Thank You!

First off, it’s time to finally thank the people that made this race possible for me:

My wife Linda – I know, I’ve thanked her a lot already, but I can’t say enough about all she did. Plus if I mention her again, this post will get a “Linda’ tag, helping her increase her lead in the ‘number of times tagged’ (see the tag cloud in the right hand column). This is apparently very important to her. I’d also like to thank our kiddo for holding his “Why did you leave us?” grudge for only three days after I returned.

My parents, and all of the friends and family who supported me and followed me during the race. It was great to come home and read all the messages afterwards. I’m fairly certain that none of them had any idea what I was getting into until it was too late to stop me.

Greg – for offering to fly out and get me from any checkpoint along the course. The offer was tempting many times. And thanks for coming to get me (and Alec Petro) once I got to McGrath. I was able to get home a day earlier, and we had a spectacular tour of the race course on the flight home. Although Alec’s view during the flight wasn’t quite as good as mine. Sorry Alec!

Cindy – for helping to design and then sew my sled cover, and modifying my pogies. And also for helping to keep Linda sane at work while I was away.

Jen and Ian – for their last minute modifications to the sled cover.

Tim – for sharing his sled design, and answering my questions about gear. And for all he has taught me over the years about “Performance backcountry skiing.”

Mike – for sharing his suspension sled pole design.

Ed, Pete, Jay, Tracey, Jeff, Billy, and all the other racers who knowingly, or unknowingly, helped me along the trail. All the racers were amazing, friendly people. As I said before, I really enjoyed being around the other two skiers for the entire race. I was really psyched that all three skiers finished, when there had only been four skiers finish in the last four years combined.

Bill & Kathi Merchant for pouring their hearts into this race, and all of the checkpoint workers along the way for keeping me fed, rested, and motivated, especially Dan the Mountain Man, Nick and Olene Petruska and Peter and Tracy Schneiderheinze.

Jill Homer, Kathi Merchant, Mike Curiak and everyone else who has written about their experiences on the trail. I read them all as I prepared for the race.

Here are a few questions that people have asked me recently…

How did your gear work out?

GEAR THAT WORKED BETTER THAN EXPECTED:

My boot/insole/sock system – I had a lot of anxiety about this stuff prior to the race, but it couldn’t have performed any better. My feet were never cold the entire race. Never. I only got one small blister the entire way. I choose boots that were a size too big (so that I could put an extra insole in them), and this proved critically helpful as my feet swelled throughout the race. The vapor barrier socks were a revelation for me, and I plan to use them a lot more in the future.

Down booties – I almost didn’t bring these because they are bulky and heavy. But they were really handy at the checkpoints, when I needed to get my feet out of the ski boots for a little while.

My sled pole – I really liked the suspension. It was a huge help for classic skiing, although the elastic was getting worn out by the end.

My headlamp – I came very close to buying a new headlamp for the race, but I’m glad I didn’t. My headlamp was made by Nite-Hawk, which sadly went out of business. It was powerful enough to using skiing while on the ‘low’ setting, which gets over 100 hours of burn time. I used one set of lithium batteries for the entire race. I was kind of bummed to leave so many expensive Lithium batteries behind in my drop bags.

GEAR THAT DIDN”T WORK VERY WELL

My skis -To be fair, the skis worked as well as I could expect them to. The problem was that I chose the wrong pair. For months, I had been planning on using these skis. I did all my training on them. But at the start of the race, because of the new snow, I had a pair of classic racing skis in the car, just in case I thought the trail looked really bad. I spent the entire race wishing I had grabbed those skis instead.

My sled – Again, I feel bad putting the sled under “Didn’t Work” especially considering the hours I invested in building it. For 90% of the race it worked great. It was a great sled for a packed trail. But when it got caught on alders, or tipped over in deep snow, it was a real liability. It was a perfect sled for the Susitna 100, which has a better trail, but less perfect for the ITI.

How did your food work out?

I had a lot of different foods with me, and I enjoyed having the variety. I ate some of everything. I had way more than enough food. I think my favorites were Snickers, Buckeyes (peanut butter balls), Pop-Tarts ( a surprise to me), Oatmeal cookies, and Gu (caffinated Espresso flavor). The only thing I wish I had more of was Snickers bars. I had one Snickers and one Hershey bar for each leg of the trip, but I wish I had three Snickers bars instead. I packed way too much summer sausage. Usually I eat a lot of that during long adventures, but not this time. I planned for a one pound stick of sausage for each leg of the trip, and only ate one stick the entire race. Bummer, because that was a lot of weight.  Surprisingly (and unfortunately), when I got home I wasn’t sick of junk food. In fact, I think this trip only increased my addiction to junk food. Withdrawl sucks.

How much weight did you lose?

