Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men

We all make plans... And too often they come to nought!



For the first time (ever) this year I actually committed myself to a list of races I wanted to do, it looked something like this:

Hat Run (50 km trail run) March 29
12 Hours Lodi Farm (12 hour mtb race) May 3-4
Wilderness 101 (101 mile mtb race) July 26
JFK 50 miler (50 mile trail run) November 22

As luck would have it many of my plans have come to fruition! YIPPEE! Done both Hat (had an absolute stinker) and Lodi (went well) - even managed to throw in a couple of other races not planned!

BUT

Keeping early season momentum up over the summer months is always dodgy. As mentioned in last post MTB fun has been severely restricted of late - though fixie fun has been some compensation (Averaged 18.6 mph to work this am!!). Looks like Wilderness 101 is a no-go! Fitness not where it needs to be and anyway I spent the entry money buying my new helmet light. So the big question was whether the JFK 50 miler would really happen this year. I have spoken confidently about doing this race every spring for the past 4 years, but the resolve has evaporated with the summer heat. 2008 is a different year! With "Running Sean" on the case the entries have gone in - and when I checked the website yesterday there we were as official entrants for this year's episode - GAME ON!!

With the demise of the Widerness 101 attempt my summer mtb activities were in real danger of withering away! But just as all hope appeared lost a new plan has come together - Boys weekend away in the Massanutten Mountains. Two days, 71 miles of single track and a promise of insane trails. Preparations in full swing for a mid-Sept attempt.

With the plans forming the Sunday ride was a bit more focused than usual - just "Biking Sean" and me, but as we are both committed to the Sept jaunt and want to build fitness the ride was planned to test our limits and kick our butts! Four "big" climbs - (i) up to the railway ties on Cascade (ii) The Convent trail (between House of Pain and Vineyard) (iii) Soapstone fire road - overtaken by a girl on a bike! and (iv) the Water bar. Lots of sketchy descents in between and finished with Small Intestine and the New Trail for good measure. Two solid hours riding - hot and thoroughly enjoyable.

Since then two commutes on the Fixie - including the first climb this year of the "Killer Hill" and life is good. If a night ride materializes it will have been an almost magical week - looks like weather may scotch the night ride though!

All in all fun time!

DogzBollux