Girding my loins

(for my future son, "girding" means to "armor ones self", and by implication "to prepare", and "loins" isn't a dirty word. Stop giggling and get a haircut!)

It's been a busy few hours getting ready for the race. Because the event is in Lake Nockamixon, PA, which is about 2 hours north, and I want to be in place by 8 for registration and to get a primo parking place (which is used as a transition area, so the closer the better!), I am staying in a hotel tonight so that I don't have to be awake at 430 in the morning. That means I have been gathering all of my crap together, getting things to the car, knowing that it's all likely to get rearranged tonight and tomorrow morning, and generally doing what I (in more meditative moments) call: The Ritual of Immaculate Gear.

Basically this involves spreading everything out on the floor, making sure that it works, oiling here and washing there, ensuring correct and logical operation, then casually dropping items into bags from which I will never be able to find them when I need them. Perfectly logical, no?

When I had it all laid out, I decided to take a few cell phone pics to share with you, my (few and rare) visitors; and possibly with you too, my unborn child (who needs to learn to aim better in the bathroom - ask your mother!).

In any case, the race is three main events and a few "team challenges" mixed in to keep the field spread out. Since I'm racing solo, I don't know what the challenges will mean to me. Teams are randomly assigned the order of their events after a scramble at the start so these can come in any order:

5 miles of trail running: competitors get a map with mandatory check points and optional check points. They have to get their race passport stamped at all of the mandatory spots, optional spots are time and/or points bonuses. There's no fixed route, the team decides where to go and how to get there within the boundaries of the competition area.

My chosen tools:

10 miles of mountain biking: similar to the running stage but with bikes.

 

My noble, but not yet race blooded, steed. It's also still unnamed, and that can't be good luck, so tonight I'll work that out.

 

Sundry riding gear:

 

5 miles of paddling: soloists get to use a sit-on-top kayak while teams use 3 person canoes. Same basic plan of collecting checkpoints, but with the added challenge of finding them on shore (or islands, or whatever) and paddling to them. This is the event that worries me since I haven't ever competitively paddled, and the last time I did anything other than a short noodle in the Potomac was in the boy scouts during the Reagan Administration.

 

Rented for the occasion:

 

Other stuff, used to make the day more comfortable, sooth aches and pains, and generally keep over-the-counter pharma in business:

Here's an inventory of what's in this pic (sponsors, please apply via email... no, really, please speak up this stuff adds up!)

• Tecnu: a soap specially formulated to clean off poison ivy oils
• Edurolytes and SportLegs: Salts and such to help fend off cramps and "the burn"
• AccelGel: My preferred gel. These have a touch of protein and a bit of caffeine mixed into the "raspberry snot" making them marginally more tolerable than others for me.
• Hydropel: foot treatment to help prevent blisters.
• Two pairs of sunglasses: eye protection is mandatory gear during the race, having a spare pair in the car can't hurt.
• A Casio MudMan watch: my preferred non-GPS sports watch. Cheap, functional, white (so it's visible if dropped among dark things... like leave, or mud, or the souls of Republicans). Did I mention cheap?
• Some pens: a pen or pencil is also mandatory gear on the course. Why? I dunno, a compass isn't required on this race, so I have no idea how this is useful. Perhaps for signing autographs after my triumphant finish?
• A cooler: no potable water is available in or near the transition area, so we have to supply our own water refills, I'll also stock a some snacks and such.

Additionally I'll have my civi clothes and set of post-event clean clothes, and some basecamp gear in case of technical issues. It's a lot of stuff!

 

This is a "sprint" event (basically anything less than 12 hours) and is expected to be complete-able within 6 hours.  Elite teams will probably finish in 4. Me? I hope to split the difference.

 

That's all the news that's fit to blog, I'll letcha know what happened at the race soon!

 

Fritz

 

The hay is already in the barn

I had been thinking of writing a post about workout scheduling, intensity cycling, and so forth but, I didn't. Instead, I've been working out, flopping on the couch, and occasionally working for my employer. Consider this a warning shot about silences to follow.

My first race of the season, the Savage Adventure Race, is coming up on Sunday and I've been trying to max then taper. It's been a mixed bag -  weather and technical issues fiddled with my riding plans on Sunday and strength training was a bust due to overall exhaustion, however I'm treating the week as an overall success. I suspect that I pushed my self too hard over the last couple of weeks leaving me a bit over-trained. Note to self: write that intensity cycling post, then follow the plan! This week is all about prep and maintenance: doing my normal workout routine but at a low intensity, stretching, and basically keeping my head in the game.

A common goof is to train all the way up to the competition, however that's burning energy that could be better used in the race. I heard a coach once say that "the hay is in the barn", meaning don't try to pack more in at the last minute. Therefore, it's better to cruise this week and show up at the starting line fresh (or fresh-ish, it does require a very early wake up on Sunday).

My foot is still bugging me, I think I may have bruised the ball pretty deeply, but I've been able to walk, run, and ride on it so as long as I'm not running on really pointy rocks, I should be OK.

It's too late to put it off, it's nearly time to do this thing!