Of Mice and Marathons

Lunch: 4 miles w/ Megan, averaged 9:12. HR 154.

Megan was on the move again today. Negative split and progression on what is a down and then up course. Roads were mostly clear with just enough shoulder for marginal safety. We got together with my siblings and did some sledding on the old back hill. I brought out my middle school snowboard and did a few short runs downs the smaller section of the back field with a beer. Made me wish I could put time and money in snowboarding, but cycling is already too expensive.

PM: 6.3 miles, averaged 9:28. HR 153.

We got home around 4. Nice two-hour, direct flight that was 30 minutes early. I slept pretty much the whole way.

PM: 10.4 miles, averaged 8:34. HR 170.

Felt pretty decent after going back to bed and sleeping most of the early afternoon. Can't tell if it is overtiredness, stress of impending semester, or depression. Enjoyed the run even though it was too fast for current fitness.

PM: 4 miles on the treadmill.

Did captain's chair and some core machines and some weak pullups and chinups. It's been a while.

9 weeks of the cough, preceded by about a week of a minor cold. A new cold started kicking in today. I've never been so sick as when I have lived here. I am wondering if it is something environmental, though Megan seems normal and is not catching anything I have.

School starts Monday.

PM: 4.5 miles, averaged 10:38. HR 149.

Got some light snow that made things a touch slippery but nothing bad. Cold is definitely there. Trying to keep it from flaring up, but I refuse to take a rest day at this point.

Went to the gym after to allow Megan to use my guest pass feature. Did captain's chair, some core machine, and the hip machines.

Firsy day of winter semester tomorrow.

First day of classes. 

Coughed a lot today and by the end of the day I wasn't feeling great. 

Off. 

Got up around 8 or 9 when Megan was getting up (I slept on the couch and didn't cough too much, but was worried I would). I felt awful when I got up. Slept until noon. Got up for a bit and did some minor work, but stayed on the couch. Slept from 2:50-4:30 and then again from 8:30-9:30. Felt somewhat better. Not coughing as much, but when I do it is really intense.

Off.

Slept in the bed last night without too many coughing fits. Feel okay so far today. Will likely need to take a few more days off to maybe finally get out from under this thing.

Off.

Off.

Off.

Purchased a Wahoo Kickr trainer for my bike. Messed around with that for a while to try to get it setup correctly. Couldn't get it to work.

PM: 30' on the trainer. HR 150.

Haven't felt like running at all.

Went to the bike shop to figure out what I was doing wrong. Got it to mostly work, enough to do 30' on Zwift. I ended up coughing really deeply and ended up vomitted up lunch. Good times. Cough been going on 10 weeks on Saturday.

Off.

I was going to run or hit the trainer, but didn't.

PM: 4 miles w/ Megan, averaged 10:10. HR 145.

Didn't feel like running. I was in a bad mood and I'm just really off mentally and lack of focus in everything I am doing.

Off.

Planned to run, but too a nap instead and didn't feel like going out.

PM: 8.3 miles, averaged 10:28. HR 143.

Dark and chilly but good run. Waited for jury duty for 7.5 hours and never got called. I was hoping to be more a part of the process, but I guess I participated as required. I read a bit about training with a power meter for cycling. Very data oriented stuff. Much more complex than running which is both interesting and (of course) expensive.

I'm shifting my focus to cycling for the future while still doing a decent amount of running to maintain weight (currently to lose weight) and destress.

PM: 10 miles, averaged 10:11. HR 145.

First 4 w/ Megan. Chilly out.

PM: 4.5 miles on the treadmill.

Wasn't really feeling it. My attention sucks right now and the treadmill isn't the best option, but we got 8 inches of snow and it was partially slush and partially frozen.

PM: 7.2 miles, averaged 11:16. HR 140.

Quite slippery in places, but I managed. Should have put my Katoolas on.

PM: 10 miles, averaged 10:20. HR 147.

Quite icy in places and I had to snow shoe some of the sidewalks, but most of the neighborhood street weren't terrible. Getting some miles in the last few days has improved my mood considerably. Still waiting on parts for my bike, so I decided to buy a power meter and have them install that while I am at it. Apparently it's the only way to train for cycling.

It will likely be a higher running week since it will likely be Thursday or Friday I am guessing before I get it back.

PM: 10.4 miles, averaged 9:42. HR 152.

Did a sporadic pickup the last 4 miles for a progression. They weren't fast but faster than I have been running. Still very slick in places.

PM: 10.2 miles, averaged 8:52. HR 152.

Felt pretty solid today. Did a couple laps of the ~2 mile loop around the neighborhood to avoid ice. Worked out nicely.

Weighed myself this morning for the first time in about a month. Ugly!

Off.

Lunch/PM: 13.2 miles, averaged 8:41. HR 165.

Turned 35 today. Ran in the 34 degree rain to celebrate. HR was very high for the perceived effort, but I'm overweight and out of shape. Good run.

Got a call from the shop that my bottom bracket on the frame is cracked, so they initiated the warranty process. I am hoping it is covered. I'm guessing I have a decent sized bill already coming to me. Looks like it will be at least a week or two before I get into training. I'll likely have to do a few spin classes starting this week. They are actually pretty fun. Definitely a good workout.

Had a nice dinner and evening with Megan.

PM: 4.1 miles w/ Megan, averaged 10:22. HR 137.

PM: 12.3 miles, averaged 9:11. HR 153.

Went to the park. It was much clearer than I thought it would be. No snow except for the grass portion. Little muddy, but not bad.

PM: 12.3 miles, averaged 9:00. HR 153.

Felt very good. Bike shop called and a new frame will be coming. It's a cool looking green color for 2020. Fine with me.

PM: 12.3 miles, averaged 9:02. HR 152.

Night: PT, crunches, hip stretching

AM/Lunch: 12.3 miles, averaged 9:03. HR 148.

PM: 90' on the Spin Bike @ Oakland. HR 140.

40' easy, then 3 x 5' fairly hard w/ 3' easy recovery and 10' cool down. Wanted to try to put some watts down and see how I felt as I will be doing intervals when I get my bike back. I find it easier to ride on the trainer than the treadmill, at least currently.

Interval 1: HR 164; Interval 2: HR 168; Interval 3: HR 170

Megan and I went to a CARE event, which is a partnership with a local church and Oakland to put on events for international students. People are assigned a student and they go to events and the get togethers. Megan has been doing it for a few semesters, and I should have been. We had a good time, even though Megan's student hasn't been able to make the events.

PM: 12.3 miles, averaged 8:37. HR 153.

