tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22167221030018718822024-03-14T08:58:15.248-04:00The Man Who Maps Trees<b>Esse quam videri</b> ~ <i>To be, rather than to seem</i>TreeMapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690251187777393795noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216722103001871882.post-67670461426439281462013-08-05T18:00:00.000-04:002013-08-06T07:09:46.521-04:00<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Tough day, many
issues but I could not quit. That would
be completely unacceptable to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Results</span></b><span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">: 14:40:36 Overall<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Swim 1:24:58 – PR by 3:37<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Bike 8:07:31 – multiple mechanicals (5 flats, burred rim,
cut tire)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Run 4:53:45 – Gut issue and cold (shivering near
hypothermic)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">T1 0:07:33 – under 8 minute goal<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">T2 0:06:49 – no longer racing after 87 minutes of
mechanicals <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Executive summary:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Had a good swim, liked the new rolling start, happy with
the results. Peed 3 times.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Bike was a mental challenge – double flat on the decent,
3 more flats before Ausable due to cut in the tire. Blown gasket in my
inflator. New tire at beginning of lap 2.
Peed 3 times. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Run started fine but between the minor GI issues and
getting cold from the rain I walked about an hour from 17.5 to 22.4 trying
to fix my gut and metabolism. Ran
strong the last 4 miles. Peed 2 times. Finished with a big smile.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">Ø<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Post-race
weight was 1.2 lbs under pre-race, i.e. good hydration management.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">Ø<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">No
cramping or other muscular issues from fatigue &/or sodium.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">Ø<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Stayed
in my box and managed the day as it came, kept a positive attitude.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">Ø<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Need
to find a better calorie solution for the run to avoid GI issues and bonking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">_____________________________<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Extended version:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Mangal, serif;">Pre
Race: 3:15 AM wakeup. PBJ @ 3:30. 20 oz
Infinite w/ 250 cal @ 6 AM</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">T0 <o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">My
dumb mistake of the day was putting my wetsuit on backwards! In my rush to get ready, I somehow got my
suit on wrong and didn’t notice, nor did anyone point it out. Not even the team as we gathered for the team
photo. It wasn’t till I was at the lake
and tried to zip up that it became blatantly obvious. No harm done but I sure felt STUPID!! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Swim @ 1:24:58
(goal: 1:21</span></u><span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">) PR by 3:57<u><o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Lined
up just behind the 1:10 – 1:20 sign thinking I was @ 1:22ish. As the wave was staged to go next I realized
I was behind the wrong sign. I should be
10 minutes further back behind the 1:21-1:30 sign. Doh! I
slid back to near the back of the group and went off with them anyway. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Most
contact was harmless and incidental although I did have to deal with several zigzag
swimmers. If they could only swim
straight…. The only contact of significance was half way back on the first lap
I was getting lapped by the fast peeps &/or pros. I felt this paw the size of a catchers mitt
grab my shoulder and pull so hard it felt like I went backwards… the guy goes
“Sorry dude” and blew by me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">I
swam comfortable most of the way realizing it was going to be a long day and
killing myself early for 4 minutes wasn’t worth it. I also paused to pee 3 times while swimming.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">T1 @ 7:33
(goal: 08:00)<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Helmet
(glasses mounted like visor), convertible jacket, shoes, guzzle 20 oz Infinite
w/ 250 cal and go. Felt smooth. A volunteer packed my swim gear for me,
thanks!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Bike 8:07:31
(goal: 6:25)<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Not
the bike I planned on but I dealt with the mechanical issues with a smile and
focused determination. Start with 900
cal/1200 Na in 40 oz. SpeedFill and 24 oz. H2O between the bars.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Leaving
T1 and the ride out of town was uneventful.
Chatted with Jeff Sullivan a bit about the “Ricky Racers” standing and
hammering up the ski jump hill to <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Adirondack
Lodge Rd.</st1:address></st1:street>
The decent to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Keene</st1:city></st1:place>
started fine, roads not too wet. Didn’t
want to get too aggressive and ended up with a top speed of 44.7 on the first
big hill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Between
the first big drop and the last big drop where the grade eases off is where my
day really started. I had just dipped my
head for a second to stretch my neck and when I look up, something black the
size of a brick (pavement?) was right there and unavoidable. I ran it over and got 2 flats!. Both tires in a millisecond doing 29.5 mph @
mile 12.3. Good thing is I least I
didn’t crash or hit another cyclist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">I
think OK, no PR today, just fix the flats and get back to work. Pull the front wheel and look over the tire –
no noticeable cuts or anything, change the tube and inflate. Pull the back wheel, look it over, seems fine. Second tube on and inflated. Back on the road. Both spare tubes gone but still have 2 CO2
cartridges. <b>Time lost: 17:21</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Round
the corner in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Keene</st1:place></st1:city>
and start up the first roller (mile 16.6) and Bangsssssshhhhh … again! Front wheel, I’m thinking it must have been a
bad install and a pinch flat. First bike
by me is a French gent – asks if I need anything, gives me a long stem tube –
perfect, thanks! Change the tube and go
to inflate – PSSSSHHHHhhhhhhhssss.
WFT? The gaskets in my inflator
blew out! Totally non-repairable out
there. One minute later Woody pulls up
and helps me out and I get rolling again.
<b>Time lost 13:11</b> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">As
I pass the first aid station (mile 17.4) and Bangsssssshhhhh! For real? This time it takes awhile to get a tube. Waiting for support, I spend my time trying
find the reason my tires keep blowing – spokes, rim tape etc.. Eventually I find a dimple in the rim and a
burr on the inside from the what ever I hit on the decent. Get a volunteers Leatherman and file the burr
smooth. Support truck shows up, gives me
a tube and a pump to get me rolling again.
<b>Time lost 26:36</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Just
past Jay heading for Ausable Forks and it happens again (mile 25.8). Off the bike, pull the wheel and since I need
to wait for assistance (no tubes, CO2 or inflator) I am determined to find the
cause of all my flats. Pull the tire off
completely and go over it inch by inch – inside and out, until I find the
angled cut, not visible on the tire unless it is flexed or inflated. At least now I am certain I know the cause
and proceed to get ready with a boot for when the support truck shows up. I get the tire booted and inflate to only
100lb and start off again. <b>Time lost: 18:15</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">In
hindsight I should have looked at the tire <b><i>after</i></b> inflation the first time. I
would have seen the blister on the shoulder of the tread. Also of concern was using the front
brake. There was just enough contact
that it might contribute to another blowout.
At this point I know I cannot chance a second decent into <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Keene</st1:place></st1:city> unless I replace
the tire. Support truck suggested I stop outside the transition and ask for
bike-tech, so that’s the plan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Quick
stop (1:49) in Jay (mile 35.3) to pee before the climb back to Placid. Despite all the stops and waiting, I stay on
my nutrition/hydration plan for the time I am riding. Five sips Infinite every 15 minutes, water
in-between. Before each aid station I
try to drain my water bottle, toss it and get a fresh one. I holler to the EN tent on my way by to let
my wife know I had 5 flats but was otherwise OK. The GroupMe app is an awesome tool for team
updates! Quick stop at BSN (1:08) refill
my SpeedFill with 900 cal/1200 Na.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Back
at Transition I call for bike-tech but was told there were no bike-techs
there. Next stop is my condo @ mile 56.7
to get a new tire I had there. Wife
Carole is heartbroken at my run of bad luck but admires my up-beat disposition
and determination to go on. She was concerned I would be DQed for stopping but
I knew I could not chance the decent to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Keene</st1:place></st1:city>
without a new tire, so I had to stop. With a new tire on, I am rolling
again. <b>Time lost: 12:16<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">The
rest of the ride is un-eventful. Stay
focused on my watts, keep up on the nutrition and hydration. One stop in Jay before the return climb to
pee again (2:00).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">Ø<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Looking
at my official clock splits and subtracting the flat related stopped time, my
splits were very good. Comparing the
‘out’ sections from Transition to Ausable my adjusted splits were within +1:29 @
1:29:51 vs 1:31:20. The ‘return’ sections
from Ausable to Transition were within +0:23 @ 1:49:09 vs 1:49:32. While not a negative split between full laps,
it was minimal @ +1:52! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">Ø<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">The total
adjusted numbers show a 6:39:52 bike split but it does not take into account
the time taken to accelerate from zero to 18ish mph after each flat stop. More importantly, because of all the delays,
I basically had a solo ride. I rode without
any kind of competitive influence from other cyclists. The only bikes near me for most of the day
were slower riders. I think a 6:30 was
possible had circumstances been different.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">Ø<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">In
the end, I did well to stay in my box and work the problems as they happened
and let the day come to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Power stats:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Garmin 500
(includes all stopped time) Time:
8:08:10 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">NP:
146 VI: 1.15 IF: 0.683 AP:
127 TSS: 346<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Joule 2.0 (excludes speed = 0) Time: 6:45:14 (8:08:02) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">NP:
150 VI: 1.07 IF: 0.7 AP: 140 TSS: 330<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Peak 1 min @ 201 (0.83) Papa
Bear 2<sup>nd</sup> lap<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Peak 5 min @ 167 (0.78) [4<sup>th</sup>
gear] The Bears 1<sup>st</sup> lap<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Peak 10 min @ 165
(0.77) Ski Jumps past ADK
Lodge Rd 2<sup>nd</sup> lap<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Peak 20 min @ 160
(0.75) [3<sup>rd</sup> gear] Condo past ADK Lodge Rd 2<sup>nd</sup> lap<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Peak 60 min @ 152
(0.72) [2<sup>nd</sup> gear] turn on Hazelton to <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Mirror Lake Dr</st1:address></st1:street> 1<sup>st</sup> lap <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">T2 @ 6:49
(goal: 03:00)</span></u><span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";"> After all the mechanicals I no longer felt I
was racing so no urgency.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Took
a minute to change from Tri shorts to run shorts, then sock and shoes. Also changed from convertible jacket to dry
vest. Hat had glasses and Gu in a bag to
carry out of T1.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Run @ 4:53:45
(goal 3:59 to 4:10 @ 9:09 – 9:30)<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">The
run was comparatively more mundane although I did have some issues. Out of the transition all was good, pace
slightly fast but going stupid slow on the downhill is tough. Pace for miles 1 thru 6 was @ 9:12, not quite
goal + 30 but I felt relaxed. Plan was
to Gu every 4 miles and walked all the aid stations (usually 30 steps, left
foot). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Removed
the vest after less than a mile – too hot.
Stopped at mile 8 to pee (1:13) The gut felt fine till turn-around on <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Mirror Lake Dr</st1:address></st1:street>. Nothing bad but knew I had to fix it
soon. My first walk was at mile 12.5,
just past Lisa G’s and up to the condo where Carole was, I stopped to chat and
stretch (4:10). I was getting chilled
and realized not only was my gut shutting down, but I was getting behind on
calories. One mile later at the
fairgrounds it started to rain making me colder. Turning onto the <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">River Rd</st1:address></st1:street> all I could think of was getting
a plastic bag or something to warm me up – I was beginning to shiver while
running. I was happy to see a volunteer
with space blankets by the foot bridge.
With the blanket wrapped around me I continued to run, stopping to get
coke and water and thought I was doing OK.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Just
past the turn-around (mile 18) I bonked.
Shivering with cold, light headed, a sour gut, and walking. Not good.
I go for the chicken soup and have trouble keeping it down – I didn’t
barf but sure felt like it was close.
More Coke and water. Next I try
a banana – nope. Coke and Coke. More chicken soup with Coke. Peed at mile 19.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">It
seemed like such a long walk from the turn-around to the ski jumps. Eventually I got my gut and metabolism back
up and functioning near the turn on 73.
I was determined to get running again, starting at the top or the ski
jump hill. I unwrap from the blanket and
get going. Drop the blanket at the next
aid station, 2 cokes and go. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">I
was back. Running strong and focused. Only walked 20 seconds at the aid stations
and the middle section of the ‘townie’ hill.
The rest of the time I tuned out the crowd and just ran, felt good too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Run Stats:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Miles 1 – 6 @ 09:12<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Miles 7 – 18 @ 10:56<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Miles 19 – 22.4 @ 15:30<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Miles 22.4 – 26.2 @ 09:30<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Run nutrition
likely needs some work. While this plan
has always been fine for stand alone marathons where I was fully fueled at the
start, in an Ironman run I am not. I absolutely
needed more calories this time and was not able to get them in. I did manage to Gu @ 4, 8 and 13 but I could
tell I was running behind on calorie.
Getting cold compounded the calorie deficit. Cole helped a lot but took a while to kick
in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">I don’t’ think I
had a sodium imbalance from a neuromuscular perspective as I had no cramping or
twitching during or after the event.
