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fsrc · 9 years ago

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Getting Chicked....

PREFACE:

Sure, we've all read a handful of blogs regarding the topic of being "chicked" but I think this might be one of the first written from the POV of a male runner. Roy's approach to the term "chicked" is surprisingly delightful and at times, full of solid resources and own experiences.

I've copied and pasted his entry below, but to read more from Roy you can visit his blog HERE:

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Sunday, January 17, 2016

On Getting "Chicked"

I've always had issues with the term "chicked". To competitive runners (pro, amateur, I've heard it everywhere) it means, as a man, getting beaten by a woman. Why does it bother me? I want to explore this, and encourage the abandonment of the term as sexist, disrespectful, misogynist, and derogatory.

I'll never forget standing in a circle with a group of ultrarunners after a summer trail run a couple of years ago. I had just started running ultras. One prominent local pro referring to another local pro snidely mentioned that he got chicked in a race last year. Everyone nodded sagely. Inside I was appalled. What is this scene? But I wrote it off until I heard it again, and again, and again, and someone said it to me...when I came in 3rd after the male winner and female second place, in last year's Whistler 50-miler (see the previous blog post for more). Okay. This pervasive, insidious idea needs to die. It is fantastic for a woman to beat a man. I'll revisit this in a bit.

Last year, female ultrarunner of the year Ellie Greenwood posted an article on irunfar.com discussing the term. She was non-commital and mostly uncritical. Comments from men ranged from congratulatory to spiteful and mean towards people who disagreed (see my comment, as Heliogabalos, critiquing the term - one commenter interpreted my remarks as a satirical take on political correctedness...!). Politically correct, by the way, is a term we white, male, privileged and entitled people wield when marginalized people (starting with all women) accuse us of being misogynistic. I loathe the term. Respect is respect. But I digress.

At first I was like, why wouldn't Greenwood critique this aged, sad mean little term? She kicks ass. But then I realized (turning things over on a long run), Eureka. Why would she. Maybe she doesn't actually care...but maybe she doesn't want to start an avalanche of anonymous male internet fury and spend the next few months or year being a lightning rod for idiotic questions about whether she is a feminist or if she thinks she'll beat male runner so and so, &c.

I do not intend to 'white knight' and be all, "ladies, here is the Male Solution". Nor am I anywhere near Ellie Greenwood's level (meaning as a professional female runner to be consulted on the issue) or that of any sponsored ultrarunner; also, I don't know her and I'm speculating. I am also not a woman. I do know that it is not easy being a woman (you too can learn more about this as a male by "listening"), especially being a woman who publicly identifies as feminist (let alone, like my girlfriend, being an intersectionalfeminist). Bottom line, I can state my opinion about this publicly without worrying about my professional or personal well-being. And the term irks the eff out of me.

Why? Isn't it kind of innocuous? It isn't super questionable, like "feminazi", and it isn't a curse or threatening? To me it is one of those invidious terms that has a ton of charged misogyny built into it in a variety of nuanced but disturbing ways. It is like the term "hysterical". Largely abandoned in common vernacular because there is no scientific basis for female-specific lapses in sanity due to the presence of a uterus...so the term "chicked" (and "chick") are irrational, dehumanizing and, well, just stupid. I thought of a few different ways to look at it.

1. Grammar. The sentence structure is so self-entitled, babyish MRA meninist it makes me want to spit. Poor poopy-pants baby "got" chicked. In other words, the use of the passive changes the focus of the object to the subject, the main idea (the guy), and reduces the true subject (the woman who placed higher) to an abstraction (kind of like how misogynists reduce feminism to a hateful abstraction that actually is so far from the intent of feminism it only speaks to the depths of terrifying fragility and hate that pervades misogyny). And to have something "gotten" means someone did it to you intentfully. Like the woman in question wasn't actually a badass that day, or running her own race and probably, just maybe, not giving the faintest of fucks about the guy she unwittingly emasculated by passing him and defeating/running faster than he did. It reverts the woman in question to what misogyny reverts women/feminists to: a faceless spiteful mass who are bent on humilating/defeating/oppressing the truly powerful, the dominant paradigm: men, in particular, white men. (White) men instinctively attack, malign, demean and redact instances of female and even male prowess. Look at the words we use: "he beat me" [I experienced violence]. "I got chicked" [a malevolent female force made me less of a man]. It is really disturbing.

2. Physiology. I don't think this is as important, but male runners have distinct physiological advantages over female runners. You can Google the scholarship, but it is unequivocably proven. Anecdotal example: testosterone. This, artificially, is a PED. Men produce it naturally. It is a huge advantage in of itself. So if a woman does beat a fast dude; yeah, that owns. She overcame evolution that day. Please bow.

3. Nurture. This is, I hope changing. Women in my childhood were typically nurtured to become secretaries, nurses or teachers. Now we more progressive types tell young women to be astronauts or structual engineers - I hope. So I tell my niece. But women are even now still less likely a) to train to go fast and b) to believe they can compete against men. This is a fairly generic stab at the issue and I wonder if any women could help me develop this any better. But I do know that there are a lot of hateful stereotypes about athletic women, in particular athletic black women (just look at how people talk about Serena Williams) that must also play into what holds women back.

