pavedwave longboarding

pavedwave · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 1120 Location: seattle wa usa

It's awesome to hear your stories and texts, creating a warm mellow stoke right in the middle of a cold winter. Some great personal bests and accomplishments yesterday!!

Marshall, sorry to hear about Murphy - nice words Barry I couldn't say it better. We missed you and look forward to seeing you at the June Ultraskate.

Ours was also very 'chill' in both the shared laid-back vibe of our event and the temperature. It was our best turnout on the Burke-Gilman trail in the morning, this ride was a lot more riders and less spectating.

Andrew Birchman on NorthwestLongboarding was our sole 100+ Century rider, 103.2 miles at the end of the day, Congrats to you Andrew!

Our own Panda (Dave) also clocked an impressive 75+? miles and still looked strong at the end of the day.

I'll blog more on ours later, but some of the fellas are up for our morning "church of cyber slalom" so I've got to clean up from last night and get down to the garage!!

Cheers and keep the details coming!!

Skatefurther Ben · Joined: 28 Jun 2008 Posts: 17

Howdi folks.

Glad to here you guys enjoyed your day. We had so much fun in the sun at Dorney that nobody really thought about distances. I stopped counting laps after a while but managed about 50 miles, which is a good day. For me what made the day fun was whati learned about pumping. I finally got my set up right and got some great tips from Barry about technique. I pumped at least 90% of the time, so 45 miles+ of pumping is something i'm very proud of.

Already looking forward to the next Ultra, BRING IT ON!!!

Here's a couple of pics from the day.

Take it easy

Ben

edp_swakakin · Joined: 19 Apr 2008 Posts: 189

Greetings from Texas…

If I could shadow Barry’s thoughts on your dad ogmarshall. Very Sorry for your loss.

Barry – take care of yourself. Again very sorry to hear about your fall.

Congratz to my UK family on such a perfect day - I miss U guys and gals..

JP nice to see you in overdrive post race for the garages and cones.

It sounds like everyone was on a similar vibe in regards to miles. Congratulations to Andrew and Dave on your mileage though that’s awesome!!!

My adventure and stoke was no different. I can honestly say I skated off and on for a full 24. I didn’t get to bed until 6:00 am Sunday morning. My good friend Jake and I started on our long trail and just enjoyed the day. At first we were keeping track of the mileage but we kept making skate stops and do to stoke we lost track. I really enjoy skating with him. He really brings out the best in me. We finished the day with some soda and pizza, but headed right back out to go skate garages all night. I don’t suppose garage bombing counts as miles? But believe me speed pumping can knocker you out as well…..

Here are some pics from the day…sorry for the quality there not exactly from a picture..

heyburt · Joined: 08 Feb 2009 Posts: 7 Location: MN

Greetings from MN.

We had a couple of personal bests set in MN. My first attempt at long distance was a 30 mile effort. Didn't want to push (a pun?) it beyond my evolving skill level and conditioning.

A great day in MN. Pretty sandy on the trail and the morning had frost so the trail was a mess. Crake scoped out a good route which I will return to for more training for the next Ultra. Look for a bigger turn-out in MN as we get the rest of the crew involved.

Crake what was your PR?

Our video montage can be seen here:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2315219681712148210

scooterdad · Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2009 4:47 pm Post subject:

Greetings from Maryland!

Great to hear stories from others and to see cool photos and video from the event. Here in Maryland, we had a very good time and did the best we could. Zach from DC joined (Charlie, Mike and me) Friday night to start riding. We had a quick dinner and gear check at my house, then geared up and hit the road. Shortly after 8 pm, we started riding in an industrial complex road that made about a 1.2 mile loop. It wasn't the greatest but we wanted to avoid attracting a lot of attention from the cops and to stay away from cars filled with people coming back from a night at the bar. We lasted about 20 miles, then got a little more adventerous when the nearby Target closed and we could make some larger loops on smoother pavement. There were just enough rocks on the industrial road to send me flying a couple times. It was enough to remind me why I always wear a helmet. We managed 30 miles in about 4 hours, then drove to Charlie's house for some good eats his wife had made earlier in the day for us (Thank you Pam!!!)

