Short and Fat race recap

If I had to title this post it would probably be "A Tale of Two Races" or maybe "Swinging Emotions". It was one of those days.

Tammy and I drove up north on Friday and stayed at a cabin with my sister, brother-in-law and their granddaughter. We had a nice and relaxing drive and enjoyed the fall colors that were just beginning to show. A little rain but that was no big deal. The bikes were in the car and it would hopefully be just enough to firm up the race course. After we arrived we relaxed a bit and then all headed down to Cable for bib pick up. It seemed odd seeing Telemark closed up and everything set up under the big tent. Back to the cabin and a tasty supper and then I trundled off to bed.

I woke up about 6:30 a.m. Saturday and started my pre-race routine. I hadn't slept well but I didn't feel tired. I ate my normal oatmeal, bagel with Nutella and a protein drink and started getting dressed. It was a sunny but cool morning. I put on an Under Armor shirt, my Dznuts jersey, arm warmers and shorts. I felt ready and a little anxious, or nervous but that's normal. If I stop feeling those butterflies then it's time to stop racing.

We pulled in to Cable, found a parking spot and started to unload the bikes. I told Tammy that I was having a bad feeling about the bike. I had tried putting on a new chain earlier in the week, only to realize it wasn't the right size. Good thing I had saved the old chain. I cleaned that and put it on. Then I changed the 17 tooth cog to a 16 and adjusted the bottom bracket. I'm kind of anal about some things ( or everything, Tammy would say) and I kept adjusting and readjusting until I got the chain tension right where I wanted. All this was done last minute and that's never a good thing.

Tammy and I did a short warm up and loosened up the legs. I wasn't too worried about getting in to the start area since I had a preferred start. After the warm up I gave Tammy a good luck kiss, told her she would do great and we both lined up. I was still feeling the butterflies but I felt strong. I hadn't done a lot of riding the last few weeks but I felt my endurance was good and my earlier races had me feeling confident.

The gun went off and the pack was off like a shot. The lead quad controlled the roll out until we hit the gravel but I was still spun out right away. I was wishing for more gears, a bigger gear, anything. But, I knew I would make up for all the riders passing me when we hit the hills.

I settled in to a steady pace on Randysek Road and pushed on the downhills and used my momentum to push the uphills. I started to move up slowly and was feeling great.

I made the left hand turn and hit the rocks and ruts on the snowmobile trail. I pushed as hard as I could over the rocks and ruts. A couple minutes in I heard a buzz and turned to see who was that close to me that we were rubbing wheels. Nobody was there. I tried to figure out what the sound was when my bike suddenly skidded to a stop. What the hell!! I jumped off and saw my rear wheel had popped out of my dropouts. Aw man! Was it a chain problem? Axle broken? I opened the quick release and tried to maneuver the wheel back in. It went in a little hard and I pushed the bike a little and the rear wheel wouldn't roll! Now what? Bent rotor? I tried wiggling and adjusting the rear wheel and finally got it to roll a little. Or so it seemed.It still was dragging somewhere, probably the rear brake rotor. All this time I was bent over my bike I could hear and see racer passing by the hundreds, or so it seemed. After what seemed like an eternity I got the wheel adjusted enough to get going again and off I went.

At this point I was ready to just ride it in and be satisfied with just finishing. I wasn't sure just how hard I wanted to push. The bike seemed to roll well enough down the hills but I could feel the drag on the flats and the uphills felt like I was pulling an anchor. But, I was making up ground and still passing riders. Maybe I could salvage a respectable race. My goal had been a finish time of sub one hour. That was out the door now. But I could still have a good race. I wasn't going to let a mechanical beat me. I put my head down and started to push.

I spun as hard as I could down Telemark Road. I even dodged an errant dog on the course. What next?! When I turned on to the Birkie trail I fell in behind another racer and we traded off pushing each other towards the finish. He would occasionally pull away but I would pick it and stayed with him. I had to get off and walk up Big Bertha but that was the only time I pushed the bike. I turned on to the power lines and knew there wasn't far to go. About this time I lost the wheel of the racer who had been pulling/pushing me the last five or six miles.

