Freedom

One of the great pleasures in life is the joy of being fit.

Fitness is freedom.

It's the freedom of setting the pace during the Sunday morning group ride.

It's the freedom to attack on the hills.

It's the freedom of traveling great distances.

Fitness doesn't cost you a dime, but it don't come cheap my brothers and sisters. You need to invest time and hard labor into your craft in order to soak up the rewards.

The old school of thought was to have an off-season, mostly during Dec. thru Feb. But I say, one should strive to maintain fitness throughout the year. Yes, your fitness levels will be higher during your peaking cycles, but try not to get into that off-season mode of non-training.

"It's better to burn out than to fade away." Neil Y.

Yes, burn out is a real concern. That's why it's important to have many tricks up your sleeve.

What's my favorite sport/activity? It all depends on the season at hand. When the sun is high & bright, I'm on my bikes. In the cool Fall months, I'm running thru the woods & climbing on boulders. And when the snow hits the mountains, the boards are out of the shed. And all throughout the year, I'm swimming endless laps in the pool.

Fitness is a hard fought battle, so don't lose it during the so called off-season. Keep sharp throughout the year and mix it up to avoid burn out.

An Intimate Affair

I love crashing thru the woods on my Gary Fisher rigid hardtail, but something is missing.

There is not a direct connection to the dirt.

Trail running is an intimate affair. Slow speeds (relative to a mt bike) and feet-to-dirt are the main factors for making trail running a different experience as compared to the mt. bike.

With running, especially on a very technical trail, your mind-to-feet sensors are usually at overload status. Your brain is processing thousands of commands within seconds. But at the same time, your brain is also soaking up all of the smells & sights that surround you.

With big tires & full suspensions, the lay of the land is lost for the mt. biker, but not for the trail runner. Since every grain of soil, rock and root is touched upon by your feet, a greater sense of the environment is realized.

Throw on a pair of running shoes, hit the trails and get closer to the dirt (this may even improve your mt biking). And in the process, have tons of fun while running thru the woods (& rivers, etc.).