Day #4 - 100km and onwards we go!

Sure feels good to have 4 days of riding behind us. The course was well marked today and the race did, in fact, get underway at 7am. Thank goodness! With 100km to ride and not too many "fast downhill - knock off some km sections", Brandy and I were out there for just over 7hrs!!! Crazy!!! Can't remember the last time that it took me that long to ride that distance. Anyway, we climbed and climbed today and I think for me personally, this is my best day yet on the bike. It's kinda just like adventure racing...keep going and just get it done! Brandy suffered a few "mechanicals" today but, like a trooper, we pushed through it all and just barely managed to sneak through the finish line in 1st place once again. It wasn't as hot today or maybe it's just that we rode in the shade a bit more. Either way, not sure what adventure racing has done to my body over the years but I had GREAT energy all day and only in-took 2 gels and 1 package of sharkies!!! I don't think that's normal but hey, must have been tapping into my fat stores (and that is a good thing :)!!!

So, tomorrow isthe 5th and final stage. A 30km time trial that gets underway around 10am. We will be seated mid pack so unfortunately, will have to ride in the scorching sunshine. Then, it's a quick load up in the car and back to Squamish. Brea's wedding is about to happen, so I am looking forward to an awesome weekend with her and Todd.

Adventure onwards always!

Day #3 - Race Sabotage

Today was the best day of riding that we've had here yet in the sunny hills of Kamloops. While the race was supposed to begin at 8am, we didn't roll out on the neutral start until 10:40am, after the Race Director spent the morning dealing with some idiot named "Jeff" who was out to sabotage the race (what kind of mountain biking spirit is that???).
Long story short, the route got changed, from 80km to 50km (but was actually 65+km in the end) and as Brandyn and I rode AWESOME today, we learned with about 20km to the finish line that today's stage would not count. In other words, the slate stays as it was and we don't gain or loose a position. I guess some course markings still weren't perfect and it caused some issues. So.....with that, we rode at a cruisy pace back to TRU and finished. We are both pretty disappointed. Today's riding was really good. The weather was much cooler and we had an awesome descent in some nice twisty single track in the shade. It was a good time.

So what do we do from here? Well, meeting tonight at 7pm, so we will all get the course up- dates. Brandyn and I will go out tomorrow and put another good effort in and will keep having fun together on the course. We will pray for rain. I will keep taking my nuun tablets, applying thick layers of KINeSYS sunscreen and wearing my Ryders sunglasses - my 3 keys to success in this blistering heat and sunshine!

On another note...my sister's wedding is this coming weekend and I am really stoked for it!!! However, I have a horrendous farmer's tan going on and my feet are, well..in true Jen style...DESTROYED!!!!

Day #2 - Getting It Done

Ah yes, day #2 put to rest. It was another scorcher out on the course today. We hung in there and managed to complete the stage in just under 5hrs. I can't remember the last time that it would have taken that amount of time to ride 65km. There are sections you move fast on and others where you put your head down and settle into a climb that never ends. Couple that with no shade, 43C temps and no where to hide from Mr. Sunshine, makes for quite the slow pace. We've realized that its all about heat management. Yesterday, I was death on a bike and today, I was well hydrated nuun rider! In fact, I was taking my nuun tablets orally and I got Brandyn on the boat to do it as well. We had several mechanicals once again, me with no rear shifting available and Brandyn with no front brake. She rode like a rockstar just the same.

We are maintaining our 1st place position and put another 20mins or so on the girls from Vancouver. Today we were supposed to ride with the white polka dot jerseys on as the leaders for our category but we chose to stick to our other ones due to ventilation. I think we will cut the sleeves tonight and rock the dots tomorrow.

Start time tomorrow is 7am and it's looking like a nasty 80km day.

Adventure onwards.......there is work to do!

Day #1 - Smoking Hot

I can't say much more than it was a tough day on the race course today. The race got underway at 9am with a 10km contained peleton to get us through town. Then it was go time and for approx 5hrs40min, we worked hard out there in the blazing heat. The temps soared to around 41 C (106F) and beyond. There were some pockets in the hills that just felt like death. Crazy amounts of climbing and not much single track which was a bit of a dissapointment. The aid stations were really spread out so so I hope that gets fixed for tomorrow. By the last 10km I was really feeling the heat as I had a massive headache, always making me feel like my helmet was too tight, which it wasn't. I got some good help from some nice people at the finish line - cold drinks, ice packs and a cold path. Finally I came around. Great racing with Brandyn - thinking that we make a good pair. We finished 1st today for the team of 2 females and will be back out there tomorrow, to work hard. Todays mileage was approx 80km and it's looking tomorrow is another 100km.

Off to eat and re-fuel up!!!! Thanks for all the good wishes - hugely appreciate - this is a tough race, its all about managing fluids and body temp!

