I've got my biking mojo back! I had lost it for a while but I've got it back now.
When I first starting mountain biking in Vancouver I had to really push myself. The trails seemed full of big, slippery roots waiting to stop my front tire while I sailed over the handlebars and rocks with drops to certain death on the other side. Yes, I exaggerate. I don't do anything extreme I'm just a bit of a chicken.
I had been steadily improving over the years and then I met Randy, who was not a mountain biker at the time (but he was a skier so was acceptable). After he got a mountain bike I went back to the more beginner-ish trails with him and settled happily into my comfort zone. But I noticed that there were certain things he could do, seemingly naturally, that I had had to learn. When I commented on this he said, "Didn't you jump your bike off the curb when you were a kid?" No, I did not. That might have upset my basket or dislodged my streamers.
Randy steadily improved and quickly passed me in ability, except for the uphill technical parts - I still had him there. Granted my bike is lighter and made more for climbing than his, but let's not over-analyze the situation.
Then last year I lost my mojo. I stopped riding over things I'd been riding for years. I took it easy before our wedding because I didn't want to be hobbling down the aisle on crutches and after the wedding I just never got it back. I was getting worse while Randy was getting better; he even had me on the uphills. He must have stolen my mojo!
At the beginning of this year it was still gone but there was the Maui trip to think about. It would have been a shame to get injured just before the trip.
Now it's finally back!
I had been starting to wonder if my mojo was gone because I'm approaching (just approaching, not quite there yet) that age where I consider more thoroughly the consequences of my actions and start to take things easy. No, can't be that. It's much better to blame it on Randy.
