Thursday, July 14, 2011
Mis-citing
I'm researching antitrust challenges to bankruptcy asset sales. You would not believe how many times somebody has mistakenly typed 363(b)(2) (the Hart-Scott-Rodino amendment to the bankruptcy code) when he or she meant to type (e.g.) 363(b)(1) (the general rule regarding sales outside of the ordinary course of business in bankruptcy), 363(c)(2) (the rule regarding the use of cash collateral in bankruptcy), 362(b)(2) (the exception to the automatic stay for child support and paternity actions), and so on. Amazing.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Badwater
This is the 135-mile running race from the base of Death Valley to the flanks of Mt. Whitney. 2011 results here.
While I'm reporting results, let me add the now-dated results from the grand-daddy of ultramarathons, Western States. I note that Geoff Roes started, but did not finish, this race, apparently dropping after 55 miles (where he was in 22nd place). Roes won last year and currently holds the record. I believe this is the first 100-miler he has started that he has not won. (Not that he's off form, however; my ultra-running magazine shows big wins at both the 50 and 100-mile distance this spring.)
One thing that's amazing about Western States: this is reported to be a monumentally hard race, with huge climbing and difficult weather conditions. Nonetheless, there are many finishers -- 35 last year, 39 this year -- below 20 hours, which might be considered the mark of a fast 100 mile. At a normal race you might see 5 finishers in that range. I suppose a race like this is comparable to grand-slam tennis -- everybody there has talent.
While I'm reporting results, let me add the now-dated results from the grand-daddy of ultramarathons, Western States. I note that Geoff Roes started, but did not finish, this race, apparently dropping after 55 miles (where he was in 22nd place). Roes won last year and currently holds the record. I believe this is the first 100-miler he has started that he has not won. (Not that he's off form, however; my ultra-running magazine shows big wins at both the 50 and 100-mile distance this spring.)
One thing that's amazing about Western States: this is reported to be a monumentally hard race, with huge climbing and difficult weather conditions. Nonetheless, there are many finishers -- 35 last year, 39 this year -- below 20 hours, which might be considered the mark of a fast 100 mile. At a normal race you might see 5 finishers in that range. I suppose a race like this is comparable to grand-slam tennis -- everybody there has talent.
Chocolate Race
Spencer blogged about this race last year. Now it's apparently going to be held in DC, as well! I can hardly wait.
The Catch
When coaching rowing I spent much time watching the athletes' oars interface with the water. The "catch" is the point where the blade enters the water, ending the "recovery" and beginning the "drive." The catch is a difficult and important part of the stroke. Catching too early sends water backward (backsplash), slowing the boat imperceptibly and annoying your crew-mate. At the extreme an early catch can translate the force of a moving shell into the oar, possibly going as far as ejecting the rower from the boat. Catching too late -- driving the legs before the oar enters the water -- pushes the boat backward while the oar flails in the air. When the oar does enter the water, the rower will have missed the crucial first two feet of the stroke -- crucial because the legs are the strongest part of your body. The surest sign of a fast crew is the ability to time the catch, avoiding backsplash while not missing any water on the drive.
I've since found analogs for the lessons from rowing in obvious places -- kayaking and swimming are two. What about running?
After seeing this video taken of me on the track, I've been adjusting my running stride. The "catch" is when my foot hits the ground. The video shows a heel strike, whereby I'm landing in a way that requires me to roll over the foot before getting any propulsion from it. If McDougall's Born to Run is right, that means I'm braking briefly before accelerating -- a little like the backsplash from an early catch in rowing.
My fix, for which I don't have a video, has been deliberately to land on the ball of my foot. It does a few things to me: I am more forward in my running, rather than upright or arched backward. My calves are getting more of a workout than they have before. And I feel like I'm constantly accelerating! I have to move the legs quickly to keep up with the pace of the foot encountering and leaving the ground. This change has caused more than a few blisters as I rub different parts of the foot against the shoe. There's also a danger of missing ground, which I suppose happens if I move too far forward on the foot. It's too early to say whether speed comes with less effort, but I sure hope so.
I've since found analogs for the lessons from rowing in obvious places -- kayaking and swimming are two. What about running?
After seeing this video taken of me on the track, I've been adjusting my running stride. The "catch" is when my foot hits the ground. The video shows a heel strike, whereby I'm landing in a way that requires me to roll over the foot before getting any propulsion from it. If McDougall's Born to Run is right, that means I'm braking briefly before accelerating -- a little like the backsplash from an early catch in rowing.
