[txgoonie]

Shoot – I thought it was just me. Having a terrible time getting those dialed in:(

[txgoonie]

@Mark Blacknell 10707 wrote:

Once things get a little settled, would be interested in hearing about the condition of your tire. I’ve never really experienced much trail debris on the curve, and if that’s changed, it would be good to know.

I feel like there’s debris there all the time, at least this year with all the rain we’ve had. 4 Mile Run washout – dirt, gravel, sticks. Perhaps not right at the tightest point of the curve, but definitely at the point where it starts to straighten out. It would be a fun curve to take fast, but I never do b/c you just never know what you’ll encounter in your path.

[txgoonie]

Page 8 of the Express this morning. There’s a whole column about RobotGate! Well, actually it’s more about inattention, but it was certainly brought on by the ARLnow post.

[txgoonie]

This is just a shout out to Bruce Deming. I really didn’t wanna go legal after my accident this past June, but the fact is that he got me results when everything else I tried didn’t work. Plus he’s an avid cyclist himself, a super nice guy and really easy to work with.

[txgoonie]

+1 for the bell vs. verbal warning. I was riding on the MVT on the part near the airport right next to GW Parkway. Called my pass to another cyclist and he yelled at me to give a warning. (I’m not sure what his problem was as I had waited till we both had passed a runner to perform the pass more safely instead of zooming past, I gave him a wide berth and nobody was coming in the opposing direction. ?? *Sigh* Anyway…) Like I said, I did give the warning (as I always do) but with the rush-hour traffic going by, he didn’t hear me.

It does bear mentioning that the other cyclist was a Biker Ninja! It wasn’t quite dark yet, however I had my rear blinkie, reflective belt and headlamp on (low). The other cyclist didn’t have any safety gear on at all! When you’re on the trail with dense traffic blinding you, it can get a little dicey seeing stuff in front on you. I’ve definitely had to swerve suddenly b/c I can’t distinguish a dark figure in front of me from a shadow.

[txgoonie]

FWIW – I have found my running to be better when there’s cycling in the mix. Cardio adaptations seem to be just a tad quicker and more consistent, plus cycling has helped with weight control. When you start getting into heavy training and your metabolism starts revving and it’s cold outside and you want to eat everything in sight all the time:mad:, cycling provides that little extra calorie burn to keep everything in check. Some people seem to think that training for a marathon means guaranteed weight loss, which really isn’t the case, especially when training through the winter. You can’t automatically eat whatever you want. Just a little something to keep in mind.

[txgoonie]

http://www.racepacket.com Good place to look up upcoming races in the area.

http://www.marathonguide.com You can read a bunch of race reports here and get a flavor for how well (or poorly) run a race is. I’m personally not a fan of big races either and agree that sticking with a relatively low-key one is probably a good idea.

[txgoonie]

Do it! With very few exceptions, anybody can do a marathon. As long as you keep your goals reasonable, there’s nothing standing in your way! If you have base fitness already, you’re way ahead of a lot of people who decide to train for a marathon.

– Give your body enough time to adapt, and it will respond to whatever you ask it to do. It can surprise you. As a long-distance runner, I give myself 3-4 months to train for a marathon. A first-timer can do it in 6. How long your program lasts really depends on where you’re starting (i.e. what the longest run you can currently do is).
– Muscular deficiencies aren’t something to worry about. Runners are quad-heavy, too. As a cyclist, your main goal in training is to get your body used to the pounding/impact of running. It just comes with time. (If interested in working on the hamstring deficit, you can do hill work and do hamstring curls and deadlifts at the gym (or lunges at home if you don’t do the gym thing.))
– If you’re planning on training solo, there are lots of resources on-line. http://www.halhigdon.com/ and http://www.marathontraining.com/marathon/m_sch_2.html have really great schedules. Runner’s World, too, has tons of them.
– There are lots of running groups in the area (DC Road Runners, NOVA Running Club, Potomac Runners, etc.). Chances are you can fall into a group of people training for a marathon around the same time you’re doing one. You could also pay for a training program if you want a structured group and training plan. Pacers offers them. I think =PR= does, too.

And, of course, there’s the wellspring of knowledge here, so don’t hesitate to ask questions:D

[txgoonie]

I think the easiest way to Potomac Yards is still MVT to 4 Mile Run. Take the ramp up to Rte. 1 and you’re right there.

I was actually intending to start a thread about this when the road opened a few days ago, so PotomacCyclist, thank you for the chance to hijack;) I’ve had a few gripes about the Crystal City situation overall for a while now. I’m not sure a ton of thought was put into making Potomac Avenue into the traffic/bike connector that it no doubt will become.

– This was an existing problem that will only get worse as more people chose to ride on Potomac Ave. Even though it’s only a couple of blocks long, there’s no really slick way to get from 23rd St. southbound to Potomac Ave. You can take the Service Road from ~20th St. down to 26th, cross over Crystal Drive, T/L onto S. Clark St. and travel along one of the worst bike lanes I’ve ever seen (between the potholes and grates it’s almost impassable), and then switch lanes hoping not to get flattened by a cab coming out of the Hyatt to T/L onto Potomac. Or you can do what most people seem to do and either salmon down the Northbound bike lane on Crystal Drive or ride the sidewalk, and both of those options are not ideal.

