1,000 page views (ALMOST), Holidays, and Winter Hiking

Happy Holidays!
It has been a few weeks since I posted anything on here. Since today I have had way more downtime than I want I used it to catch up on some reading, and blogging. I got about halfway through "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand while sharpening my Christmas Story quote repertoire. Christmas duty is usually pretty quiet with a good amount of lounging. Christmas Eve consisted of watching "Vegucated" at my request, which may or may not have converted a few crew members to veganism.

December 25, 2012

 Tripyramids(4,180' & 4,140')

Trying to stay efficient with tagging all of the White Mountain 4,000 footers I took on Mount Tripyramids North and Middle Peaks on 2-9-12. I went with another local climber David Chess whom I had met  through an online hiking group. His Dog Meka accompanied us. We used the Pine Bend Brook trail to ascend North Tripyramid, and made a short loop DOWN the North Slide in hopes of seeing more of the mountain. This was definitely a mistake in our planning and tacked over two hours onto the total trip time. I can see why the North Slide is popular because the view must be amazing on a nice day. This day wasn't very nice, as a matter of fact I lost control of my truck on the Kancamagus Highway enroute to the trail head on "black ice" despite my temperature monitoring on my trucks thermometer. After heading back up the mountain we stopped on Middle Tripyramid for a few moments and headed back down Sabbaday Falls trail. This trail was very easy on the knees  for the descent and has several stream crossings making it fairly easy to lose the trail. We finished up about an hour after dark with headligts. In hindsight I should have looked much closer to the topography of the routes we chose, I suppose the lesson learned is not to get complacent just because you are not alone.

 

Tripyramids "North Slide" looking down, Loose rock and Ice

 

Hancocks (North 4,420' & 4,319')

The weekend after Tripyramid I convinced (or nagged to the breaking point) John Mitchell to climb with me. John is one of the most experienced Hikers I know particularly in the White Mountains. He has been instrumental in planning out my last few trips (aside from Tripyramid) so I was happy to get the Hancocks in with him. The trail head starts EXACTLY where I almost wrecked my truck a week before, and is quite flat for the first few miles. After the long flat trek the trail climbs straight up. Microspikes did the trick for traction. On the summit we met another group of climbers enjoying a 16 year old Scotch (my electrolyte infused water suddenly became lame). The ridge transit was a fast mile with slow rolling, snowy terrain. The descent offered perhaps the best views of the day since you ar facing the North peak for a mile or so. We started around 10 AM and were finished before 4 PM. The weather could not have been any better for a good view.

View from North Hancock overlook

 

Great view of the Osceolas from overlook

South Hancock overlook

View on Descent



 

 

Mount(s) Tom (4,051'), Field (4,340'), Willey (4,285) & Avalon (3,442')

 

This Saturday I set out on a somewhat ambitious peak bagging trip to Crawford Notch, to knock out Peaks 13-15. The trail head should have been easy to spot but I wasn't expecting it to be at a train station so I drove by it a half dozen times before asking somebody. I learned it was pretty icy in the parking area when I fell on my ass before I even set foot on the trail.  I packed pretty heavy for this trip because I figured the snow would be deep and it would be cold. This entire hike was one of the most difficult I have done thus far. I wasn't expecting to be tired and out of breath the entire trip, but I was. Maybe it was the heavy pack, tedious slush, or the cold. I took the Avalon trail to the A-Z trail and followed the MT Tom Spur trail. The Spur was not very well marked and the snow was deep so I just used my compass most of the way. There were no tracks to Mt. Toms summit and the snow was well over a foot deep. After sinking in beyond my knees a couple of times I put on my snowshoes. I used the snowshoes across the Mt. Field & Willey ridge. This ridge traverse was eerily quiet and sort of lonely. I enjoy the solitude typically  but I felt VERY far away from civilization so this was possibly a bit too much. Mount Field was very foggy but the untouched powdery snow covering everything was just fine for a view! Feeling tired from the extra weight of the snowshoes, and a strong desire to get home where it was warm I considered cancelling on Mount Willey. I decided to check the map again to see just how much further I needed to go for Willey. That's when I realized I dropped my map...Shit! Well I remember it being less than three miles out and back to where I was so I pressed on. The trail from Field to Willey was very well marked with blue blazes every 20 yards or so. This trail would like have been very scenic as well if it wasn't so foggy. Mt Willey wasn't much to see but I'm glad I made the trip across. On my way back to Mt. Fields summit I ran into two friendly women and a Golden Retriever puppy. They thanked me for "blazing the way" and I felt much less alone even with a 30 second interaction. (probably two minutes with the puppy since he was leading the way). I took the Avalon trail back down which conveniently passes the Mt. Avalon summit by "100 yards" according to the AMC sign so I got a few nice pictures from up there. The descent was pretty frustrating because I was moving much slower than I would have liked and my snowshoes weren't the best for downhill walking. Nearing the trail head I found my map draped over a tree stump with a lone microspike, I am assuming the party I had crossed paths with on the ridge had put it there for me.  I finished around 1:30 even though it felt much later. While this trip was efficient and rewarding I was glad to be done!

Mount Tom Spur

Mount Tom Summit

Mount Field Summit

 

Mount Field video

 

 Mount Willey #15!

 

 





Bye Bye "MO"vember, Turkey Trots, 2 more Peaks, & New Runner advice!

