Chamonix-Mont Blanc, France...The Americans have Arrived!!

Arrived on Tuesday at 7:35AM, local time, into Geneva Switzerland on a United flight via Newark, NJ with Francisco.  Read the book, "Unbroken", on the way over.  A great book to read before an event like UTMB, makes such an effort seem so small.

So back to the weather before I talk about the race preparation.  The weather here is very volatile.  Sunny, then cloudy, then raining, then cloudy, a little bit of sun, then cloudy, then sunny, the hot, then cold and raining again.....all within an hour.  Do you get the picture.  You can see the weather forecast below for today(thursday) thru Sunday, the end of the race.  Of course this could all change again, and if so it can only get better.  With rain looking certain for a good portion of the race, my game plan/racing strategy has got to change a little bit as it relates to my gear.

The start/finish line in Chamonix

Yesterday we all (Francisco, Curt, Ray, Laura, Tim, Scot and Barb) all met up at the health club(after going up Mont Blanc via gondola) where sign in and packet pick up was.  We were able to get our BIB #'s, cool UTMB shirts and have our "obligatory gear" inspected.  I failed inspection with my wind proof jacket trying to get by as a being "water-proof".  So I grabbed a taxi and wen track to the chalet and grabbed my North Face Summit Series jacket, which I used in Leadville.  Initially they rejected this jacket as well.  I pleaded with the old french lady and she let me on through.  We then got our backpacks chipped our bibs and complimentary fluorescent green UTMB shirts.

After getting all of our stuff we gathered outside and tried to decided on where to go for dinner.  As luck would have it the skies opened up on us and we threw on our rain gear that was just inspected.  I gave my NF Summit Series jacket to Laura while I put on my NF wind proof (the I thought was waterproof) jacket and waterproof pants.  What I found out is that after standing in a torrential downpour for about 15 minutes that neither jacket was actually waterproof!  Thank God for that rain.  If that happened out on the course I would have gotten damp, wet and cold.

13,000+ feet a top of Mont Blanc via Gondola, breathtaking!!

Next we gathered at a local hotel where Patrick, a Denver native and friends with Ray, was staying for a beer and snacks waiting for the rain to stop before heading back out for dinner.  We had dinner as Les Moraine with everybody, less Tim, Scot and Barb, plus Patrick and Kim (from TX who is doing the CCC, which is a 100k trail run starting on Friday morning).  I had cod a glass of wine along with the some funny, light conversation.


It was about 10PM when we made it back to the chalet.  A long day out sight seeing, getting gear and discussing race plans/strategies.  After making a few biz calls I skyped the family to say a quick hello before crashing at about 12:15AM.  

The game plan today is to grab breakfast, head into Chamonix to pick up some souvenirs, have a nice lunch back at the Chalet before heading out to the airport to pick up Daley, who arrives at 4:40PM.  By then  should have all of my gear organized and ready to chill out for the evening.  Starting to get excited......

Cheers!

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France Weather

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5 Day Forecast

Updated: Aug 30, 2012, 7:08am Local Time

TodayAug 30

60^°F

46^°F

Rain / Thunder

CHANCE OF RAIN:

80%

 

WIND:

WSW at 6 mph

Details

FriAug 31

57^°

45^°

Rain

CHANCE OF RAIN:

90%

 

WIND:

NNW at 8 mph

Details

SatSep 1

61^°

44^°

Rain

CHANCE OF RAIN:

70%

 

WIND:

NNE at 6 mph

Details

SunSep 2

68^°

44^°

Partly Cloudy

CHANCE OF RAIN:

10%

 

WIND:

NNE at 4 mph

Details

Weather Watching

Ok, I can only say that I feel like an 80 year old retiree obsessed with weather right now.  Not in Brentwood, but in Chamonix, Mont Blanc France.  Ever since we've been 10 days out from the race I've been checking the weather and related patterns 3X per day!  What I've determined is that predicting the weather is simply universal, you can't.  They may try, really hard, but in the end it will be what it will be.  Hmmm, if I put that on a Facebook page do you think that it would replace the annoying saying..."it is what it is?"

