A-town Boogie

Headed to Arlington...again, to hang with the A-town crew. Friday night was more or less a blur. We had grand plans to run in the Clarendon 10k, but 7am came way too quickly. Later on Saturday, Zack and I hit Hemlock Overlook's permanent orienteering course. With compass and map in hand we set off on a bushwacking excursion. It was the first time in a long time that I've orienteered and this course was tough. Z-man and I found 4 or 5 checkpoints out of the scheduled 8 we wanted to hit.

After our excursion, we headed back home for some grub and headed back out into Arlington, meeting up with Wilson and Hedges and crew.

Sunday, Zack and I hit Gambrill to mountain bike. This was Z-ball's first attempt at Gambrill and basically his first assault on a mountain bike trail. He struggled a bit at the start, but was a very quick study. I figured that this would be the roughest terrain we'll see at the AR (and probably won't see more than 2 miles of it), so I'm confident in his abilities.

What a beautiful season for a tour

Tour season is upon us, which can only mean one thing. Crankenstein and RideCam waste unimaginable hours at work following the day's race and arguing over our tiered wager system. First up, Giro d'Italia:

Crankenstein

1. Simoni
2. DiLuca
3. Cunego

Team Time Trial: CSC

RideCam

1. Simoni
2. Cunego
3. Popo

Team Time Trial: Discovery

Winner of the podium pool: Six pack of choice
Winner of TTT: A tall cool one at a finer watering hole.

I love Saturday morning tour watchin'...

Upon further review...

As a rule, I don't read my posts right after I write them - it encourages flow of consciousness. I do, however, go back and read my old posts to reminisce, review training and get a pulse on the roller coaster that is my life.

A couple posts ago I posted some old Snowshoe pics. One particular caption didn't sit well with me. The picture in question is of Jimmie, Toby and myself, and the caption reads: "the original Enter the Draggin crew". Yes, that was the first year we unveiled the EtD name unto the 24 hour mountain bike world. But to say that just three of us were the original gansters wouldn't be accurate. EtD became EtD when we landed our 4th wiley vet, Hoppe. So let me reintroduce the Original EtD crew:

(l to r) Tobias, Hoppe, Killah, Jimmie

Dedicated to spending our life behind bars!!!

Okay, now that's off my chest. Here's what I've been doing:

1. Rest - my ankle needed some TLC and my quad was soooorrrre!

2. Garden - Poppa C came to O-mill to help ressurect the ol' garden in my backyard. The list of delectables is as follows: Roma tomatoes, spinach, cucumbers and zucchini in the salad garden. Mint, rosemary and basil in the herb garden. Can you say mojitoes and basil/tomato/mozzarella lounging on my patio? Also looking into growing hops in the herb garden and some peppers in the salad garden

Feelin' Good

BREAKING NEWS: The Marine Corps Marathon is in my future. All future events have been put on lock down. Current events include the 24 Hour Wild and Wonderful AR, 24 Hours of Big Bear and the Blackbeard Sprint AR at the OBX. Additional events will be reviewed, but limited due to marathon training.

So, the Frederick Halfy has been ran successfully. I accomplished two out of three goals (in order of priority):

1. Finish - accomplished
2. Run the entire time - accomplished
3. Finish in under two hours - 2:07

I'm chalking it up to a couple things. I didn't have a stellar workout plan. In fact, one could say I didn't have a workout plan at all. My list of activities that I needed to train for were scattered across various disciplines (mainly running and biking), which made training for my first long distance race difficult.

I may have taken the distance for granted. I thought that I had covered that distance before, so it wouldn't be that difficult. Well, factor in some unaccounted hills, wind and the relentless asphalt...and you have a whole new run. I am now seeing why it is imperative to train in all conditions and terrain.

My short list of excuses...my ankle was sore by mile 6 (block the pain) and course nutrition wasn't my usual or to my liking (Gatorade, Water, and Tri-Berry GU). So the takeaways, wrapped ankle and take my own electrolyte drink and food.

I can not express enough my gratitude to my running partners, Zack and Newb. They stuck by my side when they could have forged ahead faster. They were there at my side at mile 10 when I encourage them to go ahead (ie: I wanted to walk). They were there at mile 2 when I needed to scale back my pace. They were there when I put on my typical sideshows of "turning and burning" and "feelin' good" - and tolerated my antics. And we were there at the finish line - crossing together. Thanks fellas!

