I have to admit one thing I do not have a lot of these days is time. Not enough time to train, not enough time to relax, not enough time to clean, and definitely not enough time with those I love; friends and family. Due to time restraints, I spend a large number of hours combining all of the things I love together in one action. This means spending time with friends while I train or laughing with the boys while I clean or even cooking dinner and relaxing. All I can say is thank goodness for our babysitter Emma, or Paul and I would probably never see each other. The most interesting thing happens when you train with friends, you talk about the things that are bothering you, your dreams, and about almost everything under the sun, except racing. It becomes a cathartic experience and by the time you get home, all is good in the World. At least until the next day’s challenges. This weekend my husband Paul, my friend Brian, and myself went for a little adventure on our bikes.
Paul had assured us that the trails were dry and since we had not been able to mountain bike since November, we were eager to give it a go. It was pretty chilly, as most February days in Colorado so often are, but we bundled up and headed out. We made it out on the first trail just in time. The ground was still frozen and we managed to stay atop all of the gunk below. We chatted and laughed and caught up on all that we had missed in each other’s lives for the last couple of weeks. We made it to the trail head and the dirt was beginning to dethaw, which translated into slop for us. We persevered through and the nasty mud patches were small and walkable.
Then we headed out on the main trail and it was dry, bone dry. We all cheered in unison and realized how much we had missed the dirt. We headed out on the loop and it wasn’t long before we encountered snow.
Anyone who knows me, knows I am terrified of running into a mountain lion. Mainly because I spend so much time training solo and I know that they are closer then I think. So needless to say, this did not ease my fears.
It was not small and I swear I started to ride a little faster after that encounter. We headed home and I even got a free spa treatment, mud bath, on the way down. My poor bike was in bad shape.
Thank goodness for car washes.
The day ended with dinner and wine at our house. Paul and I attempted to recreate a dinner we had watched on food network, fairly successfully; but we are no Tyler Florence. It was a great day, relaxing, time with loved ones, a new adventure, and a bike ride all rolled in one and in my eyes; that is time well spent.