Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Where the Hell have you been?


It's a dull gray and rain-soaked day in the Bay area. Perfect for a run. I logged an hour running in a light rain and under the dawn's cloud leadened sky. At a casual pace, I ran and explored a few new detours along my usual route. One lead to a local ranchers house, who just happened to be out shooting at wild turkey's. I decided to explore elsewhere.

December has been a rough month. Between a nasty cold and some other bug I picked up after Thanksgiving, this has been a pretty work-out free month. Maybe that's not a bad thing as I need some built in rest time to recoup and recover from last season. My 4 day mountain biking trip to Moab pretty much tore me up and I suspect I was slightly over-training before it. My workouts, both running and riding, subsequently were done on wooden legs with little of the power I'm used to or rely upon. In short, November pretty much sucked except for the week before Thanksgiving. I got some awesome trail runs in up along the Pacific Crest Trail out of Graeagle and Gold Lakes before the ebola-like illness kicked in.

But today, I felt for the first time, like I was back. It was a great feeling.

Monday, September 03, 2007

A River Rides Through Us

Our regular bike commuters-- T-Rex, Squiggy, Racer X, and myself-- have been getting in a steady number of rides. Besides our twice weekly commute in to San Jose (27 miles one way), we've also tried to bag some weekend rides. Squiggy has the most miles on this, seeming to log in a century every other weekend, yet still manages to be fresh for our commute. Our average speed has been steadily edging up, improved by the "unofficial race" up the backside of Calavaras. We've shaved 5 minutes off our commute time due to this and now regularly average over 18.1 mph.

Last Sunday, we all did a 50 miler up Mines Road and back in sub-3 hours and sought to keep our average near 16.5 mph since Tinker would be joining and who hasn't been logging as many miles as the rest of us. We wound up at a pretty sedate pace of 17.1mph.

So we're feeling pretty cocky about our pacing with all of us envisioning we have the polka-dotted "king of the hill" jersey pretty well locked up. Then "River" joined us for a short segment on the flats before the Calavaras climb. I'm blaming Squiggy's for what happened with that. We were pacing along rather moderately--on purpose-- when Squiggy eyed River ahead and decided to reel him in. Squiggy caught him, but now the line was moving about 3-5mph faster than before. River was invited in, we held the pace in order to demonstrate that we "always jet along at this speed, don't ya know?" and off we scooted. By the base of the climb 4 miles later, Squiggy and Trex were no where to be seen. RacerX, River, and I (gladly) pulled over to wait for them to arrive 3 minutes later. We caught our breath and then began the climb. River had great form and cadence, and it was clear we were going to be trashed by his climbing strength. I held on as long as possible, Racer X close behind, but over 2.5 miles, we watched his gap open as our heart rates red lined. We sucked. Egos deflated. Polka-dot jerseys' gone.

I'm sure he's probably about 10 years younger than us.....

Next week it's off to Moab for 4 days of riding with Racer X. I'm in taper now and letting muscles and ego mend.

Monday, July 16, 2007

... of Wine and Roses

Last week the mad family was in Santa Rosa. While the littlest madmen were off fiddling at violin institute, I peddled madly about the vineyards and ranches of Sonoma County.

Wow! What a land of bubblegum rides and beautiful vistas. It's made for road riding. I logged 4 rides of a 130 miles total during my limited riding opportunities in the afternoons.

Day 1: a 20 mile loop of Dry Creek valley. This was a really scenic ride with some classic views of the vineyards and nice easy rolling roads. The only bad part was some rough spots along Old Dry Creek Road. Afternoon winds were strong out of the SouthWest so I had a headwind and a whistle in my ear all the way back into Healdsburg. Fortunately, I also discovered Bear Republic Brewery where I was able to wet my whistle on a pint of Racer 5.

Day 2: a 50 mile loop which included Alexander and Russian Valley. This ride had a little more climbing but lots of flat and fast rides through the grapes. There were a few riders out but most were going the opposite direction.

Day 3: a 27 mile loop of the Windsor Plains. Quite an unusual ride. Parts, I swear, looked like a scene out of England with Dairy pastures that could have been busting with British bovine. The middle section took me through a beautiful stand of tall, densely forested Redwoods. Sections of the road sucked supremely and were heavily patched and pot-hole pocked.

Day 4: my 40 mile out and back was supposed to take me up Geyser Road and back to my starting point. Unfortunately, the road was heavily graveled and impassable on my road bike. So I lost a 50 miler with lots of climbing and instead got in 40 of mostly flat riding.

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Le Skunk

My training is increasingly biased towards biking as I prepare for this Fall's 4 days of riding at Moab. Still, I'm getting in some mileage on my favorite trails.

Here's why I love trail running. I set off at 7am into a stiff breeze and hit the trailhead 0.1 miles down from the house. As I climbed up the trail, the summer grass of California glowed golden in the early morning light. It was stunning. A post card.

Because I was running into the wind, my odor and noise was masked so I was practically on top of the wild critters before they saw me. In less than 5 minutes, I came up to within 10 yards of 2 does, surprising them as they grazed the high brush. Within two more minutes, I made my acquaintances with Monsieur Skunk.

The track was turning right and rising up a slight incline. My pace was moderate and I was enjoying the audio show of two hawks in the trees a hundred or so yards ahead. As I crested the rise and began to turn right, a skunk was in a comparable moderate pace descending from the bank of the trail to my right. He landed square on his front two paws five feet before me just as we saw each other. His momentum carried his rump to near vertical as he swiveled in my direction on his forepaws. He arrested his pace and landed nose to nose with me, already his tail bristling and his ears seeming to lay back.

I made my acquaintances with a quick "Whoa!" and came to a instantaneous halt. I don't think my ass went vertical like my friend the skunk's as I stopped, but one never knows until they see the actual video replay.

So for a brief second we stared at each other. I found my voice and my wits before he found the safety latch for his spray.

Me: "Easy there, Mr. Skunk." (back step, back step)
Skunk: stare, stand ground, splay and make tail larger
Me: "Trail is your's sir."
Skunk: majestic stage right exit

I paused a few seconds, respectfully called out my intentions to continue the run and did so at a slightly faster pace.

Two more minutes (I swear I'm not making up these times), I paused to take in a golden eagle shreeking at the wind in a tree below me. Ten minutes later, a young buck and doe. Five minutes later, a big buck. Ten minutes later, a nice fat doe.

Too bad Marlin Perkins or his assistant Jim aren't able to go out on my runs. Of course, had they I can imagine the monologue "My assistant Jim will attempt to milk the skunk's spray glands while I maneuver around for a good look at a Callippe butterfly just upwind."

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Life of a Hammer

I've been called a tool before. It's a point I can generally rebut.

Where I have a harder argument is whether I'm too much of a hammer. The fact is I'm all Type A and always pushing myself to go a little faster, push a little harder, catch the next guy, and see up-ticks in measures of this performance against the last.

It makes for really bad training if all your workouts get to be the same intensity. Reviewing my training log is a little concerning at times. Too many Red workouts (intense) and not enough Green (easy). Running slow is absolutely the hardest thing I can do. Well, riding is too. Yeah, and kayaking. Or hiking. Or sleeping. Sheez, I have a problem.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Jaunty jaunting

Sunday was supposed to be a hard run day. Saturday night turned out to be a hard party night. Usually those two create hardships. This was no exception. Sunday was bright and beautiful but I wasn't. I was completely unmotivated and vacillated between "I'll run" and "I'll ride" several hundred times. Ride won out and I mounted the mountain bike for a trip up the Ridge.

The plan fell apart in the first 50 yards. I was tired. And my legs felt like lead. It had nothing to do with the 40lbs of lamb, spinach, shrimp, and desert nor from the 200 gallons of wine, beer, and champagne from the night before. My dogs were barking and I suspect the root cause was last week's big rides. I put in some serious mileage over the week and 50 on Friday alone. So Sunday became a light day.

And it paid off today. The 5 mile flat run went well. I felt rested and fast--splits of 7:11, 7:25, 7:22, 7:25, and 7:59 (a 1 mile slow hill) gave testimony to a rest needed and well spent. It was a nice foray. My route takes me through the bucolic ranch land of Happy Valley, down the gravely abandoned RR tracks, and back home via the twisty, narrow, and ascending Happy Valley Road. The route is amazingly rural and wild. I've often spotted foxes, deer and turkey's along the route. Last week a fox barked a warning (to her pups I assume) while slowly fleeing into the surrounding underbrush. Today, nature blessed me with a rather large and clearly hungry deer tic. I did not oblige it a meal.