4. The term "chick". I don't understand this one more than anything else. The term "chick" is so dated and repulsive. Women are helpless, weak, fluffy, infantilized domesticized fowl? There is no other way to see this. It is a degrading, dehumanizing word. And to verb it, and revert it into the passive ("this was a thing some weak female object did to me to insult me"), is derogatory and decisively misogynistic. Totally, despicably grotesque.

5. Which leads me to my final point. Feminism helps people. It is a structured form of activism that teaches respect. Respect is founded on love: in humans this is based in not only nurture, but also on the evolved predisposition for altruistic reciprocity. Sharing and caring. Love begets love. Feminism, and the disposal of garbage misogynistic hate-speech, is for everyone (I quote the great bell hooks). It enables all women, identifies intersectionality and marginalized populations and raises them up, but it helps men too!! It frees men from the restrictive, irrational bonds of institutionalized patriarchy. We can love and respect the women in our lives as equals. We can access our emotions and share them. We can listen. We can celebrate the women in our lives. It profoundly disturbs me to see men defend the use of this term in the ultra community. I sincerely question the ideals we supposedly embody (community, support, devotion, dedication, love) if this term is casually and commonly dropped and then defended with malice and disgust by men when gently called into question. This is a non-gentle critique, btw.

I hope this relatively simplistic treatment of something that I believe in deeply does not come across as trite or facile. A blog only allows for so much extraction and there is so much more I could unpack from this ugly term in this medium. I welcome positive critical feedback and discussion.

Also I'd like to identify a few totally awesome female athletes who have inspired me: [EDIT: the original list was only white women]: Florence Griffith Joyner. Tigist Tufa. Catherine Ndereba. Pam Smith. Stephanie Howe. Ellie Greenwood. Emilie Forsberg. Anna Frost. These names are elided and discussed secondarily to male achievements. Put them first. They overcame so much more to be what they accomplished.

Last but not least, let's introduce a good term for a guy who deploys this cretinism: "oh, you got chicked? Nice to meet you, asshole."

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fsrc · 9 years ago

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FsRC 2015 highlights and recap

Well, that's a wrap on 2015 and what a year it has been for Fraser Street Run Club,

So many great things have happened with the club this year, and we couldn't be more excited about all of the new people we have met and all of the accomplishments that our club members have made.

Looking back on 2015, there were lots of club highlights. We had to say goodbye to the classic porch stoop of east 11th (see above photo), and we eventually found our new home/garage at 923 East 10th, just a few blocks east of the old clubhouse .

We also introduced Track Tuesdays, and it was great to see how many of you came out to Michelle's workouts to challenge yourself to get faster and stronger.

FSRC group trips became a popular and FUN thing to do! We travelled to Bellingham to run Chuckanut50, Utah to run Zion100, Winthrop to run Sun Mountain 50 (tequila mile anyone?!), Yachats to run Oregon Coast, Lake Tahoe to run Spartan Championships and Whidbey Island to run Deception Pass (Just to name a few).

We also had a ton of fun participating in or cheering for other runners at local races. One of our favourites was the Eastside 10k Club Challenge. We were so proud of how the club came together to raise money nearly $5000 Watari (a local non-profit, counselling and addiction service in the DTES) Gosh, we are still in awe on how you guys all came together for this event making it as successful as it was.

Most of all, we would like to THANK YOU for being a part of Fraser Street Run Club. We are so proud of FSRC, and we love the community that has evolved. It all started with a few people running through the trails of Squamish and now look at what it has become!

There are lots of new and exciting adventures on the horizon, so we would like to say Happy New Year and see you in 2016!!

XOX Kat, Cody, Michelle and Jesse

JUST A FEW MORE HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2015:

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fsrc · 10 years ago

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CRS Eastside10k Crew Challange

Fraser Street Run Club is excited to announce our participation in this years Crew Challenge in the upcoming Eastside 10k (September 19th). Canadian Running Series wanted to increase the profile of the charities at Eastside 10k as well as ways to highlight some for the Run Crews, so together each Run Crew has teamed up with a charity for the race and FsRC has decided to team up with Watari Counselling & Support Services Society as our partnered charity. (which only seemed suiting since a large group of members work in the DTES)

So what does this mean?!

Firstly: The Crew Fundraising Competition

Crew who raises the most funds for their charity will be recognized by CRS and get some bragging rights.

Crew who raises most funds will also receive five free “season’s passes” for CRS West 2016 (five entries into each of the three races)

Secondly: Crew Race Competition

Fastest five times from each Crew will be counted (more times could be counted if there’s enough numbers from all the crews)

Crew with the lowest cumulative time will receive a $500 donation to their selected charity, plus bragging rights

Sounds like a pretty sweet time, right?!

So how do you participate?

Well if you haven't already registered for the Eastside 10k go on over to their website HERE and use this code VE-CREW-20 to get your 20% off the registration fee. And don't forget to selec Fraser Street Run Club as your team! (If you have already registered and want to join our team worry not! Just send your name and I'll forward it over to race headquarters)

Also you can donate 2 ways:

You can go HERE and directly donate/pledge to WATARI online.

Every Track Tuesday starting Aug. 18th-Sept. 15th we will donate 100% of the drop-in fee to the challenge. We will also be programming all our works starting now till race day specifically for the Eastside 10k.

