Week Review: July 29, 2013

The week in review is a look at what I have been up to in training as well as a (sometimes) look into the other side of my life as well as links to some of what I have found interesting on the interwebs.

Training Update:

 

Tour de France in Corsica, July 1, 2013 (source: mashable.com)

After almost three months of  little to no running, the past few weeks have been about increasing the run volume and getting back some run fitness. On Saturday I got my first actual long run in the books since the calf injury. As we do on most weekends, we hit the tow path from Sand Island. All was normal and, with just 2 miles left to run, I headed down the Bethlehem side for a short out-and-back. This was right around 9:15 am.

There was the yearly tree trimming being done and the path was blocked off. When I got to the temporary fencing there was a runner thinking about running through it. I talked him out of it and we headed back to Sand Island, and he onto the Allentown section. Really, really glad it played out that way. Long story short there was a fatal accident that occurred within the next 15 minutes, followed by the fire trucks, police cars, and the ambulance. You can find all the deets here.

The rest of my week went as planned, with the exception of my Sunday ride. Ever have one of those days where it just wasn't happening? Or how about one of those days where you get caught in a huge thunder storm? That was my day on the bike - I wasn't feeling all that great and the sky opened up on me. The only saving grace being I was close to Wegmans and this cookie:

Still managed to get in a bit more than 50 miles, powered by butter and chocolate chips.

On a More Personal Note ...

Away from training, I spent Saturday night at The Meadowlands with The Queen. On tap was her favorite band - Bon Jovi - with the J. Giles Band opening up. The only thing more Jersey would be if Springsteen were there. And what a great concert. The opening act was everything you would have expected - played their hits Centerfold and Love Stinks (but not Freeze Frame) and a whole lot of blues. The Queen was not impressed, but I enjoyed the show.

And then there was Bon Jovi, who played for three hours. It was just the right combination of new material, older hits and a few cover tunes. Richie Sambora hasn't been with the band for a while, which had The Queen quite concerned. Didn't even miss him. The new guitarist was great, keeping the integrity of the music while adding his own style. My only complaint: JBJ is a Giants fan ... not a Jets fan.

Speaking of the Jets ... now that the 2013 Tour de France is in the books (I hate when that happens), NFL training camps are up and running. As a long-time Jets fan and a season ticket holder I have to have high hopes for this year ... just as I did last year ... and the year before ... and the year before ... man I hate the Pats. If the defense can do what I expect hope they can do, and the offensive line becomes respectable again, we have a real good chance this year.

Please don't burst that bubble for me. Seriously, please just let that be.

Interesting Stuff From the Interwebs:

"Winning" can be defined a number of different ways, depending on the person and the situation. Running Shoe Guru does a good job of laying out how to do that, whether your goal is to win a race, complete a distance, or something in between. (Running Shoe Guru)

Looking for a motivational speech before a big event. Own. This. Race. (Travelete)

Or if you are motivated and just looking for a little more speed on the bike and you already have the aero helmet, the aero wheels, the $6k bike ... look to your tires. (Slowtwitch)

And speaking of the bike ... 101 bike maintenance tips from Bicycling Magazine

We train for hills, we love hills. Steepest race in Europe:

And here's our song of the week - Pompeii by Bastille

Train hard. Stay focused.
Jon