Prepare to endure some random rambling and boring updates....
I entered the MTB Marathon Nationals in Bend, OR on September 17th. I am excited to ride on dirt I have only hiked before. I haven't seen my family in a long time and big plans are forming to see my parents and grandparents. My life in Oregon seems like an eternity ago. I see all my old friends and most of my family live their lives through Facebook. Posts and pictures about their kids, family trips, jobs, high school sports, dishes, laundry and the weather in Oregon all seem to occur in this other galaxy. A galaxy in which I used to dwell in a much different time. A time and place where I had no clue what SRAM or Bontrager was. Hard to fathom.
My legs feel good again. After lying around and doing really nothing but trying to heal my swollen ankle for about 6 days, I got back on my 'cross bike and rode pretty easy on the road and on easy trails through Bear Creek. Contrary to my usual intense nature, I was content with some easy rides. I had virtually no power in my legs. After about 5days of this nonsense and I was absolutely dying to get on some single track. Too much road bores me. Not a playlist in existence that can cure it either.
Mt. Falcon was my first post-CTR ride on the Superfly. I couldn't believe the way my legs came back on that ride. Then it was Centennial Cone. Even more power. The hills I thought would leave me a bit winded did not even phase me. Mmmmm, yeah. I will take these legs.
The rest of August consisted of local riding until I met up with this badass on a fully rigid singlespeed to tackle Segments 7 and 8 of the Colorado Trail. The pace was much more chill than the CTR and I had a blast just riding and having time to relish in the sunshine and beauty. And yes, I am an utterly hopeless Colorado Trail addict. If work was not a grinding, painful necessity, I would have ridden it all to Durango again, shipped my bike home and hiked it back to Denver. Dead serious.
One of my favorite rides in Colorado is Segment 8 and this time I had fresh legs, even after 7's hike-a-bike "delight." Leadville came all too soon for me and the road ride back to my car in Frisco took no time whatsoever. I had tentative plans to rejoin at Spring Creek Pass and take some time to camp near Cataract Lake, but timing, pace and work schedule weren't in my favor. Oh, I will find time soon. Guaranteed.
Ummm, what else? Oh yeah, Palmer Park will definitely be on the ride list several times this month. 24 Hours of Colorado Springs is October 1-2 and Erick and I will be doing the coed duo. My first preride last week left me scratching my head, but slightly smiling as well. It would be in my best interest to be on top of my game at night. One mistake or one blind corner with someone pushing their bike up or down and the consequences could be disastrous. Familiarity brings confidence and I am lucky to live so close. My goal is to ride smart and fast and narrow my lap splits.
So....Last October at 3AM somewhere out on the course at 24 Hours of Moab, I told myself that I was going to solo this race in 2011. On a different bike. It wasn't looking to promising for a while until Sonya Looney so very generously transferred her entry to me. Its going to happen! I am absolutely on Cloud 9.
Cyclocross still mystifies me a bit. I really don't know what to expect, but I am going to give it a whirl on Saturday and see how much I love or hate it. I have been riding my 'cross bike a lot, and it has basically shown me that my bikehandling skills need work. But I crave intensity and competition, so we shall see. Stay tuned, the race report should be interesting...
This is the most boring and benign blog posting I have ever written. Like you, I am yawning through it as well. But keep checking back, I have some big races coming up. And I have a lot to say about other things....just not today.
I am out. Getting on the road and off the radar for a couple of days...Blanca and Ellingwood beckon.....
No comments:
Post a Comment