Sunday, July 30, 2006
Arse kicked
I got my arse roundly and soundly kicked at this morning's Knox Duathlon by a kid who couldn't have been more than 15 years old, and a few girls, and a couple of old blokes.... in addition to those guys ahead of me in my age group.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Tip#7 & #8 : Uses for cardboard & bubble wrap
Cardboard boxes and bubble wrap rate as one of the most valuable forms of detritus that can find their way into an adventure racer's pile of equipment. With the application of that mother of all AR innovations, duct tape...
Both materials can be used to fashion:
- padding for bikes inside bike travel cases
- padding for paddle blades
- sleeping mats or pillows
Cardboard will, in a pinch, double as:
- signage / writing surfaces
- spacers for disc brake calipers during bike transport
- wind breakers for camp fires
- fuel for camp fires
Bubble wrap, given its waterproof and air-filled properties, can be adapted as:
- additional insulative clothing / blankets
- padding for paddle craft seats
- tarps for makeshift shelters
- entertainment (popping those little air-filled bubbles can, as a last resort, do wonders for bored support crew or race officials waiting at remote points along the course for competitors)
Any more suggestions as to what cardboard and bubble wrap can be good for in an AR situation? Please do comment.
Cardboard boxes and bubble wrap rate as one of the most valuable forms of detritus that can find their way into an adventure racer's pile of equipment. With the application of that mother of all AR innovations, duct tape...
Both materials can be used to fashion:
- padding for bikes inside bike travel cases
- padding for paddle blades
- sleeping mats or pillows
Cardboard will, in a pinch, double as:
- signage / writing surfaces
- spacers for disc brake calipers during bike transport
- wind breakers for camp fires
- fuel for camp fires
Bubble wrap, given its waterproof and air-filled properties, can be adapted as:
- additional insulative clothing / blankets
- padding for paddle craft seats
- tarps for makeshift shelters
- entertainment (popping those little air-filled bubbles can, as a last resort, do wonders for bored support crew or race officials waiting at remote points along the course for competitors)
Any more suggestions as to what cardboard and bubble wrap can be good for in an AR situation? Please do comment.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Tips Delay... apologies
Tip#5: Going for 'Number 1' on the move
Something we've all got to do on the trail at some point in time... the result of a consistent hydration plan. The following paragraphs describe how overall team speed can be maintained without missing a beat, and without straining one's bladder.
Walking while simultaneously emtying one's bladder rates as one of the best skills a competitive team can yet possess. On the bike, it may be a matter of acquiring enough technical confidence before attempting to relieve oneself while still rolling. On particularly demanding trails, stopping altogether is still best - you can still run or bike up to the rest of the team later once the deed is done.
Etiquette aboard water craft must be worked out beforehand by all members of the team. Usually a sponge does the trick, especially in a double kayak, and this applies to both male and female racers.
Still, the procedure aboard self-draining boats such as sit-on-tops and some inflatables may be subject to some conflict if one team member is particularly adverse to coming into contact with his/her fellow racer's... er... 'unmentionables'. The beauty of paddle sports is that one racer can continue paddling while the other answers the call of nature. In cold conditions, wetting oneself may actually be a welcome relief, provided one's team mates are aware of it, and are not likely to suffer a reduction in paddling performance due to feelings of 'ickiness'...!
Once again, as in almost all AR challenges, communication amongst team mates is key.
Standard operational procedures for 'Number 2' are currently under development and refinement. Stay tuned....
Tip#6: Rehydrated food on the go
This style of consuming much-needed nutrition on the move is classic Steve Gurney. It solves that ubiquitous need that all serious adventure racers have experienced at some point in their careers - enjoying warm, calorie-dense, easily digestible food while going hard out on the course without stopping at all.
1. Allocate dehydrated food (powdered, mashed potato, instant noodles, instant pasta) in suitably-sized Ziploc bags.
2. When in transition or on the trail, pour into the Ziploc the required amount of plain water.
3. Ensure Ziploc is sealed firmly.
4. Shove Ziploc down shorts, bike pants while continuing movement (!). Leave for up to 1/2 an hour or until contents are ready for consumption.
5. Remove Ziploc, open, and consume contents while still warm. Alternatively, bite a small hole in bottom of Ziploc and suck out contents.
Something we've all got to do on the trail at some point in time... the result of a consistent hydration plan. The following paragraphs describe how overall team speed can be maintained without missing a beat, and without straining one's bladder.
