DoubleShot Racing

DoubleShot Duathlon 2011 CANCELED!

2011-08-31T07:02:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry to report that this year's race, scheduled to be on October 8 at Turkey Mountain, has been canceled.

Please check back for information on other events and an update on next year's DoubleShot Duathlon 2012.

In the mean time, support your local coffee company and buy coffee here: http://doubleshotcoffee.com

Race pics

2010-10-07T12:23:00.000-07:00

Check out the race pics by Paul McEntire: http://paulmcentire.zenfolio.com/p1002630506

Flip through them and buy a print for posterity.

Again, here are the race results:

Individual

Team

Post Race Report

2010-10-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

First, thank you to everyone who came out to Osage Hills State Park last weekend- racers, friends, volunteers, family, everyone. We really appreciate the support and participation in our event.

You can see race results online here:

Individuals

Teams

Paul McEntire (with Entirely Creative) is editing his photos from the weekend and I will have a link to the pics soon. They will be available to view on his photo page and you can purchase pics there too.

Kari and I are cleaning up and dusting off everything from this race, and next week we'll begin planning next year's DoubleShot Racing. So stay tuned.

I must say, I was again a little disappointed in the turnout for the race. It takes a lot of time and money to put on an event. And it sucks a little when people don't show up on a whim. We purposely offer equal prize money for men and women, and then the women didn't even turn out to support us this year, except for Kara and Ginger. And most of the fastest male racers didn't turn out either. I'm not sure why, but it makes our decision-making about next year's races much more difficult. Do we keep putting on a race that not many people seem to care about? Is it worth it? How do we change things to influence more participation? I don't know. If you have any comments or suggestions, I would be happy to hear them.

Thanks again. Definitely not trying to take away from the people who DID come out. You guys were awesome, and we had a lot of fun.

(I just wish we could have fun with a lot more people.)

Last Minute

2010-10-01T06:26:00.001-07:00

Online registration closes today at noon and you will only be able to register on site after that. Fees will go up $10 for individual and team registrations on race day. We are headed out to Osage today to set up transition and mark the course. Looks like it's going to be a great day for racing. Tell your friends and come on out- we have plenty of beer and hotdogs (and coffee).

See you tomorrow.

Osage Update

2010-09-28T14:21:00.000-07:00

The blue bike trail is marked in red-and-black checkered flagging. We'll do the three mile loop three times. Between 3.2 mile runs on the red trail. The bike trail is pretty clean- I moved a few trees off the trail and cleaned up as many loose rocks and sticks as I could. For me, every part of the trail is ridable. Should be a fast course.

Looks like this amazing weather is going to hold on for the weekend too. The forecast for Saturday calls for mostly sunny and a high of 75. YES!

If you haven't registered on active.com, you have until Friday at noon and then registration will go up $10.

The race will be chip timed again and you'll be able to see your splits, down to each lap on the bike course.

We're looking forward to a fun, exciting weekend. I hope you're telling all your friends about it. Because I think we're going to have two kegs this time.

Osage Hills Course

2010-09-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

I'll be heading out to mark the course tomorrow morning at Osage Hills State Park. The two runs will be on the red trail, which I won't mark until race weekend. And the bike will be three loops on the blue course, which I will mark with red and black checkered flagging. If you get there before I do, follow the blue permanent markings.

We're gearing up for a fun weekend, so I hope you're all spreading the word and planning to get yo' asses out there to race. And eat hotdogs and drink beer. Good times.

Make sure to take a peek at the sponsor page on the website, and see who all is supporting your fun.

Race Audio

2010-08-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

Kari and I got together last night over a Grimbergen Dubbel and recorded a little race podcast. You can listen to it here: http://bit.ly/8ZjfTn

We're busy rounding up sponsors and volunteers and spreading the word to racers. Help us out by referring potential racers, sponsors, and volunteers. Drop us a line:

Brian@DoubleShotDuathlon.com

Kari@DoubleShotDuathlon.com

Osage Hills Registration

2010-08-20T08:26:00.000-07:00

October 2 is rapidly approaching, and we're quickening our step to make sure this year is fun and exciting for everyone. I'm updating the website right now, and we're recording a short podcast to tell y'all about the race.
Registration is now open: http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1882209

Here's what we need from you:

1. Register early

2. Help us spread the word and get lots of participation this year

3. Practice running, biking, running, eating hotdogs, and drinking beer in the woods

Stay tuned.

DoubleShot Duathlon 2010 Announcement

2010-05-15T11:06:00.000-07:00

This year the DoubleShot Duathlon will be at Osage Hills State Park on October 2. We are excited to bring you this race, as it was such a great venue last year. This will be the lone DoubleShot Race this year, so I hope a lot of people plan to come out and participate.

Kari and I are already gearing up for another series in 2011. Let's get out there and show your support for this race so we can continue to put it on. Help us spread the word.

Much more info to follow.

DoubleShot Duathlon 2010

2009-11-02T12:38:00.000-08:00

Kari and I met to try and wrap up this year's racing and talk about next year. We're thinking two races. In 2009 we did three duathlons, one six hour mountain bike race, and I helped with the Keystone Mountain Bike Race. It was too much.

We still could change our minds, but for now we're thinking two races.

Osage Hills was a good venue for us. And we were thinking about trying to get into Zink Ranch.

Do you guys have any opinion about this stuff. Locations?

What time of year?

Turkey Results

2009-10-19T09:23:00.001-07:00

Here they are:

http://www.dgroadracing.com/2009%20Double%20Shot%20Turkey%20Mountian.htm

Race pics

2009-10-14T10:44:00.000-07:00

Paul McEntire has put the photos up from the Turkey race.

Go there and see his work. And buy a pic: http://paulmcentire.zenfolio.com/p494407182

Game on

2009-10-10T03:22:00.003-07:00

This is it. The last DoubleShot Duathlon of the year.

We're about to head back out. It's wet and muddy, but everything is as ready as we could make it.

See y'all soon!

Weather Update

2009-10-08T18:19:00.000-07:00

Just looked at weather dot com. The hour-by-hour forecast looks good. Should stop raining early tomorrow morning. By Saturday morning it is supposed to be sunny and cool. Upper 40s to low 50s. We have a pretty good number of people registered so far. You can still register online until 6p tomorrow evening. And you can register on race-day, but get there early. Packet pickup will only occur race morning.

Free coffee from DoubleShot Coffee Company.

Free beer from Vintage 1740.

Free hotdogs from Native Bicycles.

Thank the rest of your sponsors too: http://www.doubleshotduathlon.com/Sponsors.html

The weather

2009-10-08T06:21:00.000-07:00

Don't worry, the race is still on.

