Media 5-mile Race

This was my first 5-mile race and it was on an unfamiliar course, so I really had no idea what was ahead of me. My time was a little faster than I expected (39:31) and I held an even pace throughout the race (7:54/mile). Overall, I'm happy with my run and looking forward to the next race

I plan to move to Media soon, so this was a great way to check out the area and community there. The people are friendly, the houses and buildings have character and the trees are plentiful. It also seems that they close down the main street there frequently for festivals and small concerts. There was a huge amount of support for the race.

When I arrived, after rushing from work through rush-hour traffic at 5:00, I was a little early. A few roads in town were closed off and I found the tent where I could pick up my number and disposable timing chip. After warming up for about a mile, I returned to the tents and found that the formerly wide open area was now crowded with runners and more tents and tables and live music. I killed some time by checking out upcoming races then made my way to the starting line. We lined up in the town's main street. The sidewalks were packed with spectators, like the whole town came out to watch. Looking around, I could feel the anticipation in the air. Hundreds of runners, each with their own story, training plan and special race-day attire. Some people were chatting nervously with their friends, others just looking around and waiting. Almost everyone was moving around and stretching over and over again as they waited for 6:00 and the starting gun.

The gun fired and we were off. Of course, everyone took off fast and it was hard to try to hold back and keep my pace when I saw little kids and old women running past me. 7:15 for the first mile... faster that I wanted, so I held back a little more and tried to hold that pace throughout. Nobody told me how many hills are in Media! They were rough, but at the same time I try to think that everyone else has to deal with these hills too. As rough as the hills are, that is where I tend to pass the most people. This is probably from trail running and the hills in Wissahickon park.

The race was 2 laps on a 2.5-mile course, which was great because I knew what to expect on the second lap and they had a record of my 2.5-mile split time. The course took us through the neighborhoods next to town and there were spectators everywhere. There were no quiet areas where the only sound was the tapping of running shoes on the pavement. In fact, for most of the course, people lined up shoulder to shoulder to get a glimpse of the runners and cheer us on. Kids would line up and stick their tiny hands out so the runners could slap their hands right down the line. Some houses had hoses and sprinklers on the course for a quick cool down. One family had hopscotch drawn out in sidewalk chalk on the course. It was great to see so much support, amazing.

The run continued to be painful towards the end. The legs were failing, the sweat was blinding, and I was ready to pass out. The final leg down the main street came up and the finish line was in sight off in the distance. I tried to pick it up, stay strong and finish with nothing left. When I approached the finish, I could see the clock and was surprised to see it was still under 40 minutes. Giving all that I could, I crossed the finish and slowed down to a walk. A stranger handed me a cold water and I just tried to catch my breath.

This was a great race, the support was wonderful. Another thing that amazed me was how quickly the results were posted online. It only took a day or 2 to organize and post 1300 runner times and splits. This is a great race and I hope to run it again next year.

Since the race, I met up with a local running group there and met some nice people for a run through the area. Some of the runners in the group ran the 5-mile race and finished about 2 minutes before me. It is great to train with people who are slightly faster, so I plan to continue running with them.

Grassroots Off-road Triathlon

Camping: Strange but a ton of fun

Race: WTF?

Xterra - Appalachia 2008

After a week of long days at work and minimal to no working out, this race came up a little fast. It had been a week since I was on my bike, and that ride ended up as a crazy adventure. The Markeys picked up Fortmann then got me around 10:30 on Saturday and we were off. It took about 4-5 hours to get out to the race site, a PA state park just east of Pittsburgh. We got a glimpse of the transition and noticed there were no standard bike racks, just pvc pipes screwed to wooden boards. We picked up the packets and headed back to the hotel. No camping this time, we are saving our time off for a camping vacation in September. Unfortunately, that means there were only three legs of this Xterra instead of the normal four. Ruby Tuesday's for dinner, Wal-mart for breakfast supplies, Shark-Week on the Discovery channel, then snuggling with Fortmann for a good night's sleep topped off a long day. I wish it was a good night's sleep... some teenagers had the room next to us and were partying and smoking up all night. Shawn actually moved down to the truck for some better sleep.

We woke up around 6:00, had some oatmeal and coffee and were off to the race. The weather was cool and foggy. The rolling hills and eerie fog made for some beautiful views. It was still a little cool when we setup for our transitions. I made an effort to claim a good spot early on since there were not that many. This worked out great and it proves that it really does pay to get there early. The four of us swam the entire swim course as a warm up (we were the only ones out that far). It was fun just hanging out playing in the water. In that moment, I really didn't care about the race, It was just fun being there with friends.

