Training Log Archive: Mr WonderfulIn the 7 days ending Sep 12, 2015:
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| « | » |
| » now | ||||||||||
|
|
|
| ||||||||||
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | |||||||
Friday Sep 11, 2015 #
Event: Lucky 21 Adventure Race
8 PM
Adventure Race 16:16:00 [3] 86.07 mi (11:20 / mi) +261m 11:14 / mi
tl;dr. Great season ender, fun course, great team, well-executed effort, woo woo
Our strategy came into focus:
We had home court advantage.
MRA has nationals in three weeks, and could only afford to destroy Tony M
So we would try to win it.
Whether we could or not, I had my doubts, but we had to operate that way.
We did not anticipate Canadians!
We did anticipate MRA and Charameda+ would not make it easy. We would have to be perfect on nav and try to dig deep on the bike and paddle - rather than running away with it, we would just try to be in position to take advantage of anything that came up.
The opening o course was so much fun. Trail insanity. Started well, got to the first confusing trail junction, channeled a Cooper "where else could the trail go?" and followed MAR. Then we booked it out and around coming out in 3rd is.
We tried to haul on the bike. Matt carried as much of everyone's stuff as possible and was the windbreaker. This worked well - we caught MRA biking around the gazebo, although they passed us not far after, and started to pull away.
We made good time on the rail trail until Matt wondered why 18 mph got hard, then 17 mph, then 15....and his tubeless was flat. So we pumped it up and hoped for the magic of tubeless. A few miles later we stopped for a full on tube addition after it got soggy again. 8-10 minutes total? During the tube install, we cheered on Charameda+ as they flew by.
Confidence in my backyard got us to within fighting distance of C+ @ 5, but they gapped us by 6.
Great badlands ride - I love that place, and Cooper mixed up some of the usual directions. We saw lots of tracks going up one hill, but thankfully an eagle eyed teammate spotted the tape to avoid the unnecessary climb and get us to the Cooper trail.
Hard on the paved trail to the TA. Oh, lights. MRA? No, a two person team. Who the heck? Anyways, get to it.
Banged out the o as best we good, jogging some flats and all downhills. This was our moment to move. Encountered C+ a few times. Saw Middy and Heidi too, always a pleasure!
We were super pleased to get on to the trek-to-paddle in 2nd! Although we knew we were in trouble - Canadians can't be beat on the water, and C+ can paddle. We made good time to the put in.
I could not steer on Kent Lake. Does T unknowingly pull the boat around? Was I off my game? I don't recall such issues at higher speeds with Barbara. My steering woes only got worse, and I resorted to painfully slow rudder around much of the deadfall. C+ passed us easily. :( I was afraid the Brighton O wouldn't be long enough to earn any time back.
I did not measure the paddle, since it wasn't useful navigationally, but for team spirit I will start measuring those types of things to give better progress indications.
We were cool or cold coming off the paddle. Our hearts were warmed by our rockstar support staff - Melissa took great care of us. Then we were off to be warmed by a ride up Teahen.
Woah, that Murray Lake worked Maria and I over. I swear it's tougher every time you go out there. Matt and T enjoyed bombing the hills. Bike O Bingo drove my anxiety high as always.
Our only real team issue was exiting Murray Lake. T & Matt in the lead spotted tape south of Bishop Lake Road on the official MMBA route to the trailhead. But we had to ride to Appleton Lake. So I called for them to follow and headed off, then we had a discussion, I yelled a bit, rode further towards Appleton Lake, found more streamer, eventually got everyone regrouped.
Bishop Lake started to show my fatigue with a few bobbles. I found new trails we need to map for Sunday. They messed with my push to one point, perhaps adding a little distance and climb. Then I was pretty good to the next, but exited the best of the squiggles a little sloppy, didn't check my compass, and started down the trail the wrong way. I corrected through the woods to conceal my embarrassment (probably equal with backtracking to junction since we weren't running much).
I also drifted a bit east coming down the big hill; no big deal easily corrected. Then a strong finish, but maybe too strong as I left all of my energy there and biked miserably. I kept breaking up the train because even drafting 14 mph was too much. I should have grabbed a tow.
Luckily Matt survived his big endo on the trial in the disc golf area of Chilson. So scary!
But we felt kind of locked in - we couldn't run down the C+ gap unless they choked on easy bike nav, and MRA was believed to be just far enough back that even a crushing Bishop and strong bike might leave enough.
