Happenings

I know, I'm long overdue for a 'blog update. I'm into the third week of a police academy so I deserve some slack for, um, slacking.

Briefly, Monterey is pretty, but it's hard to tell since it's always socked in with fog. I'm gettin gout for the occasional 30 minute run during the week and longer sessions on the weekend, but the academy schedule keeps me pretty busy. I need the running so I don;t go insane and don't put on too much weight. The deserts at the dining hall are tasty and there's plenty to ga around. I think I've put on 3 pounds already...oof.

Where academics is concerned, the materila is easy to grasp there's just lots to learn in a very short time frame. As far as academy PT is concerned, we did a 20 minute run the other day at the local track and I lapped the whole class running 6:30's in lane three. And I'm out of shape! LOL!

Backing up to late September, Holly and I ran the Nobkle Canyon 50K. My apologies for the pics' the disposable film camera we bought failed miserably int he photo quality department. I wasn't going to risk my nice digital camera to my legendary sweating capabilities. Moving on.

Race start; 0630, If I recall. Early (more so since we drove out the morning of) and cold.

They turned out to be a humorous and super-supportive bunch. A great crowd of crazies for suffering with.

Some beautiful views early on in the race as the sun comes up. The sunrise behind, moon in front and lanscape below seemed like a cool juxtaposition. I guess you had to be there...

Soemwhere on the way to Penny Pines. I just started snapepd photos at random intervals just to see what I'd get. I'm surprised anything came out!

Erm...trees?

Just crossed over Sunrise Highway and headed out onto the PCT. The views get better from here. Mile 12 or so.

I'm lost for captions. Enjoy the pics.

Notice the salty shirt. Mile 15? I felt AWESOME and decided to crack the throttle just a bit and started reeling people in that had passed me early on. I knew I was rolling the dice by doing so, but the last 11 miles is all downhill, right?

The brown specs on the horizon are cows. Another "had to be there" photo. Still feeling pretty good at this point, but I could tell it was getting warm. Mile 19?

There are no photos to record my complete meltdown. I rolled into the mile 22 aid station ON FIRE. Seriously, I rolled in with 3:30 elapsed thinking I had sub-6 hours in the bag. I refilled and headed down the trail. Somewhere around mile 27, the serious descending starts...and everything started cramping. I'm reduced to wakling and occasionally shuffling. The rest all blurs together: walking, cramping, shuffling, overheating and then I'm out of water. Crap. My feet hurt so bad that at one point I sat down on the side of the trail just to get off them for a second. Wheels came off? Big time.

I made it to the last aid station (mile 30?) and sat down in the shade; drinking and having my first serious "Should I pull the plug on this thing?" moment. With plenty of time to walk and still make the cut-off, I start back down the trail. I was seriously nauseated for the past 2 hours and just trying to force stuff down. With about 2 miles left to go, I passed a down runner being attended to; he either slipped and hit his head or passd out and hit his head. Either way, he didn't look good. About 200 yards further down and I'm so hurlish that I sat down...and puked HUGE. Race personnel passing me heading for the more seriously injured racer and worrying about me...a friendly mountain biker giving me salt capsules...a finisher coming back up the trail to walk me in just in case. I had that small post-vomit window where you feel great to make it to the finish line. GOOO!!!

I managed a shuffle step for a bit and then back to walking as the cramps came back. I crossed the finish line in an underwheliming 8:20 but still with quite the large lump in my throat. Transcending personal boundaries? Hell yeah.

I nursed some Gatorade and water, managed to get some food down and headed over to see Holly come in.

Gotta kiss the rat; race rules! MUAH!

Body language says it all. Total time: 10:30. That extra 3 miles was a killer for everyone.

Dirty girl feet!

Dirty boy. Those socks were white once.

Am I a salty sweater? Um, yes.

Do all these salt stains make my ass look big?

Post-race, we hit the showers and headed home for some ice baths. The hunger monster was the most intense I've ever experieced. I literally woke up at midnight and made a Del Taco run we were both so hungry.

Holly: "Where are you going?"

Me: "Del Taco; I'm STARVING".

Holly: "Right now?"

Me: "Yeah. I'm so hungry I can't sleep."

Holly: ...can you get me a burrito?"

Comedy!

Training's mostly taking a back seat to academy stuff, but I'm going to see what I can fit in once I've finished my end-of-season break. I should have the money to do the races I want to, but It'll be tough to top last year's fitness.

If you're in Monterey, drop me en a-mail. I'm slowly learning where all the cool trails are in Fort Ord and would love to see some familiar faces.

E.

Upheaval

[uhp-hee-vuhl]

–noun

1. strong or violent change or disturbance, as in a society: the upheaval of war.

 

Like when your entire life is about to change...

