Savageman Race Report 2010

Savageman is a stupid race.  A stupid, hard race.  A stupid, hard, fun race.  And I love it!  This year was no exception.  For those of you unfamiliar with this race, it is billed as the "hardest half ironman on the planet" (http://savagemantri.org/TriathleteMag_100BestRaces.pdf)  Some even compare the difficulty to an ironman, particularly the bike section that takes you up and down the mountains of western Maryland. (http://savagemantri.org/)  For much of the race you feel as though you are going either 4 miles an hour or 40 miles an hour - and not much in between. 
The quick summary:

Total time: 7:36:44 (scary I know, but it was a PR!)

Westernport Wall:  Third Brick Baby!

2nd in AG (okay there were only 4 of us – but it was a good day!)

The weather for the race was perfect.  If anything, the warmer temps caught some off guard.  In past years, if you failed to wear appropriate outer clothing you would surely freeze during the long descent out of Deep Creek into Westernport.   This year I was overdressed with just arm warmers.  And the air was dry, nearly no humidity - so I never really felt like I was sweating.  I had to be very, very deliberate about hydrating during this race.

Several weeks before Savageman I strained my right hamstring during a long training run.  In the days leading up to the race, I came up with several race strategies - from not doing the race at all to doing an aqua-velo. And under no circumstances would I do Westernport Wall.  I already had two Bricks and I was not going to risk further injury (http://thoughtiknewthen.blogspot.com/2009_09_01_archive.html. - last year's rr)

View from the top of the Wall - 31% grade.

The Wall during 2010 race day mayhem.

While I could feel the hamstring biking up hills, it was only when I ran that it really hurt.  I did not run for a week and half before the race and I only did easy, flat rides.  Not the best confidence booster going into the race.  The strategy I ultimately settled on included swimming my normal race, taking the bike section easy, staying seated at all times – and not get discouraged by the number of people passing me.  Run the flats and down hills and power walk the up hills.  I also knew I needed to stay hydrated and fueled – which is surprisingly hard for me to maintain.

Above all else, I had to finish the race to earn the Finishers Shirt.   The shirt is not one most women would wear, including me.  But my kids love them.  The first year it did this race I gave the shirt to my oldest and last year my middle son got the shirt.  So as I left for the race this year, my youngest made it clear that it was his turn.  I did not dare return without a shirt! 

With few exceptions, I followed my strategy to a tee and it paid off.  The one big exception was at the Wall.  As I approached the Wall I had a downright argument with myself.  I had the devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other.  Would I be stupid or smart?  Was it worth the risk to blow my hamstring?  With little training, I probably didn’t have the strength to make it to the top regardless.  But as reached the bottom of the Wall, I took a deep breath and up I went.  Not the prettiest of climbs – as a matter of fact, it was down right ugly.  But I did it.  And I was glad I did.  

I cramped on Killer Miller, but not nearly as bad as I did last year and I cramped on the run only when I tried to run the up hills.  It was clear that I had favored my right leg during the bike because all the cramping was in my left leg.  I only had to stop twice on the run – far less than last year.  In the end it was the run and the fact that I did not cramp as badly as I did in past years that led me to a PR.  Go figure - a strategy based on an injury results in a PR.  

And have I mentioned the volunteers, the spectators and the other racers?  Seriously, I don't think you will find a better group at any other race! 

Will I do the race again next year….  Of course I will!  Want to join me?

Swimming - Fresh and New!

I started swimming this week after taking several months off. Some people can swim everyday all year long. Others force themselves to swim just enough to ensure they won't drown during the swim portion of their next triathlon. Like baby bear, I find swimming from mid-March to mid-September to be "just right". When I start up in March, it feels fresh and new and by October I am at my strongest for the last big race.


I swam competively as a kid through high school and so you might think that bodes for triathlon. Yeah - I was a breast stroker. Breast strokers as a whole do not make for very good freestylers. Today I swam the 100 IM as fast as 100 freestyle! Let me assure you my IM is NOT fast...

Like many age group swimmers, I stopped swimming at 18. I hung up the suit, put away the googles and didn't pull them out again for 20 years. Open water swims has made the whole swimming experience enjoyable again. I tolerate the chlorine and the black line at the bottom of the pool knowing that in a few short months I'll be swimming outside unrestricted by lane lines and walls!

