Mount Finlayson Victoria, BC Double Summit Trail Run (video and trail photos)

Mt. Finlayson from the Little Niagara Train Trestle!

Mt. Finlayson is a seemingly small hill in the Goldstream Park about 15 kilometers north of downtown Victoria. At 410 meters (1374 for my imperial friends) it doesn't seem to encapsulate the grandeur of runs in the Coast Range of Northern Vancouver, or even large mountains on Vancouver Island, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in personality. The short trail to the summit runs an average grade of 20% and often requires class 3 scrambling.

There is a more mellow, but still relentless approach on the north slope, that doesn't require scrambling and isn't as exposed but still requires a fair chunk of work to make the summit quickly. This was my first plan of attack. Being one of the first warm Saturdays of the year I knew that Victoria's most popular mountain would be a zoo. By parking off the lesser known trail head, and climbing Finlayson via the backdoor first, I knew I would be able to focus on my first solid summit without navigating around a bunch of people.

My plan worked perfectly and I only passed one or two lonely souls on the back side.

My legs felt fairly strong as I began to coax them into a solid pace for the first flattish kilometer. I knew that there was nearly 400 meters (1000 feet) of non-stop 20% grade ahead of me so I held back and just tried to  conserve energy. Before I knew it I was ascending the mountain, climbing steps, and dancing between rocks. I applied constant pressure to my legs. Not so much that they blew up, but when they began to complain under the constant accumulation of lactic acid, I didn't give in. I kept pushing them up the trail as it wound it's way up the mountain side.

About half way up I took my first walking break (other than a few short rests to set up my camera). The walk was great and gave the lactic acid a chance to be whisked away by my blood. No sooner did my muscles begin to recover then I would start right up into a trot again only to find the acid come swelling back into my muscles quicker than ever. This is what hill running is all about. How well can you ignore the screaming voice of your muscles? Your muscles are doing everything in their power to get you to give in and to stop. It is these steep brutal hill runs that allow your mental toughness an opportunity to be developed and pushed. Without hills I wouldn't be half the runner I am on the trails or the road.

The summit was quickly won in about 24 minutes and I felt great. I knew that I possibly could have shaved another couple of minutes off but I still had an extremely technical descent and ascent via the ledge-choked south slope.

Mount Finlayson out and back route plus mile markers.

I started down the steep technical face and sat back in the saddle and let my quads begin the main task to absorb my forward and downward momentum. I was glad I had been running downhill hard for several months now and I could count on my quads to take the brunt of the force as I clomped down the face. I would crab crawl, slide, and leap down a large ledge and then I could run a short distance of smooth sloping rock before finding the next ledge waiting to throw me off the mountain. I began to pass group after group of hikers; mainly young university students in their Nike Free Run's. In fact I saw more Nike Free Runs on that mountain than I have in all the running stores I have ever frequented combined. I don't know how Nike does it but they somehow find a way to convince the majority of young active people to purchase their shoes.

I really wanted to set up some great shots of the many challenging ledges and rocks that must be carefully dealt with to prevent injury, but the crowds were everywhere so I only captured a few shots of the ledges so my video looks quite a bit tamer than it is in reality. I worked at keeping as much of my feet in contact with the rocks as possible to maximize my coefficient of friction and keep me securely glued to the hill. Halfway down my pace began to slow as my quads became fatigued. I just relaxed and eased back to let my legs have a chance to recover. Before I knew it the technical portion was finished and I was sailing to the main parking lot.

I quickly turned on my heels and retraced my steps up the trail. The ascent was much safer as far as the risk of falling but at that point in the run my legs weren't really excited about running 20% grades again. My muscles' voice was loud enough to drown out my will power so I began to power hike instead of run. Even power hiking I could tell I was maxed out. My heart rate was through the roof and I could occasionally see swirls come and go as anyone with low blood pressure can relate to. I made a game to see how many hikers I could overtake (about 30). This kept me red lined at my max and ensured that I didn't settle for anything less than 100%. I scrambled my way up the ledges as the warm March sun beat down on me, and reflected off the worn rocks, giving me a second dose of radiation. I wasn't complaining though. The sun recharged batteries that had worn down to dangerously low levels after the long sunless winter!

I summited again taking some footage of a quick victory pose and then I bailed back down the north and somewhat abandoned trail I had first climbed. The descent was slow because my quads were knackered. They felt like they had just gone through a meat grinder. How I love the feeling of thoroughly thrashed quads! I took it easy and soaked up a bit more afternoon sun as it penetrated through the firs and drenched me under large patches of gold between fields of cool blues and green.

What a great run! I went home feeling fatigued muscles and the warm glow that follows a difficult workout in a beautiful location!

Gold Stream Park trail maps

Mount Finlayson drenched in afternoon sunlight!

Here is the video from the run! I hope it illustrates even a little bit of what it is like to run on this awesome mountain!

Spring-like Trail Run on Vancouver Island (trail photos) - Late February

My good friend Tim and I finished up our seventh week of our 2013 training block. While Tim was dealing with one of Utah's colder snowier winters, Vancouver Island has experienced quite a mild winter, which means spring-like conditions are here a little early. 

I must admit I feel bad as Tim posts about his training runs in sub-zero weather and blustery whiteout conditions. Meanwhile I am in short sleeves and shorts gliding around a mountain, surrounded by succulent chartreuse leaves, and single track bordered by emerald carpet. Tim is definitely building up a nice resistance to the many trials facing us this year by running in the challenging conditions, meanwhile I am getting spoiled and I will not be quite as accustomed to the difficulties that lie ahead! 

I am not complaining though. I openly admit that it is fantastic to run through the budding new life of Mount Doug in February. I still remember when I was training in Utah, and I would stand on the driveway in the dark early morning waiting for a snowplow to clear the road so I could run in its wake, as new snowflakes quickly accumulated on the freshly plowed road. Those seem like great times in retrospect but at the time I wasn't always so thrilled. 

Week seven was a great week for me and the outlined schedule pushed me to run hard and pick up the pace. 

As my degree comes to a close and I likely head out for an unknown future in academia and a new home I find myself already missing Victoria and the Island. It was here where I feel I have grown the most as a geologist, a student, and in life in general. I will always have fond memories of my late winter sojourns on the green sun-drenched slopes of Mount Doug. I guess I better really enjoy this spring as it is likely my last one here anyways!

 Succulent new growth on Mount Doug in mid February!

 The green north slopes of Doug in late winter.

