SmallBusiness: 2016

Holiday Fit Gift Guide!

Need some ideas for under the tree this year? We've got you covered! Give the gift of health and an experience that will change the lives of your loved ones in a positive way(or yourself!). Cheers to less stuff and more experiences! Here are some ideas to get your inner Clause inspired:

Fitness Newbie

Fit & Free Journey! Start the year off right with this progressive, 12-week health

12th annual Perseverance Trail Run!

Image: Lorenz Jimenez Photography

The 12th annual Perseverance Trail Run was a huge success with 425 registered racers, 70 volunteers, a huge team of sponsors and countless supporters coming together to raise funds for the Cumberland Community Forest Society. Once again, an anonymous donor will be matching 100% of the proceeds raised from the race and all #projectperseverance events this

MOMAR Cumberland 2016 Race Report

Image: Dave Silver - or is that a Bryan Tasaka selfie?

Can I do a short race report? Let's find out!

Mind Over Mountain Adventure Race 2016
50kms of paddling, trail running, mountain biking and orienteering in the best place on earth- my backyard, Cumberland. Read on for a little background, my race report and my top reasons why I love MOMAR (and why I think you should do one if you

Story: Magic in the Mountains

Magic in the Mountains
Originally printed in Comox Valley Collective, Spring 2016 issue

An endless coastline, mild climate, and constant ocean breeze are all
part of life on Vancouver Island. Most visitors come to Canada’s lush
West Coast isle to stroll the beaches, play in the surf, and get a taste
of Island time.

But Vancouver Island hides a wild secret far away from its sandy

Gear Review: 66 Audio BTS Wireless Headphones

How do these things even stay on? Cool design!

This summer, 66 Audio asked it I would like to test drive their BTS wireless head phones. Of course I would! I love testing new gear and was excited to see how these wireless headphones would perform on my various adventures. I have always been an ear bud person, so I will admit I was a bit skeptical about how I would enjoy the external

Summitting The Golden Hinde in a Single Day

I had been there before...but had never reached the summit. My last trip to the Golden Hinde was a 3 day, solo walk-about at a pace designed to clear my mind. This time, the pace was set to try and get to the summit and back in a single day. Of course, it had been done before by many adventurous (and impatient) fastpackers. But, I hadn't ever heard of a woman's single day time...

"Hey!

Two Weeks in Iceland

This pretty much sums it up. If you like the nature, you should just go.
Look how at peace Ms Nicole is here at Skogafoss.

Iceland is a raw land that is full of history, bold contrasts and mind blowing supernatural sights. I recently had the chance to explore Iceland on a two week adventure and we saw a surprising amount of the country in this short time. This post highlights our itinerary

Beat the Heat

BEAT THE HEAT

The temperatures have
climbed sky high and we are getting a real blast of summer heat – and a
quick lesson in acclimating! Some people
thrive in the heat (me) and others wilt. There are many factors that determine our ability to tolerate heat and cold including the temperature that we grew up in, how much time we spend in the heat/cold on a daily basis,

Perseverance Trail Run: 2 Months to Go!

Image Dave Prothero

Registration
is filling up for the 12th
annual Perseverance Trail Run, taking place on Sunday, October 23rd
in the Village of Cumberland!
This years race will once again feature two classic trail run
courses: A 3k Cross Country Romp and an 11k Mountain Run. The 3k XC
Romp showcases the protected Cumberland Community Forest trails
including a few ups and downs,

Team ELM Canada rocks the 55km Iceland Laugavegur Ultra Marathon!

TEAM
ELM COMPLETES
55KM ULTRA MARATHON IN ICELAND

Eight
local trail runners have just returned to the Comox Valley after
completing the 55km Laugavegur Ultra Marathon in the wild Highlands
of Iceland. ‘Team ELM Iceland’ trained for 5 months to prepare
for the event and traveled to Iceland along with their Coach, Sarah
Seads (owner of Equilibrium Lifestyle Management) for a week

Run BC Project 2016 Day 5: Nakusp Hot Springs Trail

Day 1: Keystone Standard Basin Trail: Revelstoke

Day 2: Asulkan Valley Trail: Glacier National Park
Day 3: Iceline Trail: Yoho National Park
Day 4: Abbott Ridge Trail: Glacier National Park
Day 5: Nakusp Hotsprings Trail

Nakusp Hot Springs trail is 50 shades of green.

Run BC Project Day 5: Nakusp Hot springs Trail

Distance: Entire trail from parking to Nakusp Hot springs is 8.5kms one

Run BC Project 2016 Day 4: Abbott Ridge

Day 1: Keystone Standard Basin Trail: Revelstoke

Day 2: Asulkan Valley Trail: Glacier National Park
Day 3: Iceline Trail: Yoho National Park
Day 4: Abbott Ridge Trail: Glacier National Park
Day 5: Nakusp Hotsprings Trail

Yup. Money.

