AZ-SOS Shawangunk Double

AZ-SOS Shawangunk Double

(2011 Inaugural)

Introduction:

This is the final blog recounting my experience of training and completing (what I have decided to name) the Shawangunk Double.  It begins with a brief summary of Saturday’s self-supported American Zofingen, continues with the not-to-be-overlooked late-night “transition” between the two days and concludes with a recounting of the 2011 Survival of the Shawangunks.

Day 1:  The Almighty American Zofingen Long Course Duathlon:

I was most fortunate to enjoy the company of Bob Posey, who drove from western Massachusetts and detoured around all of our flooded roads to meet me for a 6:50 am start.  Staging from the Spring Farm Trail Head parking area of the Mohonk Preserve, Bob and I shared 3 loops of the AZ run course and 2 loops of the bike course in a format known as “F-1” – alternating back and forth: run/bike/run/bike/run.  During the first run and bike loops, Bob and I talked intermittently about life, endurance athletics and past experiences. (While I regard Bob as a good friend, this is only the second time we have met in person.) 

As we began the second run, we settled into a quiet zen-like groove, breathing in rhythm to our strides.  (I conduct nearly 100 % of my training in solitude so that I can abide in this zen place.)  Bob is keenly aware of this “zendurance” approach, and we enjoyed silent companionship for much of the rest of our journey together.  We seemed to glide effortlessly through our passage, in perfect alliance with gravity and the elements.  After 15 miles of trail running and 56 miles of hilly cycling, Bob departed for home and family at 3:30.  

Hark! But I was not alone!  My beloving companion Betsy was there to assist us at our transition area after each loop, beginning with the transition from Run 2 to Bike 2.  Her fresh energy renewed our enthusiasm each time.  And the peaches she brought us just melted in our mouths!

With Bob’s companionship for so much of the journey and the completion of Day 1 so close, (“Yikes! I’m gonna run out of daylight!”), I continued on with the last bike loop and the final run loop, completing the AZ Long Course at (very) dusk in just over 12 hours 50 minutes.

The 5-mile trail run loop made for wet feet just minutes into each run.  The trails – both the single track and the carriage trails – were rockier than I have ever seen before.  This was due to the “1-2 punch” – first Tropical Storm Irene, followed 8 days later by 3 more days of heavy rain and floods.  Fortunately, the only significant blow-down on the trail was a tree that fell along a 40-foot-length of Table Rock Trail, near the exit to Farm Road, close to the finish of each loop.

I stayed with my original plan and ran every step in the Vibram 5-Fingers (the Bikila model).  No doubt this choice made for a slower pace as I navigated every rock, but I love the tactility of this footwear – feeling every nuance of the trail – and the mindfulness of choosing every step.  (The experience of breaking my toe during the actual American Zofingen Duathlon race in May and my resolve to be “able and willing” the next day for SOS were strong incentives to mind every step.)  I executed efficient and graceful strides, with perfect injury-free footing for every stride each of the 4 run loops – 20 “zen miles”.  Even 20 miles brought no blisters or discomfort in the soggy V5F’s. 

The 28-mile road bike loop also showed signs of the heavy rains.  The floodplain along Wallkill River was definitely a flood plain, sealing off the west edge of New Paltz Village.  Route 299 west of New Paltz was almost desolate and made for quiet cycling – this on a road with no shoulder and a 55 MPH speed limit, that usually sees lots of weekend traffic by climbers and hikers eager to make their destination. 

There was considerable debris along much of the shoulder of Route 44/55, and the descent from Minnewaska State Park to Lower Granite Road was, as usual, a rough ride.  My choice to ride a new set of Specialized Armadillo Elite tires gave me confidence to make this descent each time without braking.  These tires are tough and reliable, even if they have a lot of rolling resistance and slow me down.  (Even elite armadillos are slow, as well as tough.)  The only significant challenge added by the recent storms occurred (once again) near the end of the loop.  There is a short 14% climb, through an “S” turn, that was strewn with gravel, and with some missing pavement.  It offered a perfect excuse to get off and walk, but I would have none of that!

If this storm had passed through just 2 days later than it did, sections of this loop would have been under water and impassable.  My dreams would have been washed downstream.  Whew!  The weather from dawn to dusk on Saturday was spectacular!

