Sorry I've been so absent, friends. I've been riding less since I started working again in August. Summers off were very good for cycling. I've not ridden since last Monday, except to and from work a few days. I'm planning to do 3 or 4 hours with hills tomorrow.

John, you're amazing. I don't understand how you do it.
Troy, we still need to ride sometime. These days I have Wednesdays and Sundays off.

Amazing ride this weekend, John! Congratulations for a job well done - both days! Just read your blog; incredible stuff! Some of my friends rode the MS charity ride here in S. Jersey to the ocean and back - a 100 mile ride on Saturday and had a great time, great weather. I need to get a bike.

Thanks Carolyn! For the kind words and taking the time to read about my adventure. It was, indeed, a life altering experience. People throw those words around these days a bit, but it really was. Sometimes it's good for a person to go out there on the edge a little. To really test the limits of what we're capable of. I consider events like that "re-calibrations". They change one's perspective on the activity, but also on life a little bit.

Thanks again!
J

Got out for 30 w/ a great group today, averaged 19 and everybody was sane & un-squirrelly. Very nice.

Also nice that the rides are slowing down for the Fall now.... very welcomed.

Sane & un-squirrelly... Is that good?

I had every intention of riding today. Went to sleep mulling the options over in my mind. I could do the sunrise or 9am rides from Ann Arbor, the 9am Plymouth ride or the 9am Wolverine ride.

I slept till 9:30.

daggum.

On the plus side... I DID say that my goal this month was to revel in the accomplishments from this season and ride whenever and wherever I wanted....... or not.

Mission accomplished.

yeah yeah...Reveler....

Just when the days are getting shorter so quickly, I'm trying to kick it up some again with the running. Ran 17.5 miles this week and lost track of how much I've walked...added more tempo running in the runs and eating smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day to keep the energy level more consistent. Added a 20 minute routine of hand weights this week to wake up some muscles. Mixing things up a bit over all for better energy and getting out for a bit of sun every day. These days I get up in the afternoon (after having worked graveyard shift) and have to get outside pretty quickly to get a run in while the sun is setting. It's a beautiful time of day...and the falling leaves smell so earthy; it's lovely, really, and also misery at the same time on occaison ~

It is a challenge to keep up the physical activity as the days get shorter. Sounds like you're doing well Carolyn!

On the plus side, I did get out about 5:30pm this evening for a nice 32 mile hill workout. Not a century ride like I was thinking, but it'll do. Ahhhhhhhh.......

Here in NJ the sun is set by 6:35 PM now. Wound up running 4.75 miles tonight but ran the last 1/2 mile in the dark alongside the road...not safe but at least I got it done. With the changing of the seasons the workout changes a bit too...but other than the part about the shorter days, I actually do welcome the cooler weather, the humidity going away, and the change of scenery.

Anybody else getting psyched for the fall workouts? Shakin' out the fall gear?

Not really yet. Was 90 degrees today. Next weekend is supposed to be much cooler. High of 50-ish.

I'll be shakin' something out then......

Scorching Chicago Marathon leaves 1 dead

By CARYN ROUSSEAU, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 12 minutes ago

CHICAGO - In a race run in scorching heat that left one man dead, Kenya's Patrick Ivuti won the Chicago Marathon by a fraction of a second Sunday. More than 300 runners were taken to hospitals because of heat-related ailments.

The 88-degree heat and sweltering humidity were so draining that organizers shut down the second half of the course four hours after the start.

Ivuti leaned at the finish line to edge Jaouad Gharib of Morocco by 0.05 seconds. Ethiopia's Berhane Adere rallied to successfully defend her women's title.

Chad Schieber of Midland, Mich., 35, collapsed while running on the South Side and was pronounced dead shortly before 1 p.m. at a Veteran's Affairs hospital, the Cook County medical examiner's office. An autopsy was scheduled for Monday.

Full Story

Sad. Heat is a mutha.

Scorching Chicago Marathon leaves 1 dead

By CARYN ROUSSEAU, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 12 minutes ago

CHICAGO - In a race run in scorching heat that left one man dead, Kenya's Patrick Ivuti won the Chicago Marathon by a fraction of a second Sunday. More than 300 runners were taken to hospitals because of heat-related ailments.

The 88-degree heat and sweltering humidity were so draining that organizers shut down the second half of the course four hours after the start.

