Just 80 Miles Until Beer and more blister pics.

I now have until December 11th to run a half marathon.  To date, 8 miles is the farthest I've run.  So at this point, I'm just going to try and complete the half marathon.  I originally had a 1:45 goal in mind, but that'll be for another day.  I just want to get to the date without injury and complete the event without injury.  Then, I can work on a better base.

I'm actually very excited about building my running base.  :D  Can't wait for the routine.  I can't wait to execute a plan and see it come together.  I can't wait to have less of these (they're now 8 days old):

Note:  The blistered obtained running are nothing compared to the blistered obtained riding.  It's like real estate, location location location.

In yesterday's El Tour de Tucson (can read about it here) I didn't kick butt...I got my butt kicked.  I expected an eye-opener.  While it's technically a charity ride, there is a clock and there are timing chips involved...so to me, it's a race.  It's my second race, and first of this distance.  

I learned a lot, much of it will translate directly to running.  I think I could easily exchange the word ride for run here.  First, I need to make more use of the miles I ride.  I've not ridden empty miles, but I need to make each workout more focused on its goal.  Second, I need to try and make each long ride a negative split.  Third, I need to shorten the distance and increase the intensity and maintain that intensity as I rebuild the distances.  So, eventually I'll be riding the same distances, but at a faster rate.

I believe my original plan of spending the next two months on strength and condition, not specific to running or riding is on target. 

On a side note:  The best sign I saw at El Tour de Tucson yesterday was "Just 80 Miles Until Beer." 

I said, "Well, I better hurry then!"

Whipping Post

My theme song for participation in El Tour de Tucson was Whipping Post, by the Allman Brothers, recorded live at the Filmore East.

I'm tied...to the whipping post, tied...to the whipping post.  Sometimes I feel like I'm dying.

Too appropriate.

Yesterday I ate so much food and drank so much I was rather miserable.  I ate dinner at 3:00 pm, hoping to have cleared everything by race time.  I didn't want to have to invoke Gandolf's fight against the Balrog, "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" during the race.

But, the best laid plans of mice and men...

I had it all planned out...what to take for fuel and when to eat it.  The only thing I wasn't sure about was if and when I'd have to stop for water.

But, the best laid plans of mice and men...

I had also mapped out a cue sheet of when I expected to be where on the course, and what I expected to do next (effort-wise).

But, the best laid plans of mice and men...

I did exactly what I didn't want to do.  I started out too fast because I was too far behind the fast groups.  I had to skip between packs and as a result I was cramping well before mile 50 (of the 111.7 mile ride).  I spent a lot of time punching and massaging my left thigh to get it to loosen.

That early start forced me to be very weak at my strongest point...hills.  In fact, someone I'd been riding with said he looked forward to the hills so he could catch up with me.  We were tooling up the biggest hill, I'm just trying to avoid hitting the cramp stage again, so I'm not working very hard at all.  We're talking and sharing stores, in particular riding experiences.  I mentioned it was my first tour.  He asked how long I'd been riding and I shared that about 14 months ago I was around 300 pounds.  That almost cause a small accident as riders ahead jerked their heads back to see me.  At the time we are pace for 5:20!

I caught my second wind and the cramps went away for a while.  I cooked along with a group for about 45 minutes and we smoked at a steady 28-30 mph!  That was freaking sweet.  During that portion of the race a young lady asked to buy me a beer after the race.

I stopped to get water and use the bathroom before the last 28 miles, which are always the toughest of this course, and in particular today because of a strong wind directly in our faces.

After stopping for water, a few of us rode a half mile down the road only to be stopped at the train.  Not a bad thing as a large group formed, which allowed us to make better time into the wind and up the hill.  The group proved very fast, almost 30 mph uphill into the wind and I soon began to cramp again.

I dropped out of the group after 12 miles.  I still had 16 to go and found myself facing the wind and steady climb alone with cramping legs and that internal heat that says I've redlined too many times already.  I rode along pushing as much as I could.  I looked for my last cliff bar...couldn't find it (it fell out in the car!).  I recovered on the bike and went along as best I could before eventually catching another group.

When I finished I had a decent push, pulling ahead of my pack for a while...but then the cramps struck again and I just coasted in, not pedaling at all.

