MNT EPIC

"As you sow so shall you reap."

Sunday River,  MAINE -- Einstein's definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.  He must have known about me and MNT EPIC.  Before I go any further I must say that as brutally difficult as this race is for me, it's one of my favorites and is hosted by one heck of an RD in Erik Boucher of TRI-ME.  October is a funny month on my calendar.  It's by far my favorite time of year.  I love the fall foods, the football, the cool crisp days, the leaves changing...anything right now that doesn't include me doing a lot of training.  With the Pinnacle Challenge, MNT EPIC, and the Shawnee Peak Challenge this month is as busy as any during the year yet my level of commitment to train is lower than at any time since last December when it began.  And once again my physical performance at MNT EPIC suffered because of it.  Mountain and trail races are a great opportunity to see my friends in these communities (Ian Parlin, Paul Kirsch, Kevin Tilton to name a few).  And sometimes I get a chance to meet a couple of new ones.  Before Sunday I've followed Paul Bazanchuk from afar through his blog and snowshoe racing performances in the WMAC.  I've also had the challenge of racing against the kilt-clad Chuck Hazzard of Trail Monster Running.  I had the pleasure of meeting both of these men at MNT EPIC, Paul before the race and Chuck during our first 1500 foot ascent to Barker Mountain aid station.  Paul approached me before the race, introduced himself, and asked a couple of questions about the course.  I chased down and caught Chuck while we climbed.  He was incredibly affable under the relentless duress of MNT EPIC.  Paul caught and passed me just before Barker Mountain aid station and immediately became my new endurance idol.  At 55 the guy is a machine.  If I'm half as fit as he is at 55 I'd be thrilled.  Remembering the debacle that was the last 4 miles at this race last year I eased off the throttle on the first major descent.  About half way down I heard gasping and groaning that could only mean one thing...okay, it could actually mean a couple of things but in this case it meant that my teammate Brent Tkaczyk had finally caught me after pacing his wife Amy on the first climb.  And he was F-LYING down this hill.  His arms and legs rag dollied as he leaned forward at a gravity defying angle.  He shouted something to me about "I'll see you on the climbs!" but all I could do was marvel as his reckless disregard for anything quadriceps.  Sure enough as we began our second 1400+ foot climb to Spruce Peak aid station I did catch him and actually pulled him along for a while.  The two of us worked together and caught Chuck and could see Paul and a couple of other runners up ahead.  By the time we reached Oz Brent, Chuck, Paul, and myself were within 15 seconds of each other.  By the time I reached the finish four miles later they all were nearly four minutes ahead of me.  And even more remarkable, finished within 20 seconds of each other!  As much as I work to solve the riddle, I just can't bring myself to let it fly going down from Oz and Jordan Bowl.  Watching the three of them move away from me was devastating.  There's some switch in my head that I just can't flip.  When I finally made it to the singletrack section I again had my adductors seize up on me.  That for sure is a training issue.  I probably haven't run more than 10 miles in a month and a half.  Unlike last year when the same thing happened I had to walk for a short spell.  This year I managed to run through it.  Believe me, not very fast but I did make it look a little like running.  I felt every foot strike reverberate through my entire skeleton the last few hundred meters of descending on the gravel road.  Despite my tentative descent and adductor issues when I peaked at my watch I realized I still had a chance at a PR.  The only thing that potentially stood in my way was the vaunted mud pit.  Last year I cramped violently when I hit it.  Sadly, this year wasn't any different.  As soon as I entered the water my left calf locked up and I actually fell forward on my right knee and left a six inch gash of skin on a hidden boulder on the bottom of the pit.  Somehow I managed to get back to my feet and dragged my sorry broken carcass across the finish line.  My watch read  2:05:12.  Incredibly, a PR by almost 2 minutes and my second 13th place finish of the year.  From a team standpoint aR captured another team title over our rivals from TMR.  Our top 4 scorers were Tim Cox (4th), Brent Tkaczyk (8th), myself (13th) and Austin Stonebraker (16th).  I can become a better descender and I can put more training in for this race...but probably not.

