Final post for 2008

It's been a busy few weeks here at UltraScott. We did find a new house and have relocated; still in town, but closer to the park and work. My bike commute suffers from our change of address though, because it takes almost as long to air up the tires as it does to get to work.

I was a little cranky during the move because I wasn't able to ride or run because of all the busyiness and the weather. Sunday, I headed out for a jog and I rode yesterday for a few miles. I want to get in shape for the Tour of California.

My brother invited me to join him to watch the prologue and ride and watch a portion of stage one. It should be a lot of fun. And the timing is perfect. I had resolved to spend more time this winter training for the Brevet series; the prospect of this trip will get me out the door for the next few weeks and stoke the fires for an April campaign.

Goofy weather

Actually, I think that's a Pluto cap. The weather here has been typical for this time of year; nice days and not-so-nice days. Unfortunately, the nice days never seem to coincide with the times I have to work out. Right now, with the wind blowing and light precipitation, I'm debating whether to run or ride the spinning bike. I think I'll do both and run a shorter distance than planned and then ride the bike.

Not much news to report. The TdF route has been announced and I hope to make a return engagement. A woman from my church is running the Boston Marathon and fighting liver disease in the process - you may donate here. And we're still house shopping much to our realtor's dismay.

Recovery week

Not one to let grass grow under my feet, I'm back running. Heartland 50 recovery was quick. After a couple of bike rides, I ran on the South Creek trail in Springfield, MO, on Thursday. Saturday, I rode downtown with an old friend, Rueben, to see Obama at the Arch grounds. And today, I ran a circuit of Forest Park (54:38). My legs feel okay, but they don't have the ooomph for faster running yet.

Heartland 50 Race Report

The Heartland race is complete. All in all, it was fun experience. On the downside, the weather was quite warm (highs in the mid 80's and windy) to run 50 miles and I was a shade undertrained owing to my ankle and general laziness. But on the upside, we didn't embarrass ourselves and turned in a respectable 11:12 finish. Whatever success I had, is largely thanks to Stephen who kept us on task. He certainly would have had a sub-11 finish if he didn't have to wait for my sorry butt.

The Heartland was different from the Brew-to-Brew. At B-2-B, I have had more of a "wall" experience from miles 40 to 43. Saturday, I hit a wall all right, but it was more of a gradual collapse. My spirit never flagged though, I was just discouraged I didn't run more on the second half.

Despite feeling a little hungover, metabolically, on Sunday, I feel pretty good today - my legs just have some mild tiredness. The sunburn is the most uncomfortable reminder of the race. What I need to do for future 50's is a little mild speedwork and more miles midweek.

I'd like to run some more 50-milers; I'd definitely like to run the Heartland 50 again. I almost forgot to mention meeting Michael from Ballwin, MO. Michael kept us company over the last couple of miles of what was his first 50 too. Mike is a very nice guy and strikes me as very dedicated; I hope we'll be able to run again with him.

Heartland training

I've been taking advantage of the milder weather to get a few runs in. I did a 22-miler two weeks ago on Saturday. And today I ran 27 miles under cloudy St. Louis skies. I should be better prepared for the Heartland 50-miler, but I'll show up in whatever shape I'm in.

It's been an exciting few weeks in St. Louis which were unfortunately dampened by a personal low motivation spell. I didn't even run last Saturday or go to watch the Tour of Missouri. But Sunday last, I rode downtown to watch the ToM's St. Louis stage. It was thrilling to see the pro's and think how fit they are. Here's Big George threading his way through the hoi polloi:

Living it up on the Katy Trail

Stephen and I headed to the Katy Trail yesterday for a short run. It went well despite the humidity. My ankle felt okay while we tackled 13 miles. I'm still a long way from running fifty miles, but I'll keep plugging away. I'm going to run this morning to get the back-to-back training.

Photo credit is due to Mike Arnold and the Mo State Parks website.

