What if you could start every day with a ride? How would it feel to see more dirt than concrete? Is it possible to wear a camelbak more than slacks? Pipe dreams, I know... But what is life without dreams? ...and sometimes those dreams come true where a couple times a week, lanes aren't determined by yellow and white lines, but by bench cuts and mossy singletrack. Sometimes, we wind down our day with a helmet hair and dirty skins. Even occasionally, just before the sun goes down, flying down the side of a mountain is the reward for struggling to the top, and those things help put everything else in perspective.
Even though our hottest days so far were were weeks ago, we've passed the solstice and are entering hardest time of year to keep reporting to work. Besides the higher milage, more frequent cookouts, and lighter colored beer, another sign tells us it's summer. Kids are out of school and Frazz has set the mop down and picked up the bike. Recent favorites:
So, I'm in Rowlett's, which is not uncommon, picking up some stuff and chatting with my soon-to-be-relocated friend Mike King, when I notice a new bike on display at the shop. It's not on the floor with the other bikes, but on a display case against the wall. I've seen similar pointedness in other shops, generally showcasing their nicest (and most expensive) bike in stock. This was different though.
The bike had a light, a bell, 1 gear, spring-seat, and fenders. Besides a couple small spots of rust, it was in great condition even if it weighed in at over 60 lbs. Everything was original except for the grips and tires, things you'd expect to replace in 70 years. One of the mechanics took the restoration project on and did a great job. What makes it even better are the details in it, like the headtube badge. Stop by, check it out, and you'll see what the big deal is.
Mountain Lake, Virginia is probably a place you've never heard of, and neither had I. One of the only two natural lakes in Virginia, it's the home of a large, stone hotel, a dozen cabin, and many family style activities. It's also where the movie Dirty Dancing was filmed in the 80s, where the Dirty Dancing Reality Show is being filmed for showing in the UK, and where our good friends Chris and Liz got married last weekend.
The place is remote and beautiful. Hidden in the Thomas Jefferson National Forest, we spend the first half of the weekend getting dirty mountain biking, running, and hiking. Then spent the second half at the wedding and reception, with lots of dancing. It really was fantastic.
As for Mountain Lake, we'd recommend it highly if you're looking for very nice accommodations with lots of outdoors stuff to do (including biking) and don't want to feel crowded and overwhelmed with people.
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When schedules are tight, you have to take advantage of what you got. With just an hour of daylight and the temps still around 90 degrees, what's a guy to do?
I hate to give away such a great little secret, but I can't hold it back. I had just enough time after work to run home, change, then drive out to Huguenot Flatwater and jump in the river. The water was perfect and I was able to go across the James and back. I probably could've made it across one more time, but then I'd have been on the wrong side with minimal daylight.
A person's got to take advantage of these opportunities or they'll end up just passing you by.
Things that hold the power to evoke emotion keep a strong hold on our lives. When several of them come together, it's overwhelming.
I had decided that if I'm really going to do what I want to this fall, I need to put other things aside. Today, I skipped a road-trip race for local solo ride. With a high of 103 and wanting to get in 50 miles, I was on the PSP fireroads before 7am. 40 miles and two camelbaks later, I was where motivation outweighs exhaustion. The most remote section of singletrack, drips of sweat pouring off my helmet with every root or bump in the trail, my legs wanting to slow down, border-line heat-exhaustion, Gravedigger by Dave Matthews Band came on my iPod.
If you've been that whipped in that kind of heat, you understand. Sitting still, the environment seems to drift away from you. Moving, you lose your periphery and can only focus on what's directly in front of you. Hallucinogenic. Combining that with an personally emotional song, I could stay on the bike and pedal, but I couldn't have expressing anything to anyone if anyone had been there. My vision blurred, my hands sore, and my legs stinging.
Thoughts and memories came to mind, mostly evoked by the music, that I don't care to share. There's a certain side to me I just have a hard time letting people see. It relates to a side of living that we all must experience at some point, tragic and painful. But it also reminds us of the beauty of life. The beauty of our lives and the lives we miss.
So much to do, so much to show. Unfortunately, I can't show off the latest project due to a lost camera battery charger. Why is it lost? Because our house is a complete disaster due to vacating our two primary rooms of the house of all belonging. The fridge is in the living room, the microwave is in the hallway, paper plates are filling the trash can. Life's taken on a whole new level of disfunction that defines the term "Things are going to get worse before they get better."
Don't get me wrong, I'm stoked. But I'll be more stoked next month when this is over.
People are picky about their bikes, from the frame to the components. Any rider will tout the benefits of anything from TIG welding to chain lube and companies know it. Sponsorships are formed for promotion and the results are reported to the world. Ergon Grips is bragging how Trek/Bike Factory is doing in the Virginia Off-Road Series.
When I was in Arizona, one of my classmates was a runner who'd done a marathon, but hadn't maintained his running. I talked him into going with me one afternoon to South Mountain after he said he could probably do around 7 miles. I recently got this email:
Jared,
I just wanted to thank you for taking me on the south mountain run... It has turned me into a trail runner!... Hope all is well....
Brian
Fill in the blank: Last year is to Jared as this year is to _____.
If you said Liz, score yourself a point. Today, my girl did her 2nd Tri and 4th multisport event of the year at Richmond Multisports Power Sprint Tri. Initially, she was a little disappointed at her bike time since it was 4 minutes slower than the Smithfield Tri in March, until we realized it was also 2 miles longer. It was also quite a bit warmer also. Congradulate her next time you see her.
Unfortunately, my inability to find the camera charger in the midst of gutting the kitchen caused a lack of pictures. Hopefully Brightroom comes through.
The bigger story may have been last weekend though. RunRideRace's Dirty Du was super fun and was a true test of how much energy a person could put out as fast as possible for 18 miles. The format was a 5 mile trail run, 12 miles mountain biking, then 1 more mile of trail running. Liz asked me if I though she could do it considering what else she's done this year. I pointed out it's a difficult 10k plus two beginner women's mountain bike races. Though that made it sound tough, it's also only about 1/3 longer than the National Du Sport race in April. She decided she wanted it on her resume.
Something else that was fun about this race was how grass-roots it was. Woody says it's just because we know a lot of people, I think it's because the scene is so close-knit. On the run was chasing people down and trading places with several good athletes like Paul Leeger and Kevin Murray. I actually fell three times which took time to recover and get back in the groove, but still posted a descent run time. Is it just me or do running races always seems so much longer than the equivalent distance training run?
On the bike, I just hammered as hard as I could. I don't think I sat down until the third or fourth mile, but was in my big ring the entire race. Knowing I could use up all I had, just leaving enough for a very short run and only having to do two laps rather than the normal four I've been doing was motivating. On the second lap, I did kinda drift off and started thinking about the VORS rather than the trail and didn't quite know where I was on the course when I snapped out of it.
The 2nd run was strategic. Fast enough to finish it up, but would have been able to kick it in if needed. I never did see anyone, but looked over my shoulder coming across the dam anyways.
Liz was more exhausted than I've ever seen her at the end, but had a sizable fan club cheering her on at the finish. It was, without a doubt, her hardest and longest event to date.
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