MoVember is on the way

I have started getting ready to raise some money for MoVember. Just going into the month of MoVember I have $120 in the Mustchafia Team. We are looking to raise $1000 if you have interest in men's health issues, please go to my page http://mobro.co/travismcmaster1and donate what you can. I hope that by the end of the month, I have a full stache like I had in August.

Thanks!

Barn Burner 104mi MTB race on a SingleSpeed Cyclocross bike

So I am going to put to rest all the questions about whether or not a cyclocross bike is a fast situation at the Barn Burner 104 in Flagstaff, AZ.....it's not. But.....I had my Cortina custom painted and rocked some White Industries ENO hubs to convert it to a singlespeed. WTB shot me down a pair of their MTN Drop bars, thanks Mike. And I actually used the Freedom Ryder tire on the rear (zero flats) and a different tire on the front, non WTB(7 flats). I rolled up to Flagstaff the day before the race and visited Cosmic Cycles, a Marin dealer, and then to the camping area. I made some final adjustments and tested out a couple tire options on course before deciding on what I used. As I rode around the campground that evening, I could feel eyes on me and whispers that I was crazy.

The race morning came and I staged the bike at the end of the run as I could run through a crowd faster than pushing my bike through. I had a good start and rolled the first 2 laps (52 miles) without incident. I kept thinking in my head that I was Rock Jedi as I finessed the bike down the tech sections without fail. It wasn't until the 3rd lap that I started getting some flats....like 3 flats. I had enough CO2, 1 tube and many patches. I was close enough on the 3nd flat that I ran the bike in (1/4 mile) to the finish like a true CX racer. The 4th and final lap came and so did the rain. It actually felt good but on the tech sections the rocks began to get slippery. I took it easy but still kept a good pace. The last decent was super fast and knew that my slow leak wouldn't be safe. Knowing that I was going to make the 9hr cutoff for the "big belt buckle" I sill made the decision to stop and fix it to be safe. I ended up having 4 flats on the final lap and had to patch 2 of them ultimately running into the finish again from 1/4 mile out. All in all a 9:14 in a 104mi MTB race on a SSCX bike isn't all that bad. As you can see in the picture, my triceps were as tight as guitar strings. I will race this same set up next year, bring it!

Hoka line up for S12

I am feeling anxious about Spring 2012. Kind of an excitement mixed with a little "wholly crap" hang on!

Below are the S12 Hoka shoes. Please use these images coupled with the spreadsheet I have emailed you to make an educated decision on what to bring into the store for Spring 2012 from Hoka. The line has tightened up and basically consists of: Mafate (Trail Runner), Bondi B (Road), Stinson B Evo (fast and racing trail), and
the Stinson (full 40mm EVA mid-sole of the Mafate but upper of Bondi).

Oh and at the bottom are the new Injinji colors for S12...:)

Here are some images:

Speedgoat 50k 2011 Snowbird, UT the toughest 50k in the US

July 29^th Dave Griebling and I left Park City, UT headed for Snowbird to get a steak and good nights sleep before racing the Speedgoat 50k. Speedgoat 50k, that’s a funny name huh? Well about 3/4 way through the race I laughed out loud as the namesake hit me like a ton of bricks because I felt like a mountain goat and I was going as fast as my body would take me. Here is the topo map. Looks flat because you are looking at a computer screen but take a look at the left column where the elevation starts at 8000ft! 90% of the race is performed above 9200ft; maxing out at 11115ft at the top of Mt Baldy…a couple of times.

Anyhoo….Dave and I checked into the Cliffs Hotel at Snowbird and I spread out all my gear and food making different bags and planning out nutrition, etc. I got breakfast ready to eat in the bathroom as not to wake Dave up at 3:30am. I wanted to get up early to get some serious calories on board several hours before the race started going straight up the mountain.