Ultra Inspiration

This could be good

I finally put the ankle/leg to the test this weekend. I rode 75 miles Saturday with no problems. The Specialized Tricross has its matching wheels thanks to the good folks at Mesa who built me a Mavic rear wheel to go with the dyno-equipped front wheel Boz sold me. I rode over to Illinois and had a good time, about 14.5 mph average. I'm not 100% back, but the ride went well.

Surprisingly, the ankle felt better for the long ride and so this morning I chanced a brief 5-mile run (my first since July 19th). And it was great fun too. I had all but resigned myself from dropping out of the Heartland 50-miler, or perhaps pacing Stephen for a portion of it. But I might be able to tackle it yet. It will be a while before I do any technical trail running, but maybe I'll get some on-road miles in to build up my endurance between now and October. Tomorrow will be a busy day, but I'll try another run on Tuesday.

In other news, my daughter has a 2000 Jeep Wrangler thanks to my old man. I'm still not convinced a five-speed Jeep is the best vehicle for a 16-year old with a three-week old license. But I won't begrudge Dad doing something nice for his grandkid. (Heck, the boy now has two guns from the old guy and what 15-year old wouldn't like that) Just the same, it may be a while before she's driving it on a regular basis. Also, we found a nice house today which we'll probably make an offer on. It's near the top of our price range, but who knows what they will take as an offer. We've got our fingers crossed.

This can't be good, Part Two!

One nice thing about doing home improvement while no else is around is that your work isn't interrupted - following a brief mishap - by womenfolk insisting you get sutures or a tetnus booster.

While replacing the subfloor on our sunporch (thanks, Idiot Dog) I managed to lose my balance when poised on a couple joists while holding a 4x8 panel of 3/4 inch plywood. My left leg went right through the particle board battens catching the edge of a storm window stored under the house on the way down. Once the stars and tweety birds cleared from my vision (the panel having landed on my head) my first clue I hadn't gotten off scott-free were the bits of flesh on the corner of the storm window.

Oh, well. I didn't bleed very much, so I showered, washed out the two parallel scars and doused them in betadine. Then I wrapped up with antibiotic ointment, gauze and an ace wrap, the ace bandage was close at hand due to my sprained ankle. I'll spare you a picture this time. I did still manage to get the remaining two panels in, so the project is not too far behind schedule. But I think I'll cancel my plans to hoist a barrel of bricks to the roof until next week.

Longing for an epic ride

It's been a weird week. The family is gone: the boy is in Montana with my old man and the girls are in Florida with their mom. It would be the perfect week for a bike ride, anywhere. Alas, I'm grounded. Mostly because my wife is appropriately concerned about my durability since my 600km DNF and also because the ankle is still tender. I should be working around the house, but today I had Court and then went to the office to tie up some loose ends.

I should be riding. Yesterday, I found myself getting misty reading online accounts of others' glorious adventures in California, Colorado and France. And today I cornered a cross-country cyclist in Farmington, MO, whose bike I saw propped up against a laundromat. I raced in and said "You're the guy with the bike!" The poor kid, I was so busy peppering him with questions, I didn't even catch his name. He had come from Oregon and was headed to Virginia. Lucky guy. Tomorrow, I'm going for a ride, even if it's only ten miles.

My brother called tonight from California where it is very hot. Maybe this picture will keep him cool. Thanks for the call, buddy.

This can't be good

Yesterday's trail running went awry when I sprained my left ankle on the Greenrock Trail. It wasn't too bad at first, but when I crested the next hill a few minutes later it twisted again on an innocuous rock. Stephen sagely suggested heading back (our run ended up being 7.5 miles instead of 10 - not that that matters). I gamely tried to run it in because it wasn't particularly painful, just unstable.

But it's painful today. And what has me crabby is how much of my non-athletic pursuits are ankle-based: gardening, tidying the basement, and bike refurbishment. All I have left is beer drinking and NT Greek (which never occupied that much of my time if the the truth be told). I guess blogging wouldn't be too taxing on the ankle.

