Trail Ups and Downs

I got out yesterday morning for my first trail ride in a long time. I rode at my "home trail", Pontiac Lake. There were a few positive and a few negative things for the day:

Positives:
+ My low-speed balance and low-speed handling skills seemed quite good. I've been keeping up with my trackstand and slow-riding practice, so this isn't too surprising.

+ Granted, there's nothing too big at PLRA, but my drops were all very smooth.

+ The Kenda Small Block 8 tire that I started using on the rear seems to be working OK. I dropped pressure from 28 to 25 psi for this ride, and it seemed to help the tire hook up better. I didn't feel any of the high-speed squirmy-ness that I noticed when I ran my Nevegal that low. I also felt like the SB8 rolled noticeably faster than the Nevegal.

+ I had some really nice cornering moments near the end of the ride. I need to keep working on doing the skill correctly; this should help me build confidence.

+ I'm not quite as out-of-shape as I thought, but I'm still not in racing shape. I didn't push hard at all, and my lap time was about 10 minutes slower than normal. This includes a few minutes spent crawling through and over a few downed trees on the trail. But I felt a little more fit than I expected.

Negatives:
- I was really rusty early in the ride which led to some bad moments and generally poor riding. This seemed to get better as the ride went on.

- Cornering on the dirt is not the same as cornering on pavement. While my (pavement) cornering practice has helped me, I think I need to start also practicing on the dirt to get used to the tires slipping a little more.

- I need to keep working on looking ahead. Things work so much better when I do that.

By the time it was over, I felt pretty good about my ride. As I ride the trails a little more now, I should get more comfortable and faster.


Also, I tried nasal breathing again on my way out to the trail. There was a pretty stiff headwind, and it was really hard to keep a reasonable pace while also only breathing through my nose. I eventually abandoned it again so I could ride more normally. Still, I think there may be something to this.

I have pretty much adjusted to only breathing through my nose throughout the day. At first, even doing that was a little challenging. Things would be going fine, then I'd suddenly feel like I needed to open my mouth to take in (or blow out?) a gulp of air. Now, I'm finding what I can only describe as a feeling of security when I'm aware of my breathing.