One of the more interesting parts of making this comeback is making the change over to being a horseman from being an athlete. Over the last 6-8 weeks I am feeling more like a horseman and less of an athlete.
I'm not training like a used to and I know/have felt that I am not in great shape now (I know relative to other athletes). However, it came to a head on a bike ride yesterday.
I rode with a few of my athletes and I was completely humbled. We rode for 2:45 with most of it easy and on the flats/small rollers. On the short uphills, I got blown off the back without my guys riding hard.
We rode for 35 miles and then finished the ride up Flagstaff Mountain. Flagstaff is one of the famous hills in Boulder. You can ride all the way to the top or go about 3/4 of the way to the Ampitheater. I chose the later and I am glad I did. It's roughly 4.5 miles long and you gain ~2000ft elevation (click here for a map). Flagstaff will always hurt no matter what shape you're in. If you're in shape the pain is only over a shorter period of time.
I felt awful and got destroyed by my athletes. The steep sections (10-15%) I could barely get my legs over each stroke. I did get through it and felt good afterwards, but my god, I realized I am no longer an athlete, but a horseman. Still it was fun to hit up Flagstaff one more time before I leave.
And you know what, I am perfectly fine with that. Actually, really happy to be a horseman once again.
I did the double ride yesterday in that I rode a bike and then a horse. Now that should be a sport!
1 comment:
This must be a huge shift from athlete to horseman. I see you're in Bozeman which means you should be back in the hood by tomorrow. Safe travels.
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