Slow and Steady

Sometimes when I'm out riding my bike or running or whatever, the old tagline moral from The Tortoise and the Hare crosses my mind: "Slow and steady wins the race."

The next thing that crosses my mind is, "What a load of hogwash!"

I mean, slow and steady will always get you to the finish line (unless you're in the mountains and some heavy weather starts moving in - struck-by-lightening loses.), but the truth is, fast and steady wins the race.*

At the first 10k I ever ran, I overheard some guys talking a little way off the starting line. "All these people start out too strong. But they'll all tire out before they're halfway through and then we'll be passing them." Once I'd passed, I didn't see them again.

Don't get me wrong: in general there's nothing wrong with slow and steady. Sometimes just making it from start to finish is what it's all about. But don't let that adage be an excuse not to push yourself to your full potential. I'm not out there to win; I'm out there to see what I'm made of.

But isn't it supposed to be about having fun? Yeah, that too. The thing is, there's a certain confidence and gratification that comes from finding out that you are capable of more than you previously thought. And that feeling, to me, is a big part of fun.

So get out there and push it. Hold today's performance up against what you think you can do. As long as you're beating that self-image, you're winning.


* I'm not here to spray about how great I am. For the record, I'm much more in the "moderate and steady" category.

Long time, no post

I realized the other day that it's been a few weeks since the last time I posted anything. I couldn't tell you why that is. I've been doing all sorts of fun, sometimes crazy stuff.

On July 15th, I hiked up Sawtooth and Algonquin in the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area. To save myself 6 or 7 miles of hiking, I drove in to the Beaver Creek trail head. Even with the TRD Offroad package, my Tacoma was barely up to the drive along Coney Flats Road. The drive back out was especially exciting (read: worrisome), since it was pouring down rain the whole time.

Sawtooth Mountain, viewed from the Beaver Creek trail head

The next weekend, on July 22nd, I climbed Mt. Neva, also in IPW. An early start from the 4th of July TH was important, since parking fills up quickly. The climb was super-fun, but the trail was a bit overcrowded on the return. I met a couple of guys on the summit, but otherwise felt like I had the mountain to myself. There was another party on the way up as I descended, but I short-cutted down the face of the ridge, so I didn't actually cross paths with them.

Mt. Neva, with Lake Dorothy in the foreground

On Thursday, July 26th, I ran in the Metro North Chamber Challenge 5k race again (see also: last year's post). This year we had a big turn-out from work - 11 runners in 3 teams. Everybody did really well. It was a lot of fun, and I got a couple of medals which I actually stuck around to receive this time.

(Most of) the group from work for the MNCC 5k

Saturdays are usually C's days to go to her art space while I hang out with the kids. Then we switch off and I go hiking on Sundays. On the 28th, my daughter F told me that she wanted us to all do something together on Sunday, so on July 29th, I finally got to take everybody out to IPW for the first time. Trail head parking was full, so we had to park by Brainard Lake and hike 1/2 mile to Long Lake. We found a great little area for beginner bouldering where we had a picnic and did a little bit of climbing.

F. sitting in front of a bouldering route she just sent.

Yesterday, August 5th, I was back in my normal solo hiking routine. I made last-minute plans to go up Navajo and Apache peaks, and I wanted to try to traverse over to Shoshone as well. That last one didn't work out, exactly, but it made for a pretty good adventure. More on that later.

Navajo and Apache Peaks

Aside from that, I got to attend a Colorado Mountain Club orientation - I finally joined with them so I can take some of their classes. I got to hang out with with a good friend of mine who was in town from Texas. That allowed for some catching up with other friends I haven't seen in ages. Early-morning bike rides up Lookout Mountain and Flagstaff Road, visits to the climbing gym, yard work, a dentist appointment...

So I can't claim that I've been too busy to write blog posts. Indeed, I have a couple of unfinished drafts sitting around. But I have been getting out and having fun. I'd love to hear what everyone else has been up to.

Planter Fasciitis

There was no flinching and no thought of giving in; and by what seemed almost a miracle to those outside these Islands, though we ourselves never doubted it, we now find ourselves in a position where I say that we can be sure that we have only to persevere to conquer.

