Huracan 400 Ride Report -- Day 3

 6 am came early.  My eyelids was swole and my legs were slightly sore and tired.  But I was anxious to get the day started.  Breakfast consisted of several cups of coffee and a couple of omelettes.  We had to wait for the Winn Dixie to open at 7 am to grab some ride food to get us to the Publix in Inverness.  

Sopping up the remaining gravy with more bacon!

The five miles of the Withlacoochee Rail Trail was a nice start to get our legs warmed up.  It had rained briefly during the night making hero dirt/sand at Croom. The temperature was also a cool 60 degrees and would not get any hotter today. 

The single track was a welcome sight.  My taint was already whimpering, so I used the opportunity on the trail to stand and coast as often as possible. Despite the nuisance pains and the fatigue, I was in a happy place here.

Lindsey's still had her patellofemoral pain.  This prevented her from being able to stand and pedal out of the saddle.  She didn't complain; she just embraced the suck. After 25 miles of Croom, we then rode a section of Florida Trail, which was a couple miles of rough or plowed double track.  From there it was a pavement jaunt to Lake Lindsey.  

Mother Nature had woken up by now and the dirty devil that she can be, decided to turn the winds today to once again hit us head on. I soon figured out that by pushing a harder gear and pedaling a lower cadence, that it had less of a "meat-grinder" effect to my lady bits.  I also spent a good portion of the day standing and pedaling.  So now, I am pretty sure I could finish a race if my saddle broke.

Lake Lindsey Mall was closed, being a Sunday.  We had plenty of food, but took a short break to use the porta john and get water from the spigot.  It was a hard push into the wind for what seemed like forever before we headed north into the Citrus WMA.

Brittle Road in the Citrus WMA

This area was stunningly beautiful.  The roads were fast and the surrounding forests sheltered us from the winds.  There was even a short section of single track.

Citrus WMA single track

Trail 13 Citrus WMA

Trails 10 and 9 through the wildlife management area were a much needed respite.  We finally had a tailwind!  So strong that we were able to easy pedal/coast for a good portion.  This brought us into Inverness where we peeled off the route to hit the Publix.

Publix lunch

We pulled in and laid our gear and ourselves over the entire sidewalk leading into the store.  Some shoppers were miffed as they were stepping over us and weaving their buggies around our stuff, but we ... did ... not ... care.  I had taken an Udi's GF bagel from the Holiday Inn to which I added turkey and muenster to it.  Man, that was delicious!

Lindsey purchased a Salonpas lidocaine patch, in hopes that it would give her a little relief.  But she was having difficulties in getting it to stick to her skin.  She finally managed.  Not sure how much it helped ... placebo effect?  

15 miles of the Withlacoochee Rail Trail lay ahead of us to Dunnellon.  Lisa and I took turns pulling.  Towards the latter half of the trail, I had to stop and put on my rain jacket for warmth, along with inserting chemical warmers into my shoes and gloves.  A combination of fatigue and dropping temperatures (mid to high 50's now) was causing me to shiver and lose feeling in my extremities.  Even pushing a high gear and pulling, I could not get my core to heat up.  But once I put those items on, I felt much better and my teeth stopped chattering.

Withlacoochee Rail Trail

Once we hit the Dunnellon Rail Trail, the foot traffic became heavy, what with the evening walkers out and about. This was a very pretty section along here and just watching out for the people kept my focus away from the fatigue monster that was weighing heavily on my back.

For The Love of God ...!

One more nasty little stretch of plowed trail and then we popped out on the highway of Death, Hwy 484.  Three shoulder less miles of cringing each time a vehicle would pass, praying that today was not my time.

We stopped at Pruitt Trailhead to use the bathroom.  Not wanting to use the equine watering hole, we divvied up our remaining water and put our lights on, as it would soon be dark.  We bounced along the horse trodden section eagerly looking for the Tricycle Trail.  Lindsey finally had enough with her other cleat, as it would not clip in to the pedal.  Turning her shoe over, it looked like someone had taken a hammer to the metal ... that was one f'kd up cleat.  Fortunately she had a spare set, so we spent a few minutes changing it out.

