Look Both Ways Before You 'Cross the Street

This was the third year of the Red Barn Classic cyclo-cross race hosted by my friend Erik Erickson. (He moonlights as a marauding viking in his spare time, frequently terrorizing Eagan and Roseville.) The course is much the same as in past years. It is flat, with many turns, several barriers and a wicked run-up (see below). The hill is about thirty feet high and extends back ten feet, a 3:1 slope for you algebra students. After two good races this year, I was looking forward to another chance to race, but a bit apprehensive to be racing a B race where I would be racing against Category 3 and 4 riders, rather than just Cat. 4. Minnesota races usually bunch riders together into A, B and C races, rather than riders racing in each category in Wisconsin.









The conditions in the morning were chilly, but the races started at 12:00, 12:45 and 1:45, so it would warm up to a great race temperature. My girlfriend Kathryn came along for the weekend, and brought her bike along, so we rode together for my warm up. I felt good warming up and rode the course a time or two before the C race started to get a feel for some of the changes to the course. The course was lengthened a bit to two kilometers per lap with the addition of two hairpin turns. This was difficult to navigate with the narrow tree farm roads, but I managed to figure out a good line.





After the C race, and a solid third place for another Concordia alum Aaron Kadera despite a broken spoke, it was my time to shine, or at least turn the light on. I lined up in front so I hopefully wouldn't get stuck behind slower traffic and have to pass the other fifty riders. It took me a bit to get clipped in and I quickly dropped to 20th. No problem, I should be faster than the rest, and I knew the course well. The course allowed for many places to pass with several straight-aways and a few wide corners. I picked off several riders on the first lap and quickly got back into the top ten. My second lap was also solid and I moved up very quickly. Maybe the field wasn't as strong as I was dreading. I think some time at the beginning of the third lap, I realized that I was second, and after passing the first-place rider, I was logically in first. I pulled the entire lap, and after deciding I didn't like riding in first in what became a pretty stiff wind, I let him pull the next lap. At the end of the lap, six laps to go, I somehow dropped my chain dismounting before the big hill. It took me only a little time to remount and get my chain back on the ring while on my bike, but I'd given a few seconds to the other rider, and I wasn't able to get those seconds back. We were even the next four laps, he didn't gain and I didn't lose time and distance. With three laps to go, I realized that I had a huge gap back to the third place rider and I wasn't gaining any time on the lead rider, so I decided to take it easy to ensure I had my second place locked up. I came in easily in second after a good 45 minute battle.



I spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying some good chili, a Red Barn CX tradition, on the roof where I was able to watch most of the A race. It was good to see Erik and Mark, another Concordia friend who has been in the Peace Corps since graduating three years ago.



We left the tree farm for a busy evening of seeing other friends and relatives. Erik's wife Shana wasn't able to make it to the farm because she is an assistant coach for women's swimming at St. Catherine's in the Cities and her team had a meet all day. We stopped by for a little while to see Shana and their daughter Anja. Next, we met Kathryn's mom, aunt and her uncle, who was in town from Texas, whom she hadn't seen for a while. It was nice for me to meet them and for her to catch up. After supper with them at Perkins', we stopped by Hudson to see Kathryn's cousin Sara, her husband Omar, and their new two-month-old Amir. We stopped in Hudson last winter after a trip to the Cities, but Omar was protecting the fine citizens of Woodbury, MN, so it was nice to meet him. At the respectable hour of 9:00p, we finally left for home. We only saw one live deer on the way and arrived home at 1:00a. Another busy trip for Kathryn and Peter.



Go to http://redbarncx.blogspot.com/ for more race coverage.

The Circle of Life

This weekend, or last weekend once this posts, was a great weekend. In the midsts of the joy and the sorrow, it was a great weekend. For me, the weekend started Thursday, when I was planning to take a half-day at work and drive with my brother Jonathan straight through the night to Billings, MT for my cousin Anne's wedding. Early Thursday morning, after I had just poured my cereal and sat down to watch the morning news and sports news, my Dad called me to tell me my grandma Muriel Nelson had just died. The work day was surreal. Normally, taking a half-day feels a bit odd, like when you're in school and you know you're getting a snow day, and you're just waiting to get out. Thursday was a mix of sorrow, planning for the weekend and trying to finish things at work.