When I popped out on to the road behind the condos at Telemark I knew I had a mile to go. Up the road and back on the trail to the climb on the back of the ski hill. This was going to be a tough climb. Right at the bottom of the climb another single speed rider pulled up beside me and said we had just this last climb. "Yeah, if I survive", I remarked back. He started to pull away easily and I tried to stay with him. Not a chance! He put a 10 yard gap on me and suddenly got off and started pushing. That was all I needed. No way was I walking this last hill. I barely kept the pedals turning but made it to the top. Down the hill and around the final turns and the last little climb before the finish line. I crossed with a little sprint and was done.

Finally! When I had my mechanical my first thought was it's too early to DNF! How would I get out? Then I resigned myself to a long and slow race. When I finally got my head on straight and my attitude adjusted I decided to try my hardest. That's what I tell Tammy, and anyone else that will listen. Goal one should always be to finish.

I found my sister and waited for Tammy and Mike to finish. Tammy had an awesome race. She surprised herself with how well she did and how much fun she had. She beat her estimated finish time by a ton. She was figuring 2 hours and finished in 1:38 and change. Mike was just behind in a little over 2 hours. Everyone finished and in one piece so it was a good day.

I was still feeling bummed and disappointed by my race as we made our way to the timing trailer to get our times. I gave the girl my bib number and she printed out my timing slip. I looked at it as I walked over to the gang and saw my time and ranking. 1:10:06 - 136th overall and 3rd in single speed. What?? That can't be right. I figured it was just a preliminary result and would change. We walked our bikes back to the car and came back to the finish area. I checked the results posted near the finish and saw the same result.

If I learned anything from this race it is that after 25 years of racing I can still learn something. I learned don't give up. Keep pushing as hard as you can for as long as you can. One bad stretch doesn't doom the day. I also learned time has a strange way of passing while a person is racing. I would have sworn I had been off the bike 10 minutes with my mechanical. I had a helmet cam to tape the race and watched it after the race. I checked the time when I got off the bike and again when I got rolling-about 2:15. Not ten minutes! The biggest thing I learned? Check the bike quick before I start. Check the quick releases, tires, chain. Anything loose? Rattling? Got the pump? Spare tube? 30 seconds of checking can make or break the day.

All in all I would have to say it was a good day. We all finished in one piece. We had fun. The weather was great.

Next year will be better. I know it will.

Training Schedules

Well, here I am again. Been mulling some ideas and it's time to put some of them to words. Today's subject-training schedules. Or in my case, the lack thereof.

How many of you use a training plan/schedule? Do you really stick to it, as best you can?

I have used training plans in the past, and to pretty good success. I used one to train for a 5K a few years back. It incorporated speed work, tempo and long runs. It wasn't a case of not being able to run the distance. I wanted to see how fast I could run a 5K. I had never broken the 20 minute barrier and that was my goal. It wasn't anything fancy and it got the desired results. I ran my one and only sub 20 minute 5K. Never said I was speedy!

I also used a plan to do my first half marathon. I was a little hesitant about being able to run a strong race. Again, the distance wasn't a concerning factor. I wanted to run a good race and finish strong. I followed the plan as well as I could with my goofy work schedule. I was a little concerned when I wasn't meeting my pace goals for the long and tempo runs. I hadn't set a lofty time goal and I just couldn't seem to ever hit my paces. Come race day I toed the line knowing I had trained hard and was going to do the best I could. In my first half marathon I set a PR I haven't come close to again. Why? Could it be the structured training?

This summer I have been focusing my efforts on the bike, mainly the WORS mountain bike series. I haven't subscribed to any set program but I have done considerably more riding than running. I started to do some strength training which concentrated on cycling muscles. I added longer rides than I have done in years to build some endurance. Is it working? I would like to think so. I am racing the Sport singlespeed class, which has no age classes. I have been doing quite well and even have a couple podium finishes. It remains to be seen how the year will end up.

