The Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge is already turning out to be an unusual experience for the Dirty Avocados.  The course has been revealed and is described in dramatic detail below.  It will be an EEEEEEEPIC experience when we’re there in December.

Abu Dhabi is a country in full flower – the kind of place that requires a rewrite of the travel guides on a weekly basis. New buildings, resplendent experiments juxtaposing futuristic design with cutting-edge material’s science, sweeping cultural projects, luxury resorts and wildlife reserves all combine with the timeless hospitality of the Bedouin tribe to compose one of the world’s most enticing tourist destinations. With all that available, we could hardly pass up the chance make the race the longest yet, giving you the opportunity to race more, see more and, of course, achieve more.

This year’s race includes all those familiar and favourite aspects of the last 2 plus a few tweaks based on your fascinating feedback. On 4th December, Abu Dhabi City, with its skyline of tall, modern buildings interspersed with delicate minarets and elegant seafront promenades will repeat its role as urban showcase for the event by hosting the opening act: a triathlon-style opener that involves 34km of running, cycling, sea kayaking and, for the first time, swimming in the calm waters around the Abu Dhabi Corniche. Not much of a breather later the Arabian Gulf, an essential in the race itinerary with its picturesque desert islands and pristine waters, is an ideal playground for the keen kayaker and an ideal choice for backdrop to the next stage.

In contrast to previous itineraries, when the teams would paddle west of Abu Dhabi and confront vast expanses of open water, this demanding 110km sea-kayaking leg that will take you east around the coast and past the 27 square mile Saadiyat Island, currently in the process of becoming Abu Dhabi’s cultural and recreational haven. This international tourist destination in the making will eventually boast 5-star resorts, immaculate sandy beaches, lagoons, a wildlife reserve and the only seaside golf course in the region. A vibrant cultural district, housing some of the Middle East’s most audacious architectural gems and extensive art collections, is also under construction. An island bivouac among the lush mangroves will give you time to dry your socks, get some sleep and prepare for the another day’s racing on the crystal waters.

After a three hour transfer to the Liwa Desert, via the Liwa Oasis, you are only one authentic Bedouin bivouac away from a very close up and personal rub with the Rub’ al Khali (Empty Quarter), the world’s largest expanse of unbroken sand, equivalent in size to France, Holland and Belgium combined. The dunes of red and gold are so tall that they attract visitors from around the globe with only one objective in mind: get to the top. A 2-day struggle across 120km of dramatic and uncompromising desert will confront you with one of the most challenging stages of the race. You will need to manage water, effort and itinerary choice to have any chance of “beating” the desert. As if that wasn’t enough, this is the home of the legendary “shouting sands” (Za’eeq al Raml), a phenomenon that local legends often describe as evil spirits trying to disorient travellers and draw them deeper into peril… and you thought that role belonged to your teammates A trusty compass and reliable map should keep you safe from any interfering djinn but watch out for the early morning fog which, if last year is anything to go by, can really stir things up.

On the 5th day, you will take to the saddle to cover a punishing 95km biking stage. Split into 2 legs, the first 40km section, from the heart of the Liwa desert to Hamim, includes a cameo appearance for the luxury, five-star Qasr Al Sarab desert resort, due to opens its doors to guests in October 2009. You won’t get as far as checking in at this unique, authentic Arabian retreat but a quick detour through the palm-shaded grounds should give you a feel for the place. The 54 remaining kilometres will take you from Hamim all the way to the outskirts of the Oasis city of Al Ain. Otherwise known as the “Garden City of the Gulf”, strict planning rules, limiting the height of new buildings, lends an intimacy to the city and an abundance of pleasant parks, age-old markets and cultural attractions, including the recently inaugurated Zayed National Museum, which houses temporary and permanent collections illustrating the life and values of the United Arab Emirates’ illustrious founder, gives it, and the delightfully leafy streets, a distinctly traditional Arabian atmosphere.

After a night camped in a cool canyon to the east of the Jebel Hafeet range, the all important final day starts with a novel, night-orienteering section followed by a trek up the jagged slopes of the mountain range which, at 1,340m, dominates the surrounding area and is one of the UAE’s highest peaks. A technically demanding rope works section will give you a stunning view across the fertile plains studded with date farms that reach the outskirts of Al Ain. From the top of what is one of the UAE’s highest mountains, you will careen 37km down into the city centre of Al Ain along roads closed expressly for the race. The final 4km will be on foot, with teams sprinting through the popular Central Gardens, where a large cosmopolitan crowd comes at weekends to picnic and play, to the finish line at the Jahili Fort, one of the country’s most important historical monuments and the largest castle in Al Ain. You’ll most certainly be exhausted but also a lot wiser… In a race renowned for the quality of its course set in a country celebrated for its hospitality and cultural heritage, longer can only mean better.

Click here for more about this epic adventure!!  http://www.abudhabi-adventure.com/

                The Dirty Avocados sent a strong team to the Big Blue 24 hour race on August 1^st.  Angel Garbarino, Brian Schmitz and Mike Chastaine made up the threesome with high hopes of getting on the podium.  There was a very good field present including ARnav, True Grit as well as several strong two man teams.