Jonathan and I left Madison at 1:45p and arrived in Billings at 5:15a local time. A 15.5 hour trip straight through to Montana. It was actually a pretty relaxed and easy trip. We stopped a few times the first few hours to get gas and see our Grandpa Wee in Worthington, MN. After seeing grandpa, we drove on to Billings, battling very high winds from Madison to Cedar Rapids, IA and deer after that to Billings. We were going to call Aunt Judy Rickbeil once we got to Billings to see the family, but 5:15 seemed a bit early. We had breakfast at Denny's, because it was too early for Perkins', and went to see Judy, who was staying with her son Mark and all the other family members that crashed there that night. We got there about 6:30, and when the kids ages 2-6 awoke at 7:00, all bets were off. The bride-to-be Anne was sleeping in the living room after her bachlorette party, but the nieces and nephews wouldn't allow her much peace. Poor thing.

After exchanging pleasantries with the family, I took of to Red Lodge, an hour SW of Billings, to ride up the Beartooth Pass. Unfortunately, I learned that the pass had closed the week before. Undeterred, and with nothing better to do with the bike in the back of my Vue, I put on all the warm clothes I brought and put extras in my pockets. The temperature at 9:00a was a brisk 45, which is slightly cool for cycling, but I was heading 2000 feet or so up the pass to the gate. On average, the temperature drops three degrees for every 1000 feet you climb vertically. This means that I was looking at weather in the high 30s, and with the vicious wind and low rain clouds, the temperature would actually feel much colder. The first ten miles were fine, except for the wind which when gusting, slowed me ten mph in a matter of seconds and pushed me back and forth across the lane. Good thing there was no traffic. The next two miles were calm, but there was a slight drizzle. By the time I got to the gate, the rain changed to snow. I considered ducking under the gate, but I didn't know if a firing squad lurked on the other side. Talking to Mark and his wife Stephanie after my ride, they said people go past the gate all the time, and people are in the forest hiking and backpacking because it is a national forest. Oh well, maybe next time. I had a good climb, and when I turned around, I knew that the rain and wind without any of my own heat generated from my own exertion, would make my body instantly cold. I didn't need that for more than a few minutes.



The rest of the wedding weekend was great. It was fun to see my cousins and other family again, though I saw most of them at Jonathan's wedding in August. Anne and Chad had their wedding at the lodge where Chad works as a guide. The lodge is located on the Crow Indian Reservation, about 70 miles SE of Billings, near the Wyoming border. (Chad, or someone else, can you give me the website of the lodge? This blog reaches millions, and since you're now family, I'll only charge my family rate for advertisement.) For the reception, we all headed back to Billings for dinner and dancing at a saddle club (horse riding for those of you non MTers).

Sunday morning, I got to ride again in the beautiful Montana foothills outside of Billings and enjoy the strong Montana breeze. It actually made me a bit misty-eyed, thinking of the good-old-days at my alma mater Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. There, a calm day was a 15 mph wind, and a 'breezy' day was 40. Occasionally, after a particularly bad day, the local sheriff's department would go out into the country and gather the children that blew away. They usually found most of them, and if not, the cold would flash-freeze them for later use, like frozen vegetables. There was only one or two they didn't bring back to life in the four years I was at Concordia. A good record if I do say so myself.

Jonathan and I left around 11:00 for the short eleven-hour trip to Minnesota for my grandma's funeral. The trip was quite easy. The wind was light, we made good time, and we had much better gas mileage, 25% improved. We arrived at the farm a bit before midnight. Quickly, we went to sleep, glad not to have to drive through the night.

Monday was a beautiful fall day. There was a light breeze, but plenty of sunshine to warm the day. When we got to the church at 9:30, the narthex and fellowship hall was already full of people there to pay their respects. I guess the crops must have all been in, because I actually felt late with most of the people already at the church. The service was beautiful. The pastor at their church had been there for a few years and he did a great job of retelling stories and memories from her life. We drove from the church in New Ulm to the cemetery in Lafayette, only a mile or two from the farm. The analogy 'from dust you were made and to dust you shall return' was the perfect description of the scene. The small cemetery was in the middle of a farm field. I can think of no better place and scene to describe life. Life and death, renewal and eternity, a peaceful and picturesque scene of southern Minnesota. Truly, rest in peace.

