Category: General advice

Who hasn’t heard about the 10,000 steps recommendation? I am guessing that vast majority of my followers know about it and I don’t think it’s a challenge to my fellow runners and triathletes. I was reading on Mayo Clinic’s website that an average American walks 3,000-4,000 steps per day. I find it horrifying, considering that I log in 15k steps on my ‘rest’ days (gives you a perspective on what my rest days mean in the calendar). That means there are people out there who must be below 3k steps to create this statistic. And last time I checked, you can’t do negative steps! Since I am still recovering and doing a lot of ‘rest’ days (apparently walking ~7 miles per day), I thought this would be a good time to write more on the subject.

Let’s start with the benefits of walking more. It helps prevent heart disease, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and depression. All of these worthy causes. I have heard a number of times people say that one can eat whatever they want if they run/work out enough. But that’s not true. Just last week I saw an article on Runner’s World’s page talking about an avid runner who had a stroke. Or was it a heart attack? Moral of that story (and a few like it) is that you can’t outrun bad diet. I kept thinking: you may lose weight if you start walking more, BUT… Yeah, the first ‘but’ is that you can’t increase how much you eat. When I was first starting to run a lot, I have stumbled across an article on why some people gain, not lose, weight when they are training for a marathon. You guessed it: diet! It’s surprisingly common for people to gain weight when they start exercising more. They eat more because ‘they earned it’. Sadly, they overcompensate.

As I am trying to keep up my step count during my recovery and while being sick, it is becoming painfully clear how long it takes me to take my usual 15k steps. Because, you know, streaks… So now I am trying to reconcile the number of steps though to DHHS’s recommendation for 150 minutes of exercise per week. I guess it’s supposed to be on top of the 10k steps? I read somewhere that 10k steps is roughly 5 miles. So assuming you walk at a 4mph pace (which is actually pretty good pace), it would take you an hour and fifteen minutes to do all those steps. I guess there is a number of steps people make either way, although based on the number of steps an average American does in a day, there aren’t that many steps you have to take just to make it through the day.

How to get there… I loved how Mayo Clinic offered advice, such as parking further away, walking your dog and walk with your family. All of these are great advice! I have seen a number of times people driving around the parking lot of a gym looking for the closest spot available and it always makes me laugh. You are planning on working out! One little ‘but’ though: I know that there are people who do physical therapy at the gym. There are also senior classes at the pool. For those people, walking is a huge challenge and they shouldn’t be judged for trying to limit walking. Otherwise, please get out and walk a little. It’s better for you and for the environment when you do those few feet on foot rather than sitting in the car. I love reading about walking dogs, too… In the past, I would occasionally walk a friend’s dog. On numerous occasions, I had to carry the dog back because it would get too tired 😆. I guess it tells you a lot about the owner’s physical activity levels… Another advice – take the stairs. That can get tricky – I have worked in several buildings where stairs were emergency-only. Also: knees… Oh, and my favorite: go in person instead of sending email. No, just please don’t… This may be matter of company culture, but I am not in favor of walking over to talk instead of sending emails. Obviously, some things are better done in person. But when an email will suffice, it can be a better choice. Walking over interrupts the other person and they may not have time to talk to you at that point. It may also end up in an off-topic conversation (personally, I get easily sidetracked) and you all waste time.

And a final note from Scientific American. I read January issue and they had a fascinating article about human’s evolution and how it relates to our need for regular exercise. Majority (all?) of us have seen great apes and it’s hard not to notice: they sit. A lot. Like in: barely ever move. The article did take a bit of a cheap shot at our desire to remain sedentary as being a 400-pound gorilla inside of us. But throughout the article, it spoke more about our evolutionary differences that made us dependent on physical activity. As humans became hunter-gatherers, their physiology evolved to match the lifestyle of walking and running to get the food. On the positive note, that was related to development of our brain. I would strongly recommend reading that article, especially for people who don’t believe in exercise or if you are an active person surrounded by people constantly questioning you as to why would you ever choose to be constantly on the move. And you can answer them: evolution made me like that 😊

I read a lot and on many different subjects. Yes, I still find myself out of the loop more often than I like to admit. So this week, it will be about things I wish I knew earlier than I found out.

Marathon is 26.2 miles

These are screen shots of my 4 marathons since I started using Garmin. I started the moment I crossed the start line and turned them off right after crossing finish line. As you can see, all of them say quite a bit more than 26.2 miles. Marathon is only technically 26.2 miles – that’s the length of the course. However, there are a few factors that will impact the actual distance you will run, some more obvious than others. The easiest one to guess is that you will add a bit of distance if you need to take a bathroom break. They are usually close to the road, but it’s still a bit away. There is also taking corners, where you can add a bit of distance and depending on the race, there may be a lot of those. A huge chunk of that distance though comes from fighting for position on the course. On some races, such as Marine Corps or Baltimore marathon, you run in big crowds on roads too narrow for everybody to fit in nicely. So you end up looking for openings and that can add up. There is also another thing that adds up distance (or might lose you some) on your GPS: bad connectivity. I have dealt with that quite a bit during races and while on regular runs. For many, this may not be an issue. However, some areas have just bad GPS connections. In my case, the issue most frequently come from proximity to government buildings. I regularly run by Pentagon and I ride my bike every now and then close to Langley. DC and VA are full of areas where GPS gets confused (pro tip: make sure you know where you are going ahead of time rather than relying on maps in your phone, especially if you are driving). It has gotten better over the years, but is still frequently an issue.

