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From left: Fort Kent time trial (shooting), Fort Kent time trial (skiing), Mars Hill (uphill run), Skiing in Stockholm Maine, Sunset over farm fields in New Canada
For the past three weeks, I have been training hard in northern Maine. The first portion of this time was in Presque Isle, while the last two weeks were in Fort Kent. Just about the time that I arrived in late August, the seasons already showed signs of changing. Whereas hot and humid weather greeted me at the airport in Bangor, I now leave amid cold nights in the forties and pleasant days in the sixties. Leaves are now in their transition from green to yellow, orange, and red.
In the second week I was here, I had a stomach virus or complications from eating a large self-made pizza too quickly and too soon before training. For three days, I could barely eat crackers. Usually my favorite place, the grocery store became a bad joke. Nothing was appetizing. After three days, the illness passed and I gladly regained the five pounds that I lost in that period.
Weakened to some extent, both psychologically and physically, it took some time to regain my confidence and strength. In a time trial on a few days after recovering, my body felt depleted of energy. I still managed to cut two seconds of the time that I set in the same time trial in July, but my focus and strength were lacking to a large degree.
After taking some time during the days following that time trial to reflect and set new goals, I began to felt re-energized and motivated for the many days of training that remain before the season commences in mid November.
In the week that I was sick, though a few days recovered, I had blood testing in Caribou courtesy of CARY Medical Center. The results came back after the time trial and showed major, negative changes in my performance-blood chemistry from previous tests. It seemed that a virus or bacteria must have caused those three days of illness. Whatever it was, it erased the gains that I experienced from being at altitude in Utah.
The most remarkable surprise came when I did the Mars Hill Climb last Friday. Still feeling that I had lost most of the gains that I had made physically in the past month, I was not very confident that I would perform well. However, after a slow start and self-induced psychological bashing (“You’re running up this hill like a wuss. Are you even trying?”), I picked up the pace and set my body into automatic for the cruise to the top that I usual experience on the climb. I set a new personal record of 12:16, twenty seconds better than my 12:36 performance in mid July. The fastest time recorded on the Hill is 11:59 by Jerry Ahrlin of Sweden, completed earlier in the summer. Though he is a very talented athlete and a SWEDE, I would like to reclaim the record.
Two days later, after some difficult training, I completed my usual double pole test and was able to knock off another twelve seconds from my time on the 2-mile, steep uphill course. Again, here, I was not very confident in my abilities until I looked at my watch after having crossed the finish line (a telephone pole).
And just today, to my amazement, I recorded huge improvements in overall, maximum strength. I am now doing dips with eighty pounds of weight on my back and pull-ups with thirty pounds. That is major progress, when in May I could not even do five pull-ups with my own body weight. Furthermore, I did squat testing. I started at my usual weight, which has felt lately like my maximum limit. I kept adding ten pounds, trying to reach a limit. But it kept going on and on, until I had added fifty pounds and became tired from lifting. The same thing appeared in other strength tests.
The past three weeks have certainly been full of challenges, for which I am very grateful. Without them, we have no reason for improving or approaching things differently. Now I am off to Heber City, Utah, for my third altitude camp. I have been very pleased with my training improvements during the past two camps I have had there. Though I usually become a zombie from the amount of training I do out there, I am motivated to cycle to the range everyday. Everything seems to work out, though without the support of the many people there who have helped me, it would be very difficult. So, to them, thank you.
Peace,
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