Training update - PR week!

Despite a nagging right knee injury since February, I have set 2 PRs this week that I am pretty excited about. 1st was a local running route where I placed 3rd overall on Strava. I am determined to get the KOM for this segment, which is on a fairly rolly section of road.
Link here; https://www.strava.com/activities/1024400394

One of my favorite local mountain biking trails is Van Michael at Blanket's Creek. It is always tough and features a lot of good climbs. Van Michael is nearly always an anaerobic workout!. Wednesday I rode the clockwise direction and set a PR of 18:56, which I believe was nearly a minute off of my previous time. Frankly, I thought my days of setting PRs were over since Kit got here and I haven't been able to train much over the past year. What training I have been able to get in was mostly Maffetone (MAF), which I believe has helped my overall cardio base fit.
Link here: https://www.strava.com/activities/1026005273

Regardless, I am in better shape than I was 6 months ago and feel like I'm getting my MTB chops back slowly. I am on the fence about running right now because my knee is tweaked every time I go running. I think I have a strained MCL or "tendinitis."

If any beginner MTBers are reading, I would love to introduce you to the sport!. Be sure to check out my new website for my Mountain Bike Training Program: jonathanhiott.wixsite.com/hiottriott

Thanks for reading and Happy Trails!

Kit and I hiking at Sawnee Mtn. Preserve

Allatoona Creek trail run race report

First year doing the Allatoona Creek race. Missed it last year because I had a duathlon on the same day. This course is sneakily difficult with the most challenging being the Mason's Bridge section. On a bike, it's easier and more fun because you can roll through all the dips but running through those is really tough. There aren't very many climbs and no big hills but that course is a grinder. There was a torrential rainfall a few days before the race so the first 3 miles was a mud run through open cross-country. I really liked this part though felt I got off to a slow start. Pacing is so difficult because I don't know how much energy I need to spare. Feet were wet out of the gate but it was no big deal. There's a twisted part of me that prefers adverse conditions. Went in to the singletrack section at Rusty Bucket and shuffled through twisty sections, not very fast through there. In fact, I felt leaden the entire race. I had ran the da...

Solar Eclipse 2017

The solar eclipse just happened and it has me feeling cosmic and appreciative of our wondrous universe. It makes me feel pretty small and realize that most of my concerns are really trivial. I was amazed at how the quality of light changed and how the crickets began to chirp. Not to mention the crescent-shaped lights on the ground beneath the trees. We had a colander out viewing crescents on the patio because we had no solar glasses. Briefly, a cloud covered the sun and we looked up for a few seconds at the eclipse. Then some neighbors let us borrow their glasses. They are neighbors who for some reason we have never even spoken to, but people realize this is a rare event, so it makes us more human, more kind. This is an amazing time to be alive, with my daughter just turning 1 year old and now this truly inspiring event of nature. One can't help but feel gratitude and a sense of contentment. One of my favorite Carl Sagan quotes: “The surface of the Ea...

Thundering Silence: Backpacking on the Appalachian Trail

Ventured out on my first backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail, or AT as its known in the hiking community. I hadn't been backpacking since I was in the Scouts, when we did a 10-miler at Kennesaw Mountain. My wife Renee had never been backpacking although we had both been primitive car-camping before and we each share a love of the outdoors. This trip had been in the making for a few years with us sharing a "Wouldn't that be awesome," conversation or two. I also recall my dad saying how neat it would be to hike the entire AT when I was a kid, a lofty goal to be sure. Renee and I are both in pretty good shape from running and bicycling so we figured that a 2-night trip on the AT would be feasible. We were right...mostly. We purchased our backpacking and camping gear the week before and took a practice hike at a local trail. We did a trial run at Sutallee Trace in Canton to test the waters and get the packs dialed in. I felt some new muscles being wor...

Mountain Bikes, Bass Guitar, and other stuff I like

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