Team Runs with Scissors

2009-07-31T14:16:00.002-04:00

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

2009-07-30T06:40:00.003-04:00

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

2009-07-18T16:05:00.002-04:00

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!

2009-07-17T12:21:00.002-04:00

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

2009-07-16T12:52:00.003-04:00

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

2009-07-15T07:11:00.003-04:00

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

2009-07-14T06:29:00.002-04:00

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

2009-07-02T13:19:00.001-04:00

Happy Independence Day!

We'll be celebrating. A lot. Hope you will too!

TRWS!

2009-06-24T21:28:00.003-04:00

Once Were Lost

We've been looking all over for you.

Let's get right to it: Summer's here and the Bitter Pill is just around the corner. And, those brothers at GMARA (may the fleas of a thousand camels infest their pits) are moving it to...are you ready for this...CRAFTSBURY. Yeah! Like, WTF?!

Now, don't get me wrong. Craftsbury is nice this time of year. Unfortunately, it's not anywhere near the Mansfield State Forest or the CC Putnum state forest or any of the many miles of trail within the 35 mile radius TRWS would consider its back yard.

Hey, look, that's fine. We can take it. And, you heard it here first: We're going to be contenders for the 3M repeat.

That's right. Those race movin', neddle lovin', adjrenaline junkies will have to do better than that. We're in tighter than a tick.

How 'bout this heat?

2009-03-08T22:32:00.004-04:00

Frigid Infliction 2009--Old man winter wins, again.

Another Frigid Infliction has come and gone. And, before we detail our experience--which was a very good one, despite our lackluster finish-- we wanted to share with you this short piece that ran in the Burlington Free Press the morning of the race.

Kudos to the team at GMARA who have done an extraordinary job building the organization, recruiting and retaining sponsors, and--most importantly--introducing more and more people to this incredible sport. Great job, guys! We'll be back for more, for sure.

2009-03-04T20:44:00.002-05:00

What the heck...

...Am I going to do with my snow shoes? That's what I keep thinking about.

More specifically, how am I going to get them on my pack, while I'm carrying my skis? I've got straps, but they have a kind of one or the other kind of set up. (sigh) I better figure it out...

On a different note, things are looking good for Saturday. My pre-race diet (with staples such as chips, dip, frozen pizza and beer) is in full swing; we've gotten out for some good skiing (which I can say I had not done at all prior to the last FIWAR we raced in); it looks like there's some "wintry mix" rolling in on Friday and possibly lingering into Saturday for the start of the race; I'm generally pretty psyched to be racing Saturday...things are looking good. What could possibly go wrong? Lots, I suppose. But that's why it's adventure racing.

2009-02-24T07:14:00.002-05:00

The Frigid Infliction is Approaching...Quickly

Well, less than 2 weeks until the 2009 MVP Health Care Frigid Inflicition Winter Adventure Race (FIWAR) gets underway, and conditions could not be better!! Bolton is claiming to have gotten 72 inches (yes, that's 6 FEET) of snow in the last 7 days, and having gotten out there and done some course work recently, I can attest to the fact that there is a LOT of snow out there. It should make for a very interesting race next Saturday.

Over the next few days I will be offering some advice for folks on winter adventure racing in general, and this race in particular. Now, I won't be giving away any course secrets, but I will have some tips on winter travel in Vermont. So, tune back in soon for the next installment!!

Grambo

2009-02-01T20:51:00.002-05:00

BOUNDLESS

Like Grambo (and Justin), I just got a new backcountry tele/touring set up.

I went with the Fischer Boundless Crown, with the Karhu XCD Traverse boot (like Graham) and the Voile 3-pin Cable Telemark Binding. And tossed on some risers and leashes, so they can rocket down some groomed lift-accessed down hill. They are a little shorter and a little wider than the 10th Mountains Grambo and Justin are rockin'. You can read a telemarkski.com review of these skis here.

Took'em out tonight for our first short loop. (It's an incredible night, by the way...28 degrees...crystal clear...bright stars...awesome...) After the first few kicks into the woods I felt like I could go forever, and kind of wanted to. After a short while, I figured I should head home for dinner, turned around and enjoyed the reward of the modest hills I had climbed going in. These things are rockin'. I'm fired up and can't wait to ski to, and around, Beaver Meadow next weekend--and far, far beyond.

JG

2009-01-30T06:57:00.003-05:00

XC Skiing Rocks...With Good Skis...

So I have always had a love/hate relationship with cross country skiing. In theory, I love it. What could be better than exploring the backcountry in the winterm, cruising up hills and blasting down beautiful glades, without any crowds or lift tickets. However, in practice, it has never been very pleasant for me. Lots of falling, crazy crashes, and aches and pains where no one should have aches and pains.

That all changed yesterday. In the past, I have always skiied on long, thin skis (my old skis were from the 80s, and were like 215s or 225s), which are fine for skiing in tracks, but take them off trail into the woods or try to go down a steep hill with them, and it was a nightmare. No control! Even last winter when I rented a more modern setup to pre-run the ski leg of the 2008 Frigid Infliction, I had a terrible time. So this year, I decided that either I was done skiing, or I would buy some new gear. After months of research, I finally cobbled together my EMS GMARA discount, a great coupon from the Bitter Pill, and about 5 gift cards I had recieved for Xmas and my birthday to buy a new cross country setup. I took it out for a test run yesterday, and it is AWESOME!!