The Beyond

...and now for the beyond.

This past weekend I rode two cyclo-cross races to keep up my off-season fitness and just do something different. Also, I had a few good races the past two years, so I wanted to enjoy these races. The individual nature of cyclo-cross is suited to my individual talents versus the other cyclists. You can't hide behind someone else in cyclo-cross. You have to be aggressive and a good individual cyclist to be successful.



First, let me explain cyclo-cross a bit. Cyclo-cross is basically mountain biking on a road bike. The frames and components are stronger than a regular road bike, so as to stand up to the rigors and stresses of 'cross. Cyclo-cross is highlighted by sections where the riders must dismount their bikes (or bunny-hop over the barriers if they are disgustingly talented), jump over barriers with their bikes and remount their bikes without slowing down. When done properly, it looks very impressive. When it doesn't work, it's a great crash with bikes and bodies splaying all over. The two races this weekend featured the best of cyclo-cross two different ways. Saturday's race at Cam-Rock Park #2, south of Cambridge WI, was a fast race because of wide, dry, hard-packed cross-country skiing trails through the forest. Sunday's race was a wet, muddy, slippery race at Badger Prairie Park in Verona WI.



Saturday was a great day for a 'cross race. It was 50, overcast, dry, and no wind. The course started on pavement and quickly changed to grass, and then into the woods, where we raced most of the race. I had trouble clipping in at first, but was able to aggressively move up a few places once I did, and then sat in towards the front and summarily picked off riders when I had the opportunity. I consciously took it easy at first and tried to stay towards the front. In doing this, I didn't keep tabs on the riders on the front, and as they inched away, I was stuck behind other riders. For most of the race, I was able to pass other riders one-by-one and stay fifteen seconds behind the leading group of five. Other riders tried to pass me or stay with me when I passed them, but I was able to ride them off my wheel. At the end of the last lap, I knew I had a good lead over the next rider and no chance of catching the riders in front of me, so I took it a bit easier so I wouldn't go down. I finished the race in 6th. My place was a bit disappointing, not necessarily because of the place, but because my strategy kept me from a better position.



Sunday was completely different. Fortunately, I was asleep at 6:00a when the heaviest rains passed through Madison. When I got up at 7:00 there was a light rain/drizzle and this continued through most of the day. I was able to practice on the course Thursday with some other 'crossers, but I got to the park just as the first race was starting. Without a chance to ride the actual course to see the conditions, I rode around the rest of the park to get a feel for the conditions. After a good warm-up, my girlfriend Kathryn took my jacket just before we started. I was fine with a long sleeve under my jersey in addition to my jersey and shorts, but the start line was a bit chilly. The start was better than the day before. I was able to clip in quickly and took advantage of the 300-400 meters of pavement between the start and the first turn into the grass to advance from my position in the front row at the start to third going into the first corner.



CRASH!!! The course immediately took it's first victim. The rider in the lead lost traction of his back wheel in the first corner in the grass and mud, and fell down. Unfortunately, I was right behind him, but I was able to steadily move up through the first lap. These pictures do a great job of showing the single-file nature of cyclo-cross. It is usually hard to move up if you start in back, so that's why it is important to get a great start. I'm sixth in the second picture.





Below are examples of techniques that are specific to cycl0-cross, dismounting your bike and running with it over barriers.





Below you can see how wet and muddy the ground was. Take a look at some of the other pictures and see how muddy it is around other corners.





The rest of the first lap, I focused on being conservative in the corners, smooth on the straights, and pushing on the pavement. After the first lap, I was in second and feeling pretty good. The second lap was fine until I just happened to think, 'Don't hit the back break. You'll loose traction.' Just then I found myself coming into the next corner 'hot' and my front break wasn't slowing me quickly enough, so squeeze the rear a bit, and DOWN GOES NELSON (a la 'Down goes Frazier'). I slid out on the wet grass and mud, got up quickly, and found the third place rider on my tail. The third lap, he tried to pass me (very foolish FYI) because I simply overtook him the next opportunity. I kept the distance even on the grass and opened it up on the pavement. My road racing really helped from this summer. At the start of the fourth lap I had my gap, dove into the first turn, then a quick right, and again, I lost traction in my back tire and went down.



