Build Up

First Thing

I want to get back to riding to work at least three days a week. Actually, that's not right because I hadn't been doing that before the surgery. I'd ride one or two days, but inconsistently. So I guess I really want to build up to riding three days a week. That gives me alternate days to rest, run, or do other exercises. 

To help make it happen, I think I need to get out first thing. It's dark, often cold this time of the year, but too easy to put off otherwise. And it is a great way to wake up. This morning that's what I decided to do. I got ready and went out right away.

Recovering

Since going to the doctor's and confirming that, even if it hurts some, I'm not going to create a problem with the surgery site, it's easier to ignore the pain. I'll still watch it and back off if it gets too much but it wasn't that bad this morning.

Distance

My commute is at least 17 miles, possibly 20 miles, depending on the route. One way, meaning that any commute day is ~34-40 miles long. I'll need to build up to that, so going out first thing gives me more freedom to do that too. I can get up, spend the time, and then come back and get ready. It's hard to fit in everything I need to do with exercise and health, but oddly it seems like the more I do it's easier to get focused on getting things done. I've installed the free version of Rescue Time too, just to see what it can do to help. I do a lot of work on my iPad so it'd be better if there was a client there, so that it tracked things while I switched between devices. I believe they're working on that.

In any case, I'll be building the distance until I feel comfortable with being able to go to work and back without feeling too wiped out.

McIntosh Lake

Independence Day! I'd be off even if I hadn't taken the week off, but as it is today falls right in the middle of my whole week off. I've been working on getting a bunch of projects caught up as well as finishing my novel Full Moon Nights.

On Monday I went out for a ride down around McIntosh Lake. I wasn't sure exactly how far my route would take, but I knew that it'd have a few hills along the way.

It was a good day for a ride. Not too cool, but not hot. I had a nice ride down the Yelm-Tenino trail. It's pretty much downhill from Rainier to the Deschutes river. After that there's some climbing but not much. The trail drops back down to McIntosh Lake. There aren't any houses on the trail side of the lake, just trees and brush. The signs of the winter storms are mostly hidden in all the Spring and Summer growth, but you can still see signs of it in broken off trees and sawed trunks that had fallen across the trail.

At the lake I passed a man sitting beside the lake with two fishing poles in the water.

When I reached the far end of the lake I discovered a historical marker had been installed on the trail.

McIntosh Historical Marker

I found an article from a couple years ago talking about how Edward Echtle wanted to create in interpretative display. I'd guess this is the first piece of it , but I'm not seeing much online talking about the marker.

I think this sort of thing is a good idea. You can ride along the trail and hardly even think about what was there originally. I'm glad to see the marker and just hope that it won't get vandalized.

From there I rode up the hill on the streets around the other side of the lake. Expensive places up there that run long down the hill to lakeshore homes.

I stayed on the road, crossed the Deschutes river again, and on up the hill to the highway. I crossed there at the intersection and took the back roads around back home to complete a loop over 14 miles long. That's not much compared to the Tour Divide, of course, but I'm just starting out. I have to remember that!