick-drying mobility for warm-ups and running.

So far so good. I like the fit. They are not terribly low cut and have a wide, flat waist band with a inconspicuous drawstring cord. The cord needs to be tied together or a toggle as it disappears in the waist band during washing, but that's a minor nuisance. I expected the wider cut legs to be annoying and not very practical on the trails, but surprise, I actually like them and they haven't snagged on anything yet. I like the material. They are made of 100% polyester, in, as MEC puts it, a comfy flat face knit. Looks quite flattering, falls nicely and has a bit of stretch. It's also not too heavy, flimsy, shiny or slippery. Only beef I have so far, is that the fabric gets slightly clingy when you get sweaty. I like the extras. There are two flat, low-profile pockets and an internal mesh key pocket. I like the workmanship. When buying MEC gear I have come to expect good quality, and these pants so far are no exceptions. The seams don't look like they are going to come apart during washing. Speaking about washing... these pants are fast drying. Very convenient.

It remains to be seen how they perform on a long wet and muddy run. So far, I only wore them for shorter runs and the gym. I guess that's what they were designed for...hence the name - Dash pants

Foolish Gerbil 6 Hour Run

Running in circles is not necessarily my kind of thing, but when the motley Fools posted the Flash Foolish Gerbil 6 Hour run, proposing a 10km loop 6h run in Pacific Spirit Park, it fit nicely into my plans to run a longish stretch on the Vancouver New Year's Day 50 course. Others seemed to think along the same line, as pre-event saw a flurry of online activity: Rick posted a map, old timers mused about the opportunity and newbies committed to join us for a loop or two.

The morning dawned crisp and clear, with amazing views of orange glowing Mount Baker on the eastern horizon as I was making my way over Lions Gate Bridge to the start in Pacific Spirit Park. Surprisingly, I was met by a large group of keener's already assembling at the park center... and I thought I could snooze a bit in the warm car before setting out. It was great to see so many new faces brave enough to join some more or less serious gerbils.

After greeting everybody and making sure we all had maps and course descriptions, Karl sent us off on the trails, with Gilles bringing in the rear, offering to stay with the slowest runner to make sure nobody got lost on the first loop. This was a kind offer, but not many took the opportunity and soon the group stretched out, everybody falling into their own pace in several little groups.

I headed out with Lorraine and Claudia, soon realizing that the pace was to brisk for me to maintain on a long run. But the conversation and company was good and I hung on until the quasi turnaround on Marine Drive and Camosun St. where Arthur caught up to us and I decided to slow down a bit. The last time I ran that route was during the Vancouver New Year's Day Fat Ass 50, when utterly undertrained, the slight incline up Salish trail seemed like Mount Everest. I was pleasantly surprised, how gentle the ascent appeared during the Foolish Gerbil. Connecting back to Salish trail proved difficult for the majority of runners unfamiliar with the route and not having taken up Gilles' kind offer, a number of them put in some extra distance. Arthur kept me on track, though, and after a little stretch running with Karl and John, we finished the first loop in just over an hour.

The second loop started at the same - way to fast for me - pace with Claudia and Jennifer, one of the new Fat Asses. After not getting lost the first time around, we somehow managed to include a little detour together with John. No harm done, though, and we soon were able to pick up the correct trail again. Approaching the powerline, I had to say good bye to my running buddies and knew that I wouldn't head out for a third loop, as my quads and calves were starting to tighten up.

I finished the the second loop in 2:16. Happy with my run and pace, I saw the Fools leaving for their 3rd loop and waited for Lorraine, Cynnimon, Rhonda et al to finish their run.

Hoping for a repeat plus one on December 6th during the Foolish Gerbil 12 hour run. See you there.

Talk about a weird run!

I had the weirdest run this afternoon.

It all started harmless enough. The sun was shining and I made the decision to go for a longer loop through Capilano Canyon, down Cap Pacific, along Bowser, MacKay Creek and then back home via Mosquito Creek. A modified Night Run loop with a few twists and turns thrown in to get my distance up. There were lots of people on the trails including a lost Japanese tourist, a semi lost group with small children, other Fat Asses (Paul, Action Jackson and Penny) and then the weird ones...

I was minding my own business, when coming around a corner on the CP, I passed two guys...one happily peeing against a tree. Walking distance to the next washroom maybe 1km. Come on guys. How urgent can it be??? And if it is urgent, is it too much to ask to scramble off the trail a bit to get out of sight?

