No data

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	0:03:58	5:53 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	0:03:13	4:46 pace
Distance (mi )	0.67
Moving Speed (mph)	12.5 avg.	21.7 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+9 / -11
Avg. Heart Rate	98 bpm	Zone 1.3
Temperature (°F)	53.6°F avg.	53.6°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	WNW 11.5 avg.	WNW 11.5 max.

Start Time: 12:02:55 PM
Odometer: 1248.82
Link to map
Actual length of ride: Approx 50 miles

Both science and sport require us to ask the same question: can you have any fun if you are not collecting data? It is ground for considerable dispute on the latter (although probably not the former). For this reason, I suppose that we should say that ports are a funny mix between science and art. Without even getting into the chemistry of sports, we know that virtually every sport has its fanatics who obsess over statistics and averages (why else do we have GPS-enabled watches capable of tracking heart-rate, cadence, position, etc. in 1-second intervals?). But no matter how obsessed you get with your stats, sport also has something that is similar to the musician---we race from 'here to there', shoot baskets, throw footballs, and jog along beaches because we can. In fact, I don't think we work as hard as we do so that we can run marathons or complete centuries. Rather, we work hard so that when the opportunity to run or ride for fun comes along, we can do it almost without limit. We get so focused on our next PR sometimes, that we forget just WHY we started all of this in the first place.

So when my computer which had mysteriously discharged its battery overnight, announced that it had a low battery when I powered up and then shut itself off at the 0.68 mile mark, I realized that today was just about riding for the love it. My grand plans to ride 55 miles at a decent pace were going to be limited by not knowing where to turn around and only being able to intuit my pace based on the way my body feels.

It was probably good that today was a 'for the love of it' ride. I decided to head South toward the Burnham Greenway and wherever that took me. I avoid that route in the dark because it involves so much street riding and although I had not ridden the Greenway previously, I had heard that the street crossings were treacherous. I was not mistaken. First, I am not sure I get how the section of the Greenway at Indianapolis Ave connects to the section that starts around State Street (149th-ish?). I think it is just good planning to pull the path out onto Wolf Lake Blvd, but then do we really ride down Avenue O/Burnham Ave? O is not too bad, but once you cross Brainard you are really taking your life in your hands. I had cars honking at me, the road was terrible, and I was bracing to get hit by a beer can most of the way. In Lansing, the Greenway ends quite abruptly---literally going from a paved path to the large rocks that make up a railroad bed without warning (I was thinking, 'this path seems poorly maintained' because there were leaves all over the ground and then I suddenly was no longer on asphalt).

The problem with the Burnham Greenway is a failure to commit. Why build a bike trail if you are unwilling to put stop signs up at all (I would settle for most or many) of the street crossings. Instead, the Burham Greenway (BG) has stop signs at precisely NONE of the crossings. The result allows for neither science nor art---one cannot build sufficient speed to get a workout and the amount of time spent trying to get across busy streets distracts one from the strange beauty of an trail that parallels a powercut. Both science and art require a commitment and the designers of the BG seem to know neither. Assuming I can find a reasonable way to use the BG to get to the Erie Lackawanna, then perhaps it will be useful to ride it again. For now, I will head North for long rides and head out to Chesterton when I need a trail East of Chicago.