NEXT UP: Shawnee Peak Challenge

2010 Preview

I enjoy irony. There's something wonderfully ironic (and beautiful) about a winter sunrise. I'll let you figure it out. The time for reflection is over. Last week marked the beginning of my 2010 preparation. My ambitions will be tempered in volume only. Twenty-one races in 2009 was a lot for me. The plan for 2010 is to race less and focus on three objectives; 1.) age-group podium at the US Snowshoe Championships, 2.) PR at Pineland, and 3.) win King of the Glen. The benefit of nearly 20 years of training and racing is an intimate understanding of my ability. I'm rarely disappointed at a performance because I typically know exactly what to expect. I'm excited at the possibility of pursuing these three varied objectives. This is how I plan to do it;

1.) Age-group podium at US Snowshoe Championships
The expansion of the Granite State Snowshoe Series was a blessing for me athletically. I plan to race seven (7) events including six (6) in the series;
1. Beaver Brook 5k Snowshoe Race
2. Olde Salem Greens Snowshoe Classic (*non-Series)
3. Feel Good Farm Snowshoe Race
4. Sidehiller 4 Mile Snowshoe Race
5. Exeter Snowshoe Hullabaloo
6. Horsehill 7k Snowhoe Race
7. Frosty's Dash for a Cure

This will be the most aggressive snowshoe racing schedule I've ever attempted and should prime me for the March 6, 2010 US Snowshoe Association National Championships.

2.) PR at Pineland
My favorite race of the year is the Pineland Farms 25k Trail Challenge. It may also be the most physically challenging as well. Preparation for the May 30, 2010 event will begin in late March after a 2 week transition period following the snowshoe racing season. The one important race leading up to Pineland will be the Big Lake 1/2 Marathon which I intend on racing again. I have no performance expectations for this event, it's simply a great motivator to put in the necessary mileage for both Pineland and the longer challenge planned later in June.

After Pineland the focus will shift briefly to the Ultimate XC Challenge-Quebec in late June. This will be my second time at Ultimate, but first time in Canada. This is my "epic" event of 2010.

3.) Win King of the Glen
This really doesn't mean anything to anyone other than me. My 24 Hours of Great Glen teammates understand the accomplishment that this "inside" award represents and frankly that's enough for me. I was third in the KOG at the '09 24HOGG and I know excatly how to shave a couple of minutes here and there and seriously contend for the title at the August 7-8, 2010 event.

Although my training will be focused on these objectives from now until the 24HOGG in August, there's still three months of racing left in the late summer and early fall of 2010. Karen & I are very excited to join the "1000 Mile Club" at the Reach The Beach Relay in early September of 2010. This year will mark our 5th time at the event. In October, the last two events on my calendar will likely be the Pinnacle Challenge VI and the MNT Epic. The Pinnacle is a great aR team event and the MNT Epic was a fantastic late season gem. There's some talk that the 2010 MNT Epic may include a team category which will make even more exciting.

Now there's a great deal of work to be done.

"The height of your accomplishments will equal the depth of your convictions." -William F. Scolavino

