racing

On a whim I decided to enter my first mountain bike race at Dryer Road Park this weekend.  With a little persuasion I signed up for the sport class (12 miles) instead of the beginner level (4 miles).  About half an hour into the race I very much regretted my class selection.  I managed to finish with only a few bumps and scrapes but am going to need a few days to fully recover.  Probably the most exciting part was realizing I now know how to drift around corners while bombing downhill sections.  That was the only time I was able to pass a few riders.  The worst part was hearing racers telling me to step aside on the up hills because I was going too damn slow.  I need more leg muscle.

I didn't find any pictures of me on the single track but here I am looking tried and slouched as I head out for my final lap.

I got myself some clipless pedals and shoes.  I'll be working on that this week which I'm sure will bring some lovely bruising.

learning to swim

Harper and I visited the dog beach at Ellison Park.  She was a bit afraid of the water but once I rolled up my pants and jumped in she got the idea.  So far she's only splashed around with her front paws but I have high hopes of her becoming a water loving dog that will one day join me on sail boats and surf boards.  Of course this is after she learns to run next to me while mountain biking and can retrieve beers from the fridge.  I'm not kidding.  She's going to be perfect.

The map drawings are so close to being done!  I just need to do a final scan and clean on Wednesday.  Then its onto the color portion of the process.  Which I have promised myself will take a quarter of the time the drawings did...