Not feeling too fresh today after a 14 miler in the woods of lovely Haverhill, MA. I did two laps (horse shoe out and back) around Kenoza Lake after a long return trip from Vermont. I'm pretty certain I saw my www.mapmyrun.com course nemesis (somebody that seems to best me shortly after acquiring "king of the mountain" status ruitinely) buzzing along at a quick pace. I had a long trip that was detoured in the Wachusset mountain area for nearly an hour searching for a rest room...uncool. Since My last Blog post I competed in the Winners Circle Running Club Wild Turkey Trot at Pipestave Hill in West Newbury, MA. I got a couple more 4,000 footers crossed off the List thanks to climbing partner and fellow Coastie Matt Seel. Lastly I made a trip to my hometown of Bennington, VT to visit friends and family.

WILD TURKEY TROT
Aside from getting lost on the way to the race, I though this event was pretty successful. It raised money for Hurricane Sandy victims and burned off the calories that the runners were likely to consume that afternoon. The event, like many similar across the nation was a 5k cross country race on moderately hilly course. Two co-workers, Gabe and Scott accompanied me in the annual race. It was pretty cold outside (lower 40's if I remember correctly) but not too chilly for shorts. I used compression socks, not necessarily to increase blood flow, but to have an added layer of warmth. This race had a self described "Braveheart" start which can only be described by the photo below. I lined up in the front not wanting to be stuck behind the large herd running towards the first tape marker. I had hoped to come close to my 19:30 5k personal record, until the announcer said "you will not run this course as fast as you have run road 5k's". I figured that was a fair enough warning, but too late to change my goal (moments before the start). I recognized a lot of the regulars at the starting line. At the Gun I went into a jittery 5:15 pace for the first 300 yards or so, mainly to avoid any bottle necking at the first turn. That proved somewhat successful but I couldn't settle into the pace I knew I could manage for the entirety of the race. The first half mile split was around 2:50, way too fast! It took two of the short/steep hills on the course to settle me into a 6:15ish pace. The announcer was not lying and before I knew it, I was really feeling the wrath of Pipestave Hill. I finished with a time of 20:22, which was far from a PR but good enough for 16th overall and 2nd in my age group.
WCRC Wild Turkey Trot Results
Like the huge dope that I am I left before the awards ceremony, thinking a 16th overall didn't qualify for much. I had a great time and thought this race was well organized. The registration was very inexpensive, especially considering all racers received a long sleeved shirt and a finishers medal. Winners Circle along with the sponsors (including Rick Bayko's Yankee Runner) did an incredible job with the event. Rick Bayko and I later joked that we did not see each other at the race mainly because of our killer mustaches!

"Braveheart Start" I'm towards the left of the camera hog in blue, note the block compression socks

 

Mount Passaconaway & Whiteface

 

While my efforts to "bag" all 48 of NH's 4,000 footers may be unrealistic (I am up for transfer this summer). I am continuing on the quest to get as many as I can. On Tuesday I travelled to Albany,NH to Hike Mount Whiteface and Passaconaway. As recommended from an experienced hiker we decided that we would do Passaconaway first up Diceys Mill trail and then cross the Ridge to the steeper, more challenging  Whiteface. The trails were a little tracked up, likely from the weekend before so that helped us follow the otherwise hard to follow Diceys Mill Trail. this trail cut through a few private properties before the ascent. Passaconaway was a little bit Icy,

making it necessary to use crampons/microspikes. The ascent was pretty uneventful, as was the summit of Passaconaway. There was one overlook on Passaconaway but the summit was completely wooded, leaving much to be desired. Matt and I crossed over to Whiteface which showed a lot of signs from Hurricane Sandy. We found ourselves "bushwhacking" around many fallen trees along the ridge. whiteface also had a wooded summit but provided a nice perch about 3/4 of a mile from the summit along Blueberry Ledge trail. The overlook was definitely a very rewarding way to eat lunch. We started our descent after 2pm so daylightwas becoming a serious concern. We aborted our plan to backtrack and decided the steeper Blueberry ledge would be a better descent plan based on time. Blueberry ledge proved challenging at the higher elevations but became very tame below 3,000'. we finished the 12ish mile round trip in about 6 hours of hiking time. photo/video below.

View from Whiteface Overlook

Sandy won this battle

Whiteface Summit 4,020'

Blueberry Ledge was no joke

 

New Runner Advice

As an average runner (and that is being nice) I was flattered when my brothers girlfriend asked for some pointers for her first half marathon this January. Since I am not in a great position to give advice, I would Rather pass on the advice given to me over the last few years. I have been fortunate enough to get to know some very talented, athletes over the last couple of year. They have offered the following advice (in no particular order, I will try to give due credit).

 

-"Don't go out too fast."

Rick Bayko, gave me this advice before my first marathon, it makes plenty of sense but it's easy to forget in the spirit of competition. I found my first two miles were ridiculously fast, and my last FEW were snail pace...heed this warning.

 

-Drink at every aide station and WALK through them

I got this pointer out of a book by Hal Higdon, who has really broken down the science of marathoning for his readers. I am yet to go the distance without some sort of costly hiccup. All of which can be found in the pages of his books.

 

-"Go easy on your first race, you are guaranteed a PR"

I like to tell people this because it is the only thing i can say with some degree of certainty. If you are running your first race of ANY distance, make the goal "to finish". Improve upon your times later.

 

-"Avoid speedwork if you are new to running/racing"

Similar to above.  Make the goal finishing the race and having fun, if you set the bar too high and don't reach it you will be disappointed or INJURED.

 

-Race to "race another day"

forget about registration fees and PR's and listen to your body, sit out or take it easy so you can stay healthy.

 

-"Don't wear/use anything you have not tested on a "long run".

This is an important one, it pertains to clothing, footwear AND nutrition. Race day chafing, Blisters or GI issues (gastrointestinal) are not something you want!

