Continue reading »]]> Last weekend was my second XTERRA for the calendar year (and the third for the season).  It took place in beautiful Winder, Georgia at Fort Yargo State Park.

This race always brings out a big crowd as the course is fast, the weather typically beautiful and a great chance to dust off the cobwebs from a long winter off-season.

The usual XTERRA family was there.  Got to see Craig, Owen, Sunny, Rob, Deena, Mark, Ali, Hugh, Peter and Mrs. Lilly.  Made quite a few new friends as well.

Swim was the usual mosh pit with elbows flying into my noggin and people trying to kick my teeth out.  I managed to get away from the pack by the second buoy and find clean water, but not before expending just a little too much energy doing so.  I came out of the water with Dano still in sight.

The bike was fast and fun.  It had rained a little the morning of the race, so the trails were nice and tacky, but not slippery.  The Schwalbe’s were hooking up good, keeping the bike on the trail and the GU Brew Roctane mix was keeping the engine going.  I passed a few folks on the bike and managed an ok split.

Out on the run, I passed a couple more folks and caught up with Dan.  We ran together for a bit before I decided to try and chase down one more person.  I didn’t catch him and took 4th overall.  Craig was up front as usual, but was beat by James MCCurdy.

There were 15 folks in our age group, but I squeaked out the win and Dan right behind me for second.

Great race and great seeing everyone!

Be a Warrior!

Marcus
SpeedyLizard.com

Continue reading »]]> So last Thursday, I was out at the Whitewater Center for a group trail run.  We had 20 or so folks show up and we ran around 6 miles.  During the course of the run, one of the runners asked if I was going to come out for Tuck Fest.

“Tuck what?”

They explained that it was three full days of racing.  Paddleboats, kayaks, trail runs, mountain biking, obstacle course, you name it.  Basically, you pay one fee of 35 buckaroos.  For that fee you get a race bib that can be used in as many races as you want.

As Jed Clampett used to say: Hot diggity dog.

I decided to give two races a try which included the 10k trail run on Saturday and the 12 mile mountain bike / obstacle course on Sunday.

The 10k had about 100 people in it and was a fun race.  I took off in the lead and held it the entire race.  Several times I could see Dave Leatherman on my tail through the switchbacks, but I tried my best to hold him off.  I succeeded and took the win.

Then came Sunday.  I woke up sore as a dog and wondering if I really wanted to do the mountain bike / obstacle course race or not.

Yes, I “said obstacle course”.

This race consisted of 12 miles on the mountain bike stopping throughout the race to do 10 obstacles.  These guys aren’t just jumping over a barrel, but instead included some serious challenges.

I dilly-dallied around the house with this small chore and that until the very last minute, trying to figure out if I was going to do it or not. With just enough time to get there and get checked in, I left the house.  I showed up, rode a bit to warm up and then lined up at the start to the front and far left.

The race started with a sprint around the whitewater rapids in an effort to get the hole shot into the single track.  I followed in second place behind John Cates.  Throughout the entire race, John and I would race together, stopping at the obstacles to make our way over, under, through or across them.  He was a much better biker than I, but I seemed to do better at the obstacles.  Once we reached a huge boulder pile that we had to climb (with bikes in tow), I seemed to pull away from him.  I held onto the lead for the win.

Be a Warrior,

Marcus
SpeedyLizard.com

Continue reading »]]> Decided to race teh BMW Super Sprint Road Tri again this year.  This is always a super-fun, super-simple, super-short race.   It consists of a 250 yard pool swim, 10 mile road bike and a 2 mile road run.  No time to worry about fluid, nutrition or anything.  Instead, it’s just redline the whole time and GO.

El Capitan Dano pulled off the overall win and I snagged 3rd overall.  Everyone at the race, racers and spectators alike, were all very friendly.  Was a blast to race with a bunch of folks out to have a good time.

Be a Warrior,

Marcus
SpeedyLizard.com

Continue reading »]]> Raced XTERRA Hickory Knob last weekend.  It was very, very wet and muddy out.  The trails took a beating and so did the racers.

