Author: Mark Allman

A cool early morning. Clear skies and temperature around 31 degrees. Yea, the leaves are frozen to the windshield. No real breeze, though. Perfect for some roadwork.

The hamstring is still complaining, but limiting the length and how much push-off on each stride seems to be workable. No speed — who cares. Roadwork at a slower speed is far better than sitting around doing nothing.

Today’s run was a 2.18 mile mostly flat route. Pace was 10:36. Total climb was only about 90 feet.

First day trying out a bit of running. Not much, but it’s a start. Limiting my stride length keeps the hamstring from complaining much. Hopefully I can keep it going and the work, with ice afterwards, lets things continue to heal.

Not a bad morning at all for a short run. Temperature around 48. I went out in between rain showers.

Today’s “run” was a short 0.64 mile loop around the house. No clue on pace, and it’s irrelevant at this point. Not much climb at all — maybe 20 feet.

After several days off, I decided that sitting around not doing anything isn’t really speeding up the hamstring recovery. It’s just a waste of time. No benefit at all.

Today’s ride was a 5.12 mile hills route. Pace was 4:44. Total climb was around 275 feet.

One more nice early morning for a ride. Temperature around 54 and not much of a breeze. Weekends allow for a slightly later start time, so I could ride the route when it was light. It is helpful to actually see the road and all the potholes, sewer covers, etc.

Today’s ride was a 17.44 mile rolling hills route. Pace was somewhere around 4:42. It’s a guess at how much time I spend stopped at intersections. Total climb was about 930 feet.

A nice morning for a ride. Temperature around 52 and just a slight breeze. Getting out early avoids the traffic, or at least the car traffic. A deer jumped out on a flat stretch and we both flew down a straight, flat section. I was just behind him in the opposite lane. Yeah, we were really moving!

Today’s ride was a 5.26 mile hills route. Pace was 4:56. Total climb was 325 feet.

A cool early morning for a ride. Temperature was around 44 degrees and not much wind. The hamstring is getting better very slowly, so for now I’m stuck on the bike. Hopefully I can keep up some fitness.

Today’s ride was a 14.25 mile rolling hills route, with a detour on an unlit maintenance road. Looks like the Moon in places with all the potholes. Overall pace was about 5:14. Total climb was 835 feet.

One more foggy early morning for a ride. Temperature was around 53. I’m out on the road early enough so that the traffic isn’t too crazy. Unfortunately, a road closure has pushed a bit more traffic onto the side roads I’m on. Fortunately, it’s dark for most of my ride, so I can easily see their headlights.

Today’s ride was a 14.25 mile rolling hills route. Pace was 5:14, but parts of the ride are at a crawl on a service road around a detour. Total climb was about 835 feet.

A cool, foggy early morning for a ride. I have a neon green jacket and reflectors on the bike, including added reflective tape, so that’s not a worry. It’s still somewhat nerve-racking when traffic goes by. One advantage of being out when it’s dark is that the cars have their lights on. Let’s them see all the reflective stuff and also lets me know they’re back there.

At about mile 4 I was riding along a flat stretch, and I heard a clattering to my left. A deer had run out on the road just ahead of me. He couldn’t find a way off the road and into the dense woods, so we both flew down the road for about 10 seconds. He probably thought I was chasing him. Glad he didn’t try to cut across the road to get off the the right.

Today’s ride was a 5.26 mile hills route, including a short 10+% hill at the end. Rode up it one gear up from the “granny” gear. Pace was 4:40. Total climb was around 325 feet.

Nice mild morning for a longer ride. Temperature around 59 degrees, no wind, and a little Sun at times. Getting out after it’s light is also nice — easier to spot all the potholes, sewer covers, etc. I hit a pothole once a while back in the dark and blew a tire.

Today’s ride was a 17.44 mile rolling hills route. Pace was 4:50. Total climb was about 930 feet.

Nice late morning for a ride. Temperature around 65 and mostly sunny. A bit of a stiff breeze in places.

Today’s ride was a 5.26 mile hills route, including a short 10+% grade hill at the end. Pace was 4:36. Total climb was around 325 feet.