Closing out the year in hot water--Shoes and the Dirty Feet Challenge

I have an admission to make, publicly.

I have a problem.

I am addicted......

2013: Looking ahead, and the plan to get faster.

After this year's CX wake up call, it seems appropriate to look back on what whent wrong, make some changes and then get ready to hammer out a new year of goals and a plan to go with them in order to achieve my expectations.

Looking back, the successes this year happen to be all running related.

2012 BC CUP Cyclocross Finals Report: The last race of the year I did not do....again.

AW hitting the run-ups. Photo: Matt Law

The last race of the season was a race that did not include me going elbow to elbow with my fellow mud wrestlers. I opted to announce the race, as I have for the last three years. Ever since I was unable to ride in the 2010 cyclocross season due to my fractured shoulder and broken body, I have continued to call the Daryl Evans BC CUP Finals. This year I was torn: should I try to salvage my season, do double duty trying to do both, or just call the race. My choice was more or less made for me.

Remembrance Day: Hershey Harriers 8km Cross Country in Stanley Park

I spent this Remembrance Day not in Victory Square, but just across Coal Harbour at the Brockton Oval. This year I threw my hat in the ring for my 3rd 8k race of the season: The Hershey Harriers Remembrance Day run.

Having never ran in the trails of Stanley Park, I was quite looking forward to what this run had to offer: 32 minutes of heart and mind blowing effort, some steady climbs, fast descents, and a well organized race in the crown jewel of Vancouver.

I showed up just after 10 am and made my way to the Brockton Rugby Club for registration. After picking up my race bib, I took a steady warmup on course where I ran with Drew Nicholson, winner of the Bear Creek Cross Country, Surrey Marathon, and Turkey Trot to make it a three win streak for him. It was good talking with him and seeing that as far as warmups go, we were running the same tempo in order to get ready for the race. He was in the open catagory, I was challenging the masters. Both race starts were separated by 10 minutes.

At 11:01, we had a moment of silence on start line as the cannons rang throughout the city. With the Last Post played, we were off. I settled into a group in the top 5 or so, but immediately backed off as per Mike Murphy's instructions from the Provincial Championships. Rachel Ruus, her coach/husband type guy, and Catherine Watkins. We held together until the second uphill, when Catherine put the gas on and dusted the three of us, which would prove to be the winning move for the women's overall. I was steady with the other two, making up some good speed on the downhill, and managing to hold on to them on the flats. With 2.5kms to go, a gap formed, and I fell off the Ruus train. I knew that Darbara Ghuman was hot on my heels, and I would have to work hard to push for the run into the finish. Still, I stayed steady and came in at 31:39. Not my fastest time, but it would prove to earn me 2nd place in the 35-39 catagory, and I went home with a medal. I came in front of Tom Craik, a guy that I admire and respect very much. He likes to Run Now....
One of the best parts of the day was cooling down with Mike Murphy, Will, and Winner Catherine. A good end to the race.

Awards were a bit of a mess as the computer did not separate athletes into age cats, so it had to be done manually. This was okay for the food that the HH club provided. And I got to speak with Mike and his buddy Will. All told, this was a solid race day. A good run put together on that day!

Post Canadian CX Champs: the aftermath.

The last few days have been all about recovery. My choking performances at the CX champs can be boiled down to a couple of things: not enough CX specific training, too much running, and not enough rest. I like my 11 pm bedtimes, but man does it make waking up in the morning for the 5 am runs hard.

I think that compiling a place where photos can be found for the event are important. So here goes:

Daryl Evans Flickr
Doug Brons
John Denniston
Formula Photo

Human Suitcase. Photo Credit: Stefon.

Steve Pukesh
Jamie Cameron
Dave Harvey
Pedalmags RR

Some other shots from the day....

Tyler and me punching at each other.

Still punching at the BC GP of CX.

Jeff and me at Nats.

Owner and HUGE supporter of Team Daryl Evans,  the man himself! Thanks for everything, Daryl!

Aaron, me, Jeff Hanninen, and Matt Drown. Happy but spent.

Finding my pedal.

Bounding the barriers.