Off.

Got my bike in. It's basically a brand new bike with only a few incosequential parts from my old bike. I love the new color. Messaged around with a few adjustments as it would not go directly on the trainer. I was frustrated at first, but got it.
 

PM: 34' on the trainer to do a ramp test.

Forgot to link my HRM, but the effort was quite hard toward the end. The machine increase power every minute after a warm up and it takes you best effort prior to failure. It's not super accurate I don't think. It's like doing 400 meter repeats to failure and using that to try to predict lactate theshold, but I needed a number to start with for training. I got 225. I would imagine (and others suggested) that is pretty low. I doubt it is 300, but I would imagine 250-275 watts maybe.

PM: 5.3 miles, averaged 8:46. HR 146.

It was around 50 degrees and sunny, so I made sure to get out even though I was planning to ride, so I did both. Jumped on the bike when I got home

PM2: 60' on the trainer w/ 3 x 12' @ sweet spot. HR 140.

Not too difficult, but I got a good sweat going. I'd rather be outside, but I kind of like the grind.

PM: 10.3 miles, averaged 9:26. HR 148.

First few with Megan. Felt a bit sluggish from yesterday's workout on the bike, but not too bad. Just a little slow.

Off. 

Planned to run, but took a nap. Should have just run as I didn't rest well with all the car doors slamming and my supersonic hearing being extra in tune. Was going to do an easy spin for an hour, but drank cheap beer and worked instead. Got a little anxious just before dinner, likely due to no exercise.

AM/Lunch: 90' on the trainer. HR 151.

Reinstein on TrainerRoad (the names make no sense): 3 x 12' over/unders w/ 2' @ 95% of FTP and 1' @ 105% of FTP w/ 10' recoveries. In running terms this is like doing 12' alternating @ just a whisker over 1-hour race effort for 2' and 1' at just under 1-hour race effort. 

Example: Your 1-hour race pace is 6:00, then your overs would be at about 6:18 and your unders would be around 5:42. Something like that, but cycling is doing in watts, not pace or HR (though of course there is a corresponding HR).

PM: 80' on the trainer. HR 137.

Glassy on TrainerRoad. Had some trouble navigating the subtle power changes. Need to do a lot of drills to smooth out my pedal stroke.

PM: 7 miles, averaged 9:38. HR 140.

First few w/ Megan.

PM: 90' on Zwift. HR 122.

Mileage off as I was in rider's choice mode, but the world was hilly and slow, so elevation and pace weren't even close. Nice easy 90' though.

PM: 62' on TrainerRoad + Zwift. HR 154 (TrainerRoad).

Tried to do a 20' FTP test, which is basically an extremely hard 20' time trial. I got cooked at 12'. My heart rate for 9' was between 180-188, with several minutes between 183-188. Pulled out early as I was dying and cooled down 20' on Watopia in Zwift.

Lunch: 45' on TrainerRoad. HR 142.

Carter, which was 65%-75% of FTP. FTP updated yesterday from 224 to 259, which I think will be a better, more accurate number to work with.

PM: 10.3 miles, averaged 9:45. HR 144.

Felt quite good. After 4 or 5 miles I wanted to go longer, but 10 was plenty. I think I am going to switch back to double on Thursdays and Sundays (my two run, non-cycling days) to help keep my mileage up while recovering from riding. 30-40 miles a week doesn't seem like much but my overall cycling time is increasing from 4ish hours to about 6 or so. Currently around 9 hours between two sports. This summer I peaked at 20 hours, which was kind of nuts, but I was just having fun.

PM: 70' on TrainerRoad. HR 148.

Did Carson, which was 6 x 6-7 minutes @ 85-95% of FTP. Basically it was around the effort of a set of mile repeats done at maybe 90% with 2' recoveries. It's a really productive workout when you only have an hour. I wasn't enthused by the 2' cool down, so I added an extra 10'.

Running day tomorrow. I feel like I have a good pattern going, though I would like my running mileage to be at least 50 or 60, but you cannot do it all. 30-40 with cycling hours seems sustainable.

Lunch: 45' on TrainerRoad. HR 125.

PM: 6 miles on the treadmill. HR 152.

PM: 90' on TrainerRoad (Tunemah). HRM battery quit.

Over-unders. Couldn't really get settled and relaxed. Workout was quite tough.

We went to Toledo to see my borther-in-law's basketball game and had a good dinner.

Off.

Megan and I hung out at her uncle's and then we went to see Megan's other brother, sister-in-law, and the kids.

PM: 90' on TrainerRoad (Leavitt+2). HR 159.

70' of tempo work split into 10' sections, which ranged from 208 watts to 233. A good effort. I would not have wanted to do this Saturday after Friday's workout as the program originally had me doing. Glutes and hamstrings were quite sore after this. Mostly bike adaptations.

Night: 45' on TrainerRoad (Lazy Mountain -2). HR 118.

Didn't run when I got home as originally planned. Hopped on the trainer a good bit after dinner. Tried to wear myself out. I have had terrible nightmares lately, and I ended up having the worst of my life this night.

Lunch: 65' on TrainerRoad (Tunnabora). HR 152.

PM: 8.3 miles, averaged 9:12. HR 151.

PM: 45' on TrainerRoad (Carter). HR 133.

Lunch: 90' on TrainerRoad (Fletcher). HR 134.

Lunch: 95' on Zwift (Richmond Hills). HR 129.

PM: 7.2 miles, averaged 8:49. HR 148. Did some strides.

PM: 10.4 miles, averaged 8:56. HR 154.

Did one extra spicy mile in 6:09 to finish off. It was not all out, but it was quite hard. My HR peaked at 192, which has to be close to max.

PM: 1:45 on TrainerRoad (Antelope). HR 142.

Added a little bit of time to warmup and cool down. Workout was 5 x 10' @ sweet spot effort.

Lunch: 60' on TrainerRoad (Lazy Moutain). HR 111.

PM: 6.4, averaged 9:26. HR 142.

We did our taxes today. We made out quite well! Pretty tired today. Likely the increase in training last week. Weather was looking good this week for break but now we are expecting 4-8 inches of snow. Blech.

PM: 90' on TrainerRoad (Antelope -4). HR 139.

We did a pre-appoval for a housing loan today. Well, Megan did. My debt is insane and she looks much better on paper without me.

A bit of snow coming in throughout tomorrow, so likely no running, but I will ride on the trainer. I hoped to run most days this week, but I don't think that will happen.

Started physical therapy for my hip again.

PM: 60' on TrainerRoad (Pettit -1). HR 116.

