My wheel season ended in fall. I squeezed in the December “D” race as annual run fitness indicator; the long-term goal is Badwater in 2015. Huntsville 50k trail run is a low-cost way to taste trail ultra.
_Bigger Bite than I could Chew
I changed the distance when writing the registration check. 50-mile and 50k were the same price. 50-mile is a 4-lap event. I could bail at 12.5-mile increment without having to call a cab. President Bush taught me the importance of exit strategies.
At packet pick up, it was easy to differentiate between the “slightly ultra” vs. the “almost double” runners. The 50-milers radiate special vibe. I realized I could be in over my head this time. I stuck with the distance: this was a learning experience; finding out the breaking point was more valuable than getting a finisher’s jacket. I re-promised myself: no crazy chances; quitting is an option.
_Technology Conspiracy
Google Map betrayed. The hotel was nowhere near the dot on the satellite map.
I decided not to bother with HRM due to lack of sweat at low temperature.
I left the GPS in the car overnight; the battery drained within minutes of powering up. The manual weren’t kidding about the unit’s operating temperature.
The iPod headphone developed contact issue at the start.
_Pace Planning
Plan A:
Walk at 15:00/mile pace the first lap then decide what to do for the other 3 laps. Shoot for 11-hour finish. Foot pain scrapped this idea after multiple walk trials.
Plan B:
Hold 12:00 pace. 1 hr cushion for breaks and walks. Researches on trail running showed that constant pace was unrealistic.
Plan C:
10 min (20:00 pace) walk + 20 min (11:00 pace) run the first 2 laps (5:30). This plan relied on a working GPS.
Impromptu Human Pacer
I walked to back of the 182-runner start and shamelessly asked for everyone’s marathon time and projected 50-mile time. I settled on Sharon’s 3:50 marathon time and 10 hr projected time and asked her to be my pacer.
_The Course
First 1/3 of the 12.5-mile course included a long section of soft-pack dirt with turnaround at top of the hill. Energy bled with each step, but I felt good about my chance to finish. Next 1/3 had everything: dirt packed hard by motored vehicle, gravels, and narrow path, lots of elevation changes. Last 3rd was mostly dirt trails with obstacles: tree roots, debris, and branches.
_The Long Run
I started out chatting with Sharon side by side. Like many runners that morning, she’s from Colorado; running was center of her daily life. Soon I ran behind her when trail narrowed. There were some branches in the way. She went around them while I jumped over. Our feet collided in mid air; we both fail. Not a good start. Following so close was a rookie mistake.
We saw the leaders coming down the soft pack dirt with urgency of someone in need of bathroom. They reminded me of characters in Japanese samurai films. I wondered how they could sustain the effort for another 45 miles.
Sharon asked me if I was eating. “A little.” “Area you drinking?” “Couple oz per rest stop.” “You need to eat and drink!” She seemed horrified. I explained I needed little fluid at the temperature and little carbohydrate at the heart rate. Wasn’t a convincing argument with a dead GPS and no HRM. “Energy and cardio aren’t my problem. I’m not much of a runner. I'm a speed skater.” She looked puzzled. “I'm like Apolo Ohno, minus the talent and sex appeal.” That she understood but was skeptical as I ran noisily kicking branches and roots.
I had a tough time with road surface and kept rolling the ankle. Downhill was toughest. Breaking took a lot out of my shins. I was untrained for this. I started walking and wait for a slower pacer. I finished the first 12.5-mile loop in 2:35, a reasonable start.
Lap 2 was similar. I was overly optimistic on soft-pack dirt then lost confidence tripping over stuff during the landmine sections. The theoretical 20-mile wall went by unnoticed while I focused on my footing. Lap time = 2:45.
Lap 3. Fatigue set in. It felt like last miles of a marathon except I had 20 miles to go. I walked the soft-pack dirt hill thinking all was lost. I caught one of the samurais who lapped me earlier. The guy wore #1 and looked spent. "This is hard," I whined. "It's supposed to be hard." The 2005 winner smiled as he hobbled away.
_Swallow a DNF
3 miles before the 3rd lap finish. Of the 50-milers around me, making the 8.5-hour cutoff became the focal point of our lives. We had 29 minutes.
I weighed my options: my weakened quads should have enough for 15.5 miles. I felt shin splint developing but could ignore it. I was still tripping over debris, rocks, branches, and roots. Could I handle this section in the dark? The goal was getting one step closer to Badwater. Running on uneven surface half blind wasn’t part of the deal. This wasn’t worth the wrist injury.
The fight went out of me at the moment of the decision. All the sudden I couldn’t handle 20:00 pace. Runners passing me both directions urge me to beat the clock. I thanked and congratulated them. I took off my headphone and heard the silence and appreciated the woods for the first time. I was so lucky to be here.
_Post Race
2 chocolate shakes, 3 hotdogs, 1 cheeseburger, and a grill chicken breast later, long drive home. The gravity of my race started to sink in. My longest run to date on a certified course on surface I supposedly couldn’t handle. Shin splint and sore quads. I got away with another one.
Monday. The chiropractor assessed the damage and suggested taping for my next trail run. I was surprised how well my lower back held up. “Don’t question it,” he recommended while cracking my neck. I had little negative thoughts about my body at that moment. The glorious sushi buffet from previous night was a great way to start my 2.75-month off-season. No weight watching, no races, no scheduled trainings. My near future will be full of fun workouts, tasty food, and couch potatoing.
I can’t wait for 2009 season.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Saturday, October 4, 2008
A2A 55-mile -- Sunday morning fun skate went out of control
The Texas Flyers had planned to send a team to 2005 A2A [which was canceled that year --roadskater]. I wanted to participate in the worst way. I was too weak to skate at the time and started to ask skaters to go to A2A. “Don’t wait ‘til you’re ready. Go while the event exists.”
2008
I wasn’t recovered from Montreal. A2A was still the one event I wanted to support, and it lacked bodies. I signed up for 52-mile race that I never skated. It’d be a fun skate. I’d skate Silver Hill again!
8 days before A2A I narrowly avoided a bike crash at a cycling time trial. I came in near last after getting lost on the simple loop course. The goals for 2008 A2A:
52-mile skaters seemed relaxed before the start. All eyes were on Herb Gayle. Herb kept whining about weight and climbs.
Bob Clare from Virginia asked me about Texas Flyers and talked about the year Mike Harris won 38. I wasn’t aware there was a following on short distances. Bob was determined to do well this year. I vaguely recall he skated away from me at last mile of 2007 38-mile race.
Team Red Confusion from Birmingham was well represented. The young guns seemed fast. The question was whether they could stay fast for 3 hours. Most of them looked light and immune to gravity.
Several APRR skin suits were in the mix. Rumor had it a Chuck had his eyes on the 52-mile trophy. They all looked like Chucks at the start. Knowing the route was a huge advantage.
Inexact Start
The little lead motorcycle took off; one Chuck followed slowly. We had a long pace line going 11 mph for a few minutes. Next thing I knew I was in a small pack of mostly Birmingham skaters pushing each other down the hill at 29 mph. Not what I had in mind but had go with the flow. My strategy was to stay close to lead motorcycle so I wouldn’t skate off the course. I’d back off where 52 and 87-mile courses merged.
Shortly after the loop, the lead vehicle stopped to block traffic. I followed the 3 lead guys into the wrong turn. We ran on grass and dirt while their teammates waited. I was determined not to skate off the course again.
Cat-1 Racer
Herb showed up. He was re-lacing when the race started unexpectedly. He kept pushing the pace. My heart rate hovered around 91%. Eric Gee warned me about this. I decided to hang on ‘til my legs fail. I heard so much about Herb’s superpower I wanted to see it first-hand. My HRM started to beep 56 minutes into the race. The alarm was set at 95% max.
Herb started to gap the pack on the false flats. I struggled to match cadence in his slipstream. GPS said 31 mph. Bob patiently sat in the peloton. I didn’t have to hammer, but going fast was so much fun. I decided to stay with Herb ‘til my legs quit. This is probably the only race I could hang with racers of Herb’s caliber. I didn’t care if I bonked but wished I had lost a few lbs for this day. I let the pack go when my HR crossed 95% for the 3rd time. We hit an unmanned red light. I stayed behind Bob after the unscheduled stop.
20-Minute Detour
2 hours into the race, the lead pack dwindled. After a left turn, the painted arrows stopped showing up on the course. Advancing at 0 mph, we spoke of the unthinkable: “are we lost?” The pack included no females; hence were unable to ask for directions. Someone decided to stay the course, counting on the organizer’s failing to mark that intersection. I stopped following the pack. My legs felt like jello and were unlikely to stay with leaders. I skated back toward the turn: if I saw the chase pack coming toward me, I’d join; if Herb and company went the wrong way, I had gained distance on them.
Lead pack U-turned. The detour cost 3 miles. Herb radiated frustration waiting for the red light while Bob’s anger propelled him up the road alone. I was a little depressed how quickly they caught me. I soon redlined but the legs miraculously tapped out Herb’s pace. The Red Confusion dudes looked dead tired by now. I yelled at them, “Stick together. No one gets away before Silver Hill.” I felt like coach Mike.
I also felt discouraged. There was unknown number of competitors in front with possibly 15-minute lead. Herb had twice my talent and stroke length. Bob was out of sight.
I had forgotten about the relaxing Sunday morning fun skate.
42.3 mph
We finally reached the long ass downhill. I grabbed the 2nd spot to minimize the number of skaters I had to trust. My right foot speed-wobbled all the way. What a rush! It’s hard to believe Nicolas Ratthe, the backward skater, only crashed once.
2nd Half
Inevitably, Herb attacked. I told the young skater in front, “It’s up to you. We have the number.” He lacked will. I took over. I kept the gap constant. Let the big boy spend the energy skating alone on those big wheels; downhill momentum was on my side. Pretty soon my pack was down to 2. I didn’t bother to ask my shadow to pull; I just needed downhill weight. Plenty of climbs left. It pays to be the skinny Asian when it comes to hotdog eating and A2A. For miles, I watched in awe as Herb dragged his Greek God-like physique up each hill using unnaturally long strokes, never faltered.
Herb finally slowed. My heart rate dropped enough to consume the overdue gel. I bridged. No one followed. Herb and I started to work together. Bob was nowhere in sight. We didn’t know how many directionally gifted were still ahead. I ran out of hills to threaten Herb. All he had to do was pick a straight stretch to drop me. I worked with him anyway. I could use extra cushion to hold off my chasers. We could still catch Bob.