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fsrc · 10 years ago

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CRS Eastside10k Crew Challange

So what does this mean?!

Firstly: The Crew Fundraising Competition

Crew who raises the most funds for their charity will be recognized by CRS and get some bragging rights.

Crew who raises most funds will also receive five free “season’s passes” for CRS West 2016 (five entries into each of the three races)

Secondly: Crew Race Competition

Fastest five times from each Crew will be counted (more times could be counted if there’s enough numbers from all the crews)

Crew with the lowest cumulative time will receive a $500 donation to their selected charity, plus bragging rights

Sounds like a pretty sweet time, right?!

So how do you participate?

Also you can donate 2 ways:

You can go HERE and directly donate/pledge to WATARI online.

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fsrc · 10 years ago

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Interior Racing: SPRING RUSH 27k

“Pick ‘em up, and put ‘em down,” said my mother-in-law as Kelsey and I were staring at the pouring rain while drinking our coffees on the morning of the race.

It was Christmas when Kelsey and I decided to run this race. Her parents live in Kelowna and I needed an excuse to see them again in the spring. “Then let’s run Spring Rush,” said my lady while sipping her wine. The decision had been made! We were coming back to Kelowna on April 25th.

Despite the warm and sunny weather all week, it was raining on race day - not what I was expecting. I kept telling myself that I live in Rainy Vancouver, and I’m used to this. After a quick breakfast, we headed to the start line in Rose Valley Park. It wasn’t too long before we found ourselves in the start-line-routine: jump in the washroom line, chat with other runners, and listen to RD’s important notes on how not to get lost. (Who gets lost? Wait and see.)

Three, two, one, here we go. I was out up in the front with Jay Klassen. We started climbing up on a beautiful single-track trail just after 100 meters from the start line. My calves were a bit sore from last weekend’s rather ambitious run, but they warmed up very quickly! We settled into our race pace. And after the first big climb at the kilometer 5 mark we jumped down a nice long descent on a winding single-track trail made for mountain bikes. I was having a great time, and found myself smiling a lot.

Once we got to the bottom of the hill at approximately 6 kilometers in, we started running by the lake with short ups and downs. At this point, I stopped seeing the runners in front of us, and it was only Jay, Chris (a runner from Kamloops, whom I met later at the finish line) and myself. The lead runners must have flown down the descent! Once we hit the 7-kilometer mark, we started climbing the second climb of the race. My legs were warmed up, and I was feeling strong but I wasn’t sure if this was the time for me to push a little bit more and try to chase the runners in the front or hang with my pack. After a few minutes of thinking, I decided to stay back and not push until the big climb at kilometer 14.

The trails in Rose Valley Park are very different from the trails of North Vancouver. And today, our view was limited due to the fog and low clouds, but I bet the view would have been gorgeous had it been sunny or less foggy. The region is very open and would be so warm.

Around kilometer 9 we had stopped climbing the second climb and were running on a relatively flat single track. Chris was 4-5 seconds in front of me and Jay was 4-5 seconds behind me - I was cruising right in between them. I looked away for a second, and didn’t see that Chris had turned left while I kept running forward. Without paying any attention I came to a super steep downhill where I couldn’t stop myself and fell down. I hesitated for a second while I thought, “is this a part of the race course or not?” It was super steep!! After running 150-200 meters on a rather grassy, less-used looking trail with no more orange flagging, I noticed that I took the wrong turn. Shit!!

This was the first time I have gotten lost in a race, and I was quite disappointed in myself! I ran back and hiked up the steep hill. At the top, that tiny chalk sign on the ground, which shows the left turn, was smiling at me. This whole taking-the-wrong-turn thing had cost me around 3-4 minutes, and of course I wasn’t in the same place in the race. After I got back on track, I am guessing I passed 10-12 runners in the next couple of kilometers while I could only keep throwing around F- bombs in my mind at myself.

Now I was pushing harder than before and trying to catch up with Jay and Chris. I knew that if I couldn’t catch them on the big climb at kilometer 14, then it was going to be too late to catch them later.

The fog over the lake had created a much-needed mystically beautiful view as I power hiked the biggest climb of the race at kilometer 14. It was so nice to be on these trails and race out here. The climb was steeper than I thought, but I had to keep pushing in hopes to see Jay and Chris somewhere soon. Once at the top of the climb the trail starts to descend on super fun zigzagging trail. Some turns were so sharp I was barely able to stay on the trail. This descent reminded of the last part of Espresso just off Old Mountain Highway…except we were anywhere but in a rainforest.

I kept descending until I reached a service road. It was weird because I hadn’t liked running on them in the past, but after all the road running over the winter, I was quite happy to run on a flat area where I could push my pace. The end of the service road came to the second aid station - chips and coke. Ohh, the perfect combination!!

There was another medium sized climb after the aid station, which wasn’t too steep and led through last year’s forest fire where you could still smell the smoke. The burned trees and plants looked so sad, but the bright yellow flowers popping up in between gave a nice feeling of new life.

Towards the end of this climb, around kilometer 21, when the terrain started looking even more green and alive with spring flowers, I managed to catch and pass Chris. Yes! This gave me extra motivation and energy to push harder in hopes of catching Jay.

