Liesbeth Halbertsma is born and raised in The Netherlands, and lived and worked 14 years on the Caribbean island Sint Maarten. She has been passionate about healthy foods most of her life, being a long time vegetarian, organic food freak and plant-based whole food eater since two years.
She is a mother of two boys, and loves to spend time with her family. She can be found running or hiking with the dog on the trails, browsing farmers markets, or cooking vegan meals.
Since the kids were very young the family went on hiking holidays in the Alps, Italy, Dominica, the Appalachian or the Rockies, and many other beautiful areas.
Liesbeth has a masters degree of the University of Amsterdam, and has had many different jobs, from editing and designing to managing a business. She is currently having time off, and works on a book and a website.
Growing up in Collingwood, Ontario was like an amazing adventure with so many active things to do. With the ski hill formed by the Niagara Escarpment and it’s huge network of hiking trails, Georgian Bay and all the other opportunities for fitness it was and is a great place to live. So when the North Face Endurance Challenge rolled into town for it’s only Canadian stop I jumped at the opportunity to run on my home turf where I knew pretty much everyone!
With Dean Karnazes!
Pre Race
On the Thursday before the race I had the pleasure of joining the group who did a quick 5k trail run with Dean Karnazes! For those who may not know, some of Dean’s amazing feats include running 50 marathons in 50 days across the USA, finishing the Badwater ultra marathon across Death Valley – the hottest place on earth and a 3 day run that saw him sleep running on the 2nd night!
We set off on the run and I had a chance to talk to Dean who for all his fame is a truly humble ambassador of the sport. He actually remembered me from our talk last year which I find incredible given how many people he meets each year. We ran down “the Grind” which is a trail that we would be running up on the Saturday morning, twice in the case of the 50 miler. So great to share running stories with a great runner like Dean. I hope to see him at the Sinister 7 race in the summer of 2016 which he said was one he would like to do.
Climbing the Grind
Race Day!
The day of the race came quickly and I was ready. I was sure my training was in place and taper had gone well. The only concern I had was the severe heat and humidity warning issued by Environment Canada for the day. That plus the remnants of a stomach bug I had gotten Wednesday before the race.
The alarm went early at 3:45 am and I was mobilized getting my peanut butter and honey toast eaten and already drinking fluids. The cooler and my war chest of stuff I need like fresh clothes, alternate hats, shoes etc was ready.
Start to 12.5k
The start of the GoreTex 50 miler came in two waves at 5 am and 5:02 am to try and reduce crowding on the trails. I left in the 5:02 am wave and picked my way across from the Blue Mountain Village to a trail called “The Grind” which climbs the ski hill to the top. At the top we traversed to the Bruce trail Mission road segment and up the 6th st. extension. After passing the 1st aid station the heat of the day was already above 25 C. We continued through the forest trails as the first light of day highlighted some of the trees in a ruddy reddish hue. The sunrise in the forest was truly spectacular!
We descended through more winding forest trails that took us to the top of Southern Comfort trail where aid station #2 was located. I was trying to hide queasy feeling from the stomach bug I had contracted 3 days earlier. I forced down my magic mixture of puree potatoes mixed with copious amounts of sea salt knowing that soon I’d be sweating even more and it was getting hotter!
12.5k to 25k
After running across the ski hill dipping down and up to add elevation gain we ended up ad aid station 3 which had a port hottie much to my relief. At that point I was doubled over with stomach cramps and needed relief. I loaded up with ice water and gels and continued down the road.
After a brief road section we dipped into the forest and ran the Bruce trail into the Beaver Valley sections. I was still queasy but pushed through it. Emerging from the forest we followed a road that twisted back to the north to the 25k aid station. At this aid station the temperature was already over 30 C. I fuelled up on bananas, lots of flat coke to settle my stomach, and filled my hand bottle with the Clif lime electrolyte drink rather than water. This was a crucial decision that kept me in the game later.
The Game Face Mid Race
25k to 40k
This section is exceedingly difficult for many reasons, the first of which was climbing steeply on exposed pavement followed by climbing a gravel road into the Loree Forest. Once in the forest there was lots of cover provided from the sun and the trail becomes less technical and easier. On the 2nd half of the Loree loop it gets very rough and technical with tons of exposed rock and roots.
After emerging from the Loree Forest you descend a steep ravine into a valley, cross a stream and climb right back up only to descend again into another ravine. The climb out of the 2nd ravine is a mud staircase reinforced with 4×4 lumber and has a rope railing because of the steepness. After a jaunt through the woods I was back to the 3rd aid station.
