Seneca Creek Greenway Trail 50k

This race popped up on my radar a while back but I didn't put much thought into it until I noticed it's timing relative to Bull Run Run. At just over one month before the 50 miler it was the perfect pre-race long run for me. I signed up tentatively with the RD figuring if I was feeling good and Matthew was in I'd be there.

That said, with the set backs in training, 1 week being sick at the end of January followed by a generally weak week (sorry), the February double whammy of a snowstorm and then the week long trip to Asheville and Knoxville during which I ran 3 times I wasn't feeling too great about my chances of completing this race. On the other hand, I had a good past couple of weeks, and aside from the horrendous conditions on the Potomac Heritage Trail last weekend, I did manage nearly 3 and a half hours of on the go time. Time on the feet I've heard is one of the most important parts of training for ultra distance races, so I figured it was well worth the $20 to get out there and give it a go. When Matthew came back and said he was in, I knew it was on!

We started off somewhere in the middle/front of the 350ish marathon and 50k runners and settled onto a nice long train of people. We were cruising along in the 7:30-8:30 minute mile range for probably the first 10 or so miles stuck pretty tight to the remaining train, picking our way over the frozen solid and rutted out snow on the trails. Somewhere along the way we passed some folks and leading Matthew I tried to stay with a few runners in my sights maybe 25 yards ahead. I wasn't doing it and was slowly dropping back when Matthew took over and slowly and steadily reeled the two guys ahead of us in. I was struggling there but made it up with him and did my best to continue to hang on.

We stayed with those two, one named Daryl (I think but I'm probably wrong) and the other a young guy in a VHTRC sleeveless shirt around the lake loop. About half way around the lake we caught up to Rob D(2nd 50k in 3 weeks following the 100 miler 4 weeks prior... ouch!) who'd been volunteering at the PHT 50k and I dropped back to chat for a minute or two but knew I'd be dead if I didn't hang on to Matthew and Daryl for a bit longer. It took some serious effort to catch back up to them but I got up there and followed through to the second stop at the lake aid station.

Shortly after that aid station we lost Daryl off the front and Matthew and I continued to roll along. Matthew was feeling good and I was slowly falling off his pace. I was doing what I could to keep him in my sights but he was cruising and continued to pull further and further ahead mile after mile. Eventually though, I got a bit of help when he got stuck behind some folks and I managed the slightest little second wind and finally reeled him in on a fairly steep little switch back "climb" and we stuck together for a bit after that until a long grinding uphill.

A young women we'd run with before caught up quickly up here, tried to stick behind us and then rocketed by once she saw us dying hard at the top of the climb. I offered to play rabbit for Matthew for a bit and shuffled off in front of him. I eventually separated from him over the next few miles and settled in to my shuffle jog for the final miles of running. Somewhere in here we started to see mud; mostly just relatively small patches that were pretty sloppy, though again I was surprised by how dry most of the trail was.

The last aid station came a supposed 2.2 miles to the finish but was followed abruptly by a second creek crossing (which felt GREAT!) and the steepest little kicker of the race (which DIDN'T!). The end of the trail put us out directly next to my truck and even thinking it was well under a mile to go I absolutely had to fight off thoughts of just going straight to my truck. It was especially difficult when all I could think of was how I'd already run this portion of road in the morning since we were the last people boarding the last bus to go to the race start (aka we were late...)

Around two corners and an announcement that we had a mile road run to the finish was tough, but I managed a little focus, took the smooth road for what it was and gritted out my final mile back in a reasonable (though in all reality super slow) pace. My finish time of 5 hours, 20 minutes and change was a significant improvement over the PHT 50k though I'd guess the trail is quite a bit less technical then that one was; at least at times. Matthew came in a short 10 minutes later and we headed over to the race provided BBQ for some well deserved sodas and BBQ sandwiches.

Caught up with Rob a bit afterwards and talked to a couple of the people we'd run with during the race before heading home, taking a detour off River Rd due to an accident, ending up near Catholic University (way out of the way) and finally getting home to ice baths, a quick meal of pasta and veggie sausages and heading straight to Jenny's house for her 30th birthday dinner and games party. And, yes we did both eat full meals again! Yum!

No official results though from what I can tell I was somewhere in the sub-40's for the 50k placement. A much faster race field then I think we expected, though the delusions of top 20/top 10 placements were way off base to begin with! :)

Check out my GPS report on Garmin Connect here.

Can't wait for BRR!

When it rains, it pours

After weeks of radio silence, I've got a little more to say.

Seneca Creek Greenway 50k is tomorrow. Matthew and I will be tackling that one at 8am.