Soon after getting the gear set up we went down to get some beta on the course. We ran into a couple fellas in the hall that looked like they were trail runners and proceeded to ask them about the course and joked about the “hand drawn” topo map…..turns out we were talking to Karl Meltzer, the race director, the guy who ran the Pony Express trail, the Red Bull athlete…the Legend! Nothing like getting beta from the guy that set the course! Next was a quick hot tub where I met up with another local athlete that had raced the year before. He ended up 7hours 7min this year!!! Nice work mandango! As Dave and I walked to the Steak Pit for dinner we ran into a guy with an IRun t-shirt. I guessed this was Jay Danek the guy I tried to meet at the WMRC trail run in Phoenix. I showed up to meet him but he didn’t make it that day. Yep, it was Jay. We talked for a moment and parted ways until the race day. After that encounter Dave and I put down a couple 7oz steaks, thanks again Dave. Then to bed.It’s now 6:00 in the morning and breakfast has long been digested and Dave and I are in the parking lot near the race start watching and joking that the start of an Ultra race may look like a slow-mo movie…. next was the race meeting then the starting line, GO!

It wasn’t so much of a slow-mo start but everyone was very relaxed and there was some chit-chat from some that had altitude-developed lungs. I was about 163bpm from the start and settled in to about 154bpm and as low as 125bpom at the low point of the race, mentally. Not much excitement till we hit snow near the top of Mt Baldy, where there was 500ft of rope straight up the snow chute t0 the top.

We weren't post-holing but there were defiantly kick steps and we needed the rope. I was greeted by a big grin from Dave at the top of Mt Baldy. I took a seat as he filled my Camelbak with more Infinit nutrition and handed me Pringles.

The next section was not quite as DOWN as the hand drawn topo had suggested but there was a cool section with ropes and scree. Then a long decent to the mine down a long ATV, dry creek, baby-head strewn area that wasn’t as flowy as it looked on the hand drawn topo map. Toward the bottom of this gnar, I ran upon a woman I parked next to before the race. I ran by shouting ‘ whazzz up!” I quickly realized she was sobbing when she told me she had potentially torn her meniscus on the run down and was upset that the point we were heading toward was a “no stopping point as it was difficult to evacuate athletes”. I offered Advil and told her to keep moving forward and I would notify the officials of her predicament. I believe it was here that I got a flat tire on my right shoe. I have been running and representing Hoka shoes the past year and absolutely love them but I bottomed out the sole and it flattened out at about mile 16 of 31…

After the mine comfort station, about ½ way though the race, I felt like a CHAMP! It was the first time I hit the Coke and got a little PBJ in me. Things were really clicking. The tunes on my Ipod were turning me into a running-dance machine! I was hitting up a little “air-dj”, a little robot arm and some break dance arm moves I hadn't seen since ’85! Then the crash. I guess I could’ve seen it coming as I was feeling SO good. This was the low point of the day about mile 18 going back up to the top of Mt Baldy. My heart rate hit 130bpm and the guys I was dancing by, started passing me. I stayed with one guy and he told me a story of his wife getting her stomach banded and all the weight she lost and how he and she had done some trail running/ walking recently and it was ok that I was walking so much during this race. I really appreciated his story telling at this point and finally got my legs again near the top. Thanks guy.

Fast forward past the tunnel and back to the top of Mt Baldy about mile 25.5. Although I looked sluggish getting up to Dave and his grin, I felt better when I got some more solids and more Infinit.

I was ready to crush this last part of the race. It was all downhill from here, literally. I started off and hit the snow chute with the ropes going back down. I took my bandana off my wrist and tied it around my hand to hold the rope as I glissaded down the chute…wheeeeeeeee! It felt so good to go so fast and get my bum and legs cold! Now I was cruising about 7 min miles, making up time on Jay Danek the other Phoenician I met up with the night before. Dave said he was about an hour ahead of me at the top of Mt Baldy; I finished within 45min of him. BUT not so fast….just after the snow glissade I was running with a woman and another guy cruising until…..woooosh, I slipped on a small stream crossing….sliding on my hands and scraped my knee and splattering mud everywhere. I really didn't check myself out but just got up and started running again. The two runners I was with asked me several times if I was ok…yes…YES I’m good, let’s rock this! Actually in my head I was like ‘ F man, what the hell, chill, you have like 5 miles left, relax!!! Things really were downhill like the topo map said and it felt sooooo good to run so freely after the mountain was getting the best of me all day. I owned this last 10k!

As I got to the finish line I stopped just short of it and made like I was driving a bus. Keeping my hand on the imaginary wheel, I reached over with my right hand and pretended to open the bus door. I told Karl and Dave to GET ON THE BUS!

