Cycle And Run

    In constant pursuit of new things to do to my body in the name of fitness, I am always experimenting with variations on a theme. Last night I put the spare bike up on the roller stand (no, sadly, Not Joshua, his hubs won't fit into the roller's brackets). I confess, cycling indoors is even more tedious than running on a treadmill, but I am adding it to the regiment. I am wanting to run more, but need to be cautious with my delicate knees. The knees have been aching a bit lately, but then so has the rest of my body. I call it "The Princess and the Pea Syndrome," when my whole body gets hypersensitive, even slight pressure can make me ache, and gods forbid I should have a tag in my clothing, it will make me crazy. But as for my knees, I am trying to be gentle, or as gentle as I can be, and continue to train for trail runs and other upcoming races. So, out comes the bike. Yes, I need to train on the bike for Triathlons as well, but it is also a great way to build strength and stamina for running without the impact.
    So last night I decided to do a routine to combine both cycling and running. 10 hard minutes on the bike. Run 1 mile at good speed. 10 hard minutes on the bike. Run half mile with Fartlek/speedplay/hills. 10 hard minutes on bike. Half mile run at near race pace. I was surprised at how hard I worked my legs, heart and lungs. Not to mention that it left me trembling and dripping sweat. It was great! I followed this with some legwork, 3 sets x 15/20 reps: Kettleball swing; wide lunge, knee to floor; front leg lift; jump squat; calf raise; ass to grass prisoner squat; single legged squat; side step with resistance band. Finally 15 minutes of stretching. It was about 1.75 hours of hard work, and left me feeling pleasantly exhausted and slightly queasy, as a good workout should. I think this will be a twice a week routine for a bit, to see how it works for me.
    As the days get shorter, and the rains become constant, I am getting myself set up to have no excuses to slack on either my running or my cycling. Slacking is not an option. So, the bike stays in the living room, on rollers, next to the treadmill. The gym in the garage is progressing, though not quite as quickly as I would like because I am trying to do it right instead of do it fast and dirty. I am building my assortment of "Tools" so I can abuse... errr, I mean Train, my body to the utmost. I do not need a membership to a gym, or a personal trainer, I am my own trainer. Yes, some days I do not push myself as hard as a trainer might, but I am damned consistent. And I push myself hard. I do wish my stamina and speed were increasing more quickly, but I know that I just have to give it time, not push myself to the point of injury, and slowly but surely add to my base. I need to remember to Look at How Far I Have Come, not how far I have to go. And I have Come Far.