Sibylle's blog

I missed the 20th anniversary of the Kneeknacker last year, but will be back as aidstation captain at Cleveland Dam in July. 

Cleveland Dam is strategically positioned near the half way mark of this 50km trail race.  It a popular spot as it is easy to reach and invites families and spectators alike to hang out in Cleveland Park to cheer the runners on. 

I dug out my hydration pack today to get packed up for the Squamish Scrambler tomorrow.  To my disgust I found the thing was overgrown with specks of mold....Yuck.

I have been taking great care to dry out the bladder, tube and mouth piece after each use... but after Mike and Melissa's run in November I was so bushed that I must have just dumped the water and lovely Action Jackson packed the thing away.   It's been rotting quietly in the basement storage ever since. 

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)

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. 

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.

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...

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.