Lesson learned: don't buy "Shimano" cleats on Amazon

Once on the Tricycle Trail, I managed to find some energy.  But it seems I always feel better on trail ... this is my jam.  The miles easily ticked on.  And then there was Razorback, in the dark.  A little bit sketchy, but still fun nonetheless.  And then back on Tricycle, which was getting old.  I was ready to be on Ern and Burn.  Finally at the end of Tricycle, I realized we had to ride Beyond West first ... OMG!  I was ready to be done.  And I was shivering again!  We stopped and I reached in my saddle bag and pulled out my night shirt, which I threw on over my race kit and then put my rain jacket back on over that.

Fortunately Beyond West was just a mile, but Ern and Burn felt like an eternity.  I was so cold (it was only 51 degrees), that my brain was having a hard time processing the trail.  Finally I saw the sign for Shangri-La.  I was smelling the barn!

Almost there!

We reached the campground and the end of the Huracan.  But we still had a 6 miles of pavement to get back to the hotel. And a closed campground gate to hoist our bikes over ... oof!  This was the second sketchiest stretch of road.  At night, on Hwy 484, with vehicles flying by without any concern that a human was attached to the bicycle, I prayed once again.  There was a bike lane, but what good is that when debris, downed branches, and overhanging limbs are present? At least I wasn't cold, as the remaining adrenalin was coursing through my veins.

We finished our journey at 9:30 pm, once again too late to enjoy a hearty meal.  But then again, we were all so exhausted, that the hunger wasn't really there.  Man, what an adventure!  And with two wonderfully strong, fiery, and feisty women! Lindsey is the Superhero of Suck, meaning her power is the ability to absorb all the bad luck and still keep going strong!

 Lisa and Lindsey, you are the absolute best, and the entirety of our adventure, the highs, the lows, and everything in between, will not be forgotten.  Loved, loved, loved it.  

And thank you Karlos, for creating this route, allowing us to pursue greatness through adversity and fellowship.

Live Oak on Tricycle

There is already talk of another BDR 😊

107 miles, 3700 feet 

Elapsed time:  14:00        Moving time:  11:36

Total distance:  402 miles

Total elevation:  10,000 feet

Total time: 60 hours 18 minutes

Huracan 400 Ride Report Day 2

 We set our alarms to wake up at 5:45 am, but our twitchy, achy bodies had us awake at 5:30 am.  We moaned, we groaned, but got our stuff together and headed down to breakfast, where we made quick work of coffee, eggs, bacon, and toast.

As we got on our bikes, I believe we all winced when our nethers contacted the saddle. I was glad I applied some Boudreaux's Butt Paste as well as a pack of Chamois Butt'r. While I had no chafing or sores from yesterday, I wanted to make sure and keep it that way today.  While the skin was in great shape, the sit bones were tender.

We pedaled a few miles to rejoin the route from where we left the night before.  Temps were in the mid-60's and their was a slight cool breeze.  Traffic was quiet, being a Saturday, and we safely rode 16 miles through the neighborhoods of Apopka before hitting the Loop Trail around the lake.

Lake Apopka ... one of my favorite sections.

The Loop Trail was hard packed and fast.  Those 21 miles went by quickly, as we had plenty of wildlife and landscape to lay eyes upon.  So ... many ... gators! We finished this section with a switchback climb up Green Mountain.  We stopped and walked up several flights of stairs to the overlook; I could feel the weight in my legs.  At the Green Mountain Trailhead, we stopped, got water, and butt'rd our bits Even though it was from a fountain, it still tasted like beach sand.

Green Mountain Overlook

At mile 40 we entered the Florida Pyrenees.  All on asphalt, the next 20 miles was a series of small but punchy hills.  These were not rollers but steep climbs that had me saying, "I am NOT using granny, I am NOT using granny!"  

Florida is not flat

With a tender tush, I opted to stand on these climbs and give my bits some reprieve.  Oh, and a nice southerly wind kicked up during this time, which made those climbs even more challenging.

A nice little 100 foot rise along the horizon

After the Pyrenees, we fought a terrible headwind into Minneola.  We found a Publix and stopped to eat lunch and resupply.  I grabbed a banana and a King Size Snickers and PayDay. 

Sushi!

