On Bicycles, and.... what else is there?

I'm improving a bit day-to-day. My walking is getting better, but I'm still hobbling. I feel a bit of pain at my hip, but the worst part remains the inner upper thigh. This is consistent with what I've read about iliopsoas pulls: the one motion where my progress has been slowest is the clamshell move, laying on my left side with knees bent @ 90 degrees, then pivoting my leg at the hip and foot, and raising my knee. The knee just won't rise. Sitting with an orange Theraband between my knees I can spread them, but the mass of my leg is too much for me right now. This is likely the weak link in my recovery. It's the part most likely to cause sharp pain. Two big sports events yesterday to distract me. One was the Tour de France. The big story on the stage, of course, was the Orica-Green Edge bus getting jammed under the finish arch. This was an error, of course: they said were sent through by finish line officials, but the officials claim they told the bus to...

A bit more on the Western States 100 , held in California near Sacramento this past weekend... The race is considered to have been extremely tactical by ultramarathon standards. By Duncan Canyon at mile 23.8, a lead group formed of Anton Krupicka of Colorado, Geoff Roes of Alaska, and Kilian Jornet of Spain.  They mostly stayed together until near 45 Geoff fell off the record-shattering pace being set by the other two. Some thought this was a tactical decision but after the race Geoff admitted he simply couldn't keep up. Anton and Kilian continued to push each other hard, trading the lead, with Kilian going ahead on descents and Anton catching him on climbs. Kilian perhaps made the mistake of doing the race without carrying water, while Anton carried two bottles, and thus Anton was able to make faster transitions through aid stops. Since Kilian didn't want to let Anton get a gap on him, this caused Kilian to rush at rest stops and fall behind on hydration, a critic...

Zombie Runner 's retail store is across the street from my office. I often go in there for a pack of Clif Rocks, the occasional running supplies, just to look around, or a cup of their excellent cone-filtered decaf coffee. Don Lundell, a founder of the company, is usually the one handling the coffee orders, which he does while working on the web site, which is responsible for most of their business. Don is an accomplished ultra-runner, and always offers excellent advice when I chat with him. His perspective is interesting, as he views 50 km trail runs as just training events, the distance not a particular challenge. In fact, he encouraged me to run one at a time when I was feeling intimidated about 30 km. "It just requires a change of attitude," he explained to me. Be willing to walk up hills, and be willing to take walk breaks down hills. Well, I wasn't quite ready to make the leap to 50 km, let alone 30 km. But for the 20 km I had planned, I did follow ...