Just as I was getting over the first incident, I come across the second guy also relieving himself. This time, I am out of the trails on an urban road, close to Maring Drive...we are talking busy here. There probably were about 10 store/restaurant locations within spitting (maybe I should say peeing) distance were one could have asked to use the facilities. Heck, there even is a public washroom in the adjacent park.

Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me - I usually do carry it around on my runs and I promise that I will take a photo of the next guy I see peeing in public on our busy urban trails. I bet there is a Flickr group just waiting for my submissions.

By now I am on the last 2km of my run. It's past lunchtime and my gut is growling. Eager to get home, I am shuffling up Mosquito Creek. A black shape hanging of a branch beside the trail catches my attention. It looks like a squirrel...no wait, it looks like a squirrel hung up by its hind legs, um, it looks like the fur of a skinned squirrel hung upside down by its hind legs.

I am not faint of heart and rather curious by nature. Debating who would detest squirrels so much to go to the trouble to catch and skin one...Action Jackson? Just kidding! I get closer to the black thing and start thinking that maybe I should start feeling sick...Well, what I saw was a squirrel alright, but it was alive and well and jumped away when I was so close I could have touched it with my outstretched hand (it was still looking rather weird and motionless).

I've seen a lot of squirrels trying a lot of antics (have you ever seen them trying to get to the food in a so called squirrel proofed bird feeder?), but I have never seen a squirrel hanging motionless, upside down in a tree. I swear it was napping ;-)

Next time I will bring my camera along for sure.

Second Annual T/J Chili Cook Off

For Action Jackson's 50th last year we organized the Nifty 50 Triathlon as a Club Fat Ass event. The third discipline was a chili cook off at our house - it was so much fun, that we decided to make it an annual event in a smaller setting.

Last night saw a group of friends and chili aficionados arrive in our kitchen, chili pots in their arms, tortillas, lime, cornbread and beer at the ready. Because of timing and space constraints we asked that all participants have their chili ready to be reheated. Electric Crockpots work great and my chili has been bubbling away since the night before.

Unlike last year, when we had 14 chili's and an even greater number of appetizers, side dishes and deserts - and ended up too stuffed to taste everything, we had 7 chili's and decided that we would taste the chili's one after the other. The rules were easy enough: Each taster scored each chili on it's own merrit on a scale from 1-10. 10 being the best score.

It's amazing how different the chili's all turned out. All were yummy, but my favorite was Rick's Hot'n Smokey Chili:

Hot'n Smokey Chili

2 lbs beef chuck, cut in 1/4" to 1/2" cubes
1 lbs pork shoulder, cut in 1/4" to 1/2" cubes

Marinade:
1 "star" star anise
1 - 3/4" to 1" long stick of cinnamon bark
1 dried chipotle pepper

1 tall tin Guinness beer
2 tablespoons Japanese sweet mirin
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
5-6 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 - 1" cubes fresh ginger root, finely grated
zest of one large naval orange, just get the surface rind, as little of the white pith below as possible
juice of one large naval orange
2 large fresh orange habanero peppers, finely minced
2 green onions, finely sliced
4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander

Grind first three ingredients to fine powder with mortar & pestle.
Mix all marinade ingredients in large glass bowl and marinate meat in refrigerator for a few hours.

Chili:
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 large sweet onion (like Walla-walla or Maui), chopped
Marinated meat, see above
Reserved marinade
1/2 cup Guinness beer

1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
4 large roasted sweet red peppers, peeled, seeds removed and pureed
2 tablespoons unsweetened dark chocolate, grated
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
2 tablespoons dark molasses
2 tablespoons chipotle-raspberry barbeque sauce
Sea salt and ground chipotle pepper to taste.

Fresh lime and chopped cilantro to garnish

Saute onion in cooking oil on medium heat in large cast iron skillet. Transfer to large dutch oven or non-stick pot when cooked to transluscent. Drain off marinade into large pot with onion and set to medium heat.

In same skillet, increase heat to medium-high and brown meat in small batches so to truly brown meat. (too much meat at once reduces skillet heat with liquid and "steams" the meat rather than browning it) Tranfer each batch of browned meat to the large pot as it is done. Work fast and in small batches to keep bottom of skillet from getting too burnt. When all meat has been browned and put into large pot, deglaze the hot skillet with Guinness, scraping bottom of skillet well. Pour liquid into large pot with meat.

