Frozen Toe Cross

    I was sore as HELL after the two 5ks. Running is still kicking my tail. I spent the week after the races stretching and rolling on my foam roll just so I could walk. I also started having shin pain. Well, it actually started the day of the Rudolph 5k with a little aching prior to the race, but I didn't feel any pain during either of the runs. Once my muscle soreness wore off, I noticed it was really bothering me. I just had some weird shooting pains up the inside of my shin from time to time, mostly with walking. I took the whole week off from running and only rode once to help loosen up.

     I came into the Cross the Way races at Lock 4 with some stale legs. Saturday's course looked twisty so I was excited. There weren't too many long power stretches for me to get smoked on. It was a nice day too. Temp was in the upper 40s with a little mud on the course. Up to this point, this was the coldest cross race of the year. It seems we have had nothing but good weather. Not what you would call "real" cross weather.

A CX 3 racer

Andy Reardon warming up

Me out for a warm-up lap

John Carr on the Frankenbike

     It was a little slick in warm-up, but the course thickened as the laps were put on it. We had just 6 riders in the Pro/1/2. I was glad to see Andy Reardon and Will Fyfe on the line. I did so well at my last cross race without them. I wanted to see if I could hang with them here. I didn't have the greatest start, but I fought hard to catch back up. All I can say is that the legs just weren't good enough. I didn't ride bad, I just got beat. I'm sure missing a week didn't help. I felt slow and it showed.

Pro/1/2 start line

Chasing after the first lap

     I soldiered on throughout the race despite rolling around in 5th. I made a run after Troy Tucker and another guy at one point, but couldn't get it done. Andy would beat Will for the win. My goal for the weekend was to win the Cross the Way Series title, but I took a hit today with one race remaining. After 3 of 4 races my lead was a slim 5 points over Fyfe.

Fyfe and Reardon round a corner

Troy Tucker

photo courtesy of Marsha Williams

photo courtesy of Marsha Williams

     After the race, it was off to Kaylee's apartment to clean the bike in the rain. It began raining on our last lap and poured a cold rain on the SS and Junior racers. After cleaning my ride and managing to break my water bucket after dropping it in the parking lot, it was time to get ready for the STAR company Christmas party. We didn't stay too late so I could come home and prepare myself for the battle that was sure to come the next day in what looked to be crazy weather on the horizon.

     It was snowing when I woke up on Sunday. It snowed off and on until the start of the race. It was colder today, around 32 at the start of the first race. The snow was melting on the ground, combining with the overnight rain to make for some slop. The course was the same, just run in the opposite direction. The Series title would be decided on this fourth and final race. Andy didn't come today, leaving Will as the favorite. I knew I had to ride much, much better than yesterday if I was to stand a chance at all. It looked more like my kind of conditions today.

    My start sucked yet again. I never really got onto Troy and Will's wheel. I tried hard on the secod lap and just dug too deep. I had to recover and they just pulled away. I have a hard time keeping my hands and feet warm when it's this cold. My circulation just sucks. I get it from my Mom. And I can't stand it when I can't feel fingers and toes. Maybe I'm just a wuss, but it drives me crazy. I usually can wear shoe covers and get by without issues. Nobody else was wearing shoe covers so I tried to be a tough guy and go without them. I paid the price with numb feet by the 3rd lap. The temp dropped to 27 by halfway through our race. I was already riding crappy, so the frozen toes just stuck out in my mind more than usual. I was in last so I just started to run some of the climbs. It helped get my feet warm and keep me working hard when I felt like calling it a day. It was a really boring race. The ground began to freeze, so the mud lost some of its slickness. I was glad just to finish and only lose one lap to Fyfe, who won the race and the overall. I was very disappointed to lose the series, but that's what happens when you don't prepare properly with your training.

Photo courtesy of Marsha Williams

The snowfall picked up at the end of our race and covered the course during the SS race.

     I crossed the line to hear that I had won a bike in the raffle. I thought everybody was screwing with me until they rolled the bike over and just left it. The bike was an All City steel SS cross bike. Nice! I will take it! I have been wanting to race SS anyway. Dan Hensley donated it from his shop, Nashville Bicycle Lounge. He was so excited to give it to me. It was great!

