It's All Over. Clap, Clap, Clap-Clap-Clap!!

 December 27, 2021.  I have been officially retired for about eight hours.  Let the blog posts come fast and furious.

When I started this blog, I had just switched routes from my trusty, familiar, long-standing route in the city to a relatively rural route that was spread out geographically with plenty of time in the driver's seat.  I had also just completed my first half marathon a few months prior, so my running life was thriving.  I figured I would have plenty of time to think of interesting topics during long rides between stops and plenty of experiences to write about since running at a fairly frequent clip.  The combination of the two seemed like a great combination for an active, prospering blog.

About two months into my tenure on my new rural route, I was hit by a drunk driver and was out of work for eleven months with various injuries.  Needless to say, my running career was put on hold.  While I had some time to write, I had nothing to write about.  I could not run, so all of my "material" had dried up.  

Even after I had completed my rehab and returned to work, my blogging efforts were, at best, sporadic.  New implementations of various procedures at work made the job more demanding and time-consuming.  Age and years of back issues made a recovery difficult and put running at a premium. Except for an extremely good streak in the middle of last year, running has not been on the agenda.

In May of this year, I again hurt my back, and running of all types had to be put on hold.  I have been on short-term disability for most of that time while going through various assessments, procedures, and therapies.  My main source of physical exercise has been indoor cycling with Zwift, which has been challenging and flat-out fun, but it just can not beat getting out and going for a run.  (Oh, I made a little rhyme)

Enter the dark side of Zwift, the running aspect.  Zwift is obviously a platform for cycling and a very good one.  However, Zwift also has a platform for running;. At the same time, it is not as developed or as popular as the cycling platform, it still is beneficial for taking the boredom out of a treadmill workout, all the while feeding you a bunch of metrics about your run that you will not get if your treadmill entertainment is watching old reruns of "Mike & Molly."

I am not sure how many Zwift treadmill workouts I have done.  I have tried a few walk only sessions.  I usually do a workout consisting of a warmup and a regular run.  My runs have come with a wide range of successes, ranging from pulling up after a mile during a run in Richmond to finishing a four-mile course in Watopia, complete with a heart rate that did not spike to a negative split.  The latter provided me with great enthusiasm; while my pace was slow even for a sixty-year-old man, I felt strong during the run.  My form was okay, and I did what I set out to do. 

For the most part, I could not run for the last seven months.  There has been no outside running between injuries and paranoia about being watched by the disability people. My daughter even procured my phone armband to use as a fanny pack.  I have put on about thirty pounds (for the most part, in a very clandestine manner) and am out of running shape.  But that last Zwift run gave me something I have not felt in a long time, confidence.

I bought a running buddy to hold my cell phone, and if it comes in soon, I would like to go for an outside run sometime next week.  Nothing serious, just a test to see where I stand and to make sure all of my electronics still work.  Until then, running with Zwift seems to be a viable alternative.  I also understand that blogging about the perils of the virtual routes in Watopoia might not make for the best copy, so I will see what I can do.

For now, retirement feels great.  Let's go with that.

Yeah, You Could See it Coming. My First Zwift Run.

 I had some free time this morning after physical therapy, and my wife was going to the zoo with all of her great-nieces and nephews.  I decided to take a risk and try my first Zwift run.

Zwift is mostly a platform for cyclists, but they are starting to push the running aspect of the program harder with each passing month.  The format is very similar to the cycling side of things; you sync a sensor, in this case, a foot pod, to the program, hop on a treadmill, and go.  Your avatar on the screen goes as fast as you do, traveling around all the various running routes in Watopia and other worlds.  You have similar levels of achievements and virtual swag based on how far and often you run.  You also have an assortment of running statistics that you do not have access to on a normal treadmill run.  This seems like the perfect time to hook everything and go.

Full discloser, I have tried a couple of walks on Zwift with an old and feeble treadmill that does not have a lot of life left in her.  This helped from the electronics standpoint; I knew what to hook up and what did and did not work.  In the end, I did not have a foot pod that worked for distance; however, the Garmin did seem to measure my cadence with a good amount of accuracy.  I ended up downloading an app that will transfer the speed of the treadmill to my Macbook.  Not perfectly accurate, but it seems to be the only one that works for pace, distance, and speed.  I could also hook up the Macbook to our television, which means I can watch all of my statistics and all of the runners who pass me on a big screen.

