Betcha thought I was gone huh?

Yep it's been a strange old year - getting no less starnge I can tell you.


The lack of Patapsco standard trails has put a big dent in my MTB time - poor old bike just sits there in the garage and sulks as I walk past. Not even much road biking........so not much motivation to hit the blogshere and prattle away.





But, if ya thought that meant I've just spent the last year sitting on my ever expanding arse drinking beer - you'd have thunk wrong! Well mainly wrong.

Okemos MI, it's where the Bollux-clan reside

Different drum up here in MI, different beat - but still some marchin' got done. Just got to adapt and survive. Heard last year bout a cool run up here in the "frozen North", name of Dances With Dirt! Running on (and off trails) thru a cute little town called Hell. Couldn't make this stuff up could you? Trail race - to Hell and back! Couple of choices, 100 km relay (5 person teams), 50 km or 50 miler. Only one choice really. So New Years Resolution is to have a bash at the DwD 50 miler. This settled it set the tone for the year - not much biking but shite loads of running - go figure.





Cut down on the boozing (Holy Moly must be serious!) and hit the roads/trails with the Marks. Mid weeks early (and I mean seriously early - 5:30 am for F's sake) starts often times with Running Mark (6-8 miles) and then weekends 10+ miles at often stretches with pace below 7 min/miles with "fast" Mark.





By March (with Running Mark training for marathon) plenty of miles on the books. So all set up for first race in MI - the Pinkney Trail 1/2 marathon - race report to follow. Hard run but great day and a podium finish! Couple of trips back to MD and even a sneaky night ride at Patapsco. All building up to the "big one" in Hell on 09/11/10 second 50 miler.





Who said MI would be dull? No freakin way!





Later (good to be back)





DB

Labor Day and more Runnin'/Bikin'

So all of a sudden lots of stuff seems to be happening. Guess we are just getting more “plugged in” here in sunny Okemos.

Labor Day weekend was action packed. Tired legs from the weekly commute and I was all up for a lazy weekend, fat chance.

Sunday and off to Sleepy Hollow State park for a bit of MTB fun with Hard Runnin’ Mark and MLW. Mark as well as a damn fine runner is a pretty competitive Adventure Racer, so his biking isn’t too shabby. Hit the trails at Sleepy Hollow at a fair old clip. Mark still sporting his early 90s Specialized Stumpjumper (Biopace chain ring – a thing of great beauty) and I am on my current weapon of choice the late 80’s Specialized Rockhopper SS conversion (also sporting a Biopace chain ring) – we are the throw back twins.

We scoot along and it is the best aerobic workout on the MTB in a while. Trails are not technical but are rooty enough with sections of quite long grass and some half-decent climbs to keep it interesting. For brief sections I am totally “in the zone” just focused on staying on Mark’s wheel as he tears through the narrow and rooty single track. Not an epic but trails that are certainly worth another visit. Only downer is my rear wheel flats (again) jumping a small log about a mile from the car. Third time in a few weeks – something up with the wheel, needs sorting. So end up running with my bike the last mile hey it’s a workout! Loop was probably around 7 miles and plenty of stuff we didn’t hit this time.

"Hard Runnin' Mark" and MLW at Sleepy Hollow

Monday and it’s time to hit the trails running! Hook up with MLW’s running group at a very local trailhead (just off Dobie Rd not 2 miles from our house). Neighbor mark also joins us and we head into the woods. Trail is actually three trails in separate park areas but makes a sensible 5 mile loop. Lots of stopping and waiting for the group to gather at forks but plenty of good running. Last couple of miles is a fun fest as mark and “Yours Truly” race Dakota – the dog that accompanied us – back to the car. I suspect she would have beaten us handsomely if she hadn’t stopped periodically in the middle of the trail until she could hear her “Mommy’s” voice behind us.

Running group in Okemos Mi

Trail is certainly worth checking out on the bike too – maybe even a night-ride venue?

Tuesday and back to the commute and track club – Wow, legs are a little frazzled.

Lots going on – making the best of what is available and trying to get into some kind of shape before winter comes along and chucks a great big stick in the spokes of MTB-fun. Ho-Hum just have to stay flexible with plans and see how things pan out – an adventure if nothing else.

Mi 1000 update! Up to over 700 miles now - cutting back to 2-3 days a week commute - will be a "nail biter" to see if I can get the "1000-fixed" done before year end.