                We got the maps about an hour before the start and saw that the race was a series of checkpoints which we would bike and trek too.  There would not be a separate bike and run section.  Virtually every CP was on a mountain peak so there would be a lot of climbing.  The CP’s were spread out over a large area with no obvious route.   There was a “central” gear drop at Marlette lake.    In reality it was out of the way and not a place you wanted to go more than once. Given the almost unlimited route choices, I suspect that every team took a different route.

                The race started with a paddle across the lake.  We had a strong paddle in our triple kayak covering the distance in 3:15  – about 4 minutes behind ARnav and about 7 minutes ahead of Tim Kuenster and Kent Ryochuck.

                A quick transition to jump on the bike but plans changed.  We had planned on riding up to Spooner Lake along highway 28, get 2 CP’s on the way and then do the orienteering course.   The O course would not open till early afternoon so we figured we had time to get the CP’s and hit the O course in the daylight.  However the highway was closed due to some kind of damage so we had to reroute our plans on the fly.  We did get the first CP (15) on Highway 28, then back tracked to Tunnel Creek. We moved along at a good pace, climbing up tunnel creek and locating each CP after some trekking.   This race required a great deal of cross country navigating.   We would ride to the location we thought was the best access then change into running shoes and hoof it up the mountain to grab the check point.   We got 3 (7200 feet) then 4 (about 8700 feet).  We accessed 6 (8300 feet) off of the Flume Trail.  We jumped off the trail and climbed 600 feet straight up to the peak, then right back down.

                Around early afternoon I was running out of water.  We needed to get our lights for the evening and to get more food to carry us  through the night.  This required that we go to the gear drop which dictated our route a bit and the reason we were on the Flume trail.  We got our stuff and headed off.  We were checking off the CP’s quickly and felt like we were in good shape. 

                After the gear drop we climbed up to Marlette Peak and to CP5 (8600 feet).  We missed the intersection but got a bit of help from Kent and Tim.  At this point I knew we were in pretty good shape and had a shot at getting all the CP’s.

                After 5 we dropped down from Herlan Peak and ran into True Grit.  CP 7 looked like it could be accessed from the trail that we were on but they were having a terrible time finding it and had given up.  Given that information, it looked like it would be easier to access from below, so we continued down the hill, found the reentrant and headed up.  At this location was Tirobe who had just gotten the CP.  True Grit followed us up and we got the CP with little trouble.  From here, it was along the Red House flume trail to Red House for the only easy CP (8) on the whole course.

As we rode to Red House darkness fell.  We were feeling pretty good about things although I had been dragging going up some of the climbs.  At Red House we were still with True Grit.  The next two CP’s were 9 (7740) and 10 (8200) These CP’s were on opposite ends of a ridge so we parked the bikes in the middle and obtained both CP’s by running across the ridge.  True Grit picked a different route. As it was getting dark we could see that a storm was rolling in.  By the time we got back to the bike it was starting to rain a bit.  The rain got harder and the thunder and lightning came in.  For a while it was right on top of us and we sought shelter under a tree.   While we were sitting under the tree, True Grit rolled by heading for the next CP – 11 (8200 feet).  We were concerned about going up to the next summit and wanted to wait it out.  Fortunately, the storm passed through quickly and we were able to get on our way.  We slogged up to 11, which was on the west face of some cliffs and after climbing around for a bit with True Grit we found the flag.

                The next 2 CPS, 12 (8982) and 13 (8992)  were near the top of Snow Valley Summit.  This was a long climb up to 9200 feet.  I was feeling pretty low at this point and the hike-a-bike was killing me.  It took a while to get to the junction next to the summit.  We were leap frogging with True Grit on the hike a bike up.  We both headed toward 12 together, and after some searching found it.  We took off in a slightly different direction back then True Grit and soon we were apart.  We wondered along and before I knew it were heading South, a direction I didn’t want to go.  It was pitch black out but I could see the lights from North Shore so was able to obtain a bearing.  Somehow we had walked over the main road we were looking for.  We turned and climbed up the slope, hoping to find the towers on the summit of Snow Valley.  We found them and then got a bearing.  Here, however, is where we had a brain fart.  Instead of just turning around and heading south to the next CP, which was only about ¾ of a mile away, we headed north down the road towards our bikes.  Once we got to our bikes we decided to skip 13 and 14 and head to the O course.  We had some weird logic about being able to get more points on the O course.  It was about 4 am at this point and our thinking was obviously less then clear.  As it turned out, True Grit got 13 and 14 before heading to the O course.  This was the difference between 1^st and 2^nd.  Now, several weeks later I still don’t know why we did it, except that we were tired and lost focus for a minute. 