Today's route will be a little more than one lap around the virtual Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir in Central Park in the city so nice, they named it twice, New York, New York.  Since I am out of running shape, and the route is only about 2.7 kilometers, I set a modest goal of three kilometers at a pace of 5 mph or 8 kph.  I start off, going straight into the 8 kph speed, and am immediately encouraged to find the app registering the correct speed, and very few runners on the course, meaning little or no discouragement from runners leaving me in the dust.  

At the 1km mark, things seem to be going well.  My stride seems to be steady, and my cadence is just about where it should be.  I am not gasping for breath. However, my heart rate is climbing and rapidly.  It has risen to about 130 after only eight minutes.  This is a real cause for concern; if it keeps rising at the current pace, I will almost have to give up the run before the goal distance.

At 2 kilometers, I am at a somewhat pathetic 16 minutes, and my heart rate is rocking just under 150.  However, the scenery is amazing, and I am very close to completing the modest course and picking up the XP.  One of the nicer features of Zwift is a "set a goal" graphic that is displayed in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.  For whatever metric you choose, you will get a clock displaying how much time is left in your run, assuming your current pace. A visual circle around the clock graphs the distance completed and distance remaining, very similar to the timer feature on an Apple iPhone.  The developers must have had me in mind; this illustration gave me hope that my wheezing body could last 7½ more minutes of agony.

The counting down factor, with the caveat that if I just completed the 2.7km course, that would be good enough, was helpful and motivating.  I passed the start pens at about 2.5km, which was good for my thought process since I could contemplate why the running course needed cycling start pens, built on a pier in the reservoir no less.  This got me over the line on the course, and I only had.3 km or about 2 minutes to go.  I have to admit, it was pretty uncomfortable watching my sixty-year-old heart pumping away at 155 beats per minute while gasping for air and sweating bullets. Still, yes, 3 kilometers was achieved, complete with virtual confetti and a fairly relaxed-looking avatar.

As I stepped off the treadmill, I did a pulse check to confirm my heart rate monitor's accuracy.  I also did a recovery check that confirmed an accurate heart rate and a mediocre at best recovery.  I am cautiously optimistic that I am working a little harder on the mill than on an accurately measured outdoor run; however, my cadence average was a paltry 152, so we will just have to see.  I'll just take the positives for now; everything seems to be up and running as far as sensors go, I did complete a virtual course and a goal for said course, and I did not die.

Can't wait to do it again!

Zwift Racing...The Average, The Bad, and The Ugly

 One of the more appealing aspects of the Zwift program, at least to competitive cyclists and those who harbor a competitive streak, is the sheer volume of Zwift races.  There are races every day and at all hours of the day.  These races come in every type of form that you could possibly imagine; the length (a few miles to 100km...and more), the type (time trial, road, mountain), the format (stages, crits) are all at your disposal with a simple click of the mouse.  My experience in Zwift racing so far is limited; since I am unfamiliar with any racing strategies or protocols, I have, for the most part, kept my distance.  I have done a total of five races in about three months with varying degrees of success.  Here are my observations.

I approach Zwift racing with the same mindset that I approach my road races; I know I am not going to win, and a victory in my age group is dependant on the skill and fitness of my fellow age group participants, so I go in feeling cautiously pessimistic.  I am only looking to put in a relatively good time, not finish dead last, and hopefully have a good overall experience.  With this attitude and not much else, I decide to enter a crit race (a crit race is usually a short distance) about ten days into my Zwift life.  I am still a category C at this point, this being the third tier of Zwift categories.    I show up to the race about ten minutes before and blend in without giving away my rookie status.  I notice that the other avatars are spinning their pedals, but I get some kind of warning when I do this, so I stop spinning until the race starts.  Big mistake.  When the gun goes off, everyone bolts out of the starting gate, leaving me dead last and out of sight of the rest of the pack.  I bust my tail for the rest of the race, eventually catching up and even passing a few other racers.  I finished about the middle of the pack for my category with a respectable rookie time for a 16km race, 24:07.  