Till next time,

DB

HAT Run 2008 (Race Report)

Saturday broughtthe 20th running of the HAT Run (www.hatrun.com) up in Northern Maryland - in Sesquehanna State Park. Now training had not gone well for this edition of the race, with injury (Feb) and illness the week before the race really taking its toll. The enevitable conclusion was that this year was not likely to be a PR performance, but what the hell. THe decsion (against MLW's better wishes) ws that I would throw my hat (no pun intended - honest) into the ring and just see what happened. I was still kind of hoping that divine intervention may come and save me.

So Saturday arrived and with it the early alarm call, up in the dark, creeping around the house desparately hoping (on pain of death) not to awaken the kids. Outside waiting for Sean by just before 7 am. I was hoping to avoid any last minute nerves by being as organized as possible - new lace locks on my shoes, carefully wrapped Cliff Blocs and Cliff Shots in my rear pockets and enough clothes to outfit a bloody army - "just in case". Of course that time on a Saturday raffice wasn't an issue and we were at the venue (the Steppingstone Museum) before 8 am. Registration, bathroom breaks and other preparations were complete well before 8:30 leaving us 30 min to chat to other runners, meet up with some other "Columbian" runners and generally get bloody cold! The Hat Run is always a tough one to judge clothing wise as at 9am it can be (and this year was) bloody cold but with the prospect of running until mid afternoon too many clothes can be a killer. With my lack of preparation I was feeling wuzzy so I went with gloves and two shirts - shorts are a must for this race irrespective of temperatures because of the water crossings. The race package this year was it's usual spectacular self! I am never quite sure how they do it - for the relatively modest entry fee they put on a fantastic race and still have a race package which is far the best I have ever come across - this year a cotton HAT Run baseball cap, a neon green "six pack" cool box and a neon green Brookes heavy weight long sleeved running top.

Conspicuous by it's absence this year was the ususal "spot prize"-give away of hats that usually preceeds the race, one of a couple of subtle changes that I noticed that probably reflects the involvement of two new Race Directors this year.

At a couple of minutes after 9 am the HAT Run started in it's usual very informal fashion - a guy with a loudspeaker just sayiing "Runners Ready - GO!". I was aware from the website that the start had been changed and was ready for an openning loop rather than the out and back road section, so was a little surprized when after extending the road section about quarter of a mile we turned round and headed back to the start. I assumed I had misread. So then on to the usual filed turning into forested single track and the steep decent to the river (which is usually the first water crossing). Then surprise #1 for the day, instead of turning right across the river we turn left up a steep hill - O.K. so this is the new openning loop. Sean and I run together for most of the openning loop before he tells me to go ahead and not wait for him. Two or so miles of trademark HAT Run rooty climbs and decents and we are dumped back on the field and head back to the pavilion. Half an hour in and now the real running starts as we head back out on the first loop proper. Back down the single track decent to the river but this time as expected we ford the river (mid-ankle deep and cold) and head up the opposite bank. By this time I have joined up with James (another Columbian runner with injurry woes). James and I trade stories of torn muscles, IT band issues and minimal training as we trek our way up and down rocky and rooty single track before bursting into the field section that happnes a short way before the first feed stop. I try and relax on this flat untechnical section as I realize I am exerting too much effort at this early stage. After the field it's back into the woods and then a left up another steep climb on a new section. When the terrain flattens out onto a fairly wide grassy trail James asks if we have to do "all those hills" again on the second loop. I feel bad having to tell him no only "yes" but that we haven't actually got to the hilly bits yet! At the station I stop only to get my bottle filled in an effort to chip off seconds from my final time. After the first aid station the fun really starts first a gradual grinding hill, a steep decent then a couple of good climbs that have most people walking at least sections. By now I am beginning to get pain in my right leg which is a bit worrying, but more sinister is the fact that I am starting to feel a bit tired! It is far too soon for that in the HAT run - I try and justify it by reminding myself that we did an extra 3 mile section at the start - but the truth is I am in trouble. The hills after aid station 1 are too much for James and he and I part company - for good as it happens - and I trudge on alone. On the gravel road section just before Aid station #2 (a scetion I really hate) I try to keep it smooth but have to admit to myself that my legs are tired. At Station 2 I am caught by Jesse - a super strong runner who I had figured would break 4:30 easily this year. I decide that if I can latch on his back and keep him in sight at least I would be in good shape. With this in mind I expend far too much energy on the toughest part of the course (the 6 mile section back to the start pavilion). By the time we (Jesse and me) arrive at the unmanned aid station I am essentially done. I hope against hope that we will turn directly back to the start and the final loop but my prayers go unanswered as we are send down another paved downhill section. Jesse loves this but I hate it and by the time we turn back onto single track he is well ahead. On the climbs I crawl back to his shoulder but the reality for me is that "its all over" and I have no chance of staying with Jesse, even finishing is looking an unlikely prospect. As we approach the end of the fist big loop I am tempted to just pack it in and go home. I am trying to convince myself that I can justify this because of the pain in my right leg.

