"I stand in awe of my body"

For having a completely clean medical record after almost 12 years of living in the polluted state of jersey, after rolling with the horses, train beds, and gypsy-punks of the French countryside, after spending a summer under the canopy of mosquito jungles, quite literally eating monkey poo, after living exclusively on the 5-second rule and a "what-won't-kill-you-makes-you-stronger" maxim. All of a sudden my body takes a swerve during my first summer in Boston and succumbs to the New England pollen. I am currently a walking snot machine. I mean, it's either allergies or I contracted the swine flu--which would make me feel like total badass were it not so improbable.

Anyways, today is Week II (or Day 2). I was scheduled for an early morning bike run but it's already 11:00 am, so everything's moved up 4 hours. I've been wanting to go to Walden Pond for a while. So I went online and found a handy 40 mi route that uses the Minuteman Trail on www.bikely.com.

And here are my Walk-thru notes that will guide me through tomorrow's ride. Note the lack of details. I'll be depending on my awesome photographic memory, but mostly my reliable phonebook contacts.

START AT BU BRIDGE (Cambridge-Side)

1. Take Memorial Drive west along the Charles

1.a Continue past JFK Bridge

1.b continue past Arsenal Bridge

2. RIGHT on N Beacon St

2.a [6.6 mi] Mt Auburn/ N Beacon intersection

3. Continue on N Beacon St --> Main St

4. RIGHT on Lyman St [9.4 mi]

5. LEFT on Beaver St (taking the Rotary)

6. RIGHT on Lexington St [10.3 mi]

7. LEFT on Totten Pond Rd

7.a Continue on Totten Pond-- road turns into Winter St at [11.5 mi]

7.b Follow Winter St. through Rt 128

7.c Continue on Winter St around the Cambridge Reservoir

7.d Winter St. bends left at around [13.5 mi], and intersects Old Country Rd.

7.e Winter St. bends right at [14 mi]

8. LEFT on Trapelo Rd.

8.a Intersects Bedford/Lincoln Rd

8.b Trapelo turns to Sandy Pond Rd at [15.8 mi]

9. LEFT at Baker Bridge Rd [16 mi (?)]

10. RIGHT on Concord Rd/Rt 126 [17.5 mi]

11. WALDEN POND at mile 18.

12. Continue north on Rt 126/Concord Rd/ WALDEN ST

12.a Crosses Concord Turnpike/2A

13. LEFT on Thoreau St

14. RIGHT on Sudbury Rd [19.7 mi]

15. Merge (RIGHT) on Main St/ Rt 62

16. Slight LEFT on Lexington Rd

17. RIGHT on Bedford St./ Rt 62

17.a Continue (left/north) onto SOUTH BEDFORD St/ Rt 62

17.b Countinue South Bedford onto CONCORD Rd

18. RIGHT on Hartwell Rd [23.4 mi]

19. LEFT on South Rd [25 mi]

20. RIGHT ON MINUTEMAN BIKEWAY [25.2 mi]

21. END MINUTEMAN BIKEWAY [35.2 mi]

21.a Mere to Cambridgepark Way ( go around parking lot)

22. LEFT on Cambridgepark Dr. (around parking lot)

23. RIGHT on Alewife Brook Pkway/Rt3/Rt16/Rt2 [35.4 mi]

24. LEFT on Concord Ave (taking the Rotary) [36 mi]

25. RIGHT on Garden St [37.3 mi]

26. RIGHT on Mason St

27. LEFT on James St

28. LEFT on Brattle St

ARRIVE TO HARVARD SQ.

............

Wish me luck