 

-Long runs are the most important part of your training regiment

Don't skip these! Do them SLOW! So longer races are based on your ability to maintain a pace. The long run is to improve your endurance, finishing a race relies on this training, once a week with several shorter runs in between will do just fine.

 

-Build up to your goal distance

a general rule of thumb for injury avoidance is to not increase distance by 10% per week. There are no reasonable exceptions to this rule. If you ran 50 marathons in your life but haven't crested 5 miles yet this year...you should not pepper 20 milers into your weekends! fitness goes away...QUICKLY!

 

-Prep the night before

Eat foods that work for you (test on long runs). Take advantage of "pre race packet pickup" and have your breakfast ready to go. Make your morning as stress free as possible.

 

-Don't bother with pricey gear.

Shoes are the exception to this rule. If it is comfortable wear it. Big brands like Nike make products much akin to lesser known brands. With shoes I would recommend a gait analysis from a RUNNING store. If that isn't available there are many techniques you can use to analyze your own gait/arch type. use the google machine. Shoes are important, if you are a new runner...use traditional running shoes. Vibram five fingers and all of the other variants of "minimalist" shoes will require a learning curve and a lot of Achilles/hamstring strengthening before use.

 

-Run your own race

Not hard to forget this during a "Braveheart start" but you should know what you are capable of  for the duration of the race.

 

-"They're not as fast as they look"

This was a tough one for me. I was easily intimidated in my first few events. "YOU DESERVE TO BE HERE" is my favorite slogan when I am standing alongside of "blah blah race team". They say don't judge a book by its cover, I say don't judge your competition by their discount outerwear :).

 

-HYDRATION

Important? Sure. Don't overload yourself with water and sports drinks. Hydration is a tricky balance of maintaining electrolyte to water balance. Electrolytes will make you thirsty, excess water will flush electrolytes. Drink when you are thirsty (before the race, during the race drink as often as possible). Porta-potty lines are usually LONG and get longer as the start looms plan accordingly.

 

These are very general, and most don't come from me personally. I have either learned the hard way or heeded the warning of someone who has shared the information with me. I would like anyone who reads this that has some more advice/tips for runners (new and old) to please pass the information on in the comments below.  I know that there is plenty more to be said on the topic since the above is what a mediocre runner has come up with. 

 

 

Baggin Peaks & Raising coin for Cancer!

Mount Osceola (4,340') & Osceola East (4,156')

I got the weekend off from work, after a long couple weeks of "standby duty"(meaning being ready to return to work within a half hour.). A couple of storms making their way through the area adds a heightened sense of readiness to an already "Ready" group of people. Luckily upon request I was granted my normal weekend on-duty off. Special thanks to Shipmate John who agreed to take the watch for me while I was off. As a sort of night before/last minute decision I figured I would spend the day in Central New Hampshire climbing. I chose Mount Osceola because I would be going at it alone (Minus Wonder Dog), and it seemed like one of the easier peaks to summit. Knowing that the upper elevations have had some snow already this year, I decided to take a lot of layers for clothing and my micro spikes. I had originally bought the spikes for my running shoes but thought they would come in handy...which the most certainly did. I wasn't 100% sold on bagging both peaks, so I used the Tripoli Road trailhead. Tripoli is a seasonal road so I risked it being closed, but I really wanted to hike in from that side of the mountain. Around 8:30 I got to the trailhead. Looking around I could see that all the peaks in the area were socked in fog, aparently I bring the clouds with me. Aside from being in and out of the clouds the local high spots were all white with snow. This was slightly intimidating since for all that I knew, I may be the only person on the mountain for a few days. I filed a pretty detailed trip plan with my best friend Lee and Alisha, that included where I was parking and when I was expecting to be home. This likely stems from my carreer which as I mentioned above, is "Always Ready", and nobody wants to be that dope that everyone thinks is missing when in fact they were just fine. I paid my modest $3.00 to park my truck at the trailhead and, fueled on coffee headed upwards. The trail was a modest grade most of the way up with a few places that I needed hands and feet to negotiate. After about 2 miles The trail was completely covered in snow and ice and I could hear the wind really howling above me. After a few almost falls I put the spikes on and continued. In doing so I stopped my GPS watch and forgot to turn in back on until about 15 minutes later or 3/4mile. I was planning on using the watch to identify East Osceola because it is well known for "its view of absolutely nothing" as one writer put it. Therefore i was afraid I would go way out of my way looking for well....nothing.

After a few almost falls on Ice like this I decided extra traction was in order.

The Kahtoola MicroSpikes were perfect for this hike where Crampons would have been overkill.

 

 

 Wind from Above

 

 I summited pretty quickly, and just as I figured, couldn't see more than 5 feet. Since it wasn't quite noon yet I figured I would trek the one mile towards East Osceola (just so I can check it off the list) and maybe the view would be better in 40 minutes or so. The hike to E. Osceola was actually pretty tough. There were many steep scrambles and even a few nice lookout areas. At this point the snow was between 9'' and a foot. I couldn't help but contrast the difference between the trailhead and the ridge, trailhead being muddy and 50+ degrees and the ridge had a foot of snow and was probably around 20 degrees.

 

 

This Cairn was exactly 1 mile from Osceola Summit, I assumed this was East Osceola since it was all downhill afterthis point (towards the Kancamangus highway)

 

 

After returning to the Osceola Summit I was greeted with an AMAZING view! the clouds had lifted and I could see for what seemed like 100 plus miles. On the Summit there are remnants of an old firetower in the form of concrete blocks. I laterlearned this firetower was dismantled in 1984. I found some cool info here http://www.firelookout.org/towers/nh/osceola.htm .

