Sunday, April 13, 2008

Julie and I agreed to talk at 10:00am and decide where and when we would ride.  So I managed to get some homework done in the morning; good thing too, since the two chapters for one class are 45 pages each!  Great reading...just took some time.  Julie and I met up at Soaring Eagle park (aka Beaver Lake) at 10:45am.  We stayed on the upper half and did two loops.  It was very fun.  This is my second mountain bike ride of the season and I can already see my skill improving.  The first time around the loop I pushed my bike up most of the hills and walked many of the TTF's (Technical Trail Features).  The second time around I made it up the first 3 hills and walked the fourth.  I also rode over one of the roughest parts of the trail.  So I'm excited to be back riding.  I'm amazed at how quickly the mountain bike skills come back.  The best thing is that my hand did not hurt at all the whole ride.  total ride time was  1 hour and 30 minutes.  I'm still huffing and puffing at the top of each  climb...I actually find it quite funny...to get so winded.  Soon enough I'm sure I'll be able to ride without breaks.  The weather was wonderful and Beaver was mostly dry.  I finished the day with 5 hours of homework.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Today was mostly paying bills and finishing my taxes.  I finally finished it all up around 4pm and took a nice long hibernation nap (you know, the naps where your not sure you are going to get up).  I was definitely tired from riding Friday.  It is going to take a few weeks riding 3 times a week before I can start riding 2 days back to back.

Friday, April 11, 2008

I rushed home from work, picked up the Juliana (my cross country bike) and headed to Tolt for my first single track ride of the season.  I met Julie at her house and we rode from there.  I was a little apprehensive since Tolt is where (in October) I tore the ligament in my hand.  The climb (IAB, Its a bitch) was as long as I remember.  I walked most of it.  We took the road clockwise (East and South roads) Rode Dancing and I-90 (rode some in the next section over) and then rode back to the main road.  To get home we rode Bypass and MLR.  Then rode home via the North road.  I started out a little nervous and shaky and walked several sections I usually ride. But by the end I was riding really well.  We stayed on dry easy trails.  The descent on IAB was good.  My hand was tired and sore by the end  (especially on the descent).  But overall my hand didn't complain as much as it had the ride before. Total time was two hours and I was wiped by the end (even a bit before the end).  When Julie said we would ride Bypass and MLR, I wondered if I would make it...but I did.  It is good to be back on single track...even if it is easy single track.