2012 Chezzetcook Chickadee

Sunday, November 25th at the Chezzetcook Volunteer Fire Department in Head of Chezzetcook. Come on out for a fun and challenging trail run through the dirt roads and trails of backwoods Chezzetcook.

You can now register online at Atlantic Chip for $20, or on the morning of the run for $30. The course will be very well marked and volunteers will be on-hand to point you in the right direction at the major intersections. There will be awards for the top female and male in both distances. Snacks afterwards too.

Same-day registration 7:30 'til 8:30 am. upstairs in the fire hall.
pre-race ramble at 8:55
race starts at 9 am, just a minute walk down the road at the trailhead
distances of either 11km, or 25km.

Course Description
Follow the blue flagging. If you do not see blue tape every minute or two, you are off course. Warning: You are responsible for paying attention and following the marked trail.

The course is eighty percent logging access roads. There is 400m of pavement.  Guaranteed you will get your feet wet.  You will experience some slippery rocks and sticks, and you will probably see or hear a chickadee or two.  Allow time for a ten to fifteen minute pre-race warm-up, and time to socialize.

Don't forget to check the weather and dress appropriately. Most of the trails have large exposed rocks and puddles. There are no feed stations on the course, so supply yourself with necessary water and snacks. This is a physically demanding run, and most of the course is in remote wilderness. Warning: You are responsible for paying attention and following the marked trail.

The start is at the blue line at the bottom of the image above. Eleven kilometre particpants will run this, then continue  clockwise around the blue loop. Twenty-five kilometre runners will do that, plus be directed by volunteers at an additional three separate points along the trail to the out and back sections. These sections are indicated in red on the map. Warning: You are responsible for paying attention and following the marked trail.

All three of the twenty-five kilometre route's out and back trails involve some good climbs and will test your lungs, quads and capacity for discomfort.

Elevation gain for the 25 km is approximately 522m.

Directions to the start line. From Dartmouth. Main Street to highway 107, drive about 20 minutes, turn off to exit 20. 

Turn left off of exit ramp, continue towards Porter's Lake. Turn right at the stop sign towards Head of Chezzetcook. Continue about 2km, and the firehall is on the left . Please do not block the fire trucks while parked.

Musquodoboit Muffin Runners

Thank you everybody for coming out for a marvellous run. Amy destroyed her old (unofficial) time by about 15 minutes!  Jacko hacked off about 12 minutes from last year! There were no returning champions from last year, but stupendous performances were provided by the new course record holders! More video and photos to come later in the week.

7.5km
Amy 1:11:41
Tania 1:14:37
Michelle 1:15
Terrie 1:18:18
Karine 1:18:18
Jasmine 1:24:22

7.5km
Kenton 48:13
Scott 52:42
Ben 52:52
Keegan 1:11:40
Gregory 1:13:12 +
Chad 1:14:37
Glen 1:16:31

15km
first lap/time at finish
Bonnie 58:37/2:01:36

15km
Jodi 45:11/1:29:32++
Tim 51:58/1:43
Sean 50:47/1:43:08
Kevin 53:29/1:55:12+
Jacko 57:45/1:57:13
Matt 58:47/1:58:18

+ Skull Rock happy fun time detour points
++ 30 second negative split

Some great stills of runners moving (thanks Leah!)!
 https://picasaweb.google.com/106196703163444789480/June52012
https://picasaweb.google.com/106196703163444789480/June42012




some great "footage" from Doug with bonus dance track.

Musquodoboit Muffin Run June 3, 2012

What:
The Musquodoboit Muffin Trail Run, taking place on the Musquodoboit Trailways Admiral Lake trail.
When:
It happens Sunday, June 3rd, start time 9 a.m. Cost $20. RaceDay  only registration $30. There will be an award for the top finisher in each of the four categories.
Distance 7.5 or 15km:
Run either one, or two laps of the 7.5 kilometre loop. The loop consists of 2 kilometres on flat rail trail, and the rest on VERY difficult singletrack through the woods.
Pay Attention
There are no support or feeds on the trail, but there will be volunteers at the major intersections to point you in the right direction. The trail is well marked with yellow metal tree tags and at intersections there is pink trail flagging.
Warning, Warning, this is very difficult running!!!
Imagine running up 100 stairs made of randomly placed boulders. Or how about running down a steep narrow trail only wide enough for one foot at a time that twists and turns on wet leaves; and there are the wet roots arching over chiseled sharp rocks requiring very carefully planned placement of the foot. Essentially that is the singletrack trail, with a few relaxing nice forest smoother bits.