You're probably going to be glad I didn't run the bike course on horrifically technical trails though. I have a feeling the trails are going to be wet. And when I say wet, I mean muddy. I'm not sure. The trails have been draining really well. But talks of flooding today through tomorrow afternoon make me a little suspect. We'll just have to see what happens and do our best to deal with the conditions. It'll be fine. I'm sure the trails will be the worst while we're out there marking the course and probably be perfect for you guys during the race.

Registration closed last night at midnight. I'm going to re-open registration until 6p Friday night, but registration has gone up $5 for all you procrastinators.

As for the race, we'll be out there rain or shine. Potentially we will have a swim portion now and I'm thinking if it really comes down like they say it will, Turkey mountain may shrink a couple inches. Those climbs might be a little shorter.

If it's muddy, which I hope it's not, the run course should be interesting. You know how I like to run you up and down steep hills. There's a really steep dirt hill on the run course that might become a slide. Fun fun fun!

More info as I know it.

Turkey Course Specifics

2009-10-02T14:55:00.000-07:00

I went out and marked the bike course today. It's marked with red-and-black checkered ribbon on your left. If you pass a ribbon on your right, you either missed a turn or you're going the wrong way. They're all on your left. I marked it sparingly, mostly in the corners, but I tried to make it clear and obvious where the course will lead. Here's my best word map:

Start between the parking lot and Elwood in the new sod. Ride north straight toward the hill and up the hill. I rode up Lipbuster today and even though it's rutted worse than usual, it is ridable. Cut west through the upper parking lot and follow the trail along 61st and then toward the Snake Trail (or the Racetrack). Watch for a turn in to your left about half way down the doubletrack toward Snake. Ride that down into the tallgrass field where you'll cut off to your left again on some fairly new trails. We rode these trails the opposite direction at SIX IN THE STICKS. This short, windey singletrack section goes around a tree and over some rocks, over a high tree root with chainring marks, and through a creek bed, ending at the trashy doubletrack that leads down to the pipeline. Follow this (couple jumps on the way if you're brave) down past the pipeline, falling back in the woods to your left just before it gets really rocky. This singletrack goes by the westside YMCA, by the board jumps and teeter totter, around a bowl that is a dry falls, and down to the bottom creekbed by the Pepsi plant. Take a right there (unless you want some Pepsi) and after you roll up over the big lift and around the downed tree, take a hard, 180 degree left turn up the hill. This hill is ridable and once you get on top you'll wind through the woods, by one homeless tent, by two more tents, and end at the Spider. From there, climb the Ridge Trail. At the top, hang right all the way to the ridge line and follow it back west. The downhill is sketchy. Rocky, rocky, rocky. Personally I CAN ride down this, but it's not worth it to me. Probably faster to run through it. The second half of that downhill is so eroded that the bowl we used to ride down is a bit scary. Holding a line over to the left is better... slightly. You'll end that descent at the trailhead of Ho Chi. Come down the bridge trail that Womack and Mikey built and back toward the parking lot. Under the powerlines you're going to take a left. Through the field and back into the woods on your right, down the hill to the paved trail. Take a left there but just until you get to the first right that has a trail sign with a red blaze. Follow that trail to the Bomb Shelter and up to the field just south of the parking lot where they put new sod. That's where transition will be.

It's a two-lap course. Probably around 10.2 miles total. I didn't have my computer today.

Let me know if you have questions.

Turkey Bike Course

2009-10-01T06:10:00.001-07:00

Ray Hall, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is, the bike course is a two-lap and each lap is a little over 5 miles, so it's a little long. The bad news is, it's a pretty easy course and will be super fast.

Everyone else, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is, the bike course is a two-lap and each lap is a little over 5 miles, so it's a little long. The good news is, it's a pretty easy course and will be super fast.

Like I said, the construction has really limited our options, but I've done my best. I'm expecting it to be fun, fast, and competitive. It's supposed to rain cats and dogs today, but I'm going to go out and mark the bike course tomorrow. Red and black checkered flagging.

This Sunday there is an adventure race at Turkey that starts at 8a. The RD says the winners should come in around 11 or 1130a, so I guess people will probably be on the trails racing until 1p or so? I don't know. But if you plan on going out there Sunday, please try to stay out of their way.

Remember, both the run and the bike will go along Elwood and up the hill. The bike will break off to the west side at that point and the run will drop back into the woods to the east. The run course will not be marked until race day. But don't worry, it will be well marked.

I hope a lot of you are planning to come out. Big prize money: $400, $300, $200 top 3 male AND female winners.

Turkey Mountain!

2009-09-28T07:36:00.000-07:00

The final DoubleShot Duathlon of 2009 is just around the corner. It's the race you've all be waiting for. Turkey Mountain.

Things have changed at Turkey Mountain. Not sure if you noticed that. I'm not sure who these changes are supposed to benefit, but it's not us. Kari and I have spent a considerable amount of time trying to figure out where we can even set up the race. It's been challenging and frustrating. We have a tentative location for transition picked out, but things could change in the next two weeks and we may have to put it somewhere else. As for now, we're planning to set up in the area just south of the parking lot where they cut down some trees and put down sod. Where the Bomb Shelter (or whatever y'all call it) starts. It's not ideal, but hopefully it will work out ok. The only other area we could figure out to set up is a dirt patch next to Elwood. But that doesn't seem very nice. I'm not happy about this, but we're trying to make the most of it.

The race will start along Elwood and, as usual, run straight north and up the hill. Lipbuster is pretty chewed up from all the rain, so riding up it is going to be a challenge (and pushing up it will probably be a better option for most). We're still trying to figure out the run course, as the rain has put a damper on trail work. But we're planning for the bike to ride out on the west side like we did last year, though a different route. And we're going to make it a two-lap bike course. 4.6 miles per lap (or so). My plan is to make it as fast and fun as possible (except for the ride up Lipbuster).

The run, as usual, will run up the hill and then the adventure run over rocks and up and down hills will ensue. You know I have no compunction against making the 5k run as hard as possible. You gotta earn it!

More details to follow as often as I have something. I'll try to give this blog an update daily.

Osage Results

2009-09-10T06:17:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the delay. Here are the results from Osage Hills:

http://www.dgroadracing.com/2009%20Double%20Shot%20Duathlon-Pawshuska.htm

I haven't posted any pics yet. We didn't take very many. If anyone else out there has pictures from the race you'd like linked from the blog, let me know.

Thanks everyone for racing.

Next race: Turkey Mountain, October 10

Where is Osage Hills State Park?

2009-09-03T20:11:00.001-07:00

Don't know how to get there? Check this out. Directions from DoubleShot Coffee Company (aka Epicenter of World Coffee Domination) to the State Park...

