I headed up North to the North Shore of Vancouver in British Columbia this weekend as I prepare for the World Trail Running Championships in two weeks in Hawaii. Needless to say the weather in North Vancouver does not really match the weather I will face in Hawaii.
The Phantom Trail race featured a 24 kilometer event with mud, steep inclines, slippery turns, wet rocks, roots, and of course gravity defying downhills on the slopes of Mt. Seymour, Pre-race I started with some Garden of Life Raw Protein and almond milk, chocolate of course. I've been very happy with the energy I receive pre-race with the raw protein as well as fucoProtein bars.
Nerves set in a little as I started my commute to the mountain. I knew the course record was around 1:46. With that in mind I set off into the cold rain and found myself facing a huge challenge from a local elite trail runner heading into the 3k mark. At this point the course takes a major turn and a steep incline begins from Lynn Valley towards the famous Baden-Powell Trail of North Vancouver.
I made a hard surge back into the lead up one of the many climbs ascending wooden stairs as we passed 4k. This move was pivotal in my push to win and also break the course record. I hit the halfway mark well ahead of the record, but if you know trail/mountain races you know that things can quickly change. Change they did...Up, down, up, down, technical rock patch, creek crossing, oops wrong turn...etc. Heading into 20k I sprained my ankle pretty bad and had to limp around for a few minutes and get my mind re-focused as the loud "pop" from my ankle after a high drop from a rock bridge really got the blood pumping.
Into the last kilometer I checked back to see if the win was in the bag, a sigh of relief followed. I was able to break the old record by nearly 5 minutes en-route to a demanding victory where the top two runners both ran under the old record. Following the race I employed the "secret recovery blend". This blend is vital post-race. I will reveal the secret but, shhhh (:
Being that I sprained my ankle and my quads were starting to get a little inflamed from the pounding of the steep downhills I took 1 capsule of Minami Nutrition's MorEPA Platinum, which offers a mega dose of Omega 3 to really help with the onset of inflammation post-race. Next, due to the scar tissue that is left behind from sprains and also gunk from sore muscles I use a few capsules of Wobenzym, which is a great alternative to anti-inflammatory medicines and supports the body's natural inflammation response! Wobenzym has worked great for me by helping speed recovery as it features enzymes that break down scar tissues and proteins that cause fatigue and muscle stiffness. Now its back home to finish the final touches of training for the World Trail Running Championships. 2 weeks and counting....
Results
For more on Sponsored Athlete Joseph Gray go to www.joegeezi.blogspot.com or follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/joegeezi