The one closest to the door

That's the bike I've been riding. It helps that the Slim Chance doesn't need repairs and/or maintenance like most of the others either. The race bike still has clipons on it from the Pinnacle Challenge, and I don't want to wear out its pricey 10 speed drivetrain by riding it on the dirty winter roads. So the Slim it is. The bonus comes with the plush ride of this aging steel frame. I used to think that all this stuff about this bike or that bike being more comfortable was bullshit, but the Slim is WAY more shock absorbing than my aluminum race bike. The front end is a little bit squishy for racing and hard climbing, but for training and riding the frost heaves, this bike is awesome.

That's right, I'm actually riding regularly, not just on telecommuting days. The time change f'd up my normal spring plans. With my 9-6 work schedule, morning training is a must, but now it's damn cold in the morning. Yeah, I know, I should ride to work. I will, just have to work out some logistics, and probably get the MTB going in road trim, preferably with a rack (I hate riding with shit slung over my shoulders). Regardless, with the time change, I get in an hour after work without pushing it too far into darkness.

My left calf is fucked up since the half marathon. This has been a persistent issue all winter, but this is the worst it's been. The pain responds to ibuprophen, and every thing else seems to indicate it's a muscular issue. It seems like something is tight or inflamed and putting pressure on a nerve, sending pain all the way down my outer calf and into my foot. I've tried only two short, easy runs since the half, and neither went so well. Wednesday after my ride I ran 4.5 miles and the first mile it twinged every foot strike. Not good. At least now the ice in the woods and fields is gone and I can go back to training on soft surfaces. February and March nearly all my mileage was on pavement, very bad. Plans to do a 10K pr this Sunday at Cohasset may need to be put off. Sorry this was boring, but I'm half asleep. No proofing here, and every verb weaker than Dunkin Donuts coffee. Thanks for reading.