Peaks and Valleys or: Speaking of "Staying Honest"

***Get comfortable, this is a long one.***



Phrases in my google search bar over the past week:

"athletic pubalgia"

"iliopsoas tendonitis"

"overtraining syndrome"


On Monday my hips were so sore that it slowed me down at work. I now attribute this to wearing heavier shoes for the later-week jogs I did, taxing those hip flexors a little more than they're used to. This was just regular old muscular soreness, but in a time when every little ache has me worried about injury, I was a little anxious.

I decided to rest until I felt better. I felt OK on Tuesday, but gave it another day. Wednesday I felt good and I got up with the sun, out for 45 minutes jogging. Felt decent, but kind of frustrated. To be honest, the whole heart rate monitor idea (keeping my HR below 150) is causing me more strife than it's worth. It results in very slow and somewhat uncomfortable jogging.

It was more of the same on Thursday, 45 minutes or so, and some periodic wind sprints were relieving, but they made me aware of a tightness in the right side of my groin that's been lingering for the past few months. I resolved as I was stepping through my front door to put the sneakers in the closet for a while. Which is an idea I've toyed with since.

So, as is evident in my extreme paranoia of injuring myself, my fear of anything besides light jogging (hence the HR restriction which I'm deciding is more or less a subconscious manifestation of this fear), and my continuing difficulty with these periodic attempts to rekindle my daily habit, I'm obviously feeling pretty off kilter right now. I can't tell if I'm depressed and frustrated because I'm having trouble with this, or if it's the other way around.

Of course, this is related to things bigger than running in my life right now as well. And I realize that I can't run (or jog) from my problems. At least not in an unprescribed manner.

By the way, I should mention that I feel pretty darn good right now. Just so you're not worried I'm typing this from some dark room hugging a bottle of hooch or something. I merely find it important to convey what's going on in my head. And I'm accepting that the issue with my hips is related to an imbalance of some sort. The whole stress fracture issue (left foot) at the beginning of the summer had kind of a cascade effect where I was compensating a lot with my strong leg (the right one), especially when biking. On numerous occasions I caught myself pedaling solely with my right leg out of fear (and some discomfort honestly) that I'd reaggravate the stress fracture. This clearly led to an overuse injury of some sort which is getting better, but still lingers. So I've given myself a new challenge, and that's to stay still until I can't stand it anymore. Then I'll start some core strengthening exercises for a little while before trying running and cycling. And I'm gonna run, not jog. Well, maybe some jogging. The difference between this and similar "resolutions" earlier this year is that I have confidence that things will heal. It's just a matter of time.

On a different note, I've been thinking a lot about long term plans. I've mentioned before that I wanted to build up to a marathon next June. Grandma's Marathon specifically. If you know me than you know this is the first and only marathon I've run, and it holds sentimental value to me in that regard. It'd be wild to cross that tape again after so long away from it. Plus my grandfolks live in Superior, and it'd be nice to see them.

I've never mentioned this before (on this blog), but something I've always wanted to do is an extended bike tour. Some of you may have heard me mention a trip I'd envisioned after graduation, a self-supported circumnavigation of the great lakes. Well, my brother Nate has recently discovered a passion for cycling, and he's been asking me to ride coast-to-coast with him. I muddled over this for a while and decided that if there's a time for me to do this, it's next summer, with family. Grandma's is in June, and we'd have to leave around that time at the latest, so I'm now having second thoughts on the marathon. It's something I can come back to, and I don't know if I'd ever have another chance to take a two month tour. Priorities. Nate's already started "training" for it so I better get on board soon.

So as it stands now, I'll be retiring this blog for awhile. As I don't feel like I've been training (running or otherwise) for a good time now, I don't see any reason why I shouldn't take a little break from things. The fact that it seems mentally insurmountable to rest is probably a good indication that that's exactly what I need to do. When I get back to things, which might be a New Year's thing, I'll hopefully be doing a balance of running and cycling, so even then the format of this blog will change.

Thanks for listening, and good luck to all y'all in whatever you're doing.