Walking while simultaneously emtying one's bladder rates as one of the best skills a competitive team can yet possess. On the bike, it may be a matter of acquiring enough technical confidence before attempting to relieve oneself while still rolling. On particularly demanding trails, stopping altogether is still best - you can still run or bike up to the rest of the team later once the deed is done.
Etiquette aboard water craft must be worked out beforehand by all members of the team. Usually a sponge does the trick, especially in a double kayak, and this applies to both male and female racers.
Still, the procedure aboard self-draining boats such as sit-on-tops and some inflatables may be subject to some conflict if one team member is particularly adverse to coming into contact with his/her fellow racer's... er... 'unmentionables'. The beauty of paddle sports is that one racer can continue paddling while the other answers the call of nature. In cold conditions, wetting oneself may actually be a welcome relief, provided one's team mates are aware of it, and are not likely to suffer a reduction in paddling performance due to feelings of 'ickiness'...!
Once again, as in almost all AR challenges, communication amongst team mates is key.
Standard operational procedures for 'Number 2' are currently under development and refinement. Stay tuned....
Tip#6: Rehydrated food on the go
This style of consuming much-needed nutrition on the move is classic Steve Gurney. It solves that ubiquitous need that all serious adventure racers have experienced at some point in their careers - enjoying warm, calorie-dense, easily digestible food while going hard out on the course without stopping at all.
1. Allocate dehydrated food (powdered, mashed potato, instant noodles, instant pasta) in suitably-sized Ziploc bags.
2. When in transition or on the trail, pour into the Ziploc the required amount of plain water.
3. Ensure Ziploc is sealed firmly.
4. Shove Ziploc down shorts, bike pants while continuing movement (!). Leave for up to 1/2 an hour or until contents are ready for consumption.
5. Remove Ziploc, open, and consume contents while still warm. Alternatively, bite a small hole in bottom of Ziploc and suck out contents.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Tip#4: It's too late to sleep when...
Usually, trying to grab a full night's sleep on the eve of a race is a lost cause. The important night to grab the full benefits of time between the sheets is TWO nights before the race. That's right, around 7-9 hours for most people on this night will benefit the race effort - all part of an effective taper period to give a decent shot at that event. If doing a really important race, or a particularly gruelling event where sleep deprivation is a necessity, then you are better off logging good sleep every night up to 2 weeks before the eve of the race.
Lazing around, sleeping in on weekends or days off, omitting / shifting late night commitment and temptations (like homework, revision / projects, work-taken-home, TV, movies, nights on in town) to earlier parts of the day, and most importantly, sorting out the race logistics early and efficiently in these two weeks, will deliver enough time to log consecutive nights of good sleep. Some swear by 1-2 hour naps (usually after meals or a light-moderate training session) to boost recovery and add to the sleep bank during this period, and this is a strategy worth pursuing if your schedule allows for it.
Log your sleep early on, as you may have to contend with overnight bus or plane trips two, even three days before race day itself, which can potentially further degrade the quality of your taper.
Which leads to the question: What about the night before the race itself? This last night is reserved for all those butterflies in the stomach, team or self pep-talks, hurried briefings and logistics transfers, bungled packing and re-packing, stuffing face full of food, navigation planning / briefing interpretation, or sitting up late at night wondering 'what if'... if anything else. Don't count on getting a good night's sleep here, as it really does not matter even if you do.
Usually, trying to grab a full night's sleep on the eve of a race is a lost cause. The important night to grab the full benefits of time between the sheets is TWO nights before the race. That's right, around 7-9 hours for most people on this night will benefit the race effort - all part of an effective taper period to give a decent shot at that event. If doing a really important race, or a particularly gruelling event where sleep deprivation is a necessity, then you are better off logging good sleep every night up to 2 weeks before the eve of the race.
Lazing around, sleeping in on weekends or days off, omitting / shifting late night commitment and temptations (like homework, revision / projects, work-taken-home, TV, movies, nights on in town) to earlier parts of the day, and most importantly, sorting out the race logistics early and efficiently in these two weeks, will deliver enough time to log consecutive nights of good sleep. Some swear by 1-2 hour naps (usually after meals or a light-moderate training session) to boost recovery and add to the sleep bank during this period, and this is a strategy worth pursuing if your schedule allows for it.
Log your sleep early on, as you may have to contend with overnight bus or plane trips two, even three days before race day itself, which can potentially further degrade the quality of your taper.
