From Carderock Park, C&O Canal Towpath to Great Falls, Gold Mine Trail to Falls Rd. to River Rd. to Seven Locks Rd. to MacArthur Blvd. to 79th St. to the C&O Canal Towpath at Lock 8, to Carderock parking. It doesnt seem right but I might not have run this route or variation of it since September 2004. Like then I tried to keep a steady level of effort. My pace slowed climbing. I stayed off the Cabin John Trail though I would have liked to have run through on it. It was already getting dark with clouds in the sky. It was 51 F to 52 F the whole way. The tailwind felt good going along River Rd and helped me to get my pace going after slow climbs. I felt okay on the towpath; in overdrive: I'm sure it wasn't as fast as I finished in 2004. During the run, callus on my right foot continued to hurt, especially the last few miles.
The Hudson Highlander was postponed--perhaps cancelled due to emergency issues in the park. I knew this early enough in the week to keep getting in some workouts. I would have liked to have gone for a short run this day but I got too busy. Instead, it became a rest day. I reasoned it be better to rest for a better run on Monday.
From Northfield Rd., Greenwich Park, to Old Georgetown Rd. to Beech Dr. to to Singleton Dr. to Bulls Run Pkwy., to the trail along the school to Bradmore Dr. to Folkstone Rd. to Hartsdale Ave. to Heampstead Ave. to McKinley St. to Garfield St., to Roosevelt St., to the trail at Jefferson St. to Northfield Rd. It was in the low 60's F or cooler. The winds were blowing hard out of the north and I even felt cold for a little while. Like my July runs of this route, I felt awful starting out. This time it was due to tired quad instead of a late dinner--the cycling and running was all catching-up with me. I was about 8 minutes for the first mile. My pace improved though very slowly. This took some mental effort just to get through. Before going out, I had spent a couple of hours in the yard, mowing, planting, and completing a few projects. Filling another asphalt hole at the foot of our driveway, I strained and inflammed my right wrist; it was all the hammering with a sort of hand sledge hammer and a chisel to steepen the sides and breakup rotten parts. Tamping it all down afterward hurt a bit too.
Bicycling (Commute) 41:30 12.5 mi (3:19 / mi) slept:5.6 weight:176lbs
From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to Arlington Rd. with Max, then to 12th and C St. SW, Washington, D.C. It was cooler (around 59 F) and less humid. A lot of riders came out since the rain stopped and it's supposed to hit 80 F today. Before starting, I tried to adjust my front derailer but there is something wrong in the cabling (case fraying near the top of the downtube) or the Shimano 105 handset--to the shop with it I guess. I did manage to make it quiet for mid range use. Spinning and moving fast, I started with the usual amount of passing. After River Rd., I saw a guy 50m ahead that I was gaininig on. When he caught someone else, they both picked-up the pace. I worked to catch them, doing 23-25mph on the downhill grades, 22-24 on the flats, but it wasn't until well after Fletcher's Boathouse that I did. The madness ensued after we caught other groups. Most we passed easily but catching another group as they were ready to pass other slower riders made for some violent stops--I only missed the guy in front of me by less than an inch and wonder how I didn't get hit from behind or the side. A second slowdown like that happened again though each time, we'd already backed off the pace. The guy leading probably wasn't paying much attention to people ahead of him and certainly not what was behind when he hit his brakes. With some rest in their draft, I thought about passing both guys I'd chased and caught but I anticipated the little sprint they had right before Georgetown, and stayed behind. I passed them once on the wider Water St. but slowed my pace too. The winds were calm.
6 PM
Bicycling (Commute) 38:00 [4] 11.0 mi (3:27 / mi)
From 12th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Bethesda Ave. at Woodmont Ave., Bethesda, MD, and on to Wisconsin Ave. Peggy and Max, coming from Max's Karate practice, met me and our friends Bob Angell and Ben Ficks for some pizza. We hadn't gotten toghether in a while and were able to catch-up. Their getting to temporarily move out from their Rosedale Ave. house (same street we used to live on), so that they can knock down and rebuild their house. It happens a lot around here.
My ride was fast. I pulled along a guy most of the way from Georgetown and was moving faster than I had been following someone homeward the day before. I did slow-up and got some help toward the end, at River Rd. There was some traffic at Woodmont Ave. as that is blocked at one end for more large building construction.
From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to Arlington Rd. with Max, then to 12th and C St. SW, Washington, D.C. It was warmish, humid, and, damp on the roads and trails. With fallen leafs in some places (fall colors are only beginning; the fallen leave are from earlier storms and drought) I tried to be careful not to slip. Since I've been lazy and hadn't yet done some needed shifter adjustment yet, I kept in a low gear and spun a lot. My legs were tired on the few uphill parts. There were steady southeastern headwinds while approching and leaving Georgetown. With the Hudson Highlander now postponed, it's good that I'm getting more training in and can be better prepared for later.
5 PM
Bicycling (Commute) 45:12 [3] 12.5 mi (3:37 / mi)
From 12th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Arlington Rd., where I picked-up Max's bicycle, then to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I was kind of tired but got help today. I had riddent through the traffic in Georgetown rather quickly and caught up to a guy who ultimately was moving faster as we got onto the clearer Capital Crescent Trail. We moved well and caught a bigger group at the trestle bridge. In the mixing traffic, as we passed, another guy came from behind to pass me and the guy I was following dropped off soon after. We left the other people but I figured the guy ahead just pull away. Instead, I worked my way up to drafting him and stayed there until Falls Rd. He moved erratically, with quick and slower paces. My legs were still sore from recent runs and not doing enough of either cycling or running.
Running (Street & Trail Commute) 33:48 [3] 4.4 mi (7:41 / mi) +57m7:23 / mi slept:5.8 weight:176lbs
Washington, D.C. From 14th & Independence Ave., SW, down The Mall along Independence Ave. and the Reflecting Pool to the Lincoln Memorial, to Ohio Dr. to the Rock Creek Trail, to Calvert St., to the Woodley Park/Zoo Metro Station. It was in the low 80s with hire humidity than it has been for a while. I was sore in my quads and my left calf from the long run on Sunday. Some joints hurt too. My pace was hard to tell but okay until the final hill. I stretched for longer than usual but my calf was still very tight walking into the station. I saw Sam Listwak waiting to play volleyball. At the Reflecting Pool which has been completed for over a month or two, I saw two poor guys waist deep in the pool, given a job to remove excessive algae that had been growing. Such growth is normal in new ponds as it takes time for water to cure and stabilize but the growth had been unexpected with the new systems that were installed over the big rennovation of the last year and an half. The guys each had one large plastic trash can, and nets on 7 foot fishing poles to clean out the nearly half-mile x 50m pool.