Add remaining ingredients to large pot with meat and marinade. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to bubbling simmer. Partly cover with lid to keep temperature up but allow liquid to boil off and chili to thicken. Stir and taste occasionally. Add salt to taste. Add ground chipotle pepper to increase heat a little at a time, if a spicier chili is desired. This chili seems to start out quite bitter tasting, getting sweeter as it cooks. Simmer for about 3 hours until very thick and dark. Meat should be very tender and chili almost thick enough to stand a wooden spoon in.

Serve hot with a squeeze of fresh lime and sprinkle of chopped fresh cilantro.

Rick tied for first place with Glenn's Bin 666.

The Cool North Shore

As some of you know Club Fat Ass had environmental friendliness on our schedule long before it was in the news. It's a good thing that sustainability is now part of our vocabulary and hopefully soon part of all our actions.

I realized how much of an early adopter of environmentally friendly living I was when I was invited by my neighbor JoAN to participate in the Cool North Shore.

Many of us know that climate change threatens the future health of the planet, our community and the future we’re leaving for our children. Figuring out how to respond to these concerns can be overwhelming and confusing. A diverse group of North Shore citizens called Legacy North Shore Society (), has decided we can do something powerful NOW to tackle climate change and work together to make a real difference.

They adapted the stimulating, simple and effective Low Carbon Diet model created by the Empowerment Institute (which has been used in hundreds of communities and organizations across the world) for the North Shore. They are partnering with local governments and BC Hydro to spread this across the entire North Shore over the coming year. This is a ground‐breaking opportunity for citizens and neighborhoods to make a concrete and satisfying difference on the North Shore.

Cool North Shore (which is part of Legacy North Shore) is all about building a low carbon community by engaging North Shore residents and organizations in taking action to measurably reduce our CO2 emissions.

Our first meeting was a couple of weeks ago. We were asked to come as a team. JoAn, who has been involved with Legacy North Shore, invited our neighborhood to form a team. Sandra, Heather (an almost around the corner neighbor) and myself responded. We carpooled to the Bella Candela restaurant, whose owner sponsored the evening (good pizza and salad, btw.) and settled down. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Soon after David, Bryan and Charles introduced themselves and the idea behind Cool North Shore, we were asked to switch tables. Oops, I thought I was operating in the safety of a team... After intros we were asked to reflect on our fears with regards to our environment. The tables were covered in blank sheets of paper and we jotted down our thoughts. Another switch, intros and more brainstorming on fears. After the next switch we were asked to look at our hopes. Luckily, my table mates were very hopeful that the increased visibility of the environmental issues facing us would translate into action and change on a personal, community and political level. I sometimes have my doubts...Another switch saw us looking at what we have done on a personal level to reduce our carbon foot print.

During the last part of the evening, we rejoined our original teams and were asked to plan ahead following a plan of action laid out by the Cool North Shore folks and the "Low Carbon Diet" publication. We committed to an immediate personal action. Mine is to reduce my weekly clothes dryer loads by setting up a clothesline. The other action items were in preparation for a team meeting that we scheduled among the 4 of us: Using the Low Carbon Diet booklet set a carbon reduction goal in pounds (the book was published in the US). Complete the carbon calculator at: and read chapters 1-16.

We were all pretty psyched at the end of the evening. I shall report in with further updates on Cool the North Shore and my personal action items. For now, I challenge you to take the carbon calculator at www.earthlab.com and ponder how you personally can reduce your carbon footprint.

Lastly, one of the next steps for our teams is to look at personal household reductions and then at involving our neighborhood and the community...I figure with Club Fat Ass I have a outdoor oriented, attentive community at my fingertips: if you are interested to participate in Cool North Shore, please let me know. They arranged a second meeting (like the one I attended) To register, please send your name and names of your fellow attendees (North Shore residents only), with their emails, by October 13 to: bryang@sfu.ca. Space is limited to 50 people (overflow will go to an early 2009 session).

The Omnivores Hundred

Check out this http://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk/uncategorised/the-omnivores-hundred/

Here is what I've eaten from that list:

The Omnivore’s Hundred

Here’s a chance for a little interactivity for all the bloggers out there. Below is a list of 100 things that I think every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life. The list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food - but a good omnivore should really try it all. Don’t worry if you haven’t, mind you; neither have I, though I’ll be sure to work on it. Don’t worry if you don’t recognise everything in the hundred, either; Wikipedia has the answers.

