Adventure: Run & Ride

One of my favorite aspects of visiting Maine in the summer is the opportunity for running and cycling. It’s not like I can’t run and ride at home, I do on a near daily basis, but these activities in the humid, low lying, mostly flat roads of Maine are an entirely different experience. I’ve been here just over a week and have done a little over one hundred miles on the Brompton, and have managed to sneak in a few runs here and there, including a five mile jaunt this very morning.

Several things are different this year.

First, my choice of bicycle. The single-speed Salsa stayed in New Mexico. I love my Fargo Ti. Love it. It’s the ultimate do anything bike, and for someone wanting a one arrow bike quiver, look no further than the Salsa. This year, however, I chose to take the new Brompton G-Line. For those who don’t know, the Brompton is a folding bike, known for its legendary tri-fold, which allows the bike to fold up smaller than many other folding options. The G-Line is the new “multi-surface” Brompton with twenty-inch wheels, wide handlebars, flat pedals, disc brakes, and a Shimano internal hub. Compared to the original Brompton, this new G-Line is a totally new experience.

The Brompton is heavy. No way around this fact, but the bike does not ride heavy, and for those wondering, it rides like a normal bike. It looks funny, sure. The larger wheels soak up the surface, and the wide bars are comfortable even after three or four hours on the bike. The flat pedals are good with all kinds of shoes, but the most important upgrade is the internal hub. Shifting on the new G-Line is effortless. An internal hub allows for shifting when the bike is stopped, something I never thought I would like or need until I had it. Disc brakes are awesome, and the bike feels great when standing to grind up a massive, six-inch Maine “mountain.”

The Brompton is an instant conversation no matter where you go, and this is one of the strongest and most important aspects of the bike. The G-Line gets people interested in cycling. No need for a bike rack, no need to lock it up outside where it will surely get stolen, you just fold it up and take it along. I’ve taken my Brompton in bars and restaurants here in Kennebunkport, as well as a range of other locations. When my wife rides her original Brompton to the beach, she folds it up and puts it in the backseat of a friend’s car to avoid getting the cogs sandy. And when it comes to the van, the Brompton saves me a significant amount of space. I have sizable plans for this bike. At some point in the future, I’ll be flying with this bike. There are rides in S. Korea I’ve got my eye on.

Now, the running.

I don’t run far, and I don’t run fast. Those days are over. I used to be a runner. In sixth grade, I set the school record for the mile: 6:01. This is probably considered slow by today’s standards, but back then, people thought I was a running God. The truth is, I was doped. I wasn’t taking cortisone, or testosterone, or D-ball or EPO, or horse tranquilizer; I was spending nearly four months a year running at 8,000 feet in the mountains of Wyoming.

This was not running for enjoyment; this was running to get shit for my dad’s ranch partner, whom I was working for. “Squirt, go get me a ten mil socket.” Thirty seconds later, “Squirt, go get me a thirteen mil socket.” Why I didn’t bring the entire toolbox tells you I wasn’t the most intelligent of children. This running was an obstacle course. Asked for a tool, I would turn and start to run. Then I needed to avoid the colossal bulls in the pen that would charge the second I entered their domain. Then I needed to either scale the corral or go under it. Then jump the creek. You get the picture. It was a ranch kid triathlon. Oh, and I was running in cowboy boots and jeans. Smart, real smart.

A typical run for me now is three miles on trail. Sometimes I’ll stretch it out to five or six miles. After five years of Lyme Disease, my joints are not what they once were, and here is one of the aspects that makes Maine challenging. I don’t run trails here. I don’t touch anything green because the tick/disease situation here is off the charts. It’s far worse than you know. So, when I run in Maine, it’s either beach or road. Beach is no issue, but road is a pounding, and at my age, this counts.

I know that some of you will write and tell me how much you hate running. I get it. Cycling is a dream compared to running. Much easier, unless you crest the fifty-mile threshold, and a lot less pounding. But running gives me something cycling does not. A quicker, more demanding workout. And one plays off the other. Running improves my cycling ability. Running also provides me with an outlet while traveling. Blurb keeps me hopping, and most Blurb trips are like speed dating. Lots of action while standing at a table, meeting strangers. Not much time for cycling, but an early morning run is doable. Many hotels have treadmills. I just did a treadmill run for the first time in my adult life, and I have to say it was incredible. So forgiving. Want to know a trick for jet lag? Sweat.

Not to focus too much on the gear, but let me tell you about my shoes. Just like my bicycle, they look funny. I know, I get it. When purchasing the Brooks Glycerin Max, the guy behind the counter asked if I had run in these shoes before. “Never,” I said. He politely mentioned they might not have sold as well as they thought because of how the shoes looked. These are max cushion shoes, my first ever pair. Heck, these are my first-ever pair of real, modern running shoes. Hoka brought max cushion, and many of the other brands are playing catch-up. Brooks has been a stellar running brand for decades. My normal running shoes are trail shoes, which I thought were perfectly fine for everything, and for people with healthy joints, they probably are, but not for me. The moment I tried on the Brooks, I knew I was stepping into the future.

I don’t have to be in pain. That’s what I learned on my first run in these shoes. My right knee is wonky from something. Not running, it got wonky all by itself, but on my first run in the Brooks, the pain was non-existent. I did my three miles over five minutes faster than normal, and this was while trying to keep myself in Zone 2. I planned to run three, walk two, and be done with it. But after running three, I decided to keep going. I chose a road with steep, punchy hills. Up, down, up, down. Sure, I was hating me, you, your children, your neighbors, their kids and pets, and humanity in general, but my legs and feet felt STELLAR.

I probably look like an astronaut from the ankles down, but one thing I’ve learned in my middle ages is that I don’t care what you or your neighbor thinks. I gave up caring a long time ago. Heck, I’m blogging. You know how many photographers have looked at me and said, “I don’t blog,” in a condescending tone. That might be why you are going out of business. I digress. These shoes make running more fun than my old shoes, and this makes a HUGE difference. Believe me, I sometimes have to psyche myself out to go run. I know I’m going to suffer, but I always feel better after a run, especially when there is a Maine chocolate, potato doughnut waiting for me, so I can counteract any positive health gain.

If these shoes perform as I think they will, I can see increasing my run frequency and even increasing the distances. Am I the next Prefontaine? Probably not, but maybe I can keep the aging dogs at bay for a while longer. If you don’t run but read this post and want to give it a go, just go slow. Start small. Start short. The distance doesn’t matter. Start with time. Jog, don’t run, for one minute. See how it goes. Then sign up for an ultra and get a massive leg tattoo. Wait, no. Don’t do that. But do the start slow part.

PS: The Brompton G-Line is an expensive bicycle, but is an integral part of my life, and using the bike saves me money. I’m keeping track of the savings and will share with you when I reach a number you might find interesting. Secondly, the shoes I bought were originally $211, which might seem crazy, but in the world of running shoes, it’s not that crazy. However, I purchased the shoes for $121, which I felt was a deal I did not want to pass up. Also, although I mention brand and model, what bike you ride or what shoe you use isn’t the point. The point is using whatever works for you. Just like your camera. There are so many good bikes and shoes now, we are truly spoiled.

This is not a post about what bike or shoe you think is better than those I mentioned here. Again, whatever works for you is what works. Go for it.

At the time of this post: 442 miles on the Brompton.