Easily Lost Strong Man
Bob caught up from behind. “I went the wrong way.” Curselessly, he flew away fueled by fury. He was 30 meters ahead. Herb chased. I shifted gear. My right quads cramped. The body finally reached its limit. It was exhilarating while it lasted. “Thank you, legs.”
I wished I were stronger.
10 miles to go, mostly rough flat road. I concentrated on not getting lost.
Free Ride
An APRR skin suit showed up with 6 miles to go.
“Do you know the route?”
“Yeah.”
“Good! I don’t know where I’m going.”
The Chuck had great form and was easy to follow. He demonstrated Southern hospitality by leading the whole way. He surged repeatedly when pavement turned smooth. It didn’t occur to me he was trying to drop me. Piedmont Park. I was confident in my sprint after the long rest but decided to let chuck cross first. It seemed right. I started moving out of his draft. A small dog moved in front of Chuck. Chuck went down avoiding the canine. I narrowly escaped and crossed the finish alone. The mutt walked away tail-high, oblivious to the near collision.
Redemption
I was surprised to find Bob, Herb, and I reclaimed the 52-mile race lead. Bob pulled Herb for miles and asked Herb not to sprint, “Herb, don’t be a donkey. Let me have this.” (Inexact quote!)
Bob finally got his A2A title.
In 2007, 3 of us finished 5th ~ 7th behind 4 young skaters at 38-miles.
The 38-mile title was more achievable this year. But I wouldn’t trade the lead pack experience for the 38-mile win.
I ended my season directionally challenged, but it gave me small satisfaction that...
In medical tent Chuck complemented on how tough I hanged. I finally understood the surges.
The Real Race
Peter Starykowicz from Chicago won the 87-mile race, followed by Luis Carlos Mejia who looked fast even sitting down. Eddy Matzger claimed 3rd with big smile. I asked Eddy,
“How do you recover from NY100k last week?”
“I didn’t.”
Randy Bowman didn’t have the race he wanted. Dennis Humphrey was happy with his 5 minutes behind the winner Peter longlastname, who was less than half Dennis’ age.
Meeting my Hero
Dan Burger showed up at massage booth with big camera and hairy arms. He offered to fight me for the spot in line and shared details of his 6- and 12-hour distance record. Eddy also came to the booth. Contrary to the myth, they didn’t look like twins. When his turn came up, Eddy gave the masseuse a massage.
Friends from the Montreal race
I went back to Piedmont Park alone after dinner with Blake and NC crew. I closed my eyes and could still see the 1999 sprint finish when the skater collided into a photographer. I rearranged my life to train for the 87-mile. I made friends through the event. Thinking about skaters fighting the hills always warms my heart.
I wished A2A would prosper again.
GPS/HRM Data
2008
I wasn’t recovered from Montreal. A2A was still the one event I wanted to support, and it lacked bodies. I signed up for 52-mile race that I never skated. It’d be a fun skate. I’d skate Silver Hill again!
8 days before A2A I narrowly avoided a bike crash at a cycling time trial. I came in near last after getting lost on the simple loop course. The goals for 2008 A2A:
- no crash
- stay on course
52-mile skaters seemed relaxed before the start. All eyes were on Herb Gayle. Herb kept whining about weight and climbs.
Bob Clare from Virginia asked me about Texas Flyers and talked about the year Mike Harris won 38. I wasn’t aware there was a following on short distances. Bob was determined to do well this year. I vaguely recall he skated away from me at last mile of 2007 38-mile race.
Team Red Confusion from Birmingham was well represented. The young guns seemed fast. The question was whether they could stay fast for 3 hours. Most of them looked light and immune to gravity.
Several APRR skin suits were in the mix. Rumor had it a Chuck had his eyes on the 52-mile trophy. They all looked like Chucks at the start. Knowing the route was a huge advantage.
Inexact Start
The little lead motorcycle took off; one Chuck followed slowly. We had a long pace line going 11 mph for a few minutes. Next thing I knew I was in a small pack of mostly Birmingham skaters pushing each other down the hill at 29 mph. Not what I had in mind but had go with the flow. My strategy was to stay close to lead motorcycle so I wouldn’t skate off the course. I’d back off where 52 and 87-mile courses merged.
Shortly after the loop, the lead vehicle stopped to block traffic. I followed the 3 lead guys into the wrong turn. We ran on grass and dirt while their teammates waited. I was determined not to skate off the course again.
Cat-1 Racer
Herb showed up. He was re-lacing when the race started unexpectedly. He kept pushing the pace. My heart rate hovered around 91%. Eric Gee warned me about this. I decided to hang on ‘til my legs fail. I heard so much about Herb’s superpower I wanted to see it first-hand. My HRM started to beep 56 minutes into the race. The alarm was set at 95% max.
Herb started to gap the pack on the false flats. I struggled to match cadence in his slipstream. GPS said 31 mph. Bob patiently sat in the peloton. I didn’t have to hammer, but going fast was so much fun. I decided to stay with Herb ‘til my legs quit. This is probably the only race I could hang with racers of Herb’s caliber. I didn’t care if I bonked but wished I had lost a few lbs for this day. I let the pack go when my HR crossed 95% for the 3rd time. We hit an unmanned red light. I stayed behind Bob after the unscheduled stop.
20-Minute Detour
2 hours into the race, the lead pack dwindled. After a left turn, the painted arrows stopped showing up on the course. Advancing at 0 mph, we spoke of the unthinkable: “are we lost?” The pack included no females; hence were unable to ask for directions. Someone decided to stay the course, counting on the organizer’s failing to mark that intersection. I stopped following the pack. My legs felt like jello and were unlikely to stay with leaders. I skated back toward the turn: if I saw the chase pack coming toward me, I’d join; if Herb and company went the wrong way, I had gained distance on them.
Lead pack U-turned. The detour cost 3 miles. Herb radiated frustration waiting for the red light while Bob’s anger propelled him up the road alone. I was a little depressed how quickly they caught me. I soon redlined but the legs miraculously tapped out Herb’s pace. The Red Confusion dudes looked dead tired by now. I yelled at them, “Stick together. No one gets away before Silver Hill.” I felt like coach Mike.
I also felt discouraged. There was unknown number of competitors in front with possibly 15-minute lead. Herb had twice my talent and stroke length. Bob was out of sight.
I had forgotten about the relaxing Sunday morning fun skate.
42.3 mph
We finally reached the long ass downhill. I grabbed the 2nd spot to minimize the number of skaters I had to trust. My right foot speed-wobbled all the way. What a rush! It’s hard to believe Nicolas Ratthe, the backward skater, only crashed once.
2nd Half
Inevitably, Herb attacked. I told the young skater in front, “It’s up to you. We have the number.” He lacked will. I took over. I kept the gap constant. Let the big boy spend the energy skating alone on those big wheels; downhill momentum was on my side. Pretty soon my pack was down to 2. I didn’t bother to ask my shadow to pull; I just needed downhill weight. Plenty of climbs left. It pays to be the skinny Asian when it comes to hotdog eating and A2A. For miles, I watched in awe as Herb dragged his Greek God-like physique up each hill using unnaturally long strokes, never faltered.
Herb finally slowed. My heart rate dropped enough to consume the overdue gel. I bridged. No one followed. Herb and I started to work together. Bob was nowhere in sight. We didn’t know how many directionally gifted were still ahead. I ran out of hills to threaten Herb. All he had to do was pick a straight stretch to drop me. I worked with him anyway. I could use extra cushion to hold off my chasers. We could still catch Bob.
Easily Lost Strong Man
Bob caught up from behind. “I went the wrong way.” Curselessly, he flew away fueled by fury. He was 30 meters ahead. Herb chased. I shifted gear. My right quads cramped. The body finally reached its limit. It was exhilarating while it lasted. “Thank you, legs.”
I wished I were stronger.
10 miles to go, mostly rough flat road. I concentrated on not getting lost.
Free Ride
An APRR skin suit showed up with 6 miles to go.
“Do you know the route?”
“Yeah.”
“Good! I don’t know where I’m going.”
The Chuck had great form and was easy to follow. He demonstrated Southern hospitality by leading the whole way. He surged repeatedly when pavement turned smooth. It didn’t occur to me he was trying to drop me. Piedmont Park. I was confident in my sprint after the long rest but decided to let chuck cross first. It seemed right. I started moving out of his draft. A small dog moved in front of Chuck. Chuck went down avoiding the canine. I narrowly escaped and crossed the finish alone. The mutt walked away tail-high, oblivious to the near collision.
Redemption
I was surprised to find Bob, Herb, and I reclaimed the 52-mile race lead. Bob pulled Herb for miles and asked Herb not to sprint, “Herb, don’t be a donkey. Let me have this.” (Inexact quote!)
Bob finally got his A2A title.
In 2007, 3 of us finished 5th ~ 7th behind 4 young skaters at 38-miles.
The 38-mile title was more achievable this year. But I wouldn’t trade the lead pack experience for the 38-mile win.
I ended my season directionally challenged, but it gave me small satisfaction that...
- My skate was shorter than Herb’s 56 and Bob’s 57 miles.
- The big boys of 87-mile race also got lost at a different intersection. One guy actually got on 4-lane highway.
In medical tent Chuck complemented on how tough I hanged. I finally understood the surges.
The Real Race
Peter Starykowicz from Chicago won the 87-mile race, followed by Luis Carlos Mejia who looked fast even sitting down. Eddy Matzger claimed 3rd with big smile. I asked Eddy,
“How do you recover from NY100k last week?”
“I didn’t.”
Randy Bowman didn’t have the race he wanted. Dennis Humphrey was happy with his 5 minutes behind the winner Peter longlastname, who was less than half Dennis’ age.
Meeting my Hero
Dan Burger showed up at massage booth with big camera and hairy arms. He offered to fight me for the spot in line and shared details of his 6- and 12-hour distance record. Eddy also came to the booth. Contrary to the myth, they didn’t look like twins. When his turn came up, Eddy gave the masseuse a massage.
Friends from the Montreal race
- Luke helped me getting out of greased skates without mom’s support.
- Morgan talked to me about his underpush during those 2.7-mile sprints.
- Bryan McKenney’s non-imaginary hammerhead girlfriend came to support Bryan, who was not recovered from dominating UMCA North America 12-Hour Championship 8 days ago.
- Jessica looked as tall and fast as last time I saw her. She was so fresh that 87 miles seemed insufficient.
- Renee showed up at awards in a skirt.
- The German skater turned down my invitation to Cow Tippers. She alleged to be a vegetarian.
I went back to Piedmont Park alone after dinner with Blake and NC crew. I closed my eyes and could still see the 1999 sprint finish when the skater collided into a photographer. I rearranged my life to train for the 87-mile. I made friends through the event. Thinking about skaters fighting the hills always warms my heart.