There may have been a need for some Na for GI related needs. I will definitely have to work on finding a
calorie solution that includes more Na for the run. Chicken soup may have helped here but both
times I drank it, I felt like projectile vomiting was inevitable. Fortunately that didn’t happen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";">Overall I think I
did well in execution. I had many
challenges thru the day but I didn’t let any of them interfere with my state of
mind. I did not let the setbacks cause
me to force the day, I just kept moving and let the day come to me. After all my motto is:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";"> <span style="color: orange; font-size: large;">“Go until you stop. If you’re not done, go some more.”</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";"><span style="color: orange; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Run Stong my friends...</div>TreeMapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690251187777393795noreply@blogger.com0Lake Placid, NY 12946, USA44.2794911 -73.97987130000001344.234022100000004 -74.060552300000012 44.3249601 -73.899190300000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216722103001871882.post-91577815975475134852012-01-23T22:46:00.002-05:002012-01-23T22:48:36.390-05:00Why can't I get this right?<div>It's update season at work and while much of the tedious digitizing and data entry are done by my colleague, other demands have kept me off balance for far too long. When I first began doing this work for Seven Islands, I would spend 3 or 4 weeks in the summer getting the winter cuts completed. Near Christmas I would start to get the rest of the year's cut updates which demanded most if not all my time. By early January I typically would be working 60+ hours a week and that would continue right up to January 31 - the day before the reports were to be at the State offices. <br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div>Back then, it was much more time consuming and mind numbing than now. Over the years I used my programming and scripting skills to build tools to automate a great deal of typing on a command line. For those who are unfamiliar with the command line, it is a plain black screen that you type program commands to interact with software and data. You may know what a DOS prompt is.... it's like that, kind of. <br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div>The process would start with map of a township (about 36 square miles) attached to a 36" x 48" digitizing tablet. To that I'd tape a smaller hand drawn map created by one of the foresters that depicts the harvest blocks. Using a puck (mouse like device with 16 buttons) to trace the blocks. I would capture the size, configuration, spatial location and scale of the areas to be updated. If there was a fun and easy part it would be that. The data entry is the mind numbing part. Entering information like harvest prescription, equipment used, residual stand type and anticipated next treatment gets old quick. Especially since typing errors would cause fatal errors at some point in the process.<br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div>Now instead of typing commands to select, each polygon then another command to enter each attribute, of which there are 16 for every polygon, the program asks question and puts the responses in the proper attribute fields. At the same time each entry is validated against a list of acceptable entries and refuses anything not on the lists. This guarantees only the integrity of the data.<br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div>As of tonight, all updates have been completed and processed. The reports needed by the Chief Forester for the purpose of reporting to the State of Maine have been submitted. <br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div>Now I can finally take a breath and relax...... tonight it took me 6 miles on the deadmill before I felt like all the cob-webs in my head were swept clear..... There are a number of other projects that need attention, but the big one is gone for now.... looking forward to getting some quality time on the bike trainer and deadmill. <br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div>My first prep race before Boston will be a new local half marathon called the MidCoast 13.1 on March 11. Check it out. Looks fun. <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.midcoasthalfmarathon.com/Home_Page.php">http://www.midcoasthalfmarathon.com/Home_Page.php</a></span></span><br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Run Strong</span></span></div><div class="yiv294302597MsoNormal" style="background: white;"></div><div></div><div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Run Stong my friends...</div>TreeMapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690251187777393795noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216722103001871882.post-17139598473142395132012-01-16T20:35:00.005-05:002012-01-16T20:37:49.425-05:00Wash, Rinse, Repeat...<div>Time rolled along and, like last year, I jumped into the NovOS along with nearly 100 other EN athletes. I was feeling good and really focused. My initial FTP test on the bike went well but the results were less than I was expecting. I had expected to see a 205w or maybe even a 210w but WKO said otherwise - the test result was 197 watts NP. Close enough I could have fudged it up to 200 but I didn't.<br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div>Being under 200 watts got me registered in the "Under 200 Club" - not a place to brag about but a great bunch of peeps to commiserate with. All in all, a decent place to start. I was hitting all my bike and run sessions at or just above my threshold paces. No problems with fatigue lingering into the next session at first. But as the holiday season came into view, I started to notice a lack of motivation. Sure, I was doing the work and getting my shopping and planning done but I could tell something wasn't quite right. By mid December I took a break from doing bike sessions and had begun to skip some of the runs. I justified it as OK due to the holidays. Mom was soon to be here and it was much more important to get things ready than spending 'me' time in the pain-cave.<br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div>Once mom did arrive, I tried to get most of my runs in but didn't care about the bike. Christmas week I ran every day as part of the EN Holiday Run Challenge. Nick and Sierra made it home too, in part for their cousin Tyler's wedding. Kyle and Maria wanted to come but work-travel-money logistics made that hard to justify.<br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div>Now that all have gone home and the holidays are long past, I've been able to get more focused on training. I reset my NovOS back a few weeks and started the marathon hack as well. My next big race is Boston (4/16) and since I am not training for an Ironman (doing a half iron in June) I am free to be more run focused. My goal is to beat my qualifying time and set a new PR. Right now I am thinking 3:25 is possible. We'll see how training - especially hill work goes over the next 10+ weeks before I really know were my fitness will be on race day.<br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div>Run Strong</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Run Stong my friends...</div>TreeMapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690251187777393795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216722103001871882.post-8397426525352108452012-01-11T15:10:00.002-05:002012-01-11T15:12:05.873-05:00Waiting for something...<div class="Section1"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">It has been a very long time since my last post. Much has happened yet nothing has changed. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">After Ironman Lake Placid I took a few weeks off from everything except eating and sleeping. No runs and no bike for a couple of weeks. Felt good actually. It had been over a year since my last break in training. But with the Mt Desert Island Marathon looming in October, I knew I needed to get started again. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">It didn’t take long for me to start wanting to skip workouts. That was disappointing to say the least. One of my teammates at EN started a 30 runs in 30 days challenge so I joined in the fun. The first week of daily runs included mostly easy miles and some walking as I tried to rehab a tight calf. By the second week things were going well. The MDI marathon came near the end of week 3 and up to that point my longest run was 16 miles. I had never run a marathon on so few miles and I was very unsure how it would go. The run challenge ended at 30 days with me only missing 2 days – the first was in the first week and the second was the day after the marathon. In all I ran 28 times in 30 days and accumulated 214 miles. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">The MDI marathon went much better than I ever would have imagined. I did a good job of holding back the first 5 miles or so but then decided to go hard and see if I could maintain thru the end and I did. Overall time was 3:34 – my 3<sup>rd</sup> fastest finish out of 17 marathons run so far. Not bad for only doing random runs and no real plan.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br />
<div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Run Strong</span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Run Stong my friends...</div>TreeMapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690251187777393795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216722103001871882.post-45249676227259713742011-07-28T21:11:00.003-04:002011-07-28T21:15:56.918-04:00Ironman Lake Placid Race Report<div class="Section1"><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Summary</u>: First IM (Iron-virgin)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Swim 1:28:55</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">T1 9:17</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Bike 6:38:14</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">T2 5:49</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Run 4:17:51</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Finish 12:40:04</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Total passed Swim to Finish</u>: <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">924 Overall; 90 in M50-54</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Race Plan</u>: Objectives and Predictions - See prior post</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Pre Race</u> - I arrived on Wednesday afternoon with enough time to go grocery shopping and still get a swim in <place w:st="on"><placename w:st="on">Mirror</placename> <placetype w:st="on">Lake</placetype></place>. That lap was 44 minutes, reassuring me that 1:30 was possible. Thursday began with an early morning 50’ run and race check-in. Friday was an EN group swim at 7 but being so slow, I swam alone and managed a 42’ lap and felt very comfortable. After breakfast I did a 45’ bike up Cascade and down to <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Keene</place></city> where Carole picked me up. The day ended with the Team dinner and an early bed. So far everything was easy and relaxed no pressure and no jitters.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My first real nervousness came Saturday when I realized I needed to get my bike and run bags ready. Something I had not thought of for several days. After many futile attempts to get it together, I was reminded that this is the reason I have lists! DUH! Much better with the lists. On my way home from the gear drop, my friend called me and wanted to know if I let the air out of my tires – lest they blow in the heat. Yeah, now I’m real nervous – the transition is closed and I fear that I’ll have a double flat by morning…….yikes! Thanks Mandy…..</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The late afternoon meal was grilled tuna steak, stir-fry and pasta. Followed by an evening snack was soft serve ice cream – yum! Bed by 9:40. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Race morning</u> - Slept solid till about 2, then sporadic till 3:45 when I got up for my PBJ and coffee. Assemble my BSN nutrition bottle – 16 oz water frozen solid plus 24 oz chilled super concentrate (7 scoops Infinit). Got dressed and headed to the Oval to check on my bike (luckily no flats!!) and get my nutrition setup. Carole took my SN bags up to the drop off. RSN only had 3 Gu in it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Swim 1:28:55</span></b> – Place: 1977 OA, 155 AG</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seeded myself just in front of the beach and slowly moved into the deeper water as the beach filled up. By gun time I was about half way to the backside of the main pack. At first it was effortless without contact – good thing cause I get panicky in blender situations. Seemed to go well for a while following soft spots. About 300 meters out things suddenly got all jammed up. Took an elbow to the goggle and was kicked several times. Eventually I made my way to the outside and got clear of the masses. First lap done in 43:xx. The second lap was much quieter as I fell behind the bulk of the swimmers.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">T1 9:17</span></b> – After T1 place: 1901 OA, 142 AG (passed 76 OA, 13 AG)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Transition tent was a mad house. Helmet, glasses, shoes, bib and go.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bike 6:38:14</span></b> – After bike place: 1489 OA, 104 AG (passed 412 OA, 38 AG)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Managed to keep my climb to Cascade to 154w (.70). Combined with the descent and flats the first 60’ was 149w, (.651). The entire ride averaged 154w (.698). My peak 60’ began at the 1:50 mark as I turned the corner at the stone church in Jay on lap 1 and resulted in 160w (.732), just below my 3<sup>rd</sup> gear. My Garmin is set to vibrate every 15 minutes for nutrition and a reminder to reset my interval at 60’. Stopped to pee at </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hazleton Rd </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">aid station, 1<sup>st</sup> lap and again at the Horse Show Grounds beginning lap 2. </span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The second lap was much more fun with almost no bikes passing me. Could pick clean lines on the decent and not break at all. Along the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">River Rd, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was passing everything in site and having a great time. No issues with power as long as I kept my cadence up and had no saddle soreness at all. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Interval details</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Time pNorm IF VI Mi @ mph rpm/HR</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1:01 149 (.677) 1.07 19.8 @ 19.2 82/139</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1:00 154 (.702) 1.05 18.0 @ 17.9 86/135</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">0:56 160 (.726) 1.03 14.8 @ 15.7 84/138</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1:00 157 (.712) 1.1 18.0 @ 17.9 83/143</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">0:55 155 (.706) 1.02 17.9 @ 19.3 88/142</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1:00 151 (.687) 1.04 13.9 @ 14.0 81/143</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">0:39 146 (.664) 1.1 9.7 @ 14.6 83/143</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bike Avg 154 (.698) 1.06 112 @ 17.0 84/140 TSS 318.9</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">T2 5:49</span></b> – After T2 place: 1457 OA, 94 AG (passed 32 OA, 10 AG)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not as busy as T1. Socks, Asics (slip-on), dark sunglasses, hat, Gux3 in pocket, guzzle 16 oz Infinit (200 cal), volunteer applied sunscreen, pee in trough and I’m off.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Run 4:17:51</span></b> – Final place 1053 OA, 65 AG (passed 404 OA, 29 AG)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Total passed Swim to Finish: <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">924 Overall; 90 in M50-54</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Started with a hat on and my shoulders were already feeling burned. Looking for a stupid easy pace of 9:30 to 9:45 but couldn’t get there on the 1 mile downhill. Was able to settle in by mile 2 near 9:20 and made the decision to base my max pace on HR as the limiter, keeping it below 148 thru mile 6 and would walk about 30” per mile or more as needed. I walked all aid stations except the last, power-walk the big hills, and walked 15 to 30” between. I was being flexible with the walks. Sometimes it was 15 seconds at half mile intervals, other times I saved it for an incline or aid station. I never let my pace get below 9:00 (except the first mile by stupidity). I tossed the hat after a few miles – too hot with it on.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From mile 7 to 18 I kept my pace in the 9:15 to 9:45 range, slowing down as needed to keep my HR between 148 and 152. Holding pace after 18 was very hard but HR forced me to slow into the 10:30 to 11:20 range. I spent a lot of time running with my eyes closed, listening to the feet ahead of me or behind me. Part of why I needed to push was I couldn’t do simple math and figure out if I could make my 7:xx deadline, so I had to push. I tried to count bodies after mile 18 but it was too hard. Managed to get to 100 between 18 and 22 then gave up and just ran (eyes closed).