Biofreeze

This is probably actually the top thing I wish somebody told me ahead of time – I didn’t know of its existence and I could have used it both during Marine Corps Marathon and Disney World Marathon, both way too hot for me. When I was waiting for my flight home from Orlando, I met a lady who did the Dopey Challenge (5k, 10k, half and full on four consecutive days at Disney) and she kept talking about biofreeze and how much it helped her. I looked it up online and found a lot about it being pain relief. Apparently though it also helps when you are overheating. I wish I knew… I was overheating so badly… They had it in huge red containers at every medical station (every mile due to extreme weather) and I saw people putting it all over themselves. While running, I thought it was vaseline, so you wouldn’t chafe. I did find it suspicious that people were putting it all over themselves. Why would you grease yourself up when it’s this hot??? I still remember using grease during my first open water swim race instead of a wet suit (I will definitely write about that experience in the future). It looked like pure insanity! Now I know it was the smart thing to do and I wish I knew it earlier. Note from my personal trainer: I asked Diana (my personal goddess of all things fitness and nutrition) about biofreeze. She said it’s a good idea afterwards for recovery, but not during the run. It relaxes your muscle and you don’t get the full muscle memory out of it.

Feet warming up from freezing while you run hurts

Speaking of freezing… Having your feet freeze while you are waiting to start. This one I don’t think I could have prepared myself for. When I was waiting for the start of the Philadelphia Marathon, it was freezing – literally. I was dressed as warm as I could, but it didn’t help my feet. My feet are always freezing and clearly, they totally froze. Once I started warming up, they started to warm up as well. Around mile 2, it hurt as hell. You know the pain – when you go outside in freezing cold and then you thaw out when you go home. So it’s much worse when you are trying to run on the feet that are doing that. I guess lesson from that is to invest in something to warm up your feet if it’s this cold when you are waiting for your run to start.

Shear exhaustion afterwards

I believe that by now, this one is well advertised online: people like to plan all the parties they will attend afterwards, all the eating and drinking. Reality is much more prosaic. All you want is to shower, be off your feet and preferably take a nap. I don’t know how many of you own watches that remind them to move if they sit for too long. After my first marathon when I had my watch, it started beeping and I got really angry at it, like ‘I already did 40k (or whatever it was) and you want me to still move??? Go to hell!’ I talked to a coworker who has one of those watches and runs marathons a few day later and she admitted that when her watch started beeping, she got so angry that she threw it across the room. So apparently that’s normal. Another kind of exhaustion I have experienced was mental. After my first marathon, all I wanted to do was cry. I still don’t really know why. I haven’t experience it to that degree since, but it’s a good thing to be prepared for: you will be drained of both physical and mental energy afterwards.

Knee pain

I was surprised that it wasn’t really my muscle that hurt afterwards as much as my knees. I have experienced some knee issues before, so I spoke to Diana about it. Apparently, it’s caused by bad running posture and stepping crooked. The more tired you are, the sloppier your step gets and that’s what causes tightness and pulling on everything inside your knee. Since it’s tight ligaments, there are some pretty simple stretches that can relieve a lot of that. I promise to post some time in the future about stretches I have learned to relieve pressure and pain in various body parts.

Little widgets that make your life easier

A lot of us enjoy various gadgets while we run. Many of them are not strictly necessary, but that doesn’t stop us, does it? For example: we know we could hold our phones in our hands while running, but who wants to do that on a longer run? That’s why they have arm bands. Although I have a personal issue with arm bands – cell phones are getting bigger and now the corner of the band chafes against my arm. It’s awful and frequently I get embarrassed to wear short sleeves in the summer. I think we all love our Glide for chafing in places where our skin rubs. Image above is of a fabulous discovery I made in Philly. It was going to be cold and I knew I would have to wear a jacket, but I was not excited to use safety pins and poke holes in the aforementioned jacket. At the expo, I found a stand with these little magnets and they had such awesome images! (I happen to be a fan of Wonder Woman) Later, I found out that there are also plastic options. Once of my marathon-running friends said that he thinks that the plastic ones are better because they are lighter. Personally, I have a talent for breaking things, so magnets sound like a better idea – I can’t break those! My daughter really enjoys playing with them, too. I guess to each their own, but I am happy to know that there are alternatives to safety pins out there.

I am sure that there are many other things that I had to learn the hard way afterwards. These are highlights for this week, but I am sure more will come. Have a great weekend and I hope the weather will allow you to train outside!

I am continuing the series on sharing the road. Previously, I dealt with concerns of common courtesy on the road, like keeping dogs on the leash or making sure you are visible. I believe that those rules apply no matter where you are – DC, Poland or Brazil. Each country, however, has its own set of rules you need to follow. In the US, those laws are state-specific. Since this is a huge topic, this week will be about various states and next week, I will write about some other countries around the world.