Went home with an extra bike on the rack

    My shins were aching all week after the Lock 4 races. I had to take another week off running and this time held on the weights too. I have been spending a lot of time on weights this year. Work got busy and I didn't get to ride that whole week either. Missing 5 days in a row is crazy for me. Bet I haven't done that without a serious injury in a good 5 years. I wasn't motivated to race, but a few patients and coworkers persuaded me to go on down to Fayetteville and take on the last Beat the Freak Cyclocross of the year. I have been telling race promoter Kevin Freeman for the past 2 years that I would come down and do one of his races. It was time to make good on my promise.

    I woke up with a sore throat, but the car was packed and there was no backing down. I made the drive down in time to set up the new SS on the course. It was chilly day in the mid-30s, but the sun was out helping it to feel a little warmer. The course had some interesting features, but was flat as a pancake. There was a double sandpit early in the lap, followed by an open power stretch that was nearly a half-mile long. There was a big log at the end of that stretch, then a little singletrack before another long power stretch that lead to the spiral of death. This thing was just a big wad of tape that...well....spiraled. A short run-up over 2 large logs followed the spiral, then a set of 3 barriers came before a mud pit and the end of the loop.

CX 3 start

    The Pro/1/2 race was first for me. I was ready to go on the normal bike with the new SS in the pit. There were just 3 of us in the Pro race. Travis Book was rocking it early on, hurting me on both the straights and in the spiral. He was just hanging it out in the corners. I lost contact with he and Barret Krei at the end of lap 2 and dropped like a rock after that. I just couldn't put together a good lap. I'd have some power for one long stretch, then have noodle legs on the next. It was weird, but I kept digging despite giving up 30-40 seconds per lap. I had a slipping seatpost just to make things harder. With only one lap ridden to set up the SS, I wasn't willing to make a bike change and just dealt with the seatpost issue. Needless to say, I finished 3rd. My result sucked, but being off the back gives you time to try other things, like bunny hopping barriers. I was able to ride the last 3 laps without dismounting, clearing the log run-up and 4 barriers, including the one coming out of the mud pit. Kevin said that had been tried before, but never completed. Score!

Nate Newton during the CX 3 race

     After riding terribly in the Pro race, I didn't expect things to be any different in the SS. It seemed like a wasted trip down here. Somewhere in the 10 minutes between races, I came back to life. The new bike had a huge gear on it and left me with no choice, but to hammer. I was last off the start line and out of the sand. On the first long power section, I picked up 2 spots and then moved to 2nd around Book before the spiral. The bike came with road tires and I just left them on. Good call as the mud was now packed and I was rolling like a champ. There was a $10 prime for the leader of the first lap. I saw this as an opportunity to at least salvage something out of the day. I put in a hard dig before the mud pit to get the lead and a small gap that I was able to hold to the line and get the prime. Then I just settled in and tried to hold the gap. I just knew I was being caught on the long straight after the sand pits, but I had actually opened up the gap even more. I knew then that I could win if I stayed on the gas. I kept the hammer down and the big gear rolling the rest of the race, feeling no leg burn and no low back pain like I did in the Pro race. My lap times were much faster than in the first race. How does this happen?!! I should be tired now?!! Maybe that SS race showed me that I need to quit spinning so much and push a bigger gear. Obviously I have the legs to do it. I won the SS race by about a minute. The All City bike sports a 1-0 race record. Can't wait to take it out again! And by the way, I wore shoe covers for this race. No more frozen toes slowing down Super D!

Tim Hall

Tim in the mud pit

Double 5k

    So, I'm really behind on the blog. Here's my attempt at updating what all has been going on in my world lately. Been up to a lot. Keith and I continued our run training after Thanksgiving with some 5k runs. The cycling season is winding down and there isn't much left on the calendar. We have been scouring the 'net looking for something to do. For the weekend of Dec. 3-5 we found more than enough stuff to do. The question became which race should we do?!

    Our race choices were the Rudolph's Red Nose Run 5k in Nashville on Friday night, or the Jingle Bell Jog 5k in Clarksville on Saturday night. Both took place before a Christmas parade. If you know both of us, you know that it didn't take long for us to decide on doing the double. We went ahead a signed up for both. Neither of us have ever run two days in a row, let alone at 5k sprint pace. I've never seen a Christmas parade, so I was excited to see what those were all about.

    I jetted out of work on Friday and managed to get to LP Field in Nashville about 30 minutes before the start of the Rudolph run. Keith had been off since lunch, but somehow got there late. And when I say late, I mean less than 10 minutes before the start. Kaylee picked up our packets which helped everyone get ready. I got in a few minutes warm-up before helping Keith get ready. While he was changing, Misty pinned his number and I put his timing chip on his shoe. We ran to the start line and actually got a decent starting spot. We were probably top 200 out of 1560 starters.