From there the course takes the lower set of trails and meanders down and up adding yet more vertical to the run. By the time I returned to aid station 2 heat was a huge factor. the temperature was reaching late morning/noon highs of 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 F)! Humidity was now so high that the Humidex was nearing the mid 40’s (114 F).
At this final aid station on the loop I took another portion of my salted potatoes and careened down the wild descent called “the Cascades” through mud and over the bridges. It’s at least cooler in the forest and I was able to drench my hat in the stream. After this section you come to the 40K turn-around station and brace for the second time up the Grind!
Beautiful Afternoon Trails
The second Lap to 80k (Finish)
Without describing the course all over again I’ll simply note some interesting things about the 2nd lap.
I had an ice shower at the 46 km mark thanks to the spectacular aid station people at the top of the 6th street extension. I’m now putting ice in my hat and the Buff around my neck at every station.
I had some relief at the Southern Comfort aid station after the cramps in my stomach had gone away! Drank copies amounts of water plus electrolytes and continued on.
No problems through to the 2nd time climbing the road to the Loree Forest. Approaching the aid station at 67 km my legs began cramping in the groin and tops of the calf muscles. I was well trained but the heat was causing the problem with cramps. I filled my entire bottle with electrolyte and ate some salty snacks.
While at the 67 km station a big localized rain storm moved through the Loree forest lasting about 10 minutes then disappearing. Not one cooling drop fell on me but the rain turned the Loree Forest trails into a muddy quagmire making it nearly impossible to run without falling.
The climb into Loree was on pavement that had been drenched and now was exposed to the beating sun which was evaporating the road water into steam! I ran out of my hand bottle water at the 70 km mark and survived to the 72k mark where my friend John Smeh, one of the race organizers was located.
I placed my hands on the aid table to prevent collapse. I was super dizzy and could not catch my breath at all. Core temperature was dangerously high. The amazing volunteers put a huge bag of ice on the back of my neck and put ice in my Buff around my neck and into my hat. I got a cold water shower and drank a litre of ice water. As soon as my core temp came down I was back to normal breathing. I told John thanks for the pep talk and that I would never quit unless a doctor forced me to and continued on my way to the finish.
Happy to Finish at HomeExhausted but Elated!
The Finish
After all the climbs and descents coming across the ski hill I climbed the last hill to the final aid station. A volunteer was yelling at me to lift my head and put my shoulders back and open my diaphragm. He yelled this about 10 times and although he meant well I assured him he wasn’t helping and that I’ve been running these hills for 42 of my 52 years and was getting plenty of air!
One more dive down the Cascades with 1.6k to go and I’m tasting the finish. Passed 3 people on the run across to the finish chute! The best feeling in the world was crossing the timing pad at the village. These are the moments of pure joy in running races that you remember.
The extreme conditions made for a 1.5 hour slower (12.5 hours) than personal record time (11 hours). Still I’m super happy to be included in the finishers and 3rd for my age group on a day where there were many DNF results. I was happy not to drop out and look forward to the Halliburton 100 mile race!
Remember that 52 is the new 32 and that anything is possible at any age if you put in the work, never waver from your goals and then have the resolve to never take the easy way out and drop out. You will know more about yourself every time!
With the North Face Gore-tex 50 mile race looming 10 days out I’ve been peaking with my training and moved on to a gradual taper. It’s all about staying fresh and moving from now till the race.
The buildup for a trail ultra works like the buildup for any other race except the quantity of training is on a different scale. Where road racers concentrate on distances and split times, trail ultra runners measure their training in hours and vertical feet. The successful trail runner trains for long periods of time running and for climbing more than nailing their splits. It’s not that trail runners don’t care about being able to run fast, it’s just a shift in emphasis.
Early on in the late winter and spring I had been building up the length of time of my runs and adding in more hill climbing despite the snow. Then in April I had run 44 km in the spring runoff event in early April followed by the Pick your Poison 50K trail race at the end of April. I was pleasantly surprised at how effective my early buildup had been by the fact that I had beaten my previous year’s effort by nearly a hour at 5:38! With this encouraging result I began an even more intense phase of training with my sights set on my firs 50 mile (80 km) race of 2015.
Hell Month
June was 42 hours of quality training. The format was hard weeks alternating with easier weeks. The hard weeks ended up being 150 km but more importantly they contained long slow runs on trail of up to 53 km in length.
Long runs themselves are good preparation, but loafing along in the aerobic grey area doesn’t help build your lactate threshold or pain tolerance and let’s face it ultras bring pain. So adding vertical climbs and varying the pace to push then back off and push again helped simulate going to the edge of my capability followed by dialling the pace back to partially recover was the ticket.