I weighed myself about 36 hours after I finished, and I had lost 4 pounds. At that point, I had already eaten about six big post-race meals, and my feet and ankles were still very swollen. At the finish, I was probably 6-8 ponds lighter than normal. For the first week afterwards, I was consistently eating 5-6 full meals a day. I weighed myself again a week later, and I was back to my normal weight. All in all, not a lot of fluxuation.

How would you rate your level of stink after wearing the same clothes for a week?

I was definitely foul. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being ‘I just stepped out of the shower’ and 10 being ‘I just swam across town in the sewer system,’ I think I was a 6 when I finished.  Okay, maybe a 7.   I thought I would smell worse. Except for my feet. They were an 11. Those wool socks might get thrown out.

What does Linda get in return for letting you do this?

We’re not sure yet, but she definitely gets something. Maybe a vacation of her own, or maybe she gets to focus on training for her own event, or maybe she gets a new toy. Or maybe all of the above. At the very least, I think there is either a road bike or cyclocross bike in her future.

What’s your next adventure?

I cashed in a lot of chips at work and at home to do this race, so it will be a while before I do anything on this scale again. Actually, it might be a while before I do anything at all again, because of…

My Achilles Tendon injury

My feet and legs had been feeling steadily better for the past two weeks.  I went skiing (very mellow) twice this past weekend, and my feet were sore, but my Achilles tendon didn’t hurt at all. So I was optimistic as I went to the doctor’s office this morning.

The doctor killed that positive vibe pretty quickly. I have a partially ruptured (torn) Achilles tendon.

Its never a good sign when you take off your sock, and at first glance the doctor says, “Yep, there it is. It’s torn.”  He estimated that the tendon is about 50% torn, but I need to have an MRI to be sure.    So I am now in a walking cast and looking at about three months of recovery time if things go well. Or surgery and six months of recovery time if it goes not-so-well.

I’m pretty bummed.   So much for enjoying Alaska’s Better Half.  And just to be safe, its probably best if you  not make any mention of crust skiing to me for the foreseeable future.

But on the bright side, I guess I can be glad that it’s not completely torn, and that it didn’t give out in the middle of the Farewell Burn.  Knowing that the injury is kind of serious makes me feel better about my decision to play it safe towards the end of the race.  I have to admit that, as the pain and the satisfaction of finishing subsided over time, I had begun to wonder if I should have pushed through Nikolai and tried to hold my second place standing. I was starting to wish that I had been in race mode, just a little bit.  But now, knowing the full extend of the injury makes me realize that I did the right thing.  Well, the right thing might have been to scratch from the race when it first started hurting.  But I think I did the second-best thing.

The doctor seemed to have an understanding of the athletic stuff I am used to doing, so he knows the kind of shape I want to get back to. I guess he figured that out when he asked “How did this happen?” And I answered, “By skiing 350 miles.” He also knows how to deal with athletes who are not happy about being laid up. One of his main concerns was finding alternative ways for me to work out during the next few weeks. For the time-being though, I’m not in the mood to push it. I’ve got a lot of non-athletic things to catch up on, and I could use a little rest. At least that’s what I keep telling myself.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go mount this boot-thingy onto a skate ski.

A lot of the information that I have found valuable in my preparations has come from other people’s websites. So I figure that if I am going to take, I should give as well. As I (futilely) try to explain to my one year old, sharing is good. Plus, writing this all down helps me organize my thoughts and re-evaluate my decisions.

Every item I am taking was analyzed and scrutinized for usefulness, weight, size, and reliability. And almost every item has a long backstory as to why it did or did not make the cut. And I would love to share the story of each piece of gear. But I quickly realized that even if someone actually did want to read 2,000 words on why I chose to bring Rode Multigrade Blue/Green kickwax instead of Swix Special Blue, I would never get it all written down before the start of the race on March 1st.

So instead I’ll give you a few words on some of the most interesting gear. And then give you lots of photos.

Skis: Atomic NX-11

I got these skis for the Susitna 100 four years ago, and I keep them specifically for this type of skiing. The NX-11′s are skate skis, but they are shorter than normal (184 cm vs. my usual 192 cm). I’ll put kick wax on them for classic skiing. For a ski with a skate camber, they kick and glide pretty well.

Poles: Exel Avanti QLS

I originally planned to go with a standard strap system on my ski poles, but then I found out that Exel brought back the QLS (Quick Lock System) for this year, after about eight years off the market! I bought every pair of QLS straps that AMH had in stock (three pairs), and matched them up with my old QLS poles that had been gathering dust. I love the QLS because I get the support of a fancy strap system, but I can get my hands in and out of the poles in no time flat. I can get these poles on and off with one hand, and do it faster than a standard strap. I am bringing two pairs of poles, one for skate and one for classic. The extra pair will easily attach to my sled pole and will give me back-up if I break one. Or two.