But for some reason when I get to the start/finish area I merely take off my gloves, grab some M&M's and head straight back out. Jesse is still running strongly and soon the gap has formed and will not close again today! The second loop is hell! The uphills are just about impossible and even the flats are difficult enough to keep running on. I try and relax as much as I can and get my heart rate under control but everything hurts. As the end of the fourth hour approaches I decide I will walk for 5 min - regardless of hills or flats - to try and gather myself. But again against my better judgement I end up running almost immediately when the trail flattens out (there must be something about my subconscious that really hates me). After the aid station and I know the work is really going to start; the first climb is O.K. but the second is a long slow drag - the only thing that makes this bearable is the fact that the other runners I see appear to be as bad shape as I am. Some pass me, I pass some but there is little or no talking beyond gasps of encouragement. At the top of one hill I know therev is a large block of exposed quartz that is a landmark for me and when I pass it this time I bend down and give it a tap as I know this means the worst of the climbs before the gravel road are done.

On the gravel road just continuing to run is an exercise in mental and physical endurance. I try to run with no effort, as slow as slow, but even this is difficult and again the urge to just stop is hard to resist. The only thing that keeps me going during this section is the thought of the nice green running top in the race packet. I really want to use it! A DNF would mean I could never wear it so I am determined to finish irrespective of my time. By the time I get to the last full aid station my left leg is cramping - so I take only a short break, grab some Coke and head back off. I ask a steward how far to go and am told 5.2 miles - but three big hills. Oddly I relax on this (the hardest section) and with the glance at my watch confirming that a sub-5 hour run is out of the question I just decide to get through this last section. I run (kind of) all the flats and even some bits of the hills and before to long I am back on the last road downhill with only 1.4 miles to go. As I turn back into the forest I catch a glimspe of a runner ahead in white. Keeping my eye on him helps me pull myself through the last technical section and out onto the field within half a mile from the finish. The guy in white is struggling I can see - he stops once or twice obviously suffering from cramp. I slow and determine not to try and "knick" a place from him at this stage. But as we hit the last little road section he stops again and I reach him. "Cramp?" I ask, "yes" he confirms but makes no effort to start running again so I continue leaving him behind as I climb the last little paved hill to the finish. 5 Hours 7 minutes and it is all over!

Jesse is at the finish, having finished 12 minutes ahead of me - yes he took nearly a minute a mile from me on the last loop - but he looks in worse shape than I have ever seen him! He is clearly sore and cold. He confirms that the course appeared to be very much harder than previously and slow times were the rule rather than the exception. His 4 hr 55 min was good enough for 27th and my 5 hr 07 min for 46th. Saen was the only person I spoke to who actually ran faster this year! So a really fine performance by him. Poor James had a tough time - the IT band flaired up after 12 miles and meant he couldn't even bend his leg - forcing him to stop. He asked me before he left "So..... As I didn't actually finish. Can I wear the race shirt do you think?" What could I say? "Of course" I lied.

So the Hat Run is behind us and a pretty poor start to the racing season for the Dogzbollux Racing Team. THe aim for this race had been a 4hr 20 min run which I hoped would be enough for a top ten place and an age group podium spot. Nowhere near in the end - but even if (despite the harder course) I had pulled out a sub 4 hr 20 min run I would maybe have just about scrapped the top ten but I still would have been about 7th in the 40-49 age group!! Bloody Hell.

Got to say a huge thank you to all the organizers and the volunteers who help put this fantastic race together - it is one of my favorite two races of the year and I will definately be back next year to see if I can get anywhere near 4:30 on this new course - the logical bit of me says "no way".

Cheers

Dogzbollux

Running with Michael Myers!!

It's probably a generational thing!



When someone mentions Michael Myers to me I think of a knife wielding psycho in a hockey mask that terrorizes kids that dare to "go all the way" in suburban America. So an invitation to go running in the woods with Michael Myers doesn't seem very appealing. To those (significantly) younger than me the mention of Michael Myers probably conjures up the image of a "oh so friggin' zany" Canadian comedian who was the genius behind Austin Powers. Now an invitation to go trail running in the woods with this Michael Myers I'd galdly accept - if only so I could beat him to death with a log and leave him buried in a shallow unmarked grave! O.K. so I'm not a big Austin Powers fan.

Michael Myers #1

Michael Mayers #2

Which one would you go running with?