                In any event, we did the long ride down Snow Valley and to Spooner Lake.  When we got to Spooner, it was still dark.  Todd told us that the O course was very difficult in the dark and suggested that we go get 16 in the mean time.  We took his advise and heading down the road to 16.  This CP, was on Deadman Point and turned out to be very difficult.  As we were hiking around trying to get to the summit with the CP, we became concerned that we would not make the 9:00 cut off.  The penalty for being late was very steep, so we turned around empty handed and went back to Spooner and the O course.  We got 2 CPs on the O course and headed to the finish for 2^nd in the co-ed  behind True Grit and 5^th overall behind 3 two man teams.

                Over all it was a good effort and we worked well as a team.  We had a 4 am hiccup which cost us, but otherwise the navigation was strong.   We were a little disappointed in ourselves for making a silly mistake but overall were happy with our performance.  We are looking forward to the Tahoe Big Blue.

“Dozens of teams are taking part in a race through the New Hampshire wilderness this week.”
Video from local NH news station WMUR 9 featuring Mike and shots of Donato and Jen.

### BEGIN RACE UPDATES ###

(most recent update on top) 

TIME: 07/13/2009 - 8:30AM PST

Dirty Avocados finished Untamed New England Expedition Race stong sunday morning.  Tales from the trails to follow here at dirtyavocados.com.  Thanks for everyone’s support!

TIME: 07/12/2009 - 12:50AM PST

Race Clock: 2 days 12 hours 50 minutes

Dirty Avocados Team 1 Adam, Angel and Brian are at the final Checkpoints at the Balsams Lodge.  Dirty Avocados Team 2 is 10 miles as a crow flys from the final checkpoints around the lodge.  They look like they are looking for a checkpoint near a lake, from that location the easist way may be the heading to the Northeast to a road that leads to the lodge.

Given updates in the fieldnotes and leaderboard have been hampered by issues consider assuming that if a team goes to where Team Estoril Portugal XPD is located then they have likely finished the race and are at the lodge.  Team Estoril Portugal XPD finished the race a while ago and likely turned in their beacon at the lodge or left it running on their packs, which are likely at the lodge.  Team Estoril is just east of the last checkpoints and that looks like where the lodge is located.

Its easy to imagine all the adventures the team have experienced in the last 2 and a half days experiencing the wild side of New England.  We are looking forward to their coming in the finish safely in the hours or ahead.

TIME: 07/11/2009 - 5:35PM PST

Race Clock: 2 days 5 hours 35 minutes (less than 24 hours to go!)

The two Dirty Avocado Teams are within 1000 yards of each other near CP 30.  Its likely that if they see each other they may travel together forming one big muddy ameoba avocado.  Its raining, but their are very expereinced team mates on those teams helping eachother through the conditions.

TIME: 07/11/2009 - 8:10AM PST

Race Clock: 1 day 20 hours 10 minutes

The information coming from the race site is at this point lagging and intermittent given bad cell coverage and their likely focus on keep a long string of racers together.  Dirty Avocados II made it out of the bushwack last night and have riden their bikes to Maine toward Grafton Park for some climbing.  Dirty Avocados I are about to finish the bushwack likely having stopped for sleep last night.  Once on the ride watch our teams as they zip glad to be off their feet.

TIME: 07/10/2009 - 12 Midnight PST

Race Clock: 1 day 15 hours

Jen, Mike, and Donato are on foot and look about 2 miles from there next transition area CP 24 at Drummer Pond, however they may be still looking for CPs and are in an area that may be a challenge to navigate at night that has been well forested with likely many unmapped trails and forest roads.  It may take awhile to go the two miles.  Adam, Angel and Brian are behind them, but only by miles now.

TIME: 07/10/2009 - 3:40PM PST

Race Clock: 1 day 3 hours 40 minutes

It has been difficult to judge team progress now, but check the course map and select the teams from the drop down list.

Dirty Avocados Team 1 satellite beacon seems to be back on. 42 minutes ago they at CP 15 in the town of Lancaster, NH.  They may be sent ahead of the paddle, given race organizers do not seem to want racers on the water at night.

Dirty Avocados Team II is  near CP 19, the town of Stark, NH.  The track point being broadcast on the map is old from 2:14 PM EST.  By now they are likely past CP 19.

Briefly today, the teams may have crossed into Vermont, but it looks like they are back in New Hampshire and may head into Maine tonight or tomorrow for a ropes section.

TIME: 07/10/2009 - 12:00 Noon PST

Race Clock: 1 day finished, 2 more days to go!

We are expecting to hear that Dirty Avocados II made it off the trek in Jefferson, NH and that Dirty Avocados I is shorlty behind them.  Today should be a relief as the teams will be back on bike and then possibly into a slower river later (keep your fingers crossed).  Last night the teams bushwacked up a ridge near Mt. Crescent. ***********

View Larger Map************

 TIME: 07/10/2009 - 7:45 AM PST

Race Clock: 20 hours 15 minutes

The Avocados are rolling in the right direction according to field reports.

Dirty Avocados I satelitte transponder is not working, so for the time being refer to the leaderboard and field notes.

Currently, both Dirty Avocados I and Dirty Avocados II  are on a trek that race organizers describe here: http://www.untamedne.com/Live/Race/CPDetail.aspx?e=2&c=43 It sounds like some serious bushwaching, however the sun is up and that will greatly help them move faster in this section than teams during last night.