Staying Honest

Got out early this morning before settling in to some studies for the day. Great sunrise, and for the second day in a row I caught the gargantuan freight barge that seems to frequent this part of the river as it was towed downstream by tugboats. Jogged halfway over the Ben Franklin Bridge before turning around and retracing my steps. In the last 20 min or so my hips got tight on me, serving as a reminder that adaptation is a long term process. 55:13 easy.

In the Clouds

I was a little hesitant to go out this morning after some poor sleep and band rehearsal (beer rehearsal) last night. Glad I did, as I touched base with one of my favorite sensations that running brings me. With my head in the clouds, feeling kind of mentally groggy, my legs took me on a windy trip around Penn's Landing and Old City. The feeling was fleeting, but it's the first time I've felt it since early summer. I can best describe it as a bypassing of the mind, so that motion doesn't originate in the head, but instead in the legs. I got rained on, and it felt good. 60 minutes of slow easy jogging. Legs feel good, foot still feels weird.

Shorts in November?

Someone was apparently surprised to see me walk by in shorts in a tank top, peanut butter and bananas in hand.

Woke early without an alarm this morning.  Trotted around Penn's Landing for a while and wound up at the corner store for the above-mentioned breakfast items.  Sun was poking through the clouds above the Ben Franklin Bridge.  Beautiful grey morning.  Watch died on the way out of the house, but it was somewhere around 45:00.  Felt pretty good.  Was listening to Thelonious Monk, and almost busted out in a little jig down on the promenade.

Hot Dank Poorly Ventilated

The particular gym I visit occasionally can be described as such.  Was there after work today feeling kind of tired but I thought I'd give it an honest try.  Waited in line for a treadmill for a while and then decided to forget it and head outside.  The wind and drizzle was refreshing, and I got off to a good start.  Ended up with some figure 8's through and around Powelton Village.  Eventually, the strong wind gusts, rush hour traffic, and some irritation in my foot converged to dampen my spirits a bit.  I guess 3 out of 4 isn't too bad.  21:56 easy.

Check Your Head

Yesterday afternoon, got out for 44:43 on a loop through Old City that I haven't done in a while. Slow but otherwise things felt fine.

After class and taking care of some things at school tonight I went for a spin to shake out the election jitters. 34:13. Again slow but feeling pretty good.

So it seems that a freak combination of some indigestion, a bit of muscular stiffness, some irritation from the saddle on my bicycle, and my hypochondria had me pretty worried that I had an inguinal hernia. I saw a doctor today and I'm relieved to say that there's no visible evidence of such. To play it safe, the doctor ordered an ultrasound, which I'll do tomorrow morning. I'm not ruling out the possibility of some tendinitis or something around the pubic bone area, so I'll continue to be conservative just to be safe. Otherwise, I'm hoping tomorrow will be my last visit to the doctor for a good while. Maybe instead of an ultrasound they should do a brain scan.

Breaking Out

Of my house between study sessions this afternoon. Runs are good for these. 47:xx including three striders in the grass of Penn Treaty Park. Beautiful day out there, felt pretty good even at slug's pace. Wanted to keep going.

Weekly Injury Update

I'm thinking of changing the name of this blog. Ideas so far:

"The Latest Ding"

"Discomfort Monitor"

"The Running Chump's Field Guide"

Actually, the current title is fitting enough.

To get to the point, another issue has popped up on the radar. I'll spare you the list of symptoms. I was one of the lucky 2% to be born with a hernia (actually two, one on either side). It was repaired when I was three years old, and the surgery is probably one of my earliest memories. I think all the biking over the summer opened one of them back up, and it's steadily becoming more and more uncomfortable. Strange thing is that it doesn't hurt while jogging, only after cycling. Looking back, the first symptoms came last month while riding to the shore.

So, all I know to do is to continue to take it easy, ask the doctor, and hope I can get whatever's going on fixed. Happy Halloween.

Phanatical

40:18 Penn's Landing. Felt pretty good, although I hadn't eaten anything for over 16 hrs so I was kinda hungry.

