No photographs today. Just me, my head and the trail.
I have two personal goals that I would consider gnawing my arm off for. You know about the one coming up in November in Arizona. I am trying to build myself into enough of an athlete to become an Ironman. Over the next three months, as I turn Coach Cyndee loose and she turns the heat up on my training, we are going to see if I can get there.
There is a second goal though that goes back much farther for me. It began somewhere in 1999 with my first distant touches with the Court of Master Sommeliers. At that time, there was no website and very few Master Sommeliers to speak with about the program. It took me two years to get into the first test and I had to go to Florida to start my journey.
I have a short tempo run today. I head back to the Late Night Trail in Cottonwood Valley to try and better my time in the tempo run there last week. Where last week it was 103F, today is in the high-90s and muggy. As I drive out toward Potosi, I can see the dark ribbons of rain gently brushing the valley floor as they pass across the valley. Thunderstorm weather.
The Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS) is an organization that started in England. While the first diploma was given in 1969, the official structure of the court wasn't solidified until the mid-70s. I don't have the exact number, but I think that less than 200 diplomas have been given out between then and now. The point is that it is pretty rare company and I am trying to get there. The CMS offers the exam twice a year now by invitation. I have my tasting exam today.
I pull into the parking lot with some odd sprinkles on the windshield of the car. There are a couple of mountain bikers getting ready to explore, but the parking lot is quiet. Must be the weather. I throw on my heart monitor and take off.
It would be difficult to explain to someone exactly what passing this damned test means to me. I've explained to a couple people my current position is like being at Camp 4 and trying to make the final push professionally to the summit of Everest. The program is actually self-study, with four levels. If you passed everything first try (less than 15 people have passed the final MS exam on the first try in it's history) the fastest you could get through the entire program is five years. Pass rates are extraordinarily low and most people have to take one or more of the tests multiple times. I have seen grown men cry and walk away from the program in utter self-disgust. It is one of the two or three most coveted distinctions in my profession.
The trail I am using as a time trial is essentially a 4-mile loop around a small hill. The first part of the trail moves through loose sand and stones in a small flash flood drainage. I'm always careful here to keep my stride higher and light. If I'm going to have a chance of picking up time on my previous effort, it has to start in this section of the trail. I push a little, picking my way through the sage, cactus and occasional Joshua Tree.
The Master Examination is brilliant in it's composition. It has three stages (tasting, theory and practical) and runs in a format that has a real-time progression. Candidates are always on the clock in one way or another.
Pulling out of the wash, I hit firm, smooth single track. I look at my Garmin and see that I am on pace coming through the first uphill section.
The tasting is six wines that are done double blind. This means that the candidate is given no information about the wines and must, only through their senses, break down the wine's characteristics and present what the grape is, where it comes from and what vintage it was produced in. You have 25 minutes to work it all out.
Pushing along the trail it starts to move down the hill. Passing through a junction of trails, I come across 5 mountain bikers who are sitting around jawing at each other. I give them a wave as I pass- I'm on a schedule.
Practical is a service situation with several stations. Service varies with the exam, but several disciplines are challenged for the candidate and they are given complicated questions requiring a strong knowledge of wine theory while they perform service tasks. Each station has a time limit requiring that the candidate be efficient with their time management.
Moving down the trail I hear the mountain bikers coming up behind me. I push over into the cactus and sage and keep running. This apparently freaks the first rider out because he slows down instead of clearing the trail for me. I wave for him to get going as I dodge plants. The bikers all crawl by. We're moving downhill. You people are killing me!
The last part of the exam is theory. Not a problem, it only requires that you study the entire world of wine, including: law, geology, geography, mixology, enology, plant pathology, history, viticulture and another half dozen things I'm not thinking of right now. The test is verbal and you cannot go back once you have moved on. Hopefully you have all the right answers today.
To pass the exam takes a person with a strong skill set and huge mental discipline. It's a rare club of talented people that I want to join. Today is tasting and my stomach is killing me. Oh the anxiety my friends. The next three days are just their own little special torture.
Pushing up the hill I try to shut my mind down. Both the running and the exam require mental discipline and the ability to push through. It is something I am working on. We are all students in this life . I just hope I can pick up the right lessons along the way.
42:46/4 miles (43:35 last week)
Sadly, I did not pass my exam for the CMS. I am however optimistic and already preparing for next year.
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