Weather

2009-09-03T09:03:00.000-07:00

These days of cooler weather and precipitation have been nice. But I know rain can play havoc on mountain bike races. Don't you worry.

We're going to have the race, no matter what happens.

I have raced at Osage Hills in the mud, and I know it's not a good experience. I'm pretty sure it's not going to be muddy out there. With all the dryness of summer, this bit of rain is surely firming up the loose sections of trail and only making the trail faster. But if we happen to have a downpour that muddies up the course on raceday, I'll adjust accordingly to try and save your drivetrain. We'll have fun, try not to spend any extra money, and enjoy whatever mother nature throws at us.

Personally, I think the weather is going to be perfect. Cool and clear with perfect trail conditions. You watch.

Osage Hills

2009-08-31T05:57:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the lack of info. I hope you guys are planning to come out and race at Osage Hills this weekend. Should be a really fun time. We're putting together the usual merriment, and I hope more people will be there to take advantage.

Here's the course info.

If you know where the mountain bike trails are... They start by the horse barn and a rock house that is a left turn about a half mile before the ranger station. There are three trails: Red, Blue, and White. They are designed to start from the left of the rock house and finish up the little dirt doubletrack to the right of that. This is the way we're going to run the race. The trails are short enough that you can easily ride all of them over and over in one day. The Red trail is somewhere between 3.25 and 3.5 miles. It hasn't been maintained and riding it is ridiculous. Maybe on a full suspension it wouldn't feel so bumpy, but there are loose rocks all over the trail. We're going to run this trail, so be careful (ankle sprain). The Blue trail is a lot better, and I think you're going to enjoy riding it. I clocked this trail right at 3.1 miles, so three loops should give us 15 kilometers. I think that's going to be a pretty fast ride. The last time I raced there, it was 100% mud and it took forever (and ruined my drivetrain and my fork), but dry, this thing rolls off pretty quick. We'll have chip timing again, so you'll be responsible for counting your laps, but the chip will register your lap times.

And of course, we'll finish with another run on the red loop.

The white trail follows the blue for a bit and then breaks off and heads back to the parking lot. It's only a mile long.

There will be volunteers and pink flamingoes on the course to direct you, so don't worry.

As usual, my parents will be grilling hotdogs and Vintage 1740 will be donating a keg of Bridgeport IPA. Yum.

It takes an hour to get there from here, so plan accordingly. Race starts at 9a.

Remember, if you don't want to do the duathlon (or have friends who don't mountain bike), you can just do the "5k" run and enjoy the festivities.

Big cash payouts to male and female overall winners of the duathlon.

Resume Racing

2009-08-21T09:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted lately. I've been in Colorado for a week. We're gearing up for the next DoubleShot Duathlon at Osage Hills. I'll post more info upon my return.

Thanks for all the nice comments about the Keystone race. Kari and I appreciate it, and your support helps us continue despite lackluster attendance. Recruit lots of peeps for the next race!

Race Pics

2009-08-12T06:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Ginger Renshaw for hauling her hulking camera around in the woods...

http://gingerrenshaw.shutterfly.com/918xc

DoubleShot Duathlon Keystone RESULTS

2009-08-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

http://www.dgroadracing.com/2009%20Double%20Shot%20Duathlon.htm

Race Day

2009-08-07T19:49:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the kick off of the 2009 DoubleShot Duathlon series. Lake Keystone bike trails. Everything is go go go. We have several pre-registrations, which is strange. Thanks for that. I hope we get a lot more race-day registrations in the morning. We're looking forward to a big group and a hot race.

Speaking of hot. It's only supposed to be 82 degrees at 9a tomorrow. By the time the mercury touches 91, you'll be sitting in the shade drinking Bridgeport IPA and eating grilled hotdogs.

Registration opens at 630a. Coffee will be served. Lenny Dunn will fire the starting pistol at 9a. My dad will start cooking hotdogs at 930a. Awards will follow. We don't do all the age groups (sorry). Top three male and female will get awards in the Duathlon and the 5k Trail run. Top 3 teams. And there will be awards for the fastest run and bike splits in the duathlon for male and female. So go all out.

Scott Gibson told me today he can't make the race tomorrow. I'm not sure if Ray Hall will be there or not- no word. Some other fast dudes will be there though. But you can beat them. Come out and play. See you in the morning!

SIX IN THE STICKS race results

2009-08-06T17:02:00.000-07:00

Click here for the results of SIX IN THE STICKS, July 26, 2009.

If you find mistakes, please let me know so I can make corrections.

Registration has been extended!

2009-08-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

I just got word from Kari that she called Active.com and had them open up registration for one more day. So you have until midnight TONIGHT to pre-register for the Keystone DoubleShot Duathlon & 5k Trail Run.

I went out to the trails again last night and ran every trail we'll be using on Saturday. The markers are still up. Not much has changed. We groomed the trail last weekend as much as we felt necessary, and some of that is growing back, but should be ok for the weekend. Some of the corners are getting pretty sandy, and if we don't get rain right before the race, you're probably going to bury your front wheel and wash out if you don't slow down.

Remember, there is a place where the trail splits. The run will go off the main trail to the right up a rocky hill, and the bike continues straight on the main trail. We'll have a volunteer at that point to direct you. (You'll also have the aid of following the pink flamingoes on the run.) After the next creek crossing the run will continue straight and around to your right, and the bike will take a hard left. There will be volunteers at this point as well. Shouldn't be any problems.

The dam road is closed at highway 51. So make sure you take hwy 412 and get off at the Keystone State Park exit (it has construction signs on it). Go across the dam and look for Old Hwy 51 on your left. If you get to the construction and the entrance to Keystone State Park, you went too far. We'll have signage up on race day to direct you. The parking lot is right after the turn onto Old Hwy 51.

I can't think of anything else to tell you right now. Check back later.

Course

2009-08-03T05:52:00.000-07:00

Kari and I went out and put markers up on the Keystone course on Saturday. Please don't tear them down. It probably looks like we just put markers on every trail out there, but there are a couple places we will need to put volunteers to direct you because caution tape for one course would block the other.

Here's what we decided (for better or worse). The run will start from the parking lot to the left. Follow the main trail, but keep an eye out on your right for a turn-off before you get to the creek crossing/short loop-long loop junction. The run course will follow this side-trail, which reconnects with the main trail a few yards down. Then you will turn right and continue around the short loop (stay to your right after the creek crossing). The run will be around 3 miles, but it's pretty rocky, so I don't think you'll mind the .1 or so we shorted it.