Ivuti leaned at the finish line to edge Jaouad Gharib of Morocco by 0.05 seconds. Ethiopia's Berhane Adere rallied to successfully defend her women's title.

Chad Schieber of Midland, Mich., 35, collapsed while running on the South Side and was pronounced dead shortly before 1 p.m. at a Veteran's Affairs hospital, the Cook County medical examiner's office. An autopsy was scheduled for Monday.

Full Story

Sad. Heat is a mutha. Be careful out there y'all.
J

Cycling sucks right now.

http://www.charlotte.com/112/story/328742.html

Lousy story Troy. Hate to hear about that stuff. Hard to read.

Daylight is fading here. Noticed that it got dark around 6:30-6:45pm tonight. Gonna be even worse when DST starts or ends or whatever it does. With that in mind, I purchased a new riding light today. Planning on joining in on a couple of weeknight rides at a park in the area. A few folks get together and ride bike paths in the dark and keep their riding chops up during the winter. We'll see...

On a better note, I crossed 5,000 miles for the season last week. Best I'd done before that was about 1000 last season (my first real season). Woop!

Hope all are staying safe and still getting some miles in!
J

How's everybody doing? DST has really put the crunch on riding. I've been sort of enjoying the afterglow of a great personal season. Lots of memorable, safe miles. Great season ending event ride. Not riding as much as I was. Maybe two or three times a week. Just enjoying the time I get out now. Hoping to be able to continue getting out a couple times per week throughout the winter.

Hope you all are still getting out occasionally. Still some great riding and scenery to be experienced!
John

Got out for a short run yesterday for the lst run in DST. Got in a 3 mile run on as the sun hurried down on a gorgeous afternoon. It was totally black out here by 5:20 PM. BAHHHHH. And, the days will keep getting shorter for awhile. Wanted to get out for a walk or run today, but it didn't happen. I woke up at 3:35 PM, spoke with my son for bit, had some phone business to take care of before 5PM, and by then it was 4:55 PM. It's going to take some effort to adjust, but the cooler (note that I didn't say COLDER) weather makes for some nice runs...fewer people in the parks too, which can be nice.

Riding has been tapering off, and in the last couple of weeks -- ever since my altercation with a motorist, but that's another story -- I've just been running more. Gonna run some races next year anyway, including Chicago marathon, so I think this is going to be a winter of running for me. Cycling has become dangerous and cumbersome all of a sudden; I suppose that will pass and I'll get out more often. But for now I'm thinking spin classes for a while, just to try and keep the base.

That's interesting Troy. I've heard that from some others. Seems that all it takes is one or two "things" to happen and it affects us greatly. And I think you're right on. It'll pass and you'll get out on the bike again.

Like you, I'm going to be turning to running a bit more over the winter I think. Went out with my daughter yesterday for my first run in a couple months. Felt great. And, like Carolyn, we ran out of light near the end of the run! '

Movin' it or losin' it...
J

Got 60 in Saturday morning. Chilly, but not too bad. Rode first 20 with the A boys. The last 40 solo. In November!

Been running more. Got three or four runs in this week. Feels good. Helps that Jen is running with me. Extra motivation. We're doing a holiday run on Tuesday.

How's everyone doing?

Jen and I did the Lightfest 8k run Tuesday. We've been running a few times each week. I got 40 in on the bike this afternoon. It was chilly (40), but not a problem.

Lindsay gets home Wednesday and we may go do the Fantasy 5k in Howell on Thanksgiving Friday.

Hope you all are getting some miles in, one way or another!
J

I've just been running lately, haven't been on the bike in few weeks (though I've done some spin classes). Not running fast, just hovering around 8 minute miles unless I'm feeling froggy, and my distance varies from 4 miles to 8 or 9, depending on how much time I have and whether I get bored in the middle of it. I'm enjoying it though, feels good to get the legs back. I'm planning to hit the race circuit at new year's, which I've not done in a couple of years now. I'm gonna break under 20 minutes on a 5K this year, just because. Plus, we're gonna run Chicago next year, so I need to build the base.

BUT... I miss the bike. Just said today that I need to get back out there, and I will soon. It's just so chilly out. And the girlie is from Florida... she hugs the pillow and tells me to "have fun," until Spring.

T.

Been a wonderfully active weekend for me. Even given the cold.

