March 5, 2001

Moan day 3/5/01
Stephie made a journal entry! Look everybody!
For the last week I've been sick, so... no training!Wahoo! Saturday the team met for a ride on the Three Bears. We caught a break in the rain and had a great ride. Three Bears is a loop course in Briones regional park, there is a Baby Bear (hill) a Mama Bear (looong hill that fakes you out, you think your at the top... you go down a little...then back up up up) and the coup de gras- Papa Bear (yeah, let your imagination roll, you won't be far off). It was a foggy day, so the tops of the hills were not visible from the bottoms, which helped as you didn't have to sit there knowing how far you still had to climb. The course is 18 miles long. Though I've ridden The Three Bears three times in the last month, this was by farthest my hardest effort. Probably because I was sick all week (I'm NOT sick, I just have a wicked cough). My legs didn't have much to give me and it was a struggle to keep my form on the hills. But hey, it wasn't raining!

Sunday was another story! 8:30a I met the hard core muddies for a run at Redwood Park (skyline gate) in Oakland. Redwood park is part of the Bay Area's Wildlife Corridor. It intersects with Tilden Park and Briones among others. It is beautiful forrests and creeks in the surrounded by a sea of concrete. It is what the Wildlife (read mountain lions, etc.) use to get from one part of Northern California to another, and is a large preserved area (this 'aint no itsy bitsy park, you know us tree huggin' Californians!). It wasn't raining when we took off on the muddy trails, but it was when I got back! A 75 minute long run on the west ridge trail was just what the doctor ordered! Because I had been sick I was at about 75-80 percent of my usual strength. This made it hard to gauge how fast I was going. I probably went 6-71/2 miles. Now my trail runners are nice and muddy! Monday- Still fighting this cough. Got up super duper early (5a) to get to the gym and get a spin in before work. 45 minutes in spin class (on EASY CYCLE) and then 30 minutes on the stationary bike. Took it really easy, seeing Ken the trainer this eve (There's a link to him on the links page!)

Happy Monday!

Go to next week!
Go to last week!