I finished the last run loop just after dusk.  It was time to head back to Terry and Alice Laughlin’s to prepare for Sunday’s Survival of the Shawangunks.  Betsy went to buy ice so I could treat my legs.  However, although it was 8 pm and quite dark, the day was not over yet...

Late-Night Transition:

Tropical Storm Irene had done some significant “landscaping” in the Minnewaska State Park Preserve, forcing the SOS race committee to severely abbreviate the course.  They eliminated the first two runs and swims, and extended the third run to 10.3 miles.  What was traditionally a bike/run/swim/run/swim/run/swim/run event was now hobbled to a bike/run/swim/run.  I was heartbroken to hear the news – it meant that I would have to wait until 2012 to completely realize my AZ-SOS Shawangunk Double.  (Please note that I did ask the race committee if I could swim extra laps in Mohonk Lake.  The answer was a firm “no”.  I did my best...)  In the week leading up to the event, as I fretted over the weather-sourced constraints that had fallen on my dream, we were besieged with the second storm.

If I had been concerned with a reduction in the challenge I was pursuing, the second storm responded appropriately.  We lost power at the Laughlin’s house Thursday night.  No power meant no water.  The resulting floods also meant that a 5-minute drive into town now took 35 minutes each way with the detour.  On Friday, I could wait no longer.  I made the circuitous journey to pick up my Hammer Nutrition at Catskill Mountain Multisport.  I also located and rented a generator (to power the fridge), and bought drinking water.

And, at 5pm on Saturday (as I was biking the last loop of AZ) the SOS race committee came through at the last minute, announcing a challenging new... bike course!   I called Jim Bacon (who was attending the pre-race meeting) while I was biking my last loop of AZ to get the great news.)  This is just what I needed after 84 miles of cycling with 8,000 feet of climbing on Saturday – another climb up and over Mountain Rest Road first thing Sunday morning.  Yes! 

This meant that as soon as I returned to the Laughlin’s Saturday night after AZ, I had to swap the cassette (rear gears) from my Serotta road wheel to my tri bike race wheel.  And I got to do that, as well as set up the bike, empty the car, prepare my next day’s nutrition and restock and repack the car in the dark!  Yes!

Betsy arrived with three bags of ice as I did my headlamp preparations like a lunatic surgeon near the end of marathon surgery.  At 10:15 pm, when I was satisfied with my gear, I sat in the swimming pool, with my legs in a garbage bag, and filled it with ice as I drank the smoothie we made by powering the blender with the generator.  Without a shower, at 11:45, I set my alarm for 4:45 and laid down.   I actually slept for 3 hours! 

When I got up, I put on the same tri shorts and top I had worn for AZ – still a little damp with my sweat.  I had not showered since Thursday, so the sweaty clothes had a comforting feeling of compatibility.  (The brand new compression triathlon apparel that 2XU so generously provided for this event had not been delivered in time – thanks again to the flood.  In Netherlands, UPS uses boats for deliveries, but not here in New Paltz, NY.)

The 2011 Survivor of the Shawangunks:

Living up to its name, SOS survived the ravages of the 2011 floods, despite the impact the weather had on much of the course.  Jon Stern and Don Davis worked long and hard to create an alternate course to keep SOS alive on the 10^th anniversary of 9/11.  (And Jon also was without power or water.)  The flooding from the second storm – just a few days before the race – left the first 7 miles of the traditional bike course under several feet of water.  But SOS was alive and well for 2011!

By Sunday morning, I was over my heartbreak and feeling grateful to be gathering with over 100 other athletes in the cool dawn.  The general feeling among SOS veterans was that the 2011 race would be more of a “sprint” race – 30-mile bike, 10.3-mile run, 0.5-mile swim, 0.7-mile run.  (This was reduced from the traditional 30-mile bike, 4.5-mile run, 1.1-mile swim, 5.5-mile run, 0.5-mile swim, 8-mile run, 0.5-mile swim, 0.7-mile run.)  But for some reason, I just didn’t feel that sprint-like jackrabbit energy in my legs.

The blessing in this abbreviated race?  I feel SOS has a brilliant new bike course that will remain a part of the race.  Climbing to the summit of the Shawangunk Ridge on Mountain Rest Road and the beauty of the mountainous landscape on the west side of the ridge offers a new showcase to a race already rich in beauty.  (I petitioned Don at the post-race party to keep this new course.  I was one of many.)  After the first few miles of easy spinning on the flat roads leading to the climb, my legs responded well to another “pilgrimage” up that ridge.  (Maybe it was just that the memory of this hill was still so fresh – 3 times in the opposite direction the previous day.)  I maintained a fast cadence for much of the bike course and ascended to Minnewaska with ease.  (Nothing noteworthy about my pace though.)