I wished A2A would prosper again.
GPS/HRM Data
- 3:34:23
- 55.28 miles
- Avg speed: 15.5 mph
- Avg HR: 89%
- Calories: 2922
- 3:34:14
- 52 miles
- Avg speed: 14.6 mph
- 1.5 Perpetuem
- 1 gel
- 16 oz diluted Gatorade
- 28 oz water
Saturday, September 27, 2008
The Texas Time Trail
Bryan McKenney raced 12-hour TT. 5 hours into race, he stopped and chatted as I got ready for 6-hour TT. He looked relaxed and pointed out the 2nd place a hundred yards behind. He had a few moments to spare. Must be nice to have this level of confidence.
_Low expectation
TTTT was my 2008 “D” event. Unrecovered from Montreal. A2A was 8 days away. If I have to pick an event to suck less, A2A wins. My IM CDA housemate Erik Bricker arrived late. He dashed in the registration when his competitors already lined up to start.
I reminded myself, “No risk. No digging” as the gun went off. 20-mile loop. I’d do 80 miles. 100 max.
_Crash
Drafting was allowed the first few miles. 1 guy took off like a rocket. Rest of us formed a nice pace line. The pace lifted, I let the pack go. This was a recon ride; I didn’t need to trust everyone in front of me. I saw the wreck 4 miles into the race. I rode slowly with another racer waiting for the pack. Erik caught us: 1 bike broke; pretty much everyone went down. Erik, hanging off back of the pack due to late arrival, was one of the few escaped. 1 girl was hurt bad. There was no cell phone signal. Some racers rode back to the start to alert medicals. All the sudden I was one of the leaders. I lost my resolve of not racing. 120 miles was the new goal, which seemed insufficient to surpass the lead guy, but this was cycling. Everyone was 1 mechanical issue away from stopping.
_Direction
The organizer made it clear “2 right turns only.”
The first turn was clear: green right turn arrow + manned intersection.
At next intersection, I saw black left turn paint on the ground. It didn’t occur to me black meant, “Erased.” I asked the cop at intersection by pointing left. He nodded. I follow the arrow. A few miles later I rolled to a boat ramp looking at the pretty lake. My race was over. The covered left turn was used for July Goatneck ride.
_Reconnaissance
I changed GPS to map mode and got back to the course. The 3-year old GPS locked up, which never happened before. Freaky day. I saw McKenney on the course and used him as a guide. He wouldn’t get lost after being on the course for 7 hours. Using cosmetic arguments, he convinced me to chase the 6-hour woman leader.
I lost motivation by end of 2nd lap. I’d seen the course and have no chance of a top finish. I took a long break at the car before 3rd lap. Legs got pretty tired of climbing. I was uncomfortable in aero position and had no reason to go hard. I finished the lap and called it the day.
At the award I got to pose with a trophy. The director promised I’d get one in the mail. I wanted to tell him my performance didn’t deserve a trophy but didn’t want to be disrespectful.
McKenney had the win in the bag before his rear tire self-destructed. The organizer announced his 2nd place qualified him as “rookie of the year.” He shrugged off the mechanical issue as “part of racing.” It turns out he really has a non-imaginary girl friend who’s not a hired actress. No actress could hammer out 500 miles under 36 hours.
#’s
4:06
official mile: 60
approx mile rode: 70
2551 cal
avg HR: 76%
crash: 0
off course count: 1
_Low expectation
TTTT was my 2008 “D” event. Unrecovered from Montreal. A2A was 8 days away. If I have to pick an event to suck less, A2A wins. My IM CDA housemate Erik Bricker arrived late. He dashed in the registration when his competitors already lined up to start.
I reminded myself, “No risk. No digging” as the gun went off. 20-mile loop. I’d do 80 miles. 100 max.
_Crash
Drafting was allowed the first few miles. 1 guy took off like a rocket. Rest of us formed a nice pace line. The pace lifted, I let the pack go. This was a recon ride; I didn’t need to trust everyone in front of me. I saw the wreck 4 miles into the race. I rode slowly with another racer waiting for the pack. Erik caught us: 1 bike broke; pretty much everyone went down. Erik, hanging off back of the pack due to late arrival, was one of the few escaped. 1 girl was hurt bad. There was no cell phone signal. Some racers rode back to the start to alert medicals. All the sudden I was one of the leaders. I lost my resolve of not racing. 120 miles was the new goal, which seemed insufficient to surpass the lead guy, but this was cycling. Everyone was 1 mechanical issue away from stopping.
_Direction
The organizer made it clear “2 right turns only.”
The first turn was clear: green right turn arrow + manned intersection.
At next intersection, I saw black left turn paint on the ground. It didn’t occur to me black meant, “Erased.” I asked the cop at intersection by pointing left. He nodded. I follow the arrow. A few miles later I rolled to a boat ramp looking at the pretty lake. My race was over. The covered left turn was used for July Goatneck ride.
_Reconnaissance
I changed GPS to map mode and got back to the course. The 3-year old GPS locked up, which never happened before. Freaky day. I saw McKenney on the course and used him as a guide. He wouldn’t get lost after being on the course for 7 hours. Using cosmetic arguments, he convinced me to chase the 6-hour woman leader.
I lost motivation by end of 2nd lap. I’d seen the course and have no chance of a top finish. I took a long break at the car before 3rd lap. Legs got pretty tired of climbing. I was uncomfortable in aero position and had no reason to go hard. I finished the lap and called it the day.
At the award I got to pose with a trophy. The director promised I’d get one in the mail. I wanted to tell him my performance didn’t deserve a trophy but didn’t want to be disrespectful.
McKenney had the win in the bag before his rear tire self-destructed. The organizer announced his 2nd place qualified him as “rookie of the year.” He shrugged off the mechanical issue as “part of racing.” It turns out he really has a non-imaginary girl friend who’s not a hired actress. No actress could hammer out 500 miles under 36 hours.
#’s
4:06
official mile: 60
approx mile rode: 70
2551 cal
avg HR: 76%
crash: 0
off course count: 1
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Montreal 24-Hour Inline Race 9/6/2008
24-hour skate, loop course, Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve (4.32km)
2 Texas Flyers, Biff and I, skated Montreal 24-Hour last weekend (http://inline24.com/). Skatey-Mark got 2nd in this event last year.
Smooth road surface. Each relay team has up to 10 skaters. Laps are 2.7 miles; team members take a lap usually every 1 to 1.5 hrs. Or if you're going through midlife crisis, you can skate the 24 hours all by yourself. Below is my very wordy story for the long ass event.
Montreal is a fun town to visit. Drivers treat daily commute like a marathon races. Smoked meat sandwiches are excellent.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Expectation
I decided to make Montreal the 2008 "A" event when Tibetan border closed.
I looked at past winning times and thought them reachable.
For 2008 the field would double in size, and Le Man winner would participate. Other factors included the single-mindedness of Lawrence, the top-returning participant. I thought getting on podium would be a moving target and picked 300 miles as the goal.
Race Plan #1.
This plan also didn’t match the goal, but it was early in the season and all my neurons were devoted to duathlon and the Tibet trip.
July Austin rehearsal
Brian Shicoff organized the 12-hour skate in Austin.
I suffered unexpectedly. I went out too hard, ate too much. I watched in awe as Lawrence (aka More Cowbell) tapped out steady rhythm.
Lessons:
Biff got a solo spot few weeks before the race. This resolved many issues. He would hand me food and provide an hourly lap pull. We would discuss race strategy on the course. I didn't want Biff to overexert because of his upcoming Austin Ironman 70.3
During actual event, Biff surprised me by hourly 3-lap pulls at the speed I needed to recover and provided flexibility of variable heartrates between his pulls.
Race Plan #3
I wanted to hammer out a quick lap the moment I saw the smooth course.
Participants prepared their space with lawn furniture, air mattresses, hammock, clotheslines, shelves, heat guns, and espresso machines.
I resisted the urge to socialize and lay on the paddock floor.
Biff reminded me yet again this is a 9-month journey and a once-in-a-life-time opportunity, and that I could consume large quantity of comfort food after the race. My heartrate was in racing range before I put skates on.
15 minutes before the race, I finally laced up and started the warm up. My body felt heavy after the 3-week taper, carrying friends’ expectations, good wishes, and GPS’s.
Crazy first hours
In less than 1 hour the big solo pack caught us slow starters. I jumped pack, started to average 18+ mph. I monitored my heartrate thinking these fast laps could be my undoing, but free speed was hard to resist. I vowed not to repeat my Austin mistake while flirting with anaerobic threshold.
We spotted the somewhat-official 24-hour skate record holder Philippe Coussy. He wore the same outfit and $1200 frame as in Le Man photo.
Soloists chatted away. No one seemed to breathe hard. A 23-year-old with knee brace described how he blew the left knee doing single-leg 400-lb press. Brian Schicoff and Bryan McKenney seemed to have too much fun. Brian actually cut the line to do extra pulls. Majority of the soloists were capable of impressive marathon times.
Finally it was my lead at bottom of the hill. I slow the pack down to 11 mph climbing.
"You don't pull?" A skater complained with French accent when the impatient skaters formed another paceline to pass me. It was pointless to explain I don't pull fast when there are 22+ hours left. Someone answered the question:
Wet
Rained. Just like last 3 previous years.
Energy bled with each stroke. I double pushed just to avoid slipping. Inner thighs started to complain. I don't know how Mark Sibert skated with yellow Matters in the rain in 2007. He must have better technique. But it was too late to sign up for his workshop. Most of us left the paceline of unsustainable speed.
I made a wheel change stop. So much for skating the entire 24 hours. 2 Hours later I heard that lead pack was down to 6 but still hauling donkey. I started to question Lawrence's and my chance for a top 6 finish.
I was glad I chose the Giro Pneumo with visor instead of the lighter Giro Atmos. Water still got into my eyes. Not putting sunscreen on forehead was a good decision.
Skaters crashed left and right. There were 2 invisible slippery patches at a turn Biff and I kept losing traction yet couldn’t avoid stepping on it. I focused on minimizing underpush and staying in the draft. Under the condition there was no way to avoid crash if the lead skaters went down; might as well draft aggressively. A pretty red fox showed up oblivious to the danger of human presence. She didn’t laugh at supposedly good skaters losing balance all over the road.
Energy
To reduce calorie requirement and muscle strains, I underpushed the turns and threw no crossover the whole race.
Biff brought my nutrition to the course; I pick things directly out of his fanny pack. This eliminated speed variation required to grab items from stationary supports’ outstretching arms.
