Insanity

I haven't been getting out for muni or snowshoeing for weeks, but I continue to workout nearly daily.  P90X has been good, but I felt like trying something new.  The Insanity workout sounded good because there's more cardio than in P90X, and muni is certainly a lot of cardio.  So I got it and I'm on the third day.

It's definitely more cardio and I sweat a lot more than in P90X.  I hate it, but I love it.  Oh wait that's P90X.  I'm sore from day two, and that made today's workout hard to Bring It.  Oh wait that's P90X.  I'll try to stick with it for a week or two, but my goal is to mix things up.  I gotta keep it X-like!  Oh wait...

Kessa's Uni

I got Kessa a 12" unicycle for Christmas.  It will be cool if she can learn.  She's certainly interested, but there aren't many 3 year old unicyclists.

I might try to build her some kind of railings like I did for Sydney.  Indoors would be best this time of year, though the floor and walls will probably take a beating.  A white tire would probably be better for our floors too.

Snowshoe Running

We've had a good amount of snowfall in the past few days and temperatures continue to be below freezing.  The roads have been packed snow for days and although I've enjoyed riding them in past winters, I haven't gotten to it yet.  Every time I consider riding I've been busy with family or home, or it's been actively snowing out.

I continue to do P90X workouts, though not sticking to the workout order that P90X defines.  My other cross training winter activity is snowshoeing.  Tonight I decided to get out and do some.  Last year I got a pair of running snowshoes from the famous Jamie Lissow.  He learned to unicycle and got into muni after seeing me on the trails.  Unfortunately for me, his comedy career took him away to Texas, but I'm grateful that before he moved he gave me his running snowshoes.  I guess he doesn't think he'll use them in Texas!

So I went out in the dark just after 8pm and ran the perimeter of my yard.  Running in the snow is hard work, though running always seems hard for me anyway.  I did 12 laps, walking 1/4 to 1/3 of each lap.  The muscles on the side of my shins were getting worked pretty hard.  I don't usually feel that in my other workouts.

After running I decided to do a loop around the neighborhood on my 29er.  I took my hat off so I could wear my helmet and about halfway around the cold air on my sweaty head started feeling uncomfortable and I got a cold headache.  I should have worn my balaclava.  The ride was ok, a bit sketchy at times but with no dismounts.

Once I was back inside I found my breathing was very tight.  My wife suggested it was asthma and the cold air can make it worse.  For about an hour or so it felt like I had a cold, but I've since recovered.  I had asthma as a child and always wonder if I'm still affected in some way, cold air or otherwise.

Anyway, I could see myself doing some snowshoe running again.  It's a good workout to add to the mix.

Muni at Bay Park West - 2013-12-05 at EveryTrail

Muddy Muni

My muni friend Robi came to town from Albany today.  He was here to buy a 29er from Mj and wanted to go for a ride after.  Fortunately I had vacation time to use and Dustin was able to use some of his.  Unfortunately Mj wasn't able to, but maybe next time.

It's been frozen around here for some time, but we've experienced a thaw for the past few days.  It was just over 50°F today and I knew the trails would at least be soft, but feared they might be muddy and slick.  Robi had visited in the past and we rode at Whiting and Webster Park.  Given that, I thought Bay Park West would be an ok choice.  With it's hills and sustainable trail design maybe the trails wouldn't be too muddy, despite the melting snow water and overnight rain.

Wrong. The trails were messy.  Normally I avoid riding in these conditions, but when another muni rider comes to town, we gotta ride.  There were occasional sections of trail that were just moist dirt and rode well, but most of it was wetter than we like and we left tire marks or varying degree.  Wheels spun on steeper climbs and slid on steeper descents and off the side of off-camber trails.  At times the best we could do was tread lightly and prepare for the inevitable slip.  Occasionally we actually found riding off the trail was easier and safer.  The ground leaves and lack of anything green made that possible.  Robi and I both fell on our asses on some slippery downhills, and Dustin got a nice ding on his shin, but thankfully no one got any serious injuries.  Mostly we just rode what we could and laughed about the rest.

more Red Trail rock features

Bay Park West is a lot of work when it's dry.  But today with all the dismounting, walking, and waiting for each other, I think it was actually a bit easier than normal.  We were able to cover most of the park, only missing a few of the middle trails.  Dustin had some impressive log-over moments and continues to improve.  Robi demonstrated his hopping skills nicely, and had a few record breaking mud slides.  I tried to demonstrate my hill climbing abilities when conditions allowed.

yet more Red Trail rock features

Hopefully Robi and his muni-riding wife, Liz, will be able to visit in the summer and see what Bay Park West is supposed to be like.  Maybe Dryer Rd Park too.

Aside from the good time of riding with friends, I was also glad to get out and ride muni this time of year.  I've been exercising almost daily with P90X and similar workouts in an attempt to stay fit through these cold months.  My quads were moderately sore when I started today's ride and on fire at times during it.  I hope that means I'm building more strength.

Update 2013-12-07:
Robi sent me the images below.

Robi was the only one to make it over this particular log pile. Nice!

Muni at Bay Park West - 2013-12-05 at EveryTrail