I got the latest in upgrades for the Jamis in on Monday including the Reba Race fork. Also included an XT crankset and some anodized green crank bros egg beater pedals. I'd like to swap out both the road and mountain bikes to these if I end up liking them for more compatibility when it comes to shoes. It'd be nice to be able to walk around without killing myself or taking my shoes off at the office when I commute on the road bike.

The new crankset and pedals.

Pedal shot. Love that green!

The bike is definitely shaping up pretty darn nice. I'm also working on getting my hands on a matching green anodized Chris King headset so once I get that the bike will be full upgraded.

At this point I'm thinking if I manage to sell off the ss ghetto cross and the Fuji Track bikes I'll use part of those proceeds to pick up a carbon White Brothers rigid fork Jonathon has at the shop and really have a sweet set up either way I go. The current Jamis rigid fork I've got is suspension corrected so it holds the front end up pretty high. With the WB it'd be a much racier front end which is exactly what I'd be looking for for my rigid set up.

Better pix to come once I get everything worked out and installed. Oh and this will about do it for the original parts off the Exile I actually bought 2 years ago. The headset and fork are the last remaining pieces. Wow.

Office life

My coworkers no doubt believe I've gone a bit extreme, if not completely crazy. It started with heaps of clothing stored in the office, most notably of the running and biking variety.

Box #1

Box #2

Then it was the shoes...

Now, throw in the fitness ball seat and my "stick" which I use while reading and roll my feet on constantly...

And I think we have a critical mass.

Haw Ridge TN rest in pieces trail... And more!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

The great bicycle shuffle of 2010 Pt. 2

I've already sold the Scalpel. Done and gone. The old SS 29'er wheelset is spoken for and the Redline SS cross set up is back up on the chopping block. I even posted up the Fuji track bike, my fixed gear on CL though so far only limited interest. Apparently folks aren't thinking about skinny tire fixed gears during historic snow storms!?!?!

For a bit my thinking was focusing in on getting rid of these bikes and picking up a Raleigh RX 1.0 though when I looked into getting one ordered at FBS we found out they're all out, and possibly will not be getting any in that will be available! The "entry level" cross bike is a sweet aluminum frame with Sram Rival drivetrain minus the FSA cranks. Some decent though not special wheels, and a few parts I'd probably swap out to begin with.

More importantly the frame includes eyelets for rack and fender mounts, both things I am specifically looking for in a cross bike. I'd like to use it not only for cross racing and long training rides, but also for commuting and and touring (Pittsburgh to DC anyone?), hence the fender and rack mounts.

There is a possibility of the Redline Conquest Pro doing the trick, though in all honesty I really think the Raleigh is a sweeter looking ride. I'll keep thinking on this and talking with the guys at FBS and figure out what my course of action will be here. All I know right now though is that a cross bike is probably highest on my list for a new rig.

That brings me to my next topic. One, Cannondale CAAD9. I'm beginning to think about selling this bike as well. Currently it spends most of its time in the utility closet, with other, more rugged bikes getting the majority of my cycling miles. The 28cc tires help lessen the impact of the stiff bike on longer rides and the impact of the horrendous roads and trails on the bike but still I prefer the more rugged bikes to take the beating.

So, I'm not racing road anymore and the sole purpose of the road bike is for long road rides, commuting, trainer sessions and lunch rides... So, couldn't all of these things be done with a cross bike? Yeah, thats what I'm thinking too.

So why keep around the bike I have no emotional attachment to? It's stiff, which is great for racing but no the greatest for just riding so maybe a beefier ride would be more what I need. Thoughts anyone? Would I be making a big mistake selling off my road bike and replacing it with the uber versatile cross rig?

The great bicycle shuffle of 2010

After finding out I'd be receiving a larger tax refund then I'd expected and talking with MK a bit about bikes in general and his attitude toward them more specifically, I started making some new decisions and pulled a slightly unexpected, though much needed trigger on a decision. The Cannondale Scalpel I picked up a year ago has been sitting un-ridden since Big Bear, despite the fact replaced the derailleur hangar and rear derailleur and chain back a few months ago and it was ready to ride. I've just come to prefer the Jamis and every time I head out I've looked past the Scalpel to my SS.

Needless to say, after over 6 months of non-riding it was time to make the decision. I posted the bike on CL Wednesday and sold it Thursday night for the same price I bought it for though with an updated derailleur, chain and RD cable.

Origin 8 spacers on the 9 speed cassette hub body with a Surly 18t cog.

Without hesitating I headed over to Family Bike Shop and picked up the Stans wheel set with a nine speed rear hub, set it up with a sweet looking Origin 8 spacer kit. These will be replacing my laserdisc/no name hub wheels that came stock with the '07 Exile 29'er and will provide the opportunity to turn the single into a 9 speed if I decide I want to by simply picking up a shifter derailleur set and cassette. These look pretty enticing too:

Rear Derailleur

Shifter

That CASH money green would look pretty sweet on the green Dragon 29'er frame...