Saturday, June 09, 2007

World Naked Bike Ride took place today in London. I was not one of the riders. Had I been so "appropriately" attired on yesterday's ride, I probably would be looking to replace my Dura-Ace crank.

Instead, I set out with temps at 42 for a 38.5 mile ride up Calavaras and back with my Wednesday/Friday regulars. One of the riders, T-Rex, is making huge strides in getting back into riding shape over the last few rides. On the last segment, I was hard pressed to stay with him . His mass biased inertia and growing endurance make for some high heart rate to stay even in his draft on the final miles over the oscillating hills. Climbs are the only thing that save us light-weights from extinction.

Last Friday, Racer-X and I commuted the full way into San Jose and then back again. I logged 58 miles, while he had an extra 16 due to his starting point up in San Ramon. The ride in was fast and we averaged just shy of 18 mph. It was an amazingly fun way to get to work. Traffic on the route until we hit Fremont was non-existent. The morning was cloudless with skies blue and crisp and cut so cleanly against the hills, that it was stunning. We were all a little frisky on the ride up so the pace remained fast and heart rates ran high.

The return, was a tad slower. The afternoon winds were up. Traffic suddenly was part of the scene on Calavaras with a half dozen cars or motor bikes evading the 680 congestion and winding their way through the hills. The climb up Calavaras from Fremont was in stark contrast to the 40+ mph descent of the morning. Racer X got a flat that gave us a breather before the last sharp pitch up the grade where you race against your lungs to see which give out first. But despite a more casual pace, our actual ride time was only 15 minutes longer.

No unusual runs this last week. I enjoyed a few good trail runs on the regular routes. A short exploratory departure into private property to scope out "possibilities" was the only deviation from the normal run week. Tomorrow is supposed to be a long run. Need to figure out where. Might even combine a run/bike segment for extra fun if time isn't going to be an issue at home.

Next weekend is Father's Day. One possibility is to repeat a 25Km run I did 3 years ago in the Santa Cruz area. May have to give that one some serious consideration even though competing is something I usually chose not to do. But the run is a beauty and the race an excuse or at least a motivation to make the 45 min drive over to the trailhead.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Equitorial Crossings

Today I had an awesome ride. I met up with Racer X, Squiggy, and newbie for our regular Wednesday/Friday ride up Calavaras Road.

Temps weren't too bad at 0600 with the marine layer keeping the temp somewhat warmer than the clear skies might otherwise have proferred. It was 56 when I pushed out of the garage to the rally point and dry feeling despite the onshore push of the Pacific scud.

Tuesday night's meal of chicken, chicken and chicken was sitting well in the body--protein was stocked-up and muscles loaded and primed with the energy catalyst. I was stoked; and even 12 hours later, I still feel the echoes of that energized state coursing through me.

I was the last to join up with the group so we quickly set off on the 8 miles of relatively flat road to the sustained climb up Calavaras. Racer X and I set the paceline at a quick cadence and hauled along the flats at 22+ mph. Squiggy sustained it but the newbie was a bit erratic and the pace fell off. Our first small climb wasn't too bad but by mile 6 I was already thinking of breaking out and pushing hard up to my turn-around point at mile 12.5. I was feeling that strong despite pacing with some good riders.

We dropped newbie on the climb and the three of us pushed up the grade with a good pace going. Squiggy was froggy and surged ahead on 2 segments; Racer X was riding his old crate which generated 1 newton of friction for every newton of forward thrust due to it's 18 year old bearings and run-out technology (Dude, lose the bike!). Squiggy gave me the excuse with his bursts on the hill so I reeled him in with some strong climbing runs. The last mile to the turn was a great paced climb. We were sustaining over 12.5 mph and hitting 14 on the 4-6% grades. On the last 1/3 mile I dug down, came out of the saddle and pushed ahead to our rest point. I almost surged too early and was hitting redline by the top of the hill. Squiggy and then Racer-X pulled up and we shot the shit, downed some water and power bars while awaiting newbie. Two strong riders came up before him and we exchanged pleasantries while the sun's early morning rays began to break down the fog above us and light up the hills with the California's real gold.

With newbie's arrival, the rest of the crew continued towards work in San Jose 16 miles ahead, while I pointed my bike back down the hill towards home. I opened it up and hit the turns at 25-30mph; giddy with tight turns and the clingy grip, and crisp, responsive lines my bike provided despite my inexpert technique. I hammered the flats and slight climbs back towards home where I arrived just 1:24 after starting out. I just missed an average ride speed of 18mph for the out and back.

Tomorrow, I'll hit the trail for a medium length run. Perhaps 7, maybe more depending on the route. Maybe I'll cut down to the flats instead of taking to the ridge trails. I don't know. Not sure I care yet. I'm not yet becalmed, but I'm on the equator where the winds die down and the sailing breeze is erratic. My course isn't yet set--no immediate goals, no objectives yet in sight-- so training has no real bearing to steer. The mid-latititude trade winds which propel adventurers are ahead. I'm just not yet sure of where the X on the map yet lies. I need Capt Jack Sparrow's infamous compass. It'll come..... yo ho, yo ho a Pirate's life for me....

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Streets of San Francisco

Business had me in the "City" this last week; "Running Tourism" gave me the chance to it in a unique manner.

My hotel was off of Union Square and a mile down Market Street to the Embarcadero. At 0530 I had the streets to myself, or so it seemed, save for a the pre-work day preps of shop keepers sweeping or hosing down the walkways, construction crews erecting barricades or removing them from last night's work, and a few early commuters.

The wind was brisk and the air wet and cold but the sky relatively clear. No infamous San Francisco marine layer this morning. The first mile took me down through the Financial District and by the Ferry Terminal, I was starting to feel the self-generated heat taking the edge off the cold wind. Turning up the Embarcadero I now fronted the Bay and the morning dawn and it's shadows made Alcatrez Island appear like ship at anchor. Passing Fisherman's Wharf, the wind kept up its steady blow which, as indicated by the whitecaps in the Bay, probably was a steady 15 knots.

I reached my half-way point at Chrissy Field and stopped to take in the Golden Gate as the sun cracked the eastern horizon and truly made it live up to its name. One last look and then I turned with a tail-wind for the return trip.

A few more joggers and a few more commuters on the way back. With the brisk wind I was howling along, as well. My pace was somewhere in the low 7min and I finished the 8 miles just under an hour. Not quite the Bay to Breakers but a great Bay tour none the less.

Monday, May 14, 2007

Miles

My training routine has been in somewhat of a flux since the Challenge. I'm missing a goal to coalesce training objectives around so in the meantime, I've been doing what has just been fun.

That means I've been getting a lot more riding in on the bikes (road and mountain). And, man that's been great.

What is it about riding that makes it so liberating?

The last two weeks have seen Wednesday and Friday rides with Racer X and a cast of others who've taken up commuting into the Silicon Valley via Calavaras Road (a leg on the Amgen Tour of California). It's a beautiful ride on a seldom traveled-by-vehicles road. From my house, I join up with the riders at 0600 and put in 12.5 to 17.5 miles to the half way mark before I turn back. We crank it out with each rider taking turns pulling the line until we reach the 7 mile climb to the top of the ridgeline crest which separates the Tri-Valley from the Silicon one. Then the pace line disassembles and the climb becomes a line abreast and a time of communion.

There is pure joy in pedaling. Each turn of the crank is speed generated solely from the tuned output of the thighs and calves. The stronger the will, the longer the training, the higher the output. Cadence is the god; the Heart is the governor; Will is the engine. A pace line is about trust. It's about believing the guy 3 inches off your wheel knows what he's doing. It takes time to settle into the line; it takes trust to maintain it. Pedal. Breathe. Focus. Pedal. Speed.

Why doesn't everybody ride?

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

The Joy of Walking

These are the little maniacs and they remind me why trails can be fun even when they aren't run or ridden on.

They are pictured here discovering a bounty of lady bugs that are feeding on the aphids covering spring's fresh grass and wild flowers. In one 3 foot section there must have been a couple dozen clinging to stalks. 5 minutes later a dozen were covering the little maniacs arms and hands. They loved it. The lady bugs were not available for comment, but I'll assume they didn't mind too much.