The last 3k of the race were on wider trails with rollercoaster-type rolling hills. I didn’t end up catching Jay after all, but I still felt very proud of my race and effort. I crossed the finish line and the Race Director, Rene Unser, gave me a big hug and asked me about the race. What else could I say - gorgeous single-tracks trails with a lot of and ups and downs! I’ll be back next year.

Spring Rush 27k showed me that I loved middle distance races as much as I love ultras. It was short enough to push hard and long enough to feel the distance. It was also nice to run on a different kind of terrain than what I am used to. Spring Rush is one of the Pace Race Trail Series, and all I can say is that if you haven’t ran in Kelowna before, this is a great race to give it a try, and to taste the beauty of Okanagan single-tracks. Plus they give away homemade apple pies as prizes!

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fsrc · 10 years ago

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From Purple Unicorns and Pink Headbands to PBs and Charitable Causes – Fraser Street Run Club does the 2015 Vancouver Marathon in style

The Pre-Race

Locals know that the first Sunday in May has become one of the biggest days in the city’s calendar, especially for runners. The Vancouver Marathon, branded as Vancouver’s only marathon and a top destination race in North America, has come to attract runners from the Lower Mainland, across the Pacific Northwest and beyond for its 8km, half marathon and marathon events. And when the weather cooperates, it is one of the most beautiful courses you could ever dream to run.

The 44th annual running of the event represented my sixth road marathon but the first time running one for a second time. It was also my goal race for the spring amongst a slew of other road, trail and triathlon events I had entered.

Last year was my first time running the Vancouver Marathon and I did so as a member of the Running Room’s Broadway store marathon clinic. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the camaraderie and accountability attached to running with a group was something that very much appealed to me. Reflecting on that race from a year ago, it’s humbling to take stock in how much I’ve learned from, and enjoyed the company of, others in the various groups I’m fortunate enough to run with.

Fast forward a year to today and I’ve just wrapped up co-leading a truly inspirational group of runners at the Running Room’s Cambie store marathon clinic after my maiden co-leading voyage of the last marathon clinic ever held at the Broadway store before it closed in January. (RIP Broadway – You are gone but never forgotten, and Nanton hill will live on forever.)

Also in that time I became a regular at FSRC’s Feel Good Friday social runs as part of my quest to meet even more awesome runners, and never run alone again. Before I knew it I had even signed up to run my first two 50k trail races with this fine group of folks. So as this year’s marathon rolled around, it’s needless to say that I was really looking forward to experiencing it with an even broader community of runners.

The Race

After a quick warm-up I moved into my corral and exchanged good wishes with a bunch of running buddies from FSRC and the Running Room. Before I knew it the gun went off and I kept the promise I made to myself of settling in at the 3:05 pace guided by RunVan Ambassador, FSRC comrade and pace bunny extraordinaire Dave Papineau.

I’m still a relatively inexperienced runner but I’ve developed a theory (not an original one, I’m sure) that when you’re well trained and pace yourself appropriately, the first half of a full marathon is one of the most enjoyable experiences you can have. It should feel fairly effortless and give you the opportunity to soak in the sights, sounds and crowd support. And such was the case for me and just like last year, Camosun Hill and the Blanca out and back section were big highlights. The cheering along the course’s biggest climb and around the bend from Imperial onto 16th gave me goose bumps. I even managed to catch a glimpse of Vancouver’s fastest gardener and ageless FSRC hipster Michael Stockdale on the out and back before he tore up the rest of the course on his way to a personal best, negative split 2:49, smiling the whole freaking way!

I crossed the halfway mark at 1:31:15 which was right on target for what I thought I needed to run a 3:03 to 3:05 and secure that coveted Boston Qualifying time. I was feeling good and focused on holding my pace through the rolling hills of Kits. (which was the weakest part of my race last year)

But as similar as the first half felt to last year, the second half couldn’t have been any more of a contrast. Whereas last year I struggled mentally from the 21k to the 30k mark at the bottom of Burrard Bridge, this year I felt really strong, buoyed somewhat by the support of the people of Kitsilano, but mostly by the immigrant turtles and unicorns of East Van.

The key to my race plan was that if I could stick to my target pace heading into downtown I’d have a solid chance at hitting my goal. At least that’s how I felt based on my experience last year. Unfortunately, and this is something about the marathon that is all at once both beautiful and devastating, you NEVER know what’s around the corner. As soon as I hit the flat seawall section at Stanley Park, I had to increase my effort level significantly to hit my splits, which was completely different from last year when I managed to turn on a mental switch that got me through the last 10k on pace. This time my legs just couldn’t keep up and by the 34k mark, I heard Dave’s voice behind me and realized that it was now or never. I knew that I had to stick to him if I wanted a chance at booking my ticket to Boston next year and although I held on for a couple of kilometers, I started to slowly lose ground even though I was passing a number of other runners along the way, which made for a really strange and challenging dynamic in itself. Even at the 25 mile mark I thought I still had a chance if I could run a seven minute mile but looking back it seems the marker was misplaced because by the 41k mark I saw that I had to run the last 1.2k in four minutes, which is my (beer) mile pace, and there was no chance that was going to happen. So into the pain cave went my mind and body as I struggled through that last stretch along Pender. Those final 5km were the most difficult I’ve ever run and for the first time at the end of a race I wasn’t even in a state of mind to look around and take in the moment.

