I took Harold for a walk on Friday in the strangest January weather condition in Edmonton- rain!
I knew that rain/ice on the sidewalks wouldn’t make for a safe run the next morning after the temperatures dipped well below freezing.
I {sort of} listened to my advice on Saturday and ran outside on the ice, but with my Due North traction aids. It was still slick in places so I went nice and slow and just enjoyed running on a cold, quiet morning.
I also got in an awesome trainer ride on Sunday. I was so sweaty and tired when I finished that I believe my husband compared me to a wet rat!
I find there are two factors that increase my chances of having a strong trainer ride:
- watch something good, bonus points if it’s exciting; and
- ride beside the hubby.
If I’m riding in the basement alone, I’ll almost always watch a chick flick or comedy. It passes time since I like them, but it doesn’t keep my mind off how long I’ve rode for and how long I have left.
This weekend we started watching the 24 series from the beginning again. With the constant drama and heart-racing action, I want to ride for longer! Time goes quickly and I’m not constantly counting down the minutes and seconds.
Riding beside Kelly helps me so much, too. Besides having fun and talking to each other, he’s an incredibly strong cyclist. His legs are spinning super fast, his output of watts is extremely high, and he doesn’t seem to be working that hard.
It definitely makes me up my cadence (which is something I’m trying to work on this year) and push a little harder when I don’t feel like it. If I want to ride with him sometimes this summer, I can’t be too far behind!
Plus, he volunteers to stop biking and change the DVD when we’re ready to move on to the next disc. Win, win!
Varying my speeds, incorporating hills, and standing and sitting also help pass the time.
I’m slowly trying to up my mileage on the weekends while paying close attention to me knees. My mileage on weekdays is still low (and my weekends are pretty low, too), but I’m ok with it. I’m trying to cross-train and strength train a fair amount, too.
It’s exactly five months until Coeur d’Alene and just over seven months to Ironman Canada! Although that seems pretty close sometimes, I know I’ll be burnt out if I put in too much time and energy right now.
How do you beat the boredom on the trainer, treadmill, or other indoor equipment?