Stans ZTR Arch rims laced to ZTR hubs. To be set up tubeless once I figure out my preferred tires.

So, the wheel upgrade leaves me with 3 remaining original parts for the entire bike from the Exile; the headset, the crankset and the rigid fork.

A new Reba Race 29'er fork is due in sometime late this month and 2 crank brothers cobalt headsets will be as well for easy swapping between rigid/suspended forks. That leaves the crankset for which an upgrade is currently being contemplated as well. The Truvativ Stylo 1.1 would be a nice upgrade from the current FireX though the Noir would be a real dandy. Not sure I want to go with carbon cranks though so unless someone has a better suggestion for ways to go with the SS crankset I may go with the relatively inexpensive Stylo set.

More to come but I've gone on long enough again.

Day 5: Snowmagedon 2010

Our trash can has not yet been cleared off. The inside trash can is now full... Here we go.

I've been going a bit stir crazy to say the least. Aimee was in Sand Diego for the initial 3 days of snow lock down so I was entertaining myself with shoveling, BS'ing about getting plowed out with the neighbors and throwing snow at Cassie. I rode the Jamis with sub 10PSI in the tires all three days, the first just around the neighborhood and down to the Safeway, the second looking for the back hoe being used to clear the lots and the third I actually rode out to REI and Chipotle for a break from my daily boredom and unexciting food choices.

An interesting view out the front window. The blizzard conditions are not here right now, which is fine by me.

Beaver Dam was entirely unplowed brining my doubts about Sunday's GW Birthday Marathon running to a screeching halt and holding tight to a not so smart driver who tried to get through untouched 2-3 foot snow in a 4 door Nissan Altima sedan... Um... WHAT??? Yeah.

We finallu got plowed out Monday night; the back hoe finishing our lot up around 1o pm. Aimee got home from Dulles arirport around 11 with a parking spot waiting for her, I crashed out hard asleep and Aimee went to National and picked up her friend who'd also just flown back from San Diego and who couldn't get her car out of the lot and brought her back to our house. Who knew? She woke me up and told me but I'm pretty sure the only acknowledgement she got from me was in the neighborhood of "uuuugghhhh". I barely remembered it the next morning and I'm VERY doubtful I would have been cool with her driving her little Kia down there in the middle of the night on icey roads etc...

I took Katie back down with a shovel in the AM and shoveled/pushed her car out and then came back home and forced Aimee to go to REI with me and Brian who'd come over to escape his own case of cabin fever. I got some yaktrax (which are amazing lifesavers!!!) but they'd broken, presumably since I should have sized up from the recommended size for use with my big hiking boots. Got Aimee and pair and exchanged mine, Aimee picked up some more groceries and we came home.

Now, we're snowed back in with another solid 5 inches and blizzard conditions to remain through the rest of the day. Yum. I don't really think I want to ride the bike in blizzard like conditions...

The Jamis; reporting for duty.

FYI

Just wanted to give my parents, who are off in Paris right now and my girlfriend, who is out on the beach in San Diego through Monday an idea of what they're missing.

I should have bought those snowshoes.

A month down already

One month down already?

My goals for the year are to really up my consistency and mileage both running and on the bike. So far, at least one of the goals is going well. The main focus of the first half or so of the year is running so I'm not too upset with that.

This month I really worked on being consistent on my runs as I built my mileage for the February 14th marathon and the Bull Run Run in April. I think it paid off, for the most part. I kept the number of runs per week around 4 or 5 on average and built from my usual 20 mile week the first week up to a 40 mile week, which included a 21 miler in the 4th week of the year (Monday through Sunday and including the last couple days of '09 as week 1, though my monthly total includes strictly January miles).

I felt good overall and once my legs got used to the consistency they started to settle in well and feel less fatigue on subsequent days. My only issue was a sore ankle which I think was caused by some heavy ankle kicking during a run with cass where she kept tripping me up. Not a major issue but it was lingering a little bit.

Then, this final week of January I came down with a devil of a stomach bug and said goodbye to my month long consistency. It may have been a blessing in disguise as it really gave the nagging ankle soreness the time to properly heal, which I of course wouldn't have given into otherwise. Still, seems like a slap in the face after starting off the year so well and then logging the 14 mile week on 2 easy runs. Still, the monthly running mileage was a major step up from last year and if I can even match half of it for each month for the remainder of the year I'll be well on my way to my annual goal.

January Running Mileage: 127

Road: 87

Trail: 40

Treadmill: 0 (and thats where I plan to keep it for the year...)

