Striding through March

March has been keeping me too busy to find the time to post anything new here. This is one of my favorite times of year - the days are rapidly getting longer, the trails are melting off and drying out, and the winter training dividends have accumulated to a point that the fitness is beginning to come back to a solid level.

A few pics of what's been going on lately...

My tribute to the Iditasport racers up in AK. There were (and continue to be) some impressive performances up there!

I was talking to a guy yesterday on the N Boulder Valley trail. He was all excited that "mountain bike season has finally arrived." I didn't have the heart to tell him that I had been riding on the trail in the photo above off and on since mid-January. I think I've slogged up the long, often snowy climb and enjoyed the 1800' dirt descent more than a dozen times already this year. Dan joined me last week, but he wasn't thrilled with my playground.

Yesterday I ran this phenomenal loop. The forecast was for 60 degrees and sunny, and amazingly, I first thought about a long run, and only after contemplating that considered a long ride. I opted to run: 26 miles, 6000'+ of climbing, and 90% singletrack. I did 20 miles of this loop in November, and it destroyed me. This time I was still smiling at the end, completely capable of continuing on longer had I needed to do so. This was a great mental boost for my transition into the world of running.

Today was this guy's first ride of the season. Stefan killed my tired legs on the climbs and flew up the techy stuff like he's been riding all winter. Owen and Dan also joined the group for an early tour of the JeffCo trails. Snow moved in for the last half hour, and it's rained and snowed the rest of the day.

And on tap is a 9-day Moab training binge...their persistent winter blanket of snow has finally been thrown off, so it's time for some desert riding and running.