AIN'T NUTHIN' BUT A MUD THING

I'm certainly not complaing about this winter's riding weather--last year we rode in snow from November through March, it seemed--but this weekend was by far the muddiest. Had a huge Team Unattacked turnout for Saturday--five of us, Mellow Johnny, Titanium Cowboy, the Professor, GG Tri Guy and myself--for the 25 mile (or so) Lost Lake loop; Interurban Trail first.

One of those days in which, from the first pedal stroke, I know I'm not 100 percent but I did what I could. We'd planned on doing the Samish Loop into the heart of Chuckanut-Blanchard No Man's Land and return via Pine and Cedar lakes, but I whimped out. That big climb out of the Mud Lake hole a-frighted me, I was soaking wet (it had been spitting rain the whole time), and not to be one of those big phonys about it like everybody else is nowadays, but I think I was a little despressed about J.D. Salinger having just died and all. ("Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.")

Mud was crazy thick especially on the descent into Lost Lake, but you get to that point where you can't get any muddier or wetter and you're not freezing cold (yet) and you're having the time of your life with a great group of guys. And this is what keeps me coming back again and again and again. Three of us stopped for a cuppa at Woods Coffee at Boulevard Park on the way back where we scored the coveted outdoor fireplace seat. (That's me, the Professor, and Mellow Johnny.)

Sunday, I was feeling even worse at the start and came close to cancelling on Johnny Boy, but I fired up the single-speed and we headed up for a two-and-a-half hours on Galbraith. Tried some new downhill trail parallel to the Three Pigs; I wouldn't say that it was made for a rigid fork 29er but it was fun nonetheless. Muddy as heck though.

It's no mystery why I felt so crummy both days: these past two weeks I've been doing two-a-day run-bike intervals on Tuesdays and Thursdays. (Essentially, four interval workouts in three days.) Then riding long-ish back-to-back on weekends. Anyway, I think it caught up to me so my grand plan to take it easy this week. ("Grand. There's a word I really hate. It's a phony. I could puke every time I hear it.")