I managed to squeeze out second overall and since El Capitan Dano was in front of me, he not only took first, but took the max points for our age group.

Got to see quite a few of my XTERRA family that I missed over the winter months. 

Swim was shortened due to the frigid ~60 degree water temp.

I will be attempting to contact some of the local mountain bikers and SORBA chapter to see if we can get a trail maintenance day out there.  Any of you fellow XTERRA racers that raced should come out and help.  We want to put these trails back into as good of a condition as we can.

More to come.

Be a Warrior

Marcus
SpeedyLizard.com

Continue reading »]]> Race: Charleston Marathon and Half Marathon

Race Type & Size: Running Road Race,~ 3000 1/2 & full marathoners

Distance: 13.1 miles

Date: 01/19/2013

Location: Charleston, SC

Race Director: Liz Alford

Sponsors: Harris Teeter, YOJ events, Charleston.com, North  Charleston, Fox Music, Try Sports, and many other local businesses

Volunteers/Organization: I won’t lie, I was concerned about how the day would flow since there were some hiccups the previous year. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the entire event. Registration at the Expo was a breeze. The race started on time, plenty of volunteers and LEOs  along the course, organized and stocked water/aid stations, and the post-race had plenty of food and drinks. I was a bit disappointed that they ran out of Yuengling before I made it through the line.

Weather Conditions: I could not have asked for better weather!! We had a starting temp of 40 degrees, clear skies, and only occasional wind gusts (sadly, not at our backs).

Course Conditions: The course was well-marked with plenty of volunteers and LEOs on hand throughout the race. I was happy enough with the course layout, but there were some complaints about a ‘long, boring stretch’ along the railway.

Nutrition: EFS Liquid Shot Wild Berry, Fruit Smoothie Honey Stinger Chews

Race Results: 1:58

Personal Experience:

I woke up at 5:15am after a restless sleep which is pretty typical for me the night before a race. I had laid out my gear the night before, so really it was just a matter of waking up, gearing up and eating breakfast. I kept with my ‘usual’ of oatmeal, Greek yogurt, and mixed berries. We met with friends in the lobby and made our way to the race at 6:30am. Parking wasn’t too hairy. They had the high school open for late registration, bathrooms, and generally hanging out in the warmth before heading to warm-up. We did some dynamic warm-ups as we walked to the start and I met up with the runner (actually 2 runners) I would be pacing. The music was playing and the energy was high! There was not a cloud in the sky, the breeze wasn’t too fierce, and the temp was 39/40 degrees! Perfect! Since my bad show at Thunder Road, I was ready to have fun and help my friend achieve her sub-2 goal. After a fantastic invocation and National Anthem, the race got underway on time. We were expecting the first mile to be pretty slow with a lot of weaving through the crowd, but we were able to navigate pretty well and lose very little time. We ran along the harbor until we hit the Battery and turned onto King Street. These first miles were just beautiful! I kept a careful eye on our pace and monitored my friend’s comfort level. We were holding a steady pace at slightly below 9:00 and banking time. At mile 4, it was time to start fueling. I had my diluted EFS Liquid Shot in a 10oz handheld and took in 5 oz over the next mile or so. There was a stretch along in here that was not all that exciting, but I was keeping my mind occupied by eyeing our pace and doling out encouragement and reminders of form and breathing. Occasionally, I would break out with some singing or random frivolity just to keep it light. We discussed her plan to stop at the mile 8 aid station to refill her water bottle, start fueling (the last half of my bottle) and have a little ‘reset’ of the legs. We had time banked to take as long as she needed, but as I recall, it was no more than 20-30 seconds before we were back at it. I was bit anxious about how I would handle this ‘reset’ since run/walk/run has never worked well for me, but I was able to restart with little problem. As we approached the final 5k, it was clear that, baring any unforeseen issues, we had sub-2 in the bag. Some headwind hit us, but we just rolled with it and kept moving. We turned a corner and the finish line was in sight, so we dropped and went into an all out sprint for the finish crossing the line right at 1:58. Sub-2 Goal. Check.

