Deer Ramblings

Jason and I went camping at a yurt in Flagstaff this week. Here's a snapshot of my thoughts as I ran into a deer on the trail...

Our humble yurt at the Flagstaff Nordic Center

I can't believe how beautiful it is outsi – oh, shit! That's a deer! Like in the trail, looking at me and way fucking bigger than I imagined, deer. Or is it a moose? Wait, no. I'm from NH – why am I suddenly unable to tell the difference between a moose and a deer? Definitely a deer. He looks pissed, or maybe he just takes his morning walks very seriously and I just fucked it all up for him. Do I turn around? Or is that rude – I don't want the deer to think I am avoiding him, but I also don't want to be trampled to death. Do they even trample? Should I climb one of these trees? What? No. I haven't climbed a tree since I was 10 – so no, I should not climb one of these trees. Those antlers are freaking me out and I'm pretty sure he knows it. I can see the headline now - “Vegan Mountain Biker Gored by a Stern Deer”. How ironic. Or maybe it's a she? No, a female deer probably would have ran. Not that I think women can't hold their own, alright now I'm really an asshole. Maybe if there was another deer here for comparison...

One of the super flowy trails in the Coconino National Forest

I'll just turn around and pick another trail. What if he follows me? No, his legs are so long. It would be a very leisurely pace for him, and without small talk he'd probably get bored. Can I look back? Or will that be seen as an invitation to hang out or fight over something we both think we deserve – like the rights to ride on his turf. No, don't look back. What was that noise – perhaps an oncoming ambush? No, I just ran over a pile of wood chips. Okay – what was THAT noise? More wood chips. What is with all of fucking wood chips?

I can't wait to tell Jason about this encounter once I get back to the yurt. How should I word it – maybe, “I saw a beautiful, serene deer basking in the sunlight in the forest”. Nah, he'll know it's bullshit.

A Saddle Bag Made From Upcycled Materials That Is Actually Durable? Product Review: Green Guru Transition

My first impression: “Damn, that's bright!”. Featuring upcycled fabric and a bright logo, this bag demands a double take. I held the Transition up to my current saddle bag for comparison. I was immediately convinced it wouldn't fit everything; one 29er tube, two tire levers, a multi-tool, and a patch kit. I was wrong; this pack is deceptively spacious (1.7L). I could probably fit a CO2 inflator if I wrapped my spare tube tighter and put the patch kit in a small plastic bag instead of the case it came in. The bag has a larger zippered opening than other seat bags I've used - no more taking out three items just to get to my wedged in muli-tool. 

My packing skills leave much to be desired...

Attaching the bag to the seat rails of my saddle was a little tricky. The Transition uses a tri-glide buckle situated on the underside of the bag, making it difficult to see. A side release buckle would be much easier and faster. The stitching came apart slightly on the end of the webbing after one use, we'll see how it holds up to a few months. Once the bag is attached, the wrap-around strap works really well to cinch it in place. For extra security, there is a hook and loop closure that wraps around the seat post. I went over the bars last weekend, and made quite the scene flailing down the trail. The bag held up great, with not a scratch to the sturdy nylon material.

All snugged up!

Looking to use this for city riding? The door of the bag has a vertical reflective loop that you can also attach a safety light to. Though, the loop would work better for most clip mounted tail lights if it was positioned horizontally.

Low profile design lines up with the back of the saddle

While there a few things I'd change about this bag, it is a great addition to my gear family. It checks off a few boxes that other name brand manufacturers can't – like being handmade in Colorado by a company that supports an enormous recycling initiative.

Taking the Transition for its first day on the trails!

Disclaimer: This saddle bag was provided at no charge for review by Green Guru.

Let's Get Nerdy - Tracking Progress

“I will not become a Stravasshole – I'm doing this for science!”, I said to myself as I started the download on my phone. At this point I was riding at least twice per week, but wasn't tracking distance traveled or even my time spent on the bike. I knew I was getting faster (albeit slowly), but basing my progress solely on how I felt was leaving me unsure of myself. I generally hate numbers, but apparently I find them interesting when they pertain to my mountain biking – self absorbed, I know.

