tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36427108027577452842024-03-13T04:13:58.928-07:00Cascadian RhythmsColinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17203621711405084694noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642710802757745284.post-79486298472109505412015-07-22T11:56:00.001-07:002015-07-22T12:31:21.596-07:000SPF - TrailsRoc - Did I mention I hate the heat?On Saturday July 18th I ran the 0SPF trail half. This was my 17th race of the year, mind you it would be more impressive if I raced all of those. I started 2015 with the goal of running a half marathon a month for the year, and I will reach that goal. Most of the runs were training runs. Not necessarily a run where I am trying to break a PR. These were also mostly first time races for me, and in some cases the first time I had done that distance. The nice thing about this, paired with the fact that I didn't do them all that fast, is, should I try to do them again, I have loads of room for improvement. The negative aspect of this is, it has felt like a busy year for me, and as I have seen myself do before, I worry about losing interest in yet another hobby. One I have told people and swore that I planned to continue for a long time. Into my retirement. Not a hobby, but a lifestyle. <div>So how did 0SPF go? Horrible - but it was humid as all getout and hot for upstate NY. According to garmin connect it was 73 at the start with 94% humidity. I know during the 1 mile warmup I did before the run, I was sweating like a pig. Out of 132 finishers I was 76th. I ran the first 3 miles pretty much on pace, the next 4 were a little slower, but manageable. At the 6.7 mile turnaround I was at 1:25. So my goal of finishing in 2:36 was out of the realm of possibilities unless I wanted to run a negative split back, and that wasn't happening. I would have needed to finish in an hour at the turnaround. An hour. It took me almost 2 hours. Actually an hour and 53 minutes. I can run a road half in an hour and 53 minutes. Miserable. I had no power, I was hot and kept dumping water over my head at the aid stations. I was having some trouble with nutrition also, and this time it wasn't heartrate as I had thought it was in the past. Very few times did my heartrate get over 153, and that's what I consider my anaerobic threshold. I think it was a mix of training and heat. </div><div>Purposefully, my coach Heather has had me pushing myself to get stronger. This is what I asked for. I also told her that the only race I considered an A race this year is Imogene, and all of this training was in preparation for that. I wanted and needed and still need to work on hillwork, speedwork on hills, and general strength and conditioning. I had my first over 40 mile week back a few weeks ago, and have been feeling good, but fatigued often. It's a fine line between pushing yourself hard enough for growth while at the same time giving yourself the opportunity to recover. </div><div>The week before the SPF I ran 20 miles easy on Saturday, 8 miles easy on Monday, 9.7 miles Wednesday with up and downhill fartleks of 1,2,3,2,1 minute length with 1 minute recoveries, and a 5 mile easy run Friday which I ended up pushing myself a little (which I always do on short runs) and getting in negative splits on the whole run and an average pace of 8:37. </div><div>I could have come into SPF a little fatigued, but it's only a half, how bad can it be. </div><div>I started at the mid back of the pack, where I like to be and I should be. In the first 0.3 miles you climb 100 feet and then flatten out and run down hill for a bit. At 1.5 miles you start climbing again, and over the next 12 miles you climb up and over around 14 hills of at least 70 feet in elevation. None of them are really huge, they're just repetitive. After the turnaround I did what is known as the Death March. Head down, looking at the ground, putting one foot in front of the other. I was averaging over 15 minute miles, every mile. Ugh. </div><div>My stomach wasn't doing great either. I wished I had brought some Sport Beans, but I didn't. Heck, I was planning on finishing in 2.5 hours, how much food do you need for that? Not much really. At one point I tried to force myself to be sick so that I could reset my stomach, but even failed at that and drudged on. </div><div>SO - at 3:18:24 on the clock, I crossed the line. Wiped out, but smiling.</div><div>I really don't do well in the heat. Really really don't do well in the heat. </div><div><br></div><div>SO - where do I go with this information? If I can keep my brain out of my ass, I will not sign up for races during the summer season in the future, and either volunteer or hang with Kris and the boys and do house work, and run for fun. If it's a hot day, skip it. I am also considering another change for 2016. In addition to not planning any number of races goals, possibly even setting a maximum number of races, I am considering going naked - no - not naked naked, I am not built for that, I mean data free. Steve Chaffee runs with only a stopwatch, simple. I like that. We'll see. I am a huge data nerd, so t would be tough. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17203621711405084694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642710802757745284.post-8033294441031991812015-07-17T07:54:00.001-07:002015-07-17T07:57:24.667-07:00Old Loggers Path - First HalfThe Old Loggers Path in North Central PA is a route I had seen online as a possible run that I might want to do some day. The whole trail is 27.1 miles long. PAHIKES website has a topo, elevation profile, and some blogposts on the trail. Great link - <a href="http://www.pahikes.com/trails/old-loggers-path">http://www.pahikes.com/trails/old-loggers-path</a> <br />
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Saturday July 11th, I met up with Steve Chaffee and we drove down and picked up Michele Fanton and Ayda (not sure about the spelling) the dog. It took us about 2.5 hours, with the last 1/2 hour being a 10 mile drive down Pleasant Stream Road to drop a cooler (our aid station) and drive the 3.5 miles to the parking area. We got ready to go, and had a little hangup getting the 100 yards to the trailhead, when some guys Weimarhanar decides to hold Ayda at point until his owner showed up with his other two dogs to state "jeesh, I didn't think there would be so many people around". Fortunately, that was the last unleashed dog we saw all day. </div>
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The trailhead going Clockwise from the Masten parking lot starts off uphill from the road, with a fairly reasonable climb.</div>
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We had known there was a possibility of nettles from this guy's posts and youtube video - <a href="http://youtu.be/7AaQ00wBUxE" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">http://youtu.be/7AaQ00wBUxE</a>, but didn't expect to hit them within the first 1/4 mile. No way around them, and they had pretty well overgrown the trail so we just bull through them and keep going. Irritation only lasted about 5-10 minutes, and wasn't really that bad. Steve and Michele who was leashed to Ayda pulled away and went right up the climb. I knew it would be a super long day if I pushed myself too hard, especially right off the bat, so I kept myself in my zone and bulled uphill. </div>
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Not too far into the run things flattened out and it was nice. </div>
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We continued on across a creek and through some absolutely stunning woods. On the side of a ridge with huge pines, which would have made a great photo op, but I was busy trying to catch up on the flats and downhills when I could.</div>
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Around 5 miles in we could hear Yellow Dog Run, the creek that flowed into Rock Run which Steve had told us was a beautiful place to stop and take a rest and enjoy the views. It wasn't long until we came up on the creek. </div>
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About a mile fruther along we came to the junction, and took a break and a couple of photo's, and soaked our feet. The holes looked deep enough to jump into without touching the bottom, and Steve contemplated it, but decided against it. </div>
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After leaving this little haven, we climbed uphill for about 1.3 miles, climbing about 600 feet. Then things flatten out and you go through another real pretty set of pines and ferns around mile 8. </div>
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After 3 more miles of comfortable trail you turn off to climb Sullivan Mountain which offers some great views. We stopped a couple of times along this portion for photo ops also, and to enjoy the views. </div>
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After Sullivan you start to descend towards the road where we left the cooler. We still had about 3.5 miles till the road, but it's a nice route down. It can be technical at sections, and one segment had the creek you run along re-route itself to go right down the Loggers Path, but it was refreshing on the feet, and no-one complained. </div>
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We got to the road around mile 16.5 and stopped for some food and drink before making the trip back to the car. Steve said this is the spot he leaves the cooler, and if you decide to go on from here you have two more pretty good climbs. One within the first few miles after crossing the road and Pleasant Stream. We spent 10 minutes enjoying our food and ice cold water and got back on the road heading for our big cooler and a soak in the stream. You can just see Steve's back to the right of the big tree when he grabbed the cooler in this spot. We wanted to make sure it was hidden so we didn't come back to an empty cooler. </div>
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3.5 miles further down the road and our run was completed. We started at 9:30, and it took us 5 hours and 22 minutes with our stops. Our moving time was 4:07 and I felt real good after it. I can't wait to go back and see about doing the whole loopp. Maybe when the weather is cooler.<br />
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One of the best finish line aid stations I have been to. </div>
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Strava of our run <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/344046115">https://www.strava.com/activities/344046115</a><br />
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Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17203621711405084694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642710802757745284.post-70349200613270614882015-07-07T10:12:00.000-07:002015-07-07T10:12:44.394-07:00Coming down the Pike. So - the longer and longer I look back on Sehgahunda, I realize just how much of a success it was. I had a plan. I ran my plan. I didn't suffer, and for that reason I felt like I missed out on something. What a dork. Since then I have run a couple of races that have slapped me down hard and reminded me of a few things.<br />
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I am not a fan of the heat. I read a great book by Vanessa Runs called "The Summit Seeker". I recommend the book, and even better was I got the electronic version and for an additional $1.99 got the Audible version which has Gordy Ainsleigh reading his Foreword for the book. So cool.. In this forward he talks about Vanessa's boyfriend Shacky. He explains it perfectly. "His genes are from cool foggy Ireland, and are still having trouble adjusting to the American Southwest."<br />
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Between this heat, and the lack of depth of knowledge about running, I am being taught lessons. Lessons not learned in only a shorter run. Or, I should say, you know it's a hot day when you go for a short run, you know it's hot, and that it's not fun, but you can suffer through it. Extend this out past a couple of hours and it turns into a death march. That slogging of feet that feels like you can't take another step. I still haven't witnessed this on a truly long race, but can only imagine just how bad it can get, and have respect for the people who get through it with grit.<br />
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Sehgahunda was cool. Mid 40's at the start, and that was a blessing for me.<br />
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I have started religiously wearing a heart-rate monitor also. This, with the fact that I now have a trainer who is setting up my runs to stay in a certain zone has me really paying attention to my HR. Guess what, when it's hotter out, for the same perceived exertion, your heart-rate is higher, sometimes considerably higher. So.. You cannot run your race pace if it's hot!<br />
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I like the cold. I like snowshoe racing. I like running in the midst of winter, when my face-mask freezes, and I have to step carefully on the icy roads.<br />
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So. When I started looking into my race plans for next year, I thought about it, and figured that maybe it would be smarter for me to choose some cooler season races. It's hard to train for the long mile when it's dark out, but I enjoy running with a headlamp, and I enjoy running in the cold. So Kris and I talked about my options for a first race and decided that there is a 50K in Virginia that is called the Holiday Lake 50K. It's held in February, around Valentines Day, and Kris and the boys have the next week off. So, it would be a great way to start a vacation week. Additionally, a great friend and Ultra Mentor, Rich Shear, told me that the Race Director is a friend of his. </div>
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Now, of course, with my inability to do anything half way, and additionally a goal of doing a 50 miler next year, it so happens that the Holiday Lake 50K is part of two different race series. One is called the Lynchburg Ultra Series, and consists of 3 - 50K's, each getting tougher - in Feb, Mar, and April and then ending with a 50 Miler that Rich suggested I do, The Mountain Masochist Trail Run in November. The other series is the BEAST Series which includes these first 4, plus an additional 100M and 100K race. I am not ready for those, and won't be next year. I might be crazy, but I'm not stupid. </div>
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There are other 50K's coming up this fall, but I think after Imogene, I'll be looking for some recovery time, slowing things down some and getting a few more 1/2's in before the end of the year so that I reach my 2015 goal of a half marathon per month. I happened to look the other day and found that by the end of October, I will have run in 23 races this year. Obviously I will need 2 more halfs before the end of the year, and it would be illogical for me to not find some other race between now and the end of the year so that I at least have an average of a race every 2 weeks for the year. </div>
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Anyone who knows me, knows that I am the king of hobbies. I am an addict for change and hobbies. Guitars, Whitewater Kayaking, Cycling, Running, Photography, etc. Trail running I feel might stick, just because it implements, running, hiking, camping and photography, all in the outdoors. It's everything I want out of life. Everything I have always enjoyed. I am going to try to start running with a camera. We'll see how that goes. Hopefully I will have pictures to post in the future to make the blog a little more fun to read. </div>
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Take care. </div>
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Colin</div>
Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17203621711405084694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642710802757745284.post-4215121578328051962015-05-27T08:32:00.001-07:002015-05-27T10:11:41.122-07:00Hours vs Miles<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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I took this shot in 2008, the year I started running, the year I did my first half. The shot wasn't taken on a run, I think I was heading out for a morning hunt, but I've seen a similar view a number of times on the trail or an early morning run, hike, or hunt. </div>
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What separates miles and hours while running?<br />
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It seems that the answer to this is where you run. If you're a road runner, you likely track your runs by distance covered. If you're a trail runner, trying to get across a concept to people who understand road running you tell them how far you went in miles. Maybe if you're running "shorter" distances on the trail, you do the same, but then, at some point, when you're training for the big show, whether it be a long race, a long hike, a long backpacking trip or a long hunt, you start thinking in hours. </div>
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It goes something like this:</div>
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Well, I am going to be out there for multiple hours / days / weeks and I need the power to keep moving. It becomes less and less about speed, and more and more about the ability, strength and mental power to keep moving. Whether it be running, hiking, backpacking or hunting, you're going to be pushing your limits. </div>
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People can be amazed by the long runs.<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Why? Because they understand them as something they see, or can do, or have done - running. And, they realize that these guys are pushing the envelope the whole time they're out there, no matter how big or deep that envelope is. The guy who finishes 100 miles in 18 hours is just as impressed by the guy who took 30 to complete the same distance, because in their own way, they're both damned hard core, and they both put their all into it, and suffered miserably. But the guy out there for 30 hours suffered for 12 more hours. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But, those guys who pack back in the big country to disappear for a while, carrying everything they need to survive on their backs are also damned impressive, yet less likely to get the same level of ooohhhs and aaahhhhs, however, that's not what they're doing it for. It's strange if you think about it. They're actually working hard for a longer period of time, and carrying more weight, but the big difference is, they're appreciating it all, for themselves! They're out there to soak it in. Not to roll over a goal. They're watching the sunrise, they're looking at the views, they're taking the time to pause and see how that one ray of sunlight is poking through the treetops to light up that single flower. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Runners don't typically take that time. They're soaking it all in at warp speed. They don't take that extra 30 seconds to stop and appreciate that view. They have a schedule to meet, and places to be, and a clock to beat. I know, I can be one of them at times. Sometimes you're so beat from the run that you're hardly seeing anything off the trail. Sometimes you're not even focusing that well on that trail in front of your feet! It's survival mode, and because it's clocked, you don't stop, and sit down and take the pack off and catch your breath. That gets done when you cross the finish line. </span></div>
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I'm a runner, I'm a hunter, I'm a backpacker and I'm a hiker. I love each one in it's own way. They're all sweet, and they're all hard. They all offer a level of accomplishment, they just have their differences. </div>
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Running is fast - depending on the distance, severity and your speed it can typically be done in a few hours (10-15 miles), a half day (20-30 miles) during daylight (50-70 miles) or over a weekend (100 miles). You're going to cover the most ground, but not likely going to really "see" as much.<br />
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Running can also be done in theory without a huge disruption to your schedule or family life. I can get up at 4AM, and head out for a run, without waking anyone, be home and showered, and have breakfast with my family before heading out for work. However, I would be lying if I didn't say that includes being in bed by 9. (so maybe a little time away from the family at night) I eat healthier because it affects how well I perform the job. I feel more energetic because I am healthier whether from the running or diet who knows. I often meet up with a group of like minded others at the end of a race and socialize. It's awesome and I love it, and it's good conditioning for the other three! </div>
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Over my next 14 weeks however, I will probably be mixing in more hiking and backpacking to build my strength. Plus, it's something I can do with my family and my dog. I need to build my base core strength, and there isn't a more enjoyable way to accomplish that. </div>
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So my training schedule - even on Strava - has switched from running 35 miles per week to "running" 5 hours a week as of June 1st. I likely won't cover that same amount of ground, but it'll be just as valuable, and it'll likely be with family and friends who I have negelected during my spring training. Mix that with some swimming and cross training, and hopefully I'll be a more solid athlete at the end of it.</div>
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Oh - and why 14 weeks? That's when I head for Colorado to help a friend filming his Mule Deer hunt. For nearly two weeks we will live above 12,000 feet. With 70 lb packs, camera equipment and everything we need to survive. At the end of those two weeks I hope to run one of my bucket listers. The Imogene Pass Run that finishes in Telluride. Registration opens June 1st. Two years ago registration filled in 150 minutes, last year it was 58 minutes. I hope I can get in. </div>
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PS - I have an addition to my bucket list - Hardrock 100 course hike-through end to end. Shooting for 4 days or less. </div>
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Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17203621711405084694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642710802757745284.post-88549260591736176542015-05-24T18:01:00.001-07:002015-05-25T14:16:15.749-07:00Sehgahunda 2015 - My first marathon...This one is damned interesting. Saturday May 23, I ran one of my bucket listers. It was a race I saw in my quest for cool trail races, and thought, hell yeah! I want to do that some day!<br>