My unofficial time was 5:49:20.  My chip time will be quite a bit faster.  Either way, I wanted to break 6 hours and even if I hadn't, my effort was superior.  I've never worked that hard at anything.  I pushed and pushed and had nothing left...then I'd push some more.

I didn't ride alone today.  My brother-in-law, whose company sponsored me, joined me.  He's been riding just 3 months.  He did the 111 mile route and completed it in 6:40!  Wow.  Quite a special day.

The highlight of the day:  Seeing my wife at the finish line.

Yeah, that was tough.

Today I took a little lap around the Santa Rita Mountains. It turned out to be 119 miles and took me 7:15 of riding time.  I took pre-scheduled breaks and a few unplanned potty breaks.  It was an awesome experience, one that is unique in difficulty of all of the things I've done, and one I won't likely do again any time soon.

In the picture to the right you can see the mountains on the horizon, about 30 miles away or so.

The ride started at 7:40 this morning.  My hands froze for the first 6 miles.  I tucked them behind the handlebars and tried to protect as much exposed skin as possible by pulling my arms in tight against my sides.  I love running in cold weather, but riding a road bike is a bit different.

There was a slight breeze in my face as I made my way into the town of Patagonia.  I had really struggled, despite the beautiful route.  Many times I wished there was another GABA ride so I'd have people to chase.  But as it turned out, I managed just over 15 mph average.  I've not been that slow since ... March?

I hadn't planned on stopping in Patagonia but I needed to use the restroom and to think about why I was struggling.  My legs weren't tired and I was rested and had good fuel.  I was just kind of emotionally flat.  Not an appropriate state of mind for what lay ahead!

Patagonia is a neat place.  Everybody lives there by choice and it's community reflects such.  Above is a picture at the public restroom in the town park and it's obviously nicely decorated. When I walked into the restroom, I became aware that a previous rider had been having a crappier ride than I was.  Warning, it's kind of a gross picture, you've been warned.

I realized that my cadence had been too low, so I focused on keeping it over 90 and had much better performance for the rest of the day.  As I left Patagonia, about 4000 feet in elevation, to head the 12 miles up to Sonoita, about 5500 feet elevation, I was very disappointed to find that the top layer of the highway's asphalt had been removed.  ADOT was apparently going to resurface.  Ugh.  This was sure to be the hardest part of the ride anyway, as the wind is ALWAYS in my face on this ride, and the climbing is steady and relentless.

When I pulled into Sonoita, which was my first scheduled stop and 40 miles from home, my feet, seat and hands were all numb.  I grabbed a few goodies and replenished my fluids.  How is that for a healthy mid-morning snack?  Chocolate milk, snickers and nutter butters?  The joys of riding.

I hit the road going north with a bit of anticipation.  I'd never ridden this route before.  It had the single largest climb according to the research I'd done.  I just knew that the scenery would be unparalleled.  The high desert grasslands are incredible.

This road, AZ highway 83, was in excellent condition, though it had a small, ever narrowing shoulder.  The surface was smooth and flat, a welcome change for my rear end.  With the new surface my speed picked up and I rolled along at an easy 18 to 19 mph until I hit the hills again.

In the picture above and right you can see that I'm now on the other side of the Santa Rita Mountains.  I really enjoyed this part of the ride, though I had to pee again only twenty minutes after leaving Sonoita again.  I've been trying to become more efficient with fluids by hydrating more fully before a long ride.  Today was the first time in a while I had trouble.

It was all fun and games until I hit the hills.  I'm not sure if this picture will really capture the climb.  It's not that it was so steep, I've ridden steeper, but this was steep and long, about a mile and a half without break.

I love climbs like this though, really.  When I'm at the top it's an accomplishment to be sure.

Now of course what goes up, must come down.  And down I came.  For the next thirty miles I was cruising downhill.  Unfortunately the shoulder completely disappeared and the road became in disrepair shortly after leaving Santa Cruz County and entering Pima County.  But, what a rush.  That first downhill made the entire ride worth the effort.

How sweet of a sign is that for a cyclist?