 Late winter trail running on Doug.

A lone arbutus on Little Doug with rural Victoria behind it.

Sunny Winter Trail Run on Mount Doug Victoria, BC

With anticipation I awoke to a bright sunny February morning on Vancouver Island, ready for my Saturday long run. The warm sun and mild temps suggested that it was time to switch out the tights and toque for shorts and a running hat (at least for the day). I coaxed my body into a light jog at my usual training grounds on Mount Douglas in Victoria, BC. Having trained for about 4 weeks I was starting to get into a groove and quickly found a pace that felt great. Wisps of cool morning air brushed across my bare legs as I navigated the damp trails that wrap around the base of Mount Doug. It was one of those mornings where everything was clicking between my training, diet, and sleep - and they were all in sync. I was motoring through the miles effortlessly. The climbs were still more than I could manage without a walking break or two but my lactic threshold was definitely heading south. The downhills felt fluid and easy as my quads extended and contracted to slow my descent. I urged my legs into a fast clip as I cleared the wooded slopes and entered the sun-soaked exposed south slopes. It was amazing to be cruising over the trails in the sun. Overall the run was relaxed, playful, and rejuvenating. By the end I was thoroughly exhausted as a result of my eagerness to run quickly in the beautiful crisp morning air.

Sun-drenched trail on the southeast apron of Mount Doug (top). Climbing one of three major ascents out of the southern wooded approach (middle). The view west from the summit of Mount Doug showing the beautiful greens that are so prevalent this time of year (bottom).

Looking east out towards the Gulf islands of the Georgia Strait, halfway up my first major climb (top). Sun peaking through the undergrowth on Doug's south slope (middle). Circuitous trail through moss and ferns (bottom).


Below is a video capturing the run and was featured on the local newspapers (Times Colonist) entertainment page here.

2013 - Week One Long Distance Training Complete

Week one of training with my friend Tim for long distance has come and gone in a flash! We ran fairly low distances with rest days in between because we are just beginning to ramp up to further and further distances. The photos below show some shots taken on Saturday's run (and show up again in the video, sorry for the redundancy). I only took photos on Saturday because of low light and poor weather for the other runs earlier in the week.

On Monday I awoke to the sound of rain pounding the window and I knew it would be a wet run. I left my house in the dark at 6:00 AM. I ran the chip trail which wraps around campus and I wasn't surprised to be the only one on the trail. It had been raining all night and the rain quickly collected in puddles in all depressions along the trail because the pore space in the soil couldn't soak up any more water. The trail is a loop, therefore I found myself for about a quarter of the run, running face first into great big drops of rain as the wind drove it almost parallel with the ground. I quickly ran the loop and crossed bridges which spanned swollen creeks dotted with the large stalks of skunk cabbage. My shoes slopped through the puddles; soaked through. One nice thing about getting your feet wet immediately is that you no longer need to worry about keeping your feet dry so from then on you can just focus on running because your shoes aren't going to get any wetter.

Wednesday had much better weather conditions and was almost too warm for tights and I really worked up a sweat quickly. I really pushed on day two for some reason, my body just felt like pushing it. I really hammered the Chip trail running it clockwise, opposite from Monday's run. I find when I run the same loop route multiple times in a week it is very nice mentally and physically to switch the direction of the route. It keeps it fresh, and helps keep you running evenly, and wards off ennui which can accompany any runner who runs the same course often. I finished feeling well tired, and a bit sore from my pace, but I felt I put in a great workout.

Saturday was very cold for Victoria and saw temps below freezing. It was odd seeing frost and snow on the ground. Even the puddles had a thin film of ice. I chose Mt. Tolmie as my destination. This allowed me to run some flats but also work on my up and down hill running. The sky was bright and the colors vibrant. I spent a considerable amount of time filming the colors and setting up shots for my short video. As I was returning from the summit I saw that my SD card was full and that I had not recorded much at all. The many minutes of video I so painstakingly tried to capture was lost. So the video below only shows a minute or two of footage of 15 or so that I captured. Oh well; it also cuts off abruptly, but I couldn't be bothered with fixing it. I will just chalk that up to experience and remember to check my SD card before running in the future. The run was great and I enjoyed the run immensely.

Tim and I are also swapping music for each run. We each suggest a song from our own repertoire to the other and then run with it as our first song of each run. It has been a lot of fun and has made each run exciting as we each get to look forward not only to running the same distance together, at roughly the same time, but also to the same songs! It also allows us to discover new music. I highly recommend it to any runners who like to run with music and want to spice up their training playlist. It is nice to be able to share the fairly solitary pursuit of long distance running with someone else and connect on another level. I think we will keep this up as long as we can!

My video is the first one with Tim's video for the week shown last!

And here is Tim's video for week one. Same training routine just 1000 miles to the southeast!

Mount Douglas Victoria BC Trail Run with photos Jan. 5th

My best friend Tim and I will start to officially train for the 2013 season beginning on Monday. He lives in Utah about 900 miles to the southeast of my current home of Victoria, BC. So to train together we have to rely heavily on the miracle of technology i.e. social networking, YouTube (highdef video conversations), and e-mail. These modern conveniences let us stay connected as we train together and follow each other's progress while also carrying on long distance conversations about this beautiful art we call running. We will also be doing the same training program; one Tim has designed. This program is tailored to help us get back into the groove of running consistently between now and April (get the cobwebs out after the holidays) and then really hone our speed and endurance come the summer so that we will be able to handle whatever running adventure we can get ourselves into. Besides Tim's marathons and RAGNAR races he has planned, we are also looking at our yearly epic trail run to be a beast and I will blog about that in the future!

