Day 133 - Spiderwebs to the Face

Went on a mountain bike night ride with my riding buddy Ridehard (that's him in the picture). We arrived at Mission Trails at 7:30 p.m. We geared up and put on our lights and hit the trail. It had been several months since my last night ride. I took the lead and rode at a moderate pace. We did the new lap which is 7 miles long. The trails were fast. They were nice and packed down from the rain we got the week before. Took a couple of spiderwebs to the face on several occasions. There were just like Campbell's soup -- mmm mmm good. We also rode Thornwood and Rattlesnake and the Up and Over on the way back. Afterward, we cooled down in the parking lot with a couple of frosties. It was a good night ride.

Day 129 - Riding the Border Wall

Got up early this morning to for a mountain bike ride with one of my riding buddies Harold. The trails were too muddy from the rain we got earlier in the week so we went exploring on the road. After meeting up at the parking lot at Mission Trails, we headed out on the Hike and Bike to Military Rd. We took a left on Military to a dirt levee road. We rode on the levee road for a few miles until we reached the Border Wall and the Anazaldua Bridge. (For those who don't live here, it's the wall the U.S. government built to keep out the illegal aliens from Mexico. I stopped to take a picture of the wall. It was impressive. A smooth white wall of concrete rising up 40 feet high (see picture). I don't think anyone is gonna be getting over that puppy. We talked about how cool it would be to have a road or mountain bike race along the border wall. We turned and took the road back to the parking lot.

Day 126 - Skipping the Race

I've decided skip the first race of the mountain bike race series in Brownsville. It was a tough decision, but I am still not 100% recovered from my broken hip and I haven't been training enough. I might do the 2nd race in November or the third race in December if my condition improves. I'm disappointed because I have raced in the series for the past three years. It's been fun. I have had a lot of good race memories from the series. I was looking forward to this year because I would have been riding my Anthem X2. All my previous races were ridden on my old Trek Fuel 70. While my "black beauty" served me well and bought me podium finishes, and the 2007 "expert" division title (see pic), it was a heavy bike. It tipped the scales at 32 lbs. Not exactly light for a XC race mountain bike. My Anthem X2 weighs 26.5 lbs. so I know I could have improved my race times from my previous races. But it looks like I am going to have to wait longer to find out. In a way I am relieved since I don't have focus so much on training and can just ride for pleasure, which is what I need right now.

Day 121 - Riding with my Buddies

After not riding for a couple of days I was iching for a ride. I got home. Helped my son do his homework. Changed into my biking clothes and headed out the door to the trails. On a whim I called up one of my riding buddies Harold to see if he was riding. By good fortune it turned out he was hooking up with two of my other riding buddies, Nico and Brian, to go ride at Santa Ana Refuge, a local wildlife refuge. We met up and jumped in my truck and headed out. When arrived at Santa Ana, saddled up our gear and rode. We rode the paved road for a couple of miles and then we hopped on the trails. The trails were overgrown with grass and full of mosquitos and ticks. We didn't stop in fear of being attacked! We rode until it was dark. It was great to ride with my buddies again. It had been a long time since we had ridden together. The only bad part was pulling off the ten or so ticks that had attached themselves to my legs during the ride. But it was worth it.

Day 119 - Quick. Somebody Kick Me in the Ass!

Lately I've been feeling old. My neck/upper back sprain has been hurting me for the past two days. More than my hip! I've had to take a Vicoden at night just to go to sleep. My lower back sprain from riding my mountain bike three weeks ago is also still lingering. I just can't seem to get over all my aches and pains. If this is what getting old is like, I don't want any part of it. I think I need to start doing some weight training to strengthen my core. I used lift weights at least two to three times a week during race season. It's just hard to find the time, energy, and motivation when you're injured, work full-time and have a family. Excuses, excuses, excuses. What I need is some motivation. Quick. Somebody kick me in the ass!