I did spent extra calories to high-five the guy who skated backward. Just had to.
Real-time decision
Skaters were chatty after adrenalin returned to normal level.
Mistake
Temperature dropped with the rain.
I asked Biff to get my arm warmers and long pants ready. I mentally ran through each step and suddenly realized putting on tights required taking the skates off. I didn't think I could bear to put the skates back on. I decided to resolve the cold knee issue by ignoring the problem.
Negative incentive (9pm)
BBQ in the air. I became immensely hungry. The event organizer had a sick sense of humor and made the skater go through the aroma every lap. This probably would seem funny when I look back. I wolfed down all nutrition in the pockets and craved a big hamburger with no lettuce, no tomato, and no buns.
This was when I noticed some relay teams used Madison-style exchange. Many of these racers held speed beyond my competency. They usually flew by as if I were standing still. Morgan passed me twice; each time I felt the need to improve my DP.
Brief cooperation with US competitors
While I focused on staying in others’ slipstream, Lawrence tapped out consistent strides like a metronome. We finally hooked up in the dark. Our alliance came to an abrupt end due to his cramp. We wished each other luck before parting ways. He was hurt, teammateless, laps behind, and unable to hold 25+ mph for the fast straightaway. Yet somehow I thought he could still kick my butt.
Saw Shicoff couple times. He looked uncomfortable but said he was OK.
I couldn't recognize McKenney in the dark.
Surviving the 2nd half
Getting through the first 12 hrs without significant discomfort was a major goal.
Biff told me to continue the strategy of not worry about my ranking.
I had little confidence about reaching 289 miles at this point. I tried to pump myself up:
Confidence evaporated at hour 12.5. The outside of right knee stiffened from the cold. I took my first slow recovery lap, which didn't help enough. I reinstated the 12-hour break and spent 5 minutes to warm up the knee while Biff put the yellow Matters back on. I doubled the ibuprofen for remaining of the race.
Mistaken identity
I registered as Texas Flyer but wore a plain jersey that allowed changing without taking helmet off. Biff wore the very visible red-yellow skin suit. People started to congratulate Biff on the top 5 standing and probably wonder how he skated that far while spending so much time in the pit preparing nutrition.
Grave yard shift
Statistically 3 ~ 6 am is a big hurdle.
I was busy finding drafts, monitoring nutrition, and generally being terrified of crashing. The 3 hrs flew by. My stomach was digesting well. I added 2 Gu’s to reduce the chance of confusing hypoglycemia with a character flaw.
I was amazed how my form held. “Trust your training,” Biff reminded me.
The other French skater
2 French skaters entered the race after good results from LeMan 2 months ago.
It was about hour 16 when I noticed #222. He asked the usual:
I was concerned about Biff. The cold and wind couldn’t be easy on someone who made 1 hourly long stop. I actively sought out a pack to stay in so Biff doesn’t have to work so hard for remaining hours.
Coussy was all over the course, jumping from paceline to paceline. You could spot his seemingly inefficient arm swing miles away. Biff confirmed Coussy's lap count was untouchable. 2nd place was #202. I didn’t see him the first 18 hours and for a while wondered if it was McKenney.
7:30am (5.5 hrs to go)
The 2 hills became huge about this time. I was in so much pain I didn't notice thesun came up. I looked forward for theankle blister to pop to reduce the pressure. I found a French-speaking pack doing modest 12-minute lap. Coussy sat in this pack and skipped all hispulls. So did a well-dressed jovial guywith no bib number on the back. Hepulled out the phone and apparently asked about me. Biff found out that the numberless skater was 2ndplace Normandeau Patrick; he had 1 lap on me. We tried to lap that pack but #203 and #204 countered our every move.
#201 and Coussy were also protective of Patrick. #201 looked like it was hard for him to skate this slowly. 5 against 2, not counting possibly other Quebec skaters recharging in paddock. I wanted to attack but needed at least 5 fast laps assuming everything went my way. Chances were I would bonk, not to mention lengthening Biff’s recovery for very little gain. What I really wanted was surpassing Coussy, which seemed mathematically impossible at that point.
House of cards
Difficulties climbing. Bladder full. Left ankle not holding correct wheel angle.
I was several laps ahead of Lawrence. 5 skaters working together could attack me in various ways. Alternatively I could draft behind Lawrence and lose at most 1 lap, but Lawrence had incentive to pass me.
I took the easy way out: a short nap before rejoining the paceline. Patrick and his teammates finally relaxed with this 1-lap bribe. 'til the last lap, my heart rate stayed lower than pre-race when I lay on the floor. Top 3 skaters used little energy while Lawrence cranked out his miles, ready for us to falter.
I stayed in the comfort zone and counted all the things that could still go wrong: cramps, crashes, lower back spasm, mechanical, GI…. I started to ignore the race script to focus on staying upright. I skipped gels and water, assuming all the heavy lifting was done. I skipped the sunscreen and GPS swap to reduce the chance of dropping things. All I had to do was keep moving. There ain’t nothing wrong with a 4.5-hour cool down skate.
Biff went to the front to control pace. At every little climb, he tried hard not to put a big gap in front of the world record holder who skated like god just few hours ago. Coussy grabbed his left thigh the whole morning. He gave me a blank look when I asked him what’s wrong. Should’ve learned some French for this trip.
I had no idea about my mileage. I decided to focus on the podium finish. The body strongly suggested that I minimize muscular usage.
Happy ending
15 minutes to go. I jumped out and announced,
That little 600-meters fun probably cost me days of recovery time. I spoke with French accent by this time.
[world record holder, the sponsored skater, top 2 women, and me]
Post-race
Watching the 24-hour community tearing down the paddock home was a bit depressing. Many skaters departed before the race ended. Felt like I missed a party.
Biff didn't want me help packing.
I return to assigned space to take skates off and found heavily blanketed Lawrence in shock paying for his pursuit. I accidentally stepped on his toenail sitting on the floor all by itself. He graciously congratulated me and commented my speed range as a major factor. The silver and bronze finishes were team efforts. Lawrence's podium chance was slim by hour 18 simply because he was out-teammated. We couldn't touch him if this were a time trial.
Back to real world
The salt in hotel bathtub made me notice all the cuts on my shins torn open by rear wheels. I again marveled at Lawrence’s wattage.
Walking wasn’t too difficult for the next 3 days, though Biff and I briefly considered abandoning Guinness because the bar had big stairs.
Wednesday morning. I sat at a Dallas Dunkin’ Donuts watching the SUV wives doing morning shopping. The suburban scene looked surreal and easy to give up. I limped in the car park full of Lexus and Infinities and couldn’t remember how I pictured my future at the Mercedes-filled Orange County Costco parking lot in 1993. 15 years ago I didn’t know I’d appreciate donut with coffee this much.
I still wondered how much my training would need to change in order to close that 1-lap deficit. Maybe all it'd take was a pair of knee warmers that could be put on while skating. But races are unpredictable. Without that 1 lap lead, the Canadian team could've exhausted me by 10 am. I was lucky to have few enough things to go wrong that I had a good race.
Thank Yous
Blisters: 2
Distance data:
2 Texas Flyers, Biff and I, skated Montreal 24-Hour last weekend (http://inline24.com/). Skatey-Mark got 2nd in this event last year.
Smooth road surface. Each relay team has up to 10 skaters. Laps are 2.7 miles; team members take a lap usually every 1 to 1.5 hrs. Or if you're going through midlife crisis, you can skate the 24 hours all by yourself. Below is my very wordy story for the long ass event.
Montreal is a fun town to visit. Drivers treat daily commute like a marathon races. Smoked meat sandwiches are excellent.
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Expectation
I decided to make Montreal the 2008 "A" event when Tibetan border closed.
I looked at past winning times and thought them reachable.
For 2008 the field would double in size, and Le Man winner would participate. Other factors included the single-mindedness of Lawrence, the top-returning participant. I thought getting on podium would be a moving target and picked 300 miles as the goal.
Race Plan #1.
- Stick to the eventual leader like glue.
- Stay with paceline when possible.
- Basically race like an Italian road cycling sprinter.
- Stop every 4 to 6 hours.
This plan also didn’t match the goal, but it was early in the season and all my neurons were devoted to duathlon and the Tibet trip.
July Austin rehearsal
Brian Shicoff organized the 12-hour skate in Austin.
I suffered unexpectedly. I went out too hard, ate too much. I watched in awe as Lawrence (aka More Cowbell) tapped out steady rhythm.
Lessons:
- Steady pace
- Minimize non-rolling time
- Minimize calorie requirement
- Don't challenge the climbs
- Let Lawrence set the pace.
- 3 scheduled stops at hours 12, 18, 21
- Reduce calorie consumption.
- New goal: 289 miles.
Biff got a solo spot few weeks before the race. This resolved many issues. He would hand me food and provide an hourly lap pull. We would discuss race strategy on the course. I didn't want Biff to overexert because of his upcoming Austin Ironman 70.3
During actual event, Biff surprised me by hourly 3-lap pulls at the speed I needed to recover and provided flexibility of variable heartrates between his pulls.
Race Plan #3
- First 12 hours: Ignore ranking.
- Stay mostly aerobic and keep moving.
- Shoot for 144 miles.
- Assuming podium finish unrealistic, hold 13 ~ 14 mph.
- No stops. Rolling recovery.
I wanted to hammer out a quick lap the moment I saw the smooth course.
Participants prepared their space with lawn furniture, air mattresses, hammock, clotheslines, shelves, heat guns, and espresso machines.
I resisted the urge to socialize and lay on the paddock floor.
Biff reminded me yet again this is a 9-month journey and a once-in-a-life-time opportunity, and that I could consume large quantity of comfort food after the race. My heartrate was in racing range before I put skates on.
15 minutes before the race, I finally laced up and started the warm up. My body felt heavy after the 3-week taper, carrying friends’ expectations, good wishes, and GPS’s.
Crazy first hours
In less than 1 hour the big solo pack caught us slow starters. I jumped pack, started to average 18+ mph. I monitored my heartrate thinking these fast laps could be my undoing, but free speed was hard to resist. I vowed not to repeat my Austin mistake while flirting with anaerobic threshold.
We spotted the somewhat-official 24-hour skate record holder Philippe Coussy. He wore the same outfit and $1200 frame as in Le Man photo.
Soloists chatted away. No one seemed to breathe hard. A 23-year-old with knee brace described how he blew the left knee doing single-leg 400-lb press. Brian Schicoff and Bryan McKenney seemed to have too much fun. Brian actually cut the line to do extra pulls. Majority of the soloists were capable of impressive marathon times.
