No question: I’m a desert rat. I wasn’t sure 2 weeks ago cause I don’t think you can be a desert rat if you hate the desert summer…but I’m loving it. It could be other factors…such as being able to ride outside.
You read that right – it’s no misprint. I still can’t walk, but riding the road is fine. Leaving Durango also meant I left my ortho doc behind – along with the restrictive don’t do anything for a couple of months advice. Steve Palladino has been invaluable in providing advice for an athlete tailored aggressive rehab program while maintaining (and even building!) fitness levels. Of course I have taken it to new levels of aggressiveness…but the overriding philosophy is to pay attention to the foot/heel. It will let me know if what I’m doing is too much. More on healing in general later – but the gist is that the body is so dynamic, left to sedentary recovery it would heal at a sedentary pace. Stimulate it at the right time in the right way and accepted timelines go out the window. I’m becoming somewhat of an expert on the topic ;)
Mornings…there is no better time in the desert summer than the few hours surrounding sunrise. Riding as the sun rises in a deep blue sky rimmed with red rock walls and far away mountain ranges, it is all so clear and open. It does the same to my mind, these morning rides leave me mentally acute and optimistic. I couldn’t be more psyched to be here.
St George is an interesting place. EA would never approve of it – the church to bar ratio is utterly out of proportion. In fact, I haven’t seen a bar yet – is there one here? But the folks I’ve met thus far have been great. The cycling scene is big. Different than Durango, but big. Yesterday I saw no less than 20 riders in Snow Canyon. Based on the bikes coming and going at Desert Cyclery, I’d have to say a 7 inch travel beast will be required if I’m gonna ride with anyone here! Lot’s of free-ride terrain with names like “fuzzy bunny.” I had a peek at the fuzzy bunny and it didn’t look rideable to me, not by a long shot.
Well it’s 5:30AM. Time to get the sunrise fix of the day.