-- Winston Churchill

I've always been somewhat the opposite of a hypochondriac. My self-diagnoses tend to range from "it's nothing" to "I don't have time for that." But over the past couple of weeks, a menace has been looming in my right heel. (Can something loom from underneath?) And I seriously don't have time to be immobilized. Not right now. There are major adventure plans afoot.

Planter [sic] fasciitis [1] is a painful condition in which the bottom of one's foot - specifically the connective tissue in the heel and arch - is invaded by authoritarian peanuts. I want those little bastards to know that I shall fight on the beaches, I shall fight on the landing grounds, I shall fight in the fields and in the streets, I shall fight in the hills; I shall never surrender! [2]

But I am going to have to take it easy for the next week and pay more attention to stretching. And no more riding my bike in flip-flops.


[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantar_fasciitis

[2] Everything I know about history and classic literature I learned from listening to Iron Maiden.

Boundaries

When we push our limits - when we go beyond our current boundaries - we are exploring the unknown.

If I go just one mile farther this time, how will my body react? What will I see if I climb just a little higher? If I spend one more hour on this project, what might I accomplish? Can I do this repair myself?

There's only one way to know for sure.

Most of the time, there's no real penalty for trying. In the best case, we discover that we are capable of a little more than we thought we were, and our boundaries are redefined. The worst that will usually happen is that we fail, and in so doing, we learn that the boundary we've been operating at is real (and we've been kicking butt this whole time).

Both scenarios create opportunities to set new goals.  Boundaries and limits are temporary, and the Unknown is just a chance to find out.

A couple of weeks ago I was proud to have broken the 17-mile mark on my weekend run. Today I found out what 18.5 feels like. It hurts, but soon I will do more.

Time to Go

The autumn school term started this week, not only for my wife, but also for my daughter, who started kindergarten on Monday. So not only do I need to be home from work early twice a week, but I also have to get my daughter to school in the mornings. And as will happen with the year waning, sunrise has been gradually coming later and later each morning. These things have necessitated some major adjustments to my schedule.

My routine throughout the summer had been to get up at 5:00, eat breakfast, and get out and ride for an hour or two after the sun was up and my food had a chance to start digesting. Recently, I've been trying to get out of the office for an afternoon run a few times a week.

But now, by the time the sun is coming up, my daughter needs to be well on her way to getting ready for school. And she needs to be there earlier than I was typically returning from my morning ride. Running in the afternoon cuts into my work productivity and sometimes conflicts with my ability to get home to watch the kids so my wife can go to class.

It has been tempting to complain that there are just too many obligations and needs competing for my time. But I'm not the only one having to make adjustments to accommodate the changes we're experiencing. So I've just got to try to figure out something that will work. The best plan I've come up with is to turn my whole work and exercise schedule on its head.

1. Get to work earlier. After dropping my daughter off at school, I'm going straight to the office. Heretofore, I've enjoyed coming in a little later, but that's going to have to change.
2. Leave work earlier. I have to do this some of the time anyway, so I'll make it part of my normal routine.
3. Daily morning rides are out. The weather is too nice for me to resign myself to spinning on the trainer in the basement. Since I don't want to ride on the road before sunrise, this is just going to be a fact of life for a while.
4. Daily morning running is in. I like pre-dawn running, and right now my mileage is low enough that I can get back to the house at a reasonable time. This morning I set my alarm for 4:45, started running at 5:30, and was back just in time to wake my daughter. I think I can do this five times a week.
5. A few afternoon rides during the week will have to do. On evenings that my wife doesn't have school, I should be able to squeeze in a ride after work but before supper. They can't be long rides, but an hour or so of intervals will serve just fine to keep me in shape.
6. Weekends are for longer, more enjoyable rides. If cycling were just about getting a workout, I'm not sure I'd be able to keep up my motivation. Hopefully I'll be able to do at least one fun ride each weekend to help me relax and recover from the higher-intensity work during the week.

Between these changes and some help from the rest of the family to keep things going smoothly, I just might end up in better shape that I have been all summer. We'll see how it goes.

Metro North Chamber Challenge 5k Run

I haven't done much running since last February, when I started experiencing some knee pain. Since then I've just been focusing on cycling. But after a little bit of prompting from the community affairs group at work, I signed up to run the Metro North Chamber Challenge 5k with a couple of colleagues.

