Blueberry Cove Half Marathon 2022

Blueberry Cove Half Marathon; August 28th, 2022. Small, homey race in Tenant’s Harbor, for 4-H Blueberry Cove - raised $25K!! They like to keep it homey, so entries are capped at 250ish so it was a pretty full year. The week leading up to it represented the first real break in the heat, the humidity as well but less so. I was happy to take a start temp under 70F, despite the humidity staying fairly high.

Small races always present opportunity. Simple race mornings, easy coordination with race pals, cleaner fields, and - most of all - GREAT people. From Steve (the race director), to the couple who offered to take a picture of Zack and me at the start, to Susan Davis (who deserves a post in her own right!), to the home made pottery awards and finisher ‘medals’.

The Set Up: I’ve had a good run (heh) of races lately and the momentum was strong, but training had gotten between overreaching and “training through”. I was planning 20mi for the day alongside a super tough course (750ft of elevation up/down) to cap off a big build up training cycle. I wasn’t expecting a PR, but intended to run within 10sec/mi of my PR from 2019 (Old Port HM, 1:21:47). Given that, If I PR’d it would be a stunning but not totally out of question after 5K/10K best times within the last month. We opted to stay the night up in Rockland before the race, which was wise versus a day trip (2hour drive). It also fueled us nicely at Ada’s (Eat Pasta, Run Fasta!) & Sammy’s Deluxe (highly recommend) - see previous post.

Our flat personas for the race.
Exact same shorts and shoe models, all thanks to Zack's incredible market research and showing me the light! I was all Nike in the shoe category (but Pegasus & Peg Turbo)...and wasn't too keen on Nike half tights until the Aeroswift.

Having the “guys' weekend” also be our big pre-marathon race was perfect. Zack is very much been an inspiration as I’ve worked to make my own progress in running, which is trivial in comparison to what he’s done and the leaps and bounds. Lucky for me, he’s also probably the best hype-man out there. He’d been working through a bit of an injury, barely running the last 2 weeks, and he did an incredible job focusing on success “today” vs what was the plan when we signed up…something we all say we want to be good at, but usually end up throwing caution to the wind and paying for it even worse later. 

Race Morning: Awake at 4:40 AM and luckily Zack likes to be on the same timing so I didn’t have to be quiet with lights out. I put some water on my thrown together oatmeal and use the ice room’s microwave. When that was ready I started sipping on the coffee elixir from Sammy‘s Deluxe. That was some power fuel and the Chaga element was a little too much that early in the morning, so I put down half of it and then poured a nitro cold brew can of coffee to calm down the rest of it. I think on a regular morning or afternoon that would have gone down on its own. But I don’t like doing too much new on race day.

Started to do some self-massage and rolling on the legs, focusing on my left foot, which had been somewhat of a limiting factor over the past few weeks - ever since the beer mile (obligatory eyeball). Everything felt pretty spritely and alive, finished up the oatmeal while doing a quick 30 minute NormaTec session (level 5, not 7). After that it was a handoff of Normas to Zack and quick shower then final pack and off to the race. We got in the car a little bit later than we desired, but with plenty of time to spare, especially given the small town nature of the race. 

The drive from Rockland to Tenant’s Harbor had cool air, no need for A/C for once, and was an enjoyable drive with minimal traffic. My race-morning anticipation (anxiety??) showed when it was almost 7AM and there was a line of cars for this small race. It passed and we got a fine parking spot - between the start and finish, which were only like 0.25mi apart. I went straight into a warmup, thankfully having no need for the bathroom…I wanted 20 on the day, so needed 2-3 on the warmup (which was also a need for running a hard HM from the getgo).

Warm up: good hydration and a shot blok around 7:10, with 1+ miles in the Pegasus+compression socks, where a shoe switch may not be a convenience to be offered at other events. I didn’t want to stress timing, so I put on my regular socks (honestly, the lightweight Feetures have seriously taken top step well beyond everything I’ve worn previously) and the Alpha Flys. The immediate comical change in gait and step was present and I was a little thankful to calibrate to them for a mile before the race began. A couple 20-30 second surges to ~6min/mi and I was feeling primed but, as always, not quite physically ready for what was to come but in a really good mental state…nonetheless the hills worried me and it was gonna be a game of effort vs pace.

A couple selfies, and kind peeps taking pictures of Zack and me at the start and it was game time. I didn’t see anyone who I immediately recognized (no big names from the greater Portland area), and no one who looked Uber-pro. This observation came with equal parts comfort and fear, but I tried not to allow this to give me comfort. I came to run MY race. If I was within 2mins of my PR, that’s good. Within 1min was the A-goal. Anything more was fluff and a product of good form and execution! 

Deuces all around. 223 & 224 & the one and only 22!

The Race: Pleasant, low key start. A little girl (didn’t catch her name, but maybe one who goes to the 4-H camp?) rang the start bell after some instructions from Steve Cartwright, the Race Director. The ring was not your classic start gun or cannon, and left us briefly confused before we took off. Immediately I worked to find pace, low 6 or so, to stabilize and get a feel as we started flat into a bit of a downhill…talking down the good ol’ John Izzo yelling “The first 400m is FREE!!!” in my ear from UR.

