Training Log Archive: PG

For once I did just as intended, meaning a truly leisurely pace. That combined with a cool day (upper 50s) made for minimum stress on the body. Wondered at one point if this was the equivalent of getting a massage...

Got a little light rain at the end, but missed the heavier stuff that followed shortly after I was done. :-)

Sunderland celebrates Memorial Day with a Friday evening parade from the center of town to the cemetery, where a ceremony is held honoring town residents who have died in war. I hadn't been for a long time, maybe 25 years. But this year I went because elected officials were asked to march in the parade, not just watch. It has been over 60 years since I marched in a parade, that was back when I was an Odger.

It's actually a really fine event, both the parade and the ceremony.

The parade has most of what you might expect -- fire engines, a few floats, a few dignitaries, lots of kids, the high school marching band, some veterans in uniforms, lots of flags. All a little bit helter-skelter, which was just fine. Quite a lot of people lining the street. It was about 3/4 of a mile down to the cemetery. All traffic was blocked off for quite a while, glad I wasn't trying to get someplace.

The ceremony was a different matter. Well-organized, solemn, serious, respectful. Just as it should be.

The flag lowered to half-mast. A wreath placed in front of it. A message from the Governor was read. The town's oldest veteran was recognized with a bit of a story of his life. The top male and female students at the high school were recognized and they read the Gettysburg Address and In Flanders Fields. And then the names of those who had died, starting with the French and Indian War. For each name a resident came forward, took a red carnation and placed it at the wreath, and a bell was rung. I think in total there were 18 carnations, 18 rings of the bell. The band played the national anthem. And then we all marched back to the center of town.

I have a hard time with most shows of patriotism. But this one was just right. You show respect, you honor the dead, you do it in a quiet way.

I was glad I went. And glad to be asked to place one of the 18 carnations by the wreath. And glad also to spend some time thinking about my own grandfather (died in World War 1). It all seemed as it should be, even if we were three days early.

Virtually flat, to Northampton west of the river, back on the east side. A harder workout in one way, almost no coasting, just keep turning the pedals.

Mid-70s, slight breeze from the south. Supposed to get near 90, so happy to get out relatively early.

Old Deerfield - Montague City, pretty flat. Warm and windy, mid-80s, W 15 or so. Didn't have much zip initially, felt hot, but slowly put out more effort as the ride went on. Felt more like summer today, should have gotten out earlier, but wanted to take of the "lawn" first.

C • Lawn 1

With Phil, very fine -- beautiful day, excellent company, lots of back roads with minimal traffic, and legs felt better than expected. I think with regard to the last point that it helped a lot that I drank a bunch both yesterday evening and this morning.

And made tentative plans for a visit to Ascutney next week. Phil needs a taste of how much suffering he will do at Mt. Washington. And I'm just a little crazy.

C • Ascutney 17

Over to Walter's (in the lower Conway hills). Legs felt tired right from the start, and stayed that way the whole time.

With Walter to The Creamery in Cummington. Conversational pace, beatiful day.

And after a leisurely lunch, back to his place a slightly different route, and then back home. Happy not to go up his driveway a second time. But was still feeling trashed.

Excellent outing, much better than expected. The radar looked like this when I started --



and this when I finished --



and all I got was sprinkled on a couple of times. Not complaining. :-)

Assuming rain was imminent, I wasn't sure how far I'd go, just headed to the flats south of town. Got out about 5 miles, looked around, no rain, the sky didn't look particularly dark, and up ahead was one of Phil's haunts, Mount Warner, plus its lesser summit, Philosopher's Peak.

Didn't take much time to decide that's where I should go. And it was excellent. Or I was. Or both? Made it around the full loop, plus the spur to the top, no problems, no getting off the bike except for a brief stop at the top, not even any close calls. Dark blue was really behaving.

Done with the trails (21:40, parking lot to parking lot), back on the road, still no rain. Heading north on 47, a bit of a tailwind, cruised all the way home, as dry as could be. :-)

Was planning to go up to Wendell, a decent climb, but decided in the first couple of minutes I didn't need a "decent climb" so up and down the valley it was. Just right.

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There seems to be a movement in certain parts of the world, Ratlum Mountain to be specific, to bring the machines of the Industrial Revolution, though perhaps in more modern and powerful versions, to bear against the forces of evil.

The forces of evil in this case being the lowly mountain laurel plant.

I have been thinking about this, wondering if we should engage Mr. Charlie and his superb assistant Zack to spend some time in Sunderland wrangling our collection of mountain laurel, reducing it to a more manageable, and probably more enjoyable, amount.

First things first, do a survey, see how much laurel there is, and document it. That way Charlie and Zack will know how long they'll have to be here, and what they should charge.

The survey didn't take long, On our roughly 14 acres there is one laurel plant. It is right by the side of the driveway. We have been here almost 34 years. It has been here at least that long. We are old and looking a little worse for wear. So is it.

I determined that wrangling it should not take more than a minute. A snip for each of the two stems, and then chip-chip-chip and it's done.

The problem is, of course, that while orienteering has developed a distinct dislike in me of all things laurel, it seems there is an exception, and that is for "our" laurel.

Because one is the perfect number of laurel plants. It is fewer than all the other possibilities, including Charlie's gazillion plants, which is certainly good, but it is also more than zero, and that is also good. It places no demands on us. We don't water it, or feed it, or prune it, or hardly even notice it.

But when we do notice it, it always gives pleasure.

So no wrangling here, OK?

C • One 6