Moab Training Trip Part 2

 Friday morning we woke up to a beautiful sunrise and surroundings.  We discussed with everyone where we were going to ride and settled on a ride called Baby Steps, because supposedly it was challenging but not too hard.  The name was deceiving. 

I can be a little impatient when it comes to getting my workouts in.  I get frustrated with Adam a lot because I tend to get ready quickly and then I want to start my workout, and he tends to take a little more time.  I think I am the exception in quick workout preparation.  When you get a large group of people trying to get up, eat breakfast, drive somewhere to ride and all get ready it takes a lot more time and coordination.  We got going a lot later than I expected on Friday and while it was "only in the 50's-60's" it felt really hot with no shade.  After waiting awhile, Adam and I decided to get going on the ride on our own ahead of some of the others.  A few of the guys had already started but several were still getting ready and on their way and we didn't want to wait any longer because it was warming up and we had the dogs.

Adam and I pre ride

The beginning of the ride on the easy part of the trail

Still the easy part of the trail

 The trail started off pretty easy except for a few really sandy spots where it was hard to stay upright and keep pedalling.  The more I rode in the sand, the better I got at it.  There was a good bit of screaming and screeching on my part every time we went through a really sandy spot and I thought I was going to fall.  At this point I think we were still on the Klondike Bluffs trail, which got confused with baby steps for technical difficulty level.  Klondike bluffs was about the difficulty I was expecting.

We turned onto the baby steps trail and soon started climbing up a huge rock.  No trail, just ride straight up the rock to the top then find the trail there.  I was doing okay at first, then hit a deep indentation in one of the rocks in just the wrong way and went down hard on the rock.  I got up quickly and tried to get back on my bike, but my seat hit hard and was turned sideways.  Adam fixed it with tools and then I noticed my leg was bleeding.  I don't like blood so I got a little nauseous and panicked.  I got back on the bike and made it up the rock and then was very cautious and cranky after that.  Being cautious can be good and bad.  Being cautious keeps you from doing stupid things that you aren't capable of doing.  But, hesitating on the mountain bike can make things worse.  When you get to a tough section,you have to either go for it or dismount and walk it.  If you over think it, you end up falling. At least that's what I've found in my limited experience. 

We rode on and the course got more technical.  I started to notice that when I remounted my bike, my shorts were getting caught on the saddle.  I finally noticed just how uncomfortable the saddle was and then took a look and now the nose was pointing way up.  Adam readjusted it and then it slipped back to the same position again.  He readjusted it and we decided to turn back.  Not long after we turned around, it felt like my seat came off completely (it didn't just slipped way up) and I freaked out, hit the breaks and flipped over my bike.  Surprisingly, it didn't hurt that much since it was dirt.  Falling on the rock hurt much more.  Adam adjusted my seat again, and we took it slowly and cautiously back.  We lost the trail for awhile, but thankfully found it and got back in one piece.  3 of the riders that left a few minutes after us ended up getting lost and riding for 4 hours.  I'm so glad I didn't end up riding with that group!

Post ride, not as happy and covered in red dirt.

 We headed back into town and had my bike looked at.  I was told that my seat post is known for allowing the saddle to rotate the way it did and they put some gritty stuff in it to help hold it in place, but said I probably just wanted to get a different one eventually.  My left ankle was pretty sore from falling so we went back to camp and relaxed for awhile and then decided to do an easy hike from our camp down to the river. 

Frito stalking something

 We got down to the river and there were red ants and pricker burrs everywhere, so we cut is short and went on a different hike in a nearby canyon.  It was cool and shady and besides a pair of campers, we were the only ones there.

Mickey swam for the first time, thanks to a demonstration from Cooper

After our hike we headed back to camp for a low key evening. I wanted to take it easy because of my falls and was limping around a bit on my ankle.  We made some Quinoa linguine for dinner.  Food tastes so much better when you are hungry and camping.

Cooper trying to steal some linguine

3 tired dogs after 2 days of fun

 Saturday morning the plan was to go do the xterraMoab and soak up the sun.  Mickey was laying out watching us get our stuff ready.

Mickey sunning himself on a rock.

 The ride started out with a lot of climbing.  Not too technical but a lot of steep stuff.  I was huffing and puffing and trying to enjoy the amazing views at the same time.  We climbed for awhile and then rode down a hill and had some amazing views.

Starting out the ride

Much happier on this ride

One of the rock formations along the ride

 The ride was challenging but at a level that was not over my head, so it turned into a really good day.  It was a good confidence booster after Friday's ride and nice to get out and see some more beautiful scenery.  I'm glad we went early, because on the way back there were jeeps and ATV's driving a long the trail making it much less pleasant.  That was one of the things I didn't like about Moab. So many dirt bikes, atv's, etc making noise.

Another view along the way--the mountains in the distance never show up well in pictures.

A view on the ride back

 After a good ride in the morning, we headed out to Ken's Lake in the afternoon to do some running/hiking and so the dogs could swim.  Ken's Lake is where the xterra will be held. 

The view from the drive in.

 I ran with Frito first while Adam walked the other dogs.  We headed towards Faux Falls.  

You can see the falls off to the right if you look closely

 I ran back and forth to make sure Adam knew where I was going and to give Mickey a turn to run. It was hot and sandy run, but a good one.  I felt pretty good, all things considered.  We finally made our way to the falls and dipped our feet in.  It was cold!

Cooper, Frito, and Mickey enjoying the falls.

Driving back to camp after a long day of activity.

When everyone got back to camp we heard some of the stories of the day.  One of the guys had broken his finger out on the course.  Everyone talked about the course difficulty--not aerobically, but technically.  I realized that I am not ready to take on such a technically challenging course in a race.  So, I will not be racing the xterra moab and will likely not race any xterras until 4 corners in early June.  Which is fine with me.  I need more time to get more skilled at riding my mountain bike. 

Before I knew it, Sunday was here and it was time to pack up and go home.  I went out for a ride from camp, down the road and then to Hurrah Pass, then back and up a climb up the road.  It was not super technical for most of it, but there were times when I had to really focus and was proud that I made it over some sections without falling or hopping off.  With mountain biking, I think its really important to take things at your own pace and slowly build your confidence.  If you try things that are too hard for where you are, you can not only get hurt, but can be demoralizing.  It's important to find the right level of challenge and then raise the bar from there when you are ready.