Team Google at the MNCC5k

The run was last Thursday, July 28 2011. It was a nice course, and except for a slower-than-usual check-in, I was pretty impressed by the organization, turn-out, and competition.


View Metro North Chamber Challenge 5k in a larger map

The run was mostly on multi-use paths, with some dirt service road terrain thrown in for good measure. The weather was just about perfect. An afternoon thunderstorm threatened but never manifested, so the temperature was comfortable. At first I thought the water stations might be a bit much for such a short run, but it didn't take too much of my panting to dry out my mouth, so their presence turned out to be welcome.

I didn't have any illusions about getting a spot on the podium, but I thought a goal of 21 minutes should be attainable. My official time was 20:35, which made me plenty happy. There were several really fast runners out there, though, who blew that time away (first place overall was under 16 minutes). I did get 2nd place in my age group (and 10th overall), and my teammate Jim got 3rd, but we didn't realize that and left before the award ceremony. Results are posted here.

The after-party was well done, featuring several local food providers. There wasn't very much in the way of vegan fare, but I planned ahead and brought a banana and Clif bar. My family was there to show their support, and they enjoyed the pizza, sandwiches, and sweets that were offered.

So despite the fact that Thornton will never be the athletic Mecca that Boulder is, it looks like we know how to put on a pretty good event.

A Sunday in the Park, and then, Supper

Today started out rather questionably. Due to time constraints, my weekend run was moved from Saturday to Sunday (today). But I was feeling some discomfort in my left knee, so I eased up on the pace a bit. That got me through the first eight or so miles, but I was eventually forced to walk. And soon even walking was too much for me, so for the first time I had to call my wife to come pick me up. Fortunately I was only a couple of miles from the house.

I think some of the power intervals I've been doing on my bike had something to do with the knee problems. Tomorrow's cycling workout is going to be a lot more low-impact.

Still, I didn't let that spoil our other plans for the day. I recently got a one-year National Parks pass from my work, and I'd been anxious to put it to use. So we had been planning to go up to Rocky Mountain National Park to do some sledding at Hidden Valley. My kids had never been sledding before, so it would be a great adventure.

We had lunch at the Estes Park Brewery, which is quickly becoming our go-to eatery in EP. My sister and family introduced us to the place when they were staying at a near-by cabin. Despite its beer-centric nature, it is really quite family-friendly and has proven plenty low-key each time I've been. We didn't have any beer this time, but the food, while not gourmet, is good enough to stand on its own.

After lunch we hit the slopes for a little while. My 5-year-old daughter gets intimidated by new things that she perceives as dangerous. She recently rode a horse for the first time, and was terrified. But afterward she couldn't stop talking about how great it was. Sledding turned out to be the same way. Fortunately it was my wife, instead of me, who forced her onto the sled the first time.

It only took one run down the hill for her to be convinced that sledding was a lot of fun. She was less convinced, later, when I told her that every good sled outing should include at least one crash. Maybe that's just because the crashes were my fault, and her mother always got them down the hill safely. I'm not sure she trusts me.

My 15-month-old son did pretty well with the sledding also, though he was much more noncommittal in his response. Luckily I didn't crash with him.

It's hard for little ones to keep warm, no matter how much you bundle them up. So we kept the outing short. But we're looking forward to using that Parks pass as much as we can in the coming year.

After we got home, my wife had to run out to the grocery store while I got started making supper. I've been reducing my meat consumption lately, and I'd already had two servings of meat for the day (turkey meatloaf after my run, and a bison burger for lunch), so we planned to have a vegetarian supper. There were roasted root vegetables (beets, parsnips, turnips, potatoes, and onions); a tabbouleh-inspired quinoa dish; and sauteed beet greens.

It all turned out really well, if I do say so myself. There are too many really good cooking blogs out there for me to want to compete, but I was really surprised by how good the beet greens turned out, so I'm going to present the recipe here. The strategy was based on recent efforts of sauteeing chard and kale.

Ingredients:

• 1 or 2 tablespoons of canola or olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 mushrooms, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 or so cups of coarsely chopped beet greens, stalks removed
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Put the oil in a large pan on medium heat. Add onions and cook for a few minutes, until they become tender and translucent. Add mushrooms and garlic, and continue cooking for a couple of more minutes. Add vegetable broth and bring to a low boil. Stir in the greens, add a few sprinkles of salt & pepper, and cover. Reduce heat and simmer until the broth is mostly reduced - perhaps 20 minutes.

