GoRuck Training

The thought of being unprepared for GoRuck is something that weighs on me daily. I know that on their website they say, "Don't take the Challenge so seriously, Go for a run or two, have fun, and just do it. It's all mental." However after seeing all the videos on Youtube and reading some blogs, I think I'm going to have to do a little more than that.

Grenadier Pond in High Park

First snowy ride of the year

When I checked the weather report last night, it said -22°C with the windchill. As my wife groaned, I smiled and walked towards the hooks that hold all of my PCU. After getting used to biking in cold weather and seeing patterns in my cold weather clothing diary, I knew that I'd need more than just a grid fleece and a softshell.

 
On the inside I made plans to wear what I was going to wear to work, a T-Shirt, a pair of Volcom pants and a normal pair of socks. The next layer was a thin thermal hoodie from MEC. My insulating layer would be my PCU level 3 fleece. My vapour barrier would be my PCU level 4 wind shirt. My outer layer would be my level 5 softshell pants and jacket.

Applied Orange Combat Socks - First Impressions

About a month ago Applied Orange sent me a pair of High Performance Combat Socks to test and review. They knew I was training for GoRuck, and very kindly sent a pair my way to review.

The first thing that I noticed about these socks is that there is one sock labelled "L" and one labeled "R". I've never had a pair of sock that specialized before. I pulled them on, and laughed to myself remembering that they were marketed as knee-high design. They weren't kidding! These socks were designed to extend over an 8 inch combat boot.

I've never really had a problem with the durability of socks around the toe, but the heel is definitely the first place my socks start pilling and falling apart. Knowing that the toe and heel are reinforced with Cordura yarn gives me confidence that these socks are built to last. Another material that is used in the sock's construction is COOLMAX. This fabric helps move perspiration away from your foot, through the sock, where it can evaporate quickly. I've purchased a few other socks from Wigwam that utilize COOLMAX and have been very happy, so already I knew I was in for a treat with these socks.

OXFAM 100km Trailwalker - Part 1

In 2011 I was surfing around of Facebook and noticed some pictures coming through from the OXFAM 100km Trailwalker event. I saw one of my buddies with his feet taped up, laying on his back with his feet rested against the side of a car. I was immediately intrigued. I clicked through some of the pictures and was excited to see that they were still in the middle of the event and that photos were coming in as they got to the checkpoints. I was amazed. 100 kilometres is something that I had never fathomed possible. First of all I have a love hate relationship with walking. In the city, it's probably one of my least favourite things to do. After experiencing the speed and fun of skateboarding, inline skating and cycling, walking is… slow… and boring. However up north, walking is sometimes a means to get somewhere that is not accessible by car. Walking usually means adventure, not something routine like going to the store to grab groceries. Also, walking in Toronto never really required me to go further than 2-3 kilometres at a time. So seeing pictures of my friend embarking on a 100km challenge was mind boggling. The furthest I had ever gone unassisted by a motor was about 65km on my bicycle when I rode to Canada's Wonderland and back. Being the sucker for punishment that I am, and after being glued to my computer so I could see all the updates from my buddy's walk, I knew I had to try this.

Moon River Falls

It took a while, but after a few debates, we decided on Moon River Falls for our Canada day long weekend destination. We had tossed around ideas ranging from the campgrounds in the Adirondacks, to Algonquin. In the end though, finding something close to Toronto and free pointed us in the direction of Crown Land. Matthias and I dropped off my wife, daughter and my good buddy Benson at our insertion point to the forest, and we went to Moon Basin Marina to park the car. When we met up and started hauling our gear into the forest three things became painfully apparent. The horse files and mosquitos were out in full force, lugging enough beer for a long weekend is very heavy, and it was hot… very hot.

Nike Air Pegasus+ 27 GTX - First Impressions

I will be participating in the OXFAM 100k Trailwalker event this summer. I finally settled on the Nike Air Pegasus+ 27 GTX in mid February. I have been doing a lot of training in High Park and noticed that after about a month, the soles started separating from the shoe! I took them back to The Running Room where I purchased them, and they ordered a new pair for me. I was reassured that it was unusual that they fell apart like that. 

Oakley Flack Jacket XLJ Review

I'll admit that when I saw Travis Haley in the Dynamic Handgun video wearing the Oakley Flag Jackets it planted the seed. Over the years my eyes have betrayed me and degraded to the point that I need prescription glasses. I should mention that if I did not have vision benefits with my job I would have never dreamed of getting prescription Oakleys, but I was eligible, so I figured why not?

I own two pairs of non-prescription Oakley A-Frame goggles, and a pair of Frogskin sunglasses. So I'm used to playing Oakley prices. The reason I keep buying though, is because I really notice the difference in quality between Oakley and the competition. When it comes to comfort and optics for sports, I haven't seen a company that can beat them.