Take a look at the attached Luna Training tips on open water swimming from Luna Pro Linda Gallo.

http://teamlunachix.com/tips_and_training/tips/tags/videos/

http://teamlunachix.com/tips_and_training/tips/tags/videos/

Two Poems by Ethan

Ethan is my 9 year old fourth grader. He recited these two poems to me the other night and they both made me chuckle so I thought I'd share.

Messy Desk

Messy Desk, Messy Desk,

Glue, Highlighters,

Pencils, Markers, Erasers, My Three Week Old Lunch

Some Color Pencils and...

YES!

My Homework.

Ten Years

Ten years from now I'll be president.

Ten Years from now I'll be famous.

Ten years from now I'll be driving a Ferrari.

Ten years from now...

hopefully.

In ten years, Ethan will be 19 and it won't surprise me a bit if he reaches every one of his goals - regardless of how those goals change over time.

Watchung Trail Marathon

The Watchung Trail Marathon confirmed my notion that low key races are the best kind of races for me. I like races that don't require a ton of effort just getting to get to the start line. The best races offer quick registrations with no lines, no chips, no bibs, no t-shirts and a guy at the start line who yells, "Set, Go!"

Despite this relaxed atmosphere, the training I devote to these events is no less than if I were racing Boston or NYC marathon, assuming I could qualify for either! I picked Watchung partly due to the timing of the race - I wanted something in January or February to get me through holiday eating season, and partly because of the location - near my parent's house in New Jersey.

The race provided only limited support. There was a table at the start/finish line with food items. Racers could stock up as they passed the table at the end of each loop. It was packed with items donated by participants and included everything from sports bars, cookies and bags of chips. And of course Luna Moons. Someone even brought a bottle of Jim Beam. Yep – I like this trail running attitude!

There was an ultra and marathon race option. The ultra racers did three full loops of the course and the marathoners did two full loops and a modified third loop. The course was absolutely beautiful. When I wasn’t looking at the ground I was soaking in the great scenery. At the race start it was 11 degrees and I don’t think it warmed up much as the day went on. The trail was mostly snowy – but there was a fair amount of ice. I wore my Yak Traks for the first loop, and they worked great. Unfortunately by the end of the loop my feet were hurting and I knew if I continued wearing them, I would suffer. I could not have asked for a better first loop. I came in a little under my 2 hour goal – but I knew my second lap would take a little longer. For starters, I had to replenish my nutrition and I had to stop at my car (the course ran through the parking lot!) to refill my bottles and change into dry gloves. I also had to use the rest room… and so did everyone else. The thought of finding a spot in the woods wasn’t an option at that temperature!

I felt good as I started my second loop – although I had to take the first quarter of mile substantially slower as the trail was covered in a sheet of ice. When I was finally able to open up and really start running again, I tripped on a stump and I landed on my pelvis. I jumped up right away, mostly out of embarrassment – but to my surprise it did not hurt… at least not yet. I ran with different groups throughout the day – some that I caught up to and others that passed me and enjoyed conversations with all of them. I chuckled each time I took a bit of my Cytomax – between the cold air temps and constant jiggling the Cytomax turned into an orange slushy.

As I passed the point where I would turn off to complete the marathon on the third loop, I thought maybe, just maybe, I would do the ultra instead of just the marathon. It was ONLY four more miles – how much harder could it be. I tucked the thought in the back of my mind and went on to finish the second loop.

I was still feeling pretty strong as I started the third loop. Fortunately, I did not have to use the rest room and I filled my bottles with HEED at the community nutrition table. I grabbed a couple oatmeal cookies and I was off. I was almost done! But as I ran, my pelvis started to hurt with each step. But I was almost done.

I spent a good portion of the race with my eyes trained to the ground. Missteps, I learned, can be costly. It was during the third loop that another racer stopped me and pointed out a small herd of deer right next to the trail. In the middle of the herd was a white deer. Unbelievable! I thanked the gentleman for waiting for me just to point the deer out to me. I have no doubt that I would have completely missed this spectacle as I was so focused on the trail. I looked behind to see if I could return the favor – but no one was there.

The final loop seemed like it would never end. I looked at my watch - based on distance and my perceived pace, I should have been nearly done with the marathon, but I had not even reached the marathon turn off point. My pelvis was hurting and my morale was sinking. By the time I approached the marathon turn off, the thought of doing “just four more miles” was not an option. The final approach was nearly all up hill and required quite a bit of navigating over rocks and logs. But I finished. And there was no official finish line, no finishing chute, no finisher’s medal. Just a guy who didn’t know me giving me a big hug! Awesome!