With full bellies, we slowly pedaled through neighborhoods fighting the winds the whole way.  And it was getting hot!  I was not complaining because at least the 15 mph headwind had a cooling effect. Finally we hopped on the South Lake bike path and enjoyed the views along Lake Minneola, including the beautiful old stands of live oak trees.

Lake Minneola

After 6 miles of paved bike path, it was another 16 miles of asphalt to the Van Fleet Trailhead.  All this flat after the Pyrenees was beginning to take its toll on my lady bits; mashed and smashed is the best description for how things felt down there. Lisa and Lindsey were also having the same problem.  In addition, Lindsey tweaked her knee trying to clip in her pedals.  Cleats that were brand spanking new for the ride had now been ground down to a point that made insertion and removal of her shoe most difficult.

We stopped to fill up with water at the Van Fleet Trailhead as this would be our last opportunity without filtering.  But watching that gray water come out of the faucet, I began to think about filtering even that. I applied more Chamois Butt'r, but was really wanting an injection of Lidocaine into my sit bone area.

Highs for the day were in the low 80's

After just a short 2 miles on Van Fleet, we entered the Green Swamp.  I have heard nightmares about this section: mud, water, more mud, soft double track, everything to kill your average speed.  And there was 45 miles of this, according to Lisa math.

beginning of Green Swamp, not too bad

The roads through the WMA were in extremely good shape.  There were a few mud holes to skirt around, but not enough to even warrant the 🖕. 

Lisa was so strong through the swamp

Lindsey really began to suffer as the miles drug on.  I felt so bad for her, but there wasn't a damn thing I could do except offer encouragement.  Both Lisa and I did most of the pulling through here to allow her to keep as much pressure off the knee as possible.  

We stopped at a small camping area just before we hit the paved Rock Ridge Road which was the most southern point through the swamp.  The camp host was nice enough to give us each a bottle of cold water.  The biting flies were fierce here, but I managed to pull up the route on Google and swat flies simultaneously.  I think I cried a little when I realized that we were not even halfway through the swamp. I began to dislike Lisa math. 

As we pedaled along Rock Ridge Road, enjoying the smooth asphalt, I did a little bike math.  Yep, our day was going to be a little longer than the projected 135 miles.  Lisa and I chatted about our situation; we didn't have the heart to tell Lindsey who was having to a dark place to keep on chugging along. 

The easy spin along Rock Ridge Road ended quickly and the course turned back into the swamp along a freshly plowed section of double track.  It was very chunky riding, but at least rideable: it could have been a lot worse had it not been for the moisture in the soil.

Why?  For a fire break, perhaps.

At least for Lindsey, the pain in her knee subsided when she was walking.  Fortunately there was only a mile or so of this and then we were back on some better double track as the sun slowly began to set.

With 30 miles left of the swamp and another 8 miles of pavement to the hotel, we trudged on as darkness enveloped us.  We were all quiet at this point, seeing the opportunity for a hearty sit down meal slip away from us again. We had a moment of losing our way when we did a complete circle in sugar sand around the boy scout camp, wondering where the hell the correct road was.  Upon retracing our path and looking closely at the track, I figured out that there was a single track that we were supposed to jump on. We had to go through the camp and and the trail was semi-hidden with some deadfall.  Whew! I thought we had entered purgatory for a moment.  And those buildings at the camp were CREEPY, as in B-movie horror film creepy.  Wish I had snapped at picture of them.

After the short bit of single track, we found ourselves on a section of double track that had lots of limbs.  Despite seeing the large limb in front of her and even calling it out, it latched onto her derailleur. Her derailleur/pulley cages managed to chew it up, but not before it tweaked her Transmission derailleur, which is supposed to be indestructible.  While it did not snap off, it did something to her shifting causing her chain to skip in the lower gears. So now she was relegated to the highest 5-6 gears.

It was smooth sailing on Ranch Road.  With miles still left to go and our water running low, Lisa approached a campsite and was greeted with two of the tallest Great Danes I have ever seen.  The owner grabbed them before they attempted to jump the fence and eat us.  Although a bit reluctant at first, they did give us each a bottle of water.  Thanking them profusely, we went on our way.

