Wednesday Jul 23 |
 | Bicycling (Commute) 44:26 [3] 12.25 mi (3:37 / mi) | |
| slept:5.0 weight:177.5lbs (injured) |
| From Rosedale Ave., Bethesda, MD to 12th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. I got a slow start on things this morning. A slightly fevered going-to-bed Max last night resulted in a cranky but not sick Max in the morning. Cranky Max can be very distracting. Once in the trailer and on the bike I had a feeling that I'd forgotten to pack my socks for work so I turned back home with Max and got some (I had packed them originally but I couldn't remember doing it). My legs felt tight on the ride and not nearly as well as when coming in yesterday. Moderate winds from the southeast meant I had to go into it nearly the whole way. I did some maintenance on my bike last night, fixing the lost screw on the rack and tightening the brakes so at least that part of the ride was better. |
| Bicycling (Commute) 1:20:08 [3] 19.93 mi (4:01 / mi) | |
| (injured) |
| From 12th & C St., SW, Washington, D.C., past the Jefferson Memorial to Ohio Dr., clockwise around Hanes Point, over the 14th St. Bridge to the Mt. Vernon Trail in Virginia, up to Rosslyn, over the Key Bridge to Georgetown, M St. NW to the Rock Creek Trail to Beach Dr., NW, to Bingham Dr. to Oregon Ave. NW. to Tennyson St. NW, to Bradley Rd. to Maple Ave. to East Ave. to 46th St. to the Georgetown Branch Trail to to Rosedale Ave., Bethesda, MD. I must admit that some of the motivation for another longer ride today was to ensure getting over 300 miles of cycling in for the month (I don't expect to ride much more this month). Historically for me, 300 miles is not a lot of mileage for a summer month; not even half a month's total for years when I focused on riding. I just haven't been getting as much training in as in my late 30's and early 40's and 300 is a good round number. It was kind of sad that the Awakening was gone from Hanes Point. Some nice grass had been planted where it stood but the grass was immature enough in this wet summer to be browning. A couple of faster riders passed me while rounding the point. I kept a steady pace throughout the ride but slowed in the Key Bridge/Georgetown traffic, on bumpy parts and whenever going uphill. |
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| C • Surgery 1 |
Tuesday Jul 22 |
| Bicycling (Commute) 39:44 [4] 12.06 mi (3:17 / mi) | |
| slept:5.5 weight:178lbs (injured) |
| From Rosedale Ave., Bethesda, MD to 12th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. I felt rested starting out. After dropping off Max and getting through the downtown Bethesda area several riders coverged. I ended up leading. I didn't get any help and pulled one all the way to Georgetown. Averaging about 23mph down the grade and about 21mph on the flats I felt stronger than I have been feeling. I at least didn't fade quickly. For a while I thought I might have had a tailwind but the weeping willows were not moving at the river. I wanted to get a good ride in because with orthoscopic surgery scheduled for Thursday, I'll be riding and generally doing less for a while in the near future. |
| Bicycling (Commute) 1:31:24  21.81 mi (4:11 / mi) | |
| (injured) |
| From 12th & C St., SW, Washington, D.C. to Georgetown via Ohio Dr. to the Capital Crescent Trail, onto the C&O Towpath after Fletcher's Boathouse, up to MacArthur Blvd. to the stone arch bridge (once the longest stone arch in the world), to Persimmon Tree Rd. to Bradley Rd. to Wilson Rd. to Woodmont Ave. to East West Hwy. to Max's day care, to Rosedale Ave., Bethesda, MD. Knowing that I'll be laid up and that I hadn't taken a ride much longer than my commute, I decided to get in a few extra miles. I had to re-learn the lesson about the plans of mice and me. For all I know the mice did well but my plan was a little flawed. I had left work and soon remembered a loose screw on my pannier rack. I kept tightening it by hand while riding the last few days and each time after the rides, I kept forgetting to tighten it down properly with a wrench. I was riding well up to Fletcher's Boathouse with drafters behind me and though the rack was shaking, I didn't want to stop. I figured I could make it to a lock on the towpath and then fix it but the distance was longer than I remembered and the gravel towpath was much more bumpy than the trail. I noticed a second screw was visibly loosening. It was farther down the rack and I couldn't tighten it as well while riding. It popped off half a mile before I the lock which I wanted to get to. I went back searching for it, moving very slowly but never did find it. I shortened my planned route which was probably a good thing. I was feeling a bit thirsty and weak after 45 minutes. I felt better later in the ride but was ready to be home by the time I picked up Max's trailer. This distance used to just be an easy day for me so it's odd that I feel like I'm working up to it. The towpath was bumpy and slower than the roads and the hills were significant getting away from the river and back to Bethesda. I should have been extending commute rides earlier this year. |
Sunday Jul 20 |
| Bicycling (Trailer) 30:44 [3] 6.58 mi (4:40 / mi) | |
| slept:9.0 weight:178lbs (injured) |
| From Rosedale Ave., Maryland Ave. to Jones Bridge Rd. to Rockville Pike, to Cedar Ln. to the Elmhirst Trail, to Beach Dr, Rock Creek Trail to the Capital Crescent Trail, to Kentbury Dr. to Newdale Rd. to Lynbrook Rd. to Maple Ave. to Maryland Ave. & Rosedale Ave. In the early evening, Max and I took a spin. We had both had naps and needed them. Past the middle of the ride, Max got to run around at a playground off Beach Dr. before we rode home. It was about 94F out, and had cooled down a bit. Earlier in the day when it was hotter out, we'd gone to Glen Echo and saw a nice rendition of "Babe" at Adventure Theatre (a bit advanced for kids and harsher than expected with the death of a sheep that sent some kids out crying but heart warming too). This ended a weekend of culture; we had seen a Russian American circus on Saturday. |
Friday Jul 18 |
| Bicycling (Commute) 41:58 [3] 12.06 mi (3:29 / mi) | |
| slept:4.1 weight:176lbs (injured) |
| From Rosedale Ave., Bethesda, MD to 12th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. It was definately warmer. I had a slight headwind too. There were fewer people on the trail. |
| Bicycling (Commute) 45:02 [3] 11.89 mi (3:46 / mi) | |
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| From 12th & C St., SW, Washington, D.C. to Rosedale Ave., Bethesda, MD. It was hot so I planned a steady ride and pretty much did just that. I got some nice tailwinds early, then on the flat part of the trail some angled headwinds. After the water treatment plant it gradually turned to more of a tailwind again. I pulled up to Max's day care at around 38:30. Lots of people were there enjoying an international food festival. Lot's of the employees come from various foreign lands so there was a lot to choose from. I ate some rice and chicken dishes not altogether different from what my parents used to make. Afterward, I rode home with Max since Peggy had to pickup some groceries. |
Bethesda, MD (20814)
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