Business Embraces Cyclists

I love where I live.  The Hilltowns of Western Massachusetts provide some of the best cycling routes I've ever experienced.  They take you through and past farmland, challenge you with some heavy rollers and, best of all, let you ride in an area that, for the most part, welcomes and encourages cycling and cyclists. 

Last week, I read a great piece on the Active Travel section of MSNBC.com, "Growing number of bike cafes gear up to serve cyclists."  It talked all about how bicycle cafes are cropping up to serve a niche audience - welcoming us “weird alien space creatures.” Yes, when we go from fueling stop to fueling stop, or meet up pre- or post-ride for a coffee, lunch, and/or beer, we look weird.  We wear spandex, yes.  Our shoes make weird noises when we walk around.  Some of us might even shave - only to be more aero, right?  Either way, we are doing what we love.  And then, we keep the money in community, so we eat/drink where we ride.  Welcome us with open arms!

This article made me extremely happy.  For one, I love the fact that someone wrote it.  Two, I love the fact that this is a real trend...one that is cropping up across the country in some pretty interesting places.  I mean, I expect this to happen in Portland, Boulder, San Fran, Boston, etc., but Pittsburgh...wow.  You go Steel City, you get yours.

As for me and the folks that ride around the Pioneer Valley, we've got The Lady Killigrew.  This place wasn't made for cyclists and they don't have all of the other amenities that some of the Cycling Cafes have, but, they have a great staff, they welcome cyclists (read, they are nice to us and let us use the phone if we have a flat and then pinch flat our spare as we are heading out) and the food and drink is great. 

How about you?  Do you guys have a favorite?  Did you see the article?  Let me know!

Tuesday Ramblings

Hello, February?  Where did you go?  After coming back from a fun ING Miami Half Marathon vacation, I have been incredibly absent from my blog.  Maybe it was the ever-growing snowpack on my front lawn or the fact that I changed gyms…heck, it could even be that I just feel somewhat unmotivated.  Most likely, though, it is a combination of all of those along with the typical stress that comes with commuting two hours round trip everyday and having not yet signed up for an A race.

Regardless, I’ve been lurking.  I’ve been reading your posts, catching up on what is going in your world.  I was reminded about my own successes and remaining body issues by reading about where Patrick, over at the The Road, has come from and where he's headed.  Caratunk Girl shared her excitement about IMLP by posting the IMLP 2010 swim start video - you can find me in there somewhere - yeah, I did that.  Other Jeff at Dangle the Carrot - well, let me just say that, while my day will come, I definitely do not want to crash like that.  Also, maybe shaving isn't such a bad idea after all.  And Kovas, found at Midwest Multisport Life, provided some stellar endurance gear reviews and provided an interesting three-part guest post series with Barefoot Charlie.  This came right as I was finishing Born to Run (a fantastic book and a great read)!

There are countless others of you out there that kept me informed, up-to-date and entertained.  Thank you for helping me get through a tough five weeks.  The stress of life is not going to get any easier - especially for the next few weeks/months.  I hope to be able to report back more here later...in the interim, know that I will continue my running and swimming and tonight, tonight baby, I promise to be back on the bike.  The pain cave beckons and I must (Must.) heed its call. 

Train hard, race happy.

Jeff

Run Famous

Well, I have had a great...and I mean GREAT week of training.  It has all been on the treadmill with some stretching and foam rollering, but it has been awesome. 

All of it has led me to believe that I am going to have a good, fun race.  I'm not looking to set any records with this one - we're just doing the HALF for fun.  Additionally, it is going to be a great guy's weekend in Miami. 

I'll write a race report when I get back.  Wish me luck.  Also, I'm thinking about running with a camera - just to capture some pics of us as we go - especially since we're just running for fun.  Any thoughts?

The 8th Wonder of the World - Balega Running Socks

For Christmas, my niece and nephew gave me an endurance basket.  It was AWESOME.  It included a number of CLIF BAR bars, CLIF SHOT BLOKS, an iTunes Gift Card (for days at the gym) and a pair of the most perfect running socks in the world - I'm calling them the 8th Wonder of the World.

My friends, let me introduce you Balega.  Balega is a Zulu word with no literal translation...but it means “to move with speed.”  According to their website, the company is dedicated to:

• Performance
• Excellence
• Harmony
• Creativity
• Community

There is really no way to know if this true.  What I do know, though, is that on my latest run, my feet felt like they were in heaven.  The specific pair I received is from Balega's Hidden Comfort line.  Comfort was far from hidden on my first run.  I had no moisture issues, no bunching, no nonsense.  Just a perfect cushioned run while making me feel like I was running sockless.  I wear Newton's and do a number of my runs sockless, so you can imagine how I sometimes fight my running socks. 

One of the coolest design features with the Hidden Comfort is the tab at the heel that keeps the sock from slipping.  It is so incredibly soft, yet so inconspicuous.  As for the rest of the design, there is some light padding on the sole and a very thin, yet soft mesh on the top helping with the breathability.  The sock is so light, you'll never know it is there.

Highly Recommend!