The setup I went with is XCD (cross country downhill), which has been described as mountain biking in the winter. Since mtn biking is my favorite summer activity, it was a no brainer. The skis I wound up getting are the Karhu 10th Mtn Division XCDs, in a 185 length. These are a nice, shaped ski with full metal edges, and nice fat tips and tails. I married them to the Voile 3 Pin Cable binding, which provides quite a bit more control than just the 3 pin alone, especially on the downhills. For boots, I had some major issues that I don't want to get in to, but I wound up buying a new pair of Karhu XCD Traverse boots, which are a very lightweight but sturdy boot, with a decent "powerstrap" to help keep your heel locked down.

Yesterday I took the skis out for my first run, at Little River State Park in Waterbury (a great place to XC ski and snowshoe, by the way). I only had an hour or so of light, which was perfect. The first 3/4 of the ski was up hill and flat, skiing up to the top of the reservoir and then further on up to the state park. I had to stop 4 or 5 times to adjust my bindings (cables were not quite the right length, but they are very, very easy to adjust), but overall the skis climbed great. Then it was time to go back down. There are basically 3 hills which I had to ski down. In the past, I would get going, and then loose my balance and crash. Every time. On these skis, the combination of the width, the metal edges, and the better binding and boots kept me upright the entire time!!! Wow, XC skis that I can actually turn! And do a snowplow with! And have fun with!!

Overall, a great first day out on the new skis. I'm planning to get out this afternoon and also Sunday, for some longer skis, and we'll see how that goes. However, my early review of these skis/boots/bindings is a very strong WOO HOO!!!

Grambo

2009-01-29T13:09:00.002-05:00

Finally, a REAL Reason to Love PBR
Screw training--it's time to celebrate! (As if we needed a reason.)

What are we celebrating? Well, Fred Pabst of course!

Why Fred Pabst? Because his name and accomplishments stand with only a few others whose contributions to the ski industry rivaled his own. The grandson to Captain Frederick Pabst who began the Pabst brewing empire. Fred was a pioneer in skiing: a ski jumper in the '20's, Fred started ski clubs, invented the modern J-bar lift, and at one time in the early 40's operated as many as 17 separate ski areas from Wisconsin and Quebec to New Hampshire and Vermont. Eventually he consolidated his resources at Bromley Mountain near Manchester, Vermont, establishing that area as one of Vermont's early giants of skiing.

Bottomline, the man was a frickin’ genuis and it’s our duty to honor his legacy. Plus, it’s only $2.00/pint.

2009-01-26T08:26:00.003-05:00

We're back!!

So those of you who monitor our blog (all 3 of you!) have probably noticed that there have been fewer posts lately. Work, life, family, the holidays, we have plenty of excuses. However, with the 2009 MVP Health Care Frigid Infliction Winter Adventure Race just around the corner, we're going to try to keep up with posts on our training, racing, and general mis-adventures. More to come soon, but for now, I figured I'd put up a pic of us accepting our prizes for winning our division at the 2008 Bitter Pill from Tim the race director:

Good Times! And more to come soon!!

Grambo

Rabid Vermont Bobcat Attack

2008-10-07T20:17:00.001-04:00

Hillarious!

2008-09-28T22:22:00.001-04:00

CHECK THIS OUT.

2008-09-11T21:15:00.002-04:00

This is what the previous post was suppose to include...

Seriously, these guys rule.

Beer drinkers challenge InBev-Anheuser-Busch deal
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Thursday, September 11th 2008, 9:04 AM

ST. LOUIS — Ten angry beer drinkers are trying to derail the largest brewery takeover in history.

The group filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday claiming Belgium-based InBev's $52 billion purchase of Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. would violate U.S. antitrust law if completed as planned in the coming months.

The suit, filed in Anheuser-Busch's hometown of St. Louis, does not seek financial damages but asks a judge to block the deal. The Department of Justice often reviews large acquisitions to determine if they are legal under U.S. law. But attorneys behind the lawsuit said they want to halt the deal regardless of the verdict in Washington.

"The Justice Department can do whatever they want. They have no absolutely no effect on private actions," said Joseph Alioto, the lead attorney in the case. He declined to say Wednesday who was funding the lawsuit.

Anheuser-Busch said it will fight the suit.

"We believe that the claims alleged in the lawsuit are without merit and we intend to vigorously defend against them," Gary Rutledge, vice president of legal and government affairs for Anheuser-Busch, said in a brief statement.

Justice Department spokeswoman Gina Talamona would not confirm or deny whether the agency is reviewing the case.

InBev's proposed purchase of Anheuser-Busch, the maker of Budweiser, Michelob and other brands, was met with a wave or legal challenges when first announced this summer.

Shareholders filed more than a dozen lawsuits, some trying to stop the deal, others trying to hasten it. Anheuser-Busch even sued InBev before it accepted the offer, characterizing the bid as an illegal scheme.