Legal disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, so please do not use this post as legal advice. These are results of my scouring the internet for the information.

Laws regarding helmets vary and I will mention them. However, I believe that they are indispensable part of your equipment, like the bike itself. Please wear one, regardless of the law.

This one should go without saying: if you are on the road, you need to follow traffic signs, lights and directions from police. Also: laws regarding riding under the influence of alcohol or drugs (where legal) vary, but don’t. Just NO.

Then there is the issue of bike paths. As much as those are clearly meant for bicycles only, some states provide for ‘shared use trails’. Those are different – as long as there is a human powering it, it can go. On the second thought: I have seen horses on the trail by my house, so I guess it’s as long as it’s powered by animal (and yes, humans are animals, too), it’s ok. So this is going to deal with going on streets and sidewalks, since that’s where there appears to be the most confusion and differences.

An observation from my research: many counties and municipalities around America have stricter bicycle-related laws than what the states mandate. Before you go touring a city on a bike and decide to jump on a sidewalk or skip a helmet, double-check if it’s allowed.

Alabama

In Alabama, you are not permitted to ride a bicycle on a sidewalk. Wherever a path adjacent to the road is provided to bicycles, you are required to use it and you cannot ride on the street. When riding on the street, you must be as far to the right as possible. Cyclists and bike passengers (like a child in the bike seat) under the age of 16 must wear helmets.

Alaska

Alaska law requires cyclists on the streets to ride as far to the right as possible. On highways, if there is a properly maintained shoulder, you are required to ride your bike on the shoulder. In Alaska, you are allowed to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk, except in business districts or if there are signs specifically prohibiting it. Alaska doesn’t have a state-wide helmet law. However, many municipalities do.

Arizona

On a road, you are required to ride as far to the right as practicable, except when passing slower moving vehicles, there are obstacles or hazardous conditions on the right side or when you are turning left (although that seems a bit obvious…). This law also does not apply if the road is too narrow for a vehicle to go side by side with the bicycle. There is no law either way on bicycles on the sidewalks and Arizona does not consider bikes vehicles. There is also no requirement to ride in a bike lane/on a bike path if there is one next to the road. Like Alaska, Arizona does not have a state-wide bicycle helmet law, but there are many municipalities that do.

Arkansas

This state appears to be seriously lacking in the department of laws regulating bicycle riding. However, you should double-check with the county or town you are in – they may have specific regulations.

California

Riding on sidewalks tends to be regulated locally, but there is no state-wide prohibition. I guess this law has various degrees of usefulness – I lived in SoCal for a long time and based on experience, those laws would be irrelevant anyway, since there are very few sidewalks. When there are bike lanes, you are supposed to ride on those rather than on the street, except for the obvious situations, such as presence of hazardous conditions in the bike lane. California also has helmet laws – anybody on a bike (rider or passenger) under the age of 18 must wear one.

Colorado

Colorado has some very specific bicycle laws, but they do not require use of bike lanes where available. Cyclists are allowed to ride on sidewalks, unless it’s specifically prohibited. However, they must yield to pedestrians and, when passing, do it safely for the pedestrian and give them an audible warning. When riding on a sidewalk, bicyclists have to follow the same rules as pedestrians. Cyclists have to get off the bike and walk on crosswalks. On the road, you need to stick to the right as much as possible and safe. State of Colorado does not require use of a helmet.

Connecticut

Connecticut does not require use of bike lane/paths, but restricts use of parkways and limited access highways – you can go on these only using designated bike lanes. Sidewalk riding rules are similar to those of Colorado – you are allowed to go on them, but you are a ‘guest’ in pedestrian’s space and need to behave as such, yielding way to pedestrians and giving them audible warnings. On the roads, bicyclists are required to ride as far to the right as safe and practicable, except for the usual reasons (such as road hazards). There are also two specific additions to this rule: if the road is one-way, you can ride as far to the left as you judge safe. The other one is on roads separated for the exclusive use of bikes. Cyclists and younger than 15 are required to use helmets.

Delaware

As the majority of states so far, Delaware requires cyclists to stick to the right and does not require you to use separate bike lanes where they are available. Sidewalks, on the other hand, are a completely different story. Cyclists are allowed on sidewalks, but there is a list of restrictions. First of all, when passing on a sidewalk, you have to give audible warning (this is a common theme and I think it’s for a good reason). You also have to get off your bike when going into a crosswalk. Cyclists are not allowed to ride their bikes on sidewalks in business districts, when it’s specifically prohibited and when a bike lane is available. Minors (under 18) are required to wear helmets, whether they are a rider or a passenger.