Either way, this past week I have actually gone trail running with Michael Myers - and it's O.K. no-one died and there is no new unmarked graves in Patapsco State Park. Michael happens (rather surprizingly) to be the name of daughter #1's new boyfriend, and spring break saw them visiting from college. Well with Michael being a runner it seemed like the only thing to do. So Saturday afternoon saw Michael, Sean and "Yours Truly" hitting the trails from Landing Road. Took Cascade to the first water, then left branch up the hill to the old rail way ties. Then straight over the top and down to the waterfall, back onto cascade and the usual route anticlockwise. Sean and I am used to this now (just as well with Hat only a week away) but it's a shock to Michael's system - he admits half way round that he has only ever run on a tread mill before! Well, I'll give him one thing, he's got courage! Actually he holds up really well and probably enjoys himself - though later in the evening he does disappear off to bed very early.



Highlight of the run is overtaking a group of bikers up the steepest section of trail. First to surcumb doesn't even look up from his bars, next couple are more vocal "well now I'm embarassed" was the comment - he was even more pissed when he realized I was wearing my Shenandoah M100 T-shirt, "Oh God he did the SM100 as well". Of course what they didn't realize was that it is so much easier and quicker to run up a steep hill than it will ever be to bike up it!! Having done both (and having had my ass kicked by runners several times when I've been biking) I am fully aware of this - but it is knowledge I decide not to pass on on this occasion.



At the big crossroads (at the Rockburn Branch junction) we give Michael the option of long or short route home - the guy has done magnificent for his first trail run, but is clearly all in. And he has the self awareness to know this so opts for short run. So we take Morning Choice past the derelict houses, where we pass the same group of bikers again - O.K. no excuse thsi time cos we are on the flat! Back at the car in exactly an hour and cold beers all round. Felt good.



Then all goes to HELL!



Monday feeling good I hit "Boot Camp" with MLW - a gym run class mixing running, sprinting and exercizes outdoors. With the leg better and Hat Run ahead I am feeling invincible and attack exercises and sprints with inadvisable vigor. Felt good at the time but ever since my bloody hamstrings are as tight as a sharks a## at 50 fathoms! Then to cap it all off Tuesday and illness hits - starts about 4pm with nausea and headache - by the time I get home I am one unhappy puppy. I feel like a beer keg - I contain nothing solid and everytime anything exits my body it does so under high pressure - bloody charming. Tuesday night is sleepless and alternatingly freezing cold or roasting hot depending on how my body feels at that moment. Wednesday is a day in bed. Thursday and I have to just grin and bare it - got to get mind and body back together for Hat. Thursday lunch and I do my final run 6 easy miles (nice and hilly), stomach not a major issue but tight hamstrings are a bit of a worry.



Just got to relax, carbo-load, hydrate and see what Saturday brings - 31 miles of fun!!



Catch you all after the Hat - assuming I survive.



Dogzbollux

HAT's On!!!

It's bbeen a "long and winding road" back since I torn my calf muscle back in mid-Feb and with the Hat Run coming up at the end of March being fit enough was looking decidedly dodgy! Uncharacteristically I actualy heeded the Doc's words and didn't run at all for two weeks (into march) and then eased my way back in gently - the leg though not painful didn't always feel as if it belonged to me (odd feeling) and I found myself half limping more out of habit and fear then due to actual pain. Well in the end, with Hat fast approaching something had to give - I couldn't just keep running gently. Sean had a 20 miler scheduled for last weekend so that seemed like a good way to challenge the "dicky pin". As luck and family schedules would have it the weekend turmed out to be a bit of a nightmare - Seans family leaving to visit relatives on Sunday and MLW and me hosting a party on Saturday evening to kick off the training for "the Irongirl Triathlon" group - a group of friend who are doing the August Triathlon with MLW. The result of this was that although both Sean and I went out on 20 milers we did so separately rather than together - Ho Hum!.

The only slot that was available to me was early Sunday am - ot the best after the previous nights festivities but beggars can't be choosers. So up at 6;45 am and hitting the road at 7:30 for what was scheduled to be a three hour run. Mother Nature played here part, adding to the fun by organizing rain throughout Saturday night and into Sunday morning. The rain had just about faded out by the time I started but there was plenty of laying water to stomp through. Not exactly a trail run but not a road run either - I ran as much on unpaved surfaces as possible - around the golf course, Cedar Lane Park and round Wild Lake and Kitimaqundi. The highlight was the section around Kitimaqundi (opposite the down town) on the fishermans path - where I ran for about 1/3 mile in ankle deep water - smashing. Over 29 and then I ran up the powerline tracts for seemingly miles. By the time I decided I had better turn round I had been scooting along for just 2 hours and was beginning to feel it. Just then I bumped into Lenore - Hat Run regular and general ultrarunner - two's company so I run with her for a couple of paved miles before having to head home in order to make my 11 am curfew.