InBev Chief Executive Carlos Brito said this summer the deal wouldn't violate U.S. antitrust law because InBev is a niche player in the United States, selling brands like Stella Artois and Beck's. Brito said adding InBev's portfolio to Anheuser-Busch's roughly 50 percent market share would not make a sizable difference in the company's U.S. market dominance.

The suit filed Tuesday challenges the deal's legality on different grounds. It says the merged brewery, to be called Anheuser-Busch InBev, would have a monopoly over beer production in the United States. The lawsuit argues that combining two of the world's biggest breweries will reduce competition.

"If InBev is allowed to purchase Anheuser-Busch, there no longer would be any significant major potential competitor to influence pricing and marketing practices in the United States." the suit says.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit are listed as 10 individuals who drink Anheuser-Busch and would be affected if the company raised prices.

Barry Ginsburg said he joined the suit because he is worried how the deal might affect his hometown of St. Louis. He said plaintiffs in the case care about more than paying a little extra for their beer.

"This is bigger than us," Ginsburg said. "We all have a pretty good idea what happens when people have a monopoly, and when it's a foreign company that has a monopoly."
Alioto is also suing to stop the proposed acquisition by Delta Air Lines Inc. of Northwest Airlines Corp. In that case, he represents a group of passengers who claim the deal would violate antitrust law.

2008-09-10T22:41:00.002-04:00

FINALLY!

This may be the only time I've appreciated the stranglehold trial lawyers have on on judicial system. Well, this and Anna Nicole's case.

WCAX feature on The Bitter Pill and adventure racing

2008-08-17T18:21:00.001-04:00

Just in case you missed the WCAX feature on the 2008 MVP Healthcare Bitter Pill, here it is!

Did we mention we won our division? Hell yeah!

Warrant - The Bitter Pill (Original Version)

2008-08-15T23:05:00.001-04:00

It had to be done!

Candidate Attacks IBM

2008-08-15T22:26:00.001-04:00

2008-08-12T15:02:00.003-04:00

And ride some more...

So after we finished filling up on water (see the series of posts below if this is your first visit), we set out on the remainder of the bike leg. Now when I first looked at the maps at 4:45am, I only had noticed CP6, so I thought to myself, hmmm, just a quick ride up Nebraska Notch road, grab the CP at the start of Old County Road, then blast back down to the TA. Kinda lame, but pretty easy. However, a bit later I noticed on the directions that there was a CP7, so at some point during the trek I checked the map a bit closer, and noticed that there was CP7, at the other end of Old County Road. Now we have some experience with this road, having ridden it (actually pushed it) twice, once during the PPBS and again on a long training ride. And we remembered that it kinda sucked. Some steep uphills, and very muddy conditions. Nevertheless, it was only around noon, and the next cutoff wasn't until 3:30, so we had plenty of time, so off we went...

The first part of the ride was no big deal, out Cotton Brook Road and up Nebraska Notch. A bit of a climb, especially after 7+ hours of straight out moving, but we made pretty good time up to the turn onto Old County Road (which apparently a number of other teams had trouble finding), and got CP6 no problemo. This is when the "fun" began. Old County road peetered out after a few hundred yards, and then starts with some steep action. Then, we got to an absolutely hellish section. Someone has been doing work on this road/trail with an excavator or bulldozer, and after the previous weeks of rain, it was an absolute quagmire. I'm talking about ankle deep, shoe sucking, tire dragging mud. Spirits got pretty low on this leg, perhaps our lowest in the race, but there was nothing we could do but slog through it, pushing our bikes as we went. After a time the mud cleared up, and after some more climbing, we were finally able to hop on the bikes and start off, first on a flat, then a rough, fun downhill doubletrack. Good to get the adrenaline going!!! We hit the bottom of the hill and CP7, and then headed out on to roads again, pushing our bikes up another hill in front of Trapp Family Lodge, and then riding a pretty fun and scary dirt road downhill, back to Cotton Brook and the TA.

Arriving back at the CP to ditch our bikes and head out to the swim and paddle, we had no idea where we stood in the race, not having seen another team in at least 2 hours. Had we been passed while filling our water? Had another team somehow gotten ahead of us? Well, I have to tell you we were flabergasted to learn at the CP that we were only the 8th team to come through, and the 1st in our division. Does this mean we would win our division? Not necessarily, since we still had to trek about a mile to the water, swim, and paddle to as many CPs as we could before the finish. So, we raced through the TA, all the time thinking other teams would roll in while we were changing, and got out of there and headed off to the last section. And that's where we'll pick up next time...

Grambo

2008-08-10T09:54:00.003-04:00

WEEKEND UPDATE

TRWS was back in the saddle yesterday for a ride up Perry Hill, in at the gate, down Burning Spear to Rasta Man and out to the ice center. That's a great ride.

Granted, it was a little, well, moist and slippery (and perhaps had we gone in the other way we would have seen the trail advisories--opps...you gotta get your fix, man...) but it is still one of the best, if not the best, rides around.

There was some great climbing, some great cruising, some awesome downhills and a few really good wipe outs. And, to top it all off, the day turned out to be beautiful and, like all great rides, ended with a beer.