Course

I got out on the course again yesterday for about 3 hours.  We have some trail maintenance to do, but don't worry, the course will be cleaned up before race-day.  A couple of the trails we're using haven't been ridden in a couple years, but they are great trails and they really complete the course.  I think you're really going to like this year's bike.  Every trail on the course is ridable.  I will say this though:  if you aren't a great mountain biker and you don't have time to pre-ride the course, you might think about dismounting when you see "Danger" signs.  Pick the right line and keep your weight back and your hand off that left brake lever and you should be fine.  But in order to prolong your racing career, dismounting sometimes is faster and safer.  

The trails are really dry right now, so they are starting to get sandy, especially in some of the faster sections.  Unless we get rain close to race-day, you'll tend to wash out in corners.  Some of the climbs are more washed out than usual and with the dry conditions things are getting loose.  I've heard competent mountain bikers tell me they can't ride up Lip Buster (the big hill on Elwood).  It is challenging, but completely ridable.  Here's the thing that might get you up the hill, if you have strong legs and some lungs to back them up:  lower your center of gravity.  Get down where the tip of your saddle is poking you in the butt and stay down there.  You'll be pedaling with your legs bent, which is murder on your quads, but this position is ideal for steep, loose climbs.  It keeps the front wheel down and the back wheel from losing grip.

I promise to get out and put up flagging this week.

Injuries (Don't be a sissy)

A couple people lately have mentioned to me that they've gotten injured running in the woods.  And I've been with people running in the woods who have fallen and injured themselves.  It's even more likely on a mountain bike.  

Last September I raced in a 24hour mountain bike race with a couple old dudes.  I did the first lap (probably because they didn't want to run the LeMan's start).  I was unfamiliar with the course and we were all bunched up pretty good, so there was a lot of pressure not to bobble and to keep my speed up through the really, really rocky sections.  (And I ride a hard-tail.)  Well, my handlebar caught a tree and I flew off the other side and the top of my head crashed straight into another tree.  My neck still hurts.

I'm familiar with off-road injuries.  But here's what I do to make sure things don't go too bad.

Wear a helmet when you ride.  Always. 

If you get blisters when you run, something is wrong.  Your shoes might be wrong; your socks might be wrong; or if all else fails, put duct tape on your feet where you usually get blisters as a prevention.

You are going to turn your ankles when you run in the woods.  It's ok.  Try not to SPRAIN your ankles.  Run light.  Keep your eyes on the ground.  But the more you run off-road, the stronger your ankles and other joints will get, and you'll roll your ankles less and less.

Don't fall down.  And when you do fall down, fall somewhere soft, like in the grass.  But when you fall on rocks, try to roll.  Or do what I do and put your hands out and fly like superman.  It's better not to fall.  And watch out for trees.

But again, probably the more you fall, the stronger your body will get and falling won't feel so bad.

There's poison ivy, but I'm not allergic to it.  I'd recommend figuring out what it looks like and staying away from it.

Thorns will puncture your skin and things will scrape you and some places you might get cactus needles stuck in your legs.  Don't touch cactus.  There's no cactus at Turkey Mountain (that I know of), so you won't have to worry about that during the race.

You probably won't get over-use injuries like you do when you run on the road.  Running in the woods is a lot softer (dirt), so it's easier on your joints and muscles.  And running on off-cambered trails and up and down hills strengthens your body in ways that flat road running won't.  

You could get bitten by a snake or squirrel or trampled by a deer.  Or scared by a tarantula and have a heart attack.  Keep your eyes on the trail in front of you.  Plan your foot-falls.  Don't step on snakes.  (They often lay across the trail, sometimes next to downed trees, so be aware when you jump over a log.)  The pretty snakes are the poisonous ones.  Look but don't touch.  And whatever you do, never EVER pick up a squirrel.

If you break a bone, you should probably go see a doctor.  If you just get a little scraped and bruised and dirty, don't worry about it; happens all the time.

My best recommendation is to keep going out there.  The more you ride technical terrain, the better you'll get at it and you'll either fall less or you'll keep going faster and faster and fall just the same amount.  The more you run trails, the stronger your body will get and it will feel more natural.  Turkey is a very technical (rocks and roots) place to ride, so if you're not training at Turkey, I hope you're training somewhere that gives you technical practice.

Brad Messner, EMSA Paramedic and SFC Army Medic, will be at the race to treat any and all injuries.

