Thursday, February 26, 2009

Sometimes you just ride...

Wednesday was a rough day. I woke up feeling melancholy and it was all I could do to get out of the bed and get to the gym. One hour of strength (arms, shoulders, legs, and core) later and I was feeling glad I'd gotten out of bed, but still in a funk. I tried cutting off NPR in favor of music on the commute to work, but it was of little help. I think a lot of my mood has to do with the ongoing doom/gloom at work and the world as well as a busy couple of weeks on the horizon.

By Wednesday late afternoon I wanted to crawl in a hole and die. I was tired beyond belief and incredibly lethargic (budget cuts also have my southern facing office at close to 87 degrees). I'm staying late at work tonight so I was able to duck out a few minutes early on Wednesday and head home. I changed into my riding clothes and threw the bike in the car. Less than 10 minutes later I was suited up and at the trail head for South Mountain.

Big smile. That's what I wore the whole ride, into the evening, and maybe even a little bit this morning. I decided to just let loose and RIDE my bike. I mashed on the pedals, leaned into the corners, and flew off drops. The harder I rode the more I got out of the bike and the more I came around. This new bike is sick.

There were only MTBers on the trail and it was a super cool vibe on the mountain as the sun was setting and everyone was out riding. I must have seen close to 50 riders last night spread out across the trails and parking lot, but it never felt crowded. I love South Mountain.

Back to the ride. I'm gaining more confidence on the new bike, and while it is definitely heavier and harder to climb with, the DH and rocky sections just disappear as I can sit down and keep my cadence even and strong while watching miles of trail disappear. The 120mm front end feels a little unstable in fast corners (I lowered the tire pressure and that helped some), but it is SO worth it for how it evens out the rest of the trail. I'm still getting used to the feel of the full squish in the back while I'm pedaling hard over rough stuff, but it gets easier every ride. New bb and cranks should arrive this week and I can't wait to throw those on before the next ride.

Wednesday: 1 hr strength, 1hr MTB
Thursday: Hoping to get in a run after work and before the wheelchair basketball event my department is sponsoring on campus tonight

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