After the post-run hoopla of Factured Prune doughnuts and gatorade, we headed back to Casa de Paul e Maggie. Zack and I opted out of our Gambrill ride and instead rode the remaining 13 miles of the marathon course. We cheered on runners while looking for the Smither as he was finishing his 26.2 mile excursion. Somehow we missed him out there, but we watched him cross the finish at Harry Grove. Way to go Smither!

Post-post race found Newb, Zack, Sean and myself scarfing down Five Guys burgers and reminiscing...or not.

Post-post-post race, Zack and I hit our home away from home...REI.

The end.

I have a nice little weekend planned

Chock full of half marathons, mountain biking, brewing, bike building...the list goes on and it don't stop. Friday night I head back to Chesnik headquarters to prep for the weekend and do a little bike repair. Saturday looks like a great day for brewing some beer and lying low for the Frederick Halfy. I'll also probably hit some of the pre-run festivities while I pick up my marathon package during the evening.

Bright and early on Sunday, I'll be running with a bunch of friends - Newbury, Zacker and Jimmie's wife, Tina. I think it will be a nice run, but I'm already setting the ground work to ensure people that no feats of endurance/speed will be shown. Afterwards, Z-man and I will be hitting Gambrill for a little mountain bike action...yee-haw!

I'm still waiting for the official Savage results..if the race day coordination is any indication of the timeliness of the results...don't hold your breath. Visit the blog often, but don't anticipate results.

Found some old race pics from the 24 Hours of Snowshoe.1) The original Enter the Draggin crew at Snowshoe - Toby, Cam, Jimmie Jam; 2) Jimmie coming down the final slope on his first lap; 3) The ETD family minus a few - Jimmie, K, Mrs. L (we miss ya terribly), Mr. L and Toby.

Savage Beasts

This weekend saw Team HKI (Jammie and I) and Team Tricerat (Tobias and Hoppe) - together known as Team Enter the Draggin - race the Savage at Marsh Creek State Park in Downingtown, PA. It started with Tobias and I running the "prologue", which consisted of one team member from every team running into the cold lake to a boat to gather the passport, which was being tossed from a boat. I think it was a horrible way to start a race, but alas the adventure of it all. The race was staggered, so teams started on different legs.

We all had the same course direction, starting with the Orienteering course. There was no compass work, just a rudimentary park map with checkpoint locations. scaling was way off, but we couldn't blame our first hiccup on that. Our second major hiccup was do to not paying attention to detail. Toby wins the "attention to detail" award. After collecting all the checkpoints, we headed back to the staging area, where I ended up slightly twisting my ankle.

Next up was the Challenge section comprised of a rock wall, partner carry and get the ping pong ball. Jimmie rocked the rock wall. The partner carry was hilarious and hurtful on my ankle. Jimmie carried me fireman style, which I'm sure hurt me more than it hurt him. On to the ping pong section. The objective was to fill up a five foot PVC pipe with lake water to get a ping pong ball to the top. The kickers - there were two holes on the pipe, which one team member had to hold. The teammates had to alternate positions every time, so there was some skill to the matter. In the end, I leveraged my beer pong skills by blowing in the pipe to get the ball out. See, I did learn something in college.

After the challenges, it was on to the canoe. I never knew how far and difficult five miles was on still water. This lake seemed like an ocean. By the last checkpoint I thought I was going to need shoulder surgery. Obviously, paddling is my weak point.

Thankfully it was on to biking. This was where we should've made up some time. But alas, our map skills floundered and we got turned around a bunch of times. We ended up missing one checkpoint, which sucked but we had a great day. Toby and Hop were able to find the last checkpoint...kudos on the first race!

I took Monday off to recover...I haven't been this sore since the first Snowshoe race. Note to self: Take more nutrition on the trail then you think you need.

Toby Carson, Matt Hoppe, moi, Jimmie Lobley

Stop...demotivate and listen

A workmate sent me a website that pokes fun at those motivational posters that you see hanging in conference rooms across the USA. Within the site they have a fun application that allows you to make your very own "motivational" poster. I made two referencing 1) Jimmie and I after 15 miles of being lost and 2) Bradley's first race and first wreck. Enjoy!

