Goodbye October!

Only one more day of October, and that day is Halloween! Time really does fly. We've been fortunate to have nice weather most of October--until this past week. I have to admit today was nearly perfect running weather (contrary to the wet and windy week we've had). I went 5 miles, and it was about 60 degrees with just a tad bit of wind.

Before today, it had been about a week since I went for a run. I've been doing other stuff. I'm on my friendly spin bike quite a bit, and I taught some aerobics at the rec. I thought a little break from running would do me good since I had been feeling just a little burned out. I'm not sure I was right. When I ran today, I had some IT band issues, and some pain in both knees. I am wondering if this might be partially due to the squats and lunges I've been doing. I think it is also partially due to the short lay-off. I'm not too worried about it.

I've been getting up early (like 5:30) and forcing myself to get on the spin bike (or out on the run) by 5:45. I'm hoping that this will get easier for me because sometimes getting up that early is such a battle. There are days though that I think I am getting in the habit. I'll keep at it. I feel like I should try reciting, "I am a morning exerciser," over and over again. I really do want to be a morning exerciser. I was hoping to get to the point where it wouldn't be a struggle, but maybe it's okay if it is always a struggle...as long as I go through that struggle and do it. One of my strategies is to "save" one of my favorite shows on the DVR to watch during my a.m. workout. Friday morning I watched Private Practice while on the spin bike.

A few words about my spin bike. I bought a Star Trac spin bike about two years ago. If I remember, it was about $900. I feel like it was a great investment (as was our treadmill). It's pretty smooth to ride and is fairly low-maintenance. You can easily adjust the resistance. You can sit, hover, or stand. You can really get a good workout on it if you want to. Of course, it's more low impact than running, and it's great to ride when the weather is terrible.

Last winter I did a lot of running outside with my Yaktraks and spent a lot of time on the treadmill--and a little bit of time on the spin bike. This winter I have a feeling I might get back into the spin bike. We'll see. In the winter, my rule is that I can do whatever I feel like for fitness--as long as I am doing something. When it gets a little warmer in the spring, I'll think about getting into some sort of a running plan to train for races.

Speaking of winter....there are few things I really LOVE about winter, and college basketball is one of those things! The UNI men's basketball team has their first exhibition game on Tuesday. I love the time of year when the college football and basketball seasons overlap!