The third place rider passed me, and though I quickly mounted again, I was still fifteen seconds behind. Another tried to pass, but I easily overtook him and didn't see him again. The rider ahead of me was a bit slower than me on the grass, but I wasn't making up much distance. I gained a bit too on the pavement, but not enough to be close. After a quick bit on gravel and back through the prairie, I saw a beautiful sight for sore eyes (in addition to my lovely girlfriend Kathryn), the rider ahead of me slid out on the next turn and was having trouble clipping in again. I caught up to him again and stayed right on his wheel, content to make him ride hard but just behind in case he went down again. Around turns and hairpins we went with me a foot behind him, keeping him in check, knowing I was faster on the pavement. Over the barriers, around the sweeping downhill turn, and down a small hill, I was three seconds behind him at the pavement. But that was fine. He was screwed and he knew it. I accelerated easily on the firm pavement, took the corner perfectly and slingshot perfectly up to his wheel, stood up, and sprinted easily for second. My plan worked perfectly.



What is the most important part of bike racing? A great girlfriend. In addition to Kathryn being at the start line Saturday and Sunday to watch me, she held my warm clothes I took of just before I started and took my bottles. She is also responsible for most of the great photos you'll see on this blog. Plus, if the race doesn't supply podium girls, you'll at least have your own. Kisses after the race are important no matter on which step you finish, if any.

Epilouge

So, after everything is said and done, how was it? Well, it was fun and enjoyable. How can that be you ask? I went out for an hour-long morning swim, followed by a ride around my usual roads for a few hours, and ran around downtown and the campus of the University of Wisconsin. That's all. I was done by 5:45 and there was still plenty of light. I changed out of my wet clothes and walked around the corner to a restaurant on the Capital square to eat at 7:30, watching other athletes finish or head out for another thirteen miles. After supper, my Mom and I picked up my girlfriend, who was volunteering at the medical tent, dropped her off at 10:00, and then headed back to Verona to be asleep by 11:00, even while other athletes were finishing or had yet to finish. It's nice to finish during the day.

I had to compete through a few issues, like everyone, but it was nothing that stopped me, just slowed me down a little bit. Most of my body was pretty sore the next day. My legs and back hurt and my knees were sore. My knees felt fine by Tuesday and my muscle soreness subsided by Thursday, when I was back to 100%. It was nice to recover quickly. I didn't do any training or athletic stuff until the next weekend when I went for a ride, which felt a bit weird after not doing anything for a week.

The Ironman was fun, but it is nice to be able to go home after work and train only if I want to. Weekends are nice too, because I can do what I want and go for a long ride if I want or just watch football all day long. I've been riding and running a bit, a couple of miles per week for each. I'm doing a few cyclo-cross races this fall which is basically a mountain bike race on road bikes, but with knobby tires. It is a fun way to keep my fitness and do something else. Soon, I'll have to ride in the basement and watch movies. In the mean time, the weather is fine, so I'm going outside. I'll see you out there.

I'll continue blogging about my fall racing, training and anything else that needs to be documented. Stop back at this web address. I'll also be updating a some of the previous posts with more pictures. Enjoy.

Post-race

Well, that was the easy part. As Newton opined, a body in motion wants to stay in motion, and when mine stopped, I had to keep moving. The general goodness I was feeling during the race dissipated and disappeared when I crossed the line. It is amazing how quickly endorphins seem to leave the body. When I crossed the finish line, my heart rate came down nearly immediately, which actually wasn't much, because I was racing most of the day at 125-130 beats per minute. At the finish, I started to feel dizzy and light-headed, but knowing my generally low heart rate (40-45 bpm), I walked around to combat the affects of stopping. Thanks to my friend Petra, a few minutes of walking around kept my heart rate up and allowed my body to keep up circulation, ridding my body of 'the evils'.

It felt good to walk and I was feeling better after a few minutes. As a precaution, the staff at the medical tent insisted on weighing me even though I was feeling pretty good and didn't feel like I needed an IV. When I stepped on the scale, I was only two pounds less then when I weighed in Friday. Guess that means my nutrition and hydration was pretty good. I think I actually ate and drank more than I needed. It obviously would be worse if I didn't consume enough and was slowed because of that, but when I checked my watch, I had only burned 6000 calories. This might sound like a lot of exertion, but it was only 600 calories an hour on 300 calories taken in each hour. Add that amount to what I ate the day and two days before, and it equals a zero-sum gain. Once I was feeling good, I grabbed a piece of pizza and some water, and ate and drank those, but I really wasn't hungry or thirsty at all, so I kind of forced those down.