The Course Map is now revealing the rest of the main check points (”CPs”), which are transition areas (”TAs”) where teams will transition from one disipline to another.  These CP’s are marked in a white and orange icon on the course map. http://www.untamedne.com/Live/Race/Course.aspx

Weather in that area in New England should be better today than yesterday in the high 70’s.  This weekend the weather may turn. Here is the weather in Jefferson where CP 14 is located: http://www.wunderground.com/US/NH/Jefferson.html

 TIME: 07/09/2009 - 5:00 PM PST

Race Clock: 8 hours

After 17+ miles of paddling and possibly portaging parts of the Androscoggin River our Dirty Avocados seem to be pulling into a transition at the South end of the Pontook Reservoir to continue racing on land.

Notice a group of teams together in the Southwest part of the map near a large body of water slightly on land.  Focus on team TrackMe360 and if you focus in on the map you can see 4 other teams below them.  These markers are old.  When so many teams meet like that there is usually a big obstacle they are running into or there is a transition at that location and in this case teams are getting onto land out of their boats and change out of wet clothes.

This is the last T.A. probably before night fall so teams may be there a while in order to gather their lights and fuel up.  Smart teams will grab gear and food to do their best to keep going, its just too early in the race to stop especially in this short of an expedition race.

TIME: 07/09/2009 - 3:00PM PST

Race Clock: 6 hours

Teams have been on the first of 3 river sections.  According to the field notes on the race site many of the teams flipped in the rapids, however the rapids may only be class one and two.  if you focus in on the front teams and turn the map to “Map View” you may notice the front teams heading to the Southwest that they are on a road.  Teams possibly have opted to portage (walk their boats) versus stay in the river.  Given weather has been really bad there is likely a lot of water and debris like whole trees in the river and so teams may be playing cautious in order to stay safely in the race. Here is a shot of Dirty Avocados Team 1:

TIME: 07/09/2009 - 1:10PM PST

Race Clock: 4 hours 10 minutes

Teams are transitioning from bike to boat to paddle the Androscoggin River.  To easily find the river they will be paddling go to the race Course Map and switch the view from “Satellite” Photo View to “Map View” buttons near the top of the map to see the name of roads, rivers and Lakes the teams are traveling on: http://www.untamedne.com/Live/Race/Leaderboard.aspx

TIME: 07/09/2009 - 12:15PM PST

Race Clock: 3 hours 15 minutes

 We are just 3 hours and 15 minutes into this 3 day race and the satellite tracking devices show the teams on the course making good progress.  Due to the fact that the devices send a message every 10 minutes giving location information and also due to the fact that the transmissions may be blocked by thick Northeastern US tree canopies you cannot tell from the map who is in what place.  So, refer to the leaderboard at http://www.untamedne.com/Live/Race/Leaderboard.aspx.  As the race progress and the team spread out from one another the course map will show teams in their true order.  Give the race 18 hours for the quick little hares to fall off the front and other to take leads away.  The two favored teams are ATP/Salomon and Merrill/Zanfel, however, the entire field is pretty strong giving this race is the only US qualifier for the Adventure Race World Series Championships.  Dirty Avocados fielded two teams with multiple navigators per team, all deeply motivated teammates who are super fun to be around and some new killer gear that should give them an edge.

TIME: 07/09/2009 - 8:50AM PST

Race Clock: T minus 10  minutes to START of race 

The countdown to the race is on with 10 minutes to go.  There is no holding back now with 3 days to the finish over possibly 200 miles.  The teams will start on the lake.  Go to http://www.untamedne.com/Live/Race/default.aspx to see pictures of teams today as they plot their maps.  Also, the course page will show the entire map of the race shortly after the start http://www.untamedne.com/Live/Race/Course.aspx

TIME: 07/08/2009 - 9:45PM PST

Race Clock: T minus 14 hours 15  minutes to START of race 

Race will begin at tomorrow 12noon EST, 9AM PST 

The prerace meeting finished tonight and after preparing the team is asleep (hopefully).  They have sent their bikes ahead and will be starting near the lake at the resort they are staying at at the Balsams.

There are few pictures that were mailed to media and on the website, but this one had some familure faces:

TIME: 07/08/2009 - 2:00PM PST

Race Clock: T minus 20 hours to START of race

The teams safely arrived after two days of traveling.  Currently, they are busy packing their backpacks and tuning their bikes.  At 6:00PM EST (3:00PM PST) the course will be revealed to our racers in the pre-race meeting.  After that you can expect that they will be up much of tonight plotting maps, discussing their race strategies and making final adjustments to their gear and their packs.  Until that meeting tonight the adventure awaiting them is still unknown and this is the essence of a great adventure race.  All we know now is that the teams are going to be racing in New England by way of foot, canoe, bike, and ropes going possibly several hundred miles over 3 or more days non-stop without any aid whatsoever in weather has been not too great.

###

Looking for information on the Dirty Avocados participating in the Untamed New England? You’ve come to the right place!

