I have to admit, I hate the gym. I like running and cycling because the feeling of getting somewhere makes me feel like I accomplished something. And the routes entertain me. Sitting in one place and moving my legs in circles for an hour while watching the same spot on the wall bores me to tears. So, this time of year, when the weather gets ugly and the mornings are dark, staying motivated to workout becomes a challenge.
Last year, I survived the winter workout blues because I didn’t have a choice. I was training for my first marathon, and I had to get in those morning miles no matter what. I also survived because I had a very structured workout schedule where people I knew expected me to show up for things (admit it, BPC folks, you would have been lost without my ipod playlists). This winter, I have neither a pressing goal or workout buddies, so staying motivated when my bed is warm and the walk to the gym cold is an issue.
I have two goals for this winter. First is to stay fit without pushing too hard. In January of 2010, I began training for a triathlon. I went from that to a half-marathon, to the PMC, two more tris, two more halves, and then my first marathon. And I went from that to my first Olympic tri, another PMC, and another tri. Despite being completely worn out at that point, I pushed myself through two fall half-marathons. I need to scale it back a bit and let a few injuries heal so that I will be in proper shape to attack a marathon next fall.
The second goal is to work on core strength. I became an endurance athlete at the age of 27, with little prior training and very little muscle. I’ve built up my cardio strength a lot in the last three years, but my core strength remains undeveloped. Part of this comes from having spent the last two years in race mode—I couldn’t do strength activities like kettlebells or TRX or even pilates because I would pull the hamstrings and ab muscles I needed to get me through my log runs. My next race is not until March 25 (NYC duathlon), so that gives me a good 4 more weeks to focus solely on my core.
I have been experimenting with the various classes to help me accomplish this goal. I did a kettlebell class at the JCC when I arrived in New York, and while the instructor was phenomenal, the classes were too expensive and the schedule too inflexible for me to continue. I’ve tried kettlebells at my gym, and but when there are 30 people in the class, it’s impossible to get the attention from the instructor required to do it correctly. Last week I checked out a TRX class at a new boutique fitness studio in NYC, which I greatly enjoyed despite the face that it kicked my butt. Two drawbacks, though, is that it’s a bit further from my apartment than I would like (15 minute walk from the subway on the other end), and paying by the class is a bit expensive when I already pay for the Equinox membership.
My friend Patty recently introduced me to Pure Barre, which is like pilates but with a ballet bar, and that has been my favorite new workout to date. The NYC studio has only been open a few months and is relatively unknown, such that classes are rarely full and I get plenty of help from the instructors. I’m not great at getting out of bed and turning on the cardio first thing in the am, and I love the Pure Barre workout because it is calm and I can close my eyes if I want to. And I’ve been discovering ab muscles that I never knew I had. The studio doesn’t have a shower, which is frustrating, but my gym has a branch right outside the subway stop where I get off for work, so it adds very little extra time to my morning for me to pop into the gym and shower.
My current plan is to get as much Pure Barre as possible in before February 11, when my new client unlimited package expires, and then go down to one day a week while I build up cardio in anticipation of March 25 duathlon. I’m also signed up for a half-marathon on April 15, so I’ll need to reintroduce long runs into my schedule shortly. After having to spend last winter training despite the weather, however, it’s nice to have the flexibility to stay indoors on a crappy day!