With a sense of false confidence, I enter another crit race next week.  This race sees my category level improve to B status, and the race I enter is slightly further at 20km.  I drop into the starting pens nice and early to get a good spot, and this time I spin my pedals like all the other entrants.  Feeling like a seasoned veteran, I look forward to a good start, but the result is much the same as the last race when the gun goes off.  I try again to catch up, but the B racers are much better, and I lag behind the whole race, even to the point of getting lapped by the top cyclists.  Oh, the horror.  Not surprisingly, I finish dead last in my category and finish middle of the pack in the next lowest category.  Humiliated, I do not enter another race for about a month.

Still stinging from my poor performance, I see a race in the events queue that piques my interest.  There is an upcoming race that categorizes the participants not by watts per kg but by age.  Instead of being a deficient B category, I would enter the D category for 60-69-year-olds.  I figured my age would help me in this race, and I was somewhat familiar with the course.  I entered, figured I had nowhere to go but up.

The race was scheduled to start early in the morning east coast time, so I entered the last minute and made my way directly to the start pens.  It is difficult to size up the competition when looking at a bunch of computer-generated avatars. Still, I saw a fair amount of Zwift glowing Tron bikes (you get one if you climb 50000 meters), so I figured I was up against some experienced racers.  So again, I just spun my wheels and hoped for the best.

The start saw much the same type of explosion out of the gate, but I found that I recovered quite well and was jockeying mid-pack with a bunch of other riders from all age groups.  This gave me a much-needed emotional boost, so I pretty much just put my head down and pushed for all its worth.  The race was two laps of mostly flat terrain, with a good-sized hill at about the midway point of the lap.  My highly simplistic tactical plan was to try to climb the hill as fast as possible, take a breather on the way down the hill, and just pedal like a madman to the finish line.  It worked, sort of.  I finished the 43km race in a very respectable 1:07:15.  I know that I am not in the last place, so I almost immediately go to Zwift Power, a website that provides a full statistical breakdown of all races on Zwift.  I am surprised to find that I am placed in a new category, G, for those 60-69-year-olds, and I am shocked to find a bronze trophy next to my name for finishing third in said category.  There were only four participants listed in that category, but still, a trophy is a trophy.

I have since participated in three more age group races, finishing 3rd, 5th, and 2nd in my age group.  The course has taken place in the same world with roughly the same terrain, so it is not too surprising that my times have had little variation, a little over an hour for races a little under forty kilometers.  The best part about these races is the high relative effort score they produce on Strava.  In my last race, my heart rate monitor actually dropped out for several minutes, yet I still got a score of over 110, very high for an activity lasting about an hour.

Even after all these races and time in the saddle, I am no closer to figuring out any kind of pragmatic strategies for effective bike racing than when I started Zwifting.  I am happy to score high on Strava and not embarrass myself.  Kind of like running.  With no t-shirts.

Race on.

Shining Sea Bikeway- A Preliminary Report

 Yes, I know.  I have been posting quite a bit about Zwift lately.  In my defense, that is about all I can talk about since that is about all I can do. My wife Michelle has gotten in the habit of taking early morning walks of about three to five miles, about five times a week.  The past few weeks of therapies have improved my back, so Michelle will sometimes ask me to be her walking partner, with mixed results.  On one occasion, I could not go one kilometer with throbbing leg pain.  On others, three miles seemed to be okay, even though it was not at Olympic pace.  On Saturday, Michelle and I decided to take a walking hegira to a rail trail that neither of us had even been to before, The Shining Sea Bikeway in Falmouth, MA.

We made the 35-mile drive in a little over an hour (thank you, Cape traffic) to arrive at the trail's northern trailhead.  There is a parking lot across the street from the trail terminus; it has a street name (Depot Road) which can be used for GPS purposes; however, be warned.  There is also a Depot Avenue in Falmouth that is nowhere near this part of the trail.  

