2015 Races

The summer race season is just around the corner and much work has been done to get to this point. It does, however, never seem like I have not done enough - I always feel like I should have put a few extra long runs in or got a few more strength sessions at the gym to build power. Alas, it is here. I just finished my 2015 Island Race series cap during the Merville 15k on April 12th. I had a wonderful set of races except for one complete "BLOW UP" at the Comox Valley Half which had dropped my points just below the overall series win. It is a bit of a burn but it is what keeps me coming back for more and motivated to get better. I feel that I bounced back fairly quickly and was able to come out the end of the series at the same or better fitness level than last year. I will be at ready for the rest of the summer events, in the following order: (if you see something that is cool, send it my way!)

Apr. 25th - Tsolum River Race (Cycling) 60 or 80km race around the country roads of Merville.
Apr. 26th - Snow to Surf (9 Stage relay race from Mt. Washingtin through Comox Lake to paddling across the Comox Bay. My team is the "Thor's Hammer'd" and we hope to put some work on the old guard in town.
May 3rd - Nanimo XC race (Mtn Biking) Mid-island cross country.
May 10th - 6 hrs of Maple (Mtn Biking) A endurance feast! In Duncan and along the amazing trails.
May 24th Tri -K (Triathlon) Comox Valley fun race starting at the Sports Centre Pool and finishing on the track.
May 24th 12hrs of Cumberland Marathon (Mtn Biking) - In teams of 4, 2 or solo. A festival of fun.
May 31st - XC Championships Campbell River (Mtn Biking) - The finals in the Snowden trail network.
June 14th - Country Roads Marathon (Comox Valley 1/2 and full Marathon) A revisit of an old race right here in the beautiful Comox Valley.

July 5th - XTERRA Victoria - (Off-road Triathlon) The classic and my "A" Race.

Sept. 26th - MOMAR (Adventure Race) Kayaking, orienteering, mtn biking, running etc. A day of fun!

Follow along on Strava:

Call my office Fit Chiropractic and Sport Therapy at 250.871.3674 or email derek@drvinge.com

2015 Early Race Season

The 2015 edition of the Island Race Series us underway and some friendly and fierce competition has been seen. I truly enjoy getting out and seeing familiar faces and meeting new people at each race. The Comox Valley Road Runners have represented well. We are currently in 2nd place standings as a club on the Island.

Vancouver Half Marathon - Photo Pacific Road Runners

My next running races are:

Bazan Bay 5km March 8th
Comox Valley RV Half Marathon March 22nd
Merville River Runners 15km - April 5th
Series Finale Sooke River 10km - April 18th

Also, upcoming is the Island Cup mountain bike races!

Fit Chiropractic is Moving.

Long Steady Distance

LSD - The term that I have used for years with tongue-in-cheek approach to base training. You know, the psychedelic drug well known for its psychological effect on spiritual experiences and altered sense of time.  It is a way, maybe, to create excitement about going for an extended length run at a slow pace.

In a sense, it is a relief to just go out and not worry about pace or lap times. No need to push the limit each interval faster than the last. No split times because there are no intervals! Often, the destination is the focal point - finish an entire trail network, loop around a lake, or summit a mountain.

I was encouraged by getting out with a few friends for an entire day jogging around the backcountry and reaching the summit of no less than three peaks; Mt. Castlecrag, Mt. Frink, and Mt. Albert Edward. The last of which has been a goal for a handful of years. Luckily the temperature was low and below freezing so the snow that had fallen weeks prior was now frozen solid but yet had some good grip. A good eight hours of steady running. It was getting close to that psychedelic LSD I was speaking of earlier.

For the next few months the long steady distance runs (not LSD!) are still going to persist in my training plan - not only because they are important for long term adaptation but because I truly enjoy them! The next step is starting to get intensity ramped up without over doing it OR getting injured. I have been shown a new tool in guiding my training to get to the next level. WHAT IS THE PROPER RECOVERY TIME?
More on this soon... Hint: heart rate variability.

The 2015 Race Calendar:

Jan. 8 - Saanichton 8km #1 Island Race Series/BC Champs/Timex Series
Jan. 25 - Cobble Hill 10km
Feb. 8 - Cedar 12km?
Feb. 15 - First Half - Vancouver 1/2 marathon
Feb. 22 - Hatley 8km?
Mar. 8 - Bazan Bay 8km
Mar. 22 - Comox Valley Half Marathon
Apr. 12 - Merville 15km
Jun. 14 - Country Roads Half Marathon - Comox Valley Marathon
etc.