The post-race activities were in full swing, but I knew I had to run back on the course and run another friend in and be a cheerleader.  In retrospect, it was a great way for me to cool down, too! Once she made it across the line, it was all about rehashing what had happened out on the course, cheering on other runners, and waiting for other friends to finish. Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a better way to ‘get back on the horse’. I expect that I will be back again next year!

Continue reading »]]> Offered again at Tailwind Cycles + Multi-sport is a 2 block, 12 week indoor trainer series led by the CentiMark-Tailwind Cycles Racing Team.

Want to lose those holiday pounds?  Want to use the off-season to get ready for your upcoming triathlon?  Then check out this kick-ass trainer series!

Now you have the opportunity to train with the same series as our racing team. This is the perfect series for any athlete from the beginner all the way up to the seasoned racer.  If you’re not into racing, don’t worry, this will be a great way to get into better shape.  If you are into racing, and want to get faster, this series is an excellent way to compliment your off-season base training and establish the platform to launch you into race season.

We will work on your aerobic fitness, power, speed and endurance.  Everyone will be doing the same routine, but the great thing about this series is that it is governed by your own, specific, level of exertion. So, you are able to increase or decrease the difficulty to match you’re level of exertion to your level of training. This means that nobody gets ahead and nobody gets left behind. This series is also not only for the serious rider but benefits general health, weight management and runners alike. We will develop the neuromuscular interface to develop a high cadence needed in cycling and running. We’ll also build power to climb hills and the ability to sprint to new speeds.

This is a progressive block based program where each session builds on the one before. Each block entails 6 weeks of specific training with a recovery week in between, so you’ll want to attend as many sessions as possible to get the most benefit.

We’ll also be throwing in a weekly fun challenge for prizes.   That’s right, so be prepared if you want to earn one of the prizes (insert evil grin).

Classes will start January 16th.  They will be held Wednesdays will be from 6:30 till 8pm. (NOTE: Wheels will be spinning promptly at 6:30, so you’ll want to be there at 6:15 to get setup and ready to go).

New to using a trainer? No problem! We’ll set you up with everything you will need (limited supply). Have your own trainer? Bring it!

What you’ll need:

• Bike
• Water
• Towel
• Cycling computer capable of measuring cadence
• Fan (if you’d like your own)
• Trainer (see below)

If you do not have any of these items, please come see David and he will hook you up.

The shop has a limited supply of trainers you can borrow.  If you sign up for the entire series, you get preference to a trainer.  Otherwise, it’s first come, first serve.

Take the next step in your training and enjoy one of the best indoor cycling series available.

When: Wednesday
Time: 6:30pm – 8:00pm (please arrive by 6:15)
First Block: Jan 16, 23, 30, Feb , 6, 13, & 20
Offweek: With homework drills
Second Block: Mar 6, 13, 20, 27, Apr 3 & 10
Cost: $65.00 per 6 week block ($110 if you sign up and pay for both blocks).  Alternately, you can pay as you go for $15 per session.

Sign-up NOW!! SPACE IS LIMITED!!! Email TailwindCycle@gmail.com if you have any questions or want to join in the fun!.

Need more info?  Stop by or call the shop today!

Continue reading »]]> No. Not grinding rotors, Grind and rotors.

Dan and I finished second place in the Male Duo division at the 6 Hour Grind at the Greenway on Saturday. Wasn’t the best race for me.

We planned 4 laps each and accomplished it. My first lap was pretty decent and I felt pretty good but the other 3 sucked arse. The week leading up to the race consisted of the perfect storm of issues that caused me not to be in good racing condition. Some of them were out of my control while others were self inflicted. There were a few lessons learned, so not a total loss. All-in-all, squeaking out a second place finish is a good ending.

Neal Boyd put on yet another awesome event with a well-marked course, great staff and awesome food. To top it off, free beer from OMB was served.

