For those in the know, my little dream of returning to the Boston Marathon came to a stumbling halt at mile 18 of today's marathon, courtesy of a fragile knee that got a bit fragile-er. Before we fire up the pity wagon, however, I should also mention a young woman I shuffled up alongside at mile 24, in tears after deciding to quit. With TWO MILES to go. We had a brief conversation, she dried her tears, put back on her number and we stumbled to the finish together. Boston can wait. Time to get healthy.

Weekly activity log:

Swim: 0 (ytd 137,200 yds.)

Bike: 0 (ytd 2,485 mi.)

Run: 36 miles (ytd 1,158 mi.)

The Wall Street Journal recently ran a story 'Rise of the five-figure bicycle.' The story led with mention of a Ted Perry, who dipped into his 401(k) to buy a $20,000 bicycle. Perry said, "Once you buy it and ride it, it becomes an extension of you, almost." I'd argue that with my three-figure bike and its one gear, no shifting, no coasting and no nonsense, there's also no 'almost.' It's cycling at its most pure. And it leaves me plenty left over for post-ride ice cream, without dipping into retirement. Silly Wall Street Journal. Silly Ted Perry.

Weekly activity log:

Swim: 0 (ytd 137,200 yds.)

Bike: 0 (ytd 2,485 mi.)

Run: 32 miles (ytd 1,122 mi.)

Photo: 12-mile run, 7:00 a.m., 55 degrees, Linn County, Iowa

Weekly activity log:

Swim: 0 (ytd 137,200 yds.)

Bike: 0 (ytd 2,485 mi.)

Run: 34 miles (ytd 1,090 mi.)

…must be marathon season. Or time for socks.

Photo: 20-mile run, 6:30 a.m., 40 degrees, Linn County, Iowa

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 0 (ytd 137,200 yds.)
Bike: 0 (ytd 2,485 mi.)
Run: 49 miles (ytd 1,056 mi.)

…they say it's not worth getting up at dawn to run 20.

Photo: 5-mile run, 32-mile ride, 9:00 a.m., 70 degrees, Linn County, Iowa

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 0 (ytd 137,200 yds.)
Bike: 54 (ytd 2,485 mi.)
Run: 39 miles (ytd 1,007 mi.)

Chasing the pot of gold…both of them.

Photo: 5-mile run, 6:30 p.m., 75 degrees, Marion, Iowa

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 0 (ytd 137,200 yds.)
Bike: 0 (ytd 2,431 mi.)
Run: 45 miles (ytd 968 mi.)

Photo: After the 6-mile run, before the 12-mile run, 7:00 p.m., 75 degrees, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Weekly activity log:

Swim: 0 (ytd 137,200 yds.)

Bike: 10 (ytd 2,431 mi.)

Run: 38 miles (ytd 923 mi.)

Photo: track workout…and a tumble, 6:00 a.m., 70 degrees, Marion, Iowa

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 2,200 (ytd 137,200 yds.)
Bike: 18 (ytd 2,421 mi.)
Run: 49 miles (ytd 885 mi.)

The track in the dark…dumb.

Photo: 4-mile run, 7:00 a.m., 70 degrees, New York City, New York

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 2,200 (ytd 135,000 yds.)
Bike: 34 (ytd 2,403 mi.)
Run: 45 miles (ytd 836 mi.)

When in Central Park...

Photo: 13-mile run, 10-mile bike, 1-mile swim, 9:00 a.m., 70 degrees, Linn County, Iowa

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 2,900 (ytd 132,800 yds.)
Bike: 73 (ytd 2,369 mi.)
Run: 39 miles (ytd 791 mi.)

Photo: 12-mile run, 9:00 a.m., 50 degrees, Eagle County, Colorado

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 3,500 (ytd 129,000 yds.)
Bike: 43 (ytd 2,296 mi.)
Run: 35 miles (ytd 752 mi.)


.

Photo: 13-mile run, 9:30 a.m., 60 degrees, Eagle County, Colorado

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 5,400 (ytd 125,500 yds.)
Bike: 71 (ytd 2,253 mi.)
Run: 51 miles (ytd 717 mi.)

