No More Excuses

My family either believes I WANT to get in shape, or they believe I NEED to get in shape. How do I know this? Here is my Christmas list of items received ...

One Road Bike
One Indoor Trainer - see photo
One Sportline Watch
One Pair of Yaktrax

Whew! I'm tired just thinking about using all this stuff!

It was a pretty good haul. I have yet to try out the road bike due to the frigid temps. The wind chill factor created by added speed from such a fast set of wheels has kept me on my feet and off my bike. I am anxious for a warm day!

The Yaktrax are still in the box because the roads, although frigid, are dry and I have not needed extra traction the few times I have gone for a run since opening my Christmas gifts.

I am learning to use the Sportline watch, complete with Heart Rate Monitor, Calorie Burn Calculator, Timer, and Stopwatch. It takes some coordination and practice. I have found it useful as a motivator to push a little harder to run a second mile a little faster than the first. Learning about Heart Rate Target Zones has aided me as I begin using the other toy ...

The Indoor Trainer! It's harder than it looks. In order to keep the road bikes free and ready to hit the pavement the minute a warm day arrives, we mounted a mountain bike on the trainer. Those who know KNOW that riding a mountain bike requires a lot more effort than does a road bike. The trainer is in a cool room with a ceiling fan. Here is what I have learned ...

Five minutes - Getting warmed up. (14 mph. Heart Rate - 125 bpm) Music is a motivator.

Ten minutes - Sweat drips from my face. (16 mph. Heart Rate - 135 - 140 bpm) Important to have a towel handy. No wind chill factor here.

Fifteen minutes - Quads are burning. (18 mph. Heart Rate - 150 - 160 bpm) Try to hold steady for five more minutes.

Twenty minutes - The towel is wet. (16 mph. Heart Rate - still pretty high!) Five more minutes to cool down!

Twenty-five minutes - It takes two more minutes for my legs to stop their rotation!

The watch keeps me motivated. The speedometer on the bike gives me a target for my heart rate. An iPod helps pass the time, as does checking my heart rate occasionally. It's all in my house.

No more excuses!