I dropped in elevation from just under 6000 feet to just over 2000 feet pretty quickly.  The road wound down through a narrow canyon, the road carved out of solid rock on each side.  Eventually I shot out onto a gently downhill sloping flat covered in cactus.  It looked like something in a scene from The Hills Have Eyes.
I pulled in for my second planned stop at bought some sunscreen and some more fluids.  I was waiting in line to pay when some young teenaged girls asked me if I'd ridden there.  They shared that they too had ridden, and almost died.  It was TWO HORRIBLE MILES!  I didn't share how far I'd gone.  I was at 68 miles.

At this point I was beginning to create small goals.  Get here and maintain your average pace all of the way and then we'll evaluate how things are and make another goal.  I continued down the hill into the Santa Cruz Valley and the temperature continued to rise.  I couldn't wait to be done.  This road was getting worse, the traffic heavier and the sun was ROASTING!

I finally reached my turn and headed south through some pecan groves.  The groves are interesting as they add some humidity to the local area, which has a cooling effect.  The road again was smooth and the shoulder was sufficient.  There was a slight breeze at my back and I hoped it would remain there for the final 45 miles of my ride.

I stopped in Green Valley and bought pretzels.  They sounded, and were, fantastic.  I was also thirsty for just water.  No more Gatorade or Powerade.  Weird how that happens. 

Now I was really at the point of just picking places to stop.  I had one more scheduled stop in Tubac.  I made it there going well.  I was tired but strong.  I bought a peanut butter cookie and a banana.  I hit the road just wanting to make it to the north side of Rio Rico, then I'd evaluate what I had left and create a game plan.  

The last five mile stretch before I hit the residential area is on the interstate.  The frontage road is flat dangerous, busy, fast and has no shoulder, often the white line is painted over broken asphalt.  Over the last two miles on the freeway I decide to open it up with whatever I had left.  I had been maintaining between 16.5 and 17.5.  At first I'd have been happy maintaining that as the road began to incline.  But, I pushed and brought the speed up to 20, 21 and sprinted to finished at 22.5.  That was a hugely taxing effort that will have a huge dividend to be collected on 11/19 (El Tour de Tucson).  

When I got home I was as tired as I can ever remember being from a bike ride.  My wife said a friend of her's husband rode a lot in California, touring the Sierra Madres.  The story went, he was used to elevation and chose my route today as his first Arizona ride.  It turned out to be his last serious ride in Arizona.  Too much climbing and too much heat, he said.

Next weekend I'm riding El Tour's route with my brother-in-law.  That's going to be no walk in the park at 111 miles, but by comparison, shouldn't be nearly as bad.

Learn a lot again ... glad I brought my phone!

Blisters, cut on my arch, heat and wind ... what a combination!  I decided to move my long run from Friday morning to Thursday afternoon.  Then, on Friday I'd do a bike workout instead of a run.  So, Thursday afternoon I was to run 9 miles.

My new toe shoes have about 20 miles on them or so, including an 8 mile run and some mile repeats.  But, on Wednesday's two mile easy run, I developed a small cut on the side of my left foot, at the fore part of the arch.  I didn't want to use my old shoes on Thursday's run as they're cheapies and not as nice.  So, I threw a band aid on it, forgot to bring an extra, and headed off on my run.  It was windy and 88 degrees.  Since the route was new, I brought my phone and would use that to track my pace and distance.

Right off the bat my legs were DEAD.  But, I remembered reading not to judge a run until the second mile is done.  Mile 1 was on pace, around 9:30, mile two was around 10.  Ugh.  The rest of the miles through were right on track, around 9:30, even the 5th which was uphill and directly into the wind!  Still, at the time, I had just finished a hard day and was battling my own attitude.  I kept thinking, How am I going to run 13 miles faster than this in about six weeks?  Then, as my phone sounded off for the 7th time, quoting my pace and distance, the cut on my left foot screamed.

I stopped, pulled off the shoe and couldn't find the band aid!  What gives?  I felt all around, no luck.  I threw the shoe back on and tried again.  NOT HAPPENING.  Upon a second search I found the pad of the band aid, but the adhesive portions were long gone!  Where?  Maybe with my missing socks at home?