They got on behind me and we cruised across the finish line together.Karl had and injury and was excited that he got to run that day albeit 5ft. A quick PBR, pizza and spray shower in the parking lot as I changed cloths and the day was done.

Thanks Dave. Thanks Karl. I’ll be back.

I couldn't have done this race with the little training I did without this list of gear. This gear got me through injury free:

CW-X Pro Short, Revolution Calf Sleeve, Web Top / Injinji Light Weight sock AND Original Weight sock / Camelbak- Octane LR / HOKA Mafate / Infinit custom TMac Endurance Run formula / Rooly sunglasses

I will be traveling to Park City, UT for the next few weeks after a brief stint in Las Vegas (hopefully I will be able to get a run in with Josh Brimhall, a sic ultra runner in Vegas). The trip to Park City will be both work and play related. I am sharing a house with a couple good friends/industry reps and working the Louis Garneau booth at Dealer Camp.

The Saturday after Dealer Camp I am racing the Speedgoat50k, put on by Karl Meltzer( ya the guy that ran the Pony Express Trail last year!) I love a race that has a hand-drawn topo map--

I have been running consistently and recently purchased an EMS device that shocks your muscles for excellerated recovery and O2 flow to damaged muscles. Also I have been back and forth on my sock selection. Ya that's right, I am fretting over my sock selection. See I have been having some issues and discovered that the Injinji lightweight sock is the best with my foot in the Hoka Mafate shoe I am rockin. I am glad to have such an assortment of socks at my disposal like the Injinji Midweight, Original weight and lightweight. As an athlete, you should have an arsenal of socks at your disposal....well do you?

Louis Garneau the biggest small company Tour de France leader video

I have been a part of the Louis Garneau family for a couple years now and couldn't be prouder. Last summer I was apart of a photo shoot with Chris Legh, Pierre Peron and friend Shawn O'Connell. At Interbike, a cycling industry convention in Vegas...save that one for another blog... I grabbed a copy of Decline Magazine and Garneau had used my idea of a lifestyle shot for a full pager! In the ensuing weeks, I was in a couple downhill specific shops and bosted that I had a full page in Decline. I knew the questions would range---"What race?" "What sic move were you doing?" "WTF, you?!" I am proud of my AD. So I am a cross country racer, Marin has DH bikes they will let me ride! Garneau also has supported my efforts in starting a National Cyclocross Team with riders ranging from Anna Young (Junior National Champion) to Nat Ross (friend and 24hr solo National Champion and MTB Hall of Famer). Together with Garneau, partner Dave Griebling and Pioneer S-M....

Recently, I was fortunate to spend time in Newport, VT the US HQ and really saw how this great company makes many of their products in the US! The point of all this is culminated in the video below. The current leader in the Tour de France is Thomas Voeckler of Team Europcar which is a new team to the Tour and Garneau is the Quartz helmet, X-Lite shoe, sunglasses AND Mondo Bib and jersey custom apparel sponsor. The time that Voeckler has spent in the "yellow jersey" has been done so in special yellow items that are hand sewn and painted especially for him by Garneau workers. The Garneau office actually had a "wear yellow office day" last week!

Enjoy the video:

5 hours on Carefree Highway

I woke up at 3am on Saturday June 18th, the day before Father's Day to run 30 miles. I don't know why but I have had it in my head that I want to run 30 miles and then 50 miles. I believe that the amount of miles someone runs is more mental than physical. I understand that a marathon distance is rooted in tradition and history and 30 miles isn't. That's the point. I know I'm not the first guy to run 30+ miles. Believe me I know there are runners out there that have run this distance and more on a regular basis. So I got up at 3 am to eat 2 hours before I got running so my solid food could have a chance to digest. After eating a couple waffles, a huge muffin and drinking some GU Brew with Chia seeds, I sat down to catch up on some TV and relax a little. I really didn't think about the run ahead as it really wasn't that big a deal. I got bored watching TV so I started my run a little early at 4:45am just before dawn. I new it was going to be hot so I planned for it.