Betsy was there to greet me at the transition – all my gear neatly layed out.  I elected to skip any form of neoprene, since the swimming would be limited to a half-mile length so close to the end.  After a few kisses and praises of encouragement, I set out on the 10.3-mile run, shod once again in my trustworthy – and soggy – 5-Fingers.  Unlike the AZ trail loop, this run is all on carriage trails, so footing and surface conditions were much easier.  The altered course sent us on to some scenic trails near Mohonk Mountain House that I had never been on before.  Ah, the joys of discovery kept my legs fresh!  I felt great, and maintained efficient running form with a moderate cadence.  (Again, nothing noteworthy about my speed – but the beauty of the environment lingers in body and soul days later.)

When I reached the water’s edge at Mohonk Lake, my goggles and swim cap were already on and I made the seamless and instant transition to swimming, thanks to the V5F’s.  This was the closest I had been to a shower in days – how refreshing!  The chill was like a religious revival!  This is the segment of the race where my pace was respectable – 38^th fastest swim, out of 125.

The swim exit from Mohonk Lake, at the foot of the grand castle that is Mohonk House, is a clamber up the rocks.  The volunteers at the exit see some mighty strange behavior from the athletes every year.  It appears as if many have forgotten how to use their legs – as if, during the short swim across Mohonk Lake – they have regressed to the pre-toddler stage of life.  This is one of the most challenging transitions in all of multisport.  The last 7-tenths of a mile to the finish line is a steady climb to the Smiley Tower, atop the ridge.  The most graceful athletes can be reduced to teetering geeks.

The feeling of elation as I made that final ascent was – forgive me for using such a cliché term – breathtaking.  Betsy met me part way up the trail and we ran in together, accompanied by one or two of the young “Bacon Tribe”. After receiving my medal and the much coveted SOS “Survivor” towel, Betsy and I soldiered on to the top of the tower.  (See photo.)

The feeling of gratitude as we embraced – infused with the dramatic grandeur of this land – was definitely a “cup runneth over” moment.  I have included the following statement in so many of my writings (starting with my book “Zendurance”), so forgive me for bringing it here:  “Less than one-tenth of one percent of the world’s population has the health, wealth, political and cultural freedom to live this athletic life.”  We are so fortunate.

And the blessing of true and sincere companionship that Betsy and I share is even more precious.

Closing:

Last year I prefaced my inaugural SOS with the American Zofingen Iron Time Trial 2 days before.  (The Iron TT is 4 loops of the AZ bike course, for a total of 112 miles and... well, lots of climbing.)  I took a gamble and chose to wear the Vibram 5-Fingers for SOS that year as well.  “Why?”  This is the question I am asked from those who look at me as if I have lost touch with reality.

Why?  Why compound an already challenging quest like SOS with an additional challenge like AZ?  Why compound the actual American Zofingen race in May by wearing the V5F’s on treacherous trails (that break toes) when they handicap running speed?  Why ride a road bike for AZ when the tri bike would be faster?  Why do AZ long coure in the “F-1” format when it would be easier and faster to do it as a run-bike-run?

Both of these events take place in a unique and beautiful landscape – the Shawangunks.  (Hence, I have settled on the name “Shawangunk Double” for the AZ-SOS 2-Day.)  Deliberately handicapping myself provides me with an iron-clad alibi to “race” both AZ and SOS at a less than maximal effort (though I don’t at all feel like I am dawdling).  In the Sunday morning dawn, I start the SOS race – one of the most precious multisport events in the world – in a body already infused and seasoned with the energy of the Shawangunks – especially this year.  I “pre-fatigue” my body before SOS so that I can feel the concentration of energy that an intense effort affords, yet I am slow enough to savor the experience for an hour or so longer.  (The tactility of the Vibram 5-Fingers is a significant element of this energetic connection.  I will use them for AZ and SOS for the foreseeable future).

The energy of the Shawangunks lingers on – in my blood, in my muscles, in my bones, in my breath. 

The final (lumbering) climb 

Complete!  Atop Skytop Tower

Less than 360 days until the next Shawangunk Double.  Hope that Shawangunk energy lingers on ‘til then.