Monday 6/9 - Biking

Still too sore to run. Improving though. It took some will power not to run today since I feel like I am also ready to give it a go, but I thought the smart thing to do was hold off to make sure I don't increase the risk of missing my next two races. Instead, I went out for a 25 mile bike ride around Boston. Started off with my normal bike route of 10 miles straight out along the Charles. I was planning on a more even effort today, but things didn't quite work out that way. I caught the wheel of a few decent bikers putting in a 22-24 mph effort (into the wind) in the early miles which isn't something you usually see in this area, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to ride along with them. Since I haven't run in 4 days now, I was itching to open up the throttle, and I probably would have found another excuse to push the pace anyway. I rode with them for the first 7 miles when they broke off heading in a different direction. I kept the pace up for the next 3 miles until I hit the section where I leave the Charles near Watertown. At that point, I was on the fence about turning around and heading back the way I came. The second half of this ride can put some strain on my legs with the hills of Newton, and I didn't want to make my leg any worse. I had to stop for traffic at that point anyway, so I did a quick mental check. I told myself that my leg felt fine and biking hadn't been making it any worse. I have really been wanting to put in a solid effort over the last few days, and that part of brain ended up winning out. The rest of the ride was on the roads. Most sections have a dedicated bike lane, but some do not. The route makes its way into Newton through some neighborhoods and a little main street area. Once in Newton, the hills begin. They really aren't long sustained climbs, but as I only ride my bike in Boston, I don't do much climbing on my bike. I continue through the hilly neighborhoods to the Boston College Newton Campus, over to and up Heartbreak Hill, and through my old stomping grounds along the Boston College Campus. The first time I did this ride (and let's be honest, pretty much every ride since), I got pretty nostalgic through this section. I cut through Upper Campus which is where I lived the only two years that I lived on campus at BC. From there, I cruise down the hill that BC sits on, around the Chestnut Hill reservior, and back into the neighborhoods. I stay in the neighborhoods all the way through Brookline and turn out to Comm Ave at Fenway. After that, the ride is all city miles. I really don't mind it though. Picking up the pace through the city in the bike lanes can be really fun.


And now a few comments on my lovely bike. I picked it up two summers ago in the hopes of being able to do some cross training after suffering an injury. At the time, I was in a bit of a hurry to get a bike because I wanted to keep my fitness level up while I couldn't run, but I also didn't want to put too much money into a bike. I hadn't ridden a bike in the better part of a decade, and I had never ridden a bike with the intent of staying in shape. I was looking for something that would fit me, was reasonably priced for the quality, was available for pick up in the city, and was ready to ride. Obviously, my next move was to scour Craig's List. I found an ad for a bike for $150 in about 30 minutes and picked it up just a few hours later. I wasn't disappointed at all. I got exactly what I was expecting. Don't get me wrong, I like my bike, but to put it lightly, it just isn't quite built for speed like the bikes today. It's a 10 speed Belgium built Astra Tour de Belgique from 1971. While it is in pretty good condition for a 40+ year old bike, it still suffers from being an old bike. The steel frame weighs about twice that of an average bike today, the wheels no longer ride completely true, and changing gears takes some finesse. Given the chance, I wouldn't make a different decision though. Riding this bike is definitely a great workout, and as I don't race, there is no need for me to spend the money on race bike up to today's standards.