So, what got me to thinking about this. I did a 25K trail run yesterday that kicked my butt! I am sore and moving like an old man today. I should normally be able to do this without quite so much difficulty. I hadn't run this far since July 31. I only had one other run this far since the end of March. Hmmm....wonder why I suffered out there? DUH!!

So, my plan for the fall is to set up a plan for next year. I have some big goals-more later- and need to figure out how to make everything fit without killing myself or driving my better half insane. Any ideas? Opinions? Help?? Let me know.

Thanks for listening.

Later...Sven

Vacation! What to do???

Finally! After working hard all summer, really, I have been working hard, it's vacation time. Three, yes, three weeks off. And no big plans. Which is leaving me kind of itchy. Does anybody else get like this? It's not that I need to compete or have some type of event scheduled. I just enjoy working toward a goal. I have some possible events on the near horizon but nothing really firm. Maybe that's the part that leaves me squirming. I am not one who normally needs things scheduled months in advance. My job doesn't allow that kind of advantage. I did have some events scheduled for earlier this year and something always came up at the last minute. So I am learning to be more flexible. I am used to doing things on the spur of the moment. But I do like having things kind of floating out there. Things I might be able to fit in to my weird schedule.
I would at least like to get in one more epic ( for me ) road ride. Nothing fancy or crazy. Just like my last two long rides. Hop on the bike, point it down the driveway with some general idea of where to go and go. Stash a couple extra dollars in the saddle bag for emergency energy food and pedal. We'll see if I can fit that in. I'll let ya know.
Got run.....or maybe pedal....later

Mid season

Wow, it's been a while. I know I say this every time but I will be updating this on a regular basis. At least once and hopefully twice per week. Also after every race, which seems to be quite frequently this summer.

I have to say that I am more than pleased with how my racing and training is going this year. I have been concentrating on the bike and trying to get in a run or two per week. So far, so good. I am racing a singlespeed in the WORS races this year. As of race number 7 I am situated in 2nd place. Not too bad considering there is no age differentiation for this class. One gear, one age group. I have had some good races -Kewaskum, Rhinelander-and some not so good-River Falls and Mt. Morris. But I am having fun and trying something new.

I have also been working on my endurance this summer. I have managed to get in two 100 mile rides so far. I have felt good after each ride and am planning at least one more. I basically get on the bike and ride. I have a route in mind but just let the roads take me where they will.

As far as running goes it has been sporadic, just like my posts. Although I need to work on it a little since I have a 25K trail race scheduled for the middle of September. It is right in my back yard on trails I run regularly. I don't plan on burning up the course but I would like to represent my home area proudly.

I have also been trying to watch my diet a little better than I normally would. I used to take the approach that I worked hard and therefore could eat what I want. Now I keep track and try to put less junk food down my gullet. Some days this works better than others. I'm eating some Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby as I write this so you can truly see that my diet is a work in progress!

It's late and it was a busy day at work so I'll sign off and add more at the end of the week.

Thanks for checking this out. Let me know what you think.

