Mountain Bikes, Bass Guitar, and other stuff I like

Had a pretty good race last Saturday at the Rope Mill offroad duathlon.  It was a bike-run-bike format.  I've been feeling a little sluggish lately and am about 8 lbs over race-weight so I was surprised to see that I set PRs on the course.  I frankly felt terrible on the run. I had a light breakfast of Kind bar and coconut oil.  I usually do pretty well on this course and it is really Singlespeed friendly.  Was shocked to see that Garmin reported the race as having 1500 feet of elevation. I had a quick start and was in 3rd for a long time on The Mill trail then finally some geared-fasties started to overtake me.  My legs were on fire on the climbs.  Dylan Reach passed me on the loop somewhere but I didn't remember seeing another one-gear bike :) He took the Singlespeed win.  We placed 5th and 6th overall respectively. I suspect that I still may be recovering from the 70.3  I did on Sept. 27th and months of training. My transition was dece...

Went for a 2-nighter down near Columbus with Renee for our anniversary.  Backpacked at Providence Canyon park. This was a neat place with some beautiful canyons, which were formed as a result of poor agricultural practices in the 1800s. The hike out was just under 3 miles but there were considerable hills. We had to hike back to the visitor's center to refill our water supply once.  Total miles hiking was approximately 15. Thoughts from the trail: No matter how in-shape one is, backpacking is still a fitness tester  Showers are overrated Always bring extra water (absolutely no water sources at all in the park)  A crystal clear, starry night away from light pollution where one can see the Milky Way is worth the price of admission There is nothing quite like daybreak at camp There is nothing quite like dusk at camp A campfire is the perfect way to end the day Re-hydrated food is convenient and relatively tasty but we also to brought along "junk," such as be...