KNEE KNACKER 2011

Aside from the brand spankin new sport of Box Lacrosse that is on my agenda for the summer, I also am doing the KNEE KNACKER trail race. This race is 50 K through the wicked trails of the North Shore, that follows the Baden Powell from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove. I was lucky enough to "win the lottery" which gains me entry into this famous race!

I enlisted the help of a very good patient and uber-talented trail running athlete Gary Robbins to get me started. Here's one of our first conversations when discussing the plan for training for this knee knacker:

JT: OK, so I gotta ask you about this potential health "thing" I have going on when I am running in the trails?

GR: well Dr. Jenn, I would say that you are typically the expert when it comes to this type of thing.. but shoot...

JT: ok.. when I start to go up a hill, my heart rate just skyrockets, I get waaay outta breath and my legs SERIOUSLY feel like they are gonna fall off.. like SERIOUS!

GR: ummm... Jenn, you are running up a mountain.... and you are a bit outta shape...

JT: NO WAY.. we run LOTS of hills in IRONMAN.. it can't POSSIBLY be that...

GR: hmmmmmm....

And when I compare some of the elevations of Ironman... (piddly) to some of these monster hills... that GR calls "mountains", I have to admit... GR is right... (and THAT is why I have chosen HIM to coach me!)

So I have a program and all is looking really good! I am running numerous days in a row compared to ironman training, and I LOVE it! Here are a brief list of my goals for this EXPERIENCE of KNEE KNACKERing....

1. Get out and train with the Knee Knacker Group- new people, new perspectives, new knowledge, these trail runners are a whole different BREED of people and I kinda like them so far!!

2. Put my body and brain (yet again) outside of my comfort zone and learn new skills and challenge my limits.

3. Take advantage of the AMAZING backyard we are given here on the North Shore! I am truly flabbergasted at the amount of trails that we have here on the north shore and have a brand new appreciation for trail maintenance and upkeep, as I can't believe the network of trails there are!

4. Do something that I haven't done before, something EPIC, that will lead to something else epic!

5. NEW GEAR!! haha, triathletes top the list for having the most gear, but some of the trail running gear is WAY cooler!

Stay tuned for my adventure with the KNEE KNACKER running group, as it is quite amazing that I am still not trying to find my way out of the bush after being quite humbled on my first experience on the knee knacker trails!