Fortunately Safety Kat, FSRC co-founder and medical staff coordinator, snapped this pic of me as I crossed the finish line and not two minutes later when I was a wobbly, emotional wreck.

The After-Race

I finished with a chip time of 3:06:28 and as much as I wanted to take pride in a six minute plus PB, I couldn’t help but feel really crushed in the moment. I felt nauseous, I could barely stand, I couldn’t even let out a smile. But after I grabbed some food and water I ran into Ryan, one of my training buddies from the Running Room. He had just ruled his first marathon, coming in under his three hour goal with a 2:58. He said some really nice things about his experience training with us and our group that put everything back in perspective.

From there I staked out a spot near the finish line and the next couple of hours were some of the most inspiring I’ve ever experienced. I’ve volunteered for races before but never in a capacity that put me at the finish line. This time, I stuck around as runner after runner crossed, keeping an eye out for my training partners and clinic members. The vibe was incredible. Faces were bursting with pride and joy. There were tears, too – some happy and some sad. I managed to locate most of my clinic members and gave them a hug. Some of them reached their goals and others didn’t but almost every single one had a big smile on their face.

My most recent road marathon coming into Vancouver was the New York City Marathon. As incredible as that experience was, there’s something really special about being able to run through the roads of your hometown, high fiving your friends along the way. And at the finish I was able to stand directly behind the volunteers handing out medals without being hassled. In that way the Vancouver Marathon is the perfect size – big enough to bring sponsorship, elite runners and a visitors from all over but small enough to avoid the security concerns that larger urban marathons have to contend with. I even got to take in a marriage proposal (one of two at the finish line, apparently) and chat with Kim Doerksen, last year’s champion, who had some nice words of encouragement for me. All in all, not a bad way to spend the afternoon!

After making my way back from the finish area, I grabbed my phone and was proud to see some more stellar results from the FSRC crew in the other two races including a 1:34:47 half marathon PB by FSRC co-founder (and birthday girl) Michelle, a solid 2:00:49 by first time half-marathoner Lauren MacDonald, and a 47:02 by Yuri Artibise in the 8k, who is on a comeback after dealing with injury over the past few months.

Looking back, I can honestly say that some of the best and worst moments I’ve experienced as a runner happened at this year’s Vancouver Marathon. Something I tell new marathoners who don’t meet their performance goal is that regardless of the result, each and every race makes you a stronger, better runner and competitor because you always learn new things about yourself that you get to carry forward into the next race.

One thing I’ve learned about myself is that the more I race, the shorter the race hangover. After this marathon, I know that still holds true even in the face of bitter disappointment.

So. Another Vancouver Marathon is in the books and Sun Mountain is less than two weeks away. Who’s pumped?! ☺

- Coming to you straight outta Pender in the DTES, Greg 2.0

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fsrc · 10 years ago

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Team Canuck Place, a fellow FsRCer, $5 & Track Tuesdays

Ola Amigos!

Our fellow FsRCer, Roy Kok, will be running BMO Vancouver Marathon next week with Team Canuck Place and we wanted to share his story and help him out.

"Hi everyone. Below this brief note are the obvious, worthwhile and important reasons for donating to Canuck Place in the form of a letter they've written about the function and role of this esteemed health care facility in our community. But they also suggest telling a personal story. I chose to run for Canuck Place because I am an adult survivor of cancer. To me, the most disheartening and terrible thing on earth is a child suffering from this or any other painful and/or debilitating disease. As an adult, I had the worldview, perspective and determination to face hardship. I cannot imagine facing that as a child. That is why I want to help. The only thing you or I - as a non-health care provider and non-care giver - can do for someone who is sick is to make their lives easier in any other way. Canucks Place provides an immensely important role in the lives of children and their families affected by unpredictable earth-shattering and heart-breaking diagnoses. My goal is to raise more than $1000, but I am a little hesitant to commit to more than the lowest amount because I have never run for charity before. Please do not hesitate to micro-donate or donate anonymously, or both. No amount is too small. Your money goes to the most innocent and also the bravest people on earth."

So how can you help?

You can follow his link HERE and click on donate.

You can come out to Feel Good Friday tonight and make a donation, in return we'll have you a free Coors Light. [yep yummy cold Coors Lights :)]

This coming Track Tuesday we are going to suggest a $5/dropin fee and 100% of the money will go straight to Roy's cause.

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fsrc · 10 years ago

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Running Etiquette

It has been so amazing to see how many people are coming out to Feel Good Fridays! The rain and dark nights have not scared many people away from running, and we want to thank everyone for their dedication to FSRC. We also want to welcome all of the new peeps who have come out. It has been awesome meeting you all, and hopefully you will continue to join us! Although spring is (hopefully) around the corner, we still have some dark & rainy nights ahead of us. It’s extremely important to us that everyone has a good time and is kept safe. As our group gets larger, we wanted to share some safety tips with you to keep in mind while you are out there running!

Herd Mentality

The point of Feel Good Fridays is to go on a fun group run. Even though we are all running together, it is important to remember that you are responsible for yourself. Just because everyone in the group is doing it, doesn’t necessarily mean it is safe. Don’t cross the road until YOU have checked that no cars are coming. Everyone is running down the middle of the road? Have YOU looked behind to check for cars and bikers?

