Kenny ://

The metamorphosis (or is it just a small change?)

The dreaded before and after pictures. Now that I'm traveling what seems like 25 days a month - I obviously can't get out everyday and ride 40 miles on my bike. Hell, even if I WEREN'T traveling so much I couldn't do that in Charleston. I've never been in a more cyclist un-friendly town in my life. And I lived in MEMPHIS, for Jeebus' sake.  The first few weeks I was here I mapped out what I thought would be easy, fun jaunts out on the bike on mapmyride.com. Great site, fantastic mapping tool using the Google Maps API, and even has snazzy little elevation viewing, distance, blah blah blah. If you haven't used it, try it out.

Then, after my 7th motorist swerving over into me and yelling at me for being on a bicycle instead of solo in a HUGE SUV, I decided maybe I would become a runner in order to stay fit. At least running I could do every day. When home, I'd run outside, when traveling and weather permitting, I'd run outside and when it wasn't I'd run on the treadmill.  Easy peasy, right?  Not really - I'm not too fond of running.  I do it, begrudgingly, but I'm not fond of it.

As a result, I decided I wanted to get into swim-suit shape. A shape other than "pasty ex-cyclist-with-a-perpetual-farmer's-tan." I subscribed to a workout program - I can take this on the road with me using the hotel weights, YAY. In order to take full advantage of the program, though, I had to take 6 before pictures, will have to take the same 6 pictures half-way through, and then again towards the end of the effort. I've decided I won't look at those pictures until I'm at least 80% of the way there. No need to bum myself out from the onset. Before beginning the program, I've been running 6-10 miles a day to prepare myself for the "before pictures." How self-loathing is that???  My hamstring is pulled, my shins are splint (is that right?), and my hip flexors are tighter than a minimum wage employee's wallet during this economy.  Pathetic? Sure. Mentally steeling? You betcha.

The good thing? It includes Yoga and Pilates, two things that I really enjoy.  

Keep your fingers crossed for me that I don't increase my caloric intake as much as I increase my caloric output for the program.

Traveling tale

I travel quite a bit now and can't really take a bike with me everywhere I go to get in a good workout. Instead, I've started taking running shoes, shorts and a "high-performance, sweat wicking, woman attracting" sport shirt. I have also decided that smelly clothes in the luggage sucks so I'm also traveling with a little bottle of Woolite. Does the trick in the bathroom sink after a run.

Speaking of which . . .

I've been on the treadmill quite a bit lately. I hate running on the treadmill. 4 or 5 miles is ok but 7 or 8? It gets boring, monotonous, and downright angering. I like to find ways to mix it up while running on the treadmill, like boosting the speed to 9.5 or 10 mph to see how long I can last before I feel like I'm about to be spit out then I'll bring it back down to a quick 3.0 mph for a few minutes.  Speed work, you know? 

Anyway, this morning I decided I'd switch it up just a little and run the stairwell 5 times. It's a 16 story hotel in Stamford, CT, and the stairwells go 2-flights-per-floor. Lots of turning and relatively steep climb. I thought I was in pretty good shape until I made it up the 2nd time and felt like my stomach was doing circles around my @$$.  I ran up, walked back down half way then picked up the pace going down the other half. 

Here's something that broke that constant gray wall view for me. I think whomever did this was probably either following orders or goofing on someone when they painted the sign on the Mezzanine door.  I think I have my new Hip Hop stage name - Messy B.

Still haven't seen the alligator

I went to the company gym today and since there was no one around (it's Saturday, after all), I decided after the 7 mile run and 60 mins of lifting to see if I could find the 10' alligator that lives on my office campus.  In Charleston, apparently, there are a lot of gators. 

A lot of the city is marshland. When you look through real estate listings you periodically see something that says "deep water dock" which means the house comes with a pier and dock out the back door for your boat and the "deep water" means you live on land with your own private access to a water way that leads into a river going to the Atlantic.  That pier goes over the marshland that sits between your backdoor and the "deep water."  Pretty cool, but I think it'll take some getting used to considering the bodies of water in Memphis are toxic.  Mississippi River, Patriot Lake, Wolf River, etc.  I wouldn't drink out of ANY of those or eat anything that came from them if you gave me a golden egg-laying goose.  

Anyway, I didn't find the alligator but the pond around which it's most frequently spotted is in the picture below. Yes, that green fence separates my building's parking lot from the alligator pond and marshland.  I think what Charleston needs is an alligator wrestler. I need a camo muscle shirt, first, though.

How does 100 miles on a bicycle look?

I managed to pull out the iPhone for a few pictures during my second 101 mile ride in as many days yesterday.  I thought I'd show you how 101 miles north of Memphis on a bike looks from the saddle.

 

Days like these

Today is the last official day of my vacation. I suppose Sunday could be considered the last day but, come on, I don't say "Have a nice vacation" to anyone on a Friday afternoon. So today it is.

I got back in town late the other day and then it rained so I didn't get to spend any quality time on the bike outside until today.  And what a day it was.  I was at 51 miles into a 100+ mile ride north of Memphis at 1:00 PM on a work day and it was about 83 or 84 degrees and I had nothing but tailwind and relatively smooth roads ahead of me for the remainder of the ride.  Damn. I must have built up some good karma along the way somewhere because I don't remember deserving such a perfect day.  I tried to get a better picture while rolling 38mph+ down a hill but couldn't get my phone outta my pocket fast enough.  Here's one from about 500 yards down the road. I'll get a better one tomorrow because, oh yeah, it'll be on like donkey kong again.

Boy what a relief

Man what a relief. I've been running quite a bit lately - 3 weekdays a week I'm doing 2-a-days (2 runs in one day). Typically, I'm doing a quick 3.4 miles either in the mornings or on my lunch break, sometimes that stretches to 5 miles, depending on how I slept or how the first half of the work day went. If I slept well, it stretches. If the work day has started badly, it stretches. Then after work I'll do 6 to 8 miles. 

On one of the other days I'll do a longer single run. That usually happens on Wednesdays and is 8 to 10 miles, after work. I'll take the other weekday off and have been running 13-15 miles each Saturday and Sunday.  This has been going on for 3 weeks now and I have to say, I'm feeling better and better on my feet which is good for a person who, historically, has always had a hate/hate relationship with running. I've done a marathon, I've done 5 and 10k's, but that doesn't mean I enjoyed any of them.  

Here lately, I've been going stir crazy thinking that I'll potentially miss a run, though. I experienced the first runner's high in my life a few weeks ago and since then I've been chasing that feeling. Unsuccessfully.  

Tonight, though, I needed to get back to what I love and, at one time, was pretty darn good at - cycling.  I work with a person who recently started getting into triathlons. He's got a fantastic history as a runner and is strong as an ox on his feet. He's been swimming consistently and is, in my opinion, front of the pack in most groups, but his bike needs work. Don't we all need that, though? 

So I've been meeting up with him after work at least one night a week to train and talk through training regimens, tactics, physiology considerations, equipment, diet, travel preparation, etc. You name it, we've talked about it when it comes to race preparation.  After all, racing is 20% participation and 80% preparation.  

Tonight was the first time in a month we'd met up to ride, and literally the first time in a month I'd ridden my bike.  It was a good feeling to turn the pedals over and having been running so much for the past 3 or 4 weeks, I can really tell a difference when going uphill, thanks to the 9 to 11 lbs I've lost.  

Thank the Lord for variety - it's got me all motivated again. Not just to ride my bike, but even to run more, too.  Weird how pleasure is in the absence of things, right?