Photo: 30-mile fixie ride, 2-mile run, 1-yard mowed, 1-mile swim, 8:30 a.m., 73 degrees, Linn county, Iowa

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 3,000 (ytd 120,100 yds.)
Bike: 50 (ytd 2,182 mi.)
Run: 47 miles (ytd 666 mi.)

Desolation Road

Photo: 41-mile ride, 1-mile swim, 6:00 a.m., 70 degrees, Marion, Iowa

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 4,600 (ytd 117,100 yds.)
Bike: 105 (ytd 2,132 mi.)
Run: 40 miles (ytd 619 mi.)

Photo: 53-mile ride, 7-mile run, 1 yard mowed, 1-mile swim, 11:00 a.m., 80 degrees, Marion, Iowa

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 4,300 (ytd 112,500 yds.)
Bike: 123 (ytd 2,027 mi.)
Run: 35 miles (ytd 579 mi.)

Quadathlon.

Photo: 38-mile ride, 7-mile run, 1-mile swim, 11:00 a.m., 80 degrees, Marion, Iowa

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 7,100 (ytd 108,200 yds.)
Bike: 104 (ytd 1,904 mi.)
Run: 33 miles (ytd 544 mi.)

No one said swim, bike, run couldn't be bike, run, swim.

Photo: 10-mile run, 7:00 a.m., 65 degrees, Apple Valley, Minnesota

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 5,900 (ytd 101,100 yds.)
Bike: 82 (ytd 1,800 mi.)
Run: 31 miles (ytd 511 mi.)

The loneliness of the long-distance runner…minus the lonely part.

Photo: 7-mile run, 7:00 a.m., 50 degrees, Kirkland, Washington

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 1,100 (ytd 95,200 yds.)
Bike: 55 (ytd 1,718 mi.)
Run: 22 miles (ytd 480 mi.)

Photo: 24-mile bike, 6:00 a.m., 60 degrees, Linn County, Iowa

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 5,400 (ytd 94,100 yds.)
Bike: 61 (ytd 1,673 mi.)
Run: 27 miles (ytd 448 mi.)

Photo: 6-mile run, 7:00 a.m., 45 degrees, Decorah, Iowa

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 7,000 (ytd 88,700 yds.)
Bike: 91 (ytd 1,612 mi.)
Run: 30 miles (ytd 421 mi.)

Photo: 1-mile swim, 8-mile run, 27-mile bike, 6:00 a.m., 45 degrees, Linn County, Iowa

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 5,600 (ytd 81,700 yds.)
Bike: 91 (ytd 1,521 mi.)
Run: 27 miles (ytd 391 mi.)

Photo: Bike-Run-Bike-Run-Bike-Run-Bike-Run, 8:00 a.m., 50 degrees, Linn County, Iowa

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 3,400 (ytd 76,100 yds.)
Bike: 107 (ytd 1,430 mi.)
Run: 24 miles (ytd 364 mi.)

Photo: After the 38-mile ride, 4-mile run, 10:00 a.m., 45 degrees, Linn County, Iowa

Weekly activity log:

Swim: 6,000 (ytd 72,700 yds.)

Bike: 100 (ytd 1,323 mi.)

Run: 20 miles (ytd 340 mi.)

Dog days are coming…right?

Photo: 30-mile ride, 2-mile run, 8:30 a.m., 45 degrees, Lin County, Iowa

Weekly activity log:

Swim: 6,000 (ytd 66,700 yds.)

Bike: 74 (ytd 1,223 mi.)

Run: 23 miles (ytd 320 mi.)

Photo: 5-mile run, 5:30 a.m., 55 degrees, Scottsdale, Arizona

Weekly activity log:

Swim: 1,200 (ytd 55,300 yds.)

Bike: 70 (ytd 1.024 mi.)

Run: 20 miles (ytd 281 mi.)

Photo: 30-mile ride, 5-mile run, 9:00 a.m., 33 degrees, Linn County, Iowa

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 5,400 (ytd 54,100 yds.)
Bike: 100 (ytd 954 mi.)
Run: 25 miles (ytd 261 mi.)

Photo: 90-minute ride, 60-minute run, 9:00 a.m., 30 degrees, Linn County, Iowa

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 4,000 (ytd 48,700 yds.)
Bike: 107 (ytd 854 mi.)
Run: 21 miles (ytd 236 mi.)

