28 Days...

I love writing this blog...I really do!  I love the fact that I have the opportunity to share things with people all over the world...things that are important to me.  I realize that not everyone relates, or even likes, what I have to share...but that's okay...I still want to share.

Today's entry really isn't about me...not entirely anyway.  Today I write about one of the greatest men I have ever known...someone whom I am also honored to call a friend...a great friend...my buddy Mike.  You see, Mike is the guy who is to blame for my addiction to the sport of mountain biking...yep, he's the one who introduced me to a new way to spend money...I mean stay in shape!  So today's entry is dedicated to Mike...for without him, I would have never ended up writing a blog, for I would not have been training for a mountain bike race!

Mike has been riding mountain bikes for over fifteen years...probably closer to twenty.  I'm not sure exactly how long, but it's been long enough that I can honestly say he is one of the best mountain bikers I have ever ridden with...really.  He's the kind of guy who can be off of his bike for a fair amount of time, then hop right on and appear to be in just as good of physical shape as he was before...it's really not fair...and there are times when I don't like him at all! :)  I have no doubt that even though I have been training hard for nearly nine months, Mike's level of fitness would allow him to, at the very least, hang with me on any ride we chose to go on.  Technically speaking (bike handling skills), Mike could out perform me any day of the week...and he hasn't been riding much lately!  Oh, by the way, he's over forty!

Mike's daughter wearing his helmet

Mike's true prowess however, is displayed in the air.  "In the air?" you ask.  That's right, Mike may be talented on a mountain bike, but that's just a hobby for him...you see, Mike is a pilot.  Not just any pilot mind you...he flies F-16 fighter jets...yep, he's got an even cooler job than me!  Correction...Mike had a cooler job than mine.  Today marked Mike's...actually, Lt. Colonel Wang's last flight.  Today Mike retired from the United States Air Force, after twenty years of service to his country.  While I am excited for him, I am also saddened, to some degree, over this country's loss.  You see, Mike wasn't just a pilot, he was in instructor pilot, or an IP as they are referred to within the military.  And from what I have been told, he wasn't just an IP...he was an exceptional pilot in every sense; looked upon with great respect from those whom he works with.  As an IP, Mike has had the opportunity to train young pilots, and ready them for combat.  Don't get me wrong here, I am not saying that Mike was the absolute best pilot in the USAF (although I truly wouldn't be surprised), and that there are not other capable IP's and combat pilots out there...all I'm saying is the USAF has lost an amazing asset, and in my mind the capability of our Air Force has been slightly reduced, as of today. 

My wife and I were fortunate enough to have been invited for Mike's fini flight.  The fini flight is an Air Force tradition.  It marks an pilot's final flight before retiring from military service.  Typically, on the pilot's return to base, he is greeted by friends and family, on the tarmac, and often hosed down with water by his support crew and fellow pilots.  This is an event that relatively few people have the opportunity to partake in, therefore we feel very honored to have been invited!  

Mike completing is pre-flight check

The celebration began this morning around 0730 hrs, as we met our escorts (we are not allowed on base unless escorted by an active military or retired military member) at McDonald's, just outside the base.  Mike was scheduled to fly at 0800 hrs, and we were going to meet up with him prior to take off.  Normally, the flight line is a very secure area...so much so, that unauthorized individuals who step onto the flight line, can often find themselves at the business end of an MP's (military police) favorite firearm.  This is a high security area, and the MP's do not mess around.  Today however, in honor of Colonel Wang's fini flight, the restrictions on the flight line had been lifted...for us anyway.  Nearly thirty of Mike's friends and family were escorted onto the tarmac and out to Mike's F-16 Fighter Jet, where we would watch Mike taxi out and make his final flight as an Air Force Lt. Colonel, and leader of an elite group of men who quietly serve and protect us.

After a number of photos were taken, Mike proceeded to complete the pre-flight check of his deadly, but beautiful jet.  Once he was satisfied that the support crew had competently performed their job of readying the aircraft, Mike made the short climb up the ladder, into the cockpit.  Shortly thereafter, the aircraft's jet engine fired up, creating a high-pitched whine from the precision crafted turbines.  With a salute and a few waves, Mike slowly taxied his aircraft toward the runway, where he was joined by three other aircraft, who would also be flying with him.  Soon Mike's jet was screaming down the runway, developing the necessary lift under the wings that would propel the jet skyward.  It is an amazing sight and feeling to watch, no matter how many times I have seen it.