I worked on standing up more to pedal on today's ride. Holy hip flexors!

Today, I decided to make a quick spreadsheet of my mileage, speed and elevation gain from my weekly rides at Papago Park over the past month. Seeing the numbers like this instead of in an calendar activity log makes it easier for me to see the progress. One thing to keep in mind – I did not ride the same route every time and my mileage and speed increases have been minimal, but overall I think this is a great snapshot of my improvements. I can't wait to see what this chart looks like 3 months from now. 

Lots of people make spreadsheets for fun, right?

What do you do to track your progress? 

Practice Makes Progress

That's right folks, we've been duped. Progress, not perfection, is what you get from hard work. And if you're new to something - you're most likely going to suck. Like a lot. But that's okay. Every person you see tearing it up on the trails or at the bike park also sucked at one point. Practice makes you better. Practice makes you faster. Practice makes you stronger. (Daft Punk knows what's up, why mess with a good thing?) Sure- you can buy a "better" bike, lighter parts - the list goes on. A new bike isn't going to make you suck less. I'm not saying it won't make a difference at all - it totally can. But before you run out and spend a ton of money on shit you don't even know if you  need yet, you should probably just ride your bike. Like a lot.

Putting in some work at the Desert Trails Bike Park in Mesa, AZ.

Blisters got you down? Ride more - get calluses.

Building Habits

At the beginning of December, I set some goals for myself for the 2015 season. But it's so hard to work toward a goal without an actual game plan, so I made one of those too. Writing it down made it real. Putting it on the refrigerator so I would see it everyday made it scary. So, I'm tackling this monster one month at a time. In December, I drank at least 8 glasses of water per day, averaged over 8 hours of sleep per night, did yoga/stretching at least 4x per week and did a 1 minute plank almost every day. I did not get to the bike park once a week. I did not do bike sprints even once. Lesson learned – I put too much shit on my “to do” list. Making goals is frightening, sharing them with other people makes me want to throw up. Too much vulnerability. But you know what? It's January, and I'm going to the bike park today.

Dawn to Dusk Mountain Bike Race Report

This is the desert. Trails are usually dusty and packed down like concrete or loose like a pool of quicksand. But not today, not this day. Rain is here, and it's fucking awesome. The start line is a sea of cheap waterproof shells, some people are wearing plastic bags. I am one of the few people with a hooded jacket - when a small crowd notices, jealousy ensues. The sun is rising, though you can't really tell because the sky is hazy and grey.

The promoter announces that the 15+ mile lap loop has been altered to a high water route, which skips the rocky descent and replaces it with smooth rollers. I am on a 4 person team and am the first to ride – the lap starts on pavement for a 2 mile uphill climb before turning right onto the trail. Shit. I hate climbing, even more so on the road. I start out at the middle of the pack, but I don't stay there for long. A guy on a singlespeed fat bike with his hands off the bars passes me and I figure I should just accept my place at the back of the line.

The rain stops by the time I get to the trail, so I ditch my jacket at the team tent and keep riding. The trails look like someone came through and covered the course with peanut butter. Climbs are slow (well, slower than normal) and drops are sketchy at best. Naturally, a shit eating grin appears on my face. Really though, there's mud in my teeth.

A few hours later it's time for lap 2. The trails are almost completely dry, but they are tacky as hell. The back half of the loop is slightly downward sloping and I keep pedaling. It's fast and scary and my eyes are watering so much I can barely see. I'm pumping the backside of rollers and finding a flow that is rare for me on race days. My bike has changed from green to clay, my hands are numb and my shorts are splattered in layers of dirt in varying degrees of dryness. This is the desert. Rain is here, and it's fucking awesome.

