Look Doc, no hands

Ignoring doctor's orders, I got back on my stationery bike one week after getting my cast. I have slowly built up to an hour, without holding on to the handlebars. It's a bit awkward, but the payoff is not going stir crazy.

Meanwhile, I am walking as often as I can; longer walks than usual to try to compensate for the running.

My followup visit is in 2 weeks, by which time I hope to be (safely) running short distances. I have a lot of miles to make up if I'm going to finish the Big Sur in just 3 months!

Cast of 1, cast of thousands

 One thing I particularly like about BSIM is that it is a small-ish race. In the low thousands rather than the ten-thousands. As a borderline agoraphobic introvert, I rather embrace the reality that there aren't crowds lining the 26.2-mile course. (As a musician I completely embrace the musical acts that appear at every mile!)

Indeed, except for the occasional long run with my marathon co-conspirators (this year it's son Dr, Pat), I prefer to run alone. A cast of one, without earbuds . . . just the music of nature, the music in my soul, and the voices in my head :~)

All that, however is set aside for three more weeks, as my one-man run has taken on a new cast member:

This ungainly fellow constantly reminds me that my running YakTrax were just inside the door while I was falling in the driveway, whilst salting early Monday morning. For 4 weeks he will be nagging me--until the cast comes off and I get a brace. 

Until then, I am off of the bike too (even indoors, even without using my left hand) . . . until I break the rule and begin to spin after 2 weeks. Meanwhile, it's careful walks, and jigsaw puzzling.

 

 

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Gear

I am not a gear-head . . . with any aspect of my life. I know what make and model my bikes and trombones are, but have to look up many of their constituent details. (Which Shimano gear set? I dunno.) (What is the diameter of my bore or mouthpiece? Beats me.)

Running is much easier that way. At least for me. When I first ran the Big Sur Marathon (2010) I tried on a lot of shoes, asked a lot of questions, and bought a pair of Brooks--the Glycerin model as it turns out. The following year, running BSIM again, I bought Brooks/Ghost 2. Not without trying on other brands, and looking at more reviews; but I was already satisfied with the Brooks brand. For 2020 I bought that year's Ghost model, 12. And yesterday. in a trip that took me all of 20 minutes to and from my house, I bought the Ghost 14. (I'm pretty sure that if I ran annually, I would have all the numbers between 2 and 14!)

I don't get paid to support Brooks; and they probably couldn't care less that I personally like this shoe. But anyway, here are all my marathon shoes . . . yes, I still have and use them all. One pair is now for lawn work, another for walking only. The 2020 shoes are still good for short runs. By March I will only be running in my Ghost 14s.

I learned in 2010 how to dress for winter training. The only thing I have (finally) added is a drawer full of merino wool socks.

And finally, this year's training app is RunCoach. So far, so good! I know I would benefit from the professional coaching they provide, but I'm really too cheap for that, and in any case I'm not trying to prove or win anything. Here's a look at my training calendar for this week.

The Big Sur International Marathon is scheduled for April 24, 2022. Here's hoping!