Mark Dowds

A Lifesytle of Adventure

It has been a while since I posted anything here as I have been doing more writing on the MileASmile and Brainpark websites. A couple of years back I made a personal vow that I would look for something adventurous to do everyday even if it only took 15 minutes. I have been true to doing this for the most part and wish I would have logged it all down. Well, there are somethings I couldn't write publicly about but it would have been good to have a record of events.

Adventure for me is when my heart pumps a little faster and I am reminded that I am still alive. Over this past season I have ridden motocross, jumped out of a plane, won an ultramarathon, ran 100 miles, biked Mt Diablo, Jetskied Shasta Lake, got a tattoo, sang karaoke, mooned a restaurant, turned 40 and laughed until my heart is content to name a few. I think I may start doing some shorter posts to log some of the stupid things I get myself into.

I hope that I can still keep this rolling as old as I become. I always want to be caught with a sparkle of mischief in my eyes. I have met too many people who get focused on money, career, fame, or wanting to be liked. I hope that I can continuously navigate around these things without getting stuck and boring. This post was prompted by someone who I haven't seen for 20 years asking about me and whether I was still "mad". The response is a resounding "YES".

For this next season I am not sure all I am going to try. I am doing my first triathlon next month and think I will try an IronMan somewhere within a year. This means I need to re-learn how to swim properly and buy a road bike and learn how to do that as well. On top of this I am noodling on a very stupid running adventure that will make 100 mile race look tame. All this will precede the day I get to ride a motorcycle around central and south america for 6 weeks.

Oh, forgot to mention. I do work as well.

My Personal Goals for 2010

I am mapping out my plans for next year. I turn 40 mid 2010 and I want to make it a year to remember. 5 years ago I told my friends that I wanted to climb Everest in 2010 but many talked me off the ledge and convinced me that it was too risky and that I would be better off playing Russian Roulette.

I am sharing my draft plans with you to seek feedback and also to ask for some help.

I want to do the  Tahoe Rim 100 mile endurance run mid July (the exact dates are announced next week)

For training discipline and qualification stats I will be doing these:

January 10^th – Angel Island 25K 

January 23rd - Pacifica 50K 

February 27th – Sequoia 50K

March 20th - Diablo Trails Challenge 50K

April 17^th – Diablo Mountain 50 Mile 

May 16th - Big Basin 50K 

June 5th - Diablo 50K

July 3^rd – Pacifica 50K 

For context: If I am successful I will have run the equivalent of 12 marathons in 6 months in extreme conditions. Each 50K run will take approximately 6 hours and I need to complete the 50 Mile race in under 12 hours. The final 100 Mile race has to be completed in 30 hours which would necessitate running day and night without sleep. Some can complete this within 24 hours but I do not expect to do anything legendary like that.

So questions:

Would anyone be interested in doing this mountain race in Tahoe in July with me? This would be a huge commitment and I am not sure if I will have any takers on this one.

Would anyone be interested in joining my support crew to help me through the 100 Mile race? This would involve some moral support when I go insane and running some parts of the race beside me to help me keep pace. If you can run at all you are probably faster than I am so you only need to be fit enough to handle running short distances in high altitude (imagine a relay race of friends taking turns to run with me).

Would anyone local here in NorCal be interested in running some of the 50k Ultras listed above alongside me? I am not running for placement. I just need to put time in on the hills.

Also, if anyone has advice for me who has done something as intense as this I am all ears. I need to learn more on energy, clothing, nutrition, hydration etc.

Comments more than welcome.

A New Season of Life

Image via Wikipedia

After a few months of craziness I can now report to be living in the Bay Area, San Francisco. We road-tripped west from Toronto stopping at a few great locations such as Chicago, Mount Rushmore, and Yellowstone National Park. We took 6 days to do the trek which included a lot of sightseeing and evening drives. All the pictures were taken in old skool film style so they will be scanned and posted at a later date.

Now I begin the new challenge of finding great people to work with in this neck of the woods. I am looking for someone who wants to work with me in the sales and business development department of Brainpark.

My next plan is to get a pick-up truck and a motocross bike so I can remain an adrenaline junkie and become some form of american