Just another clear, crisp, sunny morning in Arizona. Skipping todat’s 14 mile Team D run (I needed to be in Tempe at 10 for a friend’s wedding), I opted for another bike ride. This time, I rode east from Pima road, along the Arizona Canal, crossing the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.

The way out had the 2 ingredients of riding directly into the morning sun (making it harder to see the dips and bumps) and a bit of head wind. Again, I love this ride because it is so open, one can see directly north to the McDowell Mountains, northeast to Red Mountain, east to the Superstitions… And very typical, I saw at least 2 great blue herons (or the same one twice) take off in a long, powerful gliding motion. The farms nort of the canal are carpet green with new grass (hay?) and perhaps lettuce or spinach as far as the eye can see.

I was watching my watch for a turn around, a bit short of the Beeline highway crossing, actually just at the trash dump where Gilbert Rd hits highway 87. And woah, baby, on the way back, I was flying much faster with light at my back along with the wind. I probably could have gone farther since my time back was about 10 minutes less than out.

Legs felt good, getting some of the long formant bike muscles working. And now, my weekly mileage charts show a rising ride spike of bike miles.

In exercise switch mode, this morning I tried to make up for yesterday’s no run with a bike ride, taking the Arizona canal west through the “perennially under contruction of condo towers” that is downtown Scottsdale. So I am getting my miles while sitting down.

It’s been almost 2 years, and still vrtually impossible to ride a bike safely or even find the same route 2 days in a row from the canal at Camelback and Scottsdale Road to to where the canal crosses Goldwater north of Indian School. That’s what knobby mountain bike tired are for, I guess.

I cruised out passed the very cool Arizona Falls at 56th to a turn around at 48th Street. I would have gone further, but with daylight not peeking out til almost 7, and I did not want to cut too much into the work day.

Tomorrow morning, I’l be forgoing the Team-D 14 mile run, I would have missed it anyhow as I need to be at a friend’s wedding by 10, but I think I can get out and squeeze in a good 2 hour bike ride.

Wednesday night I was still feeling stiffness in my left shin, so I opted out of the Team-D track training for some more rest, ice, advil, ice, rest, advil.

It felt much better this morning (it seems to start up later in the day), but I decided to do a bike ride instead, heading west towards Camelback Mountain, through the shabby neighborhoods of Paradise Valley (that is sarcasm- this is mansion-ville, in PV, the median house price is an order of magnitude larger than elsewhere in town).

I rode, winding on MacDonald north of the big Camel, and down to Lincoln and Tatum, stopping at the Barry Goldwater memorial park, something I had driven past many times, but never stopped at.

That’s a closeup of the hat in hand on Barry’s statue- he is facing southwest looking towards the hilltop home he lived in just a mile from this spot.

Lots of traffic on Lincoln, so I took as many back streets as possible. Again, I’ve not done much biking in the last 18 months, and it feels like I am hitting muscles never used! But it was a great way to spend an hour and ten minutes this morning.

I might do more biking as x-training even when the leg feels better. I like the feeling of going a bit faster than I can just via my feet!

A day of rest tomorrow, and then it is time to test the legs with the Payson Rim Country Challenge 1/2 Marathon.

With continued stiffness in my shin (and good advice from Jerry), this morning I got out my mountain bike for some cross training.

Now, while the blog title remains “I Hate Running” I can categorically say that I have always enjoyed biking! But its been a really long time since I pedaled farther than to the grocery store up the street.

So over the weekend, I picked up as new helmet (old one was cracked), and a new seat puch so I did not need the backback to carry tools and spare tubes, so I could hit the local trails again.

So I had a short ride today as I needed to be home in time to run an online meeting, but wow! I am using muscles that have sat used for a while! But I had a decent ride along the Arizona canal, heading east acrosss the Salt River-Pima reservation from Pima Road. It’s just so peaceful, quiet, and open out there.

So I hope I am up for Wednesday night run and the Payson 1/2 marathon Saturday.

Ugh, I was slow poking today. But I’ve not run diddly squat in the last month, and the purpose of today’s run was to climb back in the saddle, and run my 6 mile loop. That I did. So it was 6 miles, success.

The sky was unusually cloudy for a May morning, and the sun glasses were not even needed. The temperatures are still tolerable at 5:30 AM.

It will/should only get better.

With the knee still in recovery, I’ve crossed from running today to biking.

Today might have been a bit early or not enough coffee…. my wife has been biking to work as well, so when she suggested we ride together, I was thinking of following her route to work in downtown Scottsdale and then following my normal route to Tempe. So this morning at 6 I asked, “If we bike, what time to you need to leave?” and she said, “I’ll be ready in 15 minutes”. That’s earlier than I needed but I got all assembled. Then she wondered why I had all my gear on as she was tihnking of us doing some loops around the neighborhood… we were in different route spaces or frames of mind.

So we did a loop up to the canal and back to our house, so I got a few more clicks than a commute, and then I rode the normal 11 miles to work. Not bad going in, the knee was yummy with Advil.

Riding home was a different story! First there was a hair of a headwind. Then, it’s been so long since I dealt with darkness, so I had to get in the defensive mindset of baeing invisible to drivers, despite my headlamp, reflectors,a nd blinking tail lamp… it calls for extra concentration. Then about 3 miles in, I felt my blood sugar bottom out, so I had to make a pit stop for a few glucose tablets.

As is, I got home with about 20 minutes to shower and get ready for the history class we are taking together at Scottsdale Comunity College. So today was something like:

1. bike
2. work
3. bike
4. sit in class for 2.5 hours and try and concentrate

A long day. It did feel good to get some miles in, even if they are not running. Maybe, the new blog name is “I Miss Running”?

My knee is still feeling tender, so I am resting it by switching todat to some bike riding. Since I am off for Veterans Day, I took the opportunity to bike over to the Runners Den on 16th and Maryland to pick up my packet and stuff for Sunday’s New Times 10k run. It’s a nice ride along the canals.

It was hardly a competitive bike ride! First my blood sugar bonked low so I stopped at the Safeway on 48th St as my supply was kind of thin. Yum, Gatorade and chocolate bar.

Then it must have been the headwind, because it was a pokey slow roll to my destination. It was a bit better on the return trip, but I feel way more tired than I should for a ride this length.