Training Log Archive: Ari-o

Deck on the dock in 20 minutes. 55˚, fresh breeze, cloudy skies. Pretty perfect.

Went for a short run up the road to the woods trails. Stepped funny on a branch and kicked it in to my other calf and put a nice gash in the back. Whoo boy. Had a much slower run back but kept some speed up as a distraction. This became a "oh boy walking isn't that much fun" gash as I went along on the rest of my run, and then drive home. Not really the best of times. Hopefully it's just a cut that needs a couple of days to heal.

So this is what happened: Acadia is closed thanks to the government shutdown. Which means the newly-paved, 20-mile-long park loop road is … also closed. But enforcement is non-existent inasmuch as the park rangers aren't getting paid and don't seem to care. Having ascertained this, I made quick work of getting to Acadia.

We had a lazy morning and didn't start riding bikes until after noon. We parked miles away at the high school and rode a sketchy-shouldered road to the park, and found that everyone else just parked by the side of the road. Good to know. The first order of business was biking up Cadillac! After a 4 mile, 1100 foot climb (going hard, but not nearly all-out, and coming 130/600 on the Strava machine), we spent some time on the top before wheeeeee down the hill at nearly 30 mph, average. Lincoln passed a motorcycle which somehow snuck in to the park.

Then we went on along the park road. We intermixed sprints and stupid things, like lying down in the middle of the road, or taking iPhone pictures. Perfect pavement, no traffic. Three gates to go around. A few other people out enjoying the day, everyone with a huge smile on their face. We saw zero rangers, and apparently those who did got a friendly wave. Then we took some fun carriage roads, which are totally doable on a road bike (but, if I had a cross bike …).So, thank you John Boehner for being an intransigent nincompoop and closing Acadia for us.

And if it's closed next spring like it was this spring, I am totally going back up for a weekend.

C • Acadia 2

And after riding bikes, ROLLERSKI! I wish we'd parked closer and I'd felt duckier, because I didn't have time to ski the whole park loop. But 7 miles out and back on rolling hills above the ocean with two lanes of perfect pavement and zero traffic? Well, I will not complain. Next spring if the weather and the government allow, you better believe I'm skiing the whole thing. And maybe finishing up Cadillac? That would be brutal. And awesome.

And … after this whole day I hadn't done deckaday. Oh, no! 11:20 start, finished before midnight. Boom.

Did AKQ of the deck while waiting for my sister and her first NP

Did 4 hills in 30 minutes. First three with my sister were slower, then pounded the last one out.

Rest of the deck.

Morning deck. Shorter days + later start = funner mornings.

Fast splits is liquidating their ski inventory, so time to go spend dolla bills. Got a ski bag for half off, some hats for half off, and then the guy gave me 65% off wax! Rode multigrade -1 to -5 which is the magic wax for every condition ever. Very exciting.

Biked out Western through rush hour traffic. Guy on a fixie would pass me going in to every intersection and then I'd pass him in between (especially on the bike path) before he would catch up as I slowed down for the dangerdeath and he'd jump in front, buzz through traffic, and then get passed on the next straightaway.

Dude, if you are going to go fast, at least do it where it matters, not where you piss off drivers.

/rant

ION I got my bike crash settlement. Enough dollars that it makes me seriously wonder whether it was worth it. That's called "learning the wrong lesson." Of course, a year in the rear view mirror I don't remember the pain and bleeding. Good times.

Started in the middle of the pack, so fast ups and slow, recovery downs. Found Tom S and a friend of his about 10 sections in, wound up running the rest with them. We were getting cut off at 7:25 (about 50 minutes in) and we started just seeing how far we could get. With two minutes left we had 47 sections down, and I saw the light at the end of the tunnel and started sprinting towards 50. Felt pretty good going up the last section as someone across the stadium counted down from 10; finished right at zero. And it's still less climb than a trip up the Ammy.

Deckaday

Ran down Pearl Street to the O house to start StreetO

Guessing at time and distance based on other logs. Didn't bring a phone/device. Good run, although I bobbled 5 after taking the bike trail to nowhere to get to 4. Ran by my house, through a new park, and was glad to have a light down at Magazine Beach. Then food! Legs felt tired from stairs, core from core.

Slow run home.

Quick run around towards Trader Joes, with some core intermixed.

Split deck, first of 31!

Beautiful 35k rollerski. Not too fast, just sort of cruising. Lots of climbs and it began to get hot as the day wore on. Bonked a bit with 5k to go, so snickers to the rescue!