That's all folks

The Marine Corps Marathon was an amazing event. The course, the sights, the spectators - everything was on such a grand scale. It will be very tough to beat the energy around this event.

So how did I do? Out of the gate, I felt pretty strong. Rob and I got to the first water station and we lost each other. This was probably a blessing for both Rob and I. I felt that I would have anchored him and I didn't want to feel like I had to run faster - at mile 2 I was free as a bird. I felt great, so my taper worked pretty well. At mile 13 I was sure that I has 4:15-4:30 in the bag.

Mile 18 had other ideas. At this point I was already fearing the dreaded wall everyone was talking about. I didn't run into that issue. However, somewhere between 17 and 18 my right foot felt like it was going to tear in half. I had foot issues during the latter half of my training, but this pain was different. The big beefy tendon on the inner part of my foot had stabbing pains. I instantly started to walk. When walking hurt I jogged. The cycle continued until I reached the finish line at 5:31.

Was I upset...for about a second. Then I realized that I did achieve my main goal - finish a marathon. And if I had to run a marathon everyday to see that smile and excitement coming from my mom, then where's tomorrow's race? My support crew was second to none:

Pop: Old faithful. He has been at every event this year. He's been my support crew with no questions asked. He really has learned the ropes along with me this year. He's been a great sounding board when I am over critical of my results. "Chalk it up to learning", he says. And as always, he's right.

He was truly one of the main reasons that made my mile 18 decision to keep moving on without complaining quite simple. Between seeing the soldiers at each station, which should've been motivation enough, I kept on thinking "For Pop". I think I may have said it out loud once...not sure. Probably after the beer station :)

Can you already smell next year, SAG Daddy?

Mom: I believe she thinks I am nutso for all these crazy events I get into and probably questions my sanity on a daily basis. But I think this one was different for her. She absolutely glowed when I saw her at the end. To know my mom, you know she is petite (I think that won't get me in trouble). Her hug at the end felt like a huge wrestling-style bear hug. Maybe she was hugging for more than one?

Aunt Barbara: Two words - Mile 23. Cold, tired and pain-ridden - a spark plug, whirlwind of photographic excitement ran up to me like a Whirling Dervish. I was a little confused at first, but after a second realized it was Aunt Barb. The energy she exuded made me want to vomit at first, but then I kinda latched on to her excitement. I really want to thank her (you) for supporting me. It was really nice to have you at the event, but especially at the finish line.

Zack: You're fired.

Kara: You got Zack's job if you want it!

Rob: Thanks buddy. You're an inspiration to me. Thanks for making sure I followed through on this one. And way to knock out an incredible time!

Miss me?

Sure you did. Sorry for being so damn quiet, but life happened. Unfortunately the bliggity-blog wasn't a part of this so-called life. But now I'm back, but just for some quick bullets:

• Marathon is upon us. 20,000 or so warriors are going to run amock in NoVa this Sunday. I've trained as much as I could and as they say, "the hay is in the barn". Let's just hope it's enough to fuel the 26.2 mile fire.

• The Octoberfest stout is still in the fermenting bucket...hope she doesn't go bad!

• Apparently I don't party like a rock star or a sailor. http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/wayoflife/10/26/mf.drinking.storries/index.html(CNN posts don't get archived, they just go away. So if the link is dead...too bad).

That's all for now. Ta-ta

On tap

On tap, indeed. The Family Chesnik Brewery, located in the glade-laden valley of Walkerville, Maryland, will be hosting the First Annual FCB Oktoberfest. The 'fest will center around the seasons first homebrew, an Irish Stout. A cast of nine wiley characters will be huddled around our vast brewing center (okay, a gas-powered turkey fryer burner and a stainless steel pot) watching the magic that is brewing.

Additionally, the kitchen will be spewing gastronomical delights that have been honed by Mamma C over the years. Of course a smattering of German sausage will be provided, along with Mamma's infamously ridiculous mac&cheese, some 'kraut, and pretzels to nosh.

Not to forget the traditions that encompass a true Octoberfest, beer a' plenty will be provided. As a intermediate beer expert, I'll be offering some delectable brews to quaff which will open up conversations around what beers people enjoy or hate and why?

Oh...I have to run 20 miles too...WEEEEEE! Probably Sunday though.

Where'd ya go?

Busy as a bee, my friends. I've been a writing fool at work so I needed a deserved break from the keyboard. Still running for my life - aka training for the MCM. I can't wait to get this over with. My excitement has come and gone. I have respectfully decided that this marathonin' ain't for me. I need more visual stim than a road run gives. I understand that some peopel derive great pleasure from the miles they tally on the road, but this old dog needs trees and grass and mud...or it just feels like work.

My mindset may change on game day with the excitement of the crowd, but the training is painful. My feet hurt too.

My bikes miss me. Don't tell them, but I bought them a present. an internal bike mount for my Element.

And ladies...this is a pretty good depiction of hierarchal roles in my house.

In my element

It's with heavy heart that I write you today. My red chariot of fire is resting comfortably in her parking space, but is on her way out to pasture. Off into the great 4x4 sunset she'll be heading. After multiple mechanical issues, it was time to let my Cherokee princess go. If she could talk, I would be in a lot of trouble. We shared many miles and good times together, over road and rock we went. She was a solid friend who never gave me a hard time until she just couldn't go any further.

I'm sure she will find a good home for her last remaining miles and I hope she enjoys them. Goodbye my sweetest friend.

As my Jeep passes, a Honda rises from the ashes. I'm a proud new owner of a Honda Element. She is like a Swiss Army knife of vehicles. It's like she was built for me. No carpets, simple design, decent mileage, folding/removable rear passenger seats. It's like a tent on wheels!!!!

I haven't bonded with her yet. We're still in the butt sniffin' stage, but I have a good feeling we are gonna be friends. Pics are coming forthwith.

ARE YA READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL???

Blog neglect (aka FU Brad)

So I get a rash of new visitors and then I opt not to write for...oh...forever. Sorry loyalists.

My life is still rather interesting. I keep getting tossed curveballs and with the help of a good team, I keep knocking 'em outta the park. My MVP to-date has to be my pops. From picking me up when my trusty steed broke down...dammit....I guess I mean steeds...plural. The C&O bike breakdown and my Jeep breakdown. As always, there for me during my darkest hours (literally and figuratively). Always my number one fan. Thanks Big Daddy!

What else? Let's see:

Running: Top of my foot hurt, so I took a 3 day break. Longest hiatus I can remember. It mentally is damning. I run 8 tonight...weeeee!!!

Biking: Not much. Hitting the trails with Hop-a-dopalous tomorrow. Getting my brand new GF 29er frame soon. The good doc (The Bike Doctor, that is) already has her built up and ready to riz-ock!

Brewing: Commences one of the first weekends in October. I'm thinking stout.

Vehicular: Brand new car, baby! Brand new bill, baby! '07 Honda Element. I have a trunk I can put my bike in...Awwww yeah! Buying vehicles based on bikes. I'm crazy. And...

I'm out!

Head Meet Ass

Seeing as I can't tell the difference between the two right now, I might as well introduce them so they can talk amongst themselves as I listlessly plug away at my heinous work and training schedule. The past week has consisted of:

Work: 8-6
Home by: 6:30
Run: 7-8/9
Work: 9:30-whenever

I would like to take this time to thank Starbuck's, Mountain Dew and Polly-O String Cheese. If not for you, I would be incapicitated (okay...more incapacitated) at this time. I may follow the path of the Z-man and find the perfect food. Main traits being: quick, portable, some nutritional relevance...in that order (Nutri System-esque). POS cheese covers the first two basis...but severely neglects the last crucial trait.

Oh well...back to work!

Taint that ashame

The skinny on the C&O Canal bike trip.

• We set off on Saturday morning around 8am.