Day 117 - Tired and Sore

On Satuday, I mowed and trimmed my yard. Since the trails were too muddy from the rain we received Thursday and Friday, I went for a bike ride on my mountain bike in the afternoon. Rode down to the convenience store on Highway 107 to rent some movies from the Redbox. On the ride back, I came up on and pulled up next to another bike rider at a red light. I said hello and we talked while waiting for the light to turn green. Once the light turned green we continued to ride and talk. He was a roadie. We pedaled and talked for two miles before he reached his turnaround point. It was nice to see and talk to a fellow bike rider on my ride. Lately its been just me and my Ipod. I pulled a muscle in my back and I was in some pain when I got home. I had to take a Vicodin. I fell asleep, tired and sore.

Day 114 - Raining Cats and Dogs

Woke up this morning and went into the kitchen where my wife was making breakfast. She asked me "What's that clear stuff coming down outside?". Half asleep, I shuffled over to the kitchen window and took a peak "Rain!", I exclaimed. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was raining cats and dogs. We had been going through a drought and hadn't received any rain in the last six to seven months. The good news is the rain will pack down the trails which were loose and dusty. The bad news is it will spur new grass/weed growth. Our cycling club, The Mission Trails Club, which maintains the trails, will need to do some trail maintenance during the next few weeks. Will need to get out the mosquito repellant too becuase the mosquitos will be looking for some blood.

Day 112 - It Keeps Me On My Toes

My hip was a little sore from all the riding I had done over the Labor Day weekend. I rode 10 miles on the trails on Friday, 15 miles on the road on Sunday, and 15 miles on the trails/road on Monday. As a result I have been limping a little for the past two days. It's taken longer than I thought to get rid of my limp. I stopped needing to use my cane about three weeks ago. I also stopped doing my rehab exercises a month ago so I could concentrate on walking and cycling. I am doing some stretching of the leg and hip every few days. I really should resume my leg exercises. But somedays after a long day at work, it is hard to get motivated to do them. I don't like doing weight training. It's too repetitive. One of the reasons I love mountain biking is the mixture of speed, balance, and control that it requires and the concentration it demands to react to changes in terrain and obstacles. I'd much rather be outdoors riding my mountain bike. It keeps me on my toes.

Day 110 - Gettin' Dirty

Went out for a Labor Day ride this morning. After putting some miles in on my mountain bike on the road yesterday, I wanted to get in a ride on the trails. Rode many of the older trails at Mission Trails such as the Wetback, Time Trial, and Rattlesnake. Did the Bike Breaker for the first time since my accident (don't tell me wife). When I got home from my ride and took off my socks my ankles were covered with a thin layer of dust, dirt. Growing up as a kid, I loved playing in the dirt. That hasn't changed. I'm just doing it on two wheels now.

Day 107 - Riding the Logstacle

I saw my othropedic surgeon this morning. They did the usual routine. Took my weight, blood pressure, and x-rays. Saw my x-rays. Looked good. Doctor came and looked at my x-rays. Said the bone is healing. It's not completely healed so I still need to be careful and not take any hard falls. He told me he wanted to see me one more time in a six weeks. I took that as a good news that I am almost healed. I went home and changed into my cycling clothes and gear, mounted the Anthem, and headed out for a mountain bike ride. I rode south through downtown Mission to the trails. It is a mile and a half from my house to the trails. At the trails I rode Easy Rider, Jackhammer, Psychopath, Poo's Forest, Tweezer, and Champain Run. Rode at at moderate pace which was half speed of race speed. I'm hestitant on the turns, not wanting to fall. I'm slowly getting my confidence back. I rode a new logstacle that was put in Poo's. See picture. I rode the rockgarden on Psychopath. And I took the Quicksand Drop where I fell three weeks ago. I finished the loop tired but satisified with my ride and headed home.

Day 104 - Big Ring

Went out for a ride on my mountain bike after work to relieve some stress. Was going to do some laps around the school but changed my mind. Decided to ride to a convenience store to rent some movies from a Redbox machine. Loaded up my Camelback and took off. Rode down Conway Road heading north into a slight headwind. Shifted to the big ring and pushed the highest gear that I could while maintaining a good cadence. Made it to the Stripes convenience store on the corner of Conway and Highway 107 in about 20 minutes. Rented two movies and bought a bottle of wine and a 24 oz. beer for after the ride. (The wine was for my wife). Saddled back up on my mountain bike and started the ride back. The wind was with me so I was able to max out my gears part of the way back. It was just getting dark when I rolled into my driveway. I popped open my cold beer and celebrated my ride. Prost!