A WEEKEND OF RIDING AND RUNNING
23 Mile Ride Saturday, October 7, 2006
7 Mile Run Sunday, October 8, 2006
20 Mile Ride Monday, October 9, 2006
Well, after a week of not being able to do a whole lot, it felt good to get out in the fresh air again!
With the Black Diamond Offroad Duathlon only 2 weeks away, it was time to get in some miles on my mountain bike, so late Saturday afternoon I headed out on my New Scotland loop - over to New Scotland Ave, out past Five Rivers, and then down Krumkill and back into Albany. Managed to maintain a decent speed, but crawled up the hills; that is one HEAVY bike, especially after riding my lightweight road bike for the past few weeks! Should have dressed a little bit warmer - started with a jacket, then went to short sleeves (chilly!) then back to the jacket as the sun dropped lower and lower. I was glad I had my red blinker light for the last few miles - should have brought my orange safety vest too! But made it home, safe, sound, tired, and cold. And the views toward the Helderbergs and back to Albany from the top of the hill on Krumkill - spectacuar!
Sunday was run day, so I headed down to Five Rivers to run the trails and use up the film in my camera from the Autumn Classic Du. What a great day for a run... the woods were muddy and beautiful with the late day sun streaming through the trees. The pace was slow but the running felt good enough that I ran the trails back to the start, rather than finishing on the service road loop. Tired and sore, but a good tired and sore. And I should have some nice pictures.
Monday I took the bike over to the bike path between Schenectady and Rotterdam Junction. That was the warmest day of the three, and even though my legs were tired from the previous two days, it felt great to be riding along the river and the old Erie Canal. Headwind all the way out was a bit annoying, but the tailwind coming back was definitely sweet!
There's something about getting out on a sunny autumn day... the colors, the crackle of the leaves under foot or under the tires, the crispness in the air as the day progresses... I miss the long days of summer, when I can start a run or ride at 7 PM and still finish in the last bit of daylight, but autumn is definitely a special time to run and ride. (Of course, I could say the same about every season!)
Yesterday would have been a great day to run the Monroe Dunbar Brook trail race again... I'm sorry I had to miss it this year. And the pictures I've seen from the Canandaigue Fifties on Saturday - I have got to run that ultra someday!
JMH
23 Mile Ride Saturday, October 7, 2006
7 Mile Run Sunday, October 8, 2006
20 Mile Ride Monday, October 9, 2006
Well, after a week of not being able to do a whole lot, it felt good to get out in the fresh air again!
With the Black Diamond Offroad Duathlon only 2 weeks away, it was time to get in some miles on my mountain bike, so late Saturday afternoon I headed out on my New Scotland loop - over to New Scotland Ave, out past Five Rivers, and then down Krumkill and back into Albany. Managed to maintain a decent speed, but crawled up the hills; that is one HEAVY bike, especially after riding my lightweight road bike for the past few weeks! Should have dressed a little bit warmer - started with a jacket, then went to short sleeves (chilly!) then back to the jacket as the sun dropped lower and lower. I was glad I had my red blinker light for the last few miles - should have brought my orange safety vest too! But made it home, safe, sound, tired, and cold. And the views toward the Helderbergs and back to Albany from the top of the hill on Krumkill - spectacuar!
Sunday was run day, so I headed down to Five Rivers to run the trails and use up the film in my camera from the Autumn Classic Du. What a great day for a run... the woods were muddy and beautiful with the late day sun streaming through the trees. The pace was slow but the running felt good enough that I ran the trails back to the start, rather than finishing on the service road loop. Tired and sore, but a good tired and sore. And I should have some nice pictures.
Monday I took the bike over to the bike path between Schenectady and Rotterdam Junction. That was the warmest day of the three, and even though my legs were tired from the previous two days, it felt great to be riding along the river and the old Erie Canal. Headwind all the way out was a bit annoying, but the tailwind coming back was definitely sweet!
There's something about getting out on a sunny autumn day... the colors, the crackle of the leaves under foot or under the tires, the crispness in the air as the day progresses... I miss the long days of summer, when I can start a run or ride at 7 PM and still finish in the last bit of daylight, but autumn is definitely a special time to run and ride. (Of course, I could say the same about every season!)
Yesterday would have been a great day to run the Monroe Dunbar Brook trail race again... I'm sorry I had to miss it this year. And the pictures I've seen from the Canandaigue Fifties on Saturday - I have got to run that ultra someday!
JMH