The first time that I checked, it showed Friday August 31, 2012 as being partly cloudy, lot's of sunshine and only a 20% chain of rain.  Super cool fact...it's a FULL MOON both Friday and Saturday nights.  For those of you who are night runners, I'm certain you can appreciate running under a FULL MOON, especially in the Alps.  By the way, why don't we say "Alps" in the USA?  I much prefer it over Mountains.  Two syllables versus one, it would seem more efficient and it just sounds cool....kind of like "tits".  Pretty easy to get distracted when your thinking about tits, but ok, back to the weather.

The second time that I checked the weather no change for Friday.  When I next checked the forecast it called for rain and thunderstorms on Friday and rain on Saturday, an 80% chance on both days.  This makes me wonder, how do they actually come up with a "% chance"?  I can only picture in my mind's eye a couple of weather forecasters in tie dyed shirts, smoking a bong, playing with a weegie board to determine our fate in Mont Blanc.  Thinking about running in the rain for 103+ miles in chilly weather makes a very difficult race, just that much harder.  How much is "that"?  It's a lot!  It requires a little more planning to keep your feet, hands and head dry and warm.

Interestingly enough, there are mandatory gear requirements for this race.  They include some of the following:

1.  Survival blanket 1.4M x 2M minimum
2.  Jacket with hood and made with waterproof (recommendation: minimum 10,000 Schmerber) and breathable (recommendation: RET more than 13) membrane (Gore-Tex or similar) which will with stand the bad weather in the mountains.
3.  Additional warm mid layer top: (cotton is excluded) minimum weight 180g

This is by no means the entire list, but just a few of the items to address the potential weather issues that we may encounter.  In previous years races they've had to delay and even cancel the event due to sever weather.  It's so like the socialist culture of the french to require these minimums though.  When I see these type of requirements it makes me think of government oversight and control.  For all of you uneducated jack asses out there, this means big government, this means control, this mean democrat, which means higher taxes, less take home pay, because they know how to spend/invest your money better than you do.  Sooooo get your ass out to vote in the next election....for ANYONE BUT, obama.  Ok, I feel better now.

It's now Saturday morning and the weather like it tends to due, changed.  Now they are calling for a 60% chance of rain on Friday that will continue through the night, what a waste of a FULL MOON.  It's then suppose to clear and be mostly cloudy on Saturday with only a 20% chain of rain.  Sunday, the day that we all hope to finish, is suppose to be beautiful with a 0% chance of rain.   So it's looking like we have a rainy, cold start but the weather will improve.  I'll take that over a warm start and then have it deteriorate over the course of the race, or is it the race course?  In any event, probably should not have said that as it is now certain to do just that!

The obligatory gear, will most likely come in handy if we have the forecasted weather.  I searched high and low for the "minimum 10,000 Schmerber" rain jacket. On my hunt for this gear at REI in Denver, the store personnel looked at me like I was crazy...."yes, you can help me...I'm looking for some rain gear, with a hood, that has at least 10,000 Schmerber".  Keep in mind I'm at the Denver Flagship REI store.  This is where every outdoor enthusiast would love to work.  The people that work there are anything but normal, so I thought for certain that I was speaking their language when I tried to sound like I knew what I was talking about..."you know the 10,000 Schmerber standard, a common standard used world wide for measuring the waterproofness of a jacket".  His response to me was, "not in my world have I heard such a standard".  By the time I was done at REI he had gathered every outdoor geek working in the department to see if they had heard of this standard.  They were all intrigued.  they asked me to spell it.  Then, one of the guys googled it.  Sure enough there was a Schmerber test/standard.  Come to find out that "Schmerber" is a unit of measure for the impermeability of a fabric.  It was pretty funny to see them all get excited about this.  Today they had learned something new.  Something that they could impress their friends with the next time that they were smoking a joint or climbing a mountain.  All of this did me no good whatsoever because not one jacket had anything to signify how many Schmerbers it was.  I ended up just buying a cool looking blue North Face jacket with a hood that I knew I could wear in the future.  Hopefully the Chamonix Schmerber police will be on holiday when I get there.

Well I just checked the weather again and no change.  So how is the weather in Brentwood.  It's going to be a beautiful day.  In Miami however they have Hurricane Isaac coming to town on Monday morning.  That would be the Monday morning that I was suppose to be arriving there for business meetings.   The hangover effects of the storm was to linger through Tuesday, shutting down all of the airports and wreaking havoc on the entire airline industry.  As a result, my meetings were cancelled and instead of flying out of Miami on American Airlines, I switched to United Airlines form Nashville to Washington DC.  Yes, I did check the weather in both cities on my departure date and it's suppose to be nice.  I also chose a connecting flight with a 5 hour layover just to make certain that if we did get delayed due to the weather I'd have plenty of wiggle room to make my connecting flight to Geneva.