Here’s what I want you to do:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results (this is were this

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
x 23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
x 35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
x 49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
x 55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
x 63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
x 66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette (who can be sure ;-)
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
x 76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse (who can be sure...)
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Python Man - or Duathlon Fat Ass style in Germany

Because of a sudden and persistent Achilles Tendon injury I have not been able to run for the last 2 month. Have gingerly tested the waters a few times, but since I did not want to make this another chronic injury, I did not push very hard (not difficult to do as it feels like the tendon is going to tear when I am running more than 10m).

This injury did not fit well into my plans of running lots in the wonderful beech forests in Germany during my summer visit. I tried to get not to frustrated and managed to get out on a mountain bike a fair bit. The plan also was to participate in the Phyton Man, a CFA style Duathlon consisting of 1.8km run - 14km mountain bike - 1.8km run. A few weeks ago I figured that I surely would be able to run 3.6km by then...well Phyton Man was held yesterday and I am still not able to run. Here is my report:

I heard about Phyton Man last year, when our friends from Falkenbach, Germany, visited us in Vancouver for a week. It sounded a lot like a CFA event, complete with colourful characters and a party to round things off. When I received an invite to this year's Phyton Man and realized the date coincided with my visit in Germany I committed to participate.

The start details arrived by email, but were a bit sketchy, as several different start time were circulating. Turns out, the organizers wanted to make sure that everybody arrived in time (unlike the previous year) and therefore "faked" an earlier start time. Needless to say, my sister, my husband and I arrived via a 15km bike ride, well in time. Opportunity to catch up with our friends, Armin, an accomplished Triathlete (turned Cyclist because of busted knees) and Andrea, also a long time Triathlete. We learned where the name originated...something about milking a Phyton - don't ask. Despite her snake phobia, Andrea had donned fake phyton skin shorts and Armin sported a boa around his belly.

The hosts had organized cake and coffee for before the start and the whole thing seemed quite relaxed, despite some pretty chiseled looking bodies showing up. The boxes of bottled Franziskaner Wheat Bear under a table on the porch indicated a long party after the event.

At 15:00h sharp the neighborhood boy - Falkenbach is a village of about 200 and Phyton Man seems to be the social event of the year - sent us off by banging a garbage can shut and waving a German flag. Armin had assured me, that he would walk together with me since he cannot run anymore...well, the competitive spirit must have gotten the better of him. I saw him sprinting away and soon found myself at my customary spot at the end of the pack. The road led steep uphill out of the village into rolling meadows and fruit orchards. A brief dogleg allowed me to see everybody briefly again, before they left me in the dust for good. I limped-ran my way to the transition zone and figured that I could close in on Andrea during the bike ride. Down a steep 2km road stretch and then onto a forest road, known as Lahn Hoehenweg. I "learned" running on that path a mere 36 years ago ;-). It contours the Lahn Valley and winds it's way steadily upwards through dense beech forest for about 5km.

My hopes to catch up to Andrea did not materialize. Her bike skills were better than her running. I pedalled for all my might trying not to brush the stinging nettle plants lining the path, but by the time I reached transition again, some participants were already finished with the second run leg. Off I went on a lonely walk to complete what I had started out to do. The opportunity to turn around earlier appeared for a split second, but I wasn't sure if the German Phyton Man rules allowed for custom courses like Club Fat Ass events. Everybody greeted me at the finish line before fleeing a sudden rain shower and congregating under a tent in Armin and Andrea's back yard.

Husband and sister had done well, in case your wonder. Old Back in Action Jackson was still nursing his half severed toe (read his KK blog to find out what happened) and I had fixed him up with a beater bike with hopes I could catch him ;-) Despite the handicap he toughed it out and finished way in front of me. Sis, also rides a beater bike, but her faster run securely put her into second last position.

The post event party beat all my expectations. More cake and coffee, bionade (a new fashion drink, surely to hit North America next year) and an awesome BBQ of Pork steaks and German sausages, accompanied by potluck dishes we had brought along. Only hiccup was the weather, which changed from hot to stormy and wet and the fact that I had mistakenly poured myself an alcohol free wheat beer (another new fashion - not sure if it will catch in North America, though). The evening was rounded of with live music by the local bluegrass band Foxchase. Photo are here.