You'll run back in on the main trail to the right of the parking lot as you face the pond. Across the lot to the transition area and on your bike (unless you signed up for the 5k). You'll bike the main trail (big loop) twice. Go out the same way you left on the run. Stay on the main trail- don't go up the side-trail we diverted you on the run. After the creek crossing turn left. The first half of the trail is rocky and technical, but the last part of the trail is the payoff and it's really fun. When you come through the start/finish area, you may have to dismount for the timing system to register your lap (I'll talk to the timing company) and then you'll head off for another lap of the same. This makes the bike a bit longer than advertised, at 10.7 miles. That's 1.4 miles long, which you can attribute to the fun stuff on the backside of the lap. Hopefully everyone will enjoy it. You must understand that we have no choice but to work with the trails we're racing on, so the racing distances can't be exact every single race.

Should be a fun time if you don't go out and kill yourself. Take your time through the rocks, dismount when you have to (there are three places during the lap that I dismount during races), and above all have fun. We want you to enjoy it and come back for more.

Questions?

Keep checking back.

Keystone Duathlon

2009-08-01T06:42:00.001-07:00

We're one week out from the first DoubleShot Duathlon of the year. Kari and I are going to Keystone today to mark the course and clean it up a little. Working with the distances Keystone gives us, it looks like the two runs will be a hare short of 5k and the bike will end up being about 7.5 miles. Rough, rocky miles. I don't think you'll complain. This rain should help firm up the sandy sections of the trail a little, but be aware that some of the usually fast curves are now really easy places to wash out.

We'll be starting in the main parking area for the mountain bike trails, across the road from the state park. Right now, the road is closed from Hwy 51 to Keystone State Park, so you have to come in from Hwy 64/412. There is a little convenience store and a place to get water just after you enter the state park, so if you need anything that is close. As you face the retaining pond in the mountain bike parking area, we'll be heading off (on run and bike) to your left. After you go through a creek crossing, you can go straight and continue on the short loop or you can make a 90 degree left and continue on the long loop. We'll be riding both of these, but only running the short loop. The markings that are up right now are Ray's markings that were left up after the Keystone race. Our flags are red-and-black checkered. Hopefully today we'll get all his stuff pulled down and put our own flagging up. We won't be using the new trails Ray cut that lead down to the field, just the main trail.

Remember, the races (the Duathlon AND the 5k Trail run) start next Saturday at 9a. We'll have the festival ready to roll. Check back here for more details. I'll post as frequently as I have something to say.

Start the race!

2009-07-29T11:45:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you've always wanted to do this. Check it out- YOU could start the DoubleShot Duathlon. Mayor who? Mayor YOU. Read all about it here.

Day after...

2009-07-27T07:38:00.001-07:00

Thanks to everyone who came out to SIX IN THE STICKS yesterday. We had 40 racers, a bunch of spectators (crew), and a few indispensable volunteers. I appreciate the support. Hopefully everyone had a fun time and took advantage of the amenities we provided.

First, I want to say that I'm disappointed in the changes that are occurring at Turkey Mountain. It seems that the area we had for so many years, which was well-suited for putting on racing events, is being morphed into something more suited for wheelchair races. I'm not sure how we're going to pull of the DoubleShot Duathlon this year at Turkey Mountain (October 10). Another thing that burned me was the destruction of our course. I marked the course with ribbon a couple weeks ago, and then Kari and I went back out on Saturday to put up more ribbon and caution tape. Sunday morning when I went out on my bike to make sure the markings were still ok, I found that probably over 80% of the caution tape had been torn down. I can't begin to understand why people would do that, but I do understand the amount of work involved in putting it up and putting it back up and putting it back up. Maybe our wish to have more people using Turkey Mountain has led to it being an inhospitable place to have races.

I heard complaints throughout the day that caution tape was down on the course. And that people were cutting the course. I don't think there was any confusion where the actual course led. I'm pretty sure that even if someone broke some caution tape during the race, you could see where it was supposed to be. So I assume that if someone was cutting the course, they were doing it on purpose. And there's NOTHING I can do about that. There must've been 100 different ways you could cut the course, if you knew the trails. And if you're going to cheat, you're going to cheat. If you see someone cheat, I guess you should point the finger.

I'm not saying that I don't think people cheat. I do think people cheat. And I don't like it. I hope they get caught. And I think there should be a year suspension from racing in USA Cycling events if you are caught cheating. But I hope no one is cheating.

We worked our asses off to put on this race. And hopefully we didn't lose more than a couple hundred bucks on it. If you have comments about the race, feel free to post them here or drop me an email: Brian@DoubleShotCoffee.com

If you'd like to see pictures from the race, they are posted online thanks to Candice Steichen.

I'll try to post a link to results as soon as I get them from the USAC official.

Now, on to the DoubleShot Duathlon.

The first race of the series is in two weeks. August 8 at Keystone Lake. I'll be blogging details here as usual. Stay tuned.

Day Before SIX IN THE STICKS

2009-07-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the race.

If you're still thinking about racing, think positive. Come out and have fun, ride your bike, drink some beer, eat a hotdog, and watch mountain bike videos on our big screen. If you're definitely not racing, come out and volunteer or just hang out and watch and enjoy the atmosphere.

Kari and I are headed out to Turkey this morning to re-mark the trail. The markings I put up a couple weeks ago were only preliminary markings, so don't worry- it will be well marked.

The race shirts are pretty cool I think. Hopefully you'll like them.

Senator Tom Adelson is coming out tomorrow to start the race with my .357 magnum. He's running for mayor of Tulsa, so give him hell.

Registration and packet pickup should be simple tomorrow starting at 630a. I'll explain all the rules pre-race. But there will be a LeMan's start, which means you'll run a short distance to your bike. Laps are about 6.5 miles and there is no aid on the course, except in the timing area. You are welcome to set up a spot for yourself around the timing area to access your gear and personal aid. If it rains, don't fret. The ground is a bit sandy. I think a little rain would make the course faster and easier to ride.

See you tomorrow!

DoubleShot Duathlon Keystone...

I rode Keystone again yesterday and I changed my mind about the course. We're going to ride in the same direction we raced the XC race. It's just too awkward riding the other way. If you've trained at all out there, I'm sure (like me) you're familiar with the trail one way. So when you're facing the retention pond, go into the woods on the left. Follow the big loop- hang left whenever you have a choice. I'm not going down through Ray's cutoff into the field, so just stay on the main trail. By my computer, the long loop is 5.35 miles and the short loop is 2.13 miles. I haven't decided exactly what to do with that. But I'll keep you posted.

This weekend I'm going to have to stay focused on SIX IN THE STICKS.

Check yourself for ticks!

Duathlon Questions

2009-07-22T14:40:00.000-07:00

I'm here to answer questions.

I got an email from someone today that says the following:

I'm interested in trying a duathlon. I mountain bike and I run 5ks often... I have just never done a duathlon. Any suggestions? Which one should I try? What type of gear/clothing do I need?

