huntrdwayn

 …the Groove after my Summerhaven Trip has not been… easy.  That trip left me more drained than I thought it would.  The riding (at least the first day) was HARD…but the recovery was tough. That first night was not so bad but I slept poorly - crappy pillows that felt literally deflated (hearing the air whistle when I laid my head in was a new sensation), a mattress that was firm but okay… and ALL the light.  Since it was a tiny box cabin with everything but the bathroom in one room (my bed butted up to the kitchen), every light in the place radiated brightly.  I strategically placed things to cut down on the glare.   The second night was the worst - restless & unable to fade to sleep until midnight…then I was up by 4:30 as usual.  Post-ride Monday, there was a nap before lunch…and one after, so I did it to myself. The third night was in-the-middle - not great but not as bad as the night before.  Tossed, turned but when I got up Wednesday morni...

 This morning I woke up groggy, kinda empty.  While I had a HUGE plate of spaghetti  last night, I slept like shit.  Restless until midnight, I was awake again at 5 or so, laying there trying to figure out what to do next.  My plan had been to suit up, ride down the road to wherever I felt the heat turn up… again maybe 80 degrees or so.  However, with little sleep and a harder-than-expected ride yesterday, part of me said, “don’t dig that hole THAT deep”. While eating some breakfast, I decided to go a different way with the day.  I suited up a bit warmer thinking I could go easier… but if I was struggling, the extra clothes would be more comfortable, more able to keep heat in my legs & core.  I told myself, “Self, you can make a bigger breakfast to enjoy after the ride.” Roll out in the chilled air, maybe low 60’s.  Arm warmers and a wool base layer make sense.  Come over the top of the climb outta Summerhaven and the air is already ...

 …sits at around 7900 feet above sea level so the air is quite a bit thinner than the thickness my lungs are used to at 1400 feet in the Valley.  Right now I sit in this little cabin and realize, “yep, it’s a struggle.”   I booked this cabin, a tiny single-room box of a cabin right on the main drag in Summerhaven, about 2-3 weeks ago.  This block of time was a squeeze into our lives - August has been VERY busy for Meghan with one week-long work trip at the start of the month, a work retreat just finishing and a week-and-a-half horse show coming up.  In my own head, the idea of “I gotta get outta this fuckin’ 100+ degree hole” was mandatory.  Hell, I knew I WANTED it a few months back… but given that my fitness took a dive after taking much of June and ALL of July off from structured training, any road trip with harder expectations did not make sense.   Summerhaven DID make sense.  No, there was no illusion in my brain that riding at elevation woul...

 ...at Reach 11 when I rolled in.  I knew there would be - the night before had a couple of thunderstorms blow through.  Sometimes Reach 11 drains, sometimes it does not.   The DiiVerge was the next bike on the list to "test" the new saddle pushback & angle.  It was almost 8am before I rolled out... but the muggy air was still cool enough.  Roll up through the 'hoods, use the sidewalk to avoid school traffic and down to the dirt.  Heading west first seemed good enough... especially since it felt like my body was NOT cooperating.  The work I did in the gym the day before had been heavier than usual and left me more sore than usual.  "Spinnin' will clear out the shit," I told myself. Hit the singletrack portion, taking my time.  Stop at the end and angle the saddle up a bit so it doesn't feel like I am fighting to hold myself up.  Roll 20 feet, angle it back down so it does not feel like it's stabbing me in the crotch.  ...

...drew me & the Cutty outta the house early.  While the monsoon season has been sporadic, the heat has not been.  After some early storms blew through on the radar, my assumption was the dirt would tackier than usual.  Aired up the tires a bit lower than the last ride and head towards the Fraesfield Trailhead. 6:30 when I roll in, 6:46 when I roll out on Black Hills.  I had been off the bike for two days so my legs were not spinning easy... but they were sure to come around, I thought.  Cruise along, try to keep my HR in Z1,2.  I spy another rider ahead but resist the urge to chase.  As I approach Turpentine though, some oblivious dude swerves onto Black Hills in front of me... he wasn't close to hitting me but he it was clear he musta had blinders on.  He passes the other guy, scaring the bejeezus outta him... and simply waves.  Typical fuckin' lack of etiquette anymore... Start grinding up to Granite Mountain, Trek Guy (the one who had...

 …there is any kinda fitness left in me has escaped me for awhile now.  It seems every ride since I jumped back on the bike (regularly) in late July has been an exercise in seeing how far I can push before something falls apart.  Yesterday still ended with something falling apart… but finishing with a bit of confidence that “yea, I can still do this!” Was refreshing. Let’s back up though - the plan was to ride TUESDAY but as I rolled north, the air was BROWN with dust.  Usually I can see the McDowell Mountains from the house.  Nope.  I texted a friend who lives in Rio Verde and she said it was miserable up there.  With a loaded bike I drove up that way anyway thinking, “maybe I will roll further up Seven Springs Road.” That was a waste (other than time away from the house with the views).  Although the air was 78 degrees, that same air STUNK of smoke & dust.  Jump back in the truck, stop by the barn to see Ozzy (our horse) and the friend ...

 …am I on training for this Fall?   Not sure.  The harsh reality of Summer here in the Valley is long rides suck the life outta ya if: The heat out there creeps past 95 degrees… You haven’t ridden enough to acclimate to riding in those temps… You decide to ride harder than ya probably should… Twice last week I got out on the Canyon, Wednesday & Saturday.  Wednesday went so poorly that I decided to ride the same route Saturday to see if it was the day (and day before) or am I that FAR behind. Back up a bit - as I wrote on Tuesday, those intervals were hard but not draining.   Or so I thought.  I wanted a simple, Zone 1 to 2 ride in the heat to recover… and acclimate a bit.  Wednesday morning I was out by 7:00 or so… high 80’s, partly cloudy and kinda nice.  I was gonna shrug off the ride to do some yard work but that went by quicker than expected and I felt good. Roll out Acoma, over the 51 and left on 28th.  Ease up Voltaire, over to 24th...