Anyway, I’m hoping to fill most of my days with mountain biking and bbq’s, but we’ll see how it all plays out. I must say: it is glorious not having to worry about homework or paper writing!
Because of all of my leg drama, I’ve been struggling to get in any type of cardio. Running has been my go-to for so long that it’s been tough to (temporarily) replace it. I’ve gotten many suggestions for the elliptical, but you know what? I hate that machine. With a fiery passion actually! I need to give cycling a fair shot since I love it anyway, but it didn’t feel outstanding after the Oyster last weekend, so I’m walking a fine line with that one. A good friend suggested a stationary bike at the gym, spinning at zero resistance, but quite frankly, I’d rather be run over by a car. Sounds mind numbing.
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| This is what happens to my face if you put me on an elliptical. What? I felt like I needed a photo here! |
Of course, there is always the old, gentle standby of swimming. I do a lot of swimming when I’m racing triathlons, but it’s never been a true love of mine. Swimming itself is okay, but it’s the monotony of staring at the line on the bottom of the pool. It never changes. And you know what else? Swimming isn’t exactly social! Cindy and I will go swimming together and barely speak a word to each other until we’re done. Unless I miraculously develop some gills, that probably isn’t going to change! Oh, and also? I hate smelling like chlorine for two weeks, so there is that.
Needless to say, I took a solid two weeks off of everything, hoping that I would return to running with a vengeance. After the painful Denver Oyster race (recap next week!), I realized that my rest hadn’t accomplished much of anything. Until I can get in to see a doctor, running needs to be replaced.
Enter in rowing!
My gym only has two rowing machines but I feel like they are rarely used. I once read that rowing is considered a triathlete’s best total-body workout during the winter months (anyone know if that sounds true?) so I decided to give it a shot. And you know what? I really enjoy it!
It’s been an eye-opening experience hopping back onto the rowing machine. I’ve used them before, but never regularly, and it’s reminding me how scrawny my upper body is. Know what else it’s doing? Giving my baby-soft hands blisters!
I used to have tough hands back in the day. When I was big into rock climbing and actually doing the physical landscaping, I had calluses for days. Unfortunately for me, I now suck at climbing and do the managerial thing for my day job, so my hands are nice and girly. A perfect haven for happy blisters!
I have noticed that rowing is a great cardio workout and it really works both my lower and upper body. The pushing with my legs seems to make my knee ache only a little, and thus far, that’s better than anything else I’ve found. I’ve gone twice this week, and am hoping to make it more regular over the coming weeks. Well, at least until I can get in to the doctor 🙂