     All of us were crammed in this tiny chute as the start time approached. I was expecting the typical "thanks for coming, don't die" speech from the promoter, but there was none of that. Just the sound of a gunshot and then all hell broke loose as we started running toward downtown. We had no idea where the course went, if it was hilly or where the finish line was. We just went for it. Keith was doing his typical crazy man run, weaving in and out of the slower people. I started way too hard and dropped Keith in the first mile. I wanted to hang onto that front group that always forms early in the race. The one I always watch slowly creep away. I could see the front pack ahead and the gap was already forming as we descended 2nd Ave. I was dangling on the back of the group as we rounded the corner onto Broadway. I knew Broadway is uphill, but I didn't think we would do the whole climb. It was a crushing blow mentally when you made the turn and saw the cones going all the way up the hill. They looked like they went on forever into the sky. I lost the group on the climb and was really feeling that fast start with little warm-up. It felt like my ribs were imploding.

     I was so glad to make the turnaround and start going down again. It was so cool to go out and back because you got to see the others behind you. For the next mile it was 5-deep of runners going the opposite way. So cool to see that many people out on a cold night. Running under the lights in Nashville was pretty sweet too, not to mention the tons of people that had lined the course in preparation for the parade. It was like Athens Twilight on foot! The climb back up 2nd Ave was brutal. I paced off of a chick in front of me. She provided me with a nice pace all the way to the end. I kind of felt guilty for outsprinting her at the finish. That last half mile around LP Field seemed to take forever. Especially when you get your doors blown off by a kid that couldn't have been more than 11 years old. That's why running is so cool. You never know who is going to kick your ass.

     I finished with a time of 22:57, good enough for 6th in the 20-24 class and 79th overall. Keith was right behind me with a 24:03, taking 12th in the 30-34 class. My sister Dina also did the run, finishing in 31:54. Kaylee had one of her better runs, clocking a 46:25.
  
     We were treated to Papa John's pizza and some bagels after the race. There was just enough time to get changed into some warm clothes before catching the parade. It was pretty cool, complete with crazy clowns, cartoon characters I've never heard of, and some big floats. There were quite a lot of spectators too. We had a hard time getting a front row spot to watch.

    We were all greeted with soreness on Saturday morning. Kaylee was the most sore, but I managed to talk her into running again too. Even Adam "Mean Joe" Queen decided to lace up his shoes for a little 5k action. The mountain bikers were again represented well at a Clarksville run, with Andrew Leonard and Rick Zimmer also in attendance. I got in a better warm-up for this one. It was freaking cold on the start line. About 40 degrees with a 20+ mph North wind. I saw one of my neighbors on the start line. Got to talk to her for a second before we started on another tough course. Keith jumped out front early, while Adam and I started a bit more conservatively. I cranked it up on the first climb, but again was just off the lead group. I have been in no-man's land between groups at almost every 5k I have done. I tried so hard to get on, but only caught stragglers. I really felt good as we coursed our way through the campus of Austin Peay State University, evening taking a lap on their track as part of our course.

     I was hurting in the last mile. There were two really long, hard climbs to get you back to the finish. I had been with a guy who looked young enough to be in my class, but he got away on the first climb. It was again one of the women that I hooked onto and paced off of to the finish. I knocked out a 21:43. That was a much better time than I dreamed I could do on that hard of a course, especially the day after doing another 5k. I was a bit disappointed to find out that the guy I had been with in that last mile was the winner of my class and that I was 2nd by a mere 12 seconds. So close!
 
     Keith finished 3rd in his class with a 22:53. The surprise of the day was Adam taking 4th with a 23:01! That is freaking awesome for someone who has run only once in the last 10 years! Adam is a real beast. He can push himself farther than anyone I know. Kaylee ran a 44:23, bettering her personal best 5k time by almost 2 minutes! I can't believe we all did so well on the second day of racing! Keith had a bunch of pics from both 5ks, but somehow managed to delete them before putting them on his computer. We had a nice pic of he and I getting our medals. That was the first time we both medaled at a race.

    We all went out for some pizza and then watched the parade. I was impressed by how nice the Clarksville parade was. There were lots of spectators and lots of participants with very nice floats. I was reminded that we are indeed in Tennessee when Santa came by on an ATV.