It was nice to do well on my stomping grounds. But I think we've gotten all we can get out of solid execution, and it's time for a fitness overhaul - bike endurance and paddling first order, then seeing about adding in a bit more run. And being approximately the heaviest person in the top eleven teams is not doing me any favors. :(
I was glad I was able to run the map the whole time without too much woe, since T heads back to CA sometime next year and his backfill is TBD. Hopefully we can keep a similar dynamic - we work so well together.
Off season gear improvements: I need to come up with a more enticing canoe food plan, since the slow boat stern / map read position is not great for deliberate eating. Perhaps cut up my front bottle pack and run one side water, one side caloric slurry (diluted gel? ensure? endurox r4) over/on the pfd?
Our strategy came into focus:
We had home court advantage.
MRA has nationals in three weeks, and could only afford to destroy Tony M
So we would try to win it.
Whether we could or not, I had my doubts, but we had to operate that way.
We did not anticipate Canadians!
We did anticipate MRA and Charameda+ would not make it easy. We would have to be perfect on nav and try to dig deep on the bike and paddle - rather than running away with it, we would just try to be in position to take advantage of anything that came up.
The opening o course was so much fun. Trail insanity. Started well, got to the first confusing trail junction, channeled a Cooper "where else could the trail go?" and followed MAR. Then we booked it out and around coming out in 3rd is.
We tried to haul on the bike. Matt carried as much of everyone's stuff as possible and was the windbreaker. This worked well - we caught MRA biking around the gazebo, although they passed us not far after, and started to pull away.
We made good time on the rail trail until Matt wondered why 18 mph got hard, then 17 mph, then 15....and his tubeless was flat. So we pumped it up and hoped for the magic of tubeless. A few miles later we stopped for a full on tube addition after it got soggy again. 8-10 minutes total? During the tube install, we cheered on Charameda+ as they flew by.
Confidence in my backyard got us to within fighting distance of C+ @ 5, but they gapped us by 6.
Great badlands ride - I love that place, and Cooper mixed up some of the usual directions. We saw lots of tracks going up one hill, but thankfully an eagle eyed teammate spotted the tape to avoid the unnecessary climb and get us to the Cooper trail.
Hard on the paved trail to the TA. Oh, lights. MRA? No, a two person team. Who the heck? Anyways, get to it.
Banged out the o as best we good, jogging some flats and all downhills. This was our moment to move. Encountered C+ a few times. Saw Middy and Heidi too, always a pleasure!
We were super pleased to get on to the trek-to-paddle in 2nd! Although we knew we were in trouble - Canadians can't be beat on the water, and C+ can paddle. We made good time to the put in.
I could not steer on Kent Lake. Does T unknowingly pull the boat around? Was I off my game? I don't recall such issues at higher speeds with Barbara. My steering woes only got worse, and I resorted to painfully slow rudder around much of the deadfall. C+ passed us easily. :( I was afraid the Brighton O wouldn't be long enough to earn any time back.
I did not measure the paddle, since it wasn't useful navigationally, but for team spirit I will start measuring those types of things to give better progress indications.
We were cool or cold coming off the paddle. Our hearts were warmed by our rockstar support staff - Melissa took great care of us. Then we were off to be warmed by a ride up Teahen.
Woah, that Murray Lake worked Maria and I over. I swear it's tougher every time you go out there. Matt and T enjoyed bombing the hills. Bike O Bingo drove my anxiety high as always.
Our only real team issue was exiting Murray Lake. T & Matt in the lead spotted tape south of Bishop Lake Road on the official MMBA route to the trailhead. But we had to ride to Appleton Lake. So I called for them to follow and headed off, then we had a discussion, I yelled a bit, rode further towards Appleton Lake, found more streamer, eventually got everyone regrouped.
Bishop Lake started to show my fatigue with a few bobbles. I found new trails we need to map for Sunday. They messed with my push to one point, perhaps adding a little distance and climb. Then I was pretty good to the next, but exited the best of the squiggles a little sloppy, didn't check my compass, and started down the trail the wrong way. I corrected through the woods to conceal my embarrassment (probably equal with backtracking to junction since we weren't running much).
I also drifted a bit east coming down the big hill; no big deal easily corrected. Then a strong finish, but maybe too strong as I left all of my energy there and biked miserably. I kept breaking up the train because even drafting 14 mph was too much. I should have grabbed a tow.
