24HoGG | 2012

Keepin' the rubber down.
[Photo courtesy of Gianina Lindsey]

"Discretion is the better part of valor." Shakespeare

Gorham, NH -- acidotic RACING has been built on the famous words of Teddy Roosevelt..."Dare mighty things...".  But at some point as Kenny Rogers sang, "You've got to know when to hold them and know when to fold them.".  The 2012 edition of the 24 Hours of Great Glen (24HoGG) was yet another incredible weekend of aR fellowship and racing.  It really is the highlight of the racing calendar for my family and I.  Unfortunately for me however, the course conditions would make my 4 laps around the 8.5+ mile loop an exercise in futility as the tire sucking mud and slippery conditions would spook me into long stretches of hike-a-bike.  I really, really enjoy riding my new GT Zaskar 9er Expert.  The bike is amazing and absolutely everything I've always wanted.  I'm just not a strong mountain biker in general and technical rider in particular.  In most years though the 24HoGG course is 100% rideable for me thanks to the great work by the Great Glen crew to improve the course.  Two and a half inches of rain on Friday afternoon would stretch the limits of any course and crew however and the singletrack and off-road double-track became a quagmire of 6-8 inch deep mud.  The following is a brief synopsis of my four laps;

Lap #1
Time of day: 2:10 pm

As the designated third rider I took my first turn on the course.  Having pre-rode the day before (in a driving rainstorm) I had the lay of the land including some of new singletrack on the Blueberry Hill side of the course.  I managed to ride the first set of climbs up past the Honeymoon Cottage before taking the turn on the new singletrack off the Aqueduct Loop. By the this time the course was already beginning to get chewed up and I cautiously picked my way through the muddy singletrack dabbing here and there and walking some sections.  Once on the nordic track I made the conscious decision to ride conservatively and attempt to save something for the 2nd day.  Although I felt physically prepared, my history of epic physical collapses here are always in the back of my mind.  I rode all the carriage road climbs but was already off bike on most of the sections that were either underwater or sketchy, muddy, rocky descents.  Lap time: 1:06.12

Lap #2
Time of day: 6:33 pm

With a very easy pace on the first lap I was more than ready for my second lap.  The rain had been on and off for most of the afternoon but seemed to hold off for me on this lap.  Once again I rode the switchbacks on Blueberry Hill and up past Honeymoon Cottage.  But the singletrack off the Aqueduct Loop was beginning to fail miserably.  The trail crew were already diverting past unsafe sections and doing their best to fill in the muddiest spots with boulders...slick wet boulders.  I walked this entire 1/2 mile + section.  Mountain bike racing for me becomes a big head game when I'm off bike and pushing.  Walked the same spots on the festival side of the road...slowly.  Lap time: 1:11.10

Laps #3 & #4
Time of day: 2:40 am

As planned, Ri started our doubles at 9:07 pm.  That would give me roughly 5 hours before Andy returned from his double.  For some odd reason I didn't feel like lying down and instead opted to stay awake and watch the race.  Camp aR got very lonely after 11:00 pm as most were either lying down or riding.  I relaxed in my recliner (yup...I have one for the 24HoGG) and attempted to rest as hard as I could.  My hydration and nutrition were spot on and I felt very good physically.  Around 1:00 am I made myself some Starbucks VIA with my JetBoil and tried to get my gear ready for long wet muddy slog.  I typically treat the overnight laps as an adventure race.  Being mentally prepared to be out there for up to three hours in the darkness is really important.  Andy handed off to me at 2:40 am and I set out.  Anticipating a 3+ hour ride I was concerned that I'd have enough lights to make it to morning.  I spared my handlebar light and burned my Exposure helmet light on the medium setting.  Same general description of the course conditions but as can be expected that had continued to deteriorate.  The combination of the darkness, rain, and mud made even walking on sections of the course very hard.  Resigned to very slow laps and long stretches of hike-a-bike I put in two 90+ minute turns.  My estimation of a 3+ hour "adventure race" was pretty good.  Lap times: 1:35.22, 1:33.22

And that would turn out to be the end of my race.  Due in large part to my very conservative approach in very difficult conditions I managed to spare both my bike and my body.  No significant equipment mechanical or physical injuries although I witnessed many riders who were not so fortunate...from busted derailleurs to puncture wounds.  Although there would have been time for me to take one last lap before the cannon fired I choose to pass.  I had had my fill of hike-a-bike.  There would be no glory lap for me this time.  My aR-GREY team (Ri, Andy, myself, and Kurt) did manage to complete 18 laps which was good enough for 16/25 in the 4-person Sport Class.  We had a stretch of four great years with respect to weather and course conditions so it's hard to complain too much about this year. 