After an hour, Mike's four-ship (a grouping of four aircraft flying together as a team) returned to base, officially marking the end of a career.  This landing however, would not be the normal landing...today, Mike would deploy his drag chute (a large parachute used to provide additional deceleration when landing), another fini-flight tradition.  I had never seen the drag chute deployed before, so this was certainly a treat for me.

F16 drag chute deployment

As Mike was preparing to land, his fellow pilots were preparing for something else...a little fini-flight hazing!  Two of Mike's fellow pilots had emerged onto the flight line with PW cans (fire extinguishers filled with water under pressure) that would be used to hose Mike down.  Other pilots brought out bottles of Champagne and beer to dowse him with.  While hosing down pilots is a USAF tradition, many of Mike's fellow pilots were used to other traditions as well.  You see, the squadron that Mike has worked for over the past few years, is a Taiwanese training squadron.  The 21st Fighter Training Squadron is used to train young F16 pilots from Taiwan, who then return to their country, as highly trained fighter pilots.  Soooo...apparently the Taiwanese fini flight tradition is to hog-tie the retiring pilot as soon as he emerges from the cockpit...actually, they hog-tied him because they had heard he might run!  Once hog-tied they proceeded to pour ice inside the Mike's flight suit, and all over him while he lay helpless on the tarmac.  As an instructor for these Taiwanese pilots, Mike earned the honor of receiving both traditions...U.S. and Taiwanese...lucky guy!

The outdoor celebration was soon moved into the Squadron's on-site tavern, where we took pictures, ate pizza, and celebrated Mike's fini-flight.  All in all it was a great experience that I will never forget.  Congratulations Lt. Colonel Wang!

Some of the culprits planning their attack!

Mike returning from his flight

The culprits await!

Captured...

...and hog-tied!

It takes alot of those little Taiwanese pilots to hold him down!

Water and Ice...good when it's 110 degrees!

A good 'ol champagne bath

I think he's had enough

The 21st Fighter Squadron

Custom helmet for the Fini-Flight

Congratulations my friend!

30 Days...

So here I am, thirty days out from competition, and my training is less structured than when I began.  Why you ask?  I think there are a number of reasons why this may be true.  First, I may be getting a little burned out on training.  You see, I miss the days when I didn't have a set schedule of how long, how far, and when I would be riding my bike.  I really prefer to simply get on my bike...and ride.  Now however, I have something specific that I must do each day...it really takes the fun out of it.  Second, I am having trouble finding time to get in my cycle workouts.  The weather is horribly hot here right now...in fact, it's supposed to be somewhere between 109 and 113 degrees Fahrenheit here today.  When it is this hot, I have to train my clients early in the morning to avoid heat related problems, so that means my training must be done in the heat...and that doesn't happen very often!  The third reason has to do with my injury...or injuries as of yesterday.  Yep, that's right folks...I've developed another issue.

It's not really a new issue, but more of a resurgence of a chronic injury.  While performing firefighter training at work yesterday, I jacked up my back...again.  What this means, is that it is time to go back in for another round of injections into my spine.  It's been about four or five months since my last round...maybe six months, I forget.  All I know is that it is certainly time.  I need to get some relief so that I can be comfortable on my bike from now until my race...and after, preferably.

Anyway...I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about my ride in Flagstaff this past weekend.  If you recall, I had taken a weekend trip to Northern Arizona with some friends, for a weekend of mountain biking.  Our first day was spent hiking our bikes around in Sedona, but our second day would be spent in the cool pines of Flagstaff, Arizona!

Our trip was to include a climb up to the top of Mt. Eldon, followed by some fun, fast downhill trails through the pines, on the Schultz Creek trails.  Mt. Eldon is one of five 'peaks' within the San Fransisco Peaks volcanic system, located just northeast of Flagstaff.  Mt Eldon takes its name from one of the region's earliest settlers, John Elden, who, along with his family, established a homestead on the mountain’s lower slopes and grazed sheep on the open grasslands below, during the late 19th century.

Mt. Eldon, towering above Flagstaff, in the winter

The view from Mt. Eldon is reported to be breathtaking, and I was soon going to find out...but not before I put in some serious work to get there!  You see, the elevation atop Mt. Eldon is just over 9000 feet above sea level...and we were not going to drive up there to take in that view...oh no, we were riding.  

