I did it!

[indigoiis]

Two years after snapping my ankle in Big River, I went out today with the Mister to Arcadia. It was awesome! Used flat pedals with claws instead of clipless and felt very confident except on a few parts (like, I couldn't go off the table rock and was a bit intimidated going through stone walls.) I am so psyched! I'm still a chicken, though. I need to keep doing this.

[indysteel]

Awesome!!! I'm glad you got back on the horse so to speak!!!

[SpinDiva]

Dont you think the adrenaline rush of fear is what makes mountain biking so fun? (I'm a chicken too. I'll prolly use flat pedals forever.)

[Catrin]

That is great news, awesome you were able to get out there! I also don't believe for a moment that you are a chicken! I am, but you are not

Spin Diva, I think you have something there! Now if I could just stop going from one injury to another, it is a bit disheartening - but at least the current one wasn't from the mtb

[tealtreak]

Congratulations!!!! Great feeling (:

[Wahine]

Good news! Congrats on getting back out there.

[Artista]

Good going, Indigoiis! I was also extremely cautious when I started mtb'ing again this season after breaking my ankle last fall. Now I'm riding better than ever. Be patient with yourself while you're just getting back into it. You can tackle a little at a time until you regain your skills and confidence. Both will come back pretty quickly.

[OakLeaf]

Yay indigo!

[Aggie_Ama]

Awesome! Getting back on after an injury is so hard. You're not a chicken if you went back out, a chicken would never ride again.

[indigoiis]

Thanks y'all. I've had no problems on the road bike, but the thought of clipping in on the trail again gave me great anxiety. Then I came on here and of course read about people going back to flat pedals. I was like, "hey, I have some bear traps I use to ride that mountainbike on the road in winter. And it's OKAY to have them on the bike out in the woods?" Suddenly I became very excited to think I could "get away" with flats in the woods. And lo and behold, it was that that made me confident enough to blow down gravel road, dirt trail, over stump and log (but still not across bridges.)

I am excited about this!

[missjean]

Good for you! It always takes a while to get back into the swing of things after an injury, but it sounds like you a well on you way.

[indigoiis]

I went out this morning in the fields out back. I have about two acres of fallow with a trail circling it and one up through the middle that goes snaking back and forth (a man and his riding mower and a hot summer day...). No hills, no real obstacles. Just basically deer cover.

I managed to enjoy it for the most part though it was not very challenging. It was like going to Space Mountain only to ride the tram. I am a couple of miles from Big River and if I had more time I could go up there, but midweek with school and everything, the backyard must do.

On that "Beginner's Ride" a couple of weeks ago, I was discouraged when we all went out and... bye went the beginners. The poor sweeper was stuck with screechy me plodding along doing the occasional crashing into bushes and nail-biting hesitations at stone wall intersections. I am sure it was no fun for him. Last week I could not go as my nephew is in town, and this Monday upcoming I can't go because I have to fly to NC to go be a dutiful daughter and rescue my mother from another sibling's drama.

So the backyard it was.
I wonder if I will ever get over my slowness.

A friend asked me if I could be on their Greenway Challenge team to do the mountain bike portion. I was kind of surprised, because I had told her only a week ago that I had just gotten back on the bike and was still a little unsteady. I thought about it, slept on it, then shot off an email saying, "Okay, heck ya I'll do it!" thinking, well I've got eight weeks.

Well, then I get an email from the captain who was like, yeah, I heard she invited you but... we met this other girl who is super good on the mountain bike but if she can't do it?

So I'm thinking, okay. Yeah. That makes sense. But now I'm a little bummed out.

[indysteel]

I'm sorry you're bummed.

Just keep at it. You'll get your mojo back. What is making you feel like going slowly right now? Fitness? Fear of obstacles? General unsteadiness? Lack of confidence?

I'm mostly a mtb newb myself, but it helps if I'm focusing far enough down the trail to anticipate what I need to do and if I'm using the various body positions at my disposal. I'm quick to get out of the saddle in ready/attack mode if I'm at all uneasy/unsure about what to expect. And I try to remember that momentum is generally my friend. Not only does it make getting over obstacles easier, the bike is easier to handle, too.

The renewed confidence will come with time. Stick to trails that you're familiar with. A few good passes will do wonders for you. Perhaps some skill drills will help you, too. Go back to the basics.