 

One of the overlooks between Osceola & E. Osceola

 

 

This was the visibility the first time through.

 



 

This is the View I returned to!

 360 degree View of Osceola Summit

I was pretty pumped when I uploaded the data from this trip. Only 7 people have uploaded Mount Osceola, however of the seven people My ascent time was the fastest...I chalk it up to the Mustache!

MapMyRun info

 

4,000' + MO

I Am still collecting donations for mens health issues if you have a buck or two to spare please do so at MOVEMBER !

 

 

Easy Ten Miler

I set out this AM on a "short jog" that turned into a nice 10mi. run with a decent amount of elevation gain. why am I sharing? see below I thought this was awesome!

So I tried to "max out" around mile 7 of my ten mile run, I got it up to 10 but was down to 7 by the time I got the ipod out to take a pic.

\Until next time!













Jack London Trail Race & Mustachioed Mayhem!

JLTR 10k (11-3-12)

Since I last posted we have had a Hurricane, and elected a President. Since then I ran the Jack London 10K Trail Race and started my "MO", Don't know what I mean by Mo? Well stick around, or skip all this running crap and scroll down. The JLTR was on Saturday 11-3-12 at Mine Falls Park in Nashua, NH. I waited until the very last minute to sign up, given my recent DNS for the Bay State Marathon. Last week I got my mileage up to a "satisfactory" amount and figured why not race JLTR again this year. Last year the event was cold and small. I really liked the way the race was organized so I wanted to make an effort to come back for the 2012 race. In 2011 a storm had knocked a lot of trees down across the trails in Mine Falls park so we raced an alternate route. With Hurricane Sandy striking just a week or so before the 2012 event I assumed more of the same, especially judging from my trail workouts in Haverhill preceding the race (Kenoza Lake trails were similar to a Spartan Race in some ways with lots of debris on the trails). Much to my surprise the original course was used. The park in Nashua is generally pretty flat which doesn't suit my training as of late, but fast races are fun races. The Goal was to finish  in under 43:00 minutes which for me is pretty fast for a trail race (for me of course, 40+ minutes in a 10k is not super fast for much more talented athletes. Before the race I noticed the Somerville Running club was out in full force, and the field was MUCH larger than last year. I wanted to start with a 7:00minute mile for the first mile. I got very clogged up at the start and spent the first few minutes trying to get into a pack of runners around the same speed. After the first half mile i was just under an 8min. mile so I tried to make up time to stick to the goal and pace. After that I wanted to be in the 6:40 mile range. I finally got into a solitary position and comfortable pace and basically tried to stay there. The course wound through the park and was very scenic and had surprisingly safe footing (Most trail races in the fall offer "surprises" under the leaves that tend to hurt). The final stretch had a very tall man made climb (20-30') that really burned for the remaining  quarter of a mile. I ended up crossing the finish line in 25th place overall (5 places BACK from 2011) at 42:20. I was expecting to do much better in the field, but you can't help who shows up. This year a lot of very talented people toed the line so I can't be disappointed. I hit my goal time and that's all I could ask for! The splits were as follows:

1-7:02
2-7:24
3-6:50
4-6:54
5-6:48
6-7:13

Jack London 10k logo

The course measured out on my GPS to be 6.03 miles which is a bit short for a 10k so the official results will show average pace slightly faster than actual. I have no complaints about this event, the price was only $20, I received another pair of JLTR socks, and at the finish they served DUNKIN coffee (my most favorite recovery beverage).  Anyone looking for a good value in a trail or road race in New England should check out http://www.3craceproductions.com/ . They have raised of $3million for charity over the last 10 years!
2012 Jack londond Trail Race results

MOVEMBER!
Those of you who know me, (electronically on Facebook or in person) probably know that I spend 1/12th of the year with a "MO" stache. Unfamiliar?

I have been unable to replicate the epic handlebars of 2010

 

http://us.movember.com/ is a charitable organization that promotes and raises funds for research for popular men's health issues like Testicular and Prostate cancers. Their main beneficiaries are the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Livestrong foundation (don't hate. Regardless of Lance Armstrongs doping allegations, the Livestrong foundation, while affiliated with him is a key player in marketing awareness and combating cancer). My work team "Merrimack Mo's" has raised over $4,000 since 2009, and $460 already in 2012. So guys grow a mustache and solicit donations from friends and family. It's a great (not to mention fun) program to participate in. If you would like to donate to me or my team please visit my "MoSpace" . Every little bit counts and you can donate as little as a dollar! I wouldn't ask if it wasn't for a good cause!

 

NOR'Easter

New England is currently experiencing a "Nor'Easter" right now so today I stayed off the trails, tomorrow may be a different story! 

Marathon DNS Blues, Peak Bagging & Spartan FTW!

Runners Knee
Well since my last post I have been nursing a pretty bad case of runners knee AKA Patellafemoral Pain syndrome. After the Bobby Bell 5 miler my left knee felt worse than after the punishing downhills of Killington last month. I had tried all sorts of stretching, NSAIDS, heating, and icing with little luck. Further, I have spent probably over $100 in gimmicky knee braces from sporting goods stores. The ultimate healing method was....REST! Since I'm not a doctor and not educated in any sort of medicine/therapy, i will never suggest how to fix an injury in any other way aside from good old fashioned rest. Sometimes resting can come at a painful price but it is necessary. That being said I was able to run a somewhat quick four miler today at a 7:00mi. pace and 0 pain thanks (maybe) to one of the above mentioned knee braces.