We will be releasing race updates in a few ways:

1. Before the race we will twitter to our home page http://dirtyavocados.com
2. During the race Will Gilmore, Mark Richardson, Aja Cooke and Adam Armijo are going to be posting manual updates to our “Untamed New England Race Update” blog. The most current update will be posted at the top of the article, THIS article your reading now. Read above for most recent update.
3. In addition, you can check out the race web site to view a leader board. There Google maps pinpoint teams’ locations LIVE via GPS Satellite, you can read racer bios and more! Go to  http://www.untamedne.com/Live/Race/default.aspx    **Please, note that a GPS map location of the team that hasn’t moved in a while doesn’t mean anything is wrong with the team. Most likely it is poor satellite reception or we could also be sleeping!

As far as who is actually racing? It’s going to be a reunion of sorts in New Hampshire. We have 2 Dirty Avocado coed teams of 3 teammates each (6 people total).

Team “Dirty Avocados” consists of Adam Doti, Angel Garbarino and Brian Schmitz! Our second team is Team “Dirty Avocados II” consisting of Donato Polignone, Jen Rigoni and Mike Chastaine!

We would like to pay a very special thanks to our sponsors and supporters. Without them much of this wouldn’t be possible. Please, read all about them on our Sponsors Page or in the footer of this page.

Finally, leave us a note of encouragement in the comments area at the bottom of this post.  If you have questions email Will at willisnot (at) yahoo.com.

~ Godspeed!

For the past 2 years I have soloed the 24 hours of Cool on my single speed.  This year, for a variety of reason’s I wasn’t up to doing a solo but wanted to crew for Brian in his quest to solo the race.  Last year Brian, Will and I all soloed.  I know from past experience that the first time you do one of this events, it’s all about learning how it works. The second time, you come to race.  I wanted to help Brian hammer this deal.

At the last minute I was (sort of) recruited to fill out the Dirty Avocados relay team.  We put together a fun and fast 5 person co-ed team consisting of myself, Adam Doti,

Angel Garbarino, Rick Bariff and Dennis Baker.  I was confident that I could do my laps and also provide sufficient support to Brian. 

A few days before the race was to begin I found out that Jen Klafin from BAARBD was also going to solo. She didn’t have a crew or other support so I invited her to join our pit. 

As the race approached the weather forecast was not good.  Rain and lots of it was predicted.  The Olmstead loop at Cool, the venue of this race, is notoriously bad in the rain.  Mud, mud and more mud is on the agenda.  Not only does this slow everything down, but it trashes the bikes.  I kept hoping that the storm would miss us or blow through quickly.  This was not to be.

Getting a good location for your pit is very important.  Having your tent and crew right on the track saves lots of time and allows for very fast transitions.  Personally, my normal game plan is to basically roll through the pit, grabbing a new bottle and some food on the way without stopping for more then 10 or 15 seconds.  I was encouraging Brian, Jen and Jon to use this strategy. In order to get this type of prime real estate, you have to show up the day before and pitch your pop up and your tent.  Getting set up the day before also helps with not having to deal with all of this the day of the race.

Jon Maz was going to be racing the 8 hour solo out of our pit and agreed to meet me at noon on Friday for set up.  We arrived and it was already raining.  We got a good spot right next to the MadKat team and got our EZ up and my huge tent up without too much trouble.  We covered the tent with tarps to try to keep some of the rain out.  A couple of hours of set up and we went home hoping the rain would stop.

Brian, Jen and Angel all met at my house to spend the night.  We watched 24hour solo to get fired up. Out side it was raining.

While a solo is hard work, doing a relay is just plain fun.  You ride hard once every 4 or 5 hours and get to spend the rest of the time hanging out with friends and enjoying the “scene.”  That is, unless it’s pouring rain.

It just dumped all night and when we got up in the morning it was still raining.

We finished with our set up and waited for the start.  I knew it was going to be messy.  The ground was already soaked and everything was already getting covered with mud – and the race had not even begun yet.

I was doing the first lap. I figured I could power through the first lap, beat the solo’s in and crew for them through the rest of the day.  At the starting line I wasn’t paying attention because I thought we would go off in waves.  But the race just started and I was in the back.  I knew things were going to bottle neck early so I rode like a crazy person through the grass and passed tons of people till things started to thin out a bit.  What a mud pit.  As I was ridding I was getting a face full.  Even with fenders mud was flying everywhere.  The going was slow.  The mud grabbed at the tires and the turns were slick.  I was very glad I wasn’t doing the solo this year. When I finished my lap I was covered head to toe with mud.

I got in few minutes before Jon.  Still dripping with mud I got him his bottle and sent him off. Then Brian and Jen came in and we got them off.

Now I had at least an hour to clean up, dry off and get ready for the next rider.  I also had at least 4 hours till I rode again.  However, as the day wore on and the rain continued to come down the trail got worse and worse and the times slower and slower.  I was just too muddy and slick to ride certain parts of the trail.