We noticed right away why the name of the includes the term bike path.  Right before you get to the parking area, you will see a bike shop with plenty of activity.  Then, as you pull into the parking lot, you will see all kinds of equipment geared (pardon the pun) to cyclists.  Bike racks, air pumps, and a device with basic tools for bicycles could all be found in a shaded area near the road.  I would say that the parking lot could accommodate about fifty cars, and the two port-a-johns were a most welcome feature.

We start our walk early in the afternoon, with the temperature in the low eighties.  Our initial impression of the walkway being used primarily for cyclists turns out to be spot on. We do not run into another walker or runner for about a half-hour; this trail was used for heavy bicycle traffic, with every type of bike you could imagine.  Road, trail, racing, old school Schwinn, kids, tricycles, you name it, it was rolling.  We also saw many groups of riders with Pan-Mass challenge jerseys, perhaps heading to or from the route in Bourne.

The trail is paved, and the width is average for a trail of this type,  One of the first things I noticed was that the trail had stone markers placed every one-tenth of a mile to mark your progress, a nice and useful touch.  The trail is very shady, providing relief from the heat of this hot summer's day.  The train tracks soon disappear, and the sides of the trail abut the backyards of the residential houses that run parallel to their property.  While some have secure fencing with "Private Property" and "Beware of Dog" signs, some have carved out paths and steps to access the trail.  One homeowner even displays his woodworking abilities and a number to call if you wanted to procure his services.

About a mile in, we cross under an overpass with some artwork on the abutment.  The trail then advances into a more wooded area. A huge cranberry bog on the west side was being smoothed over for the upcoming season.  Just beyond this point, there was a network of nature trails that you could access from the left side of the trail.  I am not sure how far they extended into the woods, but I think the hilly soft surface would make a nice change of pace for a run..  We encountered about four road intersections with no vehicle traffic.

Michelle and I decided to turn around at 2½ miles, covering about one-fifth of the trail's 10.7 miles.  Most of the trip back consisted of the dodging of bike traffic and complaints of perceived approaching gradients, which was obviously due to fatigue since the course was relatively flat.  We also noticed at each mile marker there was an obelisk with the mile point, and about thirty feet away, there was another obelisk, slightly larger with a number that was a mile short of the trail's correct mileage.  The trail does have amenities such as water fountains, signs to side trails and points of interest, benches, and even a few chairs put out by private citizens.

If and when I get the okay to start running, I plan to do a full run on this trail to file a full report.  The various literature seems to agree that the most striking scenery on the trail is located on its southern boundaries, which was the part we did not explore.  I am already trying to figure out how to navigate the entire length of the trail in two or fewer trips; I better start to get in shape.

Of course, for now, that means more Zwift.  Ride on!

I'm Getting AZAR!! Intrigued?

 The beginning of August sees my running career still on hold.  My condition is improving, however not enough to either go on a run or report back to work.  I am on a myriad of pharmaceuticals, and I am going to a chiropractor two times a week.  The later part of the month will see me commence physical therapy as well as receive an epidural steroid shot.  I have put on a few pounds, but nothing alarming.  This is mostly due to my newfound efforts on Zwift.  Has this become an obsession?

Zwift is an interactive game/training program that you use with a bicycle, trainer, and some Bluetooth sensors.  You enter the program by riding your bike, and the avatar moves at the same pace that you pedal your bike.  You can enter races, do interactive workouts, go on group rides with like-minded Zwifters, or just ride around freely at your own pace.  There are various rewards and "bounty" for achieving certain accomplishments.  Think of it as Pelaton, only targeting outdoor cyclists.

I have been "Zwifting" (you know something is getting big when something's name starts to be used as a verb) for 2½ months.  That's about sixty activities.  That's about one thousand miles.  That's about 66,000 virtual feet in elevation.  That's a lot.  Some might even say that I am quickly becoming obsessed.  Enter AZAR.

As you might expect, something used by as many people as Zwift will generate all kinds of websites concerning various aspects of the game.  Zwifthub lets you track your progress upon completing routes and badges.  WhatsonZwift gives detailed information about all of Zwift's routes and workouts.  Zwift Power lets you see extremely detailed analytics about all of the races, as well as a comprehensive list of all Zwift events.  However, for news, tips, hacks, notifications of updates, and reviews, nothing beats Zwift Insider, the most popular Zwift website independent of the program itself.  There is loads of useful information for the novice, the professional doing indoor training, and everyone in between.  I get a popup reminder every morning alerting me to videos and articles on the site.  I found today's notice very interesting.

