Training Log Archive: glewis

Event: Maine Summer Adventure Race
 

Maine Summer AR with Matt, Kit and Evan (and kind of Tom).

I love this race. It's been the highlight of my summer every year since inception, and the race that I most look forward to each year (I'm working on a "only person to have raced every year" award at some point in the future). I'd spent the previous 4 editions losing to Rootstock and Untamed, so I was super excited to be racing for Strong Machine this time with Kit, Evan, and Matt Hayes; we felt that we had a good chance to push for the overall win. In the lead-up, I had asked Matt if he was willing to navigate - I rarely give up the maps but always will to someone that I can learn a bunch from. The competition was looking tight with both Untamed and Rootstock racing as super teams of 5. We countered that by adding solo-Tom to our mix. Normally, I'd think it unfair to have an advantage like that, but with all 3 of us on the same level, it actually made it much more fun!

The morning of the race was frenzied. I had been on a family vacation in Millinocket, and drove down to stay in Portland the night before. This meant that I had loads of packing and sorting to do pre-race; it seems like much more than usual. To add to the chaos, there was a long line for registration, and it took us 15+ minutes to get the maps. The race layout was complex, with a confusing-sounding prologue to boot. By the time we got the maps sorted, bikes readied, and paddle bags and packrafts organized, it was nearly time to race.

Prologue
One team member would be ushered away on bike to wait at a secret location. The other teammates had to navigate to a map pick-up, where they would receive a map showing the location of the missing racer, where they would be waiting with the proper maps for the opening stage. We originally chose Evan to go and wait, but realized at the last minute that I would be better served to fill that role as I'd be able to preview the map.

Teams began arriving to us right at 10:15. The Strong Machine squad + Tom was ~10th, and we took off immediately. I gave Matt the passport and took the nav (without asking) as I had the maps and I wanted to get out ahead of the scrum of racers. We moved really quickly through cps A-D in Pineland Farms, but were bogged down by piles of other racers; with everyone taking different bushwhacks and following each other, there wasn't the opportunity for separation. We crossed a road, hit E easily, and then took a fortuitous shortcut for F after getting turned around by a gated field. We got to F right with Rootstock, who I presume were at the front of the race. A grouping of 10+ teams headed together towards G, and we finally landed out on the road to end the prologue after 1 hr of chaotic riding. I enjoy fast racing, but the craziness of having teams flying everywhere is stressful to start a long race.

Stage 1 - Bike

Matt took over on this simple leg, comprised of pavement and gravel with 2 CPs to take us to the next TA. Tom was happily trucking along with us, as he was having difficulty getting his head into the map. We also enjoyed a pull from the Untamed Train (TM), making a paceline of 10 riders going 30-35km/h passing a number of racers along the way.

Stage 2 - Mini AR - Paddle

Kate and Cliff made an AWESOME section here, with the option to go in any order and the disciplines short, with 4 CPs on each leg. Rootstock was still present in TA - they headed out on bikes first. We took off in kayaks around the same time as Untamed, but traveled in a different order. Matt led us directly to the CPs, with Tom pulling ahead as we dealt with some boat issues. I got soaked a few times punching the CPs, falling out entirely right in front of Randy (thankfully there is no evidence). The whole loop took about an hour, arriving back to see Untamed about to leave TA.


Stage 2 - Mini AR - Trek

This leg included a swim, so mandatory gear was not required save for a PFD. I carried my running vest with water, which was a big help to stay hydrated and fueled. We moved really fast, cutting ~5 minutes into Untamed by the time we reached the swim with them. Matt was great on the maps, and Kit, Evan and I worked to keep up and stay engaged. The swim was fun and refreshing - I loved that addition! We reached TA right as Rootstock finished their paddle (they still had to trek) and just behind Untamed. This leg took just under an hour.