Turkey Turkey

    I had a great Thanksgiving. I spent the weekend house and dog sitting for Keith and Misty while they went to visit family in Florida. They left me to care for two of their three dogs, Lucy and Carmella, and also their cat, Vivian.

Lucy

Carmella

Vivian

     I took advantage of my time off on Thanksgiving Day. It was a warm morning, but the cold air was pushing in from the north and the forecast said the temp would start dropping after lunch as rain moved in. I was on the road early for a planned 4 hour ride. I left Keith's house and hopped on the 62-mile loop used for the CRAM and Labor Day rides here in Clarksville. I did the loop in reverse. That brought me a nice tailwind early on, but I paid severely on the way back. The wind was over 20 mph and there were times where I was riding hard downhill in my drops at 13 mph. I ran into Ivan Murdock about halfway around the loop. He was going a different route, so I went about 8 miles out with him, then turned and came back to my loop and finished up. It started to rain for the last 14 miles, but the temp was still warm so I didn't mind too much. I ended up with 71 miles in 4 hours and 10 minutes. Got finished in just enough time to get a shower before heading off to my grandparents' house for dinner.

    The temp dropped as expected. It crashed 30 degrees in just a few hours, leaving us well below freezing by morning. The dogs and cat are used to sleeping in the bed, so they were piled up next to me all night. Lucy woke me up at 3am. She let me know she needed to go outside by walking on my chest! The dog is nuts sometimes. I hit the snooze on the alarm for work the next morning, but Vivian wouldn't let me go back to sleep. She kept poking me in the face with her paw. There's no way you can oversleep with that cat around! I was almost late for work after I couldn't get into my car. The rain had frozen the doors shut and I couldn't get inside to turn on the defrost. Keith's neighbors probably thought I was crazy when I tried to go into the car through the trunk. I tried to get the back seats to go down and so I could crawl through, but was unsuccessful. There was a guy out walking his dog when I came up out of the trunk. Two glasses of water finally got me inside and the defrost going. Wasn't expecting winter weather this early!

     Friday was cold and nasty, so I took the day off the bike. I took Lucy out for a run Friday night and it was freaking cold! We didn't stay out too long. I was still sore from my run on Wednesday and cut it a little shorter than planned. It was back to the flat roads for more miles on Saturday. It was sunny, but still cold. And windy. The damn wind was rediculous. It turned slight grades into mountains. I managed to make 55 miles before my legs and ass gave out. I can tell all my rides have been short lately. The butt is no longer made of iron.

     Sunday wrapped up my min training camp with another road ride. The goal was at least 3 hours. I have been wanting to ride to the Jefferson Davis Monument in Fairview, KY for some time. We used to ride up there a lot when I was younger. I bet it's been 10 years since I last rode there. I wasn't quite sure how to get to the monument, but you can see it from many miles away, so I just kept turning toward it and soon found myself sitting at the bottom looking up.

     The roads around that area are very fun. Lots of small, but fast rollers and some long flats where you can crank it. I went hard at times, but overall kept it at a fun pace. The legs felt good and the wind was tolerable. I ended up doing over 3 1/2 hours for 66 miles. It was a great end to a fun weekend. I loved only having to worry about training. I guess that's what it's like to be a real Pro. Keith and Misty had a great trip and I had a good time taking care of the pups. It was a good Turkey Day and weekend indeed. I am very thankful of all I have.

Page Farm Cross

    The morning after a running race is always rough. I felt like an old man getting out of bed. The legs were sore! My calf muscles seem to get the worse end of the deal. I laid in bed an extra 40 minutes before finally deciding it was time to go to Murfreesboro and race some 'cross.

     My race is usually bad when I wake up late and am dragging around, not really focused on the day ahead. The Cross the Way Cyclocross Series was a target of mine. Losing by a single point last year left a bad taste in my mouth. I was focused on the overall, but obviously not completely. I did a 5K the day before the first round of the series and then a 5 mile run the day before this race. Not the best plan, but it'll make me tougher in the long run.

    I had heard the course was going to be to my liking with some tight singletrack, a mini motocross course, and lots of sharp turns. It was better than I expected! I was so mad at myself for doing the run. I knew this was a course I could win on and running that hard the day before was like shooting myself in the foot. Dammit!