• We stopped every 10-20 miles for breaks. Skinny seats make for long days


• Major breaks for food in Hancock and Williamsburg. 60 miles makes two grown men make Big Daddy pizzas look like little snacks.


• The scenery is amazing. Some sections of the Potomac are second to none by way of beauty.


• I had mechanical issues (two flats and a broken tensioner), which made us cut our trip short


• We traveled 107 miles by bike and approximately 6 miles by foot.


• Zack destroyed his one day personal best distance of 40 miles


• A century ride in one day ain't bad, especially on a dirt trail.


• We have decided that we must conquer this beast.


• If you ride this type of distance, go with a good friend. This makes catastrophic events - like bikes breaking down - easier to swallow.


• If you want to understand the in's and out's of GPS, ride with a guy who worked for NASA.


• The old man wasn't right about the mud...he was indirectly right about the issues of trail riding with a road beast created into trail monster.


• If you have to break down, make sure you have the best SAG daddy in the biz.

Larger report later.

AY OH

Hump Day

Hump of the work week, and hump the middle distance run of 8-9 miles @ steady pace. The weather seems to be relatively nice, but the last time I was outside was 8 am...boo desk job!

Last night I did hill intervals which isn't easy in Owings Mills, meaning hills are few and far between unless you don't mind playing chicken with maniacal truck drivers, too fast/too furious spoiled teenagers in their souped up rocket cars and the occassional piece of farm equipment that takes up both lanes and the shoulder you're on.

{and breathe}

So I found the longest hill in my neighborhood and made it the central piece to my 5.5 mile clover leaf-patterned run. Basically up tempo on the hills and recovery in the flats. Had the old HR up to 188 at one point. I hope I'm doing this training right.

In other news...I've got nothin'.

Woot!

Hello RideCam'rs. Another weekend down, but what a fun weekend it was.

Friday was my day off from running, so Hop and I were going to bike bar hop through Fell's Point, Fed Hill and other B-more brew spots. I had intended to pick up the last critical tool needed to finalize my new bike build, an 18 mm cone wrench, but alas every bike shop I went to had every size except. This effort goes against my highly ingrained ABP-mentality (Always Be Prepared).

We opted out of the ride based on these signs (last time I said we shouldn't ride based on tire issues, I ended up endo'ing off a wire mesh bridge and collecting scar tissue tattoos on the insides of my knees. So a barhoppin' we went.

Saturday, I headed up to the 'Ville to get my LSD run out of the way. I started my HR training, running at 150-160 BPMs. I was conversational the whole way (I ran by myself) and averaged a little over 11 minutes per mile. I'm happy with that for now.

Afterwards, I got prepared for Jeff Hoke's nuptials at the Links of Gettysburg. It was like a mini high school reunion with a majority of friends in attendance along with their parents. Nothing could have been prettier than the weather, except for the bride, Fanny, who was absolutely glowing. After a lot of catching up, some great food and some wobbly pops, Z-man and I headed back to downtown Frederick for a couple more brews and second dinner - then we called it a night.

Sunday, I woke up around 9:30 and hit the road for a quick 3-mile recovery run. Noshed on some of the world's best pancakes and fruit whipped up by me Ma and then hit the road to pick up my pup.

Back to the real world again, which I should actually get back to...

MCM training schedule and HR Zone Training

I need to post this here, so everyone (at least everyone that reads RideCam) will know my mission and the training it will take to succeed. The following may bore you, but it's more for my needs...and as everyone knows, it's all about me.

Sunday: Recovey run (3 or so miles slow)
Monday: weights or bike
Tuesday: 5-6 miles (hills)
Wednesday: 8-9 miles (steady pace)
Thursday: 4-5 miles (steady pace)
Friday: Rest

LSD Runs (them long Saturday distances...woot!):

- 18-Aug: 10
- 25-Aug: 14
- 1-Sep: 12
- 8-Sep: 16
- 15-Sep: 10
- 22-Sep: 18
- 29-Sep: 13
- 6-Oct: 10
- 13-Oct: 20
- 20-Oct: 11
- 28-Oct: Marathon

I know the last bullet on my LSD list will be here before I know it.The heat has been a killer.

Yesterday, I just called it a day, because it stayed in the 100's until 8pm. Yuck! Today I'm going to muster the 4-5 miles, required per Newb's regimen, with great caution. It's supposed to be another blazing day under the sun.

HR ZONE TRAINING

I think I'm also going to try and weave HR zones into my training. Ultimately it makes sense. No more running quantity, but running quality. I assume improvements will be easier to monitor through HR levels...not just time. I also assume that while HR zone training will benefit the marathon training, it will vastly improve my adventure race training. We'll see...sometimes I drink the Kool-Aid too soon. Here's the idea:

First, you will need to know your resting heart rate. Over the next 3 days record your heart rate first thing in the morning, before you get out of bed. Take an average of those three days. Let's say day one is 48, day two is 50, and day three is 47. Your resting heart rate would be 48.

Next, we will determine your age-adjusted maximum heart rate. Take your age and subtract it from 220. So for a 32 year old the maximum heart rate would be, 188 (220-32=188). Then we need to figure out your heart rate reserve.

Take the 188 (maximum heart rate) and subtract your resting heart rate. (188-48=140). 140 is your heart rate reserve. Now we are ready to put your training zones together.

Example: ZONE 1

• Multiply your heart rate reserve by 40%. (140 x 40%= 56)


• Add resting heart rate back in. (56+48=104)


• This is the low end of heart rate zone 1.


• Multiply your heart rate reserve by 45%. (140 x 45%= 63)


• Add resting heart rate back in. (63+48=111)


• This is the high end of heart rate zone 1.

So heart rate Zone 1 = 104-111.

Use the following percentages to determine all 6 heart rate zones. Zone 2 = 50-55%, Zone 3 = 60=65%, Zone 4 = 70-75%, Zone 5 = 80-85%, Zone 6 = 90-95%.

As an endurance athlete you should spend most of your time training in heart rate zones 3-4. You must push your body into heart rate zones 5-6 for several short intervals or fartleks throughout the week. This will help you to recover quicker during the race when you need to push hard for an uphill section. Do all your recovery days in heart rate zone 1-2.

The method used above is a best guess method and will provide you with a staring point. If you want to really dial in your training zones you need to seek professional help. Your target heart rate training zones are the keys to a success racing and training season.- consult your doctor or trainer before beginning any exercise regiment.

Tomorrow, Hoppe has created a B-more City Spin that will connect a couple cool routes along the Harbor and some watering holes. Should be interesting...sweaty, but interesting.

Hey now

Sorry for the lapse in timely posting. I've been pretty busy with work and have been ramping up my marathon training - both have left me too pooped to even think about writing at night. The last week consisted of approximately 30 running miles and 30 bike miles - I fear the worst for this marathon as I don't think I am training right. I had forescasted a 4:00 marathon, which may be a little aggressive (and by a "little", I mean a lot)!

On the otherhand of my physical feats, my riding has taken on a whole new level of hammer-festing. I'm not sure what has gotten into me, but my normal trails are becoming very second nature and very easy to ride - on a singlespeed even! So, that's fun.

August 17th will be the kick-off for Zack and my attack on the C&O Canal. We will attempt to cover 184.7 miles from Cumberland to Georgtown. Zack on his trusty Trek and me on a handcrafted singlespeed grocery monster! Should be good to hit the trail with the Z-man!

This weekend I hit the Hoke nuptials. He and Fanny are getting their hitch on at the Links of Gettysburg. I better get out the good 'links! Hoping Fanny has a lot of hot, single, female doctors and/or nurses...I don't judge (hot, single and female - basic criteria).

Done writing. More proposal writing :(

Recap

Just a little recap from the weekend.