This past week I have tried to run some slow distance just to wake up my circulatory and respiratory systems while also conjuring up some muscle memory in my legs. I dropped off my Christmas tree at the University Track and donated to the track team to help support track and field athletics (the track team recycles trees to raise money). I then started my run at Mt. Douglas my usual training ground. The weather was perfect 9 degrees Celsius or 48 Fahrenheit; overcast with a bit of sun peaking through now and again. It felt like running in April in Utah but these conditions are quite common this time of year here on the island. I took my time and worked my way up the side of the mountain focusing on taking small steps at a faster cadence and also staying relaxed. The majority of the trails I run on are devoid of my fellow bipedal com padres since the trails I run require you to get muddy and are somewhat technical. I summited the big mountain and snapped a few shots but it was so crowded with others in the observation nest that I quickly dove off the gnarly steep side of Doug in full retreat. after picking my way down the exposed slippery rocks I ran the Km of slight uphill trail towards Little Mt. Doug; stepping in small spaces between roots and rocks. Little Doug is a small blister on the west apron of it's bigger brother. I really like Lil Doug, though much smaller, it also has a lot of personality (the trails do anyways). I chilled on the summit for a few minutes and reveled in the feeling of running free and the nice relatively warm weather. I bounced down the steep rocky face and finished my run on a trail that hugs the base of Big Doug and takes me back to the trail head. I saw that some of the underbrush was starting to already bud. How I love spring on the island! In Utah winter often gives way to summer with an extremely abbreviated spring (often only a week or so) but on the island spring dominates both winter and summer and often seems to make up half the year. I took little easy strides and focused on my form and got excited for this years training with Tim, and I tried to let that small burst of adrenaline at the thought of training with him carry me all the way to the finish extremely quickly. It was another great run and 2013 is turning out to be a great one. I gave this run 7 out of 10 bean burritos (with Serrano peppers, my after run snack).

A Mt. Doug trail running video.

New Years Day run through Thetis Lake Regional Park

For two years in a row I have ran in Thetis Lake Provincial park on New Years. It is a little gem of a park only about 10 minutes from downtown Victoria. This park can be crowded and is a favorite of dog walkers. The secret to avoiding the masses is to run the narrow and muddy trails on the perimeter of the park rather than sticking to the main crushed gravel trail that circumnavigates the lake shore. This is a great solution if you don't mind getting some swamp feet now and then. The weather was chilly 5 Celsius or high 30's Fahrenheit with a hazy sky but also some sun.

I first summited a small hill (Seymour) just to get the blood pumping and get my core temp up. The hill sits on the southeast side of the lake and gives impressive glimpses of Thetis to the west. Running up the south slope of Seymour is one of my favorite trails in the park because it is a vastly different ecosystem with more grass and spaced out garry oaks and fir trees; it reminds me of running in Utah's Uinta mountains or other alpine forests in the Rockies. The summit consists of a faint trail which rolls over the mossy rocks and is dotted by arbutus and douglas fir.

The descent from Seymour is just as spectacular and takes you right down to the lake shore via a swerving length of single-track that cuts through broad-leaved shrubs and Oregon grape. I ran the main trail for a short distance just to get me to the Seaborn trail turnoff which connects to the McKenzie creek trail. Once you veer off the main trail you are back to solitude and complete isolation. Only a few of the hardiest hikers or trail runners venture down these trails because they meander along side the creek in a fairly boggy area. Many portions of the trail consist of roots, mud, and standing water. The ecosystem is one of moss-covered western red cedars, rocks caked with succulent ferns, mossy logs and an overall swampy biota. A little slice of pacific northwest trailrunners paradise.

With limited fitness at the moment I was forced to take things fairly easy so I didn't run to the summit of Stewart mountain but turned back after a few miles on the McKenzie creek trail. I retraced my steps and did the run in reverse and had a thrilling return trip filled with lots of playful running along the creeks and rolling hills in an exhilarating workout. Overall I give this run 3.5 out of 5 wet Brooks Cascadias; high marks indeed for the first run of 2013!

Arbutus Cove Run October 22, 2012

I really enjoy running in the rain. I should rephrase that, I really enjoy running in a light drizzle. The rain keeps you cool and is also a bit invigorating so that you seem to find a little extra energy to draw from. I also love running in the Autumn not only because of the obvious reasons of vibrant fall colors and cooler temperatures but also knowing that the racing season is over takes some of the pressure off to perform and train at such a high level. You are able to relax some and enjoy running for the simple act of covering distance efficiently. Today's run checked both these boxes. I stepped out my door and was first greeted by a brisk drizzle, during the Island's first true cold spell the year; it was a little like jumping into a cold pool, but like swimming in a cold pool, it is only a matter of time before the body adjusts and the exertion makes you quite comfortable. The smell of earth and leaves in various stages of decay accompanied me as I started down the trail. I decided to run Arubutus Cove a small sandy bay near my home. As I ran down the stairs to the beach, I could hear the surf which meant high tide. The waves were crashing right up against the high water mark which only left a small strip of runnable sand. It would be possible to run this strip, which would include some scrambling on slimy rocks, but tonight I opted to head back to the road and circumnavigate the beach and run to the other end. The other end of the cove has larger grassy areas along the headlands strewn with large arbutus trees, both lush and green, and dead and scraggly. I enjoyed the view and ran down the 40 or so steps to the beach. It was a superb run at the height of fall. I retraced my steps and did the route in reverse for a simple 35 minute run. Nothing too serious just enough.

Boxing Day 2 hour run.

This semester was definitely an endurance event. Everyday felt like I was just trying to run to the next tree, or next stone, just like the late miles of a gnarly distance run. Instead of running to objects along the trail I was trying to just finish the next paper, the next assignment, or make it to the next meeting with my adviser. I was extremely relieved when it was all said and done and I could enjoy some down time with my family. I was also stoked to hit the trails again. So on Boxing Day I went out for a slow two hour run. I ran beach, I ran roads, I ran creeks, and I ran forest. It felt amazing! It was nice to actually be working towards my fitness and running goals again instead of buried in the books. The run was slow and painful but the light drizzle and beautiful Vancouver Island winter day recharged the batteries and I felt whole again.

Below are three shots from the run that represent the amazing variability and beauty I get to emerge myself in every time I run out the door.

Douglas Creek

Mt. Doug single track!


Arbutus Cove Beach

I haven't included much music in my posts of late so I am going to include a song that helped me through another brutal semester. This is a great song by Seven Mary Three an amazing and underrated band. They formed in 1993 in Virginia as teenagers but really broke out in 1995 with a hugely popular debut album "American Standard" and are a quintessential American band; two guitars, bass, and drums.

This song "Over Your Shoulder" comes from their 3rd and likely least popular album "Orange Ave." released in 1998. The band was having issues during it's recording, which affected its final sound, but it did have a nice song or two and this is one of them. The reason this song helped me this semester is that as I was pulling my first or even second all-nighter in a row, and I felt like just laying in bed and not ever moving again, I would throw on this song and soon I would rally as I realized that I just needed to hunker down and before I knew it the assignment or deadline would be "over my shoulder", and ultimately the semester was quickly behind me. It goes without saying that this song also applies to long distance running, we all come to those low spots in each run, each season, each year where the run or running isn't going exactly how you planned and everything seems to be going pear-shaped, but sooner or later it is over your shoulder. A nice song to pick you up when feeling overwhelmed. Enjoy!

