Variety

Got up a little earlier than yesterday, excited at the prospect of dry roads and sunshine. I'd set my expectations high, planning yet another combination route that would take me out northeast of the city into USDA research territory before heading back west along the northern rim of DC.

Put the iPod in shuffle mode and set off in the dark. I was sure to have my headlamp handy, which I needed for the first hour. I say sometimes that my iPod has "moods," and that the shuffle function serves me up different flavors depending on the day. Today's flavor seemed to complement my hypercaffeinated state, with both dancey tunes and upbeat rambling bluegrass numbers. Sun came up by the time I got to Greenbelt, and the daylight breaking over the fog in the rolling pastures there gave me goosebumps. The best part of the ride took place between miles 13 and 35 or so. This section was mostly on back roads, traffic free.

When I got back closer to the beltway, traffic picked up again and it was a hump back west that seemed to kind of drag on. I even contemplated taking shortcuts a few times, mostly because I'd gotten a little bored and tired of the traffic, but also because I felt the need to get to work already. I stuck it out, as usual, and wound up with 60 miles in about 3:37 door-to-door. My odometer is on the fritz, so factoring out the breaks for nutrition inflow and outflow, it was about 3:22 saddle time.

There seems to be some sort of epic rainstorm headed our way, so tomorrow I'm planning on checking out a spin class. I'm surprisingly looking forward to something different.

Fall

Today began very much like yesterday, with me wandering around in my dark apartment, contemplating how to begin my day. I had the strong urge to get back in bed, and the tip tap of light drizzle outside certainly didn't discourage this.

But I was up, and soon I was out the door. I was looking for a break from the trails today, as they require a different sort of focus than open roads. They tend to be narrow, a bit bumpy, and when you get going at a decent clip, a bit curvy at times. I decided to lace together a few routes I've gotten to know.

About 30 min after heading out I'd reached Bethesda, where it started drizzling. Within 20 more minutes it had turned to steady showers, with even some thunder in the background. The shower lasted a good half hour and I was soaked the whole rest of the ride.

While climbing up the first hill on Berryville Rd I became suddenly aware of the new season upon us. Cool air breezing past me, soggy auburn shades beneath my tires, and the scent of burning wood. Fall indeed.

A prominently less graceful moment transpired just as I let out a yelp while descending the other side of this same hill. I tucked into position and gained quite some speed, and before I knew it I was struggling to manage the sharp left hand turn at the bottom of the hill. I went into the grass, barely, and just managed to avert the disaster that would have been sailing into the picket fence lining the road.

Sometimes it seems like these changes happen so fast. I've often written of transitions, of instances where change can be observed to happen seemingly before one's eyes. Hiking up to alpine level and beyond is one example, where ecosystems change proportionally with the elevation. But this is a rarity. Natural transitions, such as those between seasons, are less drastic. The sensation I experienced today was more a product of observation. Something happens, or some sensory experience triggers a questioning of your surroundings. Then you realize that they're different than the last time you paid attention. There is a parallel here to training, in that minute progress is often undetectable until one day you realize you're doing something better than before. Speed seems to come at less cost. Familiar hills seem less daunting.

So, it turns out that even though transitions are generally constant, we often bookmark certain events or experiences as indicative of a transient change. And I'm certain that I'll remember today's ride as the beginning of fall of this year. 51 miles, 2:50.

Makeup Run

Woke up around 5:15, put a kettle on the stove, and began contemplating my morning. I glanced out the front window, trying to get a gauge on the precipitation. Seemed like a light sprinkle. Bike long? Or run short then bike short?

I decided on the former. Heck, the rain looked light enough to bear, and I'm still fixated on keeping my mileage up for the week. So on with the rain jacket, off with the sneakers.

One of the very nice things about riding in the rain is the dearth of other riders and runners on the multi-use trails. And to boot, everyone who is out seems to have a heightened sense of awareness. Not a judgment necessarily as much as an observation.

Anyhow, the rain came down for about 30 min, long enough to place me solidly south of Arlington. My legs felt fresh and I was loving the ride. Just as I stopped to refill my bottles in Bethesda, however, a downpour washed away my hopes of continuing on for the 23-mile extension I blazed last Thursday. It's one thing to ride on trails in the rain, but the heavy traffic on the roads seemed too risky. I called it a morning at 28 miles, 1:35.

