Workout Journal August 21, Cardio Day

Workout Journal August 21

Today was a cardio day. I didn’t have the motivation to head out for a trail run, plus truth be told my feet have been killing me with blisters from these Earth Runners I’ve been wearing to run. They’re comfortable and I think they’ve been making me much stronger from the foot up, which is why I continue to wear them running. However, I find that around the 5 mile mark, the rubbing between my toes becomes pretty painful. I’m just not completely used to them yet. When I first put them on 2 years ago, I couldn’t even walk in them without pain. So to run 5 miles of trail without pain is a pretty big improvement. I know it doesn’t sound like it, but I fully endorse these sandals just to be clear.

All that’s to say, I didn’t trail run today like I have been. Instead I did a cardio mix in my garage gym. 

• 20 minutes on the assault bike - 5.5 miles

• 10 minutes on the rower - 2,571 meters

• 3 x 3 minute rounds of my newly acquired heavy bag with 1 minute rest intervals. 

About 40 minutes of total varied work. 

I used to always pick one modality of cardio (ie treadmill) and stick with it for my full session. A couple of years back I heard a fitness person talk about breaking up your 30 minutes into 10 minute sessions on 3 different pieces of equipment. 

It sounds obvious to me now (and maybe it’s obvious to you) but I had never really thought about it like that before. Instead I would dread my 30-40 minute session. Now, I look forward to it. 

10-20 minutes on any one piece of equipment or any one modality is just about the sweet spot where it becomes boring. So, on days when I can’t hit the trail, that’s what I’ve been doing. 30 - 40 minutes of varied work. 

Give it a thought if you’re bored with your routine.