Can I yet run test...

I took the last couple weeks off of running due to my calf injury. It was like I had this big knot in my calf and it would hurt as I ran. When I rolled my calf to massage it I could feel the knot, it was like a big ball inside my calf. 

I ran on it for 4 weeks and lived with it, but then I decided to bite the bullet and not run on it. Instead, I did some lower body strength training, and I rode my bike and swam. 

I didn't feel the knot for the last five or more days as I walked, but I did before today. My calf has recently been feeling great, so today was a big test. I was only scheduled to do a short 35-minute run at a low heart rate, which is a perfect training session to test it out. 

The good news is there was no pain in the calf. It was great to run without pain, albeit when I say run, I mean run and walk. I walked at least half the distance to keep my heart rate down in the prescribed zones for this session. 

When I got back home I had a good stretch and I can tell I'm getting more flexible from past stretching, I was even able to do a standing hurdlers stretch, or at least that's what I think it's called. It's basically standing, grabbing my foot, and stretching out the front of my thighs. Before that, I couldn't kick my foot up to where I could catch it. Now I can, after two to three attempts. 

Even though it was a short run in the morning at 24 C before it got too hot, which ended up being 39 C today, it kicked my butt a bit. I started feeling run down during the workday and sniffed like I was getting a cold. By the end of the day, I did begin to feel better, and I waited until later in the evening to do my bike ride. 

I left the house around 6:45 p.m., and it was still warm outside but not 39 C. Sunset was at 8:02 p.m. today, which was perfect for my scheduled one-hour ride.

It was strange; I felt it was one of my fastest rides, but the average speed of 23.7 kph was below what I'd done prior. I also learned that my new POC helmet would not work for me and I would have to get a new one. 

The issue with the helmet is that when I go into the aero bars, the brim blocks my vision, and I can't see too far ahead of me. It's a safety issue and something I didn't think about when I bought the helmet. Sure enough, when I got home, I put my old helmet on and got in the aero position, and I could see no brim or obstruction. 

In a way, I don't mind getting a new one, I wasn't really a fan of it and it was a I need a helmet now decision. I guess I'll put it on the Facebook marketplace or Kijji and try to sell it for a fraction of the price I paid, and I now have a new mission to research the best triathlon helmets. This time around, I'm going to buy it online. The local stores just don't have the selection, and I think because it's nearing the end of the season, they don't have much inventory left. 

It was a monumental training day in that I did both a run and a bike ride on the same day, the first time in a long time without pain. It was also memorable because, after the run, I was sweating a lot due to the heat, but it didn't last more than 20 minutes; in prior runs, it would take 50 minutes or more. 

Run - 35:48 / 4.66 km / 7:40  km avg pace

Bike - 1:07:20 / 26.60 / 23.7 km avg pace

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