Bay State Marathon
Bay State Marathon was today. I wasn't there. I didn't start, yeah, D.N.S. It's a disappointing process to look forward to something (that would likely have been a good race by the numbers) and not be able to start due to a nagging injury. Alisha and I went to the expo at Lowell High School to pick up  my bib and race packet anyways. I had never been to a marathon expo, and had high hopes that all wasn't lost with my $60something registration fee. Well Bay State Marathon isn't as big as I had expected (It gets a lot of focus from Runners World as one of the fastest in the country due to cool climate and flat terrain). I have read about the large expos for Boston, Chicago, NYC etc. and just expected more. Had I known it would be a small gathering of vendors I may have just not shown up. While I was there the thought of volunteering crossed my mind but over the last couple of weeks I have been pretty bummed out about the whole knee that I thought better of doing something else. That something else came in the form of a trip to the Portsmouth, NH dog park.

Mount Tecumseh
By yesterday morning my left knee had been painless for about 3 days. I wanted to do something physical, and anything more than a light job was out of the question. I decided Friday night, despite the rainy forecast, to tackle another 4000 footer. At short notice a Solo ascent was my only option. Luckily for me Brodie the dog had a clear schedule too. We made the 109mi trip up to Waterville Valley Ski Area and arrived around 10AM. Mount Tecumseh's trail head was pretty hard to find and my TOMTOM doesn't speak "Appalachian Mountain Club". We drove around for about 45 minutes trying to find the trail head. I was so frustrated about not being able to find it I almost decided to tackle another nearby peak (Osceola or Tripyramid), which would have been a poor decision since I hadn't even glanced at a map for either of them. The hike was a fairly short 5.1 mile round trip, and I only saw 4 other parties all headed for the summit while Brodie (Trailname "Wonder Dog") and I were on our descent. Brodie, like most of us would prefer to walk downhill rather than up, and on two occasions I had to carry him because his speed was less than impressive.  We Summited around 12:20 in complete cloud coverage (seems like the clouds know when I want to hike). We were able to enjoy the view a couple of times when the sun poked out. Brodie enjoyed his home made cookies, for lunch and I ate my Clif Shot Blocks, originally purchased for today's marathon.

The Foggy View from 4003'

 

I decided on Tecumseh, since it is the smallest of NH's 4000' peaks and seemed like an easy day trip. I definitely didn't want to have to turn around and add to my growing list of DNF/DNS!  We came down in just over an hour because Wonder Dog's four legs and incredible agility proved superior to mine on the downhill. I guess I deserved to look like a fool running behind him dragging me since I carried him a half mile or so. We met a few people and stopped to chat, Brodie also Befriended a GIANT dog, that scared the shit out of both of us, but turned out to be an incredibly well behaved pooch with her owner in tow.

 

Big Girl!

 



Running behind Wonder Dog

 

So my weekend was pretty eventful. I'm grateful the weather was nice and I was able to accomplish SOMETHING, at least something worth writing about!

 

 

SPARTAN FTW!

I was going to write about my opinions on the "Outside magazine" article by Scott Keneally. The article really speaks for itself and contains a lot of little known information about the competition between Spartan Race and Tough Mudder. Matt Davis from www.mattbdavisruns.com interviewed both Joe Dessena (of Spartan Race) and Matt Johnson (Tough Mudder) in the same show, and TM had very little to say about the article. It exposed some of the business practices used by Tough Mudder to bully other OCR (Obstacle course races). It also tells the story of  Billy Wilson (the originator of OCR) who started his Tough Guy Challenge in the mid eighties. I am not in a position to trash any of these companies for business practices or stolen concepts. The Harvard Business School CEO of Tough Mudder seems an awful lot like another young entrepreneur in the social networking (coughFacebook!cough).  I can only tell you from a competitor standpoint how I think these companies compare. Spartan Race is where the competition is at. Spartan has harder courses, and organizes their events much more thoughtfully. For example Spartan times their course and won't try to tell you it isn't a race. TM has no competitive agenda, with the exception of World's Toughest Mudder (once a year). When I say Spartan is more organized the best example would be how Tough Mudder sends waves of 600 runners at a time, and you pay for it while waiting in LONG lines at obstacles over the 10ish miles. I ran a Spartan Beast course twice, and was on the mountain for nearly half of a full day, and didn't have to wait even one time over the course of 30+ miles. Event prices are about the same and both companies donate a considerable amount to charity, although TM leaves fundraising to the member AFTER he or she has paid the $200ish event fee. I won't say I will never do another Tough Mudder or shun anyone who does. I do think that Spartan has more value and is a tougher challenge.

 

Brodes on the Summit, his first 4000 footer

Tecumseh Peak after He conquered it.

 

Until next time.



 



26th Bobby Bell 5 Mile Road Race

Bobby Bell 5 Miler
Today was the Bobby Bell 5 mile road race. It went well with a few hiccups (on my part). I THOUGHT the start was at 10:30AM so I started stretching/sprinting at 10:00. I later found out the start would be at 11:00 so I went home for some Dr. Pepper and pretzel rods. The start was at the Lasting Room restaurant/bar about 100 yards from my front door. Convenient right? So the Goal was a 32:10 finish. I stuck with the goal time even after noting the vertical profile (conveniently posted above the urinal in the Lasting Room). The course has a fair amount of hills but nothing I Was worried about, except the LONG steep downhill at the beginning of mile 4.

The Legendary Rick Bayko referred to this as my "Game Face"...I agree

 

The race started on time which is always nice, (especially when there are banks along the route telling you the time).  The course followed Washington st. to the RT 495 intersection and returned on rt 97, turned onto Essex st. and onto Washington (right in front of my home). At the gun I tried to stick with the (eventual) winners and did for the first two miles or so. 

