Run Digger Run

Gettysburg

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Our trip to Gettysburg this past weekend was nothing short of spectacular. The idea to go has been a long time in the making but somehow our schedule always steered us elsewhere. Finally the stars aligned and loaded with an armful of internet our fingers raced across our laptops to get the logistics worked out. We picked places to stay and mapped out a general itinerary. Our intent when we travel is to have a general idea of what we want to see and do but we leave it loose enough so that we don’t feel enslaved to a schedule and this trip was a great example of that mindset.

We ended up staying at two B&B’s, one in town called the Brafferton Inn, and one on the Northwestern end of the battlefield on Oak Hill called the Doubleday Inn. Both of these Inns were excellent, with friendly staffs, nice rooms, and delicious breakfasts, but the Doubleday was our favorite because of its location directly on the battlefield with its peaceful surroundings.

On July 1-3, 1863, temperatures were in the 80’s. This past weekend, temps neared 100. Given the soldiers in 1863 were dressed in wool, walking everywhere they went, with little food, water, and in most cases infested with lice, and since we were dressed in bike shorts, tech fabric wicking t-shirts, astride smooth riding bicycles with food in our bellies and cool drinks a camelback sip away, we felt we had the better end of that bargain by far. We could deal with the heat, and it lent an air of authenticity and commonality of the environment in which 90,000 Union troops faced off with 70,000 rebels.

Only by foot or bicycle or other slow, deliberate means of transportation can one absorb the enormity of what occurred here. Short of the soldiers actually being there, I can envision no other way to grasp what a line 3 miles wide and 16,000 men strong for example, as Longstreet’s Corps was arrayed and numbered at the right flank and Southern end of the Confederate line on day 2 of the battle (July 2, 1863).

Get out of the car, and for heavens sake eschew the tour buses. Get out there and ride a bike, or walk large portions of it.

There are over 1,300 unit markers and monuments scattered about the fields of battle, which allow a detailed, even forensic examination of the unfolding events. For any student of history, particularly and especially those interested in the U. S. Civil War, Gettysburg is a rich, hyper detailed environment in which to study the art and science of warfare.

We split out tour into two days. On day one, we tried to follow and capture the main events of July 1, 1863. I used the Everytrail Iphone app to capture the route we rode:

A great night and a trip to the hurt locker

Sun, 18 Jul 2010 17:24:11 -0400

Yesterday’s brick workout was far more enjoyable than today’s slugfest, but more of that later. We ended yesterday with a spectacular meal, thanks to Mrs D, that culinary magician, who prepared lamb chops and asparagus both done on the grill. She had marinated the chops for the better part of the day and they turned out wonderfully.

Of course a good meal cries out for a good wine which we also enjoyed and then, for movie night, we watched some classic Hitchcock. We’ve seen most of his movies so it’s always a treat to watch a “new” one. Last night we watched “The 39 Steps” for the first time and loved it. Somehow another bottle of wine got opened and went down like honey water.

And so the stars were aligned for a sleep in, and that’s just what happened. This morning, instead of getting the run done, I spent some much needed time in my office filing and squaring things away, and hydrated. By the time I was ready to run it was pushing 1 PM.

I headed down to Belle Haven and the Mt Vernon Trail, where I set out for what was to be an 8 miler. I had a 16 oz carry bottle filled with water and about 4 oz of hammer gel in a flask cut with water. I popped an s-cap before the start and during the run consumed about 3 oz of the gel, 2 more s-caps, and about 40 oz of water.

At the 3.5 mile mark I basically threw in the towel and turned around. With 96 degrees and high humidity, there was not much going in my favor. Somewhere around mile 5 the wheels fell off and I struggled to finish the 7 miles.

Sure, I would have been better off running early in the morning but I wouldn’t have traded last night for anything. Besides, sometimes it’s good to humble yourself and remember what it feels like when conditions are bad.

My First Brick

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 14:11:32 -0400

“Comfort the agitated. Agitate the comfortable”, one of my leaders is fond of saying. I like those words as they apply as effectively to one’s personal life as they do to business. If everything is comfortable, thus indicating some sort of equilibrium, or status quo, has been achieved, then it’s likely nothing new or challenging is happening. If that is the case, there is little real growth or progress occurring.