Thursday. Hit a Patapsco ride with Elton, Boring and crew (the Under Armor Triath crew). I haven't ridden out there for a while and it was a treat. I was riding on the single speed and had some reservations as to how I'd fair with these guys, who were riding geared lightweights.

Surprisingly enough I hung tough the whole ride. I was pretty self-impressed with some of the climbs I was managing. After 10 miles, a couple riders headed back to the park and ride, while Brian, Chris and I hit the ridge line for some more fun miles.

Friday. I went to a work friends open house. she's selling her house in B-more and she wanted to show it to friends - part pride, part "tell your friends". Afterwards we headed down to Fell's to see the Loose Caboose. Another fun show.

Saturday. Back to A-town to hang with the NoVa crew less Z-man. The players ended up being Newb, Wil, Eck, Kara and myself. We went to see the White Stripes at the Patriot Center. The show was ridiculously good. Two person band...I can't describe how good the show was...go see them yourself.

Afterwards we hit Dremos and then Wilson's Rooftop. Good times were had by all...I think.

It was good to hit my parent's place on Sunday for some good home cookin' and the unconditional love of my pup.

Ahh...such a loveable little killah!

This just in - Palooza pics (Thanks Kara!)

Presenting

PALOOZA AFTER DARK

Keith, Jimmy Freebird, Newbias, Hedges, Wil, Burl, your's truly

It's dark outside, cups in hand - you do the math. I think we're leaning on each other out of support (more structural than moral).

Me and Z

It's official. I can't take a serious picture. I'm attempting "Magnum" with not a lot of success. I just look like Zack's drunk buddy, which I am pulling off with a great deal of success

Coming soon...the PPEC (Palooza Pretzel Eating Championship) pics.

I'm racing in the Tour next year

I figure if I can just make the time cut-off for each stage, I'll have a fighting chance at a podium spot.

Seriously, the doping, lying and various other advantage-gaining tactics, have gotten way out of control. Whatever happened to long training days in the saddle, watching the diet, studying competitor tactics, etc? When your acumen and god-given talents were your edge. And if you didn't have those, well, you raced amatuer or were a hard-nosed domestique.

I don't like making blanket statements. There are way more honest riders than cheats and frauds, but I am getting very disgusted at these doping scandals. Once you get into the top echelon of pro cyclists, I would assume the edge over your true peers is harder to find. Throw large amounts of cash in the mix through sponsorship deals and bonus money, and now you have created your powder keg for cheating.

It happens in all sports - even chess (seriously - thanks Brad). I would love to have heroes again that I can honestly look up to and I would love to think that Lance, Floyd and Tyler are innocent. Nothing is sacred.

I am too mad to write more eloquently!

Oh, screw you, Chicken!

Proof of Purchase...very painful purchase

Big shocker that there is only one photo from my day of destruction (aka, the Xterra Du). Oy vay. Not looking happy at all. Note the horrible seat positioning...

yes, my right leg is at full-extension. It hurts just thinking about it.

Screw you, Vino!

That's it.

Confused? Read this.

Been a long time....

Haven't posted for a while. My athletic prowess has been lacking, although I have been running and riding...just not in the systematic way that I have been. I'm re-re-launching my marathon training next week. My ankle is starting to feel better, but I want to make sure that I'm not grinding it out prematurely.

Last week, I was able to get in two real solid mountain bike rides. Some very good mileage at Loch Seminary. Hoppe reacquainted me with the other trails on the eastern side of providence. Some awesome downhills and a gnarly uphill. Throw in some road climbs and you have a fun little addition. I have been enjoying the hell out of my single speed. It's a nice release from the mind-twisting worries of derailleurs and suspension.

I have been running as well, but nothing over 5 miles. I feel good, but I don't want to push the ankle.

This past weekend, was a athletics-free weekend. Grandmapalooza was on my plate, which started Friday. Friday afternoon we headed to Urbana to the Edmarve Farm for a weekend of debauchery. Wilson and I picked up some beers and found our way to a little piece of heaven on Prices Distillery Rd.

The Friday poker tourney was going to be underway at 6:30, so I had to get the tent up tout suite. And by tent, I mean carnival, big top proportions. I enlisted the help of Zack, Wilson, Harne and Fair to get the monster up. After some engineering, the bad boy was up - about 45 minutes later. Luckily, Little Harry wakes up doing shit or we might have been out of luck.

The tent became the transient home to many, but the permanent residence to Wilson, Z-man and myself. Barker became a Saturday crasher. Tent City has a number of other inhabitants who took residence outside the safety of the monster. The hope is that Tent City increases in numbers next year.

It was great seeing everyone there. In addition to the beer bus, the huge "Pimp My Smoker" with whole hog a cookin' and the new gaming rage, Cornhole - we were audibly delighted by the sounds of Bluegrass Blend.

Guesstimates are hovering at around 300 attendees. I can't wait for next year.

Rest for the wicked....

Wicked exhausted that is...nyuck, nyuck, nyuck! After a nearly debilitating weekend, a "shake the pain" run on Monday, and a chill ride (aka blazing fast ride) at Loch last night...this kid is gonna chill for a night or two. Maybe get a nice six-pack, grill some meat, chill on the patio with the neighbors, hang with the dog.....or go on a five-mile run.

We'll see.

In any light, I'll be watching the tour replay tonight. So maybe a nice French red and a baguette are in order.

So about last night's ride. I get to the Seminary parking lot and casually get ready for the ride while waiting for Hop's arrival. All decked out, tuned-up the single dinga, and prepped myself for the self-proclaimed easy ride that awaited me. I had forewarned Hoppe that in no way was I going to turn myself inside out.

Well, the ride kicked off and the easy pace was set. and then two miles in...off to the races!!!! Miraculously I felt great. We hit some trails that I haven't ridden in a LONG time, on the backside of the reservior near the dam. Hoppe put on a clinic and then I thought it was wise that I too put on a clinic...

It ended up being one of our fastest rides of the year. Both on singles. I've never been as strong on the Rig as I was yesterday. At the end of the ride, I was tapped out of water and I wanted to sleep on the church lawn.

HEY PRO CYCLISTS...STOP EFFING DOPING!!!!!!

It's not often a person applauds a whole country...but YAY Germany:

"We just received the news that the German public channels ARD and ZDF have indeed decided to pull the plug until the doping case of Sinkewitz is further investigated. The channels have said they hope that their action will send a strong signal to all of those involved in cycling."

Although I would be one PO'd TdF watcher...Versus better not follow suit.

Tour DAY France

The updated GC results from the "2nd annual Brad & Cam Waste Time at Work Talking About the Tour de France Poll" are in:

snydeheimer

1. valverde (2nd) = 2
2. vino (21st) = 34.2
3. evans (4th) = 1.6
4. leip (9th) = 7
5. mench (18th) = 15.6

Overall GC points: 60.4

chezcapie

1. vino = 40
2. valverde = 0
3. menchov = 24
4. kloden (8th) = 5.6
5. hincapie (39th (capped at 25 spots)) = 30

Overall GC points: 99.6

RideCam needs to have some of Crankenstein's GC riders "tested", if he has a chance of winning the GC at all this year.

Cameron Chesnik, DNF

I didn't get accredited through any professional society or go through years of school to get initials tacked on to the end of my name. Nope, all I had to do was personally blow up on the Rocky Gap Duathlon course...

The weekend started off perfectly. Slept in on Saturday, rolled to Frederick to coordinate plans with my parents, got to Rocky Gap in record time, pre-rode the 7 mile bike lap, showered, napped, dinner, nap, snack, sleep.

At 6 am on Sunday, I woke up with nary a problem, showered and hit the transition area, which was basically right outside my window. Is this perfect or what?

I ran into some old friends and prepped my personal TA space. I stretched, fueled up and was ready to roll out. I prepped pretty well for this race between adventure racing, mountain bike racing and marathon training...I thought the moons would align for this event.