Oatmeal Granola Bars

These are great granola bars to take along hiking. I vary the type of nuts and dried fruits I add:

2/3 cup (150 mL) butter, softened
1 cup (250 mL) packed brown sugar (less is fine too)
1 egg
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
1-1/2 cups (375 mL) rolled oats
1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped dried apricots (or prunes, figs, etc)
1/2 cup (125 mL)chopped almonds (or walnuts, peanuts, etc)
1/2 cup (125 mL) dried cranberries
1/2 cup (125 mL) sweetened shredded coconut

Preparation: Grease small baking sheet. In large bowl, beat butter with brown sugar until fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla. In separate bowl, whisk together rolled oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda and stir in apricots, almonds, cranberries (prunes work well too) and coconut. Fold into butter mixture. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Bake in centre of 180 C oven for 30 minutes. (165 C convection) Let cool on rack for 10 minutes. Cut into bars. Keeps in container or saran wrap for a week.

I think I originally saw this in a Canadian Living magazine.

What Do Church Bells, Disposable Coffee Cups, German Advertising And Smokers Have In Common?

Nothing much, really...those are just a few things that I noticed since arriving in Germany three days ago. Read on to find out the connection.

We left Vancouver late Sunday night. Getting through security was an unexpected snap. No shoes to take off, laptop to be turned on, violin to unpack or permission for the children to travel with just one parent scrutinized. I hadn't flown for 3 years, maybe I can't remember the departure lounge, but it seemed greatly improved and the time to boarding passed quickly looking at the artificial salmon creek or ocean aquarium. There even was wireless access and the kids wrote their first email to Papa. The flight left YVR in time around 23:00. The kids were already tired, but got a second wind with the excitement of take off. The airplane was only 1/3 full. Because of balancing issues, all passengers were crammed into the last third of the Airbus 330, but we were told by the very attentive crew that 40 people could move to the middle of the aircraft and stretch out. Unfortunately, my kids did not want to move and we were very cozy for the next 10 hours. How did I end up with the seat in the middle? Before kids I always flew aisle or window...

Touch down was a bit wobbly. EJ and I didn't feel so good and JJ fled into one of the empty seats, but otherwise the flight was exceptional, especially considering AirTransats reputation as a cheap, no frills airline. Getting through customs and picking up our luggage (all three bags were already waiting for us) was a breeze.

Little sis and niece waited for us once we cleared customs. Tears and emotions all around.

I guess I better get back to the church bells and advertising and coffee cups...The jet lagged seemed to be harder to deal with this time around and I didn't venture far the first 2 days. Between chatting with my sis, being shuttled to and fro my parents place and getting the kids settled into school there was hardly anytime to head out...and running is off the books because of an Achilles injury.

All to say, that I didn't see much of Germany yet, what had changed and what was the same. The first thing I did notice once I managed to set my sis wireless network up and access it with my laptop, was that Facebook greeted me with a big pop up announcing that it is now available in German. What a coincidence, I thought ( I am so naive). The next time I noticed that the friend checker now offered all the big German email provider addresses. When I noticed the ads in German, I finally clued in. Facebook had me pegged via my IP address. Flickr, btw, asked me if it can route my info via a server in Great Britain to avoid delays...

Coffee cups, you wonder. Well, this morning I went for a walk over the hill to the next village to pick up a bike from friends for my daughter. Huffing up the road, I noticed a guy driving his car with a disposable coffee cup at his lips. Now in Vancouver I wouldn't blink an eye. But this is Germany. Aren't you supposed to sit down at a table to enjoy and savour your coffee? I guess you can call this change.

Smoking in Germany always bothered me, as there never were any protective laws for non-smokers and I hated the smell and stench you encounter where ever you venture in Germany. I was anxious to see how the tough new smoking bylaws are panning out. I guess, I need to wait a bit longer. I still see cigarette butts everywhere and I haven't been in a restaurant yet to see if the law is applied. What I hear is that restaurants and pubs are up in arms because of perceived drop in customers. Some states have loosened up the laws and made allowances for small neighborhood pubs...NOOOOO! Hang in there, please.

Church bells are easy. Every full hour, you here church bells ringing. Always was like this and still is...Memories.

Missing The Fools

The morning started with a loud knocking waking me out of deep sleep. "Oh shoot", I thought, "that is my running buddy... why did I not hear my alarm?" Still half asleep I glanced at my watch (but being half blind I didn't realize that it was way too early for my running partner to be knocking at my door), jumped out of bed, raced downstairs, opened the house door, set off the alarm, had trouble resetting it without my glasses...only to realize that my friend was not there.