NEXT UP: Greenfield Highbush Half Marathon (trail)

Stonewall Farm Mountain Bike Race

Holding on for dear life!
[Photo courtesy Gianina Lindsey]

"Nothing defines humans better than their willingness to do irrational things in the pursuit of phenomenally unlikely payoffs."  -Scott Adams
Keene, NEW HAMPSHIRE -- In my on again off again romance with mountain biking, the experience on my new GT Zaskar 9er Expert at last weekends Stonewall Farm Mountain Bike Race has 'spiced' things up a little...to say the least.  Finally I don't need to eyeball the other rides on the rack.  At the age of 43 I now own a certifiable rocket ship.  The only thing holding this bike back is me.  With the 24HoGG looming now less than a month away I've started to shift my training focus to the two-wheeled variety.  I've been under prepared at the 24HoGG and it can be a miserable experience.  So in an effort to get a little racing action on the new bike I talked my teammate and neighbor Timmy Lindsey into taking a trip to Keene (with the promise of a stop at the Elm City Brewery for a beer and a burger afterwards).  Stonewall Farms Mountain Bike Race is part of the Root 66 Series.  Having never raced here before I was drawn to it by the promise of new singletrack.  It certainly delivered.  Riding in the 40-49 yo Category 3 (Cat 3) class we would ride two laps of the 4.? mile course.  My quick race plan (developed in the starting grid) was to go out conservatively on the first lap to see what I was up against and then hammer as hard as I could on Lap #2.  Timmy and I lined up with the other 40-49 yo's in our group and were off.  The lead couple of guys took it out hard.  I held back and found myself nearly next to last within the first kilometer.  The course was probably 90% smooth singletrack with almost zero flat sections.  If you weren't going up, you were descending on tight and loose hairpin turns.  The combination of the track being very new and the course being very dry there was an inch layer of very powdery dirt making some of the downhill turns a little tough (for me).  Thankfully the second half of the loop climbed quite a bit and although not really trying I began to pick up places as riders were off bike and walking the climbs.  My bike felt very comfortable and very capable of attacking these climbs and I alternated sitting and standing up as I climbed to the high point of the course.  As I finished the first lap I peeked at my watch and it read :30 low which meant absolutely nothing.  The objective now was to pick up as many spots as I could taking advantage of my climbing strength.  As in the first lap I continued to consistently pick up places as riders who went out a little too hard for all the climbing started to fall back to me.  Hard as I tried I could still tell I was too heavy on the brakes on the descents but I really thought I was riding it right on the edge.  Keeping the rubber down and only dabbing a few times on some hairpin downs I eventually found myself on the back wheel of a 40-something rider from Cycle Loft as we climbed the final hill.  Partly because I'm still not terribly confident in this sport and partly because I lack the killer instinct on the bike I stayed behind him DESPITE the fact he verbalized at least twice that he was cooked on the ups.  We crested the final climb wheel to wheel and started a spine tingling dirt pump track descent to the gravel road.  In less than a half a mile he put 21 seconds on me because of my lack of nerve and technical descending prowess.  That 21 seconds was the difference between 1st, and in the immortal words of Ricky Bobby...last.  Officially I finished in 1:02:42 which was "good enough" for 2nd place in the 40-49 yo Cat 3 class and 7th overall in Cat 3.  A great beer and lunch after the race with the family capped off an amazing day of racing.  I will most certinaly be back in 2013!

NEXT UP: Bradbury Breaker 

Cranmore Hill Climb

"Hammering" the final descent
(sort of) at Cranmore
[Photo courtesy Gianina Lindsey]

"I have climbed several higher mountains without guide or path, and have found, as might be expected, that it takes only more time and patience commonly than to travel the smoothest highway."  Henry David Thoreau

