run and work and bike

I was determined to get in a short run before work today. Of course, it snowed last night. I still went anyway. Turns out there's a big park right behind the pool I swim at, and the road around it is almost exactly 4 K. So, 10 min warmup walk, then 5 times 3 min run, two min walk, then 10 min cool down walk. It felt good. The running is getting easier and feeling more natural. The semi-mythical "runners high" hasn't happened, but at least I don't look like I'm in agony when I run.

All in all it was a nice morning for a run, the trees were all covered with a bit of snow, so it was quite pretty. It's dark, of course, and about 0 C, but the streetlights light things up pretty well. I'd like to get there when there isn't any snow, and run through the park instead of on the sidewalk.

As you might recall, there were no shoes my size when I bought my bike. I was organized enough to get the bike, and everything I'd need for a spin session into the car last night. The morning was a bit of a shambles but it all worked out. The shoes came in, so I headed up to Speed Theory after work to pick out shoes and get the real pedals installed.

Then came spin class. I don't have the computer mounted yet (that's later this week), so I had to guess at rpm. Which is ok for the first class, since I'm still getting comfortable on the bike and the shoes on the pedals. I spent part of the time watching Chris's feet, and his rpm. It's really hard to stay in synch with someone else, and I didn't have much luck keeping up.

I forget who said it, but the key to success is in carefully choosing the terms. For my first class, I chose to define success in terms of nots. As in, NOT hurling, NOT falling off the bike or humiliating myself in some way, and NOT having to quit part way through. That last one was close, since my butt and hands were getting sore. I couldn't pedal the entire time. Maybe that will be success for the next class.

Overall it felt fine. I was sweating like a stuck pig, even though I was careful to keep heart rate well below max aerobic level. I'm sure glad I had a towel there. At the end my legs were tired, but not rubbery. I really need to work on the one legged drill. That was a shambles, and I think the low point of the session for me. It's only when I was cleaning out my bag at home that I realized I'd brought my gloves, but hadn't worn them. Doh!

The real test is going to be how I feel tomorrow. I'm glad it's a swim day, and I think it's going to be a long easy swim. Maybe so easy I'll fit right in with the geezers.