A Philadelphia Photo Bike Tour

A lot of you know how obsessed I am with taking pictures. I have another blog that I use sort of as a photo journal, where I try to post at least one photo a day in a way to chronicle my life. All that shooting means I take my cameras with me everywhere I go.

Bike riding is no exception. I always have my trusty little Canon Elph tucked into my seat pack (who needs to carry an inner tube anyway?) to try and capture all the new surroundings that I am discovering everyday. Today I headed out to Valley Forge on the Schuylkill River Trail (skoo-kul), with camera in tow, in hopes of getting some new shots.

After being inspired by Leana's bike shoot the other day, I decided I would take you guys on a little tour of the path that I bike all the time (and run sometimes too). It's very different from my old Miami surroundings. While I loved the sun and water of South Florida, I am truly loving all the trees and bike paths Philly has to offer.

We start out in Manayunk on the tow path. The path is made of compact dirt and gravel and runs along the Manayunk Canal towards the Schuylkill River.




We run through the woods a bit and when the canal connects with the river, there is a little waterfall. There are usually about 5 kids sitting out there smoking weed. Not that I know what it smells like...




Then at the end of the tow path right before you pic up the actual bike path, there is this scary old building. I have no idea what it is but the other side sits right on the train tracks. It's very shady and I usually get a little freaked out when I run past this alone. Hello Blair Witch!




Then it's up a little hill to to cross the Septa Tracks. On the tracks sits an old train station that I think someone lives in now. So weird.




Back on paved land.






This was a condominium complex that caught on fire about two months back when the new building next to it that was under construction went up in flames. It was a terrible fire that left over 400 people displaced. Most of the damage was done to the units behind this one.




I forgot what this weed is called that grows on the trees like this, but I always think it looks like zombies rising from the ground. I am starting to notice a very spooky theme here. Maybe it's because it was so overcast today...maybe because Halloween is so close...




GROUNDHOG!!!


An old knitting mill that is now a beer distribution center.


Oooh, Frosty treats AND bird watching!


This part is long and boring (that's what she said).


Here I am looking glamorous as usual and risking life and limb for a self-portrait for my blog. See how I care about you people?


I think I have to agree with this guy.


A private club that sits on the river.


Who knew?


I see the first signs of autumn!


Finally to Valley Forge!




These maniacs are everywhere!


Hehe...


So many old, abandoned buildings.


















BAMBI!!!




Then I rode back and had to do it fast to beat the rain. I made it home exhausted from my 35+ mile ride and only a little soaking wet and muddy.

Must. Get. Home.


Hope you enjoyed the tour. Be sure to check out the photo blog for more fun pics (now, mostly of Philly) and stay tuned for more tours. There are a ton of great parks and trails to show you.

Last but not least, I just want to say Happy Birthday to my little girl.


My puppy Zero turned THIRTEEN today! Not such a puppy anymore even though she still acts like one. Love you pooper-dogger!

Toenails and Beer

So, today I was taking off my dark pink toenail polish for a long overdue pedicure when I noticed the polish on my second toenail would not come off. I scrubbed and scrubbed to no avail, then remembered how badly my nail had hurt after a few runs a couple weeks back. I looked closer and realized this was NOT toenail polish (I have bad eyes).



Sorry about the scary foot shot, but I had to show you guys.

Looks like I may be losing this bad-boy in a little while. Although it doesn't hurt anymore, it's pretty badly bruised and the nail is awfully brittle. So I did what any clever female runner would do, slap on some darker polish and hope for the best. But I did make a mental note to change my toenail polish a little more often so I would notice these things.

Other than that, it's been a busy weekend. Saturday morning J and I headed out for our 16 mile run. It was my first 16 miler in over a year and with all the bad luck I had been having with my long runs, I was a little worried.

So what's the best way to calm pre-run jitters before a 16 miler? If you said drink 6 beers and eat Shepherd's Pie at a local Irish bar, you would be correct.

I didn't drink all 6 beers at once. I had 2 at lunch and the other 4 at dinner. We had some friends from Miami come stay with us for the weekend and they got here on Friday morning so I didn't want to be a bad host. And to my credit, I made myself drink Miller Lite and water with every beer, so it actually wasn't that bad. But the Shepherd's Pie, while delicious, was probably not the best idea. I felt like I had a cinderblock in my stomach when I got home. For a few minutes, I really thought this was the prefect excuse to get out of my morning run.