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Carnage was everywhere – I saw some sitting or lying on the roadside with cramps and spasms. Several were being addressed by EMT’s. Watching other’s body language deteriorate rapidly, resulting in sudden eruptions of projectile vomit. My GI status was fine most of the run although I did have to be cautious for about 30 minutes. I pounded the water at every aid station, twice tried Coke (tolerable but not good) and once the broth (second sip almost came back). Basically I stuck to my normal Gu plan – 1 every 4 – 6 miles (5, 9, 14, 18, & 22). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the coolest things was having all the EN kits out there. I was waving and high fiving left and right. Dace C, Pete J, Henry S, Bill F, Jim D, Martin J, Grant S, Bill M, Henry C, and a few others I think. While I did see a few with some minor distress, it was nothing compared to the general population out there. It was clear to me that we, as a team, were in much better shape that most of the runners I saw.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Coming into the Oval I was surprised to see some family right at the entrance. It was so awesome to run along the wall, hand out and high fiving all the way around the final turn. Looking up I was amazed at the time – 12:39:xx I was ecstatic! Not only did I make all 3 of my goals, I was going to beat my goal time by over 5 minutes – and I was thinking that goal was a stretch.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Need to fix/change </span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Add sunscreen in T1, no hat unless it is raining</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What worked well – do again</span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Swim goggles under the cap, Infinit in the Speedfill, separate glasses for bike and run, Infinit performance mix for T1 & T2 for use as needed in transition, normal Gu strategy (marathons), getting off the bike to pee and stretch.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Epilog</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is definitely something I will do again, likely several more times – it was just that great. I had next to no soreness after the race, or during the ensuing days. I attribute that to the superior training plans developed by RnP that provide a tremendous fitness base. Secondly, the race execution protocols we use help prevent major blunders but are flexible enough to allow a smart athlete to stretch just a little and know that they will be reasonably safe in doing so (provided you have the run fitness to back it up). And thirdly, the collective wisdom of the team that can answer any question about any topic pertinent to long course triathlons. Notable mention has to go out to the vast knowledge base of the Wiki and to the supportive camaraderie that exist not only online in the forums but extends to race venues and on the course. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think had I gone another route and not joined Endurance Nation, I would have suffered tremendously if I was even able to finish in under 17 hours. That is no joke. The peaceful calm I had leading up to the race is something I have never experienced before. I owe it all to Coach Patrick, Coach Rich and the entire EN Team. Thank you, thank you, thank you.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next up, firewood, a short camping trip, some hiking in <placename w:st="on">Baxter</placename> <placetype w:st="on">State Park</placetype>, and another <place w:st="on">Cape Cod</place> wedding. Next year I may look for a few HIMs and Olys to do. Be lots of fun to do a few as doubles or maybe a TTT….. Who knows… For now I need to lay low and find some quiet time.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Run Stong my friends...</div>TreeMapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690251187777393795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216722103001871882.post-16687477064606045392011-07-19T09:44:00.003-04:002011-07-19T09:46:48.721-04:00Race Plan and Finish Time Predictions<div class="Section1"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Yes I’m still here. Been training like mad since <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">Boston</city></place>. So much so that I really have not had the time or energy do any blog updates till now. Over the past 12 weeks my training weeks have consumed anywhere from 10 hours per week to as much as 20 during the LP training camp in June. For the past several weeks I have been teetering on the edge of fatigue and overtraining. Fortunately I suffered no injuries and my fatigue level has subsided considerably. By race day I should be fully rested and at 100%.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The big day is fast approaching and one of the last things I needed to do as part of my race prep was develop a race plan. That is what this post is about. My first version was very conservative and overestimated split times. That was the one I posted to the team last week. Well since then I reconsidered my plan and decided I should revise it to accurately reflect my true expectations. Yes they are still reasonable and based on actually training times that I know I can reproduce. Whether I can reproduce them all in 1 day, the day that matters, is yet to be seen. The point is, I am confident that the plan below is possible; I just need to be smart about pacing and overall execution. If I get the execution right, I should be very close to my predictions. Do the stupid things anywhere and everything after that will suffer – especially me!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">So, here it is. My race plan for Ironman Lake Placid 2011</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;"></span></span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;">Objectives</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">: </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">(1) Finish first IM in daylight</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">(2) Run the full marathon.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">(3) Finish sub 13 hours</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;"></span></span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;">Stats</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">: </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Age: 53; height: 5’ 10”; race weight: 153. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Swim pace (pool) 1:42, long OWS pace 2:12. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">FTP = 220 @ 3.1w/Kg.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">vDot = 46; T pace 7:20</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;">Pre-Race</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">: </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Saturday afternoon meal: broiled tuna with stir-fry and pasta. Bedtime @ 9 PM. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Morning meal: PB&J and Infinite Run mix @ 4 AM. Follow with 16 – 24 oz coffee. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Drink 20 oz Infinite Run mix en route to swim start. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;">T0</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">: EN tri kit, Garmin 310, HRM, Orca Equip wetsuit, AquaSphere Kayenne goggles, ear plugs, cap</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;">Swim</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">: Anticipate 1:25 @ 2:00; (1:30 @ 2:12)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> Stand near the shore in front of the shore crowd and start just before the cannon.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Get into a soft spot behind the blender and deal with it.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;">T1</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">: Shimano T31 shoes, no socks; helmet; Tifosi Vogel glasses; bib #; 20 oz Infinite Run mix.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;">Bike</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">: Goal is 70% of 220w; Anticipate 6:40 @ 16.8 mph; (7:00 @ 16.0 mph). </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Ride first gear @ 146w thru <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">Keene</city></place> and half way to Jay. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Ride second gear @ 154w after that except for long climbs @ 162w. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Avoid time above 170w.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Nutrition is Infinite in Speedfill on the down tube, refill at BSN. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Bike mix is 300 cal with 380 mg NA per serving; 3.5 hours per fill. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Hydration will be in the seat tube cage and replaced at aid stations.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Nutrition: Take 5 sips every 15 minutes (70 cal)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Hydration: 48 oz on the first lap then 64 oz second lap. If temp > 80, more water both laps. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Recently added a Salt Stick as a tool of last resort if things go terribly wrong </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;">T2</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">: Asics 2140, socks, Solar Comfort sunglasses, 6 Gu in bag, 20 oz Infinite Run mix, hat?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;">Run</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">: Anticipate 4:00 @ 9:10; (4:30 @ 10:20)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> Target 9:30 to 9:40 for the first 6 miles (EP + 30). </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">From mile 6 to 18 plan to hold EP –acceptable range will be 8:50 to 9:10. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Walk 30 steps at each aid station, take water, supplement with Perform and Coke. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Gu on 40 minute interval (~4.5 miles)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;">Predictions</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">: </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></span></div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: 96pt; width: 211px;"><tbody>
<tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;"><td height="17" nowrap="nowrap" style="height: 12.75pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0in; width: 48pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span></div></td><td height="17" nowrap="nowrap" style="height: 12.75pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0in; width: 62pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Rock Star</span></span></div></td><td height="17" nowrap="nowrap" style="height: 12.75pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0in; width: 48pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Goal</span></span></div></td></tr>
<tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;"><td height="17" nowrap="nowrap" style="height: 12.75pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0in; width: 48pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;">Swim</span></span></b></div></td><td height="17" nowrap="nowrap" style="height: 12.75pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0in; width: 62pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">1:25</span></span></div></td><td height="17" nowrap="nowrap" style="height: 12.75pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0in; width: 48pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">1:30</span></span></div></td></tr>
<tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;"><td height="17" nowrap="nowrap" style="height: 12.75pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0in; width: 48pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;">T1</span></span></b></div></td><td height="17" nowrap="nowrap" style="height: 12.75pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0in; width: 62pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">0:08</span></span></div></td><td height="17" nowrap="nowrap" style="height: 12.75pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0in; width: 48pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">0:08</span></span></div></td></tr>
<tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;"><td height="17" nowrap="nowrap" style="height: 12.75pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0in; width: 48pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;">Bike</span></span></b></div></td><td height="17" nowrap="nowrap" style="height: 12.75pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0in; width: 62pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">6:40</span></span></div></td><td height="17" nowrap="nowrap" style="height: 12.75pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0in; width: 48pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">6:50</span></span></div></td></tr>
<tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;"><td height="17" nowrap="nowrap" style="height: 12.75pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0in; width: 48pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;">T2</span></span></b></div></td><td height="17" nowrap="nowrap" style="height: 12.75pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0in; width: 62pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">0:03</span></span></div></td><td height="17" nowrap="nowrap" style="height: 12.75pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0in; width: 48pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">0:03</span></span></div></td></tr>
<tr height="18" style="height: 13.5pt;"><td height="18" nowrap="nowrap" style="border-bottom: windowtext 1pt solid; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; height: 13.5pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0in; width: 48pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;">Run</span></span></b></div></td><td height="18" nowrap="nowrap" style="border-bottom: windowtext 1pt solid; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; height: 13.5pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0in; width: 62pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">4:00</span></span></div></td><td height="18" nowrap="nowrap" style="border-bottom: windowtext 1pt solid; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; height: 13.5pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0in; width: 48pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">4:15</span></span></div></td></tr>
<tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;"><td height="17" nowrap="nowrap" style="height: 12.75pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0in; width: 48pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;">Total</span></span></b></div></td><td height="17" nowrap="nowrap" style="height: 12.75pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0in; width: 62pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;">12:16</span></span></b></div></td><td height="17" nowrap="nowrap" style="height: 12.75pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0in; width: 48pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">12:46</span></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> Rock Star finish is a ‘Best Possible’ finish and is very much a long shot</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> Goal finish is where I believe I can at the end of the day</span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Run Stong my friends...</div>TreeMapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690251187777393795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216722103001871882.post-22336290247290648092011-04-19T23:54:00.004-04:002011-04-20T11:10:39.565-04:00Boston Race Report<div class="Section1"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The Start – wave 2, corral 4; setup in the front third. My first <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">Boston</city></place> but marathon #16 in past 7 years.</span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">My plan was to PR, aiming at 3:28 cutting a 2 minute margin from my BQ – PR last spring. The goal pace was 7:56 but since GPS consistently under report paces by 4 to 6 seconds I would use 7:50. The Data Tool lists my MP @ 7:48 based on a half marathon PR 2 weeks ago so I figured if I was having a good day I’d be reasonably safe.</span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Pacing strategy: EN style</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Miles 1 – 5 @ 7:55 (+ :05)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Miles 6 – 16 @ 7:40 (- :10)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Miles 17 – 21 @ 8:00 or slower based on max HR below 172 (+:10 or more)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Miles 22 on @ 7:50 (at pace or best effort)</span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Holding back from the start is always tough but being imbedded in a river of moving bodies makes it harder still. Even so I managed to let the rabbits go mostly. I even paused to pee in mile 1 resulting in an 8:18 mile. The next 4 averaged 7:52 (a little too fast) but the 5 mile average was 7:57 – right on target.</span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The middle 11 miles were to be at 7:40 and 8 were within +/- 2 seconds – how is that for ninja execution?. Overall average for this section was 7:41 – again perfect pacing. I did begin to feel the downhill starting around mile 12 into <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">Wellesley</city></place>. At first it was the lower quad just above my knees. I knew it was going to hurt bad later on.