2009 YTD GPS map

Just for kicks, here is an image of the 2009 GPS data overlaid onto the map of the greater Pittsburgh area in GoogleEarth. Cycling routes are in yellow, running in red, hiking in green, and canoeing in blue. The icons sort of overlap when coincident, so frequently traveled areas come out sort of jumbled.

There are runs, rides, and hikes in West Virginia, New York, Indiana, Nevada, and other parts of Pennsylvania that are not shown. It is pretty addictive to get to track where you've been with the GPS. When I miss logging an event due to a variety of reasons, I always curse myself because it feels like the ride/run/etc wasn't really validated without the GPS data. I know, it sounds like I need to get a life.

2009 mileage through the end of May

Ok, I haven't posted in forever. Much has happened. I'll try to catch up. In the meantime, I was working on this tonight, so I figured I'd share. Here are my mileage totals (measured by GPS) for each month for several activities.

	January	February	March	April	May
Cycling	0	70.0	136.0	231.4	252.6
Running	0	27.0	26.6	49.8	60.1
Canoeing	0	3.4	9.4	3.2	4.7
Hiking	4.4	14.3	8.9	3.1	15.1

Training is going well. Running has been really, really good for me...physically and mentally. I like the time on the bike, but running clears my head so much more, and I have less likelihood of negativity resulting from intolerant drivers on the roads. Plus, in general, when you're running and smile or say 'hi' to someone, they respond positively. That's much less common on the bike. Mostly because on the road, you're in you own little bubble of reality and nobody seems to like to be yanked out from behind the veil of anonymity that being in a car gives you (and by extrapolation, all other vehicle types).

My general overall leg strength is much more balanced now that I have a significant running component to my training. My knees hurt less from the bike and running is no longer feeling like I'm killing myself through joint pain every time I go out. I think all the time on the bike has made some muscles too strong for their own good in relation to the other leg and joint connective muscles that aren't being exercised on the bike. That's just my unscientific hypothesis, though... Don't go reporting it as truth just because you read it on some blog.

My May mileage on the bike would have been more, but my bike is disintegrating under me. As my friend, Dave, mentioned, the Shimano engineers did a killer job on value engineering the drivetrain parts. Two months after the 2-year warranty on all of the Shimano parts ran out, the damn thing fell apart. I replaced the cassette early in the month (and the chain). Now, the bottom bracket bearings are failing rapidly. I'm looking to buy tools to tear it apart, so I can overhaul the bottom bracket with the parts from the bike I got hit on (with about 50 miles on it). Like I've mentioned before, I'm not convinced that a 10-speed rear cassette and associated skinny parts are worth it. My mountain bike with 7-speed system (3 front x 7 rear, 21 total gear ratios) rode through rain, snow, and whatnot for 10 years before I got the fancy idea to make it a single speed bike.

2009 Q1 mileage update

Nobody really cares, but at least I can watch my own progress as the year goes by... The image is just of the Pittsburgh area. There are runs, hikes, and canoe trips not shown on the map above. First quarter of 2009 logged distances:

Biking:
* January - 0 miles (surgery recovery)
* February - 70 miles
* March - 136 miles

Running:
* January - 0 miles (surgery recovery)
* February - 27 miles
* March - 27 miles

Hiking:
* January - 4 miles
* February - 14 miles
* March - 9 miles

Canoeing:
* January - 0 miles
* February - 3 miles
* March - 9 miles

Handmade bikes

I went to Indianapolis for the weekend to visit my brother and a friend from college as well as to go to the 2009 North American Handmade Bike show.

The show was really fun. It's great to see so many great city and commuting bikes. The carbon bikes are cool, but not nearly as dear to my heart as the good old steel frames built with love to last forever as a classy ride around town.

Check out the pictures over at our flickr account.

First canoe excursion of the year

Kevin and I took advantage of the nice weather today to get out on the Monongahela River for a nice paddle. 3.42 miles. ~2 hours. 254 photos on Eric's camera. Unknown number on Kevin's.

Some pictures will follow. But not tonight, as it's bedtime for me.

Moving forward

I've read all sorts of great lists of resolutions. I've read lots of banal and trite and inauthentic resolutions. Who knows how many of those folks are actually going to make something happen.

I am resolved to make a change. I don't think a list of actions, goals, outcomes, or things to be attained is a meaningful route to change. What resonates with me is something more akin to a guiding principle or a prime directive. Something that shapes a worldview.

My friend, e, over at like bookends had a nice post about how she's moving into this new year. I think she does it right by stating a resolution or intention that can be used in all aspects of her life. Then she goes and gives some examples.

so, from here on out, i intend to keep my heart open.
-e, like bookends

This is a way to live. This is a way for her to interpret the world around her and shape her reactions. This is much more positive and actionable than "I will go to the gym more."

As for me. I'm continually on a quest for such things. I'm not sure I have come up with something I can write down that is simple and concise. Ockham's razor at work here. I think that the open heart intention is likely enough of a directive. However, in my case, I also need to take control of many aspects of my life. I have let too much slide into autopilot. I recognize this, despite not being able to articulate it effectively.

I just finished a book that presented itself to me at a very appropriate time: the Alchemist. It's a story about a Spanish shepherd boy who journey's to find and complete his "personal legend" or goal in life. Along the way, he runs across all sorts of good people who have abandoned their search because of various reasons. These are the things that are pitfalls for us all. It's a good book, and I strongly recommend it. It told me little I hadn't already considered, but it reframed the concepts and encapsulated them in a heartwarming story. The important thing is that it reminded me that I've been at one of these places where people divert from their path to happiness for the past couple of years. That message has made it to my consciousness from several different sources during this time. This past year was my acceptance of that and the reopening of my heart to the world. I'm using that as I move forward.