The race started, chest-deep, in the water. We positioned to the front and sprinted off for the start. We all pushed hard in the beginning to get ahead of everyone and put some space between the swimmers behind us. There was another guy in a wetsuit that stayed out in front. He got tired at the end and Shawn and Alicia passed right by him, Fortmann and I were just behind. A quick run to transition and I could feel the pressure to rush to get my gear together. Since this was the first race where I wore a one-piece trisuit, this transition was definitely my fastest ever. I hoped on the bike and rode after Shawn and Alicia. I quickly sped in front of Shawn in the first 200 yards, then caught Alicia on the first hill. I always seem to go out fast in the bike and usually get passed by the Markeys in either the bike or run, so I figured this would not be the last I saw of them.

This bike course is really short, but the climbs in the first half are insane. Usually, the beginning of the bike course has some flat sections and some gradual climbs. This helps me recover from the swim and get my body used to the bike. Not this time. We went right into the pain. There was a lot of walking/jogging the bike up these hills, then there was a lot of just walking the bike, then a lot of hoping that my heart rate would drop below 180 - even just for a bit. With vision fading, I survived those climbs and continued on some semi-technical downhills. It was amazing that Shawn hadn't passed me by then, I was in bad shape. The rest of the bike went much better. I recovered more and even passed a few riders. The end of the bike came up quick and I made a relatively fast transition into the run.

I immediately regretted taking the water bottle with me for the run. It was heavy and I filled it with HEED. This stuff is disgusting! I wanted to puke after every sip. I think the cliff blocks helped since I only took 1 cliff shot on the bike and none in transition. The run was similar to the bike - some steep climbs in the beginning then some wide flat trails for the rest. After recovering from the climbs, I felt strong on the run and passed a few other runners. At about 30 minutes into the run, I asked a volunteer how many more miles were left. He said the finish was only a few hundred yards away. I was happy that I was almost finished, but was also upset that I still had so much energy left over. I lengthened my stride and ran hard to the finish. A lady at the finish said 1:52 as I crossed, but I still don't know the official results. The biggest lesson for me for this race was to make sure I know the distance and how much is left so I can properly pace myself. It felt like I could have run another 3-4 miles after the finish.

Alicia finished soon after me and told me that Shawn had some major bike problems. Once she caught her breath, she told me that he crashed within the first mile of the bike, then another racer crashed into him, ripping off his back tire. Since he has tubeless 29" tires, he was out of luck. He refused to get a DNF and ran with his bike the rest of the course... 10 miles of running through technical terrain in bike shoes while pushing a bike with a flat tire. Once he got into transition from the bike, Fortmann, Alicia and I had finished the race and were waiting for him. Alicia and I decided to go with him for the run and carried water to support him. We thought he would need some support after already running with his bike for so long. At the first hill into the run we realized that he still had plenty of energy as we watched him take off ahead of us. Maybe this was a bad idea. Luckily, we found some shortcuts through the trees and fire roads to meet up with him on 2 different spots on the trail. We finished the last 1/2 mile with him so it looked like we ran the whole thing twice.

The swag was nice at this race, 2 wet suits, 2 pairs of trail shoes, a transition bag, misc. clothing, and a bike! The Markeys won 2 pairs of socks and Fortmann and I left empty-handed. Weak! After a quick shower, we were back on the road, stopped at Chili's to stuff our bellies with chips and beer, and continued on to Delaware. This ranks near the top for my favorite race venue; short and not too many people. Racers do have to pass through Hell at the beginning of the bike, but overall it's a great race. Maybe next time we'll plan for some camping.

A Rough Training Ride

My ride started out in the middle run parking lot since the church lot was full of people. When I was getting my gear together, a father and son rode up and asked me a few questions about the trails and mountain biking in general. We ended up riding to the skills trail - I gave them some basic advice on riding and some directions back to their car. They seemed to be having fun, so I continued my ride out to the far side of White Clay. It had been thundering very lightly throughout the morning, but nothing to be concerned about. Things changed when I got to the top of the far hill (the furthest point from the parking lot).

Dark clouds began to roll in, strong winds whistled through the treetops above, and the trail was getting darker and darker. There was no choice but to get back to the truck as fast as I could, so I practiced some high-speed downhill riding through the winding trail. I didn't crash, but I was reminded that its pretty difficult to turn effectively when both wheels are a foot off the ground. After crossing the road to the next section, my chain breaks. What are the odds? It is still about 8 miles from the truck, the thunder is now accompanied by bright flashes of lighting, and the wall of rain is minutes away. Luckily, this wasn't the first time I had to repair a chain, both my chain and Steve's chain broke earlier this year. I jogged my bike with the chain dragging behind to the first flat area with no poison ivy. It actually went pretty quick, I took my time, used a stick to relive the tension from the rear deraileur and was back on the trail in about 5 minutes. I continued to hurry along through the increasing darkness. The chain was dry and squeaking, it could break again at any moment.