Which leads to the question: What about the night before the race itself? This last night is reserved for all those butterflies in the stomach, team or self pep-talks, hurried briefings and logistics transfers, bungled packing and re-packing, stuffing face full of food, navigation planning / briefing interpretation, or sitting up late at night wondering 'what if'... if anything else. Don't count on getting a good night's sleep here, as it really does not matter even if you do.
Monday, July 24, 2006
I think it's time i rode on my race wheels again....
I've been wearing in my race shoes, at least one run in them every two weeks. Should be getting on to do the same for my set of Rolf Prima wheels. They are Elan Aeros, and are light enough to be used as a climbing wheelset... but that is irrrelevant. Anyway, i should probably break in a new chain as well just for the race.
I want to write a more detailed article covering the usage of waist packs in sprint events. Currently got lots of other reading to do though, so i guess that has to wait while i refine the content a bit more in my head. Ditto for tow systems, navigation, racing attire, and nutrition.
Speaking of reading, i've been drawn to picking up "Into The Wild" - the story of Chris McCandless - whenever i've grown tired of all the school readings. And this is quite often too. Still captivated, obviously. It leads me to make plans for what i wish to do after July next year. May devote the whole summer of 2007 at year's end to access the interior of Australia, the REAL Australia for sure. I am also cultivating this mad urge to go fishing.... I hope i haven't lost my feel for my ol' Abu Garcia baitcasting reel and G. Loomis stick.
I want to write a more detailed article covering the usage of waist packs in sprint events. Currently got lots of other reading to do though, so i guess that has to wait while i refine the content a bit more in my head. Ditto for tow systems, navigation, racing attire, and nutrition.
Speaking of reading, i've been drawn to picking up "Into The Wild" - the story of Chris McCandless - whenever i've grown tired of all the school readings. And this is quite often too. Still captivated, obviously. It leads me to make plans for what i wish to do after July next year. May devote the whole summer of 2007 at year's end to access the interior of Australia, the REAL Australia for sure. I am also cultivating this mad urge to go fishing.... I hope i haven't lost my feel for my ol' Abu Garcia baitcasting reel and G. Loomis stick.
Tip#3: On your bike
Load inner tubes, repair kits, lighting, tools, food, and water onto the frame of the bike, thus doing away with the need to carry extraneous weight in your pack. This helps keep things organised in the frenzy of quick transitions and sprint level events, and can make a huge different to your comfort level over longer bike sections. All that weight off your back is borned by the bike now - water bottles in bottle cages, heavy tools in saddle packs, and even inner tubes taped to the frame.
One item of interest is the towing system. Modified retractable dog leashes have become de rigeur over the last two years. However, these can make for pretty cluttered seatposts, especially on smaller-sized bikes. One solution is to use smaller leashes - the Flippy series in 'Small' is a perfect example - that can be tucked in above or below a reasonably sized saddle pack. The other solution is to do away with the saddle pack completely, and instead rely on Bento Box-type storage devices that attach along the top tube of the bike frame.
Load inner tubes, repair kits, lighting, tools, food, and water onto the frame of the bike, thus doing away with the need to carry extraneous weight in your pack. This helps keep things organised in the frenzy of quick transitions and sprint level events, and can make a huge different to your comfort level over longer bike sections. All that weight off your back is borned by the bike now - water bottles in bottle cages, heavy tools in saddle packs, and even inner tubes taped to the frame.
One item of interest is the towing system. Modified retractable dog leashes have become de rigeur over the last two years. However, these can make for pretty cluttered seatposts, especially on smaller-sized bikes. One solution is to use smaller leashes - the Flippy series in 'Small' is a perfect example - that can be tucked in above or below a reasonably sized saddle pack. The other solution is to do away with the saddle pack completely, and instead rely on Bento Box-type storage devices that attach along the top tube of the bike frame.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Tip#2: Mapboard safety
This one is taken from the observations of the bike setups of Team Balance Vector. The map board that Nathan Fa'avae used is a Nordenmark. What is interesting is the way it is attached to the handlebars. It is secured using 4mm cable ties. The rationale behind this is if a nasty crash occurs, the cable ties will simply snap, minimising damage to the map board, the bike, or the cyclist. A prerequisite for effective usage: The mounting interface (the handlebar and stem area) must be pretty snug, and preferably padded, so that no amount of rattling can loosen the map board on even the most technical bits of trail.