The gun went off and the Duathletes hit the first 3 mile run course. At mile two, I logged a 7:44 and 7:47 split...and this course was silly hard. And then, "down went Frazier". I clipped a root and hit the terra firma with extreme prejudice. I popped up with scrapes and bruises, which didn't affect me...but my heart rate was spiked to an astronomical number. At this point I tried to regain composure, but I just couldn't find that groove. I fell twice more and tweaked my already hurting ankle. I hobbled home to the TA with a 33 minute three mile...horrible. 17 plus minutes to regroup/hobble/walk/run back to the TA...blah...makes me sick to my stomach. Bye career day.

My mentality shifted from race to enjoy - if that's even a remote possibility. I hopped on my bike (note: seat tube at the top tube was cracked, so I slammed the seat post down to apply more rigidity to the tubing) and it felt refreshing to be on the ol' rig. I caught some of my group and knocked out the first loop with no problems. My calf was cramping a little from the ankle compensation on the run and I felt the initial twinges of an inner thigh cramp due to the low seat post height.

I was really starting to question whether I should continue or not. I gave the pirate throat slash sign to my parents as I entered the TA, thinking about calling it a day. But, the competitor in me wouldn't allow for it. I went out for the second bike lap and I actually caught up to the field I was running with. It felt great knowing I made up this ground, but with about two miles left in the ride, a spectator got in my way on an uphill section and I had to hop of the bike. CRAMP, CRAMP, CRAMP. After yelling explicatives at this person with a crowd of youngsters around (I never signed up to be the poster child), I hobbled a couple hundred feet to the aid station. I tried to stretch it out and even hopped back onto the bike, but my day was done. I pulled the cord and recorded my first DNF.

It is haunting me today. I don't quit. But I've never been in more pain. I wanted to reach the finish line for my mom. She came to watch my first real event and I wanted to give her something special, but those damn "moons" didn't align the way I thought they would.

Well mom, pop and RideCam readers - you better make reservations for next year, I'm gonna put on a show. Time to avenge my DNF.

I was run-nang

So I went to Soldiers Delight to determine my pace for the Du this weekend. I intentionally started out quick with a 7:15 mile, and then scaled it down a notch to 7:30. WOW...I felt great...BAM!!! Ouch, ouch, ouch...I was hobbling around trying to regain my balance and to the floor I went. I picked myself up, dusted myself off and yelled at myself. I tweaked my ankle mildly, so I walked back to my truck (only a mile).

I took off my shoe to access the damage. Tender, but not a lot of swelling and no bruising. Good signs. I followed the RICE/MICE rule (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation, Movement) in an attempt to avoid a tragedy in the morning.

So I woke up and I was able to hop, skip and jump (that's your visual) with only a little pain. At present, still no bruising, but it is tender and slightly swollen (probably because I can't elevate). So it looks like the lead up to the race will be exercise free...

I also found out that the last leg of the duathlon is 5 miles, not 2 miles. So the race looks like this:

3 run (while the tri's are swimming .75 miles)
14 bike (two 7 mile laps...10.5 on semi-tech trail, 3 on road!)
5 run

I've never been in a race with a speed-oriented transition. I mean, I've been in a hanful of adventure races, but I didn't feel the pressure to GO, GO, GO! It should be interesting to see how the mental piece of the TA plays a hand in the big picture of the race. I tend to be a lemming at races, I follow the pace of the pack, so if there is an aggressive start...I go out gang busters. So my promise to myself is to go out at my own pace during the run, then take advantage of the bike section, and cross my fingers during the last run section.

This is yet another adventure where the waters are largely unchartered for me. I assume I will learn a lot the hard way, but I have been going through this race a lot in my hea, visualizing tempo, fueling, etc. I just can't wait until my plan poops on me!!!! That's the fun, right???

Tour de France Picks - 2007 edition

TdF NEWS: Stage 1 had one of the most notable finishes I've seen to date. After dealing with a minor melee and accident, Robbie McEwen managed to find his way back to the peleton, pass 150 riders, and take the stage by coming out of nowhere with a huge sprint. Kudos ROBBIE!

The second annual RideCam/Crankenstein TdF Picks

Bradley is looking to avenge his loss from last year, Cam is looking to regain the title after wavering from this year's Giro loss.

Official posting per Crankenstein:

sold my left testicle for 15 min of internet time on the ship. here are my tdf picks:

gc:

1.valverde
2.vino
3.evans
4.leipheimer
5.menchov

kom:moreau/rasmussen
white:dekker/contador
green:mcewen/boonen

prologue:millar/cancellara
tt1:zabriskie/hincapie
tt2:kloden/wiggins


RideCam's late entry:

Ahh...I forgot to post before the prologue, so by default you win the opener. I did make my picks pre-prologue though. They are as follows:

gc

1. vino
2. valverde
3. menchov
4. kloden
5. hincapie

kom: rasmussen/moreau
youth: contador/dekker
green: boonen/mcewen

prologue: lost
tt1: wiggins/zabriskie
tt2: millar/cancellara

Hot Hot Heat

I should've read the weather report for the week and altered my training schedule a bit. Alas, I did not have that foresight. Friday I took the standard day of rest...but not for the ol' party muscle. I hung out with a work mate and friends which was a good time, but it made Saturday a kick in the chunk. My scheduled long run was held until the sweltering afternoon, after the Tour de France prologue TT.

I geared up for a nine mile run. Holy crow, it was a steamy muv! On top of the heat, I also tinkered with a new running path which had me scaling long climbs. Heat + Climbing = Grown men crying. Add to this equation that I didn't take water/fuel and now I have BONK. I haven't bonked in quite a long time (okay, since the Savage). I am an idiot for trying a stunt like that, but another "lesson learned". I ended up run/walking 7 miles.

I'm off on a 20 mile bike ride. Again, it is steamy, but I am taking water, food, endurolytes, etc. I should be good to go. Just a nice little EASY ride.

Work can just kill a man...or a blog writer...or

Whateva!

Long time, no blog. Busy livin' the dream, if that dream consists of over working and stressing over poor training schedules. Actually, it's not all that bad. Work has been pretty intense with all the merger concerns and retaining the biz...but with all my excellent strategery...shouldn't be a problem.

I have revamped and re-committed to a new training plan for the Marine Corps Marathon. it consists of 18 weeks of training with decent mileage, not the crazy "run 2 miles then 14 miles..in week 2"! Oh, and the plan emphasized that walking is okay.

WTF? I haven't signed up for a long walk. I signed up for a marathon. And if memory serves correctly, Pheidippides didn't walk from Marathon to Athens to proclaim that the Greeks beat the Persians ... nope ... he ran. All 26.2 miles. Although he did die from exhaustion at the end.

Hmmm...A fine predicament.

Basically I'll be running 4 times a week with cross training and rest sprinkled in, which helps with my other pursuits...like drinking beer and eating fatty foods...oh and stuff like ARs and Duath's that I've signed up for.

My new itch....kayaking. Need to get more proficient in the way of the paddle if I want to have better showings at these fickle 24 hour adventure races. Next year, we are looking at tackling the 2 day E-Fix...yaaay-yah!

On tabs for my currently event-free August, a 184.7 mile C&O Canal bike trip w/ my usual suspect, Zack. He should be all healed up from his Mt. Blanc excursion.

Holy heat wave, Batman!

Worked from home yesterday, so I did my usual lunch time run. I planned a fiver and got in a struggling three. It felt like I was running through melted butter. And while this does rank in the top 10 dreams I've had over my lifetime, this experience truly sucked!

The first mile was fine, the first half of the second mile was okay, but the last half felt like someone tied a rope around my lungs and pulled...tightly. That was my cue to take a break. So I hopped under one of the pavilions and cranked out some ab work and push ups. Feeling like I had some life in me again, I went out for mile three. Blammo....Cameron meet Wall, Wall - Cameron. Eff that...I was done.