Added to the long runs were back to back to back efforts such as 35k, 25k, 25k over 3 days in a row followed by a recovery day. All of these were on trail and all had lots of climbing.
Other workouts were climb only runs with up to 5 times up and down our local ski hill. Think of these as hill repeats of 730 feet gain.
Once a week I liked to run fast like 4:40 km pace for a shorter distance of 10 to 15 km because running faster uses different muscles and feels refreshing.
Inspiration and Taper
With 10 days to go it’s time to gradually taper. The money is in the bank and ready to spend. I won’t be getting any fitter by training more so I run for no longer than 2 hours. Sometimes 1 hour is enough.
In order to taper successfully and run less after running has been such a large part of your life it’s a good idea to do a few things. Remember to trust the hard work you have done and never try to cram more running in and derail the building up process you are undergoing. Sleep a good solid 8 hours every night. Drink a lot of water and adjust your diet for the reduced calorie burn. If you drink alcoholic beverages consider quitting them for a few weeks.
Lastly turn the easy runs you are doing into fun! Look to other running friends for inspiration and take pleasure in their accomplishments.
I recently had the pleasure of running with a Kenyan Athlete I coach named Sammy Kibet Chumba who has run 63 minutes in the half marathon and 2:17 in the marathon. Obviously he is at a completely different level than I am with his running. However running with him was fun for him because he rarely runs trails and fun for me because we were taking it easy and just enjoying the run.
Enjoy your training and enjoy your racing! You have taken the time to build up to it and if you don’t reach your goal time then be happy with your alternate goal time. So much can happen over the course of 50 miles so enjoy it, race hard and have no regrets!
Michael (Mike) C. Matthews Jr is a charismatic leader, philanthropist, youth activist, motivational speaker, and aspiring author. His number one goal in life is to help the youth of today understand their full potential. Mike’s passion for helping/developing others began early on in his youth from the trials and tribulations of his life. Like most young men in his community, he was raised by a single mom in a low income, inner city environment. As a miss-guided teen, there were choice that he made in the past that could’ve lead him down a road of self-destruction. Growing up, Mike realized early that he needed to make a change and defined his own identity, ultimately resulting in not becoming a product of his environment.
While, receiving his academic training from The University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Michael had the opportunity to serve as a student ambassador for the university and recruit new students to an institution that has given him so much. He had the opportunity to make history in his family by receiving a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in May 2011. There is no wonder that he is highly respected by his fellow peers. He is regarded as a positive and effective role model and has set the pace for others to follow.
As a young leader, Michael vowed to himself that he would never settle in life or allow fear to chain him down because of personal insecurities. Therefore, with that mindset, Mike was fortunate enough to leave the inner cities of Washington, DC and gain what he regards as his dream “JOB” in Texas. Currently, Mike is an Operation Systems Programmer for one of the world’s leading financial institutions in the country. Mike is a well-established corporate professional, but would undeniably admit that if it weren’t for the grace of GOD, he wouldn’t be here today.
Michael’s vision is to travel all around the world and touch the lives of troubled youth by sharing experiences, wisdom, and tools that helped him escape his past circumstances. Michael states that, he “Yearn and aspire to do more in my life and for those who will be affected by my existence on earth”.
“The youth of the world are our future. If we neglect their significance and refuse to invest them, our nation will continue to tumble.”
What better way to celebrate the long cold winter than to combine a snowshoe tour with a wine tasting! On Sunday January 25th, the Georgian Triangle Hikers/Snowshoers set out on a snowshoe through the Kolapore Uplands and to the top of Metcalfe Rock.
The day was bluebird sky with bright sun and reasonable temperatures. Not summery but not the worst of the frostbite inducing January days either. The snow was powdery and deep creating perfect snowshoe conditions and also perfect for snow angel making as well.
Our adventure was guided by the bubbly Jennie Elmslie of Free Spirit Tours who is also a contributor here at My Active Lifetime! Jennie’s knowledge of the Metcalfe Rock area was an incredible addition to the hike. For example she pointed out some facts that some of us didn’t know about the cedar trees that cling tenaciously to the cliff sides. These trees are 500, 600 and even up to 800 years old!
Arriving
The Free Spirit Tours van picked us up and delivered us from the meeting place, over the Niagara Escarpment through to Kolapore. The stuck vehicles at the parking lot told us that the snow was fresh and deep!
After a brief introduction where we all gave our names and favourite flower, we were off on a steady climb up to the top of Metcalf rock.
We paid attention to keep to the snowshoe trail, sometimes venturing into the deeper snow to the sides while avoiding the cross country ski tracks.