After several miles of more double track, we turned on Meg's Hole Road.  And soon enough there she was ... the hole we had to cross.

Meg's Hole

About 30-40 yards across, we navigated along the far right and it never got more than mid-thigh deep.  The water was warm as well.  After that was Lacoochee Road, which was deep with soft sand.  There was a little pushing involved, but then we found where a Razor had recently gone through and followed its firm'ish tracks, eventually turning onto Graveyard Road, which was in much better shape.  And we could hear civilization, meaning our ride would soon be over.  The 45 miles of Green Swamp was actually closer to 60.

Hitting Hwy 50, we turned on the afterburners, or at least it felt like it.  There was a Winn Dixie close to the hotel, so we were trying to make it there before closing.  Arriving at 9:45 pm, we were 45 minutes too late.  What the heck?!?  They close at 9 pm, on a Saturday?  Frustrated, we headed to the hotel, checked in, showered  (my lady bits 😱), and then headed to McDonald's, the only fast food restaurant open at 10:30.  I got a double quarter pounder with cheese sans bun and a Coke (Eric, don't judge me, as I was hoping for better at Winn Dixie).

Bonus:  we got upgraded to 2 rooms!

 

I still managed to eat and wash our clothes and get to bed by 12:30 am, although it was a very fitful sleep, as the legs were heavy with fatigue and achy.

Our 135 mile day was really 153 miles with 2900 feet of climbing.  So that should mean tomorrow ought to be a short day, right? 😏  

Elapsed time: 14:58        Ride time: 12:56

Here is the Strava Link:  https://www.strava.com/activities/10643994963/

Huracan 400 Ride Report -- Day 1

 

Summer kits in January!

Our day began with a 5 am wake up call, followed by several cups of Sleep Inn coffee ... meh! After throwing the gear we would not be taking with us into my truck, I said a silent prayer that Biggie G would not be violated during our 3 day absence. We pedaled 6 miles to the start of the course, praying once again that we would not be plowed by rush our traffice ... at 6 am!  

Nayls North Trail

The weather was very pleasant starting out at a cool 65 degrees. Going clockwise we rode about 25 miles of Santos single track, stopping at the campground to refill our water.  From there it was more single track over to Marshall Swamp.  The Studebakin Trail should be renamed Rodeo, as it was very lumpy and my bike felt like a bucking bronco beneath me.

There was a beautiful paved path lead in to Marshall Swamp.  The single track through the swamp I thought was in excellent shape, with a few sections of pedaling through water.  We then rode a short section of the Florida Trail before dumping out onto some paved roads.

Marshall Swamp

Marshall Swamp

At 54 miles into the ride, we stopped at the Solid Rock Church (mile 48 on the course) to filter water from the spigot (said non-potable).  I dropped an electolyte tab into my bottles, but it still tasted like ocean sand.  Soon after that stop, we rode some beautiful limestone roads, only encountering a brief stretch of sugar sand.  It was easily rideable as it still contained some moisture from last night's rains.

Fast as asphalt

Not as bad as it looks

We entered the Ghost Trail at mile 69 (mile 63 on the course). 3.5 miles of trail that was either covered in blow downs or overgrown with grass.  This trail skirted around the northwestern section of Farles Lake. The views were eye candy!  The water was down, so we were able to skirt around the fallen trees and ride close to the waters' edge, where the dirt was firm and the grasses shorter

.

Ghost Trail

Ghost Trail

As our water was running low, we stopped at Farles Lake Recreation Area.  The water pump was broken, so we filtered water from the lake.  That was the best tasting water of the whole ride!  The heat of the day was now upon us (82 degrees).  I thought I had been drinking enough, but started getting a head ache, so I took a couple of extra strength Tylenol.

Farles Lake

More miles of limestone and pavement brought us to the Paisley Mountain Bike Trail: 11 miles of open, flowy, and hardpacked sand/dirt which was very similar to Croom.  I was ready to be done by the 7th mile as it was getting redundant and I was low on food.  Fortunately, the town of Paisley was just a few miles beyond the end of that single track.  