At about 7 pm, after riding down the hill from Bethesda, I laced up the sneaks and got out for a jog. The right foot was a bit stiff for the first couple of minutes but loosened up eventually. It's a weird sensation, and I'm wondering if it's really only PF that ails me. I recall this same feeling when I had a stress fracture in my left foot. Eventually it just went away without me noticing.

Didn't run more than a couple miles, maybe 2.5. Short and sweet, just cruising along at the pace my body dictated. This seems right for now, especially since I don't want to dash my chances at getting back into marathon shape for next spring. Right now, as far as running goes, slow and steady wins the race. The buildup will happen on it's own as long as I let it.

Tapering

Got in some good workouts this weekend. None of them involved a bicycle.

Lugged a truckload of stuff down some steps in Philly, only to lift it back up some steps in DC. Moving is one of those occasions where regular people become superhuman, enduring feats of strength and extreme fatigue like it's life or death. Imagine going to the gym and doing single leg squats for 5 hours. It wouldn't be possible there, but it's not all that different from hauling all your belongings up and down steps all day. In fact I think moving is tougher. It's how such things can be endured (and I think it's mostly a mental thing) that intrigue me to the point of experimentation.

On Saturday, amidst the packing and loading, I got out for a short run. One of my old standby routes along Delaware Ave. 30 minutes or so, felt no worse for the wear afterwards.

This week my only goal is to ride as many miles as the weather and my schedule will allow. Friday is out as I'll be out of town, and it looks like tomorrow may be as well, owing to the rain in the forecast. I may run tomorrow morning instead.

I'm glad I got to rest from the bike for the past three days, but it also feels like something has been missing. With just under two weeks until the century, I suppose I'm tapering.

Good Morning!

I slept in again. Didn't keep me from sticking to the plan though. Added another 23 miles to my Arlington Wineglass loop for a total of 50. Started out feeling a little sluggish as I didn't have time for coffee ( or breakfast for that matter). Ate on the way and felt better as the miles ticked by. Overall, a great ride and I look forward to revisiting it next week. 2:47.  Not bad for a Thursday morning. I got my cake, and ate it too.

Looking Forward

Just can't seem to get enough sleep lately, even though I've been getting plenty by usual standards. This amounts to 7ish hours each night. I haven't really been sleeping all that well either, which unfortunately fans the flames of my fatigue. I haven't been quite comfortable since I moved down here, mostly due to the dual city arrangement I've had with Maia, but work has been quite busy as well. She's finally moving down this coming weekend, and I'm looking forward to having some weekends at ease.

Today I awoke when my alarm went off at just after 5, felt a bit of scratchiness in my throat, and in my haze decided the best thing for me was to go back to sleep. In retrospect the scratchiness is fine and probably seasonal allergies. And I wound up with less time than I wanted to ride this morning. I did manage to squeeze in 20 on a Northern Crescent route, in spite of my late sleeping. I haven't done this route in a while and I never quite remember the hills until I'm huffing and puffing steadily up them. 1:08.

I mentioned that work has been busy. This means there's a lot of clutter on my desk. One piece of paper, however, is different than all the rest. It's a registration form for the Jug Bay 5k/10k in November. When my co-worker (my boss, I suppose I should say) slapped it down on my desk last week I immediately resorted to the logic of the past year: no way I can run a 5k, let alone a 10k this year, owing to the state of my right foot.

But I've been thinking about it since. What if I just signed up? Could I run a 5k? Absolutely. 10k? Perhaps. Could I wind up with more PF? Maybe. The few runs I've had in the past couple months aren't the kind that make romantic memories. But in the past few weeks, each time I run, my foot feels slightly better than before. I'm feeling the urge to push the limits more and more.

All this thinking, and the fact that it was a relatively light biking day, meant I was easily convinced to get out there for an evening jaunt. 20+ minutes, slowly jogging around the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood. I mentioned in a previous post that the progression of my injury seems to be unwinding in reverse order. I got this sense again today as I didn't feel any pain at all in my heel or arch (where the PF pain has centered) but I did have some discomfort on the inside of my ankle. I think this is where the posterior tibial tendon runs. I've had this discomfort before, but it was well before the PF came. So, while I'm annoyed by the post-tibial discomfort, the PF pain is gone, which is great.

