It's been a relatively quiet couple of weeks training wise for me. After what I felt was a good ride at the Hampshire 100k, it was time to take a break. I had a good shot at third in that race, I'd caught back up with a big group with about 5 miles to go, which included some 100 mile racers and the third place rider in the 100k. I'd just cleared the steep, loose, infamous climb and 58 miles and was feeling super strong. Then my chain broke. Oh well, I thought maybe, just maybe I could fix it and catch back up by the finish.
It's always tempting in those situations to keep racing, and try to milk everything you can out of the form you have. I'm trying to learn to fight that instinct. The next big goal is the Vermont 50 at the end of September, which was too far away forme to keep training for, uninterrupted. So I made myself take a break, and the last couple of weeks has just been riding for fun with Nina, which is about as fun as it gets. Exploring new trails, riding our backyard loop, and enjoying the sunshine with someone you love, I really can't get enough.
It's definitely good for both the head and the body to take a break, relax, get some extra sleep, and ride sweet trails. Our backyard loop is getting pretty sweet, lots of jumps, rock spines, and berms. There's some logging being done near the entrance. We road up the other day to find some sweet new rock work framing the entrance to the climb. Thanks guys!
We've been trying to get as much river time in as we can. Starting and ending the day in the river makes for a pretty sweet rhythm to life.
~
