Red Flag Warning!

Trail Runners,

Due to the HIGH FIRE DANGER in the Santa Monica Mountains, we must postpone the XTERRA Boney Mountain Xduro. This is required by the California State Parks who closes the park when a RED FLAG WARNING is posted.

The new date is January 10, 2009. Similar to last year, ALL ENTRIES will be transferred for FREE to this new date UNLESS you fill out a transfer form by November 21, 2008. If you are transferring to another event, there is a $10 charge, so please include this check when you mail in your form. Transfer forms can be found on trailrace.com in the NEWS section and the BONEY MOUNTAIN event page.

We apologize for any inconvenience for this, but we are at the mercy of the weather and the managing agencies.

We’ll see everyone at one of our upcoming events:
11/1/08 SkirtChaser 5k
11/29/08 XTERRA Topanga Turkey Trot
12/14/08 XTERRA Crystal Cove Trail Run
1/10/09 XTERRA Boney Mountain Xduro (revisited)

The Generic Events Crew

Fire Season is really going on for an extended time this year and while some parts of the US and Canada have seen their first dusting of snow or even a bit more than that, we are still; well I hesitate to use the words “enjoying” or “suffering” as it falls somewhere in between, temperatures in the eighties and nineties. There was another fire in the Sepulveda Pass by the 405 freeway which I use to go to work Wednesday night night, it was closed all night, when I got there yesterday morning around 6:30 they were still working the firelines and helicopters were dropping water, it was quickly contained but still burnt 150 acres! Now this makes me so mad, I am driving behind a women as we are literally, literally driving by the fire, what does she do; throw a lit cigarette butt out the window, ugh stupid b***h! OK Rant over.

I quickly switched everything around to its usual (ish) state. I hit the roads on the bike last night around 9pm, like I said it’s warm so shorts and short sleeve top and arm warmers were all I needed for a quick 45 min/13 mile spin, then hopped on the treadmill for the first 10/10/10 session, the end target here is ten miles at 10 minute pace at 10% incline, this was to be a one mile effort and it’s unlikely that I’ll get to the full 10 miles but I will be increasing it weekly. I borrowed it from Davy Crocket and it is brutal; I managed .78 of a mile in 10 minutes or the full mile in 12:34 through a mix of walk, run, shuffle. Tonight I have my tempo run of 8 miles, which closes out week 9 of training and then tomorrow a 22 miler kicks off week 10 although with all the parks potentially closed that might mean some quick thinking!

I also got an email from the RD of Twin Peaks saying that she is adding a 100k distance to February’s race, December’s is a carry over from this February due to wildfires (notice a theme) and that next year’s is the last one, so I have changed my plans and will register for that instead, Coyote 2 Moons can wait till 2010, and I’ll also save $175 as the race entry for Twin Peaks is only $75 compared to $250. What this does mean is that I need to decide what to do in January; Calico Trail 50k or Catalina Island 50m…decisions decisions!

I'll be announcing the new competition over the weekend/Monday: "Swap-Beat". It will be starting November 10th and I have some excellent swag so check back and sign up, and Laura and Swimfan I promise to mail you your winnings; the wildfires and such got in the way, yeah blah blah blah, but I will!

Have a good weekend everyone, may you heels be clean, your pace fast and your taper sufferable!