Training Log Archive: mayer22

Left TA with the intention of stopping to sleep at the first good resting point. As we passed through a small town just outside of the TA we saw a bunkie for sale. We decided to check it out and see how well it worked. It was great for sleeping but a bit too expensive and without any way of moving it we decided to pass on purchasing it.

Continued on the bike into the morning hours. As the sun rose and our energy increased we encountered our next significant B road. This was a long one. We started carrying our bikes and once we realized the length we tried to cut through some fields to reach better roads faster. This may not have saved much time but maybe some morale. Unfortunately we picked up 3 flat tires from the start of the B road to the end, one due to a barbed wire fence.

We approached the rest of the bike with all intentions to try and ensure the best road surface possible by spotting houses mapped along the roads. The rest of the ride was fairly uneventful.

Plotted the trekking leg

This trek was broken into an East and West section on either side of the TA which allowed us the refill water at the TA halfway through. Also we were able to pick up a rough trail map that helped us move around some of the area. Additionally mapped clearings were a major feature used for navigation. Unfortunately although they were often fairly accurate, this was not always the case and could not be relied on.

Halfway through the W loop we identified a misplotted CP just in time but then second guessed our actual location and wasted time attacking the wrong reentrants. Searched for a bit and then searched the right reentrant but not far enough. Finally spotted it after probably 20-30 mins. Turns out we had our location right at the start.

At the end of the W loop we had to search a reentrant for a control (reentrant junction) that was placed 50m up a spur instead and a bit S of the plot.

Clean nav on the E loop.

Prepared for the rest of the race. Plotted all the remaining CPs as we would not see our boxes at the next TA and wanted to ensure we would have enough time to complete the rest of the course.

Started this leg real strong but halfway through Greg became unable to pedal at all with his right leg. I towed him into the town of Chariton (good size) on a cinder trail.

We had planned to get some good food but we ended up having to brainstorm options for easing some of Greg's pain and getting him to the next TA and the finish. Picked up some pain meds at the grocery store and filled up at THE GRAND BUFFET. As we finished eating the pain meds started kicking in and we took off at an easier pace to TA. We biked the rest of this section with Silent Chasers who were about 10 CPs behind us at this point.

Quick change of shoes and gear drop.

This was the only point to point trek (although some teams decided to make it a loop and add to the biking). Jason Brown who started on Rev3 but had to drop due to stomach issues on the first day joined us for this leg and his company was very much appreciated. We started the trek just at sunset.

The first control we attacked was misplotted/misplaced. We double checked where it should have been then punched the CP and on our way to the next CP were informed that it was the RDs mistake.

I began having trouble identifying north on the map. This was due to how I labeled the controls, the map labels, not holding the map, and some growing sleep monsters (along with Alex) despite physically feeling awake. We therefore attacked the second control almost dead-on and had to search both directions on a creek to find the CP. We then lost our location on the way to the next CP and searched 3 spurs for the CP (the last of which was the right one) without any luck. We decided to drop the control to eliminate any other lost time and move forward with the goal of getting some sleep ASAP. We found a nice shed shortly after and did so.

It took until finding the next CP for us to feel really confident again but then we started moving with purpose again and started checking off the CPs. Greg's knee started acting up a bit so we were unable to move quickly but at least we were able to move.

As we approached the TA we searched a large river bed for a control that apparently was swept away. A 24hr team was searching at the same time without any luck either. We moved on after about 15 min. When we got to TA there were 5 trekking CPs beyond it that we decided to drop. We easily had enough CPs for the win and were expecting about a 7 hour bike back (given Greg's leg) and at this point only had 8 hours. That being said we had no idea how much longer it COULD take.

Greg and Denise broke down the boats and Alex and I plotted the next trek. We all got some Mountain House in our bellies and then took off. Saw Rev3 paddling in as we left across the bridge.

Really fun Orienteering section. Actually enabled us to stay on roads/trails most of the way but with some off trail sections. We had one mistake where we misinterpreted a trail on the map that was our cue for a shwack so we had a longer shwack than intended. Otherwise excellent nav and teamwork. Everybody moved well.

Plotted the long bike leg

First half of the long bike leg. We got started on the wrong foot misidentifying a bridge on the map. The bridge was too new for the map. We spotted another bridge down river but figured it was just off our map. We spend at least 30 mins searching for the CP and trying to call RDs. After giving up we left and realized as we tried to leave what the deal was.

After we got going again we hit our first B road which meant carrying our bikes and walking through clay. We were able to clean them off just after. Denise and I took some tows for the rest of this leg. I had trouble keeping food down towards the end as it was getting hotter. I managed to stuff some food down right before a TA and was gifted with a soda at TA which made all the difference.

We had one of our most interesting CPs during the race on this leg at the American Gothic House for a classic picture.

TA had soda and candy. This was good as we realized we were going to be low on food and also helped ease my stomach.

This was originally supposed to be a MTBO leg but the trails were way to sloppy to ride. Instead we stopped to the South of the trails and had to trek to all of them. They opted not to give us the trail map, which would have been greatly appreciated. We got a chance to see some maps along the way but Google shows even more trails.