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SO - this year, after the Hyner Challenge, after some push from a friend who mentioned she had heard some extra spots were opening up, I got on the waitlist. </div>
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A few weeks later, and I was in! I had been told this was easier than the Hyner 25K, and it was. I was told I wouldn't feel the aches I felt the day after the Hyner and I don't. SO, why, after completing my first marathon, do I feel a lack of accomplishment? </div>
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I don't know if it's the fact that I didn't post that much about this race on social media, so I didn't have many folks giving me the token pat on the back. Something I have found is a great morale booster, but when contemplated, is a pat, that's it. You're asking for that pat when you post, and you will get one, guaranteed! Even if it's from mom. </div>
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Is the pat important? Hell yes! Extremely important to some. It was and will likely be in the future to me also, but not this time, not this run. This one was for me. It took me too long, though my time fell between my intitially planned A race and my newly planned A race a that was changed a week prior. My initial goal was a 6:30, and my newer goal a 6 hour race, I finished in 6:11:15. I was 117 out of 199 finishers. There were also 30 DNF's. Weather conditions were the reason for the new goal, with the fact that the course would be dry and the weather would be cool - around 40 at the start! This day was to be a training run for me. And it was. But, like a training run, I don't typically look for outside acknowledgement from my training. </div>
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So, what does it all mean? </div>
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I think it means, that afterwards I felt that maybe I am not built for the long stuff. Maybe, my last couple of months of listening to Trail Runner Nation podcasts about Ultrarunning went to my head, and for a moment I forgot about getting to a point with my ultracycling where I decided it was just too much. On my last long ride I was at a point where I wasn't having fun, and why the hell was I doing it, 8 hours into an 11+ hour ride I called Kris to pick me up at the next stop, I'd had enough of riding alone.<br>
Maybe it's because I listened to one of the podcasts where the guest was Ashley Walsh, who writes a blog called AshRuns100s, and happened to be speaking in the latest podcast I listened to about possibly giving up the 100's. About how she was in first place in a 100 at mile 80, and decided that she didn't need to finish. She didn't need the acknowledgement of others. Do yourself a favor if you understand running for long distances and read this one <a href="http://ashruns100s.com/2012/12/07/under-ancient-oaks/" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">http://ashruns100s.com/2012/12/07/under-ancient-oaks/</a>, it doesn't bash long distance. It talks about it as medicine. About she needed that medicine to get her through a tough time in her life, and at that race, at that point in time, she no longer felt that need, and in fact felt that maybe she was abusing the medicine.<br>
Don't get me wrong about running, I need the run, I love the run, I'll continue to run. I have a bunch of races scheduled in the near future and I'll run them. Heck, they're around the right distance where I'll probably push my limits and see what I can do in them. Those races are going to be fun. Those races I will enjoy. But, maybe I won't be looking for as many pats. </div>
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Where do I go from here? I continue to train. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Heck, I'm planning on running between 6 and 11 tomorrow depending on the condition of the trail. </span><br>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In the near future anyways, if I want to run over 20 miles, it will likely be on a trail with a few friends not that far from home. </span> At least for now, I have to be honest with myself. Right now I'm not a big distance guy. I'm not giving what I consider a fair effort. I haven't figured my nutrition out enough where I can push myself. I have to go slow enough to maintain a heart rate low enough to consume my nutrition without issue. And, for me, that's pretty damned slow. Then I also need to get my mileage up.</div>
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Maybe I just need to wrap my head around it. From what I listen to, most people who aren't elite and doing the Ultra stuff, do it like I did. They go slow. They do what they need to for their body to maintain for hours, up to 30 hours, sometimes more. My issue is, this wasn't ultra distance. With proper training I shouldn't have needed to worry so much about heart rate and nutrition in a race of this distance. It was a race that a friend of mine won! He ran it over two hours faster than me. I'm crazy happy for him. I also don't think I gave this a fair chance coming into it. I need to train a hell of alot more for a race like this. I have to consider that after writing it all down, maybe it's just that. I signed up for an event that I had no right in running, I treated this like a fun run, and that's ok. I just need to wrap my head around it, and I really did learn alot. AND - I guess I had to start somewhere. </div>
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So - what about the Sehgahunda? </div>
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It really is a nice race. Really. It's very well staffed, and well run. It's like most other trail races that I have competed in, but not like the best of them. Not like the races I have done with the MedVed folks, the TrailsRoc guys, the RoadsArePoison guys, and the Fantons, those all felt like family events. It's a trail race that finishes like a road race. It's a here's your medal, there's your burger, have a nice day after the finish line. Up till then, it's a trail race as I know them, with the very little experience that I have. But- giving a fair shake, I might have missed the camaraderie coming in as late as I did. </div>
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Funny thing about trail races and what attracted me. It's a tight knit group. It's the Cheer's of running - where everyone knows your name. You finish, and sit down and there is some awesome food, folks come up and chat and see how you did, and how everything is going. Everyone cheers every last runner across the line, and because there are more folks for the later runners, the cheering is louder. It's social and it's awesome, and it's something you're hesitant to share, because it's an amazing secret. But, don't worry, Sehgahunda will not divulge that secret. At least not shouting it from the rooftops. It's there, but you have to find it, or you have to bring it yourself. For me, this was a race that I felt somewhat guilty about running. A race that I left my family for the day to do something selfish. I'm sure that has an impact on my impression. </div>
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Back to the race, it's a tough race. <br>
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Mile 0 is the dam on the Mt Morris end of letchworth park. Here's a shot I took race morning 20 minutes before the start. </div>
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Mile 1-15 are fairly friendly, with 1-6 being the nicest. Somewhere around mile 3 I had to stop and take this picture of the gorge. </div>
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After mile 6, you'll find more slow rollers, and could be potentially quick, but you need to run it slow, keeping in mind what's coming after the 3rd aid station, after mile 15. After 15 through about 22-23 there are some serious climbs. A couple of real doozies. It's also starting to get a little warmer out. After mile 23 it's pretty flat except a very short climb to the finish. </div><div><br></div><div>People are great, aid station workers are great, fans are great. During the race you get passed by Relay runners who started 1/2 hour after you if you're a man, or 45 minutes after if you're a woman, but it's not a big deal, unless you're elite, you should be racing yourself and your personal capabilities. Success will be judged by yourself primarily. Know your goals going in, and run accordingly. Know the conditions of the course also, as they can have a huge effect on your race from what I have heard. And - if you can run the pre-runs with the Fleet Feet folks I would highly recommend it. As many as possible. A familiar course can be your friend.</div>
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What do you get? Decent swag for sure. Marathon Runners get a bib with their name on it (I was a wait lister, so no name), a hoodie, and all finishers get an awesome finishers arrowhead. </div>
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Will I do it again? Yup! But, hopefully with the active support of my family, and because I now have a PR to beat, or if I can convince my family, I will run the relay with them all, which would be absolutely awesome. Will I wear the hoodie proudly? Yep, there was blood, mud and sweat that paid for that sweatshirt. Not only did I fall once, but twice in this race, my first ever fall in a race, and I did a full roll the second time! I had plenty of opportunity to twist an ankle also, but got lucky (and was taped up), and got through mostly unscathed. </div>
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I'm thankful for this race though, as a training run it was tops. It gave me a bump up to some longer runs. I completed 26 miles without injury or major injury. It gave me an idea of what kind of pace to expect during climbs and how to climb them. I'm far from knowledgeable about the long stuff, and as can be seen from the whole first half of this post, this race left me very dissatisfied about competing in an event of this distance. It's alot like my first half marathon in Sedona Arizona in 2008. It was fairly slow, and I felt out of my league. Next time I plan to be more prepared. </div>
<div><br></div><div>Final assessment - why did I feel a lack of accomplishing anything special? I was alone - not alone alone - I had great friends there, but my family wasn't there. They will be next time. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PnMCeCSwGzs/VWOA0rMNLPI/AAAAAAAABbU/Yddozx_nxJA/s640/blogger-image--397473368.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PnMCeCSwGzs/VWOA0rMNLPI/AAAAAAAABbU/Yddozx_nxJA/s640/blogger-image--397473368.jpg"></a></div><br></div>
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Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17203621711405084694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642710802757745284.post-22445463778162960562015-04-11T17:53:00.001-07:002015-04-11T17:53:35.406-07:00Mess the Dress 5 MilerRunning is going well, workouts and cross training? ugh!<div><br></div><div>Today I ran a great trail race, short and sweet, a 5 Mile muddy run wearing a skirt. It was a Trails Roc event, and the charity was a group who raises money for prom dresses for girls who don't necessarily have the money to buy their own. It's a great group of people, and over the winted I did the Cast A Shadow Snowshoe race with these folks and figured they'd be a nice group to support. </div><div><br></div><div>I ended up 10th in a field of 113 runners, which is probably my best finish ever for an event of this size. There were no age group awards, but I was first in the 40-49 age group, so felt pretty good about that also, considering I lost my shoe, twice, in the mud. </div><div><br></div><div>Rules of the race were simple, follow the trail, keep the orange flags on your right, and don't avoid the mud. I ran the whole thing pretty much at my redline, but still felt good at the finish, though next weeks Hyner View Challenge Trail Race will tell alot more with 16.5 miles of running and 4200 feet of climbing. </div><div><br></div><div>The short and sweet of it was I did 5 miles in 45:56 in muddy conditions, and my achilles felt pretty good, as I have been having some issues with it because of all of the hillwork I have been doing. So I started doing some exercises to help build strength in my lower legs and hopefully prevent future issues. </div><div><br></div><div>So far year to date I have run 236 miles and climbed 17,500 feet in elevation. I am trying to get in at least one run with 1000 feet of climbing per week. I am also shooting for 25 miles a week, and maybe will get my bucket list goal of 1000 miles in a year this year. </div><div><br></div><div>Well, it's been a good year so far. Plan is to run 9 tomorrow with Kris, and have a mellow week after that with a couple of 6 milers, resting up for the Hyner. </div><div><br></div><div>Here are some shots from todays race. It's a stellar outfit. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-3hHFcmf4_9Y/VSnB8XYWb4I/AAAAAAAABZk/-vBVg2yH8_E/s640/blogger-image-1863376943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-3hHFcmf4_9Y/VSnB8XYWb4I/AAAAAAAABZk/-vBVg2yH8_E/s640/blogger-image-1863376943.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-c2YXgShSGNM/VSnB6QzNk7I/AAAAAAAABZc/dvWO9dw2Y44/s640/blogger-image-1446036630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-c2YXgShSGNM/VSnB6QzNk7I/AAAAAAAABZc/dvWO9dw2Y44/s640/blogger-image-1446036630.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wKzVua8ZNi8/VSnB4v9vwoI/AAAAAAAABZU/hYLLvcRExSo/s640/blogger-image-1773487152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wKzVua8ZNi8/VSnB4v9vwoI/AAAAAAAABZU/hYLLvcRExSo/s640/blogger-image-1773487152.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br></div>Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17203621711405084694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642710802757745284.post-20380067528168439292015-03-03T07:25:00.001-08:002015-03-03T07:25:53.363-08:00A change of goal, but not pace - big plans for 2015! So.<br />
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2015 brings new loftier goals in health and fitness, and new lessons to be learned hunting. </div>
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In the summer of 2014 I went for my annual physical, and through blood work my doctor found that my cholesterol was high, as well as my triglycerides, and my A1C was borderline high, which he stated was a precursor for diabetes. He said, well, you're not fat, which means I can't just tell you to eat right, because it doesn't look like you're eating all that bad. He asked how much sugar I was eating and I told him not much, so he said, well, make it none. At the time I thought, this guy is crazy! I did tell him that I thought I could get my cholesterol back in check with diet, so he gave me until November to get it straight or he was going to have to put me on medication. </div>
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I started looking into diet changes, and had considered going into a more Paleo type of diet, but figured that wouldn't help my cholesterol before I started doing some research. I basically took the next 3 months to research and think about how I was going to attack this, and in October I started the "Whole 30" diet - which is more of a body reset. No alcohol, no dairy, no legumes, no pasta, no grains for 30 days, along with some other limits on ingredients. Then you can start adding stuff back in and see how you feel. This is not easy at all. It's very tough finding what you can eat, especially at first. I am lucky that I hunt and have game meat in the freezer, and we have a garden with plenty of fresh vegetables. I was never able to get away from the evening "snack" of frozen blueberries, but even though not recommended, it wasn't off limits, and it was my weakness. Evening snacks were and still are a hard habit to break. Anyhow, on November 24th I had my bloodwork done again with the following results. </div>
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<li>Total Cholesterol - 194 down from 229</li>
<li>HDL Cholesterol - 44 up from 41</li>
<li>LDL Cholesterol - 136 down from 142</li>
<li>Triglycerides - 69 down from 231</li>
<li>A1C - 5.1 down from 6.1</li>
<li>Weight - 184 down from 195 (this was Oct 24 - Nov 24)</li>
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Wait, what? Yes, this was diet alone. No exercise changes. Kris wasn't super convinced when I started it, and has become quite the advocate after seeing the results. Including the clearing up of the snuffy noses for Kelleach our 12 year old son, and the acne on Brogan our 15 year old son. For Brogan it was dairy, and Kelleach seems to be mostly gluten and dairy. I have added things back in, but can definitely tell when I go off too far. Grains and dairy seem to hit me the hardest and take the longest to recover from. Sugar is just addicting. That's it. There's no way around it. When I fall off the sugar wagon, and I still do, it's hard to get back on track. Sugar in my mind is one of the most addictive substances in the world, and causes you to desire it more. The only sugar I allow myself now is honey in my coffee, and a very occasional dark chocolate bar, but even that has to be limited.</div>
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So - once getting my health in check somewhat, and agreeing to go to Colorado in September and be the videographer/photographer for Kim Womer's high country mule deer rifle hunt, the decision was made that even though I was in good shape for the 2014 mule deer hunt, it was time to get in great shape for 2015. Kim was asking Jeff at Antler Quest to give us the best chances of a 200 inch buck, no matter what we physically had to do to get it. I told Kim whatever he needed me to be able to do, I would be ready and we started planning. I mentioned to Kim that on the last Saturday of our hunt, there was a race that I always wanted to run. The Imogene Pass Run (IPR) goes from Ouray Colorado to Telluride Colorado. Running up 5000 feet to go over a 13,000 pass and then down into Colorado. It's a 17 mile race and has been on my bucket list since I learned about it. Kim was fully supportive and said I had to do it. He said he'd be waiting for me at the finish with a beer. </div>
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Having never run further than a half marathon, and never run that kind of elevation, I signed up for a couple of the tougher local races, including the Frozen Snot, which is a 14 mile race in PA which climbs 5400 feet over the length of the race. For a precursor, I ran the Frozen Assets race, which is typically a snowshoe race, unless there's not enough snow, which was the case this year. It was a 23 degree morning, and with little snow on the trail I ran my first race of the year on January 3rd. </div>
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I decided that my goal for 2015 was not only to run the Frozen Snot, and the Imogene Pass Run, but to also try to run a half marathon every month. </div>
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The Frozen Snot took me about 6.5 hours, and was a good lesson. A few weeks later I did the Cast A Shadow snowshoe race, and ran 14.6 miles in snowshoes in around 3:55. Both of these races were a very good idea of what was coming. A 13 mile road race is nothing compared to what these races had held for me, and if I had any dreams of a 4-5 hour IPR, then I needed to do some serious leg work. This would also help me immensely with all of my running, and with the whole reason for getting serious about my running - Kim's muley hunt! </div>
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So - with 180 days left before we leave NY for Colorado (September 2nd), we have big plans. Kim has been working out like a madman, and I have been ramping up. I have been doing some running, and just got back to the gym last week, and have been snowshoeing with Kris up back. I'll be in shape. Right now I am reading a book by Loren Cordaine about the Paleo Athlete, and combining the Paleo diet with the athletic lifestyle to maximize your training.</div>
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So this leaves us with the lessons to be learned. </div>
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Since my first half marathon in February of 2010 I have learned quite a bit. I did my jaunt with cycling, and distance cycling and triathlons, and running, and now I am looking to the woods for my hunting and my running. It's a different type of running and demands your attention at all times, but is very mind clearing with the fact being that there isn't a lot of room for doing much other than paying attention and enjoying the view. I've learned a lot about training, how if I want to be faster I have to do speed-work, and if I ever want to be a good Snowshoe racer, or trail runner, I need to do some serious legwork and hill work which overlap each other in benefit. So there are fitness lessons. </div>
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I am waiting for delivery of my new Panasonic HC-VX870 4K camcorder, and have busted out the Contour Roam and my D300 to start working on my photography again. Kim and I will be sitting down with what we have and seeing where we are with things. Kim has a line on some GoPro cameras which will also help out with things, and I believe we're going to sign up for a video class with Campbell Cameras being held on the 21st of March in PA. </div>
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The next level of learning for me will be hunting with a new person. This is always a lesson in life. To see how different hunters approach things. Many times small changes in how things are approached can lead to different levels of success. Additionally, Kim and I will be hunting similar to the way I hunted last year for mule deer, but in the same way, quite differently. We will be hunting more of a specific animal. Possibly going for a single deer. That one buck in the area that exceeds all others. It will take time and patience, and fitness. It's going to be a great experience. Additionally, if things go well enough, it may give me the time to get off the mountain before my race and possibly get my first elk. Even if it's a cow. I wouldn't mind bringing home a whole bunch of meat for the freezer. </div>
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Time will tell. </div>
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Next race is the Cooks Forest Half Marathon that Kris and I will be running on March 28th. </div>
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Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17203621711405084694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642710802757745284.post-28870837626435729842015-03-03T06:11:00.000-08:002015-03-03T06:12:06.762-08:00Hunting the WestWow.<br />