Helicopters. Men in skirts. Amazing the kind of excuses we all need to be enthusiastic.

Windy and Cool

31:29 nice and easy. Feeling pretty good.

Good Evening

Back in Philly.

Last Thursday night after a long day I got out for :30 or so along Penn's Landing. Felt pretty good, except the metatarsal pad the doc gave me was just a little uncomfortable. Not sure it's gonna work, at least not for running anyway. Seems to feel OK when walking.

The following morning I caught a flight to San Francisco to visit my brother Nate, who lives in the area. My mom and my sister also happened to be in CA, and on a magical kind of whim we decided to take a quick trip to Yosemite National Park. After visiting some giant sequoias and hiking around a bit, I ended up above tree line on a peak that overlooked the park from the east. The pic below shows Nate, Alexz, and Bowie (the dog). Moved by the beauty of it all, I couldn't help but get a quick jog in with my brother's dog Bowie, an enormous but gentle beast. The two of us descended the roughly 1000' over about 2 miles or so. :20? I've decided that will be the first of many visits to Yosemite. Words can't describe.

Sunday I took a ride around the San Fransisco area with Nate. He's taken to cycling of late, and it was a blast chasing him up and down those hills. THOSE HILLS!!! 30+ miles, untimed. We rode single-speeds, and at one point some hot shots passed by us and egged us on during a steep ascent. I was able to catch one of them but had to let em go once I realized Nate and I had ended up on opposite entrances to the Golden Gate Bridge. What an absolute joy.

This evening after another long day, I wound up on the treadmill for :30+. Threw some "striders" in towards the end. I have to mention that for the past month or so I've been focusing on keeping my HR down (<150 or so) during these "runs," which end up between 9 and 12 min pace. Today was on the slower end. Afterward I did some leg lifts to help strengthen those pesky obliques, which have actually been feeling fine lately. Biking seems to aggravate them more. Would make sense that the two are related given the immense amount of cycling I've done this summer. Lately, I've been taking the el.

Hoping to get out a few more times this week, but not stressing if I don't.




































GG Bridge enveloped in fog. 60 and cloudy on one side, 80 and sunny on the other.

Public Swing Dancing

Why don't I live here?

Boat Houses

Sunset at 10k feet

Climbers

Can't really see it in this photo, but there are some climbers on that face. Must be a half mile vertical there.

Stacie Bowie and Nate

Yosemite Valley

I've Been Fighting

There's a certain momentum I carry when things are going well. Obstacles seem surmountable. Hesitations are few and far between.

Given my limited experience with running, I've witnessed this kind of momentum more so in other areas of my life. But I have seen it cross over into running as well.

As momentum can be described as the product of an object's mass and velocity, the only way I can describe the way things have fizzled out lately is that training-wise, there's no substance to me. Like I whittled my self down to a puff of dust. One small gust of wind, I'm gone.

Until pretty recently I feel like I've been consumed by frustration, anger. I've been fighting. Fighting this injury, fighting my doubts, fighting that fatigue that wants to keep me from getting out of bed at odd hours of the morning.

Well, I'm not throwing in the towel. But I am engaging in guerrilla tactics.

It occurs to me that the only way I can let things fall back into place is by letting them go.

Letting go of the expectations, the plans, the anticipation. Taking things at the pace that my mind and body seem to be dictating right now. This doesn't mean I've resolved not to run. Just that I've accepted things for what they are right now.

So, I've got no immediate goals. My only long term goal is that I'd like to try and run a marathon next June. That's a long time away. There's plenty of time to assess and plan and consider my options. Just not now.

On a less existential note, I got x-rayed at the podiatrist's office today. His official opinion is that the stress fracture is healed. The discomfort I've been experiencing is likely soft tissue related. He gave me a metatarsal pad and I'll be going back to see him in 3 weeks. Funny thing is that I felt relief as soon as I put the pad in. Go figure.

Stay healthy out there y'all.

Chilly!