The road home is a little taxing - mentally and physically. Before I start I decide on a route, which is fairly unforgiving in terms of hills and even as I start to flag and the pace drops (I suspect precipitously) I am determined enough to stick to by preordained route.

Back home in a smidge under 3:15 - tired but happy, as the injured calf has been absolutely fine! With 15 min more than planned and no repercussions it looks like the Hat is almost a certainty.

Two days later I tackle one of my regular road circuits (about 5.5 miles) and feel great - the legs are fine and my aerobic capacity seems pretty good - I run well within myself and feel strong at the end. I resist the urge to look at my stopwatch on the way round as a slow time would be too disheartening and I would probably stop trying. When I look at my watch at the end I can hardly believe it - 2 minutes faster than I had been doing earlier in the year before my injury! The rest and biking must have done me good - Hat Run? Bring it on!!!

To celebrate I have even taking the fixie out for a commute - God I love riding that bike!

See you at the Hat!

Dogzbollux

Biking with Sore Legs!

My lack of posting has reflected my general lack of activity. To some degree this has been forced upon me by work related stuff and by injure (of which more in a minute), but as always the truth is that my own bloody laziness has also played a huge role.

With the Hat Run fast approaching some miles needed to go in running - and so of course right on track I get bloody injured! My sore leg (right calf) has been playing up big stylee and really hindering my efforts to get in any kind of shape. Then after a modicum of rest all appeared to be fine and dandy! To celebrate Biker Sean and I headed out on a recent Sunday for a good old fashioned MTB show down. I was up for it big time but family commitments for Sean meant we couldn't head to the Baltimore County (BC) side of Patapsco but instead decided to do a "balls to the wall" effort on the "Long Loop" HC side. Good fun and a pretty reasonable pace maintained all the way round. Then bloody disaster! Last sodding obstacle (the large rock on Cascade) and I come a cropper - been having trouble with this lately, balls it up more often than clear it - with the conditions being a bit muddy I don't get enough speed up and trying to hop over the tiop of the rock I pull the handle bars to hard and the front whell takes off! I fall like a F'in lemon and smack my right knee on said rock with a right old clout. Hurts like heck for a minute or two then subsides and I assume everything is cool. And so it is for the remainder of the ride and a couple of hours after. But then as I try and get up from the dinner table later in the day I can't! Bloody knee is locked solid and swollen to twice it's normal size. No pain but it takes til Wednesday for swelling to go down.

Following weekend I am in Belgium (land of the "cross cyclists"). Being at a loose end on Saturday morning i try and do a long trail run behind the hotel - well, I manage 45 min and my calf is completely shagged again! the last two miles I hobble around like an old man. A gentle effort on Monday confirms that all is not well in "calf-land" so off to the "Docs" it is. Good news - no real damage, bad news - torn calf muscle which will only get better with rest! "You can do anything that doesn't hurt" is the Doc's summation. But with hat only 6 weeks away he gives me less than 50 % chance of being fit! Bollux!

But then there is some good news - On the night of the lunar eclipise a night ride is scheduled with George (back from hand surgery), Mr Todd and fast riding Brian! I'd need to be dead to at least not try and go along! So just as the moon is starting to disappear behind the earth's shadow we hit the trails, snow on the ground, well below freezing and all is well with the world. Calf gives a few twinges but no real pain. We bounce around checking out conditions - a few tire tracks tell us we are not the first (only) folks out tonight. Obstacles taken head on are fine, but the occasional small log at angles across the trail cause a degree of chaos that needed to be seen to be believed. Frozen gears for Brian and George, frozen brakes for Todd and frozen pedals/cleats all round.

The "Three Amigo's"

End up doing the Long Loop again, plus some bits and bobs at the front end. My Nite Hawk (still trucking on like a real trooper) packs in mid way along Cascade so I have to rely on the limited illumination of my Princeton Tech Yukon for a good deal of the way back - just about enough light, but would be challenging on trails I didn't know well.

Finished off with the "new(ish)" section over the big logs and a fantastic time was had by all - after a dodgy start I was overjoyed that the leg held up - and i can feel the cahnces of the Hat happening creeping up!