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It's definitely been a while - what, 2.5 years? So much has changed. In August of 2012 I did my second running at the Dark Skies 200K solo. I got about 87 miles in, and realized that I just wasn't having fun. So I called Kris, told her where to pick me up, and bailed. I still rode the bike on and off. Kris and I ride the tandem on occasion also, but more of my time is now being spent running.<br />
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Last fall, in September, I spent a week in Colorado hunting Mule Deer at around 12,000 feet and above. It was an awesome hunt. I went with my cousin Casey and his best friend from high school, Brad Valentine who also happens to have become one of my best friends also. We have been doing hunts of one sort or another every two years since 2006, and we always have a blast planning, driving out and hunting together.<br />
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In 2006 we went out and utilized a drop camp style of hunting. They took us back in to a walled tent on horseback and dropped us off for a week. </div>
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It was awesome. We didn't end up with any success, but enjoyed the trip, and did see game. I remember seeing Elk on a distant ridgeline and thinking wow, cool, way too far away, but definitely cool! We now know that it was truly not likely too far away, and we probably should have gone after them, but live and learn. We weren't really prepared for that kind of climbing, and with archery equipment it would have been quite a task to successfully complete. </div>
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We did enjoy the trip, and looking through pictures brings you back to the memories immediately. After doing this for years, and hunting in Wyoming for antelope, I have decided and talked to Kris about doing a trip to Colorado every year in the future. </div>
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The last day of our 2006 trip, it snowed, and we ended up waiting a whole day for the guys to come in and pick us up. </div>
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This was our first experience with an outfitter, and we were to find out on our next trip that there is no hurry for them to come get you. They tell you it'll be Saturday, so you get ready at 7AM and sit all day and waste your time waiting. It's a horrible way to end your trip, and in 2008 we tried a different outfitter with similar results, 1 small mule deer buck shot for camp meat, and a raghorn bull missed high, and a full day wait for the outfitter to come get us at dusk, with a ride out in the dark, in a thunderstorm with lightning being our only light while riding along a bluff edge over a gorge. It was scary, but also one of the coolest experiences I have ever witnessed. </div>
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In 2010 we ended up hunting by trespass fee on an 800 acre piece in Colorado. Each year we learn more and more. This was probably our best hunting area, and our best opportunities. We just still have alot to learn about the HOW of Elk hunting. The hunt was done at 9800 feet which is decent elevation, and it was fairly flat. We found huge wallows off the back of the property on Federal Land, but just couldn't put everything together to get ourselves an Elk. All in all, at this point, we had spent probably $15,000 between the 3 of us just for our hunts, not including tags, fuel, food and supplies.</div>
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2012 demanded we actually have a successful trip, so we hooked up with a landowner near Casper Wyoming and pulled the 5th wheel out there to hunt Pronghorn. We all tagged out the first day with our bows, even though the landowner told us not to shoot the first one we saw, which none of us did. We all shot Pope and Young class bucks, with Casey's being the only one to make the books. That was also a fun trip, and got our heads back into what a successful hunt feels like. </div>
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Coming off a high, we decided to head back to Colorado for 2014. We used a service called Antler Quest, which was basically a guy who goes out and scouts for you. We got ahold of Jeff Coldwell a year in advance and he worked with our requests to try to find a place that we would enjoy and have a good chance of success. He told us that we would not be going for Elk and Mule Deer. "Pick a species and concentrate on that". It was good advice. We also had some preference points, so decided we would give it a shot with our muzzleloaders. In March Jeff told us what unit to apply for, and we all drew. Then in August, about 3-4 weeks before our trip, Jeff headed to our spot to scout. He sent us our hunt packet which included a map of the area with the hotspots and our recommended camping spot circled, and 38 photo's he had taken while out there with notes on them pointing out where to look while glassing. </div>
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The hike in was about 3 miles long, and climbed from 9800 feet where we parked to approximately 11,500 feet where we set up camp. It took 3 hours, and was damned hard carrying 70 lb packs, but was beautiful. Here's Brad and Casey ahead of me on the walk in, just before the Big Bend, and almost 2 miles into the trip. It took us over 3 hours to cover the 3 miles.<br />
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We set up camp, and glassed some, saw some Elk, and a couple of mule deer, even a small buck. The first night was the coolest, probably around 20 degrees, but comfortable enough. We were up and scouting early and Casey spotted a nice buck that he wanted to go after. So off he went. Brad and I split up and tried to keep an eye on the buck and spot for him. I climbed up one side of the bowl, and got some nice shots through my spotting scope of the buck, but it wasn't meant to be.<br />
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Caseys buck. </div>
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Later in the week I spotted a group of 5 bucks, and spent the next few days trying to put together a stalk strategy. I got within 150 yards, and screwed up the shot. Brad got a decent buck on the third day, and was the only one of us who went home with a buck.<br />
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That brings us up to present day for the most part. Big plans are in the works for 2015. Including a High Country Early Rifle Hunt with Kim Womer, and a Bucket List race for me. In the same 2 week period. Stay tuned! </div>
<br />Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17203621711405084694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642710802757745284.post-84693474578066653642015-03-03T05:23:00.001-08:002015-03-03T05:23:28.296-08:00Damn! Where'd the time go! OK<br />
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So much has happened since my last post.. I "fell off" my goal. I PR'd a half marathon. I was part of some amazing stuff, and have plans for my first Marathon.<br />
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I did my last full 200K in July with Bill Fischer. It was a beautiful ride - the Hornell 200K. It was a great day, nice and reasonable for temps - mid-70's. The wind wasn't horrible, and the ride was pleasant.<br />
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It was my first ride with Bill in some time, and he stated more than once how he was impressed at the improvements I had made in ability and strength riding. It was probably a lot of smoke, and he was just hoping to keep me moving, but it was nice just the same. It was definitely the first time we had ridden together since the loss of two friends we had both ridden with on part of this same route in the spring. We talked of it some and cherished the time together, and the fact that no-one is invincible, and it's important to be sure that you're putting the right things first.<br />
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The ride took us 11 hours and 3 minutes, with an hour and 20 minutes of "down time". Though it was a great ride, about 6.5 hours into the ride (seems like it's always around there), I recognized that I needed to get something into my stomach to get things "straight". I tell Bill that when we get into Savona (around 80+/- miles), I was going to need to do something about my nutrition, and was hoping for some chicken noodle soup. Knowing how it helped near the end of my 300K.<br />
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Well, we pull into Savona, stop at a non scheduled gas station / Subway, and I look for soup. Awesome, they have chicken noodle soup in the store. I ask about a microwave, nope, sorry. Bummer. I tell Bill, that we'll have to move on and hope for the best in Addison only 15 miles further on with a little over 1000 feet of climbing between here and there. Oh well, pedal, pedal, pedal.. <br />
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About half way to Addison I start to get to the point where I am thirst, but feeling nausea. I keep drinking and doing what I can to keep moving. We get to Addison - less than 30 miles left, and I am feeling that I have once again hit that nutrition wall. Damn.. Just can't figure it out! Ugh ! This is SO frustrating. I can seem to do anything other than get water down. Bill and I sit in the Acorn for 20 minutes, and see what a little rest will do for us. Every other stop has been quick and dirty. One thing I had learned with my rides is, the less time you spend on your butt, or screwing around off the bike, the better off you are, and the sooner you'll get done! If you think about it, 3-4 minutes is a mile, so, an extra 8-10 minutes on the bike, and not sitting around puts you 2-3 more miles down the road. Well, after about 3 minutes sitting, I get the shakes pretty bad, and mention to Bill, "this doesn't look good, lets get back on the road". So we go. It's not too bad. I get another 10 miles in, and start really feeling like crap with about 20 miles left.<br />
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The last 20 miles was pretty tough. I was thirsty, but didn't feel any better when I drank. I remember at one point mentioning to Bill "if I felt like I do right now doing anything else, I would find some place to lay down". Bill pulls off in Canisteo - with less than 10 miles left, and goes and gets me something to drink, and I keep pedaling. We get 2 miles from the finish, and I yell to Bill that I have to stop, now... We pull off the road, and I empty my stomach (sorry folks). It was all water - nothing but water. AND - it seemed like a gallon. To me, I would say it was everything I had consumed since Savona, since that point where my body told me "hey! do something smart here". Well, obviously, I didn't.<br />
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We finished the ride, and I am still on track for my R-12. My 12 months in a row of 200K's or better. One more in the books, and only 4 more to go! I am 2/3 done. The hot months are pretty much over, and the easier months are coming. Bill and I talk a bit at the end about our thoughts on what it could be. We finish. I have part of a chocolate milk, and just get on the road. It's only a half hour drive home. YEP! A half hour and two more pit stops to be sure that my stomach is completely empty! Awesome!!!<br />
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The next few weeks I spend doing what I am good at. Analyzing, over-analyzing, reading, researching, and over-thinking anything that it could possibly be! I figure that it must have been the fact that I hadn't taken in enough sodium. IN fact, I sweat pretty heavy, and though I was replacing my fluids with water, I wasn't taking in any sodium. I read in one article that for every liter of sweat (I am about 1 liter per hour) you can lose between 250 and 3250 mg of sodium. WHAT! What did that say? Though that is a pretty broad range, it's also quite a surprise. Lets go with 1500 mg. 10 hours, 15,000 mg. ! OK.. I need to make sure I up my sodium intake. I think what I was suffering from may have been a mild case of hyponatremia.<br />
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So - Amazon - shopping cart - buffered salt tablets - check.. Ready for my next ride!<br />
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August 4th. Willow Creek Triathlon. This event is awesome. I was dressed up in this classy old skool getup. Knee High Socks, Old Skool Puma's, Mesh Tank Top, 1984 Fuji Del Ray, Umbro Shorts.. I decided to help some guys on the team out since it's a point to point, and I would park at the end, and ride back to the start. It's only 17 miles. Heck. I'll just take an easy ride!<br />
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I park the truck, get the Fuji out, throw on my backpack with my wetsuit in it, and head up the road to the start. I am moving right along in my first few miles, and then I realize that I am doing pretty good! Hey, wonder how long it would take if I pushed myself (this was a STUPID idea - almost as dumb as wearing a bunch of old skool clothes!). Well. I made the 17 miles in 51 minutes. That's a 20 mph average, on an older bike, wearing a backpack. I was going to CRUSH this race! Awesome!<br />
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We get ready for the start of the race, and shoot the breeze with all the Rogues. We had more banana hammocks there that anyone wanted to see, but that's what the guys do for the "fun" factor. I figure I should try to get a few calories, since I just depleted everything. Thank god Tim Andrus had some Gatorade. I drank about half the bottle, and was ready to roll!<br />
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The race starts, my swim goes well, I jump on the bike and am in the first mile, and am gaining on a guy on a TT bike. I pull up and ask him how he's doing, and he says that he's doing poorly, that his handlebars slipped, and he had just crashed. I said "bummer" and pedaled on. I figure if you're not smart enough to check your bike out before a race, then maybe.... OK.. The ride goes slower than I hoped. The guy on the TT bike passes me along with some others. There is a strong headwind, and I am just not feeling it. I finish the bike stage, and hop off for a super fast transition since I am wearing the same sneaks that I wore on the bike with my pedal cages. I forget something important though - the water station.<br />
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It's hotter on the course than I had expected. My swim was pretty good, my ride sucked, and now my run was also sucking. I was sweating pretty bad, and feeling crappy. People were stopping to walk, and it looked like a good idea, so I said screw it, and walked. I watched 2 people collapse in front of me on my leisurely afternoon walk. I also saw some of the folks that I should have been beating pass me, but instead of running, I cheered them on and finished 20 minutes slower than last year, but I felt good, so I didn't care.<br />
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All in all it was a great race. I had fun, and enjoyed my time with friends. Since that point, I have done much more running, and much less riding. It's funny how this article was started in October of 2012, and I am just wrapping it up today, March 3rd, 2015! I did alot of running, worked on my pace, slimmed down some, switched to a more Paleo lifestyle, and am now just starting doing alot more trail running, and considering possibly a Full Marathon, or an Ultra Trail Run in my future. <br />
<br />Stay tuned!<br />
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<br />Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17203621711405084694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642710802757745284.post-43370021290017134072012-06-29T18:12:00.000-07:002012-06-29T18:12:58.827-07:00Lake Gaston 210K NC to VA out and backSO.<br />
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I figured that since I was going to be vacationing with my wife and kids for 10 days, and going to be in another state, I would get a permanent in, and in the mean time get a state or two more towards my "American Explorer" award, which is cycling at least a 200K in at least 10 states. Once this is achieved in a RUSA cyclists lifetime, they can get a metal plaque that state magnets can be added to, with the goal of "filling the map"!<br />
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This is set up as a goal to accomplish over a number of years, I am going to try to accomplish it in my first year as a RUSA randonneur, since I have finally committed to giving up the goal of a Super Randonneur award for the year, because of scheduling difficulties, and the fact that it would mean I would have to drive back to NC twice in the next few months, to ride 240+ miles, and then 360+ miles in likely high temps and heat, I thought it would be more logical to try for that goal next year. Riding severely fatigued and dehydrated can lead to accidents, as well as other problems, and I don't need to be stupid.<br />
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I decided to do this particular ride because it includes two states, NC and VA. I already have rides in NY, PA, and NJ, and have looked at some more rides closer to home that include WV, and MD, so I wouldn't be "wasting a state" by riding in a state that would overlap. I am hoping to get some other states later this year.<br />
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I contacted the route owner, this is the person who builds the route and is in charge of it, and he told me that he would be out of town when I was here, but I was more than welcome to do his route, and also recommended a route out of Raleigh owned by a friend that was a loop as an alternative. I am not a huge fan of out and back routes, but he told me that his route was a little more rural, and I always prefer a route with less traffic involved.<br />
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I decided to do the route on Monday morning, since that was the second full day of our vacation, and it would assure I was more rested and better prepared for the ride, without cutting in to too much of our vacation time. The weather promised to be in the mid-90's, with humidity near 60%. It was warmer than I had ridden before, and though I wanted to ride my Fuji, since it was a bit flatter of a course, I went with the CoMotion because of more water bottle holders. This proved to be a very wise choice.<br />
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I started at 6AM, trying to get as much ground covered as possible before the heat set in. I brought a stocking with me to make an ice sock for later in the day, and traveled light. Water bottles were filled, and I brought 6 mini PayDay's with me, and 4 baggies of INFINIT Endurance powder that I put in the 3rd water bottle that sits under my downtube just in front of my pedals, one for each segment of the ride. I grabbed an orange juice at McDonalds to get my receipt and card signed and got rolling.<br />
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It was a foggy morning, with 100% humidity, but also 73 degrees, so I wasn't complaining. My glasses fogged up quick, and I took them off. About 8 miles out of town I saw a sign for "Bailey - 9 miles", so of course I had to stop and get a picture. As I got back on my bike I noticed about 30 little round "seeds" on my legs. Shoot, are those ticks? That caused another quick stop to verify that they weren't in fact ticks, they were seeds of some kind, but they bothered me for the rest of the trip, as I would look down, and there would be more on my legs from cars kicking them up as they passed.<br />
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These rides all have time limits, both too fast and too slow.. You can't get there too early or too late. The first Control, 37 miles into the trip had a 7:58 opening time, and a closing time at 9:56. I was doing well, with my stops and starting slightly after 6 and I pulled into the stop and got my card signed at 8:10, which was after getting my water, and chatting with one of the locals about what I was doing. He had seen "another fella" doing this a few weeks back, and was aware of where I started from and where I was going. He followed me out the door, and I filled my bottles and got on my way. I had 4 dogs chase me on the first leg, and was thinking it was going to be a long day, as the dogs can cause you to "burn matches" that you may need later.<br />
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This segment promised to be prettier, with more remote roads, and a 1 mile long lake crossing as well as crossing from NC to VA. The open time for the next control was at 9:30, and I arrived at 9:50, so I was still going strong.<br />
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It was starting to heat up now, and I should have filled the ice sock here, but I wasn't feeling uncomfortably hot, and thought I'd be OK. About 3 miles down the road, I realized I was wrong about that, between the heat and headwind, it was going to be some real work. I had made it to the midway point in 4 hours, it was possible to finish in 8 theoretically, but I knew immediately that wasn't going to happen, and was hoping to finish between 9 and 10 hours total.<br />
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I kept my pace very reasonable over the next 28 miles, making sure that I didn't over-exert too much, and trying to stay cool. There was little shade, and the temps had popped to 90 degrees in no time. Each hill was work, even though they were really very slight grades. I was just concentrating on how much fluid I was taking in, and taking it reasonable. I drank 2 bottles of INFINIT mix (27oz bottles) in the first 65.5 miles, and probably finished another 27 oz bottle of water. I also ate 2 of the mini paydays. I was starting to feel full, which was a bad thing. I was also starting to feel very hot. Over this next 65.5 miles the Garmin said that the temps got up to 104, I don't think that was the air temp, but I'll bet you with the road heat, it might have been pretty close. I know I thought a couple of times about letting a little air out of my tires because I was concerned with the heat that they might pop, but they held out. I stopped a couple of times for photo ops crossing Lake Gaston, the NC state line, and for a pile of what I at first though was a HUGE snake hit by a mower, but went back to see it was a bunch of alligator gar someone had thrown in the ditch.<br />
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I got to back to the middle control at 12:10, got some water and ice, and filled all my water bottles with only water, and filled the stocking with ice to hang around my neck and try to keep my body temp down. I only had 37 miles to go, but knew it was going to be painful. There were some long stretches of nothing but sun and rolling roads. No stores to stop and fill my water, so I had to plan accordingly. You can see in the following photo with my bike, the panty hose loaded with ice that I put around my neck.<br />
