Enduro-rides

OK, for anyone who's been riding for a long time, what I consider an endurance ride may be laughable, but you know, we've all gotta start somewhere.  I'd been talking about it with Nancy for awhile.  Our rides from Trout Creek usually end up being about 17 miles; the main trail loop is about 15 miles, but we do some side trails and add some mileage.  I thought it was time to ramp up our riding.  Do the loop both ways.

Last Wednesday, Nancy, Matt and I attempted the ride.  Nancy was on her son John Paul's bike because hers was in the beloved and trusted hand's of Abner, owner of Links Cycle Works, our go-to guy,  for repair.  They're about the same height, but he's got a 29er with just front suspension, vs. her full suspension Giant Trance.  The bike didn't fit her well and she had a hard time the entire ride.  It's hard enough to ride a bike that doesn't fit you well, much less for a looooong ride.  We tried to take a short cut back but ended up doing 27.26 miles.  I got home and face-planted it into the bed.

Matt and I met Thursday and duplicated the ride, but I added an extra jog to make it to a total of 30 miles.  We got back to the parking lot and my odometer read 29.40 so I circled the parking lot until it clicked over 30 miles.  Matt thought I was mad.  The guys we'd helped with a flat tire in the woods probably thought I was a bit nuts, too.  But you know, I can't say that I rode 30 miles unless I actually did.  I felt dead after that ride, too.

This past Wednesday, uh, yesterday,  we debated and decided to do the enduro ride again, vs. just trying to do a loop of the hard trails.  We ended up doing two of the more difficult trails: Gator Bait and Heartbreak Ridge.  I felt good most of the ride; I wasn't wiped at the end of the ride.  I pushed hard at the end and still had something in the tank.  I was actually feeling pretty good about my riding.  A woo-hoo moment.


Matt and I met today and for some unknown reason decided to do enduro again.  And we added Panther to the mix.  I haven't posted my old long blog entry about my first encounters with Panther from my Myspace page, but I will soon.  I've always been a  weenie, and when I first started I had this wonderful woman try to help me through Panther.  I think it was too early in my mountain biking career. I crashed hard, bled a lot, and have been wary of the trail since.  I didn't make it through Panther clean today, but I did 99% of it and feel confident that I will be able to clear it soon.  Just need to find some good lines.

Matt and I did the main trail to the hole in the fence (HITF) and back again.  I was hurting and feeling the ride by the time I got to the HITF but somehow, stupidly, decided I needed to finish this ride. It was about at this time, 1/2 way through my ride, that my normally comfortable saddle started to feel like a seat of wood.   Every root, every bump, it reverberated through my rear. I found some reserves, occasionally, but for the most part limped back to the car.  We had a long rest at the Morris Bridge stop and I made it all the way back.  Matt kept asking me if I wanted to stop and rest and I said no.  I don't want to have to climb back onto my bike again.  Just ride.  My ass hurt; my ass still hurts.  Don't know if I can I ask my massage therapist for a butt massage.  Too embarrassing.

So, I feel good that we've made these epic (to me) rides.  I've had a marvelous time in the woods with my friends.  And I obviously don't have a trainer to give me a training plan.  But in the overall goal of increasing fitness and riding ability, I will not do two days of long rides back to back.

There may be a day when a 30 mile ride is no longer long.  I'll let you know.

Jen