Turkey Trails

I went for a ride today and started mapping the duathlon course. The weather is fantastic and the trails are in excellent condition. I expected mud, since it's been rainy lately (including last night), but there was no mud to speak of. The trails at Turkey are constantly changing. For a while it seemed like they would erode and rides would slow down, then dirt would wash back in and it would speed back up. But now it seems like they are eroding in a different way and I doubt they'll ever return to the way they were a couple years ago. Especially with the tree damage out there. Ride Low Chi and and I think you'll see what I'm talking about. But mountain bikers are nothing if not creative, so riders take these natural obstacles and make them part of the trail. I love it. Riding today was a lot of fun.

This year's bike course will start just like it did last year- up LipBuster and over to the west side, stay south on the trail along 61st Street. But this year just before you get to the open field with the ponds, double back on the hard right. Then, before you get back to the main trail that takes you to the Snake, double back again to the left. Follow that trail until it joins the Snake Trail, take a left and follow the snake around to the main entry/exit. Back up the road the way you came... then I'm going to cut a trail through the woods just before you get to 61st Street. On your left. It will join up with a trail down the hill and you'll mess around on that trail to the south (pretty technical) until you get back into the motorcycle trails. That's all I'll tell you for now. But it will be a fun course. Very fast sections alternating with the technical stuff Turkey is known for.

Pretty soon I'll get out there and make some preliminary markings.

If you're wondering about the 5k run course, it's going up the hill too. And straight out the Powerline trail this year. At some point, it will swing back to your right through the woods and back to the parking lot.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about or don't live close enough to ride Turkey, just get out and ride. You can't beat this weather.

Gear Question

Mr. Glover (Jim, not Danny) (and not the one who owns the car dealership) wants to know about gear for the off-road duathlon. I'm not really a gear freak; I'm more of a minimalist. That doesn't mean I don't have a lot of gear. I do. I just means I cheap out on gear a lot and try to only buy the minimal amount of gear I'll use (as inexpensively as I can get away with).

Hydration systems. I almost always run with a bike bottle. One of the big 24 oz bottles. My favorite are the Specialized bottles because they have a big screw-on cap that doesn't leak and is easy to fill. I also own a Camelbak. During adventure races, I usually throw a Camelbak bladder in my backpack. And during the Leadville 100, I decided to use my Camelbak. Mine is one of the very minimal designs, which I sewed a pocket onto so I can carry food. I guess the difference is how long the race is. Most people can probably run 5 kilometers without needing water. Your bike probably has bottle cages so you can drink on the ride. When I was a mountain bike racer, my rule of thumb was one ounce of water per mile, but I'd probably add some because the terrain at Turkey is so rocky. But one bottle should do it. If you're used to riding with a Camelbak, do that. Figure out beforehand if you want to run with it or put it on only for the bike. There will also be an aid station as you exit the transition area, so if you want to grab a quick drink there you can (gatorade, water, beer...)

Shoes. I've been running in Adidas Response Trail shoes for a long time now. They fit me perfectly. You need to find what brand and style fits you. I recently bought a pair of shoes from another manufacturer. They fit fine, but when I'd run downhill my toes would jam into the front. That doesn't happen to me with the response. I also bought a pair of Adidas Supernova Trail shoes and ran in a race at Turkey. By the end of the race, the bottoms of my feet were bruised because the soles weren't thick enough to absorb the rocks. So I'm sold on the Response Trail. My only complaint is that Adidas recently added some height to the shoe and I started rolling my ankles. But I've gotten used to it now, and I assume the added sole thickness is protecting me from bruises. So you need to find a pair of trail shoes that fit your feet, protect you from the rocks, and don't jam your toes on descents. And those stretchy elastic laces are good for road tri's and du's, but don't provide enough rigidity for trail running. Take the time to tie your shoes. Cycling shoes... if you're not riding clipless, you should.

Clothes. I always run in coolmax shirts (or whatever they call that polyester material these days). Cotton sucks. Same with socks. Coolmax socks stick to my feet and keep the blisters away. Shorts for a duathlon? Cycling shorts, wiithout a doubt. If you want to be a hip dirt racer, you probably should go buy some baggies. If it drives you crazy when your shorts catch on the horn of your saddle (and you move around in the cockpit a lot like I do), you probably should race in spandex. In long trail races I've started wearing spandex gaiters to keep the rocks, sand and dirt out of my shoes, but short runs- no way.

Sunglasses? Up to you. I can't do it in the woods.
Helmet? Required on the bike, up to you on the run. :)
I take the time to put full-finger, cross-country cycling gloves on before I ride. It's worth it. (I like the Fox Incline.)

Incidentally, one of our sponsors, Pricepoint.com, sells (at great prices) a lot of the gear you'll need. Check out their selection of gloves, shoes, helmets, hydration systems, shorts, jerseys, cycling shoes, and bike parts. I always buy my tires and tubes from them; their prices and customer service are hard to beat.