Birch Bay, Washington State

In the past month or so, I had been organizing a trip to Birch Bay in Washington. I was able to get a great deal at a hotel using an employee discount, so I took advantage. The trip happened last week.

I booked a two bedroom place for two nights, which could fit six people. It is near the water, and only one hour south of Vancouver.

Carmella and I invited some of her Vancouver friends along. Because it was so close, they could come for only one night if they wanted, which is what ended up happening. Work schedules and some flight schedules were able to be worked around, so we had lots of good times.

The hotel we were at was pretty much exactly like the one I work at, from the types of vacuums in the units to the brand of laundry and dish detergent supplied. It was hard to be on vacation when everything was the same as my workplace! My familiarity came in handy though, when my friends would ask if the unit came with this spice or that type of cup. I knew exactly what was in each unit, and had a good idea where to find it, even though I was three hours away from home.

Our two bedroom place had a balcony and bbq, so we used that liberally. Our friend Ty likes to cook, so he took leadership and made lots of meat.





Birch Bay during the off-season, midweek, was a dead beach town. I think the summer there is hopping, but at the moment it's pretty quiet. I'm pretty sure I saw a few prairie balls rolling through the streets, and I heard lots of crickets. There was a waterslide park with grass in the parking lot and a Waterslides For Sale sign out front. There was a Miniature Land too, where the only thing open was a pizza place housed beside the box office. The annual Christmas mini-train ride had been cancelled.

We made it fun though! The first night we had good times making and eating food, using the hot tub, and then sampling the local watering hole, called Bobby's Place. The sign was hand painted, the roof was low, and there were wires hanging out of the ceiling. The bartender was grouchy overweight woman who was skeptical of young tourists and exerted her authority over us by asking for and then overly-scrutinizing our Canadian ID. I was the youngest in our group, and I'm almost 29.

The second night we just made food and enjoyed the hot tub. I was really tired because we had been Outlet Mall shopping. I got lucky and found a pair of running shoes that should work for my needy feet, and saved about 80 dollars in the process. We'll see how they work out though, since they're not the regular shoe I usually buy.

When we came home, I was happy to cross the boarder back into Canada, and then begin to see the scenery that I'm used to on the drive to Whistler. Vacations are great because they're fun in and of themselves, but they can also make you appreciate your regular life too!

Mosquito Lake trail run, Pemberton

Today I ran the Mosquito Lake trail run in Pemberton. It wasn't very well advertised and I wouldn't have known about it, but my roomate knows I've been running lately, and saw the run advertised in the paper, and passed it on.

It's a trail run, and the length was "about 10K." There was no online registration, no web page, and no directions about how to get there.

I figured it would be very grass-rootsy, and I was right! I got there, and found that you can park right near the registration tent. I wouldn't have found it if I hadn't sleuthed it out online before hand. I think mostly locals go to this race, and everyone knows where Plover Rd meets Reid Rd! There was a flimsy sign on a hydro pole though.



Looking around, I didn't see too many serious runners. Most were women over thirty wearing 3/4 length yoga pants, and many had dogs along. A true community race! I really liked the feel of it.



I had forgotten my watch, so was disappointed that I wouldn't know where in the run I was, and how time was progressing. I was also wishing they had a timing system, which they didn't seem to. At the start though, they mentioned the timing method.



When you cross the line, you are given a popsicle stick that has your placing on it. When you finish, a volunteer holding a stopwatch calls out the time to another volunteer who writes it on a poster. There would also be prizing for the top three finishers, courtesy of a nearby B+B who helped with setup and food.

The race turned out to be very technical, and the course was a killer! Huge hills, technical downhills, and lots of trees. With a bit of advertising effort, this run could turn into a classic suffer fest.

I started well, and was running with a friendly woman who had good gear and good form. I think she's sponsored in some way as well, since most of her gear was all one brand.

I suffered through the hills, and was reminded that I really need to work on my hill training! This run was tough, and I wasn't feeling 100% limber. It could be I'm still recovering from last week's half marathon, or it could be that I've only run once since I finished it.

I did well in the technical downhills though, so that was fun. Usually I struggle in those situations, but not today.

Here I am with my placing popsicle stick, by the offical results table! A very solid finish, and I'm quite happy with it.



I'm really enjoying running this season. These past two races have taught me that I need to work on my hills, and my staying power late in races. So, I must do hill reps more and also not shy away from LSD runs (Long, Slow Distance) which I find a bit boring and time consuming. I prefer to do intervals! I also need to keep working on my core strength, and improving my running form.



Here's my prize! It's a hat. I'm standing with the owners of Drumkeeran House, a Celtic B+B on the water. They were very friendly, and completed the run together. Head to the Drumkeeran House for all your event and hospitality needs!

Race pictures

Follow the links to a couple race pictures. I decided it would be a good idea to wear my Supervisor, which I won as a draw prize last year. I figured it would be good since it has a sweat wicking material in the headband. It was a mistake, and the Supervisor annoyed me. I tried to minimize its bad aerodynamics by putting it on backwards towards the end of the race.