It was quickly relevant that at 6:05 pace and having a gap, there weren’t any immediate really fast runners targeting sub-80, at least from the gun. This gave me a sense of concern, not ease and comfort - a good thing, in my opinion. I kept looking around, seeing a duo form about 20m behind, then a couple others behind them. I’m not sure the last time or EVER if I led a race and I’ve never won a race. In 2013 I was first male but second overall, as my check of Athlinks verifies that I never have finished a running race in first place.

Mile 1: 6:05. Spot on for the loss in elevation, and it felt so SO good. Heart rate was comfy in the low 160s. It was weird leading a race, especially at an effort that was comfortable and commensurate with the distance of the half marathon for me! I didn’t let that bubble over into (over)confidence. I came to race the Travis from 2019 and 2010, the eras of all my PRs….not to try to claim victory. If the two things coincided, that’s a bonus and if I had a chance to win, I’d throw down all I have to make it happen…but that was 12 miles away still.

Mile 2: 6:21. First hills coming. The downhills were sharp and awkward, as usual for me. At the end of mile 2, Henry Pehr caught me on a downhill and got a shot of adrenaline that I had to suppress, too early to “race” or worry about place. We reminisced in the old college running days in different calibers: he at UNC Chapel Hill, me at Rochester. He was mid distance and definitely a bit faster than I was, fear rising.

Miles 3-7: 6:20, :27, :15, :30, :31. This was a bit of a blur, in a good way. Henry and I chatted pretty constantly. Sometimes it resulted in losing focus on the pace, but we kept the pressure on pretty solidly - uphills were aggressive and strong, downhills I had to keep up with Henry’s long stride. I ate and drank at every planned time, adjusting around some of the harder sections. Water was approximately every 2 miles, but water was at ~4&5 then not until 8.

We had some tough constant hills from 3.25-7, sea level to 100ft a few times over. Definitely started to set in some substantial fatigue and took some oomph out of my stride. My heart rate started to slip into the 180s at this point, which is approaching redline. That’s a bit early in the race for me, but keeping pace with a competitor without digging too deep was the priority for the time being.

Mile 8: 6:16. The most beautiful and classic part of the race! Port Clyde and then off towards the historic (go ahead and watch Forrest Gump) Marshall Point lighthouse, which is very unassuming. We worked this section as there were actually some people in town cheering for the race! I told Henry about the Marshall Point lighthouse - thanks to Zack’s reading about the race.

Obligatory Forrest Gump/Marshall Point Lighthouse selfie. Zack's beard is themed well!

Mile 9: 6:23. The turnaround at the lighthouse was SUPER tight, the Alpha Flys were displeased but I didn’t roll my ankle. The turn was so aggressive that I said “Shit! I didn’t even look at the lighthouse”. It was too far behind us that we couldn’t see it.

Henry said "Well, we've only gotta do 2 miles twice at this point!"

We finally saw other runners on the out/back section here. There was a really good race for 3rd-7th, which was fun to see. 

Mile 10-11: 6:11, :06. This is where it started to get seriously hard, and where I forced my effort to stay deliberate and high. The major hills were behind us but these ones definitely hurt equally or more despite being gentler and shorter. The pavement was new and comfortable.

When you get into a place race at this point - whether it’s for 100th or 1st…you start assessing your edge, the advantage you have or those nearby and how to capitalize if possible. Maybe it’s just a tactic to give yourself focus on how to find success. I found my focal point: Henry had (and probably still has) faster leg speed…so slowing it down and leaving it to a sprint was not Plan A through D. I’m glad I fueled and drank well and it started setting in that this might be my key point of advantage over Henry. He didn’t take any food for the race and only grabbed water twice. I was happy to use my energy to ensure we kept the throttle on hard and we’re burning the absolute maximum energy without cracking myself. 

Mile 12: 6:12. HR now 185 for the mile. Spicy. My plan to make it harder for myself was working. Hopefully he felt as badly. Then I found another possible edge. Henry asked my age. I told him 33. He said he was 27, he seemed relieved that this guaranteed us each a victory of sorts. 1 overall, 1 age group. The age group part wasn’t a comforting thing for me, my brain in its miserable and stressed state wanted to snatch it up as a perfect scenario - you get a “top step” either way! The recent effort I’d put into running and life lately wasn’t going to feel worth it if I didn’t at least TRY TO lay it all down for the win.

I started to get little chills, not excitement chills but physiological ones. It meant that the effort was approaching absolute maximum. Chills when pouring sweat, at 185bpm, in 75F with 90%+ humidity. I thought of a Pre quote, and in hindsight realize that in comparison I’m ridiculously soft. But it made for a nice moment in extremis. I know damn well that when one of those comes by, you appreciate it, cherish it, let it fuel you until it eventually it is overridden by the brain in danger mode.