It is absolutely necessary you bring your own food and water for an extended run of more than one hour. The distances are deceptive, as the terrain is very steep with many sharp twists and turns.  Plan for approximately 1 to 1.5 hours run for the 7.5 km, and 1:45 to 2:45 for the 15km. In 2011, some young whipper snapper ran the 7.5 kilometre course in 52 and some older whipper snapper ran the 15 kilometre in 1:42

This trail demands a lot of the runner, requiring hopping, sidestepping, ducking, shuffling, jumping, skipping, arm waving, shoulder shifting, and grunting. It is highly advised to have shoes with deep lugs for traction. This should not be one of the first runs of your season. The trail, know as a very challenging hiking trail, is a real humdinger to run on. This is a technical trail run experience. You are encouraged to walk/fast hike, if you find the trail difficult to run.

There are several incredibly beautiful look offs and the terrain the trails cut through is amazing. The trail is very challenging with very few flat-like sections. Most of the time you will be ascending, or descending a steep hill. Take a peek at the map, just to see how many times the trail skips over contour lines. Just looking at it will make your thighs ache!

http://www.mta-ns.ca/PDF/Map.pdf

Directions to site from Main St. Dartmouth:
East on 107 approximately 23 kilometres to the very last exit (Musquodoboit Harbour).

Turn right onto highway 7 and travel east for 2.4 kilometres.

Then turn left onto highway 357 by the bank(Meagher's Grant Rd).
Continue for 1.7 kilometres to the first bridge, and turn right on the bridge (Bayer's Mill Road).

Drive to the end of the road.

Park off the side of the road on either side, but not in front of the gate.

The Start/Finish/Registration is on the rail trail proper near the intersection of the Bayer's Mill Road and the rail trail.
You can register on the day of, or now on Atlantic Chip.

Here's the start point on google maps

Also here's an idea of the gps route profile:

http://www.sports-tracker.com/#/workout/anerdoo/gkbhi6a7jsivkpe0
View Muffin Run start in a larger map

Chickadee Run Results

Chickadee Runners Achieve, Astound and Amaze!
Somewhat official  timing from Suunto t3 wristwatch


10 kilometre
Keltie Wagstaff 1,03,45
Jennie Dobbs 1,09,25
Darlene Chapman  1,09,25
Dawn MacDonald 1,11,05
Ania Danigier 1,11,05
Kasia Danigier 1,11,25
Claire Richardson 1,14,59*
Lena Thompson 1,15,15
Amy Lachance 1,15,15
Sheila O'Brien 1,17,41

10 kilometer
Navid Rahemtulla :) 44,55
Rick Lewis 1,01,14
Bill Lobban 1,08,13
Shuhei Miwa 1,09,26
Rick Horsman 1,09,27
Michel Gelinas 1,11,05
Cookie MacKilt 1,11,25
Glen Coolidge 1,12,56

20 kilomeetr
Hazel Caldwell 1,49,28

20 kiloemetre
Matthias Mueller 1,42,04
Clint Cummings 1,48,47
Peter Boileau 1,57,04
Tim Farmer 1,57,06
Kevin MacDonald 1,59,36
Bruce Bowen 2,07,17
Greg Jones d.n.f.

*modified distance

Truly great efforts by all runners on a really nice day for a run.  The winner of each category received a $25 gift card from TAO, and $40.00 cash prize. The MEC gift cards were drawn at random to three lucky recipients.

You're lucky these guys were Volunteering and not running!

Good to see some more new faces on the dirt scene, and to see some new to running, and a new mom run. Thanks for making the run a success and boggling the minds of Mosher Road residents as to why all those people were heading into the woods at nine in the morning, and on a Sunday! We left there just as the golfers were starting to arrive.

Thank you to the volunteers: Brenda, Mary, Susan, Karine, Judy, John, Bert, Doug, Jack, Vern, Karine  Jodi, Stella and Sophie. I bet you didn't think you would get hugs from the runners, but you did. I hope they weren't too sweaty.

Thanks to the generous donations from our friends at The Adventure Outfitters, and Mountain Equipment Co-op -- enjoy those gift cards!

Sticky Date and Coconut Cake
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/sticky-date-coconut-cake-10000001860090/


Ingredients

• Cake:
• 1 cup chopped pitted dates
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 3 tablespoons butter 
• Dash of salt 
• 6 3/4 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups) 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1 cup granulated sugar 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten 
• Cooking spray 
• Topping:
• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar 
• 1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut
• 2 1/2 tablespoons butter 
• 2 teaspoons fat-free milk 

Preparation

• 1. Preheat oven to 350°.
• 2. To prepare cake, combine first 5 ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and let stand 10 minutes or until dates are tender.
• 3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Stir in date mixture, granulated sugar, vanilla, and egg until well combined. Pour batter into a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.
• 4. To prepare topping, combine brown sugar and remaining ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute. Pour brown sugar mixture over cake; bake at 350° for an additional 13 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes on a wire rack. Run a knife around outside edge. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Note:

Prepare the topping while the cake bakes in step 3.