And breezy, with fall smells wafting. Got out before sunrise, and indeed it was the earliest I've been out for a while. 26:30 jogging. Aimed for 30 min, b-lined it home when I sensed a bit of pain in the left foot. I noticed this just after the 20 min mark. Seems to be a pattern emerging lately.

Not sure if I should draw any conclusions from this, but perhaps I'll keep the outings short for the time being. My mind seems to be progressing at a quicker rate than my body can uphold, and I'm not sure what this discrepancy is about, but I'll have to work with what I got. At least my spirits held up today.

Untitled

45:00 Penn's Landing out-and-back. Decent up to about 30 min in, at which point I seemed to loose focus. Low grade discomfort in the foot and lower abs by the end of the run.

New Trick

Kept my expectations low today and was suprised to find some life in my legs. I contemplated doing some striders in the grass, but refrained. 22:00 easy jogging. No discomfort to report.

Misty Morning

Sunday I got out for a 25:00 jog with Maia. No issues to report except some discomfort in the left foot that lasted a few minutes and then went away.

Yesterday, easy 50:00 on the elliptical trainer. Felt really good during and afterwards.

This AM, easy jogging on the treadmill. Felt great up until the minute I hopped on the TM. Moving extremely slow. Either really tired or really out of shape. I intended to go 45:00 but after about 35 min I dropped my water bottle on the belt and it splattered on the ground and wall behind me. This must have set off some sort of chemical reaction in my brain because as soon as it happened my left foot cramped up a bit. So I stopped at 40:00.

It's been just over three weeks since I started back to "running" on a regular basis. I'm realizing that right now things will have to develop based around numerous other things going on in my life, rather than the other way around. In the past I could plan my days around some sort of training schedule. Now I'll be content to merely keep up these easy efforts. To keep things in check, I've been using a heart rate monitor, and plan to do so for the foreseeable future.

The past week has been somewhat tough, and that's reflected in these posts. I hope this doesn't sound too much like complaining. I'm only trying to be honest. That way, if in a few weeks things haven't improved at all, I can decide whether or not to keep this up.

Back and Forth

Schedule has made it tough to fit in morning runs. Add this to my congestion and general ambivalence over the past few days and I was sure I'd decide not to run today. I eventually got out the door for a 50:00 easy jog late this afternoon. Made it about halfway over the Ben Franklin Bridge before turning around. The south pedestrian ramp is closed due to painting, so I got a new view from the north side, which they've opened instead. The weather was perfect, and I think I'll sleep a little better for having gotten out. For the record, I felt a kind of awkward stiffness in my left foot about halfway through that dissipated as time went on. No issues otherwise.

Jogging with Maia

It rarely happens, but today the planets seemed to align and Maia and I found ourselves on the same path around the neighborhood at the same time (and pace). The run was nothing special, but the company was great, and we strayed off the beaten path a little to find some interesting scenery. 30:00 easy jog.

Day After

30:00 very easy jog along the Delaware. Honed in on the grass and asphalt. Felt decent out there, better than expected. No discomfort to speak of save the minor head cold. Long stretching session afterward. In terms of effort, these recent outings feel like warmups, leaving me wanting more. In time, I suppose I'll give into this craving.

Safety

I wanted something flat, soft, secure. I wound up on the treadmill. 45:00. Felt OK. Running continues to feel more natural, and my legs continue to adapt. There are still some niggling dull pains that I'm pretty sure I'd ignore if I wasn't so paranoid about these things lately. For some reason the hip flexors and lower abdominals have been super tight, especially on the right side.

I've been feeling a bit run down since I got back from my trip this weekend. This happened when I got back from my Scranton trip as well. While fishing off a breaker in Atlantic City on Saturday I slipped on some algae and landed on a bunch of barnacle-covered rocks. I wound up with some scrapes on my right calf and ankle, and lost a bit of skin right below my big toe on the left foot. Needless to say, it's been kind of uncomfortable to stand, walk, and run on it.

Also, sleeping under the stars for two nights in addition to the changing weather has left me with a scratchiness in my throat. Seems to be worse at night.

So, before I find any more complaints, I'm going to bed, maybe I'll feel better in the morning.

