Proposal: team theme song to be used as a background track in a video montage of our September race. Something like the one Morgen put together for Region 2 gymnastics last year.
Click to listen: Break Through by Queen
… break through those barriers of pain
Know any other songs that might inspire?
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Hello All Farts! Andy and I completed the inaugural adventure race last weekend in Missoula, and it was AMAZING! I’m definitely ‘hooked’ (like I wasn’t before…ha ha). So here is a brief run-down of the race, I’m sure they’ll be more stories next weekend when many of you are here for our big Bloomsday training event.
So, being the sport-science geek I am, I planned my taper pretty carefully, and followed it closely in the days before the race. This included the previous week being my biggest training load (11hours, 43 min), followed by a 5 day taper of 30 min workouts each day. I had been working on my nutrition plan too; what time I’d need to eat race-day, what to eat, etc. Of course on race day, things didn’t work as planned…. and all I got was 3 donut holes and a swig of coffee to get me going! So much for that plan.. Didnt seem to matter much.
The race started with an obstacle course. Andy went down on the slick grass on a corner, but showed impressive agility, rebounding so quick that if you blinked you would have missed it entirely. After running on a zig-zag, we came to the belly-crawl (thanks for the practice, Dave!), followed by a cargo net climb. I did an impressive, Fart-worthy flip over the top, and was rewarded with a nice smack of my face against the metal goal-post crossbar (damn gravity). Then it was off for a little jog before facing Mt Sentinel. Took 48 minutes of intense climbing to reach the top. We took the ‘straight up’ route, rather than the switch-back route which made it exra special. Then we ran down the backside of the mountain, over snow, ice, mud, and loose rock. Orienteering was kind of a cluster-Fu**&*, as we really didn’t have much of an idea of what to do, although we faked it as best we could. We ended up going in circles only once (a 15 minute sidetrip on our route), and made an error on one-check point. The way the races tend to be judged is that you HAVE to get all the points right first, and then they rank you from there so we really need to get these skills, at least one member per team. Of course now I can assure you that I will be an expert at this in a very short period of time, because that’s how I am… (duh). The orienteering mostly took place off-trail, bushwacking through all sorts of terrain. WATCH your ankles! Next we hit bike transition (bikes had to be dropped off before the race), where we had a quick gel, and the race provided some bananas and oranges. Need to work on transition speed, especially in these short sprint races. Can’t waste much time here. Hit the bike route, beginning with a lllooonnnnggg uphill climb, on the lowest gear the whole way. Then it was some major downhill, where I appreciated having my helmet as speeds approached maybe 30-35mph? Became very apparent that a slight mistake in braking, or a stray rock would send you careening off the mountain if you werent careful. Also had to bike over snow and mud. This was followed by a 5 or so mile stretch of flat toward the finish. This was a bit of a grind, you knew the end was near and you had to keep the pace up. I’ll let Andy tell his story of the fantastic finish…. you’ll love it! Such style, such flair…
The race was followed by pizza (no veg option – boooo). And giveaways, which Andy won a tubeless tire kit. I have found a race in Coeur d Alene MAY 31, that I hope to race. It does require pairs or a foursome – I got tentative commitments from Kelly, Morgan, Dave, and Lisa, but that still leaves me without a partner….. any takers? Oh, forgot to mention that the next day, after running the Grizzlyman, Andy and I were troopers and ran the Blooomsday route with the group here for Regional champs. Ran pretty good, considering, but I got real tight at the end, and am still trying to work out those muscles.
For Bloomsday weekend, if you have any special desires for food or drink (cause I kinda usually dont have much of either at my house!) drop me an email. I was planning a poker night at my house Sat night, so save your spare change. Hope training is going well for all, you might try and check out some options for competition over the summer, like a min-triathalon, duathon, trail races, or biking races. It really gives your training a boost!
Jeni
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Dave assigned me to bone up on bicycle preparation, maintenance and repair.
He’s picked the wrong man for the job. Though I’ve been a bicycle commuter for 10yrs, I can barely operate a toaster. No mechanical instincts at all.
This became obvious to me when last night I attended a 1hr bike basics course at REI. There was nothing new — but I realized how hopeless I would be on the course compared with the guy leading the workshop.
A couple of general points for all, however:
Leave a comment if you have more “tips” …
It’s getting warmer, and that means… yes, we’re getting closer to Race Time! Actually Big Blue is only 160 days away!
Here’s what’s coming up in the next little while:
April 18 – 21 Regionals Weekend: Jeni and Andy are racing in Montana on Saturday. On Sunday, about 6:00 ish, all of us here, including Jodi, hope to run the Bloomsday course and THEN go to the coach’s social…
May 2 – 4: Bloomsday Weekend!