Mile 13 "Well, we only gotta do 2x800m at this point!" It got a very light chuckle, which may have been mistaken as a grunt or grimace to any onlooker of the race. Boom. 5:54. Net flat mile, downhill in the first half, uphill in the second. A small flat section in the middle. We were not backing off a bit into the final mile, heck we both said let’s make it out fastest. I don’t think either of us were ready for it to be only marginally the fastest. You always have this hope in a good race that you can really slam the last mile and come in ripping and looking/feeling badass.

We flew downhill, under 6 flat pace. I was hurting, I wanted to be tactical but at redline coming into an uphill half mile there isn’t a lot except when to burn that final match or two in the book. Henry hit the gas into the uphill. I pushed and got right behind him. He swerved and as I got up to speed it felt painfully labored. A huge side stitch ripped below my right rib cage, immediately my breathing was super audible and nearly gasping. I got it under control after digging my fingers into it and started on dragging back the 10-15 feet he gapped me. If he kept up this speed I was not likely to have a chance in hell at beating him, but I refused to let my body back off and accept the age group win.

I got back up to him and took the left position. Inside line for the dirt finish. Run the tangents, take the shortest and fastest line. Bike racing engrained some of these tactics that are oft missed in running, because such a lapse in judgement in cycling can give your opponent a free win. He made it clear he thought we were closer to the end and as I was reeling from the recent effort, saw my chance coming up when he was still regretting his attack and we both were hurting from it. If I hurt like hell, so does he. Like Jeff Dixon told me: “if you can’t taste iron/blood then you’re probably not in a good enough position for the finish”. I doubled down on making the race as miserable as possible and started to burn it all once we were around 400m to go. I wanted to have a gap before the dirt, because I don’t fully trust these shoes on such surface and feared it’d feel like going through mud for both of us and every meter of space was painful separation to claw back. I checked over my shoulder and a solid gap opened. I looked dead ahead for the finish line between the canopy and turn in the road, but made sure I had quality footing. I threw it all down not taking a modicum of comfort from the last gap I saw. 

Holy shit. A first place happened. Fully aware it was in part due to the field that day (thank god no one running last years 1:12 showed up!), I was still overwhelmed with the feeling I had never had before in a running race.

All in all, it was basically tied for a PR - far better than I anticipated. My PR was from 2019 @ 1:21:47. This race I finished at 1:21:12, but it was a little short (13.04mi by my watch). Extrapolated to 13.11, that is a 1:21:38 - so, just barely but courses often run a little long, so it was basically a "tie" from 2019, but on a much harder course! So it met my goals very clearly. I added on the last 0.07mi but it was SLUGGISH, totaling about 1:22:20.

The sprint for glory!

Post: I gave Henry a hug or pound or something and congratulated him on a hard earned race. I thanked him for being a companion and fighter that kept me running scared until the very end of the race. He kept me far more accountable and stronger than I would have without him. He definitely was a big part of the approximate PR time at the distance. We grabbed water (I added on 0.07mi so my Garmin would properly accept the HM distance), chatted, and talked to a few people as the trickled in for the top ten. 

Henry and I with our spoils, well earned from 11 hard miles side-by-side. 

I called Bailey from the car and told her all about the race. There’s nothing better than sharing a peak day with the people you love. Whether it’s in person (with Zack) or recounting the thrill and joy on the phone (with Bailey). I had to get moving before I tightened up further and had to also go see Zack out on the course…I would’ve hung it up after a short jog if it wasn’t for him being here so I was thankful for the external motivation to close out my bonus miles on the day.

I headed out backtracking the course after switching out my shoes and jersey. I was pretty wrecked. The first mile I stopped 4 times to stretch/rest and it was sluggish at very best. By the time I saw Zack at 2 miles, I was able to move pretty well and spun around alongside him. In classic Zack fashion he was more interested in how I did than how his race was going. “You won didn’t you?!” He had seen me at the 0.75mi mark solo and that was all he needed to be sure I’d execute, I’m glad one of us was sure! I beamed in joy that he was right but also that he was a billion times more confident in me making it happen than I was. I told him my race was over and it was now his turn to bring it home and focus the next two miles. He multitasked on getting the work done and being proud of me, as he told many people we passed that I had won (as I covered my face). It was the best victory lap imaginable for the day. Finishing a race, then getting to celebrate a close friend’s accomplishment alongside him immediately after. I was even able to grab some quality content for him with a few photos and videos.

Zack finished strong and happily without the pain he’d had the week before. While it wasn’t his fastest half, it was in all levels a huge success. By the time I caught up to him he had started running again - a man of principle!! He had to get the extra distance to round out a complete half marathon distance after realizing his watch was a few hundredths of a mile shy 💪.

The rest of the post race was awesome. Some great conversation, exceptional spread of food and drink, and a relaxing close knit atmosphere. I already knew I’d have to plan to come back in 2023. The awards ceremony was great and I was able to get a pretty awesome handmade coffee mug, which is my new go to at home. 

Top tier snacks, Zack approved.

We left after the awards with a great deal of hype and energy to keep a great day going…but thank god for Cumberland Farms any size iced coffee for 99 cents. That saved the both of us on the drive. I’m very much of the NEXT mentality, but it felt really good to come away with a hard-fought win.