District of Columbia

Surprisingly, DC does not have restrictions as to where on the road a cyclist rides, as long as it’s safe to the rider and other participants of the traffic. Riding on sidewalks in DC has a lot of specific laws though. In general, it’s permitted except for in the Central Business District and where specifically prohibited. For most part, you have to follow the same rules as pedestrians, but you also need to yield to them. I work in DC and I must say that as much as riding on the sidewalks is allowed, it’s not always a good idea due to large number of tourists, who are not paying attention. Some sidewalks are also quite narrow and in pretty bad shape. Roads can be tricky, since many drivers seem to not be paying attention to anything or anybody smaller than them (see my post regarding common courtesy and vents on drivers trying to kill runners and cyclists). The good news is that DC and surrounding areas have an abundance of bike paths and shared use trails. If you want to do a solid workout, those are your best bet. They are also good for commuting – I have done that multiple times from suburban VA and got pretty close before having to join regular traffic. DC requires you to wear a helmet while on a bicycle if you are under the age of 16.

Florida

This is appropriate – I am in Florida right now, relaxing before my 5th marathon tomorrow morning. So far, I haven’t seen a single spot I would consider safe for a bicycle around here (during this or previous visit). Well, Florida requires you to use separate bike lane when available. You are allowed on a sidewalk, but you have to yield to pedestrians, get off your bike on a crosswalk and follow the same rules as people on foot. On the road, you are expected to ride as far to the right, except for the usual reasons of hazards in your way or when turning left or when the bike lane is available (since you are required to use it). Helmets are required in Florida for everybody on a bike who has not turned 16 yet.

Georgia

Georgia requires anybody on a bicycle (rider or passenger) under the age 16 to wear a helmet. There is another law in Georgia that definitely needs to be mentioned, as they are not very common: children under the age of one are allowed only in a trailer or an infant sling and must also wear helmets.

Hawaii

You must ride as far to the right as practicable if you are bicycling on the road in Hawaii. If there is a bike lane though and you are going slower than the traffic, you must use it. You are allowed to ride a bicycle on a sidewalk outside business districts, but you must maintain speed of less than 10mph and must yield to pedestrians. This permission does not extend to bicycle with attached motors. Hawaiian law requires all persons riding a bike, being passenger on a bike, including restrained in a child seat or in a trailer pulled by a bicycle who is under the age 16 to wear a helmet.

Idaho

In Idaho, you are required to ride your bicycle on the road as far to the right as practicable, except for the usual reasons. You don’t have to use designated bike lane if it’s provided. You can ride your bike on a sidewalk, unless it’s specifically prohibited, and provided that you yield to pedestrians and give them audible warning when passing. You are not required to wear a helmet in Idaho, unless municipal law requires otherwise.

Illinois

When in Illinois, stick to the right of the road as possible. Use of the bike lane is optional. Unless specifically prohibited, you can ride on the sidewalk, provided you follow the same laws as the pedestrians, yield to them and give them audible signal when passing. Illinois does not have a helmet law.

Indiana

In Indiana, you can choose if you want to ride on a road, sidewalk or in a bike lane. On the road, you have to stay as far to the right as practicable. Except for specific municipal regulations, you are not required to wear a helmet in Indiana.

Iowa

Iowa is another free-for-all state. You can freely choose between road, bike lane or sidewalk. Just stay as far to the right on the road as you can and it’s up to you if you wear your helmet.

Kansas

In Kansas, you can be on the road (as far to the right as practicable), unless there is an adjacent bike lane or bike path. On the other hand, you are free to use sidewalk as much as you want. And you are not required to wear a helmet.

Kentucky

Again, stick to the right on the road. You are required to use the bike lane or bike path except for the usual reasons, such as avoiding hazards or passing. One interesting exception: if you are travelling at legal speed, you can ditch the bike lane for the road. You can hop onto the sidewalk though, as long as you are not causing danger while hopping on/off of it. However, if pedestrians are present, you are required to stick to the speed of a normal walk. So most likely an adult would pass… Speaking of passing: you are allowed to pass on wearing a helmet. At this point, I will repeat what I said in the into though: don’t pass on the helmet, required by law or not. It’s your health and life on the line.

Louisiana

Take your pick where you’d like to ride! But again, on the road, you have to stick to the ride. Bike helmet requirement applies to all kids (pedaling or just being passengers) under the age of 12.

Maine

Once again, your only limitation when choosing where to ride is limited to sticking to the right side if you choose a road. Helmets are required of everybody on a bike under the age of 16.

Maryland

Stick to the right on the road, but if there is a bike lane/path, you must go in it. If you need to leave the bike lane/path, it is your responsibility to make sure it’s safe first (who wouldn’t first check for that???). You are not allowed to get on sidewalks, except some municipalities specifically allow it (a bit backwards from the general trend, isn’t it?). Law says you can leave your helmet at home the day you turn 16 (but don’t…).

Massachusetts

Well, Massachusetts is a real free for all – you don’t even have to stay to the right on the road! But biking in business districts is a no-no. And on sidewalks you do have to give right of way to pedestrians. Helmets become optional once you turn 16.

Michigan

You need to stay to the right side of the road, unless you choose to go in the bike lane, but that decision is optional. On the sidewalk, you must yield to pedestrians and let them know when you are passing. Helmets are optional for all age groups.

Minnesota

Ride as far to the right on the road as you can, hop in the bike lane if you choose so and if you get on the sidewalk, yield to pedestrians (and let them know when passing). Helmets are not legally required.