Here was my plan:

I filled up my 70oz bladder in my Camelbak Octane LR , packed some salt tabs, and GU Brew portable tablets, 8 (GU gels with caffeine and without), a baggie of Chia seeds, some Advil. I put on several CW-X items including the Revolution Calf Sleeve, Pro Shorts to protect my tight hamstrings and the Ventilator short sleeved shirt to pull my shoulders back into the proper running position. I used the CW-X calf sleeves so I could use the new Injinji Midweight socks. These protected me from blistering between the toes and have a cushion on the sole for that added comfort. Last but not least, my Hoka Bondi B shoes.

Ya, that was a lot of tech huh? I remember in the late 70's and 80's my mom and dad shoe gueing their blue Adidas shoes with the yellow stripes. I have heard stories about my dad and his running partners putting opened Coke bottles in the frig so they became flat for the run the following morning. When I did my first Ironman in 2005 my dad asked me what my longest run was. He was concerned that I needed to "hit the wall" so my body could see what it felt like at a distance over 18 miles. Well as you can see by the list of technical items I used for my 30 mile run, the world is a different place that it was in 1980. Back to my premise that we can run further and be insulated from injuries more than ever.

So I started running with my Garmin 705 bike computer in my Camelbak (believe it or not I don't have a Garmin running watch). I was uber hydrated and fueled up. I know this because I stopped to pee 6 times in the first 30 minutes. I felt good about this as it was going to reach 97 degrees before the run was over. I was shooting for 30 miles in 5 hours, 10 minute miles. As I cruised along Carefree Highway, the cyclists started waking up and cruising by. Some solo, some just a few and some big packs of em. They had no idea that I was about 9 miles in my run of 30 miles. I'm sure they were thinking that I lived near by and was just out on a nice little jog, WRONG!

When I got to my turn around spot at Cave Creek Rd and Carefree Highway I watered up and checked my Garmin, 14.7 miles. CRAP! This meant that when I got back home I was going to be short of 30 miles. I would have to make up this mileage at the end of the run so I prepared for the mental anguish of running .5 more miles after I hit my doorstep. My knee was a little sore from ramping up the mileage so quickly so I went for my Advil. Nope. I think it bounced when I reached in my pocket for a GU pack. I didn't get any at this water stop but would later turn into a Circle K to get a package.

Recently, I raced a 300 mile Gran Fondo bicycle race, Tour De Kingdom, in Vermont only 2 weeks before this run so I had only put in 2-8 mile runs and 2-14 mile runs subsequent to this 30 mile endeavor. I was relying heavily on the CW-X Pro shorts, calf sleeves, Injinji socks and Hoka Bondi B shoes to get me through. And it did. I cruised back even hitting a couple runner's highs doing some "air DJ" on some great trance tunes....until about mile 27.

At mile 27 on the last hill into my hometown I got a little wobbly. I felt like Chris Legh at the Ironman in Kona. (remember the Gatorade commercial?) I know Chris and I'm sure he wouldn't mind that call it Legh legs. At the top of the hill was a cop shooting some radar on unsucpecting drivers. I was across the street from him kinda of stretching and I wondered to myself if he would let me sit in the cruiser and soak up some A/C? Probably not. I ate one last GU and walked for 5 minutes to compose myself. That hit the spot. I knew Starbucks around the corner was the last spot between me and the end so I stopped. It was about 9:30am or so and the place was crowded with weekend patrons enjoying their coffee. I kept my headphones on and walked directly to the bathroom and ran some cold water on my face and body, whew that hit the spot. I really could have used some comfort stations out there on my run with some sold sponges and EZUPs for shade. I guess that's what you get with your $100 entry fee.

I made it to my doorstep and checked the Garmin, yep 29.5 UGH. I dropped my Camelbak and held the Garmin in my hand and continued running. Checking every tenth of a mile until I got back home. 30.1 miles 4:49!!!! I grabbed the handle to my front door and it was locked. I was pretty exhausted so I knocked. No answer so I went through the garage. The kids were asleep still and Jodi was in a towel fresh out of the shower. Nobody missed a beat.

One of the take home's from this 30 mile run is that nobody can appreciate what you go through during your 5 hours on Carefree Highway. Not the cars passing by. Not the cyclists passing by. Not the cashier at the Circle K selling you Advil. Not the cop catching speeders. Not crowds in Starbucks. Not your kids still asleep. And not your wife. All supporting cast but none know what you went through for 5 hours on Carefree Highway that morning.