Me and Alex at the top of Mt. Eldon...overlooking eastern Flagstaff

The ride begins at the Schultz Creek Trail-head, where we parked, geared up, mounted our trusty steeds, and proceeded in a northeasterly direction towards the mountain.  Oh by the way...the elevation at this point is only...did I say only?...6500 feet.  The trail really isn't a trail...in fact, it starts out as a two lane, paved road (known as Eldon Lookout Road) that meanders through a neighborhood before turning into a rocky jeep trail that winds it's way to the top.  We set out, enjoying the beautiful scenery and nice looking homes that are sporadically located along the road.  It appeared that the first part of the ride would serve as a good warm up to the climb that lie ahead, but soon it became crystal clear that the warm-up would be very short lived, as the road quickly became reminiscent of something in Alps that I have seen Lance Armstrong battle during the Tour De France.  The average incline of this 'trail' is about 8%, which means that some sections are closer to 9% and 10% grades...rocky, and loose in sections.  This is a serious climb!

Less than a mile into our ride I realize that I must shift into the the little ring, as I am using far too much energy trying to climb in the middle ring...and for the next seven-plus miles, I never shift out of the little ring!  That's right...over seven miles of non-stop climbing...and I hate climbing!  We reached the top, roughly 1-hour later, dripping with sweat, and freezing cold!  The weather was perfect for riding...cool and overcast, but by the time we reached the top, our cool weather had turned very wintery, and we were forced to don our jackets in order to stay warm. 

I was elated to reach the top, and felt as though I had accomplished something pretty special...right up until the moment I saw a guy riding around the lookout area, on a bike that couldn't have been worth more than a couple-hundred bucks; in a t-shirt, jeans, and no helmet.  I on the other hand was riding a bike that is worth over six-thousand dollars, and was wearing $300-400 in mountain-bike specific garb...talk about bursting someone's bubble!  Oh well, it is what it is!

Bob and I after reaching the summit...very relieved!

down the mountain.  About two hours later (because we took a number of ancillary trails on our way back) we arrived back at our vehicles tired, drenched in sweat, hungry, and in dire need of showers.  This was, without a doubt, the most difficult three hours I have ever spent on a mountain bike...but it was great!

32 Days and Counting...

Wow!  Today is August 1st, which means there are only 32 days left until my race...time is flying by now, and I'm sure it will continue to accelerate.  This past weekend I took a trip with a lifelong friend up to Northern Arizona, to do some high-altitude training...and believe me...it was tough!

The plan was for myself, my friend Bob, and a riding buddy of his, to meet up at the Bike and Bean...a bike store (of sorts...more on that later) and coffee bar, located in the Village of Oak Creek.  The Village of Oak Creek is located on the outskirts of Sedona, so...it was time to give the Sedona mountain bike scene one more chance to live up the the hype.  

Me taking pictures on the slick rock

Well...I did not intend to use this blog as a platform to bash on anything, but today I feel I must say something about my experience at the Bike and Bean.  One of my pet peeves is being belittled by people within specific industries, who (for some reason) think they are above others, simply because they are in that particular industry, and may or may not possess a level of knowledge that their customer does not.  For example...mechanics...oh sorry guys...automotive technicians.  Many mechanics treat others with little very little courtesy and customer service...as if to say "I know something you don't, therefore I will treat you like an idiot."  That kind of behavior drives me crazy.  I mean come on...what if I treated my customers that way when they were having a heart attack or stroke?  

Well, the Bike and Bean doesn't employ automotive technicians, but they do employ bike mechanics...more commonly referred to as wrenches.  Anyway, I walked into the store to buy some compressed air canisters (used in place of pumps for fixing flat tires out on the trail).  I asked if they had a particular type called 'Big Air'...which contains 40 grams of compressed air (actually propane)...enough to inflate 29" tires, like the ones on my bike.  The employee's response involved an exaggerated eye-roll, followed by a rude "NO...but we have the smaller ones right there on the shelf."  I told him I was looking for the Big Air, and that I didn't care for the smaller canisters.  My comment elicited yet another eye-roll response from my customer service expert, followed by this unbelievable comment... "Yea, everyone thinks those things make them cool, just because the racers use them."  Professionalism and customer service at it's finest...belittle your potential customer so that they are just dying to spend money in your store...I love that tactic!  Sorry...no sale.  Bye Bye.