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The final miles were in fact tough. I stopped 10 miles in to fill my bottles, and again at 20+ miles in. When I stood after filling my bottles at the 20 mile stop, I had to grab the wall to stay up from being a little woozy. I had gotten to the point of overheating, and was having trouble consuming anything, including water, but was thirsty, so forced it down. The final 10 miles were tough, with just cranking the pedals becoming quite the task. I averaged under 10 mph, and was stoked when I saw the sign for the Cracker Barrel in the horizon ahead, knowing it was next to the McDonalds that was the final control. A little further on I saw the Hampton which hosts the parking lot which you ride through to get to the finish. I rolled in slow, and was damned happy to be done. The receipt from Mickey D's said 3:34, so 9 hours and 34 minutes. I was dreaming of under 9, and if it had been cooler I might have made it.<br />
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I am glad I did the ride. It was an eye opener about riding in the heat, which CAN be done, but you have to ride smart. I do know that coming back to North Carolina at the end of July to ride a 400K, and then again at the end of August to ride a 600K is out of the question.<br />
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I also found out between the ride and writing this report that another good friend, and guy I rode with a couple of times earlier this year died in a ride in Virginia. It was a major event. 2000 participants, and it's a multi-day tour. Mark Hogan who was a gentle giant of a man was riding with another guy I have ridden with a few times, Blaine Chamberlain, and Mark was crossing railroad tracks, and fell. He was wearing a helmet, but the impact with the road caused too traumatic of head injuries for him to survive. He was another guy in the 60 year old range. In fact I rode earlier this year with Mark Hogan, Mark Sheehan, Bill Fischer and myself on an 80+ mile ride around the southern tier of NY.<br />
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During my first ride with Mark H. I was lagging behind, so when we crested a hill, I told the group to go on ahead, and I would finish on my own. He refused to leave me, and said we all ride together. He was a great man, and will be dearly missed. What a great guy.. It's just not fair some times.<br />
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<br />Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17203621711405084694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642710802757745284.post-39114957824753580022012-06-04T19:16:00.000-07:002012-06-04T19:16:07.709-07:00Letchworth 300K - June 2ndOK... So this ride is actually not called "Letchworth 300K" - it's called 300LR-1, but what kind of fun is a name like that?!<br />
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Friday night I drove from work to my parents house in Caledonia, and stayed within 1 hour of the start. The ride start time was scheduled for 6AM, so this would give me a bit more sleep and a chance to catch up with my parents, which is always a good time, and alot of laughs. I got to sleep around 9, and headed out for Ontario NY for the start.<br />
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I arrived at around 5:30, and got everything prepared to ride. 4 riders were there including myself. Ride organizer Peter Dusel (left), and two others, Al (blue), and John (yellow).. John had tried the same ride a couple of weeks earlier and DNF'd, so was bound and determined to get it done this time. Check out those tires on Johns bike! 45lbs... Man - that has to be some rolling resistance, but a cushy ride.<br />
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We rolled out together and headed for our first stop in Canadaigua 30 miles down the road. There were some slight rollers, and the wind hadn't picked up much yet, so it was a nice ride. I felt great, thinking hell, it's only 160 more miles! No problems, right? We stopped at the park across from the Hess Station Control and got our cards signed and were on our way.<br />
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Next stop would be Naples - Bob and Ruths diner, which was only 25 miles further down the road, so we headed down the East side of the lake, up on the "scenic route". We continued down the road together, and the wind picked up some, and the rain spit a little bit along the way, but all in all, it was still quite decent. We rolled in to Bob and Ruths and got our cards signed at 10:15. When we came across the bottom coming into Naples, the wind was something. It was a cross wind, but you had to lean sideways into it riding, not looking forward to hitting the hilltops climbing out of Naples to Dansville, and then Dansville to Canaseraga. I was shaking from the cold, so decided to keep rolling, but stopped long enough to get the "legit" Naples photo with the grape vines in the background.<br />
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Interesting thing about the cold and dressing appropriately. If you're doing it right, you're going to be cold when you stop, but when you're rolling you should be comfortable, which I was. Of course sweating and getting the clothing soaked doesn't help a bunch, but I have no idea how you're going to ride and not sweat. At least not me.<br />
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I got going just before the others, and saw them in my mirror as I got back on the bike after taking the picture. As I stated earlier, I felt great, and had a dream time of 15 hours. I figured with the wind, if I could do the first 100 miles, and get to Letchworth (102 miles) by around 8 hours, I should be able to do the next 90 in another 8 hours as there was less climbing and should be a strong tailwind. The hills out of Naples are decent. Some long climbs, but nothing really horribly steep. Then you roll downhill into Dansville, and go through town, and out the other side to climb up Ossian Hill Rd. One thing I have learned is that long ago most roads were named, and when they were named the vehicles were a bit different than now lets assume, so, when a road has the name "Hill" in it, there is very likely a good reason.. This was no exception. It's a 2.5 mile stretch climbing over 600 feet, then when you think you've topped out, it still gradually climbs, but by this time, you're "on top" with farm fields around, and nothing to buffet the wind, and I couldn't get up over 6 mph for probably a 5 mile stretch.. I kept pedaling towards Canaseraga, expecting at any time to have this long downhill stretch, but that never happened. I figure that Dansville must just be a low spot, so when you take that long fast ride down into Dansville, there's only one way to get out, and thats climbing...<br />
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Once I got to Rt 70 in Canaseraga, it was only about 8 miles to the next Control point. There was some wind, but the woods on the right side do a pretty good job keeping the breeze under control. I rolled into the "Seager Farm" control at around 1:30. I was just over 90 miles into the ride, and had been on the road for 7.5 hours. If I was hoping to keep up this pace, I really needed to keep rolling, but I sat down, had some rice cake, a swig of gatorade, and some pretzels that they had there. As I was standing to get going again, Al and Peter came up the road. I hopped on my bike and said "hey" as I was pulling out of the driveway.<br />
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The next stop was behind the Glen Iris Inn in Letchworth State Park. It was what is called an "info" control. I needed to write down on my card, how many acres the initial donation was, which could be found on a large plaque overlooking the falls. I spent more time here taking a good picture of my bike and trying to upload it than finding the answer and was quickly on my way again.<br />
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Right out of the parking lot you start climbing.. There are some short steep climbs in Letchworth, and I believe this is where I made the biggest mistake of my ride. I was doing OK for time, and was really trying to make the whole ride in what I figured now might be a possible 16 hours, but I knew I would have to keep moving. The second half of this ride appears on paper to be less hilly, which it is, as far as long climbs go, but it has alot of rollers, and I didn't take them at a reasonable enough pace, and didn't allow myself time to recover. I wasn't even through Letchworth when I started feeling sick, and that feeling that I wasn't absorbing anything, including water. Even drinking water was making me feel sick.. This wasn't good. I did have time to stop and take another photo though - make the most of it, y'know!<br />
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I headed out of Letchworth towards Geneseo, and stopped in town at the mini market to try to find something I could keep down, and fill one of my water bottles. I bought a Dr. Pepper, and a bag of those little chocolate chip cookies, ate 3 cookies, drank half the bottle of pop, and felt worse.. Screw it, time to keep going. I stopped in the middle of town, at the bear statue, and took another shot of my bike - looks like I am in France!<br />
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This was the last picture I took for the ride. When your ass gets dragging like that, you don't care much about anything but finishing.. I will say that I looked for other photo ops, but nothing jumped out.<br />
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Into Canadaigua, the last stop before the end before 9:00. Just 28 miles left. I was a hurting unit. Al and Peter pulled in 5 minutes after me, and Peter got me straightened out on my nausea.. I hadn't eaten or drank much of anything since probably 2:00. I was pretty badly dehydrated, and craved the fruit smoothie I grabbed, but couldn't drink it, too much acid. Peter said that I really needed to go empty my stomach. I was shivering so bad I was shuddering, and this was inside the Tim Hortons.. Anyways, I took Peters advice, and immediately started feeling a bit better. I got some chicken noodle soup (much needed sodium), and some water, and felt like I was ready. We all got our reflective gear on, lights going, and I was shaking again, so got on my bike, and got going again. As I was pulling out of the parking lot, I heard the bell on Johns bike ding, as he was pulling in.<br />
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I was ahead of Peter and Al by only a few minutes, but they made a wrong turn and ended up further behind me than expected. The last part is fairly flat with some small rollers, but thankfully it's a nice stretch, and I slowed to let the others catch up, didn't seem right to finish the ride alone after these guys sat around and helped me out at the control giving me the pointers I needed to feel better.. With about 15 miles left I saw the lights coming up behind me, and we rode the remainder of the ride together. Talking some, and enjoying the night. We pulled into Peters driveway, and the final control at 11:40PM, just 17 hours and 40 minutes after we had left.<br />
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According to the Garmin, I spent 15:56 minutes in the saddle pedaling, which means just over 100 minutes of off the bike time. I climbed over 9100 feet - not my most climbing for a ride, but with the fatigue you get on the longer rides it seemed plenty. I burned about 8000 calories, and according to the scale lost 5 lbs since Friday morning. By Monday morning I had gained 3 lbs back, and was likely still dehydrated, so am still working on getting the rest of the fluids I need - oh yeah, and the rest I need. I had very little saddle discomfort until around mile 180, and then not enough to bother me all that much.<br />
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Not sure what the next ride will be for me, at least the next long ride. We have a couple of busy weekends, and a family vacation coming up at the end of the month, then the Boilermaker the second weekend of July, so, sometime after that.. Was hoping to maybe try to sneak a 400K in, and maybe even do a 600K this year, getting me my Super Randonneur Award for the year, but I am not sure that will be happening, we'll see.<br />
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The only other two things to mention. <br />
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1 - Peter and his wife told me to stay at their house for the night, and when I told them I was heading out, they said "get going then". Peter said it will be about 25 minutes after your butt settles into that car seat, and you're going to have a horrible time staying awake. He was right. The clock on my dashboard said it had been 26 minutes when it was all I could do to stay awake. Even coffee didn't help much. I will make alternate plans next time I do any ride over 200K.<br />
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2 - We lost a friend in cycling on Saturday. Not one of the four in my group, but a guy I had ridden with earlier in the year. His name is Mark Sheehan, and I enjoyed riding with him, and talking with him about his recent retirement - actually, at the time it would be his future retirement. He had left NYSEG to take vacation before coming back for a single days work to retire back in February, and was home for a few days from a year long house rental in Florida where he, his wife, and his doberman were going to spend a year and check things out. He had worked very hard the previous year, we talked about my goals, about his goals, what those goals had been, and what his plans were. About riding with his wife, going to Fredericksburg, TX to ride some long ride down there, one day with his wife, and another on his own. About a lot of different stuff.. He was out riding Saturday with a group, and pulled his bike off the side of the road and died. I am not positive about the details, but that doesn't matter. He died doing what he loved. I found out from a friend today that he had over 3000 miles in this year already. He was loving his retirement. I am sorry he didn't get to enjoy more of it, and am sorry for the loss for his family. Goodbye Mark. It was nice riding with you. I am glad to have known you.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>“When the
spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when
hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down
the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are
taking."</i></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Arthur Conan Doyle</span></div>Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17203621711405084694noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642710802757745284.post-29388933992511515312012-05-11T17:31:00.000-07:002012-05-11T17:32:22.613-07:00Pine Creek 200K - Jersey Shore StartBeautiful - this can not be argued with.<br />
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<a href="http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1126644" target="_blank">Pine Creek 200K - Jersey Shore Start</a></div>
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This is an absolutely beautiful ride through the land of Eagle, Bear and Snake. Called the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, the Pine Creek Rail Trail is a crushed limestone walking and biking path that runs 62 miles End to End, from Jersey Shore, PA to Wellsboro, PA if going south to north, which is the uphill direction. Of course, uphill is 3600 feet, end to end, at about a 1% grade, so it's not noticeable. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VDrM_mb6NXs/T62psSrTzWI/AAAAAAAAAQs/mPRGKuRH0F4/s1600/20120505-IMG_0382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VDrM_mb6NXs/T62psSrTzWI/AAAAAAAAAQs/mPRGKuRH0F4/s320/20120505-IMG_0382.jpg" width="320" /></a>I started the ride at 7:30 from the Weis Mart parking lot in Jersey Shore. It was about 40 out, and I had both water bottles filled, and was wearing my rain jacket because it was still a little misty out. You have to travel the roads from the parking lot for less than a mile till you're on the Rail Trail. Except for the short ride to the 3rd control, at the top of the trail, and some road crossings, this is the only spot that you encounter vehicles. </div>
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The trail runs along Pine Creek for the most part, or within a few hundred yards of it for the complete time you're on it. Along the trail you can see some of the original New York Central Railroad mile-markers. The “L” references Lyons, New York, a major railroad juction 168 miles north of Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania.</div>
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The reason I chose to start in Jersey Shore which is 2 hours from home for me instead of starting in Galeton, which is another option, because I figured it would be all uphill for the first half of the ride, and then I would turn around, and it would be all downhill back to the car. Excellent, right? The problem is, with little to no grade, it quickly became apparent that one issue would be the fact that you never get to stop pedaling. You never climb that hill to coast down the other side. You don't HAVE to stand to climb, you have to remind yourself to stand for a bit to keep the blood pumping. It's not a hard ride really, it's just a taxing ride. You have to keep pumping, the whole time. </div>
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About 20 miles into the ride I saw a black thing up ahead through the trees. As I rounded the bend, I see it's a black bear about 80 yards ahead of me, walking the trail, heading the same way as I am heading. So I stop the bike, and quietly take a picture. Then I start pedaling again to see how close I can get. I get about 50 yards away and he glances back and takes off running away from me down the trail. I chased him to see if I could get a better picture when he ran off the trail, and do end up getting within 25 yards, but the weeds are deep, and he's hell bent to get out of there. Very cool! </div>
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About 5 miles further down the trail I look between myself and the creek, and see two Bald Eagles sitting high in a tree watching the river. Also very cool! Now, I am just hoping to see some Rattlesnakes. Something the trail is known for. There are educational signs all along the trail to keep your eyes open for them, and what to expect. Unfortunately, I never did see any.</div>
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The first stop is in Cedar Run at the Cedar Run General Store, which is a really cool little store at mile 33 in the ride. You pass through a couple of other small towns, and pass a store in Slate Run at mile 27 which is the last Control of the ride before the finish line on your way back. I got to Cedar Run around 10:00, and unfortunately the store doesn't open until 11! SO - I will have to swap this Control to be the control on the way back down the trail, and have the Slate Run stop on the way up. Anyways, the Cedar Run Inn was open, and the lady there gladly signed my card and I was on my way. I still had 1 full water bottle, so I figured I was OK. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kdfVmE__SkE/T62qnuOrYcI/AAAAAAAAARc/VJkMmzx8ND8/s1600/20120505-IMG_0411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kdfVmE__SkE/T62qnuOrYcI/AAAAAAAAARc/VJkMmzx8ND8/s320/20120505-IMG_0411.jpg" width="240" /></a>About 2 hours later I run out of water. Of course there is a creek right next to you, but I didn't have any iodine tablets, and don't like to trust creek water, because if you're wrong, you can end up very sick. There are also bathrooms at spots along the trail, but the same thing there, I have read that the water tastes like rusty pipes.. I figured, I would just push on, and be fine. It was up to about 72 or 73, and still a bit cloudy, so it was tolerable. When the trail ends, you can cross a bridge on a grass lane, and get out on Route 287 which quickly joins Route 6, and ride a mile down the road to an Acorn, where I was happy to drink a whole Big Gatorade, and fill my water bottles, grab some pretzels, and relax for a few minutes before I got started on the downhill section! It MUST get easier going downhill, even though it's only slight, right? </div>
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Wrong. The whole trail is covered with fine crushed limestone. It's pretty, sure. It's smooth, yeah. It's even resurfaced in spots! But - it's not fast, and you never roll smoothly and get any speed up. I pushed along fairly consistently, and my average moving speed was right around 12 mph. </div>
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The sun came out in the second half of the ride, and there was much more action on the trail and in the river. A lot of folks canoeing, kayaking, and rafting. There had been rains for a few days before and the river levels were around 3 feet when I checked online after the ride, which is perfect for canoeing. I am looking forward to heading back with the boys to do a trip, and hope I can convince Kris to go along with us, either in the Kayak or the Canoe with the boys. </div>
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The second half was uneventful, beautiful, but part of the negative of an out and back is the fact that you've seen it all before. When I passed the Cedar Run Store, it was open, and alot of folks were eating ice cream. I pedaled on the 6 miles to the Control at Wolfe's General Store, and enjoyed a ice cream Twix bar, more Gatorade, and filled the water bottles. Short rest here, and back on the trail. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_RfQtwbrfIg/T62qpa7lcRI/AAAAAAAAARk/l9hbbvP6-aI/s1600/20120505-IMG_0416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_RfQtwbrfIg/T62qpa7lcRI/AAAAAAAAARk/l9hbbvP6-aI/s320/20120505-IMG_0416.jpg" width="240" /></a>I finished the ride around 6:45PM, about 10.5 hours of moving time, and that was split about evenly between the ride up, and the ride back down. I hoped to gain time on the way back, but the trail's lack of assistance and not being as fresh as I was at the start didn't help me to make up any time. </div>
