So....Hmmmmmm

It's been a great past week with just lots of stuff going on. Thought a quick update on my adventures was in order.
As always, ALL good days start with my americano at Beans Brackendale. Somethings will never change. This is a 5:50am stop en-route to a play session.

Secondly, I am in full throttle now with preparation for my first SkiMo (ski mountaineering/randonee race) in 2 weeks time in Crested Butte Colorado. Its actually my first ever any kind of ski race and I am really stoked. I have no idea how it will go but I am sure the humbling factor will be apart of it. The race is called the 24hrs of Sunlight and for 24hrs I will skin up, ski down and see how many laps/how much vertical I can accumulate in the 24hrs. Sound like fun? Ya, well my team mate from DARTnuun, Matt Hart, froze his toes off on this one a year ago. But, on the other hand Sully from AR team Salomon Crested Butte set the new world record for the most vertical skiied in 24hrs last year at this event. Pretty cool. For this race, Sully is teaching me everything he knows - gotta learn from the best!

Katia and I got out for a good rip up Blackcomb the other night. This was good because I really got to get a feel my new K2 skiis and ohya, they rock!!!!! Me on the other hand, well I have work to do! Jo and I got a day in on Whistler too as I need to get my quads back in downhill ski shape. Norm and I have been hitting the slopes too for evening tours and a crew of us are headed up tonight. A good session is always to be followed by a good dinner - sushi anyone?

My tentative first half of 2009 calendar has been posted to my website. I was waiting on a few "life details" so over the next few weeks I will work to get this finalized. Problem - too many dreams and goals, not enough time! Hmmmm......

The weekend is shaping up nicely. Lee is in town to play for a few days, got some ski days (up and down, hill and tour) and some more ass kicking crossfit workouts with Jordan & Jessee. More to come on this because I want everyone to know about how great this training is.

I am loving it and loving life! Hope you are too!

Life on the Snowy Side

Finally....after a long time of suffering (but good training might I ad) I have been able to set aside my wicked awesome salomon downhill set up and hit the backcountry on a much lighter, high performance stellar package! Check it out! Last night was "break in night" and as we stood at the Red Heather parking lot, adjusting the new dynafit bindings and figuring it all out, I was so stoked!!!! The climb to Red was about 20min faster than I had been doing it on my heavier system. I smiled the whole time time (well, not on the iced over downhill but thats not something I want to blog about). I feel like the sky is now the limit and I can't wait to put some good long hours on these things. So, I guess this is like a late Christmas present! Thanks to Mark up at Red Shreds Ski Shop in Williams Lake, BC for the great service and recomendations on what rocks! The guy knows his skiis and as a result, I love my new set-up! Now.....if only it would just snow!

One More Thing....

Just wanted to make sure that everyone watches this great video called The Fine Line. Put out by the Canadian Avalanche Association, its super informative for all us backcountry go-ers! It's really well put together, educational yet funny! Anyways, just an FYI because I don't know about where you live but here in BC, its already been one heck of a dangerous year for avalanches! Be safe.....

Twoonie Race from the Sidelines

As I mentioned in a previous post, the 1st Salomon Twoonie Biathlon race was this past Sunday out at the Olympic site in the Callaghan. I was one hurt'in unit from the 50km on Saturday so I had to pass on participation but I still made my out there to cheer everyone else on and help out! Yes, I am now an official pro at re-setting the targets and loading bullets!!!

Good times were had by everyone. Well over 60 people stepped up to race because frick, when else do you get the opportunity to shoot a gun! I took my turn after the race was over to fire off a couple of rounds and....well......lets just say that I best be sticking to adventure racing!

First 50km and it HURT!!!

Well, January 1st was go time and it was time to punish myself for the chocolates and the many coffee & Bailey drinks that I consumed during my time off. Tired of the snow and icey trails here in Squamish, I headed down to Seattle on Friday night to the VG's so that I could race in the Bridle Trails Winter Festival 50km on Saturday.

I had planned to join the crew that morning for an O course session and a paddle but time got away from me so I took the morning to catch up on some computer work. The race started out in Bellvue/Kirkland area at 3pm. It was cold and rainy but the energy was good at the start line. Lots of different categories to choose from. The DART crew split into some relay teams but I decided to tackle it on my own as my whole goal was just mileage. I just wanted to run on trails and was prepared to call er' quits if I needed to or if anything flared up.

