GA SS Championships post-race thoughts

Things I learned from this race:

I am a slow starter.

I feel more "in to" the race on the 2nd lap. Need to feel that way on the 1st lap!

I need to be more aggressive at the start to be competitive.

I need to position myself not at the back of the pack at the start of a race.

I need to work on fast-twitch muscle fibers (sprints, short climbs)

I have excellent endurance and get better as the race goes on. This was a 3-lap 7-mile course. I feel I would've been more in contention if we had to do 6 laps but there were some insanely fast cats out there!

6 beers the night before a race is not a good idea!

Allatoona Creek trail run race report

First year doing the Allatoona Creek race. Missed it last year because I had a duathlon on the same day. This course is sneakily difficult with the most challenging being the Mason's Bridge section. On a bike, it's easier and more fun because you can roll through all the dips but running through those is really tough. There aren't very many climbs and no big hills but that course is a grinder. There was a torrential rainfall a few days before the race so the first 3 miles was a mud run through open cross-country. I really liked this part though felt I got off to a slow start. Pacing is so difficult because I don't know how much energy I need to spare. Feet were wet out of the gate but it was no big deal. There's a twisted part of me that prefers adverse conditions. Went in to the singletrack section at Rusty Bucket and shuffled through twisty sections, not very fast through there. In fact, I felt leaden the entire race. I had ran the da...

Solar Eclipse 2017

The solar eclipse just happened and it has me feeling cosmic and appreciative of our wondrous universe. It makes me feel pretty small and realize that most of my concerns are really trivial. I was amazed at how the quality of light changed and how the crickets began to chirp. Not to mention the crescent-shaped lights on the ground beneath the trees. We had a colander out viewing crescents on the patio because we had no solar glasses. Briefly, a cloud covered the sun and we looked up for a few seconds at the eclipse. Then some neighbors let us borrow their glasses. They are neighbors who for some reason we have never even spoken to, but people realize this is a rare event, so it makes us more human, more kind. This is an amazing time to be alive, with my daughter just turning 1 year old and now this truly inspiring event of nature. One can't help but feel gratitude and a sense of contentment. One of my favorite Carl Sagan quotes: “The surface of the Ea...

Pinhoti times 2

Saturday went out on a rainy ride by myself for about 4.5 hours. Put in about 32 miles. The rain let up on the 2nd half of the ride but it was still puddly. I ate a ton out on the trail. Rode well despite the conditions. Biked up fire road 4 miles to top of Bear Creek in steady rain. Funzies! Bear Creek was really wet so couldn't bomb down. Pinhoti 1 was easier and shorter than I remember probably because I was on the singlespeed last time. I also felt good on Pinhoti 2. It wasn't until Pinhoti 3 that I started to feel tired. Legs were getting really sore and Pinhoti 3 had non-stop climbing for what seemed like hours. It just doesn't end. I wish I had kept my composure together but I began to curse loudly in the woods for no one to hear. I would hit the smallest of sticks on the trail and would topple over. It was pretty slick out there. The switchbacks on Pinhoti 3 are tough on a good day but I did manage to clear a few but fell horribly on one gaining much red cla...

Mountain Bikes, Bass Guitar, and other stuff I like

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