North Conway, NH - Of all the things I race, I enjoy mountain racing the most.  I am by no means the swiftest nor the strongest yet mountain racing touches a part of my soul that no other form of racing does.  Perhaps it's the duality of feeling so incredibly small when you're standing at the bottom yet so incredibly large when you crest the summit.  And the only way to get to the top is with effort and perserverance.  A summit is never handed to you.  With my crazy busy schedule the Cranmore Hill Climb, hosted by my very good friend Paul Kirsch, is the only "summer" mountain race I can fit in.  But if I'm only going to do one mountain race a year...the Cranmore Hill Climb is the one to do!  There a lot of things to love about this race.  First, it's in North Conway and an easy and beautiful drive north from Strafford.  Secondly, a stop to the Moat Mountain Smokehouse & Brewery for lunch is a fantastic way to apres after the race.  And lastly, Paul changes the course each year making the race almost entirely new every time you do it!  The 2012 version of the course was two different ascents with a 50% shared descent.  Wanting to get a little intel on the course I found and spoke to photographer extraordinaire Scott Mason, who had previewed the course the previous day, and of course Paul.  In separate conversations they both told me to hold a little back for the second loop as the 1.3 mile ascent (with sections of 30% grade) was a bear.  Always a competitive field I seeded myself in the 2nd or 3rd row and got off rather easy at the start command.  In fact I felt 1/3 of the field surge by me in the first 50 meters of flat before the climbing began.  Wanting to stay patient and stick to my plan I let folks go knowing that the longer 2nd climb was my strong suit.  As we picked our way up a combination of access roads, singletrack, and grassy ski slopes I began to gather folks back in as the elevation began to cause people to walk.  Maintaining a very controlled climbing pace I ran the entire first ascent and then began to head back down to the start/finish.  This section of course was the same as 2011 and I immediately recognized where I was.  Knowing I'm not a strong downhill runner I purposely focused on staying relaxed and trying to hold as many positions as I'd gained on the climb.  By Karen's account, who had made the trip to cheer me on, I was in 24th place after the first loop.  As we began the second, longer and steeper climb, I was feeling great.  Once again I began to reel in other runners who had started to powerhike this unrelenting section.  And by this time the sun was high in the sky and the rain from the previous day made the mountain feel like a tropical rain forest.  Within a few minutes of climbing I spotted fellow masters runner Peter Keeney from Crow Athletics.  Peter and I have raced many times and it's rare that I'm ever close to him.  Setting my sights on him I started to feel the pull and before long I was on his right shoulder.  He acknowledged I was there as we ran together for a while.  I was cautious not to jump out in front too quickly instead settling on letting him do the pulling.  At a aid station he must have stopped or significantly slowed to get a drink because all of a sudden I was out in front of him.  Assuming I was getting close to the summit I inexplicably began to powerhike the last 100 meters.  I don't remember being gassed and the grade wasn't anything that I couldn't run butu for some reason I decided to walk.  Quite honestly, at that point my walking pace equalled my running pace.  Rounding the barrel at the summit I noticed that Peter was right behind me and within 10 seconds of descending he was already by me.  Running downhill hard takes a combination of technique, fitness, and courage.  Three things I obviously don't posses enought of at this point.  Hard as I tried he effortly moved away from me.  The objective then turned to not getting passed again.  Not wanting to risk a fall I didn't look back instead using teamamate Steve Wolfe's approach of "running scared".  I managed to hold off my closest competitor and aside from Peter didn't get passed again on the way down.  Feeling really great I ever kicked a little in the field to the finish and crossed the tape in 52:30 good enough for 18th overall and 8th 40+.  Amazingly I had picked up 6 spots on the 2nd loop.  What an amazing course and an incredibly well run event once again by Paul and the White Mountain Miles.  Can't wait to see what he has in store for us in 2013.

NEXT UP: Stonewall Farm Mountain Bike Race

Exeter Trail Race

Stuffed in the hurt locker.
[Photo courtesy Gianina Lindsey]

"The highest reward for a mans toil is not what he gets from it but what he becomes by it."  -John Ruskin