Yesterday, Alba sent me up into the attic to fetch the Halloween decorations. As she’s going through the box she discovers a missing pair of brake rotors. Apparently, last year I had returned from a bike trip about the same time as packing up the decorations. Somehow the rotors made there way from my bike shipping box into the decorations. I’ve since replaced them so I guess I have a backup pair now.

Be a warrior!

Marcus Barton
www.SpeedyLizard.com

Continue reading »]]> Capped off the 2012 XTERRA season with a Regional Champion title for the Southeast Region. I also finished 12th in division at the XTERRA USA National Championships last weekend. Not quite as well as I had wanted at such an important race, but a fun one anyhow. Race report coming up. In the meantime, hop over to Facebook and enjoy some vids and pics

Race Course Pre-ride:

Before climbing Sardine trail video

Top of Sardine trail video

Also check out the course pre-ride pictures

We also went for a post-race ride at Park City. Check out the awesome pics of that ride.

Here’s a video once we hit near the top

Here’s a few “samples”…

Be a warrior!

Marcus Barton
www.SpeedyLizard.com

Continue reading »]]> Having raced at XTERRA Tsali earlier this month, I knew how fun the trails were and how Bryson City is such a great town.  The Tsali trail system is broken up into 4 loops; Right, Left, Mouse Branch and Thompson.  Right and Left are open to bikes one day and the other 2 on the next.   Since the race was just on the Right loop, I did not get the full Tsali exposure.  I planned a trip with the kids to Bryson City for some fun in the mountains and to discharge from a long first half on the year.   We got a cabin on the outside of town and had a blast.   Tubing, jet boat rides and endless turns off the rope swing were definitely what the doctor ordered.   We even took a trip down Rt. 28 to check out the Fontana Dam.

Highest Dam East of the Mississippi – 480’

What a great view

Since I am back to base training, in order to get my aerobic engine to the next level for nationals later this fall, I took advantage of the opportunity to do my Saturday, long ride at Tsali.  On Saturday, it is the Mouse Branch and Thompson trails that are open.  With no idea of what to expect, due to the fact that the only other time I was there was to race, and the trail went by so fast, I planned on a few easy laps to stay in the prescribed aerobic zone.  Man, that is the perfect trail to just flow and have a blast!   It is so much fun to ride that should be a must for anyone’s riding list.   The best way I can describe those trails is: FATS meets Pisgah.   They are super flowing trails in the heart of the Smoky Mountain.  There’s nothing technical there, so it is a ride for everyone and one of the most fun rides around.  Just because it is not technical does not mean you can’t challenge yourself.   In 4 hours of riding I was able to accumulate 4,900’ of elevation gain over ~50 miles.   That’s not bad for a base ride.  For those of you that keep track of stats it was an average pace of 12.3MPH at a HR of 128.  That is one fast zone 1 hr ride with plenty of elevation.  Now if you really wanted to push it, you have the opportunity to fly off the mountain.

Beautiful rhododendron tunnels

Even some spots to cool off

On Sunday I was scheduled to swim for an hour in the lake.   How could I pass up another chance to ride at Tsali while I was there?  So off to the trailhead I went, this time for a lap on the Right and Left loops.   Those loops were very similar to what I rode on Saturday, with maybe a touch more climbing and descending along with a few more rocks (but similar stats).  That ride was wicked fast, fun and just a great all-round place to ride.  It was so much better than swimming. Besides, the swimming pool was waiting for me on Monday anyway.

One of the great things about the National Forest is that there is so much room to spread out and get away from the crowd without giving up too much convenience since the amenities are awesome. Tsali even has its own bike wash station.

Forget the photo, get on the bike and pedal.

Beautiful Lake Fontana

Continue reading »]]> XTERRA East Championship Race Report

How many of you recall Sesame Street and their cheesy way of “sponsoring” a show?  “Today was brought to you by the letter F and the Letter P”.  Well, folks, this race report and the lessons learned are brought to you by Frank.  It’ll make sense in a minute or two.  Bear with me.