Hobbling gingerly, I walked into the Terrace to get out of my wet, sweaty race clothes. I was pleased to discover a benefit in finishing in the 90th percentile (for those many teachers in the family reading this blog), receiving a 20+ minute massage after the race. There were plenty of tables open, so the masseurs were able to spend as much time as needed on each athlete. (For the future, if you do the Ironman, I suggest going fast. It's nice to finish early.) My parents and I headed for the Old Fashioned on the square for supper at 7:30, only because they were hungry and I wanted to break my self-imposed no-junk diet. I couldn't really eat much (I didn't really even touch my supper), but I was able to finish all the french fries...mmmmm, french fries (with Homer Simpson voice). We were able to watch excited athletes soldier towards the finish two blocks away, excited because they were two blocks away from finishing or stoic because they had thirteen more miles to race. Either way, everyone needed to be cheered with gusto.

After supper, my Mom and I headed back to the finish line to pick up my girlfriend who was volunteering at the medical tent and look for friends who had finished. I found Andrea, who had finished and was in great spirits. She finished her first Ironman and looked no worse for the wear (not quite, but she was vertical, which is always good). On the way home, we dropped Kathryn off at her apartment at 10:30, which is right on the running course, and watched some athletes silently shuffling through the darkness. 11:00 I was back home and shortly asleep while other competitors were finishing until midnight. It sure beat last time.

Run

Since I didn't have salt tablets on the bike, I quickly took two tablets to try to slowly get my salt levels back to where they should be, assuming they were low. I packed a peanut butter sandwich and a bottle in Lipton green tea. The sandwich was difficult to get down, so I only ate a quarter. The tea was alright. I didn't realize it was carbonated, no big deal, but it was good to quickly get some fluids in me after conserving the last few miles of the bike (thanks for the advice Petra). The tea went down easily and I continued taking sips until the first aid station by the tracks on Spring St.

I started the run feeling really good. The bike didn't take much out of me at all, I still felt relatively fresh. This year, the course changed just a bit. The run started around the north two sides of the square and then down State St. State St. is another one of those great places to watch, and now that spectators know it, it makes it even better. The street was covered in chalk and both sides were filled with people watching friends, family and everyone else.



The first lap felt good. Last time I walked the last eighteen miles, so since I have never 'raced' a full Ironman, I didn't know how fast I could go. Due to this, I kept my pace sensible and ran 8:30-9:00 minute miles. I alternated taking a salt tablet and Gu every aid station, with water and Gatorade every station. I never felt like I was pushing at all. My pace felt good, if not a little easy. Even going up and down Observatory Dr. felt like it was nothing...well, nothing is a relative description. The first lap was uneventful, and as I near MLK Dr., I made the turn and headed back for more.

Sorry to give a boring account of the run, but the second lap was pretty boring too. I kept my pace and kept chugging along without many problems. As before, Ironman is a very long race, and everything changes through out the race. On the second lap, I was experiencing some tightness in my left hamstring. After taking the first lap at a sensible pace, I wanted to pick up the pace a little more so that I leave it all on the course...don't hold anything back. Often, when I would push the pace, or after a while of a higher pace, I would feel my hamstring start to tighten and get close to cramping. Since any sort of cramping or any other physical or mechanical problem would set me back several minutes or even hours, I backed off until it eased, and then picked my pace up again.

Running up State St. for the last time was great, I think.
I remember it, but I don't remember it. I was focused on maintaining my pace, and even though I was only a few blocks away from the finish, I was still racing. This was no Sunday drive. This was serious racing. I had tunnel vision going up the street. Every foot plant was carefully analyzed. I didn't want to misstep so close to the finish line. As I went past the run special needs bag section, I politely told the volunteer that I did not need my bag, I was finishing. I rounded the final corner and picked up the pace for the two blocks down MLK Dr. The volunteer at the turnaround didn't need to tell me here was the turn, he could tell that I was done. I ran down the street with only one arm in the air. I saw what happened at the Chicago Marathon finish and decided I'd rather not have that happen to me. I crossed the line, then put both arms in the air once I was safely under control. After 10 hours, 42 minutes and 17 seconds, I was once again an Ironman. Just shy of four hours, I had finished the run.