The weather.  It's such a versatile topic.  The most often use of weather is when you have absolutely nothing to say in a conversation so you bring up "the weather".  So the next time that you find yourself doing this, save some time and energy and say nothing and just stare at the person.  Treat it like a game, it's fun.   They may think that you are a little weird, but who cares what they think.  If you did then you would actually be having a conversation about everything else, but the weather.

Cheers!




CHAMONIX, MONT BLANC FRANCE

FriAug 31

68^°

47^°

Showers

CHANCE OF RAIN:

60%

 

WIND:

NNW at 6 mph

Details

SatSep 1

68^°

47^°

Mostly Cloudy

CHANCE OF RAIN:

20%

 

WIND:

N at 6 mph

Details

SunSep 2

68^°

48^°

Mostly Sunny

CHANCE OF RAIN:

0%

 

WIND:

NNW at 6 mph

Details

Visit to Dr. Stark...

Just to be safe I went to see my orthopedic doctor on Monday to check out my left ankle that has been bothering me.  Suspecting that it was mild peroneal tendonitis I wanted just to have a pic taken of it and have him check it out.  He confirmed my suspicions, but more importantly he calmed my nerves of it being anything too bad that would prevent me from finishing the UTMB.  In addition he wrote me a prescription for some anti inflammatory drugs which should get it under control pre race.

The problem with a nagging over use injury like this is that you start to favor your injured ankle which puts extra stress on the right leg.  Case in point, I ran 5 miles on Sunday afternoon on the roads/hills and on Monday I woke up with a sore right calf and achilles..grrr!  Since then I've managed to get in another 3 mile light run on the treadmill and core workout.  I expect to get in 50 miles on the bike this weekend, a couple light runs and core routine.  I'm still too heavy and need to drop 3-4 lbs, which I won't have a problem doing because starting today, no more alcohol, no more junk food, salads, proteins and light complex carbs are my diet...along with at least 8 hours of sleep per night.

I checked out the 10 day forecast for Chamonix this morning and it looks like Friday start weather is going to be in the mid 60's and lows in the mid 40's.  At higher elevation it'll drop into high 30's I'm expecting.  Can't control it...but sure as hell can plan for it.  Anxious...very anxious.

Cheers!

If Rest is an Important Part of Training, I'm in Great Shape

The taper leading up to the race is always the hardest weeks of training.  You're body is so wired to be training hard and when you scale back significantly before a race, psychologically it's a bit challenging. My body needs it.  I have trained specifically for this race over the last 6-9 months so that I can tackle the 63,000 feet of vertical gain & loss at UTMB.  As a result I have a few tweaks that I've been nursing, nothing major, by can turn into something major 70 miles into a race.  This is why rest and non-impact type of training is important as the big "A" race of the year approaches.

My training this week has consisted of core, hiking up a stair master and treadmill and cycling.  I'm feeling good, but with it being only two weeks out from the race my goal is to focus on nutrition, dropping a few pounds and rest.  I'll still be getting in some very light runs on the treadmill, no backing off on core work outs and getting everything in order at the office so that I can really focus on the race while I'm there.

Getting up early to get in a 40 mile bike ride...my times have been outstanding on the bike, but it's only 40 miles....in November I'll have to sustain it for 112...lot's to do to get prepared for that race.  Can't make the mistake and look past this race..Focus.

Cheers!

The Taper has Officially Begun

Over the past 4-6 weeks I have been diligent in my course specific training for UTMB.  I have focused on building quad strength by climbing/hiking hills with weights as well as developing a solid core that I hope will sustain me in the myriad of ascents and descents in the Alps of Mont Blanc.

I’ve got a mild case of tendonitis in my right Achilles, which has been exacerbated by my paranoia which is common three weeks out from a big race.  As a result I am going to be spending a lot more time in the pool as well as on the bike.  This transition from running is going to get me a jump start on training for IM Phoenix in November.