The knocking came from a pesky Flicker woodpecker, attacking the side of our house. Yawn. Love the Flickers, but cannot tolerate them destroying our house...so out comes the sling shot (no worries - I have a poor aim, but it helps me get a pebble high enough to scare the bird away). Flicker taken care of I realize I still have an hour before my friend is scheduled to pick me up to meet the fools somewhere on the BP.

I reach Cheryl, who has been crewing through the night, via cell phone. She reports that the Fools are a bit ahead of schedule and she is expecting them around 8:00 at Lynn Canyon. Perfect.

We arrive at Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge well before 8:00. No sign of Cheryl, so I call her up again to find out that she is at the Pipleline Bridge...ahem. I thought the Fools decided last night to stay on the BP opposed to the KK course. Still not quite awake, I ask Cheryl if they had run downriver on the BP. Cheryl, of course is absolutely sleep deprived and I shouldn't ask her any questions at this point. Figure, we'll meet the Fools if we follow the BP upstream.

We set of down the stairs into Lynn Canyon. The morning is crisp and dry. Too cold for the seaon, but at least it's not raining. After a few minutes of running, it occurs to me that if the Fools were at the Pipeline Bridge, they probably were following the KK course. Oops. I call Cheryl again to confirm. Cheryl is ready for bed. I offer her to take a rest at our house before driving home, but she feels awake enough to drive... She confirms that the Fools crossed the Pipeline Bridge...

We turn around and hope to still be able to meet the runners. Hey, I even run up those stairs to the Suspension Bridge. On the other side of the Suspension Bridge, I make the mistake and turn left right away...instead of a right and then a left. We end up following the trail to the 30ft pool until I realize we are wrong...by which time it's too late to turn around and still meet the Fools. Sorry guys. I shall try again later today.

Double Black Diamond

Not much new to report about my running training these days. Hip is still inflammed, so my runs have been rather half hearted and unmotivated. Luckily there is lots and lots of fresh pow in the mountains behind my house... Now, I ski like I run, slow and careful ;-) BUT, yesterday saw me hurtling down my first, second and third Double Black Diamond ski run at Grouse Mountain. Yippeh! Thanks to EJ Powderhound for the hours of training and ActionJackson for pushing me off the ledge!

Tomorrow, the little Jackson's, OverTheHill Jackson (aka Action Jackson), the Montgomery's and this Turtlepace are snowshoeing up to Elphin Shelter in Garibaldi Provincial Park to spend the night. My only concern is the access road to the trail head (seems every year we almost go over the cliff) and how our language student from Japan will survive his first back country trip ever.

Hopefully, running form will return soon.

Shirt Packing Party

Your Chief Executive FA and the past membership chair, Michele, relaxing after 3h of stuffing the 2008 Club Fat Ass no-stink, environmentally friendly, long-sleeve shirts into envelopes for mailing. Thanks to Vanessa for handling the design and sewing of the new Club Fat Ass Wear line. Thanks to Jess for helping with the artwork and the Club Fat Ass Wear labels (so cute) . Thanks Michele for keeping me on track during the packaging.

The red shirt I am holding is the men's shirt, Michele is holding the purple women's shirt. Emails have been sent out to the proud new owners of the shirts either with pick-up instructions or to warn you that the shirts are on their way to your mail box...

Now, I need the poster children to pose. I hear Vanessa and John and Danielle and Ryne are going to strut their stuff.

Back on the Trails

Today is the last day to register for Kneeknacker. If you have been sitting on the fence and contemplating... better get your FA into gear...

Considering that I have barely run since early December - January 1 being the notable exception ;-) - I have decided not to register this year. It is still on my horizon for another year, but I have to be realistic in my goals...and I am just to slow. I had been hoping to use the last 2 month building some ground speed, but a hip injury didn't allow me to run.

I am back (sort of) though. Ran a couple of times for 20 min and as it often goes, it seems to be that moving is helping the hip - or maybe it's just the time. Today will be my first time back in the trails of Capilano Canyon. I have been missing these trails so much...watching Carlos' movie and reading about Rhonda's and Cheryl's plans to run the Juan de Fuca Trail run almost hurt ;-) At least there was good skiing to be had and the hip didn't hurt while on the boards.

Time to put the trail shoes on...

Avalanche and Backcountry Safety

With the recent and repeated avalanche warnings and the high number of avalanche fatalities this year, our family has been talking about taking a back country safety course and avalanche safety training.

Both Action Jackson and I are drawn to back country skiing. As of yet, we do not have any equipment, but it is on our radar... Craigslist watch out! I have a low risk tolerance and like to be prepared...

