Recover With Port

On the chilly, damp Saturday morning in Tiburon, CA, Penny, Wayne, Kelly, Steve, Pat, and Holly met for the Angel Island 12km trail run. The Envirosports race had a fun and casual environment—nobody taking themselves too seriously here, but nonetheless a lot of fit men and women.

As the race started, we quickly ascended into steep, neverending, uphill singletrack. Although we all professed our thoughts of “taking it easy” on this run, our competitive natures came out as soon as we began. Positioning was key—the first 20 min consisted of a series of sprints each time the trail widened enough to move farther forward in the field. Penny and Wayne were both strong and skilled—they quickly found their way into great position.

Finally, after looping around the island amidst tree lined trails and beautiful views of the bay bridge, we descended the same steep singletrack we’d originally climbed, made slick and muddy by hundreds of pounding feet. Obviously more comfortable on our bikes than on our feet, the crazy descent presented a challenge—staying upright yet fast enough to fulfill our competitive natures was impossible for Holly and Pat. Holly’s wound was impressive looking yet minor, but Pat’s was enough to bring her limping across the finish line (still managing to post a great time)…and through the rest of the day. Thank goodness for the smuggled blackberry port and its pain-numbing capabilities…Pat certainly took advantage. Best wishes for a fast recovery!

After some impressive finishes for the bike racing crowd (especially Penny, the 2nd place woman on the day), we finished with the usual—food and socializing in a nice Tiburon restaurant. Next episode: December 16th ride and holiday party…