As the riders would come in, each lap I could see the course taking its toll.  Jon came in after the 2^nd lap and had no brakes.  We sent him off on his spare bike and rounded up some brake pads.  Brian came in after his second lap with a cut in his side wall.  He was able to repair it with duct tape to finish the lap, but it would never complete the race.  We sent him off on his spare bike and went looking for a new tire.  Pete from City Bikes came through with pads and a tire and I was able to make the repairs.

When some one would come in for either a repair or a short brake, my daughter, Tara would go and wash the bikes off to get most of the mud off and clear the gearing.  Then I would check everything, lupe it up and sending them on their way.

By the time Jon finished his 4^th lap his brakes were shot again but he pushed on.  He had just barely enough time to get in one more lap if he really pushed it.   About this time I was getting ready for my second lap.  A bit after Jon took off, I left. Another muddy ride.  Again, I confirmed how glad I was to be on a relay team.  I passed Jon about 2/3 of the way in. He was having trouble with his brakes but there wasn’t anything I could do for him, so I motored on.  I knew it was going to be close for him to make the 8 hour cut off.  I made it by 7 minutes.  Jon missed it by just a few.  Even with all of the problems Jon had, the course took it’s toll on the other riders even more.  Jon took 4^th in his division – a strong showing.

Again, I cleaned up and got ready for our solos.  My now, Brian was looking beat.  The course was really taking it’s toll.  On the bright side, people were dropping out left and right.  By just continuing on Brian was going to place well. 

Jen was actually looking pretty good.  She would come in, I’d clean up her bike and she was out again.  I wasn’t really sure what her goals were so I wasn’t sure I was able to help her as much as I would have liked too. 

As darkness fell, the rain stopped.  It didn’t improve the track much, but it was nice not to have the rain coming down.   

Brian came in and took a short brake.  Jen did the same.  Everything was moving at a snails pace.  It wasn’t too cold and with the rain stopped it was pretty comfortable.

The night went on like this.  I switched the order of my ride with Rick so that I could be available for Brian and Jen through out the night.  I knew the early morning hours would be the toughest and I wanted to make sure I was there to get them through.

The night was going ok.  Brian and Jen kept moving.  Our relay team was turning out the laps, even though they were slower then we would have expected.  Then about 3 am it started raining again.  And hard.  This was crutch time.  Fewer and fewer riders were coming through.  It was clear that more and more people were either holing up for the night or just quitting.  Around 4 am Brian came in and wanted to take a nap.  I got his bike cleaned up and made sure he had what he needed.  I walked by the main tent and saw that there were some standings posted.  Brian was in 3^rd in the single speed division.  I couldn’t tell how far behind 2^nd he was, nor how far in front of 4^th but I knew he was doing well.  I ran over and woke him up.  I told Brian, he needed to get up and get going.  He was in position to podium but he had to keep riding.  Brian had told me that he wanted me to push him and I wasn’t going to let him off the hook.  

I don’t think Brian actually believed me when I told him he was in 3^rd but he got himself up and got on the bike.  I pushed him out and told him. Just keep riding and he would be fine.

Jen took a couple of hour nap but all of a sudden showed up and was off again.

As the sun came up, it was my turn to do my third (a final) lap.  It was still raining the and track was a complete mess.  I could hear my brakes going.  It sounded like metal on metal – because it was.  As I was riding along, it occurred to me that this was like a typical AR slog.   Hike-a-bike, muddy, rainy mess.  When I finished my lap, right at 8 am, I was told that they were going to stop the race at 10 am rather then noon – for safety.  Noone complained.  Adam went out and what would be the last lap for the team.  When Brian and Jen came in we stopped them and told them the race was over.  Given that it was taking them over two hours to turn a lap they would not have time to do another.  I turned out that they didn’t need too.

Brian took second in the single speed division a full lap ahead of third.  Jen did two laps more then any other woman – even the pro division.  Our relay team won the 5 person co-ed division. 

I am certain that our adventure racing experience was the reason for our success.  In foul weather like we had, speed is not the critical factor.  Sticking with it and never giving up is the formula for success.

We have put together a team with the goal of winning the Overall Big Blue series.  But we also had our eye on winning the overall.   Now back to the beginning – Marks report: 

Friday night Adrian drops his kayak off at my house.  I get it all loaded.  I arrive at Del Valle, pay $6 to enter the park, $2 to launch a roof top boat, and $3 to have it inspected.  I pull up to the boat inspection and an inspector starts looking over the boat.   Cockpit is good, front cargo bulkhead good, rear cargo bulkhead has about 3 ounces of rain water.  The boat has been in Adrian’s yard since November and is full of leaves and spider webs.  The inspector gives me the news, my boat is banned and not allowed on the lake.  Hani was right in front of me and both of the boats he brought also failed the inspection.  I drove to the parking area and called Mike who has not arrived yet.  I have Mike meet up with me and Angel in the parking area and we dried out the boat with towels from my truck.  In a pinch the center cargo hatch can serve as a seat and that is our current plan.  We are confident as Mike drives to get the boat inspected.  Mike returns and the news was bad, both of our boats were banned.  This happened to several of the teams that were there.  Todd said he told everyone about the inspection in the race update but we failed to see it.  We had to rent a boat from Sunrise right there at Del Valle.  We opted for a Cobra Triple, the fastest three person option in the fleet of cargo barges.