Tuesday Gear Review - Club Ride Mountain Surf Short

First things first - I am a HUGE product knowledge dork. I love reading gear reviews and manufacturer catalogs, specifically outdoor clothing related. I also work retail, so I'm used to picking apart apparel constantly. Here's the first Tuesday Gear Review!

Club Ride Mountain Surf Short

Photo Courtesy of http://dirtyjane.com

I've been riding exclusively with these shorts for about a month now and have logged 100+ miles. As a side note - I am using them with the My Alibi Clothing Bloomer Chamois Shorts which is a killer combo. Here's the breakdown on the good, the bad, and the plain old facts.

What I Like: 

• Shorter inseam than most baggy shorts. My husband affectionately refers to these as my "booty shorts" (note - for long climbs/high mileage this slowly turns into a negative, as they can ride up slightly causing my thighs to touch the saddle)
• Wicked lightweight fabric that dries suspiciously quickly, but in the meantime people may or may not think you've peed your pants
• Snap closure - Yay! I have a history of destroying regular buttons and their shitty thread
• 2 large hand pockets (considering the shorter inseam) and 1 zippered right/rear pocket. The zipper pocket is pretty much only good for a car key, energy gel, or that old Motorola Krzr in your junk drawer.

What I Can't Stand:

• Camel toe - let's be honest
• Shorter inseam (told you) won't accommodate all liner/chamois shorts, so be sure to look into this 
• I am a size 10 and take a size Large - which leaves me frustrated, yet again, with the outdoor industry for not offering larger sizes. Chicks who ride bikes have big thighs!

Techy Things:

• Gusseted crotch so you don't split your pants!
• Abrasion resistant and lightweight PowerWeaveTM material 
• 6" inseam

Thanks for stopping by! I would love to get some more feedback from other ladies on these shorts, feel free to comment below!

Don't Blow It!

The days were counting down before my first long mountain bike race. Marathon. Part of me couldn't actually believe I had signed up. For the past two seasons, I had been racing Women's Cat 3 – a short 10 mile loop. This time, I'd be riding a 33 mile loop, and if I made it back in less than 3.5 hrs, I could tack on as many 10 mile laps as possible before the time ran out.

Since I told anyone who would listen that I signed up for this race, naturally I was nervous. Everyone was wishing me good luck and telling me to just have fun. The well wishes were encouraging, but I couldn't shake the self doubt. That voice inside that practically screams, “Don't blow it!”. What if I was slow? What if I didn't finish? What if the judges took one look at me at the start and knew I couldn't hack it? What if the other racers knew it too?

The alarm woke me up in a panic at 4:30AM on Saturday. This thing was real and I was just going to have to dig deep and get it done. My hands were sweating as I packed my gear for the drive to the mountains. Marathon. I checked the registration website before I left the house. My jaw dropped as I read 19 ladies had signed up!

The next 4 hours were a blurred countdown until the 8:30AM start time. All of a sudden I was surrounded by over 70 other riders, men and women, in a sea of shaved legs, energy gels and co2 cartridges. 2 minutes until show time. The announcer was rambling on about his decision to line the men up first and the women behind, but I wasn't listening. I turned all my attention inward, mentally preparing myself for spending 3+ hours in the saddle with no music, no conversation – just me.

The cowbells started and the front rows of riders took off in a mad dash for the holeshot. I had a different strategy than most, I just wanted to finish the damn thing. I settled in at the very end of the pack, taking my time to warm up. Even at my slower pace, my breathing was out of control. I felt like I had swallowed a fist full of sand. It wasn't long before the next category of riders caught up to me – Pro Men. I was caught in a frenzy of lycra and testosterone as they passed me with ease.

Shortly after, the Marathon route broke away from the main competitive track. I was the last rider, and I didn't care. The sun was still coming up, I welcomed its warmth on my face. The only sounds were shifting gears, tires rolling over rocks, and water sloshing in my Camelbak. It was perfect. Marathon. 

Originally seen on Dirty Jane : http://www.dirtyjane.com/blogs/news/14034901-dont-blow-it