199.6lbs this morning!
This was after a light breakfast (yogurt and coffee) but also after a workout. I figure between the two the weight drift cancels out. Sure, a large meal or trip to the loo could swing this value even more, but the trend is good!
For the record, my goal weight is 185. Still a big guy, just a more efficiently packaged type of big.
F
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
I'm back, baby!
Of course, I was never really gone. I was off dealing with birth of my son (that's you, future-son, so please try not to slouch) and the ensuing writing-and-living time impact.
I didn't stop training, though I did set my sites on a lower commitment race: The Pocono Challenge. It looked like a race that played to my strengths: 15mi bike? Sure! 10mi paddle... on flat water? What the heck! 3mi run? The smaller the number the greater my joy!
I made contact with Mike B, with whom I'd talked before the Savage AR and made a plan to do it as partners.
All good!
Training was, shall we say, "underwhelming" over the last few months, but I figured that this event was not a points race for the USARA or ECARS series and that any event that has a "family" division is probably not going to foster a blood bath. No matter what, I managed to consistently cross train and ride - and to reluctantly run several times a week.
The published rally time was 7:30am on Sunday 16. September, which as it happens, was a lovely day. What made it somewhat less lovely was waking up at 3am to get from Wilmington, DE to the event (135mi) in time to stash gear at the bike-paddle transition, then get back to the start zone for the briefing and our start at 8:30am (Men's Doubles).
After some false starts and a bit of "first time partner" confusion, Mike and I met up, dropped our transition stash, used the toilet, and were ready for our start in time. The race organizer had done a good job preparing for sign in and timing chip distribution, and we got a few more safety notes and assorted waivers.
This is the first event I've done where people queued up at the start line rather than pressing up against the gate. Very civil, but also a sign of a casual attitude amongst the participants.
When the flag dropped, I managed to get into the lead of our pack for the first few hundred meters, but I had set a pace that Mike (who was riding a heavier, downhill oriented MTB) had trouble with while he was warming up. My fault for that: I got carried away.
The bike leg was along the McDade Trail, which is a groomed gravel path in the Delaware Water Gap park. Smooth and (potentially) fast. Regrettably, the organizers had slipped up on signage in a few critical spots, which caused several of the solo teams (who'd started before us) to have to double back; fortunately, I saw what had happened and got us through the turn without incident. *Un*fortunately, gremlins got a firm grip on Mike's bike (and guts): during a climbing section he threw the chain several times and had stomach cramps so badly we actually pulled over so that he could vomit (he didn't, but was prepared to). It was during these delays that we got passed by a bunch of solos and teams, some of whom had lost 15-20min due to missing the (small) sign to make a turn.
Once we got over the climb and Mike got his legs warmed up we actually got to the T1 zone without incident. Curiously, the organizers had shortened the bike leg from 15mi to 7.5mi, probably to prevent bi-directional race traffic on the path. This was understandable but also a disappointment: I think if we'd had more riding time we'd have reeled in some of the teams who'd passed us during our travails.
We transitioned to a canoe without undue incident and headed south, toward the start area along the Delaware River. It took us a few minutes to establish boat control, but this section went well. We passed several other racers and at least two troops of scouts. By mile 6 the shine was off and we wanted to finish, but kept chugging on. The course map/passport said we should expect a checkpoint between the paddling start and finish: it never came, we just got our passport checked at the boat take out at T2.
This was supposed to start a 3mi run, however again the leg was shorter than expected since the park service had dropped the water stash only .75mi into the run. This was declared the turn around, resulting in a 1.5mi run. We actually started OK on this leg and were battling it out with another men's doubles team. Gremlins got to me: I had two shoe lace issues, which lost some time and gave the other team a lead. We eventually staggered over the line. In 6th, of 9 teams, in our division.
Here are some links to my Garmin tracking the event:
Pros:
Cons:
Was it a fun day? You bet. Once Mike and I got into a rhythm we had a good time, worked well together, and felt nothing but good vibes from other competitors.
If this event gets more sponsors and gets a bit more serious about whether it's a fun run vs. a race, it could be an excellent addition to the local sporting scene.
I didn't stop training, though I did set my sites on a lower commitment race: The Pocono Challenge. It looked like a race that played to my strengths: 15mi bike? Sure! 10mi paddle... on flat water? What the heck! 3mi run? The smaller the number the greater my joy!
I made contact with Mike B, with whom I'd talked before the Savage AR and made a plan to do it as partners.