An article was written by Luciano Pollastri centering on a mock psychological condition called Acute Zwift Addiction Syndrome, or AZAR for short.  In it, Mr. Pollastri lists, in ascending order, some humorous signs that you should be on the lookout for if you think you might be burdened with this malady.  Some of the items were strictly for users who are big into cycling.  Mr. Pollastri notes such things as suddenly feeling that you are in the Tour de France when riding a similar course, analyzing all possible facets of a big race you are entered in (it should be noted that I do this for my running races), talking to and naming your smart trainer (I have a dumb trainer), and canceling social engagements to Zwift.  Being the INFJ that I am, the last item sounds excellent, unless it involves visiting my nephew, who has Zwift.

However, the piece does describe some things I have done in the short 2½ months that I have been Zwifting.  Right off the bat, he lists dreaming of Watopia.  While I can not pinpoint exactly dreaming about the fictitious Zwift world, I have had dreams about my avatar cycling on a free ride.  While I do not read Zwift Insider first thing in the morning every day, I read ZI nearly every day.  While I have not had heated debates over the fairness of Zwift categories and the pros and cons of certain routes, I have read up on these subjects enough to do so.  And finally, I have tried to explain Zwift to many non-Zwifters, with limited success.  Unlike Mr. Pollastri, who says he usually gives up with a "you wouldn't understand," I usually give up with "it's something like Peloton."

Is this enough to be diagnosed with AZAR?  Probably not.  Having said that, I did enjoy my longest Zwift ride to date this rainy morning, a whopping 44.31 miles in just under 140 minutes with 3780 feet of elevation.  And with roughly 3100 more feet of climbing, I will finally have a Zwift Tron Bike with super cool glowing neon tires.

I am going to take my meds now.  Ride on.

Uh-Oh More Zwift

 June, and my career at UPS, is starting to wind down.  I continue to be out of work on disability and am unsure of any potential return to work date.  What is more frustrating is the lack of ability to engage in the activities I like to do, mainly running.  Again, enter Zwift.

As I wrote about in my previous post, I broke out the old bike, dumb trainer, and old sensors about a month ago and signed up for a Zwift account.  My doctor gave me the okay to do cycling as exercise, and I have been going at it almost daily.  My workouts at this point consist mainly of free rides around the various worlds, riding around and discovering the terrain while trying to get in a solid workout of sixty to ninety minutes.  Things like earning badges, moving up levels (I am up to level 13 in a little over a month, woohoo!!!), and receiving "Ride Ons" from fellow Zwifters is very encouraging and strangely motivating.  I am guessing that if you are unfamiliar with Zwift, the last sentence probably did not make too much sense; let me try to explain in a little more detail.

A badge is a sort of virtual tchotchke you are given when you complete a given course or achieved a certain milestone.  About two-thirds of them are given out for completing courses; the remaining ones are given for accomplishing various cycling feats or certain Zwift aspects.  For instance, when you take a screenshot or make a U-turn for the first time, you are given a badge.  The cycling ones are fairly self-explanatory and not overly surprising, such as riding at a certain speed, riding a certain distance, or climbing a certain number of meters.  The badges range from very easy (completing a workout) to barely obtainable (climbing the highest mountain in Zwift 100 times), giving each Zwifter something to shoot for regardless of their ability or experience.

Levels are somewhat tricky to fully explain, but I will try to give it a shot.  When you set everything up and start riding, you will see a small, orange, horizontal bar slowly moving from left to right.  This is the level bar.  You advance it by spending time in the saddle and moving and earning Experience Points, otherwise known as XPs.  The main source of XPs is completing a course or a random "power-up," a sort of prize you receive when passing a checkpoint.  There are 50 levels.  It should be noted that the levels operate on a logarithmic scale, each getting more difficult as you move up.  Advancing levels earn all kinds of things; you get to ride on certain courses, which are more challenging, you get to dress your avatar in all kinds of new swag, and you can "purchase" new wheels and frames that Zwift's algorithm takes into account during your ride.

