Ride Logs
Brent DallingPublished: April 02, 2024
I’ve been in love with mountain biking since my early teens. I’ve been riding for the better part of 10 years now. It’s interesting to reflect on the adventures I have been priviledged to have in that time. I’m going to try something new as I move forward. I want to document my trips with images, maps, and stories. Everything will be documented on a monthly basis. Meaning that this article will be updated several times this month as I find new trails and get back out on the trails.
There is something surreal about biking. It’s like a freedom you can’t get when you’re in a car. You get to see some truly amazing geological features. Occasionally you’ll see some wildlife. It’s a great way to get out and see the world from a vantage point that isn’t often seen. It might sound a bit ridiculous to some. But it’s entirely true for so many people in the world.
Mountain biking isn’t instant reward. It’s a challenge that you have to have the mental fortitude to overcome the physical limitations. This is most evident on long and steady climbs that can be very difficult. By the time you’ve reached the top you legs have long been burning and your breath is ragged. But the reward is the raw beauty of the trail and it’s surrounding landscape. I can’t forget about the downhill. It’s a rush that can’t be matched when you’re flowing and jumping down a trail. Exhilarating to say the least.
This is by far my favorite way to exercise. I have to force myself into a gym. But I can’t wait to get out on the trails. I’m excited to see what this riding season brings. I’m hoping to get out on the trails at least 4 times per month. I’ll update this post with each ride. I’ll include images, maps, and stories that I find relevant to the story and documentation of each ride.
Logan Canyon with Justin - 2024-05-05
I took my long time friend on a pretty fun ride. We did skip the everything up-until 2nd dam due to the rain. We wanted to be in more tree cover and avoid the mud. Overall, it was super pretty and a bit of a challenge. I actually started riding in April. But I ended up contracting a rather nasty upper respiratory infection that made it hard to breath. So my fitness level was even lower and I wasn’t as capable of sustained slow-twitch muscle fiber exercise for several miles. So naturally I ended up taking a few rests.
This is an odd position to be in. Last year I was completing this trail in roughly 50 minutes from the base of the canyon in the Islands neighborhood. This year I’m starting half way up and completing it in an hour. That is quite a drastic reduction in my physical fitness.
So, what am I going to do about it? Well, I’m going to start cycling whenever I can. Even if it’s just road biking. The endurance training provided by even road biking will allow for greater muscle motor unit recruitment (essentially recruiting more muscle fibers to the cause) and increase the effectiveness of the slow-twitch muscle fibers. I’ll also do some more fast-twitch exercises (when mountain biking you tend to need short bursts of power) such as bike sprints or running intervals at the gym. And finally, I’ll likely need to do weight lifting exercises.
If I’m not doing this now then why do I think I’ll do it? Because Justin is going to help hold me accountable. This is my health we’re talking about. It needs to get done. The advantage I have? I’ve been biking for over a decade. So I know what is effective for me in training. And my training sessions can be as short as 30 min a day. And I’ll start to see improvements in my slow/fast fibers and recruitment over the next month. And, to be effective, I’m able to rest a day between exercises to give them a break. I’ll be pairing better nutrition along with this plan to support the increase in activity and ensure I’m not breaking down muscle at a fast rate. (If you’re at a deficit to lose weight you’ll always lose muscle. But you can increase your protein intake to lower the rate at which you lose this mass.)
You’ll probably need to check the factual accuracy of the plan. And, this isn’t medical advice. This is what has worked for me. And the information in here is from my own independant study.
Resources
Logan Canyon With Scott - 2023-07-01
I rode with Scott in Logan Canyon. We started at first dam and rode all the way to the campground and looped back down from above. Overall I think the elevation gain was something like 900 feet. With most of the elevation gain on the last 1/3 of the trail up to the campground and above it. Overall the ride was fun. The river was overflowing into the campground which made for some fun views and a little trip carrying our bikes through a section of the overflow.
Ride Log - Logan Canyon With Scott