Winter running (photo from this evenings run)

Winter has now settled over the Island and the days are getting very short which means running in the dark. I thought I would take my camera with me and snap a shot or two. This is my favorite photo from tonight's run.

This semester has been really tough, but running has helped me keep my sanity. I can't wait to have this semester behind me. Grad school is an endurance sport and I feel like I am using similar tactics to long distance running to keep going. Very similar to picking a tree or rock to run to, and repeating the process when you are really knackered; I am having to pick many small goals to work towards during my studies each day. If I look at the big picture it is a bit overwhelming, so by just focusing on finishing this paper or writing a paragraph is what is allowing me to keep on plowing through. Running is definitely applicable in many areas of my life!

Mount Doug Victoria, BC Trail Maps, (Hillshade, Contour, Satelite)

I have noticed that finding good trail maps of places like Mount Doug can be a challenge. The usual maps you find on line don't show enough detail and often are missing many trails. Before I started graduate school I worked in geographic information systems a.k.a. computer aided mapping. I found that the U.S. had great free resources to produce your own georeferenced maps using GPS or digital elevation models etc all free and readily available. Since moving to Canada I have found it difficult if not impossible to find freely available geographic information. So I decided to make a few maps combining data (all be it not the best data) from multiple sources in an attempt to provide a more useful map than currently exists. I had to use terrible quality rasters and photoshop them but in the end I feel these three maps are a nice approximation, and I hope others interested in viewing the trails on Mount Doug will find these maps useful. Keep in mind that they are approximate and by no means exact. They should give you a good idea as to which trail you are on and your options for various courses.

My next step is to put distance in Km's and miles on each trail section as well as a technicality ranking. That way anyone wanting to see the distances they ran or plan future routes can do so with ease.

The following three maps show a variety of formats ranging from hillshade and satelite, to street view, depending on your preference for viewing maps (I need to do a simplified grayscale one still). If you would like the maps in a larger format etc. feel free to e-mail or comment and I can send you a copy in the format you want. Feel free to use or re-post these maps if you would like and try to credit me if you are using them for public purposes.

Contour intervals are 20 meters or 65 feet.

Here is a short trail running video I made so my friend and I can train together even though he lives 1000 miles away. It shows a typical trail run on Mt. Doug.

Fall trail running in Victoria, Vancouver Island

Here is a short video with some clips from a trail run a few days ago in October. It was a great run and the colors were brilliant. It might cause some motion sickness, I wish I had a camera stabilizer. It at least gives you an idea what a Fall run on the Island is like.

Reset

My wipers swished away the autumn rain droplets from the windshield. I had butterflies in my stomach. I was going for a trail run in a soaking rain at the height of fall on beautiful Vancouver Island. It had been a while. Sure I had the best intentions of running consistently throughout this semester, but like so many before it, I found myself lost in a whirlwind of field schools, thesis writing, and course work. The semester flooded over me so swiftly my only defence was to spend longer days in the books; early mornings and late nights. I was able to squeeze in the occasional 5:00 a.m. run but my running was suffering even though I tried so hard not to let things get out of hand.

I stepped out of my car and the clouds opened up and unleashed their fury on me. I watched as large drops of rain accelerated earthward towards me from their lofty origins in the heavens.

“There they are! The butterflies again”!

My body responded by sending a slug of adrenaline coursing through my veins. I had finally resurfaced again from my studies and now it was time, time to send my body hurling down another muddy trail.

The mountain wore an apron of mist and hissed with the sounds of a million drops crashing into needles, leaves and earth. The effects of the adrenaline were now waning and I settled into comfortable albeit slow rhythm. The muted color pallet of the gray weather was accented with splashes of yellow ochre and burnt sienna from the deciduous trees. I knew my fitness was lacking but it didn’t matter, I was completely alone, running through cloud, forest, and rain.

“There you are”! I thought to myself. “I thought I had lost you for a sec back there in all that school work”.

I climbed the muddy trails and rocky slopes higher into the clouds. The rain had soaked me through now. My heart remembered what was necessary to propel its owner skyward and my pulse quickened and I could feel the response in my temples. The lungs were searing as they tried to capture as much oxygen from each breath and exchange it for the accumulating CO2. I ignored the warning signs my body kept relaying and I began to push. The push started subconsciously but was building momentum and finally it became apparent what I was on about. I wanted to shed this sedentary chrysalis formed from hours at a desk and weeks under pressure, and I wanted to emerge a runner. Free!

I just kept on pushing. My legs were spinning and spinning. They didn’t seem to mind as much as the circulatory and pulmonary systems, in fact, I have a feeling they needed this as much as my restless mind.

I topped out and started down the other side of the mountain and didn’t even pause for a second. This run was not about meeting some training goal; it was not even about trying to salvage some form of fitness. This run was linked to something much more instinctive almost to the very basic fight or flight response found in each of us. Though I was flying I was not running from anything, quite the contrary, I was fighting…I was fighting for myself; I was fighting for balance; I was fighting for my sanity. I was tired of my life being so lopsided and I was ready to get back to a more balanced and healthy lifestyle. I hated the idea that to succeed in one area of your life other equally important facets of ones life must be neglected and those aspects of ones self quickly atrophy faster than idle muscles. I also understood at that moment that this aspect of excelling in one aspect of your life to the neglect of others can’t be avoided all the time, and it would only be for a short time. I looked down at my legs and was surprised to see their rapid cadence. I was on fire.

The next thing I knew I was back to my car. A flash…A blink and the run was over. I sat on the wood slat fence a little queasy and very light-headed. I was truly happy. It felt as though a “reset” switch was flipped and I was back to normal. It is interesting how something so seemingly simple as running through the forest on a rainy fall day can completely re-center your thoughts and attitude. What seemed to be drowning me just one hour earlier was now something I could face again with new vigour. My scrambled and turbulent mind was now refocused and clear. In one hour, running unloaded what took 6 weeks of heavy studies, travel. and stress to build up. Once again I was free of my burdens. How do people who don’t run cope with life?

Week 1 training for an Ultramarathon

I finished the first week of my new training block for an ultramarathon. This first week was like the first week of any new block of training runs; some runs were great others were pitiful.