The Big Air canister

So that was the start of the day that was supposed to make me feel like I had unfairly rated the Sedona mountain bike scene poorly two weeks ago.  Hmmm.  My friends arrived, and Alex (Bob's friend) went inside to buy a trail map and get some insider information from the locals..."good luck" I thought.  Armed with what he needed, Alex emerged from the store ready to go.  The trail-head for our ride was about five miles west of the store, so we jumped into our vehicles and set out in search of the elusive red rock mountain bike paradise.

What we found was certainly better than what I had ridden a couple weeks ago, yet it still lacked what the three of us were looking for...fun, fast, flowing single track.  What we got was beautiful scenery, a short ride under the canopy of towering cottonwood trees that lined a cool, refreshing creek...and alot of un-rideable, rocky areas that required more hiking than biking.  As we attempted to ascend a very difficult, steep climb (which we would later learn would have led us into Sedona's finest trails), frustration began to set in, and we decided to turn around and search for something better.  Our search led us to some interesting terrain, the likes of which I have not ridden on before...slick rock.  Slick rock is the common term for the large, relatively flat sections of Sedona's red sandstone, that when wet, are very slick.  Moab, Utah is another mountain bike mecca that contains a great deal of slick rock.  Anyway...we got to play around on a fair amount of slick rock, which was pretty cool.  The sticky rubber compounds which our tires are made of, felt and sounded like Velcro on the sandstone, and provided an amazing amount of traction on what looked to be very slick.  We quickly tired of this terrain however, and set out once again to find something better.   This time our search led us to an area that had been recommended by my new friend, Mr. Customer Service, back at the Bike and Bean.  We had to ride for a couple miles on blacktop to access this trail-head.  The trail was named the Ridge Trail, and was reported to be made up of great single-track that ran along the ridge of the mountain range upon which the trail was cut. 

Bob Taking a pic of me taking a pic of him on the slick rock

The Ridge Trail access was crazy difficult...so much so, that once again we elected to turn around, deeming it un-ride able

more slick rock

Finally, we found a small loop of trails that provided us with some fun, fast single-track to ride.  Unfortunately however, there was a large storm beginning to roll in that was putting out some good lightning and thunder.  I don't mind riding in the rain, but when the lightning starts...it's time to shut it down.  Plus...we were all running very low on water after our three hour search for a decent trail, so we decided to head back to the vehicles...where ever they were!

When we made it back to where we had begun, Bob mentioned that he needed to go back to the Bike and Bean and have them make a quick repair to his bike.  "Oh Joy" I thought.  So back to customer service heaven we went, hoping for a quick and professional repair.  To my surprise, they told Bob they would throw his bike up on the stand in just a couple minutes, and take a look at it.  "Okay" I thought, "That's a little better."  As the wrench began to work on Bob's bike, the three of us had a seat at the coffee bar while we waited.  Soon, my customer service buddy asked us (with attitude of course) "Which one of you owns the brown Honda Element?"  "I do" I replied (maybe with a little of my own attitude at this point).  "You need to move it...you parked right in front of my rack of rental bikes" was customer service-boy's response.  Not "could you please move it"...just "you need to move it."  Well...my thought was that there were a couple of things that I really needed to do, and move my vehicle was not on the list at that time.  A cold beer, a hot shower, and something to eat were certainly much higher on my list of needs at that time.  All of which were being delayed by the bicycle technician who had decided to drop working on Bob's bike to help out some big boobed Blondie with a British accent, who had some questions about where to go hike.  Nice...more great customer service!

View from my "perfect parking spot" at the Bike and Bean

Well, I ended up moving my car, and they ended up finishing Bob's bike repair.  We all ended up driving to Mund's Park where Bob's townhouse welcomed us with ice cold beer, a hot shower, and food to refuel our tired, old bodies.  We definitely need to fuel, because the next day we would be climbing Mt. Eldon...on our bikes!  

Heading out as the storm rolls in!

Don't miss my next post to find out if we made it all the way up Mt. Eldon!

39 Days and Counting...

This morning I woke early again, as I had to get some hill intervals in before heading to work...yippee!  I love riding my bike...I really do.  What I dont like however, are hill intervals!  These are the most grueling, painful, un-enjoyable thing I have ever done on a bike.

The last time I did hills, I climbed for three minutes, then turned around, sped down to the bottom of the hill, turned around and headed right back up for another three minutes.  This morning however, I did not have any way of timing myself, as I do not have a cycle computer mounted on my race bike yet.  So instead of climbing for three minutes, I just went until I could go no further...which by the way ended up being about 200 feet further than my three minute mark.  I never shifted out of the middle ring, and kept from shifting to the lowest (easiest) gear, within that middle ring range.  It was amazing...each time up the hill, I just kept pushing through the pain, and them WHAM!  I immediately hit a wall right at the same spot each time.  My legs just gave out...to the point that I could not even stand while I was coasting sown the hill...I had to sit in the saddle because my legs would not support me. Even more amazing though, is how quickly they recovered, and were ready to go again.  The human body is an amazing machine!

