Out here in the fields

The change of the clocks brings with it the return of glorius morning sunshine. This morning I was out on the cross bike at 6:45, rolling across the sheep pasture not long after that. Now I know why sheep wear wool. At 34 degrees when I left the house, there was no ice, but I guess I'm going to have to invest in some new gloves. The good news is that on these morning rides, as I warm up, so does the day.

The fields are lumpy, and I slalommed around a bit in a weak effor to tamp the grass down. After a bit I upped my pace, but it was still too early in the morning for S.H.I.T. No running today either. My hamstrings still doth protest from Sunday's run. I ground around at low cadence, reaching upper zone 3 for several minutes before heading back home and cooling down.

Only one dog walker out there today, which is kind of surprising. It wasn't that cold, and I thought the dawn's early light might mean sharing the space with more people. I am quite lucky to have this resource right next to home. I was able to put together a six minutes lap quite easily, and I can extend this without difficulty. Some night I am going to have to go over there and clear away some loose sticks and crap, but for the most part it is good to go. The grass has grown back a bit since the Harvest Fair, but I might meet up with the guy who does the upkeep some morning and arrange for him to mow my track down.

Still waiting for word on whether or not tommorow will be my last day in Lowder Brook. The rumor is we're moving to Canton, which will be sweet. Working right in the Blue Hills will be a big bonus when afternoon daylight returns. That building also has a better gym and a 5/8 mile horse racing track that can be used for running (There are a bunch of stables on the premises, but I've never seen any horses. Long story, but basically the prior owners who developed the property agreed to preserve the farm, so now we do it). Let me know if that link doesn't work, as I'm not sure if it can be accessed from the outside world.

Farmington and Noho on tap this weekend. The forecast high's are for real cross weather, as in cold. Both courses are pretty fast. These were my two best cross races last year so I'm hoping to do better than usual. Not sure how much racing I'll do after this.

Built up a front wheel Sunday, an older 28H American Classic hub laced to a Mavic Reflex clincher rim. I've got two more of these rims, one 28H and a 32H, and I picked up some 10s Ultegra hubs to go with them. I've got spokes to do the 28, but I'll need to get some 294 and 295's for the 32H. This will alleviate my shortage of "modern" back wheels. I'm going to try using a bunch of spacers from old cassettes to convert a freehub wheel to a single speed too. Not sure which frame I'll try this on.

I'm gonna get panned by KL for writing another post devoid of wit. Sorry. I had some good ideas, but now that morning training is back, I'm writing from the cube farm, so I had to check my imagination at the elevator door. Maybe later. Thanks for reading.