Can anybody recommend a good general back country safety course and avalanche training in Vancouver/North Vancouver? Are there members out there who would be willing to organize something for other Fat Asses? I have just started my research and not looked at any hands on courses...I got as far as finding a great resource by the Canadian Avalance Centre. Check out http://access.jibc.bc.ca/avalancheFirstResponse/index.htm

Seymour Snowshoe Sleepover

As a child, one of my winter projects always was to built an igloo. Lacking enough snow, I never succeeded beyond lining up a couple of layers of snow bricks. The closest I got was one year, when an unusual 70cm dump of fresh powdery snow caused the government to proclaim an emergency situation and called in the troops. Schools were closed and I was digging a snowcave. It never got big enough to actually crawl into, but I was able to light a candle in it and delighted in my miniature cave.

Fast forward almost 40 years (gasp). One of my goals for this winter was to be up on a local mountain peak at sunrise. Friday afternoon the weather forecast looked good for the weekend and since I am still nursing an injured hip and didn't feel foolish enough to join the fun at the Pure Foolishness I put the word out to join me for an early morning snowshoe hike to Dog Mountain. Over dinner the plan morphed into taking the family up for a winter camping expedition...Ugh, was I seriously considering packing up the gear and the troops in order to avoid to rise at 5:00am on Sunday?



Saturday morning was spent packing up the gear and food for 2 little and two big winter campers. We set out on the trail around 2:30pm. Doug and Troy joined us for the afternoon. The sun was trying to peak through the clouds and there was a 20cm layer of fresh snow - on top of the 4m plus that have already accumulated this winter. Conditions looked good and we were excited.

The hike to Dog Mtn. is long enough to get you warmed up, but not long enough to get you tired. We found a protected little spot with easterly views and rigged up the tent. While it is not a monster tent, it is still pretty big and I wouldn't classify it as a backpacking tent. Luckily, Ean's knapsack is huge and the old man has practised carrying concrete bricks all summer long...

While I set up the interior decorations, complete with thermo rests and sleeping bags, the kids and Ean started to dig a snowcave into a huge snowbank. By the time dinner was ready, the cave could hold 2 of us easily. Macaroni and cheese never tasted so good. And the chicken noodle soup was very warming.

After dinner the skies started to clear and we could make out the city lights below us. While the boys continued to dig, the girls took some photos and got very cold.
By the time bed time rolled around, the cave was big enough to hold all four and featured a little bench and a cooking platform. Wow, maybe I finally get my childhood snowcave.

The night was cold. Very cold. EJ's matt had deflated due to a puncture hole. Anything slightly moist froze solid. We all snuggled up close. Two Fat Asses and two little tushes on 3 thermo rests. It seemed I was working all night to keep warm. Maybe next time (what am I thinking) we should come early and dig a cave big enough to sleep in. If constructed properly, it stays fairly warm in a snow cave.

The sun rose just after 8:00am and we happily greeted the new day. The sky was lighly overcast, so we didn't get to see an amazing sparkling sunrise, but it was special non the less. I cooked breakfast in the cave and pondered how I would like to sleep under a couple of meters of snow....

By noon we were back at the car (we had left a note in it indicating that we were out for the night - so that CFA member and North Shore Search and Rescue volunteer Allan wouldn't have to come out looking for us). It was a challenging outing, not quite painfree, but it left that good feeling of accomplishment!

Photos are here.

Post 50km Recovery

Running 50km on New Years Day with limited training was probably not the smartest thing I've done in a while, but definitely very exhilarating and motivating.

I've taken some time off to recover and get the inflammation in my hip under control that has been plaguing me since early December. Instead of running, I've been snowshoe hiking, working out at the gym, took a Yoga class (the first one in years left me sore in muscles I didn't even know I had) and skied a bit.

Attempts to finally get out and hit the trails again have been very reluctant, but it is time to get serious! Next goal on my 2008 list is a spring road marathon - I have some aspirations for time/PB, which means I need to get on the road, rather than plod along on the trails...maybe that's why my motivation is lacking ;-) Time to dig up that training schedule.

50km on Will Power

Late last summer I foolishly pronounced I would line up for the Vancouver New Years Day 50Km again. Training was going well until life got in the way, my daughter got sick, my friends took a break from long runs and to top it of my right hip started to be very painful.

I eventually resigned to run the 25km yesterday and try the 50km another year. Deep inside, though, I didn't want to run the 25km. I wanted to do the 50km.