Good questions, I think.

I think if you are ready, you should do the first one, coming up at Keystone Lake on August 8. None of them are going to be a breeze, so if you want to give it a go, let's do it. If you enjoy the experience, you'll be excited to do the other two races in the series. If you skip one or two, you might wish you would've done all three. Worst case scenario is you get more training and have a little fun. Obviously you need all the things you would need when mountain biking. Helmets are mandatory. Most people wear cycling shorts and whatever jersey they usually mountain bike in for the whole race. You don't have to have trail running shoes, but some type of running shoes. Most people have clipless pedals, so they change shoes in transition, but it's not essential. Gloves for cycling. What else? Bring a couple bottles- there won't be any hydration out on the course except in the transition area. If you want Hammer Gel or something, you might bring it. Hammer is one of our sponsors, so there'll be some gel in the race bags along with Endurolyte samples, and we'll have HEED energy drink mixed up in 5 gallon coolers.

I think these races are fun. People often tell me that they really enjoy the experience, so I hope you'll come out and give it a try.

Distances for Keystone. I'm going to try and make the run 3 miles. I'm trying to decide how much crossover I want to deal with during the race, so the bike course will probably be somewhere between 6 and 8.5 miles. More on that soon.

DSDu Keystone

2009-07-17T18:10:00.000-07:00

Ok Duathletes.

I drove out to Keystone on Wednesday afternoon. Rode round and round exploring different options. This isn't firm yet, but I think I'm going to run the race in the opposite direction Ray ran the Keystone Cross Country Mountain Bike Race. So instead of running off into the woods on your left (as you face the pond), you'll take off on the right. As I mentioned before, the trail choices out there are limited, so I'm pretty sure we're going to run the short loop (with maybe one detour) and bike the long loop. Honestly, Wednesday was the first time I've ridden Keystone the opposite direction. It felt like I was riding left handed. But I really think the trail was more pleasant that way. Most of the climbs that way are easier and some of the climbs going the other way turn out to be fun little descents. I did get off my bike going up the steep climb out by the road and in the rock garden on the way back to the parking lot. But for the most part, it was enjoyable. Of course, I wasn't riding race pace.

I need to get out there and cut away a few thorns and tree branches. We'll flag the course before the race and we'll also have some HELP out on the course to direct you and make sure you don't accidentally cut the course. I'm pretty sure all the runners will be off the course before you can get around on your bike, but it's possible we'll have some laggers. Also possible you'll get run up on from behind by cyclists while you're on the second run. As long as everyone is paying attention and calling out when you want to pass, we should be fine.

Feel free to ask questions here.

Courses (x2)

2009-07-12T11:43:00.000-07:00

An open letter to myself...

Dear Brian, you need to get out and get acclimated to this heat. You are pathetic. That ride yesterday where you kept stopping every few minutes to recover after soft-pedaling was... not good. Also, you need to eat before you ride. And hydrating with electrolytes wouldn't hurt either. Nice ride this morning though; way to get out while it was in the low 80s.

Ok, sorry for that. Needed to get that off my chest.

With two races coming up in the next month, you can imagine we're busy busy busy. So I apologize if I'm not getting information out as quickly as you'd like. We're doing our best, I promise.

Update on the Turkey course for SIX IN THE STICKS. The course markings must be good enough to follow because a few of you have emailed, called, and texted me about it. Yeah, it's hot. But I'm hearing good things about the course layout. I personally think it's a pretty fast course with a lot of fun, windey sections and as much sustained (and not too technical) climbing as can be found at Turkey. Womack reported to me today that he did two laps at 75% effort in 1:20, so it's possible to ride 30 minute laps during the race. I think the course is probably around 7 miles, but I still don't have confirmation. Does anyone have a computer on their mountain bike?

We'll have plenty of cold water and HEED, Hammer Nutrition's sports drink. But bring whatever you think you'll need to get through the race. Feel free to email me with questions.

The first race in the DoubleShot Duathlon series is just around the corner! This is very exciting. For the first time, we'll be putting on a race at Keystone. Unlike the mountain bike race, we'll be staging in the main parking lot, just off Old Highway 51. I haven't gotten out to put up markings yet, but it's pretty easy to figure out which trails we'll be using because there is pretty much only one choice. I'll get my lazy arse out there asap and give you more details on trail conditions and course directions.

This is going to be a fun year for off-road racing. I hope all of you spread the word about SIX IN THE STICKS (July 26) and the DoubleShot Duathlon series (August 8, September 5, and October 10). More racers means more likelihood we'll keep advancing the cause of DoubleShot Racing.

Rainy

2009-07-08T11:46:00.000-07:00

How was I supposed to know we were about to have a monsoon?

Just as I was about to walk out the door to ride yesterday afternoon it started to rain. I decided to drink a beer and wait to ride until this morning. And it's raining cats and dogs today.

So... my plan is to go out on foot this afternoon and flag the course, so you guys can ride it this weekend. Red and black checkered flagging. Hopefully it won't be muddy.

Sorry for the delays.

UPDATE: So I went to Turkey yesterday and marked the course. Almost all the ribbons are on your left. There were a couple places where I couldn't figure out a good place to mark a right-hand turn, so I put a ribbon on the right in your field of vision. But for the most part they're on your left. It starts in the shitty "parking lot" that our friends at Riverparks made and heads out south on the sandy singletrack toward 71st. It was pretty soft and muddy yesterday with a lot of puddles. And with the rain today, I'm sure it's going to be even muddier. But it's marked. Took me 2.5 hours on foot (running) to mark the trail and the insane humidity out there drenched me from head to toe. I'm not sure how long the course it, but I'd guess 7-8 miles. It's a FAST course on a bike though, so I hope you'll like it. Let me know if you have questions.

SIX course update

2009-07-06T06:39:00.000-07:00

Rode Turkey on Thursday on what I thought would be the race course. The trails are more rutted than usual with a lot of exposed rocks and roots. So I've changed my mind about the course. I do want this race to be fun, so I'm going to try and route through as many fun sections as possible. I've also decided to shorten the length of each lap a bit too, because if it is really hot (and it probably will be) you'll be able to get back more often to refill your bottles.

So here's the tentative course description. I still may change it up a bit, but I'll try and get out there to ride and mark it tomorrow.

