Training Log Archive: bbrooke

MTB ride on the Dirty Bismark loop (#7 for this year).

The forecast -- and the ominous black clouds to the west -- predicted rain, but I went anyway.

I was hungry almost immediately after I started so I planned to eat my granola bar at the top of the Coalton Trail climb at ~8.5 miles. But when I got there, the weather was in full blustery windstorm mode, so I kept going.

The next segment, High Plains Trail, is my favorite since it's swoopy, downhill singletrack. But the headwind was so strong I was barely moving downhill and it wasn't quite as fun.

The rain started coming down at mile 10 and continued for the rest of the ride. But it was light rain in warm weather, so it wasn't unpleasant. And, since other people were apparently smart enough not to head out in this weather, I had the trail almost entirely to myself for the last 12 miles -- I passed one hiker, one runner, and zero bikers.

* Good News: I rode down the log stairs (balked on the first attempt; did it the second time).

* Bad News: Somehow, one of the spring-driven gates closed really hard on my back wheel as I was pushing off, knocking me over and adding to my knee-scrape collection. Good grief...at least no one was there to see it happen.

Neighborhood run, from home to downtown Louisville for dinner.

Gah -- I'm so out of shape that this short distance and slow pace felt like a struggle. :-\

Walked home from dinner.

RMOC website updates & email for Manitou North training courses.

Dirty Bismark loop. I chickened out on the log stairs...(my wheel washed out in the sandy gravel as I made the turn at the top, and that spooked me; I took another run at it and the same thing happened again; and then the third time, I just chickened out).

It was fully dark by the time I got home, but the last three miles are all streets & paved bike paths, and I had my lights with me.

Lots of cloud cover the whole time (but also a westerly headwind). Had to stop a few times for photos...

Event: RESCHEDULED North American Orienteering Championship
 

Walked up to Davidson Mesa & back -- an unsuccessful attempt to see NEOWISE.

C • NEOWISE 10

Neighborhood walk up to & around Harper Lake. Ran into LoCO FIT friends Zydrunas and Monica & Kevin on the way up. On the way back, saw (and petted) the extra-friendly orange cat, as well as my neighbor / HOA board member Kim. Kim sent me on a recon mission to get the license plate number of a suspicious vehicle parked nearby. ;-)

Late afternoon MTB ride.

One of my friends jokingly bragged about having the new "Local Legend" status on Strava for the Dirty Bismark loop. I told him it was now my goal to steal that title (he only has four laps; I also have four in the last 90 days -- the Strava requirement -- but I usually don't include the spur down to the Marshall Road trailhead, and therefore my previous efforts don't count. DOH!). So I included that spur today, which adds two miles.