Happy Feet

Made it home. It's hot here. A very easy ride today, ended up around 73 miles or so. The beach seems a lot closer now...

Mile 49

Stopped at a grille in Atco, NJ for lunch. Expecting to be home by 4 pm.

Sunrise in Ocean City

We'll be on the road shortly. A stop at a coffee shop is likely in order.

Sandy Mattress

43:00 run along the sea at sunrise. Last few minutes barefoot. Cooled off in the ocean. Spectacular. When I got back Eric was still asleep.

88 Miles

There it is, big and blue. I don't know what the hell we're doing in Atlantic City, on bikes. Did I mention we're in AC? On bikes?

75 Miles

We made it to the ocean, but it's in the form of a bay. The Great Bay specifically, near Leed's Point. Pretty peaceful. We'll relax here for a few, then head south a bit to find some beach.

Ocean Air

Resting the legs on a downhill. Almost there.

Time for lunch! About 60 miles out. Skinny tires cause falling on sand roads, so we found our way back to pavement. Stopped in Hammonton.

Wharton State Forest

Roads have turned to sand. 40 miles in.

To the Sea

This is the path to New Jersey. This morning Eric and I are riding until we hit salt water. Then we're gonna eat shrimp. Lots of shrimp. Stay tuned for updates.

Relief Between Classes

26:30 jog along the Schuylkill. Perfect weather, didn't even break a sweat. A few more jaunts like this and I might be hooked.

Wondering

AM: 30:00 jog around the neighborhood. Felt a little awkward out there this morning. By the time things felt right it was time to wrap it up. Found myself wondering how long I'm willing to go before I start to notice improvements.

PM: 55:00 stair climbing. Stark contrast to this morning in terms of energy. I ate two PBJ's for lunch. Clearly I'm lacking peanut butter in my diet.

Short and Sweet

50:00 pool running. Feeling pretty good today. Sweating underwater is an interesting sensation.

Untitled

Busy day. It was all I could do to squeeze in a 23:30 jog along the river after work. Legs wanted to go faster than I wanted to let them. Foot feels a little sore, stiff like.

Hungover

But I didn't drink last night.

It wasn't hard to justify bagging the ride I had planned this morning given the rain, my tired legs, and a boatload of school work I should be working on.

Had to be at a meeting in W Philly this evening, so I swung by the gym beforehand. 30:00 core session and 30:00 very easy on the stair climber. Boy am I tired.

There's a dull aching in my left foot as I write this, so I'll have to watch it lest I end up back at square one. Of course, feeling mentally and physically exhausted alters my perception of these matters, so I'm taking this a day at a time. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Damp

Pulled my clothes from the dryer: damp. Stepped into the murky morning: damp.

AM: Although it was muggy, the cool air and gray skies served me well for a jog. Began, as last weekend, with Maia on a route that meandered through the one-way streets of Fishtown. What's with the traffic this morning? A red pickup narrowly avoided me as I traversed an intersection near Memphis and Susquehanna.

Today Maia and I parted ways about 10 min in as my "jog" crept slowly towards "run." By all means, I've still got a ways to go. But I'm in no rush, literally. Things felt great save for some digestive issues that have been ongoing for the past week and some soreness in the lower abdominal area. No backtalk from the foot, although there's a barely noticeable achy feeling now. I'll be keeping a close eye on this over the next few weeks. Running time was 35:00.

PM: Finally connected with my friend Justin for a ride. Didn't know what to expect other than that I'd be biking for around 2 hours. I let him lead for most of the ride which took us out of the city through Bala Cynwyd and on some back roads of Montgomery County. Overall, the pace ranged from moderate to intense, but I held on pretty well, especially on the hills. A piece of glass pierced my tire with about 25 minutes left to the ride and I was glad to have brought a patch and pump. Total time was somewhere around 3 hours including the fix-a-flat.

Overslept

By choice. Didn't feel like making the westward commute in the chilly drizzle, so I went back to bed. No class on Fridays and it makes it a bit easier to justify.