Over the past week I’ve dropped a couple of pounds, primarily from eating healthier and excluding alcohol from my diet…well at least for the most part.  The work schedule has been pretty hectic as of late, which is also consistent with three weeks before a major race, it only never fails.  It is expected to get worse over the next 14 days, so I’ll need to focus on getting sleep and eating right despite the stress of work and preparing for UTMB.

I’ve read the mandatory list of gear about 10 times and still a bit concerned about my camel back’s ability to store everything.  The temperatures range between 45F and 75F.  I’m guessing that at the higher altitudes of the course it will be colder and windy, so the chill factor will be something to contend with.  The Death Races have prepared me for cold and miserable conditions.  Layering of clothing will be important.  If it rains on us for extended periods of time it will be an issue with keeping my feet dry and warm.  Wool socks and lots of them at the aid stations will need to be supplied to my one-man crew.

We’re about to land back in Nashville from Chicago…a very long week, but productive.  Hope to get in a good bike ride today and core workout.  A little yard work as well and getting to bed early…..Cheers!

UTMB, Berlin Marathon and IM Phoenix

At 4 weeks out from UTMB this is my last big week of training for this ultra marathon.  I started the week yesterday with about a 20 mile run in 3:30.  Focus was to just get in the miles, which included 2 miles on the stair master with a 40-lb sand bag on my shoulders.  This morning I felt pretty good and managed to get in a 25 mile bike ride averaging 20MPH and one of my best times for this local route that I train on.

I'll get in 8-10 miles tomorrow night on the treadmill with a 10% incline.  UTMB is all about having the ability to climb and descend.  I'm feeling pretty good, nursing a mild right achilles issue but nothing major at this juncture.  My core has been a huge focus as is now my nutrition.  I've gotta drop 8 pounds to get down to 175 lbs before UTMB.  Train heavy....... race light!!

As I knock down one last week of training I have begun to focus on the Berlin Marathon as well as IM Phoenix.  I managed to get in a good shoulder workout today with the rubber bands as well as some serious glut and quad strength training.    As I approach UTMB my focus will be less on endurance and more on strength, flexibility, nutrition and working my base for IM Phoenix.  There is no question that my bike will benefit from all of the hill running/climbing over the past 4 months.  There is also no question that I need to spend a ton of time on the bike to prepare for Phoenix.

Lot's of training in front of me, but like my odds of setting a PR in Phoenix...that would be 11:37:00 or better.   Look out Timmy.......I'm feeling inspired right now.

Cheers!

2012 Leadville Silver Rush 50 Mile Trail Run Report

Francisco, Scot, Ray and Tim all entered the SR 50 Trail Run as a day of training and preparation for the UTMB 7 weeks from now.  Daley was able to make it in from SF via London for the race as well along with one of Scot’s friends, Greg.  We all met for dinner at Zichetalla’s on Saturday evening.  The food was really good…the Italian Bake.  We talked a little bit about UTMB but kept the conversation light.

Tim, Ray, Scot and Greg were staying up on Leadville while Daley, Francisco and I stayed in Frisco, which was kind of a pain in the ass. 

On Sunday at 4:30AM we rolled out of bed into our race gear and made the 30- minute trek up the mountain to Leadville. We arrived at 5:45, fifteen minutes before race start.  The temperature was a chilly 40F, but the skies were clear and calling for late afternoon thunderstorms.  We made our way over to starting line at about 5:55AM as the sun was making it’s way over Mosquito Pass.  A 50-mile trail run is equivalent to a full distance ironman, so I knew that were going to be in for a long day.  For some of group the day would be longer than others.

Pre-race Looking Good

My previous finishes were 10:04 and 12:38 in 2010 and 2011, respectively.  Last years race was a disaster for me.  Bad nutrition, the heat and altitude created several bonks.  After the finished I ran a 101F temp and had an elevated HR of over 100BPM through out the night.  Simply put I screwed up my nutrition as well as my hydration.  I was determined not to have this happen again in 2012.

In preparation for the race I packed my own nutrition and decided not to rely on anything at the aid stations but water.  In my camelback I had 3 delicious slices of pizza, 2 PB sandwiches, BBQ chips and Reese’s PB cups along with 6 Hammer Gels and 4 shot blocks.  For hydration I had water in my bladder and packed 3 bottles of Gatorade.  This was a test for UTMB, relying on “real food” as Tim calls it instead of water supplements, electrolytes, etc.  The pizza has a ton of sodium as do the BBQ chips and the PB cups and gels have the Glycogen.  The water is easy on the stomach and the Gatorade has electrolytes, but is used sparingly as it can be tough on the stomach.