</span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Heading into <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">Newton</city></place> I decided to be more conservative and held my HR down below 170 instead of 172. My thinking was that the quad fatigue already spreading up my thighs and anything I can do to minimize the deterioration would be good. I was hurting and it was going to get worse…. Despite that, I did manage to hold it together thru the hills, mostly. Pace for the hills was 8:34, slightly slower than desired but managing HR and not burning all the matches was critical. </span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">As I started the decent from Heartbreak, the quads really started to light up. By now the burning in my thighs went from knee to hip flexor on every stride. I longed for a flat road because the steeper the grade, the slower I ran – it just hurt too much. Mile 22 @ 8:06 degraded to 8:29 by 23. Now cramps were getting unmanageable and I was forced to stretch and walk in mile 24. Pace had degraded to 9:53 and the wheels were off the bus. Mile 25 was even worse with more cramps, stopping to stretch and walk it out – pace at 10:02. I resorted to counting paces to keep things moving. Count to 12 and start again. Stay in the box…. 1, 2, 3,…, 11, 12…1, 2… The final mile was at 9:09, pretty respectable after the previous 2 miles…. </span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The bright spot in the darkness of the last miles was finding Carole in the crowd as I emerged from under Mass Ave. That made me smile and gave me what I needed to finish.</span></span> <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAMLaNv83vjqK8_EQF-57TZDZTUCvJkL-TjGZYzgt3ir8zmNuEeuu_AHDgklo0BE3LtOXZHHF-34lZv_XHliqByfOn2CMiYfObr5ak-RSbR9VP5lg7G4CigXZS2BoqyzE5YilQ5Eif3I/s1600/IMG_2563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAMLaNv83vjqK8_EQF-57TZDZTUCvJkL-TjGZYzgt3ir8zmNuEeuu_AHDgklo0BE3LtOXZHHF-34lZv_XHliqByfOn2CMiYfObr5ak-RSbR9VP5lg7G4CigXZS2BoqyzE5YilQ5Eif3I/s320/IMG_2563.JPG" width="320" /></a></div></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Final time 3:37:02 @ 8:17 (my Garmin had my pace at 8:10 reinforcing the 5 to 6 second under reporting)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Overall 9692 / 23879</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Gender: 7395 / 13806</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Division: 831 / 1924</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Final thoughts</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">It was great to have the privilege to run <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">Boston</city></place>. Not my best finish or a PR but it was my third best finish of 16 races. I executed my plan perfectly for as long as I could. In hindsight it may have been too optimistic but everything leading up to the race supported my plan. Unfortunately my durability on the downhills did not. On paper it looked like a fast course, I was wrong.</span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I liked the course, it was interesting to run in a crowd the entire way. I had never run in a race that big before. Fans were really something, especially the Girls of Wellesley. Organization, logistics and support were amazing. On the down side, I found the noise painfully loud at times and had me wishing for ear plugs. It made it very hard to stay inside my box when the pain got bad. </span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Bottom line – <place w:st="on">Mount Desert Island Marathon</place> still rates better in my book for overall experience and scenery.</span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Run Stong my friends...</div>TreeMapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690251187777393795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216722103001871882.post-77658924013767912092011-04-15T20:07:00.001-04:002011-04-15T20:07:50.690-04:00Chomping at the bit...<div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial'>Getting psyched to go but need to pack yet. Leaving in the AM and heading straight to the Expo…..<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial'>Run Strong!<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer">Run Stong my friends...</div>TreeMapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690251187777393795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216722103001871882.post-65731865113490052682011-04-11T13:11:00.002-04:002011-04-11T14:32:24.801-04:00You Call That Tapering?<div class="Section1"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">The 115<sup>th</sup> Boston Marathon is in less than 7 days and I should be deep into my taper. The thing is, I’m not. In recent weeks I have cut my volume somewhat but have run 2 races and established PR’s in both. This weekend should have been a bit easier in the final lead up but it didn’t turn out that way.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">The workout schedule I built for myself had me going for 14 miles this weekend at an easy pace and not much else other than plenty of rest. Well, Saturday came and the weather was so nice – like 60* and sunny – I just couldn’t resist the temptation to go out for a ride. It was the first time in 6 months I’d been outside on my bike. The ride turned out to be a 32 mile ABP (always be pushing) lets see what you can do kind of ride. It was awesome! Not as fast as I had hoped but my cadence was 10 to 15 rpm higher than during the winter on the trainer and felt solid. Overall the IF for the 116’ ride was 0.865 and I felt pretty spent when I got back.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Sunday came and since I did the 2 hour bike, thought I should back off the long run and do 8 miles with 2 miles at a tempo pace. As the temp warmed to 44* under sunny skies, I headed out the door. It was a perfect day for a run. After a mile to warm up, it hit the gas aiming at 7:30 (my HMP) and held on for 2 miles. Mile 4 was a recovery mile and should have been my turn-around. Miles 5 and 6 came and went but I just wasn’t ready to head for home yet. Finally at the 7 mile mark I turned for home. It was the first time looking at my pace since mile 3 and I was at 8:09 for the first 7 miles. Way faster than I expected and realized that to run a negative split, I would need to run pretty hard – not something I was planning….. Mile 8 felt comfortable at 7:45 which got me thinking “Hey, I can do this” so I continued to push, looking to hold my MP smooth and steady till the end. I finished up with a 7:57 pace preserving my negative spilt with a 7:46 on the back half. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Just as I got home, Sierra was messing with her bike and getting ready to leave. I had told her before my run that I’d go with her if she wanted. Well, looks like I had to hurry. So, inside I changed into my EN bike kit and whipped up a smoothie to replace some calories – my first recovery meal. We were on the road in about 20 minutes. I could tell I was tired but I figured it would be relaxing ride. We ended up going 20 miles in just over an hour and a half. Now I was totally spent and in need of some serious calories. My second recovery meal was a 1/3 lb burger on the grill with cheese and a glass of Carnation Instant Breakfast.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Thing is, my day was not over yet. Carole was out back with the brush saw and wanted help. My job was to go down on the river bank with the brush saw and cut all the brush between high water and the top of the bank. Not an easy task because it is steep and slippery with all the round rocks covered by 4” of leaves. Long story short, I got it done, mostly. But I had nothing left afterwards. It was all I could do to crawl up the bank and slump against a tree to sit for a spell. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">A little later on Carole made some pizza dough and I had my third recovery meal. Home made pizza loaded with veggies and a big pile of cheese! Yum! Needless to say, I was useless the rest of the day….. so much for tapering!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br />
<div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Run Strong</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Run Stong my friends...</div>TreeMapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690251187777393795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216722103001871882.post-51884361749207863382011-04-05T23:04:00.001-04:002011-04-05T23:10:46.530-04:00Two Half Marathon Race Reports:<span style="color: orange;">New Bedford, MA - 3/20/2011</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"A Dead Whale or a Stove Boat"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This was my second time running New Bedford. Last year I ran it with Sierra and set a PR by a 5:27 margin. I had high hopes for this year as well and guess what...... <br />
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I did awesome! I always seem to run well on a full moon.... weird I know but true so far. Boston is on a full moon too ..... just sayin.... <br />
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Gun time temp was at 34* with a light E breeze at about 10mph. The day warmed to low 40's by the finish. The sky was a brilliant blue and no clouds. Race conditions were perfect. I raced more or less along the Endurance Nation HM pacing guidelines but I do pay a lot of attention to HR after the first few miles to make sure I don't burn too many matches and blow up. Basically I try to follow the pacing, but use HR as a governor. <br />
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So, in the end I was exceedingly happy with execution. The data tool has me a 7:30 for HM - a little too optimistic maybe.... but was able to finish in 1:40:53 @ 7:42. A PR by 3:34! My third half mary PR in a row - beginning with this very race last spring. <br />
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Stats: 719/2372 overall; 587/1366 men; 93/255 age group<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">Newmarket NH - 4/3/2011</span><br />
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I’ve run this 3 times before so I knew the course fairly well. No big hills, but a few of the hills that are there are steep. Miles 3 to 6 are on a dirt road, and with the 8” of snow Friday, I was concerned about muddy splash holes. Turned out much better than expected. No snow, no mud and only a few wet areas. Gun time temp about 41*, clear sky and NW wind at 10 to 15 mph. I was wearing sunglasses, shorts, EN tri vest, arm warmers and gloves at the start. The arm warmer lasted 3 miles, the gloves were on for first 4 and last 3. <br />
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Initially I thought lingering fatigue from Sunday’s 22 miles plus Wednesday’s 10 mile tempo would take the sharpness from my legs and I would be smart to hold back a bit… Na, it is a race, I had to go big. For the start, I lined up just behind the 7:30 Pacer – my EN HM pace. The plan was to hang on to the pace group thru to the end. That would give me my PR with a minute or 2 to spare. Not quite EN style pacing but…. as long as I could see the pacer, manage my HR and not overachieve early I believed I could pull it off. Heck, it’s only a half….. and a training run at that. <br />
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My HR was down for the early miles even though I jumped straight into 7:30 pace with a pace group. During the first few miles there were 20 or more runners in the pack. That diminished to only 6 or so by mile 8. By mile 9 I lost a few yards from the pacer and never could bridge back up. I ended up running 20 yards back the rest of the race, not gaining, and not loosing ground to the pacer. After mile 2, HR was stable between 168 and 172 for all but about 4 minutes on hills. Pace was fairly even other than 1 mile at 7:08 (gradual downhill at mile 11) all other miles were between 7:17 and 7:37. Finished strong with 4 of the original pace group. <br />
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Carried 20 oz water and 3 Gu. Took Gu at miles 4 and 9, augmented my water at 2 aid stations, and finished with less than 3 oz in my bottle. Perfect nutrition, hydration and run kit. Weather was impeccable. Overall outstanding race. <br />
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Chip time 1:38:46 @ 7:32; rTSS 159.3 (NGP @ 7:22) - 4th consecutive ½ marathon PR, this time by a 2:07 margin. <br />
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Stats: 104/1174 overall; 91/524 men; 8/67 age group - Best finish ever!<br />
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Boston, better look out 'cause I'm coming..... With 2 decisive PR's and feeling at 100%, I believe I have the fitness and courage to go big and PR at the worlds' most coveted race event.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Run Stong my friends...</div>TreeMapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690251187777393795noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216722103001871882.post-45309643750864360582011-03-23T13:10:00.032-04:002011-03-23T17:44:53.861-04:00Part II: Busting Out the Southbound Trail …<em><span style="color: cyan;">OK, I dropped the ball on this one. Should have finished last week but between training, work and traveling to New Bedford for a race, I just plain ran out of time…. Sorry about that.</span></em><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: orange;">Day 4</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: orange;">Start/end/time</span> 7:50 – 2:35 6:45 </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: orange;">Distance/ascent/pace</span> 8.1 +647/-495 1.2 mph<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ldQza_R6Ap3nVn7BncTtDyiu5ymhzHZ4rNxYxQP9P48Mw936KLEBUUtmWUdJHkxvMgY363DxYVCLrKSKTCSQwobd77CsNbWJ9vSg3Z7iTP_saWpjxwId28EURjiD5EkFS-yS2UZmlUU/s1600/IMGP2037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ldQza_R6Ap3nVn7BncTtDyiu5ymhzHZ4rNxYxQP9P48Mw936KLEBUUtmWUdJHkxvMgY363DxYVCLrKSKTCSQwobd77CsNbWJ9vSg3Z7iTP_saWpjxwId28EURjiD5EkFS-yS2UZmlUU/s320/IMGP2037.JPG" width="320" /></a>Day 4 was the shortest mileage wise but took us the longest to complete. The trail was unbroken and had 8” to 10” of new snow from the storm the day before. Air temp near 0 degrees. We got going fairly early anticipating a long day. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
The first section was relatively flat but the drifts and hommocks were a pain. Too steep for wax, and the trail too narrow to herring bone. At Wassataquoik Stream the sky showed signs of clearing. We crossed at the normal summer crossing it looked solid. Jim was our probe and seemed to have no issues… I started to follow and about half way across, Jim says “Wait, I need to get a picture” and so I start to shuffle backwards for a pose. Suddenly, I realize my tracks are wet. I wasn’t worried about breaking thru, but icing my skis. As quick as I could I make for dry snow and higher ground – too late. Ice had already built up on my skis. Had to take them off and scrape the crust.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaaKOCKn2WCbFM44q9Rwignsmz5yvcw1DGsVOF0_zN-5ETk12p_Ii6RuaffN_Fam_DL4MQh4RjKIEGll8dnmQ1S3iyGOW-xiuWS00u6KL6s5jGAYaACQ-x8Y02bquC5FvusqAolWMplRM/s1600/IMGP2060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaaKOCKn2WCbFM44q9Rwignsmz5yvcw1DGsVOF0_zN-5ETk12p_Ii6RuaffN_Fam_DL4MQh4RjKIEGll8dnmQ1S3iyGOW-xiuWS00u6KL6s5jGAYaACQ-x8Y02bquC5FvusqAolWMplRM/s320/IMGP2060.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>The middle section may be the toughest of the day. Not too much elevation gained but lots of water crossings with alders, and boulders, gullies, hommocks and steeps banks…. I stopped to wax - putting blue from tip to tail in an attempt to get some traction. At no point can you get any gliding in, nor linked strides. The only time I was sliding was backwards. We begin to think about our shadow party and how sucky it will be for them and their sleds full of gear… The gullies and drifts were steep, the snow deep. Even though Bart broke trail most of the way, I floundered a lot, falling repeatedly. It was tiring to say the least. Sometimes the only <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAPCo2F-0ZNlRdVTgnaTARMWsZhEZ_81wp1tTWZ35-7TeBO-MBYB3v6cWyTdgGjvLuEqY5mIv-NfzNJaoEhDs8afr1ltAc45Mnuqs_TrY8_6pZBoB71DKLaDRNqODG-6dHIMJij99AV1Y/s1600/IMGP2083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAPCo2F-0ZNlRdVTgnaTARMWsZhEZ_81wp1tTWZ35-7TeBO-MBYB3v6cWyTdgGjvLuEqY5mIv-NfzNJaoEhDs8afr1ltAc45Mnuqs_TrY8_6pZBoB71DKLaDRNqODG-6dHIMJij99AV1Y/s320/IMGP2083.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
reason I was able to make progress was due to brut force poling.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Eventually we get to the final section – traveling cross slope thru mostly open hardwoods, in and out of 20’ deep gullies every 200 to 300 yards. There were literally dozens of streams draining down from Turner Mt to our East. Each leaving another gully to clamber through. I took my skis off 3 times to navigate the gullies - they were that tough - skins and BC skis would have helped a lot.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgTFO8xBtaKoKr-mPPBjautkxpDrJvq4Qny3769rgpRZns1AJOZrEkk8J5XzWvXALl6l13sRP48X8bpFp-vtMRQPdZ3PKJfTXuBRXppavQBAQUgDaqGlMKxBmFDRKvWYjooW7RZCsE-oo/s1600/IMGP2088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgTFO8xBtaKoKr-mPPBjautkxpDrJvq4Qny3769rgpRZns1AJOZrEkk8J5XzWvXALl6l13sRP48X8bpFp-vtMRQPdZ3PKJfTXuBRXppavQBAQUgDaqGlMKxBmFDRKvWYjooW7RZCsE-oo/s320/IMGP2088.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1myVIUU3-Ld0OaLfcqgENQVx_ux34nP5Ypdr82vgoH40ysLfY1D4rofrOvFTwntYvJMwdwvO2_vwlPQ0HWEhtfO6Chs06ykz0st-m8flYNKFrebARdElaAHcQJq4tvFCdA3EU55Xp_A/s1600/IMGP2104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1myVIUU3-Ld0OaLfcqgENQVx_ux34nP5Ypdr82vgoH40ysLfY1D4rofrOvFTwntYvJMwdwvO2_vwlPQ0HWEhtfO6Chs06ykz0st-m8flYNKFrebARdElaAHcQJq4tvFCdA3EU55Xp_A/s320/IMGP2104.JPG" width="320" /></a></div></div>The high point of the day was at Whidden Pond – spectacular views of Hamlin, Baxter, and Pamola Peaks. Sandy Stream Pond was awesome too. From there on was no big deal, although there were a few sections where spruce and fir were laiden with snow that would dump its load in you face and neck as you try to pass by…brrrrr.<br />