Back to the cars for a couple of relaxing beers and a good amount of chat (it's been a while since we were all together) before the biting cold finally drives us into the sanctuary of our cars and back to reality for another week. I LOVE NIGHT RIDING!

the guys enjoying a beer post ride - bloody freezing

Summers nearly here guys

Dogzbollux

Back in the Saddle!!

Well..... mtb rides have been like buses lately. Having waited bloody weeks to get one, two come along straight after each other.



But lets not get ahead of ourselves and go through recent efforts in chronological order. Lst Thursday saw a nice little winter storm blow through Maryland, the forecast was for barely an inch of snow, but it started falling mid morning and by mid afternoon there was a couple inches of the white stuff on the ground and the sky was still heavy and snow laden! Despite my best last minute efforts (emails, phone calls and even personal berating of work collegues) I could not round up anyone who wanted to head off out for a nocturnal snow ride. Turns out this was fort he best as by 6 pm the temperature had risen sharply and the nice snow had been replaced by a very wet winter mix. Oh well with mtbing out of the window there was only one thing for it, pull on those running shoes and hit the pavement for my scheduled long(ish) road run. Dragging myself through the snow-laden streets made me feel very self satisfied and to be honest was great fun. Progress was slow, I did a quick mental calculation as I ran (based on known landmarks) and figured that the conditions, and me taking it easy) resulted in a minute a mile slower than normal pace. Oh well still managed a respectable 80 minute run, the last twenty of which were pretty cold as the temperature plumetted again and me wearing wet clothes by then.



Come the weekend and the weather gods were feeling more happy with us bikers and with nice freezing temperatures the trails were always going to be ridable. So Sunday am (8:15) saw MLW, Sean I and me launching from Landing Road. Seriously cold! Temps were barely in the 20's so we donned as much warm clothing as possible and headed off. The new fallen logs I saw the previous week (running with Sean II) were intact (guess "the Man" and his trusty chainsaw were detered by the weather - long may it last) and we ahd a fun ride. Hands were very cold for first 20 min but as the engine began putting out some heat things were all fine and dandy. this was my first real test of the disc brakes and they excelled! Sean I had serious issues with his rim brakes almost immediately after the first water crossing that resulted in him riding down the enxt hill with this feet dragging on the trail to slow himself down. Second water crossing and Sean I lost his gears!! We cut the ride shorter than most due to the temperatures and the fact that the trails wer a bit slick in places, still first ride for over a month and it felt great to be back on the trails.



Nxt day was MLK day so decided to play hooky from work. in the afternoon I arranged to hit Patapsco again but this time on foot for a trail run (in preparation for the Hat run) with James. We actually ran furter than we had rident he day before, completing the whole "big loop" from Landing clockwise (the hard way) - even took in the extra hill after the first water (up past the old railway ties). Turned out the decision to cut the ride short the day before was wise cos some of the trail that side of the park was very slick. James is a pretty seasoned road runner but a novice on the trials. He was quite shocked at the steepness of the hills, if these hills surprise you prepare to be amazed at the Hat run I warn him, and he adds half a minute a mile to his estimated time for Hat! Nice run, both fell in at the middle water crossing. A bit bizarre because the water was much warmer than the air and didn't feel cold at all. Nice frozed trails and more fun!



Then just when it appears life can't get any moe fun!! It bloody well does! Todd goes and organizes the first night ride of 2008. Fan-bloody-tastic! then unfortunately has to abandon due to family commitments but leaves me and a "new guy" Brian to hit the trails together. I've meet Brian before and know he is a real kiss ass roadie and am a little concerned about how it will go. Brian could certainly pull my legs off if he decided to but, being a nice bloke, takes pity on me and we have a nice ride (long loop anti-clockwise). No incidents, both stay attached to the bikes the whole way. Even with the slippery conditions many of the "extra point" obstacles were taken on and cleared. As the Ridge trail progressed so life got more icey and although Brian, with superior skills (and gears), crushed all the hills, me - well I had fairly major back wheel slippage at times, so some degree of pushing was called for.

By the time we tackled the rockgarden at the bottom of the Cascade trail, I was pretty much fried (a nice feeling after too long being idle). When Brian offered to take in some extra hills I had to pass. Could be that my knowledge that there was a six pack of Peter's Wicked Ale waiting for us at the car weakened my resolve! But whatever the reason the decision was to head straight back to the Bolluxmobile for a well deserved beverage.

About 1 hour 20 min riding, brilliant fun and the first "heart rate raising" ride in a while. Brian seemed to have a good time and I suspect he may become a regular fixture on the noctural adventures.

As Gary Glitter once said (in the pre-child porn days) "It's good to be back"

DogzBollux!