So maybe I'll find a model kit and watch the Tour as it heads into Italy today. I suppose I should have gone with Boz yesterday; then I would only have sprained lungs to contend with

The new machine

The I-don't-care-if it gets-stolen bike. This is what we'll all be on when, in the not so distant future, we fondly recall $4 gas. I fixed the wobbly headset, and put the old brake pads back on last night. It doesn't stop any more swiftly, but it's quieter. I teased my lovely wife that this is the sort of bike I'll ride when we retire to Florida where I'll ride it in just a speedo and some gold chains covering my tanned, leathery skin.

The new project is a Hercules frame I purchased at Bikeworks. It's a lugged, english lightweight, 3-speed from the late 60's I would guess. The frame weighs about a third what the Varsity's frame weighs. I'm already oogling a sprung Brooks saddle for it.

An update and a new ride

It's been a good couple of weeks since the last post. I've been riding some to work and last weekend I tackled the Firecracker 100 on my fixed-gear bike. It was hot out and a little windy, but not too bad. What was really great was seeing some biking friends like Tom and George. Too bad Tom had a mechanical (he claims) that caused him to DNF. Now he has to do the Natchez Trace 600km to redeem himself.

I threw together the old Schwinn Varsity (which I purchased a few weeks ago) and rode it to work. It's pretty cool, though not set-up exactly to my liking. I'll have to put it on Craigslist to get some seed money for the next beer-fetcher. I'll post a picture tonight.

Now for your gratuitous TDF shot, "The Man" from 2005:

Goal Set

Thanks to Stephen for helping me out of my funk by thrashing my down mood on the rocks and inclines of Greenrock Trail in west St. Louis County. Greenrock is quite tough; so tough that I remarked to Stephen it couldn't be good training because of all the walking (uphill and down). But he's right, it's toughness training. We ran a tough 10+ miles and it was very fun. I remember cruising along around mile 7 of our outing, leaping over limbs, arms pinwheeling, breath ragged; and I liked it! And even better, it was Training. Stephen talked me into running the Heartland 50-miler in October. Now I have no excuses, not to get out the door. Because this is a real 50, I'll have to adhere to the schedule or expect that my legs will explode at mile 45.

Viva Le Tour! One of things that has had me blue is the tought of the Tour starting and knowing I won't be there. I can still watch it from home, but it's fun to be there. I wish I could be on some sun-dappled french mountainside, willing my bike up a steep 20km Col, pacing the other cyclists, and craning my neck for a glimpse of the summit. And the feeling when you get to top is best summed up by this happy look:

Allez, Allez!

600 km DNF & a word on bike pricing

Sadly dear reader, the 600km on June 7-8th ended in defeat. That weekend was too hot and humid and windy. Though I gave it the old college try, I just wasn't acclimated to the heat and had to bail out at mile 141. It wasn't just me apparently, the other six 600km particiants also dropped out. No one made it further 141 miles.

I regret bailing. The cold that I was nursing since Memorial Day came back. I have begun to doubt my stick-to-it-iveness. I wonder if I'm still Ultra Scott, or merely plain old Scott. I'm in a funk, sort of like Ricky Bobby after he crashed.

Enough wallowing in self-pity. Because I'm a "bike guy" people often ask me about bikes for transportation and commuting. Everybody wants something reliable and comfortable, but no one wants to spend more than $200. I'm no bike snob. I don't tell the neophyte they have to have a Vanilla or a Seven if they want to "truly enjoy their biking experience." I see enough high-end bikes on Craigslist with "5 minutes" ride time as it is. I understand the appeal of utilitarian transport. But really, it's not the 70's anymore. For better or worse, commuting bikes are going to cost more than $200 if you want to buy new from a bike shop. The problem is neatly summarized by this post I stumbled across on Commute by Bike . Thanks Rick, it's harsh but rings true to me:

Honestly I don’t understand why cost keep coming up as a major hinderance to getting more people on bikes. It’s not the cost! It’s peoples priorities. Flat panel televisions are selling in record numbers, XBox 360s and Playstation 3s sell for more than what you can buy a quality bike for, gas prices keep going up, the cost of driving a car continually rises. The cost of even a $750 bike pales in comparison to the yearly cost of commutting by bus or train. A montlhy bus pass where I live is around $90. It has nothing to do with whether employers supply a shower facility either. Do all the people that go for runs during their lunch hour have a shower at work when they get back?
It’s about peoples will and desire. The diet industry is worth billions of $$ a year. I’ll bet it cost more to join Jenny Craig than it does to make a VISA payment on a $1000 bike. Where there is a will there is a way. There just is no will. North Americans aren’t fat asses by accident. There are plenty of choices available to the consumer right now. Any quality mountain bike with lights, a rack, some panniers and slick tires will do the job more than adequately. We need to stop waiting for the manufacturers to build the perfect bike. We have literally dozens of bikes that will do the job available now.
Bikes are inexpensive!! People are lazy.

Amen, brother!

400km ride report

Still too tired for a clever title. The 400km - the ride I dread the most - is now history. It was tough; they're always tough. But I made it and I shaved a few minutes off last year's time.

Bob (seen here at the Tour de Missouri) and I rolled out of Edwardsville at 6:00 am Saturday. The weather cooperated and we made Control #2 in good order. Bob was riding the 200km which he finished in 11:30 despite a bum knee. Truly an audacious performance!

My troubles started in Okawville at mile 78. I had trouble finishing my lunch and it was over 50 miles to the next food & water. By the time I hit mile 130 I just didn't feel like eating and was getting dehydrated. By the time I hit the northbound leg at mile 150, I had recovered somewhat but still couldn't eat much. And at mile 180 it was getting dark which brought my speed down from a daytime average of 15+ mph. The heat played a factor too. Heading north into the darkness, I caught glimpses of the computer reading "12 mph." And, darnit, the headwind I cursed most of the day evaporated just when it could have helped push me home. Though it did reappear as a headwind at mile 220 in the form of brief rain/hailstorm. I'm pretty sure the RBA has weather -control machine. I finished in 19:41, not a great time but a new best for me.

What would I have done differently? I think my fitness was there, but I should have done more bike-specific training. The legs and butt were okay, but my shoulders were sore and I fretted unnecessarily about little aches and pains most of the day. I've done this year's Brevet series cold - no long rides this spring and I relied instead on running to stay in shape since last fall. But Lance was wrong; it is about the bike. That is, I should have spent more time on my bike. The occasional bike commute (12 miles, roundtrip), even on a fixed-gear, is not sufficient. No matter how you slice it though, 252 miles in one day is going to involve a little suffering. I am looking forward to the 600km on June 6-7th. Happily, it allows for a brief nap. And, I rode to work today with no ill effects, so I think I'm good to go...

In other ultranews, Stephen Reynolds, trail-running deity, completed the Jemez Mountain Trail Run 50-miler in New Mexico on Saturday in 15:46. Not too shabby. I'm envious and I definitely want to do a trail fifty someday soon now that Steve has shown it's do-able. Who knows? -maybe my biking fitness will get me there.

300 km in the books

The weather was nice, but it was a tough day. I'm not usually hung up on times, but yesterday I resolved to finish in daylight despite the 7:00 am start and to minimize time off the bike. Nearly made it on both counts. I had to hit the lights and don my reflective vest about five miles from the finish. And the computer showed about an hour and 20 minutes off the bike. Grrr, where does the time go? It was like I sat down for for a leisurely lunch. Though I suffered a bit, it was a chance to see how I could do solo.

Not too poorly I suppose. I finished in 12:57. My energy tanked a little over the last 40 miles when my average speed dropped off from 16 mph to 14 mph. It wasn't the bonk - just fatigue. And as I closed in on a 13-hour finishing time (remember, I'm not hung up on times!) I positively sprinted through downtown Edwardsville. So it was a little excitement at the end of the day which made me feel every bit the time-trialist Boz is!