Start in the parking lot (what's left of it) and ride south down the sandy trail toward 71st. Hang tight through Bombshell (or Bomb Shelter or whatever you call it). Take a left on the cutoff that leads to the drop into the flat roadbed. Then right into the creek bed and through the loose, rocky rollers out to the paved river trail- left and up around the right curve. At the next curve, go onto the dirt trail on your right that leads up the ridable climb. Find your way out to the main trial that leads up from the parking lot, right to another right hand turn up the trail Womack and Mikey built with the bridge at the top. Continue climbing up next to Elwood, right at the top and left onto the windey trails through the woods. Keep going straight past where that trail used to end and follow the new trail down to Millennium Trail. Take a right and ride out to the Spider and across to the west side. Down the fun hill, whip it around and down those fun rock drops and back through by the dead tree and off the lip by the Pepsi plant. Left through the trashy creek bed, up the hill hang right. Through another creek bed and onto the main Y trails to a doubletrack. Follow it a ways and get off on a new singletrack that leads out to a pond in a clearing. Sorry, I wish I knew the names of these trails, if they have names. Hopefully if you've ridden at Turkey extensively, you'll be able to visualize the route. At this point, instead of following the windey trail along 61st, you'll break off to the left and left again to the south side of the Snake Trail and race that around to the main exit, up the main trail to the upper parking lot and down Lip Buster back to the parking lot.

What do you think? I think it will be fun, and I'm planning to ride during the race, so I want it to be fun.

SIX IN THE STICKS course

2009-07-01T08:19:00.000-07:00

I have the six-hour course mapped out and will go out to ride it in its entirety tomorrow. Will report the length after that. It will be a fun course. You'll be able to rip through most of it, but we're still talking about Turkey Mountain so technical sections are inevitable. Six hour is a long time to ride at Turkey, so hopefully the course will flow for you. There won't be any paved sections except for a very short pass up the river trail to connect a couple trails. It looks like the ride through the "parking lot" won't even be paved, and I'll figure out a solution to route us around ongoing construction. I hope they have enough of the construction finished so we can have adequate parking. Riverparks assured me the entire project would be finished by July 26, but I'm planning for the worst. So don't worry about it- we'll make it work.

Hopefully you're all still riding a lot, training through this heat. Get out and get acclimated.

I'll blog again on Friday with as much of a course description as I can give. Maps of Turkey mountain are somewhat useless, but I'll do my best to give you an idea where the race is.

Next week I'll get out and do some preliminary course marking with red and black checkered ribbon.

Duathlon Competition

2009-04-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

I talked to Scott Gibson yesterday and it sounds like he's going to race in all three of the duathlons this year. Ray Hall is sounding like he'll be racing all three as well. Scott won the first two years we put on the race at Turkey, but didn't show last year. Ray finished second two years ago and won last year. These are the guys to beat. I hope this inspires some of you to get out and train hard; give them a run for their money ($3200 total prize money for the series).

Ladies, we don't discriminate. There's $1600 sitting out there waiting for you. In general, competition in the women's division of our duathlon has been fairly lame. If you're a female and you have ever been on a mountain bike, get out there. It's fun.

The economy is kicking our ass this year, so sponsorships are not coming in like we want. But we're still going to put in a first class race. The DoubleShot will carry this thing if it has to. So drink more coffee!

SIX IN THE STICKS website

2009-04-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

www.SixRace.com

SIX IN THE STICKS

2009-04-09T15:40:00.001-07:00

DoubleShot Racing has decided to take on one more race this year. A six-hour mountain bike race at Turkey Mountain on July 26. The race will be from 8a-2p. Stay tuned to this channel and the DoubleShot Duathlon website for more details soon. It's part of the Ridin' Dirty Endurance Series.

While you're waiting, why don't you go buy some coffee from our title sponsor, DoubleShot Coffee Company.

Venue Change

2009-03-23T10:37:00.001-07:00

Before we even began, we ran into significant issues with Lake McMurtry, which discouraged us from holding a race there. So we've decided to hold our second race of the year at Osage Hills State Park. If you've never been there, I think you're going to enjoy it. It's out of the way a little, and sometimes that's a good thing. The terrain will be rock-strewn, but not as technical as Turkey. Just enough to make you hold onto your handlebars.

I hope a lot of you decide to race the series this year. I'm starting to hear chatter about the prize money we're offering. The new venues may be the place to win money, so put all three on your calendar.

August 8 - Lake Keystone

September 5 - Osage Hills

October 10 - Turkey Mountain

Race series!

2009-02-23T11:19:00.000-08:00

This year marks the 4th annual DoubleShot Duathlon, and we've decided to step it up. After adding a 5k Trail Run last year, we're giving the race another shot in the arm by putting on a series of three races this year.

The series begins August 8 at Lake Keystone. The Keystone trails will present competitors with a combination of rocky, technical trail and relatively smooth, fast sections.

Lake McMurtry is the second race of the year, on September 5. Located just outside Stillwater, the trails will add a new element, as racers will pick up the pace on the twisty, hard-pack singletrack.

The big race of the year will again be at Turkey Mountain on October 10. Expect the usual fun and games on Turkey's rock-strewn paths. To make it interesting, we've increased the prize money at Turkey to $400, $300, and $200. That's money worth racing for.

5k Trail Run events will also be held at each venue.

Check out the official DoubleShot Duathlon website for more details: www.DoubleShotDuathlon.com

Start training now. And register early.

Race Photos

2008-10-18T13:13:00.000-07:00

DoubleShot head photojournalist, Paul McEntire (www.PaulMcEntire.com), did us the honor of coming to the races to take photos. He's the Ansel Adams of DoubleShot Racing. You can see his photographs here. There's also a link from the homepage of the website.

These photos are just for you to look at. If you want to buy photos, visit this webpage, where you can find our friend Duane Whitsett's race pictures.

Success

2008-10-15T07:41:00.000-07:00

The races have come and gone, and I thought they were fairly successful.

Thanks to everyone who participated- volunteers, racers, spectators, sponsors, etc. We do it for you. It's a lot of work, but it looked like everyone had fun and enjoyed all the festivities.

Congratulations to everyone who raced. I know the course was rough in areas and it took perseverance to keep going. I heard a lot of compliments on the bike course, which I really appreciate. I put in a lot of time designing the course, and Kari and I did a lot of work cutting the new trail and weed-eating overgrown trails. I really liked the way the course flowed; linking trails at Turkey can be challenging.

Special congratulations to Shelly Chronister and Ray Hall for winning the Duathlon. And to Kristi Perryman and Jordan Haffener for winning the 5k. You can see all the results by going to the DoubleShot Duathlon Homepage and clicking on the results link. You'll also find a link to pictures that you can purchase.

I'll be posting some of our own pictures to the site soon. And I'm happy to answer any questions you might have- just shoot me an email: Brian@DoubleShotDuathlon.com

You might want to bookmark this blog and check back occasionally. We're planning more races and will definitely have the DoubleShot Duathlon and 5k Trail Run again next year.