So, off we went into the rain on super muddy trails which just got nasty as the race went on. The course was 8.4km loops x 6 laps. Lap running is not really my thing but "whatever" in this case. Mileage was mileage. I started a bit too fast but that was more out of habit just to get away from the pack. My music was pumping and I felt good. After lap 2, I put the head lamp on and was off. I was starting to feel some stomach pains and wasn't able to get any food in. Hmmmm, not sure what was going on. In hinde sight, I should have just finished after lap 3 as I felt like total crap. However, the problem with me is that my head takes over and I thought "no Jen, you drove down here, just keep running, no matter how slow, just get the miles in." So I did. I ran. I ran slowly. I tackled the mud. I listened to my music to forget about my stomach. I didn't see any of the other women out there either. Devon Crosby-Helms was running too but like me, she said it was all early season miles. I assumed she was right behind me the whole time and just expected her to cruise by.

So as I suffered onwards, the 6th lap finally rolled along and team mate and great motivator Glenn Rogers came out of nowhere and told me to get my but in gear and move it! When someone like Glenn starts yelling at you, you move!!! I jumped on his heels and just hung on! I hardly said 2 words except "how much further" (like I didn't know, I had already done 5 laps) but it felt like forever. Glenn just kept pushing me and pushing me and I dug really deep, far down into my pain box! I think for the first time in a long time, I actually touched the bottom of the box!!!! I realized at this point that the course record was in reach which was a huge surprise because I was not running well or strong or had even planned to go after it.

My stomach was begging me to stop but my mind became so focused on those last few km as we ran in. I finished strong but it was bitter sweet. I got the new CR by only a small margin but the pain that I was in sucked!!!! The drive home was long. I stopped 11 times to launch myself into a bush on the hwy because I couldnt make it to a bathroom, opened the door and puked my guts out and had a few stops just to rub my belly and close my eyes. Anyway, I arrived back to Squamish at 1am in the morning and thought "wow, all that just to run on some trails." Damn, I must love this sport!!!

Thanks to my DART nuun crew for being out there to motivate me and wait for me at the finish line. Thanks for taking care of me :) Cheers to the Seattle Run Company for putting on the race and congrats to everyone who tackled an early season race in the mud!

Salomon Biathlon Twoonie Race

This weekend in the Callaghan

FYI - Come out and shoot the gun!

Salomon Biathlon Race This is it! Here is your chance! You asked for it and we are giving it to you! This is your opportunity to ski on the Olympic Biathlon course and participate in a great grass roots event. Join us for an event that will "blow" your mind. You can win great swag from Salomon, Oakley, Nuun and Snowcovers. Salomon will be on hand for you to try the latest Salomon Nordic gear.Who can participate in this event? EVERYONE! Stellar, moderate and entry level skiers and shooters welcome!Read over the Biathlon race etiquette that we have put together to help everyone enjoy their Biathlon experience.We will start with a brief rifle safety orientation, so don't be late (you must participate in this if you want to start the race). Please dress warm for the safety orientation.

Day: Jan 11th -2009
Registration 1:30pm
Start time: 2pm
Cost: $10
Location: Whistler Olympic Park (must have valid trail pass - obtain it from Day Lodge then make your way over to the Biathlon Stadium).

See you there!

CrossFit to Kick off 2009

I'm taking a new approach to my training these days - it's called "adding all kinds of fun, new, humbling, exhausting workouts" to my overall plan! I've greatly enjoyed my month off. While I found it challenging to sit and do nothing (k, really, I only did 2 days of this in total since getting home from Brazil) it is now officially go time!


So, with that, I enjoyed my first crossfit class this evening in Whistler! Jordan and Jessee have taken me on and will kick my ass through each and every workout that I do! The goal is to train with them 2-3x a week. Crossfit is an incredibly dynamic and functional way to train the body, working on both endurance and strength components in the same workout. Daily workouts vary so nothing is ever stagnant. Even as a trainer myself, it sure is nice to have someone else push me, correct me and make me work hard! Bring it on -I'm ready - time to be "challenged by choice." Stay posted and I will share some workouts. For those of you living in the Whistler/Squamish area, crossfit is something that you must check out. It's for ALL levels of fitness! Great workout for each of us!


I'm off to bed. I started the day with a hard hill run repeat workout, followed by an elliptical session and then of course, crossfit! Back on track and ready to go! Hard snowshoe run planned for the wee hours of the AM - rest up!