The start was just under the MBTA Haverhill Station.

At or around the halfway mark My "Ultra Beast Left Knee" started to swell and hurt pretty bad. Around Mile three I thought about asking one of Haverhill's finest to give me a ride of shame but I figured I was still holding the planned 6:30 pace. Along the steep downhill Rick from Yankee Runner was calling out split times. This was good for me reminding me that the pain will be over in just a few minutes. The final stretch down Washington FELT fast but I'm pretty sure it was to the tune of 6:50mi.
Video of Finish

With the pain of the last half of the race I was not expecting to come very close to the goal 32:10 but was pleasantly surprised when I crossed the mat at 32:45. After crossing the mat I promptly found a place where i can vomit and not be seen. I thought around the corner near the railroad bridge would be my best bet. Well, that's where the race director was sending everyone for the after party...So I had a few witnesses to the vomit.

No more tummy contents.

 

So I was 10th place overall (before gender grading 14th after). I guess this was good enough for a few awards. Alisha and I waited at the after party and enjoyed free food and booze (Bud Light and pesto Ziti).

Feelin' better!

Free Booze!

The gender based scoring is a really cool concept and it allows women to be awarded for their talents as they deserve. The longer Ultra distances (over 26.2 miles) women tend to finish stronger, my theory is they have a much stronger pain tolerance and long distance running is all about endurance. To me...Endurance= how long you can handle pain, Girls 1 Boys 0. Needless to say I am happy to relinquish a few places to some badass women!

 

 

I have never won anything aside from "finisher awards" but today was a lucky day and i managed to place in two categories. Haverhill residents (3rd) and 20-39 year old opens (9th). While this is not a podium finish or anything like that I was pretty pumped to get a couple cool pint glasses!



AWARDS!

The race was a great experience and I had an awesome time! I'm feeling a little bit nervous about Bay State since as we speak my left knee is still pretty swollen. I will start but don't want to jeopardize my health. I am hoping that the slower marathon pace will help keeping the pain at bay. Until then...



Recovered!

Tomorrow is back to work for me. I'm sort of looking forward to it, you know, holding people hostage to my "mud run" stories, and getting back into regular business. Thanks to the photo below I decided to "Bic" my head....NOTE THE MALE PATTERN BALDNESS.

looking Fierce...and OLD!



I guess that's how it goes. Luckily Not feeling that way! here are some other pictures I downloaded from Nu Vision of the past weekend.

Laugh Out Loud.

The Start!

Yeah..They glow in the dark!

Last fire jump before the finish.

A lot of the Facebook Ultra Beast page is buzzing with recent activity from other people. Some are still hurting, some are racing 50 milers as I write this. I find myself somewhere in between. While I have been taking it easy I feel like a big part of recovery is just dealing with the aches and pains of yesterday. My next endeavor is the Bobby bell 5 Mile road race in lovely Haverhill, MA. This race will actually go right past my front door...Literally. After that will be the Bay State Marathon, which claims to be one of the "fastest in the country". And lastly I am on the fence for the Spartan Race Fenway park Time trial.

 

Bobby Bell

Today I wanted to give myself a "test" at the shorter distance of 5 miles. While it isn't my specialty I really like these shorter fast races. After an hour or so on the mountain bike (9+miles) I set out to see where I'm at for this distance. Fueled on energy drinks, coffee, and a bean burritos (smothered in siracha chili sauce of course) I took off on a somewhat flat, somewhat fast run. I ran at around 80-85% and was able to clock around a 33:30 5 miles averaging around 6:45 per mile. I was pretty satisfied with these results and I am setting my goal time 32:10 for the Bobby Bell. I think I can handle it on a days rest. This race is also being sponsored by the BEST RUNNING SHOP IN THE GREATER BOSTON AREA.

RICK BAYKO'S YANKEE RUNNER

 

Bay State Marathon

Bay state takes place in Lowell, MA. It's not exactly on my doorstep like the Bobby Bell but it's still pretty local. Bay State claims to be the best road race to a BQ (Boston Marathon Qualification).  Since B.A.A. (Boston Athletic Association) has raised the bar for a 29 year old male I would need to run a 3:05 (7:0X minute mile). Needless to say this will NOT happen for me. My first marathon was a disappointment at 3:50(something). I bonked super hard and walked my last six miles. The course was very hilly at 600+ vertical gain and 80+ degrees however I can't blame a slow time on those factors. I simply didn't plan my nutrition well, and my race plan was non existent. This time I will plan better and try to force myself to consume calories, in the form of my beloved clif shot blocks. Goal time >3:35 8:20 mile. The handy Runners world APP seems to think (in it's incredible algorithmic wisdom) I can run a 3:16 or so, I'm leaving the bar a little lower.

 

Fenway

Spartan Race HQ announced this time trial a while ago. I was NOT interested, until realizing that I was world ranked in the top 100 (according to Spartan Race) on points after only 2 races (Amesbury Sprint and Vermont World Championship Ultra Beast). The marketing genius behind making me feel like I am a remotely decent athlete/runner/obstacle racer is incredible.. I am, looking for reasons NOT to run this time trial. Please comment below if you find one for me. Sadly it took the Ultra Beast to open my eyes to slowing the hell down on obstacles. Until the UB I had always Burpee'd on the log lillypad and wall traverse. Neither of these proved a problem when I was in energy conservation mode as opposed to speed mode (Amesbury). With that being noted I feel like I can do well and really rack up some points for 2013 (genius I tell you!). Because I Will (if I am afforded more leave from my new USCG job) being applying for the Ultra Beast AGAIN!