 

I got a package from FedEx last week containing a 2" thick 3-ring binder containing my training materials for the State Park Ranger/Lifeguard academy as well as a list of uniform items I needed to buy and a report date and time. Unless something completely unexpected happens, I'm taking the State job. After talking it over with Holly and doing all the math regarding malpractice insurance, student loans, yadda, yadda; I decided that I'd take the Parks job if it was offered to me, but wouldn't re-apply since the retirement is about to change for the new hiring list. Decision made; time to get on with life.

 

Labor Day weekend Holly and I headed out to the Laguna mountains to pre-run the middle section of the Noble Canyon 50K course. Since 5 miles of it is the Pacific Crest Trail and closed to bicycles, I wanted to see it before race day. Did I leave out the part about how I'm racing this year? My bad.

 

Way less people than I expected and always friggin' gorgeous out there. Looking East towards the desert below.

 

The course gets STEEP in parts. Glad we took the time to pre-run.

Big Laguna Trail turn off. The descending technically starts here (mile 15 or so), but BLT rolls quite a lot and it's impossible to get into any kind of rhythm. That section is going to be the most physically and mentally challenging, I think .

On BLT headed back to Penny Pines. Lots of cows.

This past weekend, Holly and I headed up to Bonelli Regional Park for the last stop on the US Cup Series for 2010 and the CA State Championships. Athlete Kerry Waldman came back from a back strain 6 weeks ago to take the State Title, the Hard Charger Award and the US Cup Series win. Way to go Kerry! His team, Rodder Racing, had a stellar weekend with Scott and Matt taking 3rd in their respective classed (Scott wound up 12th overall!) at the Racers and Chasers 50 miler. Team mate James finished his first 50-miler in 6 hours. Way to go team!

We got there way too early and wound up sitting around for hours. It was nice seeing Kerry win and visiting with friends, but the extra sleep would have been nice. With a 1:45 Pro/Cat 1 start, it got HOT out in San Dimas: 87deg, by race start and 20 deg, warmer than the past week at home. Oof.

Looking at the sign, figuring out my leg marking: lucky number 7. 

Justin at the start. All of 8 weeks back on the bike after a crash that left him with a fractured neck and patella. Really happy to see him on two wheels again and proud to have him "gimp" me in the race. Solid work, man. 

Allison on the start line fresh off her first race at world Championships and a night of Sake shots. That explains the yawn. Ha!

Justin coming through on lap one, I think. He and I were in a group of 4-5 about 60 secs off the leaders, but I lost them when I dropped my chain. He'd go on to finish 4th. STUD.

Me coming through early in the race. Still "in it" from the looks of the picture, but I had no idea on placing the entire race. Hammer down and "doin' work" the whole time. It hurt. 

These photos are out of order. Allison started in front of us and I never caught her. I managed to catch Joy and Heather, but Allison beat my overall time by almost 15 minutes. Girl is on fire and picked up the Pro State Championship. Wow!

Somewhere around lap 3or 4 judging by how spread out the field is and by how beat tired I look. Not even the Donut socks could help me.

Steph catching Pro Joy Duerksen (sorry Joy!) late in the race. Pros did 5 laps, Steph's cat did 4. Steph picked up a State Champ jersey as did her husband, Dan. I'm beginning to think it was the Sake shots the night before. Hmmm...

Late in the race and just trying to keep the pedals turning. I was starting to cramp and alternating using my quads and hamstrings so neither muscle group would cramp. I sucked my chain into my rear wheel on the final short, steep climb about 1/2 mile from the finish. I thought about running, but the wheel wouldn't roll with the chain jammed the way it was. No choice but to pry it out. Don't think I lost any places in my class since the guy in front was 8 mins up on me.

Finishing up. Totally shelled. Actual time was 1:53.24 since I started 4 mins after the pros and the clock start. I feel more fit than last year's Incycle XC Challenge. but I'm not sure a comparison is valid since the courses were run in opposite directions. All I know is that I hung in with the front group for about 50 minutes this year compared to 5 minutes last year. I'm calling it an improvement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time to put the finishing touches on my run fitness: 12 days left before my first Ultra Marathon. YIKES!

 

E.

Xterra Snow Valley RR

I know I said I was done with tri training for a while, but I just couldn't stay away. Not that I got bored with exclusively cycling, I just find too much joy in swimming and running. So a few weeks back, I figured I'd salvage what I could of my early season fitness and have a go at Snow Valley. With zero pressure to qualify for world's or Nationals, I figured I'd show up and throw down absolutely everything I had and see what happened. I was out to have fun and smash myself along the way. It turned out to be a great day. Big Bear in the Summer NEVER disappoints; friggin' love it up there. 

