Author: Mark Allman

One more nice early morning for a ride. Temperature around 63 and clear. We’re going to pay for this great weather sometime shortly.

The hamstring is still painful, but it is getting better. I’m hoping that the riding both keeps some fitness up and also helps with the healing. I’d very much like to get back to running next week.

Today’s ride was a 5.12 mile hills route. Pace was 5:06. Total climb was about 275 feet.

Tried a few steps running this morning. No dice. I didn’t expect it to be better. OK, back to the bike.

Nice, windy, humid morning for a ride. Temperature in the low 70’s. One of the roads I’ve trained on in the past has been re-paved since I was last on it. Very glad to see that. Lots of holes to dodge before.

Today’s ride was a long 13.83 mile rolling hills route, consisting of my running route plus a road I trained on when on the bike. Good hills. Pace was around 5:00 (several stops for traffic at intersections). Total climb was about 665 feet.

Nice, mild early morning for a ride. Temperature around 64 and mostly cloudy. Ran into a brief sprinkle at about the midpoint of the ride.

The local roads on this route are wide enough to have a berm (mostly), so traffic isn’t too concerning. I did fly by a skunk just off the road on a downhill section. Glad I was moving faster!

Today’s ride was a 9.95 mile rolling hills route. Pace was 5:04. Total climb was about 555 feet.

Today was a “fun” ride. I dropped my car at the shop and rode back home. Nothing like riding on local roads in morning rush hour. Speed? Forget it.

Today’s ride was a 5.76 mile hills route. Pace wasn’t a concern. Might’ve been around 5:45. Total climb was around 305 feet.

Back to work on the bike. Still tender but not bad. The hamstring has been feeling a bit better. Not 100%, but better. I think.

Today’s ride was a 4.8 mile mildly rolling route. Pace was 4:58. Total climb was about 200 feet.

One more try at getting some work in on the bike. It wasn’t too bad, but I think a few more days of rest are needed. It is what it is.

Today’s ride was a 9.95 mile rolling hills route. Pace was 5:29. Total climb was about 555 feet.

First day trying some work on the bike. I doubted that I could sit on a racing bike seat but it wasn’t too bad. I noticed later in the day that the hamstring high up was more uncomfortable than yesterday, so maybe a few more days of rest are in order.

Today’s ride was a short 3.26 mostly flat test route. Pace was about 5:04.

Well, that’s it for the hamstring. At about mile 5 I felt something really painful. It had been complaining all along but seemed manageable. Nuts. Later in the day it was painful to even walk. No racing for me. I’m glad I tried, though. We never give up without a fight.

Today’s run was a totally flat 6.63 mile route. Pan flat. Pace was an average of 9:54. Total “climb” was 115 feet.

In Wyoming for the race. Today’s run is a few miles on the main hill to see how everything feels: hamstring, adjusting to the altitude, etc. The start of the climb is at about 6100 feet and levels off for a bit after 2.8 more miles at about 7000 feet. That’s an average grade of 6%.

The hamstring and the altitude didn’t seem to be much of an issue. I didn’t have an issue with the altitude last year and it seems like that this year also. Fingers crossed for Sunday.

Today’s run was a short, easy 2.14 mile test run. Pace was probably somewhere around 10:40. Total climb was 230 feet.

Catching up on posts. The run today was to be about 13.11 miles but I pulled up a bit after 12. The right hamstring area was complaining loudly, let’s say. It’s starting to feel like a longer rest period is needed. Nice morning for a run, though. Mild and clear.

Today’s run was a 12.11 rolling hills route. Pace was 9:58. Total climb was 625 feet.