I know it’s been over three weeks since the XTERRA East Championship race in Richmond, but I’ve had numerous folks question when the race report would be hitting the blog, especially since I posted that I would explain the demise of my race with a Facebook and Twitter post.  Kind of hard to get an idea of what happened in less than 140 characters, so here’s the scoop.

Dan took his whole clan to the race since numerous family members would be participating in the race activities.  This meant that our usual commute and sharing of a room didn’t take place.  Another good friend, Chris, was also doing the race so we decided to head up together and split a room.  We headed up Friday night and planned a pre-ride on Saturday after the trail run races were over.

We had a pretty good pre-ride even though it was 4 billion degrees outside.  Things were going pretty good until Chris had a bit of a crash and screwed up his ankle pretty bad.  By the time we hit the hay that night, that thing was swollen as big as a house.  My good friend, Frank Fernandez Posse, was staying in the same hotel with us and stopped by to give some advice.  He’d gone through some ankle issues over the past year and wanted to offer his experience.  The three of us hung around in the room just shooting the breeze and talking about racing.  One topic, oddly enough, that came up was the use of a bike pump and how he recommended against using someone else’s pump.  We all knew the reason why, mainly because the gauges can vastly vary from pump to pump.  Having the wrong pressure could be detrimental to your race.  Frank wished Chris well, headed out and we began planning dinner.

On race morning, Chris officially threw in the towel and decided not to race.  We had originally planned to check out of the hotel, pack up the truck and head to the race.  However, since he was hurt, I told him that there was no sense in him hobbling around the race course.  I suggested that he just hang out in the hotel until checkout time and then drive my truck down.  The race course was close enough that I could just throw my transition bag onto my back and ride the bike there.  He agreed and I headed down to the truck to grab my gear.  One of the things I couldn’t figure out how to safely carry was my pump.  I resigned to just using Dan’s and headed to the race (see where this is going).

All of the pre-race prep went as planned.  I got a decent spot in transition and setup everything including tire pressure.  With. Dan’s. Pump.

The swim was the usual zig-zag course across the James River.  It went something like this:  Swim to the first buoy, take a right.  Run across the sandbar and back into the water.  Take a left at the next buoy.  Swim across the river, over boulders and take a right at the next buoy.  Run across Belle Isle (upstream) and back into the water.  Swim to the next buoy, fighting the current and take a right.  At the last buoy, take a left and head for the shore (see pic below).  Pretty interesting swim to say the least.  I felt pretty good with my swim time and came out of the water looking forward to a good bike.

As soon as I got out on the bike, I knew I was in trouble. Apparently, using Dan’s pump was indeed a bad idea. I inflated to the pressure I wanted, but apparently, the pressure registered on his gauge is way different than mine. As I rounded the turn, up the gravel road to the Highway 1 bridge (see the bridge in the top of the pic above) , I realized that I wouldn’t be able to handle single track trail on the pressure I was running. Any hard landing would have caused my rim to bottom out. With great regret, I pulled over to put in some air. I quickly grabbed my can of air, twisted the valve to puncture the can and put the valve onto the valve stem of the wheel. In order to release the air, I had to again, give the can of air a twist. When I did, I snapped the valve stem right off of the wheel. I stood there in disbelief. “This can NOT be happening” I thought. I tried to take the valve stem and twist it back into the wheel with hopes that there was enough threads to grab hold. No luck. I flipped the bike over and pulled the wheel off and leaned it on the guard rail of the bridge as I broke the bead and put a tube in. To add insult to injury, I couldn’t seem to get the air to come out of the can. I began asking racers as they swooshed by me if any one had air to spare. After about 30 riders past, a young kid on a relay team stopped and offered me a pump. With about 50 pumps from the little hand pump (all while profusely thanking the kid for stopping), I had the tire inflated. I handed him the pump, sent him on his way and threw the wheel back on the bike. I zoomed across the bridge passing the kid and I thanked him again.

As soon as I hit single track, I knew I still didn’t have enough pressure. I came across a guy working on a broken chain, stopped to offer help, but he said he had everything he needed. “Can I bum some air from you?” Hoping that he’d have a can of CO2, he instead pointed me to his pump. Another 50 short pumps later, and I was on my way again. I was concerned that the lower pressure would cause a pinch flat on the tube, but I threw caution to the wind and just hauled ass. I didn’t take it easy on any of the jumps, drops or other rough areas of the course and figured that if I got another flat, I would deal with it rather than worrying about it along the way. When I approached the tunnel section of the course, I actually caught a little air coming off the jump. Check out Cody clearing that section.

The Richmond course is pretty cool.  Not only is it in the middle of downtown Richmond, but it has some really interesting obstacles and sections of trail.  There’s tunnels, bridges, and all sorts of really cool things to ride.

Adding to the course obstacles, there’s also a crowd of locals that come out to taunt the racers.  By 8am, they were already tanked, full of beer and having fun.  They hang around two technical sections of the course that are tough to transverse without the distractions, much less with them hanging around in funny costumes, shouting at you.  It makes for a great time and even if you don’t have a sense of humor, you can’t help but grin when you come across these clowns.  What makes it even better, it’s a two-lap bike course, so you get to deal with them twice.  I hope they never stop doing what they do in future years, because they’re a blast to have on the course.

On the first lap of the course, I had to deal with overcoming the second wave of racers that passed me during my tire repairing stops.  By the time we hit the second lap, the Sprint racers had hit the course.  Dan and I had previously calculated that if we could have a decent first lap, that we should be able to be on our second lap by the time they hit the course.  This was accurate, and I would have made it, would I had not stopped for the repairs.  As I came up onto the road bridge for my second lap, I noticed a ton of Sprint racers in front of me.  I passed as many as I could before hitting single track but when I hit the trailhead, congestion had already started.  Since many of them were new to racing (good for them), they were walking their bikes over many of the obstacles (bad for me).  Some of the obstacles had bikers stacked up 15 deep.  It got to the point where I spent as much time running along the side of the trail with my bike on my shoulder (in order to pass) than I spent riding it.  By the time I hit the halfway point of the second lap, it finally started to thin out a bit.  Knowing that the competitive side of my race was pretty much over, I decided to just have fun with it and race as fast as I could.

I came into T2 ready to hit the run.  The heat was already exceeding 90 degrees, so I knew it was going to be a tough one.  The first section of the run, which is predominately sidewalk and packed gravel, was an area where I tried to just get into a good rhythm.  I also knew that once I hit the “Ruins” that I would have to deal with cramps, so I staved them off until then.

Sure enough, as soon as I hit the top of the stairs of the Ruins, my left quad was cramping. I joked to the folks standing at the top that I would have to run the rest of the way like a pirate.  I managed to shake the cramp by the time I hit the next water stop and got all the way to the dry way with little issues.  The dry way is a section of the James River that doesn’t have much water flow unless it rains a ton.  It’s basically a boulder hop across the river back to Belle Isle.  It’s a fun part of the course if you can manage to keep from cramping.  Because of the hopping and lunging forward from rock to rock, it has a tendency to flare up issues with tired muscles.  I had a few cramps here and there, but they only lasted seconds at a time.

After a quick jaunt over Belle Isle and some more single track trail, you have one more bridge to cross the James River and head to the finish line.

I finished 10th in my division which I guess isn’t too bad considering the tire issues.  I should have listened to Frank.  I was really hoping to get some redemption after being sick at ITU Worlds, but I didn’t get it.  Still a very, very fun race and was great to see my XTERRA family again.  Thanks Pax Tolosi for some of the great photos above, including his better half, Beata Wronska coming up the stairs. Check our her cool blog.

Race: XTERRA East Championship
Location: Richmond, Virginia, USA
Date: June 10, 2012
Distances: 1000m swim / 32k mountain bike / 10k trail run
Result: 10th in Division
Products used: GU Roctane and GU Brew, Maxxis Ikon Tires, Cobb SCH DRT Saddle, Rudy Project helmet, Scrub Brakes, Crank Brothers Candy Pedals.

Be a warrior!

Marcus Barton
www.SpeedyLizard.com