Like the race kit? It came with the new job! While I didn't totally quit lifeguarding, I took myself off the schedule for July and August and started working for B&L Bikes staring in late June. Working     two jobs and going to school was hellish for while, but year-round employment and STEEP shop      discounts will be perfect for me in the long run. My co-workers are awesome, we get along great and the parade of pro triathletes and super fast amateurs coming through the shop is always cool.          

Shot of T2 from the base area. The swim and T1 are half way up the slope, which makes for         interesting race logistics, but probably the only Xterra with a net elevation LOSS. Good news for   all you Gonzos out there who love bombing descents like I do. Steeper than it looks!                     

Coming past T2 to finish out the initial 1/2 lap. Notice the Tri shoes! Saved me huge time in transition despite having to use road pedals. TriVents are drilled for 3-bolt cleats and my MTB cleats are 2-bolt. Little did I know there's an adapter and I didn't figure that out until I got home from work...after all the bike shops are closed. So on with the road pedals and cleats: I figured if I had to walk this course, I deserved to ruin my carbon soles. The shoes were amazing! Super light and stiff!

Heading out to finish the bike course. You can see in the above pic the guy I had just passed on the downhill. I tried dropping him on the flat section and then tried hanging with him on the climb, but he had a 7-pound advantage on his S-Works hardtail. I found out on Saturday that my "race bike"           weighs 26 pounds. Ouch.                                                                                                                       

Finishing up the bike leg and getting out of my shoes. Saving time everywhere I can. Seriously, if        you're not getting off and walking, what does it matter what shoes you wear?                                    

I vaguely remember hearing some people yelling for me, but I was so focused and on the limit that I      didn't even see who it was (thanks Allison and Justin! LOL!). You can barely see me bent over in the back ground (shoot the moon!), but the dude in the foreground is about to get a lesson in Transition 101...                                                         

See ya! That's how it's done people.

The guy in front of me was the one I battled with on the bike course. I chased him for the majority of the run course and put in some HARD efforts on the really steep stuff trying to reel him in, no dice. The "rock on" sign from me is because I hit the trash can with the aid station cup with an over the shoulder no-look toss. The volunteer was stoked: "Two points!". That's how I roll, son!  

Finishing up. Smashed. I got caught late in the race and battled with a someone for an overall spot.  We passed each other at least 3 times that I can think of, but I finally cracked in a soft sand climb and he got away. Dammit. Still, I knew I'd given everything I had on that day and was stoked with how it felt regardless of where I placed. A solid race despite a shitty swim.                                                

It's hot...and I'm tired...and racing...at altitude...hurts...

I got my stuff together and started packing up so we could drive the 2 hours home to San Diego since I had a paper due the next day. I heard the announcer calling out names and figured I'd see how I did.

Third in my age group and tenth overall! WOW! Highest Xterra placing for me EVER.

Cool burned wood trophies and a burned leather coaster as a finisher's award. I'm totally blown away since I didn't think I had a performance like that in the tank considering how sporadic training has been lately. Given how crappy Vegas went for me, I really needed a confidence boost training and racing-wise. Too bad I can't afford to race more, who knows what could happen!

Recovery this week with no race plans as of yet, I'm just enjoying training and settling in to the new job.

Hard work pays off!

E.

Old Habits

They're the toughest ones to kick; they've become so ingrained into our personalities, daily rituals and our lives that they become a part of who we are.

I didn't order this...

School is one of those things I've been doing for a really, really long time and though I loathe to call myself a "student" I cannot ignore that I've been in school in some form or another for my entire life. Quite staggering when you really think about it. Meanwhile, Summer School started at the local JC and I'm beginning wrapping up my pre-reqs for Physician's Assistant school. The ironay is that State Parks sent me my background packet to re-do along with a letter stating that everyone on the current hiring list will be selected for the 2010 academy starting in October or for the 2011 academy starting next Spring...if there's enough money. I'm rudderless as far as a career path: PA means more money, but two years of school and $100k in additional debt. Lifeguard/Ranger means 1/2 as much money, but I get to stop being poor almost immediately. I'm familiar with the concept of delayed gratification so spare me the lecture, OK? Thanks!

Students at Miramar College get to swim for free. Woot! Back in the pool and not spending any money to do it = WIN. Unfortunately, the pool feels like it's about 84 degrees and all of the suit dryers are busted. FAIL. The pool is also the local community pool, and Holly says they're probably unplugged becasue the kids play with them. She's probably right.I'm also slowly adding running back into the mix. Mothing structured, but I have a ton of fun trail running and it's a great stop-gap for when I sleep past my alarm and miss a ride. Guess I'm a triathlete no matter what. I'm learning to accept it.
Any ideas on what to do about my career path? I'm lost on that one...

E.