Picture from somewhere near the middle of the race.

Picture from somewhere toward the end.

Half Marathon today

I ran the Sunshine Coast April Fool's Half Marathon today, and decided to write on update on the return ferry ride. Here it is!

It was an early morning, as I had to catch a 7:20am ferry from West Vancouver, requiring me to wake up at 5am, and be out of the house by 5:30 so I'd have time to go to the bank, get gas, and drive from Whistler.

I was in good time, and parked at the ferry terminal. The race organizers had buses to pick us up at the terminal and drive us to the start line. This enables racers to pay $12 for a round-trip walk-on fare, instead of taking your car on and paying at least $60.

I had a good warm up, and was feeling mentally strong. My goal was to run a 1:30:00 over the 21.1KM route, which is about a 4:15/KM pace.

I was on pace until 14K, when we began a large series of hills that lasted until about 17.5K. By 18K, my race was over. I could barely keep moving, and knew my goal was unattainable. Other runners were picking me off with ease, and I was powerless to stop them. As Kir would say, my eggs were cracked. I was passed by so many people in the last three K!

I crossed the line in 1:36:02, which I'm still quite happy with. I was focused for the whole race, and kept my pace where it should have been for two thirds of the distance. I wasn't physically or mentally prepared for the massive hills, and they were my undoing.

My splits were:

5K-20:33
10K-41:47
15K-1:04:31
20K-1:29:52
21.1K-1:36:02

My first 5K was run in about the same time, or faster, than I ran the St. Patrick's Day 5K a month ago, so I'm quite satisfied with that, as it shows I was running well at the beginning. I ran my last 1.1K in 6:10, which shows how I was feeling by the end! There was nothing left at all, and I tried really hard not to stop and dive into the bushes for a wee snooze.

It was a great race though, and all the runners were really friendly. Three people came up to me at the end of the race to see how I did, as they passed me in the last 5K. They all liked my yellow shirt as it gave them something to focus on.

This race reminded me why running is so great. There's no attitude, everyone's friendly, and things aren't very competitive. At my level, everyone is competing only against themselves, and enjoy talking running after the race.

I'm going to drive home now, and have a long nap! My body hurts, I have a headache, and I'm tired.

Winter Wonderland. Still.

This is how it looked this morning as I left for work. People on the radio are talking about outdoor furniture, planting season, and all those spring-y things.

We've been getting snow for the past week and a half, and it's April! I guess this is a ski town, so I should expect it. I'd rather have nice weather to run in though! I've got a half-marathon coming up on Sunday, and it feels like the middle of February instead of April.

This morning I had to get out my scraper and really get at my windshield. My hands were cold, and snow got up my sleeves. Booo!

Published!

In the company-wide travel magazine. The umbrella company I work for is called Wyndham, and I'm in the Wyndham Vacation Ownership division. My piece will be sent to all the people who have bought shares in the timeshare division.

Typically, the magazine will feature a property or two, and tell you why you should go there. It will outline inventory discounts, and also have some stories from happy vacationers. There is also news from Annual General Meetings, photo-contest winners, and that sort of thing.

Olympic Piece.

They asked for pictures, but I didn't really have any that were good enough to send.

The publishers were really excited to have my piece, and as far as I know didn't do much editing on their own.

The company puts a magazine like this out every month, so I imagine finding material is always a task. They also published my co-worker Jeremy, who volunteered.

This magazine used to be published in paper every month, but recently they've gone to publishing electronically every other month.

So, I've been published! Wooo! Good thing too, since I took the initiative and have been claiming it on my resume for a few weeks now.

Haircut!

I've finally found a good hairdresser! The last one I really really liked was Meghan at Fish in Victoria. Every time I walked out of there I felt confident with my haircut.

Since then, I've had good haircuts, but nothing was ever consistently good. Until now!

My friend Jess cuts hair, and I got her to do it yesterday, as well as about two months ago. Her cuts last a long time, are a good price, and look good as they grow out.

Yea for Jess!

Easter Egg Hunt

I had to lead an Easter egg hunt at work today, for the kids staying at the property. It turned out better than I expected, and my co-workers were surprised how well I did managing and interacting with the 3-8 year old kids. I didn't mention I had lots of practice in China.





I was surprised how much I enjoyed it, I think mostly because it mixed up my day.

Happy Easter everyone!

April 1st

In the spirit of today, I wrote the following on my Forecast/Events board today at work:

• Exciting News! Whistler to host 2014 Olympics! Sochi has pulled out, so we're doing it again. Excited!
• Extremely hot weather in the forecast. Today could be the last day of skiing of the year.

I've tricked about four people. Some people stare at the board, and then walk away with a smile. One guy said "Hot weather? Is this some sort of joke?" He was upset that I would put an untruth on the board like that. I asked him what date the board said, and he said "Thursday, April 1st..." and then understood.

So that was funny.