I have until a couple weeks after Seagull to register for Jug Bay at a discounted rate. I'm planning on keeping up with the easy runs until then. If all goes well, perhaps I'll be building up to my first race of 2010!

I won't be running again for a few days, as tomorrow I'm looking to get a long ride in before work, and Friday through Sunday I'll be tied up with helping Maia move. I'll be able to get a ride in on Friday and Sunday, and perhaps a short run on Saturday depending on how things feel.

Catch Up

I've been trying to make this post all damn day. Been playing catch up here. Posts from my phone don't exactly show up at the time I posted them.

I've been tired and hungry after this weekend's rides, but it was back to work today. Last night I envisioned a 50-miler before work. Couldn't get out the door in time to make this happen, so I thought I'd get out as far as I could within the timeframe I had.

Took the Arlington Wineglass loop and right around the end of the W&OD section I caught up with a guy on a mountain bike who seemed pretty studly. He sensed me behind him and picked up the pace. I took the bait, and soon enough he waved me past him. With him sucking my wheel, we covered the Curtis Trail quicker than I ever have before. This section is fast to begin with and we must have averaged well over 20 mph over the roughly 5 mile rolling stretch. I can't believe he was able to ride that fast on a mountain bike with studded tires and front suspension. I experienced some oxygen debt like I've never ever experienced before (that I can remember) and it reminded me of one of the great (or terrible) reasons to ride or run with others.

I ended up capping the ride at 30, feeling satisfied that the effort I'd expended on the Custis section outweighed the possible benefits of adding additional miles. 1:40.

Hard Lessons

What a weekend! Aside from all the riding I also provided music for a wedding and hung out with some great friends. Left little to be desired except maybe more sunscreen.

I am feeling pretty good, all things considered. I'll be quite honest in that yesterday was a mostly miserable day. It was bad enough that I got a late start and the heat and sun had already intensified, and 25 miles into my day I flatted out. The clincher (no pun intended) was that my flat kit turned out to be unreliable and I couldn't really repair the inner tube. I had apparently used up all of the glue that comes with the patch kit, so the best I could do was to use the pressure of the tire to hold the patch in place. This meant a slow leak that lasted the rest of the ride. Couple this with the fact that small hand pumps really only inflate to about 40 psi max, and I had myself quite a long day. Ride 25 minutes, get off, pump till my arm burned, ride 25 more minutes, repeat. I managed once to use an air compressor at a gas station to get the pressure up to about 75, but this lasted only a few minutes and didn't prove worth the trouble. The window of ridable pressure diminished throughout the day, and soon I found myself reinflating every 10-15 minutes. It tooke me over 7 hours door-to-door, even though my average speed never dipped below 18 or so. Ugh. 85 frustrating miles. Cursing myself the entire way for being so poorly prepared. Lesson learned.

Today it's just a mellow 10 miles to and from work. Clocked 250 miles last week, right on schedule. I'll be surprised if I see that many this week, but it'll be over 200 for sure.

Home

Made it back in one piece. Very difficult day and I learned some hard lessons. More to come later. Took a different route back, 85 miles.

One More Flat

Flatted again. This time in Chaptico, MD. Patching the tire.

Back On

Departing St Marys City a little late. It's hot already, will be sure to drink plenty. Looking to get to DC by 3.

Rest Day

So it doesn't look like I'll get out for a ride today. Social things happening, plus need to rehearse for this wedding later.  I got sucked into a whirlwind of activity yesterday as I arrived here, and am glad to have a rest day today. Will swing by a local bike shop to replace my pump(which I discovered is defunct) and reinflate my rear tire. Will hopefully be on the road a little earlier tomorrow to dodge the heat but this is all dependent on how much I celebrate tonight. 

The odometer stops at 87 today. Flatted out with less than a mile to go. Thank goodness Gwen was around.

Chaptico, MD. It's hot. Haven't had the urge to pee, which generally is not a problem unless you've been sweating a lot. Taking a quick breather to rehydrate. Energy level is good.

View from Woodrow Wilson bridge. Looking North. In Bensville, MD. Swirling wind, once in awhile catches me from behind. Will need a water stop soon.

