Who Wants to Come to Costa Rica???
Calling all Runners & Adventurer's

January/February 2010 - I will be taking a group of runners down to Costa Rica to experience the amazing Coastal Challenge Adventure Run!! I am currently looking to form what will be TEAM CANADA and levels of all runners are welcome! Some people will run the entire thing, others will walk/run it, it's all about an amazing adventure in a gorgeous place! Think about it...if you are ready to set yourself the most incredible goal and start this summer to prepare for it, come the end of January, you will be ready!!!!

So here is the plan! I am offering a special training package price to get YOU ready for this particular journey. Training will start in July and for 7 months, I will have you on a progressive plan (individualized to you) to get you ready. Over the 7 months, we will talk about gear and will schedule some weekend get togethers for long runs and to get know all the members of TEAM CANADA before we head down. I will be with you every step of the way and will be able to assist with the group travel details etc. You can race it either solo or in a team and might I suggest a little vacation after??? Oh and another cool thing about this race, family and friends are welcome to come and explore along the way, you will see them everynight at camp! So, I encourage you to visit the website.

I personally am SO EXCITED for this race and I hope you will consider joining me and TEAM CANADA on the trip of a lifetime! Email me at seggerjen@hotmail.com for more details!!! We will all want to register by June 1st in order to receive the early bird race registration fee!

FINISHED
Rock & Ice is done!

I'm safe and sound back here to Yellowknife and you know what, its the BEST feeling in the world! I complete the 2009 Rock & Ice Course (225km) at a little after 2pm today, good enough for 2nd place. Denise and I had a good race out there and she deserves that diamond that we were both going after! I am lucky to have even completed the race as I have been severely suffering from an achilles injury for the entire 6 days. Lots of Vitamin I and a heel lift to my shoe and I made it to the finish line. The injury started well before I got here and Laura worked to massage it out as best as she could. However, it's not easy to know going into a race that you are not 100% but even more, knowing that I was prepared to still give it my best shot and suffer like a mad woman to make it to the end. Suffer I did but it was all worth it!

The land surrounding Yellowknife is harsh and unforgiving, yet beautiful and amazing all at once. Yes, I am sick of snowshoe running and looking at white snow and pulling a heavy pulk behind me and eating trail food! BUT, the Rock & Ice is a must do so put it on your list and come experience Canada's great white north! You won't be dissapointed. Race director Scott Smith and his crew put on one heck of a great race!

Gear wise, all was great. My Salomon XT Wing Gore's were AWESOME but even more so was my amazing windstopper jacket, also by Salomon. I layered Ibex as my base layer and then the Arcteryx Rho and I was happy as could be. Dan's sled, the DP1, got me through with no issues!!! Dan, you ROCK! If you are considering this race next year, you will want Dan to build your sled, just an FYI.

And to everyone, thanks for all the amazing emails that have arrived! Those are what keep me going and moving forward. I run for i2p and I hope I can be an inspiration to you as well!

What's next?? Well...no running to start with! I will now hit the bike and x-train until I am cleared to hit the trails. I am excited to return to Squamish and get back to working with the ladies at our morning circuit class. I am stoked to get the trail clinics going and some other awesome programs for those in Squamish.

Oh and while on the email, HUGE congrats to my friend and client Jonny Covello who at 64, completed the 3 day Rock & Ice on skii's! She is my new inspiration and she is tougher than nails!!! Well done to Tim to making it to Everest Base Camp, a great feat for sure! And now I send all my energy onto Meghan who is off at the Marathon des Sables in Morocco!

Costa Rica for a 7 day'er was on the plans, leaving in 3 weeks time but the race has been cancelled. So now, hmmmmmm, will let ya know!
It's time for a cofffee....

Adventure Onwards.....jen

Last Night, 1 day to go

Here I am, at Trout Lake Lodge, the last stage camp of the race! YEAH!!! I gotta say, I am suffering like crazy. My achilles is at an all time pain and today, we hit a fast hard packed snow section for the last 5km and it literally brought me to a screeching hault. Denise and I were together and then BOOM, she went and I couldn't move! The pain fired into my hamstring and I crawled my way to the lodge.

On the plus, I made it and now, only 1 day left to go. I will hang in and somehow, will make that trek into Yellowknife tomorrow but folks, it won't be pretty. Will do my best to not drag it out forever. Denise and I have had a good battle, running everyday together. In fact, we look like twins out there and when I get home, will post some pictures. Same Salomon jackets, black pants etc. It's pretty funny.