PM2: 1 mile warmup on the treadmill, then weights.

Chest press 3 x 10 @40#; pull downs 3 x 15 @ 40#; shoulder press 3 x 12 @ 20#; bicep curls 3 x 15 @ 25#; tri press 3 x 15 @ 40#;

Just some light stuff to get range of motion.

Lunch: 75' on TrainerRoad (Collins). HR 130.

PM: 1:45 on TrainerRoad (Palisade). HR 140.

Over-under session. Went quite well. Legs feel strong if a bit smashed from the bike shop party/meeting last night during which we did a contest to see who could put out the most max watts. I did terrible.

Went to physical therapy.

PM: 45' recovery ride on TrainerRoad (Recess). HR 111.

Watched the Olympic Trials before, during, and after the session.

Night: PT routine and pushups

PM: 2.5 hours on TrainerRoad (Ochoco). HR 147.

Watched 3 episodes of Breaking Bad, which I have already seen. This was my longest time on a bike inside. Took some focus even with Netflix.

Off.

PM: 80' on TrainerRoad (Carson). HR 137.

Had a dentist appointments and PT after an awards ceremony for student writing submissions. Weather has warmed up a bit. I feel like running, but don't feel like getting going. Plus I am not running racing and I only have a month to prepare for the season openers for gravel season. I figure as long as I am exercising it's fine. I'll get back to it.

PM: 60' on TrainerRoad (Petit). HR 129.

PM: 33.9 mile ride. HR 153.

My buddy Joe called me about Thursday Night Dirt, so I ripped my bike off the trainer and got things adjusted. It was an unofficial start, so it was just us, but I needed it. Feeling claustrophobic with new neighbors. Route was in decent shape for this time of year.

Off. 

I think I had PT. 

PM: 64.5 mile ride. HR 151.

Weather was solid and I wanted to get in 3-3.5 hours. Got in 4. Felt decent. We went to Corktown in Detroit to see a colleague's band play.

PM: 34.4 mile ride. HR 135.

Pretty windy but very seasonable. A few roads were messy, but they weren't rutted. Nice back-to-back longer rides.

PM: 10.2 miles, averaged 9:00. HR 146.

First run in 11-12 days. Good run. A very good day!

Off. 

PT and voting. Went to a award ceremony as a student nominated me for an inspiration award. I was honored that a student took the time to nominate me. One of those days of running around and feeling like I got nothing done.

Off. 

I had classes but I didn't keep students too long as I was pretty sure Oakland University was going to make an announcement about moving to online classes. It made the announcement around 4 PM. Not the worst thing for my classes as they are partially online (Fridays). Quite a week I must say!

PM: 34.3 mile ride. HR 153.

First official Thursday Dirt. Good weather and solid group. A few sketchy places as the frost is still lifting. 

It looks like Barry Roubaix is up in the air. Just have to wait and see and hope the cancellations don't extend to far into May and June. 
 

PM: 5.7 miles on the treadmill.

Went to the gym with Megan. Quite empy as expected. I managed enough focus for a slow hour. I listened to an audiobook for motivation. Currently listening to Stephen King's Desperation. It's wildy creepy. I just finished Roadwork.

PM: 45.1-mile ride. HR 149.

Got a little turned around. Just under 3 hours total time.

PM: 66.8-mile ride. HR 151.

4:18 of total time. Dirt roads were in solid shape. Did a few harder efforts just because.

PM: 14.7-mile ride. HR 117.

Recovery ride on a 5-mile neighborhood route. I struggled a lot with anxiety in the first few days of this new week. Our heat went out either this day or on Tuesday and as of Thursday they haven't fixed it. They sent someone out and he took pictures to show them the unit is beyond repair (I imagine). I have a space heater and I have been running the oven. It hasn't been that cold. We also have a new neighbor who smokes pot in his apartment and has thumping bass. I have not gone over because I am pretty sure I won't be able to keep from doing violence.

PM: 50-mile ride. HR 140.

I rode to downtown Rochester and out to the Thursday Night Dirt Loop. 3.5 hours. Slow. A few efforts on some segments.

PM: 31.8-mile ride. HR 136.

Just over two hours. One of the guys I ride with has created a COVID-19 Invitational Time Trial series. He creates a Strava segment (COVID-19 Invitational Time Trial: Prologue) and you go out and time trial it. It's great because it keeps things feeling social. The idea is to go out alone so you aren't in groups. I gave it a hard effort, but it was slow (about 18.7 MPH). Course had chunky gravel (freshly graded) and some tar. I'm currently last out of 7. The guys ahead of me are (not surprisingly) much faster. I need to drop the extra 10-12 lbs I am carrying. I look forward to seeing what some of the other segments are. Part of the difficulty is memorizing the roads and the turns.

PM: 12.3 miles, averaged 9:42. HR 143.

Last day of physical therapy for my hip, so I figured why not run for 2 hours when I haven't run in almost a week? Lots of people out. Lots of them figuring out that walking and exercise is not as bad as they thought. Run was very good and needed. I will likely run tomorrow and maybe Saturday and see what Sunday looks like. This ran will make the dirt roads muddy, but they will also pack down when they dry with everything graded.

Turned a corner with feeling completely insane this week. It's a very wild time to be alive.

PM: 12.4 miles, averaged 9:52. HR 145.

Legs were predictably smashed.

PM: 34.7-mile ride. HR 133.

Slow ride. Grumpy most of the time. Rode through campus, which was weird. Felt better after the ride.

Off (mostly).

Did quite a few pushups. I'm focusing on getting prison ripped like Phil Collen with the gyms being closed. Thinking about a blog pushup challenge, but I need a bit of time.

Weather was good, but I tried to get some work done. Having a very hard time focusing. Took Megan for a drive on some of the gravel roads. A pothole almost swallowed my driver side front wheel of my Subaru. I think Megan was a little nervous after that. A bit of snow tonight, which will really mess the roads up. Warmer weather coming though, so it will melt quickly but I imagine it will be muddy until it dries out.

Trying to remain calm, but it's difficult. This should seem like a vacation, but it doesn't. Trying to limit my contact with people as much as possible, but it's hard.

PM: 10.1 miles, averaged 9:03. HR 157.

Basically a steady run once I got going. Most miles were between steady easy to moderate to just under marathon effort with a few at the end that were basically marathon effort. Decent run once I cleared the Care Bear rains clouds from over my head.

Might ride tomorrow, but I imagine the dirt roads are a mess from the snow, which thankfully melted today.

Lots of pushups most sets of 30-40. Doing about 100-150 a day maybe.