The Rock
Metcalfe Rock in summer is a mecca for rock climbing enthusiasts, hikers and nature lovers. In winter it’s heaven for snowshoers and cross country skiers. There are a network of caves that run under the deep crevasses at the bottom of the rock as well that offer year round caving.
After our climb ended we snowshoed across the top of the rock to the lookout point for some photos of the valley below. The sun cast warm light over the scene making it feel like it was not cold at all! The palette of colours ranged from warm amber from the sunlight to cool purples and blues in the shaded snowy areas.
The forest around us felt alive even in winter as the old growth cedars staked their turf on one side of the trail, and the deciduous young trees held ground on the other side. It was as if there was an agreement of sorts between them.
Open Fields
The trail opened up to a wide open field of deep powder where we ran around like kids again frolicking in the snow. Some made snow angels and others ran repeats in the snow just revelling in being alive this day.
A painter would have loved being along for this hike I think because of the amazing graphical lines cast by the long shadows of the winter sun.
Georgian Hills Vineyards
After the descent from Metcalfe Rock we piled into the van again for the trip to Georgian Hills Vineyards. Georgian Hills is a young vineyard in the Beaver Valley planted on a former apple orchard.
Our vision is to establish a sustainable winery and vineyards in Beaver Valley, with a long term goal to develop a successful wine industry in the Georgian Bay region.
There is a small building on the vineyard property that acts as a welcome centre, tasting room and shop. It is here that we experienced not only their excellent wine, but were treated to an education about tasting and pairing of the wines with various foods.
Nothing is more heartwarming that sitting by a fire sipping wine and pairing it with cheeses, olives and other items after a cold snowshoe. This combined with the knowledge about the wines, the region and the flavours made the visit very special.
Getting Here
I highly recommend both the snowshoe tour and the wine tasting. For more information about Free Spirit Tours, visit their website: Free Spirit Tours. For more information about Georgian Hills Vineyards visit their website: Georgian Hills Vineyards
Photos
Old growth mixed with deciduous trees at Metcalfe RockClimbing through the forestInside the winery at Georgian Hills VineyardsFrozen on the Vine – Ice wine featuring illustration and design of label by author Nick Brindisi
Promote removal of blood lactate from exercising muscles for faster recovery
Graduated compression for extra support + enhanced circulation benefits
Reduced muscle soreness
Moisture management
Product Evaluation I recently had the pleasure of testing some 2XU Compression Arm Sleeves on an 11.6 km test run to experience these benefits first-hand.
Gear: 2XU Compression Arm Sleeves
Test: 11.6 km winter run with full hand water bottle
Conditions: -2 Celsius with light snow and light winds
Results:
Less muscle soreness, stronger arm swing, warm arms and fast recovery.
Feedback:
I felt a big reduction in arm fatigue as I purposely carried a hand bottle filled with water for the 11K run I did even though it was not necessary due to the cold temperatures and the short distance. I sometimes get sore tendons near the elbow joint on the bottom of the biceps and the top of the forearm muscles even without hand bottles. Longer distances of marathon and up are definitely taxing on the arms as well of the rest of the body. The enhanced blood return and the support help to mitigate this soreness.
As well the sleeves provide a layer of warmth for those early morning ultra start times that tend to be chilly. You can start the race with them and if it heats up later in the race roll them down. I recommend leaving them on because they tend to regulate your body temperature nicely and then you get all the other benefits.
These sleeves come in several colours, but for my purposes a pair of black ones for cooler weather will absorb infrared radiation of the sun and passively create heat. On hot days white would be the colour to reflect heat to a greater degree than bare skin.
I highly recommend this product particularly for ultra marathons or any other distance running with hand bottles! For more information visit 2xu.com
Winter running is absolutely essential if a runner has any intentions of competing in events during the spring season. Even if you are not competitive but want to stay fit over the winter with various outdoor activities including running, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, you need the appropriate garments! You need to stay warm but not too warm because too much sweat means getting cold.
In addition to temperature control provided by winter running garments it is a good idea to add compression to what you wear to rev up your training. Compression helps increase your performance and enhance recovery. According to the company 2XU, their compression garments can provide the following benefits:
Greater oxygenation of the blood for faster recovery
Reduced Fatigue through less muscle oscillation
Reduced muscle soreness
Reduced long-term overuse injuries
Faster muscle warm up pre-exercise
Greater power output
Heightened proprioception – awareness of limb placement for agility
Product Evaluation I recently had the pleasure of testing some Thermal Compression Tights from 2XU on a 7 km test run to experience these benefits first-hand.