I'd never had beet greens before, but one taste was enough to convince me that it should become part of our regular menu. And it's packed with vitamins A and C with a good bit of calcium and iron. Even my wife, who doesn't usually go for cooked greens, wanted a second helping.

You go, Guy!

Today Guy Fessenden, of AFathersJourney.org, completed his 100th marathon in 140 days across the U.S.A. to raise awareness of, and funds for, mental illnesses. Actually, I haven't seen any confirmation online, but I have no doubt that he reached the Santa Monica pier this afternoon as planned. His daughter Suzanne was diagnosed with schizophrenia 12 years ago, and he is determined to do whatever he can to improve the lot in life for her and others like her.

I wish I could have been with him and everyone else who came out to run that last mile of the Journey. My thoughts were with them as I went out for my run this morning. It actually helped motivate me to hit a personal record of 13.3 miles in 1:39:20.

One of the points Guy drives home is that we need to end the stigma of mental illness. Things cannot get better if nobody is willing to talk about it. Schizophrenia is more often the punchline of a stupid joke than a topic of serious conversation. That needs to change.

To that end, I would like to make a departure from the normal topic of this blog and talk about the worst day of my life. I wish this story wasn't so much about me, but I can't know or convey what things were like for the person in the story who really mattered.

It was December of 2001. It was only a couple of days before I was going to be taking time off from work to go visit my family at my sister's house. My parents and brother were back in the States from Germany, and so the whole family would be there. I was finally going to get to introduce my girlfriend, C, to the rest of them.

I was so excited, I was feeling on top of the world as I sat there at my desk at work, counting down the hours. When the phone rang, I saw the Alabama area code on the caller ID and was certain that it was someone in my family calling, perhaps to verify our travel plans, or maybe just to say how they were equally anxious for us to be there. I answered with a cheerful "Hello?"

It wasn't anyone from my family. It was the local police department telling me that I needed to call home.

My little brother was diagnosed with schizophrenia a year or two previous. He had gone through a lot growing up, and when my dad got an assignment in Germany, my brother moved with my parents, hoping to get away from a bad scene and unhealthy circle of friends. But it was too late. All of the drugs had done their work on whatever underlying proclivity had been lying dormant in him, and he started exhibiting obvious symptoms soon after they moved.

He suffered unimaginable torment. Voices in his head constantly berated him and wore away at his will to live. After a couple of suicide attempts, he was sent to a hospital in London for a brief period. He had been such a bright, fearless kid, and I was certain that despite his troubled teenage years, he had great things in store for him. So it was really difficult to know that he was in such pain, and I was so many thousands of miles away. He was 20 years old, and was planning to stay in Alabama when my parents went back overseas after the holidays.

When I called home on that December afternoon, my dad answered the phone. He was so distraught, he didn't even recognize my voice. After I told him it was me, the conversation was very short.

Dad: "It's your brother."

Me: "Did he..."

Dad: "Yes."

Me: "Oh Fuck!"

Dad: "He shot himself."

Me: "I'll be there as soon as I can."

When I hung up, everybody around me in the office was looking at me. I told my supervisor that I had to leave, and walked out the door. On the drive home, I called one of my oldest, best friends. Her family had gone through precisely the same thing in the mid 1990s. I felt bad for dumping that on her, and I wasn't really in any shape to drive, let alone talk on the phone at the same time. But she had to know.

I got home and told C that we had to go. I pulled out a suitcase and just started dumping things in it. Somehow she managed to make sure we were reasonably prepared for a 1300-mile drive, funeral, and a trip to Michigan the following week; and we were out the door in, I could swear, 15 minutes. After dropping off a house key with my other oldest, best friend, we hit the road and drove straight through the night, arriving at my sister's house the next day in a state of complete emotional and physical exhaustion. The days that followed were full of tears which, after these 10 years since, never feel too far away.

Anyway, there we have it. No more stigma. Mental illness is a serious problem, and there are entirely too many stories just like my brother's, and like mine, but most of them are never widely told. There are others who survive, but their quality of life is nothing like it should be. Things have to get better.

The day my brother died was the worst day of my life, by far. But it's impact has been kind of unexpected. After that, I determined that I was going to lead a more positive life and focus more on the good and beautiful things around me. I wanted to be a better person. And I wanted to make the lives of those around me better as well.