Mid-Winter Blues

The weather is really playing havoc with riding at the moment! I haven't been out on the trusty 29er monocog since early December! I installed the disc brakes on December 10 and haven't had chance to test them in earnest yet - BUGGER.

Biking has been restricted to a single road ride (back on the Cannondale R400). Fearing for my bonk-liability after the UK adventure I made sure I took plenty of calories (banana, power gel and blueberry breakfast bar). At 30 miles I made mayself stop and chow down. IN the end it was all gravy! Did the Columbia Tri-course then added on a section along Highland Road (216) as far as the APL and back! Finished off along Little Patuxent Parkway and the Mall for a 55 mile ride averaging 17.7 mph. Respectable but hardly earth shattering.

The real effort has been on the running front however - the race schedule for 2008 is taking shape (see below) and the first stop is the HAT RUN (www.hatrun.com). Now in it's 20th year and with an increased entry (to 450) only 44 places left as I write. Looks like 31 miles of fun, this will be my fourth running, I'll let you know how it goes.

So it's been trail running with Sean II at Patapsco for the last two Saturdays. Must say the trails look great and with a number of trees down over the Holidays I can't wait to get back and try the trails before the overzealous trail keepers and their chainsaws remove all the newly fallen fun! Then at night it's been the lonely road running to build the miles in the legs. Tonight could be interesting with the snow on the ground and a 1.5-2 hour run scheduled Ho Hum.

Hopefully this Sunday will be a go for MTB fun at Patapsco and there is even a slight danger of the night ride making a long overdue comeback next week.

DOGZBOLLUX 2008 RACE SCHEDULE (tentative)

Hat Run (50 km trail run) March 29 - confirmed
12 Hours Lodi Farm (12 hour mtb race) May 3-4
Wilderness 101 (101 mile mtb race) July 26
JFK 50 miler (50 mile trail run) November 22

Focus and New Hampshire

It’s been a strange old time since I busted up my shoulder. I’ve become lazy! My rides are generally 10 miles or less and are far more social than significant training exercises. In short I’m beginning to feel old and fat! This realization has prompted me to start thinking about scheduling some races for the later part of the year to kickstart some “proper” riding.

In the meantime we (MLW and me) had a trip planned to the White Mountains in NH to do some adventure type activities (including a 15 k trail race on Saturday). Without the kids!! So on Thursday 28 July we set off to NH and set up our base at a smallish hotel in Pinkham Notch in the shadow of Mount Washington. The hotel was selected as it had easy access to Great Glen Trails activity center from where most of our activity would be based. First up of course was hitting thje trails on rental MTB. Well the brochure promised MTBing from beginner to “mud in your teeth extremity”. As so often is the case in life reality doesn’t quite live up to advertised hype. The Activity center is O.K. though the selection of bikes for rental was very limited – I was intending to ask if they had any single speeds available, but a quick scan round the shop as we entered lowered my expectations. “Do you have any bikes with spd pedals?” was my revised question. “No!” was the unrevised answer. Still the staff were friendly – and the guy behind the counter took me through the trail map. I asked about single track and he admitted most was carriageway. Bummer! He did say there were short sections of nice single track at the far end of the trails. Navigation was going to be easy as the trails were clearly marked and the junctions numbered – the lower the number the closer to the center – Easy peasey!

The bikes on offer were consisted of exactly one model – a Cannondale F4 – so we both chose that. MLW quickly discovered how nice her bike at home was. While in the shop we also splurged on some new bike gear and even got MLW a hydration pack – wasn’t planned but the old camelback sprung a leak at the last minute leaving little choice.

Heading out on the trails we hit the run course for tomorrow – all big wide carriageway and pretty boring a few grinding hills were the highlight but then we found ourselves at a junction – 40! Bugger me we were nearly the far end of the trails already and only a stones throw from the “Whiplash loop” promised by the guy in the shop to be "sweet singletrack". Using my limited navigational skills and the trail map provided soon got us to the start of the trail. Very short but quite technical, I struggled with the plethora of gears I had at my disposal – exactly as I remember always finding myself in the wrong one – and the piddly 26 inch wheels. Still good if brief fun and then we were back on the carriageways. In much this fashion we passed nearly two hours. The scenery was certainly more spectacular than we are used to at Patapsco but the riding was not so good. The result was one of the most tedious rides MLW and I have taken yet perversely the best documented photographically as we took it in turns to ride and re-ride the short technical sections to take photographs of each other.