This one is taken from the observations of the bike setups of Team Balance Vector. The map board that Nathan Fa'avae used is a Nordenmark. What is interesting is the way it is attached to the handlebars. It is secured using 4mm cable ties. The rationale behind this is if a nasty crash occurs, the cable ties will simply snap, minimising damage to the map board, the bike, or the cyclist. A prerequisite for effective usage: The mounting interface (the handlebar and stem area) must be pretty snug, and preferably padded, so that no amount of rattling can loosen the map board on even the most technical bits of trail.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
New "Tip of the Day" Compilation
I've decided to try out a daily entry system featuring adventure racing and multisport tips. Some of these tips i have come up with on my own. Many others are the result of improvisation, initiative, and innovation from sources and individuals whose contributions can only lead to the positive development of our sport - from close team mates and friends, club mates, fellow teams, race directors, and the world's best AR athletes.
Some 'tips' will not be tips at all, but rather step-by-step write-ups for constructing our modifying equipment to be used for AR and multisport-specific applications.
Over time, i hope to categorize this collection of hints and best practices into a few broad categories, so that we may approach the enjoyment of the sports we love in a more organised manner.
Tip#1: Clamshell storage bottle
How many times have you experienced, or heard of other racers who have experienced the dreaded 'drowned phone disaster' after a sojourn through a waterlogged race route?
In races where mobile phones are mandatory equipment, the task of waterproofing them is simply achieved by slotting said phone into a suitably-sized sports water bottle. I like brightly-coloured bottles in yellow, white, or orange, as they can be easily spotted and located.
A phone wrapped in doule Ziploc bags will fit in bottles which do not have a 'neck'. Necked bottles will accept most of the slimmer phones on the market. With a little imagination, one might even fit in the mandatory first aid kit, spare batteries, or small bits of mandatory bike / boat repair kit together with the phone.
Screw-top bottles are the safest, but pop-top bottles can be made doubly secure with a couple of rounds of electrician's tape around the lid. Additional tape around the mouthpiece would be a good idea as well. This 'clamshell storage' device may take up some room in a small fanny pack or backpack (particularly in sprint events), but definitely has positive bouyancy, is shock-proof, will protect its contents from dirt, mud, and water, and will certainly withstand submersion.
Some 'tips' will not be tips at all, but rather step-by-step write-ups for constructing our modifying equipment to be used for AR and multisport-specific applications.
Over time, i hope to categorize this collection of hints and best practices into a few broad categories, so that we may approach the enjoyment of the sports we love in a more organised manner.
Tip#1: Clamshell storage bottle
How many times have you experienced, or heard of other racers who have experienced the dreaded 'drowned phone disaster' after a sojourn through a waterlogged race route?
In races where mobile phones are mandatory equipment, the task of waterproofing them is simply achieved by slotting said phone into a suitably-sized sports water bottle. I like brightly-coloured bottles in yellow, white, or orange, as they can be easily spotted and located.
A phone wrapped in doule Ziploc bags will fit in bottles which do not have a 'neck'. Necked bottles will accept most of the slimmer phones on the market. With a little imagination, one might even fit in the mandatory first aid kit, spare batteries, or small bits of mandatory bike / boat repair kit together with the phone.
Screw-top bottles are the safest, but pop-top bottles can be made doubly secure with a couple of rounds of electrician's tape around the lid. Additional tape around the mouthpiece would be a good idea as well. This 'clamshell storage' device may take up some room in a small fanny pack or backpack (particularly in sprint events), but definitely has positive bouyancy, is shock-proof, will protect its contents from dirt, mud, and water, and will certainly withstand submersion.
Friday, July 21, 2006
Back on Tubeless again
The feeling of tubeless is just 'different'. Hard to describe, but i'd say the feel of the trail was much better on my race wheels today, riding with Lenny on some of the tamer bits of the Yarra singletrack.
We got some burn time on Lenny's new lights, testing out the brightness and our 'night vision'. Progressively, we'll head towards better terrain and get more used to night movement. Critical in any endurance MTB race that takes competitors into the night.
I really hope the FGP and the Mont events will give me that extra oomph in terms of night skills, which i have been needing to brush up on this year, in addition to my current IM commitments.
Tomorrow, into the hills again on the skinny-wheeled bike....
We got some burn time on Lenny's new lights, testing out the brightness and our 'night vision'. Progressively, we'll head towards better terrain and get more used to night movement. Critical in any endurance MTB race that takes competitors into the night.
I really hope the FGP and the Mont events will give me that extra oomph in terms of night skills, which i have been needing to brush up on this year, in addition to my current IM commitments.
Tomorrow, into the hills again on the skinny-wheeled bike....