MNT EPIC

Sunday River, MAINE--Today's 2nd Annual MNT EPIC had it all: thirty degree temps, hellish climbs, wicked descents, wind, rain, sun, and even snow on the summits! My last race of 2009 was my first attempt at this really new race and it definitely lived up to the billing. A very strong aR showing included Tim Cox, Justin Snair, Ryan Welts, Brent & Amy Tkaczyk, Steve Sprague, and yours truly. This Trail Monsters designed course (see video below) was pretty straightforward with two climbs (3361') and two descents (3346') over 12 rugged miles summiting 8 peaks. My "strategy" (if you could call it that in a race where I had zero idea how long such an adventure would take) was to run as much of the first 1300' climb as possible placing myself as far up in the field as I could figuring eventually everyone would be walking. I carried a small hydration bottle pack with a Hammer Gel and some Endurolytes but left the bottle empty for the first climb to aid station #1 where I would fill up with their fluids. My early tactics worked well as I was running in 6th place behind teammates Tim, Justin, and Ryan. My first descent to the base of Jordan Bowl was a harbinger of things to come as I lost a spot to the overall female winner who FLEW by me down the hill. I caught her briefly on the ensuing climb but she slowly pulled away from me and never looked back. Near the summit of Spruce Peak it actually started spitting snow...and it's freakin' October! It's a darn good thing I had my new Moeben arm sleeves on as I was sporting the new aR sleeveless racing shirt. I basically ran alone for the next 30 minutes to the turnaround at Oz where I saw a group of six runners, racing together, as I doubled back against them. We exchanged words of encouragement and I implored them to catch me so I'd have someone to run with at the end (RETROSPECT: that probably wasn't a wise idea). From the high point at Oz there were roughly 4 miles to the finish and they were all downhill. Easy right? Apparently descending mountains is my Kryponite. In less than a mile the entire group of six had passed me and were quickly out of sight. In the blink of an eye I went from a very solid top 10 finish to a slightly disappointing 13th overall. Perhaps the hardest thing to swallow was racing so strong for 3300' of climbing and 8 miles only to give it all away running downhill. With under 2 miles to go we hit a section of singletrack that ordinarily would have been the most fun part of the course for me but my woeful hydration (including Gatorade..ughhh) resulted in both sets of adductors cramping as I made a quick 90 degree cut on a muddy switchback. Slowing to a walk I took another 2 Endurolytes (my 5th & 6th of the day) and finished the little bit of Gatorade/water I had left. Once again the Endurolytes saved me and I was running again in less than 2 minutes. The last 50 meters of the race was run on the wife carry course with the log hurdle and water pit as "optional" obstacles. With a healthy dose of 'crowd pressure' I managed to negotiate them both and finished unofficially in 2:09. Although my effort wasn't an '09 highlight, the efforts of Tim (2nd), Justin (5th), Ryan (6th), and Amy (2nd female) absolutely were! The Pumpkinhead Ale, BBQ, and live band seemed to sooth my wounds and before long the bitter disappointment of that final 4 miles was just a memory. The combination of fall foliage, beautifully cool weather, epic course, and great friends made this race a "must do" for 2010. I just need to work on getting better running downhill. Can you believe that, downhill?!

NEXT UP: 6 weeks of rest before I start preparing for the 2010 snowshoe racing season!

[Photo cred: me, Brent, Amy, Tim; 8-peak elevation profile; the start; a view from North Peak]

From the folks at Trail Monster:

Update

I suck as a blogger. As the days turn to weeks and my blog drops to the bottom of other peoples blog lists I somehow become less and less motivated to post. My silence is as much a function of my lack racing as it is my lack of things to say. Since the 24HOGG I've taken a week of recovery, determined my racing schedule for the rest of the year, and began purposeful training for the 12 hour adventure race and Reach The Beach Relay coming up in back to back weeks. Just a few days ago teammate Steve Sprague sent me a link to a mountain race up at Sunday River, the MNT EPIC, coming up on the 11th of October. I was sort of looking for a end of the season challenge and it sounds like the 12 miler at the MNT EPIC may be just the thing. I also had a chance to meet a new teammate, Ryan Welts of Milford, NH this past weekend. Ryan contacted me interested in learning more about who we are and what we do. Austin and I met him for a run at Mt. Blue Job this weekend and he seems like a really nice guy and super competitive endurance athlete. He'll make an excellent addition to the team. I'll leave you with this...since hearing and seeing this video a little while back I can't get it out of my head. If you're wondering what I'm listening to on my iPod before a race, this is it. Play it loud.