Going for a Ride

I went mountaing biking yesterday — I really really love mountain biking. I’m not a skilled, professional rider, but I have been getting better & better. I love going downhill really really fast! Lately, instead of driving to the mountain, I’ve been joining the architect & riding to the mountain. It’s about five miles, mostly uphill, to the beginning of the trail. Yesterday, I rode two miles in on the trail, too — the longest, furthers mt. bike ride I’ve ever done. On the way back, I was having so much fun & took an awesome jump….and made it. I also made it through the stream crossing immediately following the jump.

However, I didn’t so much make it past the sharp turn around the lurking horizontal tree (it was not a log — it was a tree, just a sneaky tree). It was a pretty painful crash — the most painful crash (although not the most spectacular one — that one involved flying) to date. A downhill guy came up on me pretty soon after I’d extricated myself from between bike & tree, and very shortly after I’d stopped crying. He told me that I’d been doing very well up to that point, and that he couldn’t even keep up.

*ego boost*

So, there was much pain & soreness & difficulty walking. I iced a lot, and it’s not so bad today. This was not a “gazelles on crack” moment, though….’cause real mountain bikers get hurt. That’s what happens when you push yourself to the limit & do your best to let go of fear.

The exhiliration of knowing that I was rocking the trail until the crash completely made up for the pain….

(hmmm….elaborate metaphor?)

I just know I can’t wait to get out there again next weekend.

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