dreadedmonkeygod . net

I took last week off, and I had plans. The notion was to 1) sleep, and 2) explore new trails around O.C. In the end, I explored just Santiago Oaks & Weir Canyon, but I had a great time doing it.

Farther Afield in Santago Oaks

Weir Loop

Perfect Day in Santiago Oaks

Santiago Oaks

Monday was hot. The plan was to climb Coachwhip, then ride the Weir Canyon Loop. But the heat got to me, and I spent way too much time checking the map, and ended up cutting the ride short, skipping the Weir Canyon loop.

I got out on Wednesday and completed the Weir Canyon loop. Knowing the way really helped, and it ended up being a short ride, which was fine with me as temperatures were steadily headed past 85°

Thursday, the stars finally aligned, and I got to do the kind of ride I had wanted to do on Monday. Morning showers cleared away the dust and scared away the crowds, and afternoon clouds kept temperatures in the 70's. A solid two hours of riding, with about 2,500 ft. of climbing, nearly all on some of the best singletrack out there.

I stacked up 5,500 ft. of elvation gain this week, all on trail, and I feel great. (My usual limit is 5,000 ft. total with at least 2,000 ft. of that on roads.) I'm chalking up the solid recovery to making sure I get L-Glut and BCAAs immediately after the ride (like, while I'm still sweating and breathing hard), and a nightly dose of krill oil with dinner.

I've also tried out some of Katy Bowman's ideas about sitting on the floor instead of the couch. It feels good. I roll around on the floor for a while, and move to the couch if/when I hit a point where I'm not comfortable any more.