Racing the Rockies!

I thought I'd write an update about what Adam is up to because it's slightly more interesting than the swimming, biking and running activities that fill my days.

Adam left today for the Transrockies Running Race in Colorado. He is going to spend this week getting acclimated to the altitude in Boulder, then meet up with his partner for the start in Vail. It's a 6-day stage race with the lowest altitude of 7,400 feet and the highest at 12,600 ft. Yikes! The total distance they will cover is 113 miles and apparently the exact routes are kept secret until the race to maximize the adventure experience (I'm guessing this is to prevent some cardio-junkie (i.e. Adam) from pre-running the entire course!). They will be camping between stages and all meals will be provided. Of course I was worried about Adam surviving off bars and gels for a week (and I had good reason to be worried: I've witnessed him spreading a strawberry gel on toast at training camp....), so I looked up the info on the race food. Here's a sample menu of a few of their meals and lets just say I am no longer concerned...

Breakfast
Arrowhead Point Camping Resort – 6:00am to 7:30am

• Hot Oatmeal
• Diced Fruit & Berries, Whole Bananas
• Orange Juice & Cranberry Juice
• Coffee, Hot Chocolate & Herb Teas
• Fresh Scrambled Eggs with Cheddar Cheese, Country Potatoes
• Sausage & Bacon
• Vegetarian Potatoes with Onion & Peppers
• Mini Bagels, Butter, Assorted Preserves, Peanut Butter & Cream Cheese

Dinner          

Arrowhead Point Camping Resort – 5:00pm to 6:30pm

• Fajita Bar with Chicken & Steak
• Warm Flour Tortillas, Onions & Peppers, Shredded Cheddar Jack
• Cheese, Shredded Lettuce. Diced Tomatoes, Red Onion, Avocado,
• Fresh Cilantro Cole Slaw, Diced Cucumber & Fresh Lime Wedges
• Cilantro Rice w/Toasted Pine Nuts
  

I did notice though that the menu gets a little more basic as they get into the thick of things (in other words, deep into the mountains!):

Dinner

Nova Guides Lodge – 5:00pm to 6:30pm

• Dinner Salad with dressings
• Rolls
• Spaghetti with sauce
• Chicken Entree
• Rice Pilaf
  

I'm really excited for Adam as I know he has prepared well for this adventure. He's run just about every hill and mountain in southwest BC, as well as joining me on the bike, running and even in the pool...well, until his flippers went missing.... The Transrockies website should post daily updates with results so we can follow along!

And in other news, Adam's brother, Matt, who lives in Sweden, has also been involved in some endurance activities of his own. Matt competed in a 1.2 km lake swimming "race" (a family tradition). His stroke of choice? Breaststroke. HEAD-UP. For 1.2 km. In board shorts. Yep, I'd say that is VERY impressive!! 

AND, Wendy and Randy have been busy with dragon boat competitions. We went down to the inner harbour to watch the races this weekend. Go Blazing Paddles!!

One of my favourite poodles happened to be on patrol that day....