Monday found me running to the 47.5 meter (156 foot) tall Little Niagara Falls. A beautiful narrow cascade of water just off from the main road. Though it isn't as big or beautiful as it's more famous name sake, it still has a beauty and grandeur all its own. I then ran to and over the E&N train trestle that spans the Little Niagara creek gorge. Running on the 161 meter (529') high bridge with no rails and large gaps between the ties was really creepy. You would get vertigo and a bit dizzy. You can tell on the clip on this vlog that I am running very slowly and gingerly and even walking. I am not gonna lie it was unnerving. I would hate to get stuck half way on the bridge when the train came (think Stand by me). You would be in trouble. I then continued to some old mines on the Gold Mine trail and felt like I was running with ghosts. It was a great start to the week.

Tuesday saw me running an easy 7 miles on Mount Doug. You can read about it or see images on my last vlog post.

Wednesday was a flat five miler and was hot and not the best. I was a bit sleep and calorie deprived and very thirsty.

Thursday was a slow and painful 7 miles on Mount Doug with very leaden legs. I made it back in one piece but could feel the mileage from the previous runs piling up and definitely needed a rest.

Friday was a much needed rest day.

Saturday was my long run. I figured I would run two laps of my usual Mount Doug route but I ran so late that it got really dark on me. Just after passing the 8 mile mark I really rolled my ankle. One of those rolls that take you completely off guard. It hurt like crazy and for one split second I thought that was it, I was now going to be out for 6 weeks. Luckily my ankle recovered after some light running and I decided to quit while I was ahead.

All told I was aiming for 37 miles this week and ended with 33. I experienced the exhilaration of running under a waterfall, gingerly stepping on a 160 year old bridge suspended in space. I experienced some strong running with an easy and light pace, but I also experienced low lows. I had some slow labored heavy-footed runs where every step seemed a bit forced and clumsy. I ran in hot weather (relatively hot but not compared to many places currently east of here). I felt the jolt and disappointment of a really painful rolled ankle that brought my long run to a screeching halt. In short, I felt like someone training for a ultramarathon this week. What a great feeling!

0-100 miles: Training for a Trail Ultra Day 1

I am constantly kicking around ideas to stay motivated and run consistently. Recently my friend Tim was up from Utah visiting me on Vancouver Island. We were discussing motivation techniques to aid in consistency, and I thought an idea to help me get back on track with my running goals would be to create a video blog (vlog) of what it takes for a slightly below average trail runner, that is currently out of shape and running inconsistently, to train up for a longer distance 50 or 100 mile Ultra.

I will record a few thoughts during one or several runs each week about what I am going through as I try to whittle my pathetic body into a beginning ultra-runner. The blog and idea are more for me than anybody else but I thought I would share so perhaps someone in a similar boat might see my experiment with long distance and hopefully learn from my mistakes.

The end result should allow me to run more consistently for the next 6 months to a year and hopefully will lead to a Ultra event of some sort.

Today's run was a 6-7ish mile run up and down and around Mount Douglas in Victoria. This is my usual venue for training. Tomorrow I will do a flat 5 miles.

Below is my first Vlog. I have to mention my voice can be quite monotone and boring. I often have to teach labs for my schooling and after each course the students evaluate you and you can read what they said about you later. I have to say I have been lucky to get great reviews but one student gave me a critique that follows "you are extremely passionate about geology, BUT... your monotone voice which lacks any sort of inflection makes it sound like you are quite bored, and as a result makes me think you are not as excited about it as you should be." I laughed and had to agree. I definitely have a weird monotone voice, so if this vlog puts you to sleep I apologize. Additionally I say um, uh, and so WAY too much. I am not a great orator but the idea is just to show others my life as I train for ultra distances through my eyes. It is a little uncomfortable putting myself out there like this but I will roll the dice and see what comes of it.

My first running of the Mount Doug Marathon Victoria BC

I awoke on Saturday mentally prepared to run my first mountainous marathon of the season. I decided that I would run the Mount Doug Marathon. It isn’t an official marathon or race and the only entrant was me, so I knew I had great odds of getting first place, I just had to finish.

My training plan only called for a 24 miler but I was inspired by my friend Tim who was 800 miles to the southeast running in his first official marathon the Ogden Utah marathon, one of Runners World’s top 10 road marathons. I wanted to support him in his first marathon and celebrate his accomplishment of training consistently through the heat and cold of Utah’s extreme weather. Being in Canada and far away like I am it just wasn’t possible to be there in person. I decided I would run a marathon of my own in his honor and somehow I would be there with him in spirit.

I ate some breakfast of two fried eggs and some toast and jam. I have not had to really focus on fueling or hydration during long runs yet so I used this as an opportunity to see how well I could do. I packed a variety of snacks such as salted potatoes, peanut butter and honey, banana, and chips. I also packed 32 ounces of electrolyte drink and brought a gallon of water to fill my 16 ounce handheld.

The course I created is 4 loops and each loop is 10.5 km long and includes 3 summits and about 1500 feet of elevation gain and loss for a total of 4 loops, 12 summits, and 6000 feet gained and lost. After each loop I would pass by my car and be able to refuel and fill up my bottles.

I arrived at the designated parking spot to a chilly 55 degree and overcast day. It would be perfect conditions and allow me to properly cool off. I grabbed my bottles and started out nice and easy. My plan was to do each loop in 1 hour and 15 minutes for a total of 5 hours for the marathon.

Loop one was actually a lot more difficult than I anticipated. I didn’t get a ton of training in over the last few weeks and have been quite stressed and it was reflected in my heavy-footed trot towards the first summit. My goal was to quickly power hike all the 12 uphill’s and bomb the downs to make up time. The first 3 hills were quite easy and felt like small blips in my path but I knew they would get harder as the day progressed. Loop one was quite easy and I had to force myself to drink just so I could stay on point with my hydration. I flew through the last mile of single track quite quickly and reached my car at 1:07. Too fast I thought but no bother.

At the car I grabbed some corn chips, and ate about one red potato worth of salted potatoes. They tasted good and I washed it down with about 4 ounces of electrolyte drink. I refilled my hand held and got out of my car in about 3 minutes.

