For the past three days, I've bike commuted to work and back, nothing new really.

What is new is that I've been running errands in some capacity while on the bike.

I have been toting a pannier bag full of work gear, like changes of clothes, grocery items that we've run out of, mail for a post office run, etc. All of that extra weight is adding a level of training that I haven't really explored, which, hopefully, will make my light bike training and events really fun and fast!

As much as I want to bike EVERY single day of this month for 30 Day Of Biking, realistically, I know that it wont happen, as my work schedule starts to change with the end of every week, giving me less and less hours of sleep.

To add another wrinkle, my workplace is in the process of implementing a new warehousing system, which has added much more overtime to my workday. By the time I am ready to leave back for home, I have little to no energy left. I keep telling myself that any time on the bike is good forward progress, but only time will tell if I'm improving to where I was a year and a half ago.

For early Spring, I think that I'm off to a good start though, so I'll take it and keep building!

Next event: Sat April 21st: the New England Randonneurs 100k to Sterling, MA.

Sunday was the official start of 30 Days Of Biking month. I started it off with a recovery ride, due to riding a 110k event the day before.

So, my April 1st ride was with the Quad Cycles crew out of Arlington, MA. It was a good-sized group, with a diverse ridership. There's something for everyone on these rides. That day, unfortunately, there were no recovery riders, everyone wanting to put the pedal to the metal. So I spun along, at my own pace, with my aching quads and hamstrings from 80 miles and 3500' climbing the previous day.

The loops were beautiful as usual, riding up the Minuteman Bikeway to Bedford, by the North Bridge in Concord, up Lowell Rd to Ferns Country Store in Carlisle, then down Rt 225 back into Bedford and the Bikeway back home.

Total distance: 40 miles.

To register for 30 Days Of Biking, sign up at 30daysofbiking.com.

Do it today, and pass it on! :-)