Funk

Sometimes I just can't bring myself to swim. Swimming to me seems to be the most un-interesting form of exercise. I think it's something to do with the sensory deprivation, but I'm not sure. For all the hours of my life I've spent in a pool I'd much rather go run outside or bike or .. do pretty much anything else. I call this Swimming Funk.

I can usually avoid a lot of this Funk by swimming early in the morning, before my brain is awake enough to notice the sensory deprivation and come up with reasonable excuses to not swim. However, some mornings I can't swim early due to sleep needs (This morning was a sleep-need not a sleep-want, honest!)

Then the problem compounds when I'm trying to be cautious with my knee by not running two days in a row, and the roads are covered in snow -- what do I do? This all leads me into a depressing spiral of not wanting to workout at all and instead just sit around in my pajamas.

Luckily for me, I have The Cheese. Or more specifically: The Cheese 2.0. The Cheese is a tool that tends to sit in the bottom of the toolbox, hiding from the world. But every so often nothing else will work, and The Cheese comes out.

Thanks to The Cheese I had an insane 47 minute spin and feel like I not just salvaged the day but really came out ahead on it.

Arbitrary Limits

Some times I let my brain set limits that have seemingly no bearing on the physical world other than comfort.

Back in December when we had a string of about 2 weeks where the high was -20C(-4F). I was talking to some people and decided "There's got to be a limit, -15C (5F) is about as cold a temperature as should be run in." I don't know why I picked that limit, -15C (5F) is still flipping cold.

However, a little while later (probably after running on a treadmill some where) I realised that I had set a completely arbitrary limit. Also, I saw other people out running (not many though) and if they can do it so can I.

So I piled on the layers: Wool socks, compression shorts, thermal running tights, and nylon shorts over top. Long-sleeve poly under-shirt, thermal long-sleeve cycling jersey, and a windbreaker. Wool toque, thick gloves and a fleece bandanna. The only exposed skin I had was around my eyes.

Off I went, and... I was toasty warm! Turns out, if you dress in the appropriate layers, you can be quite warm. I think a big factor was that I had actually bothered to buy appropriate cold weather clothes for working out in. If I was just walking some where I would just be wearing jeans -- which aren't very warm.

So now I happily run in all temperatures.

Cycling becomes a different issue though. First you have the inherent self-generated wind-chill, and second I only have slick road tires that are no match for an icy patch.

Determined to ride I threw my bike in the back of my car yesterday and did some exploring. Turns out that once you get out of city limits the roads are clear. Probably due to the City's policy of not plowing residential roads (Thanks City!) I figured I'd drive out to Ghost lake, just to see it, and then ride out from the parking lot.

Now even though the Bow River goes right through Ghost Lake and has been frozen solid for months, I for some reason didn't expect the lake to be totally frozen. So I was quite surprised when I came around the corner to see people riding ATV's and dirt bikes all over the lake and then other people ice fishing off the back of their pickup trucks...in the middle of the lake.

Other than the ice it was a gorgeous day, so once I bundled up I went out for an easy hour ride. It was great to get out and even greater to realize that it's possible to ride comfortably warm in sub-zero temperatures.

Limits

It's all about knowing your limits, right? But to know them you have to find them, and to find them you typically have to surpass them. (Which is probably why I ended up throwing up so much in my second semester of College)

Last week taught me about my limits of running:

1. Sun - 52mins HARD - Supposed to be an off day but I felt restless and just got up and went.
2. Mon - 42mins Very easy
3. Tues - Off
4. Weds - 41mins - Cruising
5. Thurs - 37mins - Easy
6. Fri - Off
7. Sat - 39:20 8km XC @ Nosehill. Plus about 10mins of warmup. Obviously this was hard.
8. Sun - 53mins Easy.

All totalled this is ~274 minutes of running in a week, which is a drastic increase for me. Too much of an increase, apparently, as this weeks running plans have been scrapped due to sharp stabbing pain from the IT band in my right knee. 30 minutes into my first run this week I had to stop due to the pain. I took 3 days off of running, hoping that would do the trick. Then last night about 30 minutes in the pain came back. So now I'm all over the ice and anti-inflamm's. I even let Scott do a little bit of accupuncture on my right leg. And if the pain from that doesn't teach me to stay within my limits, I don't know what will.