I was going to mark the holiday with a trail run until I remembered that it's also special for me to go to the gym at 8 in the morning, and especially to not to feel pressured to get back home in time for work.
To make it interesting, I created a mini "gym triathlon," the first in a series to gauge my fitness level. For the first few months, about every three weeks I'll row, cycle and run for 20 minutes each and record how far I get in all three. Today, I made sure to maintain a 28 to 31 pulls-per-minute pace on the rowing machine, then I took a three-minute transition to wipe down the machine and grab some water before averaging 95-105 rpm on the stationary bike. One downside to this system is I can't predict equipment availability and, sure enough, when it was time to hit the treadmill, they were all taken. However, the gym just built a brand new outdoor track and hardly anyone was on it, maybe because it had just rained. So I ran there but was very disappointed with my time. I even struggled to get two miles in during those 20 minutes.
Actually, all of my times were lower than expected, but it just confirms what happens when you mail it in for months and months. I'm recording my distances on this blog, because accountability is a big part of goal setting. I'll increase the intensity and duration of these tri's going forward. For now I have a baseline to beat.
| DATE | ROW | CYCLE | RUN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05-26-08 | 3130 METERS | 4.53 MILES | 2.0 MILES |
10 comments:
Once again, you are setting a new trend. This time it is self-defined triathlons. Cool idea. I don't know if I have the guts to try one, but really cool.
Hope it helps you with your overall fitness.
Looks like a tri to me! What a great way to challenge yourself!
See, there's a triathlete in you after all.. :)
That sounds like a great way to get into shape and shake things up a bit.
I like your idea. Sounds like a great way to get fit, and a neat way to beat summer heat/humidity, depending on where one lives.
I love a tri with rowing instead of swimming, since it really works the upper body like swimming. Cool idea and certainly a way to make gym time fun and different.
great way to cross train and an excellent idea!
sounds nice! I'm staying away from the digit thing for awhile, but we are all different, that's the beauty. Nice job.
Cheers for your plans!!
Hey, great plan! Nice job! I should tri something like this! Neat idea!
Thanks for stopping by my blog and looking at my pictures. We gotta get back in touch!
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