Say What?

I've been distracted with some outdoor stuff lately so my stained glass hobby has climbed into the backseat—for how long I don't know. I was hoping to craft at least a few more sun-catchers before I close up shop until next winter but the lure of being outdoors is quite strong now. Yes, I've been getting out for some rides and some walks. It's been nice to feel the sun on my face again. I had my first ride on my gravel bike on Saturday. I did a 54 mile (87 km) loop out beyond Jordan . The ride was mostly just to get a feel for my bike and to dial in my position on it. I was able to find some gravel along the way so that was a bonus. It's a fun bike and will easily rival my fat-bike in that department. Why a gravel bike? Well, it opens up more choices for riding. It's difficult to ride my road bike on gravel so now I can venture down roads I might otherwise avoid for fear of the pavement turning to gravel. I could use my fat-bike for gravel but it's not g...

I'm done with my burst of prednisone and the pain in my leg that I was taking it for. Honestly, I think I could've done without the drug. I'm quite sure the pain would've gone away on its own. I was only on it for one week but it was enough to shut down my adrenal gland, where cortisol is produced. I finished an indoor training ride on Tuesday and commented in my notes about the ride that my heart rate was much higher than it usually is for the level of watts I was putting out. Happily, Thursday night's ride assured me that my adrenal gland was getting back up to speed as I compared my heart rate and watts. They were much more in the range of where I'm used to seeing them. I figure it took 5 days for my adrenal gland to begin producing cortisol again. I spent some time yesterday  transferring the seat and handlebar settings on my road bike over to my gravel bike. They're not exact (nor should they be) but I think I've got the settings pretty close to ...

My workouts have been put on hold while my back recovers from some sort of injury, most likely related to snow removal. I'm not exactly sure what I did but I've never had a back injury quite like this one. It began one week ago and while it felt a little sore at first it became much worse over the next few days. I call it a back injury but it mostly presents itself as a searing pain in my left buttock and down toward my left calf. I went into an orthopedic urgent-care Sunday morning where they took x-rays. The images showed nothing out of the ordinary, suggesting it was some sort of soft tissue injury. I'm on a burst of prednisone and a muscle relaxer. I'm feeling better today but I'm not quite ready to resume my workouts—maybe tomorrow. I need to strengthen my core—it's that simple. My Subaru Forrester turned 5 years old this week just as its odometer racked up 50,000 miles (80,000 km). It's been a good car and I'm happy with it but if I had to choos...