Today I decided to do my first “brick” workout, that is, a workout consisting of two back to back events in different disciplines. I’m interested in doing triathlons anyway, and I’m getting more comfortable on my bike, so I decided to give it a go. The short story is, I loved it!

I started with a 20k-ish bike ride around Hains Pt in DC. I very much enjoy riding and running there because it is safe and flat. There are few intersections and no crazed maniacal drivers scurrying around. Most of the people there are either riding, running, or walking, and that provides a nice boost all by itself. Heat is a way of life these days so the 90 degree temps didn’t really bother me. Riding and running in the heat, as well as hot days spent on the boat (a great place to be!) have acclimated me pretty well to the Summer. And, I have to say, I enjoy running in the heat. It is challenging and because of the sweat and higher stress on the body there’s no doubt something is getting done. And while riding, there is the breeze.

I kept the pace up around 18 mph and was very curious to see how the legs would feel when I got off the bike to run. I stopped at my car after 20k, and surreptitiously stripped off the bike shorts to change into running shorts. I did pick a fairly out of the way spot to park so there wasn’t anybody around to scare or piss off with the temporary nekkidness. (tri shorts are on the shopping list). I was sweating like a pig at a luau and tried to expedite the changing process. I popped another s-cap, finished some water with a scoop of HEED, slugged some plain water, and was off again.

Holy unfamiliar sensations Batman! I started running and in those first 100 yds or so I had the strangest feeling as though I didn’t know how to run. My legs seemed wooden and stumpy as I plodded one in front of the other. I tried to stay loose and just go with it, and I was sure that at some point I’d fall into a rhythm. Fortunately after a half a mile or so I felt ‘normal’ again and was able to run with my usual stride. It was really quite fascinating. My splits got better over the 5k distance and I finished up back at the car feeling very satisfied. I finished the water I had and greedily sucked down my recovery drink (2 scoops Recoverite in about 16 oz water).

And so, I agitated myself. I did something I hadn’t done, and I feel better for it. I look forward to doing it again and wonder where these little baby steps into multisport will take me.

There’s nothing like a run...

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 12:39:05 -0400

There’s nothing like a run, or a day on the water, to clear one’s head. I’ve had opportunity to do both and my mind feels clear and my thoughts feel lucid.

Today’s run was a perfect example. I began on the drive to my favorite running spot to record for the podcast and noted how jumbled my thinking seemed to be. The words tumbled out of my mouth in disarray, and although I’m not particularly eloquent on my best day, I like to think I can carry or trace a thread to its logical conclusion. Part of my angst was born of not getting a podcast out for over a month. I usually am able to stick to a bi-weekly schedule but this past month has been quite a whirlwind of activity. We’ve worked hard and played hard, leaving precious little time on the margins. After I ran the ten miles, however, all the little balls seemed to fall in place on the chinese checkers board in my head and the result was a much clearer outlook.

Another piece of unsettled business is the Fall marathon, which up until recently was never in doubt; it was MCM or bust. But, the best laid plans... I have a irreconcilable conflict. I have to be in Florida that weekend for the Ft Lauderdale International boat show. Another broker and I are likely to have a listing in the show and not being there is just not an option. So, while at first I felt a huge disappointment at the prospect of missing MCM, after some thought it just meant I need to find another marathon. Duh. Yes, MCM has an emotional attachment but there are other races so I will pick one. I’m thinking of the Outer Banks marathon in November. That’s an option to consider.

The important thing is to keep running and have a goal, a race, to plan and prepare for. For me, and I suppose many runners having a race on the calendar with the training structure that comes along with it is very helpful.

2010 USMC 17.75k

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 15:03:11 -0400

This was a hard, fantastic event. It was well organized, as I’ve found all Marine Corps Marathon related events to be, and had a course layout that was not your average road race. Official race course signs like ‘get moving’, ‘your grandpa is about to pass you’ followed by ‘with his walker’ drove home the Marine flavor in such straightforward in-your-face manner that made it not only impossible not to love, but brought such a flood of memories from the earliest days of my USMC career that I was inspired, challenged, and happy to be alive.