I learned afterwards that several racers compared the recorded mileage on their Garmins and that each full loop was actually between10.7 and 10.9 miles and the modified third loop that was roughly 7 miles. If you do the math, you will note that did somewhere near 28.5 miles!
I was already happy with my performance – but adding in the extra miles made my time more in line with my expectations. I smiled the whole evening after the race. Laughing was out of the question, as was sneezing – both made my pelvis hurt! I’ll be back again next year… anyone interested?

The Boy who Gets Everything By Seth Novak

Jordan has three sisters who are triplets and they are from different places. One is from America, another is from Argentina and the last one is from Mexico. He has one cat named Jackie.

His parents gave him lots of toys and games. But Jordon never got the one thing that he really wanted. More than anything, Jordan really, really wanted love.

He told his parents he didn't want toys, all he wanted was love. But they never listened to him. Instead they asked him if he wanted more toys.

So one day, Jordan put all his toys into a shredder machine and melted them into letters that said, "Mom and Dad, I don't want toys. All I want is love."

This time his parents listened to him and they didn't give him too many toys, but they gave him lots and lots of love. Jordan now get everything he wants, including love.


Dictated by Seth to his Mother

Postscript - Seth is adamant that he is read a book every night. And I do mean EVERY night. Lately though, he has decided that he wants to write books (see previous post). I feel compelled to tell everyone that I DO love Seth and that all characters in his stories are fictitious! And no - he still has not gotten an XBox.

The Boy Who Never Gets Anything By: Seth Novak

Jacob lives in a house with his twin sisters, Allysa and Laura, his parents and two cats. Jacob never gets anything because he is always naughty. Not even for Christmas or his birthday.


Jacob really, really wants an XBox, but his parents already said "no!" when he asked. So he asked again and his parents said "NO!!". So do you know what Jacob did next? He asked his parents again. This time his parents sent Jacob to his room.


While Jacob was in his room he thought about what he had done. So he went down stairs and said sorry to his parents. And they forgave him, but they still did not give him an XBox. He did get a football and from then on he was nice to everyone.

THE END

(This story was dictated by Seth to his Mother)

Lessons from A Tough Loss-Seth's Flag Football Team

It was perfect football weather. Parents huddled on the sidelines under umbrellas and several layers of clothing. The rain was steady through the entire 6-8 flag football semi-final game, played under the lights at the Wakefield High School synthetic field last evening. Seth's team, the Redskins, was undefeated during the regular season. The talent, particularly with some of the older kids, is impressive. Seth is among the younger group of kids, and while he is super fast and can run an opposing player down, he is just as happy to horseplay with his teammate's siblings, dribble a soccer ball on the sidelines or watch a separate game on an adjacent field.

During the playoffs, everything gets a little more serious compared to the regular season. All the kids play, but in a close game the playing time is skewed to the kids who have proven through the year to be among the better players. Seth was in a couple plays, but spent most of the game on the sidelines where he kicked a soccer ball around and tackled unsuspecting spectators.

The game was very well played by both teams and was ultimately decided in overtime. It was a tough loss for the Redskins. The season officially came to a close as the coach handed out the third place trophies. We were all cold and wet, so no one lingered to lament the season. As we walked backed to the car Seth leaned his head against by wet jacket and he didn't say a word. In the car, I turned to look behind as I backed out and saw Seth in a quiet but intense sob. I was admittedly taken aback. Could it be that he was this upset over the loss - when he barely watched the game? I stopped the car and hugged him for a good long time. When we got home, he carried the trophy with him everywhere and when he woke up this morning, he asked if he could bring the trophy to school.

As is often the case, I learned a lesson from this experience. I coach a couple teams and there are always those players who appear uninterested. As a coach - these kids can be very frustrating. Through my perception of disinterest I assumed these kids didn't care. Last night, Seth proved my assumption wrong.

This experience also confirmed a couple beliefs. First, it is okay - in certain games - to play some kids more than others. Yes - all the kids want to play. But as long as expectations are set, and the concept is presented in thoughtful way by the coach and parents, the experience can be a learning opportunity. I am also a firm believer of presenting trophies only to the teams that win or place. I am positive that if the game last night was a regular season game, Seth would not have been nearly as upset over the loss. He understood the significance of the game and he reacted accordingly. Similarly the pride he has for this trophy reflects the accomplishment attached to it.

Seth is already looking forward to next season!