AM: 60:00 running underwater with three sets of 5x(2:30 hard, :30 easy).

PM: 50:00 easy on the stair climber. Possibly useless information: HR skyrockets when I push off my heels as opposed to my toes. Some slightly neurotic discomfort in the left foot. Phantom pains?

Slow Motion

30:00 jogged on the treadmill, in addition to a 10:00 walking w/u and c/d at an incline to keep the HR up. Moving slow with some sore spots this morning, but none around the foot.

Early Morning

AM: 50:00 fairly easy on the stairclimber. Could've ascended the Comcast Tower three times over.

PM: 50:00 elliptical. Forgot my water bottle at work but I was OK without it. Tired. No hot water in the locker rooms. Definitely awake now.

Plugging Away

AM: 25:00 jog around the neighborhood with 10:00 walking warmup and cooldown. Almost felt normal out there today. Didn't eat enough for dinner last night and I had to wait til after I digested my b'fast to head out.

PM: 50:00 pool run including 2 sets of 6x(2:30 hard, :30 easy). Perhaps one of the silliest exercises in which one can engage, but it's surprisingly a refreshing workout. Left me feeling energized but slightly chilly for the bike ride home.

If You're Happy and You Know It, Rub My Back

That happened to be the conclusion of the conversation I had with Maia on our run today.

Went out for 40 minutes: 10 min walk, 20 min run, 10 min walk. The weather was perfect albeit a bit sunny, and the running felt smooth and easy. I thought we'd part ways once the run began, but to my surprise, Maia held on. Even had to ask her to slow down on one occasion.

Ever conscious of the left foot, but no pain to report. Still feels slightly awkward in a way I can't really put to words. Expecting this will pass in time. Looking to run next on Tuesday depending on how things feel.

Some Kind of Morning

The posting has been sporadic of late. This is probably a manifestation of the schedule-free (more or less) living I've been doing lately, but I'm surprised at how tough it's been to find time for this. It's not that I've been extremely busy, but rather that lately I'd rather be out enjoying the weather instead of typing away at a computer.

I had intentions of reflecting on the cycling journey I took last weekend, but the week escaped me. I'll likely throw in thoughts here and there relating to the trip over the next few weeks, because if it's like other similar trips I've taken, the impressions it has planted in my memory will dwell quite a while.

The few days following my return on Monday eve were slow. Surprisingly, I never was sore. But man was I tired. A deep down, body tired. To the point that it took considerable mental effort to get up from a chair after having sat down.

I felt much better by Wednesday night and I decided to take a short run on Thursday morning. Per doctor's recommendations and also because of a fear of reaggravating the stress fracture in my left foot (which by the way is just about recovered, I've decided) I'm taking any runs for the next few weeks VERY slow and easy. So I did a 3 x (5:00 run, 5:00 walk) around my neighborhood. This was very uneventful. That's what I was expecting, and I think that's a good thing. Man did those old motions feel good.

Friday evening I met some friends and co-workers to ride out to Oaks, PA. Eric and I were riding Mike, the bike tech at our store, halfway to Bear Creek. He was christening a very shiny new Long Haul Trucker and trailer, and we wanted to make sure he didn't have any mishaps. Eric and I rode our fixies, and it ended up being about 60 miles of easy riding round trip. About an hour into the ride the sun went down and I experienced my first official long night ride. It was really a blast, very surreal riding along the Schuylkill River trail in more or less complete darkness (Eric's headlamp helped this issue). My chaffed rear end reminded me why I love my touring rig (also an LHT) so much.

