It's never too early

So for the last week I have been getting up at 5:15 in the morning to meet a group of guys and go riding. They have a set routine, and it is working out pretty good for me. We have days we ride in the dirt and we have days we ride the pavement. The pavement days are recovery days. This is good, because I am not too good at pacing myself, so I stick with the group and it works out well. The dirt days are ride hard days.

Today was a dirt day! We rode on a trail that I have only been on a small portion of, but today I got to go on a lot of it. It was a blast. Since we are riding in the dark I did not go very fast, which turned out to be a good thing, because I came to a sharp banked turn, and once I realized was there was a turn, it was too late to turn, so instead I rode up the mountain. Good thing it was up the mountain and not off the mountain. I have heard when you night ride you should ride on trails you are familiar with. I tend to agree with this if you do not have someone to ride with. The guys I was riding with were very helpful letting me know what to expect on the trail. I am sure it would have been much more difficult riding had they not given me a heads up of what to expect. I am excited to go back and ride again, however I am worried I will not be able to find my way since I have been going in the dark, and everything looks different in the day.

By the way did I mention I love dirt days. I love riding, but there is something about riding the dirt that puts a huge smile on my face. I don't know if it the challenge of the single track and being able to accomplish riding it, the scenery (although in the dark the scenery does not exactly jump out), or the variety that comes with riding single track. Whatever it is I love it and it is definitely worth getting up for early in the morning!!!