Still Recovering

I went out this morning to the campground loop to get a few laps in before the possible rain comes.....again. Monday night I really didn't have much in the tank to ride after Saturday's hard effort. I don't know how the long ride home on Sunday played in the scenario but I have to think it didn't help but we had to get home......right? I was hoping to get some night laps in last night since today is my only day off this week and night laps would fit into my schedule but Molly and the kids are going on vacation today so I figured I better spend some time with them before they left since I won't see them until Monday sometime. I hadn't ridden my single speed in a while so I decided to take Mary out and let her play in the dirt. I have never timed it but I think I can ride the campground loop faster on my single speed than I can on my geared bike. The first lap I went out pretty hard and kept the fast tempo through the whole lap and then on the second lap I backed off and flushed my legs. I could tell that I had power but it was not sustained. The third lap I let it all hang out (well maybe not "everything") and was ripping corners and flying up the gradual inclines, I was picking areas to work on break aways and then trying to stay on the gas. I was cranking right along but I soon realized that I was getting gassed much quicker than I had expected, then I remembered it had only been a few days since the race and I need to be smart about my riding. I don't think it was a bad idea to go ride but I was getting down on myself for feeling so weak. I took it easy on the fourth lap and started the fifth lap out pretty fast but quickly started to slow down, I decided to just ride and not push it too much. I was bombing down the grassy section that feeds in below the camp area and leads down to the water and as I made the right hand turn back onto single track I nearly went down as the back end washed out......I knew right then the tire was too low. Sure enough it was going flat, I hit it with air and it sounded liked the leak was coming from the around the valve stem. Instead of fixing it I decided to walk it out and that is when I noticed a big thorn in the front tire....and I'm running tubes in both tires, the front is still holding air but I am not about to pull that thorn out right now. I have to get this bike converted to tubeless, I guess all I need is the rim strips since I have everything else already. Priorities have kept me from getting this done yet but it is time to do it. I am considering getting a suspension fork on Mary to make trail riding more enjoyable.....plus then my eyeballs wouldn't be rattling around in my head on the rocky descents. There are times I literally can not see what is going on due to the vicious bounding that my body is taking and I just hope for the best. I did put a Thudbuster ST on her though and that has helped a ton even on smoother sections. I know the long travel is designed more for mountain bike but the short travel that I have on her really takes the edge off. I would usually have some serious back pain after riding her all rigid, she is starting to so her softer side but don't let her fool you....she can still be a real Ball Buster!!!