In other news, The Loch ride last night was a blast. I was very impressed by the newbie. He was taking log piles and other obstacles with nary an issue. It was his first ride with clipless pedals and only fell once, due to a slow and steady issue. My bike seems to be dialed in...the ride was smooth and steady....I had a lot of fuel left in the tank. Now it's time to rest.

Dog is my co-pilot

Yesterday I planned on taking my little girl on a stroll around Soldier's Delight, but rain started coming in droves. She didn't seem too energetic anyway. I went about my business...laundry, dinner, not mowing my lawn, flexing in front of the mirror, etc. As I sat watching the tube, I noticed she was obsessing over her rear end. I finally had enough and took a look. Yikes!!! A huge bump on the rump! Off to the ER vet we went. She had a blocked anal gland, which I'm told can be normal. Not normal to me...that was scary!!

So she got it drained, we got some meds, and she has a lampshade around her neck. Thumbs up to the Falls Road Veterinarian Clinic. Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and they have a fantastic staff. Pictures are forthcoming of the lampshaded Cobster...not of her butt...she's a lady.

Tonight I ride Loch as a warm-up/gear check for the Savage on Sunday. I am taking a newbie out on the trail so it should be somewhat moderately paced...although I said that when I rode with Hoppe the first time too.

Friday I hope to get a decent hike in and rest on Saturday in the 'Ville, because Team HKI takes the Savage by storm on Sunday.

Newbs requests that I don't hurt myself before the halfy...request noted.

Nemesis

I finally got back on the Soldier's Delight trail for a 5.5'er run. The good ol' double up (west trail and east trail). A couple months ago I twisted my ankle and thought my entire season was in jeopardy, but I plowed through like the ox I am.

I had my pack loaded with game day gear and headed out for a smooth run. No timing, pacing, etc. I felt really good and according to the sun, I couldn't have been on the trail for much more than an hour.

I did get a blister which isn't a good sign...sock choice is important. I think I may hit the trail more often though...lots of single, in shape ladies running amok. Although at the end of the run I noticed that I had my AR knife clipped to my strap...that probably sent off a lot of unwanted signals. Oh well, you can never be too safe.

Trail hike tonight with Cobi and then a easy Seminary ride on Thursday to make sure the Paragon is dialed in for this weekend's festivities.

Another weekend down

I had a pretty eventful weekend. I kicked off Friday with some pasta and some beers at a local watering hole, Liberatore's. Got some shut eye, woke up and prepped for a long haul bike ride. I started with a 35 and 4 in mind, but the day was so nice I extended my bike ride to 57.4 miles (per the Garmin).

I headed out my front door in Owings Mills and rode to McDaniel College where I was surprised to see Spring Flingers partying...it does my heart well. I was a little bit nutritionally challenged as I thought I was only doing 35 miles, but Perpeteum kept me strong until the last 5 miles where I popped coming up Deer Park from the reservoir...thank you granny gear.

I napped, I showered, I headed to Z-man's (aka, Everyday) in Arlington to celebrate the birth of one of our high school buddies. Good times until my cell phone alarm went off at 7ish in the morning and off to see Brad's first road race in Columbia. He rode strong and would've finished well, but got pinched in the last 100ish meters before the finish line. He crashed out, garnering some gnarly looking road rash, etc. See folks, this is why roadies shave legs. That and it makes your calves look huge!!! Brad...mad props to you in your first race!!!

Brad up front on lap 8, making it look like a ride in the park (note upright position compared to other riders...that's silly strong).

After the crash (Harshman on the left, mangled Brad center, HalfCam in the rear)


Photos courtesy of Eric "Pinarello"

Sunday evening I enjoyed the musical stylings of Sevendust at Ram's Head with Hoppe. I was expecting a loud, brash and noisy evening. While all of that occurred, I really enjoyed the show they put on. I never thought heavy metal show could end up being emotional/spiritual/something along those lines.

Monday I ran around Frederick...teeth cleaned, road bike adjusted, 29er tire found, lunch and Hefe's ingested and naps had...good day.

Rollin' along

We hit Merryman's Loop at Loch Raven last night - we being Hoppe and I. Hoppe got hung up at work so I took a quick half hour loop and the timing couldn't have been better. As I rolled back to the lot, Hoppe was pulling in. He got ready, I fueled up on Vitamin Water (I immediately regretted making that decision, VM was a bad choice - read: vurps like acid). Then off we went, up Heart Attack Hill. It's not like the hill is so horrible, it's just the immediacy at which it comes.