Finally it was my lead at bottom of the hill. I slow the pack down to 11 mph climbing.
"You don't pull?" A skater complained with French accent when the impatient skaters formed another paceline to pass me. It was pointless to explain I don't pull fast when there are 22+ hours left. Someone answered the question:
"He doesn't pull; he's from Texas."I thought it was pretty funny.
Wet
Rained. Just like last 3 previous years.
Energy bled with each stroke. I double pushed just to avoid slipping. Inner thighs started to complain. I don't know how Mark Sibert skated with yellow Matters in the rain in 2007. He must have better technique. But it was too late to sign up for his workshop. Most of us left the paceline of unsustainable speed.
I made a wheel change stop. So much for skating the entire 24 hours. 2 Hours later I heard that lead pack was down to 6 but still hauling donkey. I started to question Lawrence's and my chance for a top 6 finish.
I was glad I chose the Giro Pneumo with visor instead of the lighter Giro Atmos. Water still got into my eyes. Not putting sunscreen on forehead was a good decision.
Skaters crashed left and right. There were 2 invisible slippery patches at a turn Biff and I kept losing traction yet couldn’t avoid stepping on it. I focused on minimizing underpush and staying in the draft. Under the condition there was no way to avoid crash if the lead skaters went down; might as well draft aggressively. A pretty red fox showed up oblivious to the danger of human presence. She didn’t laugh at supposedly good skaters losing balance all over the road.
Energy
"It's not how much energy you use, but how much you save."I divide the 2.7-mile smooth course into 3 parts.
--Robbie McCuen on 2007 Tour de France.
- Climbs and turns
- Headwind
- Tailwind straightaway
To reduce calorie requirement and muscle strains, I underpushed the turns and threw no crossover the whole race.
Biff brought my nutrition to the course; I pick things directly out of his fanny pack. This eliminated speed variation required to grab items from stationary supports’ outstretching arms.
I did spent extra calories to high-five the guy who skated backward. Just had to.
Real-time decision
Skaters were chatty after adrenalin returned to normal level.
"You have to climb 100 steps to get to the washroom." A tired soloist complained.
"Then you have walk down 200 steps just to come back down." A local relayer agreed.This was how I decided Gatorade bottle was the way to go with which Renee was very impressed with.
Mistake
Temperature dropped with the rain.
I asked Biff to get my arm warmers and long pants ready. I mentally ran through each step and suddenly realized putting on tights required taking the skates off. I didn't think I could bear to put the skates back on. I decided to resolve the cold knee issue by ignoring the problem.
Negative incentive (9pm)
BBQ in the air. I became immensely hungry. The event organizer had a sick sense of humor and made the skater go through the aroma every lap. This probably would seem funny when I look back. I wolfed down all nutrition in the pockets and craved a big hamburger with no lettuce, no tomato, and no buns.
This was when I noticed some relay teams used Madison-style exchange. Many of these racers held speed beyond my competency. They usually flew by as if I were standing still. Morgan passed me twice; each time I felt the need to improve my DP.
Brief cooperation with US competitors
While I focused on staying in others’ slipstream, Lawrence tapped out consistent strides like a metronome. We finally hooked up in the dark. Our alliance came to an abrupt end due to his cramp. We wished each other luck before parting ways. He was hurt, teammateless, laps behind, and unable to hold 25+ mph for the fast straightaway. Yet somehow I thought he could still kick my butt.
Saw Shicoff couple times. He looked uncomfortable but said he was OK.
"Just slow and steady."His body had difficulties holding core temperature, and he wisely brought the cold-weather gears.
I couldn't recognize McKenney in the dark.
Surviving the 2nd half
Getting through the first 12 hrs without significant discomfort was a major goal.
"You should feel so fresh you could do another 12."I felt great at 1 am.
Biff told me to continue the strategy of not worry about my ranking.
"All the rabbits have gone to sleep."Road was mostly dry by now. All body parts functional. Stomach complained only once about this unnatural diet.
I had little confidence about reaching 289 miles at this point. I tried to pump myself up:
"I'm just like the record holder Eric Gee except I have smaller legs and inferior techniques. I have no previous experience on the course, seldom skate on wet pavement, don't make my own boots, don’t train as hard, and never came close to winning national title at any distance."But Eric fought the 2007 wind using aerodynamic equipment; my race condition enabled me to minimize headwind while enjoyed full benefit of tail wind. Advantage was clearly on my side. Yeah, the official record was going down.
Confidence evaporated at hour 12.5. The outside of right knee stiffened from the cold. I took my first slow recovery lap, which didn't help enough. I reinstated the 12-hour break and spent 5 minutes to warm up the knee while Biff put the yellow Matters back on. I doubled the ibuprofen for remaining of the race.
Mistaken identity
I registered as Texas Flyer but wore a plain jersey that allowed changing without taking helmet off. Biff wore the very visible red-yellow skin suit. People started to congratulate Biff on the top 5 standing and probably wonder how he skated that far while spending so much time in the pit preparing nutrition.
Grave yard shift
Statistically 3 ~ 6 am is a big hurdle.
I was busy finding drafts, monitoring nutrition, and generally being terrified of crashing. The 3 hrs flew by. My stomach was digesting well. I added 2 Gu’s to reduce the chance of confusing hypoglycemia with a character flaw.
I was amazed how my form held. “Trust your training,” Biff reminded me.
The other French skater
2 French skaters entered the race after good results from LeMan 2 months ago.
It was about hour 16 when I noticed #222. He asked the usual:
Where are you from? How many times have you done this? How can your French be worse than my English.…Pretty soon we realized we were competing for the same podium spot. Biff confirmed,
"He has 2 laps on you. You’re 4th."Biff and I launched attack after attack; he valiantly cameback every time, digging deep. #222 labored to get back to my draft after Biff left the course for the hour. I spotted 2 fitness skaters and pulled the closer one to the other's slipstream. 3 of us hammered for next 2 miles and left the little dude in the dust. 2 very strong relay racers pulled my next 2 laps. I was spent but made up a lap toward the podium. Lap time later showed that #222 blew up trying to defend that lap and Lawrence moved up to 4th.
I was concerned about Biff. The cold and wind couldn’t be easy on someone who made 1 hourly long stop. I actively sought out a pack to stay in so Biff doesn’t have to work so hard for remaining hours.
Coussy was all over the course, jumping from paceline to paceline. You could spot his seemingly inefficient arm swing miles away. Biff confirmed Coussy's lap count was untouchable. 2nd place was #202. I didn’t see him the first 18 hours and for a while wondered if it was McKenney.
7:30am (5.5 hrs to go)
The 2 hills became huge about this time. I was in so much pain I didn't notice thesun came up. I looked forward for theankle blister to pop to reduce the pressure. I found a French-speaking pack doing modest 12-minute lap. Coussy sat in this pack and skipped all hispulls. So did a well-dressed jovial guywith no bib number on the back. Hepulled out the phone and apparently asked about me. Biff found out that the numberless skater was 2ndplace Normandeau Patrick; he had 1 lap on me. We tried to lap that pack but #203 and #204 countered our every move.
#201 and Coussy were also protective of Patrick. #201 looked like it was hard for him to skate this slowly. 5 against 2, not counting possibly other Quebec skaters recharging in paddock. I wanted to attack but needed at least 5 fast laps assuming everything went my way. Chances were I would bonk, not to mention lengthening Biff’s recovery for very little gain. What I really wanted was surpassing Coussy, which seemed mathematically impossible at that point.
"You were out teammated" Bryan commented later.I made the logical move. I begged:
"you keep me in this pack, and I don't attack."A win-win proposition except they didn't trust me and apparently thought my legs could still throw lots of sub-10-minute laps. They didn't ask me to pull, which was a bad sign.
House of cards
Difficulties climbing. Bladder full. Left ankle not holding correct wheel angle.
I was several laps ahead of Lawrence. 5 skaters working together could attack me in various ways. Alternatively I could draft behind Lawrence and lose at most 1 lap, but Lawrence had incentive to pass me.
I took the easy way out: a short nap before rejoining the paceline. Patrick and his teammates finally relaxed with this 1-lap bribe. 'til the last lap, my heart rate stayed lower than pre-race when I lay on the floor. Top 3 skaters used little energy while Lawrence cranked out his miles, ready for us to falter.
I stayed in the comfort zone and counted all the things that could still go wrong: cramps, crashes, lower back spasm, mechanical, GI…. I started to ignore the race script to focus on staying upright. I skipped gels and water, assuming all the heavy lifting was done. I skipped the sunscreen and GPS swap to reduce the chance of dropping things. All I had to do was keep moving. There ain’t nothing wrong with a 4.5-hour cool down skate.
Biff went to the front to control pace. At every little climb, he tried hard not to put a big gap in front of the world record holder who skated like god just few hours ago. Coussy grabbed his left thigh the whole morning. He gave me a blank look when I asked him what’s wrong. Should’ve learned some French for this trip.
I had no idea about my mileage. I decided to focus on the podium finish. The body strongly suggested that I minimize muscular usage.
Happy ending
15 minutes to go. I jumped out and announced,
“I will lap you twice!”The well-rested pack actually reacted before figuring out the joke. The racers were allowed to finish the lap they're on at the 24-hour mark. Our slow-moving paceline organized to make the cut off. I sat behind the domestique #201 and beat the clock at 25+ mph. That boy could move! It was so exhilarating we didn't realize we dropped our teammates.
That little 600-meters fun probably cost me days of recovery time. I spoke with French accent by this time.
"*&^$! We have to climb this *&^%$# hill again...."Everyone congratulated Coussy. I shook hands with #222, Patrick and his helpers. I received pats (above waist) along with bunch friendly-sounding French words. They let Biff and I move ahead, and I forgot to ask about Coussy’s left thigh. Biff and I crossed the line under the Christmas light together. I was grateful to have a teammate to share that moment.
Post-race
Watching the 24-hour community tearing down the paddock home was a bit depressing. Many skaters departed before the race ended. Felt like I missed a party.
Biff didn't want me help packing.
"Get out there and have a good time."He knew I wanted to visit with racers from DC, skatelog, and the new friends who helped me in past 24 hours. I only knew them by backsides and voices. I never hooked up with those skaters. My brake ability disappeared and I kept running into walls, cars, and people.
I return to assigned space to take skates off and found heavily blanketed Lawrence in shock paying for his pursuit. I accidentally stepped on his toenail sitting on the floor all by itself. He graciously congratulated me and commented my speed range as a major factor. The silver and bronze finishes were team efforts. Lawrence's podium chance was slim by hour 18 simply because he was out-teammated. We couldn't touch him if this were a time trial.
