Grad school has been challenging lately. Good, but challenging. As I’ve been working away on major papers, I’ve found myself thinking “I’d rather be doing an Ironman right now.” Of course, school is like racing—hurts when you’re in the middle of it, but—if you have some ability and lots of work ethic—the accomplishment of the good finish makes the pain worth it.

I’ve had a great day thus far. Slept in a bit. Laura made bacon and waffles (questionable pre-race nutrition, but I have a rule about waffles and bacon: say yes). Then, I was off to the 2010 Gunner Shaw 10km Cross Country race. I’ve been looking forward to this race all week. I’ve treated it like a reward. I didn’t have any major expectations for myself, instead, I intended to enjoy the mud, ice, slush, and scenery. Of course, I wanted to push myself and try a couple of different race strategies. If I blew up, I was okay with that.

I ran in Brooks Cascadias, although it would have been best to have worn something like Yak Traks since the trails were really icy and slushy.

Once things got underway, I moved to the front of the pack, trying to position myself decently before getting onto the sometimes narrow trails. Racing in Victoria is always a pleasure because there are so many talented athletes in this city. I’ve enjoyed getting to know many of them outside the race setting, which makes running against them more fun.

The course was modified this year because the two huge puddles (more than 2 feet deep) were frozen over and organizers were nervous that people would cut themselves on the ice. Good call.

The trails were mucky and slushy. I worried that I went out too hard but I managed to settle into a pretty comfortable pace while still maintaining good position. A few km, I found myself in a chase pack of about 5 men, with Nick Walker of Frontrunners Westshore, an-unregistered runner (I didn’t see him on the finish list), and I taking turns leading. I worked hard to feed of the energy of those around me and stay close as I could to the unregistered runner, who managed to create a good gap for a fairly long section of the race.

Hills, muck, nearly falling due to misjudging the depths of puddles, zigzagging deadfall, ducking (especially for me) low branches, slippery ascents and descents. Good times!

Once we got out of the genuine cross country sections of the run, and back to the main trail, our group picked things up, each of us vying for position. I was hurting pretty bad and I felt like I was fading on the hills. Nick picked up the pace on one flat section right before the final three hills of the Thetis loop. I couldn’t respond immediately and he pulled away from me. I suffered up the final hills, motivated to keep pushing the pace and maybe catch Nick on the downhills. I could hear someone (whose name, I later learned, is Byron Trajan) breathing down my neck too and I knew that he’d make a move before the finish.

I never managed to catch Nick and Byron made his move right when we were running through Thetis Lake (the race makes participants run through about a foot of water) within 50m of the finish line. Sadly, there was no epic sprint finish as Byron stumbled (and fell?) in the water.

I love cross country running and really enjoyed this race. Island Runners The Prairie Inn Harriers do a great job organizing competitive and fun races, so I encourage you to signup for the upcoming Stewart Mountain 10 Mile Cross Country Challenge on Dec. 11th. Longer distance = more of a good things.

Oh yeah, full results for the 2010 Gunner Shaw Cross Country 10km race can be found here!

Movember

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For more details on how the funds raised from previous campaigns have been used and the impact Movember is having please click here.

I’m running the Thetis Lake 20km Relay tomorrow with a few other gents (Nick, Myke). Last year, I think I clocked a time around the high-16 minute mark (can’t quiet remember), so I’m hoping to come in somewhere in the high 15s-low 16s for this hill trail run. This race is all about fun, so I’ll be rocking the moustache, short shorts, aviators, etc.

Sadly, my moustache will likely be the sparsest of the bunch, even though I’ve been growing mine the longest (since ~Oct. 21st).

I’m excited about the Thetis Relay, as I’m planning on running the Gunner Shaw race and the Stewart Mountain race in the coming months. Essentially, the relay is a practice in suffering before more suffering. Still, the gorgeous location makes the pain bearable as does the amazing group of people who show up to the race each year. I even had a set of old race shoes with reasonable support that I don’t mind sacrificing to the gods of murk and mud. I’ve made a lot of progress in my run over the past year, so I am excited to measure my 2010 times against my 2009 times—a nice bonus for running the same races annually.

Also, against Laura’s good judgment, I opted to participate in Movember, a prostate cancer fundraising effort in which I grow a horrible moustache and kind folks donate funds to support cancer research. My moustache is now at a donation-worthy state, so I’ll be more actively seeking donations in the near future . . . Perhaps once I have some images from the relay. I am a fairly hairless guy, so this first-ever moustache attempt will also likely be my last. I’m documenting the journey (so I can show my kids someday) in photos, more of which you can find here.

(Thetis Lake photo courteousy of TT_MAC on flickr)