Photo: 1-hour ride, 3-mile run, 8:00 a.m., 17 degrees, Linn County, Iowa

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 4,000 (ytd 44,700 yds.)
Bike: 97 (ytd 747 mi.)
Run: 15 miles (ytd 215 mi.)

Shortcut.

Photo: 30-mile fixie ride, 1-mile run, 7:00 a.m., 28 degrees, Linn County, Iowa

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 5,800 (ytd 40,700 yds.)
Bike: 101 (ytd 651 mi.)
Run: 4 miles (ytd 200 mi.)

Photo: 90-minute fixie ride, 9:00 a.m., 28 degrees, Linn County, Iowa

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 5,000 (ytd 34,900 yds.)
Bike: 86 (ytd 550 mi.)
Run: 10 miles (ytd 196 mi.)

Spring? Please?

Photo: 8-mile run, 7:00 a.m., -12 degrees, Marion, Iowa

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 0 (ytd 29,900 yds.)
Bike: 72 (ytd 464 mi.)
Run: 21 miles (ytd 186 mi.)

March…just sayin'.

Photo: 6-mile run, 12-mile bike, 5:30 a.m., 6 degrees, Marion, Iowa

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 5,600 (ytd 29,900 yds.)
Bike: 50 (ytd 392 mi.)
Run: 23 miles (ytd 165 mi.)

Streetlight, moonlight. It's back toward sub-zero we go.

Photo: 6-mile run, 10-mile bike, 6:30 a.m., -2 degrees, Marion, Iowa

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 5,600 (ytd 24,300 yds.)
Bike: 58 (ytd 342 mi.)
Run: 21 miles (ytd 142 mi.)

There are worse places to walk out the door for a run.

Photo: 3-mile run, 8 a.m., 45 degrees, Scottsdale, Arizona

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 1,800 (ytd 18,700 yds.)
Bike: 53 (ytd 284 mi.)
Run: 16 miles (ytd 121 mi.)

There are worse places to walk out the door for a run.

Photo: 4-mile run, 6 a.m., 45 degrees, Scottsdale, Arizona

Weekly activity log:

Swim: 5,000 (ytd 16,900 yds.)

Bike: 54 (ytd 231 mi.)

Run: 20 miles (ytd 105 mi.)

A welcome break from winter.

Photo: 7-mile run, 11-mile bike, 9 a.m., -4 degrees, Marion, Iowa

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 4,600 (ytd 11,900 yds.)
Bike: 44 (ytd 177 mi.)
Run: 25 miles (ytd 85 mi.)

Eyecicle

Photo: 7-mile run, 11-mile bike, 9 a.m., 20 degrees, Marion, Iowa

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 2,800 (ytd 7,300 yds.)
Bike: 63 (ytd 133 mi.)
Run: 23 miles (ytd 60 mi.)

Photo: sick day, on the couch, 69 degrees

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 2,900 (ytd 4,500 yds.)
Bike: 35 (ytd 70 mi.)
Run: 6 miles (ytd 27 mi.)

Funny how they just know when you're not feeling so hot.

Photo: 7-mile runs, Bertram and Decorah, Iowa, 8 a.m., 0 degrees

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 3,100 (ytd 1,600 yds.)
Bike: 38 (ytd 35 mi.)
Run: 23 miles (ytd 21 mi.)

Photo: 20-mile ride, 7-mile run, Linn County, Iowa, 8 a.m., 28 degrees

Weekly activity log:
Swim: 2,700 (ytd 179,400 yds.)
Bike: 67 (ytd 3,914 mi.)
Run: 22 miles (ytd 1,250 mi.)

Merry Christmas to me.

.
Photo: 7-mile run, Marion, Iowa, 8 a.m., 20 degrees

Weekly activity log:

Swim: 3,600 (ytd 176,700 yds.)

Bike: 41 (ytd 3,847 mi.)

Run: 23 miles (ytd 1,228 mi.)

Kids outside in the snow. Adults inside complaining. I side with the kids.

Photo: 7-mile run, Marion, Iowa, 5 a.m., 0 degrees

Weekly activity log:

Swim: 3,800 (ytd 173,100 yds.)

Bike: 41 (ytd 3,806 mi.)
Run: 20 miles (ytd 1,205 mi.)

Why is winter always early to arrive, and spring always late?