got to break it up!

I am SORE this morning. 

Last week I hit up the local (to work) trails for a spin.  My legs were already feeling it before the ride, but I figured I could take it easy and just get out there and spin.  Adams Farm doesn't have much climbing (if you stay away from some of the powerline routes) and I hadn't been there for a while so I figured it'd be a good place for an easy ride.  The tight turns and pine needles just sapped my energy and for the majority of the ride I felt like I couldn't get going.  In the end, I was happy to have hit the trails... but also happy to be done!!

Friday I couldn't rest, I had to get out and ride.  The weather was too nice and the weekend was a bit unpredictable weather wise... so I went for it.  I decided to explore yet another trail system.  And I am glad I did.  My legs felt pretty good - which turned out to be a great thing because I ended up getting out of school later than I would have liked.  Which translated arriving later to the trail head (plus some time getting lost... a little) with light fading.  I'm confident riding with my light, but would rather not explore a brand new trail in the dark.  So I tried to keep the pace up as much as possible throughout the ride. 

I was running late this morning so I'm posting from work and can't access my pictures... shhhh don't tell!!  Actually, I just MacGyvered my way through the internets to retrieve my pictures from Upton State Forest (you can follow the link for all of the pictures), so here are a few.



May not look it, but the was STEEP!



There were maps at the trail head, which was nice (although I had already pulled up the map on my phone just in case), so I planned out a route.  As I made my way down the fire road and doubletrack to hit my first singletrack I quickly learned I was probably hitting this in the wrong direction as I was greeted by a steep straight climb.   I spotted a trail to the side and hoped for a more gradual climb so around the corner I went.



Better... but now with obstacles



Around the bend I found an obstacle ridden path, but one that was much kinder in it's incline.  There was still some hike-a-bike to be found but as you rose into the trees some helpful switchbacks appeared allowing me to grind my way to the top.



Smooth sweetness

And then there was Mammoth Rock.  A sweet boulder with an exposed face providing a nice slick rock decent.  I climbed up beside it and powered up it's short steep side to find a long smooth decent.  Much fun, with a sharp turn to return to the path below.

 

Choices

Ok, so that was my riding for the end of the week.  I'm excited to have two places to explore that are(somewhat) local to work.  Hale and Upton.

I hit the gym over the weekend and I'm still feeling it.  I already have a designated "leg day" so I decided to hit up every other part of my body... I'm now thinking I have to split that workout into two because by he end I was dead.  Ok, time to work.