One of the few direct approaches I've found to try to help in the fight against mental illness is to support NARSAD - the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression. It's a non-profit which helps fund research in hopes that we can understand the problem better, improve the quality of life for those who suffer, and maybe some day find a cure.

A Perfect Weekend

The weather in Denver has been unseasonably warm for the last few days. That's all about to change, and we'll be paying for it with single-digit high temperatures by mid-week. But whatever the week turns out like, this weekend has been just about perfect.

Friday night my wife and I went to see the Colorado Symphony Orchestra perform Mozart's Requiem. We met up with our friends Jody and Hayley at the concert hall. Afterward we went out for drinks at Baur's Ristorante, where the wine list was impressive, the food was great, and the service was amazing. It isn't very often that my wife and I are able to get out without the kids. I think we got the most out of the time that we had.

Saturday morning I got out and ran my first (unofficial) half-marathon. CardioTrainer (a workout-tracking app for Android phones) said it was 13.2 miles. The CardioTrainer website has this map with a circle on it with a radius equal to the total mileage that you've logged, and centered on whatever location your last workout was in. The run on Saturday was enough to finally push my circle beyond the borders of the USA, both into Canada and Mexico.

Total (mostly running) mileage since August 26, 2010

Later in the day on Saturday, my boy and I did some running around while my wife and daughter were at a birthday party. I scored a new pair of boots for snowshoeing on clearance at Marshall's for $25.

Sunday I headed out early to meet a coworker at the Longs Peak trail head for a bit of snowshoeing. The trail was packed down pretty hard, and a pair of crampons would have been sufficient much of the time. There are several places where the switchbacks of the trail have been bypassed and folks have cut a trail straight up the side of the mountain. We took every one of those that we saw. So while it wasn't a terribly long a hike, it certainly got my blood pumping. We went up as far as the tree-line, which afforded a really nice view of the diamond on Longs Peak.

So now it's Monday, I've returned to the bike trainer in my basement for my workouts, and we're bracing for the snowy cold weather that's settling in as I type this. But it is winter, after all, and it was a really good weekend.

Mileage and mornings

When I woke up this morning at 5:00, it was 52° F.  But since that kind of weather is usually from out of town, it is transported to Denver on strong and steady winds.  So the first and last stretches of my run today were attended by a pretty good headwind.  Still, I'll take that over the sub-freezing temperatures I've been running in lately.  And it is such an encouraging, simple pleasure to turn a corner and find that the force which has been dogging my every step for the past few miles is suddenly to my back and helping push me along.

Since taking up running back in August, I've been working on pushing my mileage up in hopes of being in shape to run the Denver Marathon next October.  Earlier this month, I broke through the 10-mile mark for the first time, and I've been hitting that distance consistently ever since.

It is beginning to occur to me, however, that I am near a point where I must choose to either stop increasing my mileage or start running faster.  I don't have that much time in the morning to work out before going to the office, so continually increasing the amount of time I spend running isn't going to work.  But I started doing the math, and my pace would have to improve dramatically to make very much difference. I think I need to adjust my schedule and do a longer run on the weekend.

Sunrise, December 1st, 2010 

I've never been a morning person before, but even on non-running days, I've really been enjoying a little bit of quiet time before the rest of the family wakes up.  And on the days that I am out there running, it feels incredible to be able to experience the day breaking: the sun rising; the first golden rays of light illuminating the treetops, roofs, and the mountains.  I feel like I'm getting to tell the whole world good morning.

I pass lots of dog-walkers, kids on their way to school, and people driving to work.  I wonder if they are having the same experience, or if there is something about the physical exertion, the open air, or the fact that I'm out there voluntarily that somehow makes it more meaningful to me.  I'm certain, at least, that I'm not the only one who is in this state of awe.

The Stride in Littleton

I just got home from "The Stride", a charity run benefiting the Littleton school system.  I came across the event online, and since I had an errand to run on that side of town this weekend anyway, we decided that it would be good to get the family out to participate.  I signed up for the 10k option, after which we would all do the 1k Family Fun Run.

Refreshment between the 10k and the Fun Run

My wife and kids took advantage of the many activities going on while I was out running - there was face-painting, an obstacle course of sorts, and rope-jumping.  And they were there at the finish line to cheer for me.

