Change of Pace

Three days of not running and my leg hurts worse that it did to start with. I stretch, I ibuprofen, I rest, I ice...well, I keep meaning to ice...and still, the darn thing keeps aching. I'm trying to think of it like a paper cut. The kind of thing that hardly hurts at all when the injury in actually inflicted, but then the real pain starts once it starts healing. So I'm trying to stay positive while I visualize that the pain means the fibres of my shin bone are fusing and the tears in my calf muscle are fading away.

Meanwhile, I'm currently undergoing the process of adjusting to the new training regime on the bike. A hour to start with on Monday night while watching the first half of Evita, 22 minutes yesterday morning, and another hour and a quarter tonight while watching the rest of the movie. Getting the seat position right has been a bit of a challenge and the delicate little bones of my lower pelvis are the worse for it. My bike seat is hugely padded compared to the little split wedge of titanium that plays the role of "seat" on my boyfriend's bike, but it still seems to dig into my nether regions in the most unpleasant way.

At the same time, my whole body seems pitched forward at too great an angle. I'm not used to the weight on my hands and arms that riding necessitates and can't tell if that means the bike needs to be adjusted somehow or if I just need to get used to these new physiological demands.

Aside from the physical discomfort, I do think I can get a good workout from the trainer. I've been spinning at a comfortable 90-ish rpm at about a 140-150 HR. It makes me sweat up a storm, even with the window open and the fan on, but it doesn't cause me to feel out of breath. I think I could keep that pace up for quite a long while if not for the aching palms and privates, but I think I'm most of the way towards figuring out the necessary logistical fixes for those problems.