Still lovin' the bike.

So the majority of what I've been doing lately, as noted in this space repeatedly, is trail running. Running is a great sport and I love it. It's definitely the sport I'm most suited to do, I seem to get stronger the more I do it and it's good for me in terms of slowing down my mind and dealing with crap in my head. Also right now, given my work schedule and personal commitments...it's the one sport I can do consistently and train and do races. So it's a good thing that I like to run...especially on trails.

But if you posed the desert island question (what is the one _______ you could take on a desert island) to me about the sports I enjoy the most, mountain biking would come out on top. I'm definitely still learning the technical aspects of the sport, so in terms of the things I like to do, it's probably my worst from a pure skill level...but it is so much fun. It's easy to be reminded when you're running that it's a lot of work. And that's why trail running is so much better than road running. Rarely on a road run do you lose yourself in what you're doing. You're constantly surrounded by man-made objects and you can usually always see where you are going and the terrain doesn't change. Trail running is on twisty trails in the woods (or plains, or deserts, or in canyons or on mountains) so it's a super fun way to enjoy the outdoors and you still get a good workout.

Mountain biking, is just pure fun. Sure there are physical and technical challenges, but what's the one thing every kid loves to do? Ride their bike. And now, you're in the woods (or plains, or deserts on in canyons or on mountains) and you are getting to ride your bike! You get to scream downhill over rough trails and through windy groves of trees. You get to try and get your bike up and over obstacles in the trail that give hikers pause. It's super fun.

Yesterday, on the heels of my long run the evening before, I went out to Pawtuckaway State Park in southern New Hampshire and went for a ride with my pal Gary. He's pretty much a roadie and while I was living out west I've pretty much traded in my road stripes for singletrack and the dirt. The frustrating thing about moving back east is that I just getting comfortable on the terrain of the Front Range of Colorado and the terrain here couldn't be more different. There it was big climbs and long descents, you didn't think much about which chain ring you were on because it was the little ring on the way up and the big ring on the way down. Here there are climbs sure (especially the farther north you get) but mostly it's rolling trails. The trails there are decomposed granite and sandy wash (even up in the mountains the trails are pretty loose) out here it's loamy, muddy dirt which is much more grippy, but there are a ton more trees here so the trails have a lot of off camber roots that when wet (and this summer it's been pretty damn wet) become super slick. There are rocks in both places, but out there it's consistent because your grade is steady (either up or down) so you learn how to go over the rocks or step downs in either direction. Here, because it's rolly/twisty trails, you tend to be bigger gears because you're not on a sustained climb, but then you hit rock gardens and you find yourself in the wrong gear.

The point is...I spent 8 months getting good at the trails there...now it's like learning all over again. But that's ok, and that's another reason mountain biking is so great. Running is running, and yes the terrain changes and causes different challenges, but not like different biking trails.

By the time we wrapped up yesterday it was starting to click for me. The nuances of these trails were becoming clearer, and I was taking more chances like I was before leaving the arid high-desert of Boulder County. I'll keep doing the weekly weekend ride (especially with fall on our door step) and next year we're hoping to move closer to our jobs which will result in more riding time...and hopefully a few mountain bike races. For now I'll take it when I can get it. And if anyone out there stumbles across these unorganized thoughts and has not tried to ride some dirt yet...do yourself a favor and get out there. It may be hard, but you'll see how much fun it can be.