Back to real world
The salt in hotel bathtub made me notice all the cuts on my shins torn open by rear wheels. I again marveled at Lawrence’s wattage.
Walking wasn’t too difficult for the next 3 days, though Biff and I briefly considered abandoning Guinness because the bar had big stairs.
Wednesday morning. I sat at a Dallas Dunkin’ Donuts watching the SUV wives doing morning shopping. The suburban scene looked surreal and easy to give up. I limped in the car park full of Lexus and Infinities and couldn’t remember how I pictured my future at the Mercedes-filled Orange County Costco parking lot in 1993. 15 years ago I didn’t know I’d appreciate donut with coffee this much.
I still wondered how much my training would need to change in order to close that 1-lap deficit. Maybe all it'd take was a pair of knee warmers that could be put on while skating. But races are unpredictable. Without that 1 lap lead, the Canadian team could've exhausted me by 10 am. I was lucky to have few enough things to go wrong that I had a good race.
Thank Yous
- Shicoff for coordinating.
- McKenney for encouragements with that confident McKenney style.
- Renee, Rick and Andrea for staying up all night to support the solo skaters and for peeling me off the floor.
- Mark Sibert for making me thinking about the event at 2007 a2a dinner.
- Eric Gee for saving my skin and convincing me a sprinter could do well at such event.
- Texas Flyers, my team, for providing paceline skills, discipline, introduction to endurance, and camaraderie.
- Relay racers for slipstreams and extra room at the relay area.
- Lawrence for education, encouragement, and inspiration.
- Biff for going beyond the planned roles (manager, support, trainer) and risking his Ironman 70.3 to optimize my race. And for being a friend.
- Tanisha for guiding me through triathlon then taking away my bragging rights by finishing the same Ironman 3 months after C-section, and for giving Biff up for the duration of the event.
- avg: 67%
- max: 90%
- 12005 cal
- time: 24:14
Blisters: 2
Distance data:
- avg = 13.8 mph
- fast lap = 28.748 km/hr = 17.97 mph
- lap count = 124
- total distance = 334.8 miles
- total race time = 24:13:53
- 5 min, change to rain wheels
- 1:30am 6 min, wheel change + nap
- 10:30am 8 min, bathroom + nap
- Hammer gel; espresso 8
- Gu gel; no caffeine 2
- Red Bull 5
- Amino Vital 8
- ibuprofen 12
- Viviran 4
- SportLegs 30
- Antifatigue Cap 26
- Endurolyte 23
- Perpetuem 15
- Caloriesper hour 233
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Road to Montreal 24-Hour
Long Practice
2008 Father's Day. The Baileys came out to keep me company for the boring 0.43-mile loop parking lot skate. 6 hours into the session, Perpetuem sat in my stomach like wet cement looking for the first opportunity to project. It was now evident that the nutrition plan wouldn't work for the event that's less than 3 months away. The thermometer leaning against the tire said 103. My blisters were poised to have their own blisters. "You look great," Tanisha lied. She finished an Ironman 3 months after C-section and knew the loneliness of long distance training. Sam the 1.25-year-old boy enthusiastically maximized the breadcrumbs spread in the brand new Baileymobile. I wished I had his energy. I felt hopelessly unready for the 24-hour skate.
Motivation
I met my 2007 goals:
Ø fulfill the Ironman promise
Ø skate Hotter n Hell 100
Ø improve my A2A 38-mile time
Ø run a sub-8:00-pace half marathon
2008 wasn't scheduled around fitness targets; it would be the year I light a lamp inside of the Tibetan temple. I signed up for Montreal as a fun event and a chance to visit the city. The original plan was 200 miles: 10 mph was a speed I didn't need to train for, and 4 hours sounded like reasonable naptime. Chinese government closed Tibet boarder, then Danny Dannels threw his hat in the ring and asked me to skate pace line after his coast-to-coast skate. He convinced me to up my training using very few words. I wrote "300" on the wall. Friends visiting the house assumed I was a fan of the movie. Danny changed his skate plan and ditched Montreal. I couldn't think of a good reason to back out. Brian Shicoff, Bryan McKenney, Renee Coffman, and Mark Sibert encouraged me to stick with the plan. "There is nothing to be scared of, it's a really fun event. " emailed Bryan. Biff agreed to help with the trip. Biff and Tanisha guided me through triathlon and had a good understanding of my fitness limitations.
Foreseeable challenge 1: Aero or not aero
Past participants commented on the "aero helmet guy." A few actually laughed at the wearer who eventually won the solo event. Unable to find wind tunnel data for skaters, I found Eric Gee on facebook. He graciously shared his decision-making processes.
I took the aero helmet out of the box and started practicing with it.
Foreseeable challenge 2: Boots
In the custom Simmons boots, I could handle events up to 3 hours. The skin was very unhappy after 6 hours A2A in 2007. Mark and Lawrence both had major feet issue after their 2007 podium finishes. I seek more advice from Eric whom stayed in his homemade boots for the award. I adopted his grease system and had smellier but bloodless boots.
Foreseeable challenge 3: Nutrition
My philosophy had been "I don't participate in events long enough to worry about it. Proper carbo loading should store 2000 cal of glycogen. Body had 4+ lb of water to spare. Fat doesn't run out. Just need to consume some fixed amount of gel per hour and drink when body wants it."
Simple calculation shows this approach doesn't work for 24-hour skate even on paper. I started to keep track of food/fluid intake during long skate, where I stand on the bathroom scale hourly. Arrogantly ignoring Hammer's 280 calories / hr limit, I finished many long skates feeling ill. I started over using data from triathlon and 100-mile runs and reach a stable plan with gel and powder (233 cal / hour intake).
Hammer gel; espresso 8
Gu gel; no caffeine 2
Red Bull 5
Amino Vital 8
ibuprofen 12
Viviran 4
SportLegs 30
Antifatigue Cap 26
Endurolyte 23
Perpetuem 15
Training
Started with simple weekly programs:
Mon yoga or short run.
Tu TX F. Popeye fry chicken
Wed trainer ride w/ movie, low HR, 3+ hrs; meal on wheels
Th TX F. Korean Tofu bowl.
Fri rest
Sat group bike ride || hill repeats, short run. Stretch. Balance board.
Sun long parking lot solo skate
I increased the weekend volume weekly 'til body told me to rest. I'd start another mesocycle. This worked well 'til the long skate got to 7+ hours. Lower back pain and sciatica forced me to look for ways to trim training while maintaining the 1 long weekly skate. By July I was in survival mode.
Dress Rehearsal 7/19/2008
Brian secured Driveway in Austin for 12 hours for the long practice (Thank you Brian).
Hot and humid. Smooth surface. Lots of turns. 1 longish mild climb per lap.
I started comfortable and tried to sing for Brian when his iPod failed. I chattered away on mobile wishing for the Bluetooth headset. I looked forward to the hill every lap; the slope fed into the under-push so perfectly. The fun lasted < 3 hours. By midnight I was 4 lb lighter and had unnatural amount of fluid sitting in the gut. I skipped 500 calories of Perpetuem and felt weak. The core somewhat recovered by 3am and was able to hold reasonable speed in Lawrence's draft. I felt defeated. I focused on getting through each lap. Quads threatened to quit at every climb.
I ended up with 140 miles that night I was no longer confident about the 300 miles or getting through the event vomitlessly. I started thinking hard about pacing and reducing calorie.
2 weeks after the Austin skate I was unable to hang in the usual bike pack. The legs had no acceleration for run, bike, and skate. Eric told me about his 2007 months-long recovery experience. I was dismayed how I arbitrarily decided 2 weeks were sufficient recovery time. I thought all was lost at this point. Somehow I didn't freak out. Watching teammate Scarlett recovering from brain surgery helped put things in perspective. I would go to a beautiful city and enjoy a relaxed event. Weather and legs will do what they want. Worrying won't help recovery.
Power gradually returned 3 weeks after the 12-hour skate.
Daily Nutrition
I found myself losing weight steadily when training started (Oprah's dream). I ate junk food to fuel the weekend long skate just to slow the weight lose. I also frequented pizza buffet, Popeye's Tuesday manager special, and Osaka all-you-can-eat sushi. The downside of eating all the time was food no longer tasted as good.
After the Austin skate, I decided to lose 5 lb to reduce calorie need. Weight control has been the 1 aspect of endurance sports I did well, but this time it was difficult because of recovery from the long skate; I constantly worried about nutrition. The drastically reduced training volume made required fuel difficult to gauge. Somehow things worked out, and I left for Montreal with target weight. I thought of writing Oprah to explain how to do this: step 1, sign up for a long-ass endurance event….
Goal
I was disappointed to learn 300 miles wouldn't necessarily break the course record. No one knew how far Eric Gee skated due to a defective timing chip. I usually assume 13 mph is my forever speed, but I was unable to hold that speed after 5 hours at 2007 A2A.
13 mph x 23 hr = 299 miles
The official course record is 288 miles.
I decided to go for 110 laps = 289 miles => average 12.6 mph for 23 hours of skating.
Mileage is function of weather and draft opportunities
Teammate
Biff received a last-minute spot for solo racer. Montreal would be part of his preparation for his upcoming Half Ironman event. He would deliver hourly nutrition, supply, standing updates, and slipstream. I happily crossed out 2-way radio and aero helmet off the pack list.
Uncertainty
Lots of questions remained unanswered during last mesocycle. Usually decisions are arbitrary made when the deadline knocked on the door:
Ø 100mm or 110mm wheels?
Ø Am I better off with 2nd weekly long skate or yoga?
Ø Fluid intake at much cooler climate?
Ø How many pee bottles?
Ø Wheel changes?
Ø Bearings. 6 or 7 balls? Oil or gel?
Ø Jersey change?
Ø 3 20-min stop or no stop?
Ø Lights on helmet?
Ø Could I walk Montreal downtown the next day?
Ø Could I recover in time for Texas Time Trial?
Ø Could I recover for A2A?
Shoulders of the Giants
Participating endurance events is like solving engineering problems:
Finishing Ironman is about identifying weaknesses and paying the minimum price to get around them.
Skating Hotter n Hell 100 is about moving quickly enough before Hell's Gates and dehydration become factors.
Skating 24 hours is about minimizing down time while holding the parameters within tolerance.
Having no experience with 24-hour events, I rely on others' footprints:
1993: Kevin Setnes used 25-5 strategy at the Olander Park 24 Hour run to set the North American record of 160.4 miles.
This was the base of Biff and my 2007 marathon strategy. Biff continued to drill into my head: recover _before_ fatigue. Start at the speed that barely feel like working, then go a little slower.