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The cabin was empty on arrival and the ranger said no others would be coming in. Nice! Plenty of space for all our gear to dry. Outside a Pine Martin was scavenging something near the porch. Was fun to watch him….</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<span style="color: orange;">Part III Heading for home….</span><br />
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<span style="color: orange;">Day 5</span><br />
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<span style="color: orange;">Start/end/time</span> 7:15 – 11:05 3:50 <br />
<span style="color: orange;">Distance/ascent/pace</span> 12.9 +455/-1337 3.4 mph<br />
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All were up early and eager to go. Conditions were excellent and looked like a good day. A sign in the cabin explained it was a 10 hour day to get to Abol Bridge from Roaring Brook. Took us less than 4 hours. Because of the groomed road, good snow, and my skinny skiis. Jim and Bart pulled the rear all day. Breaking trail or going uphill they would leave me in the dust, but on a trail like this, they didn’t have a chance against my long skinny skis.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6cnQnIDx-HmwW8VaTwo3QKBeRD4wAWsu8QyQpyooDukB_FstMnPwE4qcWpIFC8_IrNhhIhJ1uDoNeHrzpbJHtPqnqzbRvFG8rDQYZMiaAtGwOMoGWhigF3hj47Pq06HTT_PFWUsPWrSY/s1600/IMGP2158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6cnQnIDx-HmwW8VaTwo3QKBeRD4wAWsu8QyQpyooDukB_FstMnPwE4qcWpIFC8_IrNhhIhJ1uDoNeHrzpbJHtPqnqzbRvFG8rDQYZMiaAtGwOMoGWhigF3hj47Pq06HTT_PFWUsPWrSY/s320/IMGP2158.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Out standing trip. I would do it again. The big thing is – as always – conditions. The following weekend there was rain, several inches then snow, like 18”!! Had we gone that weekend it would have been unbelievably miserable. We were lucky.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZKDyxYAQO6H1NMsFxo0B7AcuahrF2gjSZVvn2en032zB7qe6zSBStSV5ds9MXvgJsC27HvJAn4RgeqttqKcc1Qk3iJqIk3humNFzmjX9_5Rn1XLAHnnwS7cCkUvGcr5uoNwXS0NTOcM/s1600/Untitled-TrueColor-day5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZKDyxYAQO6H1NMsFxo0B7AcuahrF2gjSZVvn2en032zB7qe6zSBStSV5ds9MXvgJsC27HvJAn4RgeqttqKcc1Qk3iJqIk3humNFzmjX9_5Rn1XLAHnnwS7cCkUvGcr5uoNwXS0NTOcM/s400/Untitled-TrueColor-day5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Run Stong my friends...</div>TreeMapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690251187777393795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216722103001871882.post-43420157844408478332011-03-14T22:39:00.003-04:002011-03-14T22:49:42.381-04:00Part II: The Trail South…<span style="color: orange;">Day 3</span><span style="color: orange;">Start/end/time</span> 8:15 – 12:10 3:55 <br />
<span style="color: orange;">Distance/ascent/pace</span> 9.4 +789/-440 2.4 mph<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7Hpt5bPYKdl_aJsJ-nQiohWwq3UKpf_fegthiDwR4eqTa7juU5Q4YDvosl7yvBmK4H6ANfeGo8uxX9_BBKZchMruC77MnY_2ECRLlltyio6rgH7H1XALh-i1B-2snaYZnTG2DRU1Uzg/s1600/IMGP2011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7Hpt5bPYKdl_aJsJ-nQiohWwq3UKpf_fegthiDwR4eqTa7juU5Q4YDvosl7yvBmK4H6ANfeGo8uxX9_BBKZchMruC77MnY_2ECRLlltyio6rgH7H1XALh-i1B-2snaYZnTG2DRU1Uzg/s320/IMGP2011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Yesterday the Rangers told us the forecast was for 6” to 8” of new snow on a southerly wind. We figured the earlier we got going the better off we would be. We knew the trail would be generally good as the Rangers routinely run their sled and big tote down as far as Russell Pond to keep it open.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I woke at 6 AM sore and stiff from 2 days of hard skiing. Breakfast was oatmeal and tea, fast and easy. Air temp at 14* with new snow falling already. Waxed up and extended kick zone with Green then added Blue underfoot for stickiness on the steeper pitches. Outside the moose was still about, but had finished the first R. Pine and had move to start the second. We had to take some obligatory moose photos before starting out. We were heading out across the lake at 8AM.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW_mxeUnWiz3DQoxUKbGqjTrchan3kGEc3fMwxqu4zMnAMK_z7SxTcZTVslhrCau6HsgmLbWM8QpZPB8kH8efBwQnL7iL_pdHdNx1DeBrEx_tGDEoEtOSpmQe28TjzYkfnTMC8y0eI6Bg/s1600/IMGP2016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW_mxeUnWiz3DQoxUKbGqjTrchan3kGEc3fMwxqu4zMnAMK_z7SxTcZTVslhrCau6HsgmLbWM8QpZPB8kH8efBwQnL7iL_pdHdNx1DeBrEx_tGDEoEtOSpmQe28TjzYkfnTMC8y0eI6Bg/s320/IMGP2016.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Wind driven snow was in our face as we crossed to the south end. Not bad at first, light snow and maybe 20+ mph headwind. By the time we entered Upper South Branch Pond the snow was coming harder and the wind increased to up over 30 mph. Strong enough to stop my dead in my tracks several times but still tolerable. By Pogey Pond the snow was going sideways and the wind was gusting to 40 mph. We had whiteout conditions the entire crossing with visibility less than 100 yards. <br />
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From Pogey Pond the trail climbs rather steeply for <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7_u93j_0To0he_vf007LL8LwotVFkOnHF8IbmjrhOs-uChPIRtkMX9ifEZy_esoHRuNeBExm67V0QNufixPIXDtOcBJNHOBTpam1cu-AhlYFWFNGEmaboXV6u0LVhnegBC-HHDCygbQ/s1600/IMGP2029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7_u93j_0To0he_vf007LL8LwotVFkOnHF8IbmjrhOs-uChPIRtkMX9ifEZy_esoHRuNeBExm67V0QNufixPIXDtOcBJNHOBTpam1cu-AhlYFWFNGEmaboXV6u0LVhnegBC-HHDCygbQ/s320/IMGP2029.JPG" width="320" /></a>1.5 miles. On two of the steepest pitches, I pulled my skis and walked. It was just too much work to try and muscle my way up. Jim and Bart had no problems with their waxless BC skis – I was very envious to say the least.<br />
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We made Russell Pond before noon and because the conditions had deteriorated further, Jim suggested we fill all our water jugs now and save another trip. Very smart move. With 12 liters in hand we struck off for the final crossing. By this point the sustained winds were over 30 mph and most gusts were near 50.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgQvQBP4WjakyCxkr5tg0hR9wBnL_RbMh7JoAZzJSEqh6clw4i6lISLrUuEsPLqKHIenQL5Xw6GiKy9BmwtNkKxuf9HoK2hhhLId3sZDuvWlRPukFmASVFM17GVbmjYneAZi_j-A-_IcE/s1600/IMGP2028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgQvQBP4WjakyCxkr5tg0hR9wBnL_RbMh7JoAZzJSEqh6clw4i6lISLrUuEsPLqKHIenQL5Xw6GiKy9BmwtNkKxuf9HoK2hhhLId3sZDuvWlRPukFmASVFM17GVbmjYneAZi_j-A-_IcE/s320/IMGP2028.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> Half way across a particularly strong gust knocked me flat – one instant I’m struggling to make progress and the BAM! I’m in the snow. Looking back I see Bart had been flattened too. Several more rogue gusts tried to do the same but I was more prepared. </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQ2Igj_curtQSvwCG7cTm3uRfnwPuRMFPoO2zs_FJYdXbTuMgctC095T0z3NixS6c2Vdu449_cFPz1D5l2qgwrm2MEqvollVz5maA3iHid__zRvO5Jl77dHZK34BVLAEHnFnAujbf2iQ/s1600/IMGP2031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQ2Igj_curtQSvwCG7cTm3uRfnwPuRMFPoO2zs_FJYdXbTuMgctC095T0z3NixS6c2Vdu449_cFPz1D5l2qgwrm2MEqvollVz5maA3iHid__zRvO5Jl77dHZK34BVLAEHnFnAujbf2iQ/s320/IMGP2031.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Once in the cabin we got a fire going and began drying all our gear. As we busied ourselves with warm food, fire and dry clothes our attention kept going back to the other party (the one’s with the sleds). We knew from the conditions it was going to be hard for them. There was over 8” new snow by the time we arrived, meaning the later in the day they traveled, the more snow they had to deal with – not to mention the wind. Eventually they arrived. Took them over 7 hours to cover what we did in under 4. Glad we didn’t bring sleds!<br />
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Run Stong my friends...</div>TreeMapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690251187777393795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216722103001871882.post-43976976869006761992011-03-08T22:29:00.002-05:002011-03-08T22:34:03.135-05:00Part I, Day 2 – The Tote Road North…Day 2 <br />
<span style="color: orange;">Start/end/time</span> 7:55 – 3:45 7:05 (+:30 waiting for food drop)<br />
<span style="color: orange;">Distance/ascent/pace</span> 20.1 +1031/-1137 2.6 mph<br />
<span style="color: orange;">Food & water</span> 2L; 2 millennium & mainstay; Spanish rice (nasty!)<br />
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A cold start to a long day started with a double breakfast for me. Oatmeal and eggs washed down with 3 cups of tea to round out a 600 calorie jumpstart. I had pre-waxed my skis after dinner and cake with special green expecting temps around zero. The actual air temp was -10* with a light breeze from the NW. <br />
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I was smarter today with my hydration – bite valve tucked in my shirt and back drain the tube after each drink eliminated all icing issues. Trail conditions were good, well for a snowmobile trail. Typical of sled-heads, the first 2 or 3 ride straight down the trail and leave a nice ski surface…. Except the guy in the back is bored and slaloms back and forth for miles and miles… to make it worse, he has these super deep grooves in his front skis that are impossible to deal with on XC’s…. You either follow his track back and forth or look for untracked snow and break you own trail…. I did that for 2 miles just for a break.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HeWpq_Vjn8_QCo9eQxZQraWfbWV2WbmXxvH_4ruOkI8f63By85gmXmXDSS-kCP6vpxh_ZawiBFs0alN7YtVNCpVT8TBmjvmjOnJ_PDPfb26ddgcHRGsgL65UEj_utR0HXCI6IvrKff4/s1600/IMGP1957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HeWpq_Vjn8_QCo9eQxZQraWfbWV2WbmXxvH_4ruOkI8f63By85gmXmXDSS-kCP6vpxh_ZawiBFs0alN7YtVNCpVT8TBmjvmjOnJ_PDPfb26ddgcHRGsgL65UEj_utR0HXCI6IvrKff4/s320/IMGP1957.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Pace was moderate and steady. We had a lot of miles to cover. Breaks were short, usually less than 5 minutes. The first part of the day was generally flat to uphill so I spent most of the time in the rear. It is really hard to keep up with foresters who spend their days snowshoeing up and down hills and I sit behind a desk …. Eventually we got to the height of land – after a few really long uphill grinds. Now is were my skinny skis shine! Downhill baby! Yee Ha! <br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">One of the new things I tried this trip was different energy bars from Emergency Essentials. One kind were called Millennium, a 400 calorie bar in cherry, orange and blueberry flavors. Texture is like cross between a hard candy and graham cracker. Taste OK, not great but certainly tolerable. The other bar – Mainstay – those were awesome! They had a softer texture and a nice butter cookie taste. Mainstay come as 3 bars in s single foil package. Each 400 calorie bar is only 2”x2”. Takes no time at all to finish – good for fast calories on short breaks.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5wSQH3guM-o1ko7gew383qzBqTwhYiTMwld8gaI-oSKc8GjHqD7nZzjRNa3UCluxJOOPPz9L1wK0K6b1u40jqjmCtEf0ZBpbjrD470SyG50aCVJjRo8o9aC2mXHKJUzpUTn7PFgTMRZg/s1600/IMGP1961.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5wSQH3guM-o1ko7gew383qzBqTwhYiTMwld8gaI-oSKc8GjHqD7nZzjRNa3UCluxJOOPPz9L1wK0K6b1u40jqjmCtEf0ZBpbjrD470SyG50aCVJjRo8o9aC2mXHKJUzpUTn7PFgTMRZg/s320/IMGP1961.JPG" width="320" /></a>About midway thru the morning the grade increased. There were several long steady climbs, one forced me to clip out and carry my skis. At the top I took a moment to put on a long patch of blue wax – I really needed something sticky – blue did the trick. The rest of the climbs were more manageable (read not all arms). Eventually we got to the height of land and were treated to a couple of mile + long screaming descents along with another 6 miles of fast and easy downhill striding. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdic1my1qRM-OFRbH8By3YLzwSEssZPx8_O0OKginPkZQZaGOkHMQTAuVF56R91Xs16Qn4Q2BDnlNT-S6zHRAJEhh7Q_7OY3xVqseIn5BdVTlYmhUEnNbxYXQ2yuS2psuB3FTTQmAXoDA/s1600/IMGP1986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdic1my1qRM-OFRbH8By3YLzwSEssZPx8_O0OKginPkZQZaGOkHMQTAuVF56R91Xs16Qn4Q2BDnlNT-S6zHRAJEhh7Q_7OY3xVqseIn5BdVTlYmhUEnNbxYXQ2yuS2psuB3FTTQmAXoDA/s320/IMGP1986.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Within a few miles of Trout Brook Crossing, we could see the Traveler range to the ESE. It gave a good perspective of were the bridge was and hopefully our food drop. I felt like a horse smelling hay and just kept pressing…. Bart and Jim were close behind but I didn’t want to stop. I was in the zone and was determined to make the crossing by 2PM @ 3 mph for 18 miles. We did it. Every one arrived at the bridge in just about 6 hours. The sky was a deep azure blue, the air had warmed to the upper teens and no wind. What an absolutely beautiful day!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPbl4_Nab46askIXFheDQ97GkNRHDROzUOV-n7NToJ0JjIbni20NFUxeB51pl0U-7H_AtnK6Bfe2vFIFSLyK8-_yMhrm93qfL-qsv_ws4orJWdwBOWI6-FjN3b5iQF6KOEqWTF0PXHHVI/s1600/IMGP1984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPbl4_Nab46askIXFheDQ97GkNRHDROzUOV-n7NToJ0JjIbni20NFUxeB51pl0U-7H_AtnK6Bfe2vFIFSLyK8-_yMhrm93qfL-qsv_ws4orJWdwBOWI6-FjN3b5iQF6KOEqWTF0PXHHVI/s320/IMGP1984.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downstream view of Trout Brook</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
So, where was the food drop? We looked about but no sign….. uggg! We had to wait… and wait….and wait some more. Eventually Andy’s sled could be heard in the distance. Not too late ~ about 45 minutes…. Not to bad. We divvy up the rations and head the last 2 miles to South Branch pond.<br />
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When we get there, 3 Rangers are hanging out talking about a moose. They say it’s been hanging </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYGPl2SNVE21E97DnL3LGhGdqpMParHczSLS81jKx3Xw0eVhHzcTeyBZ1ruiOTHtSVNNb78NVIkI_HIFYdYXsnMlak7NSKV6wDeqXI2VtPgfaEeR-Y9FeEKH7fOy-OqBALso42zgViKpg/s1600/IMGP1995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYGPl2SNVE21E97DnL3LGhGdqpMParHczSLS81jKx3Xw0eVhHzcTeyBZ1ruiOTHtSVNNb78NVIkI_HIFYdYXsnMlak7NSKV6wDeqXI2VtPgfaEeR-Y9FeEKH7fOy-OqBALso42zgViKpg/s320/IMGP1995.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">around camp for 3 weeks. That’s when I see him(her) – standing right in front of the cabin! We actually had to walk around him to get in or out of the cabin – but the poor guy never moved. Seemed to be suffering and not willing to use any energy to do anything. He just stood there – munching on the few branches the little red pine had left. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We were sharing the cabin with 3 others. Their plan was to follow us to Russell in the morning and share the cabin there too. Big difference was they had 2 sleds plus their backpacks. We only had backpacks. Jim and I knew they were in for a big surprise on the trail to Roaring Brook. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8XPY6UgPXMjQdTip7BKnm2FZ1S-7H4EG8Ri2f4lW8n6NGaSurVInUFLZvyiEvr5ePLb0XXnEBlKwMIskb2XLDSLYX1j_EYZNrqdmXkvRXGHfeZIeu-RzdD_sYqpeTid_G2sgOUUgi1UE/s1600/Untitled-TrueColor-day2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8XPY6UgPXMjQdTip7BKnm2FZ1S-7H4EG8Ri2f4lW8n6NGaSurVInUFLZvyiEvr5ePLb0XXnEBlKwMIskb2XLDSLYX1j_EYZNrqdmXkvRXGHfeZIeu-RzdD_sYqpeTid_G2sgOUUgi1UE/s400/Untitled-TrueColor-day2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Forecast for tomorrow had been for rain and sleet but the Rangers said it changed to 6” snow with strong gusty wind… We’d be smart to get an early start.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjftRSM_39ntidPdsYIg-l38Yz7rv4u9LBf1WaxQSkhVeTHRXcyC3TEt1_hemWDX8FbSxyce_hq9dfFDb_Pwlr8U3KOtwgP2Kkjgp589BNinf8YQ-qpe0AJWl1D424yKtaTc-eFUJKb3ec/s1600/IMGP1998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjftRSM_39ntidPdsYIg-l38Yz7rv4u9LBf1WaxQSkhVeTHRXcyC3TEt1_hemWDX8FbSxyce_hq9dfFDb_Pwlr8U3KOtwgP2Kkjgp589BNinf8YQ-qpe0AJWl1D424yKtaTc-eFUJKb3ec/s400/IMGP1998.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset on North Traveler from South Branch Pond </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="blogger-post-footer">Run Stong my friends...</div>TreeMapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690251187777393795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216722103001871882.post-91882011980212740362011-03-05T21:33:00.005-05:002011-03-05T21:42:27.384-05:00Part I, Day 1 – The Tote Road North…<span style="color: orange;">Start/end/time</span> 9:15 – 3:30; 6:20 <br />
<span style="color: orange;">Distance/ascent/pace</span> 15.7; +1168/-543; 2.5 mph<br />
<span style="color: orange;">Food & water</span> 2.5 L; mainstay & millennium bars; turkey tetrazzini (2,500 cal) <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Starting 2 weeks before the trip I was collecting everything I could think of that I might want to bring so that I didn’t forget anything important. Then during the last week, I went thru the piles of stuff and eliminated at least half of what I started with. In the end, I had pared it down to a manageable 28 lbs – not including water and a few incidentals. With 3 liters of water on ‘go’ day the pack weighed in at 36 lbs. A very manageable weight for me.<br />