Packing for this day is always a bit chaotic as we traditionally have dinner guests and go snowshoeing the night before. Was the weather forecast to be trusted. How much water and food would I need, which shoes, which shirts, jacket, hat. Cellphone with cab numbers - check, emergency blanket - check, money and car keys - check, camera - check, dry gear and shower stuff for afterwards, check. Course description - check.

The morning of the event dawned cold, but dry. My clothing choice was right on and I soon fell into a rhythm in a group together with Lara, Rhonda, Arlene and Craig. As we were marvelling at the snow covered north shore mountains from Locarno Beach, Rhonda mentioned her car was parked at one of the parking lots on Spanish Banks. What... you are not running the full 50km? A quick check made me realize that I was the only one (who was planning to run to the turnaround and then play it by ear). Bummer. Running alone has never been my forte. And running alone for 50km on no training seemed impossible.

But, all of a sudden I knew that I would not stop at the turn around. Craig, who had fallen back a bit, caught up. He had earlier said that he'll do a shorter out and back. All my hope was resting on me talking him into running 50km. "Ok, we have the whole day" was Craig's reply to my plea.

I begged some "Vitamin I" from Rhonda to deal with my painful hip and left the rest of the gang just before the super duper aid station that Danielle from Kintec had set up at Spanish Banks. Craig tended to his hot spot on his little toe with pink chap stick (gotta be flexible), I retied my shoes and hoovered down some chips and soon we were off into the trails of Pacific Spirit Park.

Craig continued his system of run-walk and would leapfrog me every so often. I plodded along, trying not too fall into a walk. My right hip was becoming extremely painful and my gait got shorter and shorter. Seeing the faster runners on the return trip got our minds off our little problems and made the time pass fast. Everybody was all smiles and encouragement was passed out freely.

The turn-around was very lonely. We didn't hang around. A quick stretch, more chap stick on Craig's toe, some food and off we were again. I was beginning to think that talking Craig into this was not a good idea. At least, if I'd be alone, I could bail without feeling bad...My run felt like a shuffle, Vitamin I wasn't working and the stretch back was looking very, very long. Crossing path with a couple of friends from way back when we lived in Kits was a welcome distraction. Running a couple of kms with Robert, who was out to start his new years resolutions on the right foot with a run in his blue Club Fat Ass shirt and intentions of participating in more events this year, was great. Sorry, Robert, if I was sounding a bit weird...I was in another zone.

Walking along Admirality Trail before returning to the beach was frustrating. Craig was getting way ahead and I decided that there was no way I could finish this. Plans for a bail out at the aid station took shape, then evaporated when I reached the parking lot and a waiting Craig but no tent or aid station. Humph. Craig sort of ignored my rambling about bailing. He also did not listen to me when I told him to go ahead and I would somehow find my way back...

The view over English Bay towards the city and Stanley Park was beautiful, but discouraging, as it showed very clearly how far away the finish was. Craig told me not to look ;-) I focused on reaching Kits Point. Then Burrard Street Bridge. At the end of the bridge was Sarah, waiting for John (not to be mean, but I was glad she missed him and fed us instead). Bananas, water and kind words got us going again. Soon we were negotiating the revellers leaving the Vancouver Polar Bear Swim at English Bay.

I could smell the finish and was trying to estimate how much further. Craig thought I was a bit optimistic in my assessment, but it didn't matter...we would make it now - even if we had to crawl in. The wind picked up as we passed the Nine O'Clock Gun, but the skies stayed dry. We picked up the pace - will power is an amazing thing - and almost sprinted to the fire hydrant. Our final, grand total time was 6:55. Much slower that I had hoped for in the summer, but hey! We've done it.

Arriving, still sweaty and ruddy cheeked, at the Mosquito Creek Bar and Grill, I couldn't wipe the grin off my face. Endorphins were cursing through my veins ;-) The icing on the cake, aka a wonderful day and way to start the New Year, was the trophy, a bunch of my fellow Fat Asses planned and made. Craig, who had run with me all day, hadn't said a word, and now presented to me this great trophy: an engraved glass plate mounted on a heavy, rustic, coppery looking stand. The engraving reads: "Thank you Ean and Sibylle for being the most awesome promoters of oddball endurance events and a healthy outdoor lifestyle. Your hard work and passion are always appreciated!"

Thanks, fellow Fat Asses and especially Craig Moore, Tim Wiens and Cheryl Johnson, who rumour has it were the movers and shakers behind this surprise.