Nugent Coaching Systems

Last night I had the opportunity to paddle with the Ultimate Potential group.  Great location and a fun crowd to paddle with.  Some were entirely new to kayaks, some had years of experience.

The sea life was awesome.  Sea lions, egrets, otters – incredible.  For about 90 minutes, we were able to paddle in calm rolling water practicing paddle technique and line of travel.

The fog added a neat element as we became so entrenched in it that to get back we simply used our ears to audio-locate the sea lions harping at the pier.

If you’re over in the Santa Cruz area I highly recommend checking this group out on Wednesdays.  It’s low key and you get a great workout in.

Change is Constant

There is one thing that is for certain, the best laid plans rarely play out as we expect them to. Teammates get sick (and thankfully recover!), new teammates show up, and sometimes it all happen right before race day! It wasn’t until the night before the race that I found myself on the same team as Kerry Ward and Dave MacLachlan.

Keep Expectations In Check

Whenever you get into a situation where everyone is new to each other, it helps if everyone involved keeps the expectations to a flexible level. Once you begin understanding the race habits and methods of your fellow teammates, then you can start setting tougher racing goals. This is not to say you should slack or take an easy-road approach simply because you don’t know who you are racing with – that’s what tow lines are for. Go all out, just don’t expect everyone to be at the same fitness level. Go all out, and don’t set rigid, breakable-make-you-cry-expectations.

That’s What Tow Lines Are For

That would be me needing the tow. Hamstring completely seized up on me as we neared the end of the bike course. This is around 4 hours into the race. I was dumbfounded. Cramping SUCKS! I knew I just needed time to let the muscle recover and massage it. Of course I also wasn’t keeping track of how much salt I was taking in nor how much water I was needing, it was hot, my bike is heavy… I have a slew of excuses.

“Need a tow?” Kerry asks.

“YES” I say with relief. So glad Kerry had his tow system ready to go. I quickly reached for the line and hooked on. He pulled me until the cramp subsided.

Race Review

• Bike – Brutal – Up-down-UP, then straight down.
• Kayak – Thanks to SeaTrek for the double rental. It was a bit overkill for our purposes – this boat was made to cut through serious chop. Seeing Mark Manning with his homemade triple has inspired me. I am dusting off my bar-making skills (see Wallace and Heinz) and I am going to build something that will kick Mark’s ass. (I do need to thank Mark and Galen here for helping me take the massive double off of the rack – even if if was at the wrong beach, and thanks again for helping me get it back on!)
• Trek – Awesome. The views and the size of Henry Coe really come out.
• Navigation – I did very little of it, but my impression is that since since we did zero off-trail nav, (nor would we want to because of the drop-offs) is that it was more about strategic thinking in the trail use than it was finding checkpoints in difficult or tricky contours, re-entrants, etc.

Final Results:

• 6th Overall.
• 100 points – all CP’s captured.
• 8700 feet of elevation gain
• Team walked away friends

Summary

I’d race with Dave and Kerry again in a heartbeat. I’d do another Rich race in a heartbeat. I will pause when contemplating another Coe race – but that would be it. That place requires some pause. Then I’d race there. After the pause.

Sea Trek was awesome and very helpful. They were the farthest for me to drive to (within my limits) but they were great.

Notes to self: remember to bring the ankle gators, keep better track of eating and drinking schedules (time to pull out the countdown timer craziness), stay alert to trail changes, bring at least one tow line for each discipline, take at least one team picture – doh!

It’s race day, everything is dialed in. Everyone is healthy; you’re peaked to race your best. The sky starts hailing.

You are on a training ride. You’re meeting all your ride goals, all the right zones at all the right times. You get a flat.

Mid race, you have been pushing a hard pace, towing other teammates, or not needing a tow. Everyone on your team is flying, there’s a team behind you, close on your heels. Your bowels kick in, and nature is not asking questions.

The question Mr. Trebek is, “how do you respond to this?”

Adventure racing brings plenty of opportunities to contemplate (or not) difficult situations. Some teams and racers don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the hail. They simply respond. “Jackets ON”. And they roll. Other racers might stop and curse the gods because damn it, it’s hailed for three friggin races in a row, and we’re tired of it!

Technical issues are a guarantee. Someone on your team is going to get a flat, break a spoke, break a chain, or something else of critical value. Training and preparation are your best weapons here. Learn how long it takes you to change a tire or fix a part, and be able to provide a time estimate if not for yourself, then for your team. Knowing in advance how long of a break people will have while the part gets fixed is helpful. It’s also a perfect time to review your route choice. Another thing to consider – if someone on your team is more skilled at fixing things (i.e. faster, less prone to mistakes) make them the designated team gear head. Play to your strengths.

Bowels and racing are unfortunately going to be at odds with each other more often than not. Sometimes there’s simply nothing you can do but roll with it. You certainly can’t get mad at your teammate for having to stop while teams are passing you- even if they’ve already gone three times in the last hour. If anything you need to keep an eye on your teammate. There might be an actual problem that isn’t simply IBS. Most of the time it’s not a big deal, just an unscheduled pit stop. At this point your team could decide that serenading said teammate while they’re doing their business could hurry things along. This does not work with everyone. Use caution. Laughing at your teammate during ‘business’ time is also not recommended.

The key thing to remember is that we race because there’s something extraordinary about being in a race that you set the course on. We all have to get from point A to point B, it’s how we get there, and how we respond to the difficult stuff that makes all the difference.

Happy racing!

-Brandon

What an awesome race! Great course, crazy weather, and plenty of land to race on!

Nick and I placed 3rd overall and first in our division. Thanks to Darcy for watching Amelia and Jack while Daddy got to race!

Special thanks to MVO and Dr. Leahy. Combined with Michelle’s Training Program and Dr. Leahy’s ART therapy, I was able to make it to the starting line in one functioning piece and race alongside Nick as a Racing With Giants Team and hang on!

Hail, thunder, rain and mud. Can’t ask for much more than that.

Looking forward to the next one!

Wednesday night paddling group hit the Foster City waterways.  The water was glassy and the weather had a pre-storm warmth to it.

1:20 minutes of paddling.  Beginners to advanced got a great workout in.