Trail Running at Night

Written by Rene | 23 November 2011

Tips to Staying Safe

Rene Unser

P.A.C.E. Sports Fitness

Trail running at night ramps up your adrenaline and will bring a new experience to even the most veteran trail runners. It heightens your senses and no doubt, you will notice things at night that you most certainly wouldn't notice during your day time runs... your breath, the wind, shadows etc... This often equates to making the run more exciting and can turn your old standby trail into a totally new adventure! Really though, running at night isn't that dangerous, as long as you follow a few safety tips:

Choose a Nearby and Familiar Trail

Choose a trail that is nearby, convenient and familiar. Remember that trail running is more challenging that road running. Running a trail that is familiar is important, as things appear different at night and it is easier to get disorientated.

Don't Run Alone

We have all heard this before: “There is safety in numbers”... welcome to the P.A.C.E. scene! Let us lead you on a bunch of fun adventures this winter!

Be Aware

Your perception will be off, so you may need to slow your pace and pick up your feet. Keeping your body relaxed will also help absorb any bumps and changes in terrain you don't anticipate or see. Especially when it comes to descending. Shorten your stride and keep your feet underneath you.

Navigate

Keeping your bearings at night can be one of the biggest challenges. As mentioned, run familiar areas/trails to start with and ensure that you're looking around and land-marking familiar areas so you can make your way back. Or carry a compass if you feel more comfortable. Be sure to tell someone where you’re going and how long you expect to be out for.

Gear

If you haven’t already made the switch over to trail shoes, now is the time! They offer more stability traction than a road shoe. A headlamp is mandatory to keep your hands free and allow a normal arm swing. In the winter months, always carry an extra layer and food for any otential
unseen setbacks.

Ultra (50k) Info Night with P.A.C.E. Sports Fitness

Written by Rene | 23 November 2011

With each year I see more interest in athletes wanting to test their endurance and take the next step up in the racing ranking to try a 50k Ultra.

Last year we saw a growth on the P.A.C.E. scene and out of 50 clinic participants, 15-20 of them landed in the 'ultra' training group. The remainder of the particpants trained in the 15k to 25k training groups.

This year, I have received even more requests for coaching in this distance. In an effort to continue to raise the bar and ensure that people on the PACE scene are receiving the higest quality coaching,support and personable training plans, I have decided to host an Ultra Info Night on Thursday December 1st at 6pm.

This information night is suitable for anyone considering ultra distances 50km to 100mile or stage racing. Planning for an ultra is exciting and there are lots of options! We are going to discuss these optoins and some of the following areas:

1. March, April & May (spring) Ultra race options in our area and surrounding area;
2. Training & coaching options with P.A.C.E. & Endurance Running Coach, Rene Unser;
3. What sort of committments need to be considered before deciding if an ultra is for you;
4. What does a typical training plan for an ultra look like? (please note I do not offer cookie cutter programs. Athletes I coach receive a program that is best suited for their individual needs. Experience, fitness and yearly training goals will be taken into consideration);
5. Assessing your ultra goals and selecting the best race and training avenues for you;
6. Base buliding, endurance, strength, speed and more.
7. Defining strengths and working on your weakness.

This info session is suitable for the vetran and the newbie trail runner who is interested in training for an ultra with the local off-road running specialists - P.A.C.E. Sports Fitness, in 2012.

Charity Trail Run with P.A.C.E. Sports Fitness

Written by Rene | 20 November 2011

Get in a fun trail run and support our community food bank this holiday season. Everyone can make time for a fun, social trail run that will burn some extra calories leading into the holiday feasts and give back to those in our community who have less this holiday season....

The P.A.C.E. team will be ready to lead this festive event and we will have two-three different groups (A/B/C) heading out at 8am sharp!

Everyone is welcome, however you must have some trail running experience and have a fitness base to run 1.5hrs. Trail shoes are mandatory.