Mississippi

Choose your own path from the available options, but if you do go on the street, make sure to ride as far to the right as possible. And no helmet, no problem! (Legally that is. If you hit your head on the pavement, you will wish you wore it.)

Missouri

On the road, you need to stick to the right side. Or you can go in the bike lane, but that’s your call. Sidewalks are also an option, as long as you are not in a business district. Helmet is your call.

Montana

You are expected to right as far to the right as possible. You are not expected to ride over hazards in the road without a reasonable margin of safety. You have the option of choosing regular road in Montana over the bike lane. On the sidewalk, you need to yield to pedestrians and you have to get off the bike on a crosswalk. There is no state-wide helmet law.

Nebraska

Interesting twist to the ‘stick to the right’ rule: if there are multiple marked lanes, you can be as far to the left as practicable. And since 2016, you are no longer forced to go in the bike lane when one is available. Cyclists on sidewalks are treated the same as a pedestrian, except they have they have to give right of way to pedestrians. Nebraska has not passed any laws so far regarding use of helmets.

Nevada

On the road, you are expected to stay on the right side. There are no laws discussing use of sidewalks or choosing bike lanes over the regular lanes. Helmets are not required for anybody.

New Hampshire

You can choose between right side of the road or, where available, bike lane. You cannot choose to ride on the sidewalk though. If you haven’t turned 16 yet, you must wear a helmet.

New Jersey

On the road, you can ride on the right side, as usual. What is nice is that you can ride two abreast if that doesn’t impede traffic. You are not required to switch over to the bike lane when one is available. Vehicles and horses are not allowed on sidewalks, but bikes are not considered vehicles, so you are good on sidewalks, too. New Jersey also has a somewhat unusual cutoff for use of helmet: the day you turn 17.

New Mexico

Another free-for-all state, you get to pick where you ride, as long as you choose being as far to the right as practicable if you choose a road. If you’re not old enough to vote though, you must wear a helmet on a bike, both as an operator and as a passenger.

New York

If there is a bike lane, you have to use it in the New York state. When there is no such option, you need to ride as far to the right, including the shoulder, as you can, so that you don’t impede traffic. The state itself doesn’t prohibit biking on a sidewalk, but you should note that in New York City itself it is illegal, unless there is a specific sign to the contrary. The law says you are required to wear a helmet until you turn 14.

North Carolina

Go in the bike lane, get on the right edge of the road or go on the side walk, dealer’s choice. Wear a helmet at least until you turn 16.

North Dakota

In North Dakota, you are free to choose right lane of the road over the bike lane. You are not, however, free to choose a sidewalk. Speaking of freedom of choice: wearing a helmet is up to you.

Ohio

You should stick to the right edge of the road, but not when it’s unreasonable or unsafe. You are not required to switch over to a bike path/lane when one is available. You are free to switch to a sidewalk though. There is no helmet law.

Oklahoma

For the most part, laws regarding use of sidewalks, bike paths/lanes and road are as usual for cases when you can freely choose between these three options. One important exception is within state parks: if there is a bike path adjacent to the road, you are not allowed on the road. There is no helmet law.

Oregon

Oregon is one of the few states that allow you to ride side by side with one more bicycle on a road, as long as you are not impeding traffic. In case of one-way roads, you can also choose between the right edge and the left edge of the road. You must stay on the bike path/lane if there is one adjacent to the road. As long as your bike is not assisted by a motor, you can go on a sidewalk. You do, however, have to be careful not to pose danger to other people or property on the sidewalk. You have to slow down to speed of a normal walk when entering a crosswalk.

Pennsylvania

Ah, the land of the crazy drivers! (personal experience, others may disagree). They say you don’t have to wear a helmet once you turn 12, but for the love of all that is holy, please do… They expect you to ride as close to the right edge as possible, but you are exempted from it if there is only enough room for one lane in each direction. If you think about it, that makes sense – if you can’t be safely next to a car, you might as well be visibly in the middle and maybe they will be less likely to pass you when it’s unsafe? You don’t have to stick to bike path or bike lane when one is available (but again: based on what I have seen, you might want to). Bicycles are allowed on sidewalks, except for in business districts. And you still have to give right of way to pedestrians and warn them audibly when passing.

Rhode Island

You are not required to choose a bike lane over the regular lane on the road. You may also choose to ride on a sidewalk (including crosswalks), except when specifically prohibited. You are required to wear a helmet until you turn 15.

South Carolina

In South Carolina, bicyclists are permitted to ride a bike on the shoulder of a road as well as on the right side of the road and on a sidewalk. If there is a bike lane provided, cyclists must use it. However, if there is only a bike path adjacent to the road, it’s ok to ride on the road. Helmets are optional for everybody.

South Dakota

Bikes are allowed on the right side of the road and there is no requirement to move over to the bike lane or bike path where one of those is available. There is one noteworthy addition to regular rules permitting bikes on sidewalks (such as yielding right of way to pedestrians): cyclists are required to stop when getting on a crosswalk or on a highway. No helmet is required.