The lodge here is great. Nice to not sleep in the snow again. Tonight all the racers share a bare room that is currently under construction but hey, it's better than suffering outside. The temps this morning when we started were -26!!! Ahhh, and this was a warmer day. Another plus - tonight and tomorrow the lodge is cooking our dinner and breakfast! Ah yes.......

Ok, so I will email again upon finishing tomorrow. My Salomon Exo Calves are keeping my achilles in tact, I'm sure! The diamond is out of my reach now but you know, I can settle for 2nd place when it's been a good battle the whole way through. I guess I will have to become a miner as my new profession and go dig for a diamond!!!

Adventure onwards...your words of inspiration are keeping me going...jen

Continuing Onwards....

Short blog here folks from the Rock & Ice. Well, 3 days done, 3 to go! We are back at Matrix Village tonight to nice cozy tents and the town of Yellowknife. The K Rock racers are done here but those of us in the Diamond Race have another 3 days yet to go. Originally, we were not going to be able to leave the base camp but luckily, Scott has allowed us to go with the exception that we must sleep back at Matrix tonight.

So, here I am. We went and stuffed ourselves stupid with pizza and coke and then I limped over to Jonny and Lous' for a shower and to wash my clothes!! So great!! I have about another 1.5hrs and the I must return to camp and get to sleep. The shower felt awesome, as did real food. It's nice to be out of the camp.

And as for what is happening in the race.... well....on day #1, I stopped to adjust my snowshoe and just couldn't catch up to Denise again although I could see her the entire way in. Our pace has been identical. We ran all day yesterday together and then again today. With 6km to go, we pulled the snowshoes as we hit the ice road. My achilles is at its snapping point and I took my first few steps on the road and thought that it was going to blow!!! Luckily it didn't, but Denise put it into turbo and I couldn't respond. So, she put some more minutes on me today. (Note from Editor Mom - 16 minutes in total).

With that said, I am going to continue to do my best out here and just hope that the achilles holds. The next 2 days are a bit shorter which is good. I just want to stay healthy. Trying to remain positive and put my best foot forward (ahhh, that would be the right in case you were wondering :) I feel great other than my leg. Onwards I go........

See you all soon! Cant wait to finish up! Thanks for all the words of inspiration that have come in!

Adventure onwards....jen

Report from the Ice #4

www.rockandiceultra.com

It's worth getting up early here in the North, if only just to see a great sunrise!!!WOW! I am just finishing up my coffee (Beans Brackendale brought from home of course) and getting ready to head out onto the ice and over to the start line! It's cold and it's going to be awesome!!!
I just took care of my feet with my leuco tape to assist with the blister issues that I have a hard time avoiding!

Enjoy the follow. Sleepmonsters has already posted a blurb and there will be coverage there and on the Rock and Ice site, I believe!

Adventure Onwards.....jen

Report from the Ice #3

Oh and I almost forgot to answer the question that I have been asked a billion times now - How heavy is my sled??

Well folks, my sled weighed in at just under 20lbs!! SAWEEEEET!!!
However, in the AM I have to add some water and will have further water and food on my waste belt. I thought for sure that it would be around 30lbs but low and beyhold, some of my tricked out gear has allowed for lightness. For some reason though, I don't think that I will be saying that 30km down the snow field!!!

And as for what I have been doing for training to get ready for this one? Lots of running, running with my sled and running on flat terrain. Crossfit has been playing a huge part in teaching my legs to deal with the fatigue (thanks Whistla crew for that) and I have gotten some good early power hikes up the Chief in. Oh, and Laura gave me a great massage on Wed. My legs feel as good as new :)

I'll be running for i2p - adventures that educate and inspire youth to protect our environment! Very cool!! Check out the website and find out how you can get involved. I hope that through our crazy adventures and journeys, we truly are inspiring others!

Morning update to come......adventure onwards, jen

Report from the Ice #2!
www.rockandiceultra.com

I am finally able to sit down and type, my fingers have unthawed!! Seriously, I was walking back from the evenings meeting at about 6:30pm and still clear skies, the sun is up and I just about lost all the digits on my feet and hands! I went from a walk to a run to a sprint just to make it back inside. I must have looked like quite an idiot flying down the street!!!! Anyway, I still have that tingly feeling. Ok, so lesson learned here.....never stand around in the cold and always double what you think you need to wear.