I got home and hopped on the 'net to check out accuweather.com...the index was up to 104 degrees...code red. Bad Cameron...Bad!

Same temps are expected today, so I am planning some weight work...that works for me!

In other news, mingle2 ranked my blog a rated G. Here's hoping Disney wants to buy my site!



Well isn't that some shit! Time to post some full frontal nudity.

Stay sexy Ridecam'rs!

Weak-end

Friday: Opted out of normal casual run, instead I went to see the AST Dew Tour Dirt Jump finals. I saw the worst accident that I've ever seen. A dirt jumper was attempting a double back flip and on his second rotation and at full height (30-40 feet), he launched off his bike in a pike position and landed on his head/back. He was escorted out on ambulance. Word on the web is that he broke three vertabrae and is in critical, but stable condition. Pray for him...

Then we (Hoppe, Keith, Toby and I) continued the debauchery in Fed Hill.

Saturday: Sleep, house work, quick two-miler, hit A-town to hang with the OV's (Original 'Villians - Newb, Zack, Wil), normal first dinner, beers, second dinner.

Sunday: Sleep, ran 8 miles at Gambrill. Wow, that is a difficult trail run. I need to get smaller shoes...pronto.

I will be posting a more formal recap of my runs/rides with info downloaded from my Garmin,

Late night runner

...so after the melee which was my day, I got a run in at 10:30. I ran for over an hour. My Garmin crapped out after 35 minutes (stupid battery...batteries and I are not on speaking terms). So I assume I ran for approximately an 1:15ish. It was a light run around the 'hood, meaning I could have a conversation (with myself). It was a nice evening and the random shuffle on my iPod kept me entertained - a sample snippet included "Bullet in the Head" by RatM, "Little Drummer Boy" unknown artist, "Tiny Bubbles" Don Ho and on...it was a very interesting mix.

Whipped up some eggs and toast and went to bed. Weeeee!

Rolling single...again

I guess on multiple levels...relationship, ridership and gearship. No women, no riding buddy and no gears. I hit up McKeldin on my singlespeed for a nice, punishing uphill ride. I cleaned a lot of sections that I haven't been able to before, but there appear to be more washed out sections in the park. These off camber sections were next to impossible to ride through...I cleaned some, but most of them I just ran out of juice.

I rode about 8 miles, but I forgot my Garmin in the car so I can't give you accurate mileage or any of the other fun stuff that is provided through the 305. The more I read about the more I learn and like about the various features. One is a training function where you can plot your favorite course (mountain bike trails or runs) and you can pit yourself against your previous results. You can make it more interesting by plotting points throughout the course and get more accurate split results, where improvements were made, etc.

Tonight I think I run for 50 minutes. That's all for now!

Two posts, one day?

Must've been a full moon. The list of participants for the Xterra Du has gone up by one more, Jimmie Jam is on the roster and ready to roll (and...er...run).

This pretty much sums it up

I found this picture on www.yourmtb.com. It offers a good insight into the feel of a 24 hour mountain bike race. At the risk of sounding cliche, a picture is worth a thousand words.


Trail run. New kicks. I blazed a 25 minute 3-miler on the rough side of Soldier's Delight. The Sundragons were phenomenal. They soaked up all the off camber roots and rocks. I may need to get a size smaller though.

I signed up for the Xterra Duathlon in Rocky Gap on July 15th. The kid needs something to do in July. Although, I believe the first annual 'Palooza Halfy is slated for the very next weekend. Well, I feel obligated to keep race promoters in business and the halfy is just to make me feel better for the gallons of beer I'll be drinking and Scotty dogs i'll be ingesting (okay...inhaling) the next day.

Bye,
Cycle

Ze weekend

I had a nice little weekend planned. Friday, after work, had me prepping my run clothes and then I took a little nap. This turned into the longest nap ever...opening my eyes around 11:30pm. Damn..there went Friday. I scarfed down a granola bar and called it a night.

Saturday morn, I hit the trails in the morning. Unfortunately it wasn't with Hop, his bike was in the shop. I ran Soldier's Delight. Five miler. Used the new Garmin. It's a nice training tool. Afterwards, I headed to Fredrock to spend the weekend with the folks. Did some marathon shopping with my mom and aunt. Afterwards we headed to Brewer's Alley.

Next morn, I woke up at the break of dawn and hit the pavement for a run. It turned out to be a 4.25 miler. I was hoping for 5, but I'm testing the routes in Walkersville. I think I know where I can add mileage and still be safe and have fun on the roads. It was a scorcher, even in the early morning. The heat was already radiating up from the asphalt.

I also found a new nature park, which I've passed a thousand times during my youth but never ventured in. The Fountain Rock Nature Center houses a limestone quarry and kiln plant. It was a pretty interesting self-tour. Who knew this was in my backyard? This was a brief respite from the heat, although I think my curiousity would be a more accurate culprit for the "break".

Picked up some new trail runners, GoLite Sundragons. My old trail runners are on the verge of toastdom. Check out www.golite.com to check them out.

Ended the day with picking up CJ and having a Father's Day feast!

Ridiculous

Three days and counting. I'm running tonight at any cost...I'm thinking trail run. 10 miles. Time to self-punish for my neglectfulness. OK, so being in the woods and running isn't REALLY punishment. I'm thinking I'll hit a five and five, with the "and" being a small rest/refuel.

Tomorrow I will be ridin' dirty with Hop up at Merryman's.

Seriously...I haven't rested for this long...

...in months. Day number 2 down (Tuesday and Wednesday) without a stitch of athleticism. I did strap shoes on my feet for a quick 50 minuter last night, but the skies opened up in a big way. I don't mind running in the rain. In fact, I enjoy it. But this was the kind of rain the moves horizontally and hurts. I ran for about 10 minutes and headed back home.

I did get to go to my favorite store, REI, and pick up a few items. I picked up a Garmin 305 HRM and GPS unit...sweet! Now I can pinpoint where I'm at when my heart explodes...which is nice. I also picked up a Mountain Hardwear rain jacket. Thanks thief for robbing my truck. I got an upgrade! Which I'm sure my premiums will also reflect. I tend to be short-sighted so I'm psyched for now!

Hit up Ocean's 13 last night. Good flick...better than 12 (I think), but 11 still takes the cake. A lot of gags were pulled based on the previous two movies, so if you haven't seen 11 and 12, and plan to see 13, do yourself a favor and watch them both before you go. I had to explain a few things after the fact to my friend and the funny connection was lost on her. And big ups to REI for product placement!

On the wires: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/06/11/arizona.bicyclist.ap/index.html

This makes me feel good about my future and the sport I love. And 2,000 miles in 14-16 days is no joke. In fact, I'm cramping right now just thinking about it. That's around 140 miles a day...oi.

Throwback

This looks enticing. My pup, Cobi, is relaxing like a rock star. She can pretty much sleep on spot. This is one of my favorite snaps of her. She was unfortunately awakened by the owner of the mess bag, he needed it for his morning commute. She went back to sleep promptly. Those were the days.

Rest?

Yeah...so on Tuesday I didn't do anything. It felt nice. Although I did continue the clean up effort that was borne from the barage of Big Bear gear in my living room. While the warmth of a nice wood-burning fire during the chill of Big Bear's night air was devine, the lasting odor of smoke on every stich of clothing and various other fibered materials is devastating to the nostrils in my abode. Step one, air out...step two, wash...step three, usually repeat.

Come to think of it, I don't think I ate anything, but a hunk of cheese last night...hmm. Okay, and mustard. I better watch that. I'm sure I will binge at some point today, against my better sense of judgement.

On tap tonight, the beginning of MCM training. 50 minutes slow pace run. On and on!

Another 24 hours?