On The Road Again

Speaking of running down the middle of the road! As our group gets larger, it is easier to run down a wide road instead of the sidewalk. This makes it super challenging for bikers and cars to get through, and it is especially dangerous when it’s dark. Please consider running on the sidewalk instead. If people are running down the road, it is important to use “Car/Bike Back”. When someone shouts it from the back, please pass it along so people can hear it at the front of the pack. If you chose to run down a bike route (eg. 10th), do not take up the entire street. Please keep to the right so bikers from the back can get through and don’t get angry with street hoggers.

All Black Everything

We all have a little health goth in us, but this one is simple: it’s not a good idea to wear all black active wear at night. Please wear something bright so you can be seen. Florescent is fun!

Time For Some Reflection

-Lights and reflective gear is also crucial! Lots of people have reflective arm-bands and head lamps. You can find lots of affordable options at MEC or other running stores. Or just wear a tin foil suit?

Thanks for taking the time to read these tips!

Looking forward to seeing you at a FSRC run soon

Thanks so much guys! -Safety Kat and the rest of FSRC

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fsrc · 10 years ago

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Community.

com·mu·ni·ty

noun, often attributive \kə-ˈmyü-nə-tē\

: a group of people who live in the same area (such as a city, town, or neighborhood)

: a group of people who have the same interests, religion, race, etc.

When we started Fraser Street Run Club nearly two years ago, we had no expectations of it going anywhere beyond the realms of a silly inside joke. Gradually, as time went on, we began to notice our small group of friends begin to grow... and grow... and grow some more. We (us founding members) loved running and wanted a place/run where we can get together with other folks who also liked to run. For us, it was a simple; host an evening of running, drink some beers and shoot the shit.

As time want on, we slowly began to realize that something special was starting to develop. A community began to come together. Sometimes us founders don't always agree on ideas, but one thing we all strongly agree on is the sense of community and inclusivity that goes along side with it. People often thank us for what we do, but I find it hard to except responsibility of what FsRC has become because if it wasn't for all you who come to our events week after week we'd would have kept FsRC as just a funny inside joke.

Since the start of the new year there has been a number of things that have happened that have made us incredibly proud to be part of this growing community. For starters our Feel Good Friday numbers are reaching close to 50 people which is about 40 people higher than a year ago. Our Track Tuesdays have been a success and not to mention so much fun. But what really did me this week was this (see right) post on our FsRC facebook group. I wasn't able to respond right away but it was ok because you guys all did it for us:

Honestly, seeing how quick everyone responded to a potential new member almost brought me to tears. So, I want to take this moment and thank YOU. Whether you have only ran with us one time, or every time, FsRC wouldn't be possible with out our community.

- Michelle and the rest of FsRC

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fsrc · 10 years ago

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Community.

com·mu·ni·ty

noun, often attributive \kə-ˈmyü-nə-tē\

: a group of people who live in the same area (such as a city, town, or neighborhood)

: a group of people who have the same interests, religion, race, etc.

When we started Fraser Street Run Club nearly two years ago, we had no expectations of it going anywhere beyond the realms of a silly inside joke. Gradually, as time went on, we began to notice our small group of friends begin to grow... and grow... and grow some more. We (us founding members) loved running and wanted a place/run where we can get together with other folks who also liked to run. For us it was a simple; host an evening of running, drink some beers and shoot the shit.

As time want on, we slowly began to realize that something special was starting to develop. A community began to come together. Sometimes the four us all founders don't always agree on everything, but one thing we all strongly agree on is the sense of community and inclusivity that goes along side with it. People often thank us for what we do, but I find it hard to except responsibility of what FsRC has become because if it wasn't for all you who come to our events week after week we'd would have kept FsRC.

Since the start of the new year there has been a number of things that have happened that have made us incredibly proud to be part of this growing community. For starters our Feel Good Friday numbers are reaching close to 50 people which is about 40 people higher than a year ago. Our Track Tuesdays have been a success and not to mention so much fun. But what really did me this week was this (see below) post on our FsRC facebook group. I wasn't able to respond right away but it was ok because you guys all did it for us:

- Michelle and the rest of FsRC

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fsrc · 10 years ago

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FsRC is Proud to Intoduce: TRACK TUESDAYS

Tuesday, January 13th will mark our 1st official track work out! This workout is open to anyone and everyone and will consist of structured, traditional track workouts. Whether you are looking to build speed for your next 1/2 marathon, power for your an upcoming 50k, or even improve your running skills for the upcoming Crossfit Open, (that's directed at you Riley!) Track Tuesdays got your covered.

Workouts will start at 7pm sharp at Point Grey Secondary, (Once the there is more day light it will be move to Eric Hamber track) and consistently occur ever Tuesday, rain or shine.