Run BC Project Day 4: Abbott Ridge Trail, Glacier National Park
The best day of all? Oooooooh it is so hard to pick a favourite! But Abbott Ridge
really did

Run BC Project 2016 Day 3: Iceline Trail

Day 1: Keystone Standard Basin Trail: Revelstoke

Day 2: Asulkan Valley Trail: Glacier National Park
Day 3: Iceline Trail: Yoho National Park
Day 4: Abbott Ridge Trail: Glacier National Park
Day 5: Nakusp Hotsprings Trail

Woah Nelly! Now this is a trail to write home about;). Billed as the 'most beautiful trail in the Rockies' by many who have visited the area, we had to go and see for

Run BC Project 2016 Day 2: Asulkan Valley Trail

Day 1: Keystone Standard Basin Trail: Revelstoke

Day 2: Asulkan Valley Trail: Glacier National Park
Day 3: Iceline Trail: Yoho National Park
Day 4: Abbott Ridge Trail: Glacier National Park
Day 5: Nakusp Hotsprings Trail

The valley feels enchanted. There is magic in the atmosphere."
- Cartographer and explorer, Arthur O. Wheeler, 1905.

Run BC Crew running the rocky spines of Glacier

Run BC Project 2016 Day 1: Keystone Standard Basin Trail

Livin the dream at Run BC2 with this rad crew of ladies!

Woweeee! I just got home from an amazing week running and playing in some of BC's most spectacular single track with the 2016 edition of the Run BC Project and my heart (and SD cards) are full to the brim. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend a week in the wilderness with such a fantastic group of ladies,

Top Tips for Travelling in Iceland

Skatifoss

So you're getting ready to fly to the fairytale land of Iceland? Whether your tickets are booked or you are still in the dreaming phase, this post is full of tips to help you prepare for the most beautiful adventure of your life. Seriously.

I have just returned from two amazing weeks of exploring this magical country and will be posting detailed trip reports for the regions

Laugavegur Ultra Marathon

Wow. I know that I say that a lot but I'll say it again, wow! I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to travel to Iceland for the 55km Laugavegur Ultra Marathon with such a rad group of ELM peeps. I am a very proud coach after watching Team ELM progress through their training, persevere in the face of obstacles and reach the start line of this spectacular race. I am so stoked to have

Gear Review: Demon United Soft Elbow and Knee Pads

As a blogger and adventure athlete I am asked to test drive gear from a range of companies and this year I was contacted by Demon Unites to join their growing team and try out their gear. I was excited to do so - thank you to Demon United for inviting me to the team!

*Disclosure: I was provided with a significant discount on these items as a Team member. This is my personal review of these

Team ELM is headed to Iceland for the Laugavegur Ultra Marathon!

Image c/o Laugavegur Ultra Marathon

TEAM
ELM HEADING TO ICELAND

Local
Kinesiologist and running coach, Sarah Seads of Equilibrium Lifestyle
Management, is headed to Iceland this July with a Team of 8 local
runners to complete the rugged Laugavegur 55km Ultra Marathon.

From
the race website:

"Laugavegur
is located in the southern highlands of Iceland and connects the
nature

Mind Shift: The Power of Perspective

Deep thoughts by Sarah Seads. Great photo by Karen McKinnon.

I dropped an egg on my kitchen floor this morning. A raw egg. Ooops. You know that feeling. Shi*.

This year has been full of... surprises for me. You just never know what is around the next bend. For me, it was a new sport, a black
diamond XC ski run and a headfirst crash into the boards. 6 months of
persistent whiplash

Music to Move You

A friend just gave me a mixed CD for my birthweek:) How fun is that? Remember the days where you made your friends mixed tapes for roadtrips, birthdays and just because (and didn't worry about being thrown into jail for sharing music with your peeps lol?).

If you are like me, your mood can be manipulated by the powerful influence of music- and a good song can send your energy through the

Grand Canyon Ultra: You Gotta Know When to Hold Em'...

Deep thoughts from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon

I'd love to share a long winded and inspiring race tale from the Grand Canyon Ultra with you but...this will be my shortest ever race report. You will have to read Kim's Flying Phalanges blog for that-as she had the best race of her life! Yay Kim you rocked that 50mile course! You so earned that.

Here goes mine:

12 miles. That's how

#explorethevispine Port Alberni Inlet to Log Train Trail 37kms

Sun drenched bluffs and views that go on and on and on...

Thank
you for joining me on the #explorethevispine challenge! This year I
will be running ultra sections of the Vancouver Island Spine Trail as a
way to raise awareness, support and resources for VISTA, the amazing
team behind this truly visionary, 700km trail. Be sure to check out the
#explorethevispine page on this blog to

Go Team ELM Go! Exciting news from ELM!

