Monday, February 1, 2010

Working out around the weather

On Friday, we got our second significant snow event with a full foot of snow. Fortunately, we knew several days ahead of time and I could plan accordingly. I shuffled workouts, ran outside while I still could, and even fit in a short outdoor bike ride -- shoehorned in after class. I'm not sure where I rate as "mom" though because I called the school and told them to have the kids ride the bus home which bought me about half an hour extra on the bike!! They rarely ride the bus and don't fuss too much when they are asked to.

I scheduled my off day for the big snow day and went into slug mode. I watched a great movie on Netflix, a subtitled foreign documentary on the Tour de France called "Hell on Wheels". Those guys are amazing - just machines!! Yet they candidly shared their fears and doubts and showed tremendous courage when they would ride again the day after some harrowing wipeouts.

It was a good training week last week, and my first full week of managing my own running workouts. I got in a stadium workout, an hour run, and a 75 minute run. They all felt good, in fact, the running mojo is beginning to return. Friday was the first time in a while that my legs felt a bit fresh. I think the advice I got to back off was spot-on.

For now it's back to indoor running and cycling. It's so good I can do both at the house. The treadmill is a major downer compared to running outside, but I don't mind the indoor bike trainer much at all. It's actually kind of nice not to have to worry about traffic, lights, road conditions, etc., and I sweat more inside than out.

It's nice to think about moving all the training outside in a few months, especially the swimming. Seeing the clouds reflected on the pool...wow. When I signed up for my pool locker and towel service at War in the fall, and committed to two semesters, I wondered if I would really follow through. Five months later, I'm still at it twice per week.

I'm still dealing with that odd injury in my collarbone area. It's almost as surprising to see what does not aggravate it (bench, swimming) as what does (hack squats - from the pressure on top of my shoulder, shrugs, some row movements, even pushing against the steering wheel with my right arm). I just know it'll be a while before it resolves, but it's getting there.

I guess the bottom line is I still very much enjoy and love my training. It is like recess for me...even if occasionally it's a little tough to get started. It's fun, I feel great, and can't imagine not doing it.