MacAdventures.ca

  • Running with the saints: day 2

    Running with the saints: day 2

    Have you ever noticed that hills are far more intimidating from a distance? I ran the same route as I did yesterday and I have this thought nearly every time I run it. There are some intimidating looking hills out here. The prairies are vast and rolling. dropping into the river valley the hill climbing…

  • Running with the saints: day 1

    Running with the saints: day 1

    June 1st, 1861 was a Saturday just like today. On that day, a branch of my family tree, including William Joseph Despain, set off from Florence, Nebraska for their promised land. They were going to the Salt Lake valley in the then territory of Utah. One hundred and sixty three years later, I’m joining them…

  • Running with the Saints: Retracing Pioneer Trails

    Running with the Saints: Retracing Pioneer Trails

    On my mother’s side I descend from a long line of Latter-day Saint pioneers. I wrote about two of them back in 2018, Robert and Seviah Egbert. Their daughter, Sarah Catherine married William Joseph Despain in 1874. This was William’s second marriage. His first wife, Ann, passed away in 1872 leaving him with three children…

  • The easiest 100 miles.

    The easiest 100 miles.

    My goal with the Oldman Backyard Ultra was to complete 24 yards. This would make it my first, and maybe my last, 100 miles. I attempted and failed a 100 mile race in 2023, the Sinister 7. It wasn’t the distance that ended that attempt but a mismanagement of my electrolytes over the notorious leg…

  • Prepping the old man

    Prepping the old man

    May the 4th be with me. May 4th is the date of my first ultra-marathon of the season. I am running the Old Man Backyard Ultra in Lethbridge, Alberta. It gets its name from the Old Man River, not because it is restricted to old men like me. This is a race format I’ve never…

  • Riding the Iron Horse

    Riding the Iron Horse

    “Don’t forget to look up every now and then and check out the view.” Adam’s advice was well timed. I had just crested the lip of a gnarly hill. I took my eyes off my feet and twisted for a look at what I just climbed. A rippling tide of yellow leaves rolled through a…

  • Death Race 2

    Death Race 2

    I hadn’t planned on running against Death this year, but suddenly there I was tightening my laces. After my upset at Sinister 7 in July, I felt like I needed an ounce of redemption. That, and my young new running buddy, Lewis, decided he was going to take a crack at this gruelling ultra marathon.…

  • DNF

    DNF

    Did Not Finish. Excuse me, what!? I knew this was a possibility. In fact, one of the things I like about ultra running is the real possibility of failure. Failure still stings though. This is the first DNF I’ve ever recorded in an event. I came close on my first olympic distance triathlon when I…

  • Boiling a frog

    When travelling for work it can be hard to keep to the workout schedule. Sometimes I’ll set out for a run in whatever town I’m in but most of the time it’s the hotel treadmill. Treadmills are boring. I try to spice it up when I can. I figure I should name these “spices” and…

  • Will I be ready?

    An ultra-marathon doesn’t begin when the race starts. It begins when you decide to do it. For me, that was November 12, 2022. I had eight months to prepare, and now I am down to 6 weeks. In reality, I have 4 more weeks of training and two weeks of tapering. I’m nervous. I have…