On a warmer note, I had a nice mellow day. Slept in until about 8:45am and then pulled my sled over to the gear check, came home and just spent the day eating and gear sorting. Jonny and I ran a few errands and so I got a nice little tour of the town. We had a race briefing tonight too out on the lake where we got our maps and Scott talked about the course in details. Looks awesome.

I am eager to get out there and get going. I always hate the day before and especially race morning. I like getting out there and just letting the nature of the race run its course!

Again, thanks for all the emails of support, it gives me the warm fuzzy feeling to know that you all are thinking of me!!! Enjoy following and I will see you on Thursday night when I return to the safety of Jonnys heated house!!!!

Adventure onwards.....hugs jen

Rock & Ice Ultra

Report #1 from Yellowknife, NWT

An early start from Squamish and a delayed Air Canada (go figure) flight out of Vancouver, I have arrived to a heart stopping place in the great white north! And yes, now I can truly say that "white" and "north" go hand in hand! OMG - it's cold!

I have been so very fortunate to have one of my clients who lives here in Yellowknife and who is also racing (ski 3day K-Rock category) to offer to be my amazing host while here on this adventure!

Jonny met me at the airport with my oversized gear. And speaking of gear, I barely managed to fit the DP1 (my sled) into my Salomon ski bag! Whew, lucky it did fit because I left this planning detail to the last minute. However, I did worry during the entire flight that the baggage handlers wouldn't be careful with it and that I would arrive to a broken sled and then have a real issue on my hands. Thankfully, this was not the case.
So here I am, scared to go outside and thinking that it's actually quite nice to see this northern city from the comfort of inside. Jonny and Lou's place is right on the lake.

This afternoon, I gathered my courage and I headed out for some gear testing. I think I lasted 2 minutes and then realized that I needed MORE layers as I had an instant ice cream headache. On went the balaclava and another toque and my Ryders goggles. I think I got a good system dialed. Salomon makes this awesome windstopper fabric and I think it will do the trick. I still have to sort out my shoe situation tomorrow. I'll be wearing the XT Wings Gore version and then some form of cover over top, YTBD.

The sun was out this afternoon and it felt really good but now its' snowing and that is going to mess up the trails on the lake. Hmmmmm. Jonny tells me, too, that it is light until about 9pm. Ha - just like summer back in Squamish BUT with one exception, IT'S NOT WARM HERE!!!
I am off to bed soon for some banking of R&R. More to come from Canada's North.

Oh and thank you everyone for the overwhelming amount of "best wishes" and "good luck" and "sending warm thoughts" emails! I appreciate it hugely. Keep warm, I'll be trying!

Rock & Ice Ultra

Time to Head NORTH!

Report #1

Only a few days to go now until I embark on my first cold multi-day staged race! Really looking forward to this adventure as long as my -30 sleeping bag keeps me toasty warm at night! I depart for Yellowknife in Northern Canada this Thursday, race gets underway on Saturday morning.


The total race distance is 225km spread over 6 stages of running. I will be pulling all my gear (food, sleeping stuff, clothing, essentially EVERYTHING) with me on a sled for the duration of the race. The goal - finish each leg fast, eat, rest and get to bed. REPEAT.


You will be able to follow the race at http://www.rockandiceultra.com/ and on http://www.sleepmonsters.com/. Be sure to check in regularily for daily race reports and photos!

More to come! Just thought I would give a quick heads up as to what I am busy prepping for!!! I went back down to Bellingham, WA today to have Dan make a few adjustments to my DP1 sled!!! Its going to rock out there. Purchased some last minute supplies and loaded up on all kinds of yummy race food. More to come.......

Upcoming Fitness, Running Clinics & Camps

Early Bird Ladies Circuit Class
Tuesday's & Thursday's
Starts: March 31st
Ends: April 16th
6am - 7am @ the Mamquam School (outside)
$72 per clinic (6 sessions total)
Spots Available: 16

Mid Morning Ladies Circuit Class
Tuesday's & Thursday's
Starts: March 31st
Ends: April 16th
7:30am - 8:30am @ Brackendale (outside)
$72 per clinic (6 sessions total)
Spots Available: 14

Evening CO-ED Circuit Class
Tuesday's & Thursday's
Starts: March 31st
Ends: April 16th
6pm - 7pm @ Brackendale (outside)
$72 per clinic (6 sessions total)
Spots Available: 14

Outdoor Conditioning @ The Lake - CO-ED
Wednesday's
Starts: April 1st
Ends: April 15th
6:45am - 7:45am @ Alice Lake
$30 per clinic (3 sessions total)
Spots Available: 14

*note: sign up for a Tues/Thurs set and the Wed set for $120 total!

