Training Log Archive: abiperk

Event: USARA Nationals
 

USARA Nationals with the Rootstock crew. Brent, Brian, and I raced as Rootstock 1 and Nicki, Joel, and Jesse Tubb (filling in for Jim, who had groomsmen duties to attend to, and fitting in with our crew so awesomely) filled out Rootstock #2.

We've been looking forward to Nationals as the culmination of the season since PA last year. We had five people from the team who wanted to race and we all love racing together, and we knew that whatever the configuration would be, the squads would be pretty evenly matched. So, after a fair bit of back-and-forth, we decided to go into the race with the plan of sticking together as long as it made sense, and to communicate any issues early and often to decide whether we should hang together or go our separate ways.

About six weeks before the race, I dealt with some issues that knocked the wind out of me and my training, and I felt like I was limping along to the end of the season. By the time I got to race day, I was pretty fried, and I really wasn't sure how I was going to hold up, mentally or physically. Still, the anticipation of the race and the excitement of seeing everyone in Indiana was powerful, and when we got to the pre-race briefing on Thursday evening, I was keyed up and ready to see what was in store for the weekend.

Pre-Race

We received the maps at 6:30am Friday and had about twenty minutes to sort through everything and get ourselves to the start line overlooking Lake Monroe at the Four Winds Resort. Recalling the RD's note the evening before about using google maps in our race prep, Brent spent a few of those precious minutes looking at unmapped trails along the bike route. He had just enough time to draw on a few dashed lines before we ran outside for the national anthem.

Leg 1 - Paddle

The race began with a short 800 meter run to the boats and a 10km paddle to CP1 (the "blazing paddles"). We opted to portage over a small peninsula to cut off a bit of distance and ended up putting on the water next to Unamed. Within seconds, though, the dense fog enveloped us, and we could barely make out our own teammates, let alone any other boats. We pushed toward the CP, trying to keep track of our location by our perceived pace. The Rootstock 2 teams was killer on the water and they quickly pulled well ahead of us. We gave chase for a bit and then decided to focus on our own effort, figuring we'd either find them at the CP, or we wouldn't. About 20 minutes into the paddle we spotted land. Brent thought it was too soon to see the shoreline we wanted to follow, so we reasoned that we must have drifted into a false inlet. We turned around and paddled backward for 4-5 minutes before rounding a jagged corner and realizing that we actually had been in the right spot -- we were just moving faster than we thought. We about-faced and continued on, getting into the CP about 10 minutes behind the lead teams.

There, we beached our boats and, after some confusion, ran the few hundred meters to the CP, where we were given the UTM coordinates for CPs 2-7. They made up two small foot loops off the water -- one from CP1 and the other across the lake to the east. We plotted quickly and set off, choosing to travel in the opposite direction from the CP0 super-team - mostly to just keep it interesting. We crossed paths with a dozen or more teams and got back on the water two minutes behind CP0 and Untamed.

The paddle over to the other points was uneventful but beautiful, as the fog slowly began to lift off the lake. We pushed hard on the next loop and made up ground on the teams around us, getting back on the water with a slight lead over UNE and CP0, which we maintained through the next couple hours and into the takeout and portage to TA1.

Leg 2 - Triple Triple

Off the water was a small orienteering section, where we were given three maps and told we could split up and use whatever means of travel we wanted to collect nine CPs (worth a total of 3 points). We arrived early afternoon, and I rushed over to the volunteers to find out what had happened with the Kavanaugh vote (Carrie Sona later told me that was her favorite moment of the race). After a short recap of the day's news, I ran to grab our bikes while Brent worked out a route. When I returned, he handed me a map and sent me off for the two closest points - CPs 9c and 10c, right off the trail that we'd just ran up from the water. Since I had the shortest and easiest route, I was able to organize our gear and get everything set for the next leg. When the guys rolled in, we departed quickly, in first place.

