Date: April 5Mileage: 17
April Mileage: 53
Temperature upon departure: 37
I'm going to be on hiatus for a few days here so I can go up to Anchorage and hobnob with real journalists during the Press Club conference. The bikes are staying home, too, which means I'm going to have to spend the weekend sucking in those city fumes and making a mockery of running with my 10-minute miles. Maybe I'll get lucky and the hotel will have a fitness center. Maybe I can even challenge my boss to a treadmill race.
On second thought ... scratch that. But one thing's for sure - I do need to start thinking about training again if I am going to attempt any major summer events. I can't believe there's less than two months until June! I still leave the house every morning in the shadow of massive banks of snow. The old-timers tell me the spring thaw will wipe it out quick, but, really ... I'll believe it when I see it. For now, I feel pretty confident in my belief that I am currently living under the beginnings of a new glacier.
Today I had already put in about 10 hours at the office and driven home when I had to return to town for a literary reading by some local authors. I wanted to get in some riding today, so I took my bike. The reading was good but dragged on until a little after 9 p.m. By the time it ended, the sun was well below the horizon, and I was facing my usual epic hill climb on a road bike with no lights and about a half hour of twilight left. So I scrolled through my iPod until I found some old-school Rage Against the Machine and I pumped it, hard. I even began to slip into that place where I hear nothing and see nothing but gasps and flashes of light - "the tunnel," as I've heard it called. It's a hard place to force myself into, believe me, but I really am that scared of traffic.
When I arrived at home it was 9:30, which means my average for the climb was about 10 mph - far faster than I've ever done it. So maybe there is hope for me yet.
When in Anchorage, may I suggest the coastal trail for running/biking?
ReplyDeleteIt's a paved trail that begins on 3rd avenue in downtown Anchorage, and continues south, unbroken, for about 12 miles, ending at the Kincaid Park ski chalet. There's a nice little hill climb for about the last mile up to the chalet, too. The trail winds along the bluff overlooking Cook Inlet. If you wanted to bike instead of run, there are places near the downtown end that rent bicycles (tho of a lower tech variety than I'm sure you're accustomed to). There may be patches of ice/snow on the trail this time of year, depending on what kind of breakup Anchorage is experiencing this year.
Give the city a kiss for me when you're there, I sure do miss her.
Stay away from real journalists!
ReplyDelete;)