Thursday, Jen, Rach and I did the Turkey Trot Run. It was pretty cold, windy and snowy, but a lot of fun. Great way to start out the Thanksgiving holiday weekend (and get ready to scarf some bird).

Friday, Lindsay (the oldest, home from the Army) and I went up hunting. It was very cold, but an absolutely stunningly beautiful day to hunt. We didn't get anything (hears applause from the deer fans), but it was a great time!

Today, I went out for a club ride, only to find that no one showed. Again, very cold out (23 when I started), but I put in 30+ miles.

Tomorrow, I think..... is a couch day.

Hope you all are staying active in the colder temps!
John

Here's something for those cyclists here in the Orchard to either get for themselves or put on their XMas list:

66 Days With Satan. A photojournalistic voyage from David Houghton.

From the website:

"When you take a bicycle trip spanning 7,500 kilometres, anything can happen. And in 66 Days With Satan, it does. During his cross-Canada journey, the author encounters drunken cowboys in Jeeps, a swarm of locusts, relentless headwinds, rabid dogs and homicidal truck drivers. But most importantly, he reawakens the simple childhood joy of riding a bike."

I bought a copy for the photos and was immediately hooked even though I am not a cyclist. Houghton's experience is a well-written journey across Canada. 7500 km from west to east to be exact! I liked it enough to get a copy for one of my ADs for XMas as he made his own bike journey across the US a few years ago.

Cher

np: River - Sarah McLachlan, Wintersong - a beautiful cover of a Joni Mitchell classic

thanks Cher! Looks interesting!

So, I haven't been on the bike in probably 6+ weeks. The last time I was out, a group of riders and I were harrassed by a motorist, buzzing behind us and laying on the horn. Scared the hell out of us, and for no reason: it was a four lane road, and he had the whole left lane to pass us. Really, I think he was following too close to another car that changed lanes, and boom! There were cyclists in his path. Anyway, he went around us like a lunatic and whatdoyaknow? He got caught at the next light.

So, I (allegedly) went up to his car, and (allegedly) told him to have sex with himself, and (allegedly) banged my hand on the hood of his car, just once, for emphasis. Allegedly. He, in turn, picked up his phone and called the police. Then he followed us for 15 minutes, on his cell phone, and almost took out my friend Mark at a left turn... at which point he pulled over and I thought Mark was going to rip his limbs off. Cooler heads prevailed, and we waited for the cops.

The cop was not impressed at being called. To make everyone "happy," he cited me for Damage to Property (though there was none) and the motorist for Wreckless Driving (which probably wasn't really true). Court dates for both of us: Dec. 7th. Yesterday.

Since the altercation, Jeff and I had spoken several times. He was very sorry that he harrassed us, and told me there was no damage to his car and didn't care if there were. He said he wants to ride his bike again himself someday, and certainly didn't want to endanger people for the sake of impatience. For my part, I apologized for overreacting, but we both agreed that tensions were high, as the event occurred one week after this had happened: Earlier Post About Killed Cyclist. What's more, Jeff also had found a fund that helped pay for bike lanes, and suggested that we muddle through the court issue and then get a bike lane installed for those killed cyclists, on the road where it happened, in their honor. It would take some work and some fund-raising, but it would raise awareness and bring some light to a dark topic. And I couldn't think of a better way to find something positive out of it all.

In court, we approached the DA together and everything was dropped, without even court costs. So that was good.

At the first of the year, we're going to start pursuing the honorary bike lane.

And today, I'm gonna go for a ride.

Sounds like the best possible construction on some unpleasant events.

Hope you got that ride in, Troy.
J

I did. Just 20, and it was fun. More to follow.

That's awesome Troy! I haven't gotten out in a couple weeks. Just enjoying my time off the bike while getting a few runs in. My legs are paying a bit as my cardio is in such good shape. Think I may have overdone it a bit at first.

Planning on ramping up the riding in a week or two for a January 1st charge! Also, I've got my eye on a sweet hybrid bike that I hope to use for winter riding (I need a bike to go with the new Innova 700x35 studded tires I just ordered). Wish me luck!

Good Luck! And good job w/ the running, I've been enjoying that again myself. FWIW, that's my real wheelhouse... cycling is new-ish to me, but I've been running a long time, and used to be decent at it. And you're 100% right that steady in/steady out is the way to go... in running even more so than cycling, imho... though I'm sure you know that firsthand.

