Readers Stay Active, Healthy

The Record recently asked how readers were moving toward their fitness goals these days—especially as seasons change and temperatures drop. Below are a few first responses. Send yours with a photo to nihrecord@nih.gov.

C&O Canal Caper

“I’m an NIH volunteer since my retirement from NIMHD (previously I worked at NCI) in December 2019. With travel plans canceled, my husband and I decided to explore all 184 miles of the C&O canal, stretching from Georgetown to Cumberland, Md. We walked or biked the entire length.”—Dr. Nancy Breen

Telework Forces Route Adjustments

As the pandemic moved us to this telework situation, I continue to cycle but had to adjust a bit since I lost the mileage I would gain from my bike commute. That was 26 miles daily, so while teleworking I couldn’t always get out long enough to rack up those miles. While it had been warm out, I would do some night riding. My favorite routes were through Rock Creek Park or downtown at night. During the winter, I’ve resorted to more indoor riding on our Peloton bike. But with the right clothing and bike [See bike photo on p. 1], I can easily manage the winter weather. I’ll break out the gravel or mountain bike and get the insulated clothing on for some winter riding and work through any snow we may get. I’ve also started doing some hiking and recently hiked a loop at Old Rag.—Steve Friedman, SEER Program Manager, NCI

Exploring D.C. via Bike Trail

My friends Joey, Joe and I have been exploring the D.C. area by bike and even did a 63-mile D.C. perimeter bike ride! Starting at NIH, we took Rock Creek Park to Silver Spring, continued down the Sligo Creek Parkway, got lost a bit, then followed the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River to Alexandria. Then we hopped onto the Mt. Vernon trail, took a quick tour of the National Mall, then headed back to NIH via the Capital Crescent trail.—Charlotte Langner, postbac IRTA fellow, NIAID Brenchley Laboratory