i checked out the mountain bike trail map before we left, and listened to the advice of experienced riders "stay on the easy trails your first time". and i'm not afraid to admit that i started off on an expert path! ha! i laugh in the face of danger! ok, so it wasn't that difficult, but that was only because i was traveling at such a slow speed, half of the bumps i couldn't get over because i wasn't going fast enough. that all changed with time. before long i was moving fast, jumping over roots and narrowly missing a chance to plunge into the river. we rode the trails for about an hour, ended up at the ocean for a few, then rode back to the truck. all in all it was the best entertainment i've ever had for $3 bucks! now the only problem is finding time to go back. next time i'm definitely bringing a camera to capture some of the tight trails. what a great park!http://www.coj.net/Departments/Parks+and+Recreation/Recreation+Activities/Hanna+Park/Bike+Trails+Map.htm
day two of being home alone without a car- the day went pretty well. i was supposed to run 2 miles according to my river run training plan, but my legs were too sore. i ended up walking 2.8 miles at a moderate pace. it was such a nice day outside, and it felt good to stretch my legs. after returning home i realized how hungry i was, so i hopped on the mtb and rode up to the sandwich shop. a cool 30 min ride (roundtrip) and a yummy sandwich was just what i needed! six more weeks until the river run, i really need to get running.
one rule i have: if someone offers to run or bike with you, don't turn them down! you never know when you might get another chance. our first adventure involved kayaking down the river. we headed out against the current, and found a new canal to explore. while i'm always worried about snakes, i wasn't worried about the baby gator that was sunning on the riverbank. good thing i didn't see him at first, i'm not sure i would have enjoyed the afternoon as much. thankfully i wasn't informed about the gator until after we left the canal! sometimes its ok to keep a secret. after the kayak ride, we rode the bikes a few miles to the sandwich shop. i'm getting used to clipping out of the pedals, but its still difficult. the biggest issue now is that i love riding my bike, and i want to be able to ride offroad. so....what else did i do but headed back to the bike store and bought 2 new mtb's! we pick them up tomorrow, i can't wait! i'll be breaking my arm soon enough.
i had some extra energy today so i headed out for a run. the river run training plan doesn't actually start for another 2 weeks, but i wanted to get into the routine early. so i ran 2.66 miles, which ended up being more like a walk with some intermittent running. ha! overall it was pretty painful, but i didn't mind. when i got back to the house, i didn't want to go inside so i dragged the kayak down to the water and started paddling. since its winter, there aren't any boats around and the river was very still. i tried to find some kind of animal to watch, but there was nothing. i got pretty bored so i just paddled back home. ahh well, at least i tried. i only lasted 23 minutes.
i managed to talk my boyfriend into getting a shiny new bike of his own, to match mine. what a great idea! we drove out to a nice stretch of bike path, formerly a railroad track, and rode for almost an hour. its a nice path, newly paved, and we had the place to ourselves due to the cooler weather. not even a little flat tire could slow us down! i decided to sign up for the katie ride for life. i'm going to ride the 30k. let's see how well my persuasion skills are working and see if i can't talk someone into riding with me!
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