Yeah, time to write about a different 24 hour race, but this time it is mountain biking...ALL NIGHT LONG!

Up first though is the conclusion of:

The 24 Hour Wild and Wonderful AR

Mick, Charlie, Zack and Cameron finished the race...the end :) Okay, some details but quickly:

The bike ride was long and hilly. Zack thought he did terribly...Cameron thought he rocked. Yes, he walked his bike up some of God's longest hills...they may have been rideable...we kept moving while others suffered along the roadside like soldiers that needed a morphine drip. Our motto at this point..."Keep moving". It helped in two ways. One, simple, we kept moving forward which kept our spirits up. Two, physically it kept our muscles from resting and assisting in the lactic acid build-up. We were very strong in this leg, which may be against my other teammates thoughts.

After the ride we hit the last long stretch of hiking. I stress hiking, because my feet and legs were not going to run, even if gravity suggested it could done. My mind was focused, my body was battered...mind said "finish", body said "finish soon". Fortunately we got to hike the sketchiest decents and the steepest accents. Woo-hoo. A couple names I don't want to hear for a while: Rocky Trail and Manns Gorge Overlook. With the two foot wide trails with a killer fall to the left during some of the hike (about a 100-200 foot cliff) I was quite pleased to get passed CP 9. Although the view from the overlook was spectacular...it was time to head home. After a 2 mile easy hike, we finally made it back to Camp Washington Carver.

We checked in and they gave us the orienteering map. This leg of the race was optional. The basis of this leg was to orienteer the given coordinates to collect different time bonuses. Each CP had a different time value from 15 minutes to 90 minutes. We plotted the course and finally decided after 15 minutes that the time differential would most likely be a 15-30 minute gain...best case scenario. Our worn and defeated bodies and tired minds hung up the towel. Ronnie Angel, owner of Odyssey, concurred that we probably made the right decision.

BIG BEAR

The team came strong this year. I know some of the guys were upset at their showing but we can't control everything that's thrown our way. EtD deals with what we're given and always has a great time...why? Because, dammit, it's mountain biking...and that's just plain ol' fun. Even the parts that suck, like the unbearable leg cramps, sleeping too long, knee problems, bikes that break in half, saddle sores, and $200 lights that like to burn out prematurely. It's all part of the experience. The good, the bad...we deal, we move forward, we improve ourselves. I feel privileged to have ridden with these fellas for three (Hoppe), four (Toby) and five (Jimmie) years at a Granny Gear event. Each year we came and improved ourselves. I can't wait to see what next year brings. Okay, my body can wait until next year, but I'm excited already! Someone, please take my soap box now.

Here is a RideCam-specific lap report.

Lap 1

I rode the first lap for the team. Starting at noon on Saturday, in the beautiful West Virginian weather, I started the traditional Lemans-style start. It started with every racer (120 teams) at the starting line, running a parade lap (approximately a quarter-mile) and then a parade ride lap (approximately a half-mile). The idea is to space out the riders. Umm, it didn't work. It was a mess the first 3-5 miles before any real riding could be done and I couldn't get warmed up. I was hanging strong and ready to post a 1:20 lap, but I couldn't make my way around slower riders. I'll have to learn to be more aggressive, but truly there were few opportunities to pass. I ended up with a 1:42...which is great.

First lap for team Enter the Draggin' (photo courtesy of Ron Chesnik)

Finishing lap one (photo courtesy of Ron Chesnik)

Lap 2

My second lap started at 6:15pm. I felt strong. I went out quickly and didn't really let up. I did dismount on one hill that I probably should have ridden, but I thought it was the mammoth hill which most walk. Ahh, oh well. I logged a 1:34. My best Big Bear time to date.

After the second lap, sitting at the Etd/R U Kid'N compound (photo courtesy of Ron Chesnik)

Lap 3

My third lap was at 1:00 am. Energized from a nap I was ready to rock and roll. I headed on the trail and was making up some ground by passing some teams in our category. And then it happened...for the third consecutive year...my NiteRider went out around mile 9. Um...damn. It was only an hour in. I should've had at least an hour of burn time left, what the... Well, enough time thinking about what just happened. I strapped on my Petzl and chugged ahead. BLAMMO! Into a rock I went and my tube popped. Great, now a tire repair? I sat on the side of the trail watching people pass asking me if I need help. I asked for their head lamps. Lots of laughs, no head lamps. I got my tire repair and on the bike I went. The Petzl, while great for hiking, stinks for riding in technical terrain. I finally caught up to a rider who had a head lamp as bright as the sun. Seriously, it probably could've lit Camden Yards. I opted to stay put behind her. She wasn't breaking any records, but it was a safe option to get me back home. Once I felt it was safe to ride in by myself, I told her to hit the gas if she had it. I was able to pull off a 2 hour lap, which again, without the issues, probably would've been a 1:30-1:40 lap time. I finished the lap and there was my partner in light, Miriam. She actually thanked me for pushing her. I came to find out that she made a friendly wager with her teammate (also her father) that she would beat his time. She was given a 30 minute buffer, and her time on that lap put her over the top at 1:57. Way to go Miriam!

Lap 4

Last lap. Where's Hoppe? We came to find out that his bike broke in half! He had to walk it back from mile 6. He is the epitome of giving it all...a Herculean effort. I was a little sore at this point and the tension from worrying about Hoppe was set in. Finally Hoppe rode in on a bike that our mechanic rode out to him (Jon, that was the best gesture of the day...hands down...and this is at the center of why I like the mountain biking community). After we exchanged the baton, I grabbed Toby's beer from his hand, chugged it, and hit the trail. I was in two different states at this point. This was going to be the most laps I've ever recorded at Big Bear - and the one state was to put it all on the table. The other state was to enjoy the ride and just finish. I found myself gracefully in between. I managed a 1:54. Under an hour, I'll take it.

Approaching the final bridge on my last lap (photo courtesy of Ron Chesnik)

Some more pics from Poppa C. Results can be found here.

Conclusion of last lap. Jimmie Jam assisting a tire RideCam to the burrito stand...umm, burrito. (photo and burrito courtesy of Ron Chesnik)

The finale. R U Kid'N with Enter the Draggin', lounging with some beers and burritos. 28 laps between the two crews. We're looking to push 30 next year!! (photo courtesy of Big C).

The Kona in all its broken ass glory. I'm thinking this is about to get some press throughout the bike community. I've seen a lot of frames break, but 99% of the time at a weld. At first I thought Hoppe said it snapped at the headset, which made sense. To snap in half like this is probably a once in lifetime sighting(Photo borrowed from Jeff Kerkove's website).

So you're looking for something to read at 2 am on a Saturday night

Head on over to www.grannygear.com and look for the live results link. Search high and low...it's in there somewhere! My guess, if you're reading this right now, is that you are a RideCam faithful or this guy sent ya:

Dutch angles, violently colorful jersey and striking a pose....he's ready for the West Virginny backwoods. Strike up the banjo music and squeal like a pig!!

Train, work, train, work...