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I got to the Abol Bridge parking area by 9AM but Jim and Bart were already there. A few smart-aleck jokes later we were on our way. Air temp about 12*, NW wind at 15+ under a clear blue sky. I had some trepidation about the Friday snowfall, expecting 12” to 17” in the Park that would really make Day 1 a long, tough slog. Fortunately the new snow was more like 4” – enough to cover the crusty stuff and make skiing really nice.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8EGCq-amyXMI_XEdbJt8ecP_zxkUyejY0xsk-DgSB716Jw0AKDLI99nvYCtw43tRHVea36w8nrJ1AwozAVDP3SEP8ATKhDwsefr9L9L5_Vh5VQpB2t0HEgvgSUcc5r0jpba91EbLRq2M/s1600/IMGP1921.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8EGCq-amyXMI_XEdbJt8ecP_zxkUyejY0xsk-DgSB716Jw0AKDLI99nvYCtw43tRHVea36w8nrJ1AwozAVDP3SEP8ATKhDwsefr9L9L5_Vh5VQpB2t0HEgvgSUcc5r0jpba91EbLRq2M/s200/IMGP1921.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stump Pond, looking north to Doubletop</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The breezy day with moderate temps made moisture management a non-issue, although my hydration tube and bite valve froze up after 2 hours. Made me dig into my pack for the spare bottle….. Using a hydration bladder in winter was new to me. I did have an insulated sleeve but didn’t realize the bite valve would ice up so quick. I was able to free it twice by warming it in my mouth. But the wind chill on the tube – thru the insulation was too much and that froze solid. I learned that I need to blow air in to back drain the tube after each drink and keep the valve in my shirt.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhWWxIGx9mUX2yYwiDog3d8rCFyt7xFutxM_2OaRxZRRxmP6TPm8gIZVrlLNNoneoPGA1Cin9l0TON80o5I6HUzNcBFJthezSURYRlzrmxbjiVjZk1YYxArM4y0z5Knhqj779Eq8k1gM/s1600/IMGP1926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhWWxIGx9mUX2yYwiDog3d8rCFyt7xFutxM_2OaRxZRRxmP6TPm8gIZVrlLNNoneoPGA1Cin9l0TON80o5I6HUzNcBFJthezSURYRlzrmxbjiVjZk1YYxArM4y0z5Knhqj779Eq8k1gM/s200/IMGP1926.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doubletop Mt</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">All of Day 1 was on the Tote Road following snowmobile tracks. Not the best conditions but far from bad. Only in a few places were there any drifts to speak of. I was on waxable skis (Fischer SC – not a back country ski at all). Jim and Bart had short, wide BC skis with scales. As expected they could out pace me on the uphills but had to step aside on the down’s or they’d get run over – by me! Special Green was the wax of the day and worked very well all day. Sun was nice but ineffective at warming the day. Lots of photo-ops along the way. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPnNG-dYpIwCbWRgh8kos_re1E53mVZLrvPGOsf06RZBkI1y9oLJMG5FQoEz2LevRqBgZLStBYScdT9d8ZJkyyhTVrBB3zvb9rA_0oPxKRLCrgfP17IBmYbXF6KIrvw2jIGB5_Uy7r1A/s1600/IMGP1939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPnNG-dYpIwCbWRgh8kos_re1E53mVZLrvPGOsf06RZBkI1y9oLJMG5FQoEz2LevRqBgZLStBYScdT9d8ZJkyyhTVrBB3zvb9rA_0oPxKRLCrgfP17IBmYbXF6KIrvw2jIGB5_Uy7r1A/s200/IMGP1939.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Near Martson Trail</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Towards the end I was feeling my feet – I was getting a hot spot but didn’t want to stop. I was pretty sure there was no blister and found out later I was right. Air temp was definitely dipping as we pulled in to Nesowadnahunk and Camp Cozy. Water and firewood were quick and easy. Not sure where Mandy got water but the spring was very clean looking to us. We had a 4 liter Platypus gravity filtration system and an 8 liter collapsible bag of Jim’s, making dinner and breakfast water a single fill event. </div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhks_drIMsGppn98Kqy9-ujfNYOzRmUevWbh8H8_mTS9cPgfJqEMjiOPoDzJKWrukoKwBvT_9Td30NYAqvAd_jhzroNu7SZW4lQk7HvxNV9pyn061nCe06MKpETSK0KbEa81BlQorE31Os/s1600/IMGP1946.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhks_drIMsGppn98Kqy9-ujfNYOzRmUevWbh8H8_mTS9cPgfJqEMjiOPoDzJKWrukoKwBvT_9Td30NYAqvAd_jhzroNu7SZW4lQk7HvxNV9pyn061nCe06MKpETSK0KbEa81BlQorE31Os/s200/IMGP1946.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old guy gets a cake!</td></tr>
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">At dinner I jokingly asked Jim if he brought me a Birthday Cake…. He says, “Yes”…. But I thought he was joking. An hour or so later – after dinner, I see him pull something from his pack…. Surprise! A mini chocolate cake!! I was stunned to say the least. Didn’t take long for the 3 of us to devour it all – yummy! </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Looking ahead we decided we should be on the road early – tomorrow was going to be a very long day – 19+ miles in all. Wakeup was for 6, and we needed to start by 8. So naturally bedtime was early too, like 8PM. No complaints here.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOHJk9HMMqbG_C9Wx9idGN0kdyh_k6SGp-iNGv578p0-S8RE_jSsPp_9dcCI-pmQG3wuBsRkUpZo63X6adJOlD3_5C0dleNwJaXcr9rTPFzQ4LpMBGqpOkMAqQshI9T_baugh_hWf8ckw/s1600/Untitled-TrueColor-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="176" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOHJk9HMMqbG_C9Wx9idGN0kdyh_k6SGp-iNGv578p0-S8RE_jSsPp_9dcCI-pmQG3wuBsRkUpZo63X6adJOlD3_5C0dleNwJaXcr9rTPFzQ4LpMBGqpOkMAqQshI9T_baugh_hWf8ckw/s400/Untitled-TrueColor-02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 1 profile - Abol Bridge to Cozy Cabin at Nesowadnahunk</td></tr>
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Part 1, Day 2 coming tomorrow afternoon....<div class="blogger-post-footer">Run Stong my friends...</div>TreeMapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690251187777393795noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216722103001871882.post-68757541812496467962011-03-05T10:19:00.003-05:002011-03-05T10:22:49.733-05:00Grand Tour of Baxter State ParkWell I'm back and it was a great trip. We skied carrying full packs a total of 28 hours, covered 66 miles, including 4100' of ascent in 5 days. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb7MxG6nrXfBkmMbnzchyphenhyphenG0dRmqW_gyQUMf4T-6ItN5xQODXVc_7Q-fW9Hswmaz8BbIzuEXME82KOhZ02fBvAWucvrOWYZVcS7VmtLPEL5tQ2AB-Q1-9MsYH7nNykepMQXSYmyp2sR6eA/s1600/IMGP2158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb7MxG6nrXfBkmMbnzchyphenhyphenG0dRmqW_gyQUMf4T-6ItN5xQODXVc_7Q-fW9Hswmaz8BbIzuEXME82KOhZ02fBvAWucvrOWYZVcS7VmtLPEL5tQ2AB-Q1-9MsYH7nNykepMQXSYmyp2sR6eA/s400/IMGP2158.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crew from right to left: Jim O'Malley, Bart Plourde & me</td></tr>
</tbody></table> A full trip report is in progress and Part I should be posted this evening after my 18+ mile long run. <br />
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Stay tuned!<div class="blogger-post-footer">Run Stong my friends...</div>TreeMapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690251187777393795noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216722103001871882.post-62407266038036845482011-02-23T21:42:00.003-05:002011-02-23T21:48:44.519-05:00One digression leads to another...<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Things have been very busy lately. Currently in week 17 of the November OS and workouts are as tough as ever with longer intervals and higher FTP targets. No issues to speak of other than being on the edge of fatigue all the time. </span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoNJbjg4xOkpK6IzoN_Ex-PoewanZKsQ8CMEV7JfJGw5V62t6_-9fgA43FHLRkIzkFQp9kweTHM52hIwaVFX_Wq4CczSEAfVwzWGGlKEwP-kug4U7CYXRssh8ruxp5uozu9zAsfTnSSM/s1600/IMG_1997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoNJbjg4xOkpK6IzoN_Ex-PoewanZKsQ8CMEV7JfJGw5V62t6_-9fgA43FHLRkIzkFQp9kweTHM52hIwaVFX_Wq4CczSEAfVwzWGGlKEwP-kug4U7CYXRssh8ruxp5uozu9zAsfTnSSM/s320/IMG_1997.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">My new Team outfit came the other day….. this is the tri top and shorts. I also bought my first pair of bibs (not shown). </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Jot_-6gbPVg1MLejjkaukN4zURxS_Y-1kZ3YzsUaB97XJ27SeFyzMJjVJ1KWvSDAEvdK5Ob2PHmIisQr4QhcJqaDUHP50FpP8i5_63cQw5zz1pDbcniQkMfTXqHeEIxeGpCGUTnXgNA/s1600/IMG_1984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Jot_-6gbPVg1MLejjkaukN4zURxS_Y-1kZ3YzsUaB97XJ27SeFyzMJjVJ1KWvSDAEvdK5Ob2PHmIisQr4QhcJqaDUHP50FpP8i5_63cQw5zz1pDbcniQkMfTXqHeEIxeGpCGUTnXgNA/s320/IMG_1984.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">I can’t wait to show off my new colors at Boston. There should be 6 to10 EN athletes there all in Team garb. IMLP is going to have over 30 athletes all in Team EN outfits. That is going to be awesome!</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The OS by itself isn’t too bad, but when I toss in lots of run volume as I ramp up for Boston and the 2 half marathon tune-ups, it adds up. I also started swimming too. So my normal Monday and Friday “off” days are now swim days. I had signed up for some lessons but my instructor hasn’t really been all that great and she had to cancel twice. I’m thinking of canceling the rest of the lessons and just working on my own again. Most of my swims are 2000 or 3000 all pull. I average about 1:55 per 100.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On the run front, getting ready for Boston has been going well since I finally got past the calf twinge that came on during the VO2 max sets in January. I have been doing fairly well with my 2 key workouts – the long run and my mid-distance tempo runs. Soon enough I will add back the third key workout: speed skills. They usually come in the form of Yasso 800’s or hill repeats. But between the cold crappy weather and the intense bike intervals, I just don’t have it in me to load them up yet. Still have 8 weeks to go – plenty of time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This past Sunday I did my long run of 22 miles on the Deadmill. Yikes! Well, it really wasn’t that bad. It was much better than the single digit cold, windy, icy outdoor option. Definitely turned some heads at EN….. They must thing I am loony tunes…..maybe they’re right…</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My final long runs leading up to the race will sandwich 2 20’s and 2 half marathons like this ….. 20 – 13.1 – 20 – 13.1 – 12 then the race. I did this last year leading up to the Kentucky Derby Marathon as I was seeking my first BQ. The protocol left me fresh, strong and healthy – it was weather and my race execution that killed me. I had been training in the cold NE spring and race day in KY was in the 80’s when I finished – well, I bonked. Still I liked the training and I’ll try the same routine again, only I need do a better job of executing.</span><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Big news of the week is my trip into Baxter State Park with Jim O’Malley and one other. We’re calling it the Grand Tour of BSP. It will be a 5 day, 65 mile ski with full packs to circumnavigate the park. We start Saturday at Abol Bridge and head to a bunkhouse at Nesowadnahunk campground – 16 miles on the Tote road. Day 2 continues on the Tote Road to South Branch Pond campground – 19 miles. From there we head across the lakes and thru the woods to Russell Pond, only 9 miles that day. From Russell we continue on to Roaring Brook, an 8 mile trip. The bugger of that leg is a major river crossing that can be scary if the water level changed enough to break up the ice. Then several miles of cross hill skiing that includes 10+ drainages – 20’ deep gullies with little brooks in them. Steep in, steep out, go a quarter mile, repeat. The last day is longer but mostly on a tote road some 13 miles back to Abol Bridge. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The long range forecast is for 6” snow the night before we start which will really help to make conditions excellent. Then the weather alternates between partly sunny and chance of snow. Overnight temps in the single digits and daytime temps to mid teens. Perfect conditions for a ski trip. I hope to keep my pack to 35lbs with water and food.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Run Stong my friends...</div>TreeMapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690251187777393795noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216722103001871882.post-11768592632414481572011-02-06T14:02:00.005-05:002011-02-06T14:18:35.143-05:00Breath, feel, live…<span style="font-family: inherit;">There is something fundamental about the psychological effects of rhythmic breathing brought on by sustained aerobic activity. It sooths. It cleanses. The process has the added virtue of removing the constant self-talk and chatter that goes on day in, day out within our minds. Once free of the ‘noise’ our mind is left to wander about. Thoughts come and go, ebb and flow and thus leave our conscious self unfettered by things other than ‘here and now’. I don’t get to that Zen place every time I run, bike, ski, etc, but when I do it is magical. Like yesterday. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9XeR_SetWqNYrUP-plVUyhxzGIdvIkxAIQp7XvDvELmxjQimAacTdfRaCreRN-qo-n2FnaKt_g6HcaAjHkfPsX0JBKPxW02qgzJq282vg5zFy-Ug8IRhNBDkyu2Cp9CZciQeWk_CCTlw/s1600/IMGP1892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9XeR_SetWqNYrUP-plVUyhxzGIdvIkxAIQp7XvDvELmxjQimAacTdfRaCreRN-qo-n2FnaKt_g6HcaAjHkfPsX0JBKPxW02qgzJq282vg5zFy-Ug8IRhNBDkyu2Cp9CZciQeWk_CCTlw/s320/IMGP1892.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As my last several postings show, I’ve been suffering from fatigue and nagged by cramps of late and it has really gotten me down. Desperate for change and wanting to go enjoy the excellent snow conditions, but suffering the guilt just from the thought of skipping a workout. I know that to add more activity on top of the grueling schedule will only make the problem worse. So what am I to do? </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: inherit;">My good friend <a href="http://www.caratunkgirl.com/">Mandy</a> said “Steve. Go skiing. It won't hurt IMLP or Boston.”. She was right and so I did. Conditions couldn’t have been better. Overnight temps were in the single digits but warmed to the mid teens by 10 AM as I prepped to go. The cold overnight meant the snow texture would be at it’s best and I could use a colder wax than if it hadn’t been. As I headed towards the Bangor City Forest I contemplated my route and decided I would follow the Caribou Bog trail towards Old Town as a scouting mission for the upcoming race in 2 weeks. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Not sure how far I’d go, I started out from the Tripp Lane parking lot (which was full at 10:30) and headed down the East Trail en-route to the Orono-Veazie railroad grade. From there I headed north easterly along the rail bed towards Stillwater. This part was a snowmobile trail but skiing was OK - mostly. About a mile down on the left, the Great Caribou Bog Trail turned off into the forest. One or two others had been there to brake trail and did a nice job. Sure was good to be in a ski track instead of snowmobile trail. Pretty soon I came to Outer Forest Ave and had to remove my skis to cross. A car was parked along the road on the far side – obviously a skier. </span><br />
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<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFh2bF2B0VmYkm4c16vctSachxeF4ASNBHENeFPAoynNESTpSVfY7ceUV_C1ds2Zud4JI6TjYJEHk8ktiK_3Zf2cf2m9ZILtZ0BI4vbZJvUaCRgta6MZ-a6R5lIm4JO1MpiGWQhW1Em8I/s1600/IMGP1875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFh2bF2B0VmYkm4c16vctSachxeF4ASNBHENeFPAoynNESTpSVfY7ceUV_C1ds2Zud4JI6TjYJEHk8ktiK_3Zf2cf2m9ZILtZ0BI4vbZJvUaCRgta6MZ-a6R5lIm4JO1MpiGWQhW1Em8I/s320/IMGP1875.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The first thing I noticed on the east side was the trail was machine groomed and in pristine condition. I looked at my GPS to see I had come 3.5 miles to this point and was thinking I’d go another few miles before turning around to make a 12 mile day. A mile or so later, I emerged from the forest out onto Caribou Bog – I was transfixed by it’s beauty! That’s when it hit me, “This is why I love to ski!” </span><br />