In Limbo
I dunno if there are many people are reading this blog of mine, but all the same, i'll share what i think, as i believe it, and leave it up to them to make sense of it.
The day of reckoning has come and gone. OK, it was more like the 20 mins of reckoning, of which i lasted about 19... before i took a lactate-filled trip down the proverbial brown drain.
But it was bloody revealing lah, this fitness test i took. My boss, Simon (i swear he is the spitting image of Juergen Klinsmann) organised the whole gig. I was the first guinea pig of the day on the stationary bike, and the preliminary results came back a minute after i took the respirator tube out of my pie-hole, mucus dripping, coughing and gasping for fresh air, legs tight with lactate.
65.5 was the VO2 Max score. What does that mean? I frankly think it don't mean squat, except perhaps that i'm young, and unconditioned, and a greenhorn to boot. There was this other testee, Paul, who is like the roadie group's climbing monster - he measured a 62, yet was able to push the wattage up to 450, to 21 minutes, far superior to my output. And Chris, the Ironman dude and sprinting nut who regularly does swim-gym sessions with me at Hawthorn, clocked a 55.6. Both these guys would cycle my chamois off, whether on a shortish hill, a big-ass sustained climb, or on a flat sprint. Oh, don't forget Alexandra, who measured 53 or so, but beat me by a lap on last year's 12 Hour MTB Enduro.
I think this engine needs work. So tomorrow, it will be another good day out to train hard and hopefully work up to the maximum potential the full results will ( i trust) suggest.
On the other end of things ( the aesthetic side of why i love to do what i do), i have gotten the reading bug just by reading "Into The Wild". I think i need to further devote my time in the latter half of 2007 to getting back to the roots of adventuring. There is something much, much purer than adventure racing, and to have the opportunity to touch that, even momentarily, will be a great thing.
Let's see. OSIM 2007 in Singapore could be the last hurrah in terms of high-intensity stuff for awhile. That requires really specific training to squeeze out a really age-grouper good timing. The adventure stuff (much more comfortable interms of intensity level) after Coast to Coast - such as the Great Ocean Road AR, - beckons, an international competition sure to tickle my fancy. As for the rest of time between then and July, who know? Geoquest? AROC 24-hour? Another crack at Red Yeti in Sydney?
The day of reckoning has come and gone. OK, it was more like the 20 mins of reckoning, of which i lasted about 19... before i took a lactate-filled trip down the proverbial brown drain.
But it was bloody revealing lah, this fitness test i took. My boss, Simon (i swear he is the spitting image of Juergen Klinsmann) organised the whole gig. I was the first guinea pig of the day on the stationary bike, and the preliminary results came back a minute after i took the respirator tube out of my pie-hole, mucus dripping, coughing and gasping for fresh air, legs tight with lactate.
65.5 was the VO2 Max score. What does that mean? I frankly think it don't mean squat, except perhaps that i'm young, and unconditioned, and a greenhorn to boot. There was this other testee, Paul, who is like the roadie group's climbing monster - he measured a 62, yet was able to push the wattage up to 450, to 21 minutes, far superior to my output. And Chris, the Ironman dude and sprinting nut who regularly does swim-gym sessions with me at Hawthorn, clocked a 55.6. Both these guys would cycle my chamois off, whether on a shortish hill, a big-ass sustained climb, or on a flat sprint. Oh, don't forget Alexandra, who measured 53 or so, but beat me by a lap on last year's 12 Hour MTB Enduro.
I think this engine needs work. So tomorrow, it will be another good day out to train hard and hopefully work up to the maximum potential the full results will ( i trust) suggest.
On the other end of things ( the aesthetic side of why i love to do what i do), i have gotten the reading bug just by reading "Into The Wild". I think i need to further devote my time in the latter half of 2007 to getting back to the roots of adventuring. There is something much, much purer than adventure racing, and to have the opportunity to touch that, even momentarily, will be a great thing.
Let's see. OSIM 2007 in Singapore could be the last hurrah in terms of high-intensity stuff for awhile. That requires really specific training to squeeze out a really age-grouper good timing. The adventure stuff (much more comfortable interms of intensity level) after Coast to Coast - such as the Great Ocean Road AR, - beckons, an international competition sure to tickle my fancy. As for the rest of time between then and July, who know? Geoquest? AROC 24-hour? Another crack at Red Yeti in Sydney?
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Chris McCandless is KING!
You cannot help but gasp in wonderment at the audacity of this guy, after reading "Into The Wild". to be continued....