Ride Ons are friendly, spirited tokens of encouragement or admiration given to other riders for any reason; usually, it is an acknowledgment for something a rider has done well or a show of support for a rider who appears to be struggling.  However, they could be given as a greeting to someone you know or given totally at random for no reason at all.  Zwift tries its best to be a social platform, in addition, to be a training tool.  Even though you are in your basement all alone, you can receive a ride on and suddenly realize that you are not alone; those avatars on your screen represent real people.

Given my relative ignorance.........errr............complete ignorance about cycling, I am more of a student of Zwift than I am a teacher.  Maybe I am not the most qualified individual to be explaining the basics of Zwift.

But it is fun.  Ride on.

Zwift, more injuries, and the question of signing up for the Peachtree 10K

 June 7th has arrived, and with it comes more questions about my running career in general and my participation in the AJC Peachtree Road Race in particular.  But first, let me back it up a month.

May 7th sees my back go out to a point where it is difficult to walk the next day.  I will spare my loyal readers the political aspects of whether the injury is work-related, but since there was no real point of injury, I can not in good faith report it as workman's comp.  In the days and weeks that follow, I make some progress, but it is still painful to walk any distance.

Enter Zwift.  For those not familiar with this program, Zwift is a virtual training program that allows users to cycle in a virtual world while using a bike equipped with a trainer and some basic tracking equipment.  I acquired the basics when I was injured previously but never really set anything up with a virtual trainer and pretty much forgot everything was there once I healed enough to start running again—time to take inventory and see if indoor cycling can work.

I locate my daughter's ten-year-old bike in the garage, and to my surprise, all of the sensors seemed to work just fine.  I found the cheap dumb trainer that I used for the last attempt at indoor cycling, set everything up, and was biking in place in no time.  My first few runs were simultaneously recorded in Garmin, which features the ant+ platform, and Wahoo, which is set up with Bluetooth technology.  I was somewhat astonished to find that everything was not only working but working well.  Both platforms were recording the data in real-time and seemed to read the same distances and speed.  Throw in a little Netflix, and I am good to go.

After about a week, I was wondering if signing up for Zwift might be a logical step.  The cycling was not aggravating my back at all, so I took the plunge and signed up for the free trial.  First things first, syncing my equipment.  If you are a serious cyclist, you can buy all kinds of sophisticated equipment to monitor your ride; however, my Wahoo sensors seem to do the trick and are synced rather quickly.  After setting up my avatar, I am ready to roll.  Your first ride on Zwift starts with a tutorial about the ride and its metrics, the social aspects and interacting etiquette with other "Zwifters," and various challenges you will encounter.

Zwift offers such features as rides with varying degrees of terrane, multiple recording of various metrics (it should be noted that Zwift can estimate your wattage if you do not have a trainer or a dedicated power meter) on your ride, races that not only give you different challenges but group you with Zwifters roughly compatible with your ability, group rides, pacers, and even structured workouts similar to what you get on a Peloton without the trainer.  The routes are virtually in various cities around the world, such as London and New York. Still, the main setting is in a fictional land called Watopia, complete with small villages, volcanos, snowy mountains, and jungle trails.

My first week on Zwift is mostly spent on free rides exploring Watopia; however, I cycled in Richmond and the Makuri Islands, the latter being another fictional land based on Japanese culture.  I did do a workout that was challenging for multiple reasons, but mostly due to duration.  I also participated in a 10-mile race; I finished in a respectable mid-table position.  What surprised me the most was my Strava score, which was higher than any running week that I had recorded.  The perfect segway in my status for the Peachtree 10K?  You bet!

I did end up signing up for the Peachtree 10K.   While I have no idea how I will feel on July 4th weekend, I decided to take the chance.  The registration, while noting you could run on the 3rd, the 4th, or virtually, gave no choice or option as to which one you could pick.  That really is not my biggest concern.  I have to admit I feel better today, and I hope that the training that I am doing for Zwift will help me in the race.  Keep your fingers crossed.

See you in Watopia.