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</div><span style="font-family: inherit;">The sky was crystal clear and the deepest azure blue above the brilliant white blanket of snow. Hardy spruce trees growing slow and sparse dotted the scene with their meager crowns and spindly trunks. There may have been a breeze but I didn’t notice it. I was too taken by the warmth of the noon day sun and the stark beauty of the landscape I was immersed in. Yes, I do love to ski and this is one of the reasons. This was a Zen moment. Time stood still, skis flowed effortlessly, I was at peace. The sounds of my breath mingled with the hushed glide of my skis on the snow. It was like I just woke up and I was ‘Here now’, completely in the moment, taking it in like that was my only purpose in life. The separation between mind, body, and place became blurred – I was one with my universe. I did not feel tired, hungry, thirsty or wanting. For that moment – maybe 10 minutes in all – I was completely immersed in total euphoria…. Complete bliss…… Yes, this is why I love to ski, run, hike…..</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgv34pbUOY-6TZpfbY4Xl889oi2LLWPlw2Rmoc-RImTacv36G2-u-JTWXX5HhoIX73P1_h88mjjSI0UbeczToIeu9br-HEwNy__AOoY1LetJu2q-Cr3txTyso-MR4j0bpyM9r5HCOxn4/s1600/IMGP1883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgv34pbUOY-6TZpfbY4Xl889oi2LLWPlw2Rmoc-RImTacv36G2-u-JTWXX5HhoIX73P1_h88mjjSI0UbeczToIeu9br-HEwNy__AOoY1LetJu2q-Cr3txTyso-MR4j0bpyM9r5HCOxn4/s320/IMGP1883.JPG" width="240" /></a></div> <span style="font-family: inherit;">As I skied along I passed others enjoying the day. Some were out for leisure, others were clearly getting a workout. Me, I was going for a long ski. Not fast, but always maintaining a steady pace. I stopped to chat with a couple at a trail junction hoping to learn which trail the race followed but they were less informed than I. The one thing they did tell me was which way to Newman Hill and that was where I headed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On the way up the 1st climb (only 200’) I could hear another skier approaching from behind. He was really grinding it hard – burning lots of matches along the way. The guy passed me before the top and I realized he was probably 10 years my senior! Ouch! Wasn’t long before I lost sight of him…. Decent down the other side was nice but made me realize I’d come a long way and was time to turn around. GPS said I’d gone 8 miles so far, meaning I had 8 more to go.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The trip back was equally rewarding. The big difference was I stopped to take pictures and video along the way. Something I didn’t allow myself on the first half. On one quick little decent, I was zipping along taking video and up ahead was a couple working their way up the hill. As I approached they stepped aside to let me pass but gave me odd looks – I had both polls in 1 hand and a camera in the other. Must have seemed odd…. "Hey, that skier dude thinks he’s cool…."</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzT8lWaj8ua8AiqjqQlY6l9S1updBSiy1RynhCsDklQ8vod7fQ1ttHGHpup0QjBwTB3efznbH2TTt5_8nIrOg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The last 3 or 4 miles were fine although I did have a hot-spot on the top of 1 toe. I was in the groove and moving along on auto pilot. Mindlessly striding, following a comfortable rhythm while slower than before, chews up miles with little effort till I reach the City Forest. Back at the City Forest, there had been so many walkers, skiers, snowshoeers, and dogs that the snow conditions were marginal and the ski track blurred. Now my mind was on one thing – finishing. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU9WCkcRY1neOHEoi6AQCoK50eVyrCAGlTyArY43P-vmFpOMsWYZUP8LawwL3d1gRwgRg_LHA7BkYYUEwF6scwsk1Yc8SJxqIIiQMm2GReTQoUYccm4aPuVkxFCpC-w6HdW0PCIOqfgzI/s320/IMGP1886.JPG" width="320" /></div></div><div align="left" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Just over 4 hours of skiing, 1000’ vertical change (rolling hills), and 16 miles total. I was mentally rejuvenated, physically drained and hungry. Not once on the trip did I feel any cramps or tightness in my calf. I did wrap it before hand but I am happy to say that even a day later and partially recovered, my calf still feels fine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now the question is... can I get back to SBR training or do I need to continue to feed my soul?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Run Stong my friends...</div>TreeMapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690251187777393795noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216722103001871882.post-83341628054056289452011-02-03T10:20:00.003-05:002011-02-03T13:28:30.285-05:00I must not be very smart...<div class="Section1"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Been a long time since I posted, too long really. Several times I started to write something but it kept going in all kinds of directions. Like I was scatter-brained or something…. Well, maybe I am but that is a different conversation all together…..</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So now, today, after an epic failure last night on the deadmill I think I am starting to figure things out. I am fatigued far more than I want to admit. My HR is consistently higher than in past – especially considering I have been training regularly for 14 weeks. My weight is above were I would expect it to be with the training too. My calves have issues. Not injuries – yet but bothersome none the less. My feet even bother me. Something I haven’t experienced in a long time.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Maybe what I need to do is forget all this training stuff and go skiing. This is the best snow year we have had in many years and I have yet to get out other than for an hour with Carole at UMO 2 weeks ago. Sure we had fun and the snow was nice, but it was short. Also, when I go skiing with Carole, I actually want to be ‘with’ her – not off by myself just because I can go a little faster…. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then again, if I don’t continue the bike workouts, I will be diminishing my ability to do well at IMLP this summer. To make it worse, every time I think I am ready for a run I get slapped in the face by my own lack of fitness. Sore legs, sore feet, crampy calves and last night tight adductors and a funny weakness in my hamstrings….. I’m a mess….</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What I think will help the run is if I can do 30 to 40 minutes at an easy pace 4 times a week, build to 5 per week. Then add volume so I can get back to 35 to 45 miles per week in time. Do like the experts say and only increase by 10% per week so I don’t add real injury to the weakened state I am in……</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I also started to swim this week too. I’ve signed up for 8 lessons all on Monday’s at 6 PM and I figure I will swim on Friday’s too on my own. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Seems like I just want to do too much. bike 3 days a week, run 4 days, swim 2 days and go skiing 3 day too….I know that ain’t gonna happen – it’s just too much….. Especially if I am already suffering from deep fatigue……..</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Run Stong my friends...</div>TreeMapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690251187777393795noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216722103001871882.post-5123163925465561872011-01-23T18:05:00.004-05:002011-01-23T18:12:09.065-05:00Limping thru and turning the corner..So, as much as I didn’t want to, I did get Thursday’s bike intervals in. My problems were several, first and foremost was my attitude – it sucked. Fatigue has been building more than I’d like it to during this part of the training where we are “raising the roof” via VO2 max intervals week in, week out. I was getting to the point where I would do most anything to not go down to the pain cave… I’d put it off till it got so late then realize I couldn’t live with myself if I did the wimpy thing and sat on the couch eating chocolate and channel surfing.<br />
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Somewhere along in there my feet started to bother me like I had athletes’ foot. I got more diligent about washing thoroughly and using Tinactin a lot. I even went so far as to do the Epsom salt soaks. Nothing seemed to be helping. That’s when I started to realize it was more of tissue damage from being crammed into the bike shoes that don’t fit so good for more hours than I would like. Now, after skipping 1 bike workout and pampering the toes, my feet are feeling better. Maybe it isn’t fungus or bad fitting shoes, but I definitely need to find something more comfortable before the long rides start – these make my feet numb after about 90 minutes…. That’s a long way short of the 6+ I need for Placid……<br />
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The last thing was the calf from last Sunday’s run. It kind of scared me into getting the blinders off. Yes, I did the Thursday bike but not the Wednesday run. I didn’t really feel that great (my calf) so pushing it was not in my best interest. I also scrapped my Saturday bike – the long one – giving me 4 rest days this week. Two scheduled ones and 2 sorely needed ones. <br />
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Today was my first run since Tuesday. The plan was to go easy for a few miles on the deadmill and see how the calf felt and take it from there. Well, I ran…. Wasn’t pretty, but not bad either. Started easy @ 8:49 and felt good…. As I got near the 2 mile mark I was thinking ‘this is good, maybe I can up the speed….’ Then at 2.05 the twinge in my calf came back….. <br />
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I kept going…. Kept it at the easy pace…. Then at mile 3…. It got bad enough to make me walk and I’m thinking ‘this is gonna suck!’ so I slowed to a walk…. Not sure if I need to call it or walk it off. Seemed better after a few minutes so I hit the go button and resumed my easy 8:49 pace. <br />
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At first it was a mile at a time. By mile 6 I was looking for 8 miles, at 8 I was aiming to 10. Ten miles was probably far enough and I could tell it was getting harder… not the calf, just the distance…. In the end I managed 12 miles. Nothing fancy or fast, but made me happy that get lame in the process. <br />
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I think this next week I will drop the Thursday bike, move Saturday to Wednesday and Tuesday to Saturday. Kind of like what the EN Marathon Hack calls for. I just know I need more run, more consistently and do less bike… at least for now…..Sure glad the VO2 sessions are almost done…<div class="blogger-post-footer">Run Stong my friends...</div>TreeMapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690251187777393795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216722103001871882.post-35752304798141760962011-01-19T23:23:00.002-05:002011-01-19T23:24:30.725-05:00Fatigue wins...<div class="Section1"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Fatigue is a funny thing. It sneaks up when you think you’re doing fine. sure the VO2 crap is hard… been doing the 120% efforts for 3 weeks now and while they are tough, they are doable. Even when the sets stack up with the longer 100% FTP sets, getting them done is fun. … in a sick puppy kind of way….</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">I should have seen the signs. The reluctance to go down and begin the workout…. Procrastinating till it is so late I really should just call it a day. But how can I just quit like that? The personal shame would be too much, so I drag myself down and get on the bike…..</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Feeling flat during the day like I didn’t sleep when in fact I got 7 hours of un-interrupted sleep. In the AM, when the alarm goes off, I lay there…. Not ready to get up… it goes off again and again. I hit the snooze button each time. Finally 30 minutes later I realize if I don’t get up now I will be late to work. Can’t have that so I get up… grudgingly and start some coffee and head for the shower….. even there I feel empty of energy…. Eyes closed, feeling the hot water as it lulls me, I feel half asleep again…..</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Training had been going well. My new found speed running has been great. Knowing my bike motor is building – watching the watts on my Joule….. sweat dripping in puddles around the bike…. I thought I felt strong. Confident in my ability to with stand the ravages of fatigue. Heck, it is only about 7 hours a week of training. How bad can that do me in? I have 2 full days off every week. My longest sessions are only 2 hours if I do extra zone 3 stuff or extra miles running. How can that beat me up so bad?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Well, it happened. Sunday’s run was supposed to be a 16 mile steady pace run. Tempo miles were optional on the 8 mile return trip. Just past the 2 mile mark I felt a funny twinge in my lower left calf, just below the Gastroc. OK I’m thinking. I had started easy and wasn’t ready to ramp up to my normal pace yet anyway. So, I’ll ease up a bit and let it relax, no problem. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Not happening. Two hundred yards further – bang! Cramp… Crap!.... stop and walk…. Stretch… walk… stop…. Man this suck!.... This wasn’t just a twinge. No, it was one of those spasms that wasn’t going to quit. Better turn around and walk. Too bad. The weather was decent. Sunny, temps in the 20’s, not too much snow on the shoulders. But I really needed to go back. I did jog a bit – off and on. Mostly off. Compression and ice when I got home. Roll it some with the Stick, put more ice on it….. Good thing Monday is a rest day.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Tuesday should be a hard bike with a easy brick run. It was almost 8:30 before I managed to get on the bike….didn’t really want to start but once I did it was OK. The main set was 5x2.5’s @ 120% then follow that with 25’ @ 85%. The run was to be a 20’ easy run… didn’t know if I was up for that… the last thing I want to do now is get a season ending injury. Right now it is more of a nuisance thing and I just as soon keep it that way. I did run, easy – 30 seconds slower than my normal easy pace. Mostly discomfort free, no pain, but some twinges of tightness almost got me to stop. At the 20’ mark I was just over 2 miles and decided to go to 3…. That should be just about 27 minutes… finished without incident, which was encouraging.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Today at work, no problems with the calf but that fatigue thing was there. Yeah, it has to be the fatigue that cause the calf issue. Must be the athlete in me – stubborn and stupid about feeling flat and being in denial about it. So now here I am on Wednesday – run day and no running….. to flat, too sore, too tired…. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Coach says “stand down”. He is right. I know it. Skip a few runs, maybe do some light x-c skiing, try a few easier bike sets, but no running….. NO RUNNING… did you hear me? NO RUNNING until the leg is better!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Run Stong my friends...</div>TreeMapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690251187777393795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216722103001871882.post-36677630984706337502011-01-14T20:28:00.003-05:002011-01-14T20:40:49.947-05:00Feel the Burn...<div class="Section1"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Nearing the end of week 11 of the OS, with only 2 weeks before my next FTP test. I am actually looking forward to that. My first FTP test fell short because I have difficulty with AM workouts. Since then I have done all my workouts in the afternoon or evening. The second test in week 8 went good. An analysis of the test data indicate my HR was at or near my functional max for most of the test. A second observation is that I didn’t have any big spikes in power, yet the tail end of the test fatigue is apparent by the slow downward drift in power. </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsiaVxoKdz0OG0Otbfk1KGqXWX5DD9DilDwpcm5uCkAepwYC6XJQYrR4IdQR28n0XrTQteSyVnj4lzmpjCtGMxZ_WPRsQ8jHm95yFxfMfK7w5NiyMmOcWn1gTYDwbjkQNTQesmhqfC_3M/s1600/IMGP1803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsiaVxoKdz0OG0Otbfk1KGqXWX5DD9DilDwpcm5uCkAepwYC6XJQYrR4IdQR28n0XrTQteSyVnj4lzmpjCtGMxZ_WPRsQ8jHm95yFxfMfK7w5NiyMmOcWn1gTYDwbjkQNTQesmhqfC_3M/s320/IMGP1803.JPG" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">This portion of the OS is all about VO2 Max. These are KILLER sets. After 1 or 2, the second hand on the clock seems to stand still and it is excruciating to hang on till the interval ends. Despite how hard these efforts are, I like them. They make the 85% stuff seem easy!</span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: orange;">Tuesday, Jan 11</span>: <span style="color: cyan;">Bike 5x2.5 (2.5) @ 120% on, 65% off; 25’ @ 85%; Run 25’ @ 70%</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">This one was a blast! It was a tough one but I really enjoyed it..... {{{Sick puppy}}} So, it was after 8PM before I started... put about 8 minutes in to warm-up then pulled the trigger.... target was 246 and hit them all and then some. <br />
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1) 120%, 68% – feeling strong….<br />
2) 120%, 65% – hanging in there…<br />
3) 123%, 55% – too hot, suffering begins…<br />
4) 120%, 58% – struggle to hold on….<br />
5) 123%, 50% – final push and fry everything…..<br />
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then another 25' @ 178w (0.869) for a total bike at 1:01:44 @ 189w (0.922) <br />
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Quick change the shoes and onto the deadmill. First 4 miles around 8:30 or so, slowly speeding up. Last mile was 6:58 (5 secs. off my Z5 pace). </span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Total run 40:04 @ 8:01, rTSS 47.6 and I feel great! The 15 miler on Sunday didn't set me back... love it!</span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: orange;">Wednesday, Jan 12</span>: <span style="color: cyan;">Run 4x200, 2x800, 4x200, 2x400 all @ Z5 – 120%, 20’ @ Z1 – 65%</span></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Wednesday was a blizzard so I took the easy way out and hit the deadmill in the pain cave. Started with a 2.5 mile warm-up then jumped into the intervals...... except instead of doing all the fancy short-long-short stuff, I decided to make it a set of Yasso 800's - my favorite speed session by doing 5x800 @ 6:53 with 400 recovery @ 8:34. Finished the run with 2 miles at 8:34. No fade, all good. Some days it just seems so easy! </span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Total run 8.0 miles in 1:07:48 @ 8:28</span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: orange;">Thursday, Jan 13</span>:<span style="color: cyan;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: cyan; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Bike 5x2.5 (2.5) @ 120% on, 65% off; 25’ @ 85%</span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Last night was another VO2 session on the bike. Same as Tuesday but without the brick run at the end. </span></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">I think there is something wrong with me... I like these... yeah, they are tough but nothing like that week 10 Saturday killer workout with the 2x20 before the intervals... that sucked! These, not so much. Legs a little tender after my Yasso 800’s yesterday..... <br />