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It's funny about these Rando ride. Fatigue and your mind play games with you. You are riding along this beautiful trail, and stream, and people are lounging downstream, letting the stream push them, and laughing and having a blast. All I kept thinking was that I couldn't wait to get home, and get the boys back down here as soon as possible. When you take one of your weekend days and choose to spend it away from your family, a little guilt sets in. When you're doing it, you realize that you're not doing it because it feels good WHILE you're doing it. It's about the feeling of accomplishment afterwards! But - it's a fine line. One of my friends said they stopped doing it not long after the rode by a lake on a long (multi-day) ride, and looked out to the lake and saw people drinking beers, having a cookout, relaxing in the sun and shade, and enjoying each others company. He asked himself why the hell he was doing this, and stopped for years shortly after that. BUT - like any addiction, he's now doing it again.</div>
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There are worse addictions to have. Vanity plays it's part, as it always does with fitness, and competitive sports, or you wouldn't bother doing them! Even if it's just to say I did this! I am not saying don't set goals for yourself. I have likely not been this fit in a long time, and I feel great! But -- at the end of the day, who's keeping score? Fitness is a very good reason to do it, and I truly enjoy riding, but I do it for my own piece of mind, and look forward to the day when the boys may come along with me. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vymMbthsv88/T62qzpIvnEI/AAAAAAAAASE/egXkqmczDTk/s1600/20120505-IMG_0428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vymMbthsv88/T62qzpIvnEI/AAAAAAAAASE/egXkqmczDTk/s320/20120505-IMG_0428.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17203621711405084694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642710802757745284.post-48805571086342359912012-05-10T07:45:00.001-07:002012-05-10T07:45:05.741-07:00New Old Skool Fuji!SO ! <br />
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I got a new bike ! Well, I got an old bike, but it's in awesome shape, and it's going to be a blast to ride.<br />
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It's a 1984 Fuji Del Ray. Middle of the Fuji line at the time, but considered something along the sport / touring line. Its going to be perfect for my Rando rides. Plus - I am thinking I may even ride it in this Triathlon I am doing this fall - <a href="http://www.willowcreektriathlon.org/" target="_blank">the Willow Creek Triathlon</a>. I am considering going all out old skool. Cutoffs, old skool chucks or puma's, mesh shirt, headband and wrist band, aviators.... Just go have a fun time!<br />
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It's actually a sweet bike, and in great shape! I have my great friend Paul from the local bike shop I spend my money at to thank for keeping his eyes open and finding this gem for me. It's got a Zefal pump, Velcro water bottles, Rhode Gear Flickstand, downtube shifters, lugged steel frame, pedals with cages, fat foamy handlebar wrap (I guess you could call it wrap), leather saddle, it's just sweet.!<br />
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Anyways, so far I have replaced the tires, repacked the hub bearings in the wheels, and replaced the brakes. I am getting ready to take my inaugural ride! Hopefully this weekend!<br />
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SWEET!!Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17203621711405084694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642710802757745284.post-42315298430941117222012-05-09T09:25:00.000-07:002012-05-09T09:25:35.641-07:00Allegany 200K - April 14th 2012Brisk! 28 degrees driving the 5 miles to the start of this one..<br />
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<a href="http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1054033">http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1054033</a>
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This is a permanent route that I built from my little one light town in Scio, NY. It starts, not at the local mini market filling station, but at "The Store", a little local town general store that has been in this town since my family has been coming here in 1973, lets say as long as I remember. It's that kind of little store with everything you need for sustenance, the kind of store that in the 50's and still today, can see some old chap pulling up in his 5 window pickup with the window down and his dog sitting next to him on his ripped and torn front seat, get out and head in for the morning paper and a quart of milk and a loaf of bread. It has a little butcher shop in it, some movies for rent, and a round table and some chair just inside the door in case you want to sit and chat for a while, maybe catch up with someone you haven't seen in a while. I really love these kind of stores. The one in Germania on my Dark Skies ride is an awesome little store too. Just friendly people, good mojo, and what you need to keep you going.<br />
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This day, I decided to ride the Giant. My carbon fiber bike. It's lighter weight, with thinner tires, which makes for faster rolling, both of these are huge benefits and mean less work for the ride but come at an expense also. You're going to feel more of the imperfections of the road, especially for a ride that will have you on the road for over 10 hours, so your hands and butt are going to feel it. I had just upgraded my saddle to a <a href="http://www.fizik.it/product.aspx?c=ALIANTE_VERSUS" target="_blank">Fizik Aliante VS</a> after reading an article about how wonderful the saddle was for bigger guys. I had the "Arione" model on my Tri bike last year, and didn't like it much. It just wasn't comfortable, a little too narrow. Anyways, the light weight of the bike paid off with less work which I was glad of with the 13 mph headwind that I came up against in the second half of the ride. The saddle was great for the first 6 hours, but by hour 9 I was "feeling the pain", and wouldn't have been surprised by the time I got off the bike to find blisters, but you keep riding.<br />
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I left around 7 AM and headed East with my first control in Canaseraga, NY. The weather was actually quite comfortable, and I made decent time covering the first 30 miles in 2 hours. That 30 miles included one of the steepest climbs of the ride, I thought aptly named Bailey Hill, as I would find out later, this ride, though the total climbing doesn't "look" too bad, has some pretty serious climbs!<br />
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I grabbed some donuts, and grapefruit juice at the first control and headed down the road on my way. I still had some of the rice bars that Kris made for my last ride and had frozen, so I unwrapped one, and started to eat it.. Well, they didn't freeze well, and tasted like crap, and wasn't holding together well, and I got a couple of bites, ended up with it crumbling all over me as I was riding down the road, and even got some in my shoe.!<br />
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From mile 30 - 42 it's real flat and fast, pretty easy rolling, some wind while you're riding past open fields, but it's enjoyable. Then you cross the Genesee River in Portville, near the South Entrance to Letchworth State Park, and take a left turn and start climbing towards the next control which is at mile 62 in Centerville, NY. Along this stretch, there are some pretty good climbs, and I had a couple dogs chase me. I personally have been lucky enough to not have been bitten by a dog (yet), but this was the first time I had one run into me. It was a Weimaraner, pretty big, and I think he just miscalculated that I was riding towards him, and he was running towards me. His face ran into my ankle, which I promptly pulled my shoe out of the clip and kicked at him with. He was a bit surprised, and left me be after that. Of course the next house had a dog also, but it was an older farm dog, and it couldn't get to the road in time to tell me what it thought, thankfully, I was spent from the first sprint and encounter.<br />
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I rolled into the Centerville Control at around 4:50 into the trip. This was just shy of the halfway point. I topped off my water bottles, got some Dr. Pepper and Gatorade, and something to eat. Sat on the step where the local cats hang out, and relaxed for a few. The guy who runs the store, Tom, asked me where I was headed, and I told him my next stop was in Portville, and I was going through Rushford, and past Cuba Lake. He told me about the "big climb" coming up, and I told him I was aware, and knew that it would be less climbing after that.<br />
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I left the store, and started down the road. I looked up and thought, no way, that's not the road I am supposed to take. It looked like a climb from the Cobblestone Classics you watch this time of year on TV. One of those tree covered sliver of a road that climbs up through the distance. This is where I was wrong, and made a wrong turn that cost me an extra 3 miles of riding I could have done without. That extra 3 miles also included a nice little chase from an old farm dog and 2 pit bulls. One thing about Pitts, they never bark when they chase you, which I don't like much. They just kind of run along, and spend all their energy trying to figure out how to get you off that bike! Well, I didn't have to climb the monster, but still had to do the same amount of climbing over 3 miles instead of 1, and at this point I was now heading right into the wind.<br />
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It also spit a little rain, but not too much. By mile 70 I was ready to quit. I was totally in. Every mile dragged. Around mile 80, I was nearing Cuba Lake, and knew it would lift my spirits, just because it would bring about that thought of fun times at the lake. You have to trick your mind at times, and make it think that this is really just nice little stroll that you're out for. Looking at the tree's and lakes, and birds. Anyways, I was really down, just pushing along, and I look up, and 8 Boxers (the dog), come running off this porch at me, it must have been a breeder, anyway, I sit up a little and just laugh and say you have got to be F'ing be kidding me! I figured I was just going to lay down when they attacked me, and let them eat me. I didn't care. Well, they all stopped 5 feet from the road, and I could see them wearing invisible fence collars, and laughed as I rode past. It wasn't much farther and I got to Cuba Lake at 82.5 miles, and the next 5 miles were OK till you get to the next climb after Cuba. By the time I topped out that climb at mile 90, I was committed to sucking it up and finishing the ride. I was WAY behind what I was hoping for as far as a schedule went, but still well within my cutoff times. I got to the next control at mile 102 at 8:35 into the trip.<br />
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This control is in Portville, NY and is at a Wilson Farms with an awesome ice cream shop across the road. It's like a cold stone creamery where they mix your stuff right in the cone, and I thought about going over, but didn't want to take the time. I had about 25 miles left to go, and at this point just wanted to get home.<br />
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From here to Bolivar at 114 miles was a pretty smooth ride without any real hills. Outside of Bolivar is the last hill of the ride, which tops out at mile 118, with the last 10 miles being downhill. I was able to average over 20 mph over these last miles, and enjoyed riding past our road just 5 miles from the finish. The ride took me 10 hours and 42 minutes. It was 128.2 miles with 7500 feet of climbing. According to the Garmin site I burned over 4600 calories, which is interesting, because the last ride was 126 miles and 7800 feet of climbing and I burned over 8000 calories. One huge difference was the fact that I rode my CoMotion on that ride, which is 10 lbs heavier, and more work no doubt, and my average heartrate was 1bpm higher (133 vs 132) for that ride, but over an 11+ hour ride it makes a difference. That ride also took me longer, which accounts for some of the difference too.<br />
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Even though this ride gave me some trouble, I was ready the next day for my next ride. Still getting stronger, and talking to friends who do this alot, they say that feeling of "when the hell is this going to be over" comes and goes no matter how long you do this.<br />
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Till next time..<br />
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<br />Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17203621711405084694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642710802757745284.post-11391643454368667772012-04-26T17:13:00.001-07:002012-04-26T17:13:20.796-07:00Skunk Cabbage Classic - Half Marathon - April 1st 2012SO!<br />
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With all of the riding I've been doing, I figured I would attempt to keep up on my running - I mean hell, that's where this all started isn't it? Well, I guess it all started with me sampling over 1000 different beers in a year, but that ended in August of 2009. <br />
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When that task was accomplished a friend of mine, Rusty Willmon asked me what I was going to do to get in shape after abusing my body for a year. I started with running, was working with a Radiation Oncologist from Binghamton Dr. Fallon, who talked me into signing up for a Half Marathon in Sedona Arizona in February of 2010. Friends got talked into it. Kris's cousin and his wife Brenda decided to run it with us, and Christopher shamed Kris into running also. This was big stuff for her, because she HATED running, especially distance!<br />
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We ran our first 5K - the inaugural Keuka Dash and Splash that August (2009). My first official race ever, other than high school track, and I didn't run distance then! Then we did the Wineglass Marathon Relay with her cousin Jon, where I ran a 9 mile leg, and the rest is history. I signed up for the Keuka Lake Triathlon that would be held in June of 2010, and started training. Running, Spinning and Swimming. I didn't even own a road bike at the time, and my mountain bike hadn't been ridden in years. I ended up buying my first road bike since high school in April of 2010.<br />
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Well, most of the riding stuff is here in this blog, but I figured I would talk a little about my running experiences.<br />
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The Skunk Cabbage Classic 10K and Half Marathon is something I have wanted to do since the first year. The event happens in Ithaca, NY at Cornell College and the Half Marathon Route passes a patch of Skunk Cabbage about half way through the race which is where this race got its name. For me, though my 4th Half Marathon, it was what I would consider my first successful Half.<br />
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My very first Half in Sedona, Arizona was a beautiful race. Some day I will do that race again. We had a great time, Kris ran the whole thing, and I ran/walked it. Kris beat me, and did a great job. I was proud of her, but she paid the price. She could barely walk the next day in the airport. I think my time was somewhere around 2:30 or 2:40..<br />
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My, I should say OUR second half was the Rock and Roll Half in Nashville in April of 2010. For this one I beat Kris slightly, and my time was 2:27 and change, and I walked in this one too.. This was a pretty cool race. People cheering and lining the streets. It was very cool, my first event with the crowd so involved.<br />
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Our third bigger race was the Boilermaker in Utica in July of 2010. This is a 15K (9.3 miles), and I stuck with Kris in this race and we ran/walked it, and crossed the finish line together, and kissed going across the line... Ok everyone.. 1...2...3... awwwww... Also an amazing race crowd support to rival the Nashville 1/2, phenomenal after party, AND, though we skipped last year, we're signed up for this year, I can't wait!<br />
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Our third half marathon was the inaugural Wineglass Half Marathon last fall. This was the first half that I ran the whole thing. I suffered horribly in the race, but ran it.. My time was 2:14 and change, and Kris was 2:11 and change.. We started the race together, I felt good and ran on ahead, and around mile 7 started to suffer, and fell apart around mile 10. Kris passed me in the 11th mile. In the last mile my vision was blurring, and I crossed the finish line and had trouble even standing. I sat down, had some chocolate milk and started to feel better.<br />
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That brings us to the Skunk Cabbage. This is the first race since I have been doing 200K's on the bike on a monthly basis. My base fitness has improved incredibly with my distance stamina improving by leaps and bounds. Riding a bike is no substitute for running, and you still have to train to run, but my legs were stronger, my heart is stronger, and my lungs can handle more work. My speed hasn't improved much, but that's coming.<br />
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Kris and I headed to Ithaca Saturday night before the race, to stay in Ithaca. Her mom watched the boys, which gave us a nice night alone without the kids, which is always good for us. We went downtown and got our race packets, and headed to Wegmans for the pasta bar, and some black bean enchiladas. We got a good nights sleep, other than a thin walled hotel room with noisy neighbors coming home around 11:30, but the race didn't start till 10, so we didn't have to get up too early, and we had no real drive.<br />
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I always feel stronger in my mind than Kris going into these events, every event we've done I have trained more, but Kris is a natural athlete, so I have learned not to take her abilities for granted. We tried to run a 10 miler the week before this race, and at 6 miles her knee was bothering her, so I ran back and got the car, and picked her up. She had been running and walking, and was less than a mile behind me by the time I got her.<br />
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Anyways, I told her my plan was to run all of the races this year WITH her. This plan kind of fell apart in Dallas when we ran together during training, and she was wearing a headset, I run with no music, so her pace was all over the place depending on the song. I told her I couldn't run like that, so when we lined up for the Skunk, we just figured whatever happened, happened.<br />
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It was a pretty cool morning, and there was the threat of rain. A couple of guys on the Rogue Race Team were there. Tim Andrus was running the half as well as Jim Derick who has won something like the last 4 of this race, and he's 50! Kelly Andrus was running the 10K, as well as Jim's wife Sue who decided not to enter because she was running Boston two weeks later, and didn't want to push herself. She just ran with the group, and reported to us after the race that she would have won her age group had she joined. Jim got second overall, and Tim won his age group. Jim finished nearly an hour ahead of us.<br />
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Kris and I ran together for 9 miles. Around 6 miles I asked her how she felt and she said her knee was bothering her slightly, but it wasn't bad. Around 9 miles she asked me how I was doing and I told her I could run the rest like a 5K! I felt awesome! So, she told me to go ahead, and I did. She was not having her best race. She felt good, but not awesome, and told me to go on ahead. I picked up my pace, and started picking people off. I finished strong, felt great, and got a PR (Personal Record) of 2:12:29. It's a long way to where I want to be, but it's the first step in the right direction. Funny thing is, Kris, who wasn't feeling the best and told me to go ahead, picked up the pace, and finished about 2 minutes behind me. She is a bit competitive for those of you who don't know her. So far for me, each run has been a PR. Baby steps! My goal is to some day get that under 2:11 (10 minute mile average), then under 2 hours, and maybe under 1:45!<br />
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Our next running race is the Utica Boilermaker. This race is awesome, and I can't wait. It should be an easy PR for me since our last one wasn't the best. The after party is the best. We can't wait!<br />
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Then we have the Wineglass Half Marathon in September. I am hoping to finish that in under 2 hours. It's a super flat course, and if I continue to run through the summer I should be good.<br />
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I would imagine that nutrition also played a big part in this race. Loading up the night before on pasta, and black bean enchilada's didn't hurt me. I am not sure about the runners behind me, but there weren't many behind me anyways.<br />
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Here's a shot of Kris (no 27) and I at the beginning of the race..<br />
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<br />Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17203621711405084694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642710802757745284.post-70324763641520815492012-03-14T17:53:00.000-07:002012-03-14T17:53:34.291-07:00Dark Skies 200KWhy is it called the Dark Skies 200K? Because it goes through Cherry Springs State Park, on the top of this Ridge that Mount Broadhead is on (see photo below). <a href="http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/cherrysprings/index.htm" target="_blank">Cherry Springs</a> has an astronomy field, where you can rent for the night one of the domes to set your telescope up in, and view the skies. It's considered a Dark Skies area, with very little light pollution from cities and towns, and is said to be one of the best places on the eastern seaboard for stargazing and astronomy.<br />