At this point, the race was a week ago and I’m fully focused on the Chicago marathon; my real, singular focus of the running season. It’s been a continually good series of events and one is bound to be a bad day, but I’ll ride this wave as long as I can. Often I look back at where I was 6-9months ago and see what feels like entirely different version of myself, at least athletically. I also see it in my dedication and work ethic generally in life. I realize that every future improvement will be smaller and tougher earned than every previous one, but I’m excited to keep working harder and more deliberately than ever. NEXT. I’m only as good as my next race. 

Beach to Beacon 2022 Race Report

Beach to Beacon; August 6th, 2022. Classic day. Seems like it might be cooler than recent and manageable. But it’s even more humid and the temp may be lower than the day before, but it’s still tough. Some wind on the course provided mild reprieve.

The set up. Really stressful work week, coming off a 5K PR last weekend and some hard efforts, lots of excitement for the weekend (friends’ wedding + hosting 4 guests + hosting the day after wedding brunch for 50 people), and I finally put a PR target on a race so the pressure was seriously on...

After 4th of July 10K (36:49) I said the goal was a PR at B2B. I honestly wasn’t even sure if sub36 would be doable as nearly 1 minute in a month is a lot more than a lot to ask for!

Race day. Food and coffee, check. A little light NormaTec while watching some recent worlds 10K races. Stretch. Hydrate. Prep is good. Legs are okay, not bad but not feeling fully primed. I’ve come to realize this part is not a complete tell, and as long as you’re prepared you can perform through a lot of what FEELS sluggish.

Bailey kindly chauffeured a full car to the start - and home - while only managing a couple miles herself due to painful traffic routing. We got to the start line before 7:30 - start time 8:12. Bathroom was really calling. Too much to ignore. Not so bad it was do or die. Picked the wrong line (actually, because Danielle was in and out 5mins faster!).

Warm up: Untapped Maple Coffee @ 7:40!! 1.25mi, little sweat, couple surges to 6 pace. Not the 2mi I wanted but plenty. Then came the battle through the crowd, holy crap thousands of people really crammed up hard to run sub7 😒 . I got to about the 7:00/mi spot, got a photo with Neff wooooot for my troubles.

Race start: shit show (my fault because of timing), but people were going sub 5 blowing by me and legit people WALKING off the starting line. Others yelled at them to get off the road. After 45 seconds I felt like I was more or less running versus doing slalom or plyos jumping through people. Quickly hit a stride of 5:35/mi. Fast, yes, but downhill and very controlled. Hit the mile in 5:42, after that it was still a lot of passing but the road was usable - just not perfect tangents (there’s my 3 seconds?! My fault, again!).

Mile 2 my HR was already into the 180s. Humidity and some heat. This would make 4th of July 10K look light, I knew that already. Not as easy of a mile as it looks, false flat all the way. 5:49. After this I knew it was a matter of steady as we go, hovering this pace. The challenges would come from 2.8-3.75 and all of mile 6.

Mile 3. Clicked it off quick, not easy. 5:46 even with some downhill that’s my style. Coming up the hill closing out I knew maintaining pace into mile 4 was key.

Mile 4. Woof. Self doubt hits hard in the sun on the uphill drag past Cape High. The race - at least against myself - at B2B is won on the two harder sections. If you can hold strong, you can “recover” into mile 5, then after mile 6…we’ll, you finish harder and are done. Luckily amidst the doubt, I came alongside Jacob Brady. We exchanged a few quips, whatever we could manage and he told me I’d been running super well lately and clearly once again having a good day. I told him honestly it was really a struggle here and the smart racer told me there was the downhill ahead to prep for the next beating. 5:43.

Mile 5: on a better day this would feel like some mixed of turnover and gravity propelling a runner to an easy faster mile. It was nothing of the sort. The downhills were clunky and the flats were without rhythm…I just wanted to go back uphill where I at least felt I was outputting relatively well. I took a moment and let myself back down from the effort, a mental lapse that I was able to suppress and regain focus. Not easy, but we’ve been there before and we’ll all be there again. The pace was good (enough) versus the feel, and that’s mostly what mattered. 5:55, thanks to the downhill - no thanks to me. 😰 and the heart rate barely dropped. As expected the B2B for me came down to execution on mile 6. It was a 1.25 mile race. Just 5 laps, not bad right?! Lol

Then it FUCKING HIT ME. I was pretty much immediately cross eyed. Harry Nelson was there guiding finishers. I said “Hey Harry ! It’s Travis Kroot!” This seemed to worry him because of course we know each other. He asked if I needed help as I inhaled useless hot damp air that continued to leave my lungs begging for sustenance. I wobbled, pretty considerably, because the next person asked multiple times if I needed to go into the Med tent. I asked if I could just have an IV without the hubbub, but said others would absolutely need it way more. Surprisingly that reassured the woman and off I went to wobble and plop in my soaked shoes towards the grassy knoll best known as “the actual final test of B2B”. Ruth (16yo) walked by me, clearly more expert at this racing deal. We exchanged pleasantries. As always with young athletes who are fast as fuck, I have a deep curiosity if there is joy in it or if it already feels like a job. I got some strong sense of the former, despite my lack of function.

