Spin Class > Arc Trainer and How I Survived a Wind Advisory

Let's start from the beginning of the weekend- Saturday morning.

Spin class started at 8:15 in the morning, and I hadn't cross-trained all week so I decided to wake up early and go. Ben doesn't like to work out until later, so we agreed to go separately. I got to the gym 10 minutes before class started, which seemed like plenty of time to me. Turns out the class was already full (people were getting turned away when I walked in). I foolishly thought that an early Saturday spin class would be half-empty- I guess I underestimated how many hardcore people work out at my gym. Oh well, on to plan B.

The elliptical and the bike both bore the heck out of me (I can only bike in spin class where there's good music and the instructor yells commands at me), so I decided to give the arc trainer a try. It was... interesting. I think I liked it better than the elliptical, but not by much. It's supposed to target more muscle groups and burn more calories than the elliptical, but I didn't feel like it did either. The leg motion just felt super awkward to me. The day wasn't a total loss though- I got in some abs and arms as well. But this week I'm going to spin class on Wednesday (like I normally do) to avoid another cross-train fail.

I ate like crap yesterday.  I was actually doing really well until dinner- I bought some grapes and apples and baby carrots (since I never get enough fruits and veggies) and snacked on those instead of Samoas. Satisfying enough. But then we met up with some friends for dinner at Whistlebinkie's, and it was all downhill from there. Ben and I both got a sampler platter OF BEER!

Ben purposely obscured my face with bright
sunlight so that you would focus on the most
important thing in this picture- BEER.

It was nothing short of awesome. You get 4 oz. of six different beers, all for $6. So basically, the equivalent of two beers for $6. Pretty sweet deal, in my opinion. Then I had the BBQ bacon cheeseburger with fries, like I always do because I'm afraid to branch out. I thought about getting a salad but figured it wouldn't be satisfying enough, and I would just leave hungry and eat a bunch of Samoas when I got home. In hindsight, perhaps I should have given that salad a chance.

I don't really need to LOSE weight, and I by no means watch what I eat (quite the opposite, actually). But if I want to race a PR in May, I don't need any extra pounds slowing me down. I think I'm at my healthy weight right now- I only go overboard every once in awhile (like last night), but I never go to bed feeling hungry, either. I got to my lowest weight senior year of college, but I was grumpy because I rarely ate what I want and when I did indulge, I got upset with myself. I'd rather weigh 5 lbs. more and eat what I want.

Sorry for the random rant about watching my weight. My point is, I just want to maintain the weight I'm at now. And BBQ bacon burgers every weekend probably aren't the answer :)

Today I went for a run that really tested my mental toughness. It was 41 degrees outside, which would normally be perfect, except the 25 mph winds with gusts of 45 mph made it feel like way less than that. I did 7.5 miles total in 1:09:30. Ben ran the first 2 miles with me before he turned around, which helped a little. At one point my headband flew off, and I had to run back to get it. Another time the wind gusted so hard from my left side, that it made my left foot kick my right calf. I just kept saying things to myself like, "What if it's this windy on race day?" and, "If you can tough this out, think of how easy long runs will feel in the spring!"

Save for some minor windburn on my face, I emerged relatively unscathed and with a sense of self-pride. Can't wait to do it again next Sunday! (But hopefully with less wind...)


What is your cross-training method of choice?

Do you watch what you eat? How often do you allow yourself to indulge, and what does your indulgence usually consist of?

Do the elements ever cause you to change your running plans (i.e. take it to the treadmill or cross-train in light of a freak windstorm)?