Bootcampin' it in the c-c-c-c-c-cold!

When I went to sleep last night, the wind was whipping around the lawn chairs on my back porch. The rain was pelting against my window. And I had no doubt that when I awoke at 5:00 AM to the din of my alarm clock, it was not going to be an ideal day for outdoor bootcamp.

I got dressed, made a power smoothie, let the dog out, and 45 minutse later suited up in 4 layers to brave an hour of outdoor push-ups, tricep dips, squats, and lunges in some of the worst workout weather yet.

The air was brisk. It was a balmy -5ºC. The stairs to my front door and the pathway to the sidewalk were frozen over with a thin sheath of ice. I balanced poorly as I "whoa whoa whoooooaaaa"ed my way to the car. I hoped in. The windshield was buried under a 1/4 inch of ice. I sat in my car as the defroster chugged away, like an Ontarian idiot who *may* have sold her ice scraper because she thought it never snowed in Vancouver. 15 minutes later, the ice had sufficiently melted and the condensation subsided. And I cautiously nudged my way across the bridge to meet my crazy bootcamp crew.

10 of us showed up this morning. about 50%. Not a bad turnout considering the sub-zero temperatures and our collective desire to stay in bed this morning.

Having arrived feeling good about my ability to forgo more sleep for a painstakingly difficult workout in the arctic tundra (ok. that's an embellishment), I was heftily rewarded by a brilliant view. Our workout locaiton is oceanside, in English Bay by the marina. The ocean, this morning, was so still. It mirrored the early morning lights of land perfectly. So much so that you couldn't tell where land ended and water began. It was delicious.

I felt immediately motivated.

Our coach quickly hoarded up our water bottles in his backpack and decided to make today's bootcamp "mobile!"

"Run to the Casino!" he said and pointed about a kilometre down the seawall trail toward the bright lights of the water front monstrosity. We ran. The cold air clung to my lungs. I felt alive.

At the Casino, we did Leg Ups on the stairs, some agility work between the 30 or so flag poles, Knee Ups, and more.

"Ok. To the stadium!" coach yelled.

And we hustled off the BCE Place, the local sports stadium, where we quickly found ourselves racing up and down four flights of concrete stairs. Our reward for accomplishing this task? Squats, lunges, and more stair running.

The day went on like this.
running and intervals. I didn't stand still once.
7:00 AM rolled around quickly and unexpectedly.

At first, I was glad to see the minute hand reach 12. I was exhausted. My legs were on fire. My energy was spent.
Then I was bummed: todays workout was brilliant.
I had forgotten about the cold (I even stripped off two layers mid-workout) and just fully embraced the day.

It's beautiful here. Even at 6:00 AM on a frosty morning when the moon shines brighter than the sun.

Lessons learned from the rain.

There is a silver lining to ever cloud. That's how the cliché goes, I think. But it's a cliché for a reason. Mostly, because it's true.

It's officially rainy season in Vancouver. And, as I've written many times, it rains... a lot. Days and days without a trace of sun or sky. Just big grey clouds hanging low over Vancouver soaking it with a constant shower of wet drizzle. To the outsider, this can seem – and sound – like a drepressing existence to say the least.

But it's not. Not at all. Here's why:

1. When it is raining in Vancouver, it is snowing in mountains.
This is GREAT news! Especially when you are surrounded by peak after peak after peak of white powdery snow for skiing, snowboarding, snoeshoeing, snow tubing, and more. It's a winter sport paradise.
On one wet and wooly morning in Vancouver, at a balmy 4ºC last week, Paul and I grabbed our winter gear, and headed to
Whistler, an hour and a half up the Sea to Sky highway. After 40 mins, the rain had turned to snow; the tree were dusted with white frosting, and the mountain tops glistened. It was beautiful. In Whistler, snowboarders and skiers were in heaven and populated the slopes with their fancy carving and colourful gear. It was -1ºC at the base; -10ºC at the top. Perfect for some winter fun!

2. When it's raining in Vancouver, the sunsets are to die for!
The great thing about clouds is that they spice up the canvas of every sunset. And, when it's raining, the clouds are constantly moving, so the horizon is always a miraculous concoction of oranges, reds, pinks, greys, and blacks. It's better than any painting in any museum that i have ever seen. (And I've seen a lot of paintings).

Last week, we took these pictures after a rain-soaked (but beautiful) walk through Stanley Park, a 1,000-acre urban park bordering downtown Vancouver. It's the third largest park in North America and home to half a million trees – towering Douglas Firs, ancient Cedars, beautiful maples, and more!
We hiked around the seawall, and took these photos at several places: Prospect Point, the Southern Seawall, and in front of a little fish restaurant nestled in the trees.
Believe me, you totally forget it's raining when you feast your eyes on beauty like this!


In fact, I can't wait until it rains again!
(which should be today, and tomorrow, and the next day!!)

One beautiful day in November

After a week of grey drizzle and sunless days, the big bright ball appeared on Monday through the clouds. I was out for a run at 7 AM by the ocean trail. For the first time in a week I could actually see the tops of the mountains I so desperately love. With the clouds lifted, I could see that even the closest mountains were dusted with snow and that winter was on its way.

The air was crisp. The breeze was fresh. My pace was fast. I was inspired.

I ran home and woke Paul. "We must climb!!!" I said jumping on the bed in excitement.
Weary, he smiled and woke up.

"Come see," I chimed. "It's beautiful outside!!!"

We took Beamer for a small jaunt back down to the ocean so Paul could see the proof himself: Moutains + sun + 10 degree weather. The conditions for a hike were perfect!

We packed the car, donned our gear, and headed up the coast toward Squamish, and one of my favourite ascents. The Chief.

Not a hiker (not by choice but by location) Paul was excited but had trepidation.
As we rounded a mountainous ess curve into Squamish, the Chief loomed high, 610 meters of solid rock face above the road.
"That's beautiful" Paul gasped and took this picture from the car.


"I'm glad you think so," I smiled. "Because we're going to climb it!"
He gulped.
"That???"
"Yep."
"You're a crazy woman," he said and laughed nervously.

I pulled into the base parking lot and we set forth.

Unlike the times this past summer when I ascended this rock, the trail was not littered with other hikers only a few others came out on this miraculous November morn to partake in the Chief's beauty. So, periodically, Paul and I were entirely alone on our hike. Which was sensational.

After an hour of climbing over tree roots, stepping up rocks, scaling ladders, and using chains to summit the final rock, we made it to the top.

We were the only ones there.
The wind was chilling.
The sky was blue.
The snow capped mountains in the distance were something from a fairytale.
We had lunch.
It was awesome.

There is no better place to have a picnic lunch, I guarantee you, than the top of a mountain, all alone, on a sunny day in November. Cheese and crackers never tasted so good!