And now...

...back to your regularly scheduled programming.

At least that's how it feels after nearly a week off the bike. I had pain. I took rest days. I got tired. Very tired. And a little sick. Not like "diseased" sick, or poisoned with whatever hitchhiked back to my house from the elementary school... that subtle, fatiguing, slightly nauseous, achy sick that is just enough to keep you from going out and going hard.

It really puts things in perspective. How do you get to the point where you have to almost force yourself to do the things you love to do? What is it that causes the want/do-not-want decision switch to trip without our conscious intervention? Maybe it isn't really all that complicated. I tell myself that as I research my recent bout of inexplicable malaise on the internet. And then... it hits me like a ton of bricks.

Overtraining. I didn't even think of this until this morning. Looking back, I was getting depressed and apathetic, I didn't even want to go out.  Too many miles. Too much riding. Too much (finally) nice weather to sit at the house. And I was paying the price of having too much of a good thing.

So I sat around the house feeling ill... barely got on the bike for days except to run short errands to the store. It was getting pretty disgusting. Today had been long enough, and I was going to put a stop to this business.

It didn't start well. fixed two mechanicals and didn't get rolling until after 11am. That was almost enough to make me turn around and scrap the whole outing. I'm very happy that I did not do that. We picked up lunch from the store and headed for the Rattlesnake. I wanted to explore a little more up in Sawmill Gulch, and figured it gave us a nice set of loops, and we could ride as much or as little as we wanted and then call it a day.

We took the obligatory singletrack up to the Sawmill Gulch TH and then started up the road.

We thought it was a lovely day to up in the 'snake.
We weren't alone in thinking this.

Slash piles near the TH. The forest service has been busy recently.

Lovely singletrack on 24.5

A turn off onto the 24.8 trail had us crossing a broad grassy meadow, and then climbing towards a ridge. Some very high quality singletrack. We did the loop, coming back on the 24.5 trail, walked around a marshy bog with innumerable tire ruts in the mud, back to the TH for some lunch. We put in 1000 vertical by this point and a roast beast sandwich with a Red Hook made for a delightful break. Julian and I walked around in the woods for a few minutes, and then mounted up to finish our ride.

Back down the obligatory singletrack along Sawmill Gulch Rd. Yee-haw. And then the cutoff over to the main corridor.

Rattlesnake Creek is way up.

Cool Rocks.
I think that every time we go by here.

We started up Spring Gulch and took a left at the potties to head up Curry. And UP we went.

This is the last thing you want to see in the middle of a steep climb.

The obstacle.
It presents particular problems to our equipment.

The method.
Or, the headless mountain biker.

We get up to this junction and I'm starting to look at the time.
We've got about an hour to get home from here.

We make a left and start climbing some more pristine singletrack.
I'm sort of in love with the trails up in this area.

See what I mean?

It was around this point that I realized where we were. Climbing up to Grant Divide. The views started opening up of the Grant Creek drainage, which we have ridden up many times.

"Look, Julian! Grant Creek."

Looking out towards Snowbowl, Point Six, and Stuart Mountain.

I paused. Thinking briefly that it would be almost as fast to hook up with the Ravine Trail and take Grant Creek Rd. back into town as it would be to ride back down Sawmill. I'm not sure why we didn't do that. It would have been the perfect end to a perfect ride. We were under a serious time limit though. Have to be home by 3:30 when Rene gets home from school.

We opted to head for familiar territory.

I knew I was pretty burnt by this point when i caught myself musing
at some supposed mathematical coolness about '24.5'.

Thin line through the grass.

And back down that famous singletrack along Sawmill Gulch Rd... our third time on that bit of dirt for the day. Screaming out of Rattlesnake and back toward town, but with a couple diversions:

This is MUCH better than Rattlesnake Drive... and almost as fast.

A little creek crossing to get the toes wet.

Some deer happily munching on someone's front yard.

Julian likes deer.

In the end, we got home with just minutes to spare. Rene got home and I told him about our adventure, and he told me about his. Their class went on an ecological field trip up to Mount Jumbo saddle.

I am thankful for the opportunity to live in a place like this, and to have two wonderful children who are coming to really enjoy it as well.