30 minutes before we the start we get maps.  A close look reveals that most of the trails in the park are not on the Nat Geo Topo! maps…hmmm?  While we are plotting the optional CPs the pre race meeting began.  The course was designed by Mark Manning.  The idea was that the race is a Rogaine with an 8 hour cut off.  I asked we had to carry the rain jacket and fleece and Todd waived both items.  He also stated that if we had an emergency to call 911 on our cell phone.  I pointed out that cell phones are banned.  He told everyone that they would be required gear for future events.  The kayak leg was first and we could do the trek and bike legs in whatever order we wanted.  We decided on kayak, trek, bike since we are all strong cyclists and would likely trek faster early and when it was cooler.

We put on our PFDs before the start.  When the race started we sprinted to the barge, shoved it off, and were out on the lake with a couple hundred yard lead on the rest of the field.  We paddle right to CP1 but missed it.  Since it was almost in-line with our return route we opted to continue and get it on the way back.  On the way to CP 2 Phil L and his teammate passed us in their slick tandem that was not banned.  We got all three kayak CPs and were only passed by three or four boats; couple solos and Phil’s 2M team.  We made a quick transition and were off onto the trek in no time. 

The trek had 6 CPs and we opted to do them in reverse order.  The lack of trails on the map made getting our first CP a bit tricky but after we got the second CP of the trek we passed through a gate with the park trail maps in it.  I grabbed one on the way by.  There was a long section between CP2 and CP1 with no marked trails on the map and obvious fire roads on the planet.  Eventually we figured out where we were on the Park Trail Map and quickly finished sweeping the trek CPs.

When we got to the TA I worked on transferring all the bike CPs to the park map. Phil and teammate were there and left the TA right behind us.  We took off on the bikes up a very steep trail called Squirrel Gulch.  As we started up, Angel shifted into her granny gear and her chain came off and wedged tightly between her spoke and large cog.  By the time we fixed it Phil and partner had about a five minute lead.  We reduced it to a couple of minutes over the bike leg.  I have no idea how anyone who did not get a Del Valle park map could do the bike leg.  None of the bike CPs were on trails shown on the course map. The last bike CP was an out and back to the other side of the lake.  I had suggested swimming for it but in the end we chose to ride.  On the way to the CP we passed a solo racer who was returning.  We had not been aware of him being ahead of us.  We got to the CP and realized that we had not seen Team Phil.  It turn out that they swam across the lake for the CP and finished ahead of us in time, but they’d missed a CP on the trek and we’d swept the course so we’d beaten them.  I think we finished in around 6:45, 20 mins behind the solo.

I had told the person covering my shift that I’d be back around 4pm and it was about 3:45 so I had to rush off and didn’t get to hang around.

We handled the barge, the nav and Mike’s suffering in the heat well.   Overall we had a good race and represented the DAs well.

At age 10 Jordan Romero set out to climb the 7 Summits, the highest peak on each continent.  At age 12,

Join California ARA for an evening with Jordan that will renew your faith in the energy of our youth.  www.jordanromero.com   Friends and family welcome!

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 Sports Basement

1177 Kern Ave Sunnyvale, CA94085

7 p.m. – 9 p.m.   

Drinks and snacks provided

20% off shopping discount    

For questions, please contact Kim Roland – kim@california-ara.com

For most of my adventure racing career I have trained without a formal training plan.  My strategy was to get as many base miles as I could fit into my schedule, add some intensity as the season approached, and ramp up the training to a peak of exhaustion about 12 days before an important event.  Years ago when I raced bicycles on the road and track I had a very formal plan.  I paid a coach to design a workout plan for riding and another coach to design and monitor my weight training.  This season I have decided to use my experience and knowledge to go back to having a training plan to maximize my performance.

 I am NOT a naturally gifted athlete.  I am a average athlete that has success by being more efficient, opportunistic, and by working harder than my competition.  Hiring coaches brought me the most success I’ve had in my experiences as an adult athlete.  I now support a wonderful family and no longer have the resources to pay some one to be my coach.  I can barely keep my bikes working.  For 10 years I haven’t bothered to try to make a plan for myself, but that is going to change.  The Dirty Avocados are getting faster and I don’t want to be the team anchor.  So here I am, staring at the blank calendar pages wondering where to start.  I know I have several factors to balance: training hours, covering all core AR disciplines, planning and rating training intensity, weight/resistance training, and scheduling training cycles to meet target events.  Those are the basic components of the plan I hope to create for myself.  I also have to figure out how to adjust the plan so it still works when I go on vacation with my family, work overtime shifts, or other family matters take precedence over a given  day’s plan.  This will be a multi-part blog.  This post will discuss weight training.  Future posts will address training cycles and how to rate intensity during training.