Hoppe, on a singlespeed, once again showed me that I always have room for improvement. He rocked the hill like his biznatch. Although, I rolled it pretty nicely too. Then we were off to the races. My only hiccup was my rear tire. Last trip, and I suspect trips previous, I found a rip in my tire's sidewall. Simple physics suggests that the inner tube will expand the outer shell if the outer shell is weaker than the force exerted outwardly by the tube...I watched Mr. Wizard as a kid. The effect is a bulge in the tire, which makes rocky sections and switchbacks a little squirrelly in the rear. Most of the time I was worried about flatting out, so I took every clean line I could find and slowed down during downhill turns...boring.

We capped the ride off with a nice bottle of Burton Baton by DFH. It's a nice tradition Hoppe and I used to have. One bottle shared between friends after a hard ride.

Recovery

Recovery runs are a bitch. It's very hard to stay committed to a leisurely stroll when your mind and body want to run faster. Alas, it is an important element in the whole cycle of training. I headed out for 20 minutes listening to the smooth tunes of Jack Johnson, which made it a little easier to go at an "island" pace.

Before the run, I hit REI to pick up a few items for the upcoming adventure races. Snagged a Brunton compass, which I need to start training with, a gerber lock blade knife, some CO2 cartridges and an Iced Gingerbread Clif Bar (a brotha's gotta eat).

Tonight I hope to hit the trails with Hoppe. Let's hope the weather holds. It's been too long since I've hit the trail and it will be a nice departure from all the running.

Rolling Thunder, Pouring Rain

Today's blog title is apropos on two fronts.

Front #1: Monday's training got bumped after running approximately one mile. The winds were too much. It felt like I ran 13.1 miles. God bless the Boston Marathoners who had to run in that mess. Yesterday was less windy, but my 10 mile plan got bumped to a 60 minute run. My normal loop was closed due to high winds and possible falling trees, so I opted to run helter skelter around the treeless section of the park. I did some intervals and called it a day.

Front #2: RT/PR is the name of the 2007 edition of the Oddysey Wild and Wonderful 24 Hour Addy Race team. Zack and two of his college cohorts, Mick and Charlie, will be my partners in grime. Should be a blast...other than the real sucky parts of the race.

After my "hell week" of the Savage and the 1/2 thon, my focus will be on the 24 hr. After the 24 hr, I will be shifting my attention to train for the marathon. I think the fitness achieved through the marathon training will carry me through my other planned events.

In other news, Team Enter the Draggin' has officially registered for the 24 Hours of Big Bear. Get your wallets and your big, charitable hearts ready for donations to the ALA.

35 and 4

35 road bike miles and 4 road run miles on Saturday in the morning (okay noon). Felt pretty strong even with a lack of adequate nutrition during the exercise.

DC United game with Newb, Wil and Zack and Big Buck Hunter in the evening. Wilson has been playing and not telling us. Newb and I will be lodging a formal protest. Dammit...I really want Big Buck Hunter Pro.

Sunday..a bunch of nothing but good home cookin' and listening to the rain. Oh and tracking Justin during his quest to finish Ironman Arizona. I think he finished in a little over 14 hours...hell yeah! I fell asleep before he crossed the line...although I tried like hell to stay up and watch the live feed.

Training in peril

...not really. I just haven't updated. Wednesday I had to bag the mountain ride...bear with the explanation...I forgot my wallet as I headed out the door for work...I needed to purchase a new tube...new moola/no tube/no ride.

I even backed my way into a lunch meeting just so I could nourish myself through the long and trying day. I usually spend the bulk of my time trying to back out of meetings...I believe karma will have a strong future role in this ordeal.

So I headed home and ran a couple miles or 25 minutes.

Yesterday I ran all over Baltimore with a gaggle of PHHers during the first annual PHH Amazing Race. Six teams of five competed in a tooth and nail grinder that hit points east, west, south, north and points in between solving clues and collecting various trinkets to rack up the most points. I didn't know B-more had so may cool little places. I think it's a highly underrated city, which can probably be directly correlated to our phenomenal overachievement in field of murder. In fact, we were a couple minutes behind a double murder in Piggtown. We were there before most of the police. Thankfully we didn't see bodies and what not.