It took us nearly an hour and a half to cover what normally would have taken me 10 minutes on a run. We discovered funneled spider webs with patient but immensely shy spiders within. A Red Tail Hawk circled and eyed us warily as we passed her nest in the citadel of a lone oak with a strategic view of the valley below us. My oldest maniac proudly pointed out owl scat. Our trail meandered through the oak studded hills that are the home of the rare and endangered Callippe Silverspot Butterfly. We saw many moths, a few lizards, magpies, Red-wing Blackbirds, buzzards, and many sparrow, but no butterflies.

It was a wonderful workout.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Back on the Wheel

Warning! If you ever run/ride 100km DO NOT MOVE YOUR ENTIRE HOUSE THE FOLLOWING WEEK. That should be intuitive to some but not, obviously, to some of us.

By Tuesday, most of my sore and tired muscles had healed or were a bit less sore. Good thing since that was the start of a 5 day move. By Saturday, I had reached the conclusion that I had not trained properly for moving. I was a limp biscuit. I was beat to the point of near exhaustion. My arms were covered with furniture "bites" and the bruises--all purple--made for a strange tattoo. Off loading the last van load of furniture took more mental fortitude than the previous Sunday's run/ride. In a word--AVOID LOCAL MOVES PEOPLE; THEY NEVER END. Make that a few words....

Forutnately, I'm back to running and riding. Today, I used a local trail 100 yards from the house with spectacular views of the Happy Valley (where we now live). I am in love with my new digs. Mrs Madman and the little maniacs are in bliss, as well. Meanwhile, I'm focusing on how to pay the "man" for the next 30 years. At least I have a good trail out the backdoor.

Monday, April 16, 2007

The Challenge Realized

The VMS Challenge came to an end after 8:01 of running and riding. The run portion, which included 28 miles of trail running, 7800 feet of elevation gain, took 5:30 minutes. The ride covered 37.8 miles of road biking in 2:31. The Challenge Team joined me in either running (Tri-Ty) or riding (Pace Line, Racer X and Tinker).

Most importantly, we raised through the generous support of the sponsors listed to the right, in raising over $5,300 to support VMS!

The love, support, and encouragement recieved was tremendous. It was a humbling experience physically, mentally, and emotionally. Having the VMS Challenge Team, sponsors, and, of course the love and encouragement of my family, sustained me and drove me as I ran and rod the 65 miles from Del Valle and back. And to top it off, VMS faculty and staff along with many good friends took a day out of their weekend to throw us a fiesta at the end. With good beer, of course.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement. I've provided two stories below on the run and the ride for all the nitty gritty details. And trust me, it took a lot of washing to get the nitty and the gritty out.

The Challenge--the Run

Dawn was just arriving and the last stars winking out in the sky above Lake Del Valle as Racer X dropped me off at the trailhead. We were 15 minutes early, but Tri-Ty arrived just moments later. A quick check of gear and off we set at 0615 into the still dark woods crowding the trail.

The forecast called for a high of 65 and winds building to 10-30 by late afternoon. It was 47 degrees when we started out--warm enough to go with just a short-sleeve shirt--but the winds forecast suggested that the wind chill might be bitter up top. A guess that proved all too true.

Tri-Ty was going to join me for the first 20 miles. After 30 minutes on terribly steep climbs we both settled into our own comfortable rhythm, but it was nice to have his support and the knowledge that he'd be with me one-way or the other along our shared route.

After 1:25 I crested the first major climb portion and enjoyed the relatively flat section before Maggie's Rest. I hit the turn off for Maggie's at mile 10 right on target feeling fresh and confident in my pace. The wind was howling at the peak and the wind chill at 8:30 in the morning felt like the low 30's at times. The extra few ounces of wind jacket were definitely worth it! And the views of the bay--stunning. I had a view at one point that included Mount Diablo to the north, Tamalpais and the Golden Gate 45 miles to the nortwest, and Woodbridge and the coastal mountains framing the Monterey Bay to the south.

The next 10 miles were a long descent from 3800' to 320' and ones I knew were going to stress my quads and feet considerably. Unfortunately, this prediction too came to be acurate. By Backpacker's camp--filled with heavily loaded scouts mounting up for the hike back to Sunol--I could shed the jacket and stopped briefly to refill my 2l hydration pack. I had done a good job of fueling and hydrating along the way and continued to feel fresh and strong. My quads were showing some early signs of stress but not more than I was expecting.

I arrived in Sunol exactly 3:58 after starting out from Del Valle. The park was alive with day hikers who eyed me curiously as I ran through towards the last 8 mile section to Mission Peak Regional Park. This last 8 miles is an upside-down V that goes from 320 to just shy of 2500 feet. The descent is all of 2 miles. A steep descent on fresh legs--excruciating on tired ones. On the ascent at mile 22 I could the physical attack was joined in battle by the mental. I began to think about the riding segment. My feet muscles ached. My quads were tight. My knees were barking. I began to entertain thoughts of getting a ride to the top of Calavaras instead of riding it. Maybe I should just end at the trail head instead. Man this is tough. Why punish myself any more? What if I just took a nap?

This east-west on the Ohlone was far tougher than last year's west -east run. Clearly, the downhill had wrecked some havoc.

I pushed on. I had people waiting for me to ride with them. One step at a time. My pace had slowed. My ability to climb for extended runs had diminished. I settled into runs where I could and walks as I encroached on my anaroebic level. The rest-walk, run ratio began to climb. I reached the peak after 4.84 miles, the next mile rather flat, and then below me lay the steep descent to the parking lot where Mrs. Madman, all the Mad children, and my ride team awaited. The descent sucked. It hurt. But every step brought me closer to the end of that stage.

And hearing the cheers as I turned the corner made a huge impact. It felt great. Nothing sucked any longer. The last 28 miles were worth it as I punched the clock at 5:30--exactly-- into the awaiting arms of the Mad family.

The Challenge-the Ride

The plan was to meet up at the trail head finish with Racer-X, Tinker, and Pace Line. The first two were riding out together with Racer-X doubling the ride distance while Tinker joined up to double from Pleasanton. Pace Line was going to one-way with me back to VMS.

Problem was Pace Line was the only one there when I arrived. I slowly changed into riding gear, downed a ton of water, some M&M's (the perfect pickmeup when you're reaching bloodsugar lows), and another Balance Bar hoping to kill some time and get a little rest. Still the boys were no shows. Pace Line and I decided to set out and hope to meet them coming up as we headed down.

The winds were whipping up at least 10-15mph out of the NW as we shot down the hill out of the parking lot. Less than a mile later we met up with Racer X coming up the opposite way. Tinker had stayed behind to await us at the climb up Calavaras 5 miles up the road. We set out with a slight downhill ride to our first and biggest climb of the day. My legs were a little stiff but not bad. A stiff tail wind helped push us a long at a good clip. However, the first couple small hills proved that there wasn't a lot in the well for climb or high pace speed. Racer X led while Pace Line and I trailed through the back streets of Milpitas and Fremont.

The climb up Calavaras was something I had been dreading on my run up the backside of Mission Peak. Now it loomed before us. It has three segments: the first, a gradual but long climb; the second, a shorter but steeper segment; and then a last steep climb of 500 yards. Between each segment lay a short flat or less steep climb. The total was perhaps 2 miles. On fresh legs--no problem--on 28 miles of running legs? It had the promise of a giant suck.

Racer X provided a running commentary on the description of the climb and where I was on it. Man, that helped. A stiff tail wind helped, as well. Tinker joined up on the second segment while Pace Line went ahead while I refilled a water bottle at the roadside park. We turned the corner for the third segment just as my second (for the 5th time) wind kicked in. I buried my head, watched the road markings out of the corners of my eye and concentrated on cadence and breathing. Crank by crank, mainly out of saddle, I pushed the hill. I was kicking it! I surged up and over the crest and was met with the first of 8 miles of down hill. Sweet Potatoes! Now I could relax. The Monster that rode my back 12 miles ago was off. The ride to the finish line was all downhill or flat from here on out.

Pace Line roared out ahead of me on the flats and gradual descent before me. Tinker and Racer X were in trail. I turned up the cadence hoping to catch her but she opened the distance slowly and surely. We hit a series of fast downhills, quick climbs and fast and tight turns. Tinker, Racer X and I hit a groove and sailed through them. This part of the ride was truely fun. On the last big hill, the pelaton reeled in Pace Line and we stopped for a quick refuel before the final descent into Sunol.