Bike and Transition 2

The route out to Verona from Madison was fun and fast. There were people on the right side of the road the entire way into Verona. Now mind you, these people weren't spectators, they were my fellow competitors. With help from the light tailwind and thanks to Jake Valentine for use of his Zipp 606 wheels (see picture), I was able to fly into Verona at a cruising speed of 26-28 mph. With a little help I was able to make up 100-200 places in the seventeen miles between Madison and Verona. Like in 2005, I was feeling great heading into Verona with the hope of another great ride.



In a long race like Ironman, everything doesn't always go perfectly. It is a long day, and whether you're feeling good or not so good, the only thing that is important is to keep going. During the swim, I could feel my right quad getting tight, almost feeling like I might cramp, but fortunately I never did. On the bike, I felt very strong, but I had some nutrition issues. Like I said before, I packed salt capsules in my swim-bike transition, but when I was putting on my cycling clothes, I never saw the salt so I never brought it with me on the bike. For very long races, you lose salt and electrolytes so you need to replace them with salt tablets, not just sports drinks. I also brought a peanut butter sandwich with me, but I have problems breathing and eating solid food at the same time, so I wasn't able to finish the entire sandwich, just like on the run. So, for the entire race, I consumed water, Gatorade, salt and Gu energy gels. Who ever said Ironman is glamorous?

My bike was good, really good. I never really pushed hard, but I always went pretty fast. I was only riding at 70% of my maximum effort, so I was riding, but not too hard. I alternated taking a water and Gatorade each aid station and never was out of fuel. After the first lap, my average was nearly 22 mph after 56 miles. When I saw Ryan and Kate north of Mt. Horeb on the second lap, I shouted to him, "22 mph beat that!" Kate retorted that if I can talk, I'm not riding hard enough...at least I think she said that, I was miles ahead when she said it (hyperbole, because I'm really fast).

Second lap, the wind kicked up a bit, but it was only a light breeze from the north. There are few sections of the course that head north, but the long section north back into Madison is a bit tough with a headwind for several miles. The second lap, I felt even stronger than the first. I guess I just needed 56 miles to get warmed up. I have always been a climber, but this year, I increased my power more than past years. I like to spin up the hills, but I tried to make sure I didn't go too easy, not use enough power to climb. The last time up Timber Lane, the steepest part of the course, I decided to stand up, shift up, and power over the top. Kind of a Lance moment for me. I was shouting to the spectators to get back as I flew up the packed climb.



After a few years of Ironman Wisconsin, the spectators have found the best parts of the course to watch the race, and they pack these spots full. For those of you familiar with the course, Timber Lane, downtown Verona and State St. are three of these places. There is a crush of people and a cacophony of sound, so much so that barriers are needed for fifteen blocks in downtown Verona and State St./Capital Square. Timber Lane however, does not have any barriers, so the fans stand in the middle of the road and force the cyclists to climb nearly single-file through the tunnel of people, a la every climb in le Tour. This, in my opinion, is even better than the finish.

So through the barriers in Verona one last time, past Kathryn's parents, uncle and sister, and back on to Whalen Rd., (cue Ozzie - "Momma I'm coming home."...but I have a marathon first). Through the headwind I rode, past empty roads and intersections. Most other spectators are watching their family members in the bike or they are in Madison already watching the pros. I've made up over 350 places with my 5:21 bike ride and 20.9 mph average. When I got out of the water, in was in 445th place out of 2200, after getting off the bike, I am 78th overall. My bike was faster than all of the women, including pros, and considering there were 28 pro men in the field, I beat all but 30 or so non-professional athletes. I had the fifth fastest bike time in my Mens 25-29 age group.

Was I fast? Yea, I was fast. Did I think I could go that fast? Maybe, but I thought that I would burn out if I went that fast. Fortunately, I was only cruising along and didn't work too hard.

Off the bike, I went back into the Terrace, changed in five minutes, and took off towards the Capital and the marathon course. I made sure I grabbed my salt tablets and took two immediately. My legs felt good as I left the friendly confines. The breeze was light, sun was out, and the temperature was pleasant. It was perfect for a great run for me...and everyone else.