Wow, it was hot hot hot this weekend! Managed to get a nice bike ride in before it got hot on Saturday, and then waited the heat out today and went out for a run in the relatively cool evening.
First, the bike ride. Was up at 6:30 yesterday and out of the house by 8am. My wife needed to be out of the house by 1, so I wanted to be home by 12. Anyway, at that time it was still cool out, in the 50’s, and the forecasted high was for 85, so better to go out early. Headed over the Manhattan Bridge and down Flatbush Ave. I normally don’t like to ride down Flatbush Ave because of the heavy traffic, but since it was early on Sat morning, I figured the traffic would be calmer, and it was. I wasn’t hungry and didn’t eat anything before I headed out. Luckily as I passed by Prospect Park, I noticed they had the Greenmarket going on, so did stop to eat a delicious blueberry muffin. Continued on my way down Flatbush and then down Bedford all the way to Coney Island. Took a little break and then rode on the Belt Parkway service rode way out to Queens – took a break on the way at the Canarsie Pier. Amazingly, there was fog along the coastline, and the pier was covered in fog. Couldn’t easily see across to Rockaway. Pretty cool. Sort of improvised on the way back, and used my NYC bike map from last year to try and link up to bike routes that would take me back through Brooklyn and to the Williamsburg Bridge. See my route here. Final tally was 34 miles! Was definitely feeling beat down by the end.
Most exciting thing that happened was a flat tire! Luckily, I’m a savvy cyclist and know how to patch my tire. I actually had a spare tube, but instead opted to patch the old tube – figured it was good practice in case of a future emergency. Took about 15 minutes to get the flat fixed, and was on my way again. I don’t think it was a perfect job, as it seemed air was still slightly leaking. Will need to keep an eye on it and fix for good before my next ride. Was finished by 12pm, and it was definitely getting hot out.
Was off to my house in New Jersey last night and spent the day there today. Grilled burgers and dogs today and we had a nice picnic at the beach for lunch. It was awesome to be out on the beach so early in the year, but the water was freezing cold. Beach was packed though. Also, did my first mow and water of my lawn.
Wanted to get a run in badly today. Waited it out until about 9:30pm. The temp had dropped to 72 degrees, from the high of 92. Humidity was also pretty low. Did my 4.6 mile loop up Ave C, then down 1st Ave to Delancey and up Ave A. I was running parallel to the East River for about a mile in the early part of the run. Could actually feel a cool breeze off the water. Was very hot and sweaty at the end, but at least felt relatively cool in the early going. Finished in 42 minutes, which was just fine for me. Am really digging the new bike lane on Ave A. Makes me feel safer going up through that area, as cars always used to double park and use the side to make an improper second lane.
This was my 3rd run of the week, and I ended the week with over 21 miles! The trick is to keep it up as the weather heats up over the next couple of months. I dread this time of the year, when it starts to get hot, because I really hate running in the heat! Today notwithstanding, maybe we’ll have a coolish summer? One can dream!
