I considered a road ride today, but felt like asphalt karma was not in the air. Seems like the four-wheelers are out for blood this week. It's Maximum Overdrive out there.

This month's road rides have been building up my base fitness and tempo capabilities, but I need more hill work and some fast-twitch exercises to get me ready for that Sea Otter sprint in April.

Hoo-E flat fix	The new trail in the POST land south of McNee

The decision to go fat tire today was not without its attendant problems though. I forgot that I was battling a rapidly deflating rear tire on my last Hoo-E ride; now it was time to pay the piper. Not all bad though, the flat offered me a chance to try out my new CO2 inflater for the first time.

In my opinion, CO2 inflation systems are the future. They are small, handy, and can inflate a tire in about 30 seconds or less. Compare that to the grunting and groaning of pumping up a 110 psi road tire with a four-inch hand pump. Yeah, you're telling me.

Eventually, I want to get my flat repairs down to two minutes or less -- a skill that will come in handy during race season. For today though, I just wanted a successful test of the system.

Eh, not so much. I have been having a lot of trouble lately with the valve stems on the Slime Lite tubes that I prefer. The last two stems have been leaky (the cause of the aforementioned flat), as was the stem of the new tube I pulled out today. After I emptied the CO2 canister into the tube, the tube was only half full. I think it was because a lot of the gas leaked back out through the leaking valve stem before I could close it. Disappointing, but hopefully it just takes a little practice.

Out on the trail, I practiced short and long sprint bursts, but pretty much avoided all the major hills in my path. Today was a day for the lungs and the calves; the quads, glutes, and hammies will have to wait for another day.

As it has been all month, the weather was excellent. Crystal clear skies, chilly temps, and hard-packed, dry trails. No wind to speak of -- a most rare and welcome treat on the Coastside.

A view of Princeton and Pillar Point Harbor

The route -- Core Trails + Gray Whale Trail

Backside EG, then back around to the lower Quarry, across Highway 1 to La Mirada, into Pillar Point Marina, and out to the Mavericks parking lot. Up into the Fitz, through Moss Beach and Montara, all the way out to Gray Whale Cove, and back.