More Ink in the Globe

Today's Boston Globe Northwest Weekly section has a feature on the trail: Wheels of good fortune. The reporter toured the trail with bicycle enthusiast and activist Jack Johnson and, naturally, got a very positive view of the Minuteman and proposed connections.

Trail Conditions

The trail is in better shape than I expected after yesterday's downpour. There's sand and mud, of course, and sticks and leaves, but less than after other recent storms.

Fog over Arlington's Great Meadow in Lexington

Rain-washed silt near the Arlington Rec Center

Today: 10.5 miles. This year: 521.3 miles.

The Chase Corporate Challenge

The Boston edition of the Chase Corporate Challenge will be run tomorrow night. The 3.5 mile course stretches from the Boston Common to Kenmore Square and back. My employer will be well represented with dozens of runners and less well represented by non-runners like me.

The trail was wet and spattered with storm debris yesterday, so I went 3.5 miles on foot instead of skating. It was immediately clear there's no way I'm running that distance. I'll be walking at a brisk four miles per hour instead. Our team captain tells me there are plenty of non-runners at the event and huge crowds in the way anyhow.

Today: 16.5 miles. This year: 484.8 miles.

Novelty of the Day

Near Revere Street in Lexington today I saw a bicyclist retying the laces of his shoe. This would be perfectly unremarkable if he hadn't been doing it on his moving bicycle with his foot up on the crossbar. I hope his front wheel didn't strike a twig or pebble before he finished.

Today: 14 miles. This year: 464.8 miles.

Skating Uptick; Bicycle Sidecar

In-line skating was more popular ten years ago than today. When I first skated on the Minuteman Trail there was a faint herringbone pattern on the pavement from skaters' wheels as they stroked. It's long gone. Not only do I see fewer skaters on the trail, it's much harder to find a store with a good selection of skates. But this spring (and summer, if you count today) there's a definite uptick both in skaters overall and in really good skaters, people who make me feel like a rank amateur after 7,000 miles. A woman passed me this morning in Arlington Heights with a good pace, so I dug in and trailed her to Lexington Center. She told me she's cutting back from doing 18 miles at a time, a serious workout. On my way back to Arlington a man in an elastic cycling suit tore past me at a speed I can't approach.

I've seen any number of bike trailers along the path, but never a bicycle sidecar until today. From a little googling, I think it was a Chariot SideCar bicycle trailer.

Today: 10.5 miles. This year: 450.8 miles.

Morning Mist

Arlington's Great Meadows in Lexington, about 6:30 AM

Today: 8.5 miles. This year: 423.8 miles.

Weight Loss Update

For my money, the office weight-loss group is working brilliantly: I've lost 9.5 pounds in a month and collected $32.50 from less determined dieters. There's a clear sign that the group's overall motivation is flagging, though, as last week's average weight loss was zero. My guess is that biggest cash loser in the group will bow out soon unless he can make a stunning comeback.

Today: 16.5 miles. This week: 415.3 miles.