PM: 62.9-mile ride. HR 144.

Enjoyed the ride. Good weather. Traffic light especially farther north on the dirt.

PM: 30-mile ride. HR 133.

Ventured out to the grocery store. Trying to limit my trips and interactions as much as possible.

PM: 30.9-mile ride. HR 149.

Drove to Stony Creek High School to cut down on some time even though I have been just leaving from home for my solo ride. Warmed up for a while and then did a very hard effort of 21' for the Tim's COVID-19 Invitational Time Trial.

I didn't program the segment in my computer, so I wrote it on the inside of my left forearm. Worked great. Just under 19MPH on rolling gravel with a number of turns. Averaged heart rate was 182 (peaked at 190!) and averaged power was 283. Put me 8th out of 18, which was far better placing (so far) than last week. Noodled around back to the car, but not before taking a picture of a giant tree with a plaque. We like to cut down trees unnecessarily in South Eastern Michgian, but some of them get awards.

Today was a great day!

PM: 3.6-mile walk with Megan. HR 84.

Sunny and comfortable. Not too warm, not too cold. Start to feel a tickle in my throat, but it could have been the cheap bourbon I drank or allergies. Eyes are a little itchy tonight, so  I am hoping that is it.

Lots of pushups. Did a 1' time trial and I think it was too close to waking because I did about 38, took a break and couldn't get much back into it and did 44. I did a straight set of 40 tonight, so I definitely could have done more. My last time doing these I think it was in the low 50s.

PM: 12.4 miles, averaged 9:09. HR 155.

Nothing quite like running for almost 2 hours on 1-3 runs a week, but can now see why triathletes don't have to run too much.

PM: 3.9-mile walk w/ Megan. HR 81.

Weird day for weather. Extremely windy. Warm in the morning. Kind of a mess mentally today. Comes and goes in this crazy times. Went to the grocery story for food and booze for the next several days.

PM: 33-mile ride. HR 137.

The roads were quite fast in places. Kind of felt crazy with our stupid neighbor being a complete moron.

PM: 36-mile ride. HR 143.

Had a little bourbon before the ride. Young folks reading (or older folks) don't be like Jason.

Tried to take down a segment that wasn't super firm, but missed by 1 second. It would have brought the sharks out anyway as the segement isn't too firm and the fast guys would jump on it. That section of road is fast right now. I did just under 27MPH (only 60 seconds or so), but did 480 watts. Needless to say, my quads are starting to outpace my calves.

PM: 38.6-mile ride. HR 147.

Went after a segment. Missed by three seconds. Should have got up to speed before the turn. It's one of my favorite roads. There's a 500+ year old tree on it.

PM: 50-mile ride. HR 154.

Rode to the Thursday Night Dirt loop, did the loop, and came back. About 30 miles in I realized my axle was loosened almost completely on my front wheel. I wondered why it sounded like my front end was falling apart.

I saw three other KLM team members. Nice to see familair people from a proper distance.

PM: 14-mile ride. HR 114.

Just did a recovery noodling ride around the neighborhoods. As I started to feel less anxious my average heart rate started to drop. Going to go for a walk with Megan in a bit.

Our weather has been pretty ideal in these parts, so that's one for the "things are going well column."

PM2: 3.7-mile walk w/ Megan. HR 85.

PM: 3.7-mile walk w/ Megan. HR 84.

Today was a rough day (crippling hangover, depression, etc). We had a good walk though.

Night: PT routine and AIS

PM: 59.2-mile ride. HR 156 First Part. HR 152 Second Part.

COVID-19 Invitational Time Trial Stage 3

I rode from the house and it took me almost two hours to get to the segment. Segment is around 24-26 minutes depending on pace. I wanted 19+ MPH (rolling hills and gravel). I was rolling around 20+ for the first half and got slowed the second half because some of the downhills were sandy loose gravel and I didn't want to eat it by have too much movements. Tried to smash it at the end but I was dying. Managed 19MPH. Would have liked to be faster, but this ride capped off a 15 hour cycling week. Heart rate for 26 minutes was 183. Much higher than I could do in a 26' minute running time trial though max heart rates and zones are not the same between the two sports.

PM: 10.7 miles, averaged 8:42. HR 158.

Warm enough to sweat a little. Anxious run. Felt good to pick up the pace a little bit at the end. I think it has been 8 or 9 days since my last run.

PM: 11.1 miles, averaged 9:08. HR 160.

The park was quite empty at the start and then it warmed up quite a bit with the sun. A bit humid actually.

A redacted story about the run from Strava (edited for language):

The young woman made an abrupt turn toward the beach and directly toward a nesting goose. The gander went into full fighter jet mode. "Did you see that?!" She asked. "Yeah, they are nesting. Keep away from them."

A few laps go by . . .

A man is standing over the goose. I yell "watch it they are nesting and aggressive." "I know I am keeping my eye on him" he said (referring to the gander who was visibly upset). At which point I yelled "Well, then leave them alone." And his reply was "I am trying to take a picture."

The man was literally standing over the goose. Canadian Geese are jerks (and they are only protecting themselves), but there's no need to do that. Needless to say my HR was pretty high for the rest of the run.

PM: 59.8-mile ride. HR 144.

Did some grading and got out earlier than I have been. Did not feel great on the ride. Likely low on calories and too much exercise. Portions were a bit painful and I was not feeling great mentally. Almost called Megan to come get me, but thought if I kept going I might feel better. I did a little bit. I kept telling myself it was a beautiful day (it was) and that I am extremely fortunate to be able to do this (I am).

I think I will be better able to deal with what is going on when school is out. Other stresses will remain, but I think I can better get my thinking organized.

I don't recall what this day was, but I don't have an activity on Strava.

PM: 13.4 miles, averaged 9:06. HR 156.

Best run I have had since everything started.

PM: Just under 2 mile walk with Megan.

Got very carried away with the booze.

PM: 6.3 miles, averaged 9:24. HR 160. + 2.7-mile walk. HR 98.

I started to faint, so I stopped. Started again, and of course it happened again. I wasn't sure if I was dying or just waiting. I did not like that feeling.

Rough few days mental health wise, but I am trying to doing things that are positive.

PM: 10.4 miles, averaged 9:35. HR 146.

With 55MPH gusts not too many people were at the park. Good run. Leftover ham and sweet potatoes for dinner. Very good, but I woke up feeling like I spent the afternoon at a salt lick.

