It started on Tuesday. I joined the OSU cycling club for a little "no-drop" mountain bike riding on the Kona Nunu. Bike number five had just arrived from Colorado (thanks Jimmy and Sports Garage for packing and shipping it!). I hadn't actually ridden it since Crested Butte X, 2007. But it had been ridden by Schivonne in the previous six months (evidenced by the North Dakota Fat Tire Festival 2008 tag on the top tube... awesome) and it seemed to be working fine.
We headed out toward the 29th St. entrance to Chip Ross and bumped up Horse Trail. At the top, various suggestions were bounced around (me just listening), and the consensus seemed to be trails called "Bee Sting" and "Endo" and "Bombs Away". Now, anyone who knows of my mad mountain biking skills knows that I more comfortable on trails called "Stroll in the woods" and "Your grandma's trail"... if such trails existed. But the mountain biking community being what it is, the more rocks, roots, steep descents, downed trees, and otherwise "trail furniture" in the way, the better. So, the boys and me and Sandra on her cyclocross bike headed out on the scary sounding trails.
I was fine as long as we were climbing on fire roads (and climb we did... lowest gear on the mountain bike, out of the saddle most of the time). But I did okay. I almost ate it on a trail so benign as to be called "connector". Yeah, that's right. And then we hit the gnarly stuff. I did okay, I just walked the sections I wasn't comfortable with. Laid on the disc brakes. And generally just talked myself through sections that were too steep to get off the bike, but to technical to let go. I kept repeating "you're okay, you're awesome, you can do this". And it was fine. But at some point we got to a trail that as I started down, thought better of, dismounted, heard Sandra yell from behind me "I'm coming, MOVE" and watched her basically skid down the incline on locked up cyclocross tires. Miraculously she kept rubber side down until almost the very bottom, laying the bike sideways to avoid taking out Scott at the bottom. Unfortunately, what seemed like a soft dirt/leaf patch, was in fact a nice rock patch. Ouch!. I watched all this transpire from the top as I wrestled my bike down the trail. After that, I was sort of spooked and couldn't wait for the time when I could stow the bike in the garage forever.
On Wednesday, I was stoked for a run on Baldy. A nice easy run to recover from the intense muscle recruitment the day before. But sometimes I get out on the run, and my legs just carry me faster and faster and before long I find myself running sub-7 minute miles without much effort!? And this up hills. I started tempoing every time a hit a hill on my snaking, figure-8-like route around Bald Hill. And then I started aiming to push it over the top of the hill for another minute. And then I was just running too fast to stop. It is a good thing I was alone on this one, because I know several people who would have been seriously pushed at me if they had been along. But I also know a few who would have loved it.
Anywho, so the next day, I was starting to feel a little on the not-so-cool side of the energy hill. And the mountain bike and running shoes were safely stowed at home as I went off to work.
But that was not to be. Because, several of my lady friends here made sure that I knew about and went to the Beaver GGGRRRirls' ride on Thursday night. And at the last minute, I consented. And it was much better mentally than Tuesday. Though, there were still so many hills to climb, I still had my legs under me and went up them mostly easily. We circled around Uproute (a dirt single track that is enjoyable up or down, with minimal roots but lots of switchbacks), then came down Extendo (with the exception of the first 20 yds and a tiny bit in the middle which I will attempt next time, is my kind of ridable trail the whole way). Pam and I weren't ready to be done once we got back to Oak Creek, so we said goodbye to the other ladies and turned up the fire road to Dimple Hill and road Dan's down through Chip Ross and out to campus as the sunset chased us out of the woods. After that, I can see why someone would want to ride a mountain bike every once in a while.
But that was not to be. Because, several of my lady friends here made sure that I knew about and went to the Beaver GGGRRRirls' ride on Thursday night. And at the last minute, I consented. And it was much better mentally than Tuesday. Though, there were still so many hills to climb, I still had my legs under me and went up them mostly easily. We circled around Uproute (a dirt single track that is enjoyable up or down, with minimal roots but lots of switchbacks), then came down Extendo (with the exception of the first 20 yds and a tiny bit in the middle which I will attempt next time, is my kind of ridable trail the whole way). Pam and I weren't ready to be done once we got back to Oak Creek, so we said goodbye to the other ladies and turned up the fire road to Dimple Hill and road Dan's down through Chip Ross and out to campus as the sunset chased us out of the woods. After that, I can see why someone would want to ride a mountain bike every once in a while.
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