Okay, here we go… Dave, Lisa and Jeni are pleased to be your hosts and cruise directors for the weekend. And now, your entree…
Friday, May 2: Everyone arrives at Dave and Lisa’s in the late afternoon at the latest. That evening, we are going to head out and have some real “dark” fun!
> Orienteering: Even though we’ll likely have a couple of navigators, EVERYONE needs to be able to orient a map, find “north” (not as easy as it sounds!) and maybe get found… remember that running really fast in the wrong direction is bad. Dave is going to set up an orienteering course and conduct a basic map and compass session at Farragut, and on the “home” property.
> Our first “Night Hike and Bike!” Yes, that’s right! After tromping after our compasses, we are going to do a true nighttime bike ride and run! Estimated start time is 9:00 – 10:00ish, and will likely last 3 – 4 hours total.
YOU WILL NEED ALL OF THE FOLLOWING TO PLAY:
> Bike
> Helmet (yes, even Jeni!)
> Padded bike gloves (trust me!)
> Water bottles or Hydration pack good for 4 hours
> A GOOD bike light and batteries
> A helmet mounted light that can be converted to normal head use for the run
> A whistle
> A simple medical kit
> An AR compass
> Bike lock
> CLEAR sunglasses (for bugs and branches. These are a must!)
> Layers for warmth (we’re going rain or not, so bring stuff for warm weather, cool weather and wet weather. Please try to bring lots of thin layers, rather than bulky ones)
> A hat (Trust me! Plus you’ll need it for your light)
> Running shoes
> Wet weather gear (hopefully not!)
> A sense of humor! (Mandatory!)
After our adventure, we will have a “slumber party” at Lisa and Daves, and sleep in a little on Saturday.
Saturday:
When we wake up, Dave will cook a little breakfast as you all sit in the hot tub. After that, we’ll pack up and hit the road for a great day of training!
> A Kayak lesson on Lake Coeur d’ Alene with a pro who will help us make our strokes as efficient as possible. There will be some sort of charge for renting the boats, but it will be very reasonable.
WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING:
> Kayak gloves
> Wet/dry/kayak suit if desired… you’ll get wet, and the water will still be nippy!
> Water shoes, hopefully water proof ones.
> A PFD
> Your paddle if you want
> A whistle
> After that, we will run Tubbs hill (gently!) as a loosener
> We’ll head to Cheney for a ropes course where we will work with rapelling, ascending and traverses amongst other elements that we might encounter.
WHAT YOU”LL NEED:
> LEATHER palmed gloves (they MUST be leather. Synthetics don’t work well)
> A climbing harness if you have one
Following the climbing lesson, we’ll head to the Convention Center to pick up our entry packets, timing chips and visit the running trade show. It’s quite fun.
Then we’ll Slumber party at Jeni’s, and Dave will cook dinner. I hope that we can get Peggy Gaudet, the young lady from Sandpoint who just finished the incredible “Marathon of the Sands” in Morocco join us to share her stories. I have spoken to her, and she’s doing great, though her feet are kind of beat up. It is an amazing event! I’m hoping she’ll decide to race with us, or at least do some training!
I also hope we can get Bill Buley of the CDA Press to join us. Bill just wrote an excellent article on our little group, but more importantly, he is an accomplished athlete and Ironman (yes, the real thing!) and his knowledge and skills would be a great addition.
Sunday: BLOOMSDAY!
We’ll get up relatively early. It starts at 9:00, but we’ll need to leave about 8:00 a.m. Bring OLD sweats you don’t mind losing to wear before the race. One of the big traditions is that when the race starts, everyone throws their sweats into the trees. These are later donated to charity.
The race is 7.46 miles, and is a lot of fun, with bands and entertainment along the way. We can either run as a whole group, or run in smaller groups with people of like interst/ability… thoughts?
The entry deadline is April 20! Because Lisa and I have done the race before, it is very easy for us to add additional racers to our account so we can all be seeded together.
I NEED FROM YOU (within the next 3 days – by April 16 at the latest!)
> Name and middle initial
> D/O/B
> Address
> T-shirt size
The cost will be $17, payable to Dave and Lisa.
After the race, we’ll meet up in the meeting up area (I’m not kidding!) and have some lunch, and then head out to Cheney for a good bike ride, somewhere around 25 – 30 miles, I bet.
To finish, we can go out to dinner for those staying around, while the travelers can head out. We would, of course, be thrilled to have anyone come back out and stay with us as long as you want.
We are REALLY looking forward to this weekend… we hope you are too! PLEASE get me the info ASAP so I can get everyone registered for the race. If, for some reason, you are NOT planning on being here for the weekend, please let me know now.