Now I just need to keep things in balance. Today felt good. Maybe we will just chill out at the park tomorrow.

---

25 miles, 2500 feet of climbing.
White lines contain area displayed on topo map.
(road ride to/from cropped out)

Out and about...

Spring, the river rushes,
Flowers appear in every moment.

Canadians.

Beavers at Work.

Rest Day

With the recent spell of amazing weather, we've been out riding singletrack, climbing forest roads, having innumerable picnic lunches in the woods, and running all over town each day just soaking up what feels like a little bit of July here in May. I put in almost 90 miles and 4900 feet of climbing this last week, the most riding of any week so far this season. I acquired tan lines. Julian got a mild sunburn. We sucked down water and hiked along deer trails.

Today was declared a day of rest. No errands. No epics. Not even one pedal revolution. Not even a walk around the block. Lassitude and quiet. These intervals are necessary for the body, but also for the mind. Too much GO GO GO is not healthy or balanced.

Even the weather seems to agree - as thunderstorms rolled in, winds kicked up, and rain came to restore the balance of the season. For the first time in many months, I was happy to be inside.

Ignorance is rarely bliss...

This is a truth made glaringly apparent by my last post. Jill was kind enough to point out that I was in error about Sam Braxton not riding a bike, so I went to read up on the man. After riding his namesake trail yesterday and then learning about his life, I thought I would share a bit of it here.

Sam Braxton was a Missoula area adventurer, in the true sense of the word. Outdoorsman, skier, mountain biker, and a huge proponent of bicycle touring. In addition to excelling in all these activities, he also built custom bicycle frames and ran a small shop catering to the adventure cycling crowd, inspiring and equipping many others for their own cross country endeavors. Sam Braxton died in 1988 at the age of 62 after a yearlong battle with cancer.

Sorry, Sam. I had no idea.

Change of Seasons...

Many signs that things are changing here in western Montana. The sun is out, the birds are signing, and every construction crew in a 30 mile radius is busy building something up or tearing something down. Our apartment complex decided to "renovate" so we've had siding being tacked down onto the walls for the last 2 days. Unpeaceful. I don't think that's a word, but it is an environmental condition.

We took to the bike and decided to flee. Far away from the pounding nails, bright orange vests, surveyors stopping traffic, and dump trucks, bulldozers, and steamrollers spewing their collective diesel breath into the otherwise pristine air. 

I figured this would be decent time for me to experiment with the other camera, too. I've been shooting with a tiny Casio point-and-shoot that takes decent images, but I have noticed they are soft and often not quite right in the focus department. I have a larger Kodak digital with Image Stabilization and many more manual features that I haven't been shooting with on rides due to its bulk. Well, I figured out how to pack it on the bike, so I'm going to use it and see for myself if it is worth the extra bulk.

A small portion of the Dandelion Invasion Force that is taking over in front of my apartment.

Julian decided Pattee Canyon was the place to be, so up we went.

Hillside above Pattee Creek.

We rode through the Picnic Area and found a likely spot.
Mental note.

After rolling through the Picnic Area, we got on the Sam Braxton trail and took off skyward in a way that left me unsure if my cardiac muscle was still located within my chest cavity. Steep, fall line trail that looked like it just kept right on going to the top of the south wall of the canyon. I don't know who this Sam Braxton guy is, but I'm willing to bet he doesn't ride a bike.

In the forest, the signs of the new season were somewhat quieter, but no more subtle. Bright green colors from trees and mosses, rushing creeks full of water turned slightly brown from the rapidity of the meltwater cascading down from the snowpack, birds singing and many forest critters out and about.

Looking back toward the valley from somewhere near the top of Sam B.

Broad, woodland singletrack.

We rode right past this small herd of deer, and they took off in a hurry.
Pushing my camera to the limit to get this shot.

A very busy woodpecker.
Somehow managed to get this handheld at maximum zoom, and its a crop from the center of the frame.
I'm thinking the Image Stabilzation in the bigger camera is a GOOD thing.

A brightly colored specimen of the local wildlife.
Note the splattering of mud and Clif bar, indicating feeding habits.