Intermontane Challenge

5 day staged Mountain Bike Race in Kamloops, BC

The premier 5-day mountain bike race is about to get under way! My race partner Brandyn Roark Grey – an xterra pro athlete out of New Mexico – arrived yesterday. We made the drive to Kamloops today and are both pretty pumped to ride some epic trails and XC terrain. Kamloops is apparently an unsung mecca of riding so I am really stoked to experience it first hand! Brandyn and I met briefly years ago back in Whistler and for 5 years now, we have stayed in touch and have looked for a race that would re-unite us to meet again and tackle something cool. When Chuck (the RD for Intermontane) invited us up, it was an offer we couldn’t refuse. I am stoked to race but also to have a bad ass female team mate with me. I’m hoping that my recent SUP trip was a good taper and that my legs feel well rested to tackle this one. Never before have I had a full week off prior to an A race. I guess we will see and hope that it plays in my favor. I put in solid workouts prior to going up the GBR – this can only be a learning experience.

The race starts Monday morning and you will be able to follow us as ride each day atwww.intermontanechallenge.com I will blog nightly and keep ya in the loop.

Check out the sweet jerseys that Stoad Printing hooked us up with! It's so hot here (41 C) so these are going to keep us venting well.

No Trip Like It

Words don’t describe how amazing and unique our stand up paddleboard trip to the Great Bear Rainforest (GBR) was. This past week of exploration and adventure to one of the most remote places on BC’s west coast is one of the coolest experiences that I have ever had.

The 17hr drive to Prince Rupert was something that I have always wanted to do too so I consider the lengthly travel just icing on the cake. I had never driven past Prince George so finally getting to see Smithers and Terrace and all the small towns in between was awesome. There are playgrounds here that I MUST come back to see. Thursday night was spent in Rupert packing food and meeting up with Masa and Taylor (our Explore Magazine journalist and photographer.) Friday morning I snuck in a rainy run in the residential area around where we were staying before we loaded all of our SUP’s and drybags onto the ferry. 4hrs of boat travel later, we were greeted by the folks of Hartley Bay. Everyone was so excited to see Norm back in the community and I got introduced to many of them. Cam and Eva opened their doors to us and we feasted on an amazing fresh salmon dinner and all kinds of dried salmon, seaweed and fishes.

Saturday morning – time to get going. We loaded up Cam’s boat and set out for Cornwall Inlet, a solid 30minute boat ride away from Hartley Bay. And then from there…..well…it was 5 days of incredible exploration on the SUP boards. Loaded with all our gear and food, we paddled and explored everything via the SUP. This my friends is the way to travel and see everything. We brought 2 South Points and the new wooded red cedar board made by Andy in Pemberton. Norm had outfitted the boards with decking and tie downs and it worked great. It’s actually incredible to see the amount of gear and weight that these boards can handle. We stayed in a longhouse at the back of Cornwall Inlet on night 1 and then at various cabins in both Bernard Harbor and MacDonald Bay on the other nights. Long days of paddling, lots of board time and a few good sections of against current travel to make for some added adventure. We saw bears, killer whales, hump backs, wolves and a huge abundance of sea life. Wednesday afternoon we were picked up by Marvin and brought back to Hartley Bay to enjoy THE BEST traditional west coast dinner that I have ever had. Fresh crab, crab cakes, octopus, halibut and sea cucumber among the other fixings were prepared. Unreal – we ate so much, way more than I needed but stopping was not an option! Just before bed time we managed a 30minute run around the community, making me feel somewhat better. Thursday morning I got in another run before we were invited over to Lynn and Ernie’s place for a traditional fried bread breakfast! Oh my gosh – so good but, well, I had to put the reigns on myself, I’ve got to be able to fit into my bike shorts in a few days time J

I can’t explain this trip in the detail that it deserves so I hope these pictures give a little glimpse. If you truly want a remote trip that is 100% unique, come to the GBR and see it on the SUP. Norm knows these waters so well and is very connected to it’s people. It’s the kind of place that is not easily accessible on your own so I feel very honored to have had this experience. We will be running trips here in September when chances of seeing the White Spirit Bear are high and the fish are spawning – I’m already excited to return. It's the trip of a lifetime.

It’s now Intermontane Challenge time – back to the bike and the race ahead.

Adventure Onwards……..

Great Bear Rainforest SUP Expedition

3 days from now, the car will be packed and Norm, myself and Explore Magazine will be making the trip up to Northern BC to Prince Rupert to catch the ferry out to Hartley Bay, a remote Native Community on BC's west coast. We will then be embarking on the 1st ever exploratory expedition via Stand Up Paddlboard (SUP) for 5 days. Norm has been guiding in this year for many years and has a very well established relationship with the community of Hartley Bay. We have permission to travel and experience their native lands and traditional hunting/fishing grounds. The pictures that I have seen of the Great Bear are unbelievable. This magical place has ranked at the top of my list for places to visit for a long time now and I am so EXCITED and FORTUNATE to be apart of this lifetime journey.

