Rugged Individualist. Certified USA Triathlon Coach & NASM Personal Trainer, Men's Self Improvement Coach. President of Go Farther Sports. National Ranked Triathlete & 100 Mile Grand Slam Ultrarunner, only the fourth New Yorker to finish four of the oldest and most prestigious 100 mile ultramarathons in the U.S. in only 10 weeks.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

When Winter Strikes...The Beauty of Cross Training

One month into winter and we have seen 4 major snowstorms lately in the NY/NJ Area. The first one dropped about 29 inches of snow on us. The most recent one? About 19 inches. 

It's been particularly rough on my running. It's not just the difficult conditions. It's the endless shoveling. And the time constraints. Instead of a morning workout, I am obligated to get most of the shoveling done before daybreak so that some people have a chance to get to work that morning.

Fear not, for I am still a triathlete at heart and have at my fingertips multiple ways to stay fit. Sure, I am making 2 ultramarathons my "A" races this year, which only involves running, but the season has only begun. And my first "A" race, the Massanutten 100, is in May, which is about 4 months out.

The winter, as cruel and unforgiving as it is this year, is playing right into my game! A good training plan starts off with generalized training anyway, which includes a lot of cross-training. My volume of running is down this month, but the volume of swimming, and cycling are up. Especially cycling, since all it requires is to turn on my indoor trainer and go.

What indoor trainer? Well, if the winter has got you bottled up in your house, you can get several indoor trainers rather cheaply. CycleOps has a full range of indoor trainers that can help you keep your fitness. Their wind trainer sells for only $150, but for more resistance, you can get a good magnetic trainer for about $200. That's not bad.

If indoor trainers are not for you, you can still get to the gym and work out there. Most gyms now have treadmills and ellipticals that work the cardiovascular system. Concerned about money? Planet Fitness has memberships at only $10 per month.

There are many ways of beating this winter. So no more excuses! Get out there and get fit!



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