It's just a little mud...

Yesterday I tried out my new tires on my bike for the first time in preparation for Sunday's cyclocross race.  I headed out to some trails to practice riding on grass and getting on and off the bike while going as quickly as possible.  I rode through some mud, made my wheels spin a bit, and got off and ran up a hill with my bike on my shoulder.  Of course, I came to stand still getting back on, so I lowered the seat.  No problems so far.

I was slipping around, keeping my balance through muddy stretches as I headed down a hill and saw a puddle.  I didn't want to ride back up the hill, so I went through.  The mud and standing water (with much algae growth and odd, oil-like patterns floating on top) was soon a few inches deep.  I was still upright and moving forward and it looked like the stretch was ending soon.  Then I turned a corner and it kept going.  I saw other trails and they were all flooded too.

Three things occurred to me at this point.  One, it's barely rained for the last two weeks; where is all of this water coming from.  Two, if I keep moving, I won't get wet.  Three, I've stopped moving and the mud is over my shoes.

I felt like Atreyu slogging through the swamp of sadness.  I was worried that I was going to lose my bike like Artax.  It was then I saw a trail to the side that seemed to have more tall grasses to step on, so I headed that way, lugging my bike with me through the mud.  This is where the giant, man-eating prickers attacked and the trail turned out not to be a trail.  I saw a clearing a little ways ahead and then made it to within ten feet of another, dry trail.  I couldn't get there.  The pricker growth was so thick I had to turn around an backtrack the whole way.  Then I had to go back up the hill I was avoiding in the first place.

I headed back today, but completely avoided the bog I found yesterday.  First I found the thorn that poked through my tire and put a pinhole in my tube.  Riding on grass is much more tiring than the road and I do not have easy gearing on my bike.  I don't know how people get on and off their bikes at speed, but I'm going to do the best I can.

All of that said, I'm really excited about tomorrow's race.  After my riding today, I think I have a little more reasonable expectations for how I'll do, but I'm going to have fun.  That much I know.