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Altitude fixes attitude

So it's been a crappy week at work. Meh. Oh and for some reason I also thought it would be a good idea to take off this week from my bike training.  I think I could take off for 6 months and I would still be tight in places and have nagging tweaks.  That said, I really don't need to take off that long from biking because it really keeps things in perspective when it comes to work.  
Renee, when you read this, if I ever decide to take off 6 days from biking again THEN go up to the N. Georgia mountains to bike, you have permission to slap the ever-lovin' snot out of me!
Today was absolutely brutal.  I have owned those climbs on previous rides just a few months ago but today I was hiking up them for Pete's sake!  Gasping for air and heart rate at 175. Jesus.  This was definitely a visit to the Hiott pain cave.  Trails were sloppy from rain night before so I kept mostly to jeep roads. It was almost like a road ride.  Unending climbing up jeep roads but that's what I went up there for, punishing climbs.  There's no better place to train than up there so I've found.  I can't wait to explore more of N. Georgia's trails.
I was so high up at one point that the weather changed. It became chilly and I was up in the clouds with no sunshine.  Pretty surreal.   Then after bombing back down and even passing cars on the way back down (haha!), it became sunny and warm again.   
By the end of the ride my left knee was barking at me, which it normally does on the Singlespeed and there's this persistent knot on the back of my left knee that was really screaming.  Not enough endorphins to mask it. 
A little disappointed with the mileage today, only 36 and time spent on bike was just over 4 hours with some road riding thrown in.  It was nice to climb up Bear Creek for a change but my god that climb is interminable. Stopped by Mulberry Gap to refill water, hope they didn't mind.  Made a sheepish effort to tackle Pinhoti 3 but it was laughable. I was cooked and turned around after a mile or so.  Had half a mind to take Pinhoti 2 back to car but that would've been too much climbing for this tired pup. So biked down Shakerag then up Wilderness and 90B to car.  More climbing!
Despite all the pain though, I am completely relaxed and feel immensely better about things in general.  I love driving back from the trail with music blaring and that glorious post-ride bliss.
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