– The bike lane on Potomac Ave. is violated all day every day at the Renaissance hotel by limos, cabs, and delivery vehicles. Sometimes they even put the sandwich board for the parking garage smack dab in the middle of the it. Might as well not even be there.

– There is no sidewalk between the hotel and Glebe Road, so pedestrians clog the bike lane for foot travel. They have to – there’s nowhere else for them to walk.

– The bike lane does not continue from Glebe Road South through Potomac Yards – why not? There’s the paved path/sidewalk PotomacCyclist mentioned, which was nice until they erected a chain link fence with posts driven into the asphalt taking away 18″ of travel lane. And manhole covers literally every 30 feet!? C’mon. Lame. I got yelled at riding on the path/sidewalk by someone walking their dog, too. “This is a sidewaaaaaalk!” If they intend for that to be the “bike path,” i.e. a multi-use trail, then they really ought to mark it as such.

– Word has not gotten out about the lanes being open just yet, so traffic is light. However, the car traffic that presently travels back there is too fast!. I know people are super-jazzed to have a traffic-light-free way to avoid Rte. 1, but it’s not the autobahn. It’s a 25 MPH zone, and it travels along pedestrian-heavy commerce and residence areas. The limit needs to be strictly enforced.

Aaaaaaaaand, scene. [Bow] Thank you very much:)

[txgoonie]

@Arlingtonrider 9610 wrote:

An urgent care center might be a good alternative. For those in or near Arlington, there’s a new one that I think is at the intersection of Columbia Pike and Glebe called “Simplicity”. Arlington TV did a feature on it, and it looked pretty good.

I went there after my bike accident. Long wait (even though I was the only one there) but good care once I got in there. You also leave with a good stack of paperwork, which is helpful for insurance/legal needs. Since they took my insurance, I only paid $15.

A friend who lives in N. Arlington and has had multiple cycling incidents has gone to Old Dominion Urgent Care and highly recommends them.

It’s super important, if you think that anything could possibly be wrong after a bike incident, to get yourself checked out as soon after as possible and have record of it. Urgent care is a great option.

[txgoonie]

So who’s got the secret to waterproofing road rash when bathing?

[txgoonie]

I have Crank Bros. mallets, which are very similar to the SPD/platforms. http://www.crankbrothers.com/pedals_mallet.php They’re not a perfect solution. The clipless pedal part is not flush with the platform, so you don’t have perfect contact with the pedal when wearing street shoes. Your feet definitely slip around. However, being able to wear basically any shoe versus changing out the pedals all the time makes it worth it to me.

[txgoonie]

I lurv the TP Quadballer. http://www.tptherapy.com/ I have a few of their pieces and they’re awesome. It huuuuurts to roll out tight quads, hamis and calves, but it feels soooooo good afterward. I use the foam rollers at the gym pretty often for my back, too. I’ve tried a friend’s Stick http://www.thestick.com/and I don’t think it works as well as my Trigger Point stuff, but it’s better than nothing.

I have really tight hips, too. I’m one of those people who can’t sit cross-legged on the floor very comfortably. Nothing is better for that than yoga.

[txgoonie]

A friend said he rode to Wakefield from the Springfield Metro station. Can anybody confirm that it’s easily ride-able? As a fellow beginner mountain biker, that’s one place I’d recommend trying.

[txgoonie]

I’m coming at this from the perspective of a runner, which is what I have much more experience in. So there’s an asterisk next to all of my suggestions;) But while the effects might not be exactly the same, much of the recovery principle are.

– I also have tried numerous different kinds of recovery drinks. Endurox and Recoverite work great (but taste like *ss). Powerbar recovery works alright. But, even after all the stuff I’ve tried, chocolate milk still is my all-time favorite. For the lactose intolerant, both Silk and Lactaid chocolate milks are insanely tasty (and fab-o as hot chocolate) and are also effective. Seems less important which recovery drink you choose – you’ll have to do some experimenting for yourself – and more important when you take it. 30 minutes seems to be the most agreed-upon window. 3 hours later just isn’t going to cut it. I also supplement with extra salt (either salt tabs or a salty snack) b/c I’m a heavy sweat-er.

– Spinning is great recovery for any activity. I’ve done it the same day as well as the morning after, and both seem to work equally well. (You might not have the energy to do it the same day.) Walking also can help. I only discovered this after moving to an apartment and having no choice about walking the dog. Morning after a really hard run, I can be creaking pretty badly. By the end of a 30-minute walk, I usually feel pretty normal.

– It’s torture. It sucks. I hate every minute of it. But if I don’t do a 20-minute ice bath immediately after any 18+ mile run, I will pay for it the next day. It makes a huge difference. I use a whole bag of store-bought ice. I’ll sit in the tub while it’s filling up b/c stepping into a pool of ice water is just too much trauma. Put on a warm hat and a scarf, sip a cup of hot tea (or hot chocolate!), and enjoy;) If you’re having trouble with DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), you might want to give this a try.

– You absolutely much stretch after any really hard effort, but be super careful about aggressive stretching in the days following. It can actually be counterproductive if you do too much. Never stretch cold muscles – you need a light warm-up first. And despite its loveliness, resist the urge to hit the spa. After a hard effort, your muscles are inflamed, and 20 minutes in a hot tub will only make it worse. Give yourself at least 2-3 days before you put a concerted effort into loosening up. A massage the next day would not be pleasant, but a few days after can be heaven.

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