Boots: Salomon Carbon Pro Skiathlon

Figuring out a boot system has been very complicated. My feet always get cold when I ski. Overboots help, but only to a certain degree (in my case, -5 F) because the cold creeps in through the sole of the boot, which the overboots don’t cover. So I’ve tried all sorts of options to figure out a warmer boot set-up. The other day I calculated that I’ve considered 630 different sock/insole/boot/overboot combinations! (I’ll admit that I’ve only tried on about a hundred of those combinations.)

The boots I have chosen are a pair of Salomon pursuit (combi) racing boots that are a full size bigger than I normally wear. I bought them online for $100 last month (what a deal!), then put an thick Insolator insole in them, with the boot’s original insole on top of that. In most conditions, I will wear wool liner socks, with RBH vapor barrier socks over them. I will also have two pairs of overboots (one neoprene by Salomon, one fleece/nylon by Apocalypse Designs) that I can use either individually or together in extreme cold. I am still worried about cold feet, but this boot system is the warmest I have ever tried. If I get nothing else out of this race, I will have finally come up with a boot system that will keep my feet warm well below zero. It only took thirty years of skiing to accomplish that.

Sled:

In the Susitna 100, I carried all my gear in a backpack and was very happy with that decision. But for this race, there is just too much stuff. More food, more clothes, more fuel. So I’m going with a sled. Building this sled has been a five year project. It took 4.75 years to find the right sled to start with, and then it was a frantic two months to customize it for ski hauling. Most of the sled modifications I made were based on advice from Tim Kelley. I also borrowed a suspension pole design from Susitna 100 racer Mike Beiergrohslein. Since these designs aren’t mine, I wouldn’t feel right explaining them in every last detail. Instead, you’ll just have to look at the pictures.

The sled itself is orange, and for some reason I decided that the cover should be orange too. Safety first!

If you ask anyone who has built a ski sled, they’ll tell you that it is never finished. It’s a tinkerer’s dream. There is always some additional modification that would make it even better. But having said that, I am really excited about the sled. I think it turned out well and it will make hauling much more pleasant.

Food: Lots and lots of junk
I got a good reminder of my rookie insecurities when I dropped off my food drop bags to be flown out to Finger Lake and Rohn. We are allowed 10 lbs, and my bags tipped the scales at about 9.75 lbs. I dropped off my bags at the same time as Jacques Boutet, who has done this race many times. I swear his bags couldn’t have weighed more than a pound. Clearly, he knows something I don’t.

I’ll be shocked if I eat all my food. Each bag contained about 15,000 calories, which should last at least two days – probably even longer assuming I get good meals at the checkpoints. But then again, on my Susitna Shakedown I ate 10,000 calories in 24 hours, so I felt it prudent to use my 10lbs as efficiently as possible. Sausage, cheese, Buckeyes (peanut butter balls), buttery goodness (apparently it’s really popular), Snickers, Pop Tarts. Its all in there. I know this sounds like junk food, and it is, but in terms of calories per gram, it’s the densest stuff around. And I love junk food. One of my life’s greatest accomplishments is eating a dozen of the nastiest Dunkin Donuts in five minutes flat, immediately after finishing a Big Mac Extra Value meal. Trust me – it’s a big deal in certain circles.

Well, that’s the most interesting gear. Here’s photos of the rest of it…

The Susitna 100 is a cousin of the Iditarod Invitational. It’s a 100 mile race for bikers, skiers and runners through frozen Alaska on trails that vary from snowmobile superhighways to almost no trail at all. While the Invitational is mostly about survival, the Su100 is definitely a race. For 100 miles. It is so physically demanding that, after I finished in 2005, I told my wife never to let me do that again, even if the painful memory faded with time. So I’m doing 350 miles instead. Yeah, that makes sense.

As with most of my training this year, I got a late start leaving the house on Friday night. After I helped put my son to bed and got packed up, it was 9:30 PM. I still had a two hour drive and then a ski before I could sleep, and my motivation was low. Fortunately, a RockStar Roasted Mocha and a killer playlist on my iPod got me fired up during the drive. By the time I started skiing at 11:30 PM, I was raring to go.

I followed the Su 100 trail from Point Mackenzie until just before Flathorn Lake which took about 2.5 hours. As I set up camp, I tried to focus on doing things warmly and efficiently, but the temperature was a mild 20 degrees F, so it felt a little silly to be wearing a down jacket and mittens.

I had a fitful night of sleep, mainly because I am still experimenting with sleeping pads. I had hoped to use only a Z-Lite foam pad in the race, but after shivering through a recent night at -5F, I decided I needed more. I’ve also got four different Thermarests that I could use either with, or in place of, the Z-Lite, but they are bulky and heavy. This time around I tried the Z-Lite with an Insulmat Air Core 3/4 length pad on top of it. The Insulmat folds up small and light, but it has no foam insulation, just air. I was plenty warm for this trip, but the race will be MUCH colder. Plus, the Insulmat was slippery and I kept sliding off it. You would think that with seven sleeping pads in our house, I’d have a decent combination for the race, but you’d be wrong. That is my biggest question mark as far as gear goes right now. Still trying to figure it out without dropping $200 on a down/air mat. Anyway, back to the Susitna 100.

