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Bellingham - Chucaknut 50K start to Anacortez (Similk Bay)

March 16, 2019 (Morning)

Exercise Type: Bike

Weather: mild 30s to low 50s

Comments:
Chuckanut 50K morning! Woke up at 6 and helped CA get ready, while I readied my bike stuff. Taped her food and did some MT and PNF in preparation for the race. Got near the start around 7:30. COLD but clear and slated to by sunny and nice today. The race took off at 8…without me, again. The number of race entries I’ve wasted in the past two years…it sucks.

But I was looking forward to a long bike ride. I mapped out a cool route that went along Chuckanut Bay, all the way down to Anacortez and hopefully Deception Pass State Park – all of which is along the north Puget Sound.

I first rode to the first aid station to see CA. She was well behing the talented and SUPER-grindy women’s field. At six miles, she was already about six minutes back, but looking happy and relaxed.

Once she took off into the inner recesses of the course (which are closed off to crew), I took off. I figured I’d have a good three hours ‘til I saw her again.

Rode south…for a long time! Listened to nearly two full (2-hour) Tim Ferriss show podcasts, the first one from Dr. Gabor Mate on addiction and childhood trauma stuff. Rode through both flat farm fields and along the sound. Low traffic, nice sun, but pretty chilly. I wore my puffy over my normal gear ‘til about 9:30AM, then kept my mittens on the whole ride!

The road was OK, bu most of it was fairly new chip seal, which is a rough ride. Then there was a short stretch on a busy highway before getting close to Deception Pass. I didn’t quite make it, but got to an inlet just east of the park - Similk Bay. There I turned back, thinking I’d be short on time.

Rode back, fighting a bit of wind, but feeling pretty solid.

Biking is interesting. I think I’ve really overlooked it as a cross-training modaility. It has a really low intensity-to-strength ratio, meaning that it can really work the muscles, yet still be pretty low intensity (Running, conversely, can be frustratingly opposite: flat road grinds can be super-high intensity but not necessarily improve leg strength, at all). I could feel great glute engagement, and, after 3 hours, would get transient waves of quad ache. That said, the energy and strength was pretty consistently strong!

I got back to the same aid station in hopes of seeing CA…but I wasn’t sure where she was at. I remembered some girls I’d seen before, but figured she might’ve been ahead. Not wanting to miss her, I rode toward the finish. The interurban bike path runs in the trees above Chuckanut Drive, and you could see runners on the trail above you. I rode along, hoping to see her, but didn’t. At mile 29, the path crossed a road, so I stopped there to wait. Once there, I saw the crossing was manned by Ladia Albertson-Junkans! I'd never actually talked to her, but I've "known” this now up-and-coming ultra-star since she was an undergrad at Minnesota in the early 2000s! I introduced myself and we chatted while I waited to see if CA would emerge from the wooded trail. She didn’t arrive quite a while, and I thought once again that I’d missed her. But just as I was going to leave, she popped out of the trees.

While she was well back in the field, she looked great: strong, efficient stride and in good spirits! We cheered, then I hopped on the bike toward the finish.

Good overall ride! 61+ miles in 4 hours.

Hung out at the finish, as she came in, then chatted with fellow-hunter Andrew (and his crew, Daniel), who ran an outstanding first-ever race in 4:29 to come in 21st. Meanwhile Hayden Hawks fucking CRUSHED the course, running 7-flat pace on a rugged middle 30K featuring a ton of deep snow and a lot of rugged terrain.

Post-race:
* hung out in the sun at the finish

* back to the house to clean up

* afternoon early-happy hour and lunch at Aslan Brewing

* back to the house to “nap”…til nearly 8!

* to a Brewery for the post-race hangout…which was a shell of its past. There was nearly no one there. We did chat for quite a while with Jeff Boggess (of Trail Butter). It was pretty impressive: I think CA knew more about nuts and nut butter than he does!

Back to the house around 10. We snacked but didn’t really eat dinner.

Good, fun day! Hip was a lot better today and frankly, I wasn’t that disappointed that I didn’t run, especially after my longest bike ride in several years.