Stage 2 - Mini AR - MTB

We TA'd more deliberately here, as we'd be biking out after we finished. We filled water, grabbed food from our paddle bags, and made our way out on bikes after Untamed had left. The 4 CPs were on distinct trails that we had to ride. We got lucky with the first, riding in the "short" direction, beating Untamed out of it. We stayed with them for the next 2, but they got a break on the much "shorter" loop to the last - we rode more than 1km extra on technical trails than them. We got back to TA less than an hour after we left, quickly grabbed our wet shoes, and headed out towards the next TA. There was no sign of Rootstock (they had yet to return from the trek) and Untamed was still in TA. The whole stage took less than 3.5 hours.

Stage 3 - MTB

We moved quickly to Mt. Apatite, where we had 5 CPs to find on the trails there. Rain had started lightly during the last MTB section, and picked up heavily as we left TA. It had all but ended by the time we entered the trail system. Matt was still on the maps (he had a supplemental), but I had a less-zoomed-in version that I could assist from. With Tom also on the maps, we had enough heads in the game to make sense of the trails. Pre-race I had suggested a sneaky move on the road surrounding the trails, but we instead decided to trust the trails and ride them, as MTB was our clear team strength. The first CP was on a neat hilltop, and the next was at the bottom of an awesome quarry. Tom was nice enough to punch my passport! We got slightly disoriented leaving CP 17, but made good use of posted map to move quickly through the confusion. We were grateful to have multiple maps here, as I seemed to be able to get my head around the situation more quickly, keeping us from losing any time. Tom was displeased with his own navigation here, and was happy to keep moving with us. We passed Rootstock on the way out, knowing we had a little time on them. The rain picked up again briefly leaving this area, and I put myself on the front of the paceline to avoid getting sprayed in the eyes. This was a bad move in the long term, as I pulled too hard and suffered for it. I tried to make up for it with loads of food and water before we arrived in TA.

Stage 4 - Trek

We were the first team to arrive at the Lost Valley Ski Area, the rain having stopped entirely. We TA'd quickly and left before anyone else arrived. We moved efficiently through here, Matt guiding us directly to the 5 CPs, using the posted maps expertly when needed. Our speed wasn't the best due to a combination of steepness at times and the extreme effort that I was putting in to keep my bowels in check. We passed a few teams going in the other direction, but never saw Untamed or Rootstock. We were the first team back into TA. I tried to take advantage of the available restroom, but my bowels were ...seized... The 5-10 minutes that I spent in that struggle allowed Rootstock and Untamed to both arrive and leave - whoops. We got back on bikes right after they left.

Stage 5 - Bike

This was a straightforward ride, routed towards a recreational trail that contained the only two CPs. The second was CP 29 - we got it after a slight readjustment, but it sounds like it was much more challenging to the mid- and back-pack racers, getting turned around repeatedly with a trail that wasn't as they'd hoped. The most remarkable part of this leg was the hill that greeted us after we got those two CPs. I'm sure that it's just a regular hill, but at the time it felt like Alpe d'Huez, with never-ending turns and kicks in gradient. I needed some along time as I spun slowly to the top. Salvation arrived soon thereafter in the form of our next TA, just before 7:30

Stage 6 - Packraft/Trek

We arrived after Untamed and Rootstock, but they were still TA-ing. We were too slow here. I was still hurting from the hill, we had to load up packrafts, I kept unpacking and repacking my pack to get gear in, and the prospect of the Good to Go meals that we prepared for us didn't sound as good to my stomach as I'd hoped. We left ~20 minutes after Rootstock and 10 after Untamed. Unfortunately I was the cause for a return to TA, as a premonition caused me to realize that I didn't have the mandatory glowsticks. An angry trek back and I found them sitting on another teams bin - arrgh! We left TA (again) a full 30 minutes behind the leaders.