Through Sunol and Pleasanton, Racer X, Tinker, and Pace Line traded the lead pulling us all along at a good clip. By Pleasanton, Racer X was 60+ miles into his ride and the wear was beginning to show. Tinker pulled off to complete his ride in Pleasanton so Pace Line picked up the point and pulled us into Livermore. Pace Line saved our bacon. By Stanley Drive Racer X and I were on our last reserves. While we both had fueled and hydrated well, we were past peak on performance. My hamstrings were burning on every stroke. Accelerations off the stop lights were no longer fast and even those occasional M&M's no longer had the kick of nitrogen injections in a fuel-air mixture.

I was rapidly becoming a wet noodle. I wasn't bonking. I was just wearing out.

The stiff head wind we had suffered through from Sunol to Pleasanton had become a slight quartering wind. It helped. The distance and time rolled faster. 10 minutes out. Energy coming up again. Anticipating the end. Pushing just a bit harder. The last hill. And there was the park and finish line! The cheers of family and friend fired the last strokes up and across the finish line. Finished. Done. Wow!

Saturday, April 14, 2007

11th hour

I'll be launching off in 11 hours.

All the last minute details of pickups, drop-offs, rendezvous points, who is on what segement and when are finalized. I had a great dinner. A nice nap. Some last minute angst and paranoia ("Am I tired from the flight or am I coming down with something!? OH. MY. GOD. phew. I'm okay after that nap...that glass of water...that respite") has passed.

Tomorrow is going to be cooler than normal as a cold front has just passed through. The showers have passed through and the sky is clearing. It'll get down into the low 40's tonight. The winds will be 10-20 out of the NNW so I'll face a stiff breeze on the ride. It probably won't top 65, but it'll be sunny. Perfect. Could reach 80 instead, so I'll take it.

Did I train well? Did I cut corners? Did I taper too soon or too much?

It no longer matters.

I'm ready.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Angst in the Tank

I made a huge mistake in picking up a Triathlete mag yesterday. In it was an article discussing tapering techniques to "ensure your body gets adequate time to rest and recover from training" before the next race.

So far I agree...

Then they go on to describe their taper strategy. It turns out taper means cut your training in half and take 2 days off in the week prior to your race.

Holy Crap! that's tapering?

In contrast, my taper began two weeks ago. Three weeks ago, I spent 9:28 minutes training during my longest and toughest week of the 4 month training program. This included a 4 hour run and 2 hour bike ride on one day alone. The next week, my training routine went to 2:57 and this week it's 1:15 with 3 rest days prior to the run/ride. Same routine as last year when I ran the Ohlone trail only.

So should I throw in another run? Did I under train? Or are triathletes conditioning to a different drummer? Or did I just find articles for type A overtrainers?

Active rest really works for me. I'd like to say I employ it effectively even at work, but in the event my manager happens to show up here, I must say that just isnt' the case, sir...

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Game Plan

Ok folks, here's the plan...

The Challenge starts on April 15th at Lake Del Valle and ends at the park behind VMS....100km later. There will be a "party" at the end(details later). If you plan to run/ride any segment with me, please do so! I'll be moving at my own pace, so feel free to run slower/faster as your needs dictate. It's not a race.

You'll need to provide your own support (staging, water, fuel, etc).

Here are the details:

Timeline

All times approximate (but of course)
0615: Run starts at Del Valle Ohlone Trail trailhead (0 Miles)
1015: Run reaches Sunol Regional Park and continues towards Mission Peak (20 miles)
1135: Finish at Stanford Avenue trailhead (28 miles)
1145: Ride starts from Stanford Avenue parking lot
1345-1400: Ride finishes at Vista Meadow park (35 miles ride and 63 miles or 100km total)

The Run route is along the Ohlone Wilderness Trail, 28 miles and 7800 feet elevation gain, from Lake Del Valle through Sunol Regional Park and ends at the Mission Peak Regional Preserve off Stanford Avenue in Fremont.

The Bike Route follows Old Calavras up a steep climb and then descends down into the tri-valley, up Stanley to Isabel, then via surface streets to end at the park immediately behind VMS. If you are riding, please click on the link and figure out what your map needs are. Print it out if necessary!

This is going to be fun, folks! Thanks for everyone's support and participation!

Spring flowers

Attention hikers! Get out on the trails, now!!!! The wildflowers are awesome and California is in the Paradise Season.

Last week's run was through trails overflowing with bouquets of lupine, blue curls, poppies, and Indian paintbrushes amongst many others I can't name. All intermixed in springtime's verdunt green hills along with blossoming oaks and flowering Western Redbuds, Elderberry, and Redsweets. Wow! what a visual cacophony!

Monday, April 02, 2007

Speedweek!

It wasn't Daytona. And it wasn't all 'go fast, turn left' this week, but man! was it fast (but there was lots of beer at the end and I did smell like I had been in a kevlar suit for 500 laps). If you ever had doubts about hill training and the impact on your flat times, let me bust your misimpressions.

Hill training makes you faster (and removes tough stains. It even slices, dices, and makes jullien fries!). After last weekends big run/ride, my flat run started off--or so it felt--slow and stiffly. However, I hit mile marker 1 in 7:05. That blew me away. I hit the trail and up a slight hill which usually adds :30 to the run and hit mile marker 2 at 7:15. Mile 3 at 7:20. Mile 4 at 7:10.... I averaged 7:15 over a 6.2 mile run. Damnnnn! I don't run for speed. I only run for distance. So, I was blown away. And chalked it up to a fluke.

Until small hill Thursday when I ran 8 miles and averaged 7:35! And then hit a 15 mile short route bike loop and averaged 19.5 mph. What!?! I replaced the batteries in my watch just in case, but the still came up with "YOU RAN FAST, BABY"! I never new that was an option with Timex....

So, I'm in the taper now. Sunday was another fast but short day. 11 mile run and 11 mile mountain bike ride. While the run was on par for the course, I took off 8 minutes on the ride.. no small feat given the elevation changes.

This week winds down further with Sunday a very short 4 mile run and 5 mile bike. Next week I have only two runs: on on Tuesday and the other is the Challenge!

Monday, March 26, 2007

All Systems Are Go!

Sunday topped off a really good and strong training week along with culminating in my longest training regime before the Challenge. I had great run times and strength workouts and felt in the groove throught all my training routines. Run times on the flats were down to near 7:30 miles and even the weight training was hitting bigger weights with more ease. No doubt I'm reaching peak.

This Sunday I put in a full-on preview of the Challenge to come: a 20 mile run from Del Valle to Sunol followed by road bike ride back to Del Valle (32 miles).

Last week's lessons learned on climbing up out of the incredibly deep canyons between Del Valle and Rose Peak paid off. I added 15 minutes to the climb time by reducing the intensity, but made up for it by having a lot more gas on the flats, smaller climbs and descents. I felt really good all the way through the run. I even learned that a little Turkey Jerky (in prepping for the next portion of the routine) actually went down well and helped replenish the fuel fairly effectively and enjoyably.

I do have to say though that the long East to West from Del Valle to Sunol descent sucks compared to the longer climb/shorter descent of the West to East route --its tough on the quads and knees. I think I prefer the latter. I reached Sunol in 3:56 after 20 miles--almost exactly to the minute as projected.

"The Veep" was joining up with me with our bikes to ride back to Del Valle. Unfortunately due to my miscommunication he was at the south instead of the north end of the park so I added on another 3/4 mile run to get to our hook up. A quick change into riding togs and we were off.

The ride back was for the most part rather flat and a moderate pace was the agreed upon order of the day (we wound up averaging a comfortable and easy 16mph). The Veep and I took turns pulling each other but damned if that wind wasn't in our faces nearly the whole way REGARDLESS of the direction we took. Fueling and hydrating went pretty well and I felt strong enough to reel in a couple of riders on some climbs and flats (my type A in action). But the big hill from Mines Road to the top of the park road into Del Valle loomed large in my mind. It's a big climb from bottom to top over about 2 miles and is a regular training ride for many Tri-Valley cyclists. But, 5 1/2 hours into the routine, with only a half hour to go, I could feel the cummulative impact of exercise on dehydration and hunger setting in. So I downed as much water as possible and threw down my last power bar and bit of turkey jerkey in hopes that it would keep my pump primed.

A mile from the hill, I forewarned The Veep that from here on it was everyman for himself and that I was going to go "down within" and focus on nothing but cadence and endurance for the next few miles. The climb did not disappoint my anxiety. It was a gruelling finale to the run/ride. For nearly two miles the hill is unrelenting in its grade--steep. I alternated between grinding it out in 1st gear in the saddle and popping up to 3rd and going out of the saddle. I'm sure I was well into the 170bpm range but carried the hill at an average of 7mph to the much welcomed top. But of course, there was a head wind much of the climb as the approaching front brought in some brisk winds out of the south east. It even knocked 10mph off the descent speed!

