Training Log Archive: Nadim

From Northfield Rd., Custer Rd. to Huntington Pkwy., to Old Georgetown Rd., to Maple Ridge Rd., to the Bethesda Trolley Trail to Jones Bridge Rd., to Jones Mill Rd., to Beech Dr. to Garret Park Rd., to the Rock Creek Trail, to Baltimore Ave., to Edmonston Rd., to Wooton Pkwy, to Seven Locks Rd., to Cadbury Ave., to Park Potomac Ave. I sat most of the day with it not feeling good to stand or walk for long. Max helped out by mowing the lawn for me. I did vacation planning. I got a late start and had just enough time to fit in a short ride before meeting the Lennon's for dinner. When riding, I felt much okay--that's a form of sitting. The dinner was brief chance to do that before Nicole left for college. It was a wonderful day for any time of the year, but for July in the DC area, it was really delightful. It was in the upper 70s F. with low humidity and not much wind. I also enjoyed not having a backpack on while I rode. Most of my rides are commuting these days. I did a good job spinning. It might have helped weight out again at the lightest in months---still very overweight. Some of the roads were bumpy from repaving in-progress. Beech Dr. was really nice. I moved up the light grade pretty smoothly. The Rock Creek Trail was bumpy and the steep spots were where I felt my tired legs, but once back on the roads, even on steep hills on Baltimore Ave., I rode competently. I should do this more often.

I wasn't feeling so well today. I might have ridden a little but I had a doctor appointment that took up my usual riding time.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. I was pretty close to not biking in this morning. The weather was okay and ended up being a little cooler than earlier in the week. The wind seemed to be in front of me but along the river on Ohio Dr., the blow of the boats anchored from the night before for firework viewing, appeared to reveal a west or neutral wind. I almost failed to ride since my leg was still hurting and I'd stayed-up late putting together a video from 1967 family home movies. I was doing that for my brother who's birthday it is. Being seated, my left leg didn't hurt (from my back problem) while riding. My right leg actually was feeling tired, perhaps from overcompensation. I took it extra easy, opting not to stick with the one guy who'd passed me at a pace I think I could have held.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I started slowly but on 15th St., I passed several at a traffic light and rounded the Jefferson Memorial fast with a tailwind. One of the other guys passed me on Ohio Dr. where I took it easier but I caught him just after the Lincoln Memorial where a fence setup for the 4th of July was still partially blocking the trail--it had been completely blocking it this morning and I had to make a risky move around it using a busy street then. I thought I was moving pretty well after that. There were a few slow downs getting to/through Georgetown and outside of it I passed an electric assisted cyclist who never caught me. I figured I'd be faster but I'm not complaining. At least I was still able to get in a workout.

From Redland Blvd., to Picard. Dr., to Mattie JT Stepanek Park to watch Rockville's concert and fireworks show with Peggy, Max, and Samantha, then back. The show was pretty nice. We hadn't been up as close to the fireworks as that in a long time.

I had been looking for a change from our frequent viewing (from the National Cathedral) of the show happening downtown in DC. That was partly because of the obstructed views and primarily standing room only. The other part was because I wanted to avoid a long walk and to be able to sit in a chair--walking around earlier in the day to visit my mom and sister Rubina at my sister Sameena's (would have been her 60th birthday) and my father's grave sites had been painful on my left leg.

Going to Rockville gave great me great seated views of the shows from the field hilltop, but didn't let me avoid the walking or the leg pain. We had to park our van far away. Getting out for the drive home was not too bad despite Montgomery County's standard street layout planning which leaves few ways in or out of residential areas. We got some breaks in the car lines.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. I had a tailwind. Like the day before, it was around 80 F starting out. It was 89 F when I finished. I rode alone passing some others but no one passed me. There was some traffic at the end.

Walking to get lunch was painful again.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. There were some light headwinds. Earlier rains had mostly dried up and made it slightly cooler than it would have been. Along Washington Palisades, I got passed by a trio. I tucked-in behind. Two in the group split and I stayed behind the third up until Wilson Ln.

Samantha and I did some more work on her learning to bicycle. Peggy came along to see. That distracted Samantha so she seemed not to do much better than the day before; even a little worse to start. She got better. I weighed-out after this at 196.5.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. It was around 79 F starting out and 88 F when I finished. There were some headwinds but they weren't bad. I rode calmly so as not to jar my back. Given how I'm walking, it's amazing that I'm able to ride as smoothly as I am. I let one guy pass me without trying to hang on. He was within catching distance for several miles. I did however, pickup a drafter who stayed with until the end of Georgetown. Street parking is getting blocked-off in places for the Independence Day holiday. I'd stopped my watch in Bethesda but apparently didn't get it started again as I took off from a traffic light at Bradley Blvd. The time is estimated from GPS tracking, which I restarted in DC.

Walking to get lunch is getting exceedingly painful. Radiculopathy in my left leg hurts more, the longer I stand or walk. So far, sitting is okay and that's how I'm able to still bicycle. Moving does often help it get better like when I jogged and orienteered on Saturday. Taking a break helps. I'm over a week out from seeing my orthopedist.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. Leaving late from work on a holiday week, the roads and trail were fairly quiet. I felt fortunate to have a tailwind. Once in Georgetown, I hit the new trail on Water St. right when another guy was coming through. Because parked cars and some special trucks were blocking the new trail, I left it to use the road. I road parallel to the other guy who stayed on the trail. We exited Georgetwon with him sprinting to get ahead. That was fine with me. I drafted within about a wheel length behind all the way up to Dorsett Rd., where he turned-off. He had been setting a good smooth pace and had a much better cadence than I. After we split, I cruised in the rest of the way.

From Bradley Hills ES, I walked and jogged with Samantha on Heampstead Ave., as she continued to learn how to ride her new bicycle. I was surprised at being able to do this with as much as my left leg was hurting during the day. I guess that cycling home loosened me up enough. I actually felt better after working with Samantha.

Samantha made really good progress from just the day before. Her new bike was not only motivating but with it riding smoothly and easily, she had better control. Starting out, she breathed quickly, nervously. She calmed herself, eventually taking a deep breath. Then she started talking to herself. Unlike the previous day when she argued between two consciousnesses, today she started with repetitive statements about focusing. I didn't prompt her for any of this. In the first try, she got to where she moved herself along for about 40m, with me only having my hand above the handlebars, ready to catch her. She repeated that a few times for up to 100m at a time. She still hasn't got the hang of starting and stopping so we'll work on that. Her smiles were great to see! I was proud of her working to get past her fears and hope it will give her confidence for other ventures.

My back was hurting throughout the day whenever I walked or stood for a while. I thought it best not to try to run. However, I did take Samantha to near her old school, where it's flatter so that she could get some practice riding her new bicycle. The new bike fits her but it is too big for training wheels. I walked along side of her loosely holding the handlebars. This let her get some practice with balancing without falling. It was hot. She was scared enough to get off the bike a few times but sometimes she got to rolling without me holding on. She stopped and gave me a hug and called me the best daddy. Of course still on the street later on she said other things about that. We hope Samantha learns to ride before we go on vacation. Peggy and I did more planning for that this day. This outing made me sweat and I did have to ease into it. It but some strain on me too but that was seemingly more to the upper parts of the back where muscles and tendons not used so much were involved in keeping Samantha from falling side to side. At home, my back tightened in the cooler house again.