I tried running barefoot and made it a block.  But that created hot spots pretty quickly on my feet and toes (they later turned to blisters).  I called home and had my wife come get me.  I was two miles from my truck and 15 from home.  By the time she showed up I had walked, barefoot, a complete mile.

Guess I should've known better and should've worn my old shoes.  From now on, I'm bringing my phone.  I never bring it on runs.  So glad I brought it Thursday.

In related news, last week I ate four complete loaves of banana bread and two small loaves of apple bread.  I ate a full pot of soup and drank beer.  I ate and ate some more.  For the week I lost 4 pounds anyway!  Right now I'm really not trying to lose weight.

Tuesday I had a crazy bike workout.  I did half mile intervals, knocking them out in 1:20 or less, followed by two minutes of easier pedaling.  I also did a pair of five mile sprints, the first in just under 14 minutes and the second, into the wind, just under 16 minutes.  All told it was a 36 mile ride!  That's why I had dead legs Thursday.

Today my legs were a bit shot too, and I had a busy schedule.  But, I snuck in a tempo ride of about 24 miles of rolling hills in 1:18.  I can really tell that I have much improved power on the bike, even in a fatigued state.

Tomorrow is my first day off in two weeks.  Having three remaining weeks of training certainly provided me a spark today when I otherwise would've dogged the ride.  On 11/19 I'll be participating in El Tour de Tucson, and will be happy to finish under 6 hours.

Sunday will be my first century ride, and it contains about 2000 feet of elevation gain.  I've ridden 90 miles in a day, and it's really not the distance that worries me.  It's the distance AND the climbing.  I'm getting psyched up about the challenge already!

This Can Get Pricey

One surprise that's crept up this week is how expensive training can be.  I'm not talking about racing with travel and entry fees, but just training.  I'm not talking about having the latest and greatest gear either. 

This week I found out I need a new cassette and chain for my bike, my tires are about shot and I needed new running shoes.  Two weeks ago I had to buy new riding shorts, gloves and a new shirt.  Since it's getting dark earlier and I have mandatory meetings frequently now, I had to buy some lights for the bike.  While riding I go through quite a bit of electrolyte drink plus gel shots, and I eat so much more than a normal person should now.  Then there is the gym membership to boot.  I'm a high school math teacher with two teenaged daughters and I've been under a pay freeze for 5 years. 

I'm thinking that I'm going to have to sell my guitar stuff to raise some money to support my new addictions!  That'd be sad as I have some world-class equipment. 


Aside from that, as I mentioned earlier this week, each day I've been unsure if I could be ready for the next day's workout.  I have to be careful not to over train, like I did last spring.  So I've been stretching multiple times a day, icing everything, stretching again and getting as much sleep as possible.  I've been reading the Cyclist's Training Bible, and while it's written for cycling, the training intensity, volume, and workload information is applicable directly to running as well. 

Here's how the workout schedule is shaking-out to be:

Monday am, some running workout.

Tuesday am, short recovery jog and a quick 30 minutes at the gym.  Tuesday afternoon a speed session on the bike.

Wednesday am, another running workout.

Thursday am, short recovery jog and a quick 30 minutes at the gym.  Thursday afternoon some tempo work on the bike.

Friday am a long slow run.

Saturday off. 

Sunday, a long slow ride.

The Tuesday/Thursday am sessions can be skipped without consequence.  The only two that cannot be skipped except due to injury are the long run and ride. 

I've got a very busy few weeks ahead of me and I'm curious to see how I'll hold up!

I'm learning so much ... how dumb could I really be?

I'm 38.  Between the ages of 26 and 37 I was pretty much exercise free.  The exercise I've done in my life before last spring was the sort that involved a little running here and there, hitting the weights now and then, and playing a little basketball or something.

In the next 60 days I have a 111 mile road bike race and a half marathon.  So now not only do I have a mapped training plan, it's two activities.  At the end of every day the past two weeks, I've wondered, "Can I really manage that workout tomorrow?"

Sunday I ran a 5K race, my first, and was very sore Monday.  Monday I went on a 32 mile hilly ride with a friend that's not a serious rider.  I knew the pace would be easy, but didn't know how I'd feel.  I know a 5K isn't much, but I ran really hard and haven't run hard in months!  I almost backed out of Monday's ride.

