Grand Ridge + Duthie Hill

Sometimes I am SO glad I have a cycling background...

Today I connected with Greg Kauper [Happy birthday Greg!], Randy Daniels and Dan Peterson for a local MTB ride. We went up and over Grand Ridge, did three loops at Duthie Hill and then rode back over Grand Ridge to the car. I think we rode Step Up, Ryan's Eternal Flow (twice), this AMAZING variation of Boot Camp back down and then Boot Camp back up to the road.

It's so cool to have these trails close to home! It's also super cool that this ride did not hurt my feet, my left knee or my quads. Yes! And I was able to keep up on the climbs and descents. Bonus.

A ton of fun on a perfect day. 70 degrees, and the rain Thursday evening made the trail surface primo.

My Performance bike which I used to race as a single speed has been converted into a 1 x 9 and it's working well. My lowest gear is 34 x 34 but so far so good.

Sleep	7
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	2 shots of Hammer Gel, large bottle w/3 scoops Recoverite
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	9:30 AM
Workout Type	endurance
Weather	70, sunny, dry, calm
Course
Results
Time
Distance
Pace
Equipment	Performance Access XCL, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing

Technorati Tags: Grand Ridge,Duthie Hill

cardio | stretching | bike commute

Hit the gym again for some stretching after a brief light cardio warm-up and it felt just slightly better than yesterday. At least I am out and about.

I forgot to mention it yesterday but today is day two in real shoes! And by 'real' I mean slip-on Vans. My feet are still a mess and still somewhat swollen, my body does handle long runs well it seems.

My left knee does feel like it is getting any better. I felt it on the elliptical trainer and I can feel it on the bike. It's not outright/sharp pain but my IT band is irritated for sure. Otherwise on the bike my quads felt like they are recovering which is nice. I can get in and out of the saddle without wincing.

After doing essentially nothing for the last four days except eating my weight is now over what it was when I started Cascade Crest 100. Time to reign it in.

Sleep	7
Waking HR
Body Weight	182 lb.
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	water
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	cardio - 5:30 AM stretching - 6:00 AM
Workout Type	active recovery
Weather	low 70s, sunny, dry, calm
Course	cardio - elliptical trainer, 12 incline, 12 resistance, cadence mid 140s
Results
Time	cardio - 20 min stretching - 20 min
Distance	cardio - 2.3 miles
Pace
Equipment	commute - Raleigh Mojave 8.0, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing

cardio | stretching | walk

Made it to the gym this AM for some light cardio just to warm up and then did some dedicated stretching. Which was HARD. Not just because my legs are wicked tight but because my right big toe is quite sore and some stretches put pressure on it.

I walked home from the bus again. Seems like a good way to transition to 'real' activity...

My left knee is still sore; more than I would like it to be. IT band issues perhaps?

Sleep	7
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	water
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	cardio - 5:15 AM stretching - 5:40 AM walk - 5:15 PM
Workout Type	active recovery
Weather	70, very humid (I got dumped on while walking home), calm
Course	cardio - elliptical trainer, 12 incline, 12 resistance, 140 cadence
Results
Time	cardio - 20 min stretching - 20 min
Distance	cardio - 2.3 miles
Pace
Equipment
Clothing

walk home from bus stop

I can walk...!

I walked not only to the bus stop this morning but then on the way home I walked from where my first bus drops me off to our house. On the flats I felt okay but the last three blocks are down a steep hill and that smarts.

Today it felt like the biggest limiting issue was the blisters on my feet. Not sure why I get these on long runs but if that can be solved I will be able to finish these races stronger and not hold back so much.

I had to wear my Crocs today because my feet are still too swollen to fit into anything else. They make me feel like I'm in a nursing home. That said it felt great to get out and walk.