1995. Dean Karnazes ate a cheesecake after a large pineapple and ham pizza while in motion during a 199-mile run.
This is almost as cool as Kobayashi ingesting 10000 calories in under 10 minutes.
I was forced to accept Hammer's 270 calorie/hr limit after ugly experiments.
I also rejected Karnazes run-'til-drop approach.
Start easy and go slow 'til someone provides draft, and then enjoy Montreal the day after the race.
2006. Carmichael added 700 calories/day to Dean Karnazes diet before Edurance 50.
I increased calorie intake by junk food to fuel the weekend long skate March ~ July. The downside of eating all the time was food no longer tasted as good
2007: Michael Secrest Indoor Track unpaced cycling: 535.86 mi in 24 hours at age of 54 and didn't let an asthma attack stop him
Training: 1 weekly long ride. Boring unchanged routes. Alternating hard-easy days. Ignore age
Race: All liquid-based fuel. Even-ish splits. Backup equipment. Ignore pain
2007 Robbie McCuen commented on the Tour: "it's not how much energy you use, but how much you save."
I routinely bonked within 4 hours of what I thought was reasonable pace. I lasted < 5 hours at 2007 A2A.
Need a realistic pace strategy that's more concrete than "Start slow, stay slow, and maybe go harder after the 16-hour warm-up."
Drop 5 lb to reduce calorie need.
2008: George Hood pedal stationary bike for 176 hours at a suburban YMCA, never slept for more than 12 minutes at a time. Allegedly Hood used Will Ferrell movies to pass the time.
To practice boredom, I scheduled weekly 4-hr trainer rides and learned that Jackass is superior to yearning –based French films. It's hard to stay awake unless something happens on the screen, which is defined as car chasing, automatic weapon firing, or Sharon Stone re-crossing her legs.
2008: Barefoot Ted skateboarded 242 miles in 24 hours.
This became the lower bound. There ain't no way I'd let him beat me using a skateboard no matter how perfect his race condition was. Somewhere between 242 and 535 is my optimal skate mileage.
2008 Steve Larsen explains his Ironman strategy after qualifying for Kona
"No matter what I do with the swim, I know I'm gonna suck.... I'm only going to focus on my strength and completely ignore my weakness."
My weakness is pacing. I can't hold constant pace even with GPS. I'll pick a steady skater and follow him/her as much as I could. This means skating at other's optimal speed, which beats skating too fast then burn up.
2008 Le Man solo winner skated 355.6 miles under good dry light-wind at age of 49.
I probably ain't old enough for this sport.
2008 July. Lawrence Pelo, the top returning participant from Montreal 24-Hour 2007, tapped out machine-like steady pace in Austin for 160+ miles in 12 hour.
I watched in awe every time he lapped me on the 1.6-mile course. I would use his pace during the event.
8-31-2008, last weekend before the event
2008 Father's Day. The Baileys came out to keep me company for the boring 0.43-mile loop parking lot skate. 6 hours into the session, Perpetuem sat in my stomach like wet cement looking for the first opportunity to project. It was now evident that the nutrition plan wouldn't work for the event that's less than 3 months away. The thermometer leaning against the tire said 103. My blisters were poised to have their own blisters. "You look great," Tanisha lied. She finished an Ironman 3 months after C-section and knew the loneliness of long distance training. Sam the 1.25-year-old boy enthusiastically maximized the breadcrumbs spread in the brand new Baileymobile. I wished I had his energy. I felt hopelessly unready for the 24-hour skate.
Motivation
I met my 2007 goals:
Ø fulfill the Ironman promise
Ø skate Hotter n Hell 100
Ø improve my A2A 38-mile time
Ø run a sub-8:00-pace half marathon
2008 wasn't scheduled around fitness targets; it would be the year I light a lamp inside of the Tibetan temple. I signed up for Montreal as a fun event and a chance to visit the city. The original plan was 200 miles: 10 mph was a speed I didn't need to train for, and 4 hours sounded like reasonable naptime. Chinese government closed Tibet boarder, then Danny Dannels threw his hat in the ring and asked me to skate pace line after his coast-to-coast skate. He convinced me to up my training using very few words. I wrote "300" on the wall. Friends visiting the house assumed I was a fan of the movie. Danny changed his skate plan and ditched Montreal. I couldn't think of a good reason to back out. Brian Shicoff, Bryan McKenney, Renee Coffman, and Mark Sibert encouraged me to stick with the plan. "There is nothing to be scared of, it's a really fun event. " emailed Bryan. Biff agreed to help with the trip. Biff and Tanisha guided me through triathlon and had a good understanding of my fitness limitations.
Foreseeable challenge 1: Aero or not aero
Past participants commented on the "aero helmet guy." A few actually laughed at the wearer who eventually won the solo event. Unable to find wind tunnel data for skaters, I found Eric Gee on facebook. He graciously shared his decision-making processes.
I took the aero helmet out of the box and started practicing with it.
Foreseeable challenge 2: Boots
In the custom Simmons boots, I could handle events up to 3 hours. The skin was very unhappy after 6 hours A2A in 2007. Mark and Lawrence both had major feet issue after their 2007 podium finishes. I seek more advice from Eric whom stayed in his homemade boots for the award. I adopted his grease system and had smellier but bloodless boots.
Foreseeable challenge 3: Nutrition
My philosophy had been "I don't participate in events long enough to worry about it. Proper carbo loading should store 2000 cal of glycogen. Body had 4+ lb of water to spare. Fat doesn't run out. Just need to consume some fixed amount of gel per hour and drink when body wants it."
Simple calculation shows this approach doesn't work for 24-hour skate even on paper. I started to keep track of food/fluid intake during long skate, where I stand on the bathroom scale hourly. Arrogantly ignoring Hammer's 280 calories / hr limit, I finished many long skates feeling ill. I started over using data from triathlon and 100-mile runs and reach a stable plan with gel and powder (233 cal / hour intake).
Hammer gel; espresso 8
Gu gel; no caffeine 2
Red Bull 5
Amino Vital 8
ibuprofen 12
Viviran 4
SportLegs 30
Antifatigue Cap 26
Endurolyte 23
Perpetuem 15
Training
Started with simple weekly programs:
Mon yoga or short run.
Tu TX F. Popeye fry chicken
Wed trainer ride w/ movie, low HR, 3+ hrs; meal on wheels
Th TX F. Korean Tofu bowl.
Fri rest
Sat group bike ride || hill repeats, short run. Stretch. Balance board.
Sun long parking lot solo skate
I increased the weekend volume weekly 'til body told me to rest. I'd start another mesocycle. This worked well 'til the long skate got to 7+ hours. Lower back pain and sciatica forced me to look for ways to trim training while maintaining the 1 long weekly skate. By July I was in survival mode.
Dress Rehearsal 7/19/2008
Brian secured Driveway in Austin for 12 hours for the long practice (Thank you Brian).
Hot and humid. Smooth surface. Lots of turns. 1 longish mild climb per lap.
I started comfortable and tried to sing for Brian when his iPod failed. I chattered away on mobile wishing for the Bluetooth headset. I looked forward to the hill every lap; the slope fed into the under-push so perfectly. The fun lasted < 3 hours. By midnight I was 4 lb lighter and had unnatural amount of fluid sitting in the gut. I skipped 500 calories of Perpetuem and felt weak. The core somewhat recovered by 3am and was able to hold reasonable speed in Lawrence's draft. I felt defeated. I focused on getting through each lap. Quads threatened to quit at every climb.
I ended up with 140 miles that night I was no longer confident about the 300 miles or getting through the event vomitlessly. I started thinking hard about pacing and reducing calorie.
2 weeks after the Austin skate I was unable to hang in the usual bike pack. The legs had no acceleration for run, bike, and skate. Eric told me about his 2007 months-long recovery experience. I was dismayed how I arbitrarily decided 2 weeks were sufficient recovery time. I thought all was lost at this point. Somehow I didn't freak out. Watching teammate Scarlett recovering from brain surgery helped put things in perspective. I would go to a beautiful city and enjoy a relaxed event. Weather and legs will do what they want. Worrying won't help recovery.
Power gradually returned 3 weeks after the 12-hour skate.
Daily Nutrition
I found myself losing weight steadily when training started (Oprah's dream). I ate junk food to fuel the weekend long skate just to slow the weight lose. I also frequented pizza buffet, Popeye's Tuesday manager special, and Osaka all-you-can-eat sushi. The downside of eating all the time was food no longer tasted as good.
After the Austin skate, I decided to lose 5 lb to reduce calorie need. Weight control has been the 1 aspect of endurance sports I did well, but this time it was difficult because of recovery from the long skate; I constantly worried about nutrition. The drastically reduced training volume made required fuel difficult to gauge. Somehow things worked out, and I left for Montreal with target weight. I thought of writing Oprah to explain how to do this: step 1, sign up for a long-ass endurance event….
Goal
I was disappointed to learn 300 miles wouldn't necessarily break the course record. No one knew how far Eric Gee skated due to a defective timing chip. I usually assume 13 mph is my forever speed, but I was unable to hold that speed after 5 hours at 2007 A2A.
13 mph x 23 hr = 299 miles
The official course record is 288 miles.
I decided to go for 110 laps = 289 miles => average 12.6 mph for 23 hours of skating.
Mileage is function of weather and draft opportunities
Teammate
Biff received a last-minute spot for solo racer. Montreal would be part of his preparation for his upcoming Half Ironman event. He would deliver hourly nutrition, supply, standing updates, and slipstream. I happily crossed out 2-way radio and aero helmet off the pack list.
Uncertainty
Lots of questions remained unanswered during last mesocycle. Usually decisions are arbitrary made when the deadline knocked on the door:
Ø 100mm or 110mm wheels?
Ø Am I better off with 2nd weekly long skate or yoga?
Ø Fluid intake at much cooler climate?
Ø How many pee bottles?
Ø Wheel changes?
Ø Bearings. 6 or 7 balls? Oil or gel?
Ø Jersey change?
Ø 3 20-min stop or no stop?
Ø Lights on helmet?
Ø Could I walk Montreal downtown the next day?
Ø Could I recover in time for Texas Time Trial?
Ø Could I recover for A2A?
Shoulders of the Giants
Participating endurance events is like solving engineering problems:
Finishing Ironman is about identifying weaknesses and paying the minimum price to get around them.
Skating Hotter n Hell 100 is about moving quickly enough before Hell's Gates and dehydration become factors.
Skating 24 hours is about minimizing down time while holding the parameters within tolerance.
