Today was another recovery day. Not often I get two recovery days in a row. So I decided to escape from the wind and get back to nature. Can’t quite beat riding the trails on a windy not-so-warm day. The trees really shelter you from the wind and the relentless windy noise is not present in your ears like it is out on the road.

Suffice it to say I had a blast ripping around Kanata Lakes this morning. I was careful to not dig too deep and kept things at a recovery pace. This allowed me to practice some descents and climbs that I had struggled with last week. At the slower pace I was able to really focus on riding my mountain bike technically well – my brain, body and eyes were better able to take in the trail and I was really able to focus on moving with the bike and the conditions.

It is amazing what can be done in 90 minutes of focused riding. And through it all, I was smiling and just really enjoyed being out there. It was a bit muddy in some spots but I’ll take mud over hail and rain anyday! So all in all, a great day of training.

Quick shower and then I hooked up with Marc for a relaxing lunch. Afternoon has been spent in a local Barrhaven coffee shop called Two Monkeys. Uber-focused on my writing project today. Got lots of words down on the page and just like the progress on the bike I’m seeing, I’m seeing progress with my secret project. Can’t beat these feelings.

The weekend is shaping up with some solid rides. Three hours on Saturday and close to five on Sunday. Sweet! Whatever the weather brings, I’ll simply roll with it.