Two hundred kilometers, one gear

Bob and I completed the first Brevet of the season yesterday in smart order. The fixed-gear performed flawlessly and the ride went pretty well for my first ride over 40 miles since last October. Who knows maybe I'll try the 300km on old blue.
Yesterday's pace was leisurely because of the fierce winds. I've done the calculations, but it seems the best wind is little or no wind. Yesterday featured a crosswind all day long and temps in the low 40's... and rain. A perfect Randoneurring debut for Bob; if yesterday didn't scare him away, nothing will.
This is a shot from last year's event. We had to take a different route from the one represented here because of flooding in the low lying areas. But that was okay because it meant most of the farm dogs were stranded on the roofs of their dog houses and could only bark as we paraded by.

Brew-to-Brew

Brew-to-Brew 2008 is in the books. It wasn't too bad; I had a low patch from miles 25 to 30, but after that it was mostly smooth sailing. Thanks to Stephen for keeping us going in westward direction and to the race organization and the KC Trail Nerds and their terrific aid station that propelled us through leg 10 much faster than last year.

Today I rode a spinning cycle at the YMCA for an hour to loosen up my legs. I can't wait until Saturday and the first Brevet; hopefully the weather will cooperate

Brain at absolute zero

The countdown to the Brew-to-Brew has begun. My mantra throughout will be: rediscover the inner turtle (well maybe not this turtle). On the 22nd I ran 16 miles at a leisurely pace to see how my race would go: it worked out well and I finished feeling I could do another 27-28 miles. Last Saturday's run was less spectacular, but I still feel like I'm ready. I just need to book a room, find an ironic t-shirt, and get some last-minute supplies together. This is an exciting week. I'm looking forward to Sunday's run which promises mild weather and then - the following day - I'll mothball the running shoes and become some sort of Biking Giant.

I'm really more of a biker, but winter ultra-running is a nice change of pace and it's a weight-bearing exercise which Ed Pavelka has convinced me is important for cyclists to engage in. Still, it's hard not be excited about this year's cycling season: following the Boz's meteoric rise through the ranks of road and off-road racing; knocking out the Brevet series, completing the Five-star century series on the fixie, and (though France is out of the question) maybe taking a bike tour in Colorado or New England.

The above picture of Sammo was taken at the Royal Observatory at Greenwich a few years ago - left foot in the western hemisphere, right foot in the eastern hemisphere, brain at absolute zero.

Spring is Here!

Well, not really. But this winter, any day that it's not snowing or raining torrents is spring-like. Brew-to-Brew training has been going well enough. On the 8th, I did another urban marathon (in my new shoes) which went fine. Last weekend I took just a short run on Sunday before Church. The weather was nice, but my gut rebelled (probably from too much pizza the night before) and I sprinted from porta-potty to porta-potty looking for TP. A meager four miles. C'est la merde!

Today I'm beginning my taper for April 6th. I'll do 10 to 15 miles this morning and maybe 8-10 next weekend - but fewer miles and maybe some biking will be the order of the day. After all, the cycling season begins the Monday following B2B. I'm very excited about knocking out the first 200km on the fixed-gear bike. I have a spiffy new Carradice bag to put on the revamped fixie - so, stylistically, I'm there. Now let's just hope the wind is not too bad on April 12th.

Semi-serious

Actually, the training regime has been going well despite some snowy weather in these parts. I've been hitting the spinning cycles at the local YMCA twice a week in order to keep my sea legs under me and running on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Last Saturday, Stephen and I hit the Katy Trail for a brisk 20-miler. I'm excited about the Brew-to-Brew on April 6th.

I'm even more excited about the grand opening of Big River Running here in South Saint Louis. Ben there - though he looks about 17 - was very knowledgeable and hooked me up with a pair of Brooks Adrenaline shoes. I'm glad City residents don't have to travel to, say, Chesterfield just to buy a pair of running shoes from a dedicated running store. Pay them a visit and spend lots of money.

