Last night a buddy reached out and asked me how the trek is going and I said fine and then I shared I have been having some knee issues but I am managing through the annoyance of not being indestructible. He suggested I do a hip exercise and sent me a video to show me how to do it.
Let me back up and introduce Antonio to you. He owns a bike shop Tri Town Bicycles (considered the best in Boise, if not Idaho, if not the West Coast, if not the world) two blocks from my house. I met him through a mutual friend and I told him that I am interested in getting into biking since everyone else seems to enjoy it and I want to be considered a local without having to purchase a Subaru. After getting measured up, I left his store with an instrument way beyond my capabilities- just how I like it. The key to success is looking like you know what you are doing vs actually being good at it… that comes later.
Antonio comes very credentialed in the world of looking like a Greek God and having been successful in lots of sports that are physically demanding on the body such as running, swimming, cycling, rock climbing and bourbon drinking. I decided to take his advice and do the hip exercise. To be honest, I did it with a fair bit of skepticism because while the hips are technically connected to the knee I didn’t think activating my medial glute was going to do a damn thing to ease the pain in my knee. Turns out Antonio is knows what he is talking about and my trek today was pain free. Thanks again Antonio!
Today’s hike was 14 miles in distance with just under 1K in elevation gain. Today and tomorrow are basically rest days in preparation for what I am going to have to do in a couple of days which is something like 25 miles and 2K of vertical feet…I hope my inbound hotel offers Hendricks because this hike sounds awful.
Tonight I get to stay in an igloo which makes a lot of sense for Northern Spain. It is actually really cool and a pleasant change from my typical accommodations.
Love Ryan
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