The cycling started to get moving with some general miles as I picked up some higher volume kevlar tires and managed to motivate to commute a few days in the warmer cold days but the return of sub-twenty degree days and wind put a quick stop to that. Did get a trainer from the folks for Christmas and managed to throw a leg over it for a solid session and unfortunately that'll likely be the bulk of my saddle time for the coming weeks as the trails stay wet from snow melt and a continuing wet winter.

January Cycling Mileage: 95

Road: 80

Mountain: 15

Trainer: 1 hr 15 mins

Better late then never

Some things I've been meaning to write about for quite a while that I just haven't found the motivation to put down on (e-)paper.

First and foremost; Christmas was pretty good to me!

Jenny and Brian got me (combined as my bday gift also) the truck box I've been hemming and hawing over for the past year or so. I've yet to pick it out, though Brian and I went to Lowes last weekend and looked at what they had at the store. I think I've decided on a nice Craftsman box that has a better interior then the Kobalts at Lowes with some extra small storage areas and even some trays included. Thanks guys! I can't wait to get it and mount up some lockable fork mount brackets to it so I'll finally be able to secure my bikes to the truck AND have a bunch of extra storage space!

My parents got me a bunch of cool stuff including a few bottles of my favorite wine ("Sangre del Toro" or "The Blood of the Bull"), some emergency survival type gear (following a day of mis-information that appeared to leave them believing I was lost somewhere out in the cold during our super storm back in December) and some workout gear. A cold gear under armour top and fleece are both very welcome to my collection while a pair of Salomon 3/4 running tights offer a bit more versatility to my running options. Finally a pair of REI gaitors worked wonders for keeping the snow and mud out of my shoes during my two exploration runs out in Promised Land State Park a few minutes from the folks place in NEPA.

Better yet, the seem at the crotch of the 3/4 tights started ripping open after 3 runs. When I returned them to REI under warranty they didn't have any more so I got a credit which I used online to buy the same newly clearanced pair of tights for $20 less AND a $20 packable wind/water resistant Sierra Designs jacket. Sweet!

Aimee and I had discussed her buying me a fork for my mountain bike a while back and we'd decided that could be my xmas present from her. She, at some point decided she'd rather have something to give me christmas morning and since the fork won't be in till likely late February, pushed the fork back to be my birthday gift. Christmas morning I was surprised to find a new Garmin 305 with my name on it!

I'd been batting around the idea of getting a garmin for quite a long time but just had never really been willing to spend the money on it (I'm getting much more frugal as I age here). I took it, along with my new gaitors and trail knickers out for a test run that afternoon and again before coming home and found it to be pretty great. Running trails which I didn't know and had no reasonable idea of mileage, the garmin was very helpful. Further use has helped me to dial my mileage and pace information on my usual run reviews plus allow me to better monitor my pace while I'm out there. The elevation data is good too, mostly showing me how little elevation change I actually get in my runs.

I think it helps to motivate me in my quest to log more miles this year and gives me a bit more perspective as to exactly where I am in relation to surrounding areas (I get relatively lost running on trails) on my trail workouts. It's also got the heart rate monitor which so far has NOT told me I'm dead or my heart is going to explode soon. A big step up from my 4 year old Timex HR monitor. So far I'd have to say I like my garmin even more then I imagined I would!

While I'm at it, my folks got me a trainer (basic Ascent Fluid) for my Birthday which I got last weekend. I set it up and threw the cross bike on it (since that was at home and available) though the trainer doesn't have resistance adjustments so the trainer riding will generally likely be on a geared bike. It's also a bit loud for my far from sound proof wooden frame town home but hopefully a vibration dampening pad and smooth road tires (as opposed to my cross knobbies) should help me out there.

I picked up a set of Darren recommended Forte GT2 Kevlar tires for my winter riding for $11 per at performance bikes. So far they're pretty decent and the extra volume of the 28's lets me run them soft enough that they're not as bone jarring as I was afraid of. Hopefuly this will translate into some extra riding this winter and spring as I don't have to worry as much about flats.

SO far I've started off the year right for my running. Ramping up my mileage for the February 14th marathon has me steadily increasing my weekly mileage up to around 40 miles this week with a long run planned for the weekend of around 20 miles. The last 2 weekends I ran the marathon course, though poor night and morning before nutrition (read: alcohol and coffee) left me feeling a little worse then I would have liked later on, I think overall I should be in decent shape. Better yet I should be easily able to knock off over 20 minutes from my previous and only marathon.

So far my 2010 mileage is just over 90 so I'm well on my way to increasing my annual mileage so long as I can keep up the consistency.

Bull Run Run initial registration opens in 3 days! Can't wait!