...feeble attempt to give the loyal something to read. Here are the Shout-Outs from the Wild and Wonderful 24 Hour Adventure Race from our hardcore followers:

SHOUT OUTS

Nite guys.... wish you all the best. See you in the AM..posted Sun May 27 @ 12:37 AM by Chuck Carson

Keep on rollin'posted Sun May 27 @ 12:37 AM by Nicole

Drive hard til sunrise!! Let it charge your batteries!posted Sat May 26 @ 11:13 PM by Mr. Finky

DON'T SLOW DOWN!! Stay strong!posted Sat May 26 @ 11:11 PM by Mr. Finky

Are you sick of orange dreamsicle yet?posted Sat May 26 @ 9:06 PM by co'

Charlie, I'm doing good. 3 beers down, several more to go!posted Sat May 26 @ 8:42 PM by Greg

I hope you guys are having a blast!posted Sat May 26 @ 7:19 PM by Love, Nicole

I hope you guys are having a blast!posted Sat May 26 @ 7:18 PM by Love, Nicole

it goes quick!posted Sat May 26 @ 6:10 PM by Greg, Lib, Cole and Luca

Hey boys! Hope it's going well. Keep up the good work.posted Sat May 26 @ 2:57 PM by Colleen & the kids

Drink, grease the crease and drink more.posted Sat May 26 @ 2:55 PM by Chuck Carson

Be strong and safe, and have fun.posted Sat May 26 @ 2:53 PM by Ma & Pa Carson

Go get em guys!! We will see ya tommorrow!!posted Sat May 26 @ 11:50 AM by Keith and Becca

Cam - it's in the genes - do it for Ashley and Chadposted Sat May 26 @ 11:34 AM by Big C

Hope the white water rafting is going well! posted Sat May 26 @ 10:20 AM by Nicole

Cam and Zach --Do it for da 'villeposted Sat May 26 @ 8:30 AM by Big C

24 HOURS OF BIG BEAR THIS WEEKEND

Team Enter the Draggin' is at it again in our 1,000th year at racing the wild and wonderful WV terrain. We are anticipating a fast year. Looks like hot weather and hot pants are on tap for the festivities this year. Check www.grannygear.com and look for live coverage of the race. GG does a good job with real time posting. The antithesis to OAR's coverage.

Although we haven't trained as a team as we have in the past, I think our individual training has been stronger than ever. We've tackled an adventure race together and have rode some local trails in B-more together sans Jimmie (he was tackling much tougher terrain in the great West (Maryland)).

EtD pushes out Friday morning for Hazelton, WV to set up camp and get in a training loop in.

Sorry for the delay, but here's some fodder...

...work and weekends have been busy, so I haven't been able to dedicate too much time to the ol' AR report. I'll get back on track, promise! Here's some pics from the race to satisfy your stalking hunger:

CP2 to CP3 - Givin' you the guns, baby!

The final - Someone looks a little sweepy!

PART 3: Trekking CP1 to CP4

Out of the water and just suited up for the long haul. We got our bearings and set off, or better stated, UP. The only way out of a gorge is to walk your way out. From the get go we set our trekking golden rule: Run flats and downhills, hike hills. There's no reason to spike the heart rate at this point. We knew other teams would run and we decided that this was based on one of two things a) they were uber-fit/well-trained for this race or b) they had no idea how long this pig was and the emotions of getting out of the water/transition got the better of them.

I felt really good that Charlie set this precedent because I know I'm not the strongest runner in the group. It was only during this section that I realized that I'm also a slow hiker. I started pacing myself with Z-man who had a strong gait. I pretty much just focused on his movement, which gave me less things to worry about.

It's this mental checklist that I kept tabs on the whole race. The less things on my plate to worry about the better in tune with my body's signals I'd be.

We set a pretty strong pace from the get go. We even decided to shave some more time off by scrambling up a pretty steep hill. What these guys didn't know is that this was one of my fears. I hate heights and this was definitely outside my comfort range. The rest scrambled up with ease. I on the otherhand took more deliberate (slow - if you wanna be an ass) movements to get to the top. As I climbed over the last ledge my bottle of Perpetuem flew out of my pack and down the hill.

Dammit. My nutritional plan has been compromised and we've only been at it for 2 hours. Mick was kind enough to do a search and rescue, but to no avail. I decided that we should cut the loss and move ahead. I did pack enough food to get me through something like this. It just wasn't my plan "A".

We hiked for an hour and a half without much confusion. We did get to a neighborhood and got temporarily misguided, but eventually found our way to the town park which was CP2 (12:40 pm). They gave us 4 questions which had to be answered in the town of Fayettesville. We had an upperhand, in that we spent most of our first night running around town looking for a strobe. So we thought we knew where most of these clues were located.

We ran into town and our first clue was to find the statue and figure out who it was. Mick, landed that response and while he was doing that we were waiting for him at an intersection. We sat there looking around the square and noticed an older gentleman and asked if he could help us with some of the questions. As it was, he helped us answer the remaining questions. If it were not for him we would've probably missed a question that a majority of the racers didn't get on the first shot.

'What bank does the mayor send most of his time in?" Easy, the bank that's right next to town hall. Wrong. The town hall was the old Bank of Fayette, which we would've never guessed without the guidance from our old friend who pointed out that the mayor never hangs out at the other bank. There in front of us, in big honkin' letters on the town hall, read "BANK OF FAYETTE". We listened to some of his stories, answered some of his questions, shook his hand and went back to CP2 to check in. We got back at 1:11. Teams were bitching about not having the right answer, stating that their answer had to be right. Unfortunately, they were barking at the wrong dog, the race director.

CP3 and CP4 was a bunch of walking, a lot of elevation change and the place where I decided that I needed to keep my own pace. These guys were fast hikers and I just am not. No need to test the "speed" waters on race day. I filed this under, "Things I need to train for next time". Thankfully our group chemistry was second to none: we all had our strengths, but maintained a sense of comaraderie and humor which was the cornerstone to an enjoyable and competitive race.

After 3 hours and 46 minutes of trekking, I was very happy to see my bike back at the Cunard put-out location. The hike back down into the gorge was dificult on the knees and feet because the road was covered in gravel and the grade was somewhat steep. My big toe is still recovering from the pressure. We checked in at 4:57.

There's more...

For those who want to jump ahead, here's the result sheet with our checkpoint times.

PART 2: Race Start to CP1 - Whitewater rafting

The day started with us waking at 0600 (remember this time). Some washed, all put on the lotion, packed our gear and away to the starting line we went. We cheered on the sprint racers as they began and then the 24 hour racers hopped on a bus to head to the Cunard put in on New River Gorge. As typical with most adventure races, everyone drank tons of water before the race. The 30 minute bus ride nearly broke us all. As the bus stopped, we raced to the latrine.

Once business was dealt with, we received our raft assignments. we were paired with the Silverbacks 1, another 4 man team. We headed down to the raft, got some brief instructions and then the the race director, Joy, announced the first twist of the race. Instead of going into the water based on a lottery selection, as previously stated, each raft had to choose one member to run/swim a le mans-style start. Luckily, the Silverbacks selected their young gun as the start man. The gun went off and our man was running up a flight of stairs, down a paved walkway and dove into the water. He was the second of 6 swimmers to get to the boat. At that moment the games began.

We started by paddling on flat pools for a spell behind the leader and then we encountered our first rapid (the first rapid I ever encountered). Charlie and I took point in the boat and as I quickly came to realize, I was going to get soaked. BLAM...into the first rapid. Our guide, Fitzy, instructed our way through it with what I believe was an eddy spin. We entered sideways into the rapid and shot out of it by spinning with the current??? I dunno...it was fun as shit.

After about 5-6 more rapids we were able to pass the lead boat. The guides were financially motivated to do well, which put undue pressure on the racers. We put forth a lot of effort at a discipline that didn't really reward us with a time advantage.

There was only one time which I was really worried about going in. We hit a class V rapid and there was a considerable drop. I think it was called the Bikini? Basically, I was strapped in by one foot, we dropped into the rapid and the raft correction was pretty sudden forcing my head into the water. Fantastic rush!

We ended up being first into the put out for our stage (staggered start). It took us 1 hour and 20 minutes from end to end.

We got out of the boat, help portage it to the truck and grabbed our gear to transition. We stripped down to the clothes god gave us and re-armored with our trail running gear. We threw our rafting clothes, gear and dry bags into Z-man's dry bag. Once we had fully transition it was 11:03 (an 8 minute transition - not slow, but not fast), we threw on our packs and headed out for our long trek.....

Until next time RideCam'rs...