Christmas Eve 8:00am to 9:30am ~ Saturday December 24, 2011 ~
Please bring 2 non-perishable food items to support the Kelowna Food Bank. http://www.kelownafoodbank.com/index.php

Crawford Power Stations (End of Stewart Road East)
Optional Fun: Dress in Holiday Colors – Red, Green, White

Telemark Ski Team Fundraiser

Written by Rene | 01 November 2011

Kelowna Cycle has planned to host a special cyclo-cross bike race in an effort to help support the Telemark Nordic Race Team. My son, Carter and lots of his good buddies are part of this team and they really need volunteers to make this event an success. All the proceeds of this event will go towards his team and will really help make a positive difference to the kids this winter.

They are hosting a Cyclocross race at Telemark this Sunday November 6th. There is more info from Mike at Kelowna Cycle below.

Thanks for considering and I hope to see you all out at the races this weekend!

Rene Unser

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This Sunday is the day of our 2nd annual Cyclocross Race. This year it is being held at Telemark XC Ski area, with all proceeds going directly to the Jr XC Race team. We are going to have a A group (racers) B Group (everybody) and a C group fun race (kids, dogs, whatever), commencing at 10 AM. We are in need of Volunteers to help with course set up, take down, BBQ, as well as lap counting and results. If you are not participating in this event (which is encouraged!), please let me know if and how you can help out! Make sure to tell your friends, get people out, and make sure this event goes off as it should! If you have anymore questions, please email me This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=277264908971127

Website: http://kelownacycle.ca/kelowna-cyclo-crawws/

The Event Details

This ride is part of the Interior Cyclo-Cross series

Date: Sunday November 6th
Registration: 9-9:30am
B’s group 10:00 am
A’s group 11:00 am

12:00 Recreation Fun race ( lots of prizes) any one and any kind of bike welcome ( must sign waiver and insurance )

BBQ, and prizes and whatever we can find before then and now.

All proceeds and any donations will go to Telemark Nordic Race Team.

You can let us know you are coming via FACEBOOK EVENT

Driving Instructions:

Telemark Cross Country Ski Club is located in West Kelowna, 9 kilometers up Glenrosa Road, on paved road. Go west (up) Glenrosa Road at the Glenrosa Road interchange (at the Gorman Mill) on Highway 97 toward Crystal Mountain. The Telemark parking lot is 3 kilometers before Crystal Mountain. There is a large Telemark sign at the entrance to our parking lot. The Telemark chalet is located 200 meters from the black parking lot gate. Telemark is a 25 minutes drive from downtown Kelowna

Trail Running Maintenance & Core Clinic Starts Tonight!

Written by Rene | 26 October 2011

It's that time of year where it starts to get dark... the cold starts to creep in and our instincts tell us to stay inside and hibernate. But you have worked so hard all year on building you fitness and endurance. So while it's a great time to cross-train, switch things up to gain strength, avoid injuries and just add variety, you don't want a year of hard work to go to pot!

P.A.C.E. Sports Fitness has created the ultimate clinic in motivational and fun this winter! Our Trail Running Maintenance and Core Builder Clinic helps athletes stay inspired, motivated and have fun keeping up their long runs as our seasons change. We have a team of eight P.A.C.E. leaders to take four different training groups out each week. So while we keep this clinic light and social, we still want to ensure you're working in the correct zones and getting the most out of your workouts. So we create different running groups based on speed, fitness, pace and personal goals.

Training times for the 15km groups is 1.5hrs and the 25km groups is 2-2.5hrs with one mondo 3hr run just before the clinic ends and we head into the festive sesaon! Participants will also receive weekly core/strength videos to work on at home and fit into their personal schedules. The videos are detailed and provide lots of options for different levels of fitness.

Getting outside doesn't have to be tough this season! Meeting the amazing people on the P.A.C.E. scene, the energetic and motivating P.A.C.E. team and all the fun adventure out there waiting will keep you moving and keep up your base heading into the New Year!

Register online: www.pacesportsfitness.com

HELL HILL

Written by Rene | 12 October 2011

The fall trail running clinic athletes are meeting at Hell Hill tonight for a 6pm sufferfest, uh I mean workout :) Do you know the 'legend' of Hell hill? Click here to read...

http://pacesportsfitness.blogspot.com/2011/07/hell-hill-legend.html