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Bill Fischer and I left Wellsville at 7:30AM on Sunday March 11th. It was about 26 degrees out, but promised to get up to 60 degrees with 15mph winds. It did both unfortunately. The 60 was nice. I could have done without the wind! <a href="http://ridewithgps.com/routes/894177" target="_blank">This Permanent</a> has 4 climbs that are quite nasty. The first one is at mile 10, and is about 1.8 miles long climbing about 500 feet then you stay on top of the hill for the most part with some rollers followed by a screaming downhill into Whitesville, NY at the 19 mile point. After that it continues on pretty flat for another 6 miles to the control in Genesee, PA. At the top of the descent the temperature felt like 34 degrees and seemed to be starting to warm up nicely. At the bottom it felt as if it was about 24 degrees, and warmed back up as we covered the remainder of this segment. We had seen 2 coyotes out hunting at different points in this first section. We had been on the road 2 hours.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jtnz4XTOVyU/T2EFQb1sLoI/AAAAAAAAAOA/bu6kB5Zcnwk/s1600/Fixie-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jtnz4XTOVyU/T2EFQb1sLoI/AAAAAAAAAOA/bu6kB5Zcnwk/s320/Fixie-1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>At this point, it's important to mention that Bill was on what is considered a "fixie". There are no shifters, no options of an easier gear for climbing or a bigger gear for descending. His has a freewheel on one side, and can be flipped to true fixed on the other side. It was like the old school bikes we grew up on, where you just pushed back on the pedal, and that was your brakes! This sounds great, but when you're screaming down a hill, and your legs are flying around at 150rpm, it's not fun. That's what I hear anyways. Bill said it's also harder to get moving, balance, etc.. Obviously the bike is simpler and lighter, but I don't know that I am quite ready to buy one.. Not this year anyway.<br />
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OK.. So NOW it's important to mention the second thing. I bought a great book on Endurance Cycling Food - <a href="http://feedzonecookbook.com/" target="_blank">Feed Zone Cookbook</a> by Allen Lim who was the main guy keeping Team Radio Shack in the Tour De France last year. There was a recipe for <a href="http://www.outsideonline.com/fitness/nutrition/The-Best-Energy-Bar-Ever.html" target="_blank">Cashew and Bacon Rice Cakes</a> which Kris made the night before, we wrapped in Reynolds parchment and foil wrap, and I ate at the first two, and fourth stops. They were awesome! About 275 calories. We edited the recipe a little, skipped the cashews (which I wouldn't do again), they didn't sound that great the day before, but I was craving the salt and protein later in the ride. We also didn't have nut butter, and I didn't want to use peanut butter, so we went with agave nectar, which was awesome. I was able to pack 4 of these in my pockets of my jersey. Each was about the size of the packs of Winstons that Dad used to smoke.<br />
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Back on the road - we left Genesee rolling down the beautiful PA roads. There wasn't really much traffic, and the little we came across was friendly. We rode along Route 6 with our first tailwind, and a slight downhill grade, and enjoyed making good time. We turned south in Galeton, and started up rollers, and dealt with the headwind. At mile 50 we started what was a 5 mile climb going up over 800 feet, with the last 1.3 miles of this climb covering half of that, and then dropping to our second stop in Germania, PA.<br />
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We arrived at the Germania Country Store with probably an hour to spare. We weren't breaking any records but we were solid, and I knew our next leg was the worst. This is a cool little old country store, in this little Adirondack style town, that makes you wonder what caused people to settle here so long ago. I had my second rice cake, and some lemon heads (my favorite) from the store, and some of the Mango strips I had dried the night before. We were almost 6 hours into the trip, and I actually felt pretty good.<br />
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We left the Germania Store, took a quick right, and headed up a little climb which topped out, and Bill mentioned "this doesn't look good", I asked what he meant and he said, all I see is hills, BIG hills, and this road drops down into the valley, and there's no way out but up. I explained that we were at mile 56, and by the midway point of our ride, the worst climb would be over. See, coming up out of that valley is a stretch of road that climbs 850 feet in just over 3 miles. What does this mean ? Well, if you've ever watched the Tour De France, the climbs have categories. The lower the category number, the steeper the climb. The Categories are from 5 to 1, with a HC meaning Hors Category (I think the first part of that is self explanatory), the old story that goes along with it, says that in the old days the cars would be parked along the side of the climb, because they couldn't get up it, but the bikes had to. Those were when men were men though. Heavy bikes, limited gears, and they smoked to "open their lungs" while riding.! This hill we were doing is considered a Cat 2 climb. A good one!<br />
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What probably saved me a lot on this ride was the fact that with limited gearing, Bill would walk his bike up the real steep parts of the big climbs. This gave me the opportunity to catch up, or in the case of this hill, to jump off my bike and walk it up also, giving my legs a little break, and keeping my heartrate down. I think the problem I was having in the past had to do with nutrition (more on this later), but also when my heartrate gets above 160 and stays there for extended time, on the endurance rides, its too much for me. I need to keep it from staying up there, or worse yet above there. For now, getting off the bike worked, in the future my conditioning will likely eliminate this problem. Here's hoping! Anyways - we got to the top of that hellion of a climb, and Bill was waiting for me AT the midway point which happens to be a sign:<br />
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</div>After this picture was taken, the road FAR from flattens out, and there are killer rollers 'til mile 74, where you start to descend to Coudersport. On the map it's 8.5 miles downhill! Sweet, right? Nope! This is where the wind picked up. After the first mile which is the steepest part, it flattens out and the wind buffeted us for the next 7 miles. I was barely able to keep my average speed over 15 mph, and that was on a slight downhill grade. The wind was just killing me. So, I rolled into the Sheetz in Coudersport around 3:30. 44 Miles remaining, and I was starving! Craving a burger and fries, but I settled for a tuna salad sandwich. This was a mistake, I was to find out over the next 44 miles. It was nowhere near as bad as other rides, but it was stomach discomfort just the same. I mentioned it to Bill, and he said "yeah, I wondered about that. Mayo never sits well with me, especially on the bike. I figured you knew what you were doing". Well, Bill was wrong. I didn't know a danged thing!<br />
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So - we kept going, wind in our face till Singlehouse, PA. I was feeling slightly better, got some water down, and a grapefruit juice, and half of my 3rd rice cake (shoulda gone with a rice cake in Coudersport!). We got back on the bikes. Bill said he was shooting for getting back to Wellsville by 7:00 (it was a little after 5:30), and I figured I would be behind him a bit, but was shooting for more around 7:30.<br />
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Bill finished the ride (126 miles) in around 11:24 on a Fixie, and would have finished much faster had he not been waiting for me at the last couple of stops. I finished in 11:36, but I felt pretty good. I went home and was able to eat (first time), and though at the end of the ride I couldn't imagine putting myself through more distance than this, I was ready to get on my bike the next morning, and wished I had gone on the group ride with the <a href="http://www.rogueraceteam.com/racin%E2%80%99-rogues/" target="_blank">Team</a> on Tuesday evening, but I wasn't ready yet. My legs weren't fully recovered.<br />
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All in all, I had a pretty good ride, on one of the hardest rides I have ever done. I had little pain or discomfort, and little stomach issues, but I knew what caused them (I think). My legs are getting stronger, and I am starting to get in better shape. I ran 9 miles today at lunch, and had no problems there either, so it seems that all this long distance training is really starting to pay off.<br />
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It did have me re-think some things though. As much as I do in fact feel that I am gaining some ground, I have decided to back off my initial intended schedule for the year, dropping the Flesche (a 24 hour, 360K+ ride, with a 5 man team all counting on working at the same pace, and dropping the 600K in Boston, which would make me eligible for the "Super Randonneur Award" from RUSA. In order to get that award, I need to complete a 200, 300, 400 and 600K brevet in the same calendar year. Maybe next year. I believe I have a couple more 200K's to get my legs, and then hopefully my pace will pick up, and I might be able to do a 300K and a 400K before the end of the year.<br />
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Thanks for reading.. I am learning..Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17203621711405084694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642710802757745284.post-48974893111288552722012-02-29T19:10:00.002-08:002012-02-29T19:14:29.948-08:00Bloody SundayNo. Nothing as dramatic as that.<br />
<br />
So - This past Sunday I did a 81 mile bike ride, on a great day, through the southern tier of NY. It was a beautiful course, not super difficult, not too easy.. When I am riding any distance, I figure a decent ride is 50 feet of climbing per mile travelled. If it's 100 feet a mile, which we used to shoot for in our race training, I would consider that a serious amount of climbing. This was 81 miles, and over 4200 feet according to RideWithGPS.. <a href="http://ridewithgps.com/routes/956099" target="_blank">Addison 80</a> is the ride we did.<br />
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Four of us left from the Acorn parking lot in Addison on Sunday morning. Bill Fischer, Mark Sheehan, Mark Hogan, and myself. The first 25 miles of the course are a very subtle climb, not really noticeable to speak of. There was a little headwind, and I kept looking at my tires to see if one was going flat. They were fine, but my legs were just having trouble pushing me. 35 miles into the ride, while talking with Bill, I mentioned giving blood the prior Friday, just 2 days earlier. He asked me what the hell I was thinking, and the truth is, I wasn't.. I figured that 36 hours would be plenty of time to recover. Bill said "do you know why you can't give blood more than every 56 days? because it takes 30 to recover the blood you gave!"<br />
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Hindsight is hindsight, and I struggled on a ride that wasn't that hard. Sure, we had some climbs, and a headwind, but neither of them were anything I hadn't been up against before. Research after the fact between reading and talking to friends says it can take anywhere from a few days for sprint recovery, to multiple days to a week for distance or competition recovery. I believe it. One of my friends jokingly mentioned - "you know, blood doping is ADDING blood". It was funny, but honestly, yeah, that makes sense.. When you donate blood you give 10% of your blood. Think about this... 10% of the blood that carries oxygen and glycogen to your muscles.. So yeah, it's going to affect performance, DUH! The following is from the Red Cross site : <b><i>"The plasma from your donation is replaced within about 24 hours. Red cells need about four to six weeks for complete replacement. That's why at least eight weeks are required between whole blood donations." </i></b>Yeah, that's right, red cells, the one's that carry oxygen. Oops!<br />
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So - basically, this whole blog post is about one great big lesson learned.<br />
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Well, Maybe two lessons, I may have also learned something about the stomach issues I am having riding also, but I am not positive. I think it's conditioning. The fact that I am not in as good of shape as I need to be, and I push right near my limit. Keeping my heart rate just high enough to push, but those times when I go over that limit, long or steep climbs, it pushes me over that edge. Sunday this happened exactly at 3:15 into the ride. I remember looking at my watch and thinking damn! It just happened! It's going to be a rough second half of the ride. I was only a little over 3 hours in, suffering, but still keeping an OK pace, considering.<br />
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It was probably one of my all time worst rides. The kind of ride that makes you want to quit riding forever. You finish ready to give it all up. Then you wake up the next morning, look at your bike in the back of the car, and start planning for the next ride. Even to go as far as to book a bike rental for your business trip to Seattle in late April, so that you can get a 200K in on Saturday and a 100K on Sunday of the weekend, before the course starts.<br />
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The important thing is to learn from your mistakes. I need to condition more, follow my rules, and work on <a href="http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/" target="_blank">Obeying the Rules</a>. I need to drop 15 lbs, and work on my diet (not dieting, food intake). I need to stick with a workout program, and ignore my loving wife when she tells me to "skip the workout this morning and get some rest". She means well, but it's not doing me any good.. I know how to pace myself during my workouts, I need to keep pushing.<br />
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Weather is supposed to be decent this coming Friday, so I think I'll be riding in from Bath in the morning. That'll give me about a 45 miles day. Time to get cracking! I have a half marathon to run in about 4 weeks! Got to get running those roads also.<br />
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Take care.. <a href="http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/" target="_blank"> Obey the Rules.</a>Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17203621711405084694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642710802757745284.post-14746909534481650432012-02-07T16:12:00.000-08:002012-02-07T16:12:06.392-08:00Beyond Hope 200K - Blairstown, NJSO ! My 3rd 200K, and my second of 2012 is completed. I am writing this 3 days after the ride, but am sure I should be able to recall most of the ride. The ride date was 2/4/2012, and a link to the results can be seen here: <a href="http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/R12ClubFeb3.html" target="_blank">PA Randonneurs: Beyond Hope to New Hope 200K</a><br />
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I woke up, well actually I went to bed around 8:30PM on Friday, alarm set for 2AM, and woke up at 11, 12, and 1AM, when I finally just got out of bed. Knowing I had to meet up with Bill Fischer at 4AM, and that he would be counting on me to show up had me a little jumpy with an hour and 45 minute drive to get to the Park and Ride. I had slept well, just less than I would have liked, but this didn't bother me, because I figured in a few months, in May, when I am doing the 24 hour ride, I will be functioning on little or no sleep, so might as well get used to it.<br />
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I double checked everything, had a bowl of oatmeal, and a cup of coffee, filled my water bottles, and headed out. I had packed the car the night before. Of course I forgot something. Since my previous ride, we had purchased a food dehydrator, and the dehydrated Kiwi, and Mango's got left in the fridge, ah well, I still had the "Trail Mix" that Kris had bought with yogurt covered raisins, nuts, chocolate covered nuts, dates, figs, and raisins in it, so I would be fine. On the road at just after 2!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nhmfNseE6bM/TzE1kHpGzDI/AAAAAAAAAM0/eZRlwNhKP9w/s1600/bikes+in+car.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nhmfNseE6bM/TzE1kHpGzDI/AAAAAAAAAM0/eZRlwNhKP9w/s320/bikes+in+car.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>I rolled into the Lowman Park and Ride about 5 minutes early to find Bill of course ready to roll! We had decided to take my Impreza, and figured both bikes would fit in the back end - which quite amazingly they did. Yes folks, that's 2 - 60 inch bikes with the front tires removed, helmets, change of clothes, shoes, etc.. Plus - two guys over 6 feet and 200 lbs each! NICE!<br />
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We got back on the road immediately, and headed to the Blairstown Diner in Blairstown, NJ just across the creek from where the ride would start, arriving around 6:30AM.<br />
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Bill was pretty psyched to see a good friend of his - Chip Adams, who he had ridden with multiple times, who had also ridden PBP with Bill the previous year. They don't live close together, and met riding and became fast friends, and only see each other on rides. But, sometimes that's the way it is. See Chip's PBP report here! Good reading : <a href="http://thedailyrandonneur.wordpress.com/chip-adams-pbp2011/" target="_blank">Chip Adams PBP 2011 report</a><br />
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We sat down at a table in the corner with a guy Bill introduced as Geoff Brunner. Geoff had done RAAM the previous year (Ride Across America), which is a 3000 mile race across the country with a 12 day time limit. Yes, that's 250 miles a day minimum!! Geoff had done it in the alotted time, which was his goal, and is hoping to cut a few DAYS off his time this year! Holy Cow! Also met big George Metzler who crewed for 2011 RAAM second place finisher Mark Pattinson, who finished in 9 Days and 41 minutes!! That's over 330 miles PER DAY!! I can't imagine riding an event like that, and crewing it is almost as hard I am sure! Anyways - both of these guys are super nice, and it was my pleasure to get a chance to meet them. You can see Geoff's website and follow his progress here: <a href="http://www.j327.org/" target="_blank">Geoff Brunner - RAAM</a><br />
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Chip showed up shortly after we got there, and we shook hands, chatted, and downed some food. We headed out the door of the diner shortly after 7 to head to the parking area of a nearby park where the ride would start, and get the bikes ready to head out. 28 folks showed up for the ride, and it was a crisp morning, but not too cold. As always, I scrambled to get everything together, get my SPOT started, and my computers zeroed, and make sure I had my keys, some cash, my brevet card, phone, water bottles, check check check check.. We listened to the pre-ride pep talk given by Tom Rosenbauer, and got on our way at 7:30. I think I remember the sun shining, and I always forget, because I feel so good at the beginning, to remember the terrain in the first 10 miles - because this is the last 10 miles also, and you're going to want to know exactly how much pain you're going to be enduring in 10 hours when you come back through.<br />
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The ride was great. It was a direct out and back on fairly flat roads. I had made a saddle adjustment prior to the ride, because I had been having knee pain, so I had raised it about 1/4 of an inch to see if that would help. About 10 miles in, I realized it was too high, and putting pressure where I didn't want pressure. I should have stopped immediately and lowered it. It would have taken me only 2 minutes, and saved me what ended up being groin pain, leg fatigue, and other discomforts that we won't mention. But, I figured I could handle it till I got to the Control at 42 miles. Heck, that's only about 3 hours..<br />
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We get to the Control, and we're doing OK. Along the first portion I had lost Bill and Chip, and rode with Rick Collins, who was riding more my pace. Rick was a super climber who would pull away from me on the climbs, and then I would catch back up with him on the downhills and flats. We ended up riding together all day. The control was in Milford, NJ and was a cool little bakery. I popped in, got my card signed and dated, grabbed a chocolate covered biscotti, walked out and ate that, took a few photos with the iphone, and got back on the road, of course forgetting to adjust my saddle.. Ah, I will just get it at the next stop, which is only 20 more miles.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RmkLcPqCRD4/TzFEv7b-rdI/AAAAAAAAANE/hGPMQEntCus/s1600/Milford+Bakery.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RmkLcPqCRD4/TzFEv7b-rdI/AAAAAAAAANE/hGPMQEntCus/s320/Milford+Bakery.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Onf8WZBWDcs/TzFEsN5rtVI/AAAAAAAAAM8/_fsDYwbwCmE/s1600/Building.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Onf8WZBWDcs/TzFEsN5rtVI/AAAAAAAAAM8/_fsDYwbwCmE/s320/Building.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div> The next part of the ride was along the Delaware River, and passing through Frenchtown, NJ which was another cool little town, heck, they were all cool little towns, that I would love to come back and visit some time with my family.<br />
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We continued to ride along the river, with an appreciated slight downhill grade, and crossed the river in Stockton on a steel bridge that you have to walk the bike across on the sidewalk. It was nice to stretch the legs a bit. Once we got across the bridge, it was only 4 miles to the next Control which was also the midway point. We met up with a couple of local guys doing a "long ride of 50 miles", and chatted for a while, talking about this and that, and dreams of future rides. It was a nice distraction. We got to the 3rd Control (second stop) and had some lunch, and met back up with Bill there, who was graciously waiting to ride the second half with me. I felt a little guilty that he was missing ride time with Chip, as he would be graced with my presence in the car on the way home. So - I downed 3/4 of a banana (I have to repeat here that I really don't like bananas..), they're fine in a shake, banana bread or whatever, but as a fruit I just don't care for them. So, the Banana, 1/2 a turkey wrap, and washed it down with electrolyte drink. Topped off both of my water bottles with electrolyte drink, remembered to adjust my saddle back down, and headed back towards Blairstown!<br />
