We came to Arizona to escape the cold of winter and well, we haven't had much warmth since we arrived on Sunday. But, as the saying goes "make the most of what you have, when you have it, where you are." We came for new scenery, a mental recharge and a change in our normal routine and despite the crummy weather, we are still making the most of our train-cation (which is coming to an end tomorrow as we head back to Gville in the evening).
We headed out for our 5-hour ride at 9:30am. The weather was perfect - not too cold, not too hot. The first 90 minutes were filled with amazing scenery. Emily showed us some of her favorite sights and we love the terrain here - a nice mix of steady gentle climbs where you can settle into a rhythm, flat roads to power with or against the wind and plenty of wide open roads with minimal car traffic. And the views - wow!
After a stop to refill our bottles around 2 hours, it was time for a 9-mile gradual descend. Just around this time, the sky gave us cold rain to ride in for the rest of our ride. It was cold, wet and cloud but we made no excuses. A train-cation is great for stepping outside of the comfort zone, practicing skills and working on mental strength by putting yourself into situations that would normally be not-ideal to train in.
Despite the bad weather, I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend the morning. Outside, with like-minded individuals, on my bike and enjoying nature.
After the bike, I quickly changed out of my wet socks (my feet were so cold) and put on my running shoes for a 25 minute brick run. I debated about not doing a run but I always feel the best running off the bike so I don't like to pass up on an opportunity to run off the bike. Luckily, the ran stopped when we got back from the ride so I had a rain-free run on a packed gravel trail.
I wish I had more to share about today's ride but it was wet, cold and windy, which meant I left most of my energy out the bike and little brain power to blog this evening.
Hope you had a nice Valentine's day - don't forget to give your body a big "I love you!" for all it does for you each day.