TGIF!

  By Solana Klassen | May 24, 2013 - 1:29 PM |
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Wow, this week flew by!  And really, come to think of it, this month is flying by!  Hard to believe it’s the last weekend of May already.  I’ve been looking forward to this weekend for a while now, and for 3 very different reasons!

  1. First up is Nikki‘s first ultra marathon, a 55km mostly on roads from Chilliwack to Abbostford, happening tomorrow!!  I will be there following her around, crewing for her, maybe even running with her – whatever she needs to cross the finish and earn her well deserved celebratory cupcakes from Heather!
  2. Saturday night is the Birthday celebration for another dear friend, also named Nicky!  (So thankful for the different spellings…) Anyways, looking forward to seeing and catching up with Nicky with a Y!
  3. Sunday I’m racing the Iron Knee!!  In previous years I’ve run the Tender Knee (10-12 km version) but this year I’m graduating to big sister, the 24-25 km race from Grouse to Deep Cove!  I know there will be lots of familiar faces out on Sunday – it’s almost sold out – package packet registration ONLY – and it’s almost all on my fave type of technical downhill trails – STOKED!  In case you were wondering, the elevation profile looks like this…

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And yes I think I’ll be wearing my new skirt to race on Sunday!

What’s up for you this weekend?  What are you excited for or looking forward to? 

xoxo

-S

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Salomon Stamina Skort Review

  By Solana Klassen | May 23, 2013 - 10:32 PM |
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Last week, the Salomon West Vancouver store had a special sale for their preferred customers, so Mom and I headed over to look into getting her a pair of trail runners.  She’s been slip sliding a bit on the Grind recently, and she’s interested in doing more trail running, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to grab her a pair of shoes at a steal of a deal!

Spoiler : Momma got a sweet pair of Hornets, and I scored something even better (at least I think it’s better…!!)

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As you know, I don’t like to do reviews on my blog unless I have “beast tested” a product, and really believe in both the product and the company.  I bought a Salomon running skirt, and I’ve already worn my skirt a bunch of times (every single time I’ve run since buying it), and I am completely in love with it, so I have to share!

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Buckin’ Hell – CMTS – 20km Trail Race – Race Recap

  By Solana Klassen | May 22, 2013 - 10:23 AM | ,
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My 9th race of 2013 came fast on the heels of #8 last weekend at 5Peaks Golden Ears, and it was quite a different race.  First off, it’s the first race I’ve ever run that A) Had the name HELL in it B) Started in a CHURCH parking lot and C) Had a break in between sections of running.  Yep, just a bit out of the ordinary…it was Buckin’ Hell!

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Spoiler alert :  There are very few words that can adequately describe Saturday’s race, and the word “epic” and “insane” are probably 2 of the closest…it was a crazy morning, but a great morning nonetheless!

Check out my full recap & some fabulous pictures, like the one above, from the very talented Rob Shaer!

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Grouse Grind is OPEN!

  By Solana Klassen | May 17, 2013 - 3:09 PM |
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In case you missed the announcement last week, the Grouse Mountain Grind is now open for the season!!

Mom, Hilary, Cathy, and myself headed up on Monday after work, and we had a great grind.

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The 1st grind of the season, is always tough, so we decided to take it a bit easy, and have what we call a “Grind&Chat” meaning that we go at a steady speed, but a speed at which we can talk as we climb.  This is a great way to ease yourself back into the grind, instead of trying to kill yourself first time out.

I also took the time to snap a couple shots along the way.  Since normally I can barely breathe, it was refreshing to take our time, and be able to take some photo’s to document the trail for those of my readers outside of Vancouver.

Click on in to see my photos…

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5Peaks – Golden Ears – 14km Trail Race – Race Recap

  By Solana Klassen | May 17, 2013 - 12:55 PM | ,
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My 8th race of 2013, was also the first in the 5 Peaks Trail Running series for this summer.

2013 5 Peaks BC Golden Ears-4

Spoiler alert :  We had a big group, and we had a blast!  The weather was perfect, the course was challenging without being insane, and we all ran to our heart’s desire!  GREAT TIME!

Check out my full recap & some fabulous pictures, like the one above, from the very talented Rob Shaer!

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3 Days on the Trails, in a ROW, say it ain’t SO!

  By Solana Klassen | May 13, 2013 - 10:59 PM | ,
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I have to say, I’m quickly getting over what happened last weekend, distracted by the fact that I’ve spent the last 3 days on the trails, yep, on the trails, in the woods, where I belong.  Me and my Salomon Speedcross’ have been living it up!

38 kms filled with roots, rocks, streams, mud, dirt, rain, sunshine, bridges, waterfalls, and it was FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC.  I am so in love with the last few days of engrossing myself in the wilderness, pushing my limits, and getting back to nature.  Essentially, getting back to myself.

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Guest Post – Momma’s Race Recap of the BMO Vancouver Half Marathon 2013

  By Solana Klassen | May 12, 2013 - 9:43 PM | , ,
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So, apparently it is time for another GUEST BLOG from Momma (that’s me)!  This past Sunday, I ran my first ever BMO Half Marathon in Vancouver! LOVED the course, you can’t beat our beautiful city when the sun shines.

I had registered for BMO quite a while ago while I was enjoying the beaches in Mexico as I felt I needed some motivation to keep me active while on extended vacay plus I thought it would be a good course for my second ever half Marathon.

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SPOILER ALERT! I finished in 1:56:23, that is a new PR for me (by 1:39) and I was 1st out of 63 in my AG so I won GOLD in my 1st ever BMO race!!!

Continue reading “Guest Post – Momma’s Race Recap of the BMO Vancouver Half Marathon 2013” »

What’s Beautiful : Under Armour Campaign

  By Solana Klassen | May 10, 2013 - 1:02 PM |
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Hey guys!  I’m so excited to have discovered a new movement that Under Armour is behind for encouraging female athletes to push their limits and re-define what’s beautiful.

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I’m part of a sponsored campaign for the What’s Beautiful program and I’d love for you to join the movement with me here.  It’s all about goal setting, pushing out of our comfort zones, and achieving success together.

I’ve got so many ideas brewing, and I’ve decided to focus my goal on helping women, and women in my community especially, to get outside, discover the amazing place we live, and embrace the outdoors.  I’m still working on the details, but I’m thinking of focusing on 2-3 events that are near and dear to my heart, and on my list of favorite summertime things to do.  I will post more details as soon as I can, but for now, I challenge you to do a few things!

  • head over to the What’s Beautiful Campaign & get yourself signed up – your goal can be ANYTHING.  From running a race, to doing 10 minutes of yoga a day, to doing the Grouse Grind X number of times over the summer, be creative and true to yourself, but try to set yourself a BIG goal, make it achievable, but so you have to work for it!
  • start thinking of ways you’d like to get outside and embrace the outdoors.  I’d love to hear your ideas.
  • if you have June 8 or June 15 free on your calendar, pencil it in to participate in a local race with me!!  I promise, details with regards to pricing and registration soon!

xoxo

-S

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