Recruiters for the rope-jumping team

There was an hour and a half between the 10k start and the Fun Run start.  Unfortunately, that seemed to be just enough time my daughter to tire herself out, so we ended up walking nearly the entire 1k.  But at least we got to stick together and cross the finish line as a family.

On the 1k Fun Run

Something went wrong with recording the run on my phone - Cardio Trainer didn't actually start the workout when I told it to - so I didn't get as much data as I wanted.  But as near as I can tell, the map below shows the basic route.  I finished in 48 minutes, which is typical of the pace I've been keeping lately.


View Larger Map

Chicago's Lakefront Trail

My 33rd birthday has found me in the city of Chicago, traveling for work.  While I would prefer to be at home with my family, I'm trying to make the most of the situation.  I've been to Chicago a couple of times in the past, but have never had an opportunity to see much of anything which wasn't en route from my hotel to the office.

When planning this trip, I chose a hotel within easy striking distance of Lake Michigan.  Judging from the map, Lakefront Trail looked like a promising destination for a morning run, so that's where I headed.  It was just as lovely as I'd hoped it would be.

Lakefront Trail, Chicago

The weather was perfect, the sun rising over the lake was beautiful, and the lower elevation (ergo, increased oxygen) made me feel like I could run forever.  I didn't have time to test that theory, but I returned to my hotel feeling great.  My speed and distance were significantly better than any I've done in Denver.  I should get at least one more run in before returning home later in the week.


View Chicago Lakefront in a larger map

Die Flederkatze

When my 4-year-old daughter decides she likes something, she tends to obsess about it quite a bit.  I guess she gets that from me, mostly.  Right now she's into two things: cats (toys, not the musical) and The Tick (animated, not live-action).  She has also been going running with me every morning for a couple of weeks, now.

We just go around the block - about 0.6 or 0.7 miles - and we don't run the entire way.  We have what she calls "second goal points" to which we run, and then we walk for a little bit before running to the next point.  She says she doesn't want to run any farther than that.  Just around the block.  But she wants to run around the block every day for the rest of her life.

I don't know how long this will actually last, but I'm doing my best to keep her interested and to avoid putting pressure on her.  I do know that it's nice having a running partner, and our trips around the block make for a good warm-up before I go out for longer runs.

The culmination of these interests is that she likes to dress up as Die Flederkatze (a cat version of the hero, Die Fledermaus from The Tick) when we go running (as well as when she's just hanging out around the house).

Die Flederkatze

Not really visible in this picture is the tail she fashioned out of a sequined scarf.

She has also decided that we will all be cats for Halloween this year.  But while I do have a set of ears of my own now, thankfully she has not insisted on having me wear them when we go running.

Running off into the Sunrise

About a month ago I decided to try running my commute a couple of times a week.  While it worked okay, I'm not certain that it's practical for me in the long term.  It required leaving my laptop at the office for most of the week, which was something of a mixed blessing.  But at this point, I've more or less decided to commute by bike and reserve running for morning workouts.

The weather here in Denver has been really nice lately.  Overnight lows generally have been in the 50s and highs have been in the 80s.  It won't last long, but I'm enjoying it while I can.  This morning I got out for a run and had the pleasure of seeing the sun rise as I headed east back toward my house.

It can't be captured in a photograph, but there are moments when I'm overwhelmed with the beauty in the world around me, and I just want to throw my arms up in the air and sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world.

Commuter Cross-training

The company I work for has a program called Self-Powered Commuting (SPC), the name of which was the inspiration for the title of this blog.  The program encourages people to use some human-powered means of getting to the office instead of driving.  Participants accumulate stamps for each day we bike, walk, or whatever, and at the end of the year, the stamps translate into dollars donated to the charity of our choice.  This year, the company donated several hundred dollars to NARSAD on my behalf.

In the office where I work, we're having an SPC Week to promote the program, and since I bike to work every day, I figured I would take the opportunity to change things up a bit.  Today I ran to work instead of biking.  I've been intending to get into running for quite some time, so this was a great chance to stop intending and start doing.

It's amazing how the route I've ridden countless times takes on a whole new feel when taken on foot.  If the run home this evening doesn't kill me, this could be the start of something really fun.