Loop two was by far the strongest of the four. I hit my stride and ran the flats with ease. I floated over the trails with my feet barely making contact with the ground. I grinded up each of the hills and tried to engage the glutes to take some stress off the quads and calves. I felt great! I had to really pull back on the reins because my body wanted to run the loop in less than an hour but I knew the run wasn’t even half over. So I forced myself into a painfully slow trot. During the last mile I had to hit the bushes. One challenge that is unique to me from other runner’s is the fact that I don’t have a large intestine and my food has a very short residence time in my digestive track. Running seems to speed the process along and one hour after eating seemed to do the trick for needing to hit the bushes. I quickly took care of business and hurried back to my car. This time I took 1:10:00 on the loop.

I ate half my PB&H and also downed about 8 ounces of electrolyte drink. I ate more potatoes but decided to opt out of the corn chips which seemed to make a reappearance several times during the previous lap (not that I puked or anything but you could tell they were being burped up). I spent 3 minutes at the car again.

I have run many runs this year that covered the two loops for a total of a half marathon on Mount Doug. This was the first time that I ever went beyond the 6 summits and 13 miles. So as I started loop three I was entering new hallowed ground. I love the feeling of pushing into territory that I have never done before.

Summit 7 quickly reminded me that I had just climbed and descended 3,000 feet over the last two hours and had 6 more to go. I began to slow a bit and my lactic acid threshold began to deteriorate. The long gentle uphill stretch between summits 7 and 8 proved difficult and I took a small walking break for about 1 minute. This really helped and I was able to finish summits 8 and 9 with some discomfort but nothing too bad. Once again I had to head to the bushes at the exact same point as the previous loop. I guess I know that on long runs I have about 1 hour between eating until I have to find a stump. Good thing I run trails and not roads! I reached my car at a much slower time of 1:15:00 for the loop and the slower up hills and extra walking breaks all took their toll and I got a much slower loop.

At the aid station I dumped debris from my shoes, ate the rest of my sandwich, my potatoes, and my banana. I drank the rest of my electrolyte drink and took a deep breath. I had 10.5 km to go and 1500 feet of vert still to go and I was feeling it.

Summit 10 was brutal. My legs felt like jelly and there just wasn’t any strength left in them to draw from. The descent began to show me weaknesses in my downhill conditioning and for the first time this year I felt my quads begin to really get chewed up on the descent. The long slow grind up to summit 11 was absolutely brutal. I began to think about my friend Tim and wondered how his race went. I kept on trying to draw some strength from him and think about how he was covering the same distance at a much quicker rate in much higher temps. Somehow I knew he had run well and this seemed to give me some extra motivation. Yet I still had to walk most of this shallow stretch. My legs were just knackered! The last 5 miles were brutal and the last two summits were quite taxing. After the 12^th summit I just had one long stretch of down hill to go. This is where the problem lied. Six-thousand feet of descent had taken its toll on my quads and they felt like they had gone through a meat grinder. I couldn’t believe how sore they were on the final descent. Suddenly my knees began to hurt and I realized my fatigued quads were not supporting my knees any longer and they were starting to track poorly and get inflamed. Rather than risk further injury I slowed down to a crawl and just coasted the last couple of miles. It wasn’t the strong finish I had in mind but I finished a really hilly and technical marathon at 5 hours 1 minute and 30 seconds. I would have loved to get a sub-5 but that was all I could do without getting injured.

What a great marathon! I can’t wait to improve and continue to work on my distances. I only lost 6 ounces during the run which was a testament to my attention to detail with my fueling and hydration. I only got sick once at the final summit and only for a few minutes. Overall I was quite happy with my first 5 hour run of the season.

Today’s song comes from the land of my roots Sweden and is from a Swedish duo called Familjen. The song is called “Det snurrar i min skalle”. I love the song though it is in Swedish. I also thought it fitting since the footage of the video comes from a Swedish faith healing evangelist from the 60’s, and since it was supposed to be the end of the world during my marathon I thought some sweet footage of this evangelist put to this awesome song was a nice fit. Enjoy!

Gowland Tod Park 4 hour run through the emerald hills

I awoke this morning and loaded my running pack with 2.5 liters of water, my camera, and a peanut butter and honey (PB&H) sandwich. It was going to be my first 4 hour run I have done for many months. Since I am running strong and consistent, I felt I was ready to start doing what I love most- long runs with loads of relief.

I picked the Gowland Tod Range to run for several reasons. First it starts at about sea level and climbs as high as about 1350 feet at Jocelyn Hill and then dives down again and back up to 1000 feet at Holmes Peak after which you turn around and climb them both again in reverse. In total it has some good elevation and relief. The second reason I love this route is the views are breath taking. The entire trail parallels the Finlayson Arm of the Saanich Inlet and you can see the ocean, surrounding mountains, and forest. I believe every trail runner should have an opportunity to run this course at least once in there lives.

The weather was superb without a cloud in the sky and temps were hovering around 60. After arriving at the trail head I started my run and within about 10 minutes found myself cranking up the first hill, which climbs unrelentingly for several miles. The trail is rocky and winds it's way from near the ocean south towards Squally Reach. My legs were a bit tired from this week's runs but once I started motoring up the trail I began to relax and find my pace. Though not the fastest pace, it was maintainable and comfortable, and I knew it would last for 4 hours so I stuck with it.

Squally Reach in the Gowland Tod Range. Floating over the grassy hummocks!

I arrived at the squally reach lookout and drank in the most amazing view. I could see the ocean and Salt Spring Island, even Mt. Baker was dimly visible looming over the eastern skyline. I ran across the grassy hummocks and could swear I was floating.

After playful running on the reach I began to turn my attention to summiting Jocelyn. Jocelyn is a large grass covered blister rising nearly 1400 feet above the ocean. The trail from Squally Reach to Jocelyn undulates and ascends and descends over uneven terrain. Though most of it hovers around the same elevation there is plenty of ups and downs to keep you earning your forward progress. You feel you are nearly to the summit but then the trail turns north and you almost back track a Km before curving around to the south again. After turning to the south you begin to overlook the ocean once again and the views are breathtaking.

Approaching Jocelyn Peak with the Saanich Inlet behind me.

Leaving the Summit of Jocelyn.

The summit was a perfect place to stretch out on a rock and enjoy my PB&H. The sun cut through my sweaty shirt, warming my body all the way through. I closed my eyes and just let my mind wander. My thoughts turned to my summer plans and I decided that I really want to hike Lone Peak with my wife. Lone Peak is an 11,000 + footer rising directly over the Salt Lake valley with nearly 6,200 feet of prominence, it is not for the average weekend warrior.

