I’m scrambling to finish all the projects I started over my sabbatical before I make my triumphant return to wrenching on the 22nd.
Here’s the latest project I’ve crossed off my fun to-do list:
I started on this cross stitch project a week before the Martin Prince embroidery piece. The fact that I was working with 18-count black aida cloth required good lighting.
I thought I was a genius when I figured out how to make a grid overlay for the original image in GIMP so that I had a rough idea of how to transform the image into a cross stitch piece, until Sarah shared this website, which transforms images into a cross stitch (as well as crocheting, quilting, knitting, and diamond painting) pattern.
I was already 1/20ths of the way through the project, so I decided to stay with my original plan. I made the frame as well, using polymer clay and enough Gorilla Glue to make me nauseous for half an hour.
Four days ago, I pulled off my most kudos-worthy run yet: 12.5km at an average pace of 5:07/km. Sadly, that wasn’t the only thing I pulled. As soon as I saved my run and slowed to a walk, I noticed a tightness in the front of my left hip. Earlier in the week, I’d booked a 45-minute session with an RMT, knowing I’d have a tough week ahead of me, what with the last Zwift race with the RIOT Mint squad. It was the massage therapist who taught me the word iliopsoas: the trickiest word I’ve had to learn to spell in a long time.
So, yeah, I hurt my left iliopsoas, and I’m now struggling not to walk like Kramer in skinny jeans. It’s been four days, and since then, I’ve done all my running as Link in Hyrule. Even then, I sometimes ride my newest steed instead:
In an effort to clear out the ongoing lemon party from my fridge’s vegetable crisper, I made my third batch of lemon thumbprint cookies. I discovered the best method for drizzling lemon icing over the cookies: I used a piping bag with a small round tip. I also shaped one cookie into a heart for Valentine’s Day and another into Jason for Friday the 13th.
The heart was grotesque: I ate it before anyone could see my failed attempt at cookie artistry.
Jason, however…
To quote one of the cookie recipients, Alexa:
“I had a bite of Jason and he was lovely!”
She also added,
“Wow, baking is a science and I cannot get into it. I’m grateful for yours and Daniel’s interest!”
She’s inspired me to undertake a science experiment. I made these cookies with grass-fed butter, and I think that made a difference. It’s hard to tell unless one can make the comparison at the same time. In my fridge, there are currently 4 batches of 3-ingredient shortbread cookie dough, each made with a different brand of butter. And I still have lots of lemon.
Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do with the leftover lemons? They’re getting old.
squaremeat.com 
Risking the danger of mansplaining, here was my experience going from a cycling meathead to a running meathhead.
Cycling is a sitting exercise so your hip flexors don’t get stretched. However, your ass muscles get stretched. From what I’ve read, a lot of cyclists who get into running have a tendency to ‘sit’ into their gate because their hip flexors are tight and their ass muscles are loose. I used to get incredible front hip pain from running where it felt like my hips were trying to rip apart and I would have to walk.
The solution was less about stretching my hips and more about exercising my ass. Before every run I would do some gluteal activation exercises like banded bridges until my butt would burn, then I would go running. I would focus on activating my posterior chain before runs. This helped with my posture while running and helped fix my hips.
The other danger I read about is cycling fitness transfers to running well but that is actually a bad thing because the body isn’t ready for it. Cycling is zero impact whereas running hammers muscles, tendons, and bones. A typical runner startes from scratch and builds muscle but given your cycling fitness, your muscles are already developed. However, you’re now hammering the tendons and your bones. Because your muscles are strong but your tendons aren’t ready to support them in a running context so you have a higher chance of wrecking them.
Finally, the bones. I learned that in order for bones to become more dense, your body removes minerals, then replaces them with more dense ones (or something to that affect – I’m not a doctor!). So there is a window where before your bones get stronger they actually become much weaker.
So, for a cyclist turned runner, it is better to go slow or short like a beginner. The fitness is there but the body isn’t ready for it, but once things start feeling solid you will be a ripper.
The worst part is you lose the running durability fast. You do all this work to build up the ability to run 10km at a decent pace but if you take 2 weeks off you will feel it the next time. Which is why I always try to run once a week.
Running is the worst. It is boring and a high risk of injury but the consequences are you feel way fitter than you’ll feel as a cyclist and it is cool knowing you can slap out a 10km run without it being a big deal. So worth it, I guess. Still not sure.
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Loose ass is right!
I didn’t find any of this mansplain-y at all. I find everything you’ve written super useful info, especially since you were also into cycling first. Thank you!
After enduring multiple injuries from climbing, I finally incorporated antagonist training into my routine (wrist curls felt like the lamest workout), and, as boring as they were, they helped me immensely.
I’ve added “design a pre-running workout routine” to my to-do journal. Other than banded glute bridges, what do you do? And by slow and short, like a beginner, what does that mean? 5km max at 6 min/km pace? Is this something I could do every day as long as I keep it short and relaxed?
Or should I split the difference and just get back into rollerblading? 🤔 It’s like running, but with wheels!
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