Vegas....meh!

'Sin City', should be renamed 'Ripoff City'. Everything is overpriced, the hotels steer you where they want you to go, hidden fees, ect ect...
My Starbucks coffee, a tall Pike is usually $1.74 in Vancouver, Vegas price...$3.50, and you can't even get a refill(even though they take registered Starbucks cards). Pastries were double the price, and the bastards even charged me for a cup of hot water. They rang it up as 'ice water' and then charged me a shitty $1.00 for it!
It was nearly impossible to get their wifi also. RIPOFF!!
Our hotel was Bally's. It's best days are long gong. Although its centrally located on the strip the hotel doesn't have much going for it. A smoke filled casino, so so rooms(no ability to be self sufficient with no tea kettle, no mini fridge, no kitchen things), and an extra $15 per night for a 'resort fee'. The resort fee is for use off the hotel gym and wifi for ONE device in the room...RIPOFF!!
Basically we did a couple long winded strolls down the main drag, took in some of the free shows, then decided to rent a car so we could get outta town for a bit. We took off for Red Rock Canyon for a day, which was nice cause I got out for a little trail run, and then we went to Hoover Dam and Las Vegas Chinatown for another day.
I got some small runs in, but mostly R&R'd it for the trip. The girls enjoyed it mostly because it was a 'different' place, but I think we all would have been happier if we went camping or hiking somewhere not so 'over the top'.
Las Vegas is great if your into choosing amongst ten thousand over priced restaurants to eat from, smoke filled cheesy casinos, crowded sidewalks going to nowhere, stag and stagget parties, and dodging morbidly obese fat Americans. For us it wasn't a great idea for a holiday.
Vegas...meh...

Off to Sin City

Vegas baby..that's what I'm talkin bout!
It's been years for me, since I've been to this over the top neon city of debauchery. For my wife and her daughter I think it will be a 'trip' they could never have imagined.
First we have to make it to Seattle.
After my relentless night shift I came home, packed up my bags and woke up the girls, then off we went walking with backpacks strapped on and got a bus to the skytrain, then skytrain to the city centre bus station. As I write we're fueling up with a Starbucks coffee and waiting for the coach bust to take us to downtown Seattle. Tomorrow we fly to Las Vegas!!

Smarties

Trouble afoot. Runners have ugly feet, calluses, blisters, black toe nails, just a few of the main culprits. What better way to cover those black toenails than to have your 8 year old daughter paint them up smarty style.
She was happy, I let her pic the colours out, we sat out on the back balcony on a beautiful spring day and she went to town on my lower digits.
We don't have to live with this curse, brighten those bad boys up, put some colour on down there. Black toenails no more, for me...or at least until I stop ultra running.

About a month to go and then I get my feet wet with a 100k race. I'm not ready, I know I'm not...I will suffer and it will hurt. I will question why I run long distances and I will bask in my mental rainbow of pleasure and pain.

A busy day

Woke at 5:20am to do a longish morning run, it was 3 hrs of hell. For one I hate morning runs and for two, the day previous I did a full on leg workout along with another 13km, my legs felt like cinder blocks. I got 22km in which totally sucks.

Then we rushed off to day trip on Bowen Island.
What a great little escape from the city, and it's only 20 min by the Ferry. A few quaint shops littler the small but hilly islands population of 4000 tree huggers. We walked up to the Artisian area and had a great lunch in a Deli shop. After lunch we just strolled around, relaxing, walking and talking.
Upon getting home Helen wanted to go for a run to see the sunset off Iona Pier strip, so another 10 was added into my day for a total distance of 32 km for the day.
It was a great day, so happy to be with the ones I love ...and my legs are tired.

Mountain

My escape, my solace, my happiness.

I truly believe that once you experience the beauty of the mountain it will never leave you. Big open miles of sky, brilliant sunrises, jaw dropping sunsets. A cathedral of beauty, deathly private, welcoming to all, the mountain is my religion.
Time to explore, not only the mountain but ME! Finding inner peace and simplicity.
Take me too the mountain...

Signed up!

I need a qualifier for a race I really want to do next year. My qualifier needs to be either two 50mile races or a 100km race. I chose the 100km distance. I'm not a huge person for racing or competition, my competition is always within myself, my brain against my body, battling a love hate relationship with the trail, mountain, elements. I do like to see how I measure up against others and I do and have had a lot of great experiences at different types of races. From triathlon(sprint, Olympic, ironman)marathons, open water swim races, mountain bike racing, road racing. Trail running races are by far the most fun for me. Thus this is what I have pursued for the last couple years.
My big race for 2014 is 'Ultra Trail Mt Fuji'. A 100 mile circumnavigation of one of the most iconic mountains anywhere in this world. I have not run a 100 mile race before, I have wanted to knock this distance off for quite some time, in 2014 it WILL happen, in Japan.
In order to compete in a race such as this you don't and can't just sign up. You have to prove that your capable of being allowed in a race like this. It's not for the newbie, it's not for the OCD bucket list gym fanatic. It's for the person who has payed his dues, respects the mountain and trails, who wants to truly see what his body and mind can do, and it's for the person who has a passion for running.
Running is a passion that I have always had, it's true forward momentum of just you and your body, no mechanized machinery to fail and let you down, no skis that you need skills to operate, no device to put on your feet or in your hands, just you, your body and your will power to keep going.
I will compete in the Elk Lake 100km trail running ultra in early May. I have a lot of work to do. I have a good base but I really need to extend that long run. Time on feet is what I need to work at, running on tired legs, going when the tank is empty. I hope to work on this aspect over the next two months.
Tomorrow I'm off to the north shore to get a long hilly run in, hopefully I can get a solid 4-5 hours on the Baden Powell trail. I will follow this up with a recovery bike ride the day after and another longish run on Friday...Saturday is back to work for my four days.
I guess I should go get my shit together for tomorrow then...