Time to get Serious

I ran today in my Psycho Wyco trail shoes. They felt like they were permeated with cement - stiff and unyeilding. I developed a blister after four miles! How are the mighty fallen in the midst of battle!... 2 Samuel 1:25. But the time for excuses and lamentations is drawing to an end. I intend to get serious about consistency and quality of my workouts. Fewer junk miles; less whining. It's worked for my pal, the Boz. He went from the neophyte randonneur you see on the right:

To this:
simply by getting serious about his goals. I've mapped out a schedule for the next six weeks which takes me up to the Brew-to-Brew on April 6th. I'm going to see what happens if I stick to schedule of mixing hard and easy efforts and practice intentionally raising my AT rather than avoiding it. Maybe there's not much need for 400 meter intervals in preparation for a 44-mile race. But practicing 8-minute miles will make 9:30's a lot easier. What the heck, it's only 47 days - if I don't like being serious, I can return to my life of sloth and avarice.

Psycho Wyco 2008

Fun, fun, fun. Lots of mud and lots of walking but I finished. The first loop of this 50 km trail run was tough and it only got tougher as the weather warmed and the permafrost turned to alternately slick, yet shoe-grabbing, soupy mud. For 20 miles. It took a while, but it wasn't bad for a first effort.

Stephen kept us moving forward and made sure I didn't tarry too long at the aid stations. I enjoyed it. I have to think that any future trail run less than 50 miles in length has got to be easier than Saturday's run. Once the old legs loosen up, I'm going to register for Brew-to-Brew.

Cold Weather Remedy

It used to be that cold weather didn't bother me too much. Increasingly though I find that it's harder to hit a rhythm running when it's below 20 F. Must be a symptom of old age (today is my birthday!). My remedy is to wait for warmer temps. Rather than run Saturday, I volunteered to Stephen that we wait until today, thinking it couldn't get colder than it was Saturday. It might have paid off...

Above photo is of the Rockies near Glacier NP taken last February. See if you can spot the skiers.

Movin' Slow

Taking it easy this week - went for a brief run Wednesday morning but I had some muscle soreness in my calves. So I decided to take a few days off from running and stretch out, take a warm bath, maybe paint my toenails ;-)

In the meantime I've been riding my bike and enjoying some of the dry weather. I rode to the office on the fixed-gear this morning and will probably take another ride before church tomorrow. Looking forward to warm weather.

Long run and a new bike

My abbreviated 50km training schedule reached its apex this weekend - 26 miles. In order to prepare for the Psycho Wyco on February 9th, I've been using a truncated 50-miler schedule. This weekend was supposed to be the long run and, all in all, it went well - I didn't hurry and I respected the walking break I definitely think I have the suds to stay on my feet for 50km. Of course, running 50km on a frozen bridle path may be a different story.

The above picture is a funny shot of a misshapen Brooks B-17 I gleaned from Tzuo Hann Law's journal on Crazy Guy on a Bike. I picked up a new randonneuring bike last week - a Specialized Tricross. I've ridden it a couple times already and think I made the perfect choice. It's not a Rivendell, but it's light, comfy and good looking. And it has a Brooks Saddle.

A New Year's Day Run

I went on my first group trail run yesterday. I'm getting into trail running and although I have been running 20+ years, this feels like starting over. I've never been a fast road runner; more of a jogger, really. Having decided to start ultramarathoning, I covered 43 miles at Kansas City's Brew-to-Brew last Spring. Now I want to complete some long distance events off-road.

Maybe it's too ambitious a practice. I, who never liked departing the road even for neatly manicured grass, now want to tackle muddy, rooty, rocky trails. Yesterday was decidedly a workout. Because I ran 19 miles Saturday (with 2 or 3 miles of real trail), my lower legs were a little stiff when we started. And they stayed that way all 7 miles. But it was fun running with Stephen and some of the SLUG's. Physically, it was merely an "okay" run, but overall the experience was fun because of the company and the new venue. It was cold too - about 25 F with a strong wind - I'm sure that didn't help; it's hard to see the rocks when your eyes are watering!

Content for the New Year

Here's a picture to christen the new blog. This is my experiment in blogging about running, biking and assorted other topics. More later.