For the past month or so I've been trying to get together with my friend Justin for a long weekend ride. He's on a cycling team and goes out on Saturday's and Sunday's for rides ranging from 2 to 4 hours. This morning it seemed like we were finally going to connect. I was up at ten-to-six (after returning from my night ride at around 11:30) to clean up my LHT and strip the rack and barbag mount. At the last minute something came up and I couldn't seem to get out the door in time. I showed up at our rendezvous a few minutes late, Justin had already left, and I didn't have a phone, so I sprinted down to the PMA to try and find him. The scene down there was typical for a Saturday AM: some sort of charity walk/run, a thousand runners, and just as many bikers, and in the mix I couldn't spot him. At that point I'd grown pretty frustrated and was steaming at the the ears a bit, so I turned what would've been an easy group ride into a hill workout. For some reason I didn't want to stray too far from home, so I strung together some running routes over in Fairmount Park that included the infamous Bloody Nipple hill. Did this roughly 7-mile loop 5 times, covering each in about 25 minutes or so, and by the fifth I'd definitely blown a lot of steam. Afterward as I was coming up MLK Jr. Drive I smacked right into a hand cyclist, flipped over my bars and face-planted. Good thing I was wearing a helmet. I only sustained minor injuries as far as I can tell, but I'm picking out bruises by the hour.

I decided that I kind of like the format of the mobile-phone posting, so the next few posts will probably be a combination of those and weekly summaries. I'm looking forward to another run tomorrow, slightly longer than Thursday's. Good luck to all of you running the PDR tomorrow. Weather should be perfect.

Mike and His Two Bikes

Mike's riding up to Bear Creek tonight for a mountain bike race. He's not riding his mountain bike. Eric and I are riding him up to Oaks, then he's on his own.

Mile 188 13:18

I'm home. Salty, parched, covered in bugs and grime. Grinning ear to ear all the way up Poplar St.

Mile 166 11:52

I'm tired, early morning catching up with me. On the SR trail now, homestretch. Sun's beating on my back, wind in my face. Cruisin' on home.

Mile 143 10:15

I made it to Green Lane 1:20 ahead of schedule. With plenty of daylight left I'm gonna continue home. I feel good, save a raw rear end and some nerve stuff in my hands and feet.

Yeehaw

Mile 135 9:45

At Longacres Old Fashioned Dairy Bar again. Near Barto, PA. Couldn't pass it up. All downhill from here.

Mile 115 8:19

Breaking for lunch beneath an oak tree. The tough stuff is behind me, including Little Gap, Lehigh Gap, and the 6 mile stretch of Rt. 100. The headwind becomes more oppressive the further south I go. Must be steady 20 mph at least. Will hang here in Clausville for a bit.

Mile 86 6:07

Stopping for a quick coffee, which was complimentary from this service station. In Palmerton. The weather is fantastic, 70s and sunny. Will cross Lehigh Gap soon.

Mile 74 5:17

Making decent time. Just SE of Jim Thorpe. Rt. 903 is absolutely hellish. The 10 mile stretch of death may be the one thing that keeps of from taking this route again. Then, after turning onto a more pleasant road a bottle of gatorade wiggled its way off my bike. Tried to go back for it but the hill's too steep and there's too much traffic coming down. Good time to stop anyway, had to ditch some fluids myself.

Day 2 Return Begins

My Nest

This thing is pretty rad. Time for dinner and sleep. Trying to leave around 6:30 tomorrow morn.

Mile 58 4:10

5:10 total. I made it, time to set up camp. This place is deserted. Out of 381 campsites maybe 10 are occupied.

Mile 51 3:34

4:00 total. A well timed gel had me flying o'er the hills. In White Haven now. Stopping for a hoagie to go. Not too much further til Hickory Run.

Mile 34 2:37

2:55 total. Made it to Bear Creek Lake. The climb out of Throop was long and steep. On Rt. 247 I saw a BMW full of teenagers slam into a tree. Pretty scary. They were ok. Temps have gone down a bit from 95 to 84. Riding into a stiff headwind but there are more downhills this direction.

Homeward

Departure time 1pm. 5 hours to go 55 miles.

Head Start

In his finest. Stretching the return trip over 3 days. Hoping to make it down to Hickory Run by this evening. Packing up now.

Day of Rest

There's some sporadic wi-fi service up here so I'll opt for a full keyboard, no photos. Last night, after being greeted by a bearded fellow running down George St in the dark, I slid down the survival-mode adrenaline cloud and eased into a blueberry lager provided by my host. After kicking back for a few hours I could barely keep my eyes open during conversation, and I knew it was time. Matt let me use his new mattress. What a guy.