PR!!!

Up the hill and BAILEYYY!!! Oh man what a joy to see that woman. Even now it brings a tear to my eye (as I wrote at 1am and she’s doing a night shift at Maine Med). She’s really carried a lot for me - emotionally and physically - through this transition back into fitness.

Even better than the PR!

LL Bean 4th of July 10K 2022 Race Report

 4th of July 10K Race Report notes, not a full report, but a worthy share:

Top goal was sub37. Acceptable would have been anything under 38 honestly!
First formal 10K since....2010 (???!!!) when I PR'd at 36:11. I knew the PR wasn't in range, but feel like I'm approaching slowly. Last week's workout showed a lot better fitness than I expected after the 5K a few weeks ago, so I figured a mix of going out by feel but also a LITTLE relaxed was critical. Toughish course and one to test you well, especially on the 5th mile!

After about 2.5, settled in next to a sophomore at Stonehill (Jace Hollenback). Good dude, great conversation for heartrates over 170->190! We worked the 3-6mile range, really chewing up the people in front of us. We didn't let catching them be a reason for backing off the gas.

Mile 5 was where mental effort seriously peaked. After that it was just about finishing fast as I could. Mile 4 was hard and very very physical, but we still managed 6:00 pace for 4-5 (marginally). Mile 6 started with a nice slight descent where we were averaging around 5:40, it was clear we both were going to finish with our fastest mile....a rarity it seems that you must cherish deeply despite the suffering that ensues.

Despite the bit of climbing in mile 6, came through 5:43 and started to push for the last 400m flat to use it up. Managed a quarter in sub-75, something that has felt "woooof fast" on the track so far.

Didn't really focus on "time" during the race. Jace and I talked about managing a possible sub 37 if we held it together past mile 4, we in fact needed to step it up - gaining 17 seconds on Mile 6 was the key to get us under 37!! Feeling a little like an old version of my past self lately, brings a few tears to the eyes.

Next Level, unlocked. B2B goal: PR.

Shoe "choice" (it's not a choice at this point): Nike AlphaFly. Phenomenal running shoe, feels glorious and manages to let me go downhills hard without feeling like I'm breaking my foot bones. After mile 5, when that uphill section should have had me crying...I still had some good bounce and push. I wouldn't say I "recovered" mid race but definitely bounced back to hammer home the last 2K!

My processing of the race and recent build up:

Running has really reached that fulfilling state in recent months. The initial catalyst was running alongside Bailey at the Newmarket Marathon as she BQ’d last fall. It was also a really REALLY great race for me even though my focus was being a pacer. It showed me how to work and deliver on a plan, that sometimes what one feels is not achievable is truly within reach. I hadn’t been there myself for quite a while.

What I didn’t know was how hard it’d be to get traction off of a hamstring that hamstrung my training off of that race. I relinquished the effort, getting back to what has become “my winter weight” - 30 pounds over 2019 race weight - and generally was discouraged. But I was(and still am) loving work so it was manageable. My laziness and lack of motivation started to hit my overall drive and I had to make a change; there was also the upcoming Mt Whitney summit attempt and the Vermont City Marathon. Two events I told myself I’d be ready for, once again alongside Bailey.

I kicked it into high gear, with the help of family, friends, Whoop (thanks, Jason!), and IDEXX having Noom as a benefit. Today I’m at a race weight not seen since 2013 and gaining strength/speed what seems like daily. Lately, I smile at the joy of being able to go faster when I’m exhausted and feel spent. Suffering in a race is heavily rewarded by speed and near-PR times, a combination not to be taken lightly as in the long term such things are ephemeral. Here’s to keeping it going.

Chicago 2022. I see you.

Tour of Washington County 2012 Stage Race Report

Stage Races: There are epic ones like Le Tour, Giro, Vuelta, ATOC, etc. Then there are the ones the rest of us call stage races, which are awesome in their own right...just don't think about any of the big ones when you're tired and sore on day 2 of 2! My first ever stage race was this past weekend, the Tour of Washington County (hereafter TOWC) in the towns of Smithsburg, Boonsboro, and Williamsport in Maryland. It was a 2 day set up of a Saturday Road Race (43mi) and Sunday TT (10mi) & Crit (20mi). All in all this is pretty short for a Category 3 stage race, but it made for a good first go at stage racing. As a 'kicker' and because I was making the 10+ hour trek, I added in the TOWC Kick-Off Criterium on Friday night in Hagerstown, MD - seen here.

Friday Night. Double fisting and in the 23lb of Ice Bath in order to prepare for the stage race ahead.  (Note: Don't try this before doing a stage race. Especially if you are under 21 - and I mean AGE, not RACE AGE!)

