One last post...
before I run out the door to meet the boys and head north. 18 hours from now and we''ll right in the thick of the Bitter Pill. Can't wait to get the pre-race jitters out of the way and get on the course! We'll try to post an update after the race, but check the race website if you want to see how we did. Many stories soon to come...
Grambo
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Less than 48 hours to go...
Yep, in 48 hours we'll already be 50 minutes into the '09 MVP Bitter Pill. Hard to believe it's here already. I've been pretty busy this week getting my stuff together and getting ready. I did one last training run on Monday afternoon, which went pretty badly. I am blaming it on the heat and lack of food and water, and trying not to let it worry me. Enough about that.
A race update was posted on the website yesterday which informed us that we do not need to worry about carrying helmets and bike shoes with us for the entire race (good news for J and Justin, but I wear my regular shoes for the entire race, so no big help for me there), but we will have to carry our PFDs. It also has got me thinking about what that means for the course. Before a race, as the navigator, I spend quite a bit of time browsing maps of the race area trying to get into the head of the course designers. It worked out pretty well last time, but we had home field advantage then. Looking at maps of the Craftsbury area, there are several options for the canoe leg as well as the trekking and bike legs. I have some thoughts/ideas on possible course layouts, but I won't share them just yet :)
The move of the start time from the usual 5am to 6am is also interesting. I am guessing this is to make it easier for teams who have to drive from, say, Burlington to get to the race start on time. It will also make it easier for us, since the 5am start generally meant that the first 30-60 minutes of the race were in the dark, requiring headlamps and making the initial navigation/map reading that much more challenging. Starting at 6am means plenty of light for the entire race (and also an extra hour or so of afternoon/evening heat).
Well, enough speculating for now. Back to work, and race preparations. Some last minute packing tonight, and the tommorrow afternoon we're off to Craftsbury!!
Grambo
Yep, in 48 hours we'll already be 50 minutes into the '09 MVP Bitter Pill. Hard to believe it's here already. I've been pretty busy this week getting my stuff together and getting ready. I did one last training run on Monday afternoon, which went pretty badly. I am blaming it on the heat and lack of food and water, and trying not to let it worry me. Enough about that.
A race update was posted on the website yesterday which informed us that we do not need to worry about carrying helmets and bike shoes with us for the entire race (good news for J and Justin, but I wear my regular shoes for the entire race, so no big help for me there), but we will have to carry our PFDs. It also has got me thinking about what that means for the course. Before a race, as the navigator, I spend quite a bit of time browsing maps of the race area trying to get into the head of the course designers. It worked out pretty well last time, but we had home field advantage then. Looking at maps of the Craftsbury area, there are several options for the canoe leg as well as the trekking and bike legs. I have some thoughts/ideas on possible course layouts, but I won't share them just yet :)
The move of the start time from the usual 5am to 6am is also interesting. I am guessing this is to make it easier for teams who have to drive from, say, Burlington to get to the race start on time. It will also make it easier for us, since the 5am start generally meant that the first 30-60 minutes of the race were in the dark, requiring headlamps and making the initial navigation/map reading that much more challenging. Starting at 6am means plenty of light for the entire race (and also an extra hour or so of afternoon/evening heat).
Well, enough speculating for now. Back to work, and race preparations. Some last minute packing tonight, and the tommorrow afternoon we're off to Craftsbury!!
Grambo
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Vacation Training?
The girls and I will be on the Cape tomorrow to kickoff a week of R and R. Hopefully I'll be able to squeeze in a little training. With the Bitter Pill only 2 weeks away, I need every minute on my feet and in the saddle that I can muster.
I packed my running shoes, swim gear and bike...so we'll see...
See you next week for the final countdown!
JG
Friday, July 17, 2009
A day of slackitude.
Yesterday for me was a day of no workout, which is kind of a bummer. Why no workout, you might ask? Well, it was a combination of working late and then the violent thunderstorms that rolled through. Need more excuses?? Well, you can be sure I've got 'em!!
In any case, today's plan is to ride the Perry Hill trails in Waterbury, in the hope that the upper trails might be open (unlikely given the rain, but who knows...). I am leading a ride for the club (GMARA), but so far it looks like only 1 club member will be attending (me). Come all you slackers out there, let's get a move on. Plan is to meet at the trailhead down by the ice center around 3:45 today, if anyone is interested. Should be a good ride, even if the upper trails are closed there is plenty of great riding to be had down lower.
And the plan for the weekend...at this point I am just waiting to see what happens. More to come...
Grambo
Yesterday for me was a day of no workout, which is kind of a bummer. Why no workout, you might ask? Well, it was a combination of working late and then the violent thunderstorms that rolled through. Need more excuses?? Well, you can be sure I've got 'em!!
In any case, today's plan is to ride the Perry Hill trails in Waterbury, in the hope that the upper trails might be open (unlikely given the rain, but who knows...). I am leading a ride for the club (GMARA), but so far it looks like only 1 club member will be attending (me). Come all you slackers out there, let's get a move on. Plan is to meet at the trailhead down by the ice center around 3:45 today, if anyone is interested. Should be a good ride, even if the upper trails are closed there is plenty of great riding to be had down lower.
