Trail Running Blog

For those looking for a running vacation in Northern California this looks amazing. My wife and I are heading down there for our honeymoon and are going to check it out.

The Ultimate Running Experience at Cavallo Point
Dean Karnazes, The Ultramarathon Man

September 28 - October 1, 2008
About the Program

Dean Karnazes has run literally thousands of miles on roads, trails, coastlines, mountains, but his favorite spot in the world is Cavallo Point’s backyard — the Marin Headlands. Dean was named by Time magazine as one of the “Top 100 Most Influential People in the World” in 2006. The January 2007 cover of Outside magazine hailed him as “America’s Greatest Runner.” An internationally-recognized endurance athlete and bestselling author, Dean has pushed his body and mind to inconceivable limits. Join the Ultramarathon Man for three days of running fun. You explore the area’s captivating backroads and trails, receive valuable training and nutrition tips, and become inspired and motivated to keep going farther than you ever thought possible.
At-a-Glance

• The adventure is approximately 20 guests.
• The week begins with dinner on Sunday night and ends after breakfast Wednesday.
• The fee is $1765 and includes the program with Dean, all meals, a cooking/nutrition demonstration, and a copy of Dean’s book.
• Lodging is separate; please see our accommodations page for details or contact our reservations staff.

Highlights

Begin each day with an invigorating yoga class and a healthy buffet breakfast * Head out Monday morning into Cavallo Point’s backyard - the Marin Headlands — for a 5 to 10 mile run through some of the most beautiful scenery in Northern California * Learn fitness and running tips along the way * Enjoy lunch al fresco at Cavallo Point * Schedule a sports massage in the Healing Arts Center & Spa, explore the Cavallo Point environs or take a nap * Tuesday is another day of adventure - after a morning yoga class, run to Tennessee Valley along the Coastal Trail * After a well-deserved lunch, learn running nutrition tips and recipes in a demonstration cooking class led by Dean * Feast on a farewell reception and dinner replete with fresh, farm-grown ingredients.

http://www.cavallopoint.com/

For those looking for a job associated with your trail running passion check out this posting from Montrail/Mountain Hardwear:

General Position Summary

Develop and execute Montrail event programs, athlete sponsorships and promotional programs to effectively increase awareness of the Montrail brand and strengthen the Montrail image. Support the Promotions Project Manager in all areas of operations with a focus on the Montrail Brand. Contribute to the development and implementation of promotions strategies for all product lines.

http://www.mountainhardwear.com/CareerOpportunities.aspx

I have a few ideas for Montrail I wonder if I should submit my CV…

This is for the neo-geography nerds. Google Maps has added another cool feature: countour lines to the terrain mode.

Here is a track from a run I did up to Grouse Mountain from my apartment in the West End of Vancouver.

View Larger Map

The Canadian Mountain Running team is going to have a very solid team this year lead by Ryan Hayden who is a very talented track and road runner. Will be interesting to see how they fair at the NACAC.

Six Canadian mountain runners will head to Tepatitlan, Jalisco, Mexico, on June 15th for the 5th NACAC mountain running championships. The Canadian Mountain and Trail Running Association (CTMRA) selected Ryan Hayden, Adam Campbell, Jason Loutitt, Olivia Yuel, Courtney Harcott and Brooke Spence to represent Canada in this 13km uphill race against top mountain runners from host Mexico, and the USA.

Ryan Hayden has the widest range of any Canadian climber. The sub-4 miler and 1:04 half marathoner was also part of the second place team in the 2007 Gore-Tex Transalpine-Run, setting a course record in the hill-sprint stage. He also represented Canada at the IAAF world cross country championships in 2004.

More information at: http://www.mountainrunning.ca/

A lot of trail runners are mapping nerds including myself. We track our runs using a GPS then upload our GPS tracks to Google Maps and embed in our weblogs. Now imagine if you could do this in real time. This could provide a safety advantage if something happened during your epic run someone could easily find you. Well it looks like there is a company that offers that solution now they are called Spot Messenger it looks like a pretty impressive product. Here is the companies promo:

With the SPOT Satellite Messenger, you and your loved ones have peace of mind knowing help is always within reach. SPOT is the only device of its kind, using the GPS satellite network to acquire its coordinates, and then sending its location – with a link to Google Maps – and a pre-programmed message via a commercial satellite network. And unlike Personal Locator Beacons, SPOT does more than just call for help. Tracking your progress, checking in with loved ones, and non-emergency assistance are also available, all at the push of a button. And because it uses 100% satellite technology, SPOT works around the world – even where cell phones don’t.

The product is seems reasonably priced at $169.99 (that does not include service fees of $99.99 dollars a year for basic service charges and $49.99/yr to do live tracking).

I know there are cheaper ways to do this but they take a lot of “technical” skills setting up a GPS gateway, purchasing a GPS tracking device, setting up your Google Map web page etc, which is a lot of work.

I think this will be a definite purchase for me before this summers “epics” it will make me feel safe/secure while I am out there on my own.