First of Many

I joined a few guys from the SWAMP group Yesterday (28-Oct-08) out at Boyette for a ride. I am considering it the first of many endurance training rides. The guys I rode with are all training for 50 mile events coming up in Jan. I’m signed up for Croom 50 (14-Feb-09) and am hoping to get into Ididaride (31-Jan-09). Both of which are 50 mile events. Check out my tentative event schedule in the right hand collum.

Our group ended riding a total of about 12.5 miles. It was mostly intermediate trails at an average pace of 10-11 mph. They pushed me to ride harder and faster than I’m currently used to. The last time I had a ride like that was 6 ½ years ago during my Washington days. One of my main goals in hooking up with a group like this was to have them push me. I really think it’s the only way I’m going to get better. There were a total of 4 in our group. There were typicall two in front of me and one behind me. The rider behind me was there to make sure someone was there in case of an accident and also to make sure I didn’t get lost as this was only my second trip  out to Boyette.

Here is the route we took (At least I think it’s the route we took)

• Loch Ness
  
• Bridge
  
• Upper Loch Ness
  
• Gator Pit
  
• Golf Cart
  
• Pandemonium (I rode the upper portion)
  
• Sidewinder
  
• SWAMP Thing
  
• Garry’s Loop? (Not sure if we actually went this one or not)
  
• Woods Trail
  
• East Meadow
  
• Spur
  
• Spider Berm
  
• Randy’s Trail
  
• West Meadow
  
• Baby Nessie
• Inner Loch Ness

As I stated above, this was only my second time out on these trails so I was a bit disoriented most of the time. I pieced together the route based off the signs I saw and the conversations we had during the ride.

I know there are a lot of things I need to work on right now but there were a few that stood out during this ride.

• Speed fluctuations - I noticed that I was surging and then slowing down any time there was an incline. I need to work on keeping a consistent speed or at least keeping my speed up on inclines.
  
• Leg strength – My legs are pretty weak right now. My quads were getting really weak and burning pretty bad towards the end of the ride. I think strengthening my legs will help significantly with speed fluctuations. I will be able to more easily power my way up inclines.
  
• Control – I felt a bit out of control on the ride. There are quite a few tight technical spots out there and I found myself getting a bit unstable around them. Control will come with time though. I haven’t been riding much lately so I’m sure those skills are just a bit rusty.
  
• Picking my lines – I have a tendency to take drops without choosing a line first. This isn’t much of an issue for me on the drop but more so on the inclines. I usually end up taking a line that is much more difficult to get up on.
  
• Hydration – Although  I didn’t notice any hydration issues during the ride I felt very dehydrated a few hours after the ride and into the next morning. I hardly drank any liquid during the ride. I also need to look into some sort of an additive for my camelback to help with hydration.
  

All in all I think it was a great ride. Not just emotionally but physically as well. I’ve been itching to get out and ride with people that can really push me and help train me for the endurance rides and I think I’m off to a good start.