All good!
Training was, shall we say, "underwhelming" over the last few months, but I figured that this event was not a points race for the USARA or ECARS series and that any event that has a "family" division is probably not going to foster a blood bath. No matter what, I managed to consistently cross train and ride - and to reluctantly run several times a week.
The published rally time was 7:30am on Sunday 16. September, which as it happens, was a lovely day. What made it somewhat less lovely was waking up at 3am to get from Wilmington, DE to the event (135mi) in time to stash gear at the bike-paddle transition, then get back to the start zone for the briefing and our start at 8:30am (Men's Doubles).
After some false starts and a bit of "first time partner" confusion, Mike and I met up, dropped our transition stash, used the toilet, and were ready for our start in time. The race organizer had done a good job preparing for sign in and timing chip distribution, and we got a few more safety notes and assorted waivers.
This is the first event I've done where people queued up at the start line rather than pressing up against the gate. Very civil, but also a sign of a casual attitude amongst the participants.
When the flag dropped, I managed to get into the lead of our pack for the first few hundred meters, but I had set a pace that Mike (who was riding a heavier, downhill oriented MTB) had trouble with while he was warming up. My fault for that: I got carried away.
The bike leg was along the McDade Trail, which is a groomed gravel path in the Delaware Water Gap park. Smooth and (potentially) fast. Regrettably, the organizers had slipped up on signage in a few critical spots, which caused several of the solo teams (who'd started before us) to have to double back; fortunately, I saw what had happened and got us through the turn without incident. *Un*fortunately, gremlins got a firm grip on Mike's bike (and guts): during a climbing section he threw the chain several times and had stomach cramps so badly we actually pulled over so that he could vomit (he didn't, but was prepared to). It was during these delays that we got passed by a bunch of solos and teams, some of whom had lost 15-20min due to missing the (small) sign to make a turn.
Once we got over the climb and Mike got his legs warmed up we actually got to the T1 zone without incident. Curiously, the organizers had shortened the bike leg from 15mi to 7.5mi, probably to prevent bi-directional race traffic on the path. This was understandable but also a disappointment: I think if we'd had more riding time we'd have reeled in some of the teams who'd passed us during our travails.
We transitioned to a canoe without undue incident and headed south, toward the start area along the Delaware River. It took us a few minutes to establish boat control, but this section went well. We passed several other racers and at least two troops of scouts. By mile 6 the shine was off and we wanted to finish, but kept chugging on. The course map/passport said we should expect a checkpoint between the paddling start and finish: it never came, we just got our passport checked at the boat take out at T2.
This was supposed to start a 3mi run, however again the leg was shorter than expected since the park service had dropped the water stash only .75mi into the run. This was declared the turn around, resulting in a 1.5mi run. We actually started OK on this leg and were battling it out with another men's doubles team. Gremlins got to me: I had two shoe lace issues, which lost some time and gave the other team a lead. We eventually staggered over the line. In 6th, of 9 teams, in our division.
Here are some links to my Garmin tracking the event:
- Bike: http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/n3ZgjZpzYzc
- Paddle: http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/q54EJcw6Y2c
- Run: http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/nWKyROd3yWE
Pros:
- Good start line organization and and volunteer staff
- Good communication from the organizer prior to the event
- Good boat selection at T1 (no waiting to be given a boat: grab 'n' go)
- Good venue, helped immeasurably by good weather
Cons:
- Bad bike-stage signage: a "real" adventure race would require navigation by map and compass, if this isn't a requirement the route should be well marked.
- Unexpectedly short bike stage
- If you have a checkpoint on the passport: HAVE A CHECKPOINT!
- Many teams dropped their packs/camelbacks at the T2 zone so that they could run as fast as possible; however the rules made it clear that there was individual and team gear that was required AT ALL TIMES (including first aid and water). Was it mandatory or not? We ran with our packs, should we get a time bonus for this? Should non-conforming teams be DQ'd?
- T1, the bike-paddle transition, was about 10 minutes away by car. Thus, after the race, teams had to get into a car to retrieve their bikes before coming back for the post race "barbeque" which was just some salad and pasta.
- National Park... no finish line beer. Not the organizer's fault, but depressing.
Was it a fun day? You bet. Once Mike and I got into a rhythm we had a good time, worked well together, and felt nothing but good vibes from other competitors.
If this event gets more sponsors and gets a bit more serious about whether it's a fun run vs. a race, it could be an excellent addition to the local sporting scene.
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