Just 6 hours later--4 hours of running and 2 hours of riding-- I was done. To cap it off, I was denied a nap that afternoon in punishment, I'm sure, for being a bit tardy on my return. Still even today I feel pretty good and only a little sore in the knees and quads from the run.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Ouch!

Sunday was a tough day. I had an 18 mile trail run and 20 mile bike ride scheduled. So, I decided to preview the Challenge course by starting at the Del Valle lake trailhead (600') and heading up to Rose Peak (3890'). Why I thought this route was going to be easier than going West to East is beyond me.

In fact, it really sucked. I went from Right to Left on this picture. And it felt that steep too. The first 1:10 I ran probably all of 15 minutes and hiked the rest. Straight up, it felt. And even on the hike-a-run portions I was redlining into anaerobic levels. I reached my 9.2 mile halfway point in 2:20 and I was pretty ragged . The descent back was tough, as well, given the steepness of the pitch. Two miles into my descent back into Del Valle I came up on 3 runners ascending on their through run to Sunol. One was a woman in her late 50's who is running the Western States 100 miler. She had my instant respect. The Western has 18,000 feet in elevation gain over 100 miles. I took some consolation in the fact that she looked as tired as I felt. Bless her heart, though...she thought I was Graham Cooper, winner of last year's Western States--who ran the 100 miles in 18:17. Wow.

I finished up the 18.4 mile run in 3:58. The first 7 miles are a killer and I'm going to have to find a way to slow up and pace them right EVEN ON THE WALK if I'm going to finish all 28 miles with power for the the 35 mile ride. Next week, I get to test out lessons learned as I'll be doing 22 miles the "hard way".

A quick drive back home and a quick bite to eat before finishing up the program with a 20 mile ride. Despite the run, I still had some juice in the tank but fueling the engine proved to be another lesson to consider. I put in a good 17.5mph average pace ride on a simi-hilly route but I could tell I was burning lean. By the time I got home again, I was famished. This despite constant fueling on the run, a quick lunch, and a gel on the 1:10 ride.

I'm now thinking this will be a 5:15-5:30 run and 2:15 ride. This ain't going to be as easy or as fast as I thought.

This coming Sunday is the last big push before I taper off for the Challenge. It'll also give me one more data point to fine tune the run/ride estimate.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Time Flies

Yeesh! Two weeks since my last post! That should indicate the state of madness in my life right now. As faithful readers know, we're moving to a new madhouse. So, the last 4 days were filled with a new stressful training program comprised mainly of unloading and spreading 2 tons of 1/4 x dust rock and a ton of yard bark. My abs, obliques, and shoulders are now in stunning condition. They also hurt.

And the madness continues on the training front for the Challenge. This last Sunday wrapped up 2 fast weeks (running times that is) with a 20 mile run plus 15 mile ride...the hard way. I spent 2:15 climbing up the Ohlone Trail from 390 feet to Rose Peak at 3890 followed by 1:30 descent back to the trail head. I gotta say I felt pretty strong despite what was a brutal climb. I then did a short ride up Calavaras Road to the top and back down. I gotta say I didn't feel so damn strong. Note to self: fuel is going to be critical when I get ready to transition to bike. I settled the hydration problem from last ride by keeping on my running pack and bladder. Next problem to solve is replenishing enough carbs for the ride. Still, it was a good training day. Compared to last week's 16 mile climb/descent and 20 mile ride, I came home and an afternoon siesta was more optional than mandatory.

Lots of new lessons learned. But, there is no doubt this is going to be a real tough challenge to pull off. I'm closing in on the time estimates for the 100K Challenge. I think the 28 mile run (which will cover about 7,800 of climbing) will be 4.5 hours and the 35 mile ride will be somewhere in the 2 hour range. If I start off at 6am that should have me finishing at VMS around 12:30.

Oh, you thought it was 55 miles total? Heh! Nope, we're going for 100km+ here, folks!

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Out of the Blue

Yesterday's 5 mile flat run was a real surprise. I was hitting 7:10-7:15 mile splits almost effortlessly. Wow! where did that come from?

Even better are the number of people stepping up to the Challenge! The list on the right side shows those who have stepped up to contribute--we're now at almost $5000! That is an awesome "split time" in itself! Just like my run, yesterday, I hope we'll hold this pace to the finish line.

I'm also blown away by the number of people who plan to actively participate in the Challege! I now have at least 2 runners who will join me on the entire or segement of the run and over 6 people joining us for the ride. How about you? Run, ride, or pledge you are encouraged to join in this effort.

The Challenge run/ride date is April 15th. With as many people participating either directly or indirectly, it now appears that a planning meeting to discuss run/ride logistics and a celebratory party is needed. Look for details on this later!

Monday, February 26, 2007

Mad dogs and Englishmen

As a boy, I lived in Africa. We had two seasons: wet-and-hot, and not-as-wet-and-hot. Venturing outside at noon was not advised nor often practiced. For those occassions I did, my Father taught me the saying only " mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noon day sun".

I'd like to amend that line from the song by Noel Coward to include running in rainstorms that crash down out of the Gulf of Alaska.

As I headed out for the trailhead and a planned 10 mile big hill run, the gods were soaking California with a pelting rain and winds out of the southwest at 14-20knots, according to NOAA. I will atest to those facts having sampled them over the 1:43 minute and 11 mile (actual) run. It poured. The rain howled. I was half frozen. And it was just an awesome, fun time! There were only 3 others mountain bikers on the trail--they were covered with mud and soaked to the bone. But they, like me, were smiling from ear to ear as we passed. There's nothing like being in the middle a little of Mother Nature's mild storms to make things that much greener, that much brighter, and that much more. The intensity knob goes up a knotch or two.

Despite some fierce headwinds and some bite to the cold due to the temperature and wet skin I had a good steady pace and was almost comfortable in my shorts and rain jacket. Once again, my Salomon's did the trick with the wetness. My feet only got slightly damp most likely from wicking IN moisture from my socks.

By the time I made it back to the trailhead, the rain had stopped and the cloud layer became more ragged so that some sun peaked through on occassion. This made the 15 mile road bike ride a little more pleasurable although riding into the wind was like peddaling with a parachute.

All in all it was a greatrun and ride combo day!

Friday, February 23, 2007

Spring Mix

Two days of spring mix. What's that mean? Unpredictable is what I mean.

Thursday was wet even by east coast standards. A squall line passed through early in the dark hours of the morning and didn't let up until nearly 10am. Due to my work schedule, my 8 mile small hill run was conveniently placed within the yellow band (according to the "News4 Enhanced Accucast Doppler Radar Improved with Multivitamins and Iron") of a passing squall line. My run was a delightful mix of constant drizzle and steady rain with intermittent gusts of wind. Fun and deliciously wet. Fortunately, I had a very comfortable pace, lightweight rain jacket, and (finally) broken-in Salomon 3D Pro XCR waterproof trail shoes (and they WORKED superbly!). I have to say it was a great run. I highly recommend running in cold rain. You'll appreciate every sunny day there after. Total run was 9.2 miles (it was supposed to be 8--my mind got soggy somewhere along the way, I guess).

Today, I got to mix it up with a combined medium intensity weight routine and 20+ miles on the road bike. This time, Spring dished out some beautifully blue skies mixed with fair weather cummulus and blustery west, northwest winds. The 45 minute weight routine combined 1.5 minutes of jumping rope between each weight set. After 3 sets I was ready to get out on the bike (although I have to admit by doublies are pretty fine now!).

Despite a strong cross wind on the starboard bow throughout the outbound loop of the ride, I felt really strong and in the groove. Climbing up Kilkare canyon was almost effortless it seemed. However, our real estate broker called half way up- we're relocating to a new mad house- and asked if I was ok when I answered. I'm sure she enjoyed the climb up the grade as much as I did. I'm also hoping she doesn't report me to the cops after all the heavy breathing. The ride home was amazingly strong and I put in a total of 22.5 miles at an average pace of 17.3mph. Not bad for a windy day!

So two great spring days and two great training events this week. Tomorrow's a day off before Sunday's combined 10 mile big hill running and 15 mile mountain bike ride.

Monday, February 19, 2007

On Yardwork

Sunday finished off what was a light training week. I put in three runs and two bike rides for a total of 19 miles on feet and 25 miles on wheels.