Road Race: Smithsburg
Friday tired me out a little, it was faster than expected to say the least...but it went well enough that it was worth it. Saturday came along and I headed to the race. I met Tim Durrin at Midas to get my car fixed while we raced. During warm-up I was on the phone with Midas and paid for the work order! The course was a rolling 6mi circuit, with some hills and one 'wall'-ish hill. As the race went on, it slowly and unknowingly beat my legs down...we tried some attacks and burnt those matches to no avail whatsoever - it stayed completely together. On the last lap I started to get pings (like many others I later discovered) and on the last wall - 2 miles to go - I got full hamstrings crap on the left side. I was able to sag the climb and survive, using the downhill to reposition. Coming into the finishing mile I was positioned top 10, gained a few slots and was 5th going into the last up-down before the finishing kicker/hill. This time it fully seized up. I was in third position, gaining on 1 & 2. I had to stop pedaling and use my right leg to downshift. I survived, edging out a gaining 4th place by a half wheel! Got the 4 second time bonus (note: this comes into HUGE play later on!!). Even more importantly, after the 14 points in 2 days I have officially rounded out my Category 2 upgrade. Time to hammer away on the TT and get a GC slot!

ICE BATH!! We emptied the hotel's ice machine. Baller status.

Time Trial: Boonsboro
First ever TT, second ever time on the TT bike (Thanks Ralph!!). First time in a speed suit (Thanks Jon) and first time with a TT helmet (Thanks Adam). I didn't realize it until the race started, but the rear brake was rubbing every time the frame flexed from standing/accelerating/climbing. I pushed it from my mind as best as I could and just hammered away. Legs were not happy, I couldn't get my HR to my 185 "sweet spot" that I hold steady for 20-30mins on breaks, but I was moving. I ended up 4th in the TT, 25 seconds out of first place.

The weekend's fuel of choice. Homemade no-bake granola bars!

Crit - 20 Miles 14 Miles: Williamsport
We didn't know the TT/GC status until we arrived. I was in third, 21 seconds out of first...and just 4 seconds out of 2nd. The two guys ahead of me were on the same team...not fun at all! The guy who was in 2nd place was the guy I edged out in the road race. Had I not held on with the cramp, I would be 12 seconds out of 2nd place GC - a near impossible feat to overcome. The time bonuses were 3-2-1 seconds @ 25%, 50%, 75% completion of race, and then 6-4-2 seconds at the finish. It was clear, I needed to crush this race and had no time to relax...I would be going all in for every single sprint. I could handle sprinting every 5 miles, thanks to my repetitive sprinting training. But the race was shortened to 14 miles due to an ugly crash in the masters race. Now I would be sprint every 5 laps, or 3.5 miles....on an uphill 150m drag. Uh ohhh. There was no alternative, so I stuck to the plan: 2nd place GC.


The race started. My legs were fried, my left hammy was toast, and the course was such that I couldn't avoid standing after turns and on the hill. This was going to be interesting, but I made my plan and if my hammy blew up and I pulled out...so be it. I came all this way to break legs, I wasn't leaving without it happening even if it meant breaking myself. The pack held together pretty much entirely (thank goodness!).


I must say that if you were in this race or watching, I raced this 100% textbook - I could not have positioned or raced barely any better (and I almost never say anything like this). I was ready and more willing to go deep than any other person in the race. I knew it, too. And I was on fire. Sprint 1: Positioning, excellent. Result, 2nd place. 2 seconds down, I'm now 2 seconds back and didn't see #334 or #332 in the mix (1st & 2nd place GC guys). Good. Sprint 2: Positioning, textbook again. I attempted to seated sprint this one in order to save my hamstrings/legs for the final 2 sprints. Seated I still pulled off 3rd place, gaining 1 second. Now I was 1 second down. Sprint 3: Decent positioning...5th wheel into a 120deg turn and people going on your inside is okay but not great. I went hard. I needed this one. I dug deep and got 2nd, sighing as I crossed the prime. I was not virtually in 2nd place GC. "All" I had to do was beat #334 on the final sprint. No cakewalk there. Last lap: I am burning all over. Worse than Friday, at least muscularly. I hold position and am 4th wheel. No sight of #334, I refused to look back. 2nd place was laying 0.7 miles ahead of me. Final turn! Some A-HOLE decides to dangerously cut inside of me (likely cause of that ugly masters crash). I couldn't crash now. I took the turn so wide I was riding the outside curb, with no draft and a 10m gap! I started my sprint, accelerating well considering the cumulative toll on my legs. I slipped into one guy's draft and was instantly out the other side. Only 1 man in front of me now...gaining, gaining, I needed more distance! The final turn killed it for me. I had 2nd bagged and would have had first given just a little more road (as the winner informed me). On this day I was okay with being second...but only because it pushed me into 2nd GC :p haha. I ended up placing in every sprint gaining a huge 9 seconds out of a maximum 15, something even I didn't know if I was capable of doing. I guess the toll of the heat and the stage race hit everyone.

If you're not first, you're last! At least I managed to split up the teammates.

