Whats up people?

Well, here I was ready to rail on some runners I came across yesterday while riding my CX bike home. It was along Lake Natoma...but alas, what good would it do? It would only piss off the Folsom Fire Department because I would have pointed out they were fire fighters, at least wearing matching Folsom Fire Tshirts, it would only raise my blood pressure, and frankly I would be a whiny negative person, the exact "person" I am having issues with in the first place.

So I won't get into it...

Yesterday was a windy, cool day, but beautiful! Headed out from work on the CX bike and cruised the trails on up to Lake Natoma, around the lake to Rainbow/Folsom Rodeo Grounds, rode the one extended portion of pavement up to Dyke 8 where I hopped back onto the dirt, cruised over to the Brown's Ravine trail and tried to avoid the P-oak!! WOW the poison oak was insane, the warm , then wet, now warm weather again has that stuff blooming in all its shiny/oily-rash inducing glory!! You have to see it.

The other sight you have to see is Lake Folsom....from Dyke 8 it was a 1 mile walk to the water just a little while ago. The lowest I have ever seen Lake Folsom. Yesterday, it was 30-40 feet from capacity, close to the fullest I have ever seen the lake. Amazing the water could come up so fast, but whats even more amazing is that the Fed or state gov't folks managing the releases from Folsom were smart enough to hold back water. Impressive for the government (I am allowed to say it, I am one of those gov't types).

Once I made it to the marina, I popped out on Green Valley to climb up to Francisco where again I can hop on a trail to New York Creek (across El Dorado Hills blvd, EDH for the snobs out there...yes thats you Dave :)

Now back when I lived in El Dorado Hills, no Dave thats before Serano so it wasn't EDH yet, New York creek had a trail along it that absolutely no one used. I never saw a soul on it. Yesterday as I ripped through some twisting single track I came across a relatively new sign that read "Nature Area"

I could have "interpreted" the sign in a few ways that would have benefited my riding, but I could not rationalize it. So I hopped out into the neighborhood then dropped back on the trail after it opened up into multi-use. Still got weird looks from the local trophy-wives walking in their matching pilates-outfits with their CC glasses on, but I smiled and said hello just the same. A few even smirked back.

I did discover some more dirt to ride between Serano Parkway and the 50 under crossing on Silva Valley....even found two pieces of scrap 2x6 to lay across the creek (they are doing substantial work up on 50, so a lot of scrap is piled in the trees next to the under crossing....sure hope Cal Trans or El Dorado DOT pick that up!

So from there I spin at as high rpm I can (warming up for the Sea Otter start) all the way to the EDH park-n-ride.

Its a fun little ride, 0f the 42 I pulled off 34.5 on dirt this time. It actually has 2100' of climbing too, somewhere?? Better than nada!! Today I have the road bike to ride it EZ. Boggs 8 hour is Saturday so I do not need to kill myself!

Just got off the phone with Linda "can you fix my bike please" Eckart, she is going to make a showing at Boggs and hope someone doesn't show up so she can race! I hope she gets in, she's a machine! Dawn and Mike will be down later Friday as well, should be a good day Saturday, race start should be somewhere around 40 with the high later around 74...yikes, thats hot!! Lots of fluids and S-caps!!

Its an 8hr race, a good training ride for Cool come May 2-3. We'll see how I fair this year, pulled off second last year so hopefully I am as strong if not stronger than last year! The mind is ready to go for it, seeing I missed the Cool XC race, my legs have yet to be tested this season but considering how cross season ended and the rides I have had the past month....I am confident!

8 hrs is a tough race, it certainly isn't 24 hrs and it isn't a XC race. Its a lot like the 800m in track....400 you just sprint and hang on to the finish....the 800, its a little too long for a sprint, but if you hold back you are toast....Last year I was consistent, not too fast, but very consistent until the last lap. I want to repeat that, with a little more speed and a lot more consistency to the final gun...I am going to try to have my last lap time very close to my second lap time (first doesn't count, with the mass start, testosterone, etc. the first lap is always fast). Wishful thinking, maybe!