Slim pickens for me

Lisa and Lindsey headed inside while I watched our bikes.  There was a sketchy dude on a clapped out Specialized CrossTrail that pulled in just as they went inside.  Glad I opted to be watch dog because I could see this dude eyeing our bikes pretty hard.  He didn't seem like the serial killer type so I talked to him and tried to tighten his handle bar, but the bolts were completely stripped.

I made due:  1100 calories

Leaving Paisley, we encountered Maggie Jones Road, of which I have heard nightmares.  Today we won the lottery, as it was hard packed and fast!  

Gopher tortoise on Maggie Jones

More fast pavement took us to Seminole State Forest.  Here, we were supposed to pay a day use fee of $2.  I had brought plenty of dollar bills to deposit at the pay station, but you had to use your phone to pay online.  After 10 minutes of attempts, including the website locking up on me, I said, "Fuck it, this is ridiculous!"  Even though I was not in racing mode, I did not want to waste precious minutes of daylight.  I wanted to just drop $2 on the ground and go.  (I later paid online, when I got back home and could do it without any stress.)

The roads through Seminole State Forest were beautiful. The sun was beginning to set, temperature was cooling down, my headache was gone, and the King Size Snickers was in my belly.

Seminole State Forest

Rock Springs Run was 8 miles of hell!  It started out with firm double track which soon became swampy with many boggy areas that involved pushing through or around deep water.  And then night fell. 

There was a short section of GPS track that had us deviating off the double track.  We quickly decided to follow the shit road we were on instead of bushwhacking deeper into hell.  That cost us a few minutes and some tears.  And then there was the Challenge Trail, aptly named not due to technical features, but because that it was completely overgrown with underbrush.  Our poor bikes and legs were lashed almost to death. I kept getting small sticks and vines wrapped around my cassette.  Our bike derailleurs were lucky to have survived.

What trail!?!

At 8 pm and 128 miles (122 miles on the course), we made it to the short rogue trail down to the  Wekiwa River crossing.  I was glad I had watched a few YouTube videos on daylight crossings. While Lindsey and Lisa were hem hawing, I saw the little strip of water on the opposite side, hoisted my bike on my back, and began the 40+ yard journey.  The water, being spring fed was warm, and it got no deepper than just above my belly button.  I could hear Lisa behind me as she began the crossing, telling me not to get any pictures as she was naked from the waist down.  As I made it to the other side, I could hear Lisa saying, "Where's the line?  It's tits deep!"  I was laughing so hard, I had a hard time getting my phone out to take a photo or two.

I have finished my crossing and this shows the long approach up the little inlet to the boat launch.

The light in the distance is Lisa and Lindsey

Even though Lisa took off her shorts to keep them from getting wet, she still managed to get them soaked.  We took a few minutes to gather ourselves while Lisa got dressed, and then began riding up the road.  Just around the corner no more than 30 yards from where we had crossed, were some campers around a fire.  They were probably caught off guard a little, seeing and hearing us 😂😂😂 coming out of nowhere ... on bikes.  We got a good belly laugh out of that!

We were now in Wekiwa Springs State Park on 8 miles of wide single track.  Heading out of the state park, it was now almost 9 pm.  We made a mad dash to the Publix on Wekiva Springs Road, but they had just closed when we arrived.  So then we went to the Publix on Hunt Club Blvd, as we found out they stayed open until 10 pm.  Here we grabbed some subs and bike food for Day 2.  

Needless to say, we got some strange looks.

We ended up rolling in to the Holiday Inn around 10 pm.  I was able to shower, eat, do a load of laundry, stretch, clean/relube the chain, and get to bed by 12:15am.  Man, what a day!

141 miles total, 131 miles on course, 3500 feet of gain, elapsed time 15:41, moving time 13:50.

Here is my Strava:  https://www.strava.com/activities/10636817418

Thankful to continue the crazy in 2024

While most people were in bed with angry livers, Honcho and I elected to ring in the New Year with a sunrise ruck run on the Eureka Trail. The 2 1/2 hours it took me to run 12 miles with a 20 pound pack allowed me to reflect back upon 2023.

Last year was filled with challenges, mostly self-induced, but a few unexpected ones.  I am happy to report that I survived and thrived through them all, save for one.  This last one, which I am still trying to figure out, has been a "thorn in my side" for the past 6 weeks, more of a fitness issue, but one that I will eventually conquer.