The mental health has shifted more to depression early then anxiety. Never experienced them in the same day. I try to drink some coffee for energy, but then once that system wakes up the anxiety starts. Trying to figure out a better routine. Perhaps exercising in the morning to clear my head (this would require getting up before 11 or 12). I think I will work on that this week.

PM: 3.3-mile walk w/ Megan. HR 86.

It was very windy and Megan didn't really want to be out but we both decided to just get out. We went to Borden Park and explored some of the small selection of trails on offer (there at least was more than I thought).

The moron next door was raving about the fact that "I smoke weed" as if it was an indubitable fact of existence and an absolute right. He was doing so in response to the guy on the other side telling him to cut it out. If people want to smoke that's fine, but when they are so militant about it, it drives me crazy. I could hear him through the wall saying something about if he goes out on the front steps area it will be worse. It's legal in Michigan but a potential lease violation for the complex. Megan has called (because the neighbors haven't come to the door and the guy on the other side called). They won't do anything (it took them 11 days to get us heat after all), so Megan has suggested that we tell them we won't sign a temporary lease until something is done about it. I like that approach.

Megan has to talk me down from engaging him in an improper way at least once day. She's right of course, but the kid is an absolute punk (yelling and swearing at his kids, verbally abusing them).

PM: 10.3 miles, averaged 9:31. HR 159.

Decent run. HR elevated a bit. 35 and light snow showers, so I had the park mostly to myself. Mental health better today. Mostly heavy grading stress and the delightful neighbors.

Knee a little tweaked and swollen though I didn't feel anying. I imagine it was running on the uneven edges of the path trying to give people room. I'm no longer doing that. If you ware walking with two people, you need to move single file until we pass.

PM: 6.2 miles,averaged 10:00. HR 149.

Knee loosened up throughout the day and felt fine running, but I didn't run as far as I planned out of caution.

PM: 6.3 miles, averaged 9:41. HR 149.

Cold and a bit of snow, but nothing stuck. Got between a gander and a goose and he went into fighter jet mode (flying about head high and about arm length away). She's down by the water, perhaps a hundred feet away, so I thought I was giving them enough space.

Starting to turn a corner mental health wise. Still a little rough, but it feels about appropriate given the state of the world.

PM: 9.5 miles, averaged 9:20. HR 157.

Warmer and some harder gusts. Felt really good toward the end.

Starting to feel like I can make it and now the stress is (mostly) just typical end of semester stuff.

PM1: 1.5-mile walk. HR 87.

Blew off steam and took amusing pictures of junk I found.

Megan confronted our neighbor. I listened through the window because it wasn't going anywhere. I got a little sharp and the guy called me on it. He wasn't wrong so I told him I was upset. We talked for a while. He has a medical issue, which I sympathize with. We gave suggestions about going outside or going elsewhere. He was concerned with kids, but he's been told there are pregnant women on either side of him. He claimed it was in his lease that medical marijuana is permissible (it isn't) but I didn't want to argue without being absolutely sure. Well, I hope he's not going to law school because I found the clause in 30 seconds, half drunk, and taking a crap. 

PM2: 3.4-mile walk w/ Megan. HR 92.

PM: 32.8-mile ride. HR 148.

Decent weather but very windy and annoying. Nice to get out but grumpy during ride. First ride in about 10 days as I had a bad saddle sore and running takes less time. 

In the thick of grading. Ready to be done. I need less stress right now.

Off.

PM: 5k walk with Megan. HR 77.

Don't recall what I did this day.

PM: 5k walk with Megan. HR 79.

Doing a little bit better this week, but probably should have got more exercise, but between the anxiety and a ton of grading I haven't felt like it/felt like I could spend more than an hour and I wanted to keep my HR low. I've had a little tightness in my chest.

Off.

It was quite nice out, but I am trying to get stuff off my plate so I can get the semester out of the way.

PM: 5k walk w/ Megan. HR 78.

Three goslings hatched. I spent a good deal of the day getting as much grading done as possible. Felt a bit better. Still not getting out of bed until 11-12.

PM: 12.7-mile ride. HR 143.

Planned on a longer ride after I got my grading done, but my electronic shifter battery died. It actually died in a good place and I didn't have to far to go back home. I did some single leg drills as my pedaling technique has gotten pretty bad.

Submitted grades just a bit ago around 8:30 PM. A definite PR. It helps that I cut a bit from the course schedule to help students (and myself).

Feeling a good deal better, but not completely. I expected it will take a few more days to feel mostly normal.

PM: 56.8-mile ride. HR 163.

It was about 68 degrees when I rode. Solidly sunny and the winds were light. It was the ride I needed. I guess this is technically the first day of summer for me, which sounds very privledged. Going to more agressively work on the house hunting progress and work on transitioning my course to online. We were doing more classes online in the fall anyway with the renovation of a building, but I expect we might go fully online or at least have a larger portion of classes online with the pandemic (official decisions still pending).

Late: pushups and PT routine (been lazy about this lately but it also makes sense).

PM: 7.3 miles, averaged 9:42. HR 150.

Overcast and kind of wet and humid (not complaining). Felt pretty solid running and overall mentally today. I looked at some houses online and tried to look at some realtor ratings but everything is so scattered. It's not like looking at product reviews online (and maybe it shouldn't be).

More rain tomorrow, so no riding likely but I'll get a run in.

PM: 5k walk with Megan. HR 82.

Felt pretty solid today.

PM: 10.2 miles, averaged 9:42. HR 157.

Felt great. Sunny, dry, a little breezy. Lower 60s. HR was higher than perceived effort, but I didn't feel like I was pushing too hard. Just out of shape. But with no running races and up-in-the-air bike races, physical and mental health and the like are what I'm in it for.

Ate an embarrassing amount of spaghetti and meatballs. Going to do two long rides this week. Probably 4-5 hours tomorrow and around 3-3.5 on Sunday. Roads likely are in great shape and it is going to be around 70 both days. Going to mark out a draft of a route now.

Night: light core, AIS, and PT

PM: 73-mile ride. HR 158.

Around 70, decent winds. I got pretty beat up after 2 hours and spent the next 2.5 hours feeling decent at times and terrible at others. Just needed more water and gels. I ran out of gels, but still had two and I took some dates with me. Those worked quite well but don't have sodium.

Longest ride so far. Last August I did around 70 or 71.

I had spaghetti for both meals today. I cannot recall the last time I had it for lunch.

I ordered War Fever that Rob recommended. I ordered it from Amazon, which wasn't what I wanted to do. The company has done nothing but continue to profit off of this. Amazon claims that it deprioritizes non-essential items. This is partly true. What the company doesn't tell you is that it charge ridiculous shipping costs if you want it a week earlier (still technically deprioritized).