Saturday morning I packed up camp at 9:00 AM and skied across Flathorn Lake. When I intersected the inbound Su100 trail, I came across the tracks of a fat bike headed out on the trail. The tracks were clearly made the night before, likely by someone doing the same thing I was. For some reason I thought it might be Epic Eric. He’s crazy enough to camp out in the middle of winter just to watch a few bikers and skiers go by. I followed the tracks through the Dismal Swamp and across the Susitna River. Sure enough, on the opposite river bank, Eric was kicking back, getting ready to build a fire and cheer on the racers. We hung out and chatted as we waited for the lead racers to come through. Some people camp out for Star Wars or iPhones, we camp out to watch the Susitna 100.

The trail this year started out a little soft in the morning, but still good for both skiing and biking. As the day went on, and the temperatures climbed into the thirties, the trail softened more. The skiers and some lead bikers seemed to handle it fine. Other bikers and runners really struggled. I kept telling them “It’ll firm up when the sun goes down,” even though I wasn’t nearly as confident as I tried to sound.

I did a little more skiing up and down the trail towards EagleSong lodge, watching racers go by. About 2 PM I realized that if I wanted to sleep in my own bed that night, I’d better get going. On my ski back towards Point Mackenzie, I stopped in the Dismal Swamp to cook dinner and melt some water for my CamelBak. I cheered on the racers as they passed. I think a few were tempted to sit down and join me.

Most of the Su100 and Little Su 50K racers I passed in the last four hours of my ski thought that I was the leader of the race, headed for the finish line. I felt like I was disappointing them when I had to say, “No, no, I’m not racing. I’m cheering YOU on.” Sorry to steal your thunder, Chet.

I stopped to say a quick hi to Bill and Kathi at the Alaska Ultrasport tent on the homestretch of the trail. See you in two weeks!

I arrived back at my truck at 7:30 PM. It was a 10 hour day, probably about 8 hours of actual ski time. The total trip distance was about 60 miles. Mostly skating, with maybe 8 miles of classic skiing thrown in for practice. I didn’t get to work on cold weather strategy as much as I hoped, but it was a good training session. It was a lot of fun to see so many friends out in a beautiful area on a gorgeous day.

Susitna 100 results

Eric took a ton more photos than I did.

My photos

It’s 2 AM. You just spent 18 hours skiing a remote snowmobile trail into the middle of nowhere. You haven’t seen another person for fourteen hours. You are exhausted. You can’t fathom one more stride, and even if you could, the dangers lurking on the trail combined with your current state of semi-conscious tunnel vision could be a potentially lethal situation. It’s time to bivy down, get some rest, and attack the trail in a few hours with a clearer mind. And, oh yeah, its 30 degrees below zero, and your sleeping bag is rated to -20 F. Do you feel lucky, punk? Well, do you?

This is the question that has haunted me more than any other as I look forward to the Iditarod Invitational. My sleeping bag is rated to -20 F, but I’d never used it at temperatures below zero. I needed to find out if I was going to trust my life to this bag at temperatures that could easily drop below -20.

I took advantage of the early January cold snap (brief tangent: it is still called a ‘snap’ if it lasts two weeks? I guess ‘cold fortnight’ doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as easily) to do some testing. I slept outside using my current gear on a night when the mercury bottomed out at -21 F. My assessment was that the bag kept me juuuuust warm enough to get some sleep, but my sleeping pad (a Thermarest Z-lite) was too thin. I lost a lot of heat through that pad. In the middle of the night, I added another, much thicker, pad and was significantly warmer.

So the bag performed well, but I need more padding between me and the snow. Did the bag give me confidence that it would work at -30? Or lower? Not really. So the next day, I ponied up for the bag I have been longing after for months: A Feathered Friends Snow Goose. Rated to -40. And its lighter and compresses smaller than my Puma. Double bonus.

I was really hoping I wouldn’t have to shell out for a new bag. But is it worth risking a few toes or much worse, just to save several hundred bucks? Not to me.

So my sleep system for the Iditarod Invitational will include the following:

• Feathered Friends Snow Goose -40F sleeping bag
• Thermarest Z-Lite foam pad
• A smaller blue foam pad, primarily used as a bed-liner for my gear sled, but can be put under the Z-Lite for extra warmth.
• REI Minimalist Bivy Sack
• Space Blanket emergency bivy sack, as a vapor barrier liner in case I need to bivy while really wet or sweaty.