Mid-mountain torture

As recreational mountain bikers, we like to ride on easy, short trails. While we mostly ride single tracks, we generally don't do it for more than 90 minutes. Last year, half-way into the season, we had ridden on the mid-mountain trail that spans between Park City and Deer Valley and passed the test with flying colors. Yesterday, we decided to accomplish something similar, albeit longer and with significantly less training (only our third time out!) At 10 am we rode the gondola up to the Red Pine Lodge and were soon gone on the trail. After an hour or so, we wondered if we should return or continue all the way to Park City. We were feeling good, the trail looked great and without thinking much more, we carried on. This was without factoring normal fatigue and a nasty, uphill stretch on a trail that was a little too rocky for our smooth tastes. Soon, we were exhausted and had to walk our bikes on more than one occasion. This was not a pretty sight; I was concerned that because we were feeling so weak, we could take a bad fall, make a dumb mistake or just get a flat tire... Three hours and almost 20 miles later, riding up and down at around 8,000 feet, with beat up wrists, arms and shoulders - the legs held up surprisingly well - we finally made it to the bottom of the Park City resort and, a few moments later, reached the safety of our home, unscathed... Once more, that adventure reminded us that “if it didn't kill us, it would make us much stronger...”