Tuesday was a real time crunch.  I had about an hour of light in the afternoon.  So I decided to do intervals (on the bike).  Three miles fast, then cruise over the overpasses.  I did 20 miles this fashion and was toast.

Wednesday morning I did NOT want to get out of bed.  I went on a short 2 mile run, then hit the gym for some upper body work.  Wednesdays I teach two classes for the community college in the evenings, so even without a long work out, it's a draining day.

Thursday I had a 40 mile "tempo" workout on the bike.  I agreed that I would not drop below 17.5 mph on the bike.  On flat ground that's no problem.  But, look at the elevation profile.  When I showered Thursday night, I had crusted dry salt that made my eye brows and temples white.  It was awesome confirmation of the effort I gave.

This morning I was supposed to do an 8 mile slow run.  It's my first run of what I'd consider a significant distance since June.  I was anxious and didn't sleep well.  I wasn't sure how I'd feel but with the races around the corner, I had to stay on schedule and give it a shot.

I wanted to keep around a 9:30 pace or so and did a pretty good job.  I had some new vibrams to break in (second pair of toe shoes).

Where I live is hilly, even if you avoid hills.  The first mile is down hill and I did it in 9:01.  Legs felt good, sore left calf had no problems.  Second mile had a climb in it and was 10:11.  I felt great, like I could do this pace all day, even with dead legs from riding.  The third was 9:56 and at the end of mile 4 was a turn around.  4th was 9:30, and 5 was 9:45.  I labored on mile 6 and started thinking about some things that make me angry.  Normally, if I run or ride, or work mad, I'm very efficient.  But this time, I realized, I thought of those things in that fashion because I was tired and didn't have the resistance to reframe the situation appropriately.  Mile 7 had the hill again and was uphill even without the climb, 11:01.  I felt good again and decided to make the last mile my best, at 8:57.


Did I mention I got up at 4 am to do that run?  


That makes for a little over 100 miles going into the weekend.  I have my long ride tomorrow, maybe.  It's going to be a minimum of 85 miles.  We'll see how it goes.  

One thing I'm learning is that dietary advice regarding weight loss is totally useless at the moment.  I eat as much as I want as frequently as I want.  Those people write magazine articles about diet and exercise aren't performing 2 hour tempo workouts on a hilly course.  


I saw a shirt the other day that really captured the sentiment I've had lately, especially on rides like Thursday and mornings like today's. It said, "Nobody says, let's play triathlon."  While I'm not participating in a triathlon, the sentiment was dead-on!

Why Training is Different Than Exercise

El Tour de Tucson is just about 40 days away.  I've not had a significantly long ride in almost a month due to various issues.  My mileage is still ok and my rides are strong, but I'm concerned that I've not properly trained. 

Three weeks after the 111 mile race is a half marathon.  I've had exactly one run where I pushed pace and or distance since June due to injury.  I had a great 5K race over the weekend, but two days later I find myself very sore.  I need to get tempo, speed work, hills and long runs in, and fast.  

And if there's one thing I've learned in the past year it is this:  Fast doesn't happen.  You can't rush progress because you can't rush rest.  I'll do my best between now and then, eat well, rest, stretch and recover with great focus and devotion.  Each workout will have a stated purpose that will be the focus.

The thing is, I want to reach my goals NOW.  I want to qualify as a platinum cyclist and I want to run the half marathon in 1:45.  Is it going to happen?  Yes.  This time?  Well, that's why it's exciting isn't it?  That's why training for a race is different than just exercising to stay in shape.

I learned a lot today.

Today I participated in a 5K race in Tucson.  I had a blast and got all of the free goodies from vendors and learned a thing or two.

The first thing I learned is that one should not be in the bathroom when the race starts.  That should be self-evident.  I can be a bit dense.

Actually, the race started 5 minutes early.  Where the bathrooms were staged was far enough away from the PA system that I could hear them, but not understand what was being said.  Plus, they talk so much that after a while I just tune it out.

Anyhow, I step out of the bathroom and hear the count down 5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... pop.  I ran over to the race and hopped in line.  My official time was about 30 seconds slower than my stop watch.

The course was a lot hillier than expected, though it wasn't what I'd call a hilly run by any stretch.  It just wasn't at all flat.  All good, I run hills daily, we're on speaking terms, hills and I.