It was an AWESOME experience. I am so pumped from this stage race I want another ASAP, but likely will be waiting until Green Mountain for it. Over the whole weekend (including Friday) I got 25 points, which is kind of crazy...as I planned on getting 11 in the races. I'll take it, and on Thursday I received my Cat 2 upgrade. Time to rock out with the big(ger) dogs! I have so so many people to thank that I will be doing a separate post to thank all of you! But still, THANKS - you know who you are.

Purgatory Road Race 2012

Here is a debrief I wrote to an email group regarding the Purgatory Road Race in Sutton, MA on 6/10. I need a filler report before I delve into my write-up for the Tour of Washington County Stage Race (and Friday's Kick-Off Criterium).

Purgatory Cat 3 Race Report: A lesson on how not to race bikes (unless you are working for a teammate in the peloton. But even then, such racing is highly discouraged haha).

We were also set for a good 5 laps at 11 miles each, totaling ~4500ft gain. The course has a seemingly MASSIVE elevation loss and a noticeable, but not nearly as massive gain. (Hank et al, correct me if this seems incorrect). After the neutral start 12 riders got away, no one cared to ride faster than 20mph. The first thing Joe, myself, and a few friends of mine (who were planning an attack after the climb on lap 3 of 5) heard was 1:30 gap with 12 riders in the break. I had no idea this even happened because I - for the first time in my racing career - took the advice of many to stay away from the front as I tend to work myself for no reason.

The gap got to 2:25 (I think) and I was sick of the field making no effort. I slipped off the front when taking a pull and no one did anything, mini effort and I had 50m. I stuck my head down and rode hard. Quickly I had 30s on the field and half a lap later as the legs were getting quite heavy I was within 60sec (!!!) of the break. Sadly I was not fresh due to the Nutmeg races the day before, or I would have laid it all on the line in effort to make it onto the climb and go to war on that 1K hill to latch onto the break. However, the pack swallowed me up, but we were now withing 80sec of the break - which was slowly falling apart. Very few wanted to work aside from myself and sir Joe Lynch. We knew a couple things: 1) if we sat it wasn't going to come back and our best placement possible would be 8, even with the falling apart breakaway and 2) we didn't come this far to sit around with a pack of individuals satisfied with a poor placing.

Joe and I made attacks and drilled the field for the remaining two laps, each of us gapping the field on multiple occasions. The efforts Joe put in were (as expected) massive and unforgiving. At one point on the backside of the course where there was the 250m 3% climb, I thought I popped - I started to get the chills/goosebumps/cramps - and told Joe and another fellow whom we were off the front with that I had officially imploded. I slowed to something shy of 5mph and the field was on me before I could relax. I barely latched on and somehow recovered to continue to assault with Joe.

Now we were within 60 sec once again after falling back to 90+ sec on the third lap. It was clear we were devouring the pavement between ourselves and the breakaway because while taking a pull on a long straight I saw SRAM Neutral Support. 1K later, it was pulled into a driveway. As Bob Roll would say, "The referees have declared that the breakaway will be caught, the team cars are being stopped along the road." I must note that during the last feedzone a gutsy individual took it upon himself to win. He broke away from the breakaway and won cleanly.

We passed the SRAM car and it was on to the final climb. Taking the right-hander to the 1K climb, Joe was fully exploded and I was rendered something just shy of dead. We eased up the rest of the climb and called it a day.

Final result: the breakaway (except for the valiant lone ranger who went solo) did not survive and nor did we. The friends I had in the field and was hoping I would help did not have sufficient legs to place or collect money. Joe displayed his classic capacity to endure and endure, especially on a course that wasn't quite his forte. Although, when you can dig deep like Joe every course is your course. I made an effort to do (what I feel is) one of the most amazing feats in cycling, bridge the gap to a break. However, I could not sustain the effort and am a bit stronger because of it.

My (Hopefully) Last Cat 5 Race: Bristol RR

I was very excited for this race. The previous weekend had been lackluster and I was irking for some real racing - primarily from myself, as I had been surrounded by strong athletes last weekend. So the only logical option was step up and stick it to it! My excitement for the race extended being needing to do well: this race was going to be 37 miles and with 2.5 times through some legitimate hills. 37 miles isn't "all that much" by standards of many other Categories, but it represents what one might start to see in the Cat 4 level, where I hope to be in my next cycling race.

I had a pretty solid week of training going into this race, with a track workout and a couple good OTB (off the bike) efforts running. I made a point to not taper for the race as it is not a multisport race and this mindset is critical to maintain focus on tri's. So I took Thursday fairly strong (after 2.5 hours on the trainer Wednesday) by swimming, then doing the Bristol course to a pretty hard 2.5-mile tempo, due to time limitations. Friday I took as an easy 7 miler, which felt insanely relaxed (too relaxed, in fact). The one good thing is that I finally got a good night's rest the night before a race. Two nights before, again, was pretty bad. I had an econ exam Friday and hadn't been to class for the second half of the semester (I know, I'm a bad person...but what can I say, I was busy training...). I got under 5 hours of sleep, but the test went fine and I was glad to be finished with exams!

