Banishing boredom and taking my own advice

I took Harold for a walk on Friday in the strangest January weather condition in Edmonton- rain!

Take a look at that icy sidewalk!

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? 

Cross training crazy

I’ve been trying a new thing— staying positive while injured! Last year I was sad more days than not. It wasn’t fun for anyone! (In my defense, I couldn’t do much of anything except for swim using only my arms!)

This time around I’ve been trying to switch it up and burn calories, sweat, and get that endorphin rush I love so much. (All without aggrevating my knee.)

Shovelling snow – approximately 300 calories

After one spectacularly heavy snowfall, I shoveled for 45 minutes. I was out of breath and had to stop twice for a quick break. My chest muscles were also sore for the next couple days.

Cross-country skiing – approximately 375 calories

We went to new to us groomed trails the other evening. The trails were incredible and we had a ton of fun! I can’t wait to get out there again.

Lap swimming – approximately 425 calories

We started up our gym memberships again. The last time I swam was Ironman Canada. I swam 3km on Sunday morning and then 2km before work on Monday. My arms were feeling it Monday morning!

Cycling on the trainer

This always gets a sweat going for me! I’ve been trying to test my knee and ride a bit harder lately. {Knock on wood} it’s been going ok.

Strength training and LOTS of physio exercises

I’ve been  regularly strength training for the past few months, about three times a week on average. I’m really enjoying it and would love to maintain the routine. I’ve also been diligently working on all my physio exercises.

Walking the dog

We always walk Harold, but I’m counting it as cross-training! It’s a nice way to get that fresh air I’ve been missing out on.

Practicing yoga

I’m still new to yoga, but I really enjoy it every time I practice. Some days I attend an hour-long class, but most days I do what I can out of one of our Sage Rountree books.

Visit this website for a calorie calculator for almost any exercise you can think of, including playing an instrument and house work!

What kind of cross-training have you been doing lately?

Do you have a go-to workout? Mine is for sure cycling.

Breakthrough week!

After months of less than stellar workouts, I finally had a breakthrough week with minimal pain! I was able to get in six workouts, with three runs, two bikes, and one swim. It felt so great to sweat and breath heavy!

As I (hopefully) continue to gain stamina and speed I‘m going to do my best to keep up my strength routine two to three days a week. I know it’ll help keep injuries at bay, so I’d like to make the time for it.

Today’s workout was a 1.5 hour bike, which is the longest bike I’ve had since 2010. I was able to push the pace and worked up a crazy sweat. It was on the trainer in the basement. Sometimes those are difficult rides to push through. This one sure wasn’t. I think it was the combination of being able to ride hard mixed with reading the live blogging on Ironman.com of the exciting 70.3 Texas. Lance sure has brought a lot more media attention to triathlon!

In other news, I bought photos today from our Lake Tahoe trip in January. Heavenly mountain has photographers right on the hill, and you can buy them online. I was so excited to get these photos so we didn’t only have the close-up self portraits!

Favourite workout this week: It’s a toss up!

Saturday morning’s 10km run with my husband. It’s the farthest I’ve gone in a long time. And…it was completely pain-free! My husband ran with me the whole way at my pace. I thought I was going to pass out at the end, and he wasn’t even winded. It felt great!

Wednesday’s outdoor bike ride! It was cold, windy, and slow…but it was outside and I was riding hard. After a winter of rides on the trainer in the basement, the fresh air felt awesome.

Have a great week!