It was crazy how quickly it got dark, the wind was swaying the trees so much. I heard branches falling all around me. I heard one starting to fall right above me, after a few frantic pedal strokes, a big branch landed right on the trail behind me. Once I reached the road crossing into middle run, the rain was pouring down pretty good. Of course, there was a ton of traffic and I wanted a nice gap to cross since the cars probably couldn't see me. After the road, the trails seemed darker than ever, its a good thing we ride these trails all the time. This was the final stretch with lightning hitting all around and thunder crashing suddenly and violently. I made it to the parking lot, threw the bike in the back and jumped in the driver's seat. The rain seemed to lighten up for a moment so I went back out to get my sandals from the back. I looked back to the trail and just at that moment, a bright bolt of lightning hit the ground about 30 yards away - right on the trail I just emerged from. Scared and a little shaken up, I jumped right back in the truck and drove off. Surprisingly, a few more bikers rode out from the trail - only moments after the lightning bolt hit. The look of terror on their faces was priceless.

XTERRA - EX2 2008

Shawn, Alicia, and I camped that Saturday night and fell asleep to a bunch of girls singing and cheering as they marched through the campsite. Then, in the middle of the night a hungry little raccoon climbed up a tree to get to our trash bag. Shawn and I surprised him with our flashlights and he scurried back 15 yards turned around and stared at us. I could see his little eyes glowing from the flashlight, he was staring right at us. Eventually, he lost interest and ran away. Shawn said that he came back again, but I was passed out.

We arrived early to setup transition and get a nice warm-up in. There wasn't much time on Saturday for a preride, so I wanted some extra time to loosen up. Alicia also had time to take her bike to The Bike Lane. The night before, all 3 of us tried to get her rear derailleur working without any success. The guy at the shop said that she needed to replace her cable housings, he adjusted it enough for her to get by for the race. We had our choice of transition area so we each found a nice spot at the end of a railing, for some extra space. We came across several fish in the clear, warm water during our warmup. A huge bass swam right under me in 4 ft of water.

The whole event went by very smoothly. I was never overly anxious waiting for the start, nor did I feel hurried and out of time. Getting there early is key to a stress free morning. They counted us and staged the 2 waves of races, then we walked in the lake up to our knees for the start. As always, everyone is excited and freaks out at the start - mass confusion. I was able to follow behind Shawn, as he groomed a nice lane through the bodies. I got into a nice rhythm and stayed just behind Shawn the entire swim. This course had a short run in between two laps in the lake. I still have problems switching from swim to run, then run to swim, then back again to running. We did pretty well in the swim. When we re-entered the water for the second lap, I had a nice entry and even passed a guy who was about 15 yards in front of me on the run.

My transition from the swim is still awful. Shawn was right there with me, we really should practice the transitions. The bike course was the exact same course as last year, so we had a good idea of what to expect. That helped me out since my bike computer is on the fritz again. The first lap was rough. I did catch Shawn on Evit's Revenge. I rode it for the first time ever, but I used a lot of energy and Shawn passed me about 5 minutes after that. I didn't see him until I finished about 2 1/2 hours later. After all the technical climbs following Evit's Revenge, I flew down the rocky downhills, and back into the paved roads of the campground. The rest of the lap was flat. This is a good race to grasp psychologically, especially on the second lap. There are only a few tough climbs, once they are behind you, there is time to recover during the long downhill section. The run, on the other hand, is another story.

I left transition, setup my watch, race belt, and water bottle and set my pace. The first 100 yards of the run are pretty difficult for me. It feels like I'm wearing lead boots since my legs have just been biking for an hour and a half and need time to adjust. The next few hills came and went. It's always discouraging when you turn a corner to see a massive hill in the distance. I try to remember all the other hills I have done in training and past races and I start to understand that it won't be that bad. Those kind of hills look tough and intimidating from a distance, but up close they look challenging and conquerable.

