Training Log Archive: silkychrome

Event: Stubborn Mule 12hr and 30hr AR
 

Stubborn Mule w Erl and Andrei. The Garrison was supposed to be there too but had to be a responsible adult at the last minute :( so we raced as a 3.

TREK 1 - 5mi
5 CPs in the woods just south of Race HQ. started w Toporadicals, flip-flopped a few times, and then pulled away. woods were so open and lovely compared to PPP. we were all crying w happiness.

PADDLE 1 - 16mi
got back to TA in 1st and put in w 3 in a super nice royalex canoe. i was in the middle seat and at first we set it up behind the middle thwart, super uncomfortable. by the first CP i was struggling so we stopped to move it just ahead of the middle thwart, which made the boat balance a little sub-optimal (nose down) but i could actually contribute to paddling. continued around Lake Namakagon, taking in the wildlife and pretty houses, but really no different than any other flatwater paddle.

BIKE 1 - 24mi
got back to TA still in 1st to our surprise (Rib Mtn paddling quite well) but didn't wait around to see how far. onto the bikes for a few miles of road/gravel and then we got into the Cable Cluster of CAMBA singletrack. um..............WOW. easily the MOST FUN singletrack i've ever ridden, in my life. we forgot we were racing and just whooped it up on Flow Mama and Seeley Pass. i had a rigid fork on the SegSlayer and it was super awesome.

TREK 2 - advertised as 7.5mi but we covered closer to 15mi
arrived in 1st but Rib Mtn showed up while we were still digesting a new map so close race...they likely were more motivated on the bike ride than we were. 19 CPs in super subtle terrain. we struggled w our first one (CP7) and then fought our way thru the rest of the loop. Andrei did a super job on some really hard maps...even 10' contours couldn't describe the intricate terrain. plus a lot of unmapped ATV trails. same story as most ARs but still not easy. we got to run some on the Birkie and Birkie Classic trails which were impressive, and cool to connect to such a high-profile event. we passed back thru TA in between our northern and southern loops to refill water because it was hot and minimal water in woods. i struggled a lot on the south loop...just hot and couldn't move thru the deadfall v efficiently. bah. but knew we needed to hammer because w our time lost on CP7 and Rib's good nav, we were likely in a close race still.

"HIKE A" BIKE 2 - 34ish mi (tracker died on this leg)
we got back to TA before sunset and volunteers informed us that Rib had left an hour ago. AN HOUR! but i've been in this situation before w Andrei and Erl (Berryman 2013) and we made up the time then so just got on bikes and flew. most of these CPs were off-trail 50-500m so lots of bike dropping and trekking in bike shoes. at the first bike drop we were entering the woods and Rib was coming out from a weird angle...def not an hour ahead! strange and we never did figure out what was up there. anyway at this point we were joined by Silent Chaser Phil (racing solo) and Andrei decided that working together would be a good thing. so the 2 of them worked thru the rest of this section. lots less HAB that we were anticipating and things were smooth although not the pace we needed to be making time on Rib. but we were prioritizing good nav and taking care of ourselves for the remaining 2 sections of the race so no worries. we also got into the Namakagan Cluster of CAMBA trails and these were pretty awesome too, esp at night. we made a small nav mistake but that meant we got to ride more singletrack so that was cool. i got all sugar-crashy like at USARA 2015 but a couple e-caps helped that a lot, good to remember for future. also bring more salty/real food snacks!

PADDLE 2 - 10mi
we checked into TA and while chatting w the race staff i noticed that Rib had missed a CP on Bike 2. so even though they had a huge time advantage, we were up a CP and now "just" needed to execute the rest of the race cleanly for a win. not the best motivational strategy for late in race but also a huge amount of pressure was just removed from our shoulders. so we put in around 2:45 AM for another flatwater paddle. i was sleepy but the coldish weather kept me awake. Phil and Andrei continued to work well together. we completely changed nav strategy on the attack to the first CP but it was funny and kept us laughing the rest of the paddle. the sun rose.

TREK 3 - advertised as 5mi, but maybe we covered more?
came back into TA and "just" 9 more CPs to find and plenty of time before noon cutoff. Andrei had some skin issues, and we were all getting tired, so we hiked the vast majority of this trek. not that we could have moved all that much faster in the woods - TONS in deadfall in this area (Forest Lodge Nature Reserve) so travel was v slow. plus lots of confusing depressions so super tricky nav late in the race. Andrei held it together beautifully and got us around. the bugs weren't even that bad.

so finished up the race w all CPs, putting us in 1st, but only bc Rib skipped a CP on accident. they said it was on a map fold and they just overlooked it. such a bummer...they had a killer race and really deserved a win here. but we've all been there and it's unfortunately part of the sport. so, everyone out there, watch out for RIB MOUNTAIN from Wisconsin because they are ON FIRE!!

thx to Andrei and Erl for being such fun teammates as usual. love racing w you guys :)

also Paula (race director) said that Stubborn Mule will be in the Cable/Hayward area for the next 5 years on the last weekend in June. i can't emphasize enough the high quality of Paula's races...she does things RIGHT and makes the travel totally worth it. everyone please put Stubborn Mule (30hr and 12hr) on your calendars for 2016-2020. Cable/Hayward area is perfect for adventure racing, so much singletrack and fire road that we didn't even touch, plus rivers and more lakes, plus o-maps that we didn't use, plus the town is just so cute and welcoming. STUBBORN MULE FOREVER!

Space Monkey http://ar.attackpoint.org/viewlog.jsp/user_2511/pe...
Results http://www.180adventure.com/2015-smar-30-hr-result...
CAMBA http://assets.ngin.com/attachments/document/0044/4...

C • lotta paddling! 5

EZ jog in the fellraisers since when i put the insoles back in from PPP they fit a bit funny. just making sure everything's a go for SM. after a few hundred meters they were fine. pretty tired this AM tho. good thing i had newly-glittered OWWWP visor to inspire.

Event: Expedition Alaska
 

to an interview w Terrain Magazine. went to the wrong coffee shop at first. whoops.

EZ back home taking #OWWWP selfies.

supa EZ jog around the block trying to shake some fatigue out of legs. 9.5 hrs SS MTB was way harder than 12 hr AR.

in to work on the SegSlayer which has been upgraded from SICK to TOTALLY BADASS with a rigid fork that matches super good. need to put a diff stem on tho, hands were tingly after just 9mi.

kept it in little ring up front and worked on my spin.