Minus (Two Thousand And) Seven

It is still quite cold here. -7 to be exact. I have forgotten what it is like to train in Ontario in the winter. And by train I mean sit inside and drink hot chocolate.

Now that I have laid out the goals for 2008, I thought it would be fun to review my 2007.

My Best Race - Around the Bay 30k, Hamilton ON

I ran a surprising 1:49:05, surpassing my goal by 2 minutes, and feeling like a million bucks while doing. I waited for the other shoe to drop, but it never did.

My Worst Race - Royal Victoria Marathon, Victoria BC

Two years later and I ran within 30 seconds of the time of my first marathon. The 2:59:38 did not sit well when 2:40 was the goal. Still haven't figured out the cramping issue, but I am taking steps toward determining the solution.

Most Scenic Race - Laugavegur 55k Ultra Marathon, Iceland

I had wanted to go to Iceland for many years and this summer it all happened. It was an amazing experience and definitely humbled me. The picture at the top of the page was taken by Christophe, my new French friend, while we were running (or, as you can see, I was hiking). It was like running through a painting, except for the part where I was running on the moon.

Most Fun Race - Comfortably Numb 25k, Whistler BC

An amazing race on a great trail. Four of us finishing within one minute of each other. All of us under the old course record. And just the most amazing downhill running with JF Robert. So much fun!

Breakthrough Race - Gunner Shaw Victoria

This was my first race after training with VFAC and the workouts showed. I was running with guys that are usually a pack (or two) in front of me. I know that it being a trail race was to my benefit, but I was still pretty stoked to be running near guys like Stefan Jakobsen, Jim Finlayson, and Eric Findlay. This was a big step for me and I am excited to see how this translates to the road.


Overall, 2007 was a very good year for me. I equalled my PB for 10k (34:05) even though I was sick. I set a PB in the 30k. I set personal course records for a number of trail races. I ran in six different countries. I (knock wood) was not injured and thus consistent training allowed for good performances. I am looking forward to 2008 and seeing how the new training and racing environment will influence my running.