Waking up at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday seemed a bit out of whack, but the plan was to go mountain biking with Crowley and a posse of ten dudes up at the Frederick Watershed—and the goal was to be riding at 7:30 a.m. With ambitions of completing a 100-mile MTB race this year, this would be a great venue to build endurance and ride on hilly, technical terrain. What a great time I had riding with these boys—but what a rude awakening in terms of how much work I have in front of me. The thought of riding in the saddle for 12 hours over 100 miles seems like a daunting task after completing the first real training ride of the season. This was a 3-hour ride and big daddy was huffing and puffing and glad to be off the bike. One of the fellas who joined us brought along his dog—a Hungarian Vizsla…who ran through rugged terrain like it was melted butter. My Golden Retriever typically hits the wall after a few miles…
