Running in the News

From time to time, I comb through Google News looking for stories on running--great editorials, personal stories, advice. Today, the picture is bleak.

• Man shot dead may have been jogging (New Zealand)
• Peoria sheriff, superintendent struck while jogging (Illinois)
• Well-known attorney hit jogging (Michigan)
• Olmert banned from jogging (Israel's acting prime minister not allowed to jog in public to avoid being shot.)
• Jogging may lead to saggy breasts (???!!!)
• Retired teacher shot dead jogging (Thailand)

Maybe winter is getting to me and I'm just missing the silver lining on this foreboding cloud. I could be next (except for the saggy breasts ... knock on wood). Then again, I am grateful that I can run where there is very little traffic and anyone with a gun is at least a couple acres away--even that is deterrable with a classy hunter's orange shirt.

10 Mile Bike Ride, Flat Tire, 8 Mile Walk

Well, you gotta learn sometime and necessity is the best way. With a nice, warm Saturday and my wife at work, I had a wide-open day to do WHATEVER I WANTED. So I drove out to Middleburg, VA for a 28 mile loop on dirt roads. I got off to a great start, the saddle soreness from yesterday quickly subsided and my legs loosened up after just a few minutes. Not long into the ride, I was pushing on an uphill and all of a sudden things just felt ... and sounded ... different. I stopped, dismounted, and watched my back tire go flat in 30 seconds. That's when it hit me: I had nothing to repair the flat, I did know how to repair a flat anyway, I was in the middle of nowhere, and calling my wife to pick me up was not an option.

So I put on my headphones and started walking back to my car. Fortunately, I had my GPS with me and it helped me figure out a shorter walk back to my car than simply backtracking. So I only had to walk 8 miles, which is a lot more fun when I don't have to hold a bike at my side--with the pedal hitting my calf every so often.

Amazingly, I wasn't pissed off or even all that bummed. I did stop by Purcellville bike store (Trail's End)on the way home. They fixed the flat and spent a lot of time educating me in how to handle the situation next time, including outfitting me with the necessary hardware. If you're ever in Purcellville, I recommend stopping by. Every time I've been there, the staff is very well-trained and patient with every last stupid question I've had.

20 Mile Bike Ride: Difficult Run

With yet another insanely warm day, I brought my bike into work with the expressed idea of cutting out early, which I happily did just after lunch. I drove to a parking lot in Reston and followed a trail that runs all the way to Great Falls, though I only went as far as a couple miles past Route 7. You see, along the way I dropped my GPS and didn't realize it for a few miles. And when I did realize it, I freaked for a moment, then got a crazy second wind that had me powering up the hills lining the creek banks. When I found it, I quietly lectured myself and decided to turn around and see if I could make it a little further than I did when I had to turn around.

I definitely need to go back and try to fit in the entire loop.

AT Hike: 4 Hours

I took my tail-wagging sidekick, Maggie, out for another hike today. We drove out to there the Appalachian Trail crosses VA-605 and then headed south for a couple hours before turning around. Many of the streams are at health levels, which Maggie ran through many, many times. Some of them still had ice, despite the recent heat wave. I also met Dave, who lives near me and photographs rapidly changing Western Loudoun County (see his photoblog). We were both pleasantly surprised by the warm weather--a far cry from the typical freeze in mid-January.