If you've been following these posts you'll know that when I left Lehigh Gap yesterday morning I expected to go another 60 miles or so until reaching Throop.

Turned out to be 100.

Turned out to start pouring rain around 11am.

Turned out to get a flat tire on a country road with 25 miles and 1 hour of sunlight left to go. A friendly dog-walker found me half-pruned, changing out the tube with road grime and chain grease slathered all over my hands and brow.

It got dark. I was wet, kind of chilly, and made extremely anxious by the traffic passing in the dark. I had flashing lights, reflectors, and a headlamp, but it's tough to trust drivers even under good conditions.

So, I let out a carnal shriek as I saw bearded Matt jogging towards me down the street. It was the end of a long, challenging day. My limits of comfort and endurance were definitely tested, but it felt so good to finally be here knowing I'd covered the distance through thick and thin.

A neighbor passing with her dog inquired about the loaded down bike. She invited us to run the local 5k in town today.

Honestly the thought passed through my mind: man, I wonder if I could do that in my light hikers?

It would be fun, but probably a little uncomfortable. And I have a long ride home. So I'll spend the next day or two trying not to eat everything in Matt's kitchen and think about how I'm gonna take the return trip knowing now that it's 40 miles longer than planned.

Mile 190 14:24

35:40 total. I made it. Through hell on my hands and knees. Will update the blog later. Maybe.

Mile 138 10:40

Hey Matt, this is for you buddy! I'm freakin drenched, but I think I'm gonna make it.

Mile 116 9:00

28:40 total. I've been riding uphill for the past 2 hours. Early lunch, half pound burger and a pint.

Mile 110 8:16

25:10 total. 20 miles so far for the day. This one's for you, Maia. Refilling water, taking a few moments to digest some food.

Didnt Bring My Skis

Mile 91 6:44

23:00 total. Filled up on water, back in the saddle. Gentleman at the station gave me a shortcut round all the traffic on Rt 248. Says I have quite a climb ahead of me.

Packing Up

I hear a rooster crow. Slept pretty well all things considered. Packing up and eating some oatmeal. Waiting for the sun to rise a little before hitting the road.

Good Night

You should see this, really. I'm in a cacoon.This is the earliest I've been to bed in a long while. Not much else to do when it's pitch black and all you have is a sleeping bag and headlamp. I'll get going pretty early tomorrow for what'll be a shorter, but steeper trip to my destination. I'll guess 60 more miles. Whoever thought of including the 6 mile stretch of Rt 100 on the bike route is a jerk. That was terrible, but in effect it made me forget I was climbing a mountain. Otherwise, no complaints, LHT rides like a Cadillac. I feel good, I just hope I ate enough food as I've racked up quite a calorie deficit today. I'm also low on water, but there's bound to be somewhere closeby to fill up in the AM. Good night.

Mile 90 6:36

9:10 total. Made it to Lehigh Gap. Time to call it a day and find a place to rest for the night.

Mile 70 5:11

Can't pass this up right now.

Mile 63 4:40

5:50 total. I found Route L. The speed limit on Dogwood Rd is 30. I was doing 36. Really have to pee...

Back in the Saddle

After a milkshake, cheeseburger, and coffee, it's time to move on. I've changed into a long sleeve shirt as the sun has disappeared behind some clouds and it's kind of chilly. The roads are undulating now, and they'll only get steeper from here.

Mile 52 3:49

4:30 total. Lunch time, just in time. I have no idea where I am.

Mile 38 2:41

3:10 total. Much of the PT is crushed cinder, makes for a slower ride. Note there is no washboarding on the bike-only trail. Know at least one reader that will appreciate that.

Mile 26 1:46

2:00 total time, feeling good. Found a cat's head on the SR trail. Sick. Slowly coughing the pollen out, sneezey sneezey.

1 hour late start. Well spent, coffee with Maia. See you in some miles.

Departure

Test post: Ready to Go