ElevateMe goes to White Rock!

July 15, 2010 by brenna 

Just a quick blog here to celebrate my first major training day. This past Wednesday, I took a ride from Vancouver to White Rock, and then back to Surrey, for a total of 75 km. I took a rest over night at a friend’s place and made the ride back to Vancouver the next morning. For a total of approximately 125 km in two days, this training ride was able to give me a pretty good idea of what I’m going to be up against this summer.

But more than just “training”, it was a beautiful ride too. In fact, the route I take is one of my all time favourite bike rides that I have only had the joy of taking two times before this last trip. The scenery is so incredible, which really helps to keep motivated and feeling positive for miles and miles of highway that seem to stretch on forever: From Vancouver, I took the Kent Avenue bike route going East along the North side of the Fraser river. I connected with Marine Drive and rode it all the way to New Westminster, veering onto Front Street for a portion of the ride. From there, I crossed the Patullo Bridge into Surrey, and rode along the King George Highway until reaching White Rock. This is a surprisingly fantastic highway to ride, as cars are extremely courteous and there is an awesome shoulder for cyclists.

All in all, it was a successful ride, and I am feeling more confident about my physical capacity for the long biking days – and epic hills – that lay ahead of me.

Oh yes, and I was saving my ElevateMe bar until I arrived on the beach, just so I could take a picture of it with the giant white rock (do you know how hard that is?!) Honestly, nothing tastes so satisfying like an ElevateMe treat unless it’s an ElevateMe treat after an extraordinary amount of cycling!! Happy riding

A Day at the Beach

July 12, 2010 by brenna 

Summer is finally here – YES, it’s even here in Vancouver! The sun is out, dogs are running in the parks, it seems everyone is happy, and life seems swell all around.

* Cue dreamy music *

Aaah, it would just be so wonderful to spend a whole day lying on the beach doing nothing at all…….

**** !!!!!!! ****

With only one month until I leave for my trip, there is no time to procrastinate – let alone spend a whole day at the beach! It is time to get serious about training! In the past few weeks, I have been working on increasing the number of kilometers I ride each day. I am also making sure to practice riding both in the warm sun and while carrying extra weight on my bike in order to prepare for those factors that are sure to affect my performance when I am on tour.

But wait… the beach is pretty warm, and I’m pretty sure the stairs leading down to Wreck Beach would be of some benefit to my calves and thighs, no? I think so!

Yesterday, finding more than a few hours between yoga classes, I decided to take advantage of this extra time and squeeze a few extra kilometers into my day. Starting at Kerrisdale Community Center, I rode all the way up Marine Drive and down to Wreck Beach on the UBC Campus. It was such a gorgeous route, and very little traffic made for peaceful riding. Since I hadn’t had lunch yet, the wild raspberries and salmon berries along side of the road made for an extra-delicious boost of energy!

11 km later, I arrived at (the top of) the beach, and worked my way down the steeply 473 stairs to the ocean. This was my first visit to Wreck since last summer, and after throwing off my shoes and sinking my feet into that warm sand, I knew it had been too long! I was hot as a habenero and so immediately made my way down to the water. As soon as I my feet touched the tide, my whole body was re-energized. I couldn’t resist; I threw off all of my clothes and went straight into the water!

Weeeeeeeeeeee!

Best…training day… ever.

After I had my moment, I wrapped myself up in my only dry piece of clothing, and laid in the sun, waiting for it to dry me. With just enough time to ride to yoga and have a bite to eat before hand, it was time to head back up to my bike.

Oh yeah… those stairs!

Alllllllll the way back up those infamous Wreck Beach stairs I went, needless to say much slower and less enthusiastically than when I was coming down. A chocolate acai berry brownie ElevateMe! Bar gave me just enough energy to ride the 10 km back to Kitsilano. After having some dinner at Whole Foods Market– make that a LOT of dinner – I taught my two evening yoga classes at Yogacara Studio. The 12 km, generally uphill trek home was the last bit of biking I was able to squeeze in before the end of the day. Needless to say, I had a great sleep!

Today, my calves “thank me”, and I feel just a little bit stronger and more prepared for my trip.

Now, if only every training day could include a dip in the ocean!

* Interested in learning more about my ride this summer? Check out my new webpage at http://themooncycle.webs.com, or join “The Moon Cycle” page on facebook. Happy riding to you!

Sarah Daitch Bio

July 4, 2010 by SarahD 

I grew up on the tundra and boreal forests near communities in Canada’s Northwest Territories. I raced for the Canadian National Cross Country Ski Team in 2008-2009 and have competed at the 2007 Nordic World Championships.

As a member of the Esteem Team role model program, I encourage youth to pursue a healthy lifestyle and follow their dreams. I am now 28 years old, and following my own dream of representing Canada at the 2011 Nordic World Championship.

I am also an ambassador for the non-profit Fast and Female, which seeks to empower girls through sport, and work for the organization at events throughout the year.

Elevate Me in Europe

June 25, 2010 by admin 

Taper Time!

June 17, 2010 by Nicola 

There are only 12 days left until I begin one of the biggest physical running challenges of my life. Just to refresh your memory, I am partaking in the Western States 100 mile endurance run, which is taking place on Saturday, June 26^th, 2010. I will tow the line with 450 other runners in Squaw Valley, California.

The departure from Vancouver takes place Tuesday morning and with a mere 16 hours of driving later I will arrive at the cozy cabin my boyfriend, Peter, and I rented on Lake Tahoe (he is also doing the run). I always like to get to a destination at least 2 days before the race, which leaves just enough time to shake out the nervous energy and excitement that so naturally occurs before a big event.

I have been training for this race and this race alone since January. The thought of actually running a hundred miles didn’t really hit me until a week ago. And when it hit, it hit hard. All of a sudden I was really giddy and excited. Because I have never run this distance before I have no crazy expectations. Of course I have my own specific goals but I really have no idea what this experience is going to be like. There will be a lot of firsts for me- for example, running through the night with a headlamp, having a pacer (total stranger) run with me for the last 45 miles, running 60 more km than I ever have before, and eating for this length of time!

Of course there are things that I am really worried about. It is going to be hot in the canyons. People can lose a race if they don’t take care of themselves in the heat and if they fail to have properly heat trained. I have spent the last 4 days in the sauna (up to an hour and a half) and will continue to do so until the day I leave. The heat also makes you more prone to blisters because of the moisture and friction. A co-worker of mine had to walk the last 30km of the race last year because his blisters were so bad.

With all this considered it looks as though I have some more planning ahead of me. I have a small crew consisting of my mom (who is flying down) and my younger cousin Caitlin. Both have no prior crewing experience, and I am no help because I have never had a crew before nor have I crewed anyone for this distance. The day before the race however the race directors put on mini talks where the runner’s come to get their bibs etc. They have talks on blister/foot maintenance, how to crew, and nutrition and hydration etc. I am hoping to learn a little bit more there!

I also found a pacer on-line. What exactly is a pacer you ask? It is someone who runs with you and helps motivate you to keep going. In a race of this distance, it is expected that I will go through many highs and lows throughout the course of the day. The pacer helps to keep you focused and makes sure you’re eating and drinking according to plan.

I will post a link in the upcoming days to the website so that you can follow along live and track my progress throughout the race. Alright, time to go pack a lot of high protein elevate me bars for myself and my crew, to keep us all fuelled on the big day!!!

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