I awoke crazy early (3 AM) because if there is one thing I have learned about racing it is that I cannot abide being rushed, heaven forbid late, getting out the door. I had my clothes ready, my fuel and recovery drink pre-mixed, and all the rest of the gear ready to go. I had a bagel, a couple cups of coffee, some water, and waited for well, you know, that thing runners need to do before they head out. I drove away a little after 4 headed south to Quantico.

24 years ago, I ran so many miles through these Quantico woods that many of the trails became very familiar. As I recall, there were two unchanging constants. First, when I ran or humped them it was both hot and humid, and second, there were always plenty of hills. The first part would be true again today, as if fated to be so, just to make the experience familiar. By 9 AM it would be 81 degrees with 71% humidity.

I pulled into the start area parking lot just before 5, when packet pickup was due to kick off. I had no idea how big this race would be because it was the inaugural event, but I hedged my bets to the conservative side because you just never know. Races in the DC area get big fast. 10,000 racers fill up the Cherry Blossom every year within hours of registration opening so who knew how this would turn out.

As I sauntered into the packet pickup area, realizing that I was... wait for it... the first person there, it became clear I could’ve slept another hour if I had wanted to and breezed in here 30 minutes prior to the race start. I learned that there would be somewhere around 1,600 runners participating. Oh well, always doing things harder than necessary has become somewhat of a recurring theme in my life so why should this be any different. So then I had basically 2 hrs to kill.

I tooled over to a line of 20 or so porta-johns at the edge of a parking lot. They were neatly lined up, there was no trash around, and they exuded a fresh, pungent scent. I thought, ‘this must be what urinal cake factories smell like.’ Ahhhhhh. I went inside one and made myself at home for a spell, and even enjoyed a nice dose of hand sanitizer from the topped off dispenser.

As the sun came up I walked around and then ran an easy half mile or so just to loosen up a little. I checked over my gear and as it warmed up was glad I had decided to go with the Nathan 1.5L vest. It seemed a bit of overkill for this distance but because it was going to be hot I was not overly concerned with trying to be fast. The Nathan HPL008 is a fantastic piece of gear. I’ve been telling my podcast listeners about it off and on, always referring to the upcoming detailed review of it that I have not gotten around to getting done, but suffice to say it rocks. If you don’t like heavy fuel/water belts, or even if you do, I suggest the Nathan vest as an alternative. I had it filled to the top with 50 ounces of water. In the front pockets, I had an 8 oz fuel bottle from the amphipod belt system that fits very nicely, inside of which was 6 ounces my favorite Hammer gel combo, chocolate and espresso, cut with 2 ounces of water to make it flow a bit better. I also had a coin purse with 8 or 9 endurolytes, figuring on taking 4 per hour given the amount I figured I would sweat. I was dead on about that.

The race got underway right at 7 AM and we were off. The first couple miles were along route 234 west until the course cut into the Prince William Forest Park. While in the park, the course was a mix of gravel road, hard pack trail, and asphalt road. Very soon after entering the woods it became abundantly clear this would not be a typical road race as the course wound its way up and down very steep microterrain with various levels of surface quality. The signs mentioned above started appearing at this point and proved a constant source of entertainment all the way through the park. Some of these hills were no joke and it became clear to me that the best technique would be to walk up them. (For example, here is mile 3).

This I did and was provided many opportunities to hit the water, and replenish fuel and electrolyte, which I did regularly. There were water stops every two miles or so, but that would not have been sufficient for me today had I Not had the vest as I’m sure it wasn’t for many who carried only a small water bottle or handheld. By the end of the race I had consumed over 60 ounces of water, or just about 30 ounces per hour, which is put simply, a lot.

I enjoyed running the trails and the shade they provided were most welcome. Marines were all over the place, manning water stations, directing traffic, as well as standing around at intervals on the race course just to keep an eye on things and the runners. I would not be surprised if there were a few heat casualties to result from this event, but that’s just the way it goes.

The race finished at the National Museum of the Marine Corps, with a nice uphill finish just for that little extra bonus lactic acid. I got lucky to find the color guard making their way into the museum so I was able to get the shot at the top of the page.

The best sign on the course? The one alongside an especially steep climb, that said ‘you are not almost there’.

Here’s the tale of the tape.

Semper Fi!