My fix, for which I don't have a video, has been deliberately to land on the ball of my foot. It does a few things to me: I am more forward in my running, rather than upright or arched backward. My calves are getting more of a workout than they have before. And I feel like I'm constantly accelerating! I have to move the legs quickly to keep up with the pace of the foot encountering and leaving the ground. This change has caused more than a few blisters as I rub different parts of the foot against the shoe. There's also a danger of missing ground, which I suppose happens if I move too far forward on the foot. It's too early to say whether speed comes with less effort, but I sure hope so.
A few reports
In late June I repeated two events from last year: the DC Triathlon and the Garrett County Gran Fondo. In the triathlon my sole goal was to ride the bike fast. And, vis-a-vis last year, the sole part of the race in which I did not improve was the bike. Overall an improvement year over year and competitive enough to be invited to the 5150 series "age group championship" race in Des Moines. I'm not going.
The following week was the Gran Fondo. Kyle Jost is a mid-Atlantic region hard-man who puts on a series of events yearly in the Deep Creek Lake region of Western Maryland. For this biking event he finds the hardest possible hills in the area and traces routes of 25 miles, 100 km, 100 miles and 200 km over them. The roads are in good shape; cars are few; and volunteer support is tremendous. Last year I failed to finish the long ride, and this year I finished. Lessons: slow start, steady calorie intake, and hold off on the stimulants (caffeine) until the second half.
And now just back from Seattle. I joined my brother S__ for a planned three-day ride from Bremerton, WA to Klamath Falls, OR, mostly following the coast highway and then turning inland at Reedsport. We didn't make it. We got behind schedule on day one, not making it to our reserved hotel, and slept a few hours outside of Tillamook wrapped in space blankets (more or less the things they hand out after a marathon) shivering until the sun started coming up. The latter half of the ride planned for day two was over the mountains, and being behind we faced possibly repeating our camp-out at altitude. And curse of curses, S__'s home was a relatively comfortable 60-mile jaunt inland from Tillamook. We chose that option instead. Below is a photo from the ride, crossing the Columbia River from Washington to Astoria, Oregon, on Highway 101.
The following week was the Gran Fondo. Kyle Jost is a mid-Atlantic region hard-man who puts on a series of events yearly in the Deep Creek Lake region of Western Maryland. For this biking event he finds the hardest possible hills in the area and traces routes of 25 miles, 100 km, 100 miles and 200 km over them. The roads are in good shape; cars are few; and volunteer support is tremendous. Last year I failed to finish the long ride, and this year I finished. Lessons: slow start, steady calorie intake, and hold off on the stimulants (caffeine) until the second half.
And now just back from Seattle. I joined my brother S__ for a planned three-day ride from Bremerton, WA to Klamath Falls, OR, mostly following the coast highway and then turning inland at Reedsport. We didn't make it. We got behind schedule on day one, not making it to our reserved hotel, and slept a few hours outside of Tillamook wrapped in space blankets (more or less the things they hand out after a marathon) shivering until the sun started coming up. The latter half of the ride planned for day two was over the mountains, and being behind we faced possibly repeating our camp-out at altitude. And curse of curses, S__'s home was a relatively comfortable 60-mile jaunt inland from Tillamook. We chose that option instead. Below is a photo from the ride, crossing the Columbia River from Washington to Astoria, Oregon, on Highway 101.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Hard Time
Mileage is starting to mount even under the relatively lenient Hal Higdon novice marathoner training schedule. Did 12 slow painful miles on Saturday. Body not healed from bike crash plus hotter more humid morning then originally forecast. Biggest problem is jammed left toe which is bruised, sore, and swollen. Each step brought it bumping again in the front of the shoe. All 12 miles felt like the last 5 of a marathon. Marathon grade pain for the full 2 hours it took me to lumber past about a mile past the main campus on Loyola and home again.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Bike Crash
Decided to get serious about cross-training and now regret it a bit. Got the road bike our for 9 mile and 18 mile rides over the weekend. On the long ride, I dodged a pot hole but wheel slid off path onto gravel shoulder of the path and lost it. Amazing how many places can get scraped raw. Plus jammed a toe (and I was just getting used to having all my toenails) and messed up my wrist. On the good side, did not hit my head and only grazed my shoulder. Bike was merely scratched which was fortunate since I had to ride home close to 9 miles. Seeing foot and wrist doctor to check out aftermath. Shouldn't set me back on marathon training more than a day or two but its really hard to type with my left hand which may have a bigger impact on writing projects which are already painfully behind. Mostly just embarrassing to have one bike accident which was entirely my fault and first bike fall since I was a kid.
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