Weight training and resistance training, is it important?  I believe it is but only if executed using a smart plan.  Good personal trainers and chiropractors can tell what sport an athlete practices just by observing their posture, cyclists shoulders roll forward and their necks alignment is different because of looking up, runners have a distinctive pelvic tilt.  These are the effects of specific training, training for specific sports and developing the muscle groups used in those sports without working the opposing muscle groups.  These imbalances can result in injury to joints and disks if not corrected.  The off season is the ideal time to undertake a resistance training program.  Read some books, hire a coach, use an experienced trainer at the gym.  Get a simple plan that exercises opposing muscle groups.  Make sure that the coach or trainer understands that your goal isn’t to get huge, or build big arms and chest to impress the girls.  His or her job is to help you get a simple and effective routine and make sure that you use good and safe technique.  I recommend using dumbbells as much as possible because they force the muscles that support the joints into action.  Machines basically work the main muscles and ignore the smaller supporting muscles so in essence it’s like putting a bigger door on the same small hinges.  Adventure racers need strong joints. 

I incorporate four phases into my weigh training plan.  I start with “Basic Strength” with the goal of getting my body accustomed to weight training.  During this phase I start with light weights and only two sets.  I build to three sets and by the end of “Basic Strength” I am doing 3 sets of 10-12 reps to the point that I can’t do another rep on the last set.  If done correctly, I build it up gradually and manage to get through “Basic Strength” without getting sore.

The next phase is hypertrophy.  Hypertrophy means adding muscle.  I hate the idea of adding body mass but experience has told me that once I’m into the racing season that mass melts away quickly.  In this phase my reps are a little lower and the last set is done to failure, meaning I need help to finish the last rep or two or I fail to finish the last rep attempted. 

The third phase is power.  In the power phase I incorporate exercises and modify my technique to include more explosive motions.  In the first two phases work a three count, pause for a one count, and three count to the stating position for another one count.  It’s slow and controlled at all times.  In “Power” I use lighter weights and rapidly push (or pull) before a three count back to the starting position.  The classic “power” exercise is the power clean.  Do not attempt the power clean without some instruction, it can be dangerous.

After power I either taper for a target event, or go into ”Maintenance”.  In ”Maintenance” I cut back to two or three workouts a week and by May or June I only train my upper body with weights as I am usually working my legs hard on the bike and trails. 

 At the very least all adventure racers should have a good routine to work their core, the muscles of the midsection above the hips and below the ribs.  All work we do involves our limbs pushing or pulling and what they all pull against is the core.  The core is not to be ignored.  The results of a neglected core is often chronic back pain, or an injury to a disk. Take a yoga or pilates class, or do a variety of exercises that ecxercise the core on your own. 

The training race was billed to offer a little something to everyone and was true to the elements of adventure racing.  The name itself “Cold Feet” described how many people fear the idea of real adventure racing where your team is given a map with route choices to and from various check points  using various forms of travel from running, biking, etc.  Over the course of at least hours you make your way in usually a wild setting.  Also, the training promoted itself as a great place for experienced teams to come out and work out the cob webs.  The race offered quite a few route choices and a true physical challenge for those willing to push it. 

The Training Venue

The San Bruno Mountain just south of San Francisco, California played host to the training.  The park might be best described as one that is not very traveled, but incredible cared for by the park’s employees and the many volunteers, who we ran into during the race.  A little fact about the park is that it is the largest park in an urban setting in the United States.  The park itself showed a good cross section of terrain, fauna, and weather of the Central Coast of California including eucalyptus groves with trails cut through the vines and poison oak at the lower elevation, steep rocky switch backs between sage colored brush mid-mountain, and breathtaking 360 views of the San Francisco Bay Area at the top of the ridgeline.  The morning warmed up enough for many racers to wear tee shirts and bike shorts.  By the post race BBQ a marine layer rolled in locking in most the day’s warmth.

The Brave Challengers

The field of teams was a true collage of experience and goals.  Some wore uniforms, others wore costumes.  A few were there to try out new team mates, but the majority was there to check out this ultimate sport in terms of multisport team endurance challenges.  People drove as far as three hours away, while one team was able to drive to their nearby home to take their unwelcome dog according to rangers back!  However, we were all united in bucking up and getting up early on a cool saturday morning to unite in our teams, challenge this mountain, and roll through to the finish. 

The BBQ

You can tell a lot about an adventure race by the mood and gathering at the finish line.  The BAARBD race planning was incredible as most teams on both the short and the long courses came in close together.   Everyone gathered over a few picnic tables sharing stories of the race’s fun.  Then Rick B., the Master of Ceremony and occasionally chaos dressed in a tux shirt and bow tie handed out a few awards for the first teams.  While Dirty Avocados related teams with two new racers completed both the long and short courses first the real winners of this event was everyone that walked away with some new friends, a new sport, and some sharper skills to race this year.

Next Event

BAARBD told us at the BBQ that they will be putting on a pre-season bash the night of March 21st in the city.  Go to http://www.baarbd.org for more information.  Thank you everyone at BAARBD and all the volunteers for putting on this event.

The third annual year end party for the Dirty Avocados lived up to it’s reputation and was a great success.  Some pics are in the gallery with more to come.