For your enjoyment. The following was meant to be tactic we employed during race day. Alas, we spent most of our pre-race time doing unimportant things like plotting coordinates and making perpeteum. I give you Mick's Fun With Facial Hair:

ODE TO ROLLING THUNDER/POURING RAIN

When going through hell, keep going

Truer words of wisdom do not exist. The 24 Hour Wild and Wonderful AR is over and it was everything and more I thought it would be. The most exhilirating and the most difficult thing I've ever done. There were some of the highest points in my life and some of the lowest. I will be writing a pretty lengthy blog about the race this evening, but I thought I would share with my faithful following that a) I'm still alive an b) Rolling Thunder, Pouring Rain is a contender baby!!!

Photo courtesy of our new friends Cheryl and Bobby, taken after our lightening fast trek on the rail trail. From left to right, Mick, Charlie, Zack and Cam

The Wild and Wonderful 24 Hour Adventure Race 2007

The race weekend began with me driving to Arlington, VA to pick up Zack and his college buddy, Mick. We packed our things and headed down to WV. It was a long haul - 6 hours. Our first stop was in Fayettesville to pick up Mick's rental bike and then our adventure began. We got a call from Charlie, Mick's brother-in-law and our fourth teammate, with a request to find a strobe light. He couldn't find one. So we added that to our list. Three shops later and no strobe. We found a dog blinker - maybe we could squeak by on that. We opted to forge on and eventually picked up a strobe (better described as a cute blinky) light at a raft store which was operated by a couple of stoners. Asking for a strobe in that establishment led to the obvious question, "Where's the party?"

We exited the store and headed to Camp Washington Carver (race headquarters), but not before we figured out that we also needed dry bags. Dammit, this was getting ridiculous. What else were we forgetting? So we decided to see if we could rent them. No luck. We headed back to town to Ace Adventure Store, where we found the dog light and picked up four dry bags.

Done. Off to Camp WC. We met up with Charlie and exchanged hellos and we started the gear check process. It went off without a hitch. The bike check however was a different story. Mick had a generator headlamp system which I think he stole from my father's Schwinn Fastback. I wonder if he had the Mickey Mantle rookie card that made my pop's bike sound like a motorcycle when it struck the spokes?

We got through the checks and Mick and Charlie went to sign into our cabin. Zack and I head into town for some food. We met back at the pre-race debrief, got the usual spiel, ate our dinner, got our maps and headed back to the cabin to prep for the day ahead of us. We mixed our drinks, packed our bags and plotted our course (via UTMs - thanks Zack).

Bed by 2 am, alarms set for 6 am. Lights out.

More to come...

The final countdown

I finalized some race issues last night by picking up some Perpeteum, some Clif Blocks, and some batteries. I still need to decide which solid food I'll be bringing along, which will be used as a much needed diversion from the gel and liquid diet. My finicky stomach makes this decision difficult. I'm thinking PB & Honey and some trail mix (how cliche).

I got in a lazy 30 minute run just to shake off the nervous energy and some cobwebs.

All my gear is laid out for final review tonight. I want to get a solid night of sleep, so my final decision will be, do I sleep at home or at Zack's? My gut says home.

This will be the last post before the race. I assume people can check live updates (or semi-live) via http://www.checkpointzero.com/ and/or http://www.oarevents.com. Our team in Rolling Thunder, Pouring Rain (a 4-man team).

Giro: Crank 18.8, Ride 46.8. Popo is killing me. With Hincapie dropping out, I'm not sure whether Popo has a shot or if his podium chances just increased. His first day w/o Capie was pretty dismal.

Taper Man

Worked from home yesterday and instead of eating lunch, I ran 3 miles at Soldier's Delight. I told myself over and over...only one loop! As I got to the end of the western loop, I started to cross the road to the east side. It was difficult, but I pulled up and headed back to my truck.

I'm starting to realize that training is more about consistency and sticking to the plan, than it is about sheer volume. Finding the thin line between the two can be difficult. As they say, there is no "cramming" in training.

I am feeling real good about this race, which may be the kiss of death. But, all cylinders are clicking along. The only unknown element is the rafting, but that will boil down to the guide we get and luck.

In other news, I hit the John Butler show at Sonar last night. Sonar is an amazing venue and the show was amazing.

And a big thanks to my RT/PR teammate, Mick, for sending us advice on how to avoid bowel movements during the adventure race...wow.

Giro: Crankenstein - 60.8, RideCam - 79.4. Our picks are starting to flesh out. They have entered the true GC contention stages, weeding out the sprinters and the wannabes from the top spots. Barring any unfortunate events, our picks seem to be pretty solid.

Last true training day

Z-man and I hit Hashawa in Westminster to get some extra mountain bike mileage in our legs and we had hoped to get some orienteering as well. Mountain bike - check, O-course - nada. The nature center attendant told me that there wasn't an o-course, but their website said that they did. About a half mile into the ride - low and behold - an o-course control. Damn! Well, no map, no o-coursing.

After about 8-10 miles, Z-man and I decided to get a couple running miles under the belt, which is a good thing, because my pants kept dropping - note to self: wear belt. We had some good discussions around possible race strategy and nutrition planning.

After Hash, we headed to our second home, REI, to pick up some last minute items and then noshed at Noodles & Co. Back at race headquarters, we finalized our nutrition plan which seems like it will consist of liquids and gels with a dabble of solid foods mixed in the bag...PB&J fo' me.

I am getting so amped up for this race...it's ri-donk-ulous.

Giro: No real change of note. Waiting until Tuesday when they hit the real mountain stages and riders begin to implode.

Sweet bubaka!

Short and sweet: The Seminary ride was fast as hell. Feeling good about the upcoming races.

Giro: dunno yet...they haven't posted the stage results and I haven't had time to read the coverage.

Landis: I'm starting to think bad things about our golden boy. This arbitration hearing is turning into a soap opera. Phone threats to key witnesses, tainted lab results, a horrible interpreter on day one...HBO can't write this kinda stuff.

Not much to report

Took a break yesterday to accomplish some household tasks...stupid household tasks always gettin' in the way of fun stuff. Oh well, live like a pig, you must clean up after a pig.

Quick and dirty

Riding: Seminary tonight with Toby and Hoppe. I believe they are prepping or a race this weekend at Granogue in Delaware...could be wrong. It will be great to ride with those guys again, since we have the 24 Hours of Big Bear in three weeks. It's been too long without a solid ride with these pros.

Giro poll: No changes in the GC. Crankenstein still destroying RideCam. It was a sprinters race today, so I wasn't anticipating any shake-ups in the GC.

Commute: I may attempt another bike commute tomorrow.

Training weekend: Looks like Z-man and I will be getting our final major workout in before the AR. We're hitting Hashawa in Westminster which has decent mountain biking and an O-course...we are thinking two and two.

Bye,
Cycle

I'm baaack in the (commuter) saddle again...

Hit my 15-16 mile commuter run this morning and it felt great. I forgot how nice it felt to wake up and get some spin in your legs. It humped my work clothes, towel/toileteries and other gear in my AR bag, totalling about 6-8 lbs. The GoLite backpack is a huge improvement to the messenger bag by way of weight distibution which eased the pressure on my left shoulder.

Here are some of the vitals (approximations):

Mileage: 15-16 (factoring in some short detours I took on the typical route)

Time: 47 minutes (by way off cell phone clock)

Weather: started a little nippy, but warmed up quickly

Issues: The mechanic didn't do a proper adjustment on the rear derailleur, so I couldn't click into the small gear in the rear cluster. Not a big issue though.

After the ride, I stretched out and did a few lifts in the gym at work.

GIRO NEWS: Crankenstein is winning the Overall GC Podium Pool at 72.4 points to RideCam's even 90. The race is still young at stage 3...today being a race day.

Oh, this week is Ride Your Bike to Work Week.