PM: 38.3-mile ride. HR 140.

Beautiful day out. Sunnier than yesterday and at least as warm. I rode out to attack a Strava segment that was low hanging fruit. Yesterday I did around 20MPH for the segement and I wasn't pushing, so I figured with a push 22.4 MPH (it's only .97 miles) would be no problem even on tired legs.

I got on the bumper of an massive white SUV (standard uniform in SE Michigan) so that I could run the stop sign. After the intersection it is tar with a very gentle incline, then it turns to slight downhill on gravel. I'd say it was a 85% to 90% effort. I think I did 27 MPH. One of the faster guys will likely take it down by the end of the day tomorrow as it is a fast section and I wasn't that fast on it. It was nice to have a goal and accomplish it.

I talked to a guy who was in from out of town who was doing our Thursday Night Dirt route. I was so nice to talk to another person while riding and talking bike stuff. I am just bummed I didn't have more time and better legs to guide the route for him.

PM: 12 miles, averaged 8:48. HR 161.

Did a new route test. Not bad. Picked it up at the end with a 7:59 and 7:06 mile. I expected the 7:06 to be faster but I forget I only run 2-3 times a week now. My HR peaked in the mid 190s!

Night: PT and pushups

PM: 10.4 miles, averaged 10:24. HR 148.

PM: 8.6-mile ride. HR 135.

Turned around. Body wasn't having it.

PM2: 5k+ walk with Megan. HR 88.

PM: 11.3-mile ride. HR 159.

Was just riding laps around the neighborhood. At the traffic circle I almost went right into the back of a giant SUV, the driver of which looked directly at me and pulled out. He was stopped for a bit before that so I assume he was glancing at his phone. Locked up the breaks. It was close. Went around and came back through a bit later and a lady pulled out in front of me on her phone. It wasn't that close, but I still yelled at her. Decided it was time to call it quits.

I came home and screamed about how I can't stand people in this area and then had a panic attack on the floor.

PM: 10.4 miles, averaged 9:44. HR 157.

Caught a few snowflakes accidentally on my tongue. Wasn't happy with the weather but traffic was light. An okay day mentally. I felt good running, so I was thankful for that.

Lunch: 10.4 miles, averaged 9:46. HR 148.

Got out of bed "early" because the neighbors behind us have two kids and there's tons of pounding on the walls. I know they are kids, but we have had families back there before and barely heard them. Coupled with the people on the other side it's been rough.

I had a good run and tried to practice positive mental thinking, which I started doing yesterday. I have a lot of negative thoughts, mostly about my interactions with strangers and their behaviors, so lately I've tried to critique the negative thought and replace it with more positive thinking. I think it is helping. It seems the right thing to do anyway.

Currently reading The Green Mile and listening to Needful Things on audiobook for when I am doing the dishes and cleaning.

PM: 10.4 miles, averaged 9:35. HR 159.

Supposed to rain so I didn't ride, but it was kind of sunny for large portions of the run. It did end up raining a good bit later in the day. Biggest week in a while.

Night: PT, core, and pushups

PM: 10.5 miles, averaged 9:40. HR 158.

Did my River Bends loop. Figured with weather lower than the average low it wouldn't be crowded. My assumption turned out to be correct. Felt a little sluggish, but that happens when you start doing 10 milers every day when you have only run 400-500 miles and it is almost halfway through the year.

Night: PT and pushups

PM: 42.3-mile ride. HR 157.

Met up with my buddy Joe to do some riding and hit this week's time trial segement (COVID-19 Invitational TT - Stage 9) as I have missed the last four weeks or so. I waasn't planning on riding with anyone for a while, but I cracked. We mostly stayed away from each other (no hand shaking or anything like that). I also tried not to ride directly behind him, particularly for the segment as I didn't want to do any drafting (segments are to be done alone to encourage distancing as well as to discourage drafting).

The segment started on a gradual climb in a park on grass, which made it a bit cyclocross-y to start and to finish. It included the Dequindre hill toward the end, which made it interesting. We then road around for a longer loop and I left Joe back at Stony Creek and rode home (Megan dropped me off in the Subaru as I wanted to make dinner for her and make sure I got to the meetup point on time).

It felt really nice to not feel so isolated.

PM: 61.2-mile ride. HR 150.

Solo ride today to tour some splendid rural country dirt roads. It was less windy today than it has been and it was decent though still below average for temperature (upper 50s).

PM: 10.3 miles, averaged 9:25. HR 153.

PM: 3.2-mile walk with Megan. HR 84.

We saw eight duckling, which mist have hatched that day. Very cute.

PM: 60.5-mile ride. HR 155.

Was going to ride with Joe but I didn't get out of bed early enough (11AM, which is better than recent and I did make it to bed before 1:00, very rare). I did end up running into him to chat for just a second, which was nice. Had a chain issue, but I got it sort after a bit.

Weather was warmer and not too much wind. Lot of rain coming in, so not too much riding until Tuesday or Wednesday, but I'll run as long as it isn't thundering.

Lunch: 10.4 miles, averaged 8:31. HR 156.

Light rain passing here and there. Around 60s. Nice actually. Decided to do some sort of workout if there weren't many people and if I could be patient with people. Worked out nicely. I was kind of undecided, but did what I used to do when we first moved here, which is to do a progression run by feel and stop whenever I felt it was necessary to cut it.

The run ended up being a cut down as I got too aggressive, but I felt quite strong.

9:34, 9:09, 8:29, 7:50, 7:09, 6:51, 6:20

Cooled down 3.4 miles.

Came home and had a left over piece and a half of Detroit-style pizza to which I added some smashed avocado and some blue cheese crumbles. It was amazing.

Looks like a good bit of rain the next few days, so I will likey run until the roads are dry again, which is fine with me.

Feeling much better mentally. Exercise is helping.

Evening: PT routine and light core.

PM: 10.4 miles, averaged 11:02. HR 135.

Got a gap in the rain, which still kept park traffic light. Ran about as slow as I could go. Got a little rain on me here and there, but like yesterday it only last for 20-30 seconds. It's been pouring in the evenings (as it is doing now). I will likely ride tomorrow, but it will be tarmac at Stony Creek Metro Park.

PM: 44-mile ride. HR 146.

Headed toward Stony Creek but the River Bends path as flooded (should have realized), so I did an out and back using portions of the Clinton River Trail. It worked out okay. My legs were smoked from doing my first workout in months and running for almost two hours the next day even at a really easy pace.