On the first mile my left hamstring started to hurt...crap.  I just kept my stride short and hoped it would go away.  The morning was cold and though I'd run about a mile warm up or so, that was close to twenty minutes earlier.  I also think that the crowd being pretty thick and corners being slow with everybody sneaking towards the inside of each turn contributed.  I felt like I had to speed around people or get stuck waiting behind them.  At one point I jumped over the curb and around a parked car.  Dang, why was I in the bathroom at the start.  Ugh.

At mile one I was 7:24.  I was very happy with that.  I hoped to break 24 minutes.  I've not been able to really run except this past Monday because of a hip/hamstring injury from late June.  My hip felt great, the hamstring loosened and things were going well.  I fell in behind a kid and followed him as he picked his way through.  Shortly after the first mile things started to thin and people started falling off.

The second mile was mostly uphill and went through the neighborhood where I'd parked as a UofA student.  I remember thinking how much things have changed since then!  Mile two was 6:20.  Whoa.  My pacer was speeding up too.  I did my best to keep up with him, but could never catch or pass him.

A few minutes into the third mile my left calf really started to hurt.  It was painful on my short run Wednesday morning.  As I finished the run, the third mile in 7:02, it was screaming at me and on the fringes of a full on disabling cramp.

All told my official time was 20:58, earning me second place in my age group and 15th over all.  I am pretty happy with that, especially for my first ever race!  Well, technically I did participate in a 5K in early July, but was injured and walked the whole thing finishing dead last.

The second thing I learned is that these races pay for themselves if you place.  I earned a small gift certificate to The Running Shop.  In combination with the free give aways from the vendors, I came out quite a bit ahead, financially speaking.

The third thing I learned is how nice runners can be.  I met with a fellow blogger on runnersworld and also talked with the man who won the half marathon.  In fact, his last 5K was faster than the 5K winner's time.  He asked how I did and congratulated me.  Pretty cool guy.

The last thing I learned was the important of good race hair.  Here's my effort:

All told I had a great time.  My mother went with me and tried to take pictures on my phone, but ended up just being moral support.  I got a free massage after the race and then went out to breakfast.  The calf is wrapped in ice and hopefully that won't keep me out of running for more than a day or two.

This past week I had a great time.  I had an awesome run Monday, the best in months.  My hip is finally healed.  I had a strong 40 mile ride on Tuesday in high winds.  Thursday morning I did a short two mile run before going to the gym, and Friday I had a very fast bike ride in high winds.  My power is increasing noticeably on the bike lately.  Combine all the training with the run today and I'm feeling pretty good right now.

I can't wait for my 11/11 10K trail run and then the big one, the half marathon in December.  I do know this, running a 5K is a heck of a lot easier than a 70 mile bike race.

Big Plans

Big Plans:  I always have them.  I'm going to do this and this and that.  It's going to be G R E A T!

Last week my workouts got pushed back and one day's plan bled into the next day.  The end result is that I didn't end up taking a day off, making this week a little tough.

My plan Friday and Saturday was to get in a long, hilly ride Friday afternoon and Saturday morning to get my first trail run since June.  The combination of events, and just the trail run itself, were to be a HUGE test for my **healed** leg.  (The pain is now only in the hip abductor area and could just be bursitis.)

Friday was Home Coming at the high school.  I had to go take my truck to the dump after school and before the ride as I needed it Saturday morning.  Home Coming festivities made it tough to get out of work at a great time.  The end result is that I didn't even start my planned 40 mile ride until after 4:00.  It's dark shortly after 6pm.  Guess I'd see if my new lights worked. 

Windy conditions further slowed my proceedings, compliments of some tropical storm.  Where I normally breeze along a 6 mile stretch of road at 18 to 20, with a few down hills hitting 35, I was struggling to stay above 12 mph.  I was gassed by the time my direction turned to be perpendicular to the prevailing currents. 

As I rode towards Pena Blanca Lake (to the left), I kept a close eye on the time, instead of my cadence or speed.  If I hadn't reached the turn around point of my ride by 5:30, I was going to have to abort the ride.  Cool surprise:  That agreement motivated me to move a little faster than normal on the big hills going to the base of the mountain.

