Happiness is...riding in the foothills of the Los Padres National Forest

I paused for a moment as some conflicting thoughts passed through my mind during yesterday's ride:

1) I love riding freshly paved roads; and 2) I wonder about the sustainability of continual paving/repaving back-country byways.

I've been riding this road (a section of Highway 150 between Ojai and Santa Barbara) ever since I started training for triathlon. In the past 3 months they filled in potholes, repaved surfaces, and remarked the white and yellow lines. It's a great stretch of road to ride!

And, the executive athletes I coach who travel here for weekend workouts use these sections as timed rides and hill repeats.

(The workout was at 80% of my race pace - a 25 mile bike ride then a 6 mile run. I'm getting ready for the 20 July 2008 New York City Triathlon!)