Leg 3 - Bike

Up to this point, I had been feeling pretty good, but when I got on my bike I discovered that the same fatigue and heaviness that my legs had experienced over the last month was still there. I fell into our pace line and tried not to let it get into my head, but as I got closer and closer to the front, I started to panic a little bit. "I can't pull!" I yelled and promptly burst into tears. It's been a couple years since I struggled in a race, and frankly, I just wasn't quite prepared for it. I tucked back in to the back of the line and had myself a moment. I didn't need any help and wasn't looking for support - I just needed a few minutes to get my head on straight. Luckily, my teammates were just dynamite. Someone else pulled to the front of the line and we continued on without missing a beat. I spent a little while trying to get outside of my own head, and then eventually gave into the fact that I just wasn't in a great space for racing - for some reason, as soon as I did that, I was okay.

We worked our way through the first few checkpoints, and then Brent decided to take a gamble and check out those unmapped trails. We dumped onto a long stretch of single track. It wasn't fast, but we were able to ride, and when we hit CP18, we thought we'd made a good decision... until we started crossing paths and then part ways with Untamed, and then MainNerve, and then CP0 -- they were all heading for different CPs. Uh oh. We tried to work our way through what had happened, but because there were so many route options and strategy decisions on the bike, we could only guess what other teams were doing.

We hit 19, 17, and 23, and then took our second gamble of the day - another unmapped trail that we hoped would take us directly to TA3 and the start of the "make-or-break" foot section. The first stretch of trail served us well. We hit a creek for a short hike-a-bike and then tried to find the right turn that would lead us into Story. Except it didn't exist. We poked around for a little while before asking a few campers if they knew of any trails off that side of the creek. They offered us trails on the left side and general looks of bewilderment -- I can only imagine what they thought of these six sweaty people, hauling bikes through the creek...

And so it was that we found ourselves bike-whacking through the orienteering section, crossing paths with several teams on foot who gave us equally bewildered looks and a few snarky comments for good measure. "I'll be interested to see how that works out for you!" said Phil Nicolas as they ran for a foot point. "Where are you guys coming from??" Tim Bucholz asked. Eventually, we found the dirt road that led into TA and rode in to a loud "what the hell?" from one of the volunteers.

Leg 4 - Dog Bone

We were tired and a little bit demoralized when we arrived as the sun was setting. But when CP0 pulled in just after us, we knew that it couldn't have gone THAT badly. Brent grabbed the map and Brian and I filled water and reorganized gear. Within a few minutes, we were heading off in search of the start of the "dog-bone" orienteering leg -- eight points, each comprised of two CPs (IE - 28A and 28B) connected on the map by a straight-route line. You could get the points in any order but had to complete each pair before moving onto the next one. There were start and finish flags as well, placed in order to keep us off the private property near the TA. We set off at a solid clip, as Brent studied the map and marveled at how challenging the section would be. "This is going to be so hard!" he said more than once. "It's awesome!" Eventually, we found the start and settled into a nice rhythm. Brent's nav was solid and we moved efficiently from point to point, readjusting our route and strategy as we went. We crossed paths with Untamed near the end -- they were on their way back to the TA as we were finishing up our seventh dog bone. We estimated that they were about 1.5 hours ahead of us at that point.

Leg 5 - Bike

We finished up and returned to the TA to get back on our bikes. I had been dreading this section but was relieved to find that my legs felt better than they had earlier in the day - and my mind quickly followed suit. We had six bike points left to collect - 25, 26, and 27 to the north on the Brown County mountain bike trails, and then 21, 22, and 24 en route back to our boats and the final legs of the race. The trails up to Brown County were a ton of fun, and the time passed quickly as we negotiated the flowy single track. Before long, we hit the lollipop loop of points 25-27. We went to 25 first, where Carrie Sona was camped out (we had heard earlier that the land manager required medical staff there at the very last minute, and Carrie generously volunteered to spend the night). She told us that Untamed had arrived only fifteen minutes earlier. We were puzzled by the news but assumed that they were doing the loop in reverse and still had a sizable lead on us. We continued on, finishing up the loop before doubling back for CP24 and then 21 and 22. We were flying by that point, swapping stories and belting out songs and all in good cheer, despite a few bouts of sleepies among the team. As we neared TA4, Brian and I rode side by side, reminiscing about last year's race and feeling genuinely happy to be competing for second and third this time around. The Untamed team was built for this course. They'd been been crushing it all day -- we felt like it was their year and their race, and we were excited for them. As Zoe had told us earlier in the week, "I want you to win, but I'm afraid you won't, because Untamed New England will be there, and they're really the best team" (this gives you some insights into the conversations that take place at our dinner table :) ). That day, she was right.