On the return trip, coming up the biggest hill, I was a cyclist at the top obviously battling the same thing I had.  Instead of coming down that hill and fighting the next three hills, he turned around to return home.  I HAD to catch him.  It's a chase, though he didn't know it.

At the top of the hill there was no sign of him.  I kept my cadence high rolling around the corners and riffling down the hill.  Eventually I saw his taillight.  That thing was bright in the twilight.  I was gaining on him, creeping closer and closer.  As I drew closer I could see he had a nice bike, but tennis shoes.  Not a serious rider, so no feather in my cap there.  Matt and I talked for the next 4 miles or so.  We live just a few miles away and had a good talk up the very last climb before really being in the valley.

He was taking the more direct route home, but I wanted to extend my ride a bit.  The sun had already set, but barely.  I clicked on my lamps and raced with renewed focus.  I could clearly see my light on the street in front of me and was thankful I was on an empty street.

As I turned on my street my phone rang.  My concerned wife wondered if I needed a ride.  It's nice to be cared for. 

My legs were toast.  I averaged 16.4 on the 36 miles (the distance is different than mapped).  Usually when I go to the lake I try to stay above 15.  Most rides I try and stay above 18, but the lake is tough.  This route was almost 7 miles longer and contained a lot more climbing, not to mention the wind.  I was happy with my time, but exhausted.  I stretched, ate and dunked myself in a cool bath.

Out of the tub and I got dressed and headed to the school.  My daughter is in the band and I had to stay late after the game.  We got home at 11:00 and I was in bed by 11:30.  So much for an early night.  Saturday morning she had the SAT's, but instead of being there at 9 am, she had to be there at 7:45 and had to have some papers printed.  That meant I had to leave at 7 am.  No early morning run today.

After dropping her off and buying some oatmeal and fruit at the store, I returned home.  My wife has started a branch of Bountiful Baskets in our community and I had to help.  That's why I thought I needed my truck...like many things I think, I was wrong.

I finally started my run at 10:30.  The sun was HOT, time to go topless (Part of Operation Dirty Whore).  My hip complained a little at first, like usual.  It loosened up...good.  The trail conditions, though, they SUCKED.  This particular stretch of the De Anza Trail is maintained by volunteers. The summer monsoons knocked over several trees in the path and the weeds and grasses had choked out the trail.  I got lost so many times and everywhere were these weeds with stalks of goat heads.  My toe shoes had some Gollum obsession with them and collected them as precious things between the toes.

My stride broke down to this:  Stop, find the trail, clean the toes, run.  Stop, weave through throny mesquite growths, run.  Stop, climb over tree trunk.  Stop, find the trail, clean the toes, run.

Then my hip started again.  Stop, stretch, run.  Stop, find the trail, clean toes, run.  Stop, weave through throny mesquite growths, run.  Stop, climb over tree trunk.  Stop, stretch.

The end result is that I ended up walking quite a bit.  If I walked through the weeds no problems with the toes.  Plus, my hip was sore.

I completed the 5.5 mile trail run in 1 hour and 8 seconds.  I had hoped for 7 to 8 miles in a similar time.  But, I told myself throughout not to be concerned with time and speed, just to get out healthy and uninjured.  I did manage to avoid further injury (I think), but the speed was disappointing.

I am very happy to have been able to squeeze in those two work outs.  Turns out I may end up being "sponsored" in the Tour de Tucson by my brother in law, provided a wear a jersey with his company advertisement on it.  That's a SWEET deal.

I ended up collected 90 miles this week in two ride and three runs.  The runs were 4, 5 and 5.5 miles.  I didn't take a day off last week and was forced to take of Wednesday.   So, this week I adjusted properly to make Friday and Saturday work so I could have Sunday off to rest.

I'm super excited about riding in the Tour de Tucson and a little nervous about being ready for my half marathon on December 11th.  I've got a 5K race next weekend and a 10K race on Veterans Day.  The following weekend is the Tour.  There's an inaugural race here in my hometown on my daughter's 18th birthday that I'd like to squeeze in.

The riding is exciting right now, but after such a long lasting injury, the running is intimidating.  Time to remain cautious.