Of course this was an apropose moment to cleanup the Madhouse. Spring was hitting Northern California with a nice warm tickle and so yard chores--communicating on a subetheral wave length directly and mysteriously to the opposite gender--suddenly arose as an opportunity for some "cross-training", as Mrs. Madman put it.

Funny thing about yard chores...apparently they use a different muscle group from running, biking, lifting, and pilates exercises. I know this for sure because Sunday morning when I started up the trail on the first half of my run, I identified some sore thigh, gluteous, and oblique muscles that didn't exist the previous (unchore-burdened) weekend. I forgot to log my Saturday workout in the yard but it amounted to about 6 hours of weeding, clipping, pulling, shovelling, spading, and loading and unloading 3 yards of debris from my truck.

I think I'll stick to ultramarathon training.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Small pause....

After building up the mileage and training hours over the last 4 weeks, this is a light week designed to rest the body. I'll put in only about half the mileage and workout time of last week's 7:30, 32 running miles, and 30 miles of riding. Today will be a light 5 mile run, tomorrow a 6 miler and this weekend only 8 miles of running.

Next week the training begins ramping up. By early-March I'll be hitting 35 miles total weekly including 22 miles in one run. I'll also be averaging about 50 miles per week on the bike including one 25 mile road bike ride following that 22 mile run.

The last week of March I being tapering and letting my body rest/repair/prepare for the Challenge.

Monday, February 12, 2007

Sunday Morning Rush

After 2 near constant days of rain, Sunday welcomed clearing skies. To say it was gorgeous would be to call Venus de Milo not a bad whittling job.

I was fighting off a cold (again) so a full 15 mile run plus 15 mile bike ride was questionable. In fact, I almost canned the whole day but I couldn't resist getting out on the trail. It was just too pretty outside. Off to the Ridgeline I went....

The picture above was taken at the trailhead and does it no justice. The sky was a brilliant blue, spectacular white cumulus contrasting vividly against it, while the lush, verdant winter grass glistened with the rain of the past two days. The leafless oaks that dominate the east face were robed in light green lichen and appeared as if some insane christmas tree farmer had gone 'frocking mad'. The trail was soggy and the few mountain bikers I saw were speckled with mud. In other words, it was an awesome day for a run!

For the 15 mile run I switched tactics and equipment compared to shorter run lengths. Planning an average of 10 minute/mile over this very hilly route I would need lots of water and fuel. In my running pack I had 1 liter of water and 3 power gels (Vanilla-Stawberry...tastes like yogurt of the same name). Normally I figure 1 powergel per 40 minutes (roughly 150 calories per hour) which I "sip" on and wash down with a suck off the water bladder. Today I elected to go 10 minutes longer per fuel pack due to a big breakfast. Combining a sip/suck method is a trick I learned in Adventure Racing to help me keep a steady supply of calorie and maintain a good rate of hydration. Not enough of either leads to "bonking." While too much fuel at once robs the muscles of blood to muscles that is otherwise engaged in processing food in the stomach.

I also worked on keeping the first half of the run at a modest pace and actively took measures to remain between 130-157 heart bpm in order to avoid anaerobic levels. Except for the first two miles out of the trailhead, I was successful in this. The last half of the run was a breeze and I even kicked up the pace some.

Everywhere the trail was wet and by runs end the back of my legs were muddy. I got through a couple of stream crossings without soaking my shoes, but the rain swollen creek at the last one ensures soaked feet. This is where I love my Salomon XA Pro 3D's. They quickly shed water and I can continue running without waterlogged shoes.

As I descend the last 2 miles back to the trail head I squeezed the last of the power gel and water into my mouth. I had calculated that load pretty well sparing myself from any excess and non-useful weight. But wow what a great run on such a wonderful day!

Total run time: 2:16 over 14.8 miles for 9:11 /mile run pace. Average heart rate: 147 bpm.

Thursday, February 08, 2007

12 miles and $4500

What a great day! I learned our wonderful sponsors have pushed the Challenge up to over $4500! Normally I preach a modest pacing regime, but Go! people GO! This is awesome. Now that I have some teammates I hope we'll continue to see more pledges, as well. Thank you for your contribution no matter how big or small.

Speaking of big, today was a 12 mile run day. Mother Nature spared me the rain when I launched at 7am today along my small hill route. But, I was still a little sore from yesterday's gym workout. RacerX and I had done our usual 20 minute stationary bike ramp up interval work plus he introduced me to a new weight routine in lieu of our usual designed for muscle gain. I may have gained some muscle, but I also gained some tight quads in the process.

I got to witness a beautiful sunrise as the reds and golds creeped through a ragged set of cloud breaks. Within 30 minutes the developing valley fog and gathering storm front erased it from view. The hill run took me up into some of the best views of the valley and nature did not disappoint.

By mile 2 I had entered the Zone and the run went to autopilot. In the Zone I find myself monitoring my body performance with "one eye" and taking in the scenery with the other. It's a very peaceful state of being and one I find I can only get in a run (or on rare occassions if the kids are asleep). My mind seems to empty itself of all thoughts. Or at least most of them go to "low boil." In the Zone, no matter how long the run or how intense the pace, any discomfort, monotony becomes only a detached abstraction. If only I could apply that to work.

My goal for the run was to concentrate on even pacing and maintaining an average heart rate of 149 bpm. I can run forever at that exertion level and it works out to about ~7:45min miles on flat ground over a long distance. With the moderate hill sections I hit, seeing even 8min/mile wasn't in the realm of possible. The hills along the route (there are 5 good sized and long ones) pushed my heart rate up to 161 for short periods of time but never too long. Still, I was pleased to see at the end of the run that I in fact averaged 149bpm and an 8:21/mile pace.

Today's total run time: 1:42

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

All-y-all-y-in-come-free!

Rumour has it that the Challenge is getting teammates! Whoohoo you people!

The daily bike commuter, Jack aka "The Musicman", along with a couple of other unconfirmed names, such as John "The Veep", Kelly "Middle Gear" and Ty "The Tri" will be joining the Challenge on the bike portion. Sources tell me more are out there! This is great news!

To all who are considering I say do join us in this TEAM EFFORT!!! You don't have to be as insane as me, but the bike ride will be manageble for most riders and you can pedal as fast or as slow as you need to get to the finish line--everyone takes 1st place in my eyes.

The VMS "Donatimator" tells me that we'll add teammates up on our website as they are confirmed. Pledge them on will ya!

And speaking of which: $1995.10 in pledges recieved so far! That's just awesome. You've met my match and our children now will benefit from another $3,495.10 that goes towards helping making VMS the outstanding school it is for our children today. Thank you!

5 in the slow lane

Today was a recovery run day. I needed it after Sunday's redline.

This week is a big run week with 35 miles scheduled. Last week I put in a 5:58 training; this week I'll probably hit close to 7:00 with the 7 mile total run increase plus an additional workout that I didn't get last week due to fighting off a cold.

So I set a slow, recovery run pace today-meaning I kept it to a an even 8 min/mile. The first mile or two I could tell the muscles wer still recovering as my gate felt awkward and slow. By mile 3 I ran with something other than what felt like a drunken stumble. And by the last mile, the kinks were worked out and the muscles more relaxed.

So far I haven't talked much about the ride training. Mainly this is because the ride distances aren't that large. The significant issue is putting the run and bike together and building up endurance strength that's going to be needed for the combined 7 hour run/ride. So for now, most of the endurance building is in the run distance. The good thing for now is that I'm using the mountain bike for the ride portion of the training. This is good for 3 reasons: (1) I prefer mountain bike riding, (2) it's more effective mile for mile than road biking for now, and (3) I can more easily fit it into the training area I'm using now. Later in my training when run/ride distances go up again, I'll be switching to road biking.

Sunday, February 04, 2007

20 Tough Miles

The bird says it all.

Today was a 10 mile big hill run/ride back-to-back combo workout. Due to RacerX's schedule, we agreed to meet at Golden Eagle trailhead at 8:30. Because of the timing, this meant a reverse of my usual run first, ride second routine.

I felt about 95%, having shaken off what ever was trying to get me on Friday. Sunday was a great day for both the run and the ride with temps already in the mid-high 40's when we met and the promise of high 60's for the day to come.

Racer X and I took off at our usual fast clip up the first 900 feet of the climb on a 10.3 loop that includes 3 1-2 mile steep climbs for a total elevation gain of about 2200' . This is a fairly tough 10 miles but a really good training route.

