A solid double and an art show...

Friday, March 7, 2014

The temperature had reached 50 and with the sun shining, I drove towards the Metropark to try and get inn a Survival Workout on the previously frozen trails.  I had to hurry because I needed to drive to Akron for Heidi’s art show, which began at 7 p.m.

I climbed from the car wearing a t-shirt and shorts.  It was in the forties and the temperature was dropping, but a set of push-ups would get my blood boiling and I knew I’d be warm enough.  I put on boots because there was still 3 inches of snow on the field and the trails would be a combination of ice, slush and snow I was sure.  After doing my initial set of calisthenics at the car, I started running across the frozen rugby field at what was supposed to be a sprint.  It resembled one in name only.

I was huffing in a big way after 30 seconds of running across the field and making my way into the woods.  Following a second set of exercises at my first rock station, I did high knees on the icy surface of the bridle trail.  Slipping as I was made the task that much harder and after thirty bounds, found myself sucking hard for oxygen.  I needed to clear snow from my next push-up area, but the picnic table was clear for crunches.  I did struggle breaking my rocks free from the frozen tundra, though the clinging turf added to the weight and enhanced the workout.

I reached my log after another set of high knees, but no amount of digging and kicking would break the grip of the ice that had formed over it during the previous month.  I resigned myself to lifting more rocks instead.

In all, I managed 20 sets and an excellent workout.  I had sorely missed the woods and working out there and the inconveniences of ice and snow were minor when considering the alternative of working out inside.  I drove home monitoring my time and realizing that if I changed quickly, I could get some time on the bike trainer, which I did.

Heidi’s art show was a success for her; she’d sold half of her work before the evening was over.  Since we were in Akron though, we decided to stop at ‘Larry’s’, a neighborhood pub across from Heidi’s apartment, for dinner.  They had great food and the owner always looked out for Heidi whenever she came in.  I ordered a large burger and chased it with a plate of fries, thus undoing a fine double.  Overall though, a very good calorie-burning day.

Survival Workout:  60 minutes.  Bike workout:  30 minutes. 
Training Heart Rate:  100-150 bpm for SW and 120 on the bike.
Calories burned during workout:  600 for SW and 425 on the bike.