Tennessee

Tennessee allows bikes on the right side of roads and on sidewalks, without requirement of moving over to the bike lane or bike path. However, there is a law regarding helmets: you must wear one if you are under the age of 16.

Texas

There is basically only one thing to keep in mind when it comes to Texas and riding a bike: cars/trucks are more important than you (and can hurt you). Otherwise, there isn’t much regulation regarding biking.

Utah

Interesting twist on the law regarding use of bike paths and bike lanes: you may be required to do so if ‘directed by traffic-control device’. As to riding on the sidewalk: you are required to yield to pedestrians, warn them when passing and maintain safe speed. This pertains only to bikes you are pedaling on – if they have a motor, you are not allowed. There also may be local ordinances or specific signs prohibiting bikes on sidewalks. Oh, and there is no helmet law.

Vermont

Not surprisingly, Vermont doesn’t have many limitations on riding bicycles. Pretty much the only one is the common-sense ‘stick to the right if you are on the road’. Keeping in the spirit of being light on regulations, they don’t have a law requiring use of helmets.

Virginia

In Virginia, you can ride on a road like usual – as far to the right as you can. You don’t have to take bike path or bike lane. Riding on sidewalks is generally allowed, unless there is a specific prohibition by county, town, city or by official traffic control devices. Obviously, all the regular guidelines apply. There is a rather unique helmet law: state law says that any city, town or county may require any person 14 years old or younger to wear a helmet.

Washington

Cyclists can freely choose between road, bike path/lane and sidewalk, subject to usual restrictions. There is no helmet law.

West Virginia

Your choice of where to ride is the same as in the Washington State. There is, however, a helmet law: riders under 15 years old need to wear one.

Wisconsin

I am starting to feel repetitive writing these… So just look at Washington 😉

Wyoming

And we reached the (alphabetically) last state! Believe it or not, this is another case of ‘see above’ – specifically, look at laws in the Washington State.

We have all encountered issues when on the road, either walking, running or biking courtesy of other people on the road. As bikers, runners or walkers, we need to stay mindful of people around us. I spend a lot of time on the bike paths of DC and Virginia and see groups of people blocking the path, dogs running on very long leashes and children playing with balls frequently. A friend of mine (also a triathlete) recently commented that people on road bikes zooming at high speeds don’t belong in the same space as ‘normal’ people. Hard to disagree, but there are plenty of other concerns to be had on the road. An acquaintance of mine got hurt zooming down the road when a kid swerved in front of him. He managed to miss the kid, but got hurt pretty badly himself. Sadly, if it’s a shared road, if you are a fast cyclist, this is a risk you are running. As much as it is up to parents to watch out for their kids, there will be moments like this. For walkers and runners: before you change your trajectory or stop, please quickly look over your shoulder to check if there is somebody coming up on you.

We should all wear lights and visible clothes when necessary and watch where we are going. Being invisible is not safe for you or for others on the road. My personal favorite experience on the subject: I was running on the Custis Trail along the Potomac early in the morning before sunrise and using my bike light (I lost my running light just a day before) to see what’s ahead of me. There is a section where you run along the street and face into incoming traffic, so it’s hard to see anything when headlights are the only source of light. There are occasional trees along the street, too – and that’s what caused the issue. There was a construction worker pedaling slowly on a bike (VERY slowly) and not wearing anything visible. He somehow managed to get himself between me and the trees, so he was invisible (and my light was too weak to make difference with oncoming car headlights). I almost had a heart attack when I realized I am about a foot away from running into a guy on a bike! I did dodge him. Why he didn’t pay attention to me will forever remain a mystery. Please don’t be like that construction worker: pay attention and make sure you are visible.

Something I believe we can all get behind: drivers need to pay attention where they are going. If I am wearing a shirt so bright that it pretty much glows, it’s the middle of a sunny day and you get close to running me over on a crosswalk, you are clearly not paying attention. Please do… I am doing everything I can not to be killed, so cooperation will be appreciated. Most often this takes the form of a driver looking at cars coming from their left as they are trying to turn right and just rolling through the crosswalk, frequently one you have been on way before the car showed up.

For cyclist, a big issue is being passed by cars. I have several friends who have been side swiped by cars who were too close. I know that in many countries there are laws regarding acceptable distance between a bike and a car. Unfortunately, that law is ignored so often that might as well not exist. Fun fact: first time a car was pulled over for speeding ever was by a cop chasing him on a bike.

Another issue that has been getting up there: bike shares and electric scooter shares. They have been getting left all over the place! Please try not to block the sidewalks, like guys on the picture above. I took it during my morning walk a block or so from the National Mall. I have heard in a podcast that people in many cities have been getting so frustrated that many bikes and scooters have been vandalized and cities have been passing stricter laws for bike and scooter share. I find it ironic that people who have skin in the game (bike or scooter they can use when they need it) are the ones that are causing harm.