Luckily Matt survived his big endo on the trial in the disc golf area of Chilson. So scary!
But we felt kind of locked in - we couldn't run down the C+ gap unless they choked on easy bike nav, and MRA was believed to be just far enough back that even a crushing Bishop and strong bike might leave enough.
It was nice to do well on my stomping grounds. But I think we've gotten all we can get out of solid execution, and it's time for a fitness overhaul - bike endurance and paddling first order, then seeing about adding in a bit more run. And being approximately the heaviest person in the top eleven teams is not doing me any favors. :(
I was glad I was able to run the map the whole time without too much woe, since T heads back to CA sometime next year and his backfill is TBD. Hopefully we can keep a similar dynamic - we work so well together.
Off season gear improvements: I need to come up with a more enticing canoe food plan, since the slow boat stern / map read position is not great for deliberate eating. Perhaps cut up my front bottle pack and run one side water, one side caloric slurry (diluted gel? ensure? endurox r4) over/on the pfd?
Thursday Sep 10, 2015 #
9 AM
Biking 12:30 [1] 2.3 mi (11.0 mph)
shoes: Ye Olde Schwinne
I haven't decided on a parking pass, so I parked at the Plymouth Road Park and Ride and moseyed over to my class. I got destroyed on one of the roads by a single speeder in jeans, but my goal was "not sweaty" rather than full speed.
Ye Olde Schwinne was made operational by putting several pieces of duct tape where the tire got cut somehow on the last ride. I accidentally bulged the new tube when it snuck out a bit during inflation, so I took to filling it without looking at it. Also during "storage", the derailleur got spun around or something, so I could not figure out how to route the chain, so I just broke it, reran it, and stuck it back together. Worst case I have a 35 minute walk instead of a 13 minute bike ride. Best case, I have a very squeaky bike to ride until it snows.
There might be a closer free lot, if I could figure out U of M signage.
http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/852245109
Ye Olde Schwinne was made operational by putting several pieces of duct tape where the tire got cut somehow on the last ride. I accidentally bulged the new tube when it snuck out a bit during inflation, so I took to filling it without looking at it. Also during "storage", the derailleur got spun around or something, so I could not figure out how to route the chain, so I just broke it, reran it, and stuck it back together. Worst case I have a 35 minute walk instead of a 13 minute bike ride. Best case, I have a very squeaky bike to ride until it snows.
There might be a closer free lot, if I could figure out U of M signage.
http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/852245109
12 PM
Biking 15:00 [3] 2.3 mi (9.2 mph)
shoes: Ye Olde Schwinne
Wednesday Sep 9, 2015 #
Note
The mind reels when walking around U of M - just in the center of this tiny spot, there are dozens of potential control locations. Plus pass throughs, stairs, a fountain....
Tuesday Sep 8, 2015 #
Note
An alert reader suggests maybe I saw a milk snake:
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10370_121...
which looks about right. Perhaps the other picture I obtained was mislabeled.
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10370_121...
which looks about right. Perhaps the other picture I obtained was mislabeled.
6 AM
Running 13:23 1.3 mi (10:16 / mi) +2m 10:13 / mi
ahr:139 max:147 shoes: Brooks Ghost 5s
Messing around (again) with "something every day", regardless of duration more for habit. Plus down week anyway.
Monday Sep 7, 2015 #
Note
Doh! The one dog walk I don't bring my phone, I spot a baby Massassagua rattler. 8" inches long? No much fatter than a #2 pencil. Silver with dark red spots, eg:
Sunday Sep 6, 2015 #
7 AM
Canoeing 1:08:39 5.22 mi (13:09 / mi)
ahr:104 max:145 slept:7.0
Took Barbara's yellow pirate canoe around Kent Lake for a great paddle on dead calm water.
Did not start from ILRA because some tri dude was pretty sure they got exclusive parking lot use until 1 pm and I wasn't feeling the 400 m portage.
Couldn't quite get to a sustained 5 mph, but did alright considering both paddlers had quality yesterday.
Did not start from ILRA because some tri dude was pretty sure they got exclusive parking lot use until 1 pm and I wasn't feeling the 400 m portage.
Couldn't quite get to a sustained 5 mph, but did alright considering both paddlers had quality yesterday.