I have so much to be thankful for.  Most of my training is solo, and while I do enjoy the "me" time, I do long for others to share in the experience of pushing the body and mind.  I am fortunate to have Lisa Randall, John Switow, David Jolin, Zeke Lilly, Melissa Cooper, and Scott Morman share in my passion for all day adventures.

I am grateful for the amazing work family at The Animal Clinic.  This year was our first under the corporate umbrella of VetCor.  While we were all a bit skeptical of how working for a corporation would go, I would call it 100% success!  I have never seen our morale higher, despite a chaotic workload and a fair share of crochety clients.  I want to personally thank Mark Workman, the previous owner, and my mentor for the past 38 years, who, during the sale of the clinic, got me full time benefits (I work part-time).  

I have to pinch myself when I think of my bike sponsors, most of who have supported me for over 10 years.  

David Coulter, owner of Scott's Bikes, took me under his wing, when my LBS went out of business in 2017.  This bike shop has been a family owned business for 30 years, has weathered a lot of tough times, but with exceptional service and smiling faces, has pulled through, while many LBS's have gone under.

Industry 9 has kept "the kids" in shoes since 2013.

Christopher Bean Coffee has energized my mornings since 2015.

Chamois Butt'r has provided love for my bits since 2009.

Endless Bikes has SSupported me since 2012, with their beautifully durable cogs and chain rings.

Trucker Co has been keeping the tires full and the brakes worky worky with their sealant and pads since 2017.

I am happy to report that I will be in the Rescue Racing kit once again in 2024.  

And to Charlie and Carly, thank you for attempting to understand and allowing me to do these things that most people would call crazy.  But I LIVE for CRAZY!

Aspirations Over Limitations

Tis the time of the year when I start planning 2024 adventures.  There will be those that I will do again because of the fun factor, tradition, or redemption (PMBAR, Marji Gesick, Snake Creek Gap TT, War Daddy). As long as I put in the training, show up to the starting line, and my bike doesn't break, I will finish it.

The past couple of weeks, I had been thinking about an event that could top Marji Gesick on a single speed or the Death March Revival YoYo.

I wanted to find one that terrifies me.  Not in the scared I am going to die sort of way, but that puts me out of my comfort zone, where failure lurks around the corner, challenging both my physical and mental fortitude.  And then Lisa texted me Thanksgiving morning.

I answered her before I had the chance to process the enormity of this adventure, because I felt that if I let that question linger for longer than few minutes, the monkey in my brain would give me all sorts of reasons not to do it.

And so, I will be teaming up with one of our nation's best female adventure racer for the Warrior Sea To Sea Expedition Race in Florida in February of 2024. The race starts on the west coast and ends at Saint Augustine on the east coast, and according to the website, covers 300 miles. Jeff, the race director, is notorious for doing "Todd math," as last year's event covered 340 miles ... oh, brother!

Lisa Randall is a beast when it comes to adventure racing.  She has competed nationally on elite level teams as well as capturing the title of solo adventure racing champion the past two years.  Last March, I tagged along as her team mate at the Oak Mountain 10 Hour Adventure Race.  This was my first adventure race and it was so much fun.  But I didn't have to do any navigating.  It was amazing to see her in action!  How she was able to navigate while bushwhacking at significant speed as well as on the bike was mind-blowing!

During this year's race, there will be an orienteering relay section, where two members of each team (a team can be 2-4 people) will have to navigate alone. And I did not realize this until I started reading about the race details. This is the part that scares me!  I am a newbie to orienteering.  Yes, I was in the military, but any compass-type nav skills I learned 30 years ago were deleted from memory 28 years ago. 

My fear of failure is that I don't want to let Lisa down and look like a fool fumbling through the woods trying to find checkpoints.  I was hoping that I could be a great team member by being the best mule ever, while Lisa did the nav.  

But if the race doesn't challenge you, then what is the point of doing it?  So I have got two months to buckle down and figure this map and compass thing out.  The test shouldn't be too too hard, if I do the homework, right?  

