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.

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?

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.

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.

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!

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.

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...

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!