     I was sore as hell until I got on the bike. Suddenly, the soreness was gone and it took one lap on the course for me to get fully focused and ready to go. I found that I was having to hold back in warm-up. The course was just so fun! It began with barriers, then a tight woods section, some tight turns out in the yard (oh yeah forgot to mention the race was held at Kurt Page's farm, all around his house!), a little bit of burms and jumps on the small motocross track, then a soft mud pit, followed by a fast power section that ended the lap. Other than the mud pit, the course was very dry and super fast.

Cat. 3 leaders after emerging from the barn. A very cool feature on the course.

It was good to see Tim Hall trying out some cyclocross.

Eric found it easier to negotiate the singletrack better on his mountain bike

    Starts are not really my thing. I've been tying to improve on them all year, but I still suck. I lined up early to ensure I got on the front row. It didn't matter because I got a call-up anyway for my top 5 finish at the first round. The start was important today because you could lose a lot of time in the opening singletrack if you were far back. I got the jump off the line, but one of the Cumberland University riders came sprinting by before the first turn. I was content to let him go. I really didn't want to lead early as I have a habit of blowing up, especially on a course like this. I just want to hammer! Troy Tucker rolled up next to me as we approached the barriers. I didn't want him to beat me to the woods because Troy is a great technical rider. He's not one you want to give a gap to.

Pro/1/2 group about to enter the first turn.

Coming into the barriers for the first time.

     The Cumberland rider tripped while trying to remount after the barriers. Troy was to my right so I tried to go left, but the guy fell right in front of me. I locked up the brakes and then got plowed from behind by Shawn Mullican, who had absolutely nowhere to go. I got knocked over the Cumberlad rider and ended up on the bottom of the pile as about 6 guys piled into the wreck. We got the bikes untangled and got going again. What looked like a good start of 2nd or 3rd into the woods turnd into 9th out of 11. Not exactly what I had hoped for, especially since Troy was leading.

The aftermath of the crash.

    I stayed patient and didn't try to make risky moves. It was very fast, but then again, the first lap of a cross race is always very fast. I lost a few positions before the end of the lap. I think I started the second lap in last, but I stayed calm and waited for my time. There was a pile-up in the woods and I found a line between some trees and managed to pick up a few spots. Halfway through lap 2 I was in the top 5. Troy and two others had a gap over the field. I railed the singeltrack and got across the gap as we entered the motocross track. I was feeling good so I thought, what the hell, lets go! I went right around the guys ahead and went right for Troy. I got up next to him on a straighaway. I had the momentum going into the next turn, but I slipped on the outside. I had given Troy plenty of room, but he raced me hard into the next turn and pinched me into a tree on the inside. That kind of pissed me off. It killed his momentum too so I was right on his wheel coming out of the turn. It was a short straight followed by a big burmed right turn. I pulled up on his inside, again giving him room. And again he came down on me. I come from a motocross background so I know how to make a slide pass on a burm. All I'll say is that I came out in front. It was a fast sprint up the following hill and to the next burm, where Troy tried the move on me. I carried a lot of speed from the high line and we came off the corner bar to bar. I outpumped him over the following double and got clear. Now it was time to mash it and get away from him before we wrecked.

     I was surprised to get a gap on Troy before the end of the lap. One of the Cumberland guys got across to me and beat me to the woods starting lap 3. I let him go as I was not worried about him getting away in the turns. Sure enough, he didn't go anywhere and we exited the woods together. He then crashed in the next turn and I was suddenly alone out front. I really hit it hard then. I had 8 seconds over Troy at the end of the lap.

Alone out front

     I had the singletrack dialed. My tires were hooking up like a dream. The gap got bigger and bigger each lap. I wanted to bury them. I've worked hard at cross and have very few wins. Today was my day. I'm so sick of hearing about how everyone else is so great on techincal courses and at cornering. I know I am better at it and today was my chance to show it. I felt like I had something to prove out there. The legs were so good too! I couldn't  believe the kind of day I was having.

Rounding the burm where I took the lead

A little video of me hitting the 180-degree turns before the barn. Shot by Eric Boarman

     I backed off the last lap, making sure I didn't crash or flat on some of the hidden roots. I had time to enjoy the win a little and then turn around and watch the sprint for 2nd.

     Thankyou everybody who cheered me on! It was a great day for me. I have been working so hard and it feels good to get rewarded with a win and the series points lead. The photos I used are courtesy of Joy Dement, Thad Hoffman and Kurt Page. Thanks Kurt for letting us shred your property. I hope we get to do it again next year! The Cross the Way finals will be December 11-12 at Lock 4 in Gallatin. Heard it will be a very tough layout. Can't wait!