Leaving a bit late. 85 miles to go. Gotta get out of this DC traffic.

Long and Short

Went out for a run this morning. Nothing too serious, just figured I'd mix things up amidst all the cycling miles of late. Found a nice little loop down on some trails in Rock Creek Park. I've discovered some alternate entrances which are much closer to my doorstep than those I've used in the past. It was still pretty dark so I took my headlamp along. Seems I may need to get a brighter headlamp if I expect to do this further into the fall and winter. About 25 minutes, fartlek style.

I also ran Monday morning for a something like 20 minutes. The foot has been feeling OK. It generally doesn't bother me during the day, but it's still a little stiff when I take my first steps in the morning. It doesn't really act up too much when I run, however, which is a good sign. Actually, my achilles has been feeling it more than anything, which is interesting. This is how the injury seemed to progress back when I first started having issues. First the achilles, then the arch, then the heel. It seems to be unwinding itself in the opposite progression with which it started. Still, I've been sure to ice it plenty and keep up with the stretching.

Didn't do any serious riding Monday as I'd traveled back down from Philly and didn't really have the time. Picked up 16 or so just commuting for the day. Tuesday was 30 in the morning, 40 total. Yesterday was 37 in the morning, 47 total. This is the same progression I've been using on Wed/Thurs in past weeks, but I bumped it up a day this week. It's the same route on both days, with an extended loop around Bethesda on the 2nd day. There are a few checkpoints by which I can gauge my progress. The 5-mile time trial along the CCT went by in just over 15 minutes on Tuesday, which is good enough for a PB. Yesterday I finished the Arlington portion 2 minutes faster than on Tuesday, but lost about a minute and a half on the aforementioned CCT section. However, I finished the total ride yesterday about 4 minutes faster than last week, which is a pretty decent jump. I'm reminded that sometimes it's the larger picture that matters more than the details.

I'm looking forward to my excursion to southern Maryland tomorrow. Logistically it'll be a bit challenging. Sometimes it's awkward showing up at a social scene in sweaty bike garb, and there are a few loose details such as where to leave my bike, etc. I'm planning on leaving around 8:30, and I'm hoping to complete the 80ish miles in under 4.5 hours, putting me in St. Mary's by 1:00 or 1:30. My friend Gwen (who will be joining me in the wedding serenade) will be meeting me with a change of clothes, some stringed instruments, and hopefully some food. I'd like to get out Saturday morning on a 30- to 40-miler just to shake the legs out. Sunday I'll be riding the distance home. Won't have access to internet, so look for the long and short on Sunday evening.

Right Where Old Becomes New (Soggy 60)

Often times I find myself thinking, on runs or rides, about what I'll post when I report here. It's an interesting duality, the interplay between present and retrospect. Almost as if the experience is filtered through this narrative medium, where I'm searching for a spin, or simply taking mental notes that I want to remember.

The title of this post is one I'd intended to publish a couple of weekends ago on a ride through the western suburbs of Philadelphia. It refers to a point along the route where Old Gulph Rd. becomes New Gulph Rd. The symbolism was apparent both in the moment as I transitioned into a mental "phase" of my ride, as well as in the broader spectrum of things. I was overcome by a notion that things are changing, physically, mentally, spiritually; but that it's really more of a revisiting of familiar cycles. Which, of course, highlights one of the many reasons I love doing this, whatever "this" is. Training, or just simply surmounting small challenges and trying to do it better the next time.

All of this cogitation aside, I also had a great weekend. I have less time to ramble on about it than I'd like, but that'll keep this from getting too long.

Yesterday I traced a similar version of the aforementioned route, west of Philly, through the hills of the Main Line. These hills are tough, unforgiving, and surprisingly difficult for such an East Coast locale. But they were easier this time than the last. 58 miles in 3:23.

This morning I thought I'd do about 45, avoiding the hills for a steadier ride. It was raining, which always adds an element of excitement. I stuck to the flat and straight path along the Schuylkill River I've come to know so well, and took the westward leg of the trip pretty hard. The rain stopped when I got to Valley Forge, and I headed off on a short circuit around the park to round out the mileage. I got lost and wound up with more hills and miles than I bargained for, racking up 60 even by the time I was done. I couldn't quite match the pace along the VF trail I set on the way out, and the confusion in the hills prior led me to neglect my nutrition. This slowed me down further, but some focused breathing and a couple gels seemed to patch up my leaky sails. On the way back through town I stopped by the vendor area for some Bicycle Coalition of Philadelphia event and visited with some friends. I don't recall the total time for today, but it was slightly quicker than yesterday.

