Long and Wet Ride

I rode for nearly two hours today to replace my scheduled 12 mile run. I did two loops around the river, plus one time around the Schuykill Banks out and back. I did this to allow my injured leg to heal.

Everything started off pretty well. There was a crew meet, so I had to use the road on some parts of Kelly Drive. Luckily, they closed the road. People block the paths too much during events and are ignorant. One lady stood, chatting and blocking the path at one point. Of course she was a University of Delaware fan.

The real issue on the way out was the wind and rain. In certain sections it was incredibly windy on Kelly Drive. There was a light rain going out on both loops. It was weird because the rain stopped and the sun came out while I was on West River Drive. When I got back to Kelly, it rained again.

The wind was really bad near Falls Bridge too, but I pushed through it both times. I was happy to see more bikes out in this rain, than the rain a few days ago. I have so much respect for everyone out there biking and running in the rain.

I rode at a nice and easy gear. I had to go slower up some slight hills and when going into the wind, but I also went up a gear when going downhill. I didn't push my legs too hard and they felt very good. Rarely did I actually notice my sore leg/hip.

On West River Drive, I hit a walk towards the end. Luckily, I was going towards them and was able to navigate through them. On the second loop, I tried the path first, but it was crowded too so I had to dart around a few people on the road.

I thought I had another flat as I was nearly finished. It turns out it was just the rough pavement. The air in my tires was still good. I ran smoothly through the rest of the rainy route.

I ate some GU Energy Gel and a breakfast bar too. I didn't feel like I worked that hard, because my legs weren't sore. However, after getting off the bike, it was evident that I did get a nice workout. I was and am very tired. The lack of pounding on my knees was nice.

I still really don't like riding though. I don't mind doing it to relax, but I don't enjoy cycling for a workout. Riding at a lower gear is better though.

My leg is feeling much better and the cycling is clearly a big help. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do next week. I might bike instead of doing all those runs too. I want to make sure I'm fully recovered. I'll likely do less mileage than scheduled when I do come back. I won't try to run until my leg feels completely healed when I'm walking.

Tomorrow will be an hour bike ride before heading to the Eagles game to tailgate. Tuesday and the rest of next week is still up in the air. I need to make it to the marathon healthy, so I can have a decent finish. Even if it's not my best, I want to still run well. Healing is the number one priority right now.

20.3 miles (1:46:00)