Island Race Series: Sooke 10km

The final race in the 2013 Island Race Series is the Sooke 10km. Put on by the S.T.A.R.R. Sooke Trail and Road Runners, and an excellent club.  I spend some evenings training with this club when I worked in Sooke a few years back. I really enjoyed it the time with the close community of runners.
This race starts from the local High School and winds it's way up and around the Sooke River Rd. to close to the Sooke potholes. It is quite hilly and there never seems to be a flat spot on the race. It is a truly beautiful place to run. You can hear the river in stretches while running through large fir trees and ferns that surround the road as it cuts through the temperate rain forest.

  For me, the first 2-3km were fast, I tried to push the pace to see what I had in me. But, in fact, I was flat. I had no spark and I just held on for the rest of the race the level that I could hold steady. Time to re-group and get ready for the rest of the summer.  It was a nice finish to the race series!

Up next; I'm just putting my summer calendar together. More to follow soon.

Island Race Series: Merville 15km

The second from last race in the Island Race Series is the Merville 15k. A small hamlet just north of Courtenay is country roads and small rolling hills. It has one general store which is also the gas station post office and grocery store.

I enjoyed this race!  This race is hosted by the "River Runners" from Campbell River, another 20min up the road. Well organized and delicious food at the finish.  The course wraps around a large rectangular piece of forest and ends just past the Start.

Merville 15k Map and Elevation - the pointer is on the highest elevation point

I felt like the pace needed to be pushed in the first few km as nobody was making the leap. It was right after an athlete said "It feels like a training run" that something clicked in my head that I should push the pace. So, I jumped out in front and lead the race for the first 7km.  It was at the start of the big long hill that Nick passed me and it stayed that way until the finish. I felt alright, but probably went out a bit to hard at the beginning trying to crack the psyche of the group.  Mark Cryderman of Campbell River was catching me though the race, but in the last 3km I just put everything into the final push and it payed off. Race results here. 

Next and final race of the Island Race Series: Sooke 10km. 

Island Race Series: Comox Valley Half Marathon

Yes! A half marathon this early in the season... perfect timing to test out endurance at race-pace over the long distance. The race put on by the legendary Comox Valley Road Runners. They always have a huge collection of athletes and many in the top rankings of the race.  The race went off without a hitch and many volunteers were out at every corner cheering and supporting the runners. I found that there was an exceptional amount of loud shouts at the 15km mark, perfect to get amped for the final push.

Read a good article here about the race. The temperatures were a bit low, in the 5 C range, and made it challenging to warm up before the race. But, with no frost bite or other serious problems everyone had a successful race.
I encountered a serious psychological brick wall about 3km from the finish. I had hammered it and pushed the pace from the 10km mark up until that point and then I slowly fizzled out. I had put in the work to get a finish time I'm happy with, but that leaves more to be desired for the next half-marathon.

Next up, Merville 15km.

Island Race Series: Bazan Bay

A blistering pace with a crowd of nationally ranked athletes, this race turned out to be a drag race! As you can see in the image below it looked exactly like this from the start!

Oh, wait, sorry that is not at all what it looked like. Not sure where that came from...ahem. But, this is image below is from first 100m into the race.

Well, Ok, that is not it either. But, that is what it felt like how fast we were going. It is a bit of a mix between the top and the bottom picture and you get an idea of how the race went.   I was still feeling a bit sore from the low-back injury I sustained two weeks before. But, I wanted to see how fast I could go. While waiting for the starting gun to go off, I was able to see all the top athletes who have located themselves in the Victoria and Vancouver area. The entire National triathlon training centre was participating, along with former national level runners, age group record holders and a few serious off-the-couch competitive athletes.

The course is flat and fast, not really any hills to speak of except a gradual decline-incline at the 2.5km turn around point.  It was lightning fast from the get go and after tale of the tape nine runners finished under 15min! I was in the top 25 and very happy to be there. I had a great race and enjoyed myself immensely! A new PR.  See results from 2013 here.

Next race, Comox Valley Half marathon!

Island Race Series: Hatley Castle 8km

The race is put on by FrontRunners, a local Victoria running store. They have a great system set up and RaceDay Timing Services have organized the chip timing in the race.  The combination of both companies organizing the race keeps the most fluid and efficient coordination. I enjoy when both these companies come together.

The Hatley Castle is a legendary location for a race, not to mention a National historic site and  BC heritage building. The Castle was commissioned by the Dunsmuir family in 1908, James Dunsmuir was one-time BC Premier and also BC lieutenant governor, in addition to being a wealthy coal industrialist. The castle was purchased from the family in 1939 and has been a military college and now, starting in 1995, as Royal Roads University. A truly beautiful campus in a castle, ocean front and surrounded by huge Douglas fir trees and a temperate rainforest.