June Gloom

From urbandictionary.com

"...extremely annoying late spring to early summer (and sometimes all summer long) weather phenomenon in coastal Southern California that causes relentless, damp, dreary, miserable weather with drizzle and fog for weeks without end at the beaches. It sometimes spreads into the mountains. This shocks tourists who come to 'sunny Southern California' to instead find themselves in Alaska. It spoils beach days a'plenty and for most locals is the most dreaded time of the year. Number 1 cause for Seasonal Affective Disorder in Southern California. A.k.a. May Gray."

As much as that pertains to the local weather, it applies to my situation as well. The new budget for the State is due out at the end of June and there's lots of uncertainty about what's going to happen with our salary and furlough situation. Couple that with some non-employee friendly policy changes and I'm not stoked on my job at the moment.

As much as I need money to pay for stuff, I friggin HATE it sometimes. Stupid money...

Sure money pays for me to do cool things that make me happy, but it's severely limiting that ablity right now since I don't have any extra to pay for "fun stuff". After crunching the numbers, it looks like I might not get to race any more this season; at $90 a race, triathlon is too rich for us right now. Tack on $70 a month for Master's swim, $24 a month for parking, $190 for a new HRM (my Garmin fell apart), $100 for new running shoes...you get the idea...

Xterra Snow Valley 2008. Jon Clark in the orange camo and me in the orange top in the background. FUN race. Moreover, I got really burned out on the 2-3 workouts a day triathlon grind. Up at O-dark 30, off to swim or ride, run at work on my break (which are getting cut back to 45 minutes, BTW). Come home, eat dinner, collapse into bed, repeat ad infinitum. All that and I might not even get to race again this year because of the cost. I got burned out...no surprise there.

So I looked at WHY I liked racing, what aspect of triathlon kept me coming back since 2003.

Swimming? No way. Every time I'd set my alarm for morning Master's, I'd get a sinking feling in the pit of my stomach. Definitely NOT whay I race.

Running? I'll admit trail running puts a smile on my face, but sharing one Garmin with Holly turned out to be more problematic than I imagined AND I get running injuries far too frequently for me to really enjoy it.

Biking? Well...yes! When I think about which Xterra courses I like and dislike, the deciding factor is always the "fun factor" of the bike course. I love shredding sweet single track and have this odd ability to destroy myself on a bicycle every day without hating it or myself. So I'm going back to where I started: racing mountain bikes.

It's as much a financial decision as it is a personal one; races are cheaper and closer than tris, no more paying for Master's, no more buying running shoes and I don't have to figure out how to get my hands on a new HRM/GPS unit. Score.

I've been not swimming and running for a few weeks and I'm loving it: I can ride to work on recovery days, saving money on gas, and motivation is high. I'm rolling with it.

Plus I have more personal time since I'm no longer constantly prepping for or recovering from workouts. Which left me time to build a wheel for Luke. Cool.There's that saying "make hay while the sun is shining" and that's good advice for me right now.

I'm heading out for a ride. See ya...

E.

Groovy

Memorial Day is right around the corner and with it, the busy lifeguarding season. It amazes me how people are convinced they should only go to the beach between now and Labor Day and I often wonder if the news didn't announce "Beach Season" if people would even notice. Best time to go to the beach? AFTER Labor Day; the water and the weather are still perfect and the crowds are GONE. Try it out and thank me later.

I'm struggling with balancing work and training; tough to do given how variable my schedule can be and that I tend to train best when I can get into a groove and just hammer out the tough sessions. Speaking of jobs, I'm looking around at my options since the seasonal thing no longer works out for me. "The Governator" lost a lawsuit and the courts decided furloughs were illegal or something. Rumor has it our rates might go up to "only" a 5% pay cut or might get cut to a 15% reduction. Eff that. I'm outta there as soon as I find something that pays close to what I make now.

As for training, I jump-started the second 1/2 of 2010 with a TCSD aquathlon (1000 yard swim, 5k run). I was beat from the week, but desperately needed to remind myself that I CAN go fast when properly motivated.

Awesome evening.


I got a lousy start and wound up mid-pack in the swim. I tried all the tricks I knew and just could not get clear. I took a beating the whole way and swallowed a ton of water. I need to swim more...Once I hit the beach, it was game on! I kept thinking how much different Vegas would have went if I'd had legs like this! I could see Beth just in front of me at the turn-arounds and tried like hell to catch her, but just couldn't reel her in. It's like she runs fast or something. CHARRRGE! Mom and Dad stopped by this week to say hello, buy us dinner and drop off my "mail". This $80,000 piece of paper is the most expensive thing I own. Woo...

Dad brought a sixer from their vacation up near Punta Arenas. A decent stout with a solid body and hints of coffee. Nice.

That's it from here. When you're out enjoying the holiday weekend, think of me working my butt off on a crowded beach and be glad you have your 9-5. =)

E.