This leg was very well designed, with a smattering of point to the north of the TA, both on land and by the Androscoggin river. We could choose our packraft put-in, and also had the option of dropping our packrafting gear anywhere if we felt that it would be advantageous. It became clear that we should have done this, but we never did. Evan and I carried the rafts for the entire 20+ mile trek, with my paddle falling out every time that I brushed a tree. My first time racing with the rafts, and my setup definitely needs some work. Matt did well on the maps, taking us right to most CPs, with only one turn around below CP36, getting onto an unmapped trail which cost us ~20 minutes. We also had a small swamp crossing, which was rather nasty (I hear that Roostock had a much larger crossing - kudos to them to treading through the muck!). We also picked up another solo racer for a small bit in this section. By the time we reached the northern end of the course, we were hurting - moving slowly but still finding CPs. Tom decided to run off so that he could have more time to paddle his solo raft back. We found him immediately, got him redirected, and then never saw him again. Turns out that he saw some sections of the race course that no one else did, but he did it quickly!! Throughout the trek, there was a looming sense of time in my mind. We had a suggested put-in time, and we were cutting it rather close. My anxiety about it eventually swayed the rest of the team, and we made the (incredibly regrettable) decision to drop CP43. It seemed like a 45 minute point based on the map. We got our last few points on the trek before arriving at our predetermined put-in location.

Stage 7 - Packraft

We inflated quickly and put in the water right at 3AM, with myself and Evan in his Gnu and Kit and Matt in her Explorer. Matt guided us very well in the dark, with only a small hiccup on the first CP. It also began raining around there, starting with a drizzle and increasing as time went on. I struggled to get comfortable in the boat, my shoulders were strangely sore despite the paddle not being overly taxing. With Evan and I in the faster boat, I was able to get out often to grab CPs, which helped my legs and stomach (and bladder), although I had never fully recovered from the earlier overexertion. It became unfortunately clear by the middle of the paddle that we had been overly conservative and left ourselves with more than enough time to finish the course. We passed loads of boats (at least 20) and arrived at the takeout after 6:30. Our safe estimate was to be on the bikes by 7:30, and we were way ahead of that.

Stage 8 - Bike
The rain began coming down harder as we TA'd. We took our time, as we had heard that Rootstock was long ahead of us, also knowing that most other competitive teams would be 1 CP up on us. After grabbing water and food, we set out on the ride back just as Untamed pulled off the water, right at 7AM.

Matt got us sorted out on the city roads of Auburn (always a challenge to navigate in an urban setting). The ride back was simple enough, with 6 CPs to grab along the roads, gradually making our way back to Pineland Farms and the finish. We passed loads of team on the short course here as the rain began falling harder and harder. By the time we turned for home just before 9AM, it was the rainiest I can remember in a race. I found myself not even trying to avoid the rain after we finished, as I completely soaked already.

Untamed finished shortly after us, surprised to learn that they beat us by 1 CP. As we got ourselves cleaned up and partially dried off, we learned of more teams and solos who completed the full course (including Tom, who raced right in before the 10AM cutoff) - each one was a gut punch. We had been leading the race for 9 hours, only to have it fall completely apart on the trek because of my decision making. We should have gotten CP43 - no question about that. We should have also dropped the packrafts, paddles and PFDs. An extra 1-2km of running would have been worth loosing all of that weight from the packs. Live and learn, but the stain of my bad decision unfortunately soured the end of the race for me.

Despite the rough outcome, the race was as phenomenal as ever. I loved the flow, the variety, the packraft section, and the consequential decisions that were available. Matt, Kit and Evan (+ Tom) were a great team to race with - no issues in that area at all.

Next up is the Bitter Pill (where I have some large demons to slay) before Nationals in Wisconsin in September.

C • More to come? 9

Hilly hike up Hammond Ridge with the whole Millinocket gang. Some nice raspberries along the way.

Craig took me for a tour of the trails around NEOC. Started pouring in the middle, and I took a wet leaf to the eyeball. Ouch. Saved my legs for MSAR.

Paddle around Millinocket Lake to get the feeling of a sea kayak.

Incredibly humid race week ride at Harmony Hill. Felt ok, but not great. Nothing that a few days of hydration and clean eating won't fix.

Very busy day - felt tired and stuffed. Casual spin that turned into a half-decent workout.