Turkey Trot

    I'm still keeping the running thing going. I'm to the point now where running several miles doesn't kill me and it's actually fun. I recovered well from the 6 Hour, taking off several days. My first workout was on Wednesday when I just up and decided to go run one lap on the road I live off of. This road is fairly flat and measures 6.4 miles for one lap. I do a lot of my recovery rides there. For some reason, I have had this urge to run one complete lap. So I laced up the Pearls and hopped on the left side of the road to see if I could do it.

     Keith was feeling good after his half-marathon and decided he would do the R3 Turkey Trot in Clarksville on Saturday. He had been trying to talk me into doing it with him. There was a 5-mile and a 10-mile route. I was having none of it. I wanted to concentrate my efforts on the second race of the Cross the Way Series that was to be held on Sunday in Murfreesboro. I thought about the Turkey Trot the whole time I was running on Wednesday. My sister joined me for the last 4 miles. The pace I chose early was slower than I'm used to, but boy did it make me feel better later. I ended up leaving Dina and finishing a few minutes ahead of her. I felt so good that I ran back out to meet her. My total for the day was 7 miles, my farthest run ever by 2 miles. I was hurting a little at the end, but not too bad. I kept thinking about the Trot and finally decided that doing the 5-mile race wouldn't kill me. I'm already preparing for next year anyway, so I could use the extra training.

     Friday evening, Kaylee and I scouted the run course on our bikes right before dark. The course was just a few miles from where I work. We squeezed in a nice recovery ride and a preview of the next day's pain. The course was out-and-back and pretty flat. Saturday morning, it was rise and shine early and off to Clarksville for the run. I met Kaylee, Keith, Boobie Rick, Andrew Leonard, and Keith's neighbor Eric there. We had a fair amount of mountain biker representation! Boobie Rick had an interesting story. He doesn't run and just up and decided to do this. When asked about breaking in the running shoes he bought a few days before the race, he replied, "I ran 3 or 4 minutes on the treadmill when the girl at the running store checked my gait. I think I'm good." He has more balls than me. There's no way I'd jump off a bar stool and go run 5 miles!

The running crew before the start

     The gun sounded and Keith went off like a mad man, weaving in and out of the people as we tried to get to the front. It was all I could do to follow him through everybody. We started faster than planned. I had to let Keith go about a mile in just to keep from blowing up. Neither of us did any sort of warm-up. I caught back up to him after a while and we stayed together on the way out, rounding the turnaround at just under 19 minutes. My goal was to go sub-40 minutes for the whole thing.

And we're off!

    Eric caught us on the way back. He came chugging on by, forcing Keith and I to pick up the pace. I was planning to kick it up with 1.5 miles to go. With Eric leading, I was already at my top speed well before that point. Eric was still picking up steam as we started the last half mile. We ended with a sprint as we could see the clock approaching 37 minutes. I crossed the line at 36:58, with Eric just one second back. Keith came through 12 seconds later with a time of 37:10. Andrew and Rick came in at 47:28, a great time for two people who never run. Great job guys! Kaylee completed her longest run to date in 1:11:00. She ran the whole thing without walking. Her training is already paying off!

Kaylee finishes

Boobie Rick and Andrew weren't even tired by this running stuff

Kaylee and I post-race

     There were a good 20 runners ahead of us so I never dreamed of being in the medals. They started calling out the results of the older classes first. The top times from the 30 and 40-year old classes were much faster than I ran, so I wasn't really even paying attention when it came to my class. Then I heard my name called. Turns out I took 3rd in the 20-24 class. Talk about a shocker!

     After the awards, I hopped on the bike for a flat 25 mile spin to loosen up the legs. After that, it was home to build a new burm on the trail before heading to Keith's house to throw a surprise birthday party for Misty. She was surprised and thrilled to see us all hiding in her house when she came home. I'm sure the decorating job scared her. Give a bunch of dudes (a bunch of dirty mountain bikers) several rolls of crate paper and you will get something that looks great in the dark. Just don't turn on the lights! Thankfully, Kaylee was there to give us some sort of direction. It turned out to be presentable despite Rick hanging frazzled streamers off the ceiling fan. We all ate way too much of Keith's awesome burgers and enjoyed the cake that featured a burning sparkler after we ran out of candles.

    Thanks Keith and Misty for the pics I used here. We are all going to get back together for the Jingle Bell Jog 5K on December 4 in downtown Clarksville. Info is available here if you want to join us.