I did this leg without a pack to ensure my recovery and was successful. We had a few small hiccups with the nav but some were due to the inconsistency of the trails.

We saw Rev3 coming into the trails as we were leaving.

Grabbed some more soda and candy before leaving.

This was the second half of the bike leg. Some of us struggled a bit running low on food. Fortunately we made it to a convenience store in the town near TA before it closed. We bought whatever warm food they had and devoured it. Made sure we had enough to make it to TA and continued on.

I took the nav to the TA which was probably a bad choice as it took me a second to get familiar with the scale and added a mile of road riding. Also the last 6 miles before TA were on an unmapped gravel path. We passed the trail map (no contours) before we got to the points but had no clue how difficult the CPs would be to find. Two were easy, one was not. We lost a good bit of time here. In hindsight might have been better to spend more time transposing the trail but truthfully the map wasn't that great. Would have been nice if they had just supplied us with one.

Got to TA shortly before the paddle cutoff. We knew no other teams would be able to leave on the paddle and that it would potentially jeopardize our chance of clearing the course. Additionally there were only 3 additional CPs available and we were running on no sleep. Even if we took the time to sleep in TA we likely would have been fighting sleep monsters (in addition to a wicked head wind) on the paddle. Therefore we opted to get back on our bikes and bike around the lake as all other teams would be forced to do.

Event: Happy Mutant - Iowa 3-Day AR
 

First day without any Mucinex. Conveniently race day.

Happy Mutant Olmitz Miner in Ottumwa, IA
Tecnu Adventure Racing - Greg, Denise, Alex, & myself

I drove in Thursday night and the rest of the crew arrived midday on Friday after some flight delays. This compressed our prep time significantly.

Weather was a bit warm and the area had quite a bit of rain leading into the race. We were expecting a lot of flat "road" riding and we got it. They also had to drop some of the trail riding due to all the pre-race rain.

Ended up having to drop the second paddle section to stay on track to finish. This was an EASY choice as we arrived just before the starting cutoff and knew no teams behind us could come in and start it. It was also going to be against a wicked headwind on our second night (without any sleep yet) and would only yield 3 additional CPs compared to the "short-course" (much faster) option.

In addition Greg began having significant pain in his right leg 48hrs in so we slowed significantly for the last ~24hrs and dropped a few more CPs. Fortunately we had built a significant lead by that point and didn't have to worry too much about the team behind us aside from gathering a few CPs on the final trekking leg.

Overall we had quite a few navigational mixups (more than I would have liked) but will work to address. We also had quite a bit of strong navigation and good teamwork between Alex and I. Alex did almost all of the bike/paddle nav and we pretty much split the foot nav with Alex remaining primary. Additionally we had to pull out the plotter a few times to either correct a misplot (once) or determine more appropriately what feature was plotted.

Additionally we spent a lot of time in TAs but some of that was due to having to plot in TAs. Additional pressure from other teams would have certainly pressed this issue more. Otherwise we tried to keep the hammer down at least for the first 48hrs.

Prologue run around Ottumwa. We were tasked with finding unique landmarks around town with minimal clues (i.e., addresses) and a tourist map. We were not given any actual CP locations.

Greg put the hammer down right away. Alex navigated us through the streets. We could have attacked 1 CP better based on the address but no biggie. Otherwise it was smooth.

Toby and Jon stopped the race for 35 min to allow some significant thunderstorms to pass before we got on the river in Alum canoes. Much appreciated. All time gaps from the prologue were maintained.

Carried our paddle gear to the put in.

Paddle down the Des Moines River. The river was moving at probably 5-6 mph. Greg hooked up a nice rig for the boats that stabilized the second boat behind the first. It took an hour or so for Greg to be able to control it well from the back and then another hour for us to realize the impact I still had in the back of the first canoe. Despite this trouble it was a major benefit to have the team moving constantly as one unit.

We overshot the first CP just a little, or maybe just missed it on the first pass and had to trek back for it, allowing Rev3 to almost catch up. The team had some sleep monsters going into the last CP but then a heavy downpour woke us back up but caused some chills for some of us.

We caught a strainer right before the takeout but were able to get out without taking on any water.

Only one dose of Mucinex before the long 12 hour drive.

Chiro/ART
Went over everything before race time.

Pretty minimal Mucinex but still feeling it in the ears. Followed up with the Dr to make sure the sinus infection was clear before the race and get any potential suggestions for managing it. She said I seemed clear.

Pretty minimal Mucinex but still feeling it in the ears.

Ride in. Felt ok. Not super strong but definitely rested. Time was pretty reasonable as well especially with a heavy pack.

Ride to CRC to pickup car

Acupuncture
Mostly hamstring with a lot of triggers. Some hip and quad as well. Stayed away from the calf so close to race time.

Family hike. 35# pack. Kept the pace easy. Dogs ran off and overheated so we detoured to the creek to let them cool off a bit.

Feeling a little better still. Ears are still clogged and popping though.