Now for the fun stuff: race day! Woke up at about 7:45 in an effort to get as much sleep as I could manage without being late or screwing up the race day schedule. Got stuff together and made it to Bristol at 9:35 and check-in was closing at 9:40 (cut it close because I forgot to get gas Friday). Got situated and set out on a warm up, towards the finish line. Felt about as flat as I had felt relaxed Friday on my run - I knew it was too good. Chatted with Mike, Kevin, and Chris about planning for the race as we had a MASSIVE team (10 of ~30 total). Because the race was 2 laps and change, we figured keep the first lap steady but in control, and move if people moved.

A quick bit about the course (visual provided below):

• Staging/Official Start: Just before 14 Mile mark
• Lap/Finish: 17 Mile Mark
• Solid 3 mile climb (14-17) then good descent, then constant climb (4-6), then FAST descent (50+MPH)

We set out from the staging and the pace was pedestrian. However, I felt like crap so I decided to sit in rather than take a relaxed spot out front with Mike at a pace that would actually help me warm up had I been feeling good. We hit the first section of hill and things remained very calm, but I felt pretty bad still. We passed the lap/finish (2 laps/34 miles to go) and cruised the downhill, which was when the pace definitely went into normal racing tempo. Coming into Egypt road (mile 4.25) there was some basic positioning going on, into the hill a U of Buffalo guy swung out left and blew his tire right in front of me. He started to slow and looked like he was coming right and I quickly yelled for him to just hold his line, which saved me from making a drastic maneuver. We hit the hill at a fair pace, and a Buffalo Velo guy led it out a bit. The bulk of the group was able to maintain contact for the first time around, or reattached shortly after the peak. Kevin, Mike, and Liam all looked real good up the hill the first time - I was working to hold on and would let a gap open up knowing I could seal it on the next flat/downhill safely.

We took the downhill fast, in the sense we didn't ride our brakes. When we were going about 50MPH I heard a flat pretty loud and it was Mike Hoffman's - not cool. Apparently it ripped a couple inch gash in his sidewall and he had a near-life threatening speed wobble, and his chain dropped at the same time. Luckily, by a lot of cleat dragging and well maintained control he came to a stop without crashing. Mike, who I believed to be a (or the) top contender was now sadly out of the race. I really wanted him in it to see what damage he could do. On the next set of hills everything started to split. By the time we hit the finish line (1 lap to go) there were about 10 of us remaining, including Liam, Kevin, and myself. We came into Egypt road fast and hit the hill much harder this time. Midway through it was down to 6 of us: Liam, Kevin, Overlook guy, White kit, Buffalo Velo, and myself. Went hit the hill hard enough that the Buffalo Velo guy started swerving and eventually bonked and toppled over towards the top. Only problem was, he nearly took Kevin and I out once and actually took out Liam. He fell perfectly into Liam's line and Liam didn't have a chance to react. He fell as well, but was uninjured. Sadly, Kevin and I were forced to keep going as the two others kept pushing. As we hit the crest it was Kevin, white kit, and me - with the Overlook guy about 15 meters back. We pushed and were able to finally drop the Overlook guy.

And then there were three. We kept in a paceline and were cruising pretty good - making sure to keep a strong pace and work together. Pulls started out fairly long, but shortened as we neared the staging area and got hit with some unfavorable weather. At about 4.5 miles from the finish, a crazy downpour came upon us - with pretty killer winds. It was nasty and wet, and made drafting almost worse than pulling. Before coming into the final turn ~2 miles from the finish, I took a pull and continually downshifted as I felt like I was running out of gas...not a good sign with so little to go. We moved along, more as an amoeba now, towards the finish and up the beginning hills. No one made a move and Kevin and I spoke briefly - he mentioned making a move to me as we were coming up to the "kill zone" that we had determined would be the time to make a move to seal the deal. It was the last kicker leading up to the false flat that was the finish. Once we hit the hill - I hit the gas hard, not having any idea if I'd blow up. I put in some real hard work and was nervous to see if anyone was with me (I couldn't hear anyone). After a good 20 seconds I checked back as I sat down to recover a bit and knew, to a fairly high certainty, that the race was mine. I had gotten a good 20 meters on Kevin and the other guy, who started to drop Kevin. I made sure to keep the pedal down and check my back often, as I did go very early (considering how toasted I felt) - especially if the other guy had planned to make a substantial counter on the false flat. When I was 150m out it was for sure I had won and I pushed it hard through the finish - winning by 12 seconds. Kevin took 3rd (1st for NYS Championships, I am Maine, 2nd place was CO) and Liam took 5th.

A nice bonus was the shwag! I got a new Lazer O2 Helmet, which lists for $110! So pumped about it. Wore it today (Monday on a 40 mile ride and love it, definitely a massive upgrade). Overall it was a great race and I liked that it was nearly 2 hours - felt more realistic and less like a sprint. Can't wait to get to 40+ mile races! So I'll be sending in a request to Cat up to 4's, as I now have 8 races - 5 of which are wins. I can't wait to get into some races where I can get my ass handed to me, looking forward to it (seriously!).