Extreme Momentum

I had a chance to ride the Military Ridge State Trail and climb to the top of Blue Mound State Park today when I went to WI to visit my dad. The weather was chilly for October (upper 30s) and windy (SW from about 15-20 MPH).  I took the Blue CXC out and had a fun ride from the trailhead in Mt. Horeb.  Here’s my post and photos from Everytrail.com:

A cold ride on the Military Ridge State Trail in late October with my CX bike. Temps were in the  upper 30s with a strong SW wind.  I parked at the wonderful trailhead in Mt. Horeb.  Even at this time of year, they still had heated bathrooms and it was practically in downtown of Mt. Horeb (aka, plenty of places to eat, drink, and shop). I headed west to have a tailwind home.  I forget how close Blue Mound State Park was to the trail. I decided to climb to the top.  I got lost in the campground (and there were people camping this time of year), but found the road to the summit. Not too bad of a climb if you’re in shape. Average folks will want to have a MTB or a road bike with a triple crankset. The view on top is nice with both east and west observation towers.  I went a couple of weeks past fall peak, but still had a great view. After the climb, I headed west for awhile, but got cold. A fun ride that I need to do when it’s warmer.

Military Ridge Ramble (and Blue Mound Climb)

In case you were wondering about the post title, I “remember” last visiting Blue Mound when I was about 3 weeks old in 1974. Here’s a photo of my mom holding me next to what I believe is the West Observation Tower (based on the foliage density).

I ended up going to NY for work this week.  First time here in a couple of years.  Last time was in 2007 before the US Olympic Mens Marathon Championships in Central Park. I ran through the park then, but time limited my options on this trip.  I found the East River Greenway, but it’s a joke compared to Lakefront Path in Chicago.  Sure, you’re running in NY, but there you have to deal with traffic (both pedestrian and auto), construction, and lack of lighting (if you run at night). I can’t complain too much, since it at least keeps you from getting stopped every few hundred feet for a traffic light.  Here’s my 4 mile route from the Millennium Hotel at the UN.  I did 5 miles the night before.  It’s always interesting staying at this hotel, since they have a K-9 unit searching bags before you enter for explosives and there always plenty of NYPD around.

http://tpks.ws/Ehhz

I thought dAnny and Stelzer would appreciate a trip down memory lane.  I just remembered the YMCA-Berghoff 10K while I was out riding tonight–it was this weekend 13 years ago.  Back in 1996, Chris, dAnny, and I piled into Chris’s Chevy S-10 pickup truck to head down to Monroe from Madison for the Huber-Berghoff YMCA run.  dAnny and I had run the Chicago Marathon the week before.  In fact, the 5K would be my first run since running the marathon.  Yeah, I know, real smart, but I was only 22!

The great thing about this race was that it was only $15. And, that included a long-sleeve T-shirt and an all-you-can eat and drink cheese and beer after the race! I have to admit this was one of the most painful 5Ks that I have ever run. I felt great the first half of the race, but tanked the second half.  Somehow, I still managed 3rd and broke 17 minutes.  Of course, the best part was the beer afterward.

The plaque that I got for winning my age group (and finishing 3rd overall) sits on Rose’s and mine trophy (aka, fireplace) mantle.