Other stuff:
May 15 – 19: Orlando: Dave and Lisa will be Orlando for Nationals, but will have a couple of “free” days. Can you come up with a good excuse to join us? Beach, running, swimming, drinking… we hope to have a time share, so lodging will be cheap and/or free!
June/July: We are still working on the pre-Tahoe Tahoe trip, and will keep you informed. HPTC will be good training time for everyone, and most of us will be here for some of it. Camp finishes on July 2… on the 3rd, we relax a bit, do a parade on the morning of the 4th, and then “git outta town” for some camping, training and fun for the 4th – 6th. We hope you’ll all be joining us!
Also in June, Bill will be doing Ironman Coeur d’ Alene! Go Bill !! We’ll be there to cheer you on! (Did I mention to anyone that last week I had a dream that I did Ironman? Maybe it’s a sign! (Dave the Ironman… hmmm has a nice ring to it…))
August: The last week (leading up to Labor Day) is when we are planning on heading to Hawaii. This will be a trip of a lifetime. You won’t regret it, and we’ll get lots done. We also are planning on doing some SERIOUS rapelling, a SCUBA course, oceam kayaking, surfing and more. We would LOVE if you would all join us! We will split the cost of a timeshare or even a house (if there are enough of us!) and it will be surpsingly affordable for a vacation in paradise!
September: Race month! Lots more to come, but we’ve got to nail down the nutrition, the teams, the taper week etc leading up to the race. Plus, we need to know who, if any, is interested in possibly doing the 24 hour race.
Now, I’ve got to say that pretty soon we’ll need to know who’s really going to “fish or cut bait,” so to speak, and commit to the race. We’re going to have to send in our entries soon, as well as start thinking about team make ups. With all of our potential people, we have almost 16 (which is great!) but we need to know who’s really going to make the trip.
If you’re not sure, come and join us for one of our training weekends and see if it (we!) are right for you! We’d LOVE to have everyone (which is why you’re on this list!) but we do need to know within the next couple of months at the latest. I will get the entry deadline and let you know. By doing it as a team, we will get a great deal on our entries, can split costs and pool resources, making it cheaper and better for all of us!
In all, lots of excitment coming up, and we are SO glad to be in this with all of you!
Okay, get back to Dave with the needed info, and good training to all!
DA
Hey, remember to check the blog almost daily for updates and new stuff! It’s at https://fastfarts.wordpress.com/. Please bookmark it as a favorite and make sure our intrepid editor Rick has you “invited” to automatically receive the updates… remember that you have to respond to the link he sends to complete the process! Rick is at rick_mccharles@hotmail.com, amongst others.
If there is anyone else you know that would be a good fit with us either athletically, and most importantly, attitudinally, pass the address on to them and let them check us out, and then have them contact Dave for more info!
We are still doing our thrice-weekly “In-gym” strength and fitness workouts Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 8:00, our major training Sundays or Mondays and lots more… get involved and enjoy the time of your life!
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It’s been two weeks since I’ve posted… sorry for my tardiness! My only excuse is that we are hosting a rather large gymnastics event this coming weekend, which is why Lisa and I aren’t racing with Jeni and Andy this weekend… (and not too happy about it, actually… :))
That said, we have actually had a fairly productive couple of weeks:
Last week, for the first time I made over 50 miles on the bike, thanks in part to Kelley, who came over on Tuesday for a surprise visit, and got in some good training! Kelley had to show off her brand new Gary Fisher bike, which made a huge difference in her riding. We rode about 12 miles Tuesday afternoon, and then did a “Peloton” run and in-gym workout Tuesday night. On Wednesday am, Kelley and I did a 6 mile bike and 3 mile run before she headed off to yoga with Lisa. I did an easy 8 miles while they stretched and strained.
I got in a couple more runs Thursday and Saturday, and we finished up a major gym renovation project on Sunday. Lisa also had her “career” best in running and biking distances, and is starting to get over her unhappiness with running. The weather warming up is also helping everyone’s attitude; I actually ran in shorts for the first time this year this morning. (Of course, it’s back to the 30s and 50s as of tomorrow, but the weekend was great!)
Monday, Lisa and I headed out to Cheney to visit Jeni, and her “TdJ” (Torture de Jour). We started with a spinning class. For those who haven’t tried it, especially with Jeni, these can be pretty challenging, to say the least. Next we did 4 sets of max pullups (minimum 10 per set) with 20 pushups between each set. Then we did 50 miserable abs exercises with dumbbells, before heading out to do a set of stadium stairs in the football stadium and then a 6 mile jog through the hills. All in all, a pretty good workout! On the way home, Lisa had a meeting, and so I had her drop me off at Silverwood, and I ran the 3.8 miles up the hill with my gear to finish the afternoon.