PM: 14-mile ride. HR 112.

3.4-mile walk with Megan. HR 82.

Beautiful sunny day out.

PM: 32.3-mile ride. HR 171.

Second Thursday Night Dirt of the season. The email went out with a limit of ten people. Weather was perfect. Ride was fun and fast for current fitness (note the average heart rate). I got a good workout in as I helped to bridge some stragglers back to the main group.

This was much needed. Pretty saddle sore.

Lunch: 10.4 miles, averaged 10:01. HR 146.

In the 60s with just the smallest evidence of rain here and there. Pleasant weather for running as it was warm enough that a little moisture felt good.

PM: 3-mile walk to the park. HR 92.

I took a little time in the middle to build a fort in the woods. I got the idea while running around the lake yesterday. Kids will probably wreck it before I get back there and work on it some more, but that's okay. I had fun building it.

PM2: 3.3-mile walk w/ Megan @ Bald Mountain

Quite a nice park. The trail was quite muddy in places, but there were lovely flowers and tons of little frogs. It had some slight ups and downs, which was good. I think I will try running the north trails sometime soon. It's taken me weeks to figure out that it would be a great time to do some trail running. I haven't done more than 3-4 trail runs here.

PM: 70.1-mile ride. HR 156.

Nice and warm and slightly humid but not unbearable. Abundant sunshine. Went through 4 bottles (around 70-80 onces of fluid) and could have used a bit more. Good ride. Hit some dirt roads I haven't been on an went the farthest north I have gone. It's going to take some logistics to figure out how to do 100 miles of dirt roads. Need to carry a sandwich and some other heavier foods or find a place to pick one up ~3/4 of the way through.

Megan's birthday is tomorrow. I am going to try to find another park to try out for a walk or hike.

Felt quite good today overall. Just realized this is my second anniversary of riding.

PM: 8.3 miles, averaged 10:13. HR 154.

Pretty warm and decent humidity, but I didn't notice too much. Definitely sweat a lot. Checked on my fort and it is intact. I might add to it this week. I just don't want kids to get in there and have something fall all them.

PM2: 3.3-mile walk/sorta hike w/ Megan. HR 88.

Hot but a nice walk with Megan on the Inwood Trails in the northern part of Stony Creek Metro Park. I hadn't been there but figure foot traffic was light (it was and we had it mostly to ourselves). We ordered Lebanese after. It was good and Megan was happy with it.

Lunch: 10 miles, averaged 10:13. HR 154.

Hot! Not many people at the park considering you cannot go on the beach and the water is closed for swimming. I heard a snapping tree and looked into the woods and thought "Yep. That's the one. And it is comign down before long." It came down on my last lap and crashed behind a group of people. Luckily it was a decent distance away that no one was hurt.

PM: 3.2-mile walk with Megan. HR 96.

Hotter still. HR elevated. We surveyed the tree damage, figured out where the mother duck has been hiding her ducklings the last several days (from a safe distance of course) and watched the swans, who must have thought we had food as I have never been that close to them.

PM: 10.7 miles, averaged 8:30. HR ~160.

More humid but cooler and some cloud cover, so I did a workout. Progression through 7 miles and 3.7 cool down w/ some strides.

9:36-7:02

I wanted to go at least 8, but my HRM glitched and threw my concentration. It was plenty given the warmer conditions.

PM: 50-mile ride. Thursday Night Dirt.

Rode to the ride to get a little more saddle time. Dequindre is under construction, so I might have been faster getting there than if I drove. Good ride, decent pace. I got dropped at the end. I spent too much energy pull people back to the group. We chatted a bit in the parking lot after and I headed home. Clouds look threatening but never got wet.

PM: 6.3 miles, averaged 10:12. HR 134.

Watched the protests in Detroit with Megan last night. Someone was shot a little way from the main group of protesters. Apparently a drive by, I assume unrelated to the protests. For those who think that protests like these are just some angry black folks versus the police aren't looking closely enough. People come in from other areas with many motives. Some might be just looking for some tourism, some looking to actually stand for justice, some are white supremicists looking to further solidify people's assumptions about what they think black folks do, and many others with different motives. Like much in life these thing are complex and difficult to understand in depth.

PM: 11 miles, averaged 9:11. HR 148.

Did a hard mile at mile 8 in 5:56/5:57. HR was 187 and I peaked at 204, which might be a bit high, but I am pretty sure that is close. I haven't run under 6' pace for a mile since March 2019, when I did 7 x 1 mile averaging ~6:00 flat w/ 2' recovery jogs at 8' pace float. This was once the slower end of half marathon pace. I'm pleased though. Don't think I've ever gone under 6' at 180 lbs.

I was going to do a mile time trial on Monday, but I think I will ride long tomorrow so I will move it up or skip it.

PM: 49.3-mile ride. HR 142.

Beautiful weather dry and sunny. Not too hot, not too windy. I had a really good ride. I took down a segment that I have attempted a few times. I kind of died at the end and thought I missed it, but I got it by 2 seconds.

PM: 41.9-mile ride. HR 146.

2 x 20' w/ 7' recovery

Warmed up about 50' to Stony Creek and did my first outside interval session. I was shooting for 235-245ish, which is about 93-95% of FTP when last tested. I was under that by a bit, but I did have anything on for lap average only 3 second average

Lap 1: 222 watts; HR 166; 19.3 MPH

Lap 2: 229 watts; HR 169; 19.9 MPH

Cooled down back home. I saw a runner on Avon who look super lean and fast and thought, "That can only be Mike Morgan." And it was. You don't see too many 2:15 marathoners in the wild, though Desi Linden does have a house out on the dirt roads, which I am sure I pass right by.

PM: 3-mile walk w/ Megan. HR 86.

Lots of woodland creatures.

PM: 10 miles, averaged 10:00. HR 159.

Felt pretty rough. HR and breathing elevated.

PM: 50-mile ride. HR 157.

Thursday Night Dirt with a full crew. I led B group, but somehow ended up doing more work as I was checking on people with flats and trying to make sure no one got left behind. Had to work to get back to the group. We stopped toward the end of the ride and had a few beers and someone had had pizza delivered. Things felt normal and we had a good time. Rode to the ride and rode home for some extra saddle time.

PM: 10 miles, averaged 9:37. HR 152.

Hot and very dry, but bad air quality and pollen and cotton wood fuzz.

PM: 3.6-mile walk w/ Megan. HR 76.

Evening: 10.6-mile ride. HR 128.

PM: 63.7-mile ride. HR 144.