Sometimes I wonder why Lisa asked me to do this, when there are other more capable adventure racers out there.  But, I am glad she did, I think.  She has been there to shove me into the deep end more than once, which has allowed me to grow as an athlete and as a person.

I just hope that, once on the other side of this adventure, I can look back and wonder why I was so worried.  Or perhaps that I should have been more concerned about the 75+ miles of trekking and 75+ miles of paddling.  And alligators ...😆

Dirty Duathlon

I have done this race four times now: twice solo and now twice as a duo, with me doing the bike portions.  For this edition, Lisa Randall, was going to do the 5k run in between the two 5.5 mile bike legs.  I must say I am absolutely amazed and inspired what Lisa is capable of.  Every year, despite doing a great portion of the course work prior (including leaf blowing the trails and signing them), along with her usual race director duties that seem to be non-stop the week of, she also manages to have the strength and time to do the race itself. Me, on the other hand, gets to take it easy leading up to the event, and still struggles with the high intensity effort that comes with this course. 

The race takes place at Rope Mill park in Woodstock, Georgia.  The course consists of biking the Mill Trails, running the Explorer trails, and then finishing it up with another bike on the Avalanche Trails.

After having no rain in the month prior, it rained, the day before, the night before, and the morning of.  I have not ridden in the mud, save for Gravel Worlds, all year.  And Gravel Worlds was essentially just holding a straight line, while this course was twisty turny.  

Lisa signed us up in the Coed Expert category, which allows either male/female or female/female.  We would be up against Lisa's daughter Jayden and her teammate who runs high school cross country, as well as some other fast kids.  Good Lord, what was she thinking?!?  

It was a drizzly 50 degrees at the start.  Lisa repeatedly reminded each wave to take it easy going across the bridge to enter the single track.  My wave consisted of my division as well as the duo Expert Men.  Needless to say, I was the LAST to enter the single track.  My mind was telling my body go, go, go!  But my body was saying WTF?!?  It hadn't gone 0 to 60 all year, so the legs and lungs were on fire!

I slowly watched the leaders get out of eyesight.  I struggled up that first 0.3mile climb.  It wasn't until I was about halfway through this lap, that my legs finally came around.  They actually felt better when I was able to stand and hammer up a climb as opposed to seated pedaling.  Towards the end, I was able to catch back up and pass two in my wave.

I bombed back down to the transition area, dismounted, ran through the creek, and tagged Lisa.  Jayden looked like she had been there awhile; her heart rate probably had already settled back down.  I slowly cooled down, but tried to keep the legs ready with some squats and high knees.

Lisa set a blistering pace and came through, as she predicted, 26 minutes later.  She had passed Kim Moore and gave me some breathing room.  I was not sure what place we were in at that moment, but thinking 4th or 5th.  I took off toward the Avalanche Trail.  Some yea-hoo got all stupid next to me, about taking me out as we approached the single track.  I slowed up and let him on by;  should not have done that, as it made me struggle up the slippery rocks and almost did not clean that hard left switchback.

That first climb up Avalanche was a grunt!  But at least now, my rain/mud skills were there and it did not feel as slick here. Even the roots were not bad.  I went as hard as I could, knowing Kevin Crowe, Kim's team mate, would be looking to mow me down.  About two thirds of the way through I caught a glimpse of him.  And at that point I was NOT feeling good; the legs were filled with lead.  I could hear him gaining and was hoping he would just put me out of my misery.  He finally caught up to me with about a mile to go.  Well, shit!  Now I had to at least try to stay ahead of him.  My rear wheel slipped on a tricky rooty climb, causing me to dab, and Kevin to dismount.

I managed to get a gap on him and gave one last big push, legs screaming and lungs burning.  Just ... get ... to ... the ... descent!  The rooty section just before that I had bobbled on during the pre ride, I cleaned it with perfection!  I saw the turn onto the descent and sent it!

I hit the finishing arch, with just 4 seconds to spare.  Lisa told me we got third!  Hallelujah!  I believe my new mantra is "will not stop."  I was glad to have dug deep and gave a final kick to the finish, whereas just prior to that, I was almost willing to slow down and just let Kevin make the pass.

Jayden and her team mate laid down a fast time and took first!  That kid has turned into a skilled little demon on wheels.