Leg 6 - Paddle

When we pulled into TA4 to deposit our bikes into waiting UHauls and retrieve our boats for a short paddle back to Four Winds, we were told that we were the first full-course team through. Say what? We asked three other volunteers every way we could think of, and all of them agreed - Untamed had not yet been there.

Incredulous doesn't quite describe how we all felt as we scrambled to get our boats onto the water and shove off. "Let's just assume they're wrong," Brent said on the 3km paddle over to the other side of the lake. Still, we dug deep. When we pulled our boats onto shore and up to the waiting trailer near CP36, the only boat behind us was the all-female team we'd set off with 20 minutes earlier.

Leg 7 - Trek

We ran back to Four Winds, where we received a passport for the final four orienteering points, as well as confirmation that we had the lead. We headed up the road and ducked into the woods. The last section was deceptive - it looked small and straightforward, but there was more going on than the map suggested. Once we got oriented, we moved steadily through the points, careful not to turn any ankles or fall down any rocky slopes. Finally, we punched the last CP and pushed the final few hundred meters into the finish. Untamed arrived an hour later, having what sounded like a nightmare of a ride in the early morning hours. Quest sprinted to the finish a few minutes after them for fourth, and the two CP0 teams arrived a short time later, rounding out the podium.

As usual, we spent way too much time chatting with friends after the race and not nearly enough time catching up on sleep in anticipation of our 11-hour drive home. Live and learn...

C • track 5

Light spin

Packing for nationals is making me realize how much gear I've broken this year. New band on my altimeter, new odometer on my bike. Helmet and bike light are out for warranty replacements. Thank goodness for teammates with big gear closets and weekend groomsman duties.

EZ spin w/ 5x30sec bursts

Made it 20 minutes before realizing I'd left my helmet at home. Definitely a sign that I need more sleep. I turned back to retrieve it and then continued on. Dealt with persistent swirling winds the whole time. GPS was wonky, so distance and pace are off.

Stick a fork in me...

C • it’s taper time anyway! 4

8x2min hike up w/ 2min EZ run in between

Ride between Yom Kippur services and break the fast (I participated in the dinner, but not the fast).

C • L'shanah tovah! 2

15min w/u, 20min race effort, 10min c/d. High humidity.

So nice to be outside and riding during daylight hours.

Spent the day at an XC invitational, and at least 90min of that running around the course with Zoe on my shoulders. Whew...

Legs were shot from being on my feet all day. Ride cut way short.

30min EZ, then 30min varied ascents. Feeling a little bit done with the pace of life these last few weeks - ready for nationals to be here.

C • I hear ya... 4

Trails are unridable this week, so trying to mimic a hilly off-road ride on the trainer.

w/u, 20min HR zone 4-5a, c/d. Wet, rooted, rocky trails. Jammed my big toe slipping on a wooden step. C/d with the XC girls.

Mixed hills

4 x 1min/5min climbs. 55 degrees and rainy - what a difference from 48 hours ago! This was the strongest I've felt since UNE.

12x1min intervals, then 30min tempo effort. There's a hurricane making its way up the east coast - looks like I may be inside a fair bit this week.

Light ride - recovery after the Tough Cookie.

Dealing with a pretty sick kid today and a scramble to figure out how to parent said sick kid and put on a race tomorrow... This was all I could fit in.

12x1min, with 1min recoveries. Early morning. Took my legs awhile to w/u but felt good on the sprints.

Mix of road and gravel. 2x30min tempo effort, plus an earnest but only semi-successful attempt at a third, when trail congestion and road traffic got in the way. Air was thick and temps were climbing throughout the morning. Looks like this latest heat wave is set to break tomorrow night.

C • Lucky us... 2

Steady effort with 12x1min hike up/run down in the middle. 100 degree heat index added some spice. Walked the last couple climbs out of the park to moderate my HR.

Hike with Val, while Laura and Z colored!

B's out of town so a long post-bedtime trainer ride. Starting to feel more like myself again.