At this point, we were all feeling pretty tired after a full day of work then evening skating, but we pushed on and decided to ride Oxford Rd for a while. This is a favored early morning route of ours that is wonderful without cars, but dreadful if it gets busy. There is a bike lane than drivers occasionally recognize. Luckily, there weren't many drivers out by 1 am, so we found a smooth stretch of pavement and made 3 roughly ten mile laps out and back. For me, this was the low point of the experience as my pump was fading fast, and it seemed to get colder and colder. I think the low was 25. Zach never seemed to tire and made it look easy. Mike and Charlie seemed more tired but still capable with the pump. I felt ok mentally, but physically wasted. We quickly realized 60 miles in that none of us was hard core 24 hour straight riding material, and Charlie keenly suggested that a nap was in order. That sounded like the best idea any of us had ever heard, so we hit our beds (Zach hit my couch) for about an hour and 15 minutes. It would have been longer, much longer perhaps, if I hadn't awoken to my cell phone ringing. Our own Peppermint Rhino had called to say he was at the trailhead half an hour north of here ready to ride. In my haze, I had forgotten that we'd planned to be up there to ride a bike trail in the daylight around 7 am.

So I quickly woke Charlie via text, nudged Zach off the sofa, and we tried to regroup. Mike was unreachable on his phone at this point. I did indulge in a quick dip in the hot tub before leaving, and I think it helped get my stoke going again. Charlie came by, then we drove to Mike's house to see if he was still game. He was slow to stir, but mumbled something about hopefully meeting us up there, and we were off.

Peppermint Rhino was at the trailhead when we arrived playing with his set-up. By the way, he pumps just fine for a noob Smile

He had plenty of energy, and we enjoyed riding an out and back on the five mile long Cross Island Trail. This Saturday though, there were a lot of soccer players and parents on one section of the trail where it cuts through a sports complex. There were whole teams standing right in the path, and they didn't seem too eager to move at all. It seemed like there were brick walls across the path. At around this point, one little kid rode by on a rip stick and shouted "two wheels are better than four!" It made me laugh, but more in a little "You little punk kid" sort of way;) A little while later we were joined by Zach's friend David, an inline skater from DC. He was very supportive and helpful, particularly after my rear kingpin on my Pulse broke and he skated up ahead to get the car to drive me back to the parking lot where I had extra gear.

At this point, it was early afternoon and Mike had been eager to rejoin us but had been pulled into family duty and running errands much of the morning. So, we decided to head back to our town to finish up the last 15 miles with him on our local rail trail. The downside to this trail is mainly that it is short(2.5 miles), with average pavement and quite a few busy road crossings. But it is convenient and close, even comforting at the end of a long day. As the afternoon wore on and our mileage increased, we peeled off one by one for various reasons, mainly to get back to familes, and Zach drove back with David to DC. Wish we could have had celebratory meal or drink, but maybe next time!

Here are our mileage totals:

Mike -83 miles. Mike learned not to fall asleep at his house on an Ultraskate day Smile

He made it 60 miles with us overnight before "nap time", then rejoined the group around 2:30 pm for almost 25 more miles in Easton on our local rail trail. Mike exudes stoke, and I wish he could have been with us the whole time.

Charlie 101 miles. He seemed strong physically the whole time but was just wiped by the lack of sleep Friday night. Charlie was feeling really guilty about missing family time Saturday and was a machine towards the end trying to hit 100 miles then get home mid afternoon to his family. Later, he told me that his watch read 99.8 miles when he got back to his car at my house. So he pumped another 1.5 miles back on the rocky, wavy pavement near his house. He had his pump on the whole time, but wasn't his usual smiley self towards the end Smile

Zach 100 miles. This guy is unreal...makes pushing look effortless but still does a fair amount of pumping. He barely ate or drank anything by my standards and never seemed at all tired. Out of camraderie he stayed with us the whole time but boy is he a fast, easy pusher when he tries. If he wanted to he could certainly put up some big numbers, and I thank him for tolerating my slow self.

me 111 miles. I just couldn't stop at 100 since I felt so much better late afternoon Saturday than I did the whole night before. I was definitely the slowest of the group but was enjoying a late day stoke surge and just keep pumping along at a snail's pace until I'd had enough.

Overall, I think it was a decent first effort, even for the three older guys with kids who are new to longboarding and LDP. Zach is unreal and his years of growing up skating and pushing really show. Mike has nicknamed him the cyborg. He also knows how to carry on a conversation and this pulled us along in the harder parts. As a group, many lessons were learned and much stoke was shared by all!

My favorite point at the end of the ride was around 109 miles in when I passed a group of young male teens on the trail. They were hanging out leaning against a building looking at me- here I was a slow, pitiful-pumping, exhausted looking guy wearing this ridiculous outfit complete with helmet, full pads, shorts over tights and Camelbak trying my damndest to go a measly 7 miles an hour. Putting my head down as I skated past, I expected the worst kind of criticism. Instead I got four waves and a "Hey, nice longboard!" After that, I felt great and finished the ride strong with my head held high.

Sorry that was so long winded. A few photos below!

Landy

At the start

85 miles in...