Gear: 2XU Thermal Compression Tights
Test: 7 km winter run on a regular loop run both with and without the tights. I would make every effort to run at the same perceived energy output and pace.
Conditions: -1 Celsius with light snow and light winds
Results:
Run 1 without 2XU Thermal Compression Tights: 7.1 km in 37:13 with an average pace per km of 5:12 Run 2 with 2XU Thermal Compression Tights: 7.1 km in 33:47 with an average pace per km of 4:47
That is quite a nice improvement for the same course, and the same effort level. Can’t wait to go on a 35 km run and really put them to the test.
Feedback:
Today was about -1 temperature and the wind was brisk off Georgian Bay. They were literally like furnaces on my legs! I feel like I’d be comfortable down to -10 in these with no further protection. I felt that they reduced muscle bounce in the calf area particularly. I actually land lightly when I’m running, but there is a certain amount of bounce in the muscles no matter how soft you land. This reduces fatigue over time so I’m very keen to do a 35k this weekend with them. I left them on for an hour after running and notice a difference in how fresh my legs felt. I’ve used compression socks before but never the whole lower body. It’s quite a pleasant change and I think I’m going to have the best 2015 season ever.
I highly recommend this product, look forward to longer runs and will be testing 2XU arm sleeves next! For more information visit 2xu.com
Winter blew into the eastern seaboard early this year, in some cases by November 18th! Buffalo got 6 feet of snow in one storm and most places in the areas of the great lakes were thrust suddenly into winter from fall.
As an ultra trail runner I find it difficult to keep up the training into the winter months. It’s not only because of the cold and darkness but because the trails are often full of snow here in beautiful Collingwood, Ontario, Canada. This makes running very difficult to do in any meaningful way.
Snowshoes are designed to help you by increasing the surface area of your feet giving you flotation through less weight per square area. They turn deep snow trails into potential running routes again. They open up vast tracts of land that is usually only good for running in the summer for those of us who do live in a winter climate.
Modern snowshoes are designed with mobility and convenience in mind. They are light and feature bindings that are easy for a gloved hand to deal with. Most also feature traction claws on the bottom for grip and are fully articulated at the foot so that the ankle can move through a normal range of motion. It is this range of motion and lightness that allows for running!
While I don’t have snowshoes that are specifically designed for running, I run with them anyway. there is a vast range of sizes and styles of snowshoes. Larger ones are best for more flotation on deep snow, and they decrease from there all the way down to running sized snowshoes. The sizes in between these extremes are basically a compromise between flotation and speed. Some people will own several pairs and select the size/weight combination that suits their needs for that day. For a large selection of snowshoes see our Active Gear Snowshoe page.
The Collingwood Deer Trail
The Town of Collingwood has a super developed trail system that allows for human powered transportation and recreation. It can take you nearly anywhere in town! The Deer trail is one of these that connects the Georgian Trail with the 11th Line and many other trails all over Collingwood. It is possible to follow this trail network to join the famous Bruce Trail which is an 885 km continuous trail from Niagara Falls to Tobermory.
During 8 kilometres of snowshoe running yesterday I used the Georgian Trail to get to the Deer Trail and enjoyed knee deep to mid shin depths of snow. The views of the escarpment and the downhill ski hill called Blue Mountain were amazing. It felt so good to leave my position behind my Mac computer developing websites and put it all out of my head. Gliding silently through the woods in the fresh powder dump cleared all the minute details I have in my head away at least temporarily.
Resistance Training
The added resistance from running in deep snow along with the extra weight of the snowshoes is wonderful for cross-training and strengthening the running muscles during my off season from racing. With every step the snowshoe sinks in and snow fills on top of the shoe. This means it resists pulling your foot upwards at the end of each stride. It’s sort of like underwater running or running in deep beach sand but with extra upwards force required.
The muscle groups that I find are gaining a lot of strength from this are the calf/achilles region as well as hip flexors. For some runners with weaker gluteus muscles it’s the glutes that take the brunt of the work with this type of snowshoe running. I’ve never had weak glutes so it’s all about strengthening my hip flexors and calf muscles. One other area is abdominal and core muscles which also get a great workout due to the exaggerated nature of the strides when running in deep snow. Whatever it is you will find you use muscles you forgot you had during the summer!
In Summary
When winter closes in and days are short it’s a great idea to strap on your snowshoes and get out there! Release the endorphins, get fresh air and train your body in a way that is less boring than a stair master. Remember also that it will keep that holiday spare tire from growing as you devour those big meals. Hydrate, stay safe and enjoy the snow!