#vancouver #runvancouver #runvan #sprints #speedwork #track

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fsrc · 10 years ago

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LYNN PEAK (AKA The Mistress)

This morning Louis and I decided to go for a run on the North Shore Trails. Despite waking up too the most grotesque weather ever outside, we still got in the car, threw on some 36 layers and headed over to a cloudy abyss. I had just bought new poles (the Ultras by Black Diamond) in preparation for Mountain Madness Fat Dog 120 training (I know…I know…still 8 months away… but what can I say, I am eager and want to be prepared) Our original plan was to do two repeats of Lynn Peak and call it a day. Lynn peak, for those of you who don’t know, is more of a hike than a run, there is a serious amount of elevation gain in such a short amount of distance. I think total distance is about just under 2.5 km and about 2400 ft of climbing to reach the peak. I figured two repeats of climbing the ol’mistress with the new poles would get me figuring out just how to use these things.

At the parking lot we both agreed since it was just absolutely miserable out, we would warm up with running the long way around the Lynn Loop, which would eventually bring us to the Lynn peak trailhead anyway. This is a nice little 5 km trail that would get us somewhat warmed up before we started to climb. We did that, and got wet. At the mistress trail head I popped open the new poles and started to take of up the hill. I gotta say , after watching all those videos of Kilian (Jornet) and all the other incredibly fit Europeans just hover up the mountains with these things I thought it would be a piece of cake. Boy Was I wrong! I felt like a drunk 4 legged spider trying to swat mosquitoes. Louis quickly passed me and took off climbing the first part of the hill like it was nothing.

It was great to see Louis out running trails again. He has a road/track background and is always a little hesitant of anything technical, but he was great to have around. After climbing for about 20 mins or so the rain that had been pelting down on us had turned to snow. It was beautiful. As we climbed up and up the snow got thicker, now we were in about 4-6 inches . We were following two sets of fresh boot tracks up the hill and were wondering if we were gonna see them soon.

“Hello!” I shouted to the older guy I had spotted to the left of us. I dont know where he was going but was clearly off the trail and in deep snow wandering around. His buddy was not too far behind him. He yelled “good morning” and told us we were almost at the peak. We exchanged a couple quick comments on how great it was up in the snow, then pressed on. I forgot to mention, (as u can see in the photos) Louis was in his Nike split track shorts and no gloves this whole run. Those two hikers were fully geared for the conditions and probably thought Louis was out of his mind. Soon after that encounter we did arrive on the peak, although there was no view to be had, except a total white out, it was still great to have climbed the mistress in the snow for the first time this year. We snapped a couple pix and headed down . Coming down was awesome, especially with those new poles . Now I was getting the hang of them and they really helped a lot. It now actually felt like skiing . While descending down, we passed a few hikers heading up. It was hilarious to see there reactions crossing paths with a barely clothed Louis . Just soaking wet running down the drenched trail.

We finally got to the car, cranked the heat and got changed and headed out to pick up my wife, Michelle, from crossfit and get some late breakfast and a pint, setting me up perfectly for a mid-afternoon nap. Just a perfect Sunday in my books.

Jesse Booi FSRC

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fsrc · 10 years ago

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Jesse's deception pass 50k race report

"We are like a flying V!" I shouted to the other 3 runners I was up front with. No one gave me the laugh I was looking for, so I quickly resumed race position, kept quiet and tried to calmly run the first 1 k of uphill road that lead us into the trail head. It was only the first couple kilometres but I felt great. It was a beautiful day, sun was out and I was feeling strong after putting in some heavy workouts and good training leading up to this race. It's crazy how you can be nervous for days leading up to the race, (to the point were u have convinced yourself u must be sick) then once the gun goes off , the curtains open, all is is calm again. Our small lead pack consisted of Matt Cecil, Benoit Gignac and Graham in the middle, and myself in the back. After cresting the first hill of road we did a hairpin turn and funnelled into a trail immediately firing us into a mellow decent. As we looped back to the start of the race area, we flew around a corner and headed out into a small series of rollers, small bush trails and even a small portion of running on the sandy beach. As I suspected he would, Matt began to pull away from the rest of the pack. Quickly, deciding it was now or never, I decided to give'r and leave my two other pack capadres and try and hold on to Matt for as long as I could. I made my move . We were cruising, and settling into a race pace groove, also trying to get somewhat of a basic conversation going past quick introductions to each other.

Time started to just fly by and I was having a great time, before I knew it we were running over this 2 part bridge that connects Whidby Island to the mainland. Although beautiful,the pedestrian paths on these bridges were very narrow and had low railings. Thankfully, Matt, who was ahead of me by about 20 ft, warned the people on the bridge to please move while we flew past. Coming off the bridge we quickly jumped into a decent that would take us into a series of 4 loops , 3 of which followed the shoreline and gave you some great views to try to absorb while carefully making sure not to lose your foot on the roots and rocks. These loops were fast and fun, loads of little runnable rollers up-down-up-down. All these little loops gave ample opportunity to see other FsRC buddies (Greg Lockwood & Kat Drew) racing and throw down some high fives while passing them going the other direction. This was Greg's first 50k and when I saw him coming back from that first loop he was looking great with a massive smile on his face. We were now on the 5th loop of the race. It was the last loop on this side of the bridge, probably about km 14k or 15k. At this point I was still with Matt but starting to fall back a bit. We came back from loop 5 flying past the second aid station, I probably should have stopped but was more focused on sticking with matt and keeping a steady pace, so I threw my sleeves and gloves to FSRC buddies Mike and Monica to hold onto, gave michelle a smile and kept running. Now back through some trails and uphill to return over the bridge, I could see matt in front of me on the bridge, maybe about 100 ft away. As I was running back across the bridge I quickly noticed I was almost out of water and it just kind of hit me that the next aid station wasn't for a while. Michelle was on the other side of the bridge taking photos with Cody and Amber. Michelle yelled at me asking me how I was doing, I pointed at my water bottle with a empty motion, she ran on the other side of the bridge and tried to meet me before I got off, but couldn't make it to my side of road quick enough. Coming off the bridge there was a small group of volunteers cheering and guiding us into the next section, we took a steep return under the bridge and headed back into another series of trails.

