OOPS. ... I DID IT AGAIN

Not sure what got in to me, but yesterday I signed up for the Deception Pass 25K on December 10. D'oh! (That, after having already signed up for the Orcas Island 25K at the end of January.) My last running race? Chuckanut 50K in March 2007. (See above; note bulging calves which, these days, require calf bras.) That's almost 5 years between races.

In other news, I find myself once again lasciviously eyeing cyclocross bikes. Must be some 50-y-o guy mid-life crisis thang. 

Oh, and here's a Galbraith video shot last winter of Whoopsie Woodle in the snow. Cheesey effects added:

 

Enjoy!

2008 CHUCKANUT 50K VIDEO

This vid follows buddies John Clark and Scott Young in the 2008 Chuckanut 50K.

COUPLE MORE CHUCKANUT 50K PHOTOS

Above left, in the glasses, is Rick Hill, a truly inspirational story from this year's 50K. Last year, a month or so before the 50K, he suffered a stroke, a kind of blood clot in his brain that luckily, doctors were able to treat in time. Thus he whimped out of running last year's race. (Kidding, Rick.)

Here's the thing: this year he runs pretty much his best time ever! (I say pretty much because over the past few years, alterations have made the course a little longer than last time he ran it.) This year's time: 5:47. Way to go, Rick!

Also, please take note of John Schick at the far right, running backwards as he shakes hands with someone on the sideline.

Below, just a perty pic of a runner ascending the Fragrance Lake Trail.

YET MORE CHUCKANUT 50K PHOTOS, VIDEO

Here's Beau Whitehead at the start of the Fragrance Lake Trail. "You're the smartest one here, Mike," he says. That's a sentence I've not heard too many times in my life.

Training pals Christy Fazio, Scott Young, and John Clark.
Jason Russ, who finished in 4:55.

Scott Jurek, who finished third. For complete results, go to: www.gbrc.net/results/results_c50k_08.php.

I'm still going through my pics.

MORE CHUCKANUT 50K PHOTOS, VIDEO

Above, video of Scott Young's 14th-place finish.

John Clark at aid station 2 with Brian Herring running along looking like he's trying to interest John in a real estate deal of some kind. Beau Whitehead, who finished 15th, just behind Scott.
John, shortly after the finish.
John and Scott hook up after the race. Scott Jurek, who finished third.

BIG BIG WEEKEND

Wow! Lots going on this weekend. Watching my boyz in the Chuckanut 50K on Saturday. Last Wednesday, I predicted John would run 4:33 and Scott 4:46. John goes out and runs 4:30, 12th place, while Scott blazes a 4:35--a PR by over an hour! Incredible. Inspiring as hell!
Saturday, I jumped back and forth between the race and my real boy's chess tournament at Assumption School. See Baker (right) below with medal and trophy-winning friend Tristan. We're all going to state next month!
Sunday, I rode a 36-mile road race in Ravensdale with some Fanatik guys. Below are Tim Reinholtz (who raced Cat 5 with me), Dave Bishop, and Chad Clarke who both raced 4s. Fun, intense and we all finished safely. Later that morning, Fanatik's Jeff McConaughy won the Masters race. Way to go!
Here's Chuckanut winner Bryan Dayton.
More pics and video to come throughout the week!

Chuckanut 50K Weekend

Saturday is the 16th running of the Chuckanut 50K and the last time on the course we have all come to know and love/hate. Next year, plans are for the route to be much hillier. Above and below, Chuckanut studs Scott Young and John Clark had their final one-on-one coaching sessions with Chris Carmichael. "Run like the wind, my son," he told Scott. Whereas to John he said, "Just don't run like Mike McQuaide and you'll be fine."

These guys have trained hard, been running like two times a day, John had 108 miles one week, Scott's been burning up the treadmill at the Y sending the watts meter into the red and man, I'm glad I'm not doing the race this year. I'm not worthy.

I've written down my predictions for what I think John and Scott will run; I'll let you know Sunday how close I am.

Speaking of Carmichael, a couple more tidbits from last Saturday's talk. He said the Leadville Trail 100 in August is the mountain bike race that Lance is going to do. (Along with this year's Boston and New York marathons.) Also, he thought that if Lance decided next year to come back and do the Tour de France that Carmichael believed he could win it. (Please Lance, don't do it. Think Michael Jordan in a Wizards uniform; that should be enough to scare you.)

BIKE SATURDAY

We hit the Seattle Bike Expo on Saturday. That is, John Clark, Scott Young, Jen (me wife) and Baker (me son). Above, please enjoy a photo of Chris Carmichael and myself. Chris, who coached Lance Armstrong to seven Tour de France victories, was a featured speaker. Real nice guy, who spent a few minutes before his presentation talking to Scott, John and I, who were all kinda schoolboy giddy with tongue-tied goofiness. His presentation included footage of Lance in the TdF including a behind-the-scenes story about how fortunate Lance's foray into cyclocross turned out to be during the '03 stage when Joseba Beloki crashed right in front of him and Lance had to cut across the cornfield and over a ditch.