  The Hatley Castle 8km race has by far the most hills of the Island race series. I don't know the overall elevation change, but as you can see below, it has significant hills (for a road-race) from sea-level to the top of the ridge.  My plan was to pace easy into the first 5km which was well into the top of the biggest hills and then rip the last 3km.  It worked out for the most part, but it is hard to reign it in when runners are passing on the uphill!
If you see in the map below it is somewhat like a large rectangle, but in actual fact it seems nothing like it.  I found the last 2km on the double track trails very relaxing and like a mountain path.  I ended up fighting for 2nd place at the end but first place (Geoff Martinson) was more than 90 seconds out in front. A great race!

Cobble Hill 10km

"It got ugly out there" An old friend used to say after a race that involved a lot of grunt work. And, today was one of those races. I found it involved a bit of extra effort mentally to keep pushing myself to the finish line. Meanwhile, I was flailing all over the place and grinding everything out of it.
 What is it about the late stage of the race where you want to drop the pace and just walk it in for the last few km. Is there something wrong with my race strategy? Maybe I'm going out too hard? Maybe I don't have the fitness level that I think I have? Maybe I enjoy beer too much?  The questions will eventually need to be answered.

Well, today was a great race in chilly conditions up the road near Cowichan Bay.  It was put on by the Ceevacs road runners club. It is relatively flat but undulating with small inclines and descents all thought the race.  I found it hard to lock-on to a pace and I felt like someone who drives like my Grampa: with two feel, one on the brake one on the gas, constantly accelerating and slowing.
In the future I hope to improve on my speed (and pacing) and over the next few weeks leading into the longer races I can hammer the finish.
Next week is the Cedar 12km....and a few weeks later is the Courtenay 1/2 marathon!

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Island Race Series - Saanichton 8km

 It is now the time of the year for the  Island Race Series (IRS - coincidentally!) supported by the Frontrunners running store. Luckily the island doesn't have below zero temperatures & frozen roads (very often) and a road racing series can start early January and run through till the end of April. Every two weeks a new race occurs around the South Vancouver Island from distances of 5km up to 1/2 marathon.

The first race was the Saanichton 8km around the country fields of the northern Saanich peninsula near the Victoria airport. The Prairie Inn Harriers put on the race with excellent logistics and organization!   It was a chilly 2 C when we arrived with frozen grass and ice in the ditches but the roads were clear and that is all the really mattered. I enjoy the chilly running temperatures of the winter & spring. It is nice to keep cool and not have to use excess energy trying to prevent overheating.


Synopsis on my race;  In the general summary I would say it was very good experience and I was happy with the results. It was right where I wanted to be with the time and pacing but I have an keen interest to place higher.  I feel that I should have been ready for more of the necessary pain-train. I think that in preparation, even a week before, I should have amped myself up for holding on to the upper limits for the long haul. Even though 8km really isn't that far it was the first race to get my body in the zone for road-racing. I have multiple excuses and reasons but it breaks it down to I need to understand what my race-pace speed is and find out how long I can hold on to it.

The next race is the Cobble Hill 10km (near Shawnigan Lake!) on Jan. 27th @ 11am. Join us.

I ended up 12th overall and got out sprinted by a new rival, Nick from FrontRunners. Thanks for the photos!

New direction(s)

As you have all have known for a while there is a new direction in my athletic focus.  It has come along way for me to admit that I will have moved on, for now, in a different direction.   I have now been training with a motion towards run, cycling, swimming in that order. Ideally, I want to focus on all three sports evenly, if I were going to pursue that multisport specifically.  I have decided to get out and train for these sports over this winter months with an option in February-March to start and specialize in the distance/sport(s) of choice.  For now, it will be definitely heavy in running with getting back to speedwork and high(er) mileage. I will be running in the Island Race Series from Jan-May. Also, with pool time to work on technique and the benefits of low-impact activity for recovery.  Bring on some hard work!  I'm ready to test myself again and get back into being competitive.


Today was the official release of the November RADAR from Rowing Canada.  It was exciting to watch and track the progression of certain individuals through the growth and development as athletes. I also can't avoid the comparison of where I would be at "hypothetically" this time round.  It is a selfish and dangerous act and I'm happy where I'm at and the choices I have made to phase out this session of "The Pursuit of Rowing".

 End of and Era: The narrow focus is now over

The rowing pursuits blog has been transitioned into a more all-encompassing Outdoor Pursuits subtitle. I enjoy posting my journeys in the all outdoor activities and I want to experience more.  

One difficult point I have been stuck on for a long time: It is hard to be at the top performance level in one sport if you want to do everything just a little bit. Or is it possible?