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My legs at this point were pretty shot. I was 5 hours into the ride, and knew that the return ride was more of an uphill grade and that I was going to suffer. Bill was great as always and attempted to pull me (allow me to draft), but I knew I wasn't going to be able to keep the pace without bonking, so I just did what I needed to, kept the pace I could maintain, and got to the next Control. Between the mid-point and the finish I developed nausea, and a lack of appetite, which is NOT what you want at that point in the ride. I had trouble keeping my head up because of just not feeling well. Bill was waiting for me at this Control with Rick. I had mentioned earlier to Bill to take my keys and I would meet him at the finish, and he took me up on it and left the control about 5 minutes after I arrived.<br />
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Rick and I left for the last leg about 5 minutes behind Bill. I have a new bottom bracket generator and B&M Lumotec IC CYO light on the bike now, and was looking forward to getting to try it out. We got another 15 miles before I had to engage the dynamo and was glad once engaged that I only had 10 miles. I probably dropped 2 miles per hour (15+%) of my speed immediately, and probably ended up with a 1.5 mph drop once I got used to the dynamo. It was added drag on the wheel, and felt like alot of added work. I may have to consider a hub dynamo as a replacement, as they're supposed to be a little less resistance. I didn't choose to use battery powered lights when I chose my lights, just because over a full night, I might go through 3 sets of batteries, and it seems not the best for the environment. I am no tree hugger, but figure I should try to do my part in some aspects.<br />
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Anyways - I rolled into the final Control at 6:15PM, 10 hours and 45 minutes after I had left the area. I was shot. Bill had pulled the car up to the front of the Blairstown Inn, and I was glad of that, and he graciously had filled the tank and offered to drive the 2.5 hours back to his car. I got my brevet card signed, handed it in, changed my clothes, and got in the passenger seat, and just relaxed. Bill had finished the ride in 9 hours and 50 minutes, so in the last 25 miles, he had finished 50 minutes faster than I had. Of course, I was dragging, but he was humming right along too.<br />
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It was a great ride, and before I was home, I was looking forward to my next brevet in March, and possibly even doing a 200K permanent with Bill before the end of February!<br />
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Here's a shot of the SPOT tracking.. IT seemed to lose track of me between 2 and 3:30, but I was along the bottom of a bluff wall along the river, and that likely had something to do with it, must have lost GPS signal.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_Md_CaJhE8c/TzGDFqeVreI/AAAAAAAAANM/XbubzfOopLk/s1600/Beyond+Hope+Spot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_Md_CaJhE8c/TzGDFqeVreI/AAAAAAAAANM/XbubzfOopLk/s320/Beyond+Hope+Spot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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What I learned -<br />
1) don't adjust the saddle before a long ride (btw - I already knew this)<br />
2) give yourself enough time to get ready (I never do this)<br />
3) nutrition slow and easy. Wash real food down with water, and use electrolytes between real food.<br />
4) train more - real training -with Randonneuring spinning class doesn't cut it.<br />
5) do NOT fill both bottles with a mix or electrolytes. Make sure one bottle is straight water.Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17203621711405084694noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642710802757745284.post-85412209597872201142012-01-05T10:05:00.000-08:002012-01-05T10:05:36.962-08:00PA Dutch 200K - My First BrevetFriday evening, the 30th of December, I piled in the new Subaru Impreza with Kris and the boys, with the Xpedition Rack on the top, slightly modified to hold my bike, and headed for Summit, NJ to stay with Kris's cousin Chris and his wonderful wife Brenda, who happens to also be 5 months pregnant. Amazingly we were able to smash everything we wanted to take into the car! Being that the only trips we have made as a family have all been in a Suburban or a pickup truck with a cap, this was truly impressive! I used my new seat cover, to cover my Brooks leather saddle, and some Saran Wrap worked for the time being on the leather handlebar wraps till I get my Bike Skinz in.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h4znw5V-j_Y/TwSsCV09hdI/AAAAAAAAAF4/2Q7wboNVQ5o/s1600/baru.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h4znw5V-j_Y/TwSsCV09hdI/AAAAAAAAAF4/2Q7wboNVQ5o/s320/baru.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SFxMebc9UmM/TwSv1SjZcmI/AAAAAAAAAGM/dtc7eBvHsZY/s1600/rockefeller.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SFxMebc9UmM/TwSv1SjZcmI/AAAAAAAAAGM/dtc7eBvHsZY/s320/rockefeller.JPG" width="238" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rq0e108RAKw/TwSvzlQtq1I/AAAAAAAAAGE/3cLbcnqh7XY/s1600/Times+Square.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rq0e108RAKw/TwSvzlQtq1I/AAAAAAAAAGE/3cLbcnqh7XY/s320/Times+Square.JPG" width="240" /></a>We arrived in Summit some time after 10, being notified along the drive by Chris that they're flight was delayed, and we were given instructions at how to get into the apartment. The apartment was 2 hours from the start of my ride, but it was a long weekend, it was a great opportunity to see Chris and Brenda, and have the boys see NY City for their first time, including Times Square on New Years Eve Day! Anyways, we got in, got unpacked, and hit the hay. Chris and Brenda got home some time during the night, and we all caught up in the morning and headed out for a day on the town in NY! Fortunately, the apartment is only a block from the train station, and the trip was uneventful, and fun. We were out of the city and back by 5, with stops at Times Square, Toys R Us, Rockefeller Center, Lego, FAO Schwartz, and Penn and Grand Central Stations. Kris got to check an item off her bucket list with Roasted Chestnuts from a street vendor, and we all had a great time! In bed by 9:30, after watching Mr Poppers Penguins with the kids.<br />
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The morning of the ride, I woke up at 4, about 1/2 hour before I planned, and decided there was no use in trying to get back to sleep, so I grabbed what I needed and headed out the door. 2 hours later, I arrive in the parking lot of the first control for the ride - the West Penn Diner, to find that the other fools there that early were Bill Fischer, and Blaine Chamberlain, two guys I ride with from NY! Bill made a comment about the NY guys always showing up early, and we got things ready, and went in for some breakfast.<br />
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Nearer to 8AM we went outside, parked our cars where we wouldn't be a nuisance, and listened to Andrew Meade give us the lowdown on the expectations of the day. The weather man said it would be a 50 degree day, and Andrew said the start of the ride was actually warmer (about 36-37 degrees out) than any time during the pre-ride that he and 3 others had done on Thursday. We were warned of possible ice spots in the shady areas near the beginning of the ride, and sent on our way.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U-suwX1C0AY/TwTyQoJQmKI/AAAAAAAAAGY/R0hqwMDEEYM/s1600/20120101-FILE1722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U-suwX1C0AY/TwTyQoJQmKI/AAAAAAAAAGY/R0hqwMDEEYM/s320/20120101-FILE1722.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XTVlgtLxYrY/TwTyhLOaYZI/AAAAAAAAAGs/3HKQ-DdyVa0/s1600/20120101-FILE1729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XTVlgtLxYrY/TwTyhLOaYZI/AAAAAAAAAGs/3HKQ-DdyVa0/s320/20120101-FILE1729.jpg" width="320" /></a>17 of us left the diner at 8AM, and 17 returned at different times throughout the afternoon and early evening. 100% of us finishing! The course record was broken, and the riders saw a lot of sun, some rain, and a little wind, but nothing to slow us down too much. <a href="http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA200k_Results120101.pdf" target="_blank">RESULTS </a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PXfj2CHRYxc/TwTyax3OTvI/AAAAAAAAAGk/WTaCXZcQMJU/s1600/20120101-FILE1725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PXfj2CHRYxc/TwTyax3OTvI/AAAAAAAAAGk/WTaCXZcQMJU/s320/20120101-FILE1725.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-58MtbaBT4PY/TwXTXlaXTkI/AAAAAAAAAI8/etJbx3Karro/s1600/Spot+Track.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-58MtbaBT4PY/TwXTXlaXTkI/AAAAAAAAAI8/etJbx3Karro/s320/Spot+Track.jpg" width="320" /></a>I had purchased a new toy a couple of days before the ride and was trying that out. A SPOT personal tracking device. It worked well, but it missed tracking me in the beginning of the ride, because I am pretty new at operating it. But, it sends a signal every 10 minutes of my location, and gave some friends the opportunity to watch my progress from home, while recovering from their New Years celebrations. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XaoQc7wi_U8/TwTz_ZreZwI/AAAAAAAAAHs/HTq8b5oiTP4/s1600/20120101-FILE1757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XaoQc7wi_U8/TwTz_ZreZwI/AAAAAAAAAHs/HTq8b5oiTP4/s320/20120101-FILE1757.jpg" width="320" /></a>The ride was great. It seemed like a lot of downhill at the beginning, which I remembered thinking I would be paying for near the end, if only I knew to pay more attention to just how much down hill! The course is a 124 mile loop, which starts and ends on the same stretch of road. There were farms along the route and I rode most of the first half of the ride with Ron and Barb Anderson and Bill Fischer, with Doug Haluza doing indian sprints around us for most of the ride. That guy reminds me of the Tazmanian Devil! <br />
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At the Second Control (first stop), I was feeling great! I got my card signed and signed in, took a leak, grabbed a chocolate milk and a couple of payday bars, eating one, and drinking half the milk, and saving the rest for about 45 miles into the ride, because we were at mile 23.5, and the next stop was at mile 68.5, a pretty good stretch.<br />
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Right around that 45 mile mark, I was really feeling the effects of the ride, a little nausea, starting to feel some leg fatigue, and getting hungry. We were just coming into Intercourse, PA, and Bill and I were commenting on how they could have been more creative with the name for the fire department. I was falling back a bit, so I passed on the payday, which I would have had to stop to dig out of my bag, and drank the 1/2 bottle of milk I had left. Hindsight says next time to stop and eat the damned Payday, but I probably wont. Hindsight also says to bring a couple of Banana's no matter how much you don't like them, because they save your ass! Well, the milk hit the spot, the wind subsided some, and the train kept rolling. Bill held back with me, and we crested one rise to see Ted Straub a volunteer with some snacks and water to top off our tanks at the Conestoga Wagon Wheel at mile 55. I have to say, I am not a huge fan of pitted dates now that I have had them, but much like Banana's, the stuff that I don't like is normally a big help, so I forced a couple down and we got on our way.<br />
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Pretty much right after leaving Ted, we started a 2 mile descent towards the Conestoga River. I knew what was coming, because nothing is free. If you're riding down hill, you have to ride uphill. Sure enough, right after crossing the river, you start a 1.8 mile climb ascending 431 feet. (4.5% grade average), but after that, it's pretty much all down hill to the Control at Columbia, PA at mile 68.5<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zfFcgRrX9Vo/TwT0FNVDg2I/AAAAAAAAAH0/V1Z53wU0eRY/s1600/20120101-FILE1800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zfFcgRrX9Vo/TwT0FNVDg2I/AAAAAAAAAH0/V1Z53wU0eRY/s320/20120101-FILE1800.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> During that stretch, after passing the Turkey Hill plant, the route follows along the Susquehanna River, where I truly enjoyed the flat terrain.I remember looking at the river, seeing the chop on top of the water from the wind, and seeing a kayaker, thinking, that guy is crazy! Then laughing at myself thinking that if he looked over at me, and knew what I was doing, he would undoubtedly be thinking that same exact thing!<br />
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The ride along the river was peaceful, and as I mentioned, I enjoyed the opportunity to relax a little and just pedal without much wind or climbing, being super satisfied that over half of the ride was behind us, and we were making decent time. <br />
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We rolled into the Columbia control at 1:25. Blaine Chamberlain was already there with some others, and he went inside with us while we grabbed supplies. He found me the "perfect" sandwich, which actually was perfect! It was a turkey wrap, and it was delicious. I also grabbed two banana's, thankfully, and a Dr. Pepper and got my card signed by the cashier.<br />
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I went outside to sit in the sun with the others, and a group rolled in behind us, with Ron and Barb on the Tandem. They had stopped along the way for nutrition, and we had passed them unknown to us.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Is9hsTwslCc/TwT0V4izwkI/AAAAAAAAAIM/ARCPvEa2FNE/s1600/20120101-FILE1807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Is9hsTwslCc/TwT0V4izwkI/AAAAAAAAAIM/ARCPvEa2FNE/s320/20120101-FILE1807.jpg" width="320" /></a>Blaine was wanting to get on the road and try to get in without too much riding in the dark, and Bill told me that he was going to join him. I told him I was going to relax for a few minutes, so I sat down, ate half my wrap, the banana, and half the Dr. Pepper, the other half of which I poured in one of my half empty water bottles. As the next stop was less that 20 miles away, I decided to get on my way. I told the others I would likely see them soon enough when they caught up to me and pulled out of the parking lot.<br />
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As you can see in the pictures, Columbia was sunny with very little sign of rain. Well that stopped not 5 miles out of town, after climbing back up away from the river, the skies darkened and the rain began. <br />
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It spat and sputtered for the most part, and then there were a couple of good bits of rain. I reached back shortly after it started and turned on my taillight since I wasn't wearing any reflective gear at the time, and I didn't want to get run over, and I continued on down the road. <br />
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I felt great! I had taken in good nutrition at my previous stop, and I was making decent time, going at the pace that I expected for the most part. I enjoyed my solitude, and though I love riding with others, I always feel like the anchor, and that I am holding them back. So a little guilt free me time was welcome. <br />
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I pulled into the Control in Lititz just 2 hours after arriving at the stop in Columbia. I was feeling great, and the others pulled in just minutes behind me. I signed in and got my card signed, and skipped going into the store, ate a bite of my wrap, took a swig of Dr. Pepper and got back on the road. Heck, it was only 36 miles left, how bad could THAT be. I was about 3/4 done, and flying high! <br />
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Shortly after leaving Lititz, my Garmin quit giving turn by turn directions, because I was now overlapping with the Route that we took on our way out in the morning. It was then just using the fastest route back to the finish line, so I had to resort to my cue sheets for directions (these rides have very specific routes, that have to be followed EXACTLY) while using the Garmin for distance cues.<br />
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Bill had told me to save something for the Hilltop around mile 100. He said it's the other doozie of a climb, like the one on River Road that we had already completed. I kept pedaling, and watching my cue sheet for the upcoming turns, and right around mile 105 I hit the hill Bill must have been talking about. It was a mile long and 205 feet of climbing. I pushed up it, and when I crested it, I thought whew! That's it! All clear sailing from here on in!<br />
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Wrong.. I turned the page on the cue sheet and saw up ahead, at mile 109, there was a turn onto a road called "Hilltop Road". Ugh.. Oh well, there's no stopping now.<br />
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I should have stopped right then and had the other banana, and the rest of the sandwich, but I did what you're not supposed to do, thought about the fact that I was still slightly ahead of the others, and I should keep pushing to stay in this position. Mind you - this is NOT a race. Well, not in the concept that it's against anyone else. You're racing the clock, and I was WELL within my time limit. Anyways, I turned onto Hilltop Road, and started to climb.. 2.5 miles and 463 feet in elevation later, with a couple of 13 and 14% grades in there, I topped out, and breathed a sigh of relief! That's it! only 12 miles left, and it has to be all flat, right? <br />
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3 wrong turns later, all demanding me to backtrack to the course, I came across a headlight coming towards me while backtracking. Doug was rounding the corner and we chatted for 30 seconds, and he slogged on. He told me that the Tandem was behind me, and at the next T in the road I waited.<br />
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I was at mile 122, and pretty sure there were no turns left, but I just to make sure I wasn't going to go any "extra" distance. Ron and Barb were cheery, but Ron was also whooped, Barb was quiet, and I was doing all I could to keep going. We were quite the group! <br />
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I remember saying something about, heck, we're only 2 miles from the finish, and we should be able to EASILY finish by 7:00, which would be under 11 hours. There was no response, which I thought strange, but I figured it was just because we were all shot. Then at mile 122.5 I knew why. For the next mile we climbed, and climbed, 288 feet to be exact (well according to RWGPS). It was slow climbing, SLOW, but I knew how close the finish was, I knew that in less than 10 minutes I would be off my bike and sitting down to have something to eat in a warm Diner, but it was tough. When we crested the top I had trouble keeping the bike straight. I actually went off into someones gravel driveway, and then back onto the road. I quickly regained my composure, and fell in behind the Tandem, and then slowly watched it pull away. I just didn't have anything left to keep up.<br />
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About 2 tenths of a mile before the finish, I saw Ron and Barb pull over and wait for me. Really? WOW!<br />
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This wasn't a race, it was a ride with friends, old and new, and though it was what seemed like a small gesture, I greatly appreciated it. It kept me from riding in alone, and we rolled into the last Control together at 6:59.. My Garmin said that I had been riding for 10:59:48, when I shut it down. <br />
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I remember sitting down at the bar and ordering a milkshake, and then another, and then a Bison burger and fries and a water.. I was asked to join the others, Ron and Barb were in a booth with Bill Olsen, but I couldn't move. I was spent. So I respectfully declined. Though this meal looks amazing, I only finished one of the shakes, and part of the second, most of the burger, and half of the fries. I was congratulated by everyone still there, Maile took a picture of me signing my brevet card after my very first brevet, and I actually was smiling in the picture. I personally wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see the photo. It was truly a great ride.<br />
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Maile's photo album is posted on Flickr. I hope she doesn't mind me linking to it. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcn7/sets/72157628691139331/" target="_blank">Maile's Flickr PA Dutch 200K</a><br />
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Now - what I learned.. <br />
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Nutrition is KING - even though I know this, and don't know everything I need to eat that will and won't bother me, I refused on this ride, while I had the opportunity to eat something that would have made the finish of this ride much more enjoyable. I should have stopped at Control 4, eaten the whole remaining sandwich, and forced myself to finish the banana. Not only because of the upcoming terrain, but after 7.5 hours of riding, you don't have anything left in the tank. I have to get it straight, and I will. Each time I suffer it reminds me a little more. I will have to get it figured out before I do a 300K, 400K, and 600K that I hope to do this season.<br />
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Though you have to train for these rides, and train some more, as the old saying goes with respect to how hard it is, 80% of it's mental, and the rest is just in your head. <br />
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My next ride is with the PA group on February 4th, and is promised to be a somewhat flatter route, on roads with wide shoulders in case of inclement conditions. It's for the most part an out and back on the same roads, so you will see riders going the other way that are ahead of or behind you. Sounds like fun!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17203621711405084694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642710802757745284.post-36485473547533038542011-12-14T18:01:00.000-08:002011-12-24T04:15:50.128-08:00First 200K - Saturday December 10th 2011(All photo's taken with my ContourRoam camera.. Which I had set to take pictures every 30 seconds, mounted to the bottom of my handlebars. Not sure if the cold weather zapped the batteries, or if they're just not going to last for more than 4 hours.) <br />