But when 5am rolled around I was suddenly cured, so we headed out around six. And wouldn't you know it, I had a FANTASTIC run. I ran strong the entire time and felt pretty wonderful. We started in the dark, which I LOVE but am usually too lazy to get up and do anymore. And with the exception of a quick rainstorm around mile 6, the weather was nice. It was cool but not cold, breezy but not windy and overcast skies and mist made it feel pretty comfortable. And while I was soaked when I was done, I was never hot or miserable. Those nagging thoughts that I have been suffering from for so long never entered my mind this weekend and I even got scolded for running too fast by J when we were done (we weren't running too fast but I don't want to get into that).

Was it simply the weather, the boost of confidence from my success at the Distance Run the week before, or does beer make me a better runner?

I wish it were the beer, unfortunately, I probably will not be filling my fuel belt with Amstel Light for my training runs. I'll just chalk it up as a fluke, consider myself lucky and go back to water and pasta before a big run.

But AFTER a run is a WHOLE different story. And where do you go in Philly to gain back all 1,800 calories you burned on a 16 miler?





We had to show our friends some classic Philly! Like I said, I wouldn't want a to be a bad host!

We have another day of eating, I mean showing them around Philly tomorrow before they head out. After that I will have some time to check in with all you guys. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Monday, 9/22 - off
Tuesday, 9/23 - bike -18 miles/1:23, core
Wednesday, 9/24 - off
Thursday, 9/25 - 6.2 miles/59:24 - 9:34 pace, core, weights
Friday, 9/26 - off
Saturday, 9/27 - 16 miles/2:38 - 10:00 pace
Sunday, 9/28 - off

Total Weekly Mileage: 22.2 (RUN)
Total Weekly Mileage: 18 (BIKE)

More Phun Photos Phrum Philly

So, Action Sports International sent us our pictures today from the Distance Run. And here I am in all my glory, I think it's my best race picture yet...



I told you it was cold out.

OK, I'm being silly. I had to post it though. I love costume runners. Except the fact that they are all faster than me. Anyway, here are the lovely shots.

Not too bad. I look like I might be thinking about smiling.



Either dancing or meditating...



I look sort of bootylicious in this one (not in a good way), but whatever.



As I was looking through some of the race pictures, I found my new soul mate. Sorry Jeremy, I'm leaving you.



Hells YEAH! I LOVE crazy old people. For real, I am in love with this guy. I need to meet him.

And he probably finished the race in like 1:45.

Anyway, not too much to report around here. My achilles, actually the entire bottom half of my body was pretty sore for two days after the race, which surprised me a bit. I had run a few 14 milers leading up to the event that were pain-free so I didn't think it was going to happen. I suppose it was from the lack of running I did last week and pushing myself the last two miles. Either way, I was pretty worried about the achilles. It still hurts a bit but it's not as bad as it was on Monday. I decided I would rest up and not risk it. I have my first 16 miler in almost a year this weekend and the last thing I need is to get injured. I've won the battle but not the war, I still have the Philly Marathon coming up!

Tuesday I was still sore so I decided to get out for a bike ride. I rode a nice, easy 18 miles (1:23) to loosen up the legs and it actually helped a lot.

Wednesday I was going to run but ended up getting sidetracked with other randomness. I went to talk to an agency about some freelance work and it ended up being a pretty good meeting. Not sure if they have a ton of stuff for me yet, but it sounded promising and they seemed like great people to work with (you never know what kind of weirdos you will meet when you freelance). If nothing else, at least I got a little networking in and got to show my portfolio. I hate job interviews, so any practice I can get is great.

Today I cleaned the entire four floors of my house (ugh) and ventured out for a 6 miler. I started out slow and picked it up just a little as the run went on. The ankle hurt a bit, but after about 3 miles it felt much better. The weather was prefect (65 degrees and overcast) and I finished the 6 feeling strong (6.2 miles/59:24). It's amazing how different 6 miles feels in Philly than the blasted heat and humidity of Miami. I've cut about 30-45 seconds off of my pace without even trying.

The night ended well. I made Thai peanut chicken and coconut rice for dinner and J and I snuggled under blankets on the couch with hot tea and watched the season premier of The Office. Good stuff :)

Oh, and here are my workout stats from last week since I forgot to post them.

Monday, 9/15 - off
Tuesday, 9/16 - 7 miles/1:05:15 - 9:19 pace, core, weights
Wednesday, 9/17 - Bike ride - 32 miles
Thursday, 9/18 - off
Friday, 9/19 - Bike ride - 16 miles
Saturday, 9/20 - off
Sunday, 9/21 - Philadelphia Distance Run! 13.1 miles/2:04:22 - 9:33 pace

Total Weekly Mileage: 20.1 (RUN)
Total Weekly Mileage: 48 (BIKE)