The rest of the day was taken with a “gondola” ride up Wildcat mountain to take in some pretty spectacular views (90 mile visibility isn’t something you get every day) and then a restful afternoon at the hotel nursing legs that were surprisingly fried by the carriageway riding.

Saturday morning and it was time for the second running of the “Black Fly in My Eye” 15 k trail race ( www.greatglentrails.com/Summer-Page-210.html).MLW decided that rather than hang around waiting for me she would also do the race – it is a three loop race so she could do one, two or all three loops (really aiming for two as a 10 k is the furthest she has raced to date) We are a relatively small group that gather in the activity center to collect our race numbers and T-shirt prior to the 10 am start. T-shirts for the first 100 entrants the race info said – and they had shirts left over! Small race, with about 50 solo runners and ten or so 2 and 3 person relay teams.

Just before the start news filtered through that there had been some “animal activity” on the course that morning – which turned out to mean they had to scare a black bear of the trail making up the second loop – could be an interesting day - MLW was somewhat unsettled.

Loop 1
The race sets of along the same carriageways we had biked on Friday! Boring but the steady grinding hills that sucked the life out of our legs on the bikes had a similar effect when running. Not exactly trail running though despite two or three short sections of singletrack. As a result the pace was pretty high and I eventually hooked on to the back of a guy in a red running vest who IMHO “looked like he knew what he was doing”. Try as I might I could not chase him down so we ended the first loop I was about ten yards behind him. This is when bad things started to happen! As we made our way through the lap/start/finish area my friend in the red vest tagged off to a colleague and stopped running. He was part of a relay team. This was a bit dispiriting as it suggested that perhaps my confidence and initial pace were perhaps on the high side. Well the gut who he handed off to set off like a jack rabbit and was out of sight within seconds leaving me all on my lonesome to tackle loop 2.

Loop 2
The path went across the road (behind the activity center) then bucked viciously upward on a very steep rocky piece of single track. After the too quick pace on loop one my legs and lungs very quickly waved a little white flag and I was reduced to what MLW describes as “power walking” but which I more truthfully refer to as “being to F-ing knackered to keep on running”. After a minute or so to gather myself the “power walking turned back into slow running and loop two was actually far nicer and more interesting than loop one. With the exception of a longish and steepish decent down a stretch of carriage road most of this loop was a mixture of hilly rocky singletrack and swampy walking trail. The whole of this loop (and the subsequent third loop) I did not see another runner the whole time.

Loop 3
By the start of loop 3 I realized that I was not going to catch anyone in front of me and as long as I just kept going I was unlikely to be caught by anyone. It has been a long time since I set off too fast in a race and had to just hang on but that is exactly what loop three was all about. Fortunately Loop 3 was like Loop one not Loop two and was a fairly mild mix of undulating carriage road and short sections of singletrack. Many of the bits I recalled from the MTBing on Friday. The only real surprise on the third loop was the stream crossing – not much of a surprise in itself but a Marshall warned before I reached it to be careful of the embankment. Wow, not so much an embankment as a three foot drop straight into the stream! Then directly after the stream was a 30-40 yard scramble up a very steep grass bank (with crowds gathered at the top shouting encouragement). Once at the top the was a short drag to the finish. I finally crossed the finish line in 73 minutes and change, good enough for 7th overall but still a full eleven minutes behind the winner – a thoroughly average performance that would certainly not have impressed Bill Rodgers, and I suspect wouldn’t even have impressed Roy Rodgers. Still good to get back to competing – even if the distance was short and involved running rather than biking. MLW as hoped finished two loops before calling it a day in order to preserve herself for further vacation adentures! Perhaps this was a wise choice.

Sunday arrived with very sore legs and MLW telling me off for running too hard and ruining the vacation. After a leisurely breakfast we decided to go on a short hike then perhaps go to look round a nearby town in the afternoon. Not quite how it turned out – MLW thought the hiking would be on carriageways like to MTBing but when she found they were very thin and sketchy rocky trails she got far more interested. So our short leisurely hike morphed into a three hour trek first to Lost Lake then up to Glen Boulder (a climb of nearly two thousand vertical feet). The boulder itself is above the tree line in the “alpine zone” and gave very spectacular views of the whole valley.

After kayaking on Monday (something neither of us had done before) it was time to return to MD and reality. The reality being a burst pipe in the upstairs bathroom and a flood through the family room and into the basement – Hey life’s no fun if it’s too easy.

So I’m back and energized – hopew to be hitting the trails with renewed vigor and focus once the races for later in the season are finalized – thinking Shenadoah M100 and perhaps the JFK 50, we’ll see.

Cheers (keep it focused keep it fun)

Dogzbollux