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.