We will be documenting, blogging and twittering as we go. The SUP's will be loaded up with gear as we tackle some big days on the water. It is going to be an amazing trip. And some BIG NEWS - Norm and I will be offering some guided SUP expedition trips to this area next August/September. This signals the return of the salmon to the Great Bear Rainforest. This is an incredible time to search for the Kermode Bear (aka - the Spirit Bear.) Let me know if you would like to be kept in the loop for these trips as space is already filling and numbers are very limited.

More to come. Follow this SUP expedition along on Twitter "JenSegger"

Adventure Onwards......

Riding & Falling

The last week has been really good. Excellent days of training on the bike as I prepare for the Intermontane Challenge which gets underway in just a little over 2 weeks. My friend AV was up from Seattle to cheer on some friends at BC Bike race so we got some play days in here. Naturally, I was stoked to take him around the Squamish network and show it off. I had a good bail too right near the end, over the handlebars onto my face (fall #1) because I lost focused from trying to talk and ride at the same time. I know I am a good multi-tasker but NOT on the bike. We also rode to Pemberton and back and despite a few flats, AV was blown away by the landscape. Warm sunny days in the saddle...oh so nice.

My running is coming along too. The annual Comfortably Numb race went well and I think that helped me crest over a fitness hill. I'm seeing now that I can comfortably handle a few hours of running at a time with my lungs, legs and achilles feeling good. I'm back to getting a few of these in a week. I would say things are improving. However, my dog did launch me over the barrier of the hwy the other morning and I took a good bail on the hard cement (fall #2). Thankfully no cars were around. Anyway, it's good to be back in the shoes and out there. The trails are in excellent shape right now. Baffin Island is quickly approaching with i2P so I am happy that my running is getting stronger. Please make sure you check out the website and if you are a teacher or educator, sign your class up to be able to follow the expedition live and take advantage of the amazing education modules that will be available. Our goal is 6000 students so PLEASE, help us spread the word!

And oh yes, fall #3. I did my favorite hill climb the other day from Brackendale up to Red Heather. On the way down, I somehow lost complete focus and before I knew what was happening, I was going to way toooooo fast on the logging road to make the left hand corner. It was either launch over the steep cliff into the trees or lay it out on the gravel. I opted for a full body-bike skid out and the nice picture of my elbow above!!!

They say things come in 3's so let's hope that its!

Adventure Onwards.....

Trail Running Gear - Top Picks

Thanks to everyone for all the questions as to what I am running and racing in this year. Here are my staple favorites that I wouldn't trade for anything:

SHOES

I have been trading off between the XT Wing and the XT Whisper. The XT Wing is once again my go-to shoe, great for long days, road approach, slippery and rooty conditions and for gripping rock. The XT Whisper is ultra light and I have been using this for shorter runs and in really wet terrain because they drain really fast. This shoe is extremely breathable.
SOCKS

Ever since Badwater, my feet fell in love with SOLE's Lightweight Sport Sock. This sock provided comfort, fit, breathability and support for 135miles of hell running in 55 degree heat to YES, I know it can meet all my needs. I use it on the bike too and it never fails. Happy feet will keep you going.

PACK

Salomon continues to look out for the chicks that run. Great fit for the female frame and enough volume to carry all the necessities for a longer run, the XA 10+3 has been getting the job done. I have been loving that I don't need to mess about and make adjustments all the time. I can run for hours with this pack on, no worries.

Running for Spuds

It was a great start to Canada Day on Wednesday morning when Jo agreed to join me for a roadtrip to Pemberton to take part in a really fun community race called the Spud Run. Hmmmm, run for 2lbs sack of potatoes, sure, why not! Pemberton sits in the valley surrounded by amazing peaks and mountains. I knew the course was going to be dead flat and oh how right I was. However, needing to bring some speed and leg turnover back into my life, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for a good tempo run. I have been going hard since the weekends Comfortably Numb race, logging lots of runs and bike sessions.

Now, the coolest thing about the day for me was that Jo, my #1 support crew, my solid rock in life and my best friend wanted to come do this as her first race ever!!! I was so stoked for her although I cautioned her, say yes to racing with me once, and you will never hear the end of it!

Hot and muggy with an 8:30am start, the supposed 7km, low key event got under way. 42mins later, I crossed the finish line of what was actually a 10km race. This was good enough for 1st place for the woman and a yummy jar of Pemberton honey for winning!!! Jo finished in the top 20 - how AWESOME is that!!!! She is a racer at heart :) I also got to meet Thomsen D'Hont, one of our special youth members who will be joining i2P in Baffin Island this September! Thomsen took 1st overall - it's that lung capacity as a skier!!! Well done!!!

To finish it all off, I biked back to Whistler with super tired legs and Jo drove my car back! We concluded with breakfast at the Wildwood! What a great day!