Best moment...being in the underbelly of the Lithuanian Hall after some shmoozing with the building manager. The tour took us to what appeared to be a board room, which was found after a maze of rooms, bars, closets, etc. It was dark and dingy with florescent lights acting as a backdrop. I thought I was walking into the past. It reminded me of every Cold War movie I've ever seen. The guy was the nicest person and we got a picture of a shield that no one else would have been able to find...bonus points.

Oh...I also had a Brooks Robinson sighting. After being star struck (doesn't happen to me much, but old HOF Orioles get me every time) and fumbling with the camera, I missed a golden photo op. Dammit!

My Team (in front of Cafe Hon)















So the race was my exercise for the day...wrapped it up at the Waterfront Hotel in Fell's Point to watch the Taylor's. The lead guitarist is ri-donk-ulous.

Tonight, I'm thinking 5 miles.

Bye,
Cycle

Changin' it up

I opted out of the bike/run brick and ran a moderate paced 60 minute run, which I logged approximately 6.5 miles. It felt pretty good, but I know I'll need to get at least a 10 miler in before I do the 1/2-thon. My goal had been changed a couple weeks ago to just finish the race...no specific time (although I may have certain pace markers).

Tonight I ride the mountain with Tobias...

Easy like a Monday evening

Did a little 2 miler backed with some ab work. Steamed some curried Mahi and chilled in front of the boob tube. Hoping to get in a 90 minute ride and transition into a 2 miler this evening.

The Savage has been paid for...now it's all about the racin' on April 29th. I'm hoping to button-hook a Victory visit afterwards for a few libations.The Savage will be a nice little warm-up for both the Frederick 1/2 and the Odyssey.

Speaking of the Odyssey...Looks like I'll be teaming up with old pal, Zacker.

Just rollin' along

Friday was a rest day as I made my way to the glades of Walkersville. I enjoyed the evening as I rested up for the Garrett Petronchak 5K. As the sun rose and some snowflakes fell, my pop and I made our way to Baker Park to meet up with my comrade in stride, codename: Newb (aka, the Gazelle). Checked in, stretched out and shot the shizzle for a spell...then off to the starting line. And we were off. I believe Newb was kind the first mile or so, but then - as with all wild animals - I had to set him free. He was graceful in his departure until I could no longer see him on the horizon.

I found it pretty difficult to get dialed in until I got to mile 2ish...After that I felt spry. I ended up with a 25:14 (8:08 split), which I was pretty jazzed about. I wanted a sub 25, which probably could have been attained if I was wearing a watch and knew how much time remained. I ended up 74th out of 282 runners (top 10 in my age group, but there may have only been 11 runners). Newb kicked some ass with a 23:33/7:36 split/50th overall/6th in age group...SOLID...for a self-proclaimed long distance runner. Newb, you impress me...if you told me you were going to be a long distance runner about 10 years ago, I may have pee'd my pants. Kudos to you. Now, I need to get you on a bike to do these Adventure Races.

Speaking of Adventure Races...next on the checklist is The Savage AR in Pennsylvania on April 29th. Team HKI will be teaming up with Team Tricerat to help escort Tricerat into the wonderful world of AR.

I did a relaxing four-miler on Sunday after church with my new GoLite pack. It was the inaugural run with the pack. Other than some needed minor adjustments...this pack barely felt like it was on. It's go time!

Cold Feelings

...was the Social Distortion song in my head as Toby and I rode the country roads of Owings Mills. Not only was the air temperature chilly and the wind slightly blowing...but us knuckle heads didn't factor in ride speed. This is a deadly trio, which turned our 25 mile flight into a 15 mile speeder. I felt really strong for my first OM ride this year...it seemed flatter. It must be the mad cross training schedule!

FYI...my Hammer sups came today...time to power up like Pac-Man (wokka-wokka-wokka...that may also be construed as Fozzy the Bear...you get the point).

The Good and the Bad

The Good: I ran a 7:16 mile
The Bad: I ran out of steam for the next 2 miles

I was gunning for a sub 25 min 5k. Nothing amazing. I came out of the gates flying and then petered out around the mile and 3/4 mark. I was drained. I know nothing of pace, yet. I am starting to understand its importance. I think on Saturday's run I will start slower and ramp up. I'm hoping this will give me the 8:20 split average I'm looking for.

Looking forward, I think the half-marathon will be a test of fortitude. I will continue to ramp up the miles, but I think race day will be difficult.