Key for long workouts is pacing. The trick in endurance running and riding is to stay within your aerobic workout range and avoid too many or too long foreays into muscle-burning, energy sapping anarobic ranges. For me this means keeping my heart rate within a 140-159 bpm target range. If I can do that then I can go a long way.

Normally when I start my run first, I've burnt off some energy which moderates my riding pace. RacerX and I tend to push each other both of us being typical Type A athletes. Thus our climbs tended to be at a higher level than targetted. We were clearly pushing ourselves as I checked a few climbs at 165-172bpm. Now, my max heart rate is about 185 so I can hit these ranges ok, but too many times and right before a long 10 mile run wasn't too smart.

Back at the trailhead, Racer X took off and I transitioned to the run. The first mile my running gate felt weird and I was clearly unaccustomed to ride first, run second routines. The climb up to the ridge on this part of the trail is impossible to make running without going into the 160's. Pride keeps me from walking this heavily travelled section even knowing that pacing for aerobic levels may require it. By the time I hit the top and the mile of relative flat trail, I knew that I was going to be burning some muscle and not fat. By mile 5 when the next big uphill began, I was regularly going beyond my aerobic heart rate range top-end but pushed on nonetheless.

10 mile runs are tough. Not because of distance, but because they are right between pace shifts. For runs shorter than 10 miles, I can sustain a much faster pace and higher heart rate. Beyond 10 miles, the pace has to be reduced or you'll quickly wind up burning muscles out faster than you can feed energy in. But 10 miles is in that just-in-between stage.

I finished off the 10.3 mile run somewhat uncomfortable. I had pushed too hard early on and worked myself a little too hard, but lesson (re)learned. My ride was good but I ate up too much reserve for the run. The run wasn't bad; it just could have been better.

Next Sunday is a 15 mile big hill run.

Today's run/ride: 10.3 mile ride; 1:16. 10.3 mile run; 1:47

Friday, February 02, 2007

More Nutty Questions

Today was a scheduled "medium intensity" plus bike ride day. But with Mrs. Madman and the littlest madman both sick and me now feeling run-down, today has been declared a rest day instead. With Sunday as my next big workout day, 2 days of rest ought to help, I hope.


Question: So what's this "medium intensity" thing and how do you train for a challenge like this?
Madman: I've been saved from myself by a trainer who put together a great plan. Dan Taylor (shout out, bro!) of Taylored Fitness (and a regular contibutor to the VMS Gala) keeps me from over-reaching in my training. If you're really interested, my Plan lays it all out. It's designed to keep me working on overall endurance strength and cardio intensity without wearing out all my joints.

Question: What do you eat?
Madman: At some point, just about anything. My body needs about 4,000-4,5000 calories at my workout level and about 80g of protein. Most competitive and endurance athletes eat about six meals a day consisting mainly of small portions and high levels of protein, complex carbohydrates, and mineral and vitamin rich vegetables. I don't use supplements but focus instead on fresh foods, fruits, nuts, and vegatables. Breakfast (5:30am) is my most important meal and I usually eat a cup of Fega yogurt (20g protein) with some granola (6 g of protein). Some days I'll have an omelet, instead. About an hour or two later, I'll have a slice of toast with peanutbutter and honey and some fruit; and another small late morning snack of fruit, nuts, or a small yogurt. Lunch is usually high protein sandwhich like turkey, chicken or tunafish. Sometimes it's last night's leftovers. I'll have a late afternoon snack of fruit, yogurt and nuts before dinner. Dinner is key for getting a well balanced meal consisting of chicken, pork or fish along with some carbs and vitamin/mineral rich veggies like spinach, broccolli, greens, or eggplant. Fortunately, Mrs. Madman is a great cook and dinners are delicious! Oh and I really love Turkey Jerky!

Question: Dude, what's with all the yogurt?
Madman: I just like the stuff; it's not some kind of Scarsdale-South Beach-Pleasanton diet thing.

Question: Do you eat dessert?
Madman: I'm not a big dessert guy, but the wine bottles tremble in fear when I walk by. That's my indulgence.

Question: Do you actually have a job?
Madman: You know my wife asks that a lot. So does my boss. But that question coming from me, is even tougher! Yeah, I have a great job. I'm really lucky. I work from home most days or have enough flexibility in my schedule to work in my training. And, of course, my family really supports me and does sacrifice some weekend time to my obsession.

Question: What's the toughest part of training?
Madman: Finding the time. Everything else I love.

Question: Where did this insanity begin and have you been treated yet?
Madman: I got into Adventure Racing about 4 years ago when I realized that at some point the only thing we middle age guys have over youth is endurance and maybe more money. The latter accounts for most of my gender's fascination with motor sports, horse racing or poker. Adventure Racing is a kick--it involves a lot of cool outdoor hobbies (read toys), lots of sweating, and very few young adults so we're guaranteed to not humiliate ourselves too much.

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Questions for the Nut

In attempt to try and answer some of your (anticipated) questions, I sat down and interviewed myself. It was a rather interesting meeting, not unlike, say a 60 Minutes interview, only a lot less combative and not as well watched.

Question: Madman, how long do you expect this insane event to take you?
Madman: Well, I ran the Ohlone Trail last year going the opposite way which is a longer uphill climb and it took just under 6 hours to complete the 50K/32miles. This year, I'll be running down what was the long uphill portion and only 45K/28 miles, so I expect my running time to be around 5 hours. Then just because I slacked off and ran downhill, I'll then get on my bike and ride 50Km/30 mile for a total of 95km. The biking portion will probably take around 2 hours.

Question: Wait a minute, didn't you say it was a 40Km run and 50Km bike ride?
Madman: Yeah, I know. It was a marketing thing. I figured it was easier to use round numbers. In fact, I'll probably do an even 100km by adding on some more road bike miles.

Question: What's with the kilometer thing?
Madman: It just sounds cooler. And, of course futher. I think 1 kilometer equals 3.28 foot-pounds per square inch or something like that.

Question: You mean 62 miles.
Madman: Sure.

Question: 5 hours, huh. That's kind of slow isn't it. Those guys in Boston run 26.2 miles in less than 3 hours!
Madman: The Boston Marathon is a road race and except for one 280 foot hill, is rather flat. Trail running is all about hills, mud, uneven footing, rocks, hills, and a few more hills just for fun.

Question: Fun?
Madman: Oh yes! I love trail running. I call it fast hiking. I get to see places I'd never get to in a day hike, views that a road runner never sees, and near death encounters with killer rabbits, for example.

Question: So why the road bike portion.
Madman: While I love biking in general, unfortunately EPRD doesn't allow mountain bikes, my favorite ride, on the Ohlone. A road bike, in this case is a necessity. But the ride back Old Calavaras Road is a great and beautiful ride.

Question: Can I ask some more questions?
Madman: Sure next time. Of course, I'd be happy to take questions via the comments section too?

Today's training run was a 10 mile small hill route for 1:24 minutes.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

A VMS Challenge

Welcome VMS parents! I've posted up the flyer here that many of you recieved in the Wednesday envelope along with some additional details. Over the next couple of days I will try to address your burning questions, notably "Are you stark raving mad?!"

This year, I’m taking on a personal challenge to help raise funds for our school. I need your help.

On April 14th, my personal challenge is to run and bike a combined 90 Kilometers (55.92 miles) as a way to earn money for the VMS Annual Fund.

Here’s my challenge to you. I will match the first $1500 in pledges VMS receives for the run/ride.

This isn’t a registered race; just a challenge I’m offering up for myself and for you. And I’m not going to do it the easy way. I’ll be running from Del Valle Reservoir in Livermore to Mission Peak in Fremont via the Ohlone Wilderness. This follows most of the same course used in the Ohlone Wilderness 50K Trail Race which I've linked to here. The trail is rugged and climbs a total of 7,800 feet in elevation gain over 24+ miles. When I arrive in Fremont, I will then ride my bike the 30+ miles via Old Calavaras road to Pleasanton. It’s one of the toughest run/ride routes in the Bay Area.

I hope you’ll be willing to pledge $0.50 (or more!!) per kilometer. Together we will meet or exceed this year’s annual fund goal .

Please support me by making a pledge. You can pledge here , by submitting a comment below along with your pledge amount, or email me at arracer(at symbol)gmail(dot)com.


Monday, January 29, 2007

Here kitty, kitty

More signs of an active mountain lion in my training area.