I actually went and rode for 50 minutes today, averaging just over 17... I took the day off from work today, and am lifting weights then doing a kickboxing class tonight.. so didn't want to push too hard. But I'm not working out tomorrow, and am in fact going out for steaks, so I figured I'd better burn some calories today.

Got a ride in today! Finally got off my duff after two and a half weeks. Woop!

Sun was out today, temps in the mid 30's. Did an ez hour with some hills.

Felt/feel wonderful.

So... I've been getting out a bit. 20 here, 30 there. Had a nice leisurely 30 on Sunday in fact, and have been hitting the spin classes a few times a week (including 6am today.... YAWN). Starting to feel OK-ish again. I signed up for a 60 this weekend (the "Polar Bear"), but will probably do the 30 because all my friends are... I'd be lonely or among strangers.

Still, feels good! My goals of a century and a marathon this year are on track.

Anybody else getting out?

well, my bike needs an overhaul.
but....
WISHING YOU GOOD THINGS TOWARD THE MARATHON MARATHON.
love,
d

Thank you, b.! Happy bike repairs!

I did an organized ride today, "Polar Bear," near charlotte... got lost (missed a turn), and got tired, and called cohorts for a custom SAG-wagon. Close to 40 miles today, chilly but indeed beautiful.

Great ride overall. It's gonna be a good season.

congrats, tory! i'd would get 10 miles....
::poised with pom poms::

Tell us about the rest of the outfit!

what outfit?

Nice! Now THAT would be cheery indeed, b.! Make me pedal so fast I'd probably collapse...

well, i don't know about the faster peddling but i do think you just might collapse in laughter, and right now, i'm ALL about the laughter!
: )
love ya.

Pico pointed out that Ghostwriter John was missing... hoping this stirs him back.

Rode 35 today. Riding outside 1-2 times a week, still pretty cold... but doing spin a couple times a week so feeling good. The legs are gonna work this year, I can feel it. Getting in some runs a couple times a week, and lifting weights too. Focusing on more core conditioning for the next few months, hoping to get the bike work stronger.

You guys out and about?

Unfortunately, I have not been out and about the last month. While I don't cycle (yet) I do run, but I sprained my back at work while assisting a confused patient about a month ago, so I'm on "light duty" and have not been given the "ok" to run yet. Hand some hand surgery too this month and that also excludes me from running. Just been going to physical therapy 3x/wk and getting out walking when the weather hints of anything above freezing and no rain/low wind.

Looking forward to getting out in the fresh air and sunshine or cloudshine more!

Wondering how Ghostwriter John is these days too (and Pailblueyes!) ~

Well, I'm still not cycling as I don't have a cycle, but I did get out for my lst 45 min run since January, when I sprained my back. Have been going on some much shorter runs...a few 35 min runs...and looking forward to adding up time so that I'm ready for another race as soon as possible. I don't enter the races expecting to win as I'm a pretty slow runner, I just love being out there with all those positive minded people who simply by having in common a healthy, positive passtime wind up together in one place for that short period of time, running and giving a little money to charity. It's fun; just finishing a race is an accomplishment in itself.

Y'all oughtta get yerselves outside walkin' or runnin'; spring's just around the corner!

40 tonight. Pretty brisk. Especially considering that I'm WELL below last year's mileage for this time of year. Been trying for a couple rides each week. Feels wonderful to be out!

How about you?

Out a couple times this past two weeks, 20-35 miles at a pop.... nothing fancy. gonna do some tri's this year, been running too.

Good to see you, John.

Doing my first triathalon in a couple of weeks, just a mini (.3 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 5K run). Looking forward to it, and getting into those races... thinking about aiming for a full ironman in 2010 as a goal.

Rode 30 today. Hot. Sticky. Slow. Fun.

Wow, that's great Troy! Good luck!

Way down in mileage here. I'm gonna have to live vicariously through you this summer!

Keep us posted on the results...
J

John! Good to see you!!! Tell us your news.

I think I got talked into doing my first century... Sept. 21st. Bridge-to-Bridge ride in NC, looks like super fun except for the 200% grade up Grandfather Mtn at the end.

Woo hoo!!!!

That's awesome Troy! Can't wait to hear the report!

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/07/2..._de_france.html

The Big Picture is a cool picture "blog"--a neat way to catch some news. Beautiful photos.

Great site, great pics! Thanks!