Kathy Kitchens Downie, Cooking Light
DECEMBER 2008


A video from Doug (he also did most of the work on the new bridges on the trail)


Photos from Judy

Scrapbook Photos Photos from Vern Chezzetcook Chickadee Vern's photos photos from Susan Susan's photos Photos from John http://machawk.net/activities/chickadee_nov2011/album/

Cuddly Coyote v2.0 rocks

Thanks Karine and Jodi for assembling some very adventurous running terrain (and awesome volunteers) in the Black Harbour area. As well as the river crossing and lots of healthy size puddles, the buckets of rain were all out to keep the dust down and put out any fires that might ignite from runners' thighs blasting up and down some quite serious grades. A little unusual for the first day of October that it was raining heavily and a pleasantly warm eighteen celsius.

This course had something for everyone: sweet bouncy wooded singletrack through mossy undergrowth; a couple lengthy climbs to settle into; a river crossing; hubcaps to circle around; bottomless mystery puddles; some good old fashioned root hopping. And we will never forget the foot sucking muck of the last climb before the final ascent. The hill was steep enough already, just adding a little extra resistance to lifting your foot each time made it especially fun!

Chezzetcook Chickadee Trail Run 2011

Sunday, November 20th at the end of the pavement on Moser Road (off of Conrod Settlement Road) in Head of Chezzetcook. Come on out for a fun and challenging trail run through the dirt roads and trails of backwoods Chezzetcook. Huge thank-you to TAO, and MEC for provinding gift cards for our amazing volunteers and winners.

You can now register online at Atlantic Chip for $20, or on the morning of the run for $30. The course will be very well marked and volunteers will be on-hand to point you in the right direction at the major intersections. There will be awards for the top female and male in both distances. Snacks and awards afterwards too.

Same-day registration 7:30 'til 8:45 am. at
the trailhead
pre-race ramble at 8:55
race starts at 9 am
distances of either 10km, or 20km.

Course Description

The course is ninety five percent logging access roads, . There is 400m of pavement. You will get your feet wet. You will experience some slippery rocks and sticks, and you will probably see or hear a chickadee or two. The ice has been cancelled for this year, by moving it ahead 3 weeks.

Allow time for a ten to fifteen minute pre-race warm-up, and time to socialize.

Don't forget to check the weather and dress appropriately. Most of the trails have large exposed rocks and puddles. There are no feed stations on the course, so supply yourself with necessary water and snacks. This is a physically demanding run, and most of the course is in remote wilderness.

2010 mean times were 1:36 for the 16km, and 0:46 for the 7 km runs. For this year, I estimate the middle times for the 10 km might be around 1 hour, and the 20 km around 2:10.

View Chezzetcook Chickadee 2011 in a larger map


The yellow pin is the start. Ten kilometre particpants will run this, then continue counter clockwise around the inside (blue) loop, and complete an out and back trail at approximately the three quarters distance. Twenty kilometre runners will do that, plus be directed by volunteers at an additional three separate points along the trail to the out and back sections. These sections are indicated in green on the map.

Not only is the twenty kilometre run twice distance of the 10 km, but also keep in mind that all four out and back trails involve some good climbs and will test your lungs, quads and capacity for discomfort.

Here is an elevation profile of the 10km course. 215m elevation gain.

And one for the 20km course too. 412 m elevation gain.

 

Directions to the start line. From Dartmouth. Main Street to highway 107, drive about 20 minutes, turn off to exit 21. 

Turn left off of exit ramp, continue towards Head Chezzetcook. Stop at stop sign across from St. Barnabas church and cross road to Conrod Settlement Road. Drive about 2 minutes down Conrod Settlement Road.

Turn left onto Moser Road. Continue to end of road where you will see a basketball net. That is the starting area. Please do not block anyone's driveway while parked.

Cuddly Coyote October 1, Black Point fire hall

Karine and Jodi are at it again! It's Cuddly Coyote time again version 2.0 with some quad tenderizing topography on the menu. You can get just a taste with a 9 km run, or a full course meal of 21 kilometres. See you there!!

http://trailbugracing.blogspot.com/2011/08/cuddly-coyote-trail-race.html