Spring Trail Running Clinic - BEGINNER
(Can run up to 5km and we will build from there)
Tuesday's @ 6pm
Starts: May 12th
Ends: June 16th
Location: New trails each week
$75 Spots Available: 10

Spring Trail Running Clinic - INTERMEDIATE
(Can run up to 10km and we will build from there)
Thursday's @ 6pm
Starts: May 14th
Ends: June 18th
Location: New trails each week
$75 Spots Available: 10

Women's "Healthy" OFF ROAD SCHOOL Camp - Squamish
(a weekend of outdoor fitness, friends & health)
June 13th/14th
Price: $229
Spots Available: 12 Minimum #: 8
Includes: (trail running, hiking, outdoor yoga, strength circuit class, stand up paddleboard (SUP) lesson, Saturday evening whole foods cooking class & dinner, Sunday morning breakfast, Salomon technical t-shirt, take home goody bag)
*accomodation option will also be added (Executive Suites Hotel)

The OFF ROAD SCHOOL Trail Running Camp - WHISTLER, BC
Thinking of running the Comfortably Numb trail race on June 27th? Or, want to improve your running, learn some new trails & expand your running knowledge? How about work on your ability to handle technical trails or power up those up-hills? Over the course of the weekend, we will tackle some of the epic trails that Whistler and the surrounding area has to offer. An ability to run for up to 2hrs at a time is required. This is the perfect way to be ready for the summer running goals that you have set!
June 5th, 6th & 7th (2.5 days)
Friday evening - Sunday afternoon
$249
Camp Includes: coaching & instruction from world class runners, ascending, descending & technical running techniques, drills, informative incorporated sessions on nutrition, hydration, race preparation, recovery, strength training & planning for success. Question & answer period on selecting races, training for multi day expedition races etc. All participants will receive a Salomon technical t-shirt & running hat!
*accomodation @ the Executive Suites Hotel for a special rate is available upon request

The OFF ROAD SCHOOL Mountain Running Camp - WHISTLER/SQUAMISH, BC
This is a high performance camp where you will learn how to take your running and racing to the next level. Open to all levels of runners but we do ask that you can run 20km (speed not an issue.) We will be tackling the epics - Singing Pass, Comfortably Numb, Rubble Creek & Elfin Lakes!!!! As we run, you will learn!!! Informative evening sessions around the nights campfire!
Base Camp: Alice Lake Provincial Park (camping)
July 17th, 18th & 19th
$249
Camp Includes: coaching & instruction from world class runners, ascending, descending & technical running techniques, drills, informative incorporated sessions on nutrition, hydration, race preparation, recovery, strength training & planning for success. Question & answer period on selecting races, training for multi day expedition races etc. All participants will receive a Salomon technical t-shirt & running hat! This camp also includes the Alice Lake Camping Fee.

Off to Everest!!!!!

But this time, its not me! I am extremely proud of my friend and client Tim who lives here in Squamish who is about to embark on an amazing adventure! Tim has been working extremely hard at his fitness and mental preparation for several months now and this week, FINALLY, he gets to leave for his trip to Mt Everest basecamp! I have so much confidence in his ability to not only succeed and meet his goal of arriving to basecamp but also to be able to enjoy the experience along the way!!! Sending you tons of energy and prayers for your safe travels Tim!!! Can't wait to see the pictures when you get home.


Secondly, while I am on the topic of great adventuring folks, a long time client who I have been working with from down in the USA is Megan Hicks and in a very short time, she departs for Morocco to take part in the Marathon des Sables!! I am VERY excited for her and know that she is going to be great!!! She has been dedicated to her training (and let me tell you, it has been full throttle and very intense) for quite some time now! I raced this one back in 2004 and it is the most punishing and rewarding experience!!!! Megan, you are a rockstar! You've done the hard part now go get it!!!!


And here is something to stay posted on: next year, I will be preparing and taking a group down to experience and participate in the Coastal Challenge in Costa Rica. This is a 7 day staged ultra in paradise! This is a race that ANYONE can do and so I strongly encourage you to check it out and belive in yourself. For 6 months, I will guide your training, prepare you mentally, teach you about gear and staged running and then together as a group, we will go down there and support one another towards ONE common goal! If you are interested, please let me know and I will add you to the "interested list". Seriously, people of all run levels, all ages can train and prepare to do this kind of adventure!!! It's a natural high and a sense of accomplishment that I can't even begin to describe! This I can promise so think about joining in.......details to come soon!

