Days Fourteen and Fifteen - Easy Day, Hard Day

Yesterday was Friday and my body was still crisply burned from too much sun on Thursday, so I limited the body work to stretching only. My body seemed happy with this. "All the parts of me - my arms, my legs, and all the stuff in between are happy with this," said my body.

Today was different. I biked the road course twice for 20 K and then ran around the lake six times for just over 10 K.

I started a little later than last Saturday. There was a lot more traffic. Going up the hill on the Ring Road was hell. Everytime the lights changed at the intersection below, a horde of cars and trucks screamed by and I felt like I was breathing pure carbon monoxide. The short stretch of road fronting the Brookside Mall was congested and the road work they're doing added dust and dirt to the air, but once I passed the mall the road cleared up with just moderate traffic all the way to the lake.

I'm starting to make friends with the hills on St. Mary's and the Ring Road, but the hills on Brookside Drive are still murder. Places where I thought the road leveled or maybe even slanted down a little looked more like they were actually sloping upwards today.

I think I may have to look around for an old racing bike to train on for the next few days. Much as I love my mountain bike, it just doesn't cut it for going fast down a steep hill.

The weather was perfect: cloudy, with a refreshing breeze.

The run around the lake is getting easier. I'm starting to get my running legs back after a winter of just swimming and working out on my Gym 1000.

Yep, I think I might just life through this after all.