After a few downhills on the road, we entered the trail into the rocks and roots. I was moving along pretty good, much, much better than last year. Then, a small rock jumped under my foot and I rolled my ankle. Sudden pain accompanied the loud cracks and pops coming from my right ankle. It even felt like I hit the ground with my ankle bone. A few emergency hops kept me on my feet and I continued to jog it off. The endorphins kicked in and I was back on track. I knew my run training for the next week or 2 would have go on hold, but I love this race and wanted to do my best. The run and bike course overlap for a few miles. This helped since I could remember the obstacles ahead. The rock gardens and crazy roots are much easier and sometimes faster on foot than on a bike, so that section was not so bad. I think all my endorphins ran out as I approached the group campsite. It felt like all the pain from my ankle on top of the pain and discomfort from my legs and lungs could not be ignored any more... I had to walk. This was pretty discouraging for me since I only planned to walk on Evit's Revenge and the crazy technical uphill at the end. After about 1 minute of walking I starting to jog again up to the aid station where a kid with a big smile on his face asked if I wanted a splash. This was pretty cool since I always use the water at the aid stations to dump on my head anyway. I said, "Yes, please." He splashed with all his might, right in my face. Soaking wet and cooled off, I continued halfway up the campground hill when my ankle starting screaming at me again. I walked to the top, again for about 1 minute. The first big downhill back into the trail is where I realized that landing hard on your feet while running down a steep hill hurts a lot. A few more rolling hills were next - I actually ran past some bikers on the trail. They looked like they were hating life. Evit's Revenge was next, walked again. Then came the treacherous downhill on loose soil and sharp rocks.

There was one runner who had stayed about 25 yards in front of me since transition. I caught up to him at the top of that downhill. It was his first time on this course, so I gave him a little heads up that this part gets a little crazy. He said, "...this whole place is crazy." He followed behind me on the downhill and kept me entertained with his muttering expletives. At the bottom, we hit a wobbly bridge, then the climb straight up. Loose soil and wet rocks - straight up... my legs were burning and my vision was fading. I lost the other runner and approached the final section of boulders. They are a bitter-sweet sight. It is a difficult climb with spaghetti legs, but it is also the final push before the last mile on open road. Its not technical, but this last mile was rough. With no shade and rolling hills, I kept the finish line in my head and pushed on.

2:51:14 - about 25 minutes faster than the year before!!

Shawn had already finished and was waiting in transition. I caught my breath, grabbed a cold gatorade and we went out to look for Alicia. She finished soon after and we all cooled down in the lake. We finished. We had no major injuries, the hours of pain were behind us, and now, a cooler full of cold beer lay ahead of us.



Results

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Shawn 2:47:49
Chris 2:51:14
Alicia 3:07:35

Detailed results are posted on EX2.com.


Critters we met this year

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Repairs...

The bike was a little beat up after this weekend. Our long Saturday ride was cut short by a flat tire, damaged spare tube, and a piece of junk bike pump. When we eventually got going with a slow leak in the original tube, the chain broke (running on concrete in bike shoes is awesome, by the way). The next day, when I was home repairing the tire and chain, the front brake cable snapped.

I just finished replacing the front brake cable and the shift cables for the front and rear derailleurs. Brakes are good now, tires/tubes are good, chain is good... all I need now is a change in luck for the EX2 race this weekend. I've had mechanical problems the last two years at this race (flat tire / broken chain).

Original Parts:
*Frame
*Shifters
*Derailleurs
*Brakes
*Rear Wheel
*Saddle

Replaced Parts:
*Fork/Shock
*Handlebars
*Grips
*Shift Cables
*Brake Cables
*Front Wheel
*Front and Rear Tires/Tubes
*Rear Cassette
*Pedals
*Crankset
*Seat Post
*Chain
*Brake Pads

At least I'm learning more about bike repair.

Firecracker 5k

The Markeys picked me up at 7:15am in the rain. We signed up and got our race numbers in the rain, then warmed up for about a mile in the rain. When it was time to race the nice cool rain stopped, leaving behind a steamy, muggy mess. This stuff was really hard to breath. Alicia had a mild asthma-like attack about 5 minutes into the race and had to stop for a minute. I was wheezing like a 300lb fat man running after an ice cream truck for the last mile.

This was a nice race to work on sustained speed. My plan was to go out at about a 8:30 min/mile pace for the first mile and build from there, hoping to negative split. I found it hard to pace myself and I wanted to stay with the pack. Shawn and I were next to each other for most of the race and we both went out in about 7:20. I tried to fall back a bit to recover. It was an out and back course, so we had a good idea about the hills and distance for the second half. At about 16 minutes, I sped up and gave it my final efforts. The last 200 yards were hell, but my time was pretty good for me, especially with the hills and swampy weather.

The results are posted on Races2Run.com.