Where's the rest of my truck?

Charlie wanting to git 'er done[/img]

pavedwave · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 1120 Location: seattle wa usa

Amazing writeup Landy, a great window into your adventure! Looks like you guys found the perfect balance hitting your personal bests, juggling family, and making the most out of some tricky spots and tougher temps than we had to deal with! It was great getting your detailed SMSs during the ride, I'm still trying to figure out how to text and not skate off the trail.

The shots and video are great! E-love Eric, every one of your pictures is 'GAME ON', and looks like you've even perfected the catapult move! Dorney looked amazing with all the shared stoke and Chill that lives up to the name of this thread Wink

MN and Maryland also had great weather, and the vibes of the day comes across in the play by play. Ian your notes about the wider Mermaid are duly noted!

The most serendipitous thing for us was that every day last week, Seattle had heavy rain -- then literally, it dried up to crystal clear skies for just those 24 hours we planned, even though we ended up skating only half of them. Yesterday and today, the roads are soaking wet again. I believe the Maryland crew has discovered the perfect rain dance.

I have so much to say about this ride, but the biggest revelation is seeing it evolve and how the same event takes on it's own life for every crew differently before, during, and after. I also consider Ultraskates to be about both the group and the individuals, and would sum it up with something like...

"It's not about the distance, it's all about the ride.
It's all about the distance, and it's all about the ride."

Our group started with 12 at the start line, and we all had an amazing day of skating in what was truly the first long sunny day of the year. MotionBoardShop helped us survive with their generous sponsorship, providing support almost exactly at the half-way mark on the trail worked out perfectly! Back at Greenlake, KenofSeattle and Sheldon were bopping around doing their fancy boardwalking moves alongside us, Eric Westberg dropped in to sprint for an amped-up 10 miles or so. The base camp was smaller than previous but our "core" group of friends and supporters from past Ultraskates were there.

The real surprise logistics-wise was the huge crew boat Regatta festivity at Greenlake which literally stopped our ride in its tracks on every lap for a few hours. All of us skated the limbo under the crossing boats and we became proficient at the pedestrian slalom wiggle. This wasn't a day for records and it really wasn't the vibe to begin with anyway. If I had been having an awesome 200+ mile day, the kind of day that would bring Barefoot Ted "out of retirement" as he puts it... then the crowds would have been frustrating.

And at the same time, at the end, the spirit of the "personal best" was still alive and well. Andrew and Dave pushed themselves fast and strong, racing against nobody except their own personal drive. I dig that. More from the NWLB crew over here:

http://www.northwestlongboarding....rum/display.html?mv_arg=TOP103170

Everyone has different motivations and different goals, and it's tricky to put into words the waves of what we all experience. Keep 'em coming! Stoked to hear from the Colorado guys!

LDPanda · Joined: 21 Nov 2008 Posts: 418 Location: Seattle, WA

I dont have a whole lot to add that hasnt already been said but it was a great time. I didnt quite make the distance i was looking for but I ended the day healthy and without injury and with another 75+ miles under my belt. I had a blast and was really humbled to see some of the other great riders here in the northwest. We were blessed with the nicest day of the whole year, couldnt have asked for better. The crowd at greenlake was a little disheartening and im hoping that we can scout out something less crowded perhaps for the next ultra. I wanted to extend a special thanks to Motion Board Shop for being our official sponsor, providing us with snaks and beverages and taking pictures and video.

blake · Joined: 29 Sep 2008 Posts: 198 Location: Seattle

yeah i think i will have to set up a pumper before next one. i dont think i could push all the way again. and i will need to find a lighter backpack it was to heavy and my shoulders tightened up and i was bed ridden the rest of the day. Embarassed

next time thought i will be ready.
_________________
The concrete is our canvas, our wave, our playgound, our catalyst for growth. When you feel it, flow with it, live in the moment; and shred it like you'll never skate again, everytime.

pavedwave · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 1120 Location: seattle wa usa

blake good to hear from you! you had some bearings seize up or something as well, right? i thought that's what you said when you passed us around woodinville... glad you're recouping. yeah getting the backpack to have just enough but not too much (water, energy bars, nuts, etc.,) is the big trick on the 50-miler, i packed too much water this time, assuming the fountains might go on the blink.

Crake · Joined: 09 Dec 2008 Posts: 17 Location: St. Paul, MN

Wow! Great stories all around! One thing I didnt do is take enough pictures....
I beat my personal goal and chalked up 40 miles.

http://crake.skatefurther.net/

My blog has a complete write up of the days events.

Huge respect to all the Ultras...and mad love and thank yous to Pavedwave and Skatefurther.

Crake