When we were first married we would hike almost year round often in remote and unknown places. I recall many long drives in my jeep as we listened to music and discussed everything from our favorite movies to our future plans. These trips made our relationship grow so much stronger and created a depth that wouldn't have existed without these precious adventures. Now after the children have arrived I realize that I really miss hiking with my wife and I decided I will take advantage of having family around this Summer to watch our kids while we go and have another adventure. I hope Vye will be game. I snap out of my daydream and decide I better get busy and continue on to Holmes Peak.

Holmes Peak is the small blister (barely visible) in the foreground on the ridge with the taller hill behind it being Mount Finlayson.

The trail to Holmes Peak is very straight forward but I still veered off the main ridge and descended about 500 feet to a main road and realized I just tacked on about 3 extra miles and 500 extra feet of elevation up and down. I don't care, there is no need to stick to a plan I am just running where ever I feel like it. I regain the ridge and decide rather than turn around I will continue on to Holmes Peak.

Trail towards Holmes Peak.

Trail to Holmes over some rusty (gossanous) soil.

I reach the small peak and push quickly to the top. I then decided to finish my sandwich and get heading back. The sun is much warmer now as the day has progressed but I don't mind, I missed the warmth during the sun's 6 month hiatus from the Island. I worked my way back towards the arbutus tree-strewn ridge that hooks back up with Jocelyn. I am now feeling the distance and time on my feet. My legs are toast as I continue to climb.

I forgot the feeling that comes after several hours of hard trail running. The legs ache and elevation is not won so readily. I persevere through and begin to push a bit just for fun. I summit Jocelyn again and take one last look at the view.

The undulating terrain between Jocelyn and Squally really takes it out of me. I begin to have to power hike a few of the steeper hills and I can tell my body is burned out. After a long struggle I reach the Squally and only need to run down hill from that point. The quads feel like they have just gone through a meat grinder but I like it in a way only a distance trail runner could understand. I can feel that I really pushed myself and that I was operating near my maximum for the day. I know that I put everything I had to give into the run and I know that I am back to running 4 hours again. Everything is right in the world, I got the treasure that comes after you have done everything you can. My hydration and fuel were on point and I never felt thirsty or hungry. It was a great day! As I drive home I analyze my run and feel satisfied with it. I can't wait to try it again!

The video below is of the same trail but I made it a different day. Enjoy!

Today's song comes from Finland by a small duo named "Villa Nah". They are a synth duo with many great songs. Today's song is called "Emerald Hills" and though it really wasn't in my head during the run it kind of summed up my run today as I was climbing an emerald hill. I like the song and think that it fits perfect for spring trail running on Vancouver Island.

Running Free

Several weeks have passed since my candidacy exam. The exam was one of the most stressful and pressurized situations I have ever been in. I had studied well and felt prepared but after nearly 6 weeks of 12-17 hours a day right up until I took the exam I realized that my brain was revolting and as the questions were asked my mind turned into a thick fog and a million fragmented pieces that I couldn't form together to make any sense. I was grasping and grasping but there was nothing there. It is the first time in my life that my mind froze like that. I was able to struggle through the exam and answer enough so that I somehow passed in the end, but I was really disappointed because my performance didn't represent what I really know. That being said, the exam came and went and I was able to get back to my experiments, research, and also running. For the first week or two following my exam my running was weak and inconsistent because of the 6 week running hiatus, foul weather, and because the stress from the exam took some time to completely dissolve away. This past week though, my running has improved drastically without the stress of the exam holding me back. I have felt like I have been running free for the first time in many months if not in over a year.

Monday was warmer than it has been all year and so I stripped down to a single shirt and shorts which felt amazing after 6 months of tights, toques, layers, gloves, and sleeves. I had been training for the past few weeks with a pack to prepare for my long Summer mountain run and so without the weight I felt extremely light and nimble. I ran really strong and summited Mount Doug 6 times for a total of about 3,000 feet of vertical both up and down. I just flew through the trails. I felt something that had been missing for some time...the twinge of a runners high...the warm glow that accompanies a runner when life is balanced and everything is in it's place!

Today I didn't have the option to drive to the trail head so I had to run the 3 mile evil black strip of asphalt, choked with walkers and automobile exhaust. The run started partly cloudy and about 55 degrees (perfect for running) and within 10 minutes my legs began to really start moving. It was one of those rare times where the legs crank like some sort of perpetual motion machine. The more I pushed them the faster they seemed to respond and it felt I was getting much more out of my legs than the energy I was investing. This carried me to the trail head and beyond the road extremely fast. I chose to do the more challenging and steep reverse route of the Mount Doug Gutbuster. As I was approaching the first summit the sun peered out of a dark veil of clouds and back lit a million succulent chartreuse leaves making them have the appearance of fluttering green butterflies. My spirits lifted as I rounded the corner to my first steep summit. The effects of the 3000 feet from Monday's run apparently hadn't fully left my system, and my legs began to fatigue. I pushed them right up to my lactic threshold trying to push beyond it so next run I can push it back even more. I tore down the mountain after summiting and felt the warmth from the patches of exposed sunlight between the new foliage-choked trees. After my descent I began a long and steady uphill grade to my next summit. I kept the legs spinning but they were tired. I didn't care I was free in the forest with my thoughts (free from stress and baggage that comes from feeling guilty if you aren't studying).

I began to think ahead 72 days when me and my best friend(s) line up at Smith and Morehouse Reservoir and begin our 24-ish mile run through Utah's Uinta Mountains to where we finally will summit Bald Mountain at 11,947 feet after 6,000 feet of vert. Is there still going to be too much snow in July? Will I be ready by then only being able to train at sea level and having no time to acclimatize? Questions began to spin around in my head. I began to think about Tim and I as we have spent many Summer's camping hiking and fishing in the shadows of the Uinta Mountains and now almost 20 years after our friendship began we will be running the same hallowed trails. I remember hiking there with Tim's dad and hearing him tell us how he used to run those trails and I couldn't fathom being able to do that and now I am months away.

