Mud Ride

I must have been smiling, because there was mud on my teeth!
~ Me, this morning

I had such a fun ride this morning.  We had rain for about five days, which meant a muddy trail this morning.  Lots of puddles, including one that went across the entire trail.  Going up the trail was a little slow as my tires collected more and more mud.  Just as I got to the split, I saw this downed tree:

Hmm... that takes me further up the trail.  To the left is a cattle ranch.  I was able to skirt around the tree and made my way up a little further.  The higher up the trail, the muddier and slicker it got, so I turned around and headed back down.  Going back down, my tires shed all the mud they had collected.  More than once, I felt mud hit my face and teeth.  I hit a really slick spot and thought I was going down for a few seconds, but was able to stay upright. 

Muddy Myka after I got home

And once again, I PR'd Marr Ranch Blacktop!  On November 16th I rode it in 57 seconds.  On November 20th I rode it in 54 seconds.  Today I rode it in 49 seconds!  This is one tenth of a mile with an average grade of 21.8%.  I really didn't think I could get that much faster, but I am. And having a lot of fun in the process!

Mud splattered clothes - just part of riding this time of year!

10.19 miles in 1:15:18, 8.1 mph
Ave HR 136
Max HR 162
Calories burned 587
Elevation gained 1,234 feet