Looking back I first became "aware" of my injury in the winter, early 2016; but like any typical idiot I decided to train through it, telling and willing myself it was a twinge and will go away, until one day I realized: I am injured. The following months and still to date, I am not yet injury free. I'm doing daily PT exercises, strengthening and nerve flossing (yes, I floss my nerves). I've also done traction, IMS, massage, osteopathy and a host of other stuff to get better. And while these past few months have brought fear (more on this later), freak outs, a whirlwind of emotions and actions they have also brought me opportunity to dive into something different and 'old is new again' though mountain biking.
I have always loved mountain biking for it's purity (credit to my husband for getting me into it). To be out in nature, on a trail and just ride. No expectations or schedules, just being. Rubber to dirt, explore the beauty on the trails, through the woods, around each and every bend and up and over every climb.
When I wasn't able to run, I turned to cycling more and more in both an obsession and a need, to keep training. Road and off-road cycling received a volume boost in training, as it was pretty much the only thing that I could handle. Running was definitely out, and strangely enough so was swimming; both aggravated my body quite a bit.
However, like any typical A-type personality I needed and wanted that feeling you get only from racing. All I could do through this injury was ride, but I worried about racing (XC) mountain biking in case the competition side of it, of me, took over and away from my love of just being on the bike; for nothing more than to ride through trees, over logs, through puddles, dirt, roots and rocks.
But it didn't.
What I found was that I loved, respected and appreciated them both; in their own unique ways. A perfect balance between loving the adrenaline and rush of racing and still "just being" out on the trail.
I loved both sides. I loved the "Oh my god this is exhausting and I can't climb that hill again...Oh I'm done, when's the next race?" as well as the "Wow, look around at how amazing it is here" and that sense of just BEING. I didn't loose any of it, they both just lived in different compartments.
So here I was, months into my injury with improvements happening - but very slowly. I had a few small mountain bike races under my belt ... and it happened.
A while back I was looking for more XC mountain bike races to do when I came across a couple on the same weekend. One, being a mountain bike marathon, something I had never done. The marathon was the day after the "regular" or short course mountain bike race. I had thought about doing them or maybe even just the short course, and then put them out of my head for a few weeks - until they came back.
And I thought to myself "hmm, maybe...?".
Before long *maybe* turned into "perhaps...I think so", and that turned into "holy shit, I'm registered for both".
It all goes down this weekend. I'm both jumping out of my skin excited, and totally nervous. But nervous in a good way. Race reports to follow next week - if you're curious to see if I make it up and down, up and down, and up and down the mountain.
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