Running paths paved at the Rose Garden

I am a bit disappointed that the city decided to pave the cinder path at the Rose Garden. I liked to use the Rose Garden because it is a nice ten minute walk from my house so I could warm up on the way to my run and cool down on the walk home with a nice 1.3 mile run in between on cinders which is nice for my old joints :)

Now there are more people using the paths with bicycles, scooters and it is not very wide so I am thinking this is an accident waiting to happen. I live in the middle of the Lehigh Parkway and the Rose Garden so it's no big deal, I will just walk to the Parkway; I hope they do not pave that trail!

Snake on Bogart's Bridge

Ran the 5k loop in the Lehigh Parkway and while doing my after run stretch another runner pointed out a water snake on the side of the bridge at the entrance. It was about 18" long and had its head up ready to strike. Water snakes are not poisonous but they are aggressive and will bite so be on the look out for these guys!

I rode one of my mountain bikes 7 miles in the rain yesterday, it was at my mother's house and I wanted to bring it home to work on it so I have a back up for running errands and commuting. Riding in the rain is not too bad when the temperature is above 60 degrees or so but it is a little messy with out fenders. I bought the bike, a Specialized Hard Rock at a yard sale for $5 and I want to put new tires, fenders and a rack on it after I strip all the components off the frame and clean and lube it.

Bicycle for errands.

The title of my blog, live better, reveals the true reason I run, bicycle and walk. I really believe in using my time effectively. By using my bicycle to commute to work or pick up something at a store a few miles away I am getting some exercise, saving some air pollution and releasing some stress while enjoying one of my hobbies. As I recover from the half marathon and take care of some of my chores I am getting ready to go on a quick trip to CVS and pick up some pictures of my dad's antique car, can anyone identify it?

Post half recovery.

I took off from exercise Monday except for using the foam roller and the stick on my calve and hamstring muscles. I bought a "stick" on Saturday when I was picking up my race packet and I have been using it four or five times a day, I like it better than the foam roller and I can take it to work with me which is a plus. Tuesday I resumed walking at lunch time with a one mile walk and I did the same today. Tonight after visiting my mother I mowed the back lawn. My calf muscle feel good, I will continue walking and hope to run a little in the Parkway this weekend.

My first half marathon

Yesterday I achieved a life long accomplishment by completing a half marathon, here is a picture of me with my biggest fan, my wife, after the finish.

I had planned on walking the first mile to warm up my torn calf muscle but could not because I did not want to get in the way of the runners behind me so I ran the first half mile then walked until the two mile mark. My leg felt good so I started running a little and alternating some walking. Here I am walking on Martin Luther King Blvd.

Once I got into the Parkway and my leg still felt good I set my interval timer to one minute run and one minute walk and continued on all the way through the parkway back onto Martin Luther King and made the turn onto St. Elmo St. which was the ten mile point. I was concerned about not making the cutoff time but at that point I was safe and my leg was still OK so I decided to run for one mile and walk one minute which I did until there was only one mile to go. Here is a picture of me entering Cedar Beach just after crossing Hamilton St.

With one mile to go I decided to keep running as I felt good, just at the entrance to the stadium I felt a little stab in my calf so I walked about fifty yards and then ran/limped in to finish the race.






Here I am just before the finish line at J. Birney Crum Stadium. My chip time was 2:39:10, a few weeks ago I was hoping for 2 hours or a bit longer but I am still happy that I finished and that I am reasonably well.







After the race I celebrated with one of my other fans, my daughter Jessica,
by having a few Black and Tans.



I was very thankful that my daughter and her husband Steve came up to the Lehigh Valley from Tampa Florida just to watch me run and my son Joseph also came home to watch and take videos even though he had to make a final presentation for one of his MBA classes the next day.

Today I felt a little stiff and my calf is sore but other than that I feel fine, I had a good time during the race and I enjoyed the training along the way. The race directors put on a great event and I will definately be back again next year.

Leaving soon for the half.

I am ready to leave soon for the race, have to put my contact lens in and go over my "injuries" with the stick. I bought "the stick" yesterday when I was picking up my runner's packet for today's race. The people selling the sticks gave me a demo and then I went to look at the other vendors and started to leave, I suddenly realized how good my calf felt and I went back and bought one. I had a foam roller but I wanted to try the stick because it looked easier to take travelling and to work etc. , I did not think it would work better but it did, I will report more on this as I have more experience with it.

Rose Garden

Went for a walk to the Rose Garden to see the "improvements", mainly they are paving the cinder track :( , not so good for me because I like the cushioning effect the cinders provided. Also there are more bicyclists and kids on scooters and the path is narrow so I see this as an accident waiting to happen, I will be running in the Lehigh Parkway.