Sven

Birkie recap

Good morning! Sven here again. Time for another infrequent update. About that. It's my long weekend. That means I have off from 3:00 p.m yesterday (Friday) until 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Like a mini vacation for me. I plan to make a few more entries and then update this at least twice per week. Probably just ramblings about my training or what ever else enters my tiny and confused mind. I promise. Just hold me to it!
Okay, back to my Birkie musings. I have had a month to think about this and have come up with some thoughts. Nothing concrete here. Just guy feelings and intuition about what went wrong on a day with perfect conditions.
Why did I ski my slowest race in years? One of my slowest ever?
First and foremost, I over estimated my training. Wow! I thought I was in much better condition than I truly was. I got out on my skis 8 times last season prior to the Birkie. Some skiers do that in 2 weeks. That took me almost 3 months. Part of it was my fault. I broke a ski at last years event and along with it the boot and binding. I waited until early January to replace them. I missed the great early snow we had. I was running but that doesn't replace the ski specific training. I did get in a couple of long ski workouts but they just can't compare to skiing on the Birkie course.
Second, I under estimated the toughness of the course. I'm not sure how I can forget how tough that course is, but I seem to wipe it out of my mind from year to year. The hills! Man, I just totally forget how many, how steep and how long they last. The first couple miles and the run across the lake into Hayward are flat. That is it. Maybe 5 out of the 31 miles are flat. And that might be a generous estimate. The hills just killed me this year. I actually stopped to catch my breath at the top of a couple of them. I have never done that before.
Third, my skis. I'm not making excuses. I just think my skis weren't suited to me. I used my replacement skis. The sticker on them lists them as being flexed for a 161-181 lb. person. I am right at the top of that scale. Now add my clothes, a Camelbak full of water and I'm over that. They seemed slow all season, no matter the weather and/or wax. Was it a factor? I'm not quite good enough to say yes or no but my older skis never seemed to have given me this problem.
Going back to the training aspect, I can see I need to work on my endurance. At least ski specific endurance. I looked at my finishers certificate which has splits from a couple spots on the course. Between the 9K split and about halfway I dropped almost 1 minute per kilometer. It wasn't a case of going out too fast either. I felt good at the start and actually took it easy. I just had no endurance. Not enough time on the snow. If I had maintained my pace I would have finished in under 3:20:00. That was close to my goal time. A difference of 40:00 to my 3:57:51 finish!
So, here are my solutions. First, get out on the snow as early and as much as possible. I know Mother Nature has a lot to do with that. But no excuses. I have a couple of pairs of skis and I'm pretty careful when the conditions are marginal so I need to get out as soon as the trails are groomed.
I am also thinking about doing some roller skiing beginning in late summer/early autumn. I don't have any, yet! I do have some inline skates and these would work. Just now as ski specific. We have some good places to use either one. Low traffic back roads and some paved paths. If I got roller skis with the inflatable tires I could use them on the nearby rail trail. If I want to do well and try to better my time and possibly PR I need to seriously consider this option.
I need to work harder on my endurance all year long. Longer runs. Longer bike rides. Race more often and more consistently. I usually get in a ski race or two before the Birkie. This year I did a 5K trail run. Poor substitution. I am considering some epic bike races and maybe an ultra trail run this summer. If I can carry this through the year it would be a great help.
Last on my list is some new skis truly fit to me. The last time I bought skis and had them fit to me was 2000? Maybe. I think they would help. Plus, the psychological benefit is undeniable, at least to me. Look and feel fast? It helps to make you skis fast.
So, those are my thoughts. I have almost a year to carry through on these thoughts and plans. First I need to find the time off to do the race. No open vacation that week for 2011 where I work. We'll see how that works out. Working weekends makes it hard to get the time off.
One year. I better get to work.
More....soon......I promise.

2010 Badger State Games Trail Run

Whoa.! Two posts in less than a week! New territory for me. This is the first of a few race recaps from this past winter. I thought I better get them out while they are still somewhat fresh in my memory.

On February 6 I ran the Badger State Winter Games Train Run. Now, usually I would have done the marathon xc ski event at nearby Nine Mile Forest. Unfortunately I had to work the 3pm-11pm shift this day. Trying to fit a 2 1/2-3 hour xc ski event in before work just wasn't in the cards. Another case of not enough hours in the day for my playtime. The 5K trail run was a better time fit. The race started at 9:00 a.m. and with awards and time to get back for a shower and lunch before work I had a little wiggle time.

The race was held at Wausau School Forest just outside of Mosinee, WI. It was held on groomed snowmobile/ski trails. I wasn't sure what to expect for trail conditions since I had never run on anything remotely like this. Would it be hard? Powdery? Slippery? No idea.

I had some old shoes with sheet metal screws in the sole for traction but I didn't really think these would help. I thought even if the trail was firm I would still be sinking in a little with each step. I decided to run in my new Brooks Cascadia 5 trail shoes and see just how well they would do. Looking back it was a good decision.

I got to the event site fairly early and picked up my packet and went back to the car to get ready and stay warm. The weather was nice for early February. Sunny, mid 20's and moderate winds. I'll take that any winter day in central Wisconsin.

A little before the start I headed out for a short warmup to check out just what I would be running on. I hit the trail and was pleasantly surprised. The trail was very firm and gave more traction than I was expecting. This looked like it would be lots of fun!

