4x Mountain Bike 3x Downhill Bike 1x Run

A big shift in terrain. Nine sessions in Comox Valley — four mountain bike rides, three downhill runs, and a short run — totalling 146 km and a massive 4,293 m of climbing. Last week was five gravel rides at 141 km with just 872 m of gain. This week traded the gravel roads for proper mountain bike trails and steep descents.

Monday started with a short shakeout run, just 1.3 km to get the legs moving. Afternoon saw the first mountain bike session — 22 km through, 192 m of climbing, and a strong 142 bpm average. Tuesday pushed the distance to 25 km, peaking at 162 bpm with 204 m of gain. Wednesday doubled up: a morning mountain bike ride (21 km, 199 m) followed by an afternoon downhill session (18 km, 931 m of descending). Thursday was the biggest climb of the week — 18.8 km with 1,213 m of elevation loss, a true gravity day. Friday brought another 22 km downhill run with 1,146 m of descent. Saturday closed with a mountain bike session, 19 km and 176 m of climbing at a relaxed 108 bpm average — the lowest heart rate of the week, a recovery spin after five consecutive days.

The elevation numbers tell the story. 4,293 m of climbing across mountain bike and downhill sessions is nearly five times last week’s gravel total. The downhill rides alone delivered 3,290 m of descending over three sessions. Average heart rates on the downhill days sat in the low-to-mid 90s, well below the mountain bike efforts that consistently hit 127-142 bpm — a different kind of workload, gravity-assisted but terrain-demanding.

Volume was up slightly in distance and dramatically in elevation compared to last week. The variety is the change — from gravel consistency to mountain bike and downhill, a full week of trail time in Comox Valley.