There I was riding Big Nellie, about half way to work, enjoying a tailwind. I ride past a runner as I do dozens of times every week. As I went past, I heard the runner say, “Hi, John.”
I must be famous! Again.
I slowed down and waited for the runner to catch up. It was Kelly who works in my office. (So much for that fame thing.)
Kelly recently did her first bike commute. (Tres awesome, Kelly.) Today, she was running the ten miles to work to get ready for her first half marathon.
It was pretty muggy out and she was working hard. As a former marathoner, I can say that she had the form and the pace down pat.
She later told me that she has been having difficulty running beyond 8 miles. This is pretty typical of distance running. You hit these barriers that seem impregnable, then, all of a sudden, they aren’t there any more. I hit barriers at one mile, three miles, five miles, seven miles, 12 miles, and 20 miles. I never did solve the 23-mile wall where a bear jumps your back and claws your thighs.
Kelly hit a wall of her own at about 9 miles, about a mile from work. The last mile includes the climb up to Rosslyn, so I am sure it wasn’t much fun. Hell, it wasn’t a whole lot of fun for me. I haven’t been sleeping well the last couple of nights and my legs are sore. I am pretty sure that the pace I set during Sunday’s metric century was a tad too brisk.
The ride home had no surprised other than unseasonable 3Hs – heat, humidity and headwinds. Not that I am complaining. Give me this weather any day over the cold winds of March.
A Few Spokes Shy of a Wheel 
Ah, the run commute — that’s much more enjoyable in the winter.
Though this heat and humidity has me wishing for fall, I am still appreciating being able to wear my summer clothes and not be chilly even on the longest downhills.