We rode a nice loop, and reluctantly pointed down the hill to forage for some lunch. Back into the din of a city rousing itself from winter hibernation.

Unplanned...

So today was supposed to be errands, shopping, and rain. Fortunately for all of us it didn't turn out that way. We sort of bailed on what we were supposed to do and went riding instead. The sun was in and out, and sprinkles of rain were light enough to actually enjoy. We headed for the Rattlesnake and decided to put in some dirt miles.

Initially I wasn't sure this was a good idea. I began having "doubts" around 5 miles into the ride... probably something to do with eating a big lunch and then taking off on a ride right away. I decided to push through it and am glad I did. By the top of Sawmill I was feeling great and we enjoyed a swooping descent back to the main corridor. Then a steady climb up Stuart Peak trail and across the second wooden bridge, then another "yee-haw" trip down Spring Gulch. Up to the Wallman TH, and quick little loop on the not-so-steep. Zoom back down to the main TH and down the singletrack along Rattlesnake Drive as the rain began to settle in.

Profile of a fun ride. 25 miles. 1750-ish ft. total ascent.

Unfortunately, the spontaneity of our decision and the rapidity with which it was executed left me ill prepared to document anything. I got precisely one picture.

This lovely flower captured my attention...
and apparently also captured all the free space on my digital camera.
I had left the memory card in another camera at home.

We took our time and enjoyed the afternoon. Trails are mostly dry, and spring has definitely brought out all the flora and fauna one would expect from sub-alpine western Montana. Days like today are an opportunity to reflect on how we approach life's myriad activities. Things can be TOO planned. One should always live deliberately, consciously... but sometimes it is so tremendously satisfying to get caught up in the moment and just GO.

Looking forward to many more rides like this.

Disasterrific...

Sometimes the solution to a problem is not found in ease or comfort. In these cases, more suffering is necessary. Today was a great example of this.

Attempt #1:

Woke up feeling like one of the trains that runs behind our apartment had derailed and ran over me repeatedly throughout the night... 2 days of wrenching on my bike... 2 days of insufficient sleep for various reasons. And... there was no coffee.

Attempt #2:

The day started again 1 mile from my bed, drinking coffee and eating donuts at the grocery store with Julian. We got a few things, and came home.

Attempt #3:

Changed clothes when it became clear that it was going to warm up today. Changed clothes again when it became clear just how much. After all the gray skies and 40 degree days with wind, sunny and 65 caught me a little off guard. Bike shorts and a t-shirt. Good to go.

Packed a picnic lunch and loaded up, headed for Rattlesnake. Nice easy road spin through Greenough Park and up Rattlesnake Drive toward the mountains. Very little traffic. Lots of bikes out. Lots of smiling people all around. Missoula is really a buoyantly happy, friendly place when the sun is shining.

We rode up the main corridor to the Wallman TH and stopped there for lunch. Julian chased butterflies. I ate my sandwich and soaked up the sun like a lizard.

It's peanut butter and jelly time!
Of course, these pine needles are interesting too.

Rattlesnake Creek

We walked around and looked at all the neat forest things. 

This yellow flower was maybe the diameter of a nickel.
I used a stick as an impromptu tripod. Still not as sharp as I would like.

Lichens are so strange.
Bright neon green is not exactly a color commonly found in nature.

After lunch, I decided we should go exploring... up... oh, I don't know... Wallman trail. This trail isn't exactly ridable. My GPS stopped tracking the percent grade when it reached 25%. One section was hike-a-bike so brutal I actually bumped my helmet into my handlebars. I pushed the bike and the trailer and Julian up as far as I could... over fallen trees and snowbanks... post-holing up to my knees and lifting first the bike, then the trailer... until we just couldn't go any further. 

Turn around, and DOWN the trail... dancing along that fine razor edge between too fast for my skinny tires and too much brake to where the trailer tried to come around. Yee haw.

Rode some very pleasant singletrack, hooked up with the main road, and zipped back home in record time. 

GPS says 23.75 miles and 2000 feet of climbing. Add in stalking lichens and chasing butterflies, and you have a perfect adventure on a perfect day.

