Mountain Bikes, Bass Guitar, and other stuff I like

Last week's adventure was up in Dawson Forest, the site of the Georgia Nuclear Aircraft Laboratory. They have about 20 miles of trails up there that are singletrack and doubletrack.  Renee and I took our bikes and loaded up the trail map using MTB Project .  It was a really hot day and we went in the early afternoon, so it was scorching.   I will say that the place, given its history, has a weird vibe. They could've filmed an X-files episode here. Also, a woman was also abducted and murdered out there. Yikes! Renee decided to go on foot and leave the bike behind so I went ahead on recon on the Red trail. It was wide-open powerline riding for about a half-mile then Renee decided to turn around because it was too exposed.  The sun was beating down on us so we headed back to the parking lot and did the Orange trail, heading west.  It was a good sustained climb out and plenty of equestrian "evidence" was about.  Trail treasures?  Jungle-like conditions a...

Really enjoyed my 1st duathlon of the season although I would've hoped for a better result. I seem to do well in these multi-sport events and I enjoy their dynamic more so than a dedicated bike or run event. Renee even made a comment that I multi-task well.  This duathlon is a tough 5 mile run/11 mile bike course at Blanket's Creek.  I think I finished in about the same time this year as last year, around 1:52. (my watch stopped working mid-race) The time was good enough for 4th place AG.  I am disappointed with the result as I consider the duathlon as my bread and butter. More frustrating is that 3rd was 31 seconds ahead at the finish.  I think I was right behind the guy going in to the bike leg then he slowly pulled away from me over the next several miles.  Weird thing about racing is that you just never know who's in front of you! HA ! I was hoping for at least 3rd. Also, the top 2 guys are monsters.  I know I could've found 31 seconds out th...

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!

The 11-mile course took me 1 hour, 06 minutes, 41 seconds. I have heard that the course was 12 miles and 10 miles but no one seems to know how long it was really. My wife Renee did the running portion of the duathlon at 5 miles on the Dwelling loop. I felt good heading out of the gate, confident and calm. Not nervous, just ready to do well. Took 4 days off prior to the race to rest up. Blanket’s is my back yard trail so I was extremely familiar with the course. Earlier this year I had finished the Van Michael, Dwelling, and South Loop in 1 hour 18 minutes. There is little time to get warm and in the groove before getting to some steep climbs on Van Michael. This trail is a cardio beast but has nice,rewarding downhill. It is fast, flowy and not overly technical (rocky or rooty). One aspect I couldn't have predicted were the amount of racers on the trail in front of me. I figured most everyone would be off the course. It was an exercise in bike handling, confidence, and comm...