I ended up doing for intervals this morning, but I intended to complete five.  On the way down the hill from my fourth climb I must have run over a small piece of glass that cut my tire.  As I was coasting nearly 30-mph downhill I heard a sudden, intermittent sound...psst, psst, psst.  Go ahead, make that sound out loud, at a quick pace.  No really, do it.  That is pretty much exactly what my tire sounded like as it spewed out the latex sealant that is supposed to quickly seal up cuts and punctures in my tubeless tires.

Tubeless tires?  Yep, tubeless.  Tubeless tires are the latest and greatest for mountain bikes...for a couple of reasons.  First, they weigh less.  Believe it or not, by removing the tubes from bike tires (29" inch wheels) I am able to shed roughly two-pounds of weight from my bike!  Second, by running a tubeless setup I am capable of running far less pressure in my tires, which allows them to adhere to the terrain better, ultimately providing much greater traction.  With the standard tube setup, running low pressure often results in a pinch-flat.  A pinch-flat happens when an under inflated tire contacts something hard...like a rock...and pinches the tube between the tire/rock and the edge of the rim.  This usually results in two small holes (often referred to as a snakebite), and a flat tire.

So anyway, my tire got cut by a piece of glass on the way down...and due to the fact that I had not brought an emergency tube, or even a pump with me, I decided not to chance it, and just called it a day.  My legs thanked me!  In hindsight however, I wish I would have made one or two more climbs so that I could have burned off another couple hundred calories.  Why you ask?

Today was not a good day for me...nutritionally speaking.  I have not eaten as bad as did today, for quite some time.  Breakfast started out good with a bowl of oatmeal, one-half cup of blackberries, one-half cup of raspberries, and a small box of Horizon Organic Chocolate milk (great recovery drink, remember?)...pretty healthy.  After some fire department training drills, I managed to eat a pretty healthy snack...and even managed to consume a healthy lunch.  It was shortly after lunch that the wheel came off the the health wagon!  A craving came over me, and there was no fighting it.  Before I knew it, I had eaten a large bowl of ice cream!  Things just continued to go downhill from there.  The crew that worked the shift before us had made garlic bread for dinner the night before, and there was plenty left over.  Yep, I threw down at least three pieces of that!  Then came dinner...Jambalaya.  Two hefty servings later, I forced myself to get up form the table and put away my dish.  I think I probably consumed at least four or five more servings of rice than I should have!  This is certainly not the time to be falling off the wagon...there's only 39 days left!

41 Days and Counting...

It' all done!  It took it out for a test ride this morning, and made it back with zero crashes!  I am happy to say that I was able to do everything myself this time, well...except for one thing.  Tomorrow I need to take it in to the bike shop and have them perform their magic on the drive-train so that the shifting is super crisp...it's a little sloppy right now, but it all works!  I even managed to get rid of about 95% of the cable slap within the frame that was making so much noise, and driving me crazy!

And there it is...back together again...and dirty!

I also debuted my new helmet today...the POC Trabec, a super-light and super-strong helmet.  POC Sports has been making full-face helmets and body armor for the downhill guys for years, and now they have brought their lightweight, high-strength technology to the cross-country arena.  It is so light and comfortable, that I honestly forgot it was on my head!  It looks pretty cool too.

Now all I have left to do is put my other bike back together.  You might remember that I gave it a bit of an upgrade after I stripped down my new bike after the crash.  Well, in order to rebuild the new bike, I had to take back all of the parts that I swapped over...twice the work!

This bike has to be ready by next weekend for Sedona and Flagstaff!

42 Days and Counting...

When I got home from work yesterday morning, I was greeted with a kiss and hug from my lovely wife, a much sloppier smooch from my pooch, and a big box from my friends at Ellsworth Handcrafted Bikes!  What a nice homecoming!  I had a couple of clients to train that morning, so The Great Ellsworth Bike Build-Round 2, would have to wait until later in the day.

Hey...like the box says...

Those that ride, know.

