Sunday, April 11, 2010

More Mountain Bike Adventures

Sunny morning, so hopped on the bike for a workout and to explore some trails. My foot held up okay on the last bike ride a few days ago. However, it did seem to aggravate it a little. Not much, just a little, and not a big deal. But still, I wanted to see if I could improve that.

I thought it'd do some good to wear a more rigid shoe. Last time, I wore my Asics Trails Attacks which are pretty flexible, so I opted for the Brooks Cascadia 3's which are super stiff in comparison, along with an old SuperFeet insole that would also minimize flex. This worked extremely well, along with taking it easy and not hammering up any uphills. Did not aggravate the foot in the slightest. Very happy about that.

So, the ride... I took the abandoned railroad bed for most of the way down to the Saco River, but did have to hit the roads at times after taking some side trails and losing the way. Once I reached the river, it was the same deal on the way back.

Highlight was seeing a horse drawn carriage two farmers were riding on the trail. This was no frou-frou carriage like you see hauling around tourists at Central Park, it was used for work and was something you'd see on Little House on the Prairie. I encountered them on a muddy stretch that I was having trouble riding through anyway, so I gladly moved aside and exchanged hellos as they went by.

Great ride, and very muddy. I'm rediscovering how much biking works the quads. Holy crap, mine are still sore as I type this. Good stuff!

Mountain biked 16.0 miles @ 9.5 mph/avg (23.6 mph max, but that was on a section of road).
Abandoned railroad bed for most of the way, and some more technical snowmobile paths. Some roads.
Moderately hilly.
Mid 50s, sunny.
Shorts, long sleeved shirt.

1 comment:

Scout said...

Sounds like a great time and workout!