And the plan for the weekend...at this point I am just waiting to see what happens. More to come...
Grambo
Thursday, July 16, 2009
At least we got 1 sunny day this week...
Yesterday I took advantage of a brief break in the Vermont monsoon season and hiked up to the top of the quad at Bolton Valley Ski area. While a relatively short workout, it was great, and left me wondering why I don't do it several times a week. The 1000 foot elevation gain tool me only 41 minutes, and the descent (via the Wilderness lift line for a change of scenery) was about 25 minutes. So, for just over an hour's workout, I got a great climb and descent, and today my legs feel great (a bit sore, but great). Views were excellent from the top of the lift, if you've never been up there it's worth a trip, as along with the views of the lake there are some unique views of Camel's Hump and Mansfield. I also ran into some mountain bikers on the way down, so next time perhaps I will hike my bike up, and then enjoy the steep ride down!
15 days to go...
Grambo
Yesterday I took advantage of a brief break in the Vermont monsoon season and hiked up to the top of the quad at Bolton Valley Ski area. While a relatively short workout, it was great, and left me wondering why I don't do it several times a week. The 1000 foot elevation gain tool me only 41 minutes, and the descent (via the Wilderness lift line for a change of scenery) was about 25 minutes. So, for just over an hour's workout, I got a great climb and descent, and today my legs feel great (a bit sore, but great). Views were excellent from the top of the lift, if you've never been up there it's worth a trip, as along with the views of the lake there are some unique views of Camel's Hump and Mansfield. I also ran into some mountain bikers on the way down, so next time perhaps I will hike my bike up, and then enjoy the steep ride down!
15 days to go...
Grambo
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Fully Spoked (and stoked!)
So yesterday I picked up my back rim/tire from the shop, trued and with the 2 broken spokes repaired. Hopefully everything will hold together until the Pill. I promptly went home, reassembled the bike, and went for a quick ride in Waterbury. I rode for about 1 and a half hours, about an hour in the woods on trail and a half hour on roads. A good workout, and some good climbing, but man, is it muddy out there. If we don't get some sun in the next couple of weeks, the trek and bike legs of the Bitter Pill should be pretty interesting!
Plan for today is to head up to Bolton Valley this afternooon after work, and blast up to the top of the Vista quad and back down (on foot). It's actually supposed to be sunny today, so the views might even be nice! Another relatively short workout distance and time wise, but I have found in the past that when pressed for time, it's possible to replace a long workout with a shorter workout incorporating lots of elevation. Whether on foot or on bike, climbing hills is where it's at in terms of getting the legs and lungs ready!
In closing, I'll leave you with this picture of us from last year's Bitter Pill, filling up on water at a transition area. One critical part of adventure racing is fast transitions, and it's something that I think we are pretty good at. We don't spend time sitting around, it's get in, get done what needs doing, and keep on moving...
Grambo
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
18 days and counting!!
So here we are, 18 days left until the 2009 MVP Bitter Pill. With the race rapidly approaching, I have set a goal for myself of training hard for the next 2 weeks, and also posting to the blog daily, since we are linked on the GMARA website and all. My training was going along pretty well this year, but I hit the mid June doldrums, followed by the unending rain and a really bad cough/cold, which have basically sidelined me for 2 weeks. So, I am hoping 2 weeks of hard training will get me ready. We shall see...
Yesterday I got going with a quick hike on Camel's Hump. I didn't have enough time to make the summit from the Duxbury side, but I made it up over 3000 feet (starting from around 1400) hiking about as fast as I could go. I followed this by running back down the mountain, after taking an hour to get up I managed to descend in less than 40 minutes. A short but great workout. Today, after picking up my rear bike tire from the shop (had 2 broken spokes), I am planning on getting out for a 2 hour or so ride in Waterbury. Hopefully on the trails, but we'll see what mother nature has in store for us. If it's anything like it has been, it'll be rain...
Grambo
So here we are, 18 days left until the 2009 MVP Bitter Pill. With the race rapidly approaching, I have set a goal for myself of training hard for the next 2 weeks, and also posting to the blog daily, since we are linked on the GMARA website and all. My training was going along pretty well this year, but I hit the mid June doldrums, followed by the unending rain and a really bad cough/cold, which have basically sidelined me for 2 weeks. So, I am hoping 2 weeks of hard training will get me ready. We shall see...
Yesterday I got going with a quick hike on Camel's Hump. I didn't have enough time to make the summit from the Duxbury side, but I made it up over 3000 feet (starting from around 1400) hiking about as fast as I could go. I followed this by running back down the mountain, after taking an hour to get up I managed to descend in less than 40 minutes. A short but great workout. Today, after picking up my rear bike tire from the shop (had 2 broken spokes), I am planning on getting out for a 2 hour or so ride in Waterbury. Hopefully on the trails, but we'll see what mother nature has in store for us. If it's anything like it has been, it'll be rain...
Grambo
Thursday, July 02, 2009
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