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Saturday I did my first 200K ride - a "permanent" which is a predefined route that can be done at any time with the approval of the route owner, in this case Bill Fischer. I arrived at the Painted Post Sugar Creek at 6:10AM, with a planned departure of 6:30. I met Bill Fischer (who decided to ride with us) and Brian Harpster in the parking lot of the hotel out back, and Bill handed Brian and I our Brevet Cards. The cards, on some rides would be signed or stamped with a time and date stamp at each control, or like in this ride we would get receipts at each control. This was to be slightly more than a 200K, with 5 Controls (the first and last being Sugar Creek). At each Control, you go into the store, and either get your card signed, or purchase something and keep the receipt with time and date stamped on it. Each Control has an opening and closing time, based on your time of departure, and the RUSA approved pace for the distance you are riding, which for this distance was no faster than an average of 18.7mph, and no slower than 9.3 mph. Our first control 25 miles into the ride would be open from 7:50 until 9:10AM. The Sugar Creek control - our final Control would be closing at 8:02PM, plenty of time!!<br />
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Bill was ready in minutes, and Brian an I scrambled to get everything organized and together for our ride. Being completely new, we didn't know what to take and what to leave! We took our best guess, and headed towards the doors of the Sugar Creek to get our first receipt and get this ride under way!<br />
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I pop in the store, buy a Reeses Peanut Butter Tree, ask for my receipt and head out to my bike. Receipt stamp was 6:38AM. Lets roll, we're already behind!! Brian and Bill are pulling out of the parking lot, and I go to get on the bike, get the back of my cycling pants caught under the lip of my seat, and stat pedaling, looking like one of those high school kids with his pants around his thighs! I start laughing, reach back, pull them up, and follow the taillights in front of me, laughing all the way. What a perfect start.<br />
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It's a balmy 25 degrees, and would only end up warming to about 34-35 as a high throughout the day, the road had a wet surface, but no ice, so it's all good. The moon is bright, and our lights are working great. Drivers passing us give us a good berth, and we pedal on as the sky begins to get gray with the first sign of dawn. We had a bit of a headwind, and stay together pretty well for the first 15-20 miles. We exchange lead some, and all in all, just enjoy the day. Bill is a very strong rider, and Brian and I are exchanging places following him for the most part. Some flurries are blowing around, but the road conditions are good, and we're dressed for the weather, so we're good. Brian and I are loving the new Bar Mitt's that we bought ourselves before the trip, and commenting on how amazed we are that just a light pair of gloves is sufficient to keep the hands warm. (Goben was right!!) About 20 miles in, we start to separate a bit, and pull into the first control with Bill in the lead, myself about 2 minutes behind him, and Brian about 2 minutes behind me.<br />
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Feeling warm, and hands feeling great, I pop off my gloves and lay them on my seat and head inside. I grab a Starbucks Double Shot and a Breakfast Sandwich and head back outside to enjoy it in the 27 degree weather. My insulated water bottles are still at a good level, and though cold, the water is still completely liquid. I drank about 1/2 of one bottle, and should be drinking more. I make a mental note, eat the sandwich, drink 1/2 the Double Shot, and pour the rest in the water bottle. I grab my gloves, which are now frozen solid (dumbass), won't make that mistake again.. I throw them on, hop back on the bike, and start pedaling. We're doing fine..<br />
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The next portion of the ride has more climbing, but it's good, and we're enjoying our ride. Brian has dropped back some, but is still strong, and pulling his own. We check back and make sure he's in view, and continue on. A little ways down the road we take a right on 12 Mile Creek Road towards Naples, and talk about future rides. I am picking Bills brain, and am already talking about PBP (Paris Brest Paris a 1200K in France) in 2015. Bill is encouraging, and we talk about equipment, nutrition, riding techniques, etc.. My feet have started to get cold at about 30-35 miles in, but that is no surprise to me. We talk footwear a bit, and get "chased" by two dogs. One too small to bother with, and the other too old to give chase. The Windmills near Cohocton are on our left, and Brian has caught up, just in time for us to yell back ICE as we cross a bridge. This was the only major ice sheet of the trip, but fortunately doesn't go across the whole road. For the next 3 miles, the road has an intermittent ice crystal surface, and we proceed with caution.<br />
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Not much longer and we're descending into Naples. It's a big descent and we're flying (and freezing). We decide to stop for a warm up, fill bottles, grab a chocolate milk, and eat a couple of the Banana Muffins Kris made me for the trip. My bottles had frozen solid (I thought) on the last portion, but when I take the top off I realize that just the lids had frozen. I note that and leave the tops completely open for the rest of the trip, and make sure I drink more. I top them off with hot water from the coffee maker in the store.<br />
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We roll out of Naples, heading towards Canandaigua to our next Control. This next 20 miles has some pretty serious rolling hills, and some good climbs. Bill decides to avoid one of the side routes for safety sake, as when we're climbing one portion near it, the road in the shade of the guardrails is somewhat icy. I don't mind, because it was a severe descent, likely to be covered with sand and gravel and not safe. It takes a portion of riding along Canandaigua Lake out, but we're riding the ridge along the lake, the view is great, and we have some sun! Of course we have probably about a 10mph average headwind, but Bill, always looking at the positive, says "won't be long and it'll be a tail wind! We'll be happy to have it.", so we just deal with it, with the knowledge, that later in the ride it'll be something we'll enjoy. (these are the last of the photo's, the camera batteries died between Naples and Canandaigua)..<br />
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When we get into Canandaigua, we're in decent shape. The control closes at around 1:30 PM, and it's about 12:30, so we're doing OK. We all grab banana's, chocolate Milk, and I grab a Payday bar. We relax a bit, eat up, and get back on the road heading to our next stop in Penn Yan.<br />
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It's at this point that Bill and I mention the obvious. Though my dream goal was having this take about 10-10.5 hours, in the last segment we figured the new pace probably leaving things a little more realistic around 12 hours, but Brian is suffering some on the climbs, he mentioned that he hadn't been on his bike since August, and though he's a spin instructor, long miles are different and taking their toll. Bill says to me, this is going to take over 12 hours, but I am not sure. I know Brian, and he's a hardhead. He'll push through.<br />
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Our next stop is Penn Yan in 22 miles, and we get there shortly after 2:30. The control closes at 3:55, so we're fine on the clock, but there is some severe climbing ahead of us, I have some lateral knee pain that has been bugging me all day, and Brian mentions severe knee pain that is making climbing near impossible for him. The next 40 miles has some climbs in it, and a lot of rolling terrain. We get out of the control at 2:40, and go about 2 miles till we start our climb up the Old Bath Road. The next 10 mile stretch takes 72 minutes, and the one following that 63. We've gone 1/2 the distance we need to, but it has taken 2 hours and 15 minutes. We're ok, but we have 20 miles left to go, and it's after 5:00, the sun has set, and it's starting to cool down. Brian is still slogging, not giving up, suffering big time, but still with us. My heartrate has dropped to about 110-120 average, and it's not enough to keep me warm in sweat damp clothing and my feet are cold, very cold, and I have started to shudder some, however, there is only 20 miles left, and 3 hours to do it in! We only have to average about 6.7 mph to make it! We're golden. <br />
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5 miles further, and Brian tells Bill and I to go on without him. He's going to try to finish things up, but we're going to head in, get the car and come back and see if he wants to throw in the towel. Bill gets behind me, and we use his light (my headlight is stuck on blink mode, and though entertaining, isn't much for seeing hazards!) and pick up the pace. Amazing enough I can see Brian not falling off as fast as expected in my mirror, though he has fallen back. In Savona, with just over 10 miles left we take the turn onto 415, and Bill pulls in front, I ask if it's OK to grab on to his wheel, and I drop in behind him for the next 7 miles. We're now humming along at about 17-19mph, and I am giving it all I have to just stay on his wheel. I am about 8 inches off his back tire, turned my blinking headlight off because it was bugging me, and I am warm now. Except my feet of course. With about 3 miles left I tell Bill I am falling back a bit. I am whooped, I know I am going to finish, and it's not worth killing myself to try to make the last 3 miles with every last ounce of energy I have, and still have over an hour to spare. Bill says, OK, and he's going to go get his car and head back for Brian.<br />
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I drop back some, and Bill stays in sight for 2 of the remaining 3 miles. I enjoy the distance, pedaling fast enough to stay warm, but looking at the obnoxious christmas lights, and smiling. BIG TIME.. I can see the stoplight next to the Sugar Creek in the distance.<br />
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With 1/2 mile left, Bill pulls up on the other side of the road, yells at me that he'll be right back, and I head in. at 6:58PM I get my final receipt, for a chocolate milk, a can of pringles, and a 6 pack of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale to celebrate. 12hours and 28 minutes. 128.5 miles. <br />
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3 minutes later Bill pulls in, and says Brian is only 2 miles out and doing awesome! I get changed out of my cold wet clothes, and down the milk and we round the corner just in time to see Brian pedal into the lot. He looks like hell, drool running down his face, and Bill helps him off his bike. Brian shuffles into the store and has trouble making sentences. I get from him to grab his money out of his jersey pocket, and buy him a chocolate milk and get the receipt. I do so, and open it for him. His hands aren't working well, and he's not moving around great. Bill pulls Brian's van up, and loads up his bike for him, and he says he's heading home, and not sticking around for the beer. Brian scratches out his signature on the Brevet Card, and hands it to Bill with the receipts, shimmies in his van, after promising Bill and I that he was OK to drive the 3 miles home, and pulls out of the parking lot, with his bike helmet still on. <br />
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Bill and I sit in the front of my truck in the heat, and drink a beer and toast to my first 200K! I can't wait for the next one! It's in Reading PA on January 1st with over 10,000 feet of climbing! I sign my Brevet Card, and give it and the receipts to Bill, and we part ways.<br />
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3 days later my feet are still numb. I ordered some winter cycling shoes today. Hopefully they do the trick<br />
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Lessons Learned:<br />
Train adequately - I was glad I had done the 85 miler a few weeks back, and continued some longer mileage training.<br />
Get Warmer footwear - my shoe covers just held the moisture in, and my feet were soaked by Naples.<br />
When you've ridden for 12 hours, don't drink a Chocolate Milk followed by a beer. I had to stop on my way home and throw that up! Dumbass....Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17203621711405084694noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642710802757745284.post-6737735948603630492011-12-09T10:11:00.000-08:002011-12-09T10:21:27.101-08:00Countdown - 200K tomorrow.So,<br />
Tomorrow I do my first 200K, my first brevet (sounds like brevay) as a Randonneur, well, even though I am registered as a member of RUSA (Randonneurs USA), it will become official tomorrow! It's exciting and slightly nerve racking. I believe that I am physically and mentally prepared and am sure that in 24 hours I will have an answer. <br />
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I have spent the last weeks trying to amass what I feel might be necessary for this ride. I have a tendency of over supplying myself for things like this, so it's likely that I will have more than necessary, and be carrying more weight than I need to which will make things more difficult, but live and learn!<br />
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I will be taking my ContourRoam camera, which I have set to take a still shot every 30 seconds of the ride. Which means, on average, if we can do our moving part of the ride averaging 13mph, will be a picture every 572 feet. (about every 200 yards). So - 1200 photo's! <br />
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My Garmin Edge750 GPS is set up with the route in it. I have my cue cards laminated. The bike is all set up with Bar Mitts, insulated water bottles, lights, pump, saddle bag, fenders.. I will be wearing my backpack full of stuff like extra gloves, maybe jacket and wind pants, water, and more! Wearing my Rogue winter cycling jacket and a balaclava, along with shoe covers, gloves, cycling tights, etc. <br />
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Weather is expected to start the day at 6:30AM at about 24-25 degrees. A bit nippy, but up from the predicted 20 degrees from earlier this week! Supposed to top out around 31 for the route we have chosen with slight chance of snow flurries. Wind is supposed to be in the 10-20mph range from the West, hopefully less. The route is a 127 mile loop, from Painted Post, NY through Avoca, Naples, Canandaigua, Penn Yan, and back to Painted Post. Riding along Canandaigua Lake, Above Keuka to the East, along the West side of Waneta and Lamoka, and back. RidewithGPS states 6600 feet of climbing. Should be a beautiful ride.<br />
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My major concerns right now are my hands and feet staying warm. They always get cold, and this ride will be chilly. I have ridden colder, but only for a couple of hours, not my own predicted 10+!<br />
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Well, 3 of us depart tomorrow, 2 of us on our first brevet of many I hope, the other is the route owner, Bill Fischer, a guy who is a seasoned veteran of this ride, and many more including an event that is done every 4 years (including 2011), called Paris Brest Paris, which is an out and back 1200K (744mile) ride! I don't remember what he told me it took him, 70 something hours maybe??<br />
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Anyways - here goes nothing!Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17203621711405084694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642710802757745284.post-79009242073136820062011-11-28T06:37:00.000-08:002011-11-29T09:31:59.664-08:00Southwest Steuben County - Two Wolves and an Eagle<div>This was the first over 50 mile ride on my new CoMotion Cascadia in preparation for my first shot at Randonneuring. I have scheduled to do a 200K Permanent on December 10th or 11th, weather dependent.<br />
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</div><div></div><div>It was not my longest ride, it wasn’t fast, it wasn’t the most climbing I have done, or the coldest ride I have ridden. What it was, was a great time, with new found friends, 85 miles of riding with 5000 feet of climbing on an unexpectedly warm November day. It was touted to be a nice ride in Southwest Steuben County with the opportunity to burn off that Thanksgiving turkey, and I believe that goal was indeed accomplished!</div><div></div><div>Saturday my day started with a drive to Addison from home. Typically I wouldn’t even bring something like this up, but the reason I mention it, is that while driving through Wellsville, I pass a guy on a mountain bike, riding down the main drag, in full blaze orange, with a gun case strapped across him, headed out for the days hunt. Interesting enough, in my whole drive and ride, this was one of only 4 hunters I would see.<br />
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</div><div></div><div>The ride left the Acorn in Addison at 9:00AM, and headed through town out the Addison Back Road towards Freedom, and then jumping on 417 for a short bit, to turn left and head south towards Borden, rounding into Woodhull, and then on to Austinburg, PA for our first stop. The roads were amazing. Absolutely Amazing! On the turn towards Austinburg out of Woodhull, there is a nice climb, this was about 22 miles into the ride, and where I realized and mentioned in passing that with my lack of conditioning, if we kept up this pace (90% of my max HR for nearly half of the miles we had ridden thus far) I was going to have some trouble. I pedaled on, now spinning more, using higher cadence, and slowing to a pace that was more around 85% of my Max HR, and we reached our first stop in Austinburg 25.5 miles into the trip at 1:55 hours. A short stop and rest, off the bike, about 10 minutes, just long enough as I could feel the lactic acid starting to settle, and legs starting to feel some major fatigue. I was feeling guilty for dragging, but just like a ride with the Rogues, no-one ever complained, or mentioned anything about it. So I got back in the saddle and pedaled on, still enjoying the trip.<br />
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</div><div></div><div>Back on the bike, and we head north on 36 towards Troupsburg, but turn left on Squab Hollow Wileyville Road, and take that over to 98, where we turn north and head towards Rexville. Here we hit the highest point on our ride, just over 2300 feet, and it was awesome. At the top of this climb, I finally pull up and tell the group to go on ahead without me. I was dragging, and figured my best bet would be to continue on, on my own, without feeling that I was holding the group back. We were at 38.8 miles (3:10 hours), and the average for miles 30-40 was 10.2mph. Mind you, that 10 mile stretch also had over 1000 feet of climbing. So – they tell me basically to shut up, and stick to Bill Fischer’s wheel, and we were heading down through Rexville, Greenwood, and into Canisteo for lunch (3:53). This was unknown to me 15 miles of downhill. We averaged over 25 mph for the next 10 miles, and likely held that pace for the whole 15, but my Garmin is set for 10 mile “laps” and in the middle of that second lap is where we stopped for lunch. Another interesting thing is that for the second part of that descent, from mile 47 on, my heartrate averaged over 163 (85% MaxHR), this is still in aerobic, and I knew I shouldn’t do it, but I knew lunch was coming and figured it was the least I could do for the guys pulling me. 50 minutes for lunch, Turkey Club, Coffee, and much water. Good conversation, and the nagging in the back of my head that we still had many miles to go. From here it was 30 miles to be exact. The next 10 miles included 800+ feet of climbing, with heavy legs, but in this 10 miles we saw a bald eagle just next to the road, and enjoyed a headwind as we headed slightly south again, through South Canisteo, out County Route 21 through South Cameron, and getting on 119 east of Rathbone. That descent to Route 119 was the most beautiful part of the trip, whether it was the knowledge that we were nearing the end of the voyage, or the fact that it was a spectacular downhill, lined with pines and a creek on the right if I remember right, but it was sure pretty.<br />
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</div><div></div><div>The light was starting to dim, as it was now nearing 4:00, during that final 6 miles there was a bit of traffic, and we popped our taillights on and I watched the computer to see if we would beat the 6 hour mark on the bikes. We hit a stoplight in town, and pulled back into the Acorn at 6 hours and 46 seconds. I say “we”, that would be myself and Mark Hogan. Bill Fischer and Blaine Chamberlain were 30 seconds in front of us, and I am sure that Jack Chaney and John? (forgot his last name) from north of Watertown, but a Horseheads native, made it in under 6 hours. Total time from Acorn to Acorn was 6:48 hours. Garmin said I burned 5700 calories, and considering my average HR was 163 (85%), I can believe it. Average riding speed was just 14.1 mph, but I didn’t feel bad about that, as the 200K I do in two weeks has a limit of 9.3mph, including stops. This ride including stops (one of which was a 50 minute lunch) was 12.6mph.<br />
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</div><div></div><div></div><div>Anyways – if you didn’t enjoy the read, so be it. I did enjoy the ride, rode with 5 guys who were all (except for John maybe) at least 10 years my senior, and who all were very capable of burying me riding. They also all mentioned that it would just be a matter of time in the saddle, as similar guys who have pulled me on the Rogue Team have also told me. I loved the new Co-Motion, the Brooks Saddle, and after 6 hours had less discomfort than most 30 mile rides on any of the road bikes I have ridden. The weight of the bike cost me, but no more than the extra weight I am carrying on my body.</div><div></div><div><br />
</div><div></div><div></div><div>Catch you guys later. Hope your weekend was Epic.<br />
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</div><div></div><div>By the way, on the Austinburg Road, we saw two wolf looking dogs in a kennel next to the road, and I mentioned this to Bill Fischer. It was only after coming back to work on Monday that I learned that they were wolves. 100% pure wolves. The guy has owned them for 15 years. Very cool!<br />
</div><div></div><div></div><div>Calves.<br />
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WHAT I LEARNED! : more what I was reminded of. Lack of conditioning is not necessarily lack of nutrition. Drink 1 bottle of water (something) per Control (30 miles). Dr. Pepper and water (mixed) isn't nutritionally optimal, it's just sugar and caffeine, which feels good initially, but doesn't do much nutritionally. </div>Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17203621711405084694noreply@blogger.com0