We coveted a lot of bikes we did. Here John and Scott drool over a Cervelo P3 time trial bike not unlike that used by Fabian Cancellara. World Champion rainbow stripes and all. Probably $7,000 with the Zipp wheels.

Below, John does something I would never do a week before an important race. Have his body fat tested on one of those notoriously innaccurate body composition bathroom scales. John's got less body fat on him than an Olsen twin yet this thing tells him he's like 16 percent body fat. This right after some guy, who looked no trimmer than John, butted in front of him and registered something like 5 percent body fat.

Below, Scott tries on a pink shirt. Behind him, an alarmed onlooker phones a loved one and asks for help.
John and Scott are running the Chuckanut 50K (www.gbrc.net/chuckanut50k.php) next Saturday and I wish them all the luck in the world. It's sure to be an epic battle with neither one of them coming right out and actually saying it, but you know each wants to pound the other. As it should be.

Good luck to both of them!

After that, we ride.

END OF YEAR RIDE

Went 'cross bike riding with Mark Peterson, athlete and sponship dude at Kona, and Ryan Rickerts, of http://www.cyclocrazed.com/ fame the other day. Strong guys both who thankfully waited up for me at various and sundry points. I'm writing a story for The Seattle http://www.seattletimes/ about such 'cross-type riding behavior; it should run next Thursday, the 10th.
There's Ryan giving me the Lance look. (Cheeky bastard.) We started at Mark's house where, after enjoying one of those mini cups of some amazingly rich espresso, we headed up the Pipeline Trail on Galbraith. See the snow in the distance (above); see it in my back wheel below?
Probably six or eight inches of snow once we hit where the road/trail flattens out, then we headed down the upper trails just east of Lake Padden. (That's the top photo.) From there we dropped down into Fairhaven and took various greenways back. Just about two hours riding in all.
Sunday, I went running with the Chuckanut 50K group from the Vet hospital. About an hour into it, as I was having a jolly time running with Mr. Clark and Mr. Scott, it just kinda hit me: I don't feel like training for this race. Even if it's the last time ever for this course, I just can't seem to get motivated for the long, long hours of running in the mud every Sunday until raceday in the middle of March. And for a race that long and painful, I need to be mucho motivated. (Still ended up running 2 hours 45 minutes with a couple thousand feet elevation gain.)

Went home, took out the 'cross bike and rode about an hour and 15. That was fun.

SUNNY DAY ON GALBRAITH

Rode the Fantom CX to Col d'Galbraith Alpe d'Towers and beyond on what was a stunning, not-a-cloud-in-the-sky morning. Mount Baker was huge as were views far into Canada, the San Juan Islands and beyond.

Came across the sculpture below, one which I'd not seen before at Galbraith. This is on the Wonderland side, on the north end of the towers, though I was riding the dirt roads up there--the ol' reliable 2000, 3000 and 4000.

So ... speaking of the Chuckanut 50K, damn that Christy Fazio is all I can say. Looks like the course won't change for the upcoming race in March but most definitely will in 2009. Meaning this is the last time for this course ever. As Kristy pointed out to me, if I have any unfinished business with that race--as in every year I think I'm capable of running 5:30 but I've ended up at 5:50 and 5:53 the last two years--this is my last chance to get it done. Thanks for putting that in my mind, Kristy; I may be at the starting line next March after all.

No I won't.

(I don't know; maybe I will be.)

TO CHUCKANUT OR CHUCKANOT?

Still not sure what I'll train for this winter. Last two years it's been for the Chuckanut 50K, but I just can't see myself at the starting line next March. I love the training; I love the people I run with on Sunday mornings, but the race itself is pretty brutal. More than a third of it is on the Interurban which is just a death march by the end. Seemed to take me forever to recover too. I couldn't ride hard for a month afterward.

A rumor is circulating that Krissy Moehl might change the course which originally made my heart go pitter-pat, I was so excited. But the revised course I heard about wasn't super exciting--a lot of out and backs with long, long descents--so I'm leaning toward not doing it, whatever the course is. Besides I've sure loved riding the 'cross bike this fall and that's got to be easier on the body than the four-hour runs in the Chuckanuts.

Maybe I'll do some of each. Try to ride two or three times a week, run the same amount. See if that keeps me in some kind of running/bike form.

Padden Mud Run on Sunday; that'll be fun.

Above and below, the Bake boy rips it up at the Bellingham Skatepark big bowl.