New Biking Muscles!

Hello GGB Followers!

Last nights mt bike training couldn’t have gone any better. The weather was glorious and hot, just hot enough to dry up any last bit of mud that might have accumulated during last weeks rain fest. I picked up Kristen after work, loaded the bikes and we were off!

We decided to do 4 laps (almost 12 miles), with the goal of getting faster and faster each lap. The first lap was a little shaky. We hadn’t been on the bikes, off road, since the last adventure race and we needed to get back in the groove. Luckily, there weren’t any major falls, but we did ride conservatively. 1st lap was 22:15 (or something like that). The second lap we relaxed and picked up the speed. We started sweating and taking some more chances. 2nd lap was 20:35. oh yeah! Shaving the minutes off!! The third lap was the most eventful. I finally conqured the “bridge of death” and Kristen conquered the “rocks of death”. We both moved outside our comfort zone and attempted hills that we previously thought were too steep and rocks bridges we thought were too dangerous. There might have been a minor mishap involving Kristen, a steep hill and a tree. Her bike caught on the tree and stopped, while Kristen kept going. She was a trooper though and got up, brushed the dirt off and kept going. 3rd lap was 20:22. The fourth lap was a good challenge. We were feeling some fatique and it felt good to push ourselves. We encountered other bikers on the trail and marveled at the guys who can jump their bikes over the fallen trees. We also saw another female biker on the course and she exclaimed “it’s so nice to see other girls out here!”. The feeling was mutual. The 4th lap was 20:55. We didn’t improve on our time, but our confidence was at an all time high and the smiles were big. Medina Mountain Biking Night was a huge success!

Next workout is Thursday: a 14 mile bike and 5 mile run. Less than 2 weeks until the next race – it’s go time!