Heart Attack.

One of the many reasons that makes Prescott, AZ such a great place to live is that there is great mountain biking all around us. Just a couple of miles up from our home is a great trail network at Thumb Butte and within a short drive there are other awesome places to ride. So I am stoked to get out riding now that the snow is gone.

In saying this, please understand I have not riden a mountain bike since moving to South Africa in 2005, so its been a long timea. This also means I am not in the best cyclin shape.

We went for a short ride yesterday afternoon and I thought I was going to die. It started out climbing, just climbing, which sucks when you are out of shape. I would climb for a bit then all of a sudden if felt like my heart was about to beat out of my chest and my lungs where going implode, not a good feeling. Then cames the coughing (refered around here as "bloddy lung"), I think I coughed so much and so hard that I caused real trauma to my repritory system, imagine a rug draped over a clothes line and someone beating the dust out of it, that was my lungs. Awesome.

I had a few things working against me.

1. My BMI-I am techncally obese, which sucks.

2. I had a huge lunch of fish tacos with a little spicy sauce of some sort (never, ever, ever, ever, eat this then go mountain biking, you will die).

3. I am still not used to being super active at this elevation yet.

4. My BMI-screw you MR. BMI. Sorry, I'm bitter.

5. I was on a bike that wasn't set up for me and the front fork was too soft (I honestly think this made little difference in my performace, but it makes me feel a little better to mention it).

6. Yestday morning I did a huge workout consisting of a couple hundred squats and my legs were shot before we reached the trailhead.

7. Lastly and probably the biggest thing working against me, I see now that I am so out of shape I shouldn't be considered a human being.

SO I have some work to do, but I will keep working on it. Besides my heart almost exploding and not being able to breath, I had a great time and can't wait get back out there on a regular basis. Good ride. Cheers.

Chris