Exeter,  NH -- Is not having a plan technically a plan?  If so then for the second consecutive year at the Exeter Trail Race presented by GoLite Footwear I executed my plan perfectly.  Problem was that this year, like last year, my failure to plan once again haunted me in the crucible moments of the race.  The XTR is one of my favorite races on the schedule for several reasons.  First, to really race well there you need a combination of technical skill, agility, power, and aerobic endurance.  Every footstrike needs to be strategically placed and there is a continual push and pull of acceleration and deceleration as the course serpentines through a rollercoaster of singletrack.  Secondly, as an acidotic RACING event I'm so proud of the RDs Ri & Sarah who have developed the event into one of the premier trail races in NH.  A record field of 148 runners (4 & 10 milers) stepped to the line and received the start command from Sarah.  After 20 meters the course takes a hard right hand turn into the trail network.  I was on the inside of the turn near the front but nearly got boxed out by 5 runners trying to fit in a space 3 runners wide.  Safely through that section things got single file very quickly and I found myself in the Top 7-8 and assumed that at least a few of the folks around me would probably be racing the 4 miler.  I picked my way around a couple of runners early on and settled into a group with new aR teammate Jeff Hixon in from and teammate Bob Swarthout behind.  Running singletrack can be a little deceiving at times.  When I'm racing hard it always seems like I'm going faster than I really am.  Without mile markers and the potential for face plants littering the trail there was no need to peek at the watch.  I could feel the pace was hard.  At the 4 mile turn around just before we entered the tunnel Bob peeled off and shouted some encouraging words.  The group I was racing with seemed fairly content with the pace and the place they were racing so we held our ground for most of the Oaklands Loop.  Before we passed back under the tunnel Jeff and the other guy I was racing fell back and I managed to pass them.  At this point, although I didn't know it, I was 5th overall.  Not long after that I caught a glimpse of aR's top ultrarunner Ryan Welts, who had just scorched the first half of the race.  Setting my sights on him I was able pull up along his right shoulder.  We ran together for a 1/2 mile or so before he encouraged me to go ahead.  Just before we entered the tunnel for the final 4+ miles of the race I went around him for 4th place.  Still feeling good I tried to maintain the pace I was running.  This particular counterclockwise course rotation is a little 'easier' finishing 5k because the trail is a little less technical.  But as I found out...easier does not equal easy.  With about 5k to go I slowly began to feel a bonk coming on.  I must have looked like a train wreck in slow motion.  My recklessly hard pace early on coupled with a lack of hydration began to take a toll on my legs and my will.  Seemingly out of nowhere Nate Bassett, who had been trapped behind slower traffic at the start, went flying by be like his hair was on fire.  It wasn't long before Ryan, Jeff, and the other guy whom I had passed and dropped 2 miles earlier had caught and passed me like I was a spectator.  Getting passed at any time during a race is hard, but it's demoralizing when it happens in the last section of the race while you're 2/3rds of the way in the hurt locker.  With my legs gone and the fire in my belly extinguished I was helpless to fend off two more runners who also picked the remaining flesh off my bones.  As I passed teammate and traffic cop Mike Sallade for the last time and began the Camel's Hump climb there was no more pretending...I was cooked.  I had run this part in 2011, but not this year.  With my head down I marched up as quickly as a I could and gave one final peek over my shoulder to see if there was anyone else I wouldn't be able to hold off.  When I passed my lovely wife Karen (volunteering at the first major trail junction) I knew I had only 200 meters to go to the finish.  Aided by the fact that it was downhill and I could hear the crowd I managed to pick up the pace (a little) and actually look like a competitor as I crossed the finish line in 1:20:59 (11th place, 2nd 40+).  A quick review of my 2011 result showed that I was about :90 slower this year although the last 5k was almost the same. 

[NOTE TO 44 YEAR OLD SELF:  Run the first 7 miles a little more conservatively in 2013 so you've got a little something left for the final 5k.]

NEXT UP: Cranmore Hill Climb   

Pineland Farms 25k

RACING acidotic for my team and my
sponsor GoLite Footwear
[Photo courtesy Gianina Lindsey]

"The best things in life are unexpected-because there were no expectations."  -Eli Kharmarov

New Gloucester,  MAINE -- Just run.  That was the race plan for this weekend's Pineland Farms 25k.  If I've learned anything over the last five years at this race it's that planning doesn't necessarily equal success.  Last year I had meticulously calculated PR splits only to run my slowest time at this race.  And because 25k is a little bit of a reach for me, I decided to try something new this time around...no plan, just run to feel.  Which might be easier said than done with so many friends and teammates whom I have raced with and against for years.  A particularly stacked front end lined up at the starting line under bright blue skies, light winds, and temps in the 70's.  I purposely lined up a little closer to the front so as not to get caught up in traffic even though I did not intend on hammering the first downhill 5k.  I patiently held back a little through this first section as teammates and friends worked their way by me.  At some point early on I hooked up with GCS foe Mike Wade who seemed to be using the same tactic.  We hit the 5k mark at 22:03 (7:05's).  The 2nd 5k makes up half of the elevation lost in the first 5k with some open field rollers.  I felt very under control and strong on the short climbs although I knew my pace had slowed considerably.  I had moved around Mike but I could see that he was within 25-50 meters.  My 10k split was 46:30 (7:51's) for this net gain 5k.  The 3rd 5k is a net zero with the first half a descent and the second half a roughly equal ascent.  Again, I felt very strong on the climbs and actually started to pick up spots.  Although the open mowed fields were hot and slow, the woods were shaded with a beautiful breeze making the conditions quite tolerable.  I hit the 15k mark at 1:10 (7:47's).  With roughly 1.5k to go before the START/FINISH area I finished my handheld bottle with Hammer Nutrition FIZZ (a first at this race).  Coming through the START/FINISH Karen handed me my second cold bottle of FIZZ and focused on the 4th 5k.  Sometimes the little things can make all the difference in the world.  The combination of my lovely wife's support and the cold FIZZ immediately perked me up and I felt as ready as ever to attack the last two segments of the race.  The 4th 5k climbs for the first mile to the high point of the course and then descends an equal amount (common theme).  With my attention squarely focused on the 20k split I ran very well on the climbs and continued to pick up spots on the ups.  At this point of the race I typically begin to experience leg weariness and twinges of cramping but none of that emerged this time around.  I marked at 20k at 1:35 (8:00's).  Slower for sure but still motoring on the climbs and with the toughest (in my opinion) section of course remaining.  The final 5k is a net gain and includes several hundred meters of open field before crossing back over the road to the finish area.  Just past 21k my teammate Steve Wolfe finally caught up and ran by me like it was his first 5k.  He implored me to tag along and I did for a little while but as soon as hit the fields and I asked my legs for more they had nothing left to give.  Not wanting to risk paralyzing cramps I held steady and let him go.  I finished the last bit of FIZZ, put my head down, and raced to the finish.  My 1:58:05 was good enough for 33rd overall (13th 40+) and my 3rd fastest time in six tries.  I guess I proved to myself that it's definitely possible to over think this race.  Very pleased with the performance and very grateful for a large aR turnout. 

