So...
I travel for a living, or so it seems, and I have to get in workouts in strange places. Yesterday saw a 3 1/2 hour drive in the morning and a swim at the Sewickley, PA YMCA. This part went well according to plans, except that I forgot my "business socks" and had my lunch meeting with leather loafers and no socks. I don't think I am that guy...
After lunch I get into my 3 1/2 hour drive home which was planning to be interrupted by a bike/run brick at an abandoned section of the PA Turnpike
(pike 2 bike
) which I had never been on before, or for that matter researched much about. When I get there I do a gear check...
CO2 canister, check
Tube, check
Multi-Tool, check
Light, shite, I forgot to charge the light on the front of my bike so it is only staying in blink mode. How long can the "tunnels" be?
Phone, check
Helmet, check
I got my running gear ready for my return to the truck and headed up the hill to the start of the Pike.
WOW, this doesn't look great. But, I am sure that it's going to get better. How could a section of unmaintained turnpike not get better than broken road with broken glass all over it? I trudge along at a pretty slow clip, trying to weave around the better spots on the road and in the distance I see the first tunnel. No problem I think, until the light from behind me fades and I realize that I am in the dark, yup the real dark.
Step 1, take off my sunglasses. Yup, I am buffoon. It's now a little brighter, next I turn on the flashlight on my phone, it's passable at a snails pace. Through the tunnel I continue searching for "better" spots on the road and am quite proud of my adventurous self. About 7 miles deep I get to the beginning of tunnel #2, it is longer and apparently darker. Using my first decent judgement of the day I turn around and decide that 15 miles will do just fine for the bike portion of today's brick which was only asking for 45 minutes anyways.
Pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, klunk, pedal, pedal, pffffttt noise. DANG I have a flat. No problem, tire off, tube off, tube on tire on. CO2 attached and...pfffttttt noise. Ah yes, I used this cartridge last year to fill my buddies two flats on one ride. With no options I start walking, then running. I know the damage I am doing to my shoes so I use more of my poor judgement and decide to go for a while in sock feet. This lasts about 3/4 mile and I decide that damage to the shoes is better than damage to my feet. I ran the 3 miles back
(just over 9:00 pace
) with my clickity clack shoes entertaining me the entire way. I was happy to see the finish line.
The damage:
Shoes - need new cleats, now both pairs do as I had to walk 1.5 miles the other week after a blowout at 30mph destroyed my tire.
Tire - apparently the tire couldn't hold up to being "run flat" for 4.5 miles.
Pride - nah, had none to start with and other than the 8 teenagers laughing at the dude in a all spandex running in clickity clack shoes while pushing his bike, and the 7 deer, nobody is the wiser.
New Checklist -
Charge lights before heading on any out of town bikes
New CO2 after any use of first one
Tubes - Bring 2, just in case
Pride - still not a factor
Good news is I got my sessions in for the day and today is only a swim at lunch in my local pool. What could possibly go wrong? In future I wouldn't take a high risk ride like this without a partner in crime.