March 2011 Newsletter

Dear Friends and Members of Club Fat Ass,

Spring is at our doorsteps. I can't wait to run in shorts again!

Your Steering Committee has been busily planning behind the scenes to offer you an adventure packed spring and summer.
Check out the upcoming speaker events, Tales from the Trails: 50 Hints and Tips on Running a First Ultramarathon; and Backcountry Preparation.

Baggermeister Crerar has been adding finishing touches to the 2011 Bagger Challenge, which kicks off this year on, you guessed it, April Fools Day!

5Peaks and Club Fat Ass have again partnered to offer course orientations for a number of their 5Peak races in BC. The first "warm-up" run is scheduled for mid-April in Golden Ears Provincial Park. If you would like to lead a group, please contact me. Run leaders will receive a free entry to a 2011 5Peaks race and a Single Day Membership in Club Fat Ass.

We are also still looking for a couple of enthusiastic folks to host training runs for the STORMY 50-miler and relay. All the Squamish B2B on the weekend of the 25/26 of June and the Squamish Crawler, on the evening of July 16th need is a little bit of your love. Let me know if you are interested in trying your hand at being an Event Host.

If you or your friends are still scared about taking out a Club Fat Ass membership, be sure to mark the North Shore Enduro in your calendar. At only 7.6 kilometers to the lap, this event is perfect for the beginning trail runner. You prefer something longer, you say? Keep running laps for up to 6 hours! The Enduro is one of the Club's 2 annual open house runs, so first time participants of all abilities get a free trial membership.

Happy Trails,

Sibylle Tinsel
Chief Executive Fat Ass

UPCOMING EVENTS

Weekly Training Runs. They're popping up like mushrooms in the forest after a spring rain! Please check the CFA website for details, as dates, times and locations may change from week to week.

Flash - Thunder & Lightning Snowshoe Run. 26 March - Manning Park, BC Canada. Details here.

Photo right: Kat, Carlos, Reagan, Sibylle and Claudia enjoying the vistas on the Spaghetti Tree Run

Spaghetti Trees. 2 April - Victoria, BC Canada. The newest offering on the Club Fat Ass calendar features a 12km or 16km trail run in East Sooke Regional Park past ancient copper mines and gorgeous west coast vistas. Get to the start via an optional bike ride along the Galloping Goose trail from the ferry. Play along with antics along the course and finish the day with a pint of local micro brew in a 116 year-old pub. Why is it called Spaghetti Trees? We'd love to hear your guesses :). Find out more here.

Tales From the Trails: 50 Hints and Tips on Running a First Ultramarathon. 5 April - North Vancouver, BC Canada. An entertaining and informative evening about how to run ultramarathons by 2 local characters who, combined, have run 250 of them. This event is free for members and non-members alike, but because of limited space, please reserve your spot. More details and registration here.

Burnaby Mountain Run. 9 April - Burnaby, BC, Canada. Check out the trails around the Simon Fraser University. Great views - weather permitting - and a killer hill! Details here.

Photo right: Action Jackson enjoys the views and memories of Brokeback Peak during last year's Burnaby Mountain Run

Flash - 5Peaks Golden Ears Warm-Up. 16 April - Golden Ear Provincial Park, BC Canada. Join us for fun and free group runs with some old friends and maybe some new ones. 8.8km and 14km distances on mostly single track trails. Please invite your friends and register here.

Flash - Marathon Shuffle. 17 April - Powell River, BC Canada. A fun, low key shuffle (hike or run) on a 29 km section of the Sunshine Coast Trail. Half Shuffle (12km) option. Hosted by the PRPAWS (Powell River Parks and Wilderness Society), the Powell River Hikers and the BOMB (Bloody Old Men's Brigade) Squad to promote the beauty of the Sunshine Coast Trail. Great trails through old growth, temperate rain forests, along creeks and lakeshore. Magnificent vistas of the Sunshine Coast, adjacent islands, nearby lakes and the city. Details here.

Photo left: A group of hikers enjoying the old growth forest on the Sunshine Coast Trail during the Marathon Shuffle

Photo right: Steering Committee members and newly minted ultra runner, Reagan White, at the start of the Run to the Clouds

Fat Ass Fondo. 23 April - Vancouver - Whistler. A 120-kilometer road bike ride along a challenging and beautiful stretch of road on the GranFondo Whistler course. A solid training ride for triathletes - a piece of cake for randonneurs. An early-season shakedown for those who are planning to participate in the GranFondo Whistler in September or the GranFondos in Victoria or Kelowna. A low-cost, bare bones alternative to the GranFondo Whistler. Details and registration here.

Steering Committee. We are always looking for enthusiastic folks to join us and contribute with great ideas and actions. Contact Sibylle for details.

Club Shirts. If you haven't received your Club colours yet, please pick it up at the Kintec store location you specified on your registration form. Any shirts not picked up by the end of April will be returned!

Membership Registration. Club membership registration for 2011 is ongoing. Yes, that means it's time to get off the couch and join the Club or renew your membership so you can benefit from all of the sweaty pleasures CFA offers.

Business Members. Are you a business owner? Want to share the gift of fitness or connect with outdoor enthusiasts? Consider joining Club Fat Ass as a Business member. For a low annual fee you'll see your banner rotating on the Club Fat Ass website, have a web page on the Club Fat Ass site, featuring your product or services and receive 2 personal annual memberships for your staff. Details here.

A word from Active Life Physiotherapy…. Pain along the front or inside edge of the shinbone (tibia) is commonly referred to as shin splints. The problem is common in athletes who run and jump. It is usually caused by doing too much, too quickly. The runner with this condition typically reports a recent change in training, such as increasing the usual pace, adding distance, or changing running surfaces. People who haven't run for awhile are especially prone to shin splints after they first get started, especially when they run downhill. Shin splints on the front of the tibia are called anterior shin splints. Posterior shin splints cause pain along the inside edge of the lower leg. To learn more click here

You may also be interested in Active Life Physiotherapy’s Core Stability and Functional Strength Course designed by our own physiotherapists to increase endurance athletes’ core stability and develop strong functional movement patterns to improve performance and keep injuries at bay. Thursdays April 21-June 9, 2011, 6-7pm at the John Braithwaite Community Centre. More info.

A word from Trail Runner Magazine... Trail Runner offers members of Club Fat Ass a special discounted subscription price. You can go to www.trailrunnermag.com and enter the promotion code CCFA0411 to get $5 off a regular subscription price for 7 annual issues.

Club Fat Ass and our members support a variety of charities, causes and events. Please check them out here.

If you have any causes close to your heart and want to raise awareness and/or funds let us know. A number of CFA Event Hosts use their events as fund raisers. Be sure to consider the special section on the Club website that offers ideas on how to raise money for your favorite cause while hosting a free CFA event.

BUSINESS MEMBERS