Special thank you to my sponsors GoLite Footwear, Philbrick's Sports, Redhook, Young's Restaurant, and Poco's Bow Street Cantina.

NEXT UP: Exeter Trail Races presented by GoLite Footwear

Hoppin' Mad Mud Run



(L-R) Bon Swarthout, Jason Massa, Chris J. Dunn,
Jeremiah Fitzgibbon, Rich Lavers
[Photo courtesy Craig Poirier]

 "Even absurdity has a champion to defend it." - Oliver Goldsmith

Amesbury,  MA -- Getting to the top is hard, but staying on top is even more difficult.  Particularly when you lose two teammates within 72 hours of a two-time title defense.  aR had made two previous trips to the Hoppin' Mad Mud Run and walked away with two 5-person team titles in this challenging 10k obstacle course race...well, more like a 5k road race followed by a 5k obstacle course race.  And without a doubt that first roughly 5k on the road has played to our advantage.  Obstacle course competitors, for the most part, aren't necessarily all that keen on fast 5k road races.  But to take home the cash prize you've got to do what you've got to do.  Title defenses are indeed impressive particularly when you bring a different team each year.  This year was no exception.  Bob and Jeremiah would join our 5-person team for the first time (Bob's 2nd HMMR and Jeremiah's 1st).  Rich, Jason, and myself had all returned from 2011.  Actually, both Bob and Jeremiah were very lat minute additions with the late scratches of both Phil Erwin and Ryan Welts who were both injured less than a week before the event.  As in 2011, we were seeded in the "elite" first heat assuring we'd have a clean run at the course.  Again, the first 2.5+ miles were on the road as we worked our way to the back of the event property.  Predictably the field went out fast at the start command.  Almost immediately our group of 5 was mixing it up toward the middle and back of the top 10.  As the first mile progressed however, many of those eager obstacle course racers began to fall back.  I led our team of 5 through the first mile in 5:44ish.  The second mile rolled a little and was a bit slower as we approached the last uphill segment of road before heading onto the farm.  By this time Bob and I were running side by side with Jason, Rich, and Jeremiah in tow.  The first few obstacles were basically the same as before including a handful of high/low hurdles and 5' walls.  When we approached the steep 200 meter uphill/downhill lollipop (covered in a tarp with dish liquid in 2011) we found a pile of tires.  Selecting one we carried it up, around, and down the lollipop.  Jason had effortlessly moved around Bob and I on the walls and we both watched him run up the steep grassy hill with the tire over his shoulder.  I opted for the powerhike also putting a little distance on Bob in what he would later note as my "old man strength".  An important change to the event was how the teams were timed and scored.  This year we would all be independently chip timed with our 5-person average time as our overall team "score".  Without the shackles of dragging us through the course, aR's expert obstacle course warrior Jason Massa ripped through each challenge and actually appeared to get stronger as the race progressed finishing 2nd overall!  Bob and I continued to race side-by-side through mud pits, low crawls, high crawls, agility tires, 45 degree rope assisted ramp climbs, and cargo netting.  Despite a couple of navigation foibles were managed to stay in the Top 10 overall with Bob finishing 5th and me finishing 7th overall in 47:00.  Rich was close behind in 8th and Jeremiah in 13th.  With 4 of our 5 in the Top 10 we easily took the 5-person team title again.  It's very likely we'll be back to defend again...I'm just not sure who it'll be?!

NEXT UP: Pineland Farms 25k Trail Race