Had a very good ride. Good effort coming up the Dequindre hill @ 16.2 MPH and 327 watts. My third fastest and all other times were in a group.

PM: 11.2 miles, averaged 9:22. HR 155.

Broke out my trail shoes and went to Bald Mountain to run the trails for the first time (the north trails farther up than where Megan and I walked/hiked a few weeks ago). It was one of the best runs in recent memory. I started out not too impressed as it was supposed to be hilly and didn't see much for the first two miles and then it got fairly steep and hilly even if only for short climbs. I tried to do the full loop (about 6-7 miles) and circle back for a second loop but just ended up missing a turn, so I ran the loop backwards (in the direction of the mountain bikers). I made sure to give any mountain biker all the room they needed when I heard the wizz of a cassette. I think the guy that passed me appreciated that I was alert and he didn't even have to call out and that I moved completely off the trail.

Around 1:45 of running time and I hit some harder miles on the way back. I haven't spent this mich time on the trails since I left Philadelphia. This one works quite well for my purposes. Difficult enough without being out of my skill range (I'm definitely out of practice).

PM: 60.8-mile ride. HR 151.

My buddy Joe texted me that he planned on 2 hours of gravel so I got in some lunch and made sure the bike was ready to go. Decided to ride to meet him after coming up with an approximate 2-hour loop. I was running a bit late as it is a little hard to time things on a bike exactly. We headed out and had a very enjoyable ride. It was hot, but never felt that bad (85-90). I dropped him back at his truck and went through Stony Creek. I died a bit around three hours after I left him and looked for a store. Somehow, there was nothing in the strip malls I passed. I stopped at a gas station a mile from where we live because I knew I wouldn't go back out as I would later see the items as not being necessities. I grabbed a slushy for the first time in who knows how long, a Gatorade, and two diet Pepsi's. I sipped my slushy on the way home and it tasted magical :-)

Just under four hours of riding time. I can't believe my legs felt as good as they did after trail running yesterday after it's been so long. Something short and easy running tomorrow and Thursday Night Dirt on Thurday.

Night: PT routine

PM: 5 miles, averaged 9:39. HR 153.

High dew point, but lower humidity. Still a bit tough, so I didn't go to long. Did a 15' near all out stride. Decent fast for me. I think I peaked in the 4:20s or 4:30s, which is about as fast as I have run in quite some time.

PM: 50-mile ride. HR 153.

Thursday Night Dirt + there and back. We stopped for beers at one of the guy's houses again. Quite dry and pleasant. I tried my best to lead the B group. Tried to help the stragglers and ended up getting in a really solid effort. Really enjoyable ride again this week.

As one of my earlier posts hinted at, Megan and I are expecting. We are expecting identical twin boys in early November!

Lunch: 12.2 miles, averaged 8:20. HR 159.

Progression through 8 miles (930-6:40) and then 4+ miles down.

Cooler, drier weather so I figured why not get in something?

PM: 3.25-mile walk. HR 84.

We talked a bit about me getting my coaching certification. I'm planning to pursue it. Lots of people seem to have the same idea as everything is filled and wait listed.

Off.

Rough day. We talked to Issac, someone in Kenya that Megan met on a trip who we sometimes help out a bit financially. Megan ask me to get her a banana. She went back into the kitchen and I heard her fall (she's fine). She was passed out leaning against the fridge and it took her a few seconds to come to and she was very confused for several seconds, but then she straightened out. I got her some fluids and food, trying not to have a panick attack.

I took her to the ER just to be sure and they examine her and did an ultrasound. All good. Apparently this sometimes happens with pregnant women. Her blood pressure apparently dropped. Not sure if it was food related or the position of the babies. We did figure out that she must have been able to almost get down in a sitting position before she fully passed out.

PM: 22.1-mile ride. HR 145.

Rode to Addison to ride some single track. Got about a mile in maybe less and my electronic shifting died. Called Megan to bail me out. I thought it hadn't been that long since I charged it, but it was over 900 miles, so about time.

Rob Krarr now follows me on Strava

PM: 11.7-mile ride to look at a house. HR 139.

I think this was the same day we got a realtor. Anxiety a bit rough in the early part of this week. Felt good to get out and be productive though.

PM: 3-mile walk w/ Megan. HR 89.

PM: 8.6 miles, averaged 9:12. HR 157. + 1.3-mile walk. HR 103.

Warm but very dry (27% humidity and it doesn't get much lower than that in these parts). Wanted to do 10-12 and felt solid, until I started to faint. I walked home. Felt pretty loopy. The run helped to burn off some anxiety.

All of the places we wanted to look at from the round of houses we received yesterday were sold. Stuff is going quick.

PM: 62-mile ride. HR 149.

We did the summer solstice ride a few days early. It was great weather and we had a good group. Fun ride.

PM: 4.1 miles, averaged 8:11. HR 162.

Started out hot, then thought I was getting dizzy, so I slowed way down. I think this was the day we looked at houses. Things are flying off the market and stuff that isn't, is pretty sketchy.

PM: 49.6-mile ride. HR 161.

Did the Thursday Night Dirt route + there and back by myself. I tried to tempo the segment, but got buried after 40 minutes. Took some recovery then another hard 20' effort. Basically idiot intervals.

PM2: 2.75-mile walk with Megan when I got home. HR 110.

Off.

Megan and I look at houses. No luck. We went to the White Horse Inn and had a fantastic meal. It is our 6-year anniversary.

PM: 3.25-mile walk with Megan. HR 83.

I think this is the day I went out to meet the realtor as Megan was working. Struck out.

Off.

Should have got something in as the drop in exercise seems to have made my anxiety worse. I called the doctor to get in next Monday.

PM: 67.6-mile ride. HR 157.

Anxiety has been brutal these last few days. The ride definitely helped, but it took me almost 3 hours to start feeling good. Need to not take days off unless absolutely necessary and to at least walk if I am not going to ride or run.

I tried to ride to the Fall 50 route and do that, but my GPS wasn't playing nice with the preprogrammed route, so I just changed plans a bit. I think the total mileage would have been closer to 90, which would have been fine but perhaps too much time to get back at an appropriate dinner time.

We are going to look at a few houses tomorrow.

AM/Lunch: 10.3 miles, averaged 10:38. HR 140.

We looked at two houses. We loved the first one. It was the first house that felt like "We could live here." The second one we looked at was doable, but not as nice as the first.

PM: 3.3 miles, averaged 11:27. HR 134.

A beautiful tie-dye looking sunset. First double since last fall I would have to guess.

Megan changed the preapproval and we signed documents to make an offer on the house.