With Regionals coming up, the rest of the week wasn’t quite as productive as it could have been but was alright. Tuesday, we did an evening run and in-gym with Corbin and Mike, 2 young guns from the gym who are maybe interested in racing with us as well. Mike is recently out of the military and in good shape, and Corbin is a 800 meter runner (and a pretty darned good one!) currently, who needs to work on his upper body strength more than his running.
Wednesday, Keith was back, and we did another outdoor run of just under 4 miles, with 300 pushups thrown in in sets of 25 along the run. I was also able to get in 9 miles during Lisa’s yoga.
Thursday, Jeni came out (with her new bike!) and we did a “speed” workout, where we ran a very brisk 3.6 miles in 27 minutes, and then a speed test where we timed 10 pullups, 25 pushups, 6 stair climbs and a rope climb as fast as we could go.
Friday is my normal rest day, and Saturday this week, Lisa and I traveled to Corvalis to watch one of our athletes compete (her team made NCAA nationals!) so we had no real time for exercise. The highlight was that I got to pick up MY new (at least to me!) Gary Fisher Paragon in a midnight exchange in a supermarket parking lot (!). it was like some drug deal scene from a movie; Hey, you got any Gary Fishers? I need a fix, man…” “Maybe… show me da money…”
Anyway, it’s a pretty sweet ride, I’ve got to say, though there are a couple of little things I have to have adjusted. I’ve never had a bike with all this cool stuff on it: disk brakes, upgraded shocks, 27 gears, race rims and more.
Sunday a.m., Lisa and I met one of other potential FART recruits, Jodi Levy from Destira Leos, in Portland, and did a beautiful 5.6 miles along the river in Portland. She’s going to run with us next week in Spokane, and try to decide on whether to commit to the race… she’s a Lisa-type cheerleader, and did a 1/2 marathon last weekend, so she can “hang.”
On Sunday afternoon, on our way home, we stopped by EWU and met Jeni for a bike-and-run. I got to ride my new toy, and Lisa rode Jeni’s rode bike, and discovered first hand that the bike does really make a difference. We did 15 miles in just over an hour. The new GF is pretty quick, though I’m still playing with the gears for max efficiency. We then did a gentle 3 miles in 28:08 on a pretty new park route as Jeni startes her taper off for the race next week.
That gets us caught up as we head toward a couple of group get-togethers over the next few weeks! I can’t wait… it’s been too long since we got to hang out and do some training together! Watch for a follow up with some more details for our Bloomsday advanture weekend… BTW, I’m going to need some info from everyone to get us registered by next week! Also, take a look at the “mandatory” equipment list you’ll need for the Bloomsday Adventure!
Good training, everyone!
DA
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Hi All,
So as I posted before, I was sick for about 2 weeks with bronchitis, and meanwhile travelling as well. I’ve been home 2 days of 15….. I still managed last week to get 25.6 miles of running but only 6hours 27 min of workout time. I was at training camp for 5 days, and sick, so I’m pleased I managed even that amount! I am feeling great now though, and ready for the race NEXT week!! Changing up workouts to near-sprint pace, but feel very deficient in biking, since my travelling has not allowed any biking. I pick up my brand-new shiny candy-apple red bike tomorrow, and hope to pile on the miles this weekend. So looking forward to seeing everyone at Bloomsday! Happy Training!
Jeni
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I have only had about 4 “good” runs over the past 4 months. Today was one of them.
Cruising about 80min (with stops at the playground for conditioning) and it seemed effortless. (No pack, flat trail.) Seemed I could continue at that pace for another 60min or more. Easy.
Perhaps my week of trail running, hiking and jiking on Kauai is starting to pay off. (Photos and trip reports to come.) I had 7 good training days out of 8 in series. Clearly my time on the island is ripped me into shape:
On kayaking, Morgen. Unless we get unlucky, I think that will be the easiest discipline, requiring the least training. If it’s on a lake, that is.
But what do I know? In my only kayak race on Kauai, we finished 4th. Beating only a solo, rookie WOMAN paddler.
(I’m not sure my partner was pulling his weight.)
Primal Quest … is still the biggest, baddest race around and gives us a glimpse of things to come.
With just 75 days until the start of PQ Montana, the Primal Quest team is in full gear making preparations for the event. That team includes some big names, like climbers Jay Smith and Conrad Anker who have designed an amazing ropes course, which at 6+ miles in length, is already being called the “longest ropes section ever created anywhere in the world”. …
read more – Adventure Blog
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I’m giving a mixed review to my new $55 day pack. When I bought it I thought it was “perfect” for a sprint race.
Now I am still looking for something that sits tighter to my torso. Leave a comment if you have found one you like.
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In case Dave needs even MORE challenges …
World’s Weirdest Footraces – Gear Junkie
(via Adventure Blog)
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Funtastics Adventure Racing Team 