Jogandpedal
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
Updated 2009 mileage goals (1,000 jogged; 4,000 spun)
Remaining leggage: ~ 107 per month = 23 per week
Remaining wheelage: ~ 413 per month = 91 per week
Archive for May, 2009
Protected: Leggage, chunky rain, and sturph
Thursday, May 7th, 2009The long, meandering, knackered ITB road back
Monday, May 4th, 2009
There are benefits to getting injured. Obviously, one prefers to not be injured. Yes, not getting injured is definitely best. But when you do and you recover, the latter stages of recovery can be rewarding – you have a fresh appeciation for not being injured. Or sensing that you will soon be injury free, if yer luck holds…
So tonight, in the continuing Gotham drizzle, my birdlegs ran the fastest and most comfortable they have since February. All this IT band stretching and rolling has hopefully aided recovery and I’m over the worst. It’s been long and slow, slow, slow.
One 6.2 mile loop of Central Park with a few hardy, newly-met flyers. A gentle mile and a half jog home. And then a good 45 minutes stretching (lesson learned about not stretching enough, innit). Finally some running progress – maybe it’s this Brit-like weather?
Five boroughs, five bridges, two wheels, one very damp pair of socks
Sunday, May 3rd, 2009
Fifty-five miles on the birdbike through the Welsh-like preciptation in Gotham today. Forty-two of them shared with the 30,000 5-Boro-ers that set off from Battery Park, up to and through Central Park, north to Harlem, a nominal dip into da Bronx, back along the FDR, over the Queensboro’, to Astoria & back, south over the Pulaski to Greenpoint, Williamsburg, and DUMBO, and then on the BQE to cross the Verrazano (the one time a year you can pedal it) for a beautiful view north to…er…fog and rainclouds. And thence to the ferry back to Manhattan.
Given the constant soggyness, I spun a lot faster than in previous years and amazingly walked straight onto the first bike-oriented ferry back. From there a few miles north up the East Side in the company of an equally-damp fellow Brit met along the way.
Interesting to look back to the first time I rode the 5 Boro 5 years ago (I think ’twas 5…): the legs can cope with 42 miles in relative ease compared to then (everything’s relative, mind, but thankyou Pallisades hills…) and so much of the route is through familiar territory having ridden so much of NYC this past year or two.
Let us now pause a moment to appreciate newfound dry feet.
While grabbing today’s wrist-gps-captured route map, above, I just looked at me SportsTracked bike data for this year so far: have pedalled 880 miles in the first 4 months – not too shabby given 2 months of a running injury following the Austin Marathon in mid Feb. Last year, I averaged just over 260 per month, so March & April well over that this. Maybe I should set a goal of reaching 4,000 in ’09? And whathefork, might as well aim for 1,000 running n’all…
Test Flight
Saturday, May 2nd, 2009
The birdlegs trotted about four and a half averagely-paced miles around Central Park this morning, three of them in the company of a few Flyers. Have been meaning to join a running team here in NYaaark for a while so am checking out a few that regularly circumvent Olmstead’s greenery.
Only just dawned on me that it’s May which means it’s Bike Month here in NYC. Five Boro Bike Tour kicks things off tomorrow – a meandering 42 miles or so in the company of a good 29,999 others. Let’s hope the drizzle holds…
Take me out to the ballpark and why don’t you peece volumously on me ‘ead on the way there, innit
Friday, May 1st, 2009
Took a fairly speedy, but meandering, bike spin through Gotham and its burroughs there and back to the brand spanking new Yankee stadium in da Bronx this eve. First visit to the new Stadium in Da Bronx. The heavens opened on me along the way there like the act of some drenchful, floodgateopenended, urinating deity. Seventh inning squealch anyone? Was warm and good for the calves though and thank god for quick-drying wheelwear. Was considerably more arid on the way back down the west side and through Central Park.
For what it’s worth, the 2nd half plus of the game vs. the Angels I got there and stayed for ended up as excellent 9th inning drama….That, and I can safely say I was the only one in Section 420b sat in damp lycra shorts and a pair of 5 Boro Tour socks…
And indeeding the 09 5 Boro is this Sunday – I have a hastily-acquired vest and will ride it now given that my ITB knack is preventing me from Joysey marathoning.