And then there are dogs… Just this week I ran past a woman who seemed confused by me giving her a dirty look and I think she was trying to say something, but I couldn’t hear her over stuff in my headphones. I am sure her dog is perfectly nice, but leashes are required in America and for a good reason. Runners and cyclists get chased by dogs daily. Plenty of dogs tried jumping on me. Story from somebody I know: he was biking through the middle of nowhere and a free roaming dog (common in the Polish country side, at least back then) started chasing him. He was doing pretty well trying to escape until he hit some big bump and fell on his back, his bike on him. Fortunately, it scared the dog off and the damage was limited to (admittedly spectacular) bruises. If you are outside with a dog, you need to be able to control him/her and keep from creating danger. Period.

Oh, and while we are on the subject of dogs: please pick up after them and encourage peeing on the grass or generally somewhere where it won’t create another obstacle others have to dodge. In terms of poop: fortunately, people tend to be good about cleaning up. Sadly, we have geese. I have done plenty of fancy foot work dodging that 😉.

I know this reads more like a vent of a frustrated biker and runner, but I am confident that many of you have shared in these frustrations. That’s why this is part on of a two part post. Next week: laws and rules regarding bike paths, trails and road sharing around the world. If you’d like to share how it’s done where you live – please comment or email me and I will include it in my post. Also, if there are places you are specifically curious about, please reach out and I will do my best to research it for you 😊

I have only a bit over 2 weeks until my next marathon and it’s been a bit over 5 since Philly. I keep feeling guilty that I haven’t been running enough. It is partially because I just completed another marathon and have been calling it recovery. There is a burn-out component to it as well though. I have been staying busy with my biking and swimming in the meantime. We will see what the result of these 8 weeks of less running, more other sports will do to my performance (I am still doing my long runs every other weekend, don’t worry!), but here are my thoughts on the subject of monotony in training.

As you can see from the picture of my ‘Christmas Tree’ I posted on Monday, I enjoy variety of sports. I believe it is a huge part of my ability to keep going with the training. Pretty much every runner I spoke to around the time of their first marathon says that they don’t want to run ever again. Some of it is a desire to have the time back to yourself, but a lot of it is the monotony of doing the same sport day in and day out. Years ago, I read an interview with Shaun White (for those of you who somehow haven’t heard of him: an amazing snowboarder and skateboarder) in which he said he is happy to be a two sport athlete. He gets to rest from each for half a year and start missing it. Obviously, snowboarding and skateboarding use the same muscle groups, but you the point stands: we all need a break and some variety.

There are three types of variety involved in training (at least from my perspective): varying training your actual sport, specific cross-training for your sport and mixing in other sports. The first one is simple: you can’t do 6 miles (or whatever) at a steady pace on the same road day in and day out. Well, maybe some people can. Personally, I tried it. I even managed to train for a marathon doing everything on an 8 mile loop around my neighborhood. Let me tell you: it gets boring! It also doesn’t help you grow as an athlete. I kept pretty much same pace for all of my runs (except for the really long ones) for over a decade. Adding intervals and changing the route to include different hills and scenery has helped me improve by quite a lot and it feels less groundhog day-ish.

Then there is plain cross-training we all know, such as doing weights at the gym. Despite my initial skepticism (earlier in life, not this time around), weights and stretching help your performance in endurance sports. I am not talking about yoga – not my thing and I have read some studies that it may be detrimental to runners. I won’t pass judgement on it (well, not for the general public – I know where I filed it as it relates to me), as I am not a medical or sports professional. Everybody should make a decision for themselves. But regular daily stretching has helped me with various tight tendons and muscles and helped me with my various injuries (see the cracks and creaks post). Strength training is another cross-training must. I have taken to, in addition to regular training Diana gives me, doing a basic core workout on an (almost) daily basis. Stronger core definitely helps in triathlete training. It has helped me keep better posture during swimming and decrease leg drag. And who can say no to making that part of a triathlon more efficient?

Adding other sports into the mix is the other obvious (to me) idea. Majority of my experience applies to running. Being a triathlete is new (although I have tried the Olympic distance once before) and it helps with this concern. You don’t want to get so bored of your beloved sport that you won’t be willing to hit the pavement again. Lowering mileage for a period of time sometimes helps. Personally, I prefer varying the sports and it’s my lifeline. It also helps me be flexible with my workouts during tougher times, such as holidays or while travelling. Since my daughter was old enough to do her own sports, I have done marshal arts with her (strength, flexibility), swam during her swim lessons (ok, that’s a cheat – triathletes have to swim, but that was during my strictly running era) and did laps on my ice skates while she did her figure skating. I was able to squeeze in workouts on otherwise difficult days and did something different. And all of it was fun!

I love planning active vacation, too. Most of my friends actually ask me to go for a run before they wake up and burn off some energy, since I don’t get tired easily and they all end up exhausted by lunch (at which point I let them take a nap and go for a run 😉). Last weekend, I went skiing (see picture above) and I was teaching my 7-year-old how to ski. She can do a bit of it, but was scared and definitely slow during the first day. I can honestly promise you that trying to ‘do pizza’ with extra 50lbs of a person sliding on their skis and not helping is one of the most intense leg days you will ever have. And then try to dead lift those 50lbs by about half a foot to a foot in the air using only one arm, so she can get on the ski lift… You get the idea… My Garmin complained that I didn’t do enough steps and skiing was not on my regular workout schedule, but I had fun and did get some good activity done. It was only a 3 day trip, but by Christmas Day, I was happy to go for both a run and a bike ride. I love it!