Spartan World Rankings (I think I have dropped a few spots since this screenshot but I'm satisfied with it!)

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! (ULTRA BEAST RACE REPORT)

"I started a blog for f****s sake!"
The above quote went through my head with every thought of dropping out of the Ultra Beast this weekend.

I started to really get an awful case of "naysayers disease" when a random back pain started on Wednesday (and kept nagging through Friday night). Fearing the unknown, anxiety took over for my entire drive to Outback Pizza in Killington, VT. While enroute I periodically checked the Ultra's facebook page to make sure I didn't miss anything. The first post I saw was from Matt Davis asking if anyone had extra glow sticks. I had brought more than enough so I offered mine and we met up at packet pick-up. Matt was really appreciative of my over preparedness, and I certainly wasn't against building a few alliances against the mammoth ski mountain about a mile from Outback.
Check out Matts Podcast
On Friday night I didn't expect to be able to sleep much with the race just a few short hours away. I also didn't expect to cough, sneeze and sniffle all night either (Another reason to doubt my ability to complete the whole course).

Race Day
I woke up at 4:15 AM and headed up to Killington. I kept wondering "why do I feel like such crap?" I probably had about 14 cough drops out of nerves and kept drinking fluids to maintain hydration. By the time I had parked my truck I had psyched myself out so bad that I sat contemplating whether or not to even get out of the truck and face the windy 40something degree morning air, BUT I had to piss so I gathered my shit, realizing I had left a few important items at home and headed for the base lodge. In the staging area I signed the Ultra Beast board and shuffled through my drop bin looking for more excuses NOT to toe the line. I found none so I spent the next hour telling myself "I will do one loop and see how I feel." A few familiar faces showed up and pre-race small talk took over.

The Start
I lined up towards the rear since I didn't plan on having an incredibly fast first "Beast" loop and was feeling a little better. The race started uphill (weird) and after 2 insignificant obstacles went into the woods where a few hundred people bottlenecked onto singletrack. George Craft and I felt it would be better to bushwhack than let people in front of us set a slow pace. We weaved in and out of bushes and trees just parallel to the single file line forming on the trail. I tried to run/jog conservatively keeping in mind that I will be on the mountain all day. My slow and sickly pace seemed to be faster than what a lot of others were doing.
Found this video of the start. I'm the fool in the white shirt and Lime green CamelBak

BEAST Lap 1
This first lap had many high and low points. The thought of dropping out after one lap was looming over my head as I coughed  up mucous and cursed myself for even starting. I noticed a very large, and very clean (lack of mud and water on clothing) crowd running downhill seemingly very lost somewhere around the middle of lap one (7mi.). Later we would find out that a wrong turn was made and blame is now cast in many different directions from a few of those in that group. The morning was extremely foggy making it easy to miss a course marker. Some of these racers were able to work through the SNAFU and eventually finish the race, while others came back for another shot the next day. I was pretty satisfied with my first lap time, I managed to get only 60 total punishment burpees (failure to complete and obstacle) which is just 2 of the obstacles (Tyrolean Traverse and Spear throw). I normally rush through obstacles and get punished for failure, however during the ultra I knew I would be on the course for well over 10 hours so I took each obstacle slowly and carefully (a technique I will be using from this point forward). I can't remember the split times but my first lap was at or around 4hr30min which would have been a pretty competitive time in the open/elite regular Beast (single lap). Although I was very conservative on the first lap I knew I wouldn't match it on the second.
PIT STOP
Knowing my first split was pretty decent was all I needed to get pumped up to get back on the mountain for round two. I had seen that there were still a lot of people out on the course who hadn't reached the drop bag area yet, so I tried to be quick. I replaced my calf sleeves with longer (and dryer) compression socks re-stocked the camelbak with a little more than what I had consumed on the first lap (1 gallon of electrolyte enhanced water, 2 gu's, 4 packs of clif blocks, 1 clif bar). I tried to force two or three pretzel rods down but nausea took over so off i went. I spent about 20-25 minutes in the drop zone forcing nutrition on myself and decided that an upbeat facebook status would really help the morale.
"LAP TWO...F******G BRING IT." 1:10pm Facebook status
LAP 2 ULTRA BEAST
Jumping back on the course felt good, especially in dry socks. I spent a long time not seeing any more green armbands (designator for ultra beast participants) and worked through the first few miles alone periodically chatting it up with some Beast runners from later heats who tapped my mind for information. I was asked some of the following questions:
-"How F***ing long is this hill?"
-"Am I almost done?"
-"Is there more barbed wire?"
-"Twice!? are you nuts!?"
-"is there more water?"
It was around mile 4 of lap two when I happened upon Todd Gothberg, who seemed to be the only person willing to entertain a conversation for the next ten miles. Todd and I helped each other out from that point until the finish line. We talked about family, fundraising our amateur athletic careers etc. Later on I would find out Todd had completed 39 marathons, and was a quadruple Ironman, which puts my mediocre resume' to shame. It was when I found out his career revolved mostly around motivational speaking that I decided "I need to stick with this dude." Motivation would really come in handy around nightfall when my left leg would no longer bend without excruciating pain. Todd lost his headlamp at some point, so with my illumination and his motivation we set out to become Ultra Beast finishers. The last 2 miles or so was a dangerous muddy and rocky descent. Lucky for me I treated it like a water slide and babied my left knee the whole way by essentially crab walking to the final flat section of the course. With the finish line in sight we each failed our spear throw (I am yet to stick a spear since Amesbury 2011). The last 30 burpees were the easiest of all and we finished the race in 11 hours and 36 minutes. While I didn't win a dime or a season pass, I felt like I had conquered the course. The Michael Phelps(esque) dual medals (standard Spartan medal for the Beast and a giant glow in the dark Ultra Beast medal) was enough prize for me.
"Dear Killington,
I WIN. That is all"  Facebook status at 9:03 pm
What's next?
The race for which I started this blog is now over. I finished. I hope next year those who were removed from the course for not meeting time/gear requirements or dropped out for whatever reason (there are MANY good reasons for dropping out of a 10+hour race) get a shot at redemption. I would like to thank the EMT that allowed me to continue after noticing that I was "swaying" around mile 8 of the first lap, I appreciated your concern and judgement after I tried to joke "I always walk like that". Thanks to:
Mom and Dad-for taking my hypothermic, sick and muddy ass into your home Saturday night.
Alisha and Ms. Jeanne-for standing in the rain to watch me finish(if i did finish) and coordinating my ride home.
Todd Gothberg-who kept me talking and drinking/eating.
All the volunteers-I hope you enjoyed the race and got a chance to run the course.
Chris Davis-Congrats YOU DID IT!
The Facebook group "Spartan VT Ultra Beast"- You guys really helped each other prepare.
USCG STA. Merrimack- for fillin in while I'm on leave. Listening to me babble about this had to be annoying...it doesn't end here...sorry.
BEYOND...
I guess beyond begins now, I'm taking a few days off but I will be back on the trails soon, There are a few other races coming up I will likely write about (Bobby Bell Road race and Bay State Marathon). Please keep an eye out for my fundraising page link to show up on my blog. Until next time...