The steep face of the last 100 feet of my second summit snapped me out of my thoughts and I began to grind up the steep face. On top I pound the last slug of water from my Ultimate Direction water bottle, I knew I could use all the fluids I could get with the sun now warming the temps. I glide down the slope and head for my final summit, the Bedrock Buster. The climb is steep and brutal and my legs are toast by this point. I pushed myself and ran on the exposed rib of diorite making up the trail. I catch my breath and am shocked to find dozens of people on the summit apparently deciding to crawl out of their holes to soak up some sun after driving to the top like hibernating critters. I decide not to linger in the crowds and plummet off the summit and down the mountain and instantly find myself alone again. My thoughts wander back to home and bounce from mountains in Utah and Colorado I want to summit, to the Himalayas. I wonder if I could ever accomplish my dream of summiting an 8,000 meter peak and what kind of money and kitchen pass I would have to come up with to attempt this. My legs are now spent as I reach the road. I painfully push myself the remaining few miles to my house. I feel I am ready for my first 4 hour run of the year. I will use the Easter weekend to run the Gowland Tod range and clock some time on my feet in that beautiful and under-utilized range just minutes away from Victoria. What a great feeling to be running free again!

Since my legs felt perpetual today I decided to post a song called "Perpetual" by Irish/British electronic group VNV Nation. VNV has components of Synthpop, Industrial, Trance and EMB sounds. The name stands for "Victory not Vengeance" in keeping with the band's motto that "One should strive to succeed, not sit in bitter regret." The song has a very perpetual motion sound to it and I like to use it as means of pushing myself during tough stretches or even to accompany me when running well like most of today. I saw these guys live in Salt Lake a few years ago and was really impressed with the positive energy and the great show they put on. Enjoy some Perpetual!

Hill repeats in an evening blizzard!

Today was hill repeat day. One of my favorites as far as training goes. The idea was to run a total of 1500' up and down in less than an hour. I had Vye drop me off on the mountain because she was taking the kids to swimming lessons at the nearby rec center. I told her to pick me up in an hour and off I went. It started to flurry about the second I started my run. It was really peaceful, tranquil and the mountain was almost devoid of life (my last few runs there have been terribly crowded). I warmed up for 5 minutes up to where the trail turns right up the south face. I really focused on pushing myself much harder than last week and nailed my first 500' quite quickly. I tightened my shoes in preparation for the steep downhill and began to realize that the slope was going to be quite slippy from the newly fallen snow. Apparently I didn't learn my lesson from Saturday's icy descent because I just flew right down the steep South slope of Doug with no questions asked. There was one time where I almost lost my footing which is surprising considering this pair of Brooks I am running have over 1000 miles on them and their tread is basically gone. I exited the rocks and really flew down the steep dirt trails below the rocks. I find I am a lot slower on my downhill currently than the last two years and I need to make some improvements in that arena (thats what these hill repeats are for). The second summit was a bit harder and I ended up running weakly nearly the entire 500' up. I chalk this up to mental weakness, because on my third and final summit of the day I decided I needed to stop being a wuss and hammer it. So with a 1000' behind me I hammered the last 500' with reckless abandon. The snow really began to fly and it almost pushed me to run harder. Within minutes of starting my final summit my legs found a strong pace where I was taking quick bites out of the hill. At the summit the skies opened up and as I began my descent the city below was swallowed up in a swirling blizzard. It really was an amazing site. I was concerned that Vye would arrive at the parking lot before I did and worry I was dead on the side of the hill so I really pushed and sprinted the last 500 meters to the meeting spot. I ended up beating her there by about 8 minutes and finished my entire run in about 57 minutes. I honestly have no idea what sort of distance I covered but know roughly what the elevation is. What a great run. Can't wait to nail 2000' next week!

As I flew down the steep snowy slopes and slipped on the rocks I began to think how easy it would be to get killed if I wasn't careful or just made a clumsy error. This put a song called "Death" in my head by a group called "White Lies". The group is a Indie Pop group from England and were influenced by Talking Heads, Tears for Fears, Joy Division, and Interpol. I am including the original and a remix by Crystal Castles whom I posted a song from last post. I like both versions of the song and prefer one over the other depending on my mood. I realize the lyrics and song title are a little dark but hey, when your are gripping to the side of a snow-covered rocky slope by your worn out Brooks these thoughts are not unrealistic. I hope you enjoy! (I couldn't embed the originals so if you are interested in the actual video you will have to go to you tube to watch).

Running out of land!

Yesterday's run was a bit different; I decided to run along the coast instead of my usual trails that are always draped over mountainous terrain. It was a nice change of scenery and coasts offer unique challenges of their own. For example, the rocky shorelines get hammered by wave action leaving them quite fractured, weathered and slick, many have large breaks and gullies you have to jump and climb over (you can get a small sense from the video I am posting, but the quality doesn't really do it justice). There is also something really awesome about running the strand line separating land and sea, as the waves are crashing and the wind is blowing off the water, it is almost therapeutic after a challenging week full of stress.

I chose a spit of land projecting into the Strait of Georgia as my goal for this run, and decided to run until I was completely out of land. It was actually really awesome and I am really enjoying what I am doing with my running; by shaking things up and running to many different locations it is keeping things fun, new, and exciting. I went out armed with my bulky camera (since it was another clear day free of precip.) and snapped some shots along the way including some funny self timer ones. Mixing photography and running is also making each run more exciting, and I really enjoy it. I would love to take my big DSLR with me but it is too bulky (but the quality is unmatched). My current camera I am running with is no pocket camera, unfortunately the photo quality is out of date and isn't proportionate to the bulk of the camera.

This run like previous runs was not that great, but it was fun, so I really can't complain. As soon as I can get consistent I will start seeing the results I am after.

Self-timer shot on the rocky point after running to the lands end.

This photo shows what coastal running near Victoria, BC is like. Lots of slippery rocks!

A shot of the skyline just as I left the trails and started on the roads back for home.

In honor of Christmas I decided a photo I took of this Holly as I ran by was appropriate.

This is a short video showing me run to the end of the point. Not the best quality but I wanted to film it. I have to admit I ran it quite gingerly because of the jagged rocks, I was concerned if I ate it that me or the camera could get chewed up so I took it easy and you can also tell I was pretty knackered by this point of the run. I hope it gives a small glimpse of what it is like running the coast of V.I. (It is best viewed with the sound turned off because of the wind and the Cure video playing with the sound on. I know I could have just added a soundtrack in moviemaker but I would have had to convert the video format so this was good enough.)

I decided to post some acoustic Cure today. A Cure song has been long overdue on my blog and "Close to Me" has been one of my favorite songs since I was just a kid. I remember being about 10 years old and falling in love with the upbeat melody. One day after Halloween I had to stay home from school because I ate too much candy the night before and made myself sick. I can recall laying in bed with my recorder trying to play this song. I never could figure out how to get the notes right but it is nice to know the 10 year old version of myself had pretty good taste in music even back then. Enjoy!