Preparing for an iron man means that I have been spending quite a lot of time (for me) at the gym. I am definitely more used to exercising outside, so it’s been quite an adjustment. Based on advice from a friend, I have a personal trainer, who develops workout plans for me and once a week, we meet at the gym for some strength training.

Obviously, I want advice from Diana. Based on past experience, there are three risks in coming up with your own workouts: pushing too hard, not pushing hard enough or bad form. Some people may dismiss pushing yourself too hard as a real risk, but it happens. The best example I can think of for this is actually from many years ago from running, not weight lifting. I decided I wanted to do long runs and on my first attempt, I ran far away from home. I ran out of steam, since I wasn’t in good enough shape for runs that long and I considered calling for help. I managed to walk home eventually, but it was really awful. So: if you are planning your workouts, make sure you are not starting too steep. Usually it’s easier to know what you can do if you are further along in your training. I don’t think that not pushing hard enough needs much explanation. We all think ‘this is as much as I can do’ and quit. When you have a good trainer, they will push you to do a little more when appropriate (or a lot more if you tend to go really easy on yourself). Bad form is probably the worst offender on this list. Youtube tutorials won’t tell you that you let your knee drift to the side or you are overextending your shoulder and it will hurt. The latter one is a true story – Diana gave me an at-home workout and I apparently kept overextending my shoulder. It’s a good thing she was able to show me how to fix it, and, with help of ice packs, I recovered quickly. At a risk of sounding like a broken record: solicited professional advice is great. Seek it – it’s worth the money.

Then there is unsolicited professional advice. I go frequently to my neighborhood pool and one of the swim team coaches pointed out to me an issue with my form. He suggested how to fix the way I was holding and moving my head. It was great and helped limit neck pain bad form was creating. It also limited the drag. I am grateful for that and happy to listen.

And then there is unsolicited idiot advice… It can come from variety of people and with various motivations. Some of it is so blatantly bad that we can easily spot it and ignore it. Unfortunately, some comes from people we trust and it can lead to injuries. I have heard advice leading to bad form or trying to do too much. The one that’s my pet peeve is ‘gym dudes’ who think they know everything and dole out bad advice. It’s not always easy to spot and they are frequently buff, so they may be misleading. As a rule of thumb, I don’t listen to people who can’t back up their claims with some sort of credentials, at least a ‘personal trainer’ shirt. Although many personal trainers appear not to be licensed, so I am not even sure how much to trust some of those guys. Diana is most certainly licensed and has a Masters degree in the field. I trust her blindly. If she tells me to do something, I will do it (although I do speak up if something doesn’t feel right, as one should – your trainer is not you and can’t read your mind).

Here is the story that inspired this post: I was at the gym with Diana a couple of days ago, doing my arms workout. Side note: I am happy to say that I have been making great progress and even using significantly larger weights is less challenging than lower weights when I started. It was a bit chilly, so Diana was wearing a sweatshirt over her work shirt. I just got off a bit of a warm up and I was drinking some water. Some ‘gym dude’ decided to tell me that I should stop drinking water, so I would be lighter and could do more pull-ups. First of all: it’s training, not competition – I am trying to build strength, so making it easier is not really the point. Second: I already had somebody telling me what to do, so I was clearly taken care of (I was also standing next to Diana’s picture on the board showing all the trainers😆). And the third one was the really funny: his form was awful and he was really struggling with his workout. Quality over quantity, please… 

Last week was strange… With teacher conferences and Halloween, last week was anything but normal. No excuses though! On Monday, I got to meet with my favorite personal trainer (and my superhero) Diana. She gave me some strength exercises to do at home over the weekend and guess what: I did hurt myself immediately! Over the years, I managed to give myself some injuries that love to flare up any chance they get. Obviously, my form was off on one of the exercises. Fortunately for me, Diana seems to have healing hands – she helped me get my shoulder get better. Sometimes I suspect her of having some magical powers – two weeks ago my knees were hurting after a weekend of 15 miles Saturday and 18 miles Sunday. I told her about my knees and when she said it’s time for a leg day, I thought I would cry. But she knows what she is doing: my knees and legs all together were just fine afterwards. Apparently problem with knees after long runs comes mostly from ‘sloppy running’. Since I had a very old hip injury, which never healed quite right, I learned to run in a way that puts less pressure on it. Sadly, it’s awful for my knees. I swear a lot of my strength training sessions turn into physical therapy! I am happy about it though – the whole reason why I got a personal trainer is so that I don’t hurt myself. Running is not the only thing where I have to focus on form though. I haven’t been a very fast swimmer and it occurred to me that I need to revisit my form. I practiced swimming long enough to know when my form sucks. I gave it some thought and realized that my kick is sloppy. I paid attention to how I kick and move my arms. Result: going from 46:30 to 41:30 on 1900 meter swim. I was exhausted afterwards, but I am convinced: focusing on form works miracles!