I lined up just before the 9:00 a.m. start and tried to stay warm. It was a small field and looked pretty diverse. A few serious runners, middle of the packers, Moms and Dads with kids in tow and a few folks just out for some fun and fresh air.

The gun went off and away we went. I held back a little at the start to see how the field would work out. I usually go out way too fast and didn't want to do that today. I let the leaders string out and settled into a comfortable and steady pace. By the first turn the leaders were out of sight. I couldn't believe they could run that fast on the snow!

I kept my steady pace and tried to pick off a couple runners ahead of me. The trail remained firm and footing wasn't really much of an issue. It was mostly flat with some small ups and downs. Nothing too tough. After passing a few runners I got stuck out there in no mans land. I had a couple runners behind me and could see one or two ahead of me. I didn't have a GPS and there weren't any mile markers so I had no idea where I was on the course. I tried looking at my watch and gauging the distance by elapsed time. Not too scientific!

I finally caught up with a runner near what I assumed was the end. I could stay with him but just didn't seem to have enough to pass. I could pull even and then we would hit a small hill and he would pull just a step or two ahead. I was just grateful to have someone to pace with and pull me along. We came out of the woods and I could see the buildings near the start/finish line. I knew I didn't have enough to pass the fellow I was running with so I just put my head down and pushed the final yards to the finish line.

I headed to the car to change and then to the finish area for some water and fruit. Results came up fairly quick and I was surprised to see I had taken second in my age group with a 24:14. Not fast and there were only 5 in my age class but I felt happy with my results. Considering the level and quality of my running it was a bit of a surprise. My original goal was to stay under 8:00 miles so I beat that too!

I stuck around for the awards and headed out so I could get a shower and some lunch before work.

It was a great day for a winter run. Beautiful weather, a nice crowd, well organized, awesome trail and Tammy was there for some much needed support.

Next time I'll recap my 2010 American Birkebeiner and try to figure out what went wrong and what went right.

Gotta run.....

Winter Wrap Up

Time for another infrequent post. Still working on updating this on a more regular and frequent basis but something always pops up. I guess that's why we have goals, right?
So, it's time for me to reflect back on the end of winter -I hope!- and how my training went. Or in the case of this year, my lack of training.
I just looked at my Buckeye Outdoors training log from the beginning of the year to today, March 9. Then I went back and compared the same time span from last year. The differences weren't as surprising as I thought they would be.
I ran 35 times this year versus 18 last year. Pace wasn't much different but my average run was over 2 miles farther.
I biked on the trainer 5 times versus 12 times. Average speed was down almost 3 mph from last year but distance was up about 1 mile.
My main focus for this time of year is always cross country skiing and the Birkie. If I go back to the first outing of each season there is a HUGE difference, at least to me. I got out for the first time this season on January 6, 2010. Pretty late and there was snow earlier. Why so late? I just never got around to getting new boots and my skis replaced from last years crash at the Birkie. I had skis I could use but no boots. Plus I just didn't have the extra cash for new boots and skis.
Last season I got out for the first time on December 8, 2008. Almost a month earlier. We had great early snow and I took advantage of it. I had skied 7 times last season by the time I first hit the trails this season. HUGE difference again.
I skied 15 times before the Birkie last season versus 9 this season. Plus, I raced once at the Badger State Winter Games. This season I didn't race on skis until the Birkie. I think that makes a difference in that it forces me to suffer a little at Badger State. The course isn't as tough but it is a marathon distance and it is time spent on the skis.
I think the main difference between this season and last is that I way over estimated my fitness level going into the Birkie. I thought I was ready for a sub 3 1/2 hour race. Wow, was I wrong. Last year I went in with no expectations or goals. Just have fun and finish. It looks like if I want to get a PR and race serious at the Birkie next year I need to train harder and more specifically. It remains to be seen just how serious I want to be.
I did do a few races early this year and I'll talk about those in my next post. Hopefully in a few days. I'll talk about my Badger State Winter Games trail run, the Birkie (of course!) and Point Bock.
Later.....