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That was a good ride, hit them all but definitely showed signs of fatigue: </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
124.4% 75.1%</span></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"> – too hot but cant stop….</span></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
123.4% 68.8% </span></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"> – feeling the burn but can’t give in…</span></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
122.0% 59.5% </span></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"> – suffering starts to get big…..</span></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
122.0% 63.4% </span></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"> – trying to push thru on shear will….</span></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
121.5% 66.8% </span></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"> – I can do anything for 2.5 minutes……</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
Ended with 25' @ 180 (0.88) for a total bike 1:02:15 @ 192 (0.937)<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: orange;">Friday, January 14</span>: <span style="color: cyan;">Rest day – Hard rest, all day……</span></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Tomorrow I’m looking forward to getting out to the University trail system for some cross country skiing with Carole. Haven’t been out since last year. Yeah, I know there has been some snow, but I have been a good boy and made sure I got all my training sessions in. I know it takes a long time to build the kind of bike strength I need for IMLP. But now with all the snow, how can I not go play?</span></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Run Stong my friends...</div>TreeMapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690251187777393795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216722103001871882.post-41202898202850364782011-01-09T15:40:00.005-05:002011-01-09T15:43:40.697-05:00Transitioning to run focus for Boston....<div class="Section1"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10pt;">This has been one mother of a tough week for me……</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10pt;">Tuesday started with 1:05 bike intervals – 4x2.5 @ 120% then 30’ @ 85%. Ending with 4 mile Z3 off the bike.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10pt;">Wednesday I went 10 miles on the deadmill, 3 miles of Z5 intervals (red lining) as 400’s and 800’s and 3 miles @ MP (Wow! This feels easy). The rest was warm-up and recovery.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10pt;">Yesterday was 2 hours on the bike doing that<b><span style="font-weight: bold;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">week 10 masochistic torture-fest</span></span></b> they have the audacity to call a workout! It starts with a 2x20’ (4’) @ 100% then goes immediately into a set of 4x2.5’s @ 120%. Those little buggers KILL. You go all out for 2:30 – redlining all the way then get a 2:30 recovery and are supposed to hold 60% till the next set.... I was cooked on the 2x20 FTP stuff and couldn’t even <i><span style="font-style: italic;">get</span></i> to 120%. The first 2 were at 117% the last 2 were at 111% and none of the rest intervals were above 50% I just couldn’t do it and my legs were shaking. One EN member said he had to get off the bike and lay on the floor before he could get back and finish the workout! Yes it was THAT BAD!!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10pt;">Oh, it’s not over…. After that flogging, we needed to get another 2x15’ (2’) at 85% - BRUTAL… these guys are out to kill us! About 10 minutes in, I found a comfortable cadence and realized that if I took the 2 minute recovery after 15, I may never get myself to spin it back up…. So, my plan was to just push right thru and do a straight 30 at 85% and call it good…… at the end of that last interval, I just sat on my bike, spinning slowly for almost 5 minutes. My cadence was like 25 or something. I didn’t want to get off because I didn’t want to get on the deadmill…. It seemed too much like torture to have to do that. I could barely get 1 mile on the deadmill before I threw in the towel knowing I had a 15 miler planned for today. I must say I was a little skeptical about getting all 15 in……</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10pt;">So the plan for today was 10 miles minimum but the goal was 15. No tempo miles, just steady pace with a negative split. The weather was nice (by Maine standards) 29* to start. Wind NW @ 12 and mostly sunny skies. The only issue was the 4” of snow late yesterday still on the walks and shoulders.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10pt;">The first 4 miles was almost all mashed potato running – too much traffic to run in the travel lane, so I had no choice. After that the temp was up to 32 (bank sign) and the sun was doing its part and footing got much better. I still spent a lot of time in the road avoiding snow/slush patches but it wasn’t as bad. By mile 6 I knew I would make the 15 and felt good about it. Pace at the 7.5 turnaround was 8:46 – my comfy, go all day pace. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10pt;">Everything was better on the return. The wind was now behind me, sun in my face and the roads were clear where the sun was (still snowy in the shade). I did have to take a quick pause to clean my sunglasses – I had so much road spray that I couldn’t see well. Only took a minute and was well worth it. My last mile I could feel the fatigue creeping up but not enough to slow me down (except on a short 4% hill). A good reminder that I really need to get some volume in to rebuild the fatigue tolerance I am accustomed to. Over all pace 8:32 – pretty much what I was looking for along with a strong negative split of -25 seconds per mile (8:46 out, 8:21 back).</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10pt;">I plan to continue to keep up with the VO2 Max on the bike as long as I can. No immediate plan to drop the Thursday bike either. For now I will leave the bike as written and do my own thing on the run. That should get much easier after we switch back to FTP work in a few weeks.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Run Stong my friends...</div>TreeMapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690251187777393795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216722103001871882.post-58525670280819296402011-01-05T16:13:00.003-05:002011-01-05T16:20:26.647-05:00It's a new day...<div class="Section1"><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Weeks have passed since I last posted here mostly due to the holidays and family. It was nice to see everyone and I was very happy they could make it. Then again, it is also nice to get back to a more normal routine. </span></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Sad to say I failed out of the 100 pushup challenge. I had been going strong then all of a sudden, I hit the wall. Between the FTP intervals on the bike, the pushups and then a Holiday Run Challenge coach Patrick threw down, I just couldn’t make it. I could no longer make any progress with the pushups. No matter how I tried, I kept hitting a ceiling that would not budge. I do plan to do more pushups but more of a cross-train thing with other core work. Right now I am thinking 3 days a week at lunch I could bang out 3 sets of 40 and not interfere with my regular workouts. I’ll keep you posted as I see how this works.</span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">The Holiday Run Challenge was an 8 day event from Christmas Day to New Year’s Day. One point for each mile, 1 more for each mile run at or faster than T-pace, another point for each full hour run, and lastly a point for running in sub freezing temperatures. I saw it as an excuse to go for a run. My biggest gripe with the EN style of training is that I miss my running. Everything we do is short and fast, whereas I like longer and not as fast. So I started a day early running with Sierra and finishing 8 miles. The thing is those points didn’t count to the Challenge which was fine with me. In the end I ran 54 miles and accumulated 71 points, running 7 of the 8 days (plus the early run on Christmas Eve). </span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">A few of the ENers really went big, covering over 100 miles during the week! Granted they took a break from the regular workouts (no bike intervals). But still, that is an awesome pile of miles! Even for me, 54 miles is huge. In the past I have only had a few weeks were I got those kind of miles and they were 12 to 14 weeks into a 20 week marathon training plan. I was amazed at how well I did with the limited run work the EN OS plan has. I guess they are right – Work works!</span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Currently we are in a 6 week block of VO2 Max intervals. They are the hardest workouts I have ever done! The main sets are short, just 2:30 on and 2:30 off. The thing is “on” is at 120% and “off” is at 65%. The first one is OK, hard but OK. The second really starts to hurt and by the 3<sup>rd</sup> interval it becomes almost unbearable. The 4<sup>th</sup> interval is all mental – from the very start of the last one, I am looking at the clock watching the second hand … it seems to take for ever, some times it even looks like it is going backwards….. After the main set comes the 30 minutes of 85% work which by then seem almost easy. Still, the fatigue from these sets lingers for days…… At the end of this block (4.5 weeks) we test again and I hope to see a big bump in my FTP. Just need to get thru this without any injuries………</span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Run Stong my friends...</div>TreeMapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690251187777393795noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216722103001871882.post-76817495712857332172010-12-15T22:48:00.002-05:002010-12-16T14:50:10.287-05:00Wednesday Wrapup<span style="color: orange;">Monday Pushups</span><br />
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This week I jumped from W6-C2-D1 to W6-C3-D1. Seemed easier on paper than for real. I did get the sets done, but like the past few weeks, the Monday sets are not timed. I take as much time as I need to recover enough to make the next set. Today was no different. Took most of 45 minutes from start to end - almost 20 minutes was recovery for the last Max set. <br />
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I am starting to realize that the trouble I am having is because the longer sets end up being anaerobic and I just don't have the tolerance to that kind of work. Wednesday I will need to tighten up the rest periods for the main set. <br />
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45/55/35/30/55=220 Ouch! <br />
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<span style="color: orange;">Tuesday Bike Brick</span><br />
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With the holidays fast approaching I find myself thouroughly enjoying my time in the pain cave. Last night I was having so much fun I went a little long on the drainer and deadmill.<br />
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As per Coach P’s guidance, I went back to my current FTP numbers for the FT set but ended up over cooking the 85% stuff a bit. Initially I planned the 85% to be right at 85% for 20 minutes. I was watching “Fellowship of the Ring” and got distracted. It felt so good I just kept with it till I felt like stopping – ended up with 30 minutes at 90%.....<br />
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My run was similar. Plan was for 30 at Z1…. After a minute or 2 of WU, I settled in at Z1 minus 30 seconds and held it for 5 miles. Was nice to just run. I miss it and need to do more. Intervals can be fun, sure, but nothing beats just running for the sake of running……<br />
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Interval 2:<br />
Duration: 15:02 (15:03)<br />
Work: 182 kJ<br />
TSS: 25.6 (intensity factor 1.01)<br />
Norm Power: 202<br />
VI: 1<br />
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Interval 4:<br />
Duration: 15:01<br />
Work: 185 kJ<br />
TSS: 26.4 (intensity factor 1.027)<br />
Norm Power: 205<br />
VI: 1<br />
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Interval 6:<br />
Duration: 30:02<br />
Work: 323 kJ<br />
TSS: 40.4 (intensity factor 0.899)<br />
Norm Power: 180<br />
VI: 1<br />
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Entire workout (172 watts):<br />
Duration: 1:21:25 (1:21:45)<br />
Work: 841 kJ<br />
TSS: 113.9 (intensity factor 0.919)<br />
Norm Power: 184<br />
VI: 1.07<br />
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Run 41:31; 5.0 miles @ 8:20 ..... can't wait to be free to run longer.....<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">Wednesday Bike</span><br />
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Had to switch Wednesday's run with Thursday's bike so my friend can come over and do an EN style FTP test tomorrow. So, second day in a row for bike intervals is HARD shit. Struggled from the beginning - go tit done but really had to work at it.<br />
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Zone 4 Intervals:<br />
Duration: 10:02 10:02 10:02<br />
Work: 123 kJ 124 kJ 124 kJ<br />
TSS: 17.7 (1.028) 17.7 (1.027) 17.9 (1.035)<br />
Norm Power: 206 205 207<br />
VI: 1 1 1<br />
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Zone 3 Interval:<br />
Duration: 15:02 (15:03)<br />
Work: 158 kJ<br />
TSS: 19.5 (0.882)<br />
Norm Power: 176<br />
VI: 1<br />
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Entire workout (164 watts):<br />
Duration: 1:15:27<br />
Work: 743 kJ<br />
TSS: 100.3 (0.899)<br />
Norm Power: 180<br />
VI: 1.09<br />
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Tomorrow I get to run while Jay suffers for his first ever 2x20... gonna be fun (for me).<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">Pushups! wonderful pushups!</span><br />
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It's Wednesday and it is late - had to get the bike workout in first. Then stupidly I started without looking at my workout, dumb. Instead of 45/55 for the first 2 sets I did 40/50. that forced me to add 5 to the next 2 sets for 40/35 that way I get the full count for the day. The final set was killer - 55<br />
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Second go at W6-C3-D1 40/50/40/35/55=220<div class="blogger-post-footer">Run Stong my friends...</div>TreeMapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690251187777393795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216722103001871882.post-92222077583637269832010-12-12T21:28:00.001-05:002010-12-13T22:04:02.424-05:00Sunday Week 6 wrap up<span style="color: orange;">Saturday Brick</span><br />
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Got my work done this afternoon but had to put on a dinner for my wife's coworker and spouse - lots of SAU's there. <a href="http://stilloutofbreath.blogspot.com/">Jay</a>, our guest is also training for IMLP too so we had lots of kewl training stuff to talk about. Talked a lot about how great I think EN is. He seemed interested. Also offered to have him over for a FTP test - EN style on Thursday..... should be fun (for me!) <br />
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Definitely up to the challenge that Coach P put out there (wanted everyone to push watts as big as possible to see what you could get)....I never seem to be able to say no. On Thursday, the first part of the challenge, I averaged 218 over the 3x10's. Today I got that and more. <br />
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The workout called for 2x12 FTP plus 2x15 @ Z3 - did the Z3 as 1x30 instead <br />
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12' @ 224; IF 1.119; VI 1.0; HR 164; Cd 88 <br />
12' @ 221; IF 1.104; VI 1.0; HR 167; Cd 85 <br />
30' @ 185; IF 0.923; VI 1.0; HR 155; Cd 87 <br />
total bike 1:16:37 @ 190; IF 0.949; VI 1.12; HR 150; Cd 80 <br />
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Run targets 7:30 out, 7:20 back on the deadmill <br />
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7:45, 7:38, 7:20 <br />
Run total 23:08; 3.0 miles; HR 174; Cd 85 <br />
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So, not only did I push bigger watts today for the Z4 intervals, but also pushed watts for the Z3 efforts AND hit my run targets off the bike! I am psyched! Look out Week 8 FTP test!<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">Suffering Sunday....</span><br />
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</span>Like a lot of others at EN, I'm feeling Coach P's "could" workouts too. Almost wimped out and called it a week without the Sunday run. Then I was wondering how could I do that? Certainly wouldn't pass the straight-face test..... <br />
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Pouring rain most all afternoon so deadmill it is. Easy warm up and MS then a final 0.25 to finish 5.0 <br />
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1.5 @ 7:19; HR 170; Cd 88 <br />
1.5 @ 7:19; HR 174; Cd 87 <br />
total 5.0 @ 8:18; HR 168; Cd 81 <br />
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Looking forward to a day off. really need it.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Run Stong my friends...</div>TreeMapperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690251187777393795noreply@blogger.com0