ebb and flow

gentle. running on pavement has always been something that i associated with physical body breakdown. i've decided to flip the mindset on that. pavement is an opportunity to learn to run with more efficiency and practice "running on eggshells". developing that "tap, tap, tap" that leads to better running economy, upright posture and balance. it's accepting where my weaknesses and are developing them so that they become your strengths. i used to run roads all the time, and was fortunate enough to become a decent marathoner from that. i say that not just from the perspective of how fast i ran a marathon, but how efficiently i ran a marathon and recovered from that effort. it was what led me to ultra running in a sense. i could do a solid marathon effort every two weeks and suffer no physical breakdown as long as it was preceded by a proper block of buildup and training. my seasons would be 16 weeks of base, training, then 3-4 marathons in the fall. full rest, 12-14 weeks of buildup, 2-3 marathons in the spring. full rest, repeat. trail running turned me into an explorer and the training changed. i became a slut for single track in any form. the stride shortened, the strength increased in some senses, but i was a fish out of water and very choppy on the roads when i visited them. the result was just avoiding the roads all together. i also got slower.

too much of something, not enough balance, etc, etc. i chalked it up to getting older, but that is the lamest excuse ever.

so now. it's summer. tap, tap, tap. running on eggshells. rediscovering the efficiency and balance that comes from a constant footfall. it's very zen, in some ways. repetition. not something i would be into on the bike, but it serves as a means to where i want to go on the run. allowing the sport to fit into your lifestyle, rather than forcing it by trying to arrange your schedule to get more single track and "disturbing the force".

enough of that. so some local bike shops got word of the bi weekly dawn patrol single track slap down that junior dick 3000, millennium falcon, myself, mahk and judge arveson do and have spread the word within and outside of the shop. in a short time, the results have been a roster of morning riders too long to list and the thing has gotten out of hand. it's like having too many surfers trying to catch waves on the same break. hammerheads, slow guys, tourist, loud talkers, close talkers, bike breakers. more disturbances in the flow. 17 riders this morning for the 90 minute ride. while i applaud that it does take a certain amount of discipline to get up and get in a mountain bike ride on the small single track circuit we have here in town, dawn patrol was never intended to be along these lines.

i guess we'll see how it plays out. everyone is enthusiastic at first. we'll lose a few. doing 7 mile loops twice a week every week will get boring to some after awhile and they will fade away.