Team ELM has been rockin race courses all over the globe this spring!
From the Comox Valley Snow to Surf Relay to a Half Marathon in Sweden,
Team ELM has crossed all sorts of exciting race finish lines already
this year! Read on to find out what Team ELM has been up to and what is coming
next...

Comox Valley Royal Lepage Snow to Surf Relay: Team ELM rocked their way to another gold

Year of Fears: Part 2, 3 and 4

I am not quite sure how it can be the middle of April already but that is what the calendar says! Time to catch up on my 'Year of Fears' posts. At the start of the year, I posted about a desire I had this year to start to get cozy with the icky, awkward and sometimes even scary things that I normally tend to avoid. It all kicked off with a ridiculous ziplining adventure 200 feet above the

My TEDx Presentation: Human Potential and the Power of the Mind

Back in the fall of 2011 I was invited to speak at the inaugural Comox Valley TEDx event.

"TED what?" I asked?

And so, my love affair with all things Technology Education and Design began to blossom, alongside millions of other humans around the world. For those of you who have yet to dive into the TED universe, you don't know what you are missing! TED talks are very short presentations

#explorethevispine Shawnigan Lake to Lake Cowichan 49kms

Sandra on the Kinsol Trestle

Thank you for joining me on the #explorethevispine challenge! This year I will be running ultra sections of the Vancouver Island Spine Trail as a way to raise awareness, support and resources for VISTA, the amazing team behind this truly visionary, 700km trail. Be sure to check out the #explorethevispine page on this blog to find out more and to learn how

#explorethevispine With Me!

Have you heard the news? In case you missed my big announcement (which is going viral on Facebook woohoo!), here are the details about my upcoming Adventure Run...for a great cause! Follow along via the new page on this blog called: #explorethevispine

I have a BIG adventure planned for 2016...and I am inviting YOU to join me...as I explore the Vancouver Island Spine Trail!

WHAT I am up

Mind Games: 10 Tips for your Motivation Toolbox

It's sideways raining...again. I'll go later... I'll go tomorrow... I don't want to go!

Been
there? Me too! Yet people are often surprised to hear me even whisper
about periods of low motivation let alone announce them to the world.
They expect me to shout rah rah rah from the rafters day in and day
out. And quite honestly, mostly I do;). But I think it
is important to share that

Workout Wednesday!

Hello Friends!
No gym? No motivation? No problem? Put your sneakers on, crank the tunes, clear a spot on your living room floor or head to the park. Want to get stronger? Leaner? More toned? Become a ninja? Do this workout this week! Getterdone!

Warm up with 5-10 minutes of gradually increasing movement- walk, jog, stairs, dance in your house! Sub exercises for what you have- can't get

Year of Fears: Part 1 Zip Lining in Panama

"The fears we don't face, become our limits." ~Robin Sharma

Have you ever thought about it that way? Until recently, I certainly hadn't.

I don't consider myself a very 'fearful' person. I usually look at obstacles as challenges to try and overcome. Big old mountain to climb? Let's go! Ocean to cross? There must be a way... Scary rock to descend? Let's find a way down. Up, over, under

Race Report: Orcas Island 50K

Another ultra, another EKG

I finally made it to Orcas Island! And it was definitely worth the wait.

It was an awesome weekend with the girls complete with a US border search, a haunted mansion, waterfalls, massive old growth groves, thrift store gems...oh and a little running thrown in...50K and 2800m of elevation gain. Here is a quick recap of the weekend to try and entice you to

Training Principles: Recovery

TRAINING PRINCIPLES: RECOVERY
By Sarah Seads, BA KinesiologyTraining doesn't make us stronger. We need recovery for that.The body is an amazing, adaptive machine. Overload it with a new stimulus and it will respond with adaptive mechanisms and rebuild itself to handle the new load. Wowza. Want to get stronger? Lift more.Want to run faster? Run faster.Want to run further? Run longer.Want to

Recipe: Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies

Happy Saturday!
It is time to make some power packed cookies to fuel your adventures for the weekend! Thank you to ELM Super Coach Kathy Penner for sharing the original Hollyhock recipe, which I have reworked to create my own, based on what I found in my kitchen this morning-hee hee.

These cookies are full of natural ingredients, allow for 101 variations and they literally took me 5

Mental Strength: Harnessing the Power of Intention

The end of one year and the transition into the next is the perfect time to reflect, reset and reboot. You know I love the energy of a new year! And you likely know that I am a strong believer in the power of intention. We coaching geeks love goals. Dream goals, long term goals, short term goals, weekly and daily goals. We love them all. Why? Because we know how powerful these simple