To my surprise and excitement I've discovered that St. Mary's City is within a 4-5 hr ride from DC. I have to be at a wedding down there on Friday and Saturday. Looks like I'll be taking the two wheel express, to and from.

Flux

The mornings have been refreshingly cool and the cycling has been voluminous.

It's become much more manageable to get a couple of hours in before work, especially when it's incorporated into my commute. I took direct routes to and from work Tuesday for 20. Wednesday it was 30 in the AM, 36 total. Yesterday it was 37 in the AM, 48 total.

Today is another direct to/from, although I haven't ridden home yet and I'm considering taking the scenic route. I really didn't fully recover from Monday's long hot journey until today.

I haven't exactly done the best job tallying my weekly miles, but, based on this week already, they've been in the range of 175-225. I'll probably max out around 250 before winding down for the century on October 9. I like that there hasn't been a focus on achieving a weekly mark. I've just been trying to get in as many miles as my schedule will allow. This seems to be working pretty well. For now.

I feel as though I'm still in this perpetual state of flux, even though a couple of months ago I thought I'd be adhering to a "plan." I suppose this is further augmented by the non-linearity of my running of late. I haven't done any of that biped stuff since Sunday. And because I have a double-header this weekend (two long rides) I doubt I'll get around to it then either. Maybe Monday?

I'm looking forward to October 10 for a couple of reasons. Maia will finally have moved to DC permanently (after a year of us bouncing back-and-forth between here and Philly). Secondly, I'll have the fresh opportunity to reassess my goals, and set some new ones.

77 for Labor

I've been riding (and even running a little!), just haven't been blogging. Lots of travel, work, adventures, not so much sleep.

Looking over the past few posts, I realize that here I sound almost a bit bored. This is definitely not the case, but I have felt as if I don't have any solid long-term goals. More on that in a minute.

I found myself in Vermont over the weekend to attend a friend's wedding. I ended up having a lot of free time, so I explored some state parks while I was there. Ended up doing a bit of trail running and hiking, which came somewhat unexpectedly. The urge to push through my comfort zone (which over the past year has consisted largely of not running) overwhelmed the restraint I've been exercising, and I wound up with three runs in three days. Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

My favorite was a steep ascent of Cannon Mountain in Franconia Notch State Park, NH. A lot of hiking mixed in because of the technical terrain. If I had to guess, I'd say I ran maybe half of the 5 or 6 mile loop. There was something like 2000 ft of vertical rise and descent, but the view from the top was well worth it. The foot has held up OK, but I'm still hesitant about making any judgments from all this. To be honest, my quads are more sore than my feet, which is maybe a good sign, in a warped kind of way?

Yesterday's quad-pounding didn't keep me completing my planned bike ride today. Last Saturday I did 60 miles in the suburbs west of Philadelphia (think north of Rte. 30). So today I figured I would push it a little further, aiming at around 80. The ride was mostly spectacular, although I'm adding some enthusiasm post-ride that I definitely didn't have in the midst of the wind and heat. It was remarkably windy, and this had two general effects; the first of which made me wish I had more water, and the second of which had me cursing the wind and various inanimate objects. I wound up with 77 in about 4:16. Long ass ride, and HOT! I don't feel like mapping it, but it was similar to this. I was 8 pounds lighter on return. The hills on River Rd. are SO epically challenging after working all the way out to Poolesville. Mostly mental. And I don't understand how McArthur Blvd can be uphill the whole way back to DC when the Potomac runs toward the city. Maybe it just felt that way.

I have no specific plans to up the ante in the track and field game until after my century. For that, I've decided that I'm either going to ride my fixie, or ride as fast as I can for the 100 flat miles. I have been toying with the idea of just up and registering for next year's Grandma's Marathon (June) to ignite the charcoal under my rump. But I'll have to see how the next few weeks go. Happy Labor Day.