This area of the course was awesome; it was at about 19-20k in and hugged the coastline. While running this area you had views of three small islands in the inlet which just looked great. The trail then brought us back up with a series of quick switchbacks, I tried to run most the uphill switchbacks but started feeling a little slow. Was I fading? Did I go out maybe too hard? Am I out of water? This was the only period of this race I was in a slump and luckily it was short and sweet. Once getting to the top of the switchbacks you get to a road (which most trail runners would be annoyed at, but I gotta say, I really enjoy the mixup of both trail and road running on this course) This is also were my wonderful wife Michelle came popping out of nowhere with a full Amphipod bottle of water for me!! good to go! She said I was about 90 seconds back from Matt (I thought a lot more at this point) and that I had a lead of just over 5 mins on 3rd and 4th place dudes which helped perk me up. I quickly thanked her and left down that paved road to the next aid station. Upon arriving at the aid station, which we would actually go thru a total of 3 times, I grabbed a few grapes and orange slices. Fruits on these races really work for me; 1. Because it is not a gel and 2. because you can pitch the peels into the forest and don't have to worry about stuffing any messy wrappers into your shorts. From this point, which was about 23k, you head into the forest for an 11k loop then return to aid station a second time and head out to the same loop for round two. For some odd reason I really enjoyed this second loop. Maybe because I now knew what the course was like or maybe because on my second loop there were people to run with or maybe just the fact that is was different from being on the shoreline and now it was like we were running threw a lush overgrown, rolling jungle. It got kinda torn up and muddy in some sections but possibility of loosing a shoe added a bit of excitement to the race. The 2nd loop seemed to go faster than the first time. I ran into my buddy Kat who was not having the best race but looked to be alive so I gave her a quick hello and kept rolling.

I now had to enter that dang aid station for the 3rd time, Michelle ran beside me asking if I need anything and handing me a fig newton, she started telling me there was only 4.5 km to go, she also said Matt was just over 5 mins in front. I knew at this point chances of catching him were slim to none but that was ok, I felt great and still had a good 5min+ lead on 3rd and 4th. I ran past some racers heading into the start of the loops section. All of them had great smiles and hollering words of encouregement and support which was nice to hear. I then proceeded to run back up the portion of road towards the finish line and eventually returning to trails which lead me through a short tunnel under the highway that spat me out on to the final 3k. Finally I could see an opening at the end of the forest and I knew what that meant!!! It was so close! It was the open skies of the parking lot that lead to the finish line. A finish line where my friends were waiting! Where the beer flowed like water and the pizza grew on trees!! I came charging out of the forest, flew through the parking lot, dodging parked cars and stray dogs, and straight through the last 500 meters of gravel rock alongside the water to the finish line.

I crossed the finish line in 4:04:20. Race director James Varner handed me a big beer growler that was embossed with a Rainshadow Running logo and congratulated me on second place finish. Matt also gave me congrats and I asked him if he broke the course record currently held by Garry Robbins, he said he did by 1 minute. Michelle came running over, gave me a kiss and we settled down with all our FSRC amigos to partake in some brews /pizza and cheer in the runners. Our friend kat (who was not having the best time earlier and contemplated dropping) came over the finish line later on just looking calm and collected and a wearing a big smile. Things defiantly turned around for her. Another FsRC member, Greg, who was running his first 50k, charged over the finish line not much later looking the fantastic. Congrats guys! We spent the rest of the race day sitting around basking in the sunlight and indulging in bottomless beer and pizza. Afterwards we proceed home and tried to continue the party but ended up watching Home Alone and were in bed by 10pm. haha I guess we must be getting old. All in all, I gotta say if you haven't ran a Rainshadow Running event yet, do yourself a favour and sign up for one their races. Not only was the course great, it was very well organized and trail markings were excellent! big thanks to those guys. Also big thanks to Michelle for being the best crew person ever and all the Fraser street run club posse. Thanks everyone for one great weekend in america. Jesse Booi

GEAR

SHOES: NIKE TERRA KIGER 2

SHORTS: NIKE 2.5 TRACK SHORTS

TOP: NIKE BASIC LOGO THIN RUN SHIRT

SOCKS: INJINJI PINK 2.O TRAIL

HYDERATION: AMPHIPOD 20OZ HANDHELD

FUEL

2X 20 oz BOTTLES OF ROCTANE DRINK,CALORIES INC.

1x 20oz BOTTLE OF WATER/BCAAs

1X HONEY STINGER GELL

ZX ORANGE SLICE/HANDFULL GRAPES/HALF BANANA

2X GIN GINS

1X TUMS TABLET

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