So here I go again...round 2 of the Great Ellsworth Bike Build.  Believe me, I am not happy about crashing, nor am I happy about breaking my brand new bike...but I am happy about getting to build it up one more time.  You see, after putting it all together the first time, I realized that I would have done things just a little different if I had the chance to do it over again.  Well...now I have that chance, so there are a couple minor thing that I am going to change.

One of Ellsworth's design flaws (actually, the only one I could find) is the way they designed their internal cable runs.  Most bikes, with the exception of some high-end road bikes, run their brake and shifting cables on the outside of the bike.  Yeah, it looks a little cluttered, but that's just the way it is.  On this bike however, the Ellsworth engineers designed the frame so that the cables would be run within the frame, providing a much cleaner look, and less chance of the cables snagging bushes and branches while riding.  It looks very nice when its all done, but there is a flaw.  The cables tend to bounce around and slap against the inside of the frame, causing unwanted noise...which I absolutely despise!  I like my bike to be as 'whisper quiet' as possible...it's one of my anal-retentive issues...deal with it :)

A look at the internal cable runs...leading into the frame...

...and back out at the rear of the bike.

I got a little work done yesterday, and I got up early this morning to get after it.  So far, I have the forks, handlebar and stem, crankset,  and the rear and front deraileurs mounted.  I started to run the shifter cables, then realized that I had accidentally cut the cable for the rear shifter too short.  So now, I have to wait until a bike store opens so that I can go buy a new cable.  I have never swapped out a shifter cable before, so I am entering uncharted territory...thank the Lord for the internet!  One quick google search, and up came nearly 39,300 hits (in just .24 seconds) about how to change the cable...just what I needed!

It's coming together...again

The inside of my rear shifter...uncharted territory!

I'll keep you all posted on the progress.

45 Days and Counting...

Just a brief post today, to let you all know about this morning's workout.  One word describes it perfectly...BRUTAL! 

Today's workout was hill intervals on the bike.  For those of you who are not familiar with interval training (you clearly haven't been following this blog from the beginning), intervals are short durations of activity...usually high intensity activity, followed by a short duration of either rest or significantly lower intensity activity.  For example...sprint 10 seconds, rest 20, sprint 10, rest 20, and so on.  Interval training is used quite successfully to improve cardiovascular fitness levels, specifically one's lactate threshold (roughly the point at which one's body shifts from an aerobic state to an anaerobic state), and the ability to perform high intensity activities for longer periods of time.  Subsequently, interval training has been shown to be very effective at reducing unwanted body fat levels.

Today's interval session for me involved getting up at 0500 so that I could get my training in before heading to work.  The workout called for a total of eight intervals; four rounds of three-minutes of climbing, followed by three-minutes of easy riding.  First of all, there aren't to many hills where I live...at least not ones that are paved.  Trying to do hill intervals out on the trail can be quite difficult because it is hard to find that 'just right' hill that affords you the ability to ride and rest for just the right amount of time.  This particular workout is supposed to be performed on a hill that is roughly a 6-8% grade.

Well, I don't know of any hills close by me that are 6-8%, but there is one that is closer to 15-20%...so that's the one I chose.  I know, I know...kinda stupid huh?  I didn't really have much of a choice though.  The other issue with this hill is that it is about one mile long...much further than I would travel in three minutes of 15-20% graded climbing!  This means that my easy riding would consist of the very fast (and scary fun!) downhill coast, back to the bottom of the hill...which by the way, only took about 30-seconds.  Those 30-seconds ended up being my rest period, as I simply turned around and hammered right back up the hill.

Believe me, I know what you are saying right now..."Why didn't you just rest while you were at the bottom of the hill?"  Well, to be completely honest with you, there was another rider out there (a roadie...which is what mountain bikers call road bikers) who was doing the same hill intervals as I was...and you know me...there was no way I was going to let some roadie see me resting at the bottom of the hill, while he wasn't!  It's a testosterone thing.  To make matters worse, I was performing my intervals on my mountain bike, which is much heavier than a road bike, and has both front and rear active suspension, which reduces the efficiency of each pedal stroke...so basically, I was working much harder than if I had been on a road bike. 

Mr. 'Roadie' was already there before I arrived so there was no way I was going to leave before he did...no way! So instead of performing four complete intervals series, I ended up doing five.  Thank God he was gone when I got back down from my fifth...I did not want to have to do a sixth!  Needless to say I was very happy he had left, and I quickly packed it in, and headed to work...my legs aching and my lungs burning...it was goingto be a great day!

Ok, so it wasn't all that brief...sorry.