Geeze Louise – the past month has been absolutely insane!
I went from being in London for a week…
…to Thanksgiving in GA…
…to losing my mind in the office for a week prepping for a convention…
…to Vegas (for a WEEK off of the strip at the Hilton) for the aforementioned convention.
It was insane.
TANGENT: While in Vegas I finally got to meet Michelle! She was there for RnR Las Vegas & we met for Breakfast at the Venetian the day after the race. Michelle is awesome – everyone should meet her!
After Vegas I promptly got a sinus infection and was sick as a dog for a week (I’m surprised I still have functioning lungs because I’ve been hacking & coughing so much).
And now here we are on December 18th – and I am finally starting to feel HUMAN again!
So I donned a jersey & my helmet and did something I’ve been waiting for over a year to do…
That’s right folks, I went MOUNTAIN BIKING!!!
I’ve quietly been saving my pennies for a mountain bike because I missed the trails more than I ever thought I would – Who would have thought?!
Ryan and I got in about 12 miles at Balm Boyette – which used to be a phosphate mine, but is now a nature preserve slash mountain bike park!
It was SO much fun & surprisingly I was much more confident on the trails that I thought I’d be after a year on pavement only. I guess it’s like…well…like riding a bike! My muscles remembered just what to do! (See what I just did there?)
I even rode FOUR intermediate trails – which just might be a record for me! (Before we sold my last MTB, I would panic as soon as I was on anything but beginner trails.)
It was such a fun day – I can’t wait to get out there again!
Now if I could just quit coughing I’d be all set…
Whew! What a month! Congrats on getting back on the bike, stronger than ever
Did you feel like all your road biking was what helped you tackle those intermediate trails and otherwise feel confident back on your mountain bike?
Oh 100% YES! All the road biking I’ve done over the past year has definitely helped me feel more confident – both from a “balance” standpoint, and just feeling more “one” with the bike. I think both will compliment the other as I continue to keep MTB and road cycling on my schedule!
And a Trek full suspension is one helluva MTB to get back onto! Wowsers. I haven’t missed my mountain bike at all since I got rid of it last year. Have fun!
I’m definitely spoiled with this one! My old bike was a Gary Fisher hardtail (X-Calibur) which I never got really comfortable with. So when we decided to start saving for a new one we knew we’d be getting a full suspension to “soften” the ride a bit. I think the full suspension is really going to help me feel more comfortable and confident on the trails!
Welcome back!!
That’s a very very pretty MTB and that looks like a very pretty trail! I am just trying to get into MTB’ing myself and I am very overwhelmed by it at this point.
I was definitely scared when I first started riding – I had my first bike for several years & never quite felt like I knew what I was doing. I think the best advice I ever got was “Don’t think. If you think, you’ll hesitate. When you hesitate, you’ll fall.”
…Plus, now I know there’s no shame in just walking the bike through any sections I don’t feel like I can roll over yet!
Welcome home! Seems like you’ve had a whirlwind month.
I think you are bad*ss for mountain biking. It terrifies me!
It has definitely been a whirlwind! I’ll be happy when we ring in 2012 as things always calm down a bit for me after the 1st of the year.
And I’ll admit – there are a lot of things about mountain biking that still terrify me! But the fun parts make it totally worth it!