Sunshine Coast Play Weekend & Sled Pull'in

It was a quick decision on Friday afternoon to decide not to make to the drive to Kamloops to race in the Big Mountain Battle. Instead, Norm and I loaded up the Subaru and headed to the Sunshine Coast to get a day of play in on some new terrain! The rain held off which was great. Saturday was a trail run out and back (and then out and back again) to explore the Skookamchuck Narrows Provincial Park. This is a crazy narrow inlet at the northern end of the Sunshine Coast where currents can reach up to 30km/hr. Combine that with the tides and you got yourself some INSANE waves, whirlpools and whitewater!! Yes, this is a whitewater paddlers dream!! Unfortunately, we arrived at close to slack tide but it was still very easy to imagine what the narrows could look like when it's ripping.


Back in the car, we headed to Halfmoon Bay where we ate some breakfast, drank some greatly needed cafe, unthawed a bit and then hit the water on our SUP boards! I hadn't been on mine for a while so the 2hr paddle was a good workout! We did a big loop, scouted out some unbelievable mansion size homes from the water and enjoyed a good workout in the process. It was good training for this upcoming weekends SUP race in Qualicum Beach (yes, I'm sure to be yet another humbling experience.)
Then today, it was all running as I hit the road early for the Callaghan for a good 4hr sled-pulling run on my trusty new winter gear carrier that Dan built for me for the Rock & Ice race in a few weeks time. I enjured some punishing knee deep heavy west coast snow and then some compact groomers. A mix of rain and snow, it was tough running! I returned home to Squamish, only to get back out and log some more hours.

Anyway, good play, good training! A big week ahead. The countdown to the Rock & Ice is on!

2 Snowy Weekends

Perhaps it is safe to say that the winter here in BC is just getting going? I've tried to make the most out of it by getting into the skimo (randonnee) race scene and giving it a go! The first was the 24hrs of Sunlight down in Colorado which went really well despite the altitude sufferfest. I then spent the following weekend playing in Squamish. Norm and I went for a tour up Mt.Baldwin on a gorgeous bluebird Sunday. This was a good few hours of touring up until we reached the ridge where we would enjoy fresh banana bread and some tea for lunch! Unbelievable views of the Tantalus Range, Sky Pilot, Co-Pilot and Diamond Head.

Last weekend, I was fortunate to have my best friend Jo accompany me on a power road trip out to Nelosn (interior of BC) so that I could give the ROAM Randonne Race a try. This is a quick sprint skimo at Whitewater Ski Resort as part of the Cold Smoke Festival. Try I did but with very little success. Jo and I left Whistler at 3pm, arrived into nelson at 2am, car camped in my subaru, awoke at 6am, coffee by 7am and I raced at 9am. Now, that is not why I sucked at this race (although I'd like to be able to say it was due to lack of sleep but for me, no sleep is apart of the AR game that I am only way too used to). I have no idea still (no results posted) on my overall placement but here is why this race was such a geat learning experience and why I am such a rookie:
1) everyone started off running in their skii's to start - not me!!! Endurance is my thing, not the 100m dash.

2) my rando skii's are great but I still don't have the right set up to pull my skins off without taking my skiis off - LOTS of time lost (oh, and we had to pull skins about 5x's)

3) Bloody nose at the top of summit#1 (yanked my skins off to hard and they rebounded into my face, leaving me gushing in blood all over the snow)

4) CRAZY descent on narly terrain - with rock hard-crap snow and me on skiis that I am not very good on, not a good combination. I lost tons of time here as I feared I was about to either blow out my ACL or else fly into a tree!

Anyway, I'm happy that Jo and I made the trip nonetheless. She is a such a trooper for being there for me all the time, driving into the wee hours of the night, getting no sleep and waiting for me at the finish line as I dragged my sorry butt across! THANKS Jo!

So I guess my conclusion is this: it's good to challenge yourself into new situations that are a bit scary and new!!! I will continue to select races and events and challenges that I have no idea what I am doing at and that I can walk away from and be proud that I undertook a new experience! This is what life is all about! If we don't, are we really seeing what we are capable of????? CHALLENGE BY CHOICE.