I picked a good day to get enthusiastic. LA has been in a heat wave and we still are but today's high is only in the 90s so I figured if I got out early enough, the weather would not be fighting me.
I started at sunrise under the Blue Supermoon (pics attached!) at the Upper Canyonback start of Dirt Mulholland. I took the first climb faster than I usually do because I knew that if I could start strong through it, I'd be in a good place. Once up that climb, I played the next mile smart, letting my legs get into the groove while speeding up. I took downhills harder than I thought I would but felt great and was surprised to see that sub-6 towards the end.
Passed a bunch of dogs. Passed a few bikes. Passed a man who said I was moving at quite a clip! It was relatively quiet out there though, which was nice.
The finish felt great and it was shady so a perfect end to a hard effort.