currently reading

Roll Around Heaven All Day: A Piecemeal Journey Across America by Bicycle
by Stan Purdum, 1997

and 

Backpacks, Boots and Baguettes: Walking in the Pyrenees
by Simon Clder and Mick Webb, 2004

Just Outside Paris

I live just outside Los Angeles. But I'm tired of riding around LA. The other night I figured out a way to remedy the situation. I imagine that I'm riding around Paris. Suddenly everything I see, the streets, lights, cars, people, buildings - all are new to me. And my mind opens up at bit, releases from its rut. Ceci n'est pas Les Anges... 

salt to taste

I spiked my water bottle with salt on Saturday's run through the Arroyo. Just a couple dashes worth in a 20oz-ish bottle. The fist sip is expectedly salty. The rest are fine. I think it helped with overall fluid balance throughout the run. I'm going to keep experimenting with this. Maybe I'll use it on rides, too.

Oprah

Oprah is interviewing Lance Armstrong on January 17th. 

currently reading

The Secret Race; Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France: Doping, Cover-ups, and Winning at All Costs.
by Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle, 2012.

and just finished 

Why We Run: A Natural History.
by Bernd Heinrich, 2001.
(second time I've read this)

and recently read but didn't get around to posting

Lance Armstrong's War
also by Daniel Coyle. 

and

Rise of the Range of Light
The Places in Between
Sacred Summits
Walk in a Relaxed Manner
River-Horse
and others…
happy reading...

1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4

I'm just back from a short run up and down the street. My Easy-3, as I like to call it. A good rejuvenator at the end of the day. For the second half of the run, all the way back down the hill, I kept my breaths matched to my steps. 4 steps to breathe in. 4 steps to breathe out. 4 in, 4 out. 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4…. The last couple of Easy-3s I've run have been pretty slow. I'm still trying to recover from the holidays, I guess. Today's run started out a little lighter and freer in step but by no means fast. I wasn't intending to push it at all. Just get the legs going for a bit. I actually fall into that 1-2-3-4 counting at the beginning of many of my runs and today was no different. Usually I get distracted from it pretty quickly and move on to more great philosophizing. But I learned today that, if you stick with it, it really helps you to stay focused on pace, which becomes speed. I didn't end up with my fastest Easy-3 or even come close but I think the counting, the matching of breaths to steps, took a couple minutes off my time. 

the road less travelled (by road bike)

I rode a short distance up this dirt road on the road bike this morning. It's a place I've been a lot on the mtb and on foot. But never on the roadie. It was a lot of fun to stretch the limits of the 23mm tires. Nice and slow. But oh so fun. A  winter morning ride along a forest road - wool sweaters and cold toes. I'll remember this short section of the ride more than most. One of those moments, you know…