Packet Pickup

2008-10-09T07:05:00.000-07:00

Tonight from 5-7p at the DoubleShot Coffee Company (18th & Boston) will be packet pickup. You can register tonight for the Duathlon or the 5k. You can also wait and register on race day, but that's a lot of last minute hoo-ha, so it would be better to register tonight. And have a cup of coffee.

I am trying to keep a daily updated list of entrants on the website. Go to the homepage of www.DoubleShotDuathlon.com and click on the link at the top of the page to see who is registered. There are rumors of who is and who isn't going to race, but don't believe everything you hear. And don't believe the voices in your head.

I wanted to answer a few questions.

1) Will there be post-race food and drink? Yes. We'll be grilling hotdogs and pouring beer for you. Marshall Brewing has donated a keg of their not-yet-released Oktoberfest and Grand Vin has donated a keg of Leffe Blonde.

2) Do you need to wear a helmet on the run? I don't know. Do you?

3) How long do you think the race will last? I suspect we'll be wrapping up the duathlon around noon or before. The 5k shouldn't take very long, but I encourage 5k'ers to stick around and cheer for the duathletes.

4) Will there be race day registration? Yes.

Run Course

2008-10-06T06:16:00.000-07:00

First, I made one little amendment to the bike course. It's marked. When you get to the bomb shelter trail, just to the north of 71st Street, instead of turning right, you'll turn left and ascend bomb shelter (through that creek bed drop that is so fun going the other direction). When you're almost to the parking lot, look for a trail on your right. I weedwhacked it and marked it with ribbon. Turn there and follow the trail through the woods and down the hill, under a fallen tree, and out to the trail that turns you left and back up to the paved River Trail. Up to the top of the hill, left around the outside of the parking lot all the way to the field just west of the parking lot.

That's where the transition area will be.

Ray Hall rode the course a few times on Saturday. He said it was around 12.75 km (7.92 mi), which is a tad short, but it's a good course and adding anything on would mess up the flow. I heard another guy say it was about 8.25 miles (13.27 km), so it's somewhere in there.

The run course.

I marked the run course on Sunday with orange ribbon. If you're riding the bike course, don't follow the orange ribbon.

Anyway, the run goes along Elwood, same as the bike, and up the big hill to the upper parking lot. Keep going straight past the parking lot, out the Powerline Trail. Down some technical rocky stuff and out the dirt doubletrack until you're at the top of the very steep downhill section. At this point, there is a trail that shoots off to your right. I weedwhacked the path there and tied orange ribbons on, so you should see it. Follow that trail until it meets up with the Millennium Trail. Turn right on the Millennium and follow it up the the wider, sandier trail that heads back to the top of the mountain. A little ways up that trail, look for markers going off to your left- on a crossover to the Ridge Trail. It goes down through a creek bed, then turn right and run up the windy trails that take you to the main trail on top. Turn left there (away from the upper parking lot) out to the open field. Keep going straight all the way out to the point (a small bike course crossover there) and down a treacherously rocky hill. We descended this hill last year. When you get to Ho Chi, turn right for a minute and then back left. Jump over a downed tree and descend more rocky trail all the way to the main trail that takes you right to the parking lot. Finish line.

Or transition area if you're du-ing it.

I'll post much more info this week, so keep checking the blog. The race is this Saturday at 9a. And don't forget, packet pickup and late registration is this Thursday at the DoubleShot from 5-7p. You can still register and/or pick up your race packet on race day, but I recommend you do it before then. It helps us a lot to know how many people to expect.

Stay tuned.

One Week Out

2008-10-04T07:05:00.000-07:00

The bike course is marked.

We got a little rain last night and it feels a bit damp. I haven't been to Turkey yet today, but I would guess the trails are firm.

The course is marked with red and black checkered ribbon. It's not heavily marked, like it will be in the race, but I marked all the turns and you should be able to see it if you pay attention.
I incorporated some trails that haven't been used in a few years, so I'll be weed-eating and cleaning up trails today. The trail I'm going to cut through the woods is pretty clear already, but I'll break the trail today.
The course spends most of its time on the west side, which is pretty fun. It drops down and around a pond and comes out onto the powerline trail just below the steepest hill. You'll turn left onto powerline and ride out and down the drops by the old truck (be careful). Just before the next washed-out creek crossing, turn left into the woods again. Follow those twisty, rooty trails next to another pond (the one by the old shipping containers) out almost to the Pepsi Plant, then turn right and ride up to the spider. Take the Ridge trail to the point and circle back until you almost get to Lipbuster again (where you rode up), but make a left before you get into the clearing and take a nice, meandering trail down to Ho Chi. Right on Ho Chi and left on the new trail with the bridge that takes you down to the main trail. Wander around back to the left under the powerlines and down the boulders to the paved river trail. This part can be confusing right now without all the extra markings. Take a left on the river trail. Ride down to where the trail goes into the woods for Lo Chi. Don't take that trail. But right across from it is another trail that heads off to the east, down a loose, rocky trail- stay on that trail to the creek crossing. Up the other side is a pretty tough lift, so it probably will be a get-off point for most people. The rest of that uphill is pretty easy though. Then you'll see more markers meandering through the woods, doubling back and eventually re-joining the paved river trail. This time take a left back toward the parking lot. Just before you get to the parking lot, turn left into the grassy field and ride around the outside of it, all the way to the drinking fountain and across the parking lot entrance to transition in the big field west of the parking lot.

That's it. I think it's a fun course. I went out and blew up early on yesterday, which made parts of it not that fun, but overall I think the trails link together good and there is some stuff that hasn't been used much. So I think you'll like it. Ray Hall is out on the course today, getting ready to kick your ass. He told me he thought it was one of the most creative courses ever put together at Turkey. So go have fun.

Course

2008-09-29T09:59:00.001-07:00

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)

2008-09-24T16:31:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-06T14:33:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-01T08:05:00.000-07:00

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.

You know you want to watch

2008-08-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

I've finally finished the DoubleShot Duathlon Propaganda Film.
Click on the link, stop staring at that beautiful bike, and push the play button.

You also need to check out the Sponsors page. A lot of new sponsors are up. Cruise over to their websites, and shop with people who sponsor your sport.

We're getting closer, so stay tuned to the blog. Much more info to come.

And get registered! It helps a lot to know how many people will be at the race.

Training your mind

2008-08-04T04:32:00.000-07:00

Let me begin by writing, I'm not everyone. I'm just me. And my ideas about training come from my experiences and research. Maybe I should follow that up with those:

Twice all-conference in D3 college football (4 yr starter)

Past mountain bike racer (best finish 2nd in Telluride sport class) (and some 8- 12- and 24-hour races)

Past adventure racer (raced in the USARA 30-hr Nat'l Championship race)

I've run 9 ultra-marathons, 6 marathons, and a gazillion 5 & 10k's

BA in sports management from Monmouth College

Was a full-time personal trainer for 7 years.