Having no experience with 24-hour events, I rely on others' footprints:
1993: Kevin Setnes used 25-5 strategy at the Olander Park 24 Hour run to set the North American record of 160.4 miles.
This was the base of Biff and my 2007 marathon strategy. Biff continued to drill into my head: recover _before_ fatigue. Start at the speed that barely feel like working, then go a little slower.
1995. Dean Karnazes ate a cheesecake after a large pineapple and ham pizza while in motion during a 199-mile run.
This is almost as cool as Kobayashi ingesting 10000 calories in under 10 minutes.
I was forced to accept Hammer's 270 calorie/hr limit after ugly experiments.
I also rejected Karnazes run-'til-drop approach.
Start easy and go slow 'til someone provides draft, and then enjoy Montreal the day after the race.
2006. Carmichael added 700 calories/day to Dean Karnazes diet before Edurance 50.
I increased calorie intake by junk food to fuel the weekend long skate March ~ July. The downside of eating all the time was food no longer tasted as good
2007: Michael Secrest Indoor Track unpaced cycling: 535.86 mi in 24 hours at age of 54 and didn't let an asthma attack stop him
Training: 1 weekly long ride. Boring unchanged routes. Alternating hard-easy days. Ignore age
Race: All liquid-based fuel. Even-ish splits. Backup equipment. Ignore pain
2007 Robbie McCuen commented on the Tour: "it's not how much energy you use, but how much you save."
I routinely bonked within 4 hours of what I thought was reasonable pace. I lasted < 5 hours at 2007 A2A.
Need a realistic pace strategy that's more concrete than "Start slow, stay slow, and maybe go harder after the 16-hour warm-up."
Drop 5 lb to reduce calorie need.
2008: George Hood pedal stationary bike for 176 hours at a suburban YMCA, never slept for more than 12 minutes at a time. Allegedly Hood used Will Ferrell movies to pass the time.
To practice boredom, I scheduled weekly 4-hr trainer rides and learned that Jackass is superior to yearning –based French films. It's hard to stay awake unless something happens on the screen, which is defined as car chasing, automatic weapon firing, or Sharon Stone re-crossing her legs.
2008: Barefoot Ted skateboarded 242 miles in 24 hours.
This became the lower bound. There ain't no way I'd let him beat me using a skateboard no matter how perfect his race condition was. Somewhere between 242 and 535 is my optimal skate mileage.
2008 Steve Larsen explains his Ironman strategy after qualifying for Kona
"No matter what I do with the swim, I know I'm gonna suck.... I'm only going to focus on my strength and completely ignore my weakness."
My weakness is pacing. I can't hold constant pace even with GPS. I'll pick a steady skater and follow him/her as much as I could. This means skating at other's optimal speed, which beats skating too fast then burn up.
2008 Le Man solo winner skated 355.6 miles under good dry light-wind at age of 49.
I probably ain't old enough for this sport.
2008 July. Lawrence Pelo, the top returning participant from Montreal 24-Hour 2007, tapped out machine-like steady pace in Austin for 160+ miles in 12 hour.
I watched in awe every time he lapped me on the 1.6-mile course. I would use his pace during the event.
8-31-2008, last weekend before the event
Saturday, June 28, 2008
2008 Playtri Duathlon
I looked at the cold splashes against the lake shore in this 50-degree morning. Felt relieved I didn't have to swim today.
Playtri 2007 was my prep tri for Ironman. This year I signed up for my first duathlon: run bike run. 2+10+2 miles. Historically I average
8:00 pace (run)
20 mph (solo bike)
0.67 bike crash per triathlon
10+ minute combine transitions
I figure 1 hour is a reasonable goal; assuming T1 and T2 stay within non-laughable range.
The prep was focused on transitions. I even bought tri-shoes and practice leaving them on the bike pedals. This led to my first 2 stationary bike accidents. I'm so not cut out for this sport. I gave up sub-minute transitions: it's a short transition area; we're really only talking about 30-60 seconds of difference per transition any way.
My other glaring weakness is inability to run after bike. My March weekends were filled with bike-run repeats.
Game day.
The start was a zoo filled with athletes from multiple events: 5k, 10k, kids run, duathlon. I couldn't pace so followed some guy who seemed to know what he was doing. Made it to T1 in under 16 minutes and didn't spend 3 minutes looking for the bike. Put on helmet and bike shoes without incidence. Wow, what did I do that took over 10 minutes last year?
I passed a few racers at every climb and sensed I was near the front: the motorcycle showed a time board to the cyclist in front of me. He slowed down every time orange cones showed up at intersections. I took the lead half way into the race and realized I didn't study the course either and had to slow to see the arrows that differentiate the races. I decided to stay 15 yards behind my competition and save the legs for the run. "Keep it safe, you need to train for Montreal 24-Hour ASAP."
3 of us arrived at T2 within a 20-second window. The other 2 ran while I slowly walked on my cleats. No surprise there. I felt good after putting on running shoes but GPS told me I barely held 9:00 pace. A few weekend practices were insufficient. By the time my legs recovered, those 2 guys were gone. I saw 3 racers in front of me at the U-turn; the gap seemed unbridgeable.
1 mile to go. I heard footsteps behind and got ready to follow but gave up when GPS said 6:06 pace. "wow, this guy can't bike or transition to save his life!" I enviously watch him fly away. Later I learned he was from a relay team.
I was about to suck up for a strong finish when I remember my skate practice the next day. I was in no danger of losing my place and had no chance of improving it by reaching hammer zone. I finished the 2-mile run in 14:06. Among top-9 finishers, only 2 of us finished outside of 13:00 window.
2nd place beat me by 61 seconds, a time frame savable via good transitions. This is discouraging because transition skills ain't something I want to throw resources at. I shouldn't complain: my race went as planned. I unexpectedly won my age group with 58:22.7.
Lessons of the day: to maximize the chance of bringing hardware home:
1. race duathlon the same weekend most multi-sport athletes compete in triathlons.
2. don't crash.
Playtri 2007 was my prep tri for Ironman. This year I signed up for my first duathlon: run bike run. 2+10+2 miles. Historically I average
8:00 pace (run)
20 mph (solo bike)
0.67 bike crash per triathlon
10+ minute combine transitions
I figure 1 hour is a reasonable goal; assuming T1 and T2 stay within non-laughable range.
The prep was focused on transitions. I even bought tri-shoes and practice leaving them on the bike pedals. This led to my first 2 stationary bike accidents. I'm so not cut out for this sport. I gave up sub-minute transitions: it's a short transition area; we're really only talking about 30-60 seconds of difference per transition any way.
My other glaring weakness is inability to run after bike. My March weekends were filled with bike-run repeats.
Game day.
The start was a zoo filled with athletes from multiple events: 5k, 10k, kids run, duathlon. I couldn't pace so followed some guy who seemed to know what he was doing. Made it to T1 in under 16 minutes and didn't spend 3 minutes looking for the bike. Put on helmet and bike shoes without incidence. Wow, what did I do that took over 10 minutes last year?
I passed a few racers at every climb and sensed I was near the front: the motorcycle showed a time board to the cyclist in front of me. He slowed down every time orange cones showed up at intersections. I took the lead half way into the race and realized I didn't study the course either and had to slow to see the arrows that differentiate the races. I decided to stay 15 yards behind my competition and save the legs for the run. "Keep it safe, you need to train for Montreal 24-Hour ASAP."
3 of us arrived at T2 within a 20-second window. The other 2 ran while I slowly walked on my cleats. No surprise there. I felt good after putting on running shoes but GPS told me I barely held 9:00 pace. A few weekend practices were insufficient. By the time my legs recovered, those 2 guys were gone. I saw 3 racers in front of me at the U-turn; the gap seemed unbridgeable.
1 mile to go. I heard footsteps behind and got ready to follow but gave up when GPS said 6:06 pace. "wow, this guy can't bike or transition to save his life!" I enviously watch him fly away. Later I learned he was from a relay team.
I was about to suck up for a strong finish when I remember my skate practice the next day. I was in no danger of losing my place and had no chance of improving it by reaching hammer zone. I finished the 2-mile run in 14:06. Among top-9 finishers, only 2 of us finished outside of 13:00 window.
2nd place beat me by 61 seconds, a time frame savable via good transitions. This is discouraging because transition skills ain't something I want to throw resources at. I shouldn't complain: my race went as planned. I unexpectedly won my age group with 58:22.7.
Lessons of the day: to maximize the chance of bringing hardware home:
1. race duathlon the same weekend most multi-sport athletes compete in triathlons.
2. don't crash.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
2008 Texas Road Rash Inline Race
I had 5 skate practices in 2008. Practice #2 and #4 went badly.
I signed up for half marathon since 5k wasn’t offered. I packed the camera that I hadn’t skated with since Euroroll 2006. Time flies.
TXRR has matured and runs like clockwork under Richard Littrell and the City of Round Rock.
Saturday Elimination (11 laps, last man out)
Game plan:
Avoid being tripped by sub-80-LB skaters.
Keep the pace low and utilize my 10-second sprint.
Races seldom go as planned.
3 laps in, 2 bright orange skin suits had big lead.
I did a poor job organizing the chase group. Our pack fell to pieces when starting pursue. No other Texas Flyer entered the event. I went alone. I stealthily gained ground before the host Richard used the PA system to warn my competition. Thanks a lot, Richard! I kicked myself for not going earlier when pulled off the course.
The pros stirred when Joey Mantia showed up at registration.
I follow him a few min during his warm up. Effortless form. Very humbling.
Sunday. Sunny. Cool. Breezy. Beautiful day.
Jerry showed up at start preroadrashed. You gotta cut that out, Jerry.
Duane and Timo had the first pulls. I barely hung onto Timo’s cadence. 13+ miles to go. I took coach’s advice and skipped all my pulls after facing 3 seconds of alleged 6~8 mph wind (yeah, right).
Rest of the race was uneventful. I skated at the back of the TXF train for 13 miles then went hard at the last corner.
I stayed on the course with the camera. My legs suffered trying to keep my subjects in frame.
I didn’t adjust shutter speed as sun got bigger and ended up overexposing half the shots. Should’ve taken a course from Kautz Photography.
Happy racers thanked me for my teammates pulling. Many were envious I had such team to skate with. One skater poked fun of my Saturday performance, “can’t hack it without 8 supporting teammates, eh?” It’s not far from the truth.
Had dinner with friends downtown Austin. Never Again and Tiger Cry were excellent Thai dishes.
Saw bats leaving Congress Ave Bridge before driving back to Dallas. Quite a sight. Stayed clear of bat poopoo rain. A good day.
photo posted:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnny101/
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