On the first half of Sunday's workout, I found fresh mountain lion tracks on the descent into the Kilkare canyon. Since I appeared to be the first to that area (no other fresh tracks given last night's rain) and it just happened to be at my halfway point for the 8 mile run, it seemed like a good enough time to turn around.

I did spend a minute studying the tracks. The lion's paws are about the size of my fist. Not a small cat that one. I took some solace that despite a recent attack in northern California "You can expect on average to be killed by a car at the very minimum 320 times before you expect to be killed by a mountain lion. So you really shouldn't start worrying about a mountain lion killing you until at least 160 of your hiking companions have been killed by automobiles."

After the 8 mile run, Racer-X joined me for the mountain biking portion. We put in a nicely paced 11.2 mile loop covering some of the same area as my run averaging 9.3mph--not bad given the trail was pretty wet and the technical climbs were "traction challenged".

Total time 2:21
Total run: 8 miles for 1:09
Total bike: 11.2 miles for 1:12

Monday, January 22, 2007

A run, a ride, and a cat

Sunday was Big Hill + Bike day. Back to the Ridge for a 7 mile run up and back. There were a ton of hikers and bikers on the trail but my mind focused on a steady distance run pace. I was worried about the ankle, but on the climb up my ankle felt just fine. As I hit the top and moved into some roller coaster segments I started to feel some muscle burn in the left leg along the shin and down to the toe. I was tightening up, dagnabit! At mile 4 on the return loop, I did a quick stretch and worked the toe out slowly. A quarter mile later it let me go and the down hill run to the trailhead wasn't a problem. A vestige of the ankle tightness? Something brought on in the change of training routine? Who knows but at least I avoided hopping down the trail like a one legged post hole jumper.

Despite the muscle, it was a good day. The weather was fantastic. The wind was whipping up which kept temps from getting too cold overnight and gave us the added benefit of 120 mile views to the Sierras. The snow capped ridge line around Tahoe and Yosemite stood out. Let's hope we get many a winter view like that, but the signs aren't good.

Back at the trailhead, I readied for the bike portion of the route. Clipped in, I began the 2.1 mile climb back up to the top of the ridge. Some initial tightness from the run smoothed out and the climbs that day were right where I would hope--strong, fast and in the groove, baby! I had my ride Zen on that day and hit all the uphill technical and fast downhill turns tight and right on the line. On the back side I came across quite a sight. At the T where riders usually turn back on the loop return were dozens of the largest cat tracks I've seen yet. It was a good size mountain lion track with pads the size of my fist. The cat had been there recently. Bike tracks from previous rider (some whom I heard only minutes before) were overlayed by the mountain lion. I tracked it for about 50-60 yards down the fire road with prints going in two different directions. I should say I tracked it while riding a pace just short of peak exertion and lung explosion. I figured that predator was going to have to work for its supper.

I also made a note not to wear a wool vest and to lose the Eau de Mouton while running or riding.

Total training time: 2:15
Total run: 1:01
Run miles: 7.2 miles
Total bike: 1:14
Bike miles: 11.1 miles

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Substitution

Friday's routine called for a 7 mile small hill run. However, my left ankle woke up angry at me and barked with some minor pain on every step. It wasn't bad and probably something I could have run through but that seemed like a mistake. I suspected it was some minor muscle inflammation brought on by the amp up of my training. Turns out that was probably exactly it. I've avoided any running injuries for several years now by not over-training or adding too many miles too quickly. Despite having a nice 20 mile/week run base, I'm worried I may have tried to pour on too much new activity too soon.

Instead of the run, I grabbed the road bike and headed out for and hour+ ride as an aerobic substitution. I threw in a good long hill up Kilkare Canyon , a local training favorite, along with a few smaller ones just to make sure that I got some equivalency. And all without stressing out the left ankle.

The ride was excellent. I felt very strong and was able to keep a 17+mile pace despite a long ascent up Kilkare.

Later that night I spent some time rubbing muscles along the calf, chin, and ankle. What really surprised me was how tight the muscle was along my foot when I stretched my big toe! Wow. There was a lot of tension down there.

It's still a little tight, but I'll do some more massaging tonight and hopefully it will be ready for tomorrow's 7 mile Big Hill + 10 mile Bike ride.

Total time: 1:14
Miles: 21.1 @17.1 mph avg

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Dream, Focus


In a long training cycle, when do you dream and when do you focus on the work at hand?

Sometimes I find I am zeroed in on my immediate actions: regulate my breathing, tune my pace, adjust my cadence, up my work level, tweak my tempo, glide, float, focus.

Sometimes I find myself deep in problem solving, dreaming my way through a problem, acting out on a plan, envisioning what I will do, taking in the view around me, tuning out the pain, tuning out the repetitive, anything but the now.

Yesterday, the routine was my first through the medium intensity of weights and jump rope intervals. I was totaly focused on form, posture, rhythm, tuning, and feedback. Today's 5 mile run was all about being somewhere else, distraction, and daydreaming.

In the first instance, I followed what experts describe as the focus of athletes need to get in the "zone" that results in performance gains. Bio-feedback techniques help train athletes to focus their efforts, achieve the zone, and excel by "de-icing" the body from the performance robbing aspects of stress.

Daydreaming or distraction may be considered "useless suffering" in that the athletes focus isn't on improving the performance but instead finding distraction from performance impacting stress. Or just taking in the beautiful scenery.

But experts agree. Daydreaming and not finding the zone negatively impacts your performance.

It sure did for today's 5 mile run. While it was okay, and the beauty of the cold dawn sky and leafless trees was inspiring, daydreaming as distraction from what clearly was not a stress-filled run only led to an "okay" and slower than typical outing. In contrast, yesterday's focused strength effort and accompanying 8 mile bike ride stands out as comparatively effortless and productive. On the other hand, a day dream here and there helps me when the training routine is long. And sight-seeing is another factor in my love for trail running even if it means that my mind is less focused on performance and more on what is around me and calls me there in the first place.

Yesterday's workout: 1hr
Medium Intensity strength workout: 30 minutes with one minute 3 cycles of Lat Pulls, pushups, squat/curl/thrusts with 1.5 min jump ropes between each routine.
Bike: 8.7 miles for 30 minutes @17.4 mph average

Today's workout: 42 min
Run: 5.2 miles @ 7:58 avg pace

Monday, January 15, 2007

Off and Running

Yesterday, Sunday, was the first day of training using the new plan. While I'm not "officially" slated to start until this week, I modified the Sunday progam to get a jump on the new schedule.

Ok, I admit it was more about not having the patience to wait until next week.

Sunday was another chilly one with the cold air mass from Canada still sending morning temps into the 20's. It was 32 when I headed out the door to load the bike rack onto the car. My intent was to run 5+ on big hills followed by 10 miles on my mountain bike up at my local training spot on the Pleasanton Ridge. I estimated about 2 hours of gone time with my wife as I headed out the door.

At the trail head by 10am and on-time, I began the 2.1 mile ascent to the top of the Ridge. My goal was to hit the gate at the 2.75 mark for a turn-around and descent back to the staging area for the second half of training. About a 1/4 mile up the trail, I remembered I had left my bike's front wheel in the garage in a distracted moment. Unless I was going to pull off a 10 mile wheelie, my plan had just changed.

The run was beautiful in the crisp morning air and while the trail had a few hikers and bikers, I was pretty much alone. I kept a pretty loose run but was still bothered by a pace that put me on top nearly 2 minutes behind my fastest ascent time. That was my "type-A" bad training demon talking, I reminded myself as I resisted the urge to turn up my pace. My average ascent pace was around 10:30 for the 700 foot climb up so I had nothing to be concerned about.

At the turn around point, I had reformulated the biking portion plan. I cast off the idea of going home and retriving my front wheel for the mountain bike and instead would jump on my road bike instead after the short drive to the house. Not quite a back to back run-ride, but close enough.

I got home and quickly transitioned to my road bike after a quick change out of my sweat soaked running shirt. It was about 39 degrees when I hit the street yet my wind breaker kept me nice and comfortable (props to the Pearl Izumi Blizzard jacket...the thing rocks!). I peddaled a mainly flat 10 mile section of road around town but at a fast pace. I was looking to maintain and 18mph average. Some hill sections killed that goal in the end, but it was a good 1.3 hour work out total.

Total time: 1:20
Total run time: 0:42
Total run distance: 5.5 miles
Average run pace: 8:13 per mile
Total bike time: 0:35
Total bike distance: 10.2 miles
Average bike pace: 17.5 mph