I've done a lot more racing than mentioned above, and I'm above average usually (some multi-sport events or cycling I'm fast). I'm out there to finish and do my best, not to win. If you're out to win, I'm sure you aren't looking at this blog for training advice anyway, so hopefully I'm writing to the appropriate audience.

I learned in college, playing football, the importance of mental conditioning. The coaches drill it into you in football and I learned to use imagery and visualization to optimize my performance both on the field and in the weight room. It's not complicated, it just takes time and persistence.

Here are a few methods I've used in the past (and some I still use) to squeeze more effort out of my body:

1. Get pissed. This works especially good during high intensity exercise (sprints, strength training). I like to think of something that someone could say to me that would really piss me off. Something that, if I was already near my breaking-point, could throw me into a rage. Then I like to take myself there mentally. And say those words to myself and feel the rage explode inside me just prior to that big effort. Hey, it's controlled rage.

2. Relax. Sometimes I'm a little too pent-up and need to calm down. Long, sustained efforts or getting worked up too early before a high-intensity effort. It's all about controlling your emotions in order to optimize your performance. And sometimes when I'm running distance I can feel my heart-rate is elevated above what it should be or my muscles are tightening up when I need to stay loose. And I say the word, "relax." Say it calmly over and over again, as a mother might say to her baby. And then calm your breathing and physically relax or shake out the muscles that are jumping the gun. "Slow down" works pretty well too.

3. Lie. A long time ago I realized that I hated to run distance. I knew it, I'd write it in my journal, I'd tell people, and it was true. And one day I thought, what if I start saying the opposite? And so I started saying out loud to myself as I ran, "I love running." And I'd tell everyone I talked to that I love running. And I'd write how much I loved it in my journal. And something funny happened. I began to love running. It's not the activity that demands you love it or hate it, solely what you think in your mind. You can be doing the most wretched thing and convince yourself that you love it. So here's what I figured out. When someone speaks to you, you have a natural tendency to just believe what they say. That's how life works. Without that natural instinct, all of life would involve disbelief of everything and constant investigation- and you wouldn't believe what your investigations told you either. So the next thing I figured out was that your brain tends to believe what others say to you, but that effect is ten-fold when it hears your own voice. When you say something out loud, your ears hear it and your mind grasps it as the truth. So that's the key to changing your mind. I say it all the time when I'm running or biking. "I love running." "I love mountain biking." "I love running up hill." "I love running in the heat." "I love pain."

To be most effective, I think you need to keep your statements positive. So instead of saying, "Don't stop," I would say "Keep going." I've added a few mantras that help me with pain:

"Pain is my adrenaline; pain makes me stronger; pain gives me energy; I love pain."

Pain is one of the over-riding effects of long-distance that one must learn to deal with in order to keep going.

There are a lot of other mental techniques that work, like visualizing the course and your techniques before the event. Getting into "the zone." There are a lot of books about sports psychology and most of them probably have good advice. Probably best to take it from someone who knows it practically than from a scientist.

Anyway, I know it's hot, but get out there and have fun on the trails. At least you can be cooler under the shade of trees. Drink plenty of water. The DoubleShot Duathlon and 5k Trail run is about 2 months out.

Running with Purpose

2008-07-19T14:42:00.000-07:00

In my last post I talked about specificity of training. Just so you know I wasn't blowing smoke, I wanted to let you in on a bit of my training. And, related to that, I need to make an announcement.

First, I'm in Leadville Colorado. I have been training for the Leadville 100. My training hasn't been all that I wanted because of a few obstacles: I work too much, life gets in the way sometimes, and it's hard to train in Oklahoma for a 100 mile run in the Rocky Mountains. But I've been doing as much running, plyometric training, weight lifting, and finger-crossing as my life allows. Tomorrow morning at 6a I'm going to run a 50-mile foot race that starts in Leadville. After that I am going to climb a couple 14ers and probably pedal my mountain bike in a few places that make me giggle. I planned to do this because it's as specific a training stimulus as I could think of. The 100-mile race is 4 weeks after the 50, so I know I'll be healthy again by then. And stronger.
There is a lot of mental torment that comes with racing. Especially races this long. And I'd like to talk about the mental side of things in a future post.

I have decided this year to raise money for a charity called Coffee Kids. They help coffee farming families, which is a cause that is very close to my heart. I am taking pledges for Coffee Kids based on the number of miles I run at the Leadville 100. So if you pledge $1 per mile and I finish the race, you will donate $100 to Coffee Kids. It's a great cause. If you are interested in reading more about this effort or pledging, go to the plege page at CoffeeIlluminati.com. You can keep up with my efforts and struggles on the Coffee Illuminati blog.

We have also decided to make Coffee Kids the beneficiary of the DoubleShot Duathlon and 5k Trail Run this year. A portion of the proceeds from the race will be doated to Coffee Kids, making your race more purposeful too.

Training, part 1

2008-07-10T06:38:00.000-07:00

Maybe I'm not a great person to ask about training. Then again, maybe I am.

First, I'm glad you're thinking about competing. It's going to be a lot of fun. Goal number one is to finish the race. Goal number two is to have fun. Goal number three is to finish as fast as physically possible.

I have bad news for all but a couple of you: you're not going to win.

Now that you know that, you can loosen up a little. Focus on the goals above. Think about them when you train. Goals for training should be the same as your goals for racing (finish, have fun, do your best).

Your body (and your mind) adapts very specifically to the training stimulus. If you had a math test coming up, you wouldn't study biology in order to get the neurons firing up there and help you pass your math test. Your body is the same.

When you put demands on your body, if those demands are something your body isn't prepared for, it will break down some and then after those demands are over, your body will repair itself in a way that will allow it to deal with that same stress better the next time. So if you jump up and down for an hour, the muscles in your legs (and other parts of your body) will have small tears in them. The way your body repairs those tears will allow you to jump up and down for an hour next time more efficiently with less damage to your muscles.

So what I'm trying to say is, you need to train specifically for whatever task you plan to undertake. Then rest and let your body recover.

The key to longevity is have fun. My philosophy is to do what exercise you feel like doing today and when it's not fun any more, it's time to stop. More on that later.

2 races in 1

2008-05-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

I knew 2008 was going to be different.

This year at the DoubleShot Duathlon, you don't have to sign up for the full race. For the first time ever, we're having a 5k off-road, get dirty, all-out foot race. Both races are on the same day, at the same time. Compete in the 5k run or register for the 5k-15k-5k DoubleShot Duathlon. Both are at Turkey Mountain on October 11. Race time 9a. More details to follow.

Visit the website for more information.