Strava Land

 I ran just under four treadmill miles this afternoon, and upon completion, I saw something I have not seen in quite a while.  Under my feed activity, I saw a little green ribbon with a message proclaiming that I accomplished my weekly running goal.  I was going to do a post at the beginning of the year explaining the reasoning behind my running goals, but the fact of the matter was I did not put a lot of thought into the process.  I had the nagging Achilles injury, so I set some modest goals and was done with it.  Instead, I will steer the ship in another direction and give a review of why I use Strava.

Let's start off by stating the obvious, I am not your typical Strava athlete.  Strava is as much a social platform as it is a workout tracker.  So the fact that I have a grand total of three friends (a co-worker who does about seventy miles a week, a friend from high school who seems to run up mountains for fun, and a former Sunday School student who posts bike rides about once a month) is, to say the least, modest.  Granted, I do not go searching for colleagues in the same way as other social media forms, but still, three friends are exceptionally sparse.

I link my Strava account from my Runmeter app on my phone.  This gives me an instant transfer to Strava as soon as my run is finished while viewing a host of stats on the Runmetet app.  The stats shown on Strava are somewhat basic for your workout, time, distance, pace, heart rate, elevation, laps.  They do have something called GAP, which is pace adjusted for elevation.  You can also view these stats at any point on your run.

Strava's strengths, at least in my eyes, are twofold.  The first is a vast array of fitness metrics to keep you motivated.  At the end of each run, your workout is given a Relative Effort or RE.  This is a score or a rating based on both your endurance (time & distance) and your heart rate data vis-à-vis your maximum heart rate for your age.  You then get a weekly range based on your workouts that lets you visualize your optimum training.

Another metric I like is the fitness and freshness curve.  This is an overall daily fitness score based on your activities and then put into graph form for three months.  I found this to be not onlya good fitness measurement, but an excellent form of motivation as well.  It's pretty simple, workout and the graph line goes up, take time off and, well, I'm sure you get the picture.

The other strength is the list of challenges you can earn digital trophies for.  It can be as simple as completing a 5K, or running 100 miles in a month.  My favorite ones are running a designated distance over a certain timeframe.  There is something motivating about seeing seeing your mileage creep closer to your goal in bar graph form.  Strava has them for all activities, but I obviously just focus on running related ones.

Like all running platforms, Strava does have its drawbacks.  One that frustrates many users is that you are locked into using Monday to Sunday as your week, instead of the customary Sunday to Saturday.  It is also expensive, especially when you consider that many of the features can be found on free or cheaper sites like Garmin Connect or Map My Run.  My advice would be to try the free version of Strava for a while and see how if you like it.  Just like learning workout techniques, there is a lot to discover.

My Grown Up Christmas Wish

Followers of this blog know that I have been running for close to seven years as of this writing. Between the exciting races, intriguing courses, the training analytics, the streaks, and all the cool gear and swag, there is always something to occupy the mind and aspire. However, I have had one yearly reoccurring "dream" that has always fascinated me: to take a run on Christmas morning.

I admit that I have had a lot of trouble writing this entry. I would write a list as to why running on Christmas Morning has such a high priority on my list of running fantasies. The list was not overly long and somewhat predictable. Going out on an unsurprising cold morning when the traffic, both vehicle and pedestrian, is light is undoubtedly appealing. Enjoying looking at the statistics and logistics of a run with the date of December 25th set in the beginning would also have a certain intrigue. But the fact of the matter is that one could achieve these items on a day other than Christmas. Time for a deeper dive.

The Christmas season for a UPS employee is, at best, hectic, and at worse, a nightmare. Not only are you putting in thirteen-hour days and sixty-five hour weeks, but the hours are packed with endless delivering and organizing. A single hour can turn into what seems like a full day. Fatigue is almost a constant state. But it doesn't seem to end on Christmas Eve. Like many other families, we have traditions and routines that we follow on both the 24th and the 25th. There will be no resting until December 26th.

A Christmas morning run, I feel, would signify a sort of victory. I plan to retire in August, so the success would no longer have anything to do with work. However, the memories of the rigors of working during the peak, tight schedule of the holiday might represent the freedom of time that retirement offers. Who knows, maybe it will even snow.

I am sure that there are other reasons. I have about 345 days to think about it. Let's see what happens.