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Besides short runs (minus the Caribbean Christmas 5k and my run this past weekend, all of them have been shorter than a 5k distance), I’ve been primarily biking, which I’ve loved. I’ve gotten out my bike trainer once again, and have enjoyed watching movies and reading while biking. I’ve been doing a mix of “long rides” (which are substantially shorter than my long rides in the summer), short rides, and speed work.
I hardly walked during December, but last week I started to walk again. I went on a 2 mile walk one day, even though it was a feels like of -25. There’s no reason to stay inside when it’s that cold. I layered up and was cozy and warm the entire walk (plus the sunshine and fresh air is just healthy for us mentally throughout the winter). I’ve been enjoying lots of 1-2 mile walks since then.
While I’m not officially in a training cycle yet, I’ve decided to ramp it up just a little bit to create a stronger base before heading into training.
This past weekend I ran a 5k on the treadmill at the gym, followed by a mini lifting session. I wore my BibRave tank in support of the other BibRave Pros who were racing this weekend. (If you raced this past weekend, make sure to head over to the BibRave website and review the race!)
(I took this pic to send to my brother, who was my lifting buddy the past few years… but now you all get to see it as well). I’m finally up to using 12 pounds with bicep curls (I started at 8 pounds), so that’s exciting!
On Sunday I biked 11 miles while taking off my gel polish. I put a bit of a cotton ball with acetone on it on my finger nail, and wrapped it with aluminum file and then jumped on my bike for 20-25 mins (I did each hand separately because I couldn’t wrap my opposite hand with the first hand wrapped).
Besides that I’ve picked up barre and pilates again, which has felt great. Between spending over 20 hours in the car driving back and forth to visit family at Christmas, and carrying loads of boxes up and down stairs as I moved stuff out of my parents house, I was STIFF and tight. I’m finally starting to feel a little closer to “back to normal”.
So that’s what I’ve been up to. I’m working out an average of 4 days a week during this off season, and at a much lower intensity than while in the middle of a training cycle. I’m enjoying time “off”, but am also getting excited as I look ahead to this next cycle!
Now it’s your turn to share! What do you enjoy doing to stay active during your “off season”.
I don’t really have any off season, but I’ve been enjoying CrossFit on a regular basis. Now I’m trying to add some running back into my routine and I just signed up for a 5K at the end of March for some motivation!
Signing up for a race is great motivation!! I hope getting back into running goes well (and is fun!) for you!
I am guilty of taking over 2 months off following my marathon in October. I did squeeze in a couple runs and was consistent on the elliptical for a little while, but it felt like nothing compared to what I normally do. I do think it’s good to take it easy following a grueling training program, though. I just started up with the 21 Day Fix this week and will start training for my next HM next week. I have a recumbent bike that I’ll probably wheel into the living room for extra activity during these dark, cold months!
Taking time off is so good for us, but it can make getting back into things tough too. Enjoy the start of training again!
Negative 25 – YOU ARE BRAVE!!!
hahaha. I really was toasty warm. As long as you layer up enough, you’ll stay nice and warm!