It leads me to reflect on the amount of discomfort produced by this day. I have been struggling with the cold, the dark, and the wet. So much so, that I haven't even wanted to do anything. So why is it that I can be mildly dehydrated, post-holing knee deep in snowdrifts while lifting 90 pounds of gear and child over fallen trees on the side of a cliff... and LAUGHING about it... but get me slightly cold and damp, and I'm MISERABLE... I think I need to work this out. 

More suffering is sometimes necessary.

Base miles...

It is so hard for me to just get out and ride some miles without trying to plan a big ascent, or hook up with a singletrack diversion, or stop waaaaay too often to take pictures. It's what keeps me from getting as much mileage as I would like, and what leads to a certain kind of over-training: too many moderate/short rides at high intensity. Big fun factor, but no active recovery, and no base, so big pain.

At least recently... pain that just won't seem to stretch away. I decided it was time to dial back the intensity meter again, and (try to) be a roadie for some active recovery and easy base miles. Just keep the pedals turning. It will be easy. And boring.

We rode out of Missoula down MT200 and then headed South on Old Hwy 10. Got just past Turah and then turned around.

30 miles of relatively flat pavement. 14mph average speed. 1 stop. No pictures. Headwind. Coffee and scones at City Brew.

Julian says that next time we should go to Blue Mountain. I'm inclined to agree.

Sundaze...

Yeah. Two whole days of sunny and warm. I was feeling like I was under the influence of some psychedelic substance. Starting to get tan lines after 2 days of sun... that's how dark it has been this winter.

So what better to do than sit around on the front porch, soak up the sunlight, sip some cold beverages, and grill?

She wanted a picture of me grilling... I'm confused as to why.

So I took a picture of her grilling.
Then I ran to chase down soccer balls for the kids.

And helped Julian climb a tree.

Everyone was relaxed, happy, warm, and enjoying a day where we could have fun outside and not really go anywhere. Feeling very good about this. The clouds rolled in, rain started overnight, and it is supposed to continue through the week. Snow on the hilltops this morning. It will be May next week, and Spring is bound to get a foothold sooner or later. 

The sweet spot...

It is a challenge for me. Finding it, that is. If I ride solo, I want to go as fast and as hard as I am physically capable. If we go riding as a family, I want everyone to enjoy themselves and push the limits just a little. There is a "sweet spot" where any more would be too much for a family outing, and any less would just leave me - and possibly everyone else - wanting more. Today was about finding that sweet spot.

We started off down the Kim Williams and ran straight into a bike race. The roadies with the narrow tires and the deep-dish composite wheels were out in force. We dodged runners for a while, and then headed straight up Deer Creek Rd.

This ascent is steady and not too difficult for everyone.
Views from near the top aren't too bad either.

Rene doing his best to keep a positive attitude while working hard.

Melissa made a butterfly friend.

The plan was to get to Pattee Canyon Rec Area, ride some trails in the Southside network, and then hook up with Crazy Canyon. A secondary objective of this ride was to scope out trail conditions in the Pattee area. Result? Trails are not quite ready to ride, and we checked out a few different loops. Next month will bring some great riding in this area, I'm sure.

We crossed the road and headed up Crazy Canyon. This is a not-so-steep jeep road that climbs to the top of Mt. Sentinel (5000 ft.)... we had no intention of making it to the top on this ride, but to hook up with Crooked Trail and MoZ to get back into town. 

We rode down the steep switchbacks dodging trees.
Lots of cyclists climbing up, too.

Crooked Trail bursts out of the trees, and crosses the wide open space on
the southwest flank of Mt. Sentinel

Tired, but happy riders.

Once we got off the mountain (that last bit is pretty darn steep!), we headed at a leisurely pace through the University District, headed downtown, and were quickly caught in the gravitational pull of the Bridge pizza.

Remains of post-ride nutrition.

All in all, a great way to spend a Saturday with the family. The weather was sunny and warm, and we found ourselves not quite heading home until almost 7pm. A long day, but not an overly hard day. We are all tires, but better for the experience, and I'm just very happy to have hit the sweet spot one more time.

21.5 miles. 2000 feet of climbing.