Burpees in the Rain

380 started 150 finished

Headed To VT!

Today I'm squeezing a quick post in during a duty night. I have less than 48 hours until I take to Killington for the Ultra Beast. It's been a while since my last entry (over 20 days), and I figured I would share a few of the many thoughts running through my head. Preparation is over. There is nothing I can do physically to improve performance for Saturday except eat/drink intelligently. My final two "long" workouts included hiking "Lions Head" to the summit of Mount Washington and descending with a modest sized pack (Sept. 9th) and a seemingly short 12 mile trail run. It's nice that a 12 miler in the woods feels short and doesn't leave me sore and tired. I dropped the 20 mile trail runs the week before Mt. Washington with the intention of tapering off mileage. I won't really know if I had trained properly until Saturday night but I'm trusting in my training for a couple of reasons. First, and most obvious reason, I don't have a choice but to trust it. Secondly I feel like I put forth a solid amount of effort and utilized my time to balance a Hal Higdon marathon workout schedule and strength training (clearly a weakness of mine at a whopping 144lbs). I doubt many people have this type of racing (at this distance) down to the same science Hal Higdon has for the marathon. I see no reason to worry that I am not prepared or have not put in enough effort.

The Unknown
Spartan HQ has made sure that we have stayed in the dark on MANY things including course distances and obstacle specifics. The punishment for failure at any obstacle is 30 full burpees. The assumption is there will be 50+ obstacles therefore the potential for a lot of time/energy robbing burpees. Mandatory gear has been made pretty clear since the race is unsupported (See my previous post to see my self aid station inventory.) One thing that I do know is that I have a very easily to identify bin, thanks to my inner dweeb.

Custom.

The Race Plan

My plan is pretty simple. Finish. I would really like to finish before 7:00pm which may sound like it will be easy, however that leaves 11 hours to cover a lot of ground. I averaged 16:XX minute miles for the SPRINT (3 mile) distance. Killington is steeper, longer and may have MUCH more challenging obstacles so a 20min. mile would be terrific in my opinion for this race. As an avid long distance runner I throw around terms like "negative split"...this time I would be silly to even think about that given the variables and the fact that a single Beast can gas out some of the best athletes. The first lap I will be carrying 100oz. of NUUN enhanced water (NUUN is flavor tab added to water that has electrolytes and caffeine), 8 servings of Clif shot blocks (clean carb source that taste like gummy bears) 2 servings of GU, and one clif bar. I know I will be forcing a lot of this stuff down but to sustain a potential 12 hour race it needs to happen.  Depending on how I feel at the drop station (halfway) I will repack as i feel is necessary.

 

Concerns

I expected myself to be much more nervous for this event. I was even nervous when my application came back "accepted". As I have grown to know my competitors (comrades would be more fitting with this outstanding group of individuals) my tension has eased. Sharing gear and training advice will prove very valuable. I also feel a little less stressed because I have no similar experience to compare this to. I run local 5ks with a lot of anxiety because I want that "PR" but with the Ultra Beast there is nothing to compare this event to. I will DEFINITELY "PR" for a marathon distance obstacle race. All I have to do is finish. While finishing is a major accomplishment, it doesn't seem super daunting since I have nearly ALL DAY to do it.

 

DNF

These are three very scary letters for anyone who has worked hard for something. My thoughts:
DNS<DNF

Did Not Start will always be worse than Did Not Finish! ( I stole this from somebody...sorry)

 

GO TIME

Everybody has a different style of getting them through the low morale points of a race. It changes for me depending on the goal. "I deserve to be here" is what I will be using to kick myself in the ass repeatedly. I know that I will be alongside some of the "greatest athletes in the world" according to Spartan Races Facebook page. This may be extremely discouraging for a mediocre road/trail runner like myself, so telling myself that I have proven enough to Spartan HQ that I deserve to be there should prove effective during the guaranteed lows. I expect to hurt, I expect high and low moments, I expect to finish.

BIB#69972

Standing at the top of a Mountain seemed a good way to close this out!