The 50-mile course is spread out over the eastern mountain chain of Leadville with about 8,000 feet of climb.  The trails are a mixture of dirt road, dirt trail and a good bit is littered with lots of rocks, which really beats you up and leaves your feet bruised.  It is nothing compared to the 62,000 feet of elevation change at the UTMB, which is concerning and is going to require a very measured approach in order to complete it in under 46 hours.

I decided to take the start of the SR50 slow, walking every up hill, no matter how slight and jog the flats and run with care the downhill’s.  That strategy worked fine till the first 3-mile flat road, where Scot and I averaged about a 7:30/mile pace.  We were able to catch up with Daley just before the 15-mile aid station.  Daley was pushing hard early.  At this aid station we all refueled.  Scot and Daley were in and out pretty quickly while I refilled my camelback.  I was feeling pretty good at mile 15.  By mile 20 Daley’s IT band was giving him problems and he was forced to drop from the race, a big bummer.  Scot and I plowed forward and I eventually lost Scot as well as Ray. 

As I approached the 25-mile turnaround I passed Ray on his return and shortly thereafter Scot passed by as well.  They had about a 25-minute lead on me.  At the turnaround I sucked down a slice of pizza and a ham n cheese wrap while a volunteer attempted to refill my camelback, unsuccessfully.  At this point the weather was still nice, with lots of cloud cover, with temps probably in the high 60’s.  The next 5-6 miles were going to be difficult as I was going to have to go back up the side of the mountain that I had just come down.  This section of the course, between mile 25-32 it is mostly uphill, steep and rocky.  I felt bad for the people that were just beginning their descent, as I was about 20 miles from the finish of which most of it is downhill.  It was during this stretch of the course that I stopped to take a 5-minute break to rest my legs, choke down some Reese PB Cups and hydrate.  So far, so good on nutrition and hydration.  It would actually be good the entire race.

As I came through the 15/35-mile aid station I made certain that I had plenty of water and passed on through to face the 3-mile slow climb up the dirt road from hell.  At this point in the race the sun came back out, I popped in my earphones and jammed to the Who and some other music that Jack had given me.  I was feeling great.  It was this section of the course that took a toll on me in the previous two SR50’s.  Not this year.  At about mile 37 I actually was able to catch Hawaiian Ray, as he was having some issues with his shin.  I hung with him for a while, took a short nutrition break and then caught back up with him at mile 42-aid station.  It was at this point that I realized with a little bit of effort (actually A LOT) I could finished in under 11 hours.  The last 6 miles I pushed it hard, as did the weather.   It was at this point that the storm clouds rolled in and dumped all over us, it got windy and cold so I had to stop and put on my rain gear for fear of getting hypothermic.

Francisco Sporting his Swiftwicks
as he crosses the finish line in 14:16

With about 2 miles to go and driving hard to get in under 11 hours I caught up with Scot, walking.  I decided that it look like a much better idea to walk it in to the finish with Scot.  We had a nice chat and managed to get across the finish line in 11 hours and 16 minutes.  For the very first time I actually felt pretty good after running 50 miles.  I attributed that to my nutrition, hydration, training and overall approach to the course.  Ray came in about 15 minutes after Scot and I, while Tim made it across the finish line in 11:59 and change.  None of us knew the whereabouts of Francisco.  He decided to play “good Samaritan” and help a few young ladies that we having a tough day across the finish line in 14 hours and 16 minutes….a very long day fro him.

Overall the race was a success as I was able to test out my nutrition and race strategy and it actually worked well.  I plan on taking the same approach in Chamonix which will undoubtedly be a much more challenging course, but fortunately at lower altitude.  Scot, Ray, Tim and Francisco all made it through the day but with some minor